Last year, two mixtapes dropped that shifted R&B on its axis: Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia, Ultra and The Weeknd’s House of Balloons. Both took the standard propulsive club groove and softened it with production nuance, the lyrics conceding to self-doubt and disappointment. Soul jams were supposed to be the providence of…
So, the drummer of a massively successful, NPR-adored indie-folk band quits said band, buys a van, loads it with psychedelic drugs, and drives down the West Coast to Los Angeles, where he cranks out a record that’s equal parts Waylon Jennings honky-tonk and Richard Brautigan “mayonnaise,” with songs about driving…
The Wednesday night lineup at one of downtown Phoenix’s favorite hipster hangouts has been on the receiving end of a major reboot recently. Bi-level EDM emporium Bar Smith, 130 East Washington, axed its moombahton night The Scenario a few weeks back in favor of two newly launched Hump Day happenings…
Thursday 4 Afterlife: Rock the Mic Competition (hip-hop) 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: DJ Phlava, MC Focus, DJ Dark Vader, & DJ Skoolboi (hip-hop, reggae, R&B) Cadillac…
Speaking with Robyn Hitchcock in 1996, the conversation quickly diverged from music to the difficulties of growing tomatoes at high elevation. It was not his issue, but mine, as he lives in England, where growing tomatoes is much easier, and I was in Colorado. Still, that conversation made it clear…
People always told 66-year-old soul songstress Bettye LaVette she should write a book. Fifty years in show business should make for more than a few good tales, right? “I’d say, ‘Yeah, well, I’m sure I won’t be famous enough to sell a book before I die,'” LaVette says, her brassy…
Our sister blog, West Coast Sound, has caught a lot of shit lately for their disdain for neo-blues rockers The Black Keys. Just remember we’re only critics, and opinions are just opinions. Nicholas Pell even offered up some alternative blues bands for you to dig. The problem is, as commenter…
With their Countdown to Extinction 25th Anniversary Tour kicking off in early November, Megadeth will be lighting up the Marquee Theatre on Saturday, December 8. God and Dave Mustaine only know how the mayhem will play out in the concrete jungle of the most-definitely-going-to-be cramped venue — especially given Mustaine’s…
Jason Mraz @US Airways Center|10/2/12 Whoever was high at the Jason Mraz concert last night most likely had a blast. There were bright and swirling colors, extensive jam sessions, and captivating backgrounds that shifted from scenes of clouds in the sky to images of the universe rotating around — not…
When Bettye LaVette swears, she swears. The Detroit songstress sounds passionate when she talks (and occasionally tosses out a little blue language), but she punctuates each burst with a wonderful laugh, one that somehow conveys the power in her voice as much as her songs. She’s been busy exercising her…
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…
The intertwined impressions of night and space that hover about The Helio Sequence’s latest album are no accident. Recording for the first time in their much larger studio — and on a totally different schedule — the Portland, Oregon, duo channeled their isolation into Negotiations, both in words and music…
Besides signaling the (almost) end of summer, the beginning of October also puts us right smack in the middle of National Hispanic Heritage Month. From September 15 through October 15, stateside brown folks can celebrate, “the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the…
Something unusual has been happening recently inside the establishment on the northeast corner of Mill Avenue and University Drive in Tempe: People are having a blast after dark. Lots of people. Such a thing is commonplace along party-hearty Mill Avenue, given its proximity to Arizona State University, just not at…
Mt. Eerie and Bouquet @ Crescent Ballroom| 10/1/12Phil Elverum, the veteran soothsayer behind blackened avant-folk monolith Mt. Eerie, did two things that he hasn’t done in Phoenix for a very long time. First: he played with a full ensemble, complete with Sunn amp stacks and ominous keys, harboring a set…
It’s been a strange week for “gross” pop star news. Let’s start with the good one: Phoenix made it into the national spotlight when Justin Bieber vomited on stage and laughed it off with an Anchorman quote. And while the Biebs may have partied a little too hard with milk,…
Nick Lowe @ The Musical Instrument Museum|10/1/12If the tag “The Jesus of Cool” strikes you as hyperbolic or overblown, you’ve never watched 63-year-old Nick Lowe strut onto the stage, strap on his big Gibson J-200, and proceed to crack jokes and break hearts for 90 minutes. Lowe, with his easy…
Once a week Up on the Sun features a new comic strip from punk rocker, cartoonist, and full-time dad Brad Dwyer. See the New Times print edition to check out the strip in glorious, inky newsprint each Thursday…
“Who’s ready to jump?” If you’ve ever attended an electronic dance music event anytime in the last few years, its incredibly likely you’ve heard the frequently used audio drop — sampled from Dutch house producer Chuckie biggest track — that asks this question and typically causes a crowd explode with…
Speaking with Robyn Hitchcock back in 1996, the conversation quickly diverged from music to the difficulties of growing tomatoes at high-elevation. It was not his issue, but mine, as he lives in England where growing tomatoes is much easier, and I was in Colorado. Still, that conversation made it clear…
By Mark Keresman Brian Eno was quoted as saying, “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.” Rock history is filled with bands and albums that were somewhat unappreciated in their time yet occupy an enviable (by some people, at any…
October is a fun month to start planning Halloween costumes and sip on pumpkin spice lattes or pumpkin flavored beers. The month of the gourd serves another purpose- vegetarianism. Today happens to be World Vegetarian Day, which kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month, so stock up on some hummus. If you’re…
