There may not be a more affirming happening for a hip-hop group than to get press from The Source magazine, and following the release of their newest video, “Washed Up,” Tempe-based three-piece Injury Reserve attained that milestone. Like all of Injury Reserve’s previous music videos, “Washed Up” is intelligent and…
Ernie Halter is an alien. He’s an alien because he played one Star Trek: Voyager (he was beamed away), and he’s an alien because his time in cyberspace has defined, in large part, the direction of his musical career. Through dedicated, hard work, Halter’s music is now beamed (okay, streamed)…
Every Wednesday is Heritage Hump Day! That’s because every Wednesday from now to the end of the year or before someone really big stops us, Heritage Hump Records (a temporary subsidiary of Onus Records) and New Times will be bringing you a limited edition collector’s item of a much beloved…
There are quite a few musical acts in town that would make just about any casual music fan stop and ask themselves, “What in the world is going on here?” But none of them dive as deep into the waters of “high weirdness” as proto-industrial Americana five-piece RPM Orchestra. “‘High…
There is no narration in the documentary Heaven Adores You, a film about the life and music of folk-punk hero Elliott Smith. Instead, the story of his life is told by Smith himself through his music and past interviews with the singer-songwriter. His friends and family join him in the…
HibriaBrazil is the biggest country in South America. And aside from bikini waxes, famous soccer players, and BBQ meat served on swords, the country is also known for heavy metal music, of all varieties and subgenres, from death/grind to power metal. But, culturally, and politically, at the time of this…
We don’t get too many May flowers in the Valley of the Sun — but we do get a truckload of May metal shows. There are a ton of great shows around town, which is why we compiled a monthly list of the best metal and hard rock concerts happening…
Understandably, many in the Valley are dreading the month ahead. As the weeks roll by, the summertime season will be getting into full swing, everyone you know will start leaving town to escape, and there’s soon to be nothing but dreck on television (Game of Thrones nonwithstanding). It’s not all…
When Valley jazz singer Margo Reed passed away last month at the age of 73, the beloved vocalist left behind an indelible legacy. And according to her friends, family members, and fans, its one filled with cherished memories and unforgettable performances by one the true gems of Arizona’s jazz scene…
Here are your best options for musical entertainment this weekend. For more choices, check out our comprehensive concert calendar…
James Russell’s mother told him that his first invention was the “automated battleship” he built when he was 6. By the time he was 13, he was fixing toasters, irons and fans at a local appliance store in his hometown outside Seattle. The summer before he left for college, he…
Like a front snap punch to the throat, Melt-Banana’s erratic noise will shower you with peals of explosive abandon not unlike Foetus’ or Drive Like Jehu’s. The Japanese noise duo — Yasuko Onuki, responsible for the band’s chirping, hyperactive vocals, and Ichirou Agata, who likes to layer his guitar riffs…
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…
Chilean experimental trio Föllakzoid’s newest release, the aptly titled III, has only four tracks, but there is nothing economical about what they do with their humble arsenal. Each song, including the opening track “Electric,” is an expansive, layered masterpiece that is organically constructed from the haunting rhythms inside their heads…
Photo By Erik Hess By Nicholas Pell What I’m about to say, I say with no trace of irony: Limp Bizkit are pretty awesome. In fact, so far as I can tell, they were the last good thing alt-rock radio had to offer. Let’s talk about their musical merits. I…
For the most part, electronic dance music is a realm of the young. For proof, look no further than this year’s Wet Electric in Tempe where a majority of the thousands in attendance at the two-day music festival were firmly in the under-30 age range and were definitely of the…
When the promoters of the annual Wet Electric at Tempe’s Big Surf Waterpark touted the event as the “biggest pool party in North America,” they weren’t lying. After all, the two-day electronic dance music festival on Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, took place within the confines of the…
Expectations can pollute an experience, but you’d assume a Saul Williams show would incorporate spoken word, hip-hop, and theater, the trifecta the New York rapper is known for. In this regard, Williams did not disappoint when he performed at Club Red on a Tuesday night in Mesa. In other areas,…
Darkness surrounds the Soft Moon. So does a sense of struggle, hopelessness, and want, the sound of a mind searching for searching for sanity and peace in a confusing world. The Soft Moon is the musical voice of Luis Vasquez, a man battling inner demons and willing to go to…
If any paradigm were to most accurately sum up existence on this blue marble, it would describe the dichotomy of good and bad. In plain English, we would marvel at What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World it is, which happens to be the title of The Decemberists’ latest…
To many people, open mics are nothing but the last-ditch effort of a bar, coffee shop, art space, or music venue to draw customers. Some might say they’re bottom-scrapers, providing the least-talented and least-experienced musicians a stage they wouldn’t get otherwise. We asked those in the music scene about open…
I had some technical difficulties on Monday night, so let me start with the fact that Matt and Kim, which performed at Marquee Theatre in Tempe, are spectacular in concert. I spent some time listening to the duo’s latest album, Lightning, before heading out to the show, and there is…
