18 May 7th - May 13th, 2026 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Questions? Feedback? Email me at [email protected] • Follow me on RATING (out of 5 McFly’s) MAZDA BUILT A DAD CAR THAT MIGHT START A FIGHT AT A STOPLIGHT 2026 MAZDA CX-90 TURBO S PREMIUM PLUS The 2026 Mazda CX-90 The 2026 Mazda CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus is Turbo S Premium Plus is what happens when Mazda what happens when Mazda watches the Germans and watches the Germans and says “yeah, we can do that… says “yeah, we can do that… but cheaper.” You get a but cheaper.” You get a turbo inline-6 pushing 340 turbo inline-6 pushing 340 horsepower, rear-biased AWD, horsepower, rear-biased AWD, and a driving feel that’s way too and a driving feel that’s way too fun for something with a third fun for something with a third row. It’s not just a family hauler, row. It’s not just a family hauler, it’s a family hauler that low- it’s a family hauler that low- key wants to race someone key wants to race someone at a red light. And starting at a red light. And starting at around $57K starting, it’s at around $57K starting, it’s undercutting the luxury crowd undercutting the luxury crowd while still acting like it belongs while still acting like it belongs there. there. Inside, it’s punching above Inside, it’s punching above its weight like a dude who’s had its weight like a dude who’s had two tequilas and bad intentions. two tequilas and bad intentions. Nappa leather, clean layout, Nappa leather, clean layout, Bose sound system, and Bose sound system, and just enough minimalism to just enough minimalism to feel expensive without being feel expensive without being annoying. The third row is annoying. The third row is there technically, but let’s be there technically, but let’s be honest, it’s more “kids and honest, it’s more “kids and enemies only” than full-grown enemies only” than full-grown adult friendly. The bonus? adult friendly. The bonus? You’re still getting about 23 You’re still getting about 23 city / 28 highway MPG, which city / 28 highway MPG, which is solid for something this size is solid for something this size with actual power. with actual power. The catch? Ride can be a The catch? Ride can be a little stiff, the transmission has little stiff, the transmission has its moments, and long-term its moments, and long-term reliability is still a bit of a “we’ll reliability is still a bit of a “we’ll see.” But if you want a three- see.” But if you want a three- row SUV that doesn’t feel like row SUV that doesn’t feel like you’ve completely surrendered you’ve completely surrendered your soul to suburbia, the CX- your soul to suburbia, the CX- 90 is a hell of a play. 90 is a hell of a play. Comfort: Value: Fuel Economy: Looks: The Drive: Safety & Security: Overall: Sound System: Bells & Whistles: in a psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll outfit called The Amboy Dukes who released a song in 1968 co-written by Nugent fellow axe man Steve Farmer called “Journey to the Center of the Mind.” Although the tune is clearly about a psychedelic trip, Nugent later denied knowing what the lyrics were about — even though he co-wrote the song. The Nuge would go on to become a renowned singer/guitarist with songs like “Cat Scratch Fever,” “Stranglehold” and “Jailbait,” in which he sings, “Well I don’t care if you’re just 13 / You look too good to be true / I just know that you’re probably clean / There’s one thing I got to do to you.” No wonder he loves Trump so much. Kenny Loggins Most folks know Kenny Loggins from his ’80s movie-related hits like “Footloose” and “Danger Zone” or his ’70s duo, Loggins and Messina (“Your Mama Don’t Dance,” “Danny’s Song”), but Loggins was active in the late ’60s and played in what was once a gritty psychedelic garage band called The Electric Prunes. The Prunes, led by James Lowe, scored a classic nugget called “I Had Too Much to Dream) Last Night” and another hit entitled “Get Me to the World on Time” from their first album, released in early 1967. Loggins, the future yacht-rocker, didn’t come around until after Lowe and other original members departed due to frustra- tions with their manager, who owned the band’s name. Loggins was brought into the group by the manager to play guitar and finish a tour started in early ’68. By the middle of that same year, he was gone. Andy Summers Summers found incredible fame and fortune as the guitarist for the new wave band The Police, who had hits like “Message in a Bottle,” “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” and “Every Breath You Take.” But for Summers, born the same year as Paul McCartney, success didn’t come quickly or easily. In the ’60s, Summers toiled away in multiple short-lived proj- ects and wound up playing in three psychedelic bands. The first was an act known for dressing in caftans called Dantalian’s Chariot, who released a single entitled “Madman Running Through the Fields” — now considered a psychedelic classic. After the demise of that band, Summers joined the Canterbury progres- sive-psych band Soft Machine in 1968, but only lasted a few months. He then hooked up with Eric Burdon and The Animals, the psychedelicized version of the British Invasion band The Animals, for a brief time, helping them record the album “Love Is.” Debbie Harry The Blondie frontwoman was a decade older than her bandmates, although she never looked it. When the band’s first, self-titled album was released in 1976, Harry was already 31 years old, and by the time they hit it big with “Parallel Lines,” she was 33. So, what was this divine diva doing in her 20s? Well, for one, she sang backing vocals in a gag-inducing, quasi-psyche- delic folk band called Wind in the Willows when she was still a brunette. A friend once bought me the CD, and I played it expectantly. Unfortunately, it’s sappy, low-grade psychedelia, and you can’t even discern her voice. You can find it on streaming services, but I’ll save you some time — it’s not even worth seeking out. Stories like these demonstrate how pervasive psychedelia was in the ’60s. For many emerging artists, experimenting with the sound wasn’t just an option — it was practically a rite of passage. A Trip Down Memory Lane from p 16 Kenny Loggins (Leslie Hassler)
