Patience. Soon, Coachella will be upon us, and with it, some decent shows. Until then, sate yourself with these, and check out our comprehensive concert calendar for more options.
Jeff Bridges - Friday, January 9 - Livewire in Scottsdale
The roles are unforgettable -- Duane Jackson, Lightfoot, Scott Hayden, Jack Kelson, Jack Lucas, Jeff Lebowski, Jackson Evans, Otis "Bad" Blake, Rooster Cogburn. Jeff Bridges has never wanted to be typecast for a specific acting role over the past half-century and, consequently, he brought these diverse characters and more than six dozen others to life the way only an Academy Award-winning actor could: He doesn't portray them; he becomes them. One of the constant threads weaving its way through Bridges' acting tapestry has been music. For the past 15 years, Bridges has added "country-rock musician" to his growing list of personalities. And unlike the at-times embarrassing attempts of William Shatner, Bruce Willis, or Billy Bob Thornton, Bridges' music holds up very well. Bridges' discography seems to prove that this Lebowski is more than just a fan of Creedence. As the new year unfolds, Bridges is wrapping up a string of mini-tours, which he performed intermittently throughout 2014 with his aptly named band The Abiders, promoting his third LP, Live. MARK C. HORN
Heaven vs. Hell - Friday, January 9 - Arizona Events Center in Mesa.
The dance music community is more complex than the mainstream pop/big room hits and culture would indicate. This might be why Heaven vs. Hell has continued to be one of Arizona's long-standing EDM parties, celebrating its sixth year in 2015. The event traditionally brings an eclectic mix of local DJs, out-of-state and international headliners from across the dance music subgenres. Two stages, Purgatory and Nirvana, split the event into bipolar harmony. In Purgatory, headliner Angerfist crafts the soundtrack of hell, playing the bastard child of dance music, hardcore. On the more chill "let's smoke a blunt, get wasted and dance," side of things, Mija makes returns to Phoenix, headlining the Nirvana stage. Dani Deahl, CIK x KORE, Skull Kids LIVE set, Silent J vs Hazardous feat. SKELEFRIEND & Miss Krystle, DJ Mad Max and Champagne Campaign are among the event's headliners. AMANDA SAVAGE
We have 13th Floor Entertainment to thank for this meaty lineup, headlined by progressive grind death metallers Cattle Decapitation. The San Diego quartet is all about pushing the musical (and nausea-inducing) boundaries of imagery and instrumentals. This lineup is rounded out by GodAwfulNoise, Invading Uranus, Grindhouse & Sadomasochist, and Magguts, the last of which brings an ideal element of crunchy thrash. LAUREN WISE
This show leans more towards the "rock 'n' roll" spectrum of January shows, but it will be full of familiar faces -- and voices, if you haven't seen Sodomizing Linda before. 98 KUPD's John Holmberg from "The Morning Sickness," is on vocals, and they put on a hell of a show. While I am a fan of the morning show, something else I love about this band is that all their ticket and song purchases reportedly go to charity. Aperfecttool offers up a tribute to Tool and A Perfect Circle, and alt-metal act Bloomfield, nu-metal female duo Resurgence Girls, and rockers Radio Fix and Beyond Faded round out the bill. Oh yeah, and there will be acoustical performances on the patio stage by Christopher Shayne. LAUREN WISE
The English Beat - Saturday, January 10 - Livewire
Every skanking fan of 2 Tone Ska owes a little something to The English Beat. Formed in 1978, the original line up, led by front man Dave Wakeling, spearheaded into mainstream success from 1980-82. Their infamous rude boy anthems like "Mirror in the Bathroom," "Best Friend," and "Too Nice To Talk To" showed off a unique style of ska and pop that still gets you bouncing every time you hear it. These days, Wakeling fronts the U.S. version of this legendary ska group. Thin ties and trilby hats are welcome. NATE JACKSON
California X - Sunday, January 11 - 51 West
Anchored by the red-hot troika of Speedy Ortiz, Mean Creek, and Potty Mouth, Massachusetts's bustling music scene has set the underground ablaze in capturing the glory days of Amerindie yore. Now California X are dipping the Mass-rawk in glorious goo, Dinosaur Jr-style. Hailing from the land of J Mascis (Amherst), the flannel-flyin', scraggly-haired hooligans in Cali X channel the oozing muck and addictive melody of Dino's '88 touchstone Bug on their new garage-punk sprawl, Night in the Dark. Now raise those fists and mosh in Cali X's sludge pit. BRAD COHAN
Find any show in Metro Phoenix via our extensive online concert calendar.
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