For starters, there are two big festivals (the annual Arizona Hip-Hop and Mesa Music fests), a few outdoor events (including Bummerfest at ThirdSpace), and a slate of much-anticipated shows.
There will also be gigs by Deer Tick, Hiss Golden Messenger, Cannibal Corpse, Band of Heathens, and local pop singer Miss Krystle, who will celebrate the release of her new EP.
Full details about each of these shows can be found below in our list of the 12 best concerts in Phoenix this weekend. (And for even more options, check out our online live music listings.)
The Band of Heathens
Friday, November 10
Crescent Ballroom
Band of Heathens is technically from Austin, but the band comes off like it might have spent a great deal of time in New Orleans learning the rich mixture of sounds that mark that city's eclectic scene. In moments, this outfit is reminiscent of The Band circa the early '70s.
The Heathens' take on rootsy American music is not an attempt to create a warped country music; rather, they tastefully incorporate blues and folk without really trying to be the Grateful Dead. If anything, the group doesn't seem concerned with having a stripped-down sound or emulating the glories of its heroes.
Not unlike Big Star, these guys are writing rock and roll rooted in music indigenous to the middle South. Surprisingly soulful, the Heathens may be polished, but there's nothing artificial about their sound. Tom Murphy
Mishka Shubaly
Leslie Hassler
Friday, November 10
ThirdSpace
Not many folks out there embody the tortured spirit of the modern troubadour more than Mishka Shubaly. After leaving the punk scene behind in his earlier years, the recovering alcoholic has made quite the name for himself as a renegade singer-songwriter and best-selling memoirist who has spent the past few years offering up painfully funny tales ripped from the recesses of his memory, both through song and ebooks.
With a number of top-selling Amazon Kindle singles to his name, Shubaly has laid bare the ugliest aspects of his addiction and past inability to function in what many consider to be “normal” everyday life. For Shubaly, “normal” might be healthy, but it’s deathly boring.
Though he’s an accomplished ultra-marathon runner and a promising comedian who often shares a stage with notable comics including the sad genius Doug Stanhope, Shubaly’s ability to convey the most off-putting aspects of his personal history remains the star of his multi-faceted performances.
This weekend, Shubaly headlines Bummerfest at ThirdSpace, which will also feature sets from local acoustic artists Meaghan Grant, Daniel Coon, and Sex Lasagna. The event starts at 7 p.m. and admission is $10. Kelly Dearmore
Yo-Yo Ma
Friday, November 10
Orpheum Theatre
Yo-Yo Ma is probably the most celebrated cellist in the world. The French-born Chinese-American musician is the founder of the Silk Road Ensemble and has long been a restless explorer of multiple genres, from classical and chamber music to jazz, pop, bluegrass, and tango. Ma is famous enough to have portrayed himself on The Simpsons, The West Wing, and Sesame Street.
For this performance at the Orpheum Theatre, his first gig in the Valley in five years, he’ll play Stravinsky’s "Suite Italienne," Prokofiev’s "Sonata in C Major for Cello and Piano, Op. 119," and Rachmaninoff’s "Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 19," while accompanied by pianist Kathryn Stott. Falling James
Hiss Golden Messenger
Friday, November 10
Valley Bar
On Hiss Golden Messenger’s latest, Hallelujah Anyhow, songwriter M.C. Taylor reflects on weighty subjects — debt, responsibility, our modern tumult — with a characteristically restrained touch. But the band excels in a live setting, leaning into Southern R&B and country rock traditions, bridging soul and folk like Van Morrison or The Band.
Taylor brings Hiss Golden Messenger to the Valley Bar this weekend for a 16-and-over show in support of Hallelujah Anyhow. Start time is 8 p.m. and tickets are $15. Jason P. Woodbury
DakhaBrakha
Friday, November 10
Musical Instrument Museum
Hailing from Ukraine, Kiev's DakhaBrakha offers a high level of musical and visual stimulation, turning a world-based palette of regional folk music into hypnotic, trance-inducing mystic revelations.
The percussion-heavy quartet formed in 2004 at the Kyiv Center of Contemporary Art (DAKH) through avant-garde theater director Vladyslav Troitskiy, leading to ornate costumes featuring tall hats, long braids, and bangles extending to the colorfully patterned drums and instruments. Intoxicating, yes, but it's the music — the triple harmonies and cross-cut vocals of Iryna Kovalenko (djembe, bass drums, accordion, percussion, bugay, zgaleyka, piano), Olena Tsibulska (bass drums, percussion, garmoshka) and Nina Garenetska (cello, bass drum), bolstered by Marko Halanevych's impassioned singing with darbuka, tabla, didjeridoo, accordion, and trombone accompaniment — that truly captivates.
DakhaBrakha means "give/take" in the old Ukrainian language, which also provides the act's lyrical base. A fitting name, as the music starts on a platform of traditional Ukrainian melodies before incorporating African, Asian, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern aspects into the mix. Add creative usage of effects pedals, and the resulting juxtaposition of styles and textures proves that what was once old can thrive as something new, fresh, and moving. Glenn BurnSilver
Mesa Music Festival 2017
Friday, November 10, to Saturday, November 11
Downtown Mesa
Mesa is celebrating fall with a music festival that brings together more than 200 acts from around the world to entertain guests over a three-day period. Arizona music is well-represented in the mix, including bands like Smiling Faces, Syde Project, Bloody Rogue Bastards, and Weslynn.
The rest of the large lineup is a mix of more regional acts, and some traveling from different states, like Nate Mays from Ohio, or Trynket from California. International acts making a desert appearance include Monja Hammond from Spain and The Stanleys from Australia. Hours vary. Admission is free. The full schedule can be found here. Amy Young
Arizona Hip-Hop Festival 2017
Saturday, November 11
Comerica Theatre
Last year, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton proclaimed the second Saturday of November as Arizona Hip-Hop Day. What better way to celebrate than with the fourth annual Arizona Hip-Hop Festival?
The 2017 event’s lineup features more than 250 artists, based locally and beyond. Musical acts scheduled to perform include Aquarius Jones, Dougie Drew, Gattling Ern, Hannibal Leo, Mike Check, Richie Evans, Trouble Music, Valley Life, and Young Spider. A slew of DJs — including Intrigue, Marvel, and Reflekshin — will serve up sounds.
And it’s not all ear candy. The event will have an art walk featuring Arizona artists curated by award-winning creative Antoinette Cauly, whose work is inspired by hip-hop culture and rap music. Artists Angie Zapata, Carlos Quintana, Justin Stewart, and Savannah Stegall will show and sell work at the fest.
For those who feel like learning and competing, there’s the Beat Street DJ Workshop and Producer Expo. The former includes open tables and scratch workshops, and the latter features networking opportunities and a beat battle. Amy Young
Miss Krystle (EP Release Show)
Saturday, November 11
Premier Studios
Krystle Delgado paid for college by competing in beauty pageants. She was Miss Palo Verde and Miss Sonoran Desert, titles she dutifully carried from the end of one contest until the beginning of the next year's. But as a pop singer, she didn't want to have anyone else's reputation or legacy on her shoulders — hence her name, Miss Krystle.
Before pageantry there was music in Krystle's life, and she released her second album, Run, in 2011. She's kept busy since then. She finished law school (she's a practicing attorney specializing in entertainment law), dropped more albums and tracks, and is currently about to drop her newest effort, the six-song EP Inevitable.
You can check out the lyric video for its first single, “Relevant,” above or attend the album’s release party and show this weekend at Premier Studios in Central Phoenix. David Accomazzo
Hospice Rocks Presents AZ Legends
Saturday, November 11
Last Exit Live
Though it might seem like Phoenix’s old-school rock history begins and ends with oft-referenced groups like The Gin Blossoms and Meat Puppets, there were plenty of other memorable bands doing their thing back in the day. As a matter of fact, many of ‘em are still alive and kicking these days and regularly grace Valley music venues.
This weekend, for instance, legendary local rock acts like Zig Zag Black (who were a part of the fabled Tempe scene of the early ‘90s), Fred Green, and Super Sternal Notch will perform at a special charity concert at Last Exit Live on Friday night.
The event will support Hospice Rocks, the local nonprofit that benefits Valley hospice facilities via fundraising music events, and will also include sets by Crushed and Oil. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20. Benjamin Leatherman
iLe
Sunday, November 12
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
Puerto Rican singer-songwriter iLe has been called an “old soul.” It is a fitting description for a woman who at the age of 28 has already experienced a full career with her brothers in the alternative hip-hop act Calle 13 and won a Grammy with her first solo offering, Ilevitable.
Born Ileana Mercedes Cabra Joglar, iLe began her musical life by playing piano, with no intention of ever singing. But she always had a notion her voice would play an important role in her life. By the age of 16, she was the female vocal powerhouse behind one of Calle 13’s most popular songs, “La Aguacatona.”
As if iLe’s decade spent in a band with her two brothers wasn’t enough of an indication of the strong bond between family and music in her life, two of the songs on Ilevitable were written by her grandmother, three by her sister, some by extended family, and the remainder by iLe herself.
With her first album, iLe left no cultural stone unturned and mined the rich musical history of her homeland. This collection of songs is diverse and eclectic, touching upon a number of genres, including jazz, pop, rock, and salsa, and styles, ranging from the dreamy to the soulful. To achieve the full breadth of her ambitions and the vibrant live effect she eagerly desired, iLe employed more than 75 musicians.
Although she has visited some American cities in the past with Calle 13, this will be her first major tour as a solo artist, bringing her award-winning debut record, Ilevitable, to the States. Angel Melendez
Deer Tick
Sunday, November 12
Crescent Ballroom
At the dive bar where angels and demons party together, Deer Tick is the rowdy house band. The Rhode Island act has long embodied dual drives: lovelorn, country-tinged folk rock and burn-it-down barroom punk, all of it beer-soaked and unabashedly human.
The band’s newest release embraces the swing between poles with two separate records: the acoustic Deer Tick Vol. 1 and the electric Deer Tick Vol. 2. It’s been four years since Deer Tick’s last album, Negativity, and the band almost didn’t return from its hiatus, as frontman John McCauley prioritized getting a handle on his habits and becoming a family man with wife Vanessa Carlton.
Armed with 20 new songs and a deep catalog, McCauley and company will fly their freak flags high at the Crescent Ballroom. Katie Moulton
Cannibal Corpse is bringing loud, ugly, and glorious fun to Mesa this weekend.
Courtesy of Metal Blade Records
Sunday, November 12
Club Red in Mesa
There was a period of time in the early 1990s when metalheads the world over took great pleasure in passing around copies of Cannibal Corpse’s Tomb of the Mutilated album, marveling at song titles like “Post Mortal Ejaculation” and the ultra-charming “Entrails Ripped From a Virgin’s Cunt.” The cover art is something that you really have to Google, as no written description will do it justice. (Actually, on second thought, don't.)
But that’s this band in a nutshell: brutal, offensive, and as heavy as a sledgehammer to the nose. Cannibal Corpse is scheduled to perform at Club Red in Mesa (Power Trip and Gatecreeper complete the bill). It’s going to be loud, ugly, and glorious fun. Brett Callwood
Correction: Obituary isn't performing at Club Red on November 12.
