Currents, the latest from indie darlings Eisley, is the sound of a band that’s free at last. At least, that’s the subtext — not just a sense of freedom from Warner Bros., after a brief major-label stint, but also the freedom of having gotten 2011’s bitter, angst-ridden The Valley out…
I can’t really blame Yes for not thinking about this back in 1968, when they formed, but if I were their SEO consultant at the time I would have strongly suggested they go with something that was a little easier to Google. Like “Future Loves Past” or — even better…
Being a rock fan in the early ’70s meant never knowing a year when rock wasn’t moving forward — when newer and bolder innovations weren’t always just around the corner. Yes took the burgeoning progressive rock movement further — and with a longer running time — than anyone else had…
Thousands of people showed up for the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival on Friday, from all walks of life–five-year-olds with their parents all the way to couples pushing 60, meatheads and meth-heads, respected industry figures and pierced and tattooed punks–but there was one definite commonality. All of them came out…
For some party monsters in Scottsdale, the Revolutionary War apparently never ended. It’s been exactly 230 years since the storied conflict with the forces of King George III that gave birth to our nation officially drew to a close, a fact that didn’t seem to matter to a few of…
Dust off your chain wallet: Everclear, Live, Filter, and Sponge are coming to Tempe tonight. Nah, just kidding. There is way more to do than just dust off your chain wallet. To pay proper homage to this packaged concert tour, there are some more fashion details to consider. It’s kind…
Eventually, every single musical variable collapses into time. Live fans and Filter fans and Everclear fans might not have gotten along especially well in the ’90s, but here in the unfamiliar ‘teens (are we going with ‘teens? aught-teens?) they are all bands who were on the radio back when you…
“Late ’90s Confusion Pop” is a genre term that may have been coined, originally, by my friend Daniel Schurgin of the band Gay Kiss. It describes a series of mainstream alt-rock acts from the late ’90s who released very accessible pop hits and whose influences seem myriad to the point…
The Independence Day Music Festival delivered a true patriotic celebration Wednesday night, and after three years, the country music concert and firework spectacular has officially established itself as a yearly must-see event for the summer. This year featured performances from LoCash Cowboys, Tyler Farr, and country superstar Brantley Gilbert. The…
Five Finger Death Punch appeals to a particular demographic in heavy metal: Their testosterone-driven, in-your-face music is heavy and angry at all that is evil — destruction, internal struggles, politics, war, bullying. Every friend I have in the armed services loves them. I’ve heard of soldiers who’ve approached the band…
D.I.Club Red, TempeJuly 2, 2013 Anyone who might argue that punk is dead should consider Tuesday night’s D.I. show at Club Red as proof to the contrary. What originally was billed as an eight-band lineup became a bit of a debacle when a last-minute change — the rumor around the…
Rather than stick to vague genre tags or invent new hybrids, the members of Sun Bones offer the term “malleability.” It’s fitting for a classically trained band that somehow manages to fit four-part harmonies, bursts of punk, comforting pop melodies, avant-garde excursions and more under a single umbrella and make…
Sunset Strip darlings the Butcher Babies have been one of my favorite acts for a while now. They first gained notoriety from a YouTube video performing Pantera’s “Fucking Hostile” and the two frontwomen, Carla Harvey and Heidi Shepherd, started out performing in leather pants with electrical tape over their nipples,…
Through & Through Gospel Review MIM Music Theatre June 30, 2013 It was Sunday evening, and we weren’t in church, but a crowd gathered at the MIM Music Theatre to hear unconventional gospel-pop songs written by Joel Marquard and performed by the Gospel Claws frontman and a 13-piece live band…
The Fourth of July is for buying Chinese fireworks and being a proud American. Maya Day and Nightclub is betting that you might also enjoy some music by a certain very famous British DJ. The War of 1812 is still felt acutely ’round these parts, thank you very much. Regardless:…
Look: After literally everybody who went to Warped Tour in Mesa Thursday melted into an enormous puddle filled with black V-neck T-shirts, you might find this weekend’s concerts in Phoenix a little sparsely attended. Take advantage of that! At least, unless you knew one of the people who melted. Then…
It’s been said that in order to truly sing the blues, it’s necessary to have experienced a lifetime of blues material — a broken heart, tragedy, hopelessness. So when you hear about an incredible blues musician, what usually comes to mind is an image of elderly Junior Kimbrough or Etta…
Warped Tour returns to the valley in a few hours, officially kicking things off at Quail Run Park in Mesa at noon. There are a few familiar names on the line up, but the onslaught of bands with colors and violent subject matter in their names is a little overwhelming…
The Vans Warped Tour–at Quail Run Park in Mesa Thursday–is 18 years old, which is just old enough for it to have second thoughts about going to Warped Tour. That’s the trouble with long-running festivals: Either the music stays the same and the people in attendance get older, or the…
It takes a certain dedication and naiveté to go to Warped Tour in Arizona. Standing outside in what’s predicted to be a 111-degree day with dozens of screaming bands isn’t for everyone, but some teens continue to show their dedication year after year. The glory days of $25 punk Warped…
Shortly after writing Are Out of Town Music Festivals Worth The Hassle? I decided to embark on a cross-cultural adventure. The mission? To explore the Nashville music scene and attempt survival at the 80,000-person music festival Bonnaroo. Four days of camping in the heat (actually, we slept in the trunk…
I know a lot of people who are kind of frustrated that the Vans Warped Tour has passed them by — that they’re targeting new teenagers instead of targeting the people who were teenagers when Warped Tour began. To those people, I ask: How many fellow 30-year-olds do you know…
