In 2012, KONGOS released Lunatic to virtually no fanfare. In 2014, a major label (Epic/Sony) re-released that same album without changing so much as a micro-tone, and it spawned a platinum hit in “Come With Me Now,” heard everywhere from The Expendables 3 to the Spike TV app to every…
Break out your finest Zubaz and don your finest neon slap bracelets, because we’re about to time travel backwards two decades to a simpler time, before the Internet, social media or snarky music blogs. That’s right! This Saturday, March 5 at the Microsoft Theater, the I Love the 90s festival…
Arizona has spawned and been home to some pretty influential acts in heavy metal, from Soulfly to Sacred Reich, Maynard James Keenan to Alice Cooper. But while the more renowned acts helped lay the groundwork for the local scene and style, every city has its key players that dominate the…
If you happen to be attending Phoenix Comicon this weekend, its safe to say you’re going to encounter geeks in masks. That being said, there ere’s one group of costumed geeks who might stick out from the crowd. After all, they’ll be the ones wearing robotic-looking black tiger masks. We’re…
Bear Ghost – “Let Us Vote” It was a complete surprise when Bear Ghost dropped a new single this week, so quick on the heels of releasing one of the best local albums of the year. It was even more of a surprise that Mario Yniguez, Dalin Gonzalez, and Matt…
The day had begun dusty and dry — nothing a drink couldn’t fix — as night settled crisply over The Lost Leaf, while members of House of Stairs loaded their gear inside. The stage was lit brothel-red and adorned with white Christmas lights, but the small, downtown bar was nearly empty…
Lil Wayne did not hide his dirty laundry at Comerica Theatre this past weekend, according to a Youtube video posted by Youtube user HeavyIronRC. He dissed his former mentor and current boss Birdman, who founded Cash Money Records, the label that put out Wayne’s most significant albums, during a call-and-response portion…
In two years, the Arizona Hip Hop Festival — a gigantic concert at Comerica Theatre that gathers no less than 100 local artists under one roof — has grown rapidly, but now, as the festival enters its third year, city government is getting involved. After meeting with Samuel in his…
Summer is upon us, which gives you all the more reason to turn up the heat on heading out to live shows in the evening when the temps cool down. The summers here may not be the most ideal time for us to head out to shows, but it’s prime…
There were a whole lotta moves being shown off at this year’s Dirty Disco. Some got funky, others were funny, and a few were downright freaky at the annual outdoor dance party and rave, which took place within the rodeo arena at Rawhide Western Town in Chandler. There was a…
Hopefully, we are long past all of the silly chatter about vinyl being dead and no one caring about buying records anymore. At least around these parts, people can’t seem to get enough of the spinning platters. The massive crowds that flood local music stores on Record Store Day alone…
“When I have to go on stage and hold my own with Buddy Guy — it’s frightening,” Carlos Santana, a guitar legend in his own right, exclaimed during an October New Times interview. That says a lot about the kind of guitar player Guy is. Just a hair shy of…
It’s summer, which means a lot of bands are dropping new albums and with new albums come new music videos. Groups all over the scene are breaking out the video cameras to offer up the best multi media projects they can, and honestly a lot of them are quite good. …
In a culture like hardcore metal and punk, where bootlegs and bands’ early cuts reign supreme, Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta admits that he harbors an unpopular opinion. “I say the best times are now. I’m not a nostalgic person, so when they all want the old stuff? I feel like…
Sometimes, it’s the simple ideas that work out the best. For their debut music video for “Speak Now,” pop punk trio Genre turned themselves into video game heroes who take on two of Arizona’s greatest villains — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Governor Doug Ducey. They also bring many…
Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best new music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. Foresteater – “Very Friendly People” At the start of the year Foresteater dropped its debut single “High and Bright” with a…
I was running a little late, so when I walked into The Lost Leaf to meet up with the members of Goth Brooks, the band had already arrived before me. It didn’t take me very long to recognize them. Seated at a table in the back corner of the bar…
As its name portends, Dirty Disco is what you’d call a messy experience. It’s sort of expected, given that the annual electronic dance music event takes place in the middle of Rawhide’s outdoor rodeo arena and features thousands stomping and strutting around in the dirt while DJs drop high-energy and…
The term “music industry” is an oxymoron if you understand that it’s comprised of suits unsustainably leeching off the creative people behind new sounds. Attempts to monetize self-expression eventually implode when enough money is thrown around, so the “industry” has to constantly replenish itself with what’s true, authentic and ripe…
Maybe three weeks isn’t long enough to really process the loss of a legend like Prince, because it is still more than a little unbelievable that at 57 he is now an artist formerly known as alive. But even in the face of such a tragic loss, the band must…
The first time I remember encountering Ryan Avery was at a birthday party he threw for Andy Kaufman at The Trunk Space a few years back. All the show was, was Avery dressed as Kaufman pressing play on a record player, but it was great. He organized it so there…
New Times’ monthly live reading series Bar Flies is back, this time, with a musical twist. The event happens underground and downtown at Valley Bar, but on occasion it rises above street level. This month is one of those times. The May 27 installment of the wordy shindig is headed…
