Country Thunder fans from across the Valley were out in droves Saturday night to attend the Country Thunder Launch Fest, located in a grass field adjacent to the Tempe Center for the Arts. The first annual Launch Fest was established to announce the lineup for next spring’s Country Thunder, provide…
When I heard Rex Brown’s Southern twang on my phone, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve been fortunate enough to interview all the other surviving former members of Pantera, and Brown was the last in line. I wanted to know about his recently released Pantera memoir — Official Truth:…
When was the last time a rap record made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? When was the last time you bought a rap cassette? If the answer to these queries is “never” and also “never,'” you owe it to yourself to represent at Parliament in Tempe this Saturday…
Change brings both a new outlook and new detractors. Ask Jimmy Stadt, vocalist for upstate New York post-hardcore outfit Polar Bear Club, whose newfound vocal range brings a sheen to Polar Bear Club’s tight pop-rock structures that can still open up a pit. On Death Chorus, the band’s fourth release…
Of all the stars of the ’80s punk scene, only one band is still having impact some 35 years after forming: X. Mixing driving punk energy with rockabilly riffs, staccato rhythms, unexpected dual vocal drive, and socially conscious lyrics, X was a defining voice in the punk movement. Their uncompromising…
The streets will be a graveyard during normal working and drinking hours this weekend. If you didn’t stand in front of Best Buy at two in the morning to get an admittedly pretty good deal on plasma TVs — better black levels, is the thing — you can take advantage…
TMI on KWSS brought out just about every big local act they could for their Feast For The Famished concert at Tempe’s Sail Inn on the day before Thanksgiving. More than 300 people piled into the beloved local dive to hear great tunes ping-ponging back and forth from their outdoor…
Scottsdale young people The Summer Set have built up a big, devoted fanbase for their particular brand of electronic pop-rock, but it was still a bit of a surprise to see where that had gotten them Thursday morning–on NBC at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, performing for a New York…
Josh Landau can’t stop moving — mostly because he doesn’t allow himself to. For starters, he’s the vocalist for Venice Beach-based The Shrine. Then there’s Eliminator, the skateboarding and clothing company he manages with bandmates Court Murphy and Jeff Murray. Finally, his band’s about to embark on a series of…
Of all the stars of the ’80s punk scene, only one band is still having impact some 35 years after forming: X. Mixing driving punk energy with rockabilly riffs, staccato rhythms, unexpected dual vocal drive, and socially conscious lyrics, X was a defining voice in the punk movement. The band’s…
Pete “SuperMix” Salaz is planning to lay out an impressive spread for his nearest and dearest on Thanksgiving, although its gonna be a feast that’s more audio than edible. The godfather of local house music has been rocking record decks for more than two decades, and he and a slew…
Thursday 28 AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Bar Smith: Thursday Ladies Night with DJ AL3, & DJ NERD (hip-hop, Latin, EDM) Bobby Q’s: All Star Thursdays with DJ Freshmaker, DJ Phlava, DJ Dark Vader, & DJ Skoolboi (hip-hop, Top 40, reggae) C.A.S.A. Sunba: House Party…
Imagine everybody in a blues bar laughing so hard they can hardly contain themselves. That’s the case with Bob Corritore and Dave Riley’s new CD, Hush Your Fuss. Internationally acclaimed blues musicians Corritore and Riley held CD release parties for Fuss, their third album, this past weekend at Monterey Court…
Josh Landau can’t stop moving — mostly because he doesn’t allow himself to. He’s the vocalist for Venice Beach-based The Shrine, along with band members Court Murphy and Jeff Murray, he manages Eliminator, his own skateboarding and clothing company, and the band’s about to embark on a series of continent-crossing…
A new source of intensity adds to the fiery, riff-heavy attack on Red Fang’s third album. With a relentless touring schedule leaving little time for songwriting or recording, the band felt the deadline pressure seeping into their music. Sandwiched between the Australian Soundwave Festival in February and a European festival…
Courtesy of UniversalSheaface [Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning scribe and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times.] The biggest concern in my life recently is that every show on my DVR is the regular definition version, rather than the high definition version. As you can…
The Devil Wears Prada excels at dark, blanketing instrumentals that sweep from brutal crowd-moshing breakdowns and atmospheric bridges to intricate riffing and uplifting melodics that reflect their collective faith. When you throw in commanding roars and unflinching, post-hardcore vocals, it paints a picture of how the band bridges the gap…
One Direction is probably coming to Phoenix at some point in 2014. I’ve been following an account called @1DNeedstheheat for the better part of the year, which is how I know, but Live Nation has officially begun teasing the boy band event of 2014, and pretty soon you’re going to…
Place a finger on the 1980s punk scene and one band is still having impact some 35 years after forming: X. Mixing driving punk energy with rockabilly riffs, staccato rhythms, unexpected dual vocal drive, and socially conscious lyrics, X was a defining voice in the punk movement. Their uncompromising ability…
The spring of 1989 was a period of birth for me: It was the first time I ever played a gig at a club with a PA of its own. The place was Time Out of Mind in South Phoenix. Not the most reputable club, as some of you may…
Call us huge nerds for making such a comparison, but local superstar DJ export Z-Trip has a few things in common with Doctor Who. Stick with us on this one for a moment. Both, for instance, scamper through the annals of history in pursuit of their raison d’être via equipment…
Shining Soul has been relentlessly promoting their newest release Sonic Smash in both the hip hop and activist community over the past few weeks, including interviews, radio appearances, and their Sonic Smash Tour (we talked to them back in September.) The entire endeavor culminated with their welcome home CD release…
