When you think of this Texas-bred activist songwriter, you can’t help flashing back to the cover of her 1988 album Short Sharp Shocked. It was a black-and-white photograph of the musician taken during a protest of the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco, and it shows her getting absolutely…
Pigeon John is one interesting bird. Born into a bi-racial household, the future underground rapper (born John Kenneth Duncan) spent parts of his childhood in both the whitest (Omaha, Nebraska) and blackest (Inglewood, California) cities in America. As a Southern California teen skate-rat, he teethed musically on a balanced diet…
It’s been quite a few years since St. Louis band Story of the Year’s mid-decade heyday, when they caught national attention with “Until the Day I Die” and “Anthem of Our Dying Day,” captivating the Hot Topic set and unofficially cornering the market on songs about both death and days…
When he emerged in 2002 with his debut LP Deadringer, Philadelphia-based RJD2 (born Ramble John Krohn) was pegged as the next DJ Shadow for his beat-making and crate-digging prowess; his love of classic soul, funk, and hip-hop; and his forward-thinking reliance on atmospheric, cinematic textures. As his career progressed, however,…
On the band’s MySpace page, The Hypo Twins eloquently describe their particular brand of rock as “disco party scum rock.” If that gem of information doesn’t inspire you to give their music a listen, I’m not sure what will. Not to mention that the band’s description is not too far…
The calendar on your wall may read 2010, but DJ Medik likes to turn the clock back a few decades during his Thursday-night spin session at Renee’s Grand Avenue Tavern, 2448 Grand Avenue. Old-school R&B and funk is always on tap, whether it’s deep cuts of Marvin Gaye or Cameo,…
Phoenix Fashion Week 2010 kicked off Thursday night at the W Hotel in Scottsdale. Fashionable folks sipped pricey cocktails as they waited (and waited … see Wynter Holden’s review) for the show to begin. Check out the scene in our slideshow…
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 home of Phoenix rock n’ rollers Hooves. If you would like your band featured, tweet @PHXmusicdotcom. Currently…
Band: Race You ThereTitle: Acts of Treason, the band’s debut LPBasics: Phoenix five-piece Race You There started out in Tucson, moving westward, toward the big city. Armed with ambition, the band tried to incorporate a few different styles in their music, which coalesces best around a slowed-down, melodic rock sound…
This is the final installment in The Posse Project, a 12-day series in which www.PHXmusic.com caught up with all 12 guys pictured on the cover of N.W.A’s first album, N.W.A. and the Posse. Today’s post is on Eric “Eazy E” Wright, who passed away 15 years ago today. To read…
You might want to put some sunglasses on before taking a gander at this brightly colored flier from The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! Yes, they’re really called that, and yes, there is an exclamation point at the end of the band name. “We roll deep,” says singer Neil Fridd. “We…
This is an installment in The Posse Project, a 12-day series in which www.PHXmusic.com catches up with all 12 guys pictured on the cover of N.W.A’s first album, N.W.A. and the Posse. Today, we continue with Dr. Dre the superstar rapper/producer who has had the most success since this photo was…
It’s been 20 years since Johnny’s little girl broke from her country roots. Yup, Rosanne Cash was just as proto-punk as her old man when she moved to New York City, started writing jagged, introspective folk songs, and married a guy named Leventhal. I mean, it doesn’t get less country…
In their pre-Fergie days, the Black Eyed Peas were a relatively obscure, “socially conscious” hip-hop group that collaborated with the likes of De La Soul and Jurassic 5. Seems weird, doesn’t it? For the past seven years or so, they’ve shrewdly transitioned to making the biggest of hits with the…
Chamillionaire (né Hakeem Seriki) is a rapper, but he’s no muthafuckin’ potty-mouth. True to his reputation as a high-minded master of flow, the Houston native managed to record his fifth studio album, Ultimate Victory (2007), without using a single four-letter profanity. That’s a fairly remarkable feat, considering how many useful…
For most longtime Phoenix-area residents, it’s not a matter of if you’ve seen Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, it’s how many times you’ve seen them. You might have even seen them by accident, playing an event like the opening of the light rail system in December 2008. Or you might…
If you’re anything like me, you probably didn’t realize that traditional Indian devotional music has a bona fide rock star in singer Krishna Das. Or that yoga devotees have snatched up over 300,000 copies of his albums, or that mainstream pop icons like Madonna and Mike D of The Beastie…
Downtown Phoenix transforms into a hip-hop hotspot every Saturday as superstar selectas lay down chart-busting urban tracks in such joints as PHX Nightclub, Sky Lounge, and Stoudemire’s as dance floor divas and the grown ‘n’ sexy crows shake their moneymakers. Majerle’s Sports Grill, 24 North Second Street, is getting a…
Just because a radio station is labeled as a “community” station doesn’t mean it’s lacking coolness or in street cred.In fact, Radio Phoenix’s top ten for the week are all indie rock favs at the moment, with the down-home rootsy folk stylings of Mumford & Sons coming out on top…
This is an installment in The Posse Project, a 12-day series in which www.PHXmusic.com catches up with all 12 guys pictured on the cover of N.W.A’s first album, N.W.A. and the Posse. Today, we continue with MC Chip, who proved to be the hardest person to track down of anyone in…
We decided to drop by Philthy Phil’s this past Friday (March 19) to check out Craig Citizen’s latest nightlife brain child, Ransom.Citizen is one of the guys responsible for the now-defunct Faux Show Friday Nights at Glam, Party Foul at Homme Lounge, and Gosh Damn! at Club Vibe.It’s true, Philthy…
This is an installment in The Posse Project, a 12-day series in which www.PHXmusic.com catches up with all 12 guys pictured on the cover of N.W.A’s first album, N.W.A. and the Posse. Today, we continue with Ice Cube, N.W.A’s main lyricist who went on to become a superstar solo rapper and…
