The Six Best Concerts in Phoenix This Week

One more month, Phoenix. That's how long it will take for the worst weather of the year to pass. Then you have eight or so sweet months of bragging to your friends about the fall-winter-spring climate. Until then, pass the time quicker by checking out these concerts. Find more options at our comprehensive concert calendar.

Lord Huron – Monday, August 8 – Crescent Ballroom
Ben Schneider, founder of the folk-rock band Lord Huron, began writing songs in what might as well be no man's land: Okemos, Michigan. The midsize town, nestled between the Motor City and Grand Rapids, is an hour north of where fellow Mitten State musician Ted Nugent eats the deer he kills with wild abandon. It does not seem like the type of place that could nurture an aspiring musician who creates touching music layered with delicate harmonies. This explains why the songwriter and visual artist moved to Los Angeles, where he could take his creativity to the next level. Stranger Tales, Lord Huron's second full-length album, has a cinematic sound that matches the sprawling visual epics Schneider's new city is known for producing, but each track tells a compel-ling tale that would also amuse, enrapture, and delight a Midwestern audience. If you're longing for Bon Iver to release a new album already, Lord Huron will tide you over until that day finally comes. Schneider proves Okemos is just as capable of cultivating mesmerizing rock music as its more-famous neighboring city. JASON KEIL


Unwritten Law – Tuesday, August 9 – Pub Rock
In their 26 years as a band, San Diego’s Unwritten Law have seen many sub­genres come and go – yet here they remain, going strong when their contemporaries fall by the wayside. Though they built a steady following of dedicated fans (especially in Southern California) with their fast-paced brand of punk, the quartet broke into the mainstream in the early 2000s with their number-one song, “Seein' Red,” when pop-punk became a fixture on rock radio. Despite the internal conflicts that marred the outfit over the past few years, along with singer Scott Russo now the only remaining member from their formative era, Unwritten Law continues to tour, which is more than you can say for many of their peers. This week, they pay a visit to Pub Rock in Scottsdale for an all-ages show with the Ataris and Merit. DANIEL KOHN

Matisyahu – Wednesday, August 10 – Marquee Theatre
It's only partially Matisyahu's fault that all his interests conspired to make him the perfect poster to hang next to Bob Marley in your freshman dorm room. That is, lots of teenagers and young adults find meaning and truth in following Phish around and reconnecting with the family traditions and (yes) in listening to a lot of reggae while looking at a poster of Bob Marley. And it's only Matisyahu's fault inasmuch as he was the guy who synthesized all those college-experience touchstones into an incredibly buzzy album, 2006's jam-and-reggae-and-pop Youth. Since then, he's released some less-buzzed-about albums, cut back on the beatboxing a little, left Hasidism, and shaved his beard. Which would leave his college-kid market a little less perfectly triangulated than it used to be, except that his 2013 album, Spark Seeker, is influenced in part by ideas from Kabbalah. Religiously, it might be more syncretic than usual, but musically, you'll recognize it as a Matisyahu album: poppy, vaguely world music filled with uplift that signifies spiritual enlightenment, whether you wear your hair in sidelocks or not. Whether he wears his hair in sidelocks or not, too. DAN MOORE


Rebelution – Thursday, August 11 – Comerica Theatre
Reggae didn't die with Bob Marley, and just out of sight of the mainstream there are hundreds of thriving reggae bands carrying the torch of the genre’s forefathers. One of those is Rebelution, a Santa Barbara, California, band that has released some of the best reggae albums in the past decade. A festival staple, Rebelution brings laidback vibes and a pro-marijuana political bent to the table. Their 2007 album, Courage to Grow, is hailed as one of the most important reggae LPs of the new century. Filled with classic reggae grooves, some nice horns, and some jam-band style guitar solos, the disc has translated well into live performance for nearly a decade now DAVID ACCOMAZZO


Monsieur Periné – Thursday, August 11 – Musical Instrument Museum
How did a Colombian, French-influenced, gypsy jazz band by the name of Monsieur Periné become one of the most exciting emerging artists in Latin music? At one point, even people in Colombia didn't think they were from there. Lead singer Catalina García was born and raised in Cali, Colombia, on the country's Pacific coast. In the 1970s, Cali was known as the cinematic center of the country until the collapse of the Colombian film industry during the drug wars of the '80s. Now it's better known for its salsa music scene. Monsieur Periné's musicians Nicolás Junca and Santiago Prieto were obsessed with the gypsy guitar sound of Django Reinhardt, which they learned to imitate from watching movies. These types of guitars were not sold in Colombia, so they had to order them online. Meanwhile, Garcia's grandparents enrolled her in a school where she could learn another language. Knowing she would learn English anyway, they sent her to a French school in Cali. All of these elements come together in Monsieur Periné. Colorful costumes and theatrical performances evoke the spirit of Colombia’s old cinema. Gypsy jazz, swing, salsa and cumbia set the rhythms for a dance party. It’s as if Django Reinhardt was Colombian. EDDIE COTA


Periphery —Thursday, August 11 — The Pressroom
Between their intricate yet chaotic, triple-guitar attack shredding, mathematical complex grooves, and soaring melodies, the Washington, D.C.-bred Periphery is seen as one of the most progressive modern metal acts around today, particularly in the djent arena. If you’ve never seen Periphery live, you’re definitely missing out — guitarist Misha Mansoor is one of my favorite axe-men around right now. The bill is rounded out by an array of other progressive metal acts: Sikth (London), Chon (San Diego), and Toothgrinder (New Jersey). LAUREN WISE