‘Suns in 4’ Robbie Tripp feat. Johnjay Van Es We’ll always remember fondly this sum- mer’s Phoenix Suns playoff run. It didn’t turn out how we wanted, but one of our fa- vorite takeaways from those thrilling weeks was “Suns in 4,” a catchy track by lo- cal hip-hop artist Robbie Tripp. The title comes from the viral video in which Phoe- nician-turned-Denverite Nick McKellar got in a fight with a Nuggets fan during Game 3 of the Suns-Nuggets series: “SUNS IN FOUR!” McKellar screamed defiantly at his aggressor. The short song is an ap- preciation of Phoenix just as much as it is an ode to its basketball team with lyrics like “We the Valley here together / Man, we all we need / I put the city on my back / I wear it on my sleeve.” Sure, it might not be the most complex or thoughtful tune to come out of the Phoenix music scene this year. But to us, it’s a musical time capsule that will never fail to remind us of the summer of 2021, when it seemed like the whole city was united in a spirit of hope, excitement, and local pride. ✥✥✥✥✥ Joey Jay joeyjayisgay.com Unfortunately, local drag queen Joey Jay didn’t stay long on season 13 of RuPaul’s Drag Race; our hometown hero was the second contestant to get the ax. But it only took one episode to get the whole Drag Race fanbase talking about him. He fa- mously made his entrance by declaring himself a “filler queen” (a Drag Race con- testant destined to get eliminated quickly). Then, later in the episode, during a sur- prise lip-sync challenge, his red feather en- semble shed all over the stage. Since appearing on the show, he’s been spending a little less time in town as he makes ap- pearances around the country, but you can still catch him most Friday nights at Kobalt in central Phoenix as part of the 4Some Re- vue. Oh, and those red feathers? He auc- tioned some of them off to raise money for nonprofits that help LGBTQ youth. He re- ally is the queen that fills our hearts. ✥✥✥✥✥ Andy Warpigs 202 There are 1,000 ways you could frame a conversation about Andy Warpigs. They were a true punk rocker with piss and vin- egar to spare. Or, a committed friend and collaborator and partner with a massive heart. They were also a spark for amazing I t’s Friday, and you need to put the week (and espe- cially the memory of that lousy Psych 101 exam score) behind you. Mill Avenue beckons. Will you start on the patio at The Handlebar? You will, because you’re trying to be pandemic-con- scious but also because you like to start slow, with a cou- ple of cold brews, and the Handlebar beer menu is impressive. The sausage sandwich at the next table looks tasty, but it’s too early in the evening for food. Maybe at the next stop. But then your next stop turns out to be Varsity Tavern across the street, where you run into a group of frat boys and decide to hang. The pale ale is flowing, and the com- pany isn’t completely odious, at least until your ex turns up and you dash for the exit. Next door at the Mill Cue Club, you’re sure a round of billiards will take your mind off your failed romance, and after your third Manhattan and what you think might be your seventh game of One Pocket, you head for the door, weaving through a sea of pool tables and wondering how many there could possibly be in this joint. Some chow will soak up all that rye and vermouth, so you head into Zipps Sports Grill for a plate of wings at the bar. The bartender is being cute with you, so you let her talk you into a Zipparita, a sort of tequila smoothie that isn’t half bad. It’s not doing much for the hangover you’re working up to, though, so after a trip to the john you’re back out on Mill Avenue and thinking about heading home when someone — Gah! What’s that guy’s name? — calls to you from the patio at Pedal Haus. You hop the outdoor railing and settle in for a sidecar and a pretzel while What’s-His-Name (Dale? Don? Some- thing with a D...) bends your ear about how he’s meeting some buds at Yucca Tap Room, just down the road at Mill and Southern avenues. You figure you can do worse than a dive bar and a lit- tle live music to end the evening, so you agree to join him. It’s standing-room-only at Yucca, and you’re back to beer because your old friend (Danny?) orders you a Sam Ad- ams without asking what you want. Whatever his name is, he remembers your favorite beer. When your old pal isn’t looking, you sneak out the door and back up the street toward home. The word “nightcap” occurs to you, and you head into Low Key Pi- ano Bar where you plan to wrap up the evening with a hot toddy and a little quiet ivory-tinkling. But there’s a party going on, and after joining a group of tank-topped pre- med students and sucking down a trio of Jell-O Syringes, you don’t remember much else. Except for that guy’s name, which comes to you during a loud, rowdy, two-pi- ano tribute to “Proud Mary.” Dave. His name was Dave. art across the Valley’s rich indie music scene. All of those are true, and yet they only briefly encapsulate Warpigs, who died on May 30, 2021, at the age of 32. Warpigs’ art was a direct result of this ongoing battle between ample rage and disdain and a be- lief that change is inside us all. You got the sense that Warpigs saw life as this won- drous struggle for decency and humanity. As such, their work was representative not just of great punk but what it means to be alive in the world as someone who wanted more from it. Warpigs taught us, with ev- ery raw, sweat-soaked show and snarling new anthem released, that great art really could change the world — if only because it made us all just a shred more open and honest. Andy Warpigs helped make Phoe- nix a weirder and more beautiful place, and we’re all charged with carrying that great flame forward. Recordbar Radio recordbar.org When Jake Stellarwell first started devel- oping Recordbar Radio in 2019, he envi- sioned the locally focused internet radio project, studio, and retail spot as some- thing to “bring DJ and independent un- derground music culture in a bit tighter while bringing everyone together in a meaningful way.” He turned out to be more prescient than a needle-dropping Nostradamus. When the pandemic pressed pause on the Valley’s music and nightlife scene for the better part of a year, Recordbar helped fill the silence with video and audio YouTube livestreams of local DJs, producers, turntablists, beat- smiths, and selectors laying down a wide variety of sounds at the central Phoenix studio. (MCs, bands, and musicians have also been featured.) After launching in April 2020, the Recordbar crew began in- viting in artists from various scenes, run- ning the gamut from crate-diggers like Djentrification and Johnny D. to experi- mental electronic artist Terminal 11 to techno-loving freaks like Disco Zombie. They’ve broadcast close to 500 livestreams thus far, and later this year, Stellarwell says they’ll debut a new loca- tion that also functions as a coffee shop, record store, beer and wine bar, and full- fledged venue. “We’re trying to make Phoenix a bit more of a dynamic, interest- ing, and culturally relevant place to be,” he says. BEST OF PHOENIX 2021 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2021.C0M | SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 ni ghtlif e R Y LO B E O AL STUR F C W HE A A AJ D Y V TORIT O E B ES T SO N G Mill Avenue B E S T FILL ER Q UEEN B E S T L EG A C Y A R TI S T
