Lots of CDs piling up. Let’s have a listen at a few, shall we?Norman — Hay, Hay, Make a Wish and Turn Away: These boys play Neil Young-meets-Uncle Tupelo country-folk-rock through a cloudy, green filter befitting their Oregon provenance. Mostly, it works, especially when they veer away from the freak-folk…
Welcome to 21 Questions, a regular feature where PHXmusic.com goes to the favorite hangout of a notable Phoenician and asks the “big” questions. This week we met up with The Trunk Space’s JRC at Baiz Market in Phoenix. Walking into Baiz Market, I’m blown away by the bustling indoor oasis of…
Song: Black Sabbath, “Warning”Context: Did you know Black Sabbath’s debut was released on Friday the 13th? Me either. Records normally come out on Tuesdays, so that took a bit of extra effort. Warning – Black Sabbath…
Proving that being on one of the most popular television shows in America hasn’t gone to their heads, the contestants from American Idol were very anti-diva-like at their show at US Airways Center last night. Fans got to mingle with the performers at meet-and-greets after the show, which had to…
American Idol Live! August 12, 2010US Airways CenterFor Valley residents who always wanted to make it out to the American Idol studios but never did, last night at US Airways Center was their opportunity to see the top 10 contestants from 2010’s season perform on the big stage. Like the…
Weird AlCelebrity Theatre, PhoenixAugust 12, 2010Last night, I went to a multimedia pop extravaganza: A virtual who’s who of past and present Top-40 artists was represented, from Michael Jackson to the Biebs to Lady Gaga!Except they weren’t the ones singing. Weird Al was. True to form, he opened his show…
Artist: Tucson three-piece Roll AcostaTitle: The Dawn EPBasics: Lead by their namesake Jake (Roll), Roll Acosta pound the sensibilities with light, airy rock/pop music.Their sound takes a lot of credit from Acosta’s vocals, which are reminiscent of John Ondrasik — better known to the world as Five For Fighting. As…
Seriously, it’s a great thing Usher isn’t married any more. If he was, maybe it would be more difficult for him to sing songs about threesomes and boobies. But luckily, for listeners everywhere, we get to hear Ursh sex it up on the airwaves, and boy, is it attractive.Yeah.In his…
Artist: Jimmy Eat WorldTitle: InventedRelease date: September 28Label: DGC RecordsCan any good come from my criticizing the work of hometown heroes/local legends/scene benefactors/all-around nice guys Jimmy Eat World? Answer: No. They’re more important than me, richer than me, more musically talented than me, and have millions more fans than me. When…
Country singer David Allan Coe is an ex-con, a self-proclaimed “redneck,” and a guy who recorded several racist and misogynist X-rated albums in his early career. So where do you book him in Phoenix?How about a bar that caters to Pittsburgh Steelers fans?As I chronicled in a cover story before…
Virginia metal band Lamb Of God is not playing a secret show in Tempe anytime soon. How do we know? The band sent out a press release clarifying that a Lamb Of God-related event in metro Phoenix is actually some religious thing. LAMB OF GOD would like to officially denounce…
Song: No Age, “Glitter” Context: Very excited to hear the next full-length from this kick-ass LA band. No Age – Glitter by subpop…
This is part of a series of reviews of bands who play weekly at local bars. The show: RJ and Diane at the American Legion Post #44 in Old Town Scottsdale. The look: Classic southwestern Americana. The smell: Red meat and vegetables cooked with lots of butter. The taste: Home…
We all know that the Sound Strike has taken on a life of its own, with a few notable and hundreds of hopelessly obscure acts attempting to punish Arizona by refusing to play it. This week’s music feature is about one of those bands — Smokus Pocus. There’s just one…
Remember matryoshkas? You know, the Russian dolls where every time you take them apart, there is another doll underneath, until all that’s left is a tiny little Russian doll baby inside. What was once an addicting thing play with as a kid is now the poster child (get it?) for…
THURSDAY 12 27th Avenue Bar: R&B Thursdays (old school, R&B) Afterlife: Filthy Thursdays with DJ Hazardous, Silent J, Casanova, Corruption, Marc Elliot, Cris Castro, & more (dubstep, electro, breakbeats, drum ‘n’ bass, underground hip-hop) Airia Nightclub: Ladies Night with DJ Circle, & D-JR (hip-hop, Top 40, remixes, house, electro) AZ88:…
There’s been a regime change at dope downtown Phoenix danceteria Bar Smith, as popular flairtender Chase Crain and a few of his fellow employees (including DJ Senbad and manager Edson Madrigal) recently purchased the bi-level beat emporium and are now running the show. But while Bar Smith’s brain trust may…
The name Smokus Pocus doesn’t exactly stand out on the list of Sound Strike artists, next to acts Taboo (a.k.a. The Other Black Eyed Pea) and Trent “My Band Is Actually on Hiatus Anyway” Reznor. It’s nestled in there among “over 300” mostly obscure and unimportant acts, innocuous enough that…
“Oh, that ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic,” they said. “He’s just a novelty, a gimmick, poking fun at the superstars with those silly parody songs of his. He and his accordion will never last!” Yeah, well, they were saying that close to 30 years ago, and now 50-year-old Alfred Matthew Yankovic is…
“I’ve got a Benetton heart, and a fuckin’ David Duke cock,” John Mayer told Playboy magazine earlier this year. The 32-year-old singer-songwriter was attempting to justify his sexual preferences in a way that didn’t make him sound like a bigot. Later, he unleashed the “n” word and described ex-girlfriend Jessica…
The 2010 season of American Idol was the show’s most lackluster yet. No big scandals, no flamboyantly gay contestants, no Paula Abdul train wreck. In the end, viewers were left to vote between a dirty hippie and a paint salesman with no personality. It’s a wonder American Idol Live! is…
Every schoolboy knows that singing and playing the bass is one of the most difficult multi-tasking feats in music. But what about singing and playing cello? That can’t be a walk in the harmonic park, either, what with all the vibratos and double-stops and the large bowed string instrument wedged…
