In Simon Reynolds’ fantastic book Rip It Up and Start Again, the author asks the question, “What made me believe music could matter this much?” The answer is well worth any music fan’s time discovering, but Reynolds’ book, which is almost textbook-like in its approach to music history, explores his…
Jake Smith, a.k.a The White Buffalo, enjoys a good beer. In fact, he’s pulling off a small tour nightmare/miracle to play at Pedal Haus, a new Tempe Brewery, on Saturday, October 17, when he will lay down some mighty fine “American” music, as he likes to call his brand of heavy,…
July of 1990. Mudhoney’s set had just concluded and I had to piss so bad I ran to the bathroom at the now-defunct Tucson venue Mud Bugs and took the first urinal I saw. Luckily for me, I chose the middle urinal because the next two people into the bathroom…
Since early 1978, brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald have being working on a band, music, or some form of noise making either together or apart. At first they were The Tourists, then in 1980 they became Red Cross (but some nutty non-profit organization already had dibs on that name), and…
Strange Wilds are coming through town on October 3 to support their new record, Subjective Concepts, and if their familiar, yet totally rockin’, sound is any indication, the show is going to be pretty special. We caught up with one member of the Olympia, Washington-based three-piece, lead singer and guitar…
One of the coolest shows coming through town this week (and there are plenty) is happening at the Pressroom on Friday. San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees will make their third stop in Phoenix this year, but this time they have two really cool opening acts, Tucson’s Lenguas Largas and Desert Hot Springs,…
Summer is finally ending, and the local music scene is ready for the temperature change with some cool new music video releases. Phoenix favorites like decker., MysticBlu, Red Tank!, No Volcano, and Pro Teens are bursting into fall with new multimedia material. Each of the videos by these five different…
Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots. Remember them? Tons of fun but, let’s be honest, super-frustrating, too, as every match, at least at my house, always degenerated into one combatant holding down both buttons and forcing his robot to push out both arms and move forward until one or both little…
The Valley of the Sun didn’t always have skate parks. For many years, finding a good place to drop in and have some fun was both a challenge and a somewhat noble quest for riders of all ages. According to Rob Locker of local skateboard and record company AZPX, when…
My Favorite 15 (Songs of All Time): AZ Record Label Edition – Monday, August 10 – Crescent Ballroom This cool concept night at Crescent Ballroom brings together five representatives from local record labels and asks them to curate a playlist of their 15 favorite songs. On the bill will be…
Steve Miller is one of the best songwriters ever. For my money, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves. His show last night at the pool at Talking Stick Casino and Resort was way more entertaining than I thought it would be, and that is not to say I was…
To say Wynonna Judd is a positive person these days is an understatement. We caught up with her as she was putting the finishing touches on her 8th solo recording in Los Angeles about a week ago. The platinum (many times over) selling singer, who just turned 51 on May…
Used music gear is always a crap shoot. Buyer beware and such, sometimes you get a real find, something you’ll play or use forever and sometimes you get something less valuable than what you pay for it. There are reputable shops around town to purchase used gear as well as…
Rocky Horror at the Firehouse. The name of the event says a lot, when you think about it. Is it a bunch of firemen (and women) putting on the infamous play that later became a celluloid cult classic? No, and apologies to all the ladies swooning at the thought of…
To say the evening was fun is an understatement. Sleater-Kinney played to a sizable crowd at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe Wednesday night who represented one of the most enjoyable gatherings of humans I have seen in a while. There was a true sense of excitement and anticipation in the…
Veterans of the Riot Grrrl scene know that sustained success is not always easily defined or found. Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney knows a thing or two about the peaks and valleys of achievement. Tucker, who plays a fantastic rhythm guitar and sings with a powerful yet lovely voice, was one…
Sadly, I didn’t get my wish. I really wanted to see someone push their friend (or maybe date) into the pool at Talking Stick Resort on Sunday night while ZZ Top was playing and it didn’t happen. The other thing that didn’t happen was a good concert. At best, the…
Built to Spill is a perplexing band. They can lull an audience into a happy trance as well as any band I’ve ever seen. They are great. Yes. There is no denying their talent and their fingers are definitely nimble, but watching them two days in a row sort of…
There was a point during last night’s Ariana Grande concert at Talking Stick Resort Arena where the video on the screen behind the tiny pop star scrolled some campy, sci-fi-esque nonsense (with an accompanying voice over which was probably necessary due to about 10 percent of the audience not being…
There is little Zia Records hasn’t done to support the music scene in the Valley of the Sun. From consistently releasing music compilations, as well as providing an outlet for local musicians to sell their records, tapes, and cds, to offering the latest music on multiple formats for appreciative fans…
Though it’s premature to call Gus Campbell a guitar god, he is a true talent. One could use adjectives like “wunderkind” or clichés like “He’s an old soul,” but the truth of the matter is the kid can flat-out shred for any age. At 16, Campbell has a maturity and…
A dinner date with Los Angeles/Philadelpia based Rat Fist is a special time. There are no bones about it, both literally and figuratively, as bandleader, guitar player/shouter, and all around nice guy Randy Randall (also of Sub Pop recording artists No Age) is vegan, so we decided on dining at…
