Talking about Captain Squeegee’s new album, To the Bardos, frontman Danny Torgersen is excited about the songwriting and the performances, and he’s excited about the crowdfunding campaign that made it possible — he’s excited about most things, to be honest. But that’s not what he’s most excited about. “I think…
Talking about Captain Squeegee’s new album, To The Bardos, frontman Danny Torgersen is excited about the songwriting and the performances, and he’s excited about the crowdfunding campaign that made it possible–he’s excited about most things, to be honest. But that’s not what he’s most excited about. “I think Bob Hoag…
It’s nearly the end of 2013 and you still have to pay attention to Justin Timberlake. I don’t think most people are so bothered by that, but just enough people are that I’d like to apologize to them personally. Don’t worry: I know that when you were a 12- to…
Scottsdale young people The Summer Set have built up a big, devoted fanbase for their particular brand of electronic pop-rock, but it was still a bit of a surprise to see where that had gotten them Thursday morning–on NBC at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, performing for a New York…
One Direction is probably coming to Phoenix at some point in 2014. I’ve been following an account called @1DNeedstheheat for the better part of the year, which is how I know, but Live Nation has officially begun teasing the boy band event of 2014, and pretty soon you’re going to…
The Internet has made it extraordinarily easy for indie creators to compete on the same platforms as major ones and hardly easier at all to make money like them. For artists, the problem is obvious; for fans and consumers, it’s more subtle. It’s easier to discover a story or a…
Chilleen’s on 17 — way up 17, in Black Canyon City — is still open, which is the first thing you’ll notice about it if your previous experience with Bar Rescue was Tempe’s Rocky Point Cantina closing almost immediately after being transformed into Havana Cabana. The second thing you’ll notice…
Tempe is running out of venues. The Clubhouse disintegrated in 2012 following a gang-related shooting; Rocky Point Cantina disappeared after a bad reality show trip; most recently the Stray Cat closed suddenly, announcing the bad news on its last day in business. Which is not to say that’s why Valley…
Tempe is running out of venues. The Clubhouse disintegrated in 2012 after a gang-related shooting; Rocky Point Cantina disappeared after a reality show bad trip; most recently, Stray Cat closed suddenly, announcing the bad news on its last day in business. Which is not to say that’s why Valley staples…
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’s soundtrack is the latest in a proud, increasingly long young-adult franchise movie tradition: Pitching their soundtracks at the college-rock types who actually buy compilation albums. It’s streaming now on iTunes, and that means it’s time for another set of strikingly competent tracks pointed at aging…
PHOENIX, AZ: 2 AMC. Some of the elders still remember the Beforetimes. They claim not to, especially to the guards, but I see it in their faces when they’re alone together. They remember life before Miley Cyrus came to Phoenix. When they’re alone — after work and before the Two…
If your knowledge of Capcom-sidescroller-influenced pop doesn’t extend outside the Arizona borders–and why should it, given the presence of Mega Ran and the Minibosses?–you’ll be forgiven for not knowing there are enough Mega-Man-fans-slash-musicians out there to put together a 25th-anniversary tribute album. But there are, and the aforementioned Mega Ran…
Dolly Parton is not interested in reinventing herself. At a time when a lot of her peers are at least interested in saying they’re looking to shake things up and start over, Dolly Parton–who just announced a Comerica Theatre show on January 28–was excited to tell us about all the…
True Music Festival’s lineup-opening one-two-three punch of Bassnectar, The Flaming Lips, and Wiz Khalifa got a wide swath of Valley music fans talking when they were announced back in August. Now Kill Paris and Hellogoodbye have joined the bill in a second wave of touring acts. An updated look at…
Your friends hate your Halloween costume idea. I’m not a mindreader or anything, but I’m just pretty sure that’s the case if you’re going in any pop cultural direction for this year’s festivities, particularly pop music. It isn’t that this year’s music memes are especially egregious, although one rises above…
Robin Thicke’s performance at the Arizona Jazz Festival was canceled abruptly Sunday, depriving people who insist on dressing like him for Halloween one last look at his unnervingly perfect hair. Word at the festival and on their website is that illness is the reason for his absence, which wasn’t confirmed…
Gin BlossomsHarold’s CorralFriday, October 25, 2013 The Gin Blossoms know exactly what they are, and they’re good at it. During the summer they’ve been playing the nascent ’90s nostalgia tour circuit, blowing through “Hey Jealousy” and “‘Til I Hear It From You” and “Follow You Down” between the one-hit wonders…
I’ve been talking to the judges, and they tell me that–because this is the last genuine weekend until Halloween–they’re going to uphold your appeal about being able to wear costumes without being judged too badly about it. Well, most costumes. Good luck trying to get that super hilarious Miley Cyrus…
It’s Jimmy Buffett Day Eve, Phoenix, and there’s nothing you can do about it. According to a press release promoting Thursday’s “Songs from St. Somewhere” tour stop, Mayor Greg Stanton has declared that tomorrow will — now and forevermore — be Jimmy Buffett Day. No word yet as to whether…
I think people have finally gotten used to the yearly back-to-school lamentations about just how old or nonexistent college freshmen were when Kurt Cobain died, so here’s a new one: The Format’s Interventions + Lullabies, the erstwhile Great Arizonan Hopes’ infamously under-supported major-label album, turned 10 years old Monday. Surprise:…
Kanye West’s Yeezus tour is coming to Phoenix in December, which means you have less than two months to think about how “I Am a God” is going to sound at US Airways Center. The Phoenix date is set for Tuesday, December 10 — just after the first wave of…
Usually the preamble to these Top Five Must-See Phoenix Shows posts is longer than this, but I spent most of the week sending long letters to venues suggesting that they make inroads into the state fair market by also selling novelty fried foods before and after shows, possibly year-round. Nobody’s…
