If there were any doubts that Kendrick Lamar dominated 2015 critically, this should lay those to rest. Our former sister paper Village Voice released its annual critic’s survey, Pazz + Jop, today. The project tallied votes from nearly 500 music journalists, who voted for up to 10 of their favorite…
Although there’s something ghoulish about measuring a year’s passage by how many celebrities we lost to the Reaper, the Academy Awards’ and Grammy Awards’ “In Memorium” montages provide a much-needed public service in the “I didn’t know (insert name/pronoun) died!” department. Because everyone knows celebrities generally die in threes, a…
Chester Bennington will no longer perform as lead singer with Stone Temple Pilots, the band announced today. Bennington joined Stone Temple Pilots roughly two-and-a-half years ago. In a statement released by the band on its website, Bennington said the split boils down to scheduling. “The last few years have been…
Having smoothed over their explosive 2010 breakup, the duo of King Khan and BBQ locked themselves in a basement early this year and let the spirits get to work. “When we started recording again, in a way it was more fun than we’d ever had,” says Khan. “We were drinking…
Earlier today, news broke online that LCD Soundsystem would be reuniting in the next year, five years after their much ballyhooed end. Consequence of Sound was first out of the gate with the item, citing “multiple sources” confirming the rumor. Shortly after the post, which was, as you might imagine,…
They’re subtle — and sometimes sung in Spanish — but the questions that are scattered across Calexico’s Edge of the Sun carry the thrust of the album’s themes. Where? What? Why? The questions are prominent on an album about progressing, searching, and moving. And they’re at the core of interactions,…
Through the early 2000s, Phoenix wasn’t much of a music festival city. Outside of Lollapalooza’s initial stop in 1991, significant music festivals were virtually nonexistent in the Valley. Festivals weren’t the monstrous industry they are now, but as the scene began to grow and expand from a few festivals to…
Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots. Remember them? Tons of fun but, let’s be honest, super-frustrating, too, as every match, at least at my house, always degenerated into one combatant holding down both buttons and forcing his robot to push out both arms and move forward until one or both little…
Last time we heard about Upon a Burning Body singer Danny Leal, he faked his own disappearance as part of a mindblowingly ill-conceived publicity stunt just prior to a concert in Phoenix. Now, he’s acting up again, according to metal blog Lambgoat. Reportedly, Leal approached Dylla and some of her…
Nate Valdez is good with fingers. Take, for example, his care when removing jewelry from them. First he coats a finger with wax. Then he ties a string around its base and wiggles it up slowly behind the ring it’s wearing until the ring slinks off the tip at the…
Motown on Mondays is on the move. The DJs behind popular dance joint — which focuses on remixes of the Motown hits of yesteryear, as well as old-school soul, funk and disco classics — are planning to pack up their tracks and head across downtown Phoenix from the Crescent Ballroom…
S.O.S. Band vocalist Mary Davis’ entire musical life has been about timing — good times, bad times, taking the time to do things right, and watching the hit songs she recorded continue to stand the test of time. Davis and her band rose quickly to the top, dropped just as…
Read the next word aloud: Moist. Did the hair on your neck rise to the occasion? Did your coworker’s shoulders just curl into a disgusted shiver? The word makes us cringe, too. When Death Cab for Cutie front man Ben Gibbard recently asked an interviewer to not use that word,…
Whenever DJ Akshen steps behind a pair of record decks, he tends to become a tempest of motion befitting his moniker. Such is the case on a recent morning in his Arcadia home, where the veteran turntablist is busy painting a small side room with a slew of scratching over…
Van Halen is retuning to Phoenix later this year for the first time since 2012. The band known for hits like “Jump,” “Hot for Teacher,” and “Running With The Devil” will perform at Ak-Chin Pavilion on Monday, September 28…
Outside Lands, the San Francisco music festival, released its lineup today, including an impressive group of top-line headliners. Elton John, Mumford & Sons, Black Keys, Kendrick Lamar, Wilco, D’Angelo, and more top the lineup this year, which is heavy on the indie rock. The festival takes place August 7 through…
Vex is one of those bands that commands attention whenever they hit the stage. Fitting, since their name is the very definition of evoking mystery and discussion. It’s also defined as changing or “shaking up” the arrangement or position of something, and that’s something Vex is all about. The four…
Salt River Fields has expanded its annual Fourth of July Festival to two days, and it’s announced a pair of big-name headliners to celebrate. Alt-country (and dad-rock) icons Wilco and rock ‘n’ roll band Dr. Dog will play the festival on Friday, July 3, and Little Big Town with Brandy…
Madonna will grace Glendale with a performance at Gila River Arena on October 22, as part of the Rebel Heart Tour. Tickets go on sale March 23. Madonna last visited the Valley in 2012, when she performed at US Airways Center, now known as Talking Stick Resort Arena…
Tis’ the season for great festivals in the Valley — and we aren’t just referring to all those massive indoor and outdoor concert extravaganzas that are happening almost every weekend until the summertime. There are also events celebrating art, food, makers, and anything else of a creative nature. That includes…
Philip Glass knows no boundaries. The acclaimed modern composer’s career began “properly” enough, with study at the Julliard School of Music and work in Pittsburgh’s public schools. A move to Paris changed everything, as Glass delved into a period of minimalism enhanced by the revelatory discovery of Indian classical music’s…
Stay with me — Sam Smith is coming to Gila River Arena on August 12. The soulful Brit just won four Grammys, including Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 27, via Ticketmaster…
