Since fist-pumping his way from his hometown of Miami to making Scottsdale his new scene of choice, Michael James has certainly been a busy dude. He regularly spreads his time between hitting the clubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and right here in the Valley, moving between Old Town’s Axis/Radius…
Over the course of its 10-year run as a downtown music venue, Modified Arts has seen its share of emo concerts, indie rock get-downs, and hard-rock shows. In 2009, the venue’s focus shifted from “big indie rock shows” to being a full-time visual art gallery. The change promised that the…
Music experts have long debated who exactly spawned that loud, angry beast that is heavy metal, but most everyone agrees that Led Zeppelin are the genre’s absentee forefathers. Yeah, go ahead and scrunch your nose, but it’s true in a way: Led Zeppelin, along with Black Sabbath and Deep Purple,…
Sir Sean Connery’s classic “We named the dog Indiana” line from 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is one of the best in film history. It would seem Colorado-via-Phoenix songwriter Brent Cowles, who goes by You Me and Apollo when performing his freaky folk rock, took Indy’s dad’s lesson…
You’ve got to wonder about a band that’s opened for both Gil Scott-Heron and Joan Jett. Phoenix-based Hot Birds and The Chili Sauce has done just that, managing to move the crowds of both the proto-rap pioneer and the hard rocker. Credit the band’s power to woo disparate audiences to…
It seemed to happen when no one was looking, but all of a sudden, Australia has turned into a hotbed of electronic music. Credit Cut Copy’s brilliant 2004 album, Bright Like Neon Love, for luring the eyes and hears of music fans Down Under. The attention hasn’t hurt Sydney electronic…
Ever since George Clinton promised, “Free your ass and your mind will follow,” funk bands have aimed to find the perfect cerebral groove. Orgone, a nine-piece Los Angeles-based Afrobeat/funk/soul ensemble keeps the axiom in mind, searching for the midpoint between booty-shaking and chin-stroking. The group has been playing together for…
THURSDAY 18 27th Avenue Bar: DJ Manage, & DJ Android (Top 40, dance) Afterlife: Thumpin Thurzdays (various) AZ/88: Josh One (rare groove, urban funk) Bar Smith: Splash Thursday (reggae, dancehall, Top 40, house) Capitol Sports Lounge: DJ JS3 (various) Chilly Bombers: DJ Medik (Top 40, rock, old school) Cream Stereo…
DJ Michael James is record-hugging transient of sorts. The Cream Stereo Lounge resident DJ divides his time between his home in Scottsdale, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, occasionally venturing off the west coast to perform gigs in his hometown of Miami. All of the traveling hasn’t sucked his energy, though. His…
Axis/Radius has something for everyone. Axis is geared toward fans of top 40 and R&B and Radius is a great place to check out up and coming electronica acts. Admission grants access to both clubs, which are joined by a sleek catwalk patrolled by servers dressed as hot nurses. The…
DJ Refleckshin mans the wheels of steel each Monday night at British Open Pub in Scottsdale, but yesterday he got to spin a neo-soul mix for all the interwebs to hear when he appeared on Mattlock and DJ Element’s Sol Shades program…
La Liberación on SPIN 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} It’s only been five years since Brazilian new-ravers, CSS…
But I still think it’s important to recognize some truly great famous female performers out there.Luckily there’s a Tumblr devoted to exactly that! Awesome Girls in Bands sheds a little light on cool chicks in bands and fantastic female solo artists as well.More on what’s awesome about this week’s Tumblr…
Directors Ryan Page and Christopher Pomerenke (of Phoenix bands Less Pain Forever and Runaway Diamonds) are no strangers to “music movies.” The pair’s documentaries, Moog, The Heart Is a Drum Machine, and Blood Into Wine are all insightful looks at the various ways music plays out in our daily lives…
In these economically screwy times, value is an important thing. Apache Lake Music Festival organizer Brannon Kleinlein knows this, and he thinks his music festival is one hell of a deal. “We have over 30 bands, the whole event is $30, so [that’s] less than a dollar a band,” Kleinlein…
In This Moment come off as intimidating to some people, and it’s easy to see why. Founders Chris Howorth (guitars) and Maria Brink (vocals) are a real sight, with Howorth’s crazy-long dreads, Brink’s Alice In Wonderland-inspired outfits, and the intricate tattoos and cobalt eyes of both. But the two are…
Over the last year, director Daniel Emerson Williams has thrice turned Peoria’s Boys and Frogs into a pack of creepsters. First with “In Dreams” (Seriously, is that dude wearing a bone tie!?), then with the high budget, stalker-filled “Old Tribes.” Just over two months after their last video release, Williams…
It’s a crazy time for radio personalities in Phoenix. Dave Pratt has taken over at X103.9, and now KWSS 106.7 has announced the return of a voice very familiar to Valley listeners. On Monday, August 22, Jonathan L’s Lopsided World of L will make its terrestrial debut on the Phoenix…
The staff at Revolver Records in downtown Phoenix loves vinyl, and according to co-owner T.J. Jordan, the store plans on taking its relationship with wax to the next level. Jordan doesn’t have a confirmed date, but believes that mid-October should see the debut vinyl release from Revolver’s new label, Ammit…
Brent Cowles, the man behind the You Me and Apollo moniker, has strong connections to Arizona in spite of being a Colorado resident. Cowles spent a year in Phoenix working on an audio engineering degree, writing music, and collaborating with the River Jones Music Label. Cowles is gearing up for…
Death Cab for Cutie Comerica Theatre Monday, August 15 There’s always been something I’ve resented about Death Cab for Cutie, but I could never really put a finger on it. Last night’s show at Comerica Theatre defined it perfectly. The band hasn’t been truly “underground” since its earliest days, but…
Back in May, Hooves frontman Andrew Krissberg explained to me before the band took the floor at Bikini Lounge that the band’s decision to move to Washington was one step in a grand plan. The band’s plan sounded idyllic –hanging out in the Pac Northwest, touring, and recording a new…
