One of the major problems facing the organizers of Valley music festivals is the weather. Residents are used to the heat, but most bands that are familiar with Arizona summers have little interest in playing an outdoor music festival at 2 on a sweltering June afternoon. Not that you can…
The plight of too many talented songwriters is obscurity, often because they write songs for others. When a song becomes famous, few know the person behind the music. Thankfully, Mark Knopfler, the Scottish-born singer, songwriter, and former lead guitarist for Dire Straits, did not fall into obscurity. Since his Dire…
Australia’s too-cute-for-school Sia came to prominence in the U.S. after her song “Breathe Me” was featured in the final episode of Six Feet Under. Looking back, it makes sense her big break would come on the small screen: Sia’s sweet style is endearing to the fantasy-like, surreal scenarios portrayed on…
Superstar spinner Steve Aoki has got plenty of connections and he ain’t afraid to use them. The 32-year-old’s record label, Dim Mak, has featured some of the best beat-makers in the business, including MSTRKRFT and The Bloody Beetroots. He’s also part-owner of hip L.A. restaurant Shin with Julian Casablancas of…
There’s nothing like a new dance night with an elaborately-dressed crowd and an eclectic music selection to make Valley nightlife feel almost fresh again. The fleshy burlesque and S&M performances didn’t hurt either. Check out our slide show of Crotch Rockitt’s maiden voyage…
Welcome to The Grand Tour, a regular feature where PHXmusic.com takes you inside practice spaces, tour vans and seedy apartments occupied by Phoenix-area bands. This week we give you a look inside the cavernous Fransisco Studios, where Phoenix hard rockers Smokus Pocus . If you would like your band featured,…
Title: The EdgeBasics: The eight-song cowboyfied debut from metal man Prophet celebrates all things Arizona while also featuring songs written with some substance — a rarity in this YAFI game. Prophet (who leads a band called St. Madness that was ripped by Martin Cizmar in YAFI nearly a year ago,…
Welcome to The Grand Tour, a regular feature where PHXmusic.com takes you inside practice spaces, tour vans and seedy apartments occupied by Phoenix-area bands. This week we give you a look inside the vintage movie-poster adorned practice space of Tempe/Yuma post-punk band Earthmen & Strangers. If you would like your…
You can’t help but feel a little dirty when looking at this flier for Honey Pistol’s show at Long Wong’s this Saturday, April 10.Ladybugs are supposed to be pretty and sweet–not insects you’d expect to see banging each other. But hey, at least they’re doing it on a flower, and…
Darkness Dear Boy play Bro Rock. What’s Bro Rock? To paraphrase Justice Potter Stewart’s words about hardcore pornography, “bro rock is hard to define, but I know it when I hear it.” What exactly constitutes Bro Rock is, indeed, tough to pin down, because Bro Rock encompasses many genres, spanning…
Only a few days before British prog-rockers Muse are scheduled to headline the second night of Coachella, they’ll make a stop in Phoenix to play the US Airways Center. The band is on tour in support of its 2009 album, Resistance, their most ambitious record to date. The fifth album…
The musical merit of Owl City is a hot topic of debate among fans and critics. Most critics would say that the music of Owl City, the solo project of Adam Young, is pretty much a clone of the electro-pop by The Postal Service. It’s impossible not to hear the…
If they gave awards for living, Vince Neil would have to get a (somewhat-redundant) lifetime achievement award. He’s the singer of one of the hardest-living bands of all time, has been married four times, made sex tapes with both a porn star and a model, released three solo albums, did…
Yeasayer frontman Chris Keating’s tongue-in-cheek claim that the band’s sophomore release, Odd Blood, was designed to “sonically challenge Rihanna in the clubs” might be overly ambitious, but it’s a good description of the band’s departure from its earlier work. The Brooklyn-based trio’s critically acclaimed 2008 debut, All Hour Cymbals, melded…
Under normal circumstances, a birthday party involves friends and family heaping plenty of gifts and good tidings upon the guest of honor. Not so with Joel Davis. The P-town selecta (better known as DJ Epidemic) is turning 22 this week, but he’s the one who’s been providing the presents to…
With each passing spring, the four-day music fest in Florence known as Country Thunder gets a little less country and packs a little less thunder. For example, two years ago, John Fogerty headlined one night in the converted alfalfa field and fired up some old chooglin’ Credence Clearwater Revival hits…
I really should stop beating on the Arizona Republic’s “Reader’s Choice” poll — poorly conceived and executed though it may be. However, a reader just pointed out two other real gems in the “best annual music festival or event” category.Go down this list and pick out which two festivals didn’t…
Longtime PHXmusic.com readers may remember the scandal surrounding the “Best Local Band” category in last year’s Arizona Republic readers’ choice poll. First, the paper put together a terrible list (Asses of Evil?), then it allowed Isle of Essence to dominate the competition, so much so that the band declared themselves…
We didn’t know that a Saturday night at Bikini had to be designated as “super sensational” but it seems to have worked out for the folks behind the event who just celebrated their 2nd anniversary on Saturday, April 3.There were so many people crammed in the little dive along Grand…
Welcome to The Grand Tour, a regular feature where PHXmusic.com takes you inside practice spaces, tour vans and seedy apartments occupied by Phoenix-area bands. This week we give you a look up on the stage at Naked Dave’s Music’s Tempe location, where hair-metal cover band Hollywood Saints practice. If you…
Band: Mike LennonTitle: Save The EarthBasics: A tame record from self-proclaimed rockabilly fanatic Mike Lennon, Save The Earth shows that absolutely anyone and everyone can get out there and record an album if they have the time and money to do it. Though that’s no guarantee they have the talent…
It’s not everyday you see fliers for shows with over a dozen bands on them. And when you do, the 8 1/2 by 11-inch piece of paper is more likely to list the headliners and add “And others” instead of naming every single band.So, you’ve got to hand it to…
