Viva PHX, the music festival that turns downtown Phoenix into a mini-South By Southwest for a night, will return on Saturday, March 11, 2017. The 2016 festival brought around 70 musical acts to 17 venues across the city. If you missed it, you can catch a glimpse of the madness…
In case your teenaged kids haven’t already excitedly informed you, Justin Bieber is headed to the Valley later this week. Like it or not, the 22-year-old hitmaker is hitting Gila River Arena in Glendale on Wednesday with his “Purpose” tour in support of the blockbuster album of the same name…
The Vanishing Show in Tempe’s Maple-Ash-Farmer-Wilson neighborhood is a novel response to Tempe’s strict noise ordinances. The event, which had its second annual show Saturday night, acts as a moving house party with bands playing no longer than 20 or 30 minute sets. The idea is that by the time police…
When was the last time you were actually afraid of losing something? That primordial fear rattled me just before seeing Fall Out Boy for the first time on Friday night. I was truly concerned that the nostalgia of laying on my living room floor after school and watching Fall Out…
The last time The Hourglass Cats (THC) dropped an EP Jan Brewer was still governor, KONGOS wasn’t platinum yet, Black Carl was still together, and Sheriff Joe. . .was still sheriff. But that’s neither here nor there. It has been since June of 2012 since THC has release a collection…
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Guns N’ Roses’ much-anticipated reunion at Coachella 2016 wouldn’t be the last time the legendary rock group played together this year. After all, if there’s any truth to the $3 million per show payout that GN’R was seeking, why wouldn’t…
Game to go a show this weekend? You’ve certainly got no shortage of options available as the concert calendar in overloaded with big gigs by major names taking place around Phoenix. That includes performances by rock and country legends (David Crosby, Vince Gill), burgeoning hip-hop stars (Migos), and phenomenally gifted…
If you are a fan of local art rockers Fairy Bones, there is no doubt that you’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of their newest video for the final track from last year’s Dramabot, “Notes From Wonderland.” It is the group’s best video since the creepy house party that was…
You want to see a magic trick? Because the Maple Ash Farmer Wilson Neighborhood is going to make their annual walking tour show disappear. That’s right, the lads and lassies over in the Casey Moore’s district of Tempe, also known as the Maple-Ash-Farmer-Wilson neighborhood or Zone 1, are throwing another “Vanishing…
The Hourglass Cats – “Rainchecks” After their singles last year were heavily indebted to garage rock influences, I was wondering if The Hourglass Cats had decided on a new direction or if they would still make songs that had that classic Cats sound. I got my answer with their newest…
Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds were all set to open a New Year’s Eve party for Daryl Hall at the singer’s Hudson Valley venue, when a perplexing cancellation sent the band scrambling to book a replacement gig. But the hard-touring Brooklyn-based band, a seven-piece that plays a feisty mix…
Tucked in the northeast corner of Ultra Music Festival near the UMF Radio stage, dozens are unabashedly grabbing condoms courtesy of the Florida Department of Health. Most pick up the flavored ones that come in pineapple and strawberry varieties, and there the confident few who grab the Magnum XL’s. (Just…
Even if he’d never released a single note of his own music, Alan Parsons would have been a part of rock history. As engineer on the last two Beatles albums, he presided at two noteworthy sessions — the last ever Beatles live show (on the roof for Let It Be)…
Seventeen-year-old Elijah Krueger winds his hands up the bridge of his guitar, methodically hitting chord after chord. It takes concentration to even follow his movements, but he plays with a grin on his face like it’s the easiest thing in the world. It’s First Friday, and as throngs of people…
Well, this doesn’t happen too often. Phoenix band Harrison Fjord, which we named one of the 16 Phoenix Bands to Watch in 2016 earlier this year, play a set before the main event at the Bernie Sanders rally in Flagstaff yesterday. As the senator from Vermont began his speech, he…
When Prince decided to party like it was 1999, little did he, or anyone else for that matter, understand the significance of the year. For the purposes of his song, it was the end of the century and thus a reason to celebrate. However, for electronic dance music, it was…
At the same time that clashes between supporters and haters dominated news coverage of Donald Trump’s weekend rallies in Fountain Hills and Tucson, thousands of Mexican rock fans gathered in the Arizona desert for a protest of a different sort. In reality, Rock Fiesta — which we called “the Coachella…
There are two elements in rock music that don’t get the credit they deserve: the percussion and the bass. Both work together to provide the foundation to the beat of the song and the melody. While the bass works as the bridge between the percussion and the rest of the…
When was the last time you told your bro you loved him? Seriously. When was the last time you looked into his eyes, placed a hand gently on his quadricep, and said, “Hey man, I really care about you.” Male friendship is a complicated phenomenon. Taught from birth to internalize our…
With Ultra 2016 in the history books, it’s time to look back at just who exactly came out on top, and who walked away from Bayfront Park with nothing but regret and a T-shirt soaked in other people’s bodily fluids. This year, like every year, we end the weekend with…
There have to be moments of existential angst for every worthwhile pursuit. There really does. If the universe is fair, everybody out there — working away at some job or profession, hobby, labor of love, whatever it might be — has to have some moment where you look within your…
Some of the biggest and most notable music fests of the springtime are officially in the rearview, both here in the Valley and elsewhere. Pot of Gold, for instance, wrapped up its second year down at Rawhide in Chandler over the weekend with memorable performances by headliners Futuristic and Big…
