DeVotchKaMarquee TheatreSunday, March 13Considering how many indie-centric shows took place around The Valley last night it wasn’t a big surprise to find a smallish crowd at the Marquee Theater for DeVotchKa. It was a decent showing, but far from capacity. Those in attendance — especially those who came early enough…
Sunday, March 13, 2011Trunk SpaceWhat’s a band to do en route to next week’s SXSW? Perhaps spend a night on Grand Ave. in Phoenix at Trunk Space whilst they make their way to Austin? Such was the more than decent decision by Portland indie/electronic outfit Starfucker. March is a busy…
Tennessee garage rockers Cheap Time are playing Sound Kontrol Sunday night, with last week’s music feature darlings Vegetable, Sexual Slurs and Mangled Men (featuring members of Soft Shoulder, Pods, Pigeon Religion), which is all the excuse I need to post this tune, from their Scion A/V 7″ series. The show…
Hope everyone is ready to tease their hair up and rock some leg warmers, because Obscura is back with their 2nd annual “Love is a Battlefield” Dance-Off. DJ Roya and DJ Funkfinger will be spinning their signature mix of dancey New Wave and Britpop all night, but it’s your best…
Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise TourThe DuceFriday, March 4″Can you turn up the toy piano?” is not a request many soundmen get, or that many bands make, so it’s probably a good thing that the Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour brought their own technician all the way from Athens, Ga.Stalwarts of…
What Arizona acts are showcasing or playing parties at the South by Southwest music industry showcase in Austin? Glad you asked. Here’s a rundown of every show being played by Arizona acts during the week-long shindig.If you have any additions please hit me up on Twitter, @phxmusicdotcom…
Young the Giant The Rhythm Room March 1, 2011 Young the Giant brought a fascinating, unconfined performance to the Rhythm Room last night. The group formerly known as the Jakes completely let loose and had a great time on stage. Plus, they managed to keep their show almost as casual…
Linkin Park US Airways Center Monday, February 28 Linkin Park is taking their sound in a new direction. While that move is taking them into some unfamiliar territory, it’s something that isn’t completely unexpected. Even though they are best known for their rap-rock style that was found on their debut,…
Rocky VotolatoRhythm RoomSunday, February 27Last night, while film geeks dressed to the nines for Oscar parties, indie folk fans flocked to the Rhythm Room in casual attire for an evening with Rocky Votolato and Matt Pond, both of whom celebrate over ten years of music experience. Rocky Votolato stopped by…
910 LiveSunday, February 27Bitch all you want about Phoenix’s music scene, but sometimes smaller is better.On Saturday night in Los Angeles, the Monsters of Bass Tour sold out El Rey Theatre, meaning that the concert’s head count was somewhere around 1,000 people. Flash forward 24 hours to the 910 Live…
Just one track in, Canibus had to clear the sweat from his brow. The perspiration indicated the level of intensity with which Canibus would work his way through his heady music all night.
Black Fag The Rogue Bar Saturday, February 26 Henry Rollins, circa 1982, is an absolute archetype of manliness. Covered with tattoos and boiling over with testosterone, Hank the Tank thrashed his way through live gigs and dispensed plenty of punches as the frenetic frontman for Black Flag. Meanwhile, punks and…
Glassjaw Clubhouse Music Venue Thursday, February 24Last night’s show by Glassjaw was eight years in the making. The band — best known for their post-hardcore classic, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence and Vincent Gallo acting tough in the “Cosmopolitan Bloodloss” video — has been on a long,…
It’s been a good couple weeks for fans of indie hip-hop. Last weekend, Nocando and Open Mike Eagle stopped by the Hidden House, and this weekend, fellow LA underground rapper Busdriver is performing at the Red Owl in Tempe. (Tickets available here or at the door.) In a recent e-mail…
311 Marquee Theatre February 22, 2011 Until last night I had never attended a sold out show at the Marquee. I had also never been surrounded by fans chanting any band’s name as loudly as the audience of lovable stoners did last night as they waited anxiously for 311 to…
Captain Squeegee at Strong Beer Festival Saturday The annual Strong Beer Festival has been blessed with great weather in recent years — sunny with warm air and clear skies. In other words, typical weather for February in Phoenix. Such a thing should never be taken for granted, nor will it…
Captain SqueegeeArizona Strong Beer Festival Steele Indian School ParkSaturday, February 19, 2011The annual Strong Beer Festival has been blessed with great weather in recent years — sunny with warm air and clear skies. In other words, typical weather for February in Phoenix.Such a thing should never be taken for granted, nor…
Death AngelClubhouse Music VenueFebruary 19, 2011It took me 24 years to finally see Death Angel perform live, but all things considered, it was well worth the wait. If any show is capable of whetting one’s appetite for this April’s Big 4 extravaganza in Indio, California, this was it. The Bay…
Lisa Savidge released their second album one week ago, and hosted an exclusive listening party at Bar Smith the day of its release. The band has been working hard over the past week, and the hard work paid off at last night’s CD release show. $10 took care of admission…
Alt-country/punk/Southern rockers Lucero are true road warriors, spending more than half their days on tour in any given year. The band has earned a die-hard fan base thanks to their near-constant touring and twangy, rough-and-tumble sound. In a recent e-mail Q&A, Up on the Sun asked guitarist Brian Venable about…
What do you do if it’s Valentine’s Day and you’re an musician who makes music far removed from fuzzy teddy bears and chocolate, who has a concert scheduled, and not the sort of concert that just draws brodogs and the like? It was an interesting challenge for Pete Yorn, who…
The Pretty RecklessFebruary 14, 2011Martini RanchGossip Girl star Taylor Momsen told the crowd at Martini Ranch Monday night her band The Pretty Reckless almost canceled their show because her voice was completely shot. For the devoted fans in the half-full venue, it’s a good thing she didn’t. But for a concert…
