Wait, what? The Hold Steady, beloved hipster bar band, sharing a stage with unrepentant frat-rock douches Dave Matthews Band? It’s happening in St. Louis, reports our sister paper, Riverfront Times. It’s too late to call Live Nation, and the listing for Dave at Cricket Wireless doesn’t say anything about The…
HogjawDevil in the Details(Self-released) As much as I generally prefer music that bears the stamp of the town that births it, there’s something to be said for a band that becomes so obsessed with another region’s music that they transform themselves, to the point they mimic it perfectly. The Love…
I’m not sure when the last time I had a Mountain Dew was, but the last time I remember enjoying one was back when the brand’s Code Red flavor came out. I have vivid memories of using the stuff to wash down Flamin’ Hot Cheetos while listening to The Writing’s…
We don’t normally run two pieces previewing acts from a single concert in our print edition, but last week I made an exception for Jessica Lea Mayfield and Annuals at Rhythm Room. After tonight’s show I’m definitely glad I did.As the headliner, Annuals, a six-piece indie act from North Carolina,…
Fresh off a three-night stint at Madison Square Garden, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood have announced a 14-city U.S. tour beginning in June, which stops in Glendale on Friday, June 26. Tickets go on sale Monday, February 23 at 10 a.m. through LiveNation.The duo teamed up at the Chicago Crossroads…
We’ve been getting a lot of comments complaining we’re too snarky lately, so we’ll let you take care of this one yourselves. The following press release from Limp Bizkit begins with this sentence: “The original line-up of Limp Bizkit is back, do you believe in miracles?”Have at ‘er…
With The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach’s solo record, Keep It Hid, having come out last Tuesday and his protégé, Jessica Lea Mayfield coming to town tomorrow, I thought this would be a good time to share a story I wrote on Auerbach for my college paper back when his band…
The only thing the sports media love more than a good feud is a half-assed gesture to end it under meaningless circumstances. So it was that Kobe and Shaq were forced to awkwardly hoist a trophy together at the 2009 NBA All-Star game, just as they did back when they…
This is the sort of thing ordinary folks get mad about us Media Elites saying, but covering any event — even a basketball game where the league’s biggest stars take turns not playing defense — is a lot like any other day on the job. There is one exception, and…
After hearing Kinch’s new EP, The Economic Chastisement (review here), I was a little worried the boys were going soft on us. Chastisment is a solid CD, but it’s so much softer than their previous effort, the album Advances, it was hard for me to get as excited about it…
Former Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tome Morello has been added to the Tempe Music Festival lineup. He joins 3 Doors Down, The All American Rejects, Mutemath and Shiny Toy Guns on Saturday, April 4. Kid Rock, Cowboy Mouth, Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers and The Outlaws hold down the…
Before today I really had nothing against Bonnie “Prince” Billy. Sure, his insistence on saying he plays “Appalachian post-punk solipsist” when he’s clearly a fairly run-of-the-mill folkie is a little pompous, and I’ve always been a little skeptical of failed actors trying their hand at music, but William Oldham’s always…
My good friend Albert Ching at our sister paper in Orange County penned a real gem this week: “Seven Unsexy Songs About Sex.” From Bruce Springsteen talking about anal sex with a hooker to the Liz Phair song that’s more lewd than “Flower” these songs are guaranteed to kill any…
Tempe Music Festival has bolstered their lineup with three acts that give the beachfront festival — headlined by Kid Rock and Three Doors Down — some indie cred. The Outlaws, Mutemath and Shiny Toy Guns pad a lineup that also includes Cowboy Mouth, Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers and The…
One of the things I enjoy most about reading the other music, arts and culture blogs in the Village Voice chain is seeing how they reflect their respective scenes. Take, for example, today’s porn-related posts here in Phoenix and at our sister paper in San Francisco.Last night, Niki D’Andrea covered a…
I’m not sure what I like so much about this flier for Philly pop-punk band Valencia, but it sure is eye-catching. I don’t have much to say about the band, which is playing Modified on Valentine’s Day, but I love the flier…
So, we don’t normally blog about shows outside the area, but our contributor Psyko Steve Chilton is putting a real dandy at SxSW in Austin next month. The “I Heart AZ” showcase features Dear and the Headlights, Miniature Tigers, What Laura Says, The Stiletto Formal, Kinch, Back Ted N-Ted and…
Every week I bring a new soda in the break room to review for Pop Culture and every week I get the same complaints from our tasting panel: It’s too sweet… I need to brush my teeth… My cavities are aching… I’m slipping in to a diabetic coma.This week we’re…
So I’ve made a big deal out of the relentless first come-first served policy we have for You Asked For It, our weekly local CD review column, a few times before. This week, I’m breaking it. I’m only moving Kinch up one week, but I wanted to confess it up…
I got an e-mail from our main man Murph over at So Much Silence today expressing some concern The Flaming Lips were not going to be at McDowell Mountain Music Festival after all, despite what I reported Sunday. Don’t worry folks, while Murph is right that they aren’t listed on…
The last time Eagles of Death Metal were in town, their show was nearly unberable. Opening for The Hives at the Marquee, the band made their (now latest, then soon-to-be released) record Heart On sound so boring I almost gave up on them. “By the end, it was like watching…
Turns out I should go to my neighborhood hotel bars more often! Yes, that’s Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder doing U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” at the Best Western Dobson Ranch Inn in Mesa. Vedder was in town for the Chicago Cubs 2009 Fantasy Camp, according to Stereogum.Two…
