Ska

Four Peaks SunBru: A Can-tastic Gold Medal Winner

Beer: Sunbru Brewery: Four Peaks Brewing Co. Style: Kolsch ABV: 5.2 percent If you people are any part the beer geeks you claim to be, you'll journey outside your homes on Saturday, May 18, into the increasingly balmy summer air and over to the AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival. You'll get to lis ... More >>

Warped Tour's 2013 Line Up Has Been Posted-- And It's Just "Okay"

The Warped Tour lineup was released yesterday afternoon, and while we were (foolishly) hoping that Kevin Lyman would have a change of heart and model the long-running festival after something like Punk Rock Bowling or The Fest, the lineup, unsurprisingly, still caters to Hot Topic tweens. There ar ... More >>

17 Don't-Miss Events During Arizona Beer Week, Feb. 16-23

With more than 100 tastings, tappings and opportunities to tipple taking place throughout Arizona Beer Week, one must schedule his time wisely for maximum drinking. These are the events you'll find us at -- and the beers we'll be drinking there. See also: - Chow Bella Rides with Mother Road Brew ... More >>

Stop Hating on the 2013 Coachella Lineup

Each year, like many of you, I impatiently wait for the Coachella lineup to be announced. Sometimes it's disappointing (if Daft Punk says they're not touring, chances are they're not playing the festival), but there's always going be a few redeeming artists. At best the lineup will be amazing, and i ... More >>

Inaugural Phoenix Brewers Invitational Festival Coming December 7 and 8

The craft beer movement has been steadily growing in Phoenix over the past few years, and now all the hard work we've done downing pints and sampling flights has paid off with one really big event. The first Phoenix Brewers Invitational Festival will take place from noon to 10 p.m. on Friday, Decemb ... More >>

Should We Come Up With a Better Name For Third Wave Ska?

I won't beat around the bush: I don't really like the music of Reel Big Fish. I don't like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones either, and found No Doubt a giggly waste of my time. In fact, while as a music critic I respect these bands for what they are trying to accomplish and the fact that they all have a ... More >>

Flashback Friday: Madness, a Soundtrack to '80s Fun Houses

Where we're going, we don't need roads; just a synthesizer, eyeliner, and a touch of androgyny. Welcome to Flashback Friday. Seminal '80s ska revivalists Madness are probably best remembered for their kooky house-of-mirrors-style riff-raff and carnival music flair. During MTV's glory days, it was a ... More >>

KUKQ Phoenix Locks in Programming Schedule

See also: KUKQ Returns to Phoenix (Via the Internet) See also: KUKQ Phoenix Launches Online; We Speak With Nancy Stevens, Craven Moorehead, and Jonathan L KUKQ Phoenix -- the internet radio station bearing the classic call letters of a bygone Phoenix institution -- launched back in March, but as st ... More >>

Gwen Stefani Rules (As a Rude Girl and/or Pop Princess)

I'm glad I grew up in the '90s. I had strong, independent, beautiful women as musical role models, and they ruled the airwaves. The Spice Girls preached girl power, Lilith Fair paraded feminine gusto across the country, and No Doubt , fronted by Gwen Stefani, assured us that being treated like "just ... More >>

7 Seconds and More Added to Punk Rock Bowling Lineup

​Today is a big day for fans of Las Vegas, punk, and/or bowling. The full lineup for the 14th Annual Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival will come out sometime today. We're guessing it's going to happen in the afternoon since three-day passes go on sale today at 1 p.m. Pacific. Once again BY ... More >>

Roddy Radiation of The Specials on Rocking Steady with Skabilly Rebels

Roderick James Byers -- known to two-tone fanatics as Roddy Radiation -- has got ska credentials locked down. Not only did he play guitar in the seminal rude boy band The Specials, but he wrote some of the band's catchiest tunes, like "Concrete Jungle" and "Hey Little Rich Girl." Radiation kept bus ... More >>

Our 21 Top Picks for Arizona Beer Week

Arizona Beer week starts Saturday and we are so freakin' excited! After spending hours looking at each and every of the more than 150 events that will take place between Saturday, February 18th and Saturday, February 25th we have come up with a list of our favorites. We tried to narrow it down to se ... More >>

The Toasters @ Martini Ranch

Phoenix Music Heads to Tortilla Flat

Streetlight Manifesto @ Marquee Theatre

Toots and the Maytals @ Marquee Theatre

Voodoo Glow Skulls @ The Rhythm Room

Strong Beer Fest Names Captain Squeegee Headliner

Captain Squeegee has the tough task of filling 2 Tone Lizard Kings checkerboard shoes at this year's Strong Beer Festival.​First, some sad news: 2 Tone Lizard Kings will not be playing this Saturday's Strong Beer Festival at Steele Indian School Park. When organizers approached the Mesa ska band t ... More >>

Ska Parade Tour @ The Clubhouse Music Venue

The Toasters, Monkey, and Go-Go 13 Headline Two-Day Ska Fest at The Clubhouse in January

The Toasters​Ska kids and rude boys from throughout the Valley will definitely be skanking up a storm at this news: alt-rock station X103.9 and local promoter Jeremiah Gratza (a.k.a. President Gator) are bringing a massive two-night ska festival to the Clubhouse Music Venue in Tempe next month. T ... More >>

2 Tone Lizard Kings Carry the Torch for Arizona's Ska Scene

2 Tone Lizard Kings Carry the Torch for Arizona's Ska Scene

2 Tone Lizard Kings, Everlast, the Gay Blades, and More in This Week's Issue

2 Tone Lizard Kings: Spicing up the AZ ska scene.​Although there isn't particularly an abundance of ska bands in Arizona, local ska band the 2 Tone Lizard Kings are keeping the genre fresh. They incorporate the energy of Fishbone frontman Angelo Moore, a maturing sound, and the vibes of a raucous ... More >>

The Expendables @ Marquee Theatre

Ska Wars

Less Than Jake to Play Losing Streak in its Entirety Live: Has the 'Whole Album Live' Thing Jumped The Shark?

​Less Than Jake, the Florida ska-punk outfit you may remember from such hits as "Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts," "History of a Boring Town" and "Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts" will play their 1996 major label debut Losing Streak live in its entirety at a Riot Fest in Chicago next month.E ... More >>

Skank You Very Much

Beastie Boys, The Rolling Stones, and America's Other Oldest Bands

2010 Strong Beer Festival: 10 Clues You Were There

Jonathan McNamaraYup. There was a ton of beer at the Strong Beer Festival as evidenced by these jokers. Slideshow here. ​Were you at the 2010 Strong Beer Festival in downtown Phoenix Saturday?Seriously, this is not a rhetorical question. If you were at the annual fest -- relocated from Mesa to Cen ... More >>

Less Than Jake

Less Than Jake

Captain Squeegee

Skank You Very Much

Trunk Space gets a little rude

The Dendrites!

The Aggrolites Make 'Em Sing And Skank At The Clubhouse

Victor PalaganoThe Aggrolites on stage at The Clubhouse.In it's pure, island-bred, form reggae tends to make pretty poor sing-along music for white people. Sure, "Buffalo Soldier" seems like a good sing-a-long, given it's perfect pace and easily learnable lyrics, but when push comes to shove, in t ... More >>

The Aggrolites

The Aggrolites

No Doubt

Because Every Beer Festival Needs Music

Not only do The Crown Kings love beer, but they love playing beer festivalsFor those of you who have been keeping tabs on the Arizona Brewer's Guild recent run of beer festivals, you know, full well, that the 21st Annual Great Arizona Beer Festival is this Saturday and Sunday at Tempe Beach Park fro ... More >>

2 Tone Lizard Kings: Try Not To Like Them After Two Beers

2 Tone Lizard Kings provide entertainment at Saturday's Strong Beer Festival in Mesa.Like a lot of people, I really, really need to be in the mood to listen to third wave ska. And by "in the mood" I mean I need to be in high school again. Still, I kinda dig Tempe's 2 Tone Lizard Kings. Sure, the tim ... More >>

Ska is Dead Tour

Reel Big Fish's Marquee Gig Was Fantastic...If You Were Under 25

Reel Big Fish's trombone player Dan Regan (left) and vocalist Aaron Barrett. See more shots in our Reel Big Fish slide show. Dear Reel Big Fish, I never thought it would end like this, but I think we're gonna have to call it quits. After more than a decade, I don't think I can call myself a fan an ... More >>

Reel Big Fish

The Slackers

The Aquabats

Just Announced Shows: Dressy Bessy, Icy Demons, Reel Big Fish, Young Buck

Brew Review: Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter

'Scuse Us While We Kiss the Ska

Rocksteady with the Rude Boys in Tempe

The Ska's the Limit