You won’t need to crack open any Shasta when reading this week’s edition of Future Shock, since the latest crop of “just announced” concerts heading to the Valley is already packed with plenty of pop. From squeaky clean bubblegum starlets to cutie-pie pop-punkers, we’re gonna be giving you some sugar, baby (as well as upcoming shows by some punk rock legends and a noted jazz superstar).
Thursday 13 Anderson’s: S.W.A.G. Thursdays with DJ Essence, DJ Astonish, & Bryce Breeze (hip-hop, reggae, R&B) Bikini Lounge: Sophisticated Boom Boom with DJ HFE (rockabilly, surf, jazz, classic country, indie, obscuro, R&B) The Blooze: DJ El Dedo (rockabilly) Dirty Pretty: Foxy Bitch with D-JR (rock, Top 40, hip-hop) Hard Rock…
I’m driving down Hatcher toward Seventh Street in Sunnyslope on a Thursday night when I see two hot girls walking and . . . Wait, they are checking me out! Surely, the minivan must be doing its magic. I’m staring and almost miss the green arrow that will point me…
On a recent Friday night, people from all over the world are watching local “Bohemian Geek Soul” artist Jody Gnant kick my ass at bowling. Gnant’s been broadcasting her life 24/7, via a UStream channel on the Internet, for the past several weeks (www.ustream.tv/jodygnant). Tonight, she’s carrying around two big…
On a late summer afternoon, harmonious duo Rachel Cox and Patrick Sullivan of Oakley Hall are stationed just outside the subway entrance on the southwest corner of New York City’s Union Square. They are busking. As in, both are singing high and hard, without amplification, and Patrick is playing guitar…
The three most sentimental places in the world are cemeteries, airports, and tattoo parlors. Because the first two are verboten, thanks to the church and Homeland Security, Jake La Botz has been making good on the remaining option with his second annual Tattoos Across America tour. If you’ve ever wondered…
“Nobody wants to hear perfection, because nobody’s perfect,” Brandi Carlile declares over the phone as she lies on her lawn in Ravensdale, Washington — just outside the Starbucks capital. “It’s something I’ve learned playing live shows, too. People want you to fuck up.” The country-fried singer-songwriter, who’s as obsessed with…
MySpace is a baffling labyrinth. It’ll consume your whole day if you let it, and you’ll usually come away depressed by what you hear and see. But click the right link, and you can be neck-deep in a wondrous new world before you realize what’s happened. Or, in this case,…
Here’s an all-star tribute to the jazzy queen of the American songbook, Ella Fitzgerald. Check these creds: produced by legendary A&R Recording studios founder Phil Ramone; arrangements by Billy Childs (formerly of Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard’s band) and Rob Mounsey (whose horn arrangements include Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al”);…
There are several ways to play rockabilly nowadays: the gentlemanly way (Robert Gordon, Sleepy LaBeef), the roots-conscious 1955 hepcat way (High Noon, Big Sandy & the Fly-Rite Boys), glam-revival (Stray Cats, Polecats), and the mondo-demento lunacy/ribaldry of the Cramps and Reverend Horton Heat. (Can’t forget the Blasters — in a…
We have a little piece of music history living here in Phoenix in the form of Paul Roman, vocalist and guitarist of seminal psychobilly band The Quakes. Formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, The Quakes were one of the first American psychobilly bands — influential enough to get constant…
The debut album of Tempe-based Awake and Alert, Devil in a Lambskin Suit (Five One, Inc.), is one of the most welcome surprises in the indie pop scene this year. The band’s sound is a mix of classically inspired rock with touches of soul and musical theater, which seems to…
Put them in suits and give them bowl haircuts, because from the sweet harmonies to the charismatic melodies, this Phoenix quartet channels the British Invasion circa 1965. In April, they released their 11-track debut, We Can Do No Wrong, which recalls the retro vibe of the Rosebuds’ debut several years…
Hats off to any musician who ventures out of his/her comfort zone and doesn’t stick (or bury) him/herself in a particular niche. But venturing isn’t without its pitfalls: Your fans might be disoriented by a new direction, while other listeners might think you a dabbler or pretender. Guitar wizard John…
Swedish imports (as if the name wasn’t a giveaway) PB&J have been making music together for eight years, but it took their third and latest release, Writer’s Block, to strike a chord in America. The album represents a change of pace for the trio, as they largely ditch the up-tempo…
Friendship has some effin’ sweet benefits when you’re pals with London West Records owner Matty Spangler. The 28-year-old DJ frequently books his turntablist buds to blast out house and trance tracks at the Ballroom (adjacent to Myst, 7340 East Shoeman Lane in Scottsdale) every Friday night at the aptly named…
First Friday is usually a big blowout for us. After stomping the streets to stare at the scene’s art, we’re ready to hit the bottle, big time. This past weekend, we not only hit the bottle — we smashed it into a million effing pieces. So when it came time…
If you tuned into MTV’s Video Music Awards this year, you may have noticed one big thing: they sucked. Between Britney Spears’ underwhelming performance (note to Brit: your career is over; you might as well pose for Playboy while your body is still somewhat nubile), Kanye West’s temper tantrum about not winning, and Kid Rock kicking Tommy Lee’s ass, the VMA’s were nothing but a sub-par Circus of the Stars, minus the cheesy ’80s leotards.
James Hunter may be one of the best kept secrets of the music world. In fact, Van Morrison called him “the best voice and best-kept secret in British R&B and soul.”
[image-1]
I just finished reading issue number one of Z-Gun, a new print zine put out by Scott Soriano and Ryan Wells. It’s 40 pages long with feature length articles and interviews on Pink Reason, San Francisco art punk 1977-1982ish, Black Humor, and Not Not Fun Records, among other things, and they review a boatload of good and bad underground rock records with honesty and humor. If you want the dirt on good rock music in 2007, read this zine. Heaven knows that 99.9% of the zines ever released in the history of the earth suck horribly, yet this one, this one does not.
Charlie Levy of Stateside Presents ain’t gonna dig this edition of Future Shock, and neither will Jeremiah Gratza of President Gator, nor the folks behind Select Shows, or Live Nation. That’s because this week’s lineup of “just announced” concerts coming to the Valley is extremely heavy on shows being promoted by their biggest competitor, Lucky Man.
Here’s part two of New Times’ August 15th interview with Sacred Reich/Human Condition guitarist Wiley Arnett.
