Looks like it’s time for the ’90s indie rock revival. Sebadoh is reuniting for Noise Pop; the Silversun Pumpkins, er, Pick-ups are selling out venues left and right. Before you know it, rockers will be sucking down E’s and going all Madchester again. Leading the charge — not to Madchester,…
Although you may go to the Clubhouse Music Venue for Hoobastank’s catchy radio rock, you’ll want to arrive early for Agent Sparks’ sweet, eclectic melodies and dynamic live performance. The Los Angeles band, whose debut Red Rover was released earlier this year, combines complex keyboard and guitar layers with dueling…
You want The Truth? Can you handle The Truth? SoCal emo-metalcore sextet Bleeding Through’s third album hits like a falling anvil to the cranium: Ferocious blast-beats, crushing riffs galloping straight out of the Slayer/Biohazard playbook, and vocalist Brandan Schieppati’s evil demon-roar (and his occasional, requisite Mike Patton-esque crooning) are the…
He’s one of rock ‘n’ roll’s few legends with a beat named in his honor. And the weird thing is, Bo Diddley plays guitar, not drums. But as Diddley himself has explained, “I play the guitar as if I was playing the drums.” That much is true, although most drums…
Holy holiday hangover! All that extra Christmastime candy, booze, and other sweet treats are gonna head straight for your soon-to-be-gigantic arse, so better get yourself to the trendy über-gym double quick. Or better yet, sweat off those pounds-to-come with a few hours of grinding, thrashing, and dancing at an upcoming…
Just when I think I’ve seen everything, I find myself watching three hot chicks trying to play hacky sack with a big pink dildo. The women — known as Producer, Python, and Pinup — are all members of a local fetish burlesque troupe called the Pussy Posse Girls, and on…
“Hellektro” group Combichrist has long been a favorite of the fetish community. Led by Norwegian-born Andy LaPlegua, Combichrist blends dark techno, agro beats, and synth noise to produce a wicked, hawkish soundscape that’s equally diabolical and danceable. The title track drowns in pulsating synths, while LaPlegua’s fuzzed-over voice floats to…
A chichi San Francisco condo is about the last place in the world you’d expect to find the Patterson projects-raised Andre the Giant (a.k.a. A.G.), an MC whose sense of rootedness in New York’s South Bronx makes him seem as staunchly parochial as the average Crestside hyphy rapper. Yet A.G.’s…
This doesn’t sound like a Willie Nelson record, and it doesn’t sound like a Ryan Adams record (though he produced it). We don’t know what it sounds like, to be honest, save for some show-offy mash-up that does less to pump up Shotgun Willie than shoot his legs out from…
Local hard-rock band Razer has quite the pedigree — the five-piece was founded by guitarist Paul Sullivan, bassist Chris Catero, and drummer Eric Bongiorno, all of whom were in Metal Blade act Wardog (Bongiorno also drums for Valley rock prodigy Nick Sterling). After nabbing guitarist Jeremy Graves and ex-Shift singer…
Few bands have done more to embody the carefree goof-punk spirit of The Dickies than The Vandals, whether blazing their way through the holiday spirit with “Oi to the World!” or showing their sensitive side on the breakup song “My Girlfriend’s Dead.” These clowns were cranking out the mullet jokes…
By the time they emerged from the shadow of Disneyland and L.A. punk with a tough little self-titled record on Slash, The Blasters were the quintessential early ’80s roots-rock band. They looked the part, they played the part, they lived the part. That record was as good as roots-rock got,…
What’s that low, rumbling sound peppered with shouting and minor guitar chords? Is it The Jesus Lizard, crawling out from under a rock for a “reunion”? Is it Steve Albini reviving his post-punk band Shellac? Nope, it’s Seattle group Madraso, which has ripped several pages from the books of late…
There’s seemingly been a serious case of Retro Fever gripping the PHX as of late. In recent weeks, a throng of ’70s and ’80s superstars have announced upcoming local gigs, including The Who, The Moody Blues, Rod Stewart, and George Thorogood. One such throwback who’s also making a stop in…
1. Pepper, No Shame (Atlantic/Wea) 2. Eminem, Eminem Presents: The Re-Up (Shady Records) 3. Incubus, Light Grenades (Sony) 4. Gwen Stefani, The Sweet Escape (Interscope) 5. Jay-Z, Kingdom Come (Roc-a-Fella) 6. The Beatles, Love (Capitol) 7. Brand New, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me (Interscope) 8. Tom Waits,…
Who goes clubbing on a Sunday, anyway? Leave it to the techno kids — they love to party so much, Saturday nights just aren’t enough. On Sunday, December 10, the Phase 54 regulars popped in to celebrate the club’s 2 Year Anniversary Party with “Aural Fixation Night!” Tucked away among…
1. Snoop Dogg, The Blue Carpet Treatment (Geffen) 2. Akon, Konvicted (Umvd) 3. Jay-Z, Kingdom Come (Roc-a-Fella) 4. Incubus, Light Grenades (Sony) 5. The Game, Doctor’s Advocate (Geffen) 6. John Legend, Once Again (Sony) 7. The Beatles, Love (Capitol) 8. Justin Timberlake, FutureSex/LoveSounds (Jive) 9. Fergie, The Dutchess (Interscope) 10…
Sometimes a night out in Scottsdale with all things shiny and plastic is just what we need. The hordes of twentysomething bronzed babes and stylish studs remind us that the singles scene is alive, thriving and definitely doable. On Saturday, December 2, e4 Nightclub and Lounge hooked up with Energy…
The guys in White Demons may occasionally wear eyeliner and tight jeans, but there is not a single song about a chick on this CD and not one stinky whiff of shitty emo. What we’ve got here instead is explosive, trashy, borderline-glam punk ‘n’ roll with shouted choruses and crisp,…
There’s just something so awesomely asinine about a hicked-out country cover of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus,” which is the leadoff track on this EP of eclectic, acoustic remakes. Mourning Woody turns the dark techno-pop hit into a jangly, upbeat hoedown of a song, and in the process accomplishes something almost…
The Weary Boys and Rose’s Pawn Shop show is the best double bill in bluegrass for both purists and evolutionists. RPS has a malleable alt-country sound, wrapped up in skillfully crafted songs with vocal harmonies and elaborate instrumentation, like “Lone Rider,” which opens with what sounds like a banjo sounding…
In eyelinered Chicago goth-pop wanna-bes Kill Hannah’s sort-of hit “Kennedy,” singer Mat Devine brags that he wants to be a Kennedy and, after living fast and breaking hearts and kissing the girls of centerfolds on the tongue, die young. We don’t really believe Devine, because two songs later on that…
