It’s rare to find a group that can go from being a cassette-recorded basement pastime to a full band that’s able to translate dazzling musicianship from the album to the stage. Such an evolution is rarely seamless, however. Dr. Dog — whose brand of psychedelic-tinged, harmony-driven pop was once the…
The Urinals, Far Corners, Man Hands, Button Struggler, Mr. Atomm’s Bombs Double Nickels Collective 2/22/14 In the sterile fluorescent light of Tempe’s Double Nickels Collective, a crowd of about 50 congregated with the shared intention of seeing Southern California’s legendary punk trio The Urinals Saturday night. It was a tight…
The Wind-Up Conspiracy Roosevelt Row 2/21/14 Downtown Phoenix’s most bizarre DJ duo ever, The Wind-Up Conspiracy, made their public debut last night and added an extra touch of strange to the oddball art circus known as Third Friday. The distinctly strange twosome of DJ Birch and DJ Decca played their…
Cibo Matto Crescent Ballroom 2/21/14 It’s been a minute since the NYC-based band, whose name means “crazy food” in Italian has graced a Valley stage. And by a minute, we mean close to 15 years. Last night, supporting their first release in about that same amount of time, Cibo Matto…
The members of Rebel Disco are being tight-lipped about their newest hangout. Though they haven’t dropped dime on its location just yet, however, they’ve ecstatically announced the headliner and inspiration for tonight’s “We Still Believe” party, The Black Madonna. Per Rebel Disco’s Facebook: “We are excited about our new venue…
On Thursday, the Arizona Senate okayed a bill that would allow denial of services on religious grounds. A move civil-rights groups (and yours geekly) believe would allow discriminatory actions by businesses. As I read the news, shaking my head and thinking, “What will the crazy conservatives in this state do…
Hear that? It’s the clock counting down the hours until your weekend begins and it’s nearing the magic moment known as quitting time. To help the time pass more quickly, you might consider what it is you’ll actually be doing during the next couple days and nights of work-free bliss…
It’s pretty safe to say that Roosevelt Row has more than its share of mad DJ sessions conducted amid the arty milieus of both First and Third Friday, especially outside such venues as Jobot or Aside of Heart. But a madcap DJ session done on gramophones? Yeah, that’s sort of…
Millions of people know who the Pixies are. Since the ’80s, the band has found its songs incorporated into some of the most significant moments within pop culture’s most beloved films and shows — but only within the past 15 years or so. (Think Fight Club’s buildings tumbling, Zack and…
To those not plugged into the deeper chasms of the musical underground, the idea of a noise musician most likely seems oxymoronic and bizarre. An easily understandable stance, given that noise is largely considered to be an undesirable sonic experience. However, over the course of decades, a sizable subsection of…
Know anyone with a big brain? And by that we mean local creative types with big ideas, grand visions, exceptional projects, and major dreams. If so, we’d really like to hear about them. It’s all for our annual Big Brain Awards, which spotlights such inventive and innovative groups and individuals…
By Mark Deming When one thinks of legendary punk rock venues where great bands got their start, folks usually think of CBGB in New York, or the Masque in Hollywood, or the 100 Club in London. Dykstra Hall, a dormitory on the UCLA campus? Not so much. But Dykstra Hall…
The name Damon Johnson may not ring a bell automatically, even if you are a hardcore rock ‘n’ roll fan. But this Alabama-bred guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter has been a part of rock’s favorite acts. His band, Brother Cane, released three albums and two number one singles on Billboard’s Mainstream…
It’s 2014 and high time you got some new music into your playlist — seriously. And that’s doubly true when it comes local music, of which there’s an abundance in metro Phoenix. The Valley’s music scene is gifted with burgeoning bands and emerging artists who will be making waves and…
When they haven’t been busy rehearsing, recording, or playing out around town, five Valley bands — The Prowling Kind, Andy Warpigs, The Hourglass Cats, The Prowling Kind, Fairy Bones, and The Haymarket Squares — have been busying themselves in recent weeks planning and filming music videos for their latest tracks…
When one thinks of legendary punk rock venues where great bands got their start, folks usually think of CBGB in New York, or the Masque in Hollywood, or the 100 Club in London. Dykstra Hall, a dormitory on the UCLA campus? Not so much. But Dykstra Hall does have one…
Admit it: You’ve always longed for a music video that, in sum, features shots of bananas, pineapples, and other fruit; an explosively gaudy color scheme; several bizarre green-screen backgrounds seen at a rapid-fire pace; a rap interlude; a saxophone solo; lyrics about French bread and oysters; and the phrase “motherfucking…
There are inherent advantages to being a jazz musician. Genre constraints are practically thrown out the window and almost anything is considered acceptable, no matter how free, New Age-y, rock-leaning, contemporary, ballady, or bopping. As long as integrity to the art form remains, experimentation is rewarded. Guitarist Pat Metheny has…
The members of Rebel Disco are being tight-lipped about their newest hangout. After years of slinging beats at such Phoenix nightspots as Bar Smith and Club 24, the tastemaking local DJ collective has a new joint in town, which will make its debut Friday, February 21, during the We Still…
Thursday 20 AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Bobby Q’s: All Star Thursdays with DJ Freshmaker, DJ Phlava, DJ Dark Vader, & DJ Skoolboi (hip-hop, Top 40, reggae) Dos Gringos (Scottsdale): DJ Switch (rock, Top 40, remixes) Fat Tuesday: DJ Eli (Top 40, EDM) Firehouse Scottsdale:…
The Ataris have always been Kris Roe’s baby. He is the singer, chief songwriter, and one constant member of the platinum-selling pop-punk band. An Indiana native, Roe has been fortunate enough to see music he wrote and performed go platinum in March 2003. For the 10-year anniversary of that platinum…
Ask George Thorogood how he’s doing, he’ll likely answer, “Bad.” Then, after leaving his interviewer wondering, he’ll follow up with “bad to the bone.” Somehow, it all seems pretty predictable, even expected, from the Delaware Destroyer some 40 years into a career — and 32 years after his biggest hit,…
