Thao & Mirah Rhythm Room Monday, June 20 Punctuality. Where I’m from (Miami), folks don’t understand the concept that well. When doors open at 7:30, the masses show up at nine, often foregoing the opening set, and subsequently missing the opportunity to discover new music via supporting acts. However, that’s not…
Round Three Pool Party The Round Three Pool Party took over the Apache Station apartments in Tempe on Saturday. Pool partiers spent the afternoon getting splashed and trashed to the beats of DJ Smooth and DJ2 Drop…see photos. Fight Club Sadisco 2011 Grindwhore and various local DJs provided the soundtrack…
The DonkeysYucca Tap RoomSaturday, June 18The past few shows I have been to — Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Givers — have wound up being pretty low-key, unassuming affairs. Crowds at either show have been modest at best and each set turned out to be a tight, enjoyable hour or so…
Panic! at the Disco June 17, 2011 Marquee Theatre Brendon Urie sure seems happy these days.At last night’s Panic! at the Disco show at Marquee Theatre, the frontman seemed more comfortable than ever, hitting high notes his fans haven’t been used to, screaming and growling with urgency, and even smoking…
When I got the flyer for Phoenix death rockers Bella Lune’s upcoming video release party next week, I was ready to dismiss it after reading two words: death rock, not to be confused with death metal, which is where my mind immediately went. (Nothing against you metal heads; I just…
The dreamy, danceable, synth-heavy music of Fate of the Galaxies sounds more like something that would come out of early-to-mid ’80s England (The Cure, Joy Division) than downtown Phoenix. But that’s where the trio that makes up Fate of the Galaxies — Mandel Moreno, Oompa Pavone, and Chris McClay –…
Mavis Staples and Dr. JohnCelebrity TheatreThursday, June 16″Joyful noise.” That’s how Mavis Staples described what her and her band create onstage. It’s an apt characterization, one that is appropriately loaded with gospel history, and one that connotes how the 71-year-old singer approaches performing. It can be summed up by another…
Rush US Airways Center Thursday, June 16 It’s always exciting when a band pays tribute to their most successful album by playing it from beginning to end. It was no surprise that US Airways Center was nearly sold out last night, packed with thousands of Rush fans singing and air-drumming…
I will be the first to admit that I had no clue about San Diego garage/folk rockers The Donkeys until someone dutifully pointed them out for me. You see, The Donkeys have a show this Saturday at the Yucca Tap Room and I was asked if I wanted to catch…
Bill CallahanThe Rhythm RoomWednesday, June 15His reputation as a “sad guy with a guitar” notwithstanding, one defining element of Bill Callahan’s music struck me the most while listening to him at The Rhythm Room last night: his sense of humor.Don’t misread me; Callahan never even cracked a smile. But he…
Bruno MarsJune 15, 2011Comerica TheatreWhat a long way Bruno Mars has come in the last 8 months since he’s been to Arizona last. Back then, his single “Grenade” was just catching on, and he packed a sold-out Martini Ranch. Now, he’s got a third solo single under his belt, “The…
Matt and Kim Marquee Theatre Tuesday, June 14, 2011I’ve been told time and time again that I need to see Matt and Kim live. I almost made it happen last year, but their Clubhouse Music Venue show sold out before I could get tickets. From friends and reviews, I gathered that the…
Virtuoso Brian Carroll, better known as Buckethead, is an unheralded musical genius. Sure, it’s weird that he performs with a bucket on his head and a white costume mask as he assumes the role of a character who survived a “chicken holocaust,” but anyone who’s listened to his solo works…
This was the twentieth Circus Mexicus yet. It’s a Phoenician tradition of sorts. An excuse to pack up the kids, head down to Mexico, drink beer, eat fish tacos and watch Roger Clyne perform for the umpteenth time. While that might make for a fun weekend, the same old story doesn’t make for a good one. Absurdity however, does.
The 1993 film Six Degrees of Separation, about how everybody is ultimately connected to everybody else through somebody else, has spawned some spin-offs — most notably, the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” where the goal is to show how every movie star can somehow be connected to the Footloose…
Cake and Calexico Mesa Amphitheatre Friday, June 10, 2011 Calexico and Cake on the same ticket…seems a little unexpected, right? The bands have more in common than meets the eye. Both bands use horns, and Calexico’s connection to Artists for Action makes them a forerunner for political change. What does…
Local indie rock band Tremulants is kicking off their coastal tour in Phoenix next Friday, June 17. The band plans to bring their dreamy, psychedelic songs to several cities this summer, but first, they need gas for front man Marco Holt’s van.It might seem illogical for them to play a…
Liz IsenbergTrunk SpaceWednesday, June 8, 2011 One of the absolute treats of a stripped down, do-it-yourself show is that a musician cannot hide behind bright lights, over-processed distortion, or the skills of other musicians. One mic. One voice. One presence. Touring artists Liz Isenberg and Vio/Miré, and Phoenix-based artists Courier…
Winter’s Bone- Music from the Film Performed LiveMesa Arts CenterJune 8, 2011Americana is a funny genre. It’s not fair to call every dude or lady in cowboy boots a poser — and, seriously, in 2011 the word poser sounds awfully outdated — but it does seem that the acoustic guitar-wielding…
According to the Urban Dictionary, “rug burn” is defined as “A rash or red mark on one’s body caused by the friction of one’s skin rubbing on a carpet or rug” and “The razor burn you get after shaving your crotch.” Scottsdale’s latest dance event is also called Rugburn. And…
Front Line Assembly The Nile Theater in Mesa June 7, 2011It’s not often that an old school industrial band comes through town and plays a venue that isn’t a sports bar or some shady, swinger-filled fetish club, but Front Line Assembly did just that and rocked the house at the Nile Theater…
Panic! at the Disco is back. Yeah, the band may be only a pair now since guitarist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker left in 2009, but their new album, Vices & Virtues, is their best yet. Singer Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith left behind the 70’s feel on their…
