Megan Janetsky

Crescent Ballroom celebrates its fifth anniversary today. It's hard to imagine what downtown would look like without the venue, which in terms of influence seems older than it is. But back in 2011 owner Charlie Levy just wanted to create a venue with character. "Strip it down to the bare...

In Phoenix, the phrase “Warped Tour” brings to mind sweltering crowds, sweaty, dehydrated teenagers, and innumerable pop-punk bands. But for the Arizona-raised band The Maine, the Vans Warped Tour 2016 is a milestone. Guitarist Jared Monaco has seen the band through a number of Warped Tours. This one, he explained,...

Armed with an accordion and a double platinum record, Phoenix band KONGOS re-entered the music world Friday with their recent single, "Take It From Me." KONGOS, a band of four brothers and Arizona natives, are tying up their sequel to their widely successful 2012 album "Lunatics." But the new album,...

A glam indie rock band lead by a strapping young peacock — that’s lead singer Luke Skinner’s nutshell description for his up-and-coming Brit band the Struts. And now they’re bringing those vibes to the Valley. On Friday April 1, they’ll be headlining a free concert at Tempe Marketplace as a...

Hrishikesh Hirway is a one-man band — literally. For his chart-topping podcast, Sound Exploder, where he pulls apart songs with the musicians who wrote them, Hirway is like a scientist putting sonic emotion under a microscope. He interviews artists like U2, Björk, and Spoon and breaks down their song construction. He pulls apart each musical...