Yeah Yeah YeahsMarquee Theatre, TempeAugust 21, 2013 (View the full slideshow in a new window.) It was a flurry of colored strobes, shimmers, and sparkles as Karen O. and her boys Nick Zinner and Brian Chase — best known as the New York-based Yeah Yeah Yeahs — took over the…
SebadohCrescent BallroomAugust 9, 2013 There was a lot of love in the air at Crescent Ballroom last night as indie rock legends Sebadoh played their first area show in a while. A lot of the feely-good vibes came as much from the stage as they did from the crowd that…
Cover songs can be tricky business. Finding one(s) that everyone in a band wants to do and then executing it while attempting to pay proper homage to whoever or whatever reason you wanted to do it in the first place. Doing an entire set of someone else’s music, though –…
Peter MurphyCrescent BallroomSaturday, July 13, 2013 (View the full slideshow.) On Saturday night, goth’s godfather, Peter Murphy, brought his Mr. Moonlight tour to the Crescent Ballroom, celebrating 35 years of Bauhaus, one of the biggest names in early gothic rock. The band formed in ’78 and saw their first breakup…
MelvinsCrescent BallroomJuly 12, 2013 It might be a good idea to take a drive by the Crescent Ballroom this morning and see if that place is still standing. I am pretty sure that the Melvins’ blistering delivery of their noisy, sludge-y, smart, thick, and furious blend of motherfucking ROCK left…
Dust off your chain wallet: Everclear, Live, Filter, and Sponge are coming to Tempe tonight. Nah, just kidding. There is way more to do than just dust off your chain wallet. To pay proper homage to this packaged concert tour, there are some more fashion details to consider. It’s kind…
One of the best things about life is spontaneity. Adventures and experiences, big or small, that happen on a whim can make life pretty fucking fun. Especially because, for most of us, the rest of that time is bogged down by realities like jobs, school, and bills; when we can…
Can you handle the truth? If stuff like honesty and real-life stories are your kind of thing, and you also happen to be heading to Crescent Ballroom on June 27 to see Twin Shadow, be prepared get your fix via personal storytelling, an added element to the night of music…
After what seemed like a hearty chunk of time between the two opening acts and headliner Sea Wolf, the band took the stage last night at Crescent Ballroom. Enforcing the toothy and animal side of their moniker, they kicked it off with “You’re A Wolf” from their first EP and…
Indie rock band Sea Wolf is getting ready to wrap up a lengthy tour in support of their new release, Old World Romance. The third full-length offering from the group founded and orchestrated by California native Alex Brown Church veers a bit from their previous endeavors. The folk elements that…
Jon Spencer Blues ExplosionCrescent BallroomJune 16, 2013 It was definitely a crowd of serious fans that filled up the Crescent Ballroom last night to see NYC’s Jon Spencer Blues Explosion lay down their well-oiled rock ‘n’ roll fury. Before the band took the stage, the collective conversation was abuzz with…
It’s been something like eight years since the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion gave us a full-length musical offering. More than worth the wait, their new release, Meat and Bone, is as dynamic and explosive as any of the trio’s previous recordings. Whether they’re ratcheting up the notch on the tension…
DRIVE-THRU by Katie Johnson “Welcome to McDonald’s. May I take your order?” I’m 7 years old and I’m kneeling behind a low wooden chest in my parent’s cookie-cutter home in Ahwatukee. My stepfather, Jim, is on the floor with me. Hunched over in wilted work clothes, he studies a nonexistent…
If you can’t stand the heat — get in the kitchen. On Thursday, June 13, at 6 p.m. at the Lounge at Crescent Ballroom, Chow Bella writers are warming up for summer with “Fried,” an evening of true stories. Admission is free; food and drink will be available for sale…
SAT 8/20Runs. That’s what bikers do. They hop on their hogs, crotch rockets or whatever slang they use to describe their favorite hunk of motorized steel and go on runs. Sometimes they even do it in a good cause. That’s the case on Saturday, August 20, when the Salt River…
Matt Ringel, creator of the Nesquik Game Riot, the country’s largest touring expo for video gamers, drops a challenge to the disgruntled loser of last year’s battle against Matt Leto, a.k.a. “Zyos,” the reigning world Halo champ: Bring it! As the event rolls into the Valley for its third visit…
SAT 7/16Dante got it wrong: There are actually 10 circles of hell, and local filmmaker Nicholas Holthaus has been there and back making Dante’s Arizona, which premières Saturday, July 16, at the Alwun House, 1204 East Roosevelt. “Four people have died during the making of this film, including my mother…
FRI 7/8Local junior-welterweight boxer Jesus Soto is humble about his skills in the ring. When asked about his strategy in regard to the upcoming match at Fight Night at the Den, Friday, July 8, at Glendale Arena, Soto says, “I just try to be prepared, go for the best, get…
MON 7/4If you have a hot jalopy that you’re dying to show off to a group of ogling, salivating spectators, gas it up and drive to Chandler, where the Arizona Veteran Rodders Club hosts a classic car show at Tumbleweed Park on Monday, July 4, as part of the Lions…
MON 7/4 This year, you can choose to fire up the grill and celebrate America’s independence by inviting over your near-and-dears, replete with the usual band of screaming kids and unruly pets, or you can go to the City of Phoenix’s 20th annual “Fabulous Fourth” celebration at Steele Indian School…
6/23-6/26The Bible rocks, dude. (Surely all that thumping has got to create a wicked beat . . .) And if you’re watching a performance of the long-running musical Godspell, then you know that the Bible really can rawk, man. Moon Valley Productions raises the roof on Thursday, June 23, at…
SAT 6/18Valley metal band Eroticide believes the fastest way to a woman’s heart is through her ribcage. The band swears that “God made love to kill all of us” in the lyrics to their song “Cyanide Orgasm.” Now Eroticide comes to spew its views while mutilating female mannequins and bludgeoning…
