So we don't blame you in the least if you chose to spend all 31 days holed away in some air-conditioned structure.
That said, if you do decide to become a hermit, you're going to miss out on some great concerts.
Top-tier artists and acts are all coming to the Valley over the next several weeks, including such names as Logic, Foster the People, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Shania Twain, and Deafheaven.
And with it being summer, there are more than a few
The choice is up to you: Spend your summer strapped to an AC or withstand a sweaty evening attending a memorable concert. If you're up for the latter option, check out the following list of concert picks for July 2018. (You can also hit up our online concert calendar for even more live music happening this month in Phoenix.)
Dent May
Sunday, July 1
The Rebel Lounge
Mississippi-bred, L.A.-based Dent May is among the finer songwriters working in the noble tradition of Supertramp and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s version of “Blinded by the Light.” On last year’s Across the Multiverse, May expresses his contemporary angst with punchy piano and tongue-in-cheek lounge-singer swagger. Whether or not you buy into his persona, lead single “Face Down in the Gutter of Your Love” is downright irresistible. We dare you not to be charmed. Elle Carroll
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Tuesday, July 3
The Van Buren
There are a few things that give The Mighty Mighty Bosstones their distinct sound. Front man Dicky Barrett’s low-toned and full-of-gravel voice is one of them. Their signature mash-up of ska and punk music is another.
The Boston-born band formed in the early '80s, at a time when hardcore punk acts like Cancerous Growth, Gang Green, and Jerry’s Kids were dominating the city’s underground scene. Armed with multiple instruments, from guitars and drums to harmonicas and horns, this many-membered act merged mellow ska grooves with the fast tempos and angsty attitudes and sentiments being delivered by area punk rockers. Six years later, they released their first full-length record, Devil’s Night Out, which got a lot of attention on college radio. That, plus extensive touring, helped drive them toward their union with Mercury Records in 1993.
In 1997, they had notable hits with “The Impression That I Get,” “Where’d You Go?” and “Someday I Suppose,” even performing a couple of those tracks in the blockbuster teen romcom, Clueless. The band has taken some breaks and seen a few lineup changes but are currently on the road, rocking out. This year, they dropped While We’re At It, and will stop in Phoenix with their fun and rowdy live show. Amy Young
The Black Dahlia Murder and Whitechapel
Tuesday, July 3
The Pressroom
Detroit's Black Dahlia Murder first burst onto the metal world's radar in 2001 with its attention-grabbing demo, What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse, followed by a four-track EP, A Cold-Blooded Epitaph, a year later. In 2003, the melodic death-metal band released a hell of a full-length debut with Unhallowed, and its blend of death-metal speed and crunch with black-metal screeching was unnervingly powerful.
Since then, Black Dahlia's put out seven different LPs, including 2017's Nightbringers. They're also a kick-ass live act and are currently touring alongside deathcore act Whitechapel. The two bands, both of which are signed to Metal Blade Records, will invade The Pressroom on July 3. Fleshgod Apocalypse, Aversions Crown, and Shadow of Intent will open. Phil Freeman
Singer-songwriter Todd Snider.
Todd Purifoy
Thursday, July 5
Musical Instrument Museum
It's hard to choose just one song as Todd Snider's musical calling card, but a halfway decent choice is "Alright Guy," from his 1994 debut Songs for the Daily Planet. He starts that one off by ogling Madonna's Sex book and ends up swearing "Maybe I'm dirty and maybe I smoke a little dope / But it ain't like I'm going on TV and tearing up pictures of the Pope."
One of the wittiest troubadours anywhere, Snider is a constant thorn in
Primus and Mastodon
Saturday, July 7
Comerica Theater
This is a good co-headlining bill with two bands that don't exactly fit with other bands. Mastodon is usually paired with metal bands, but strangely enough, Primus is a perfect band for that group to tour with. Primus has taken pride in being a prog and jazz-influenced trio with plenty of humor. Mastodon has never hidden from how much it loves prog as well as classic heavy metal.
Both bands are touring off of albums that came out last year: The Desaturating Seven for Primus and Emperor of Sand for Mastodon. If you're looking for something that is not the standard sort of rock show, you'd be hard-pressed to find something better. Eric Grubbs
Diplo
Saturday, July 7
Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale
When talking about cultural icons and trendsetters, Thomas Wesley Pentz should definitely be at the forefront of that list. As the DJ and producer Diplo, he tours the world as a solo act, as well as with his Major Lazer crew.
Over the last five to 10 years, Diplo has performed at almost every major music festival in the world, taking his twerk-inducing music and energy to the masses of partygoers who relish the chance to shake their
In early July, Diplo returns to the Valley to headline Talking Stick Resort's Release pool party on Saturday, July 7. Fellow EDM producer and artist Mercer will open. Marco Torres
Joan of Arc
Monday, July 9
The Lunchbox
Joan of Arc may be one of the most pretentious bands in existence, but it also puts on a kick-ass live show. The group doesn't come off its throne above the city of Chicago often, but when it does, it almost always ends up snagging a few converts along the way.
Nearly every one of its songs relies heavily on noodling guitars that eventually collapse into epic power chords before completely falling apart into a noisy mess, while singer Tim Kinsella makes the postmodern rounds, tapping into the psyche of Gertrude Stein or Samuel Beckett at any given moment to deliver lyrics that don't make a lick of sense. As long as you can get past all of that, Joan of Arc is an incredible live band that will definitely leave you asking for more – even if you don't know what you want more of, exactly. Thorin Klosowski
Waker
Monday, July 9
Valley Bar
Any band worth their salt has a great story about their first gig. The Nashville-based band Waker played their first show at a frozen yogurt joint in 2013 back when they were known as Koa.
“Let's just say the manager didn't ask for us to come back because of how loud we were,” recalls vocalist and guitarist Chase Bader. “I think they expected more of an acoustic show.”
It’s a good thing Bader and company didn’t keep quiet. The rousing soulful rock group worked their way up from the sweet shops of Tennessee to opening for Blues Traveler, Galactic, and Moon Taxi. Last year, the group took the stage for a buzz-generating performance at Bonnaroo. The whole experience seemed surreal for Bader.
“It's one of those milestones I thought about for years, and to be there felt like a massive accomplishment for all of us,” he recalls. The stage at Valley Bar might be a tight fit for the seven-piece. Rest assured, Waker is going to make you move. Jason Keil
Smashing Pumpkins has (mostly) reunited for a summertime tour.
Olivia Bee
Wednesday, July 10
BLK Live in Scottsdale
Wyclef Jean is a true Renaissance man. His career started with the Fugees. Think about that fact – one of the most original, distinct collective voices in hip-hop was only the beginning for this Haitian rapper, producer, and politician.
After the trio's second and final album, The Score, went multiplatinum in 1996, the Fugees pretty much imploded. The influential group served as a launching pad for its members, including spawning the illustrious and still-relevant solo careers of Jean and Lauryn Hill.
To date, Wyclef has released a dozen different solo albums since then. He’s also won a few Grammy Awards, served as a visiting fellow in the Department of Africana Studies at Brown University, and tried to run for the Haitian presidency in 2010. Last year, Jean released two albums, a full-length effort titled Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee, and a separate EP, J'ouvert. Expect to hear songs from both during his concert at BLK Live in Scottsdale on July 10. Matt Preira
Deafheaven
Wednesday, July 11
Crescent Ballroom
The bright pink color of Deafheaven’s 2013 breakthrough Sunbather serves as a great indicator of what the band will sound like. Their music is like a pink sunrise: It comes in hazy and
The dark colors on New Bermuda foreshadow the stormy, harsher new direction they were pushing their signature “
Ordinary Corrupt Human Love is the first time they’ve had a human face on their cover since their debut Roads to Judah. It’s a fitting choice because Love is their most down to earth and human album yet. Early singles showcase what the band do best: “Honeycomb” is a headlong rush of throat-shredding vocals and frantic guitars, while “Canary Yellow” kicks off with an effervescent post-rock instrumental section that sees the band beating Explosions in the Sky at their own game. But they’re also songs that have a newfound widescreen sweep to them, that pulse with a desire to make music that sounds as epic and melodic as Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream. Ashley Naftule
Negative Approach
Wednesday, July 11
Pub Rock Live in Scottsdale
In a just world, John Brannon would be as hallowed a punk icon as anyone out of
Negative Approach's music captured post-industrial Midwest alienation and hopelessness with stark accuracy and shot it through with a befittingly dark and seething emotional intensity. Though the band broke up in 1984, and Brannon went on to other truly noteworthy projects, like Laughing Hyenas and Easy Action, Negative Approach got back together in 2006 and has been touring ever since.
Seeing the commanding Brannon in any band is something unforgettable, but this show – which also features Dayglo Abortions, Sex Prisoner, Saintbreaker, and Woundvac – should be fantastic. Tom Murphy
Foster the People are coming to the Valley, pumped-up kicks and all.
Neil Krug
Thursday, July 12
Gila River Arena in Glendale
It’s time to take your “Zero” shirts and black leather skirts out of storage. The Smashing Pumpkins are coming to town. The alt-rock band is currently on its summertime reunion tour, which will hit Gila River Arena in Glendale on Thursday, July 12.
Fans can expect to hear music from the run of albums the band released from 1991 through 2000, from the flowery psychedelia and deafening arena rock shoegaze of Gish and Siamese Dream all the way up to the gothic moodiness of Adore and Machina. Considering the wealth of songs on those albums, as well as the 1995 double album masterpiece Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and the band's vast catalog of B-sides, attendees likely will hear a night of Pumpkins classics.
While the tour is billed as a reunion, it only features three of four original band members. Billy Corgan will be joined by drummer Jimmy Chamberlain, guitarist James Iha, and guitarist Jeff Schroeder. Corgan hasn’t toured with Chamberlain or Iha in 20 years. Schroeder joined the band in
Foster the People
Monday, July 16
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
Foster the People has been fostering more people. Last year, the L.A.-bred indie-pop outfit added multi-instrumentalists Sean Cimino and Isom Innis to its lineup, bringing the People total to four members. But for fans of the group — and the group itself — this change wasn't a big to-do.
Cimino and Innis have been touring members since 2010, coming aboard after lead vocalist Mark Foster and drummer Mark Pontius formed the band in 2009. Where the spectacle might lack in adding two new permanent folks to the party, Foster the People made up with its most recent album, Sacred Hearts Club, which dropped a few months later. It's as catchy, smile-inducing, and groove-worthy as prior Foster the People goodness, psychedelically complementing a catalog that already includes “Pumped Up Kicks,” “Houdini,” and “Sacred Hearts.”
“The through line through this whole new record — and our intention of playing music live — is that even in a hopeless-at-times seeming world, we can try to bring as much joy as we can,” Pontius says. “Joyfulness can be used as a weapon — and we can pull something positive off in dark times. And whether our show was happening or not, we wanted to be down there to be available. We would help rebuild or do whatever we could for the day.” Jesse Scott
JD Souther
Tuesday, July 17, and Wednesday, July 18
Musical Instrument Museum
The fact that many folks probably only learned about the great songwriter J.D. Souther due to his stint on the ABC prime-time drama Nashville is as unfortunate as his character's name, Watty White. His role as a revered Music Row insider on the hit show is only his second most interesting television appearance of late: In Showtime's documentary The History of The Eagles, Souther's artful contributions are well-detailed, as he's responsible for many of the wildly popular but polarizing California country-rock band's best-known hits.
His work includes the driving "How Long" — the only listenable song on the Eagles' last album, The Road Out of Eden. In the early 1970s, Souther was a part of the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. Along with his bandmates at the time, Chris Hillman (The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers) and Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield), Souther helped define what is now known as alt-country by mixing sweet harmonies and arrangements that could waltz along or rock about. Indeed, Souther's music is what makes him worth knowing about — not the fact that he's on a show with the cheerleader from Heroes. Kelly Dearmore
The Breeders
Thursday, July 19
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
The Breeders are back, mellowed but still hungry. Not only is the rock band’s new release, All Nerve, its first album in 10 years, but it also boasts the lineup that delivered 1993’s Last Splash: twin sisters Kim and Kelley Deal (guitars/vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass), and Jim MacPherson (drums).
On All Nerve, the ’90s icons aren’t reinventing the alt-rock wheel, but the signature sound is powerful and treads, however lightly, on more personal territory than usual. The Deal sisters are both on the long other side of addiction, and the album and supporting tour seem to be in recognition and sober celebration of how far they’ve traveled — and the fierceness with which they go on. Katie Moulton
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Thursday, July 19
Crescent Ballroom
The brainchild of Ruban Nielson (formerly of noise-rock outfit the Mint Chicks), UMO have put out three albums that feature a distinctly progressive take on psychedelic music. Nielson’s fearless approach to songwriting imbues his brand of psych rock with elements of jazz, funk, and hip-hop, creating a veritable genre-smash in the process.
His lyrics are similarly fearless: His critically acclaimed 2015 album Multi-Love dissected the ecstasy and dysfunction of the polyamorous relationship he shared with his wife and another woman for a year. The album’s lead single, “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone,” is an absolute banger about the way we love now, while “Like Acid Rain” is all synth swagger and winking innuendo. Neither song sounds like something pulled from the Zombies’ lost vault, and that just might be what makes UMO so appealing. Tom Murphy
Bun B
Friday, July 20
Club Red in Mesa
Catching a performance by influential Grammy-nominated rapper Bun B in such an intimate space as Club Red promises to be a memorable evening pulsing with the energy of early UGK and solo Bun B shows. Bun B rose to fame in the influential rap duo UGK, short for Underground Kingz, formed in ’87 with the late Pimp C. Bun dropped his debut full-length solo album in 2005.
On June 10, Bun B unveiled the cover art for his fifth solo record, Return of the Trill, on his Instagram account, saying the release is slated for August 31. It’s his first full-length release since 2013’s Trill OG: The Epilogue. With AV the Great, Gas House Smitty, DJ JU$TRILL, Masa Lopez, SMiRK, Ismail Kawon, Weight, and Liquor Leezy as openers, expect the show to sell out before doors open. Daniel Rodrigue
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
Friday, July 20
Talking Stick Resort Arena
The coupling of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill has been the #RelationshipGoals of the country-music world for 20 years. No, seriously. They’ve lived together and loved together for years, and in 2017, this pair of mega-stars released their first-ever duets album, and they're backing it up with the Soul2Soul World Tour.
The country prom king and queen, who have collectively sold a bajillion records, will be at the Gila River Arena in Glendale this weekend for an evening of country-pop and crooning. Cowboy hats and Wranglers are optional. Tom Murphy
Jeff Beck
Saturday, July 21
Celebrity Theatre
There is no shortage of articles or opinions lauding the superb guitar playing skills of Jeff Beck. And deservedly so: He's part of what one might call the Divine Three (along with fellow guitar gods Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton). But Beck is the lone member of that league who never quite grasped the gold ring of wide commercial adoration.
After leaving an indelible mark on '60s British Invasion psychedelic rock with The Yardbirds on fuzz-addled songs like "Over Under Sideways Down," Beck set up shop as the solo artist he remains to this day. Tiring of vocal-driven rock songs (and probably vocalists, having unleashed Rod Stewart on the world), Beck set aside rock for jazz fusion and instrumental rock, the field he still plows today. Doug Davis
Christopher Cross
Saturday, July 21
Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale
What was with all the flamingo imagery on Christopher Cross's albums, and just what the hell was between the moon and New York City that made us want to fall in love? The San Antonio native (and tight bro with Michael McDonald) was one of the 1980s' greatest soft-rock success stories, but was undone by the increasingly image-hungry landscape that came with the rise of MTV. Cross was a bigger guy, sort of a cross between Meat Loaf and the Minutemen's D. Boon, with the voice of an angel.
His 1979 self-titled album came preloaded with three schmaltzy but catchy hit singles in "Sailing," "Ride Like the Wind," and "Never Be the Same." Co-written by Cross, Burt Bacharach, and two others, "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," from the 1981 film starring Dudley Moore, won an Oscar for Best Song and remains Cross's most enduring hit. His 1983 follow-up album, Another Page, only birthed one single in "Think of Laura." Cross has never quite had the success of those first five
Thirty Seconds to Mars
Sunday, July 22
Ak-Chin Pavilion
Jared Leto is hitting the road this summer and bringing his L.A.-based alternative rock act, Thirty Seconds to Mars, along for the ride. When he's not busy landing plum roles (like The Joker in Suicide Squad or that creepy-ass tech bro in Blade Runner 2049), the veteran actor and Academy Award winner has kept his rock career steady with TSTM.
In April, the band dropped its fifth studio album, America, which hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and yielded three singles thus far ("Walk on Water," "Dangerous Night," and "Rescue Me"). As you'd expect, their current tour is in support of the album. It will roll through the Valley on July 22 and feature Walk the Moon, K.Flay, and Welshly Arms as openers. Jeff Strowe
Ballyhoo!
Sunday, July 22
Pub Rock Live in Scottsdale
The all-knowing internet defines "ballyhoo" as "a buildup, hoopla, fanfare." And no title more aptly describes the musical output produced by the Aberdeen, Maryland, reggae/rock/punk fusion quartet known by that handle. Add an exclamation point to the end – Ballyhoo! – and one can already imagine the level of merriment set forth by this lively troupe before even pressing play.
The group has been on the grind since 1995 but only recently started making inroads in the music business. A successful jaunt across the country during the Vans Warped Tour in 2012 and an impressive showing on the Billboard charts for its self-released album, Pineapple Grenade, in 2013 helped them gain real traction. It's been a long time coming for Ballyhoo!'s lead singer, Howi Spangler, who, as a Green Day- and Goldfinger-obsessed teenager, began writing his own pop-punk and ska creations. He hoped to separate himself from the hip-hop and mainstream rock environment that dominated his suburban Baltimore confines.
Spangler and company toured constantly after high school, performing at house parties and high school gyms. The four-piece, slowly but surely, began earning a reputation as a fun-loving, party-starting type of band and roping in scores of fans. Alex Rendon
Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Monday, July 23
Musical Instrument Museum
Collectively, Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore represent almost a century of experience as songwriters whose attention to detail and idiosyncratic voices have made them two of America’s leading roots musicians.
Alvin’s music welds the observational grit of fellow Westerners Tom Russell and Merle Haggard with a little of the muscular rock of his time as a member of X and the Blasters. In 2015, he and brother Phil honored R&B greats including Big Joe Turner and James Brown with Lost Time, the followup to their Grammy-nominated Big Bill Broonzy tribute, Common Ground.
The distinctive nasal twang of Gilmore, meanwhile, is one of the most recognizable voices in Texas music; he’s established himself as a master of
Streetlight Manifesto
Monday, July 23
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
New Jersey band Streetlight Manifesto is the whole package – all the raucous fun we've come to expect from Jersey without the orange tans and irritating accents. Yes, the seven-piece band plays ska punk, a genre that's something of an acquired taste, but they do it so flawlessly that even people who don't particularly care for the genre have to pay their respects. Streetlight combines half of Catch 22 and half of One Cool Guy, making up a roster of the top ska talent in Jersey. Tom Murphy
Car Seat Headrest
Tuesday, July 24
The Van Buren
Car Seat Headrest was the DIY dorm-room project of Will Toledo until his music was discovered by Matador Records last year; now, he and his songs are included on many year-end best-of lists. Toledo, who started recording at age 17, has 13 albums to his name, all of which are personal, complex, and full of a certain stripped-down charm.
He also tends to experiment with genres, mixing punk, psychedelia, and pop with excellence, which is most likely why he’s gotten as far as he has in such a short time. Car Seat Headrest may not be what you expect, but it is worthy of all the buzz — and a trip to
Logic
Wednesday, July 25
Ak-Chin Pavilion
Cult followings are nothing new in hip-hop; at some point everyone has aligned with a crew, a rag-tag bunch of individuals with likeminded goals and ideals. Although no one has entertained a kerfuffle like the bands from the classic film The Warriors, Logic and his merry legion of followers can hold on to something — it was he who managed to earn a surprising No. 1 album last year with Everybody, a dense, 70-minute sprawl that seemingly felt like an apology and a discussion of his life as a biracial rapper.
It was a sharp detour from The Incredible True Story or even his Bobby Tarantino mixtape, where his rapid-fire delivery and quick wit were the main talking points. Usually bubbly and on the nose with punch lines, Logic and emerging pop
This summer, Logic is in the midst of his Bobby Tarantino vs Everybody Tour, which comes to the Valley on July 25. NF and Kyle will open. Brandon Caldwell
Guitar Shorty
Saturday, July 28
The Rhythm Room
He played with some of the best when he was just 17: Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Otis Rush, B.B. King, and T-Bone Walker. Guitar Shorty (born David Kearney) credits the flamboyant Guitar Slim with inspiring him to incorporate somersaults and flips into his lively stage show. Settling in Seattle, Shorty married Jimi Hendrix's half-sister, Marsha. Hendrix would go AWOL from his military base in '61 and '62 to see Shorty's shows, and told Shorty that he started setting his guitar on fire because he couldn't do backflips.
Times became lean for Shorty in the '70s, and he even appeared on The Gong Show in '78, which he won by playing while in a headstand. Shorty finally made a successful return in '91 with My Way or the Highway, for which he won a Blues Music Award that revitalized his career. With a scathing blues-rock style that recalls Buddy Guy and the man who discovered him, Willie Dixon, Shorty has come on like a double-aged Scotch, reaching his peak in his late '60s. Though the flips are less frequent, he's still a colorful performer who roams the room (and sometimes the parking lot), slinging a wireless guitar, and never missing a lick. Chris Parker
[image-21] Shania Twain
Monday, July 30
Talking Stick Resort Arena
Five-time Grammy Award winner Shania Twain will forever be held up among the likes of other past queens of country music, such as Kitty Wells, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Reba McEntire. She’s sold more than 100 million records, making her the top-selling female country recording artist of all time and the best-selling female artist of all time in the U.S. in any genre.
After a lengthy hiatus, Twain returned with her fifth studio album, Now, in September 2017. It was her first new album since 2002’s Up! Now also marked Twain’s first release since her 1993 debut album not produced by her ex-husband, Robert "Mutt" Lange. It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums, so for Twain and her fans, the Now Tour tour with Twain’s confident, new tracks must feel like a victory lap of sorts, especially after she “retired” because of complications caused by Lyme disease and dysphonia that limited her ability to speak and sing normally. Expect to hear Twain backed by a full band delivering a mix of mostly chart-topping hits and karaoke classics, as well as a handful of her new songs mixed in. Daniel Rodrigue
[image-22] 311 and The Offspring
Tuesday, July 31
Ak-Chin Pavilion
If you're the kind of person who used to tune in to the nearest '90s rock radio station and rip the knob off, then you're in luck. That's because 311 and the Offspring are scheduled to perform in Phoenix this summer. The bands are teaming up to co-headline the Never-Ending Summer Tour, which includes a stop at Ak-Chin Pavilion in Phoenix on Tuesday, July 31.
Both 311 and the Offspring have scored a plethora of hits over the years. While the Offspring haven't released a new album since 2012's Days Gone By, they're still veteran road dogs who've been keeping their live music muscles in tip-top shape. Their tourmates are also a formidable live act, as 311 have been honing their rap-rock chops and white-boy reggae skills with Caribbean cruises and blowout 311 Day concerts. Joining these behemoths of '90s radio rock will be Gym Class Heroes. Ashley Naftule
[image-23] Supersuckers
Tuesday, July 31
The Rebel Lounge
The Supersuckers started when, as a boy in Tucson, lead singer and bassist Eddie Spaghetti heard "My Sharona" by The Knack, which hooked him on rock 'n' roll. He formed the Supersuckers with a group of friends in the late '80s. "I was more interested in forming a band with guys I liked to hang out with than looking for guitar virtuosos, so I found a ragtag group of drunks."
That motley crew relocated to Seattle right when the grunge movement exploded to national attention. "That was super-cool," Spaghetti says. "Moving to Seattle was like that moment in The Wizard of Oz when everything goes from black and white to color. There was Nirvana, Mudhoney, and Soundgarden all playing. It was amazing."
They signed to Sub Pop (the same record label Nirvana was on) but weren't easy to typecast into the super-serious, woe-is-me scene America came to associate with Seattle. The Supersuckers had a lighter tone and embraced the ridiculous, right down to Spaghetti's trademark cowboy hat. The band would eventually find its voice and build a two-decadelong career touring around the country. David Rolland
