For musicians, there are songwriters you like — the songwriters you try to emulate — and then there are the songwriters who live as kindred spirits. Tucson’s Al Perry says he and Kevin Daly, whose 30-plus-year music career in the Valley has included elements of rockabilly, honky-tonk, blues, and punk,…
For some reason, I was led to believe, in my initial research, that The Story So Far was from somewhere in south England. This created an original foundation for this write-up and my cheeky positioning of the band as “the Hugh Laurie of pop punk bands, an import from the…
The snare drum hits that open Sedona-based decker.’s forthcoming new record, Slider, sound like shotguns. It’s an appropriately menacing sound for what follows, as singer/songwriter Brandon Decker seethes: “I burned the boat / I swam ashore / I’m out of breath / I slammed the door / I laid the…
This is it, folks. The grand finale. The end of the world — or is it? It still remains to be seen exactly what is going to happen when the calendar page turns to December 21, but if what some interpreters of Mesoamerican archaeology say is true, the end of…
The Oxford Coma doesn’t sound like any other band you’ve ever heard, and that’s the idea. With thumping, funky-to-furious bass lines mixed with propulsive drumming and searing guitar action, the band blurs the distinctions between modern rock, alt-metal, and punk. The band’s debut album, Adonis, is not something that easily…
At any point in the next 48 hours or so, the ground might start shaking, flaming objects might zoom from the heavens, or the undead might rise from their dirt naps and turn the populace into a gigantic brain buffet. While you shouldn’t take our word for it (or the…
Spirit Cave is a young band, but members Ryan Breen and Michael Bell have been playing shows together for more than a decade, each with his primary band, Back Ted N-Ted and Lymbyc Systym, respectively. It was only a matter of time before they struck out together. Given Breen’s expressive,…
Keith Jackson stops short of officially canonizing Joe Strummer — but seriously, just short of it. “I don’t know how to describe the guy’s personality,” Jackson says of the frontman of The Clash, actor, and leader of global-punk outfit The Mescaleros. “I don’t want to say he was saint-like, but…
Thursday 20 Afterlife: Touch Thursdays (Top 40, electronica, dance) AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Bar Smith: International Thursdays with DJ EC, DJ StarMarz, & DJ Clavo El Parientito (hip-hop, Latin) Bobby Q’s: Day Before the End Party with DJ Phlava, MC Focus, DJ Dark Vader,…
2012 is at its end, and just like I did last year, I thought it would be good fun to try and recap the reissues and compilations I couldn’t seem to get off my phonograph this year. So here they are: The 10 reissues and compilations I dug most in…
Finding holiday cheer can be difficult in Phoenix at times, save for a decked out saguaro cactus or two. The change in season would be a bit more noticeable if it actually snowed. We can’t complain though, wearing shorts and flip flops through most of December is nice. Coach House…
Photo by Liz TracyIs that Jarvis Cocker? Nah … Just Gaslamp Killer.By Liz Tracy No one’s really interested in reading about the actual performances taking place on this musical ship of contradictions, the S.S. Coachella, amirite? Instead, you want a spoonful of gossipy anecdotal sugar, straight from the decks of…
As 2012 draws to a close, we’ll be looking forward to the 2013 and spotlighting 13 Phoenix bands that will be making a mark on the Southwest throughout the new year. This entry comes from Anthony Sandoval, and he’s scoping out the bummer pop glory of Sundressed. Indie folk band…
Courtesy of SephoraAlexis Krauss is all about the nails, girl.By Liz Tracy Fashion and music are the funniest-looking twin sisters. They’re always together, always kinda sloppy. Sometimes they dress up like a swan or wear a big mouse head. Together, they’re always looking to make a bold statement. If you…
As 2012 draws to a close, we’ll be looking forward to the 2013 and spotlighting 13 Phoenix bands that will be making a mark on the Southwest throughout the new year. This entry comes from Jason P. Woodbury, examining the funky textures of G-Owens’ excellent new record, The Feeling. G-Owens’…
The late, great and totally irreverent comedian Bill Hicks once predicted the ultimate television commercial, describing it as such: “Here’s the woman’s face. Beautiful. Camera pulls back. Naked breast. Camera pulls back, she’s totally naked, legs apart, two fingers right here and it just says ‘Drink Coke.’ Now, I don’t…
With few exceptions, knowing is better than not knowing. As they say, “Knowledge is power.” If you believe this as much as I do, then you can understand why some of our historic monsters went to such great lengths to eliminate knowledge and why forward thinkers and the socially conscious…
Photo by Ian WitlenJarvis Cocker and Pulp aboard the S.S. Coachella.By Liz Tracy The S.S. Coachella set out to sea rather unceremoniously. There weren’t horns, not a streamer in sight, and no one smashed bottles against the body of the ship. But we’d all been aboard the Celebrity Silhouette for…
Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you stop…
Party at ground zero/Every movie starring you/And the world will turn to flowing pink vapor stew — Fishbone Shit could be getting real in about 96 hours from now, yo, when the fated date of December 21 finally dawns. It’s highly unlikely, since NASA hasn’t spotted any killer comets en…
As 2012 winds down, we’re all reflecting. There were ups and downs in Phoenix all year. The Valley music community lost valued members, The Sound Strike (sort of) ended. Justin Bieber, not to be outdone, puked on stage in Glendale. Here’s our look back at the biggest Up on the…
As 2012 draws to a close, we’ll be looking forward to the 2013 and spotlighting 13 Phoenix bands that will be making a mark on the Southwest throughout the new year. This entry comes from Melissa Fossum, zeroing in on the Tempe-based rock ‘n’ blues combo Sara Robinson & Midnight…
