Dereconstructed, the sophomore album by Birmingham, Alabama’s Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires, opens with a greasy guitar riff and a gospel-inflicted howl from Bains: “Yessir, tell me why, tell me why.” The drums and bass kick in and it’s pure boogie, undeniably “Southern rock.”…
The owner of >Lawn Gnome Publishing, Aaron Hopkins-Johnson, is one of the best slam poets in the country, and so it stands to reason that his store is a hub for those interested in the spoken word. Lawn Gnome once held one of Phoenix’s most popular open mic nights, it…
Lee Bains III is a white, Christian Southerner and, yes, knows exactly how that reads. Over the course of the 10 tracks on Dereconstructed, his sophomore album with his band the Glory Fires, he chews on and wrestles with the idea of Southern identity, reflecting on a place where segregation…
What do you say about a performer like Sage Francis? He plays with words? He slays them? He engages his audience using a medium that rarely witnesses such a truly spectacular mastery of the vernacular? His repertoire of rhetoric is frenetic, authentic, and polemic while being transcendent, resplendent, and a…
Beginning with MySpace, then on other digital platforms, Ingrid Michaelson has been recording and releasing her own brand of indie-pop music, with a mysterious artsy flair, for more than a decade. In April, she released her latest studio album, Lights Out, which has climbed to number one on the indie…
Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale were veteran songwriters — 14 solo albums between them, to be exact — before they began collaborating on what would become the duo’s first album, Prologue. But when they started writing songs, they stripped the sound from their previous projects and wrote melancholy, earnest tunes…
Despite all its nihilistic, anarchistic, and pugilistic leanings, Fight Club actually is a tale of hope and redemption. No, really. Strip away all the brutality, bedlam, and bathing products, and the overall message of both Chuck Palahniuk’s original novel and David Fincher’s flick is that one can attain salvation, albeit…
Thursday 19 AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Baja Joe’s: Latin Live Thursdays with DJ Chop (Top 40, Latin) Bar Smith: Ladies Night with DJ AL3, & DJ Fantastico (hip-hop, EDM, trap, Latin) Bobby Q’s: All Star Thursdays with DJ Freshmaker, DJ Phlava, DJ Dark Vader,…
Walking through Mo Neuharth’s Phoenix home, you don’t get the sense that you’re in the house of a 23-year-old artist and part-time server. She has roommates, but the place is immaculate — like a catalog for redux vintage design. She and her bandmates, Emily Hobeheidar and Sophie Opich, shuffle around…
The Black Crowes are known to go on hiatus. In 2011, after a couple decades of much success with the Black Crowes, singer Chris Robinson decided to use that particular sabbatical to do something new. He formed the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, and it since has become his primary musical focus…
Don’t let the name fool you. Or the bluegrass pedigree developed playing in the traveling band that was her family. No, Jessica Lea Mayfield is an out and out rocker, owing as much to the Foo Fighters and Stone Temple Pilots as she does Bill Monroe. While her first two…
On June 20, Sage Francis graces Central Phoenix with his uniquely eloquent version of hip-hop. The Providence, Rhode Island, native has a delivery and style that is not for everyone, mind you, but it is certainly compelling enough to make any fan of a cleverly turned phrase sit up and…
Stop Making Sense turned 30 this year, and in honor of the anniversary, The Talking Heads’ legendary concert film is returning to theaters, and will screen this Sunday at Phoenix Center for the Arts. Presented by No Festival Required, the Valley’s top microcinema producer, the screening, like the film, won’t…
Karaoke fans of the East Valley planning to swing by the Goat Head Saloon in Mesa for some crooning tonight had better look elsewhere. Same for blues cats who were planning to hang out this weekend during the Sunday jam session. That’s because the Goat Head has evidently closed down,…
ReThink’s latest contest is reinforcing the saying “home is where the heart is.” The contest, called “Why Housing Matters,” is raising awareness about public housing through music. Participants in the contest were asked to submit excerpts on what home means to them. The contest has been narrowed down to 10…
People that have never been to music festivals may think it’s an easy, thoughtless experience. You just show up and party. Well, that’s somewhat true. But it takes endurance. Eighty thousand people gathered across a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, this past weekend for the 13th annual Bonnaroo Music and…
Those looking to get out of the Phoenix heat can find no better reason than the Flagstaff Blues and Brews festival on Saturday, June 21. The event goes from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Continental Driving Range. Eden “Little Boogalo” Brent is a good place to start. Her…
In the Valley, there is clearly no shortage of places for nightly booty-shaking to a myriad of local DJs. From Scottsdale’s glam clubs bumping EDM to Phoenix’s dives roaring punk and garage. If you think you don’t dance, there’s a night playing a tune that’s sure to prove you wrong…
I have loved the idea of the near monthly “Cover the Crescent” events at Crescent Ballroom since its inception and I have attended nearly all of them, but I have never seen a CTC sell out until Friday night. This particular edition of Cover the Crescent was beyond all others…
In the throes of a guitar solo, Failure guitarist Ken Andrews smacks his fist against his guitar, raises it over his head and shoves its neck into the Sunn Model 15 FRFR speaker behind him. He turns to face the audience, “Sergeant Politeness, caress my ego!” Like it or not,…
The heavy metal music community is one that’s pretty close. Last weekend, a well-respected veteran of the scene was killed. According to Phoenix police, on June 7 around 1:30 a.m., Chris Kutcher was driving east on Cactus Road when an intoxicated woman accelerated behind him, striking his SUV and sending…
The flow of music coming into Phoenix is trickling to a summer-induced halt, so make sure you get out to see shows while you can. Check out these five recommendations, and if you don’t see anything you like, check out our comprehensive concert listings for many more options…
