Can you handle the truth? If stuff like honesty and real-life stories are your kind of thing, and you also happen to be heading to Crescent Ballroom on June 27 to see Twin Shadow, be prepared get your fix via personal storytelling, an added element to the night of music…
Minibosses does exactly what it says on the tin: It plays video game covers, and it’s been doing it since before “Video Game Cover Band” was a genre. The group’s oeuvre focuses on the ’80s — its most-recent album included a medley of some lesser-known Legend of Zelda tracks, a…
The current version of L.A. Guns is at least the second band bearing his name to not feature Tracii Guns, the guitarist who founded L.A. Guns and briefly took part in the Sunset Strip mega-merger that begat Guns N’ Roses. This iteration features two longtime members, singer Phil Lewis and…
Wow . . . Talk about a time trip. As someone who lived through the ’80s and now accepts the inevitable hangover of artists such as Peter Murphy, The Cure, Psychedelic Furs, and Morrissey still in touring mode, I have a question for young artists today: Why? Why the fascination…
The She*Riffs are singing in unison: “In the name of the law, you’re going down / ‘Cause we’re the new sheriffs in town.” It’s May 18, at Lawn Gnome Bookstore. The four women dance to the music, instruments in hand, as the wooden stage they stand on starts shaking. Each…
The nightlife-loving cats at Scottsdale’s Axis-Radius are planning one helluva party this weekend that likely will go down as one of the most memorable in the club’s 16-year history. Sadly, that’s because the iconic and influential establishment is about to become history. If you haven’t heard the news, the double-sided…
Thursday 27 Axis-Radius: Twist Thursdays with DJ Slippe, & DJ Breez (house) AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Barney’s Boathouse: Thirsty Thursdays with DJ Pulse (Top 40, rock) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (juke joint, R&B, French pop) Bobby Q’s: All-Star Thursdays with DJ Phlava, DJ…
It’s been said that in order to truly sing the blues, it’s necessary to have experienced a lifetime of blues material — a broken heart, tragedy, hopelessness. So when you hear about an incredible blues musician, what usually comes to mind is an image of elderly Junior Kimbrough or Etta…
The Vans Warped Tour is 18 years old, which is just old enough for it to have second thoughts about going to the Warped Tour. That’s the trouble with long-running festivals: Either the music stays the same and the people in attendance get older, or the music changes with its…
I know. You like to rock. If it doesn’t kick ass, you don’t need it. Or maybe you’re listening to a different genre, like hip-hop, but it’s still the same. You like that hard-driving, in-your-face kind of stuff. That wonderful, rebellious, youthful music that makes you want to take another…
Many things define the popular hard rock/metal band Black Veil Brides, depending on whom you ask. For some, it’s their distinct appearance of black makeup and paint (decreasing more each year), tight black studded clothing and long hair. For others, it’s their inspiration (some might call it a blatant rip-off)…
December is shaping up to be a pretty good month to see music’s remaining super-superstars in Phoenix — Beyonce was announced for December 7 at US Airways Center this week, joining Justin Timberlake’s VIP-friendly 20/20 Experience date (did you pick up your $1950 ticket?) on December 2. One other thing…
Lost in love? Stuck in a relationship quagmire Ann Landers wouldn’t understand? Trying to figure out what comes next in life? We’d like to invite you personally to bring your problems to Ask Magic, your chance to ask Arizona’s reigning slow-jam king for advice on whatever life throws at you…
It takes a certain dedication and naiveté to go to Warped Tour in Arizona. Standing outside in what’s predicted to be a 111-degree day with dozens of screaming bands isn’t for everyone, but some teens continue to show their dedication year after year. The glory days of $25 punk Warped…
There’s a lot of Steve Hunter in your CD collection. If you read the four-point type, you’ll see that he’s played (with and without guitar buddy Dick Wagner) on three of Lou Reed’s most revered RCA albums and over a half-dozen Alice Cooper albums, as well as albums by Peter…
Shortly after writing Are Out of Town Music Festivals Worth The Hassle? I decided to embark on a cross-cultural adventure. The mission? To explore the Nashville music scene and attempt survival at the 80,000-person music festival Bonnaroo. Four days of camping in the heat (actually, we slept in the trunk…
As I’ve come to learn living in Arizona for my first summer ever, there’s a new motive for looking forward to summer vacations: getting the hell out of town. 110-degree weather isn’t my cup of tea, so why not a quick get-away? This time last year I was leaving the…
A confession: When Jay Z writes his lyrics, I feel as if he is writing them for me, a white woman from suburban Pennsylvania. His soulful rhymes about drug-dealing, his forlorn verses about incarceration, and his triumphal beats about being a pioneer in the music industry are all things I…
Check the hashtags on Twitter or Tumblr, folks: John Mayer is back. This might make some pop culture enthusiasts’ skin crawl, yet for those who remember the glory days of Grammy wins, number-one albums, and the brilliant resurrection of true blues with the John Mayer Trio, the guitar god has yet again arisen.
A male patron of Scottsdale’s Martini Ranch is in critical condition with life-threatening wounds following a stabbing at the Old Town dance club and music venue early this morning. According to a report released by the Scottsdale Police Department, the 34-year-old victim was walking down the stairs on his way…
If you’re having trouble finding something to do tonight, or a week from tonight, or three months from now, it is literally our job to help you solve that problem. Here’s one way we do it: Our regularly updated Phoenix concert calendar. Once you’ve got the day’s festivities at a…
I know a lot of people who are kind of frustrated that the Vans Warped Tour has passed them by — that they’re targeting new teenagers instead of targeting the people who were teenagers when Warped Tour began. To those people, I ask: How many fellow 30-year-olds do you know…
