Red Bull Music Academy Club Tour @ The Monarch Theatre

EDM artists, DJs, and producers could learn a thing or two from Lunice, at least in regard to how to hustle. The 25-year-old Montreal native cut his teeth as a b-boy in the early Aughts, popping and locking as member of the 701 Squad and working gigs nonstop before gradually…

Top 11 Metal Shows in Phoenix This December

It can be easy to miss unless you’re looking for it, but there’s a lot of metal in the Valley, locals and touring acts alike. Our Metal Mondays columnist, Lauren Wise, is always on the lookout for the best local and national metal shows to come through town. That’s why…

Red Monkey: Work That Turkey @ Monarch Theatre

Pete “SuperMix” Salaz is planning to lay out an impressive spread for his nearest and dearest on Thanksgiving, although its gonna be a feast that’s more audio than edible. The godfather of local house music has been rocking record decks for more than two decades, and he and a slew…

Bob Corritore and Dave Riley Want You To Hush Your Fuss

Imagine everybody in a blues bar laughing so hard they can hardly contain themselves. That’s the case with Bob Corritore and Dave Riley’s new CD, Hush Your Fuss. Internationally acclaimed blues musicians Corritore and Riley held CD release parties for Fuss, their third album, this past weekend at Monterey Court…

The Shrine: “No One Is Really Running Our Shit for Us”

Josh Landau can’t stop moving — mostly because he doesn’t allow himself to. He’s the vocalist for Venice Beach-based The Shrine, along with band members Court Murphy and Jeff Murray, he manages Eliminator, his own skateboarding and clothing company, and the band’s about to embark on a series of continent-crossing…

How to Accidentally Become a Drug Dealer

Courtesy of UniversalSheaface [Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning scribe and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times.] The biggest concern in my life recently is that every show on my DVR is the regular definition version, rather than the high definition version. As you can…

Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine: There’s Been a Renaissance With Us

Megadeth is such a strong act that it needs little introduction. One of the underground metal groups of the ’80s who achieved lasting commercial success, the band has sold more than 50 million albums over the course of more than 30 years. The four musicians have a knack for creating…

The Hoodoo Casters Join a Phoenix Blues Society Fundraiser

Booked several days a week at venues across the Valley, it’s clear the Hoodoo Casters are doing something right; they’ve played nearly every blues-friendly venue in the Valley, along with some in northern Arizona. Their motto says it all: They’re “the blues your mama warned you about.” Performing a mix…

Cosmic Gate @ El Santo

On the off chance you haven’t noticed, scads of reboots, makeovers, and metamorphoses have gone down in Scottsdale’s after-dark scene. In just the past month alone, Barney’s Boathouse was sold to new proprietors and became more of a hip-hop spot called Arizona Eye Candy, Jackrabbit Lounge underwent renovation and was…

Bryant Vazquez Muses On Dying, Traveling Aimlessly On Dear Brother Death

One of Hermann Hesse’s lesser known collections, Wandering, reflects on anxiety, death and the arts while aimlessly meandering through the countryside. Alt-folk singer Bryant Eugene Vazquez left Flagstaff, Arizona barely two months ago to ramble on to Philadelphia, but he’s still releasing records here in the desert. On his latest,…

Heavy Metal Superfans Produce an Animated History of Corpse Face-Paint

Smeared black-and-white corpse face-paint (with a little red blood spatter thrown in for good measure) is synonymous with extreme metal. Whether it’s to enhance a demonic theme or carry on cultural tradition, musicians that utilize the medium are definitely projecting a bold message. (For me, it often points to the…

Uptown @ Rips

Believe it or not, but it looks as though Adam Dumper’s been taking a few cues from both Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders lately. Over the past year or so, the local artist and impresario, better known as Dumperfoo, has transformed his signature event The Blunt Club into a veritable…

Donald Glover Isn’t Depressed; You Just Haven’t Been Listening

Donald Glover has been making the anti-rounds of press for Because the Internet, his latest Childish Gambino LP due out next month, bouncing from city to city and playing it in the open for anyone who reads his Twitter announcements. He’s declined most interview requests, save for a scant Noisey…

One Direction’s “Story of My Life”: Why This Song Sucks

Courtesy of Columbia/SycoZayn and the crew[Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning writer and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times.] Song: One Direction’s “Story Of My Life” History: A long time ago, there were barbershop quartets. After that, there were the New Kids on the Block,…

St. Madness Brings a Los Angeles Music Award Back to Phoenix

Beloved local metal quartet St. Madness has been stirring the pot of metal insanity for about 20 years, and you usually won’t know what to expect from them, especially at a live show. But anyone who has met lead vocalist Prophet — a.k.a. Patrick Flannery — knows that the band…

Cults’ Brian Oblivion on Changing Expectations and Getting Dark on Static

There’s no more sun in Cults’ eyes. The Manhattan-based indie-pop act best known for the cloyingly sweet singles “Go Outside” and “Oh My God” have returned with Static, a departure from what set sights on them in the first place. The only familiar part of their aesthetic is the album cover itself, placing vocalist Madeline Follin and vocalist/guitarist Brian Oblivion’s silhouettes at the forefront. Most everything else, however, is different.