01.01.2011

Hello and bienvenidos to the new and improved YabYum Music and Arts for 2011! We're starting things off with our 2010 Awards issue, so check out who won what and stay tuned for tons more stuff each and every month!

For as much as we might hate having to write about Soft Drink,* we love the band. Dark and bubbly, Soft Drink plays delicious music for aficionados of aural delights. We've said it before and we're happy to say it again: Soft Drink fucking rocks! Read more.

* see our article here for full explanation

Folks love Snake! Snake! Snakes! In fact, never before had we witness such camaraderie between audience and stage as seen at Snake! Snake! Snakes! EP release (except perhaps at Treasure Mammal shows… but that’s a whole different story).

Never a cover? Rocking local acts every night of the week? Where can one find such a locale? Easy. Yucca Tap Room in Tempe hosts an array of local talent and we love them for it.

Although not every YabYum staffer could completely agree, Bloom Cheek by What Laura Says earned our Best LP award by its wit and charm. Read more.

Michelle Blades makes some amazing music but she’s more than a good singer-songwriter. Blades shapes her voice as a distinctive instrument, not simply a vehicle for lyrics.

Therefore, “Best Vocalist” sounded less befitting given the recipient of the award. Read More.

There are a lot of fabulous music videos being produced by Arizona artists and we have to say that the indie kids are taking a lead when it comes to video production.

Page the Village Idiot's Wednesday night Happy Hour at Long Wong's Firehouse may just have everything a person needs: middle of the work week drink specials and Page the Village Idiot. He’s the happy in our happy hour. Read more.

These kids make music that makes you happy, frolicsome even. One of the best albums we heard this year. Read more.

With so much hip hop emerging in Arizona, and with so many styles, it’s very hard to pick one album that defines a genre. With that said, Arizona mainstays The Drunken Immortals delivered The Artist Lives, an album that pushes the boundaries of the entire hip hop medium.

Sure, they’re more South-

western than pure “Southern” but that only makes them better.

No one can deny that the Dagg Nabbit Stubbs rock hard whether in Arizona or in Alabama. Read more.

Late night? The Wolfgang will see you through with their own brand of desert rock.

Having caught our attention with their track "Back Alley Serenade" (which one our Best "Summer" Song contest) we can't wait to see what they'll do in the new year.Catch them live on their home turf in Tucson and stay the night.

Beautiful in all regards, Alyosha is one of the best collections of songs to come out of the state.

If you haven’t checked out Phoenix’s Musical Instrument Museum and you’re even remotely interested in music or the world beyond your world, you should hurry and see what they have to offer. Read More.

The list of bands that played the new Apache Lake Music festival (formerly Jeromeatherapy) is like an all-encompassing roster of Arizona’s most beloved musical acts.

Of all the shows we saw this year, nothing sought to change our understanding of music as noise like the Melted Cassettes. Good times.

In the band Mostly Bears, Brian Lopez gives people a rowdy reason to love the Tucson music scene. But all by his lonesome, Lopez crafts some of the most soulful, somber songs for those moments of quiet reflection. Read more.

LPs, EPs, anything that holds music we’re about but there’s something special about the 7” vinyl format that tickles our fanatical hearts… lots of bands are looking cool with their 7” pressings, even Jimmy Eat World including a somewhat secret 7” with their latest release.

Punk rockers are found in hordes in this sunshiney state but few maintain that true punk spirit when stripped of distortion and electric implements. Not so with the Haymarket Squares. They keep the spirit alive with or without the plugs. Read more.

Grand is grand and the Roosevelt District holds a special place in our hearts, but we have found that the Burning Bush Drum Circle on the Melrose Curve keeps to that ancient First Friday spirit: folks, freaks, and revelry. Read more.

The fourth annual Record Store Day will take place on Saturday, April 16, 2011. We’ll keep you posted on this year’s Best Day of the Year! Read more.

Snow Songs makes music of subtle and exquisite crafting. Gritty tunes with ethereal reaches, our perfect pairing for meetings of art and rock. Read more.

This band came out of nowhere and we still don’t really know where they are on a musical spectrum. That’s because they seem to be based on the unexpected. What’s coming next for Caviar and Cigarettes? We have no idea, but we’re excited. Read more

Monophonic Hillside creates mystical rocknroll. And, if you happen to catch them at Phoenix’s Ice House Tavern, you can zen out too their music while watching a zambonie. True story.

This band is so unassuming, who knew they could make such stellar music? Case in point, the band offers their EP you+you+you+you=me for free through their Bandcamp page. Read more.

Where are the Whisperlights…? School and life experience in other locales is good and all but with so many members divide by space and time, Arizona is missing one of its most popular acts. Read more.

We’re sad to see them go and wanted to pay tribute to all the hard-to-find records Eastside has provided YabYummers over the years…

Some of the best bands rocking Arizona stages are female-fronted and fierce. Here are some of our favorites to check out…