Package nostalgia concerts are predictable affairs: Artists perform a few of their hits, attempt to plug their latest endeavor, then give up the stage to the next old-timer trying to make a few bucks off your fond memories of their glory days. It’s all very calculated, but that doesn’t mean…
Bane’s fan base is a bit like Matthew McConaughey’s philosophy in Dazed and Confused: They get older; the moshers stay the same age. “When you’re young, you get that feeling that you can take on the world and that music can drive a revolution,” says vocalist Aaron Bedard. “Once you…
Former Tucsonan Justin Champlin has roots in area bands like The Okmoniks, Sneaky Pinks, and Golden Boots, but since 2001, he’s occasionally donned a rabbit mask, stripped down to his skivvies, and blasted out barebones rock ‘n’ roll as Nobunny. The songs play like a sloppy mixtape from a boozy…
As its name portends, there were plenty of dolls on hand for the opening weekend at Dollhouse Cocktail Lounge in Scottsdale. Dime pieces were on the walls of Old Town’s newest nightlife playground in the form of stylish magazine covers arranged above VIP seating while dames, dolls, and divas populated the…
Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. It’s been a little over a month since we last scoped out Zia Record Exchange’s list of top sellers. Since then only…
Brainnnnnnnssssss. The poor ‘fella depicted in our flier of the week looks like a zombie treat, head cracked open and ready to go. But wait, he looks like…no! It can’t be! He’s still alive? Halloween gigs are a’plenty, but this spooktacular gig, featuring Sasquanaut, The Woodworks, Future Loves Past, The…
Straight out of the halls of Valhalla, Swedish metal band Opeth has spent the past 20 years perfecting its sound and transcending the guttural growls of death metal. The quintet has left Stockholm in the rearview mirror to tour in support of its latest effort, Heritage. The 10-track album plays…
“The Nauga is ugly, but his vinyl hide is beautiful.” At least that’s what an ad campaign for the faux leather Naugahyde suggested in the ’60s and ’70s. This little creature can be blamed for pleather pants and some of IKEA’s ugliest furniture, but that grinning, wide-toothed monster, wasn’t ugly…
There’s no other way to put it: Jon Rauhouse is a badass. When the dude shows up to play on your record or add a little of his pedal steel to your live show, it is going to sound good. Really good. There’s a reason why Los Angeles-based music blog…
As we gear up for another election season, it’s easy to start thinking about all the things America gets wrong. But even though our politics may be screwed up, our music often gets it right. Jazz, blues, rock ‘n’ roll, hip-hop. They were born here, and if you really want…
It’s hard not to wonder where super-villains like The Joker and The Penguin picked up their henchmen thugs. They never seemed that good at what they did, always standing around and second-guessing their evil-genius bosses. To make matters worse, they didn’t even seem to be that tough; Batman and Robin…
Miguel Ivery (a.k.a. DJ Seduce) is one of the Valley’s most prominent mixmasters. He’s also one of its busiest, as the 33-year-old blasts out Brazilian jams and rare grooves every weekend at local nightspots, as well as at a few high-paying gigs throughout North America (including his upcoming trip to…
Pleasurekraft got off to a late start, but Foundry on First was full of colorfully dressed patrons ready to dance and/or check out the Raw Artists exhibition. DJ Micro, Juheun, dropper beats for the throngs of of sexy dancers. We captured the festivities in this week’s Club Candids slideshow…
There’s a vintage travel-poster vibe going on for this Friday night gig at Rogue Bar. The simple colors and lines work wonderfully; you feel like that cowboy gazing at the mount has a lot on his mind.Walkingstick Presents is bringing you a solid lineup of local rock, presenting Saddles, Future…
Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. Your friendly neighborhood record shop, Revolver Records, celebrates four years of buying, selling and trading LPs, CDs and DVDs this month. Here’s…
Be sure to join Street Eaters, Yeah Great Fine, Fountain, and Porches for rip-roaring good time and some good ol’ pop as well as indie punk rock. Maybe there will be some crazy small-scale indoor ramp sledding if we’re lucky.It’s all going down at the Trunk Space on Monday, October 17 at…
If you were to look at Chromeo’s online diary, you’d find it’s less about collected, coherent thoughts than it is about posting random photos of The Bee Gees, Seinfield’s puffy shirt, and Bill Clinton playing sax on The Arsenio Hall Show. You can’t help thinking that’s exactly how their songwriting…
Local boys Ross Andrews and Wally Boudway are very open about the love-hate relationship they have with Phoenix. “The only thing we love as much as we hate Phoenix is Phoenix,” the two quip on their Facebook page. The tug-of-war between love and hate seems to drive the duo’s music…
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is pretty much the epitome of a rock ‘n’ roll veteran. The dude doesn’t coast despite having been in two of the biggest bands of the ’90s. Wasting Light, the latest album from the Foos, finds the group joined by on-again, off-again guitarist Pat Smear,…
If you become the soundtrack to FX’s Portlandia, you’ve reached a new kind of hipsterdom. Or is it meta-hipsterdom? The semantics boggle the mind. The show satirizes the many eccentric personalities you’ll find in the “keep it weird” Oregon city, all of which could be considered hipsters on the sliding…
Do our rappers need a long-term view? Are they shooting themselves in the foot by devoting their albums to the nitty gritty of the day-to-day? Take Keith Richards, for instance. It took him half a damn century to air his dirty laundry: the ladies on the tour bus, the squabbles…
Dario Varela rocks the decks like nobody’s business. The 29-year-old DJ has become a staple of Latin dance events in downtown Phoenix in recent years, having spun cumbias and reggaeton tracks in such spots as Sky Lounge, Silver, and PHX Nightclub. Varela’s sights are now set on conquering Scottsdale, as…
