It’s time for a revelation: The new Long Wong’s in Tempe will never be the same as the old Long Wong’s in Tempe. More than seven years after its untimely demise, the Mill Avenue landmark (which gave birth to some of the biggest bands in Valley history) still casts a…
Odd Future hates me. Okay, so not me specifically (at least I don’t think), but what I do: write about music. The group’s relationship with the media has been complicated. They wound of up on the cover of Billboard, them promptly trashed the magazine at a SxSW showcase gig. Nearly…
In the world of rock n’ roll, there’s plenty of room for creativity. There’s also a huge emphasis on respecting the “classics,” which in turn leads to confusion. Plenty of different, unique bands take on the same names, leading to perplexing Google searches and sometimes, exposure to the wrong band…
The Monday after the Tempe Block Party, you would be within your rights to scratch your head and ask “Did that really happen?” And duly, “Did John Popper (of Blues Traveler), Shurman and Jono Manson fly in to play a free show with free food and drink in an apartment…
Okay, seriously. Here us out. This is not a list of bands containing black people (some do, some don’t), it’s a list of bands with “black” in their band names. I came up with the idea shortly after The Black Lips performed at The Rhythm Room, and waited for another…
his week we’re bringing you Breaking Infinity, a blog run by hip-hop/rap artist Jaron Ikner, aka Black One.You can even get yourself some fresh new music for free just by going to the site.More on what’s awesome about this week’s Tumblr of the Week after the jump…..
The last couple of days have been downright lousy. On Thursday, November 3, Gwar guitarist Cory Smoot was found dead by his bandmates as they crossed the Canadian border while on tour. On Monday, boxing great Joe Frazier succumbed to liver cancer. Yesterday afternoon, TMZ reported that Dwight Arrington Myers,…
Dead Meadow’s coming through town tonight with Drainbow and Strangers Family Band, so expect the Rhythm Room to get a little frizzle-fried by the band’s psychedelicized rockers. Three Kings, the band’s most recent release, drags listeners through a bluesy, backwards-glancing psych-rock reminiscent of proto-metal bands like Blue Cheer. While Dead…
M83 Crescent Ballroom Monday, November 7 “Epic” is a word that has come to be synonymous with the music of M83. Fans use it to describe the band’s live experience and frontman Anthony Gonzalez himself has used it to describe the double-album, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming; the new release he’s…
While M83 was bringing “epic” sounds to Crescent Ballroom, a very different kind of epic was going down across town at The Rhythm Room. The Bo-Keys, seven pieces lead by Scott Bomar and featuring Stax/Hi Records players Archie “Hubby” Turner on keys, Howard Grimes on drums, and Ben Cauley (the…
Though she didn’t start playing music professionally until after she had moved away, Katy Davidson of Key Losers (formerly of Dear Nora) says that Phoenicians seem to be able to sense that she’s a native. “It’s a cool feeling,” she says over the phone from Fun Fun Fun Fest, where…
Normally, a band releasing three albums in one year would be a big deal. But in the case of Japanese power trio Boris, the rapid-fire output is less surprising than the diversity featured on the albums. Over the course of Heavy Rocks (the group’s second album sporting the title), Attention…
Given the nature of the tribute band game, acts usually wow or disgust. There’s not much room for gray area. When it comes to the real legends and the emotional attachments fans have to their records, bands like Led Zeppelin, it’s go big or go home. For example, “Achilles Last…
Music is one of those creative things that only hippies do, or at least that’s the stereotype. But seriously, what kind of self-respecting conservative would devote themselves to being a (guf-ah!) professional musician? And what already-famous musicians would commit the career suicide of admitting their Republican affiliation? Sometimes the answers might…
I was there last time, and many would agree that it was easily one of the best shows to have come through Phoenix in 2010.Roger Waters, New Edition, Megadeth and Motorhead will be gracing the Valley with their presence in the coming months.The rest of this week’s shows after the…
As we reported a few weeks ago, Authority Zero is getting ready to head across the pond for a tour of Japan. “Japan has come about from a combination of two things: one, the four records we have released over there since 2001, and two, the promoters we work with…
It was over a year ago that we speculated that Radiohead, and by extension Thom Yorke, must have vowed “to never step foot in The Grand Canyon State again.” Well, if there was such a edict issued by the lads from Oxford, they’ve totally called it off. Radiohead has announced…
I wish every local band would make fliers that let people know that their show is going to be as awesome as this one.Dfactor will be bringing you “cool rockers, glam slams, loud guitars, edgy riffs, sexy songs, and rebel calls.” Now here’s a gig that promises to pack a…
Plenty of folks like to think of The Rogue has Scottsdale’s own CBGB’s — and with that excellently dingy punk rock bathroom, it’s hard to argue against the club being one of the best loved dive/rock ‘n’ roll clubs in town.Its’ the sort of place where things can go from…
March just can’t come fast enough for me. I miss Mad Men something fierce, and season four left me with so many questions (I won’t spoil anything if you haven’t caught up, but man, could Betty have been more awful?). I’m not the only one wishing that the show was…
In Arizona, we don’t really get seasons. Phoenix weather is a wide swing between Satan’s sweltering nether-regions and a slight chill. The only real way to indicate the passing of the seasons is with local music, wherein Phoenix’s best release a cornucopia (sorry) of music come autumn (or at least…
Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. It’s been 13 years since neighborhood music store Hoodlums made their first sale. Last week we caught up with owner Steve Wiley…
