Swans were one of the most original acts of the early ’80s. Formed in New York City, they created grim, ominous throb that suggested industrial music at its most minimalist and fatigued, the entire structure on the verge of inward collapse. Early on, concert volume approached levels that could drown…
Depending on whom you ask, the sound of reggae is either one of spiritual enlightenment or the soundtrack to an awesome kegger. Rastafari might consider the music sacred, but frat boys and sorority girls nationwide simply want to party to it. The double bill of Matisyahu and The Dirty Heads…
Indie diehards cried into their PBRs when Nancy Whang and the other members of LCD Soundsystem went their separate ways last spring, bringing one of the most lauded and influential dance-punk acts of the Aughts to an unfortunate end. Thing is, Whang probably didn’t return the favor and shed any…
See also: R.I.P. Mark Erickson of Colorstore, Roar, and Gospel Claws See also: Download: Colorstore’s Shambolic, Fuzzy “My Life As a Beaver” See also: Serene Dominic Interviews ColorstoreThe details regarding the memorial service for Mark Erickson, known for his roles in Colorstore, Sweetbleeders, Roar, and Gospel Claws, have been announced…
See also: Stabbing at Scottsdale’s Rogue Bar After Argument Leaves Two InjuredThe man accused of stabbing two people at the Rogue Bar this past weekend has been arrested by Scottsdale Police Department. According to a department report, Adam Logan Graham, a 36-year-old resident of Tempe, was taken into custody on…
See also: Club Candids: Lingerieve 6 at Baseline Sports Bar See also: Club Candids: Doom Disco at SanctumHere’s a brainteaser: When is a Sunday not an ordinary Sunday? Answer: When it happens to go down during a three-day weekend, yo, which means shirking a typically early bedtime to engage in…
See also: Twin Shadow: Songwriter Trades in Gauzy New Wave Honesty See also: Download: Bogan Via’s Sparkling, Pulsing “Kanye” See also: Take Cover: Bogan Via Covers Department of EaglesTwin Shadow and Bogan Via @ Crescent Ballroom| 9/4/12Twin Shadow played its first Phoenix show last night and there’s no denying that…
When it comes to hip-hop, cadence is everything. Well, maybe not everything, but a rapper’s flow is a damn big deal. Whether you’re making a club banger or flexing your lyrical chops, delivery makes or breaks a jam. Phoenix emcee Sar KAZum knows this, so he looked to hip-hop heavyweights…
Self-taught singer/songwriter Taj Mahal has grooved with everyone from The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton to blues progenitors like Buddy Guy, Howlin’ Wolf, and Muddy Waters. Like his friend Ry Cooder, he navigated the twisting waters of the late ’60s and ’70s session scene of Santa Monica, before easing into…
See also: Reel Big Fish and Streetlight Manifesto Rocked the Marquee Last Night See also: Reel Big Fish’s Marquee Gig Was Fantastic…If You Were Under 25I won’t beat around the bush: I don’t really like the music of Reel Big Fish. I don’t like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones either, and…
See also: Six Desert Metal Bands You Need to Hear See also: Do You Look “Metal Enough” For Metal Shows See also: Sci-Fi Thrash Group Vektor on Mexican Food in PhiladelphiaIt’s tempting to dash off some sort of cliché metal salutation here, like “Get your devil horns up! It’s a…
See also: Strung Out at Clubhouse Music Venue, 1/28/12 (VIDEO) See also: Top Five Must-See Shows This Week Strung Out has been generous about performing in Phoenix over the course of its two decade career. The band tends to perform old songs (link to Face to Face/Strung Out review) while…
See also: Rise Against Ends Boycott of Arizona; Sound Strike Changes Focus See also: Five Sound Strike Bands We’d Like to See Perform in ArizonaYeasayer @ Crescent Ballroom, 9/3/12 Last night had all the ingredients for a great performance: a band fresh off the Soundstrike, a sold-out show, a cool…
See also: Mergence and Quick Henry Unite See also: Quick Henry’s Musical Recipe: Equal Parts Passion, Soul, Jameson and Ginger AleWhile most people took some well-deserved time off to mark the Labor Day holiday, consummate Tempe blues rockers Quick Henry used the extended weekend to log in some time at…
See also: Peachcake Explains “You Matter” Video See also: Peachcake Is Still Sweet — But Growing Up, Too Local electronic pop band Peachcake is used to putting out fun, dance-y music with existential lyrics, and their latest single, “The World Is Our Platform to Mean Something,” is no exception. You…
Once again reminding us the record industry resembles the band on the Titanic playing as it sinks, Rolling Stone reported “9 Ways Musicians Actually Make Money Today.” To be blunt, it’s pretty stupid…
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…
Tycho @ Crescent Ballroom | 9/2/12To set the scene for this show, I should let you know I took some 25i-NBOMe. This research chemical is so new that it doesn’t yet carry with it any scary taboos, let alone a nickname that makes it more sellable on the streets. Apparently,…
The news waits for no one — at least that’s what we read somewhere — so it’s perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of…
Purity Ring @ Crescent Ballroom Lesson of the day: don’t overestimate the obscurity of a band. Or, at least check ticket sales. I went to Purity Ring confident that standing room would be still available for me and my girlfriend, but I was the only one able to get in…
Yeah, yeah, yeah…we get it Mondays suck (we’ve read Garfield). But it means the start of a new week, which means a bunch of killer shows in and around Phoenix. And here are a few of the coolest, our top five must-see shows this week…
Word has broken that an altercation took place early Sunday morning at the Rogue Bar in Scottsdale that resulted in two people being stabbed. According to Scottsdale Police officials and a number of posts on Facebook, a dispute took place between patrons of the music venue about 1:30 a.m. during…
