Prince, the Minnesota recording artist whose music blended virtuoso musicality with raw sexuality, died in his home today, various news sources are reporting. He was 57. Though Prince had performed regularly the past few years, he had reportedly canceled a few recent shows due to illness. His representatives told press…
There’s a reason everyone wants to be a rock star. Travel the world and play music to adoring fans throwing nothing but love (and maybe the occasional piece of underwear) at you? Yes, please. The reality for most touring musicians is far less glamorous than the fantasy, of course. Life…
Music lovers in Mesa just got another reason to stay in town and off of the highway. Zia Records announced this morning the opening of an 11,000-square-foot superstore in Mesa on 1302 South Gilbert Road. It appears Record Store Day has started a day early. The store’s opening is slated…
As we reported a week or so ago, Guns N’ Roses basically announced that they would play a concert in Phoenix sometime after Coachella. Until now, they hadn’t released a date. Now, the wait is over. The band announced today that it would play University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale…
Viva PHX, the music festival that turns downtown Phoenix into a mini-South By Southwest for a night, will return on Saturday, March 11, 2017. The 2016 festival brought around 70 musical acts to 17 venues across the city. If you missed it, you can catch a glimpse of the madness…
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Guns N’ Roses’ much-anticipated reunion at Coachella 2016 wouldn’t be the last time the legendary rock group played together this year. After all, if there’s any truth to the $3 million per show payout that GN’R was seeking, why wouldn’t…
Well, this doesn’t happen too often. Phoenix band Harrison Fjord, which we named one of the 16 Phoenix Bands to Watch in 2016 earlier this year, play a set before the main event at the Bernie Sanders rally in Flagstaff yesterday. As the senator from Vermont began his speech, he…
Last year’s Pot of Gold Music Festival featured four days of music. This year’s is down to just two, but Lucky Man Concerts is making them count, doubling down on hip-hop for a festival that promises two of the most significant rap concerts that will happen in Phoenix this year…
Maynard James Keenan sure doesn’t like to be idle. Not that he has a choice at this point in his life. Any of Keenan’s chief preoccupations — touring musician, winemaker, grape-grower — would be a full-time job in the hands of lesser men, but Keenan somehow manages to balance them…
McDowell Mountain Music Festival returned to Margaret T. Hance Park for the third straight year, attracting tens of thousands of people downtown for weekend of dual-stage musical madness. There were changes galore at this year’s incarnation, including the elimination of camping, waste (there were three-bin recycling stations throughout the festival), and…
Viva PHX’s third edition once again ignited downtown Phoenix last weekend, proving for just one night that under the right circumstances Phoenicians will brave the great outdoors on their quest for excellent music. The festival operates by setting out a beacon for bands touring on their way to South By…
50 Cent wasn’t in the club but the grocery store in Phoenix last night, as he partied not with Bacardi but with vodka — Effen Vodka, the brand the rapper invested in last year. The rapper, with the help of the Phoenix Suns dancers, helped sell $10,000 in vodka at…
Phoenix’s own SXSW just got a little easier to plan. Viva PHX has released its official schedule, breaking down where and when the 70-plus acts will play next Saturday, March 12. Organizers have also added a new venue — Melinda’s Alley, the speakeasy bar beneath the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown. Fittingly,…
The FORM Arcosanti festival is back for its third year, and the organizers released the lineup today. The festival is eschewing “headliners” in the traditional sense, but there are some pretty big names slotted for the festivities, which will take place Friday, May 13, through Sunday, May 15, at the…
What’s up with RiRi? TMZ reported Rihanna had an outburst backstage at the Grammy Awards before she canceled her scheduled appearance. Her people say that she had bronchitis and wouldn’t have been able to perform, but the gossip website reported “the singer was loudly expressing displeasure over her rehearsal …
Looks like the Rebel Lounge will re-open ahead of schedule today, according to an email sent out by organizers. The central Phoenix concert venue closed after a Saturday night concert by the rockabilly band Three Bad Jacks. The lead singer lit a fire in front of the stage, setting off…
Jazz singer Kurt Elling is an artist in constant forward motion. A master vocalist with virtuoso chops and a deep appreciation of the genre, his career began in the jazz clubs of Chicago, where two of the scene’s elder statesmen provided Elling with guidance and encouragement necessary to grow into…
Calling all beer drinkers and party people with a competitive spirit. New Times’ third annual Beer Olympics has your name on it. On Friday, April 22, from 8 to 11 p.m., Tempe Marketplace will become the proving grounds for the Valley’s finest drinking games competitors, who will face off in…
Three Bad Jacks, the band that started the fire at Rebel Lounge that triggered the venue’s sprinkler systems, posted about the incident on Facebook Monday evening. The band called the Saturday night accident an “unfortunate situation.” Instagram user evilchavo posted a pair of videos that showed bandleader Elvis Suissa starting a…
An incident Saturday night has damaged central Phoenix club Rebel Lounge to the point that the club must close until Wendesday. The Los Angeles band Three Bad Jacks had a show scheduled Saturday night. It’s unclear at this point what happened, but the Arizona Republic is reporting that there was…
The Mason Jar holds a special place in the minds of longtime rock fans in the Valley. Now, you can take a piece of the now-defunct legendary music venue home with you. Auction Nation is hosting almost 200 lots of memorabilia from the Mason Jar, including everything from unused concert…
Phoenix Afrobeat Orchesta produces some of the most cohesive, full-bodied, and smooth grooves in the Valley. This is known. Looks like the rest of the country is starting to find out. The organizers of NPR’s much-watched Tiny Desk Contest have chosen Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra as to compete against five other…
