You might not think that Tempe “humorcore” band Psychostick and Jill Sobule (a.k.a. that chick who sings the other “I Kissed a Girl” song) have much in common, but it turns out they both have some seriously loyal fans. Last year, with the country mired in a recession, Psychostick and…
To call A Life of Science “ambitious” would be an understatement. The Phoenix band’s debut concept album, The Apneist, has grown into a multimedia project that spans both coasts and makes the cross-promotional efforts of bands like Coheed & Cambria seem almost underwhelming by comparison. A Life of Science released…
To call A Life of Science “ambitious” would be an understatement. The Phoenix band’s debut concept album, The Apneist, has grown into a multimedia project that spans both coasts and makes the cross-promotional efforts of bands like Coheed & Cambria seem almost underwhelming by comparison. A Life of Science released…
Ho-hum. Another week, another militant vegan band comes to town. If you didn’t get your fill (pun intended) at last week’s Earth Crisis show, the lovable “veganarchists” in Propagandhi are stopping in Tempe this weekend to spread the gospel of iodine deficiency to the masses. For a band that professes…
Back when I used to write for another Valley weekly that shall remain nameless, we used to play a game called “Nickelback Or . . . ?” The object was to determine what concerts, if any, could possibly be worse than a Nickelback show. One of the only rules of the game was…
Ho-hum. Another week, another militant vegan band comes to town. If you didn’t get your fill (pun absolutely intended) at last week’s Earth Crisis show, the lovable “veganarchists” in Propagandhi are stopping in Tempe this weekend to spread the gospel of iodine deficiency to the masses. For a band that…
Certain bands have a vibe that makes you just know they’d be fun guys to grab a beer and a burger with. Then there’s Earth Crisis. A fun day with this Syracuse, New York-based metalcore quintet seems more likely to include pouring blood on unsuspecting fur coat wearers, strapping yourself…
When two of the biggest and most influential alt-rock bands of all time tour together, it’s hard to find much to complain about. Indeed, the only negative we can come up with about Nine Inch Nails touring with a newly reunited Jane’s Addiction is the unfortunate “NIN/JA” moniker they’ve slapped…
When two of the biggest and most influential alt-rock bands of all time decide to tour together, it’s hard to find much to complain about. Indeed, the only negative we can come up with about Nine Inch Nails touring with a newly reunited Jane’s Addiction is the unfortunate “NIN/JA” moniker…
There are some bands that seem like they’d be a blast to hang out with. Certain bands just have that vibe that make you just know they’d be fun guys to grab a beer and a burger with. Then there’s Earth Crisis. A fun day with this Syracuse, New York-based…
“It’s about time.” That’s probably not the answer one might expect when asking a 19-year-old guitarist in a band that’s barely a year old how he feels about signing to a national indie label, but The Word Alive’s Tony Pizzuti is no egomaniac with delusions of entitlement. He just believes…
Alt-country poster boy Ryan Adams might get the lion’s share of accolades, but Jason Molina, the driving force behind Magnolia Electric Co., seems more than capable of giving Adams a run for his money. The similarities between the two artists don’t end with their penchant for brooding, alt-country balladry. Both…
It’s a testament to the seemingly unflappable pomposity of rock stars the world over that This Is Spinal Tap is as relevant today as it was upon its theatrical release 25 years ago. Over the years, This Is Spinal Tap has become more than just a hilarious send-up of rock…
The all-star lineup for this year’s Real Coachella in downtown Phoenix begs the question: Why would anyone waste their precious time driving 3 1/2 hours to the desert wasteland of Indio, California, just to see a bunch of has-beens and never-will-bes performing at an overpriced festival when they can catch…
When Earps frontman “Hotwheels” McGregor compares his band to Spinal Tap, he’s not referring to his band’s music (although a song like “Hoggin!” might owe at least a small debt of gratitude to Tap’s “Big Bottom”). It’s just that the Earps’ recent travails remind McGregor of the near-constant onslaught of…
Portland, Oregon-based singer-songwriter M. Ward has built a steadily growing cult following over the past decade, releasing six studio albums and collaborating with a diverse array of artists, including Cat Power, Beth Orton, My Morning Jacket, and actress Zooey Deschanel, with whom he records and performs as She & Him…
Oh those crazy Brits. It seems like every three or four months, some new band from across the pond is being force-fed to us Yankees as the greatest band in the history of recorded music (or at least since The Beatles). For every Coldplay that actually shows some staying power,…
Oh, those crazy Brits. It seems every three or four months, a new band from across the pond is hyped as the greatest band in the history of recorded music (or at least since The Beatles). For every Coldplay that shows staying power, there are countless other Britpop bands (Travis,…
It takes balls (not to mention boundless energy) to play a dozen shows in three days at SxSW, but that’s exactly what Black Lips did two years ago at the annual music showcase. Whether it was the ultimate display of DIY guts and determination, or just a carefully crafted publicity…
For a genre that never received much attention, even during its heyday, thrash metal is enjoying one of music history’s more unlikely renaissances. In the past few years, a slew of retro-thrash bands has emerged from the underground. With names like Municipal Waste, Toxic Holocaust, and Merciless Death, these bands…
With a name like Sisterbrother, it’s probably not surprising that family has played a big role in the Gilbert-based band’s musical development. The three members of Sisterbrother aren’t actually siblings, but their respective families have been instrumental in the band’s early success. Drummer Chris Albers’ father plays both guitar and…
With acts like Band of Horses, Grand Archives, and Fleet Foxes already on board, Seattle-based indie label Sub Pop seems to have firmly established itself as the leading purveyor of country-tinged folk-pop played by sensitive, bearded guys from the Pacific Northwest. Thus, it hardly seemed like a radical departure for…
