The Muffs (Kim Shattuck, Ronnie Barnett and Roy McDonald) have been writing and performing spirited, clever and fierce pop-punk tunes since they formed in the very early 1990s. Their first full-length release in 10 years, Whoop Dee Doo, hit the streets this week and both fans and critics are eating…
The Black Crowes are known to go on hiatus. In 2011, after a couple decades of much success with the Black Crowes, singer Chris Robinson decided to use that particular sabbatical to do something new. He formed the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, and it since has become his primary musical focus…
One of the more prolific bands in rock history (21 albums and counting), Guided by Voices has managed not only to have a hearty discography but also the ability to consistently write quality songs, keeping rabid fans addicted while getting new admirers to jump aboard the band’s eclectic ark. The…
Though nowadays they sport hairdos much shorter and significantly less teased than when they rose to fame in their respective bands back in the ’80s, the members of this rock ‘n’ roll supergroup obviously remain committed to delivering big, guitar-driven, drum solo-y arena rock tunes that pay as much tribute…
Not the first post-punk band to emerge from Leeds, England, and most assuredly not the last, Eagulls made its U.S. television debut in January on the Late Show with David Letterman. Not a surprising coup for a band with such a big buzz, but one made more exciting for the…
On May 18, classic rockers the Steve Miller Band, Journey, and Tower of Power will join forces for a summer tour. Last week, Miller, along with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain — both original Journey members — participated in a lengthy conference call to talk about all kinds of stuff,…
Chips off the block, The Safes — three brothers from Chicago — credit their dad, a working musician and record collector for laying down a rich musical foundation that inspired them to naturally progress from siblings into a power pop trio. Their new release, Record Heat, is loaded with muscle-y,…
Goblin Marquee Theater 5/1/2014 A couple hundred — give or take a few dozen — folks gathered Thursday night at Tempe’s Marquee Theatre to check out Italy’s progressive rock legends, Goblin, whose notoriety skyrocketed via their soundtrack music for classic Italian horror flicks like Dario Argento’s Suspiria and his cut…
Prog-rock diehards and horror movie fanatics had reason to geek out when 2013 saw 40-year-old Italian band Goblin embark on its first-ever North American tour. In 2014, Goblin has decided to come back for more, this time in a round of West Coast shows. The band formed in the early…
This time of year you should be well within your rights to bitch slap any music fan who spends the weekend whining about how there’s “nothing going on.” Plenty of live music is flowing all over the damn city, at any given time, and the weather is nice, too –…
For Adam Lovelady and Josh Rodriguez, who make up two-thirds of the electronic experimental outfit Mallevs — along with Jen Deveroux, known for producing dynamic special events — there is no grand or ultimate band goal. Instead, they get their excitement on the regular by making new music that they…
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Heritage Square 3/21/14 Whatever it was that you did yesterday that left you feeling awesome — no matter how cool it was — then good for you. But Sharon Jones still kicked your ass. Hell, like one of her Dap-Kings said when he was introducing…
Cibo Matto Crescent Ballroom 2/21/14 It’s been a minute since the NYC-based band, whose name means “crazy food” in Italian has graced a Valley stage. And by a minute, we mean close to 15 years. Last night, supporting their first release in about that same amount of time, Cibo Matto…
Grabbing a candy bar is always one of the tastiest ways to get a little burst of energy. For a serious jolt, the Caramel Toffee Nut Mocha at Urban Beans in Central Phoenix has enough sweet ingredients to get you in high-energy mode and you’ll feel like you’re drinking a…
One of the best parts of eating the creamy dessert, crème brulee is taking a spoon and tapping its glassy top. Formed by broiling or blow torching sugar placed atop the custard, cracking the wall of caramelized sweetness is part and parcel of the whole package’s goodness. Terra Java barista…
If you are looking for something to unglue those crusty morning eyes, or if you just want a jump start at some other point in the day, stop by downtown Phoenix coffee shop Jobot Coffee and order a Sunrise. This espresso and orange juice combo is a lip-smacker and a…
Black Cat Coffee House made itself known to us over a year ago when the Sunday morning waiting line a few doors down at breakfast hotspot Over Easy spilled out through the front doors. While at the end of the long line of groggy eyed breakfast warriors, we were smack…
During the holidays, pumpkin- and gingerbread-flavored items tend to be everywhere, particularly in seasonal beverages. Mountainview Coffee in Fountain Hills has those two covered but also offers a Candy Cane Frappe that makes peppermint a strong contender in the season’s flavor throwdown…
Hot damn. Last night the Rhythm Room was the vessel for a full-on, motherlovin’ space jam starring Nik Turner’s Hawkwind. Turner is one of the co-founders of Hawkwind, a band that formed at the end of the 1960’s and helped to define the space rock sound. Hawkwind is still an…
Did you feel the ground around downtown (Phoenix) move last night? Those good vibrations oozing from the cracks of Crescent Ballroom were created by a whole lot of fans who couldn’t help but move to the garage-rockin’, soulful, funky, psychedelic sounds of none other than King Khan and the Shrines,…
We recently took a weekend jaunt to Flagstaff, where the residents there have every right to shiver, wrap up in their colorful handmade scarves, and utter “brrrrrr” as they tool about the chilly, pine-laden landscape. For more than three decades now, Macy’s European Coffeehouse and Bakery has been keeping Flagstaff…
Central Phoenix’s Melrose District just got a lot more cozy and roast-y with the addition of The Refuge, a combination coffee shop, restaurant, and wine bar that manages to balance and blend all three components nicely — no identity crisis here. What’s extra nice about this homey spot on Seventh…
