Art Edwards was the bassist for one of Tempe's favorite local bands of all time, The Refreshments. Here he discusses his involvement in Tempe at the height of a thriving musical community, and helps to answer some of those burning questions about Tempe's identity.

As we all know, Phoenix is lucky to have many brilliant talented musicians who play all different types of music. From our favorite rock stars to famed jazz greats and some of the most well-known classical musicians in the world, Catalin Rotaru is one gem that Phoenix is glad to have around.

One would hope that every remotely cool city in the world has someone like her. She's someone everybody knows, and someone everybody loves. Tempe wouldn't be what it is without her.

2006 was the first year with an abundance of digitally shot mainstream productions. Blockbuster’s like “Superman Returns”, “Apocalypto” and “Miami Vice” all took the plunge into digital cinematography. With the numbers growing every year one begins to question if film is about to be added to the endangered species list.

World-renowned composer and even a three time Academy Award nominee, including a nomination for this year's film “Notes on a Scandal” in the category of best original score, Philip Glass, made a memorable appearance at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts last month amidst a lengthy world tour.

ASU’s Brand New Film Program: When a student looks through an Arizona State University course catalogue or walks around the sprawling Tempe campus the possibilities seem limitless. In the fall of 2005 a new degree program was added to the array of choices for ASU students; this one promises to impact the arts at ASU and the local film scene as well.

IN A WORLD where the cultural scene can sometimes feel as dry as the surrounding desert, comes a welcome reprieve. A festival – a FILM festival. A festival to quell the inspirational drought and refresh the way Valley denizens feel about independent film. And it’s coming to a theater near you…this April!

The man who writes the scripts for Big Brain Pictures also likes to flip them. According to Dominic Ross, Big Brain’s resident actor and writer, the time has come to break stereotypes about women in film.

In the world of film, young initiates are soon confronted with the contrast between promises of a land ripe with opportunity and warnings of an ocean of hard competition. A pool of filmmakers are rising out of that tension, sifted of the faint of heart, with a ready idealism tempered by challenge. Kane Black is one Phoenix-area actor and filmmaker to emerge from that pool, with the recent recognition of his horror-short, “No. 12.”