Local Stuff You Should Know #13

Too much radical to write about on a Friday afternoon

We wanted to send out a HUGE thanks to Sarah Ventre and the whole Blaze 1330AM team for inviting us over the guest DJ the radio show this last Tuesday. Unfortunately, if you missed it, you're pretty much in the same boat as us being s.o.l., because their computer fried destroying all of the recordings of that day, so no MP3 copy for us. Wah wah :/. That does, however, mean you're off the hook for not listening. But if you did happen to tune in, you would have heard us play some killer local punk rock, and talk a little bit about some of the pretty cool things AZPunk has in store for 2010...
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Can A Punk Get A Friggin Drink Around Here?

An (expanding) list of local punk-friendly bars and pubs

Many moons (and roughly 3500 gallons of alcohol ago), I had this idea for AZPunk. It was to make a list of all of the punk-friendly bars I could find throughout the state, and start a re-occurring segment called the "AZPunk Pub Crawl", where we would travel to one of these listed bars with a local band, kick back with a trough of drinks, and just bullshit about local music and whatever else a trough of drinks happens brings about. Each segment would feature a different bar, and a different local band. Kind of like an upgrade to the "Featured Bands" of AZPunk lore. Well, that idea never really got much further than the inside of my skull, but it did get me off my ass to start making a list of the right bars and pubs you should be supporting all throughout Arizona...
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Local Stuff You Should Know #12

Punk rock zombies reclaim control of their territory!

With all the hooha on the big 2012 apocalypse scare and people freaking out over the end of the world, AZPunk is here to let you know that we're all going to die. We have difinitive proof that we are all nearing the end of days, because the dead are definitely clawing their way back up through their graves in this state. The weekly spelunking of local shows has unearthed the fact that punk rock is anything but deceased in our broad, dysfunctional little local music scene. Throughout the months of March to May, Arizona old school punk rock is back on track and playing shows all over the place. From National acts like Bad Brains, to classic Arizona Oi like Fatskins, and as always, new local and traveling acts trudging their way to and from SxSW, if there was ever a list of shows that should get you to you grab your friends, gas up the ride, and head out of town for some good ol' punk rock fun times, this is it.
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Facebook: Connected!

Comment on articles and shows via Facebook

I've been noticing on some of the design websites and blogs that I frequent, webmasters have enabled the ability for visitors to connect via social networks likeFacebook. Well, after a little mining and pillaging on the good ol' innerwebs, I found out how. It's pretty simple, actually. So we're gonna test drive this Facebook comment thing for a bit and see how it all works out for the time being. So go ahead, sign in via your Facebook profile, and comment away on any of the articles or show postings. Like I've said before, AZPunk is a social web experiment, so we're always testing out new gadgets and web shits. If something doesn't work, or you have any ideas or desire to help out, hit us up. In the meantime, this seems like as good of a place as any to start!
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AZPX Records JFA/Dephinger Apache Split 7"

Bringin the shred to the Rez, and a record to a lucky winner

For eight years, AZPX Skateboards has been thrashing across the desert from border to boarder spreading the gospel according to griptape. AZPX Owner, Rob Locker - the brains behind the board, is continuing his mission on Saturday, March 27 at San Carlos Apache Boys & Girls Club Skatepark with AZPX's 5th Annual Apache Skate Blast and JFA/Dephinger Apache Split Release Show. This day-long skateboarding competition will complete with a good ol' fashioned Rez punk party featuring JFA, Dephinger and some of their friends celebrating the new Apache Split record. I sat down with Rob over the innernets to ask him some hard hitting questions about the record, geriatric skating and when the hell I'm gonna get my hoverboard.
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AZPunk Guest DJs on ASU Radio 3/23 from 1-2PM

Listen live online @ blazeradioonline.com

This morning, we received an email from Sarah Ventre, the music director of ASU's student radio station (KASC The Blaze 1330 AM) asking if AZPunk would like to take part in their guest DJ program running throughout the month of March. Our response was quick and firm; "HELL YES!!!" Chris and I are stoked to help out with this great opportunity for us to play some new local punk rock (and most likely some old favorites), and also be given a chance to talk about some big things in the works with AZPunk for 2010. And what IS it exactly that AZPunk has in store for the local punks of Arizona this year? A new compilation? New website features? Some massive musical rematch? We're not telling! Well, at least not until March 23rd at 1PM. If you're not by a radio, then you can listen online at blazeradioonline.com. Tune in punk!
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10 Free Innerweb Must-Have Resources for the Local Band

Useful tools that will help you get down to business

Everybody is different when it comes to organizing the ins-and-outs of your band. For me, I've always been the detailed oriented guy who likes to keep info within arms reach (who said that drummers were the laziest people in the band anyway?). Luckily, the glorality of the innerwebs offers some kick ass tools for you to use for free. Sure, you already use the standard social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace (does anyone even still use MySpace besides us?), but what if you need to design a flyer and can't afford Photoshop? Or if you want to record a simple demo and don't have the cash to pay an engineer? Don't worry, AZPunk's got you covered. We've comprised a seriously resourceful list of 10 web tools that have been huge help to AZPunk in the past, and will no doubt make your band life a hell-of-a-lot more organized.

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Cut Throat DVD Release Show Review

PBRs and fire, shit gets heated!

The night was Friday February 26th and after an exhausting week at my job I was ready to let loose and have some fun. Thankfully I ditched out on the Pigeon John show at the Hidden House (I love hip hop, but the venue didn't seem fitting for such fine talent) and headed to Chasers to see mainly 2 acts. Bro Loaf and Cut Throat Freakshow's DVD release. Upon arriving, Chasers was filling up, I counted roughly 45 people around 9:45pm. I showed up kinda late with my good friend Funky Monkey. We caught the last 4 songs of the opening band, and due to last minute changes in the line up I have no idea who they were, but I think it was Canyon Animals. They did, however, have a piñata in the middle of what would have been the pit if the place had been packed. Inside the piñata was your normal, every day punk rock shenanigans. Some penis pills, rubber eyeballs, candy and other assortments. As for the band, they were alright, mostly screamo/metal with hints of punk, I am pretty sure at one point they covered a Misfits song, but I could be mistaken.
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Local Stuff You Should Know #11

Awesome upcoming shows for punks of all flavors

The recent scouring of the innerwebs and additions to our shows calendar have pointed towards some seriously awesome local shows coming up. And by seriously awesome, I'm talking about opening your fucking calendar and marking this shit down in red right now. Hardcore pioneers, sideshow freaks, local favorites, and controversial house shows that will destroy lives and create more scrutiny than your mom's sex video we've been glued to all week.
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Happy Birthday AZPunk

Here's to 8 years, technically...

And what an 8 years it's been, eh? A little more low-key, but still D.I.Y. & dedicated to local punk & hardcore; love it or hate it, if you're any fan of the music, there's a chance AZPunk's played into either some part of your show-going experience, or online entertainment at one point or another. And in celebration of the good, the bad, and the fugly, the old, and the yet-to-come of this giant dysfunctional AZ underground music website, AZPunk is gathering a shitload of local stuff, packaging it up in a brown paper bag, and giving it to you. We're digging into the stockpile of comps, cds, stickers, and other random shit that we just can't stand looking at anymore, and putting it up for grabs.
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The Return Of The Nile Basement

The Mantooth Group announces the re-opening of the Nile Basement as "The Underground"

One flight of stairs below the historic Nile Theatre there is a basement but not just any basement, a basement that helped shape the state of live music in the valley for almost ten years. "The Nile had been one of the local staples for quite some time when I started performing as a wee young lad, and I was quite stunned when the place shut down. To hear that it's reopening is great news for the city of Mesa, and the state of Arizona. Not kidding. Some amazing bands have played there, and I'm positive that with the great promotion companies out there in Phoenix, many more bands will come wanting to play there for years to come," commented Wes Volcom of former local band Rondo Vega.
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Bropacalypse Now!

A BroLoaF retrospect

Back in late 2007, local punk geezer, and Father Figure, Tom Reardon, came to us with an interesting show challenge; can several randomly picked local musicians organize a punk band, write a 30 minuteset's worth of songs, and work together with musicians you hardly know, all within 2 months? The answer to this challenge would be played at the Hollywood Alley on AZPunk's Thrash of the Titans show. 24 musicians from local punk bands all around the Metro-Phoenix area took two months to organize six separate punk bands to compete for the title of AZPunk Titan and a spot on the AZPunk.com Volume 6 album. The battle was bloody and long, but as the night drew to a close, there was no doubt in neither the crowd, nor the judges that the undisputed AZPunk Titan was the frat-boy brohamness of BroLoaF.
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MCD Records want to give you some Boats!

Win a tripple pack of vinyl, and catch the Boats! AZ tour

May Cause Dizziness Records and Sacramento punk rockers Boats! are bringing teh rock to your doorstep with an AZ tour through Scottsdale, Tucson and Flagstaff, and a chance to win a trifecta-colored vinyl collection of their 7" with fellow Southern Cal buds, The Enlows. Brag to your friends and bulk up your punk cred by a whole 3 points by entering this super radtastic contest. Now you'll have an actual reason to buy a record player! Maybe you'll even love it so much that you'll get off your ass and go see something new for a change! The possibilities are endless if you choose to accept the challenge at hand.
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Local Stuff You Should Know #10

Win FREE Vandals/VGS tickets & check out the end of 09 events

Grab your speedos and clear your calendars, because on Friday December 11th, The Vandals are bringing their annual Christmas show to the Clubhouse, and Psyko Steve is kicking AZPunk down 2 free pairs of tickets to pass on to you! Next Thursday we will be drawing two names to each win a pair of tickets to be picked up at will call the night of the show. All you gotta do is click this link and shoot us an email. Your email address will be processed through our super scientific nuclear facility, and chosen at random by our underpaid AZPunk holiday elves. If you're chosen, we'll email, you to let you know. Otherwise, buy your tickets from psykosteve.com and come deck your halls with AZPunk and Psyko Steve! Speedos optional.
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Local Stuff You Should Know #9

The OSS, Elders & The Tightholes

The word "punk" gets thrown around a lot lately, a lot of the time when it probably has no business being used. It seems like often someone will tell me about some supposedly great punk band and it turns out that they basically have the tendencies of a rock band, but just sped up. Now that's fine, but that's not what attracted me about the genre, and I really don't know when punk turned into sped up Guns N' Roses riffs without the wank. I am not an elitist of any sort, but I can offer you a replacement for the played out whiskey rock camouflaged as punk that seems to be running rampant these days. I've been playing punk for about 14 years now, so I have seen local punk take many shapes. I have seen its ups and downs, maybe perhaps, I have even reached "old guy" status. Maybe I am not far from standing in darkened corners alone at shows talking about how I once saw Dystopia in the Nile basement. Uh, excuse the digression, my point is that currently the local scene is looking pretty promising. So without further ado, I now offer you a couple of local bands that capture what I know and love about punk.
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