While so much music over the years has mythologized the “road” — CCR’s “Travelin’ Band” and Grand Funk’s “We’re an American Band” immediately spring to mind — it is, in reality, a life filled with constant hardships and genuine dangers for musicians. It’s not merely about coming to town and…
As we approach the twilight of each calendar year, it seems music critics are overly eager to proclaim the preceding 12 months as the “Year of” something. You know, “The Year of Grunge,” “The Year of Women in Rock,” “The Year of Electronic Music” and on and on. But if…
Let’s say, for the purposes of this article, that’s it’s 3:30 in the morning. Only, it’s really 4:30 because the clock in your car is an hour slow. Time is of little consequence anyway. What do minutes matter when you’re sick with doubt and doubled over by the weight of…
As unwarranted as last year’s premillennial (or is it Willennial?) hysteria was, it was nothing compared to the elaborate steps city fathers took to mark the historic occasion. Between the well-attended corporate hokum of Tempe’s Tostitos/Fiesta Bowl bash and the disastrously ill-conceived debut downtown Phoenix party, levelheaded citizens with a…
The early winter air is crisp, but Robin Wilson is looking for a spot in the sun. Settling down on a bench, clutching a cigarette and coffee mug in one hand and a cell phone in the other, he’s about to hold court in front of his Tempe Mayberry recording…
The odds of hearing any Valley artists — save the Gin Blossoms and Refreshments — on the radio took a big hit last year when KZON-FM 101.5 canned all its local programming. Granted, KUPD-FM 97.9 Red Radio show (hosted by effervescent on-air personality Larry Mac) has done its part to…
Tonight is a homecoming. It’s been three and a half years since Dead Hot Workshop’s classic lineup has played together, more than that since it’s taken the stage at Long Wong’s, the last remaining vestige of a scene it helped create. For a decade it was the most respected group…
When you think of the cutting edge of hip-hop, a flurry of names immediately springs to mind: Killah Priest, Sauce Money, Major Figgas, C-Murder, Barry Goldwater. Barry Goldwater? It’s true. Barry Goldwater III, the grandson of the late Arizona senator and presidential candidate, is poised to become a “playa” in…
“Kurt. Kurt. Look up, man.” With his dark eyebrows arched beneath a shock of freshly bleached hair, Chicken bassist John White is reprimanding singer Kurt Klinger, telling him to look at the camera. Klinger, quietly fiddling with the label on his beer bottle, shoots a goofy grin in the photographer’s…
Gloritone bassist Nick Scropos remembers vividly when the myth of major-label recording came crashing down, near the end of the band’s monthlong sessions for its 1998 debut. Recording with producer Bradley Cook (Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age) in Hollywood’s Grand Master studios, the group expected all the trappings…
When she traveled to Austin last November to make a guest appearance on Willie Nelson’s new album, Milk Cow Blues, veteran Phoenix diva Francine Reed expected only to contribute vocals to the title track. But things got interesting after she and Nelson wrapped up their languid reworking of the 1934…
It’s fall once again, and that means the Arizona State Fair will get into full swing shortly. This year’s lineup of musical performers is enough to make us think your time at the fair would be better spent blowing chunks on the Tilt-a-Whirl.Granted, there are a couple of decent shows…
It’s late April, well after midnight, and there’s something strange going on at the Arizona Roadhouse. The pleasant, somewhat upscale Tempe brewery is in a state of near chaos. Walking in, your gaze naturally turns toward the stage. The first thing you notice is the indelible image of a cream-colored…
“Musicality” — and all that the term implies — has long been the most misunderstood and undervalued element of punk rock. It’s the kind of thing that so-called “real” punks have frowned upon ever since Glen Matlock was drummed out of the Sex Pistols for being too fond of the…
For those of you going through Survivor withdrawal, this month’s Mail or Muse has been conceived with your shallow needs in mind. If you ask us, that series signed off a few weeks too soon. What good is calling Richard Hatch a “survivor” and then shipping him home? Let him…
“Novel” is a word rarely used to describe bands in the Valley music scene. And while, strictly speaking, The Weaker Sex is not a “novelty act,” it boasts a membership that’s already raising curious eyebrows around town. Led by longtime local rockabilly kitten Ruth Wilson, The Weaker Sex is an…
Merle Haggard is contemplating quitting country music, and it’s your fault. The 63-year-old Haggard isn’t ready to walk away just yet. In fact, he’s about to embark on a two-month national tour to promote his biggest recording in more than a decade. Yet Haggard, if anything, is a realist. A…
With new stuff on the way from Chicken, Truckers on Speed, the Pistoleros, the Piersons and Big Blue Couch, the remainder of this year offers no shortage of highly anticipated local roots and rock releases. Before the aforementioned fall/winter platters hit, we’ll get a couple of offerings from Dave Insley…
I’m gonna take out my eyes and wash them clean/Filling them in the decay/Removing all the debris, because the world I’d like to see is not behind, beside, below, above or in front of me. — Mike Matteson Mike Matteson was eagerly awaiting his upcoming performance at the Green Room…
If you were to judge the online music revolution based solely on the MP3.com charts, you’d have to conclude that most folks sitting at their computers were either DJs looking to download beats for their sets, or obsessive and potentially dangerous “Weird Al” Yankovic fans. What else could possibly account…
When the Grammys — notoriously the most staid of all the entertainment awards (remember Jethro Tull beating out Metallica as outstanding heavy metal band back in ’89?) — puts its stamp of approval on a growing genre, chances are it’s already reached the point of critical mass. Such is the…
As his body shivered and convulsed, Sam Moore mumbled a quiet prayer. “Dear God, please . . .” Moore knew about praying. He knew the church and his almighty Lord, even if he hadn’t always followed Him. He had stood in His house, been moved by His spirit and had…
