Curious what's going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions as to how to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun?
Don't fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend.
Sunday, June 17: The Kirkwoods @ Musical Instrument Museum
It's not every father that gets to share a stage with his son on Father's Day, but that's exactly what will happen when Meat Puppet and former Phoenix resident Curt Kirkwood performs with son Elmo Sunday at the Musical Instrument Museum.
"I thought it was a good idea," the elder Kirkwood says by phone from his home in Austin, about being contacted by MIM for the special gig. "I love playing with Elmo. It's a good opportunity to ditch the band, which we haven't done in a while."
True, Kirkwood's been busy touring -- sometimes with Elmo on second guitar -- behind the Meat Puppets' 2011 release, Lollipop. Now he's ready for a break and a chance for a more intimate father/son experience. -- Glenn BurnSilver (Read more about Curt Kirkwood and Elmo Kirkwood.)
Friday, June 15: Sunorus @ Lost Leaf
If a zombie takeover is as imminent as half of Phoenix-based band Sunorus now believes it is, it's heartening to know that this is the band capable of supplying the soundtrack to the mayhem, with paranoia inducing instrumentals like "Cartoon" or "Zombie Maker."
And if we need an old-fashioned drink-'til-we-drop anthem to lighten the mood before the apocalypse, like "When I Get Low I Get High," or some after-hours pass-out music, like "Whiskey," or even some show tunes, like "Whatever Lola Wants," this new album has got 'em, too.
In fact, Sunorus the album manages to catch Sunorus the band sounding more like its live-show self than any take-home souvenir it's offered before. Unlike the previous all-instrumental Green House, Sunorus has stepped up the number of Hillary Tash vocals on this album, boosting her into full-time membership. You have quiet sambas ("Gadjo"), mariachi music ("Dios"), a knee-slapping country song that sounds like it was hijacked off a Les Paul and Mary Ford album ("You Make Me Happy"), and the quiet side of blaxploitation, the kind you'd find on whichever side of the Shaft soundtrack doesn't contain "Shaft" ("No Shoes Blues"). -- Serene Dominic (Read more about Sunorus.)
Saturday, June 16: Warped Tour Battle of the Bands @ Roxy Lounge
The final round of the Warped Tour Battle of the Bands at Roxy Lounge finds Jared Koesar and the Locals, No Longer Together, Weird is the New Cool, The Secrets We Keep, and Inept Hero fighting for a spot on the stage at the 2012 Vans Warped Tour at Camelback Ranch on Thursday, June 28.
Sponsored by Phoenix New Times, see our Battle of the Bands website for more information.
Sunday, June 17: Waylon Jennings Birthday Bash @ Yucca Tap Room
Waylon Jennings wasn't a native, but his Arizona roots are deep. He grew up in Texas, where he met and performed with Buddy Holly (passing up a seat on the plane that crashed, ending Holly's life) and played as a sideman. Somehow, Jennings found his way to Coolidge, Arizona, where he manned the mic at a small radio station, KCKY. He made his way to Phoenix, fronting a rockabilly band called The Waylors and recording Waylon at JD's, sold at the Phoenix nightclub of the same name and recorded at Audio Recorders. The record, and his dynamic Telecaster sound, gained him the attention of record company execs, which found him packing up and heading out to California.
The outlaw country singer passed away in 2002, but his ghost still haunts the country scene in Phoenix. You can't wander too far without some acoustic guitar-wielding singer in boots giving you an earful about his legacy. That's how it should be. The folks at the long-running country and Western night Valley Fever hosts a bash honoring his birthday each year, and this year, they've added some incentive: The party's proceeds will benefit the Translational Genomics Research Institute's (T-Gen) Waylon Fund, on Sunday, June 17, at the Yucca Tap Room in Tempe, honoring the man with performances by Hans Olson (another legend in AZ), Tony Martinez, country rocker James Park, former trucker Ray Lawrence Jr., Junction 10, country punker Chip Hanna, and more. --Jason P. Woodbury (Read more about the Waylon Jennings Birthday Bash at Yucca Tap Room.)
Father's Day Beach Party @ Trunk Space
How much better can it get? Father's Day on Father's Day. The long-running Phoenix hardcore band is joined by DINERS (one of our 10 Bands You Need to Hear This Summer), Serene Dominic (disclosure: Serene Dominic is a contributor to Phoenix New Times), The Balloons, Sinbad, and Waytnasea Point.
The official Facebook page for the event suggests wearing beach party attire and beach balls, for a "freakin' beach party in the Trunk Space." Perhaps your dad's been itching for the art-punk?
