It’s hard to beat a birds-eye view of the landscape and the structures assembled on it simply for the context of how everything fits together. Pilot and photographer Adriel Heisey has been flying across the southwest for nearly 30 years, casting his view upon a plethora of prehistoric ruins and…
Hate is a strong word, but as a music critic, my musical beliefs and ideals have been forged over many years of writing about, reviewing, and listening to music. I know what I like, what I can tolerate, and what I’d just as soon leave behind forever. Country artist Kenny…
Joe Ely @ Rhythm Room|3/19/13Surprisingly, there were only two cowboy shirts in Rhythm Room last night, that paltry number growing to three once Joe Ely took the stage. Strange for an artist with deep West Texas country roots, but it only serves to highlight Ely’s musical appeal that crosses genre…
“I don’t feel at all that we have made it in the bluegrass world. We exist on the fringe at best,” Yonder Mountain String Band bassist Ben Kaufmann lamented back in 2003. “The bluegrass music we are writing is different than the other bluegrass music that is out there. I…
Actor/author/comedian Paul Reiser is not the kind of guy who uses self-deprecating humor — even though Comedy Central once ranked him 77th out of the “100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.” But the guy’s had mega-success. Mad About You ran for seven seasons. And while his other forays haven’t always…
What’s up with Eric Clapton in 2013? A glance at the past reveals the future. Clapton came to prominence in the mid-1960s British blues scene and quickly became a god. He took psychedelic music to new heights with Cream and Blind Faith, then managed to issue some of his best…
If Primus bassist Les Claypool had a bumper sticker on his car, it most likely would read: “I’d rather be fishing.” As much as Claypool likes to create strange and esoteric music, he also loves heading out on the water and zoning out. See also: -Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang…
Crate diggers, record collectors, and vinyl junkies unite in pressed plastic pleasure when the Beat Swap Meet opens its doors for one afternoon of musical madness. A regular event in Los Angeles, Beat Swap Meet is the brainchild of Robby Powers. This is his first foray into the Valley, and…
There’s plenty to suggest Larry “Mud” Morganfield is the second coming of legendary bluesman Muddy Waters. First, there’s the look: that contorted expression when he sings, eyes closed and face scrunched up like a wrinkled Shar Pei. There’s the perfectly balanced mustache riding on top of his upper lip. Then…
The most obvious difference in Hanni El Khatib’s music these days is a sense of control. The former skate punk — “playing the world’s worst guitar” (but “Guitar Hero is helping out),” he jokes — still dabbles in garage, psychedelia, punk, and blues, only now his songs are tighter, more realized…
Those meandering through Fountain Park Saturday, March 2, are advised to keep an eye to the sky for more than the giant fountain, as golf discs aplenty fly during final round of the 25th Memorial Championship. The annual tournament began earlier in the week with nearly 300 professional golfers, some…
What is the future of truth? This is the boundless topic presented at Emerge 2013, a future-focused festival bringing together scientists, artists, humanists, and engineers “to build, draw, write and rethink the future of the human species and the environments that we share,” according to organizers. If it sounds a…
It’s not often one hears a musician proclaim he wants to start a “vocal-driven pop band,” but such was the case with Mother Mother guitarist/frontman Ryan Guldemond. But why aim for such commonplace pop fare? Because this is the kind of music the generally unaware music populace loves — it…
The love affair began over a fuzzy guitar lick topped with a greasy organ swirl. Keyboardist Nicole Laurenne and guitarist Michael Johnny Walker were in a band rehearsal when the other musicians stepped out for a smoke. Walker noticed a fuzz pedal that hadn’t been used during the session. So,…
Though the band now resides in Austin, Meat Puppets and the brothers Kirkwood (Curt and Cris) will be forever tied to the Valley of the Sun whence they sprung. That connection has gotten stronger to with the addition of Curt’s son Elmo–a Tempe resident and guitarist in local bands Flamingo…
If your blood runs even a wee bit green, then the Musical Instrument Museum’s “Experience Ireland” celebration is a must-see happening. The weekend event (March 16 and 17 — of course) features a plethora of events, performances and activities celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and that tiny Emerald Isle in the…
Bassist Victor Wooten has always been musical innovator, challenging the limitations of the electric bass and, in the process, developing new sounds and ways to play the instrument. His songwriting follows the same pattern. Whether composing as a founding member of the genre-bending bluegrass/psycho-space outfit Bela Fleck and the Flecktones,…
In the opening segments of the original Iron Chef television show, some guy, presumably a chef, bites into a red bell pepper with orgasmic zeal. Expect nothing less (and potentially even more) from bacon fanatics as they descend on Zinnia’s at Melrose for the Bacon Iron Chef Party on Third…
Blues guitarist Keb’ Mo’ is something of a household name at this stage in his career. He’s got a pocketful of Grammys and assorted other music awards and was a central character in Martin Scorsese’s miniseries The Blues. His most recent album, The Reflection, was a deviation from form, dabbling…
Victor Wooten loves his bass so much that he may as well have it welded to his body. Though that might prove awkward when getting on the bus or in an elevator, it virtually is the reality of his situation. For Wooten, who can rightly be considered one of today’s…
Jackson Browne @ The Orpheum Theatre|2/13/13Back in 1975 Olivia Newton John lyrically asked the question “Have you ever been mellow?” Such a question would never be posed to Jackson Browne. The singer/songwriter has to be the mellowest rock star on the planet…
In 1929, Chicago saw Valentine’s Day turn bloody as Al Capone and thugs gunned down seven mob rivals. That event is the gruesome inspiration behind the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Cruiser Ride, devised by TT Roadhouse owner Rick Skoog and Ska Brewing. “We decided to do a Valentine’s Day Massacre…
