Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best new music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. Sunset Voodoo -“Sweet Release” Last year I was pretty enamored with Sunset Voodoo’s sophomore EP Strange Things and it seems they…
Although it seems more irreverent to watch just after Sir George Martin has passed away, the British comedy sketch show Big Train had a brilliant bit called “George Martin Kidnapped” which poked fun at the legendary producer’s constant recounting of Beatles recording sessions. He never tired of retelling them, and…
To say that downtown Phoenix will be busy with live music and concertgoers this weekend would be an understatement. Two of the Valley’s biggest festivals of the year will be taking place and bring tens of thousands of people to the area who are eager to see a show, including…
Throughout the years, McDowell Mountain Music Festival (MMMF) has stopped asking what downtown Phoenix can do for them and started asking what it can do for downtown Phoenix. In an effort to better serve the community that has served them so well since 2012, MMMF has made a couple of…
For many local fans of death metal, the biggest show of the year is happening on Friday, March 11, at Club Red in Mesa. There will be lots and lots of growling vocals, double bass drums, and dual guitar attacks drowning out the bass lines. The legendary purveyors of the…
“I love the New Times.” That was Nils Lofgren’s opening gambit so how can you not be charmed by a guy who professes deep seated feelings for your publication right out of the gate? (Though perhaps our cover story on Lofgren’s box set had something to do with that.) Some…
Today in news we can hardly even believe, we learned rapper 50 Cent will be heading to a grocery store in South Phoenix later this week to sign bottles of vodka. Yes, that 50 Cent, as the best-selling rapper who rose to fame in the mid-2000s when he trying to…
It stuns me each year as Viva PHX, Stateside Present’s mini-South by Southwest that takes place in 17 venues in downtown Phoenix on Saturday, gets better and better, how difficult the decisions are about when and where to be. In addition to the sheer mind-blowing volume of touring acts booked,…
Though not all band members are related, folk rock outfit the Avett Brothers does contain a pair of biological brethren — Seth and Scott. The two started playing music together in the late ’90s and in early 2000 released their first EP. As for the current lineup, bassist Bob Crawford…
The third annual Viva PHX festival will take over downtown Phoenix this Saturday, March 12, and it promises to be bigger and better than ever. With 70 bands spread across 17 venues in one night, there will be something for everyone. Whether your tastes are country and cumbia or hip-hop…
Looking for a great show to see this week? Here are our picks for the best concerts to see this week in Metro Phoenix. For more options, visit our comprehensive online concert calendar. Steep Canyon Rangers – Monday, March 7 – Musical Instrument Museum Approximately 73 million bands have formed…
Since branching out on her own from The Fiery Furnaces, Eleanor Friedberger has moved closer and closer to the classic-rock sound she grew up with. On New View, her third solo album, Friedberger puts her own spin on the sound of 1970s rock touchstones like George Harrison, Neil Young, Bob…
It’s a great month to be a music fan in Phoenix. The weather is (more or less) tolerable at the moment and the concert calendar is overflowing with “must see” shows featuring a staggering amount of tastemaking and chart-topping artists. Its due in part to the fact that Arizona just…
Phoenix’s own SXSW just got a little easier to plan. Viva PHX has released its official schedule, breaking down where and when the 70-plus acts will play next Saturday, March 12. Organizers have also added a new venue — Melinda’s Alley, the speakeasy bar beneath the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown. Fittingly,…
You’ve probably read numerous articles over the years that talk about the different pre-show rituals of popular musicians. For instance, Coldplay doesn’t take the stage without having a group hug (yes, you can gag if you want to). Others, who eat before performing, have specific things they like to ingest…
Saints and The Hellions – “Goodbye My Sorrow” Saints and The Hellions just released their debut EP Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles online and in record stores over the last few weeks and it’s a solid four-song punk rock affair from beginning to end. Saints and The Hellions are a…
March always brings a packed calendar of events to the Valley of the Sun — we have Spring Training, which brings more than 100 baseball games spread across a dozen fields, lots of outdoor festivals, and the calm before the 100 degree days. The spring also prompts bands out to…
Arizona, which can be somewhat of a mystery to the outside world, impacts musicians in ways that only the West can. For Brian Weitz, better known as Geologist and as one-fourth of Animal Collective, his academic stint at southern Arizona’s Biosphere, while a Columbia University undergrad, caused him to revisit…
After the carnage that was January 2016 when we lost David Bowie AND Glenn Frey and two members of the Jefferson Airplane on the same day, media outlets felt it was their duty to tell us that since they ain’t making classic rock musicians anymore, we’d better get used to losing…
With more than 30 years of making groundbreaking albums — including the latest, Shockwave Supernova — teaching a legion of future rock superstars (Steve Vai, Metallica’s Kurt Hammett), and supporting the upper echelon rock elite (Mick Jagger, Deep Purple), Joe Satriani should be a household name. Still, the strictly instrumental…
The Phoenix. A symbol of revival, of taking something that once was an all-powerful force and giving it new life. Phoenix, like the name of legendary guitarist/songwriter Peter Frampton’s favorite guitar (lost, reunited with Frampton 30 years later, and actually spelled “Phenix”). Also the name of one of the cities…
Sumerian Records, Ash Avildsen’s D.C./LA-based label, is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a home for metal and prog bands with a showcase tour featuring Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, After the Burial, ERRA, and Bad Omens. Sure, it’s been a while since finding a record label became something a…
