I hate to do this, but two clarifications seem important at the outset: I adore Bob Dylan and, as a lover of physical media, I’m one of the few people (20-somethings especially) still collecting CDs. With that said, I have to say this, too: There’s no fucking way I’m plucking…
In a town whose notoriety is soullessness itself, it comes as a surprise that Caught a Ghost is a Los Angeles-based band, best labeled as a modernized take on Motown with enough funk to move the hips of even the most jaded music critic. It’s the most recent project of self-taught producer and songwriter Jesse Nolan, who unabashedly belies his sunny Southern Californian roots with his full-throated crooning.
Bigger, louder, deeper and weirder, the second album from Youth Lagoon is the sort of follow-up that exceeds its predecessor in every way. Boise’s Trevor Powers, 24, toys with expectations – both his own and those from the indie rock world that was watching his development closely – on…
Every so often The Maine comes to town playing a slightly larger venue than it did the time before. Their goal, so far as I can tell, is to take advantage of this until, having played U.S. Airways Center and University of Phoenix Stadium in short order, local government is…
Keith UrbanAk-Chin PavilionSunday, September 29 One way to reverse engineer the perfect American Idol judge would be to just go to concerts until you find a bunch of people who used to watch American Idol clapping and having a good time at one. I like to think that’s how they…
John Williams performed with the Phoenix Symphony last Saturday for a once in a lifetime event. All of the proceeds benefited the Phoenix Symphony’s community outreach programs, and as of Saturday morning, Williams’ ticket sales have raised nearly $600,000. The concert was closed to the media, but Phoenix Symphony was…
Things are really hit-or-miss when it comes to heavy metal covers of pop songs. There’s been some great ones (Exodus’ “Low Rider,” Marilyn Manson’s “Tainted Love”), and some not-so-great ones (Children of Bodom’s “Oops I Did It Again,” Evile’s “Born This Way”), to be sure. But when you get some…
Gentleman, this is a public service announcement. We know that things can get hot and sweaty on the dance floor. The atmosphere is festive, the music is peaking, and the ladies are looking good. You see one you like, and you want to dance with her. Totally cool. Men and…
Vampire Weekend Comerica Theatre Friday, September 27, 2013 Last night’s show was just about everything a Friday night show should be: Vampire Weekend was on point and performed a great selection of songs that didn’t neglect its debut album. The crowd was into it–if the majority of the seated area…
Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington has gotten all the way off the ground, which is a first step that a lot of reconstituted rock bands never quite reach. Diehard STP fans are still mostly nonplussed, but a lot of them are going to the shows anyway; casual fans are…
I can’t believe the things I decide to write about. Women? Have I lost my mind? I know as much about women as I do about God–not jack. Yet I continue to study both. In fact, I suspect they are one and the same. Like most subjects in my studies,…
It was 1981. We were young, and there was nothing better to do. And so my girl friends and I — a bony chick we called Uncle who rarely spoke and her best friend, Laytchie McJeep, a corpulent girl who never stopped talking — got dressed up in funny clothes…
If you didn’t happen to be in Casa Grande when Jimmy Eat World played this show, back in May, you may find it more convenient to head out to Tucson for a show from this year’s Readers’ Choice for Best Local Band. If you weren’t really into “The Middle,” for…
The early ’90s were not the best of times for metal. Suddenly everyone who grew up listening to Sabbath–and a lot of people who didn’t–was exchanging skull rings for flannel and writing grunge songs about being strung out. But Patrick Flannery and his alter-ego Prophet were just starting out playing…
When the members of Stone Temple Pilots invited Chester Bennington to become the band’s new frontman, the Linkin Park vocalist didn’t take long to decide. We’re talking like maybe a few moments at most. “Almost the second after I was asked, my immediate answer was, ‘Yeah, I’d fucking love to,'”…
Head to the Plaza Mayor in the heart of Madrid and walk a few steps from the center square down one of the cobblestoned streets. Peek into Tablao Flamenco Arco de Cuchillleros, one of the city’s premiere flamenco spots. The tables in the intimate venue are filled with tourists, sipping…
The throng of thousands who invaded Indian Plaza in Scottsdale for the Sound Wave Block Party this past Saturday were definitely in the mood to move their bodies to the beat. And believe us, they had plenty of big beats to soak up. Like the three previous editions of Sound…
Given the recent press devoted to the return of the cassette, you may have expected a bigger coming-out party than the first-ever “Cassette Day” on September 7. The Zia Records Exchange on Camelback rolled out all of six cassettes at the front counter, all easily dwarfed by a Questlove book…
Head to the Plaza Mayor in the heart of Madrid and walk a few steps from the center square down one of the cobblestone streets. Peek into Tablao Flamenco Arco de Cuchillleros, one of the city’s premier flamenco spots. The tables in the intimate venue are filled with tourists, sipping…
The enigmatic local EDM combo Spiders Down Yonder are as dark as they are mysterious. The duo — who are known simply as “!” and “?” — often adorn themselves with bandannas, lampshades, or other face coverings that obscure their identity, whether its on their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/spidersdownyonder) or during…
Given the recent press devoted to the return of the cassette, you may have expected a bigger coming-out party than the first-ever Cassette Store Day, on September 7. The Zia Records Exchange on Camelback rolled out all of six cassettes at the front counter, all easily dwarfed by a Questlove…
Bigger, louder, deeper, and weirder, the second album from Youth Lagoon is the sort of follow-up that exceeds its predecessor in every way. Boise’s Trevor Powers, 24, toys with expectations — both his own and those from the indie rock world that was watching his development closely — on Wondrous…
