Local Stuff You Should Know #5

No rest for the local punk-hunter.

Trying to keep up with the sheer awesomeness that splatters this state from border to border is a full time job. There is so much going on in the Arizona punk scene on a daily basis, that since we relaunched in April, there's maybe been one day that has been empty on our show calendar. And despite the daunting task of scanning the innerwebs for shows to populate the calendar with, there's a chance that something was going on that I just missed. That being said, it's hard for us to get EVERY show posted. If you know of something coming up that you don't see on the calendar, please post it! If you've got something you want to promote, let us know! We're still working on making comments possible, and tons of other stuff, but the promotional capabilities on AZPunk is alive and well! If you want to help, or if you've got shit you want to promote online (and we know you do), just shoot us an email and let's get it rollin!
Read more on AZPunk.com »

Valley of the Scum #4 Preview

A quick peek at the latest issue

I used to walk in to East Side Records every week, and anxiously ask "Do you have any local zines yet? Anything about local music?". The answer was always a disappointing "no". So T-Bird and myself said "Fuck it" and put out issue # 1 with the Love Me Nots. Since that first issue, a spark was lit. Now there's hordes of great things happening for Phoenix. More coverage, more zines, more websites, more everything! And here we are now about to put out our 4th issue for the month of July. People all over town have been asking "When is the next issue coming out? Where can I get it? Are you guys still around?". To all of those questions, here are the answers:
Read more on AZPunk.com »

The Manor: A Clubhouse for Losers

House shows still dominate the underground in AZ

Since the dawn of Man, house shows have been the lifeline of true underground punk rock music. If you've never heard of them, or if their name is certain to generate some interest, chances are the bands playing at any given local house shows are worthy of your attention. Case in point, The Manor in Tempe is the left ventricle of the Arizona punk rock house show circulatory system. The guys who run/work/live at The Manor are also members of local punk bands like Higher Love, Lower Love and Standards, who coincidentally also populate some of the shows held there.
Read more on AZPunk.com »

AZKaos Zine #3 Preview

A quick peek at the latest issue

Taking our cue and a page from the original SLASH magazine at the birth of the L.A. punk scene, AZ KAOS focuses on but not limited to Arizona bands, shows, films, photos, cd releases and music related concerns or topics. Our goal is to publish one issue a month. We are not attempting to "cover" the scene. Instead, AZ KAOS will give focus to bands and artists that we feel need attention, criticism or debate. This will not be a kiss ass "I like your band, you like mine" fanzine. Instead, like SLASH years ago, AZ KAOS will inject attitude, philosophy, criticism and belief in what we feel passionate about.
Read more on AZPunk.com »

Local Stuff You Should Know #4

Pizza, blood, tits & taking care of our own. That's how we roll in AZ.

Recently, a very good friend of the AZPunk.com family, and all-around awesome dude, Danny NSK of North Side Kings tragically lost his house and all of his possessions to an accidental house fire. Miraculously, no people or pets were harmed in the fire, but their lives were complletely devastated. But with his horrible loss, brings and opportunity for you to finally do something selfless for once in your life. If Danny ever entertained you in any sort of way, whether you've thrashed out to a live NSK show, whether you've shared a kindly laugh while he was checking your ID at the door, whether you've wasted any amount of time reading his genius horror movie buff ramblings on his site ICanSmellYourBrains.com, or whether you've simply been left speechless after watching him put Danzing in his fucking place, now is your chance to do the right thing and donate any amount you can to help him and his family get back on their feet. One dollar, five dollar, or fifty cents, it doesn't matter. Give back a little during a time when you've just realized that things really aren't as bad as you've thought they've been. Danny has ALWAYS been there for AZPunk, and we'll be damned if AZPunk isn't there for Danny. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts, they've got a rough road ahead of them.
Read more on AZPunk.com »

We Got Yer Local Punk Resources Swingin'

Local (mostly) links that will help you find what you're looking for.

Once upon a time, AZPunk.com had a vast resource page, where users could submit links to local recording studios, music stores, and other businesses or organizations that could assist a local punk in finding the right kind of info for stuff they really need to get their hands on. Well, we haven't gotten around to getting that resource section back up on the new site yes, but we still have plenty of local and national resources that could possibly help you out at one point or another. Below, you can browse through our current list of resources that we've been both gathering since the relaunch, as well as some old classics that managed to find their way over from the old site. Let it be known that this list is nowhere near complete, as we're still looking for local links to add. If you have a resource that could help out your local AZ punkers, shoot us an emailAZPunk needs your participation! and we'll add it to the list. Hope this stuff helps!
Read more on AZPunk.com »

Valley of the Scum #3 Preview

A quick peek at the latest issue

Valley of the Scum is a local zine based in East Mesa. We provide coverage of the local Rock'n'Roll music scene here. Punk, Garage, Rockabilly, Psychobilly, Rock'n'Roll, anything you want. If you're a local band, that can't get coverage from The New Times or any of the other non-existent music press ... holler at us! We don't care how cool you look, how many 'roadies' you have, or who did you hair. We want to Rock'n'Roll. Bop and shout. Plain and simple. Move us and we'll move you. In the pants. Mesa! Tempe! Phoenix! Scottsdale! Glendale! Peoria! Even Apache Junction! If you're in the local Metro-Phoenix area, hit up Valley of the Scum Zine if you want your band's album reviewed, or have some local punk rock news!
Read more on AZPunk.com »

Local Stuff You Should Know #3

Ska is still stopmin' in AZ whether you like it or not.

Many American ska bands, both past and present, have been majorly influenced by punk. In fact, the music of some of the "ska" bands that have been more widely accepted has been considerably more punk than ska (think Less Than Jake, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, etc.). Historically, Arizona has had one of the better ska scenes in the country, believe it or not. In the mid to late 90s, ska bands could be seen at venues almost every night of the week. One of the more popular weekly ska events being Moonstomp Wednesday's at Boston's in Tempe. This was the epitome of ska's thriving metro-phoenix scene in Arizona during the late 90s. While the popularity of the music has waned over the years, and the size of the local ska scene has diminished, bands continue to record and perform the music all over Arizona.
Read more on AZPunk.com »

Live From Downtown Tucson 1984

Dry Heat Radio delivers classic Arizona punk rock

Compliments Dylan from Dry Heat Radio

Sometimes, my daily mining of the innernets unearths small pieces of gold that must be shared with the rest of the world. Here's a live clip from what looks like a public access TV show called the Twit Show (why can't we have nice shit like this anymore?) filming on location from the Tucson Western International Telethon recorded in the Fall of '84. While I was busy picking my nose and finding creative new ways to destroy my Star Wars figures, downtown Tucson was bombarded with hundreds of bored and creative costumed freaks looking for a good time. The video features clips of Useless Pieces of Shit (UPS) performing live.

Read more on AZPunk.com »

Local Stuff You Should Know #2

Stop thinking the scene is dead or that "punk" is a certain type of sound

This city is huge and filled to the brim with great music and all it requires for you to find it is to have an open mind. I have been in bands and around this town since about 1997 and I will never say that those were the good ole days because right now punk music in the valley and in the world is still alive and kicking ass. Here in our city I have been so sad to see so many people that are afraid to let in a new and younger generation of "Punk". This will not sound like the music you grew up on; they will not look like the dudes in that band from you childhood, but the heart is the same. Getting stuck in a rut is something a lot of us do. We get used to one venue and one group of certain bands, and we stay in that little circle. This is not a bad thing, but can only lead you towards not being able to find what else is going on in the rest of the city when it comes to local music. If you really are a person that cares about the local punk scene and not just some one that wants to be seen at the cool hip places, then take a night to go to a show and see some music and people that you have never met or seen. We need to tie this all together. We need to not be separate anymore. We need to realize that there is a lot more going on outside of what we think is going on.
Read more on AZPunk.com »

Sidney Copeland: July 8 1972 - April 22, 2006

AZPunk remembers a fallen friend.

Special thanks to Lise Johnson for this memorable clip.

Yesterday marked the 3rd anniversary of a fallen friend to AZPunk.com. Sidney Copeland was an incomparable part of Arizona local music and the entire AZPunk family. His passion for music and generosity towards everyone he met generated an entire community of people who loved him and made the local punk rock scene what it is today. He was a father and friend to all of us. He will be missed deeply, but never forgotten.

Read more on AZPunk.com »

Local Stuff You Should Know #1

A gathering of local punk events as they happen.

Since the site's been back online for almost three weeks now, I've been spending a lot of time scouring the innerwebs for new Arizona punk stuff. Whether they're bar shows, house shows, skate jams, or underground conventions, we want to showcase the hard work behind these local happenings on AZPunk.com. What I've found is that shit is happening all over the place, and since we went offline a year ago, the local punk scene has continued to thrive and come up with new ways to have a good time. Did you know that Yuma just had a punk fest with about 10 of their local bands? No? How about that Wickenburg has one of the most kick ass skate parks in the state? Bottom line is that if you're bored in AZ, you're lazy. Besides the countless showsGot an upcoming show? Post it on our calendar! that occur on a daily basis, there is so much going on out here for a punk to experience, hear and read. Check out this brief list of things you should know about.
Read more on AZPunk.com »

AZPunk.com 2.0 User Guide Overview

Nice site guys, now how the hell do I use it?

The new AZPunk will be an ever-growing engine of sweet-ass web stuff. We built it so we can easily include new tools and gadgets as we go long. Over the next couple of months, we'll be integrating features like RSS feeds, amped-up profile pages, and unique communication tools to name just a few. We're excited about some of the new thing's we'll be including later on, but we're pretty sure you're gonna dig what we've got in store for you already. Here's a list of the features you'll run across in the new site, and a sneak peek at some of the new stuff that will be coming up in the next couple of months.

Read more on AZPunk.com »

I Can Haz AZPunk Back Now, kthx.

A brief insight into the past 365 days of AZPunk.com

Hi! So, we managed to find our way back onto the innerwebs after a year of intense geeking out over where the hell we were going to take this site. Anyone who spent more than 10 minutes on the old version knew that something desperately needed to be done about the layout, the content management, and most importantly, the basic process of getting you local punk info fast.
Read more on AZPunk.com »