Music that leaves you with a sense of unease is often some of the most poignant work you will come across. Whether it’s a theme of loss, unrequited love or some common displacement, it’s the stark human relativity that makes the work of Eels’ frontman, E, that much more memorable…
When there were all those rumors about AC/DC retiring/breaking up a few weeks ago, a lot of people were panicking. Everyone from industry pros to famous musicians wondered if AC/DC was actually going to continue on without guitarist/founder Malcolm Young, or if they should just hang up their hats after…
“School’s out for summer,” sang one of Phoenix’s proudest sons, Alice Cooper. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say that per-capita celebrations of summer are lower here than most places in the country. As Arizona State University students go back from whence they came and the…
Creating an interesting, engaging, or exciting music video is no easy trick. In some ways, it sometimes can be as challenging as creating the song that its showcasing. While the audio end is covered, filmmakers or video creators have to conjure up a visual representation of the track being featured…
Drop by El Hefe in Scottsdale on any given Sunday afternoon and you’ll find yourself in the middle of a party, and quite the epic one at that. The Saddlebag Trail spot is a bit infamous for its weekly 4-2-10 Sundays affair, which is one the wildest club events in…
Chuck Ragan and the Camaraderie Crescent Ballroom Thursday, May 8, 2014 Chuck Ragan’s reputation precedes him. The Hot Water Music singer has now released four albums rooted in acoustic folk, and he’s one of the manliest guys in music (just take a look at his Instagram page). Chuck is also…
Editor’s note: Since Oct. 6, 2012 (the 50th anniversary of the release of the Beatles’ debut album Love Me Do), we’ve been on a half-century celebration cycle in which we are scheduled to relive every Beatles innovation, every release of the Beatles’ landmark career in real time, right until the…
There are so many options for concerts this week. Diversity — that’s what Phoenix’s music scene is offering. Like hair metal? Catch Skid Row and Black Star Riders on Friday. Goth DJ nights? We got that, too. Punk? Indie rock? Stoner metal godfathers? Yup; yeah; and yes, please. Check out…
While the sign outside of Smashboxx still happens to be glowing, the proprietors of the Scottsdale DJ haven and dance joint have pulled the plug on the place. After three years in operation, which seems to be the average lifespan for most nightspots in the ‘Dale these days, the Indian…
The Black Keys announced a nationwide tour in support of their forthcoming album, Turn Blue, and they will stop by Phoenix on November 10 to play the US Airways Center. No word yet on ticket price, but if you pre-order the album through the Black Keys’ website you can get…
If you missed the sold-out shows Dr. Dog played at the Crescent Ballroom in February, you don’t have to wait much longer for another chance to see the Philadelphia band. Dr. Dog is playing a free show at Desert Botanical Gardens on May 15. RSVP here. See also: Dr. Dog’s…
Boys Noize Monarch Theatre May 7, 2014 Wednesday night Boys Noize and L-Vis 1990 headlined at Monarch Theatre, bringing underground house and electro to a relentless crowd. By 11 the third opener, Bijou was wrapping up his set. The local DJ known for playing deep house and Chicago style house…
Ah, musicians. They’re a special breed. They find emotional releases in writing melodies, they turn their personal lives into song lyrics, and they have to try to make relationships work despite groupie onslaughts and the airing out of their dirty laundry on stage. The things that make them attractive –…
At first glance, the image appeared to be just another photo, the kind of day-to-day self-documenting that floods online interactions these days: A young man sitting on a chair holding a guitar against bare white walls. Around him are keyboards, amps, and other equipment. It could have been anyone: someone…
Beaten down by lineup changes, shitty opening slots on five-band bills, and an indefinable lack of forward momentum, The Sex could have easily — like countless lesser bands — unplugged their Marshalls long ago. But this scrappy local punk act may just be getting started. This month, The Sex birthed…
As founder of genre-spanning songwriter project Eels, Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E, knows what it’s like to reinvent himself. Since the band’s formation in 1995, he’s bounced among genres while never fearing wearing his heart on his sleeve. With The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett, Eels’ most…
We Are Scientists crafts great songs, tunes that are sincere and catchy slices of indie rock. But the Berkeley trio’s primary appeal (besides looking sharp in suits) may lie in its sense of humor. There are the music videos, especially 2005’s “The Great Escape,” which features the band’s members crouched…
On a sweltering Sunday night in early May, a young-skewing crowd of roughly 50 black-clad hardcore fans packed around the tiny stage in the sweaty basement of the Nile Theater in Mesa. The main attraction of the evening was Georgia screamo band Circle Takes the Square, but this crowd was…
Whether it’s through his digital design work or his post-rock music outfit, A Cloud for Climbing (AC4C), Brock Lefferts has one goal in mind: “organically distorting what is perfect.” In AC4C, Lefferts flies solo, using audio software Ableton Live to manufacture loops and beats for him to play alongside on…
Bandleader Sergio Mendoza was born in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, but crossed the U.S./Mexico border to the American side of the city (in Arizona) when he was 8 years old. He moved north to Tucson at 18. He formed Sergio Mendoza y la Orkesta in 2009, banding together a group of…
Thursday 8 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,…
By our count, the DJ duo of Defense.Mekanizm and Self.Destrukt have violated at least four of the seven deadly sins (pride, gluttony, wrath, and — most importantly — lust) during the debaucherous dance nights they’ve hosted around town, In other words, the pair is more than qualified to put on…
