Email Author Mike R. Meyer

2009 Stories by Mike R. Meyer

• Nickelback

  published September 3, 2009

  Since Nickelback-bashing has become almost as clichéd as the band's music, I decided to take a different approach. I registered at the... More >>

• Soulfly

  published August 13, 2009

  Max Cavalera is the Roger Waters of heavy metal. Both men spent the early part of their careers fronting hugely influential and innovative bands... More >>

• Hellogoodbye

  published August 13, 2009

  This is typically where you’d find a diatribe against Hellogoodbye and their bland, unoriginal electro-rock sound. True, the band sounds like... More >>

• Phoenix Expats Lymbyc Systym Bring a Mix of Old and New

  published August 6, 2009

  When we last checked in with former Valley mainstays Lymbyc Systym in early 2007, siblings Mike and Jared Bell were getting ready to release their... More >>

• Rockstar Mayhem Festival

  published July 16, 2009

  If this year’s Rockstar Mayhem Festival inspires a sense of déjà vu, it could be due to the fact that Slayer and Marilyn Manson... More >>

• Outta the Outback

  published June 18, 2009

  With Australian singer-songwriter, one-man band and noted didgeridoo enthusiast Xavier Rudd stopping in town this week, we thought this would be a... More >>

• Psychostick and Jill Sobule Have Fan-Funded Albums in Common

  published June 4, 2009

  You might not think that Tempe "humorcore" band Psychostick and Jill Sobule (a.k.a. that chick who sings the other "I Kissed a Girl" song)... More >>

• For A Life Of Science, Music Is Only Part of the Equation

  published May 28, 2009

  To call A Life of Science "ambitious" would be an understatement. The Phoenix band's debut concept album, The Apneist, has grown into a... More >>

• For A Life Of Science, Music Is Only Part of the Equation

  published May 28, 2009

  To call A Life of Science "ambitious" would be an understatement. The Phoenix band's debut concept album, The Apneist, has grown into a... More >>

• No Doubt

  published May 21, 2009

  Back when I used to write for another Valley weekly that shall remain nameless, we used to play a game called "Nickelback Or . . .... More >>

• Punk Purists

  published May 21, 2009

  Ho-hum. Another week, another militant vegan band comes to town. If you didn’t get your fill (pun absolutely intended) at last week’s... More >>

• Earth Crisis

  published May 14, 2009

  There are some bands that seem like they’d be a blast to hang out with. Certain bands just have that vibe that make you just know they’d... More >>

• Attack of the NIN/JA

  published May 14, 2009

  When two of the biggest and most influential alt-rock bands of all time decide to tour together, it’s hard to find much to complain about.... More >>

• Great Scots!

  published April 16, 2009

  Oh those crazy Brits. It seems like every three or four months, some new band from across the pond is being force-fed to us Yankees as the... More >>

• Vetiver

  published April 9, 2009

  With acts like Band of Horses, Grand Archives, and Fleet Foxes already on board, Seattle-based indie label Sub Pop seems to have firmly... More >>

• Lazarus A.D. is Bringing Thrash Back from the Dead

  published April 9, 2009

  For a genre that never received much attention, even during its heyday, thrash metal is enjoying one of music history's more unlikely... More >>

• The Big Boss Man

  published April 2, 2009

  Bruce Springsteen is an icon who's divided music fans like few other artists have. There's a sizable faction of fans that worshipfully buys every... More >>

• 'Billies of the Bizarre

  published March 26, 2009

  Rockabilly is a genre known as much for its flamboyant, ‘50s-rooted imagery as it is for its music, so the juxtaposition of rockabilly music... More >>

• The Bronx

  published March 19, 2009

  The Yucca Tap Room has long been a haven for local bands, but the venue rarely hosts national touring acts (we're guessing that whole "never a... More >>

• The Bird is the Word

  published March 19, 2009

  Over the years, instrumental rock has earned a (mostly deserved) reputation for being self-indulgent, pretentious and unnecessarily intricate. On... More >>

• At Last...

  published March 19, 2009

  Perhaps terms like “living legend” get thrown around a little too frequently in the music world, but it’s hard to argue with Etta... More >>

• The Rÿche

  published February 26, 2009

  I admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for cheesy '80s prog metal. If you perused my collection of old cassettes, you'd find all sorts of... More >>

• We Out

  published February 26, 2009

  Chris Martinez may be the best local rapper you've never heard of — but not for much longer. The 22-year-old producer and MC, who records... More >>

• Steve Poltz

  published January 15, 2009

  Despite a productive 15-year career in the music industry, first as the frontman of San Diego indie rockers The Rugburns and most recently as a... More >>

• Reverend Deadeye

  published January 15, 2009

  We probably should've seen it coming. After The White Stripes hit the big time earlier this decade, a host of other two-piece acts followed in... More >>