An Arizona (by way of Michigan) candidate has not only thrown their top hat into the U.S. presidential election, but also the British Prime Minister race, and is running on one of the more unique platforms ever. That’s right, Alice Cooper, shock rocker extraordinaire and guillotine proponent, has launched a…
The shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando on June 12 affected many people in different ways. For Stacy Louis, owner of the gay club Stacy’s At Melrose, it hit close to home. “I heard about the event as I was going to sleep that night,” Louis recalls. “The way…
Tempe’s Brick and Barley finally got its big moment on national television this past weekend. The latest episode of Spike TV’s reality show Bar Rescue focused on the local spot and its transformation from a badass biker joint and lowbrow haven into a more upscale neighborhood establishment. Or in the…
In 2005, Brian “Head” Welch shocked the metal world when he left nu-metal pioneers Korn at the height of the band’s career. The surprise wasn’t so much that Welch was departing from the band he helped create but his reasoning. The guitarist quit the band because he had found Jesus…
Alan Vega died peacefully this weekend in his sleep. It was a sad end to a man who fronted the pioneering proto-punk combo Suicide. Alan Vega, along with the likes of Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, revolutionized what a lead singer could get away with, far beyond, say the affectation…
Fresh off the release of his critically acclaimed Blank Face LP , Schoolboy Q announced tour dates this week, including a stop at Mesa Amphitheatre on Tuesday, October 11. Chicago rapper Joey Purp will join him on tour. Blank Face LP is Schoolboy Q’s second major label album and follows…
“Jameson,” the ninth track of Zella Day’s 2015 album, Kicker, stands out like a grassy meadow in a metropolis. Sparse in its vulnerability and despair, the song is just Day finger-picking acoustic chords as some gentle guitar lines float through the background. Day was just 18 when she wrote the…
Before the torches are lit and the pitchforks are sharpened, read the next line. Most of the often over-rated records mentioned in this opinion-based blog/list do NOT completely suck. Admittedly, some do suck quite a bit, but some are really good and even ground-breaking but are often held in too…
Looking for a great local concert to check out this week? Look not further. We’ve got the lowdown on biggest and best shows happening at Valley music venues over the next several nights, all of which are worthy of both your time and money. Wye Oak – Mondau, July 18…
In a triumphant return after ten long years away from the Valley, Dixie Chicks smashed expectations at Ak-Chin Pavilion with a show that went beyond simple country music. Visually, it was as modern and effective as they come, a slick black-and-white palette as a setting that would have looked at…
Reinvention is the mother of necessity for Puro Instinct. Centered around sisters Piper and Skylar Kaplan, Puro Instinct was once one of the buzz bands of the moment — 2011 saw the release of their heralded Headbangers In Ecstasy, a woozy, of-the-times record that brought the likes of Pitchfork knocking…
In light of the recent police shootings in Texas and the deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota, both killed by members of law enforcement — just the latest three of the many examples of obscene, needless deaths in America — one could conclude that all…
After a much-needed two-year hiatus from the madness that is Insane Clown Posse’s annual Gathering of the Juggalos festival, we’re happy to report that this year, we’re going back. We’re is off to Thornville, Ohio for the Gathering, which runs July 20-23, and will be reporting throughout the week on all…
If I could pin down the year that Comerica Theatre time traveled to last night for the Taste of Chaos tour, I think it would be 2003. In 2003 Dashboard Confessional had its first top 10 album. Taking Back Sunday was still riding high on its critically acclaimed debut. Anthony Green…
Looking for a memorable concert to check out during the next few nights? You’re in luck, as there are plenty of big shows happening. In fact, we’ve got nine picks for your consideration, all of which are taking place during the next 72 hours are certainly worthy of both your…
Well, it seems like 50 Cent has been spending more time in Phoenix grocery stores than in clubs these days. Curtis James Jackson III, a.k.a. Fiddy, is back in the Valley to sign bottles of his Effen Vodka. He’ll be at the Fry’s on 1311 East Bell Road in Phoenix…
The melding of pop and country music is no new phenomenon. The marriage of the two genres has brought the latter into the mainstream and thoroughly incensed the purists of the former for decades now. Country radio today has embraced the change wholeheartedly, yet few artists are willing to admit…
Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best new local music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. AJJ — “Goodbye, Oh Goodbye” It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than two years since AJJ (formerly known as Andrew…
Wye Oak is a band that, if nothing else, understands contrast. Their sound is a mixture of dream pop and dark folk dominated by nu-gaze, that mid-2000s renewed interest in pedal-driven walls of guitar distortion and buried vocals. It’s a moody mix, a feeling of elation and melancholy introspection. “I…
It’s a long way to the top if ya wanna rock ’n’ roll, sure, but if you’re more interested in just making sweet tunes, touring the world in a minivan, and keeping it real, you really don’t need much. Take it from Deerhoof, the strange noise pop quartet originally from…
Before Doug Hopkins tragically committed suicide in 1993, he would often tell his friends that the Gin Blossoms were ripping him off. He was fired from the band at their label’s request after recording for what would be the band’s 1992 breakthrough album, New Miserable Experience, completed in Memphis. He…
The Brick and Barley is about to get some national exposure, thanks to Jon Taffer and the folks behind Bar Rescue. The Tempe bar and grill, which got a major makeover from the Spike TV program back in January, will be featured on the program this coming weekend. According to…
