Don’t worry if you have trouble categorizing what exactly Brooklyn-based artist Reggie Watts does. Is it performance art? Music? Comedy? It’s mostly best to just listen. “I can exist in both worlds — comedy and music,” Watts says over the phone. “It’s just something natural. I like to travel between…
For better or worse, the sacred cows of punk are being gutted — for example, the now-antiquated concept of “selling out” has nearly vanished from the lexicon of underground music. Even hardcore — a genre that places a gigantic bounty on aesthetic purity and hard-nosed authenticity — is rethinking its…
“I’m not of the ‘avant-garde über alles’ mindset,” guitarist Bill Horist says on the phone from Seattle, where he’s lived and launched tours since 1995. “I like all kinds of music. People say they like all kinds of music, and sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. I like a lot…
When it comes to George Clinton and Funkadelic, or Parliament or Parliament Funkadelic or the P-Funk All-Stars — or whatever his backing ensemble might be called — you’re either all in or you’re in for a long evening. Given Clinton’s propensity for playing three- to four-hour concerts, this brand of…
When the owners of the Monarch Theatre stated they wanted the downtown Phoenix venue to become one of the premier forums for electronic dance music in the Valley, they weren’t screwing around. In the four weeks since the joint debuted, it’s featured such top-shelf EDM tastemakers as New York trance…
Old Town Scottsdale is a typical nightlife hot spot on weekends, but Dollhouse Cocktail Lounge went all out on Friday, May 18. The Let Her Eat Cake fete attracted a large crowd with a custom-made swimwear fashion show thanks to Tami Todd, who also celebrated her birthday at the event…
The Regal Octopus Show is coming up this weekend. Between the monocle on the “fedorable” cigar-smoking mustachioed octopus that looks wise beyond his years and the design of a traditional movie poster, we can tell that the event is definitely going to be a classy one. After all, the flier claims…
Once again I found myself writing a Metal Monday column on a plane with a glass of whiskey. I’m headed to Rock on the Range in Columbus, Ohio, to see Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Five Finger Death Punch, and about 30 other acts (stay tuned for that review next week)…
See also: KUPD’s John Holmberg Chats About MILFs, Naked Grandmas, and Mom Farts Hell hath no fury like a MILF scorned, and right now there most certainly are a couple of outraged cougars on the prowl around town. That’s because 98 KUPD’s annual MILF contest has chosen a lucky winner…
See also: Spiritualized’s Jason Pierce on New Record Sweet Heart Sweet Light Jason Pierce is lead singer, guitarist, songwriter, and mastermind behind the psychedelic wall of sound and texture that is Spiritualized. Pierce, who also goes by the moniker J. Spaceman, is something of a troubled soul in the classic…
Public Enemy’s Chuck D. and Flavor Flav caused jaws to drop when they made an unannounced visit in 2006 and gave an amazing performance. Afrika Bambaataa was just as impressive when he provided an “awesome” electronica and dancehall set two years ago. And rap icon Jeru the Damaga was in…
German metal band Rammstein is just as much about visuals as it is about punishing balls-to-the-wall metal, rhythmic tumult, and synthetic keyboards. The band’s albums are intense, but nothing comes close to their staggeringly powerful live performances, spectacles on par with a Hollywood action flick. Although Rammstein has a worldwide…
When famed post-hardcore/art-rock spazz combo At the Drive-In broke up in 2001, the lines were clearly drawn. Vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (the two with afros) took off for the cosmos with The Mars Volta, while the rhythm section of bassist Paul Hinojos, drummer Tony Hajjar, and guitarist Jim…
Suckers is one of those Brooklyn bands that claims an isolated sound yet, in reality, sounds a lot like other Brooklyn bands (e.g., MGMT, CocoRosie) that make similar claims. Says vocalist Austin Fisher: “Even if we think we’re doing a song that sounds like another song, we turn away from…
Oh, sure, there are a lot of bluesy rock duos out there. There’s everything from the well-known opposing-colored Keys and Stripes to lesser-known pioneer pairs from the past, like Flat Duo Jets, to up-and-comers like Agent Ribbons, who add ruffled Victorian drama to the simple mix. Each band essentially relies…
If you’ve ever wanted to witness the diversity of the Valley’s hip-hop crowd, check out a rap gig at the Big Fish Pub on any given weekend. You’re likely to see a varied assortment of both dudes and dames checking out cyphers spitting fresh rhymes on the microphone, whether its…
With temperatures rising well over 100 degrees on the regular, it’s easy to understand why Phoenix-based indie rock band Snake! Snake! Snakes! is longing for the relaxing vibes of some coastal region. We’re feeling the same way, but they’ve got a whole month of local gigs to play before they…
Last year’s ticket sales for Coachella were a complete clusterfuck. This year, the good people of Goldenvoice are enstating some interesting changes, both for the better and for the worse, depending on your individual situation.Plenty of ticket buyers may face new dilemmas. Some of the general changes will make it…
A couple of Saturdays ago at the Carolina Rebellion music festival, Korn surprised an already-frenzied crowd when they brought out Brian “Head” Welch to perform “Blind,” the first single from the band’s ’94 self-titled debut. The performance was the first time in seven years that Head — at the festival…
If you’re bored and have access to the Interwebs, go to Amazon and type “string tribute to” in the search field and prepare to be blown away. Did you know there’s a string version of James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” (because the original is too threatening)? How about Tool? How about…
Countless rock docs and tell-alls have confirmed it: Lead singers/songwriters are dictators. Call it an ego thing, but there’s no denying that those dudes know what they want, and if that doesn’t jibe with a band’s established democracy, well . . . tough. Don’t agree with the lead singer? You’ll…
Waka Flocka Flame has said he writes his lyrics as a way to express the emotions he’s feeling at a given time and that they’re usually tapped out on the fly on his BlackBerry, rather than in a meticulously curated notebook, as is the case with many rappers. Well, express…
