Nirvana (Band)

Black Mountain's Stephen McBean Fronts a Lot of Bands, Is Influenced by Even More

Music Fests Like Coachella Drive Concert Sales to New Heights

Ruca Comes Out of the Closet (Literally) and Into Phoenix's Music Scene

The Best Shows of SXSW 2013

This year, Houston Press music blog Rocks Off and Dallas Observer music blog DC-9 at Night, the music blog at our sister paper Dallas Observer, teamed up to bring you only the choicest moments from last week's SXSW madness. John Fogerty: Creedence Clearwater Revival survivor John Fogerty gets overl ... More >>

Vagabond Gods, Rogue Bar, 2/2/13

Vagabond Gods @ Rogue Bar|2/2/13For a band like Vagabond Gods, Rogue Bar is the perfect place: rough around the edges, obscure, uh, rogue. As we've talked about before, lead singer/screamer and guitarist Bryant Vazquez also divides his time between three other projects. First, there's Sedona's dec ... More >>

The Oxford Coma Wouldn't Mind Taking Over Rock Radio

Grouplove: Win Tickets to the Sold-Out Show

You know, we're not sure we can trust this Grouplove band. Just say it out loud. "Grouplove." Sounds pretty hippie-ish, right? Might as well be named "Communelove," or "Socialistlove," right? Anyway, beyond that, the Los Angeles-based outfit named its debut LP Never Trust a Happy Song, and it's go ... More >>

Minus the Bear's Cory Murchy, "It's Just 12 Years of Plugging Away and Learning"

Seattle math rock-meets-electronic indie band Minus the Bear has been going strong for 12 years now, spending most of its time on the road or in the studio. As a testament to how much the band tours, take a look at how many times we've reviewed the band over the years. So it's no surprise that Min ... More >>

Girl In a Coma's Jenn Alva On Working "Twice as Hard" as Other Bands

Nina Diaz was only 12 years old when she joined up with her sister Phanie and Jenn Alva in the power trio band Girl in a Coma. Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, the trio recalls the height of '90s indie rock, with melodic melodies and crunchy guitars. Up On The Sun spoke with Jenn Alva about the ag ... More >>

Top Five Must-See Shows This Weekend

Yeah, yeah, yeah...we get it. Mondays suck (we've read Garfield). But it means the start of a new week, which means a bunch of killer shows in and around Phoenix. And here are a few of the coolest -- our top five must-see shows this week.

Matthew Dear, The Rhythm Room, 10/29/12

Matthew Dear @ Rhythm RoomPart of the reason you see musicians live is to experience their craft firsthand. Like a zoo or the ocean, secondhand exposure just doesn't cut it -- you need to see it for yourself. I went into Matthew Dear's show not knowing what to expect: he adopts assorted personas and ... More >>

Bassnectar Speaks Up About His Creativity And Gradual Start

Electronic hippie Bassnectar (Lorin Ashton) is back on the road for his Fall Tour 2012 in support of his recent album Vava Voom. Influenced equally by metal, ambient, psychedelic, and hip-hop, his music defies expectations, and his fanbase reacts passionately. I spoke with Bassnectar about both of ... More >>

Club Candids: Otep Unleashes Alt-Metal Madness at Joe's Grotto

See also: Club Candids: Pattie's First Avenue Lounge See also: Club Candids: Labor Day Retox at Martini RanchOtep Shamaya certainly has some powerful pipes and she ain't afraid to use 'em. Just ask the mass of local music fans who were scorched by the 32-year-old lead screamer singer this past weeke ... More >>

Swans Reboot Sinister Grandeur

Pop Isn't Dead: Here's Seven New Songs That Prove It

If you've ever felt like all music on the radio is the same, you're not alone. Your grandmother felt the same way once. It's an old complaint that has always bugged me, because sure, the latest Rhianna single is a pile of dogshit, but I hate blanketing all music with this strain of despair. There ... More >>

Jawbreaker: You're Not Punk, and I'm Telling Everyone

Every now and then, you stumble across a band that speaks to you at just the right time, and they end up becoming one of your all-time favorites. This group seems to understand what you're going through better than any of your peers, and acts as a gateway drug to all of its influences and similar ba ... More >>

Warped Tour 2012, Camelback Ranch Baseball Stadium, 6/28/12

Vans Warped Tour Camelback Ranch Baseball Stadium Thursday, June 28 Despite my trepidation about being able to handle the heat and a slew of young bands that had little to do with the Warped lineups of my youth, I survived. Another Vans Warped Tour is in the bag. This was the first year it was he ... More >>

Scott Lucas and the Married Men and Black Carl, Rhythm Room, 6/27/12

Scott Lucas, Black Carl, Saddles Rhythm Room Wednesday, June 27, 2012 By Michael Cryer See also: Scott Lucas and the Married Men: Local H Frontman Stretches Out With Heavy Americana Somehow the stage shrunk last night at the Rhythm Room. Or at least it felt like it. Scott Lucas and The Married ... More >>

The Slider: Delicious Burger Innovation or Small, Sad Excuse for a Sandwich?

We had so much fun chucking Chow Bella contributors Ando Muneno and Lauren Saria into the ring over Alton Brown, food trucks, movie theaters with food pho and Matt's Big Breakfast that we put them back at it again. This week's topic: The Slider. Ando: What are the strengths of the hamburger? Opi ... More >>

Throwback Thursday: Garbage Still Rules

Alternative/industrial rock darlings Garbage released its fifth album, Not Your Kind of People last month, and the record shows no signs of wear or dust after a seven year break. The band steps slightly away from the alterna-pop that earned them radio domination in the '90s, with synths and slower s ... More >>

Shawn Demumbrum of SpazDog Comics Talks About a New Collection of Stories Inspired By The Pixies

See also: Phoenix Artist Makes Smiths Comic, And You Can Help See also: Unite and Take Over 2: More Stories Inspired By the Songs of The Smiths Shawn Demumbrum of SpazDog Comics likes comics. And he likes music. While the two are hardly exclusive, it's hard to think of someone more explicitly marr ... More >>

We Hate Los Angeles: Six Songs As the Coyotes Prep to Take on the Kings

By now, your Facebook feed is swelling with posts with posts from brand-new hockey fans, folks saying "Go 'Yotes" when they didn't give the slightest damn two weeks ago. But that's an awful cynical way to look at it, isn't it? On Tuesday night, the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Predators and advanced to ... More >>

Rick Phillips, What Are You Listening To?

Rick PhillipsPhillips blogs on eateraz.com and owns the Tucson Taco Festival (Saturday, April 28) and the Arizona Barbecue Festival (Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20.) When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? I listen to satellite radi ... More >>

KUKQ Phoenix Launches Online; We Speak With Nancy Stevens, Craven Moorehead, and Jonathan L

See also: KUKQ Returns to Phoenix (via the Internet) The new online station bearing the call letters of bygone Phoenix radio station KUKQ has launched, streaming online at kukq.com. As we reported last week, the site's connection to the original radio station isn't literal -- though Facebook commen ... More >>

Rich Berra, What Are You Listening To?

Rich Berra​Rich Berra Berra is one of the hosts of the Johnjay and Rich radio show heard on 104.7 KISS-FM here in Phoenix. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play? It sounds like a scam, but I listen to KISS to hear what our station sounds like af ... More >>

A Sublime History: Looking Back on What Happened to One of the Best Ska Punk Bands of the 90s

​Despite what it does for your record sales, it sucks when a rockstar dies before his time. Hard times came about in 1996 after the passing of Sublime's vocalist and guitarist Bradley Nowell.Even good ol' Lou Dog was bummin'. Frankly, I can't blame him. If I had been more than six years old at the ... More >>

Eyes Set To Kill's Alexia Rodriguez on Songwriting, Totalling Tour Vans, and Being One of the Hottest Ladies in Metal

Phoenix fans of the Tempe-based outfit Eyes Set To Kill have another reason to love the balmy Valley winters -- they keep the beloved band (fronted by sexy rockers Alexia and Anissa Rodriguez, both listed on Revolver's Hottest Chicks in Metal roster) in town and off the tour bus due to cold weather ... More >>

French Quarter Tour Diary - Weeks 3 & 4

​There's so much to report and so little Internet to shove it in. First things first: the small bit of youth music we've witnessed in the Western United States convinces me thoroughly that my generation of American musicians has the studiousness and audacity to be emotionally unflinching in th ... More >>

Thrice's Teppei Teranishi on Major/Minor

Thrice has been a staple in the alternative rock world for more than a decade. But even to those paying close attention, the band's extensive catalog is hard to keep up with. Their eighth album, Major/Minor, was released on September 20 and is --as usual-- another stage in the band's impressive ev ... More >>

River Jones, What Are You Listening To?

River Jones​River Jones Jones is the owner of local record label River Jones Music. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? Growing up, I listened to KDKB, KUPD, KEDJ, and KUKQ. Now, I am always streaming music 24/7. But, in the car I liste ... More >>

Top 10 "Weird" Al Yankovic Parodies (with Video)

The prince of parodies, "Weird" Al Yankovic, will be riffing on songs new and old tonight (Friday, June 10) in Chandler. With a career that spans more than 30 years and 150 songs (parodies and originals), it might be hard for Yankovic to whittle down his set list. If we had our druthers, "Weird" A ... More >>

Missing Reaction: An Arizona Soldier Goes AWOL, and the Army Doesn't Tell Anyone Until It's Too Late

Cage the Elephant's Brad Shultz Talks Religious Music, Coachella, and More

Cage the Elephant​ In 2009, it was nearly impossible to go a day without hearing "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" by Kentucky band Cage the Elephant. It was featured on video game soundtracks, movie soundtracks, and it was on heavy rotation on many rock radio stations -- it's probably on the radio ... More >>

Why Arcade Fire Is the Best Canadian Band of All Time

X Japan Is the Biggest Rock Band in Their Homeland -- Can They Finally Break Through in the States?

May 4 In Blogs: J.T. Ready, Barack Obama, National Burger Month, and Beavers

​​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: Feathered Bastard: Neo-Nazi J.T. Ready Handled with Kid Gloves by ABC 15, and Arizona Militia Decl ... More >>

Black Eyed Peas at Jobing.com Arena

Luke HolwerdaFergie on stage with Black Eyed Peas at Jobing.com Arena. For more photos check out our slideshow.​It's hard to believe that the Black Eyed Peas who performed last night at Jobing.com Arena once started out as a little known hip-hop group out of Los Angeles.A lot has changed since th ... More >>

Alice in Chains Band Bio Rewritten by Adoring Arizona Republic Reporter

Alice In Chains with scab singer William DuVall.​Alice in Chains has always been a tough interview. In fact, the band's late lead singer, Layne Staley, infamously refused to talk to the media nearly a decade after a Rolling Stone reporter, Jon Wiederhorn, wrote about his hideously track-marked han ... More >>

Gone But Not Forgotten: Top Venues We Miss

As we all prepare to say goodbye to the Modified Arts as we have come to know it and wait for downtown to be ovah, we can't help but think of all the other amazing venues we have loved and lost in the Valley. Whether they were small and seedy or big with a bangin' sound system, there were several ve ... More >>

Q&A: Dave Longstreth of Dirty Projectors sure does like Wikipedia

​It was early morning when I got the e-mail confirming my phone call with Dave Longstreth from Dirty Projectors. It was to be at 9a.m. my time, the following day. I went to work and went about my business as usual when it hit me. What does one ask the Dirty Projectors anyway? I went online to do s ... More >>

Wavves at Rhythm Room

​"Oh yeah," Nathan Williams of Wavves leered as I introduced myself last night at The Rhythm Room.  "You're the guy who wrote the article with the 'Wavves spits on a guy' headline."  That wasn't the headline, exactly, but the article he was referring to clearly set the stage for an inter ... More >>

Guy Ritchie Calls Madonna "Retarded," New Live Nirvana Video, New Frightened Rabbit Songs

Electric Mustache: mp3: Tegan & Sara "Hell"Idolator: Jennifer Lopez Is Not Doing The Whole "Alter Ego" Thing All That WellNME: Guy Ritchie breaks silence on Madonna: 'I still love her but she's retarded'NME: Brian Wilson asked to finish incomplete George Gershwin compositionsPitchfork: Video: Ni ... More >>

The Medic Droid’s Electro Power-Pop and Ambisextrous Antics are Driving Kids Wild Nationwide

Sludge metal pioneers, The Melvins, are still doing things their own way on Nude with Boots

AM or Bust

Hot bods, a superstar DJ, and a Tommy Lee sighting: Not bad for a Thursday night at Axis/Radius

Down With Love

The Best X-Rated Breakup Songs

Queens of the Damned

Punk rock girl band Hell on Heels teeters on the brink of success