The term “punk festival” conjures up images of bratty tweens with asymmetrical haircuts crowd surfing at Warped Tour. Remember when Warped Tour actually had punk bands and was, you know, good? It may seem like a bygone era, but the annual Punk Rock Bowling Music Festival in Las Vegas caters…
Wasn’t it cool to see Andrew Jackson Jihad play as a full band last month? Oh, you didn’t make it, and like Brad Dwyer you’re bummed you missed it? Lucky for you, you get another chance because AJJ is hitting the road with ROAR and Laura Stevenson and the Cans,…
It’s only January, but Tucson acoustic popsters Roll Acosta are having a good year so far. The group is set to play its second residency show at The Rogue Bar on Friday, February 3 as part of the Occupy Rogue Bar series. The Foleys and Field Tripp will join Roll…
Strung Out Clubhouse Music Venue Saturday, January 28, 2012 Strung Out plays in Vegas tonight, but that didn’t stop the band from having a good time in Phoenix last night. Frontman Jason Cruz showed off Chris Aiken’s brand new Fender signature bass and the band took shots to celebrate as…
Say what you will about our sustainability, the heat, or our wretched politicos, but Phoenix is a haven for nerds. We have The Minibosses, who play heavy covers from video games like Super Mario Bros. and Double Dragon; and Mega Ran, who raps over Final Fantasy and Mega Man soundtracks…
Some nights are destined to be great. Above & Beyond had a fantastic evening in the cards on Friday, January 20 when the British trance trio performed at Axis/Radius in Scottsdale. The group was recently ranked #5 on DJ Magazine’s list of the top 100 DJs, falling behind the likes…
Bogan Via is fairly new to the local music scene, but has already made a striking impact on their audiences. The Phoenix-based pair plays a mixture of folk and indie pop that combines vocal harmonies with acoustic guitar and keyboard to shake up the typical boy-girl-indie-duo dynamic. I swung by…
Bummed that yet another New Year’s celebration has passed? Don’t fret, you can continue partying, because today is the Chinese New Year. So happy Year of the Dragon, everyone. And you don’t have to be Chinese to celebrate. After all, Chinese New Year is focused on good food, good luck,…
“Are you under the impression this isn’t your life? Do you dabble in depression, is someone twisting a knife in your back?” Well, don’t worry, “Wilco will love you, baby.” And babies, you loved you some Wilco, even if they didn’t play “Wilco (The Song)” or “(I Got You) at…
In this week’s issue, I interviewed Shawn Stern of Youth Brigade and Tony Brandenburg of The Adolescents to determine what has kept punk alive for all these years. Both musicians have obligations outside of their perspective bands, with Stern running BYO Records and preparing for Punk Rock Bowling and Brandenburg…
First Pete Wentz, then Hayley Williams, and now Travis Barker. The Blink-182 drummer is the latest to join the oops-my-naughty-bits-are-on-the-Internet club. On Thursday, MediaTakeOut posted some very revealing pictures of Barker, who retaliated by hiring a lawyer. The photos were over five years old and were “private and never intended…
One of the most fundamental rules of the internet is that everything is more entertaining with cats or kids (okay, not everything, perv). After seeing Jorge and Alexa Narvaez perform this adorable version of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ “Home,” we had high hopes for any kid singing outside…
In the midst our daily humdrum of going to work, eating, and sleeping, it can be very easy to overlook one of the most important things in life: Partying. Luckily we have someone like Andrew W.K., who has based his life and career on the concept of “partying,” expanding its…
How is it that a band that hasn’t released a full-length album since 1996 continues to tour? “If we didn’t get new fans coming out, we’d probably would have quit awhile back because it would get really boring playing for just people our age because they’re not always as fun,”…
“Punk’s not dead, but it deserves to die,” snarled Dead Kennedys’ Jello Biafra in the opening lines of “Chickenshit Conformist,” a commentary on the 1980s California punk scene. That decade marked the prime years for most of punk’s leading names: 7 Seconds, Minor Threat, Black Flag, Bad Religion, The Adolescents,…
Seeing Marilyn Monroe, Liza Minnelli, and Lady Gaga share a stage would make for a great show, but getting the three together would be a logistical nightmare, as Marilyn is dead, Gaga’s costume changes would be ridiculous, and Liza’s got a rep for being more than a little cuckoo. But…
North Scottsdale houses some of the nicest bars in the valley, and Blue Martini is no exception. This swanky lounge attracts a posh Scottsdale clientele and serves delicious drinks at a reasonable price. It’s worth it to make an early trip to Blue Martini for the happy hour drink specials…
Coachella’s full lineup should be announced sometime this week. Last Friday, the festival tweeted a picture that read “Next Week” with the hashtag #Coachella2012. There’s already been some speculation with fake fliers and what not, but the official lineup will be announced any day now. LA Times predicts January 22…
It was somewhat of a surprise that NOFX sold out last night’s Marquee Theatre show at the very last minute. In spite of Fat Mike’s poo problems and outspoken attitude toward our city, we welcomed the band with open arms and screamed along to the songs as if our lives…
NOFX Marquee Theatre Saturday, January 7, 2012 See the full NOFX slideshow here. Fat Mike painted a grim picture of Arizona a couple weeks ago. He was convinced that nobody goes to shows in Phoenix anymore because it’s on its way to be coming the next Detroit. Sure, we’ve got…
IFC’s darling indie cult hit Portlandia returns this Friday at 8 p.m., and we can’t get enough of it. (We like to imagine that all the extras wandering in the back are displaced Phoenicians. Come back, guys — it’s cooler here.) Of course, young retirement does sound awesome. Fred Armisen:…
The old adage “you write what you know” rings especially true in the case of D.L. Hughley, who grew up in South Central Los Angeles, joined the Bloods gang and became a comedian after his cousin was shot. The mastermind behind UPN’s hit family show, The Hughleys bases his humor…
