Eccentric Swedish metal act Ghost B.C. released their second LP, Infestissumam, in April and are currently in the midst of a massive world tour, bringing a theatrical, mesmerizing and ghastly show to the masses. For the most part, Ghost have maintained anonymity. Five of the musicians, dubbed Nameless Ghouls (which…
I think people have finally gotten used to the yearly back-to-school lamentations about just how old or nonexistent college freshmen were when Kurt Cobain died, so here’s a new one: The Format’s Interventions + Lullabies, the erstwhile Great Arizonan Hopes’ infamously under-supported major-label album, turned 10 years old Monday. Surprise:…
Animal Collective, the once-Baltimore based electronic-psychedelic act consisting of Avey Tare, Deakin, Geologist, and Panda Bear, seems to be in a constant state of flux when the band’s entire catalog is taken into perspective. From the combinations of the most disparate electronic and acoustic musical elements on 2000’s Spirit They’ve…
The Sugar Thieves, considered by many the best dance-blues band in Phoenix, have been busy for a while now, playing a regular gig every Wednesday at Copper Blues, touring across the state, and working toward getting an album out in 2014. Oh, yeah, and band members Mikel Lander and Meredith…
By Reyan Ali Pop music has long enjoyed — and idolized — partying, but over the last half-decade, songs about partying have grown increasingly hollow and obligated. Bangers like Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” and Ke$ha’s “Take It Off” are hymns of unadulterated debauchery, placing life-validating faith in boozing,…
Kanye West’s Yeezus tour is coming to Phoenix in December, which means you have less than two months to think about how “I Am a God” is going to sound at US Airways Center. The Phoenix date is set for Tuesday, December 10 — just after the first wave of…
Ginger Baker’s Jazz ConfusionMusical Instrument MuseumOctober 18, 2013 The first thing you notice about Ginger Baker is that, for a jazz drummer, he holds his sticks wrong. Of course, despite all his flirtations with African rhythms and jazz in many forms, Baker–a founding member of psychedelic rock heavyweights Cream and…
Important concert-going note: Until Friday, at the earliest, it is still at least a little weird to go to a show–whether it’s on this list or not–in a Halloween costume. We’re just trying to help. (View our complete concert calendar here.)…
There’s been a lot in the news lately about vinyl records. Vinyl sales hit a 10-year high in Britain, and people are preparing for record store day, a mere month away. This past week on Up on the Sun columnist Steve Wiley presented five reasons CDs are better than vinyl,…
Born out of the breakup of long-running Philadelphia hardcore band Jena Berlin, Restorations reach for a balance between energy and melody. Fed up with the with the hassles of touring and record labels and having decided the band had reached the limits of what it could do with hardcore, singer-songwriter-guitarist…
It has been three years since the last time AFI tore across the US on tour. The diehard fans that follow this alt-rock force have been anxiously awaiting their return ever since; now Tempe is next on the list, and the band hasn’t missed a beat. This Sunday, A Fire…
Usually the preamble to these Top Five Must-See Phoenix Shows posts is longer than this, but I spent most of the week sending long letters to venues suggesting that they make inroads into the state fair market by also selling novelty fried foods before and after shows, possibly year-round. Nobody’s…
Over the past few years, Apache Lake Music Festival has made the just-barely-perceptible leap from curiosity to institution, and it’s easy to see why. As with most institutions, the core of it is a really simple idea done well: What if you could see a bunch of local bands in…
Last week, I riled up the Mumfords with Five Reasons CDs are Better Than Vinyl. This week, I’ll try to get back in their good graces and give vinyl its due. I know what you’re saying. “Pick a side, Geek” It might seem a little wishy-washy on the surface, but…
Cheap TrickVeterans Memorial ColiseumOctober 16, 2013 (View the full slideshow.) It was business as usual at the Arizona State Fair when Cheap Trick took over the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Last night, the band that recently crossed over the 40-year mark of life in the rock ‘n’ roll business played nearly…
It seems like one has closed every month, lately–Hollywood Alley, Martini Ranch, Rocky Point Cantina–but the Valley is still blessed with enough music venues to make selecting some for each year’s Best of Phoenix a little nerve-wracking. In any case, we did it. Here are the music venues that picked…
Bruce Hornsby has not rested on “The Way It Is.” He probably could — sometimes it seems like he could rest on the hip-hop songs that sample “The Way It Is.” But in the 27 years since his biggest hit came out, he’s been working not just on follow-ups –…
First, you have to know that Spike TV still exists. Then you’ll have to take my word that one of its reality shows is a Kitchen Nightmares clone called Bar Rescue. Then you’ll have to know that Tempe’s Rocky Point Cantina (subsequently briefly known as Havana Cabana) is the bar…
The sinister sound-slinger known as DJ Bl3nd is a major freak. And that’s not a slight by any means. Catch one of his high-energy sets on YouTube or at various EDM events and you’re likely to witness the spazzy selector, who sports a Mohawked mask inspired by Chucky from Child’s…
Thursday 17 AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Barney’s Boathouse: Thirsty Thursdays with DJ Pulse (Top 40, rock) Bar Smith: Thursday Ladies Night with DJ AL3, & DJ NERD (hip-hop, Latin, EDM) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (juke joint, R&B, French pop) Bobby Q’s: All-Star Thursdays…
It could be the relatively short notice or the confusing name — I would not have pegged him as a jazz artist, personally — but it’s happening, universe: The Robin Thicke Controversy Machine is coming to Ahwatukee, as one of the headlining acts of the Arizona Jazz Festival. It may…
The music is like Bad Religion meets Meat Loaf … the musical. The persona is somewhere between The Joker and Max Sterner. Travis James, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for Travis James and The Acrimonious Assembly of Arsonists, has been a lightning rod for controversy since he set one of…
