There is a difference between a “rock star” and a “superstar,” and Justin Timberlake is a superstar. He’d been a rock star since his years with ‘N Sync touring the world and selling millions of albums. But now, in his early 30s, with decades experience performing his own catalog of…
On July 13, Sara Robinson and the Midnight Special announced through their Facebook page that they would be splitting with their original lead guitarist and chief songwriter Brandon Croft. Furthermore, the band announced that following their headlining date at Crescent Ballroom last Friday the band would be taking a hiatus…
If having a packed house from start to finish is the benchmark for a great show, then Dilated Peoples and Jurassic 5 had a great one July 19. The Marquee Theatre was full of hip-hop heads throughout the evening, from M.C. Supernatural’s opening freestyles all the way through J5’s encore…
For Captain Squeegee’s last video off of their 2013 L.P To The Bardos, “Inevitable,” the atomic jazz fusion seven-piece tapped the amazing claymation skills of animator Johnny McHone. The resulting video was easily the most creative in town for the year 2013. As a follow up, Captain Squeegee may have…
Jurassic 5 are alternative hip-hop pioneers. Their influence can be heard in the beats and verses of mainstream rap icons like OutKast all the way to local hip-hop groups like Phoenix’s own Drunken Immortals. Though the band has never once gone platinum and have only once gone gold, their reunion…
If there is one thing that can never be taken away from the decade-old downtown Phoenix DIY venue The Trunk Space it is the bookers’ uncanny ability to put together a lineup that will leave the audience scratching its head. Such was definitely the case last night when the Rhode…
It’s a bit strange flying across the country to see a band that less than a year ago was playing at the Sail Inn and Apache Lake Music Festival. But honestly it almost seems like a completely different Kongos who opened up the main stage at Dover, Delaware’s Firefly Music…
The owner of >Lawn Gnome Publishing, Aaron Hopkins-Johnson, is one of the best slam poets in the country, and so it stands to reason that his store is a hub for those interested in the spoken word. Lawn Gnome once held one of Phoenix’s most popular open mic nights, it…
Phoenix Comicon is currently going on, and the “Premier Pop Culture Experience” in the Southwest is really delivering this year with more vendors, more cosplays, and more music based events. One such event was Friday’s “Raving Is Fun” panel. The way it was described in the Comicon programing guide was…
Tech N9ne’s record label is called Strange Music, a name that fits like a glove. From his beats to his lyrical style to his appearance, the Kansas City-based hip-hopper is simply an unusual guy. Last time Tech came through Phoenix, local photographer Ben Garcia caught a shot of Tech that…
With Phoenix Comicon right around the corner, it’s a good time to highlight nerdcore, and with Nerdzerker’s album release party less than a week away, the nerdy punk three-piece is one that should be mentioned. Their music is punk enough to stand up next to just about any punk act…
Bacchus and the Demonsluts put on one of the best album release parties of 2014 on Sunday for the release of their debut studio recording, The Rumors of Our Demise Have Been Grossly Underestimated. The band really just did everything right for the show. The party had a stacked lineup…
In the 12 years the Blunt Club has been around it has built a reputation as the Valley’s premier weekly hip-hop show. Its founders, Dumper Foo, Aran “Catalyst” Kelly Emerge McVay, and Keith Nickels (among others) are local legends in their own right. And some of the acts they’ve managed…
Sister Lip is one of those bands on the Phoenix scene that can play just about any show. Since its inception in September 2012, the all-female act has found itself at touring authors’ book-signings, variety shows, the state fair, and just about anywhere that will give the band a stage…
Phoenix has a vast and eclectic music scene that encompasses bands of all genres. There is noise punk, metal, hip-hop, alternative hip-hop; hell, I once saw a band play a 15-pound chain at the Lost Leaf. Whatever sort of sound you may be looking for, I assure you someone in…
George Clinton is 72 years old and he rocked a two-hour set at Tempe’s Marquee Theatre Wednesday night. You can forgive him for taking a couple of sit-downs throughout the set. (When I’m 72, if I can perform for 15 minutes I’ll call it a Roman triumph.) The man is…
Alexander “A.J.” Fimbres, known by his hip-hop stage name Whyte Rekluse, died early Wednesday morning after suffering a scooter accident on April 20. He was 28. Fimbres was a regular at The Firehouse Gallery’s variety show, Firestage, as well as other hip-hop- and performance-based shows around the Valley. According to…
Though the lineup certainly has changed a few times over the course of its five-decade career, The Freeze is still performing and preparing to record a new album. “We are supposed to be recording in July with Jason Newsted from Metallica producing and engineering,” says founder, frontman, and only remaining…
Treasure MammaL has been one of the weirdest musical acts in Phoenix for a decade, and soon the rest of the country will share Phoenix’s spirit animal. Treasure MammaL has been invited by the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne to play on his upcoming compilation tribute to the Beatles’ classic Sgt…
Since the release of their debut album, Tennessee, The Prowling Kind have been looking to prove it is one of the premier indie rock bands on the Phoenix scene. The band already has passed many of the traditional milestones for a Valley band looking to conquer that next step. The…
This year’s McDowell Mountain Festival went off like a weekend in the park, and we mean that both figuratively and literally. Perched upon the green grass of Margaret T. Hance Park, the three-day concert fest seemingly took place without a hitch and happened to feature gorgeous weather and a lot…
Even without an LP on which to hang their hat, Glendale-based reggae band Black Bottom Lighters have opened for Flogging Molly on St. Patrick’s Day, toured the West Coast, played the local stage at True Music Festival, and headlined a pre-Thanksgiving show at The Marquee. Suffice it to say few…
