The MaineCrescent BallroomJuly 27, 2013 (Check out the complete slideshow for more photos.)Ten years ago, a local band selling out a venue the size of the Crescent as convincingly as The Maine did Saturday would be on its way to a major label deal. The Maine, of course, are now…
On Thursday night at Crescent Ballroom, the vibe was even more feel-good and positive than usual. Sure, it was a roster chock-full of locally loved acts — Flamenco por la Vida, Sara Robinson & The Midnight Special, The Senators, and Dry River Yacht Club — that attracted an impressively large…
It’s not that I’m rooting for The Maine to become nationally famous and then commit some terrible faux pas in Western Europe, but I’m halfway through a “Maine in Spain Fails Softly Something Something” headline that I’d really like to sell to the New York Post. They’ll be back in…
There’s always been a dark edge lurking behind the glittery pop and warm strings of Glen Campbell. Yet, it’s taken an unexpected album, culled from a series of time-killing studio outtakes, to reveal this side of Campbell. See You There, coming August 6 on Surfdog Records, takes more than a…
Jimmy Eat World’s new album, “Damage,” is all about breakups and heartache, so a cover of Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” made perfect sense for the band — especially when they could add a hard-rock touch to the track. The band has been playing the song…
Rancid Marquee Theatre Wednesday, July 24, 2013 Seeing a 21-year-old punk band is always kind of a crapshoot. Bands like Social Distortion continue to sell out shows year after year, while groups like The Misfits, Dead Kennedys, and certain iterations of Black Flag would be better off hanging it up…
Kid RockAk-Chin PavilionJuly 24, 2013 (View the full slideshow.) Robert Ritchie, better known as Kid Rock, is no longer a kid, but last night at Ak-Chin Pavilion he proved that he could still rock with the best of them with an energetic performance. As the lights went out, Journey’s “Don’t…
I just got back from my 30th high school reunion in Minot, North Dakota. It was great to see so many of my lifelong friends and classmates. Most of us have spread out across the country, and we all commented on how comfortable and familiar it was to be back…
We’ve hit an oversaturation point for bands having comeback albums, reunion tours, and any number of other obvious cash-grabs, so it’s hard not to roll your eyes whenever some band from the ’80s, ’90s, or even early Aughts makes that kind of announcement. And it’s true: Some of it’s downright…
The week a once-ubiquitous band rolls through town on its comeback tour is a good time to reflect on whether, why, and how much you enjoyed it in the first place. For me and Matchbox Twenty, America’s most indestructible post-grunge band, those answers are “yes,” “because they’re so overproduced,” and…
If either Mighty Mike Saga or Alex King seems at all stressed lately, it’s to be expected. The pair of rivetheads has spent the past two years preparing to bring Saga’s influential dance party I Love Industrial to Phoenix this weekend, and there’s still plenty to do before the madness…
An anomaly is defined as a “deviation from the normal or common order.” That’s a fitting definition of local rockers Anomaly. The band’s sound walks everywhere but the beaten path — it’s a blend of heavy and harmonized vocals, unrelenting chords and structures, and electronic samples and digital beats that…
There’s not much to say about another stupefyingly hot Phoenix summer that hasn’t already been fired in all caps directly onto your Facebook news feed. It’s another year when Circle K Polar Pop cups might fuse with the blacktop if the mercury rises any further. But it hasn’t scorched the…
Thursday 25 AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Barney’s Boathouse: Thirsty Thursdays with DJ Pulse (Top 40, rock) Bar Smith: Dulce Thursdays with DJ Deuce, & DJ JayOne (hip-hop) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (juke joint, R&B, French pop) Bobby Q’s: All-Star Thursdays with DJ Freshmaker,…
It takes a lot for a heavy metal band to beat out Lady Gaga on the music charts — especially in a place like Japan, where people love the pop artist’s catchy dance music and outrageous outfits. (You know, since the Japanese need a reason to sport cartoonish, questionable, and/or…
It’s been a while since Chris Isaak released an album of all-new music (2009’s Mr. Lucky), but for the rockabilly crooner with the spangled jacket, fat Chet Atkins-style guitar, and perfectly coifed hair, new material isn’t really necessary. Isaak made his name with his early albums, most notably San Francisco…
It’s hard to believe Bruno Mars was playing small clubs like Martini Ranch back when his breakout single, “Just the Way You Are,” started to gain traction. Now, after a steady takeover of pop airwaves, he’s playing US Airways Center. It’s hard to avoid hearing the tracks he’s touched, whether you’re…
Located just an hour and a half north of the Valley and home to more retirees than the average small town, Prescott is better known as a premier Christmas getaway than as an arts community. But it’s a town with strong local values and arms open to touring acts and…
I admit it: When I got the chance to talk to Robert Bell — that’s Kool — of Kool & the Gang ahead of tonight’s show at Ak-Chin Pavilion, I couldn’t resist asking the obvious question, much as I usually try to avoid them: Hey, how and why are you…
I never quite understood it until yesterday, but my favorite Andy Warhol quote has always been, “In the future, everyone will be famous enough to have the Internet come to their rescue for 15 minutes, or until some more really goofy Anthony Weiner sexts leak.” Phoenix’s own Random — alias…
Glassjaw Rocky Point Cantina, Tempe Tuesday, July 23, 2013 Before Glassjaw took the stage, the atmosphere at Rocky Point Cantina was tense, punctuated by fans shouting things like “where the fuck have you been?” as they stared anxiously at the green room door. Watching the band perform a 90-minute set…
Lost in love? Your relationship too weird for Ann Landers to understand? Trying to discover what comes next in your life or your music? Bring your problems to Ask Magic, your chance to ask Arizona’s reigning slow-jam king for advice on whatever life throws at you. (Click here to ask…
