One of the bands you can see this week around Phoenix has a famous song called "A Praise Chorus." Another of the bands you can see this week titled the first song of their first album "Penis."
See which one of those bands is Jimmy Eat World after the jump!
Mushroomhead - Marquee Theatre - May 6, 2013
Metal act Mushroomhead is rarely mentioned in the mainstream music media, and if it is mentioned, it's usually because it's being compared to Slipknot. Not that the comparisons don't make sense -- both bands are similar-sounding seven-piece groups in creepy masks.Except Mushroomhead has been around since 1993 (Slipknot was formed in '95), and its sound is closer to a fusion of Slipknot, Disturbed, and whatever Jeffrey Dahmer probably listened to in his apartment.
Take, for example, "43" off the self-titled debut album, in which an off-key music-box melody is the backdrop for crunching drums and froggy, dragging vocals. Originally a side project for several Cleveland-area musicians, Mushroomhead was playing in front of 2,000 people alongside metal band GWAR by the time it had booked a second show. -- Lauren Wise
Miss Krystle - Marquee Theatre - May 7, 2013
Miss Krystle has no problem holding her own on stage, thanks to operatic vocal chops and bright red hair that's as fiery as her personality. But the former beauty pageant queen turned local YouTube sensation vows audience members will keep all eyes on her five-member backing band of local musicians."The band is amazing," says Krystle, herself a trained cellist, violinist, and pianist. "We've really developed a full show that is daring, unapologetic, sexy, and, most importantly, based on true musicianship." Miss Krystle already has racked up nearly a million views on her YouTube page, and she'll be performing her latest radio-ready track, "Kiss Me Boy," a song she'll include on her upcoming third album, which she's currently recording with local producer Gardner Cole.
Attendees can also expect a Michael Jackson tribute at the show, featuring Phoenix-raised Jackson collaborator and X Factor contestant Nisha Kataria. Marquee is known for its dude-friendly rock shows, so it may be a while until the next time you'll see two future pop stars from the Valley share its stage. -- Nicki Escudero
Built to Spill - Crescent Ballroom - May 7, 2013
As guitar maestro and frontman for Built to Spill, Doug Martsch has developed an instantly recognizable sound -- soaring, layered guitars, pounding rhythm section, quirky lyrics -- that often builds into a psychedelic frenzy. At least, that much characterized the band's earlier output.For the band's last two albums, You in Reverse and There Is No Enemy, Martsch used Built to Spill's riff-heavy post-punk sound to create something that clearly was future-facing. Gone were the swirling, lifting, hypnotic tracks and in their place were tighter, more concise songs that managed to retain the band's distinctive essence. The psychedelia remained, but the intensity had been toned down in favor of string sections and less musical rambling -- which was good or bad, depending on your point of view.
Of course, the future of Built to Spill has been difficult to forecast for a while. There Is No Enemy was released in 2009, and, at the time, Martsch indicated it might be the final Built to Spill album. Such sentiments are not surprising, however. Martsch is known for pouring his entire soul into each record, practically living in the studio as he ceaselessly searches for that perfect tone and feel.
Read More: Built to Spill's future is getting hard to predict.
In 2003, he was straightforward about his ambitions. "I am never really trying to do anything other than . . . I don't know," he said, struggling for the right words and then laughing. "Uh, make good music." Whether on record or on the stage, Martsch now and forever will hold up that end of the bargain. -- Glenn BurnSilver
Du Hot Club de Bizarre - Crescent Ballroom - May 8-9, 2013
Crescent Ballroom wasted no time becoming a downtown Phoenix staple, putting on shows almost every day of the year and serving delicious food and drinks in the lounge. The venue expanded its horizons last year with Los Dias de la Crescent, where local bands performed both inside and outside for two days of fun.
Read More: Du Hot Club de Bizarre brings sci-fi, Stretchy Pants, and more to Crescent Ballroom.
The venue returns to its two stage format next week for Du Hot Club de Bizarre, a two-day festival featuring a bevy of local and touring bands that could be qualified as strange and bizarre. Wednesday's headliner is of Montreal. Songs like "Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games" play out as cute love songs, but vocalist Kevin Barnes has written his share of dark material. Wednesday's local support is gypsy rockers Dry River Yacht Club and Spector-y pop-rockers ROAR.
The baroque pop shenanigans continue Thursday night, with a headlining performance by Ra Ra Riot, who lost their cellist prior to the release of this year's synthy Beta Love but retain their violinist. Surf/sci-fi rockers Man or Astro-man? are the second billing, and Speak and Audacity will open.
Tickets to Wednesday's show are $24 in advance, $27 day of show. The outdoor segment is all ages, but the indoor show is 21-and-over. The all ages Thursday show costs $19.50 in advance, $23 day of show. -- Melissa Fossum
Jimmy Eat World - Paramount Theatre, Casa Grande - May 9, 2013
"The longer that we are a band, I think, the longer that we will be playing music together," says Jimmy Eat World frontman Jim Adkins. "Because we appreciate the goals that we reach even more the longer it goes on."Now into their 20th year, the Mesa rockers are expressing their gratitude through a series of Arizona dates in places that haven't seen the boys since the Clinton administration, if at all.
"It's been about 15 years since we've played Yuma, and even longer since we've played Sierra Vista. We've never played in Casa Grande or Wickenburg," says Adkins. "We're really excited for it. Some of the craziest, wildest shows we've played have been in places that a lot of people tend to skip over. So I'm not sure what to expect, but it's a way to kind of say thanks to people that have commuted for hours to see us play."
"On our last album, Invented, we did these tours that were massive. We'd done them before but this time it just felt different. It felt like 'Wow.' We really enjoyed and appreciated it," he says.
"Before we were, 'Holy shit, it's crazy. All right, we have to go on now.' You know? It's like you protect yourself from feeling happy because you think at any moment it could go away, so you don't really appreciate it. Now suddenly we appreciate it more."
That's life, as they say. -- Chris Parker
