What the hell is wrong with Metallica? I had some empathy about the whole Napster snafu in 2000, when the band complained about copyright violations and being ripped off for royalties when Napster was a free file-sharing site. Metallica won a settlement from Napster (now a pay site), and alienated a lot of fans in the process.
By Benjamin Leatherman Music editor Niki D’Andrea decided to take a well-deserved sabbatical this past weekend, getting as far as possible from the Valley as she could. She didn’t tell anyone where she was headed, but knowing the kind of crazy life the pint-sized powerhouse of lesbian spunk leads, it…
By Joseph Golfen This weekend marked Summer of Sound’s second concert. This time around the hip hop-centered event invaded Chaser’s Bar and Nightclub in Scottsdale; a laid-back, grimy bar that shares a strip mall with both Americano Tattoo Parlor and the Jesus Is Lord Christian supply store. The Premiere The…
By Benjamin Leatherman The horror rockers of Calabrese The monthly First Friday extravaganza in downtown Phoenix always proves to be a massively chaotic mess of sound and art, with dozens of musicians and bands performing inside galleries, outside on sidewalks, and practically any other location they can think of. In…
Here are a handful of shows that were just announced this week.
Local heavy-hitting, post-prog rock band Daughters of Fission will be playing the FBC Music Fest this weekend with several other Valley acts, including Fred Green (check out one of FG’s songs here).
The song below is from Daughters of Fission’s 2008 self-released album, The Moth. It’s called “The Sea.”
This week’s flier comes from the vague world of raves. Local rave/EDM event promoters in the Valley are known for two-sided fliers — some awesome art on the front, and oodles of info. crammed onto the back. For more info. on the event below, visit www.azinfoline.com.
Pharrell Williams is so in-demand as a producer that every time he tours with N.E.R.D., his most consistently weird project, he probably costs himself money. But in the days before the release of his latest gun-for-hire superstar collaboration, Madonna’s Hard Candy, he was on the road again, for reasons that…
Seattle rock heroes Mudhoney — the last band standing from the grunge era — celebrate their 20th anniversary this year with a new studio album, The Lucky Ones. On the phone from his new hometown of Portland, Oregon, guitarist Steve Turner gave us his take on some recent reviews: With…
There was a time when I knew what I wanted to listen to. I was poor, but I bought CDs anyway, and I had stacks of them, purchased with enthusiasm and knowledge shared among friends. A pricey endeavor, sure. But once I discovered Napster and CD-burning, finances stopped counting. I…
Valley post-hardcore/screamo band Greeley Estates is having a CD release party for their third full-length album, Go West Young Man, Let the Evil Go East (Science) on Saturday, June 7. In anticipation of the show, we recently caught up with Greeley Estates guitarist Brandon Hackeson.
Back when I was a young ‘un, I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with a gentleman by the name of Ellas Otha Bates. Mr. Bates was a guitar player and singer of great repute, and when he pulled into town with his band for a gig, I decided to take a shot at interviewing him for the local weekly. I felt that I knew the guy’s groundbreaking music really well, and his history, too, so I was fairly comfortable when I called him up at his hotel room.
Local bands who’ve complained that we’re not reviewing their CDs, take this challenge. I have vowed to review every local CD addressed to me (and marked “YAFI”) in the order it’s received. I’m still getting more gripes than CDs, however, so if you’re upset, please put your music where your mouth is and send it to me. I will be honest about my impressions of your music, for better (last week’s Underwater Getdown CD) or worse (this week’s Reign of Vengeance CD).
With gas hitting $4 a gallon, I’m loathe to drive too far from my usual haunts (north Phoenix and downtown Phoenix) lately, but I did manage to hit a metaphorical bat cave and see a Catwoman this weekend, all in the ‘hood.
As much as it blows having to report to work after a weekend of fun, sometimes Mondays aren’t all that bad. Like this coming Monday (June 2, for all you calendar checkers out there) offers a couple cool-ass events to check out after you’ve clocked out for the day.
By Jonathan McNamara Type O Negative and Hatebreed joined forces to salute the gods of rock this weekend at the Marquee via the musical medium known as the Jagermeister Music Tour. Also on hand was 3 Inches of Blood just in case the headliners didn’t bring enough of the heavy…
If you’ve always had a yen to be in a music video (and don’t have any plans tonight), L.A. pop songstress Lauren Briant will be holding an open casting call for her upcoming video tonight from 9 to 11 p.m. at Jackrabbit Supper Club, 4280 North Drinkwater Boulevard in Scottsdale.
Here’s a handful of shows that were just announced this week.
Valley trio Fred Green loves to get you grooving to good-time vibes and bouncing to reggae beats. The band’s fusion of ska, rock, and funk is a glorious mix, particularly on their latest album, Still Burnin’, which features some guest percussion by Primus drummer Tim Alexander.
This week’s “Flier of the Week” comes from Valley punk band Labor Party, who’re having a CD release show at J-Head’s on June 7. We dig the crazy “pulp” theme going on here.
A few years ago, a psychology lecturer at a British college came up with the formula for the “perfect” mood-lifting pop song. Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic posited a certain equation involving pitch, positive lyrics, and serotonin levels that, when tweaked in precise amounts, would result in a vastly improved emotional state…
Young bands — New York’s Rapture, most notably and successfully — cite Robert Smith’s London outfit The Cure as a holy source, a development nobody apart from the Cure’s planet of black-clad fans might have guessed. The Cure sold records, claiming and saving lives during the ’80s, when Robert Smith…
