Chicago-based four piece Pelican are busy readying their new LP, What We All Come to Need, and tuning up for their upcoming tour, including a date in Tempe. The instrumental post-metal band, who now reside in Los Angeles, played the now closed The Sets back in March, so their upcoming…
It came to my attention yesterday that former Doobie Brother/Kenny Loggins partner-in-crime Michael McDonald had collaborated with Brooklyn indie rockers Grizzly Bear for their new single “While You Wait for the Others.” I saw the news, felt a general amount of whimsy and went about my day. Fast forward to…
Earn It Yourself is the brainchild of Sarah Saturday, singer/songwriter of Gardening, Not Architecture fame. After dropping out of college to put her focus full-time on her band, Saturday began developing the blueprint for what would become the present day Earn It Yourself (EIY) ideals. Saturday self-promoted her band, booked…
Let me preface this by saying that the fact Dylan is donating all of the U.S. royalties from his upcoming album to the charity Feeding America is a very noble move, and one that deserves respect. He obviously doesn’t need the money, but there might be something more — something…
Sally Shapiro is a pseudonym for a Swedish electro-pop act produced by Johan Agebjörn — an odd revelation at first glance. Agebjörn is at the helm, overseeing the technical side of things while an unnamed female vocalist — who we are to believe is Sally Shapiro — provides the project…
Get excited, Kiss Army, because the Starchild, the Demon, the Spaceman and the Catman are on the prowl yet again. Seminal 70s rockers Kiss have just announced their Kiss Alive 35 Tour and it’s rolling through Glendale.Not a fan of overblown pyrotechnics and Jewish dudes in 1970s facepaint? Then let…
Take psychedelic rock — composed by just one person — then slap on some Swedish vocals, and you’ll end up with a recipe for what would seem like some has-been niche band from the 1970s. For multi-instrumentalist Gustav Ejstes, the creative force behind Swedish rockers Dungen, it works well. The…
I’m not going to lie to you — I am still reeling from the absolutely awful news that Micachu & The Shapes canceled their recent North American tour, including their September 14 stop at The Rhythm Room. My comfort, however, comes in the form of Texas indie pop band Eisley…
Delightfully Swedish new wave rockers The Sounds are planning a world tour in support of their latest album, Crossing the Rubicon, and they just so happened to include Tempe on their massive list. The Sounds built their reputation with their infectious 2002 debut Living in America, putting them on the…
Jamie Stewart, mastermind behind prolific indie riockers Xiu Xiu, has decided to not only form a new trio, but to have that band kick off their first tour at Phoenix’s Trunk Space. Stewart’s new collaboration is named Former Ghosts (a pretty sweet name if you ask me) and it consists…
I don’t know how I let this one slip through the cracks this long — but Portland, by way of Alaska, indie rockers Portugal. The Man will play a highly anticipated (hopefully by people other than myself) set late September at The Clubhouse. The band has an impressive new album,…
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has green lit a deal between Michael Jackson’s estate, AEG Live and Columbia Pictures for the release of rehearsal concert footage from the late singer’s comeback tour This Is It. The footage will be released as a movie, scheduled to hit theaters October 28 via…
As announced Saturday, the Big Four music labels — Sony, EMI, Warner and Universal — are all planning a new technology that will allow an album sleeve to be included in digital downloads of their music. The technology (which attempts to rival Apple’s similar plans) has been named “CMX” and…
It’s recently come to my attention that there are other blogs out there, Stereogum in particular, who are head over heels for English rockers Wild Beasts. I listened to some of their songs from their upcoming release Two Dancers (out 9/8 on Domino) and immediately fell in love with the band’s…
It seems every week, if not every day, I have a fantastic new show announcement for The Valley. This week’s edition brings us Lucero, a Valley favorite judging by the last time they packed the Rhythm Room. Their sixth album and major label debut, 1372 Overton Park, is due out…
Muse, everyone’s favorite British rock band to love/super-safe pick as favorite band, have recently released two new tracks from their upcoming album The Resistance to a great fervor. People fawned over “United States of Eurasia” when it was released a few weeks ago — some astute critics even noticed how much…
Excited for supergroups? Disappointed that the Dead Weather’s album isn’t quite as good as you think it should be? Well let Monsters of Folk — Conor Oberst, Jim James (Yim Yames, whatever), M. Ward and Mike Mogis — ease your mind with their folky goodness. Sure, their name sounds like…
Artists will spend their whole career searching for the elusive beast that will turn out to be their defining work. Portland, Oregon, artist/musician Jona Bechtolt, who records under the moniker YACHT as a solo artist, has likely done that with his fourth album, See Mystery Lights. Throughout, Bechtolt exercises his…
Yes, folks, the hits just keep on coming. Indie rock shoegazers Titus Andronicus have announced a September 26 date at Modified Arts. Andronicus’ debut album The Airing of Grievances was lauded by the fine folks at Pitchfork as one of the 2008’s best. The New Jersey quartet have been enjoying…
Nathan Williams, the creative force behind Wavves, has been having an interesting last few months. There was the meltdown incident in Spain and the broken wrist. He released a new song, Mickey Mouse, a week ago and now he’s announced the icing on the cake : a tour stop in…
As announced via the Matablog, Matador Records’ blog, seminal indie rockers Yo La Tengo have announced a spiffy new fall tour, complete with a date at the Marquee Theater October 14. This is in support of their new album, Popular Songs, due out September 8. This is a boon for…
Portland — by way of Alaska — indie rockers/genre-mashers Portugal. The Man release their fury of an album The Satanic Satanist today, and the effort is one of polish and whimsy. The band’s sound jumps from indie rock to folk to blues with a little taste of soul. However odd it…
