The Lawrence Arms Pub Rock 2/14/14 It’s safe to say that I had a better Valentine’s Day than the majority of the Valley. Unlike most of you, I didn’t have to deal with either setting sky-high expectations for a beau or sulking about being single — I just got to…
In several documentaries that you can find on YouTube such as N.Y.H.C. and In Effect ’91, several instrumental figures of New York City’s hardcore scene of the early ’90s repeatedly emphasize that the genre has an obligation to report on reality. Their reality is usually a romantic one full of…
Everyone loves a great love song. Passionate hyperbole about the glowing light of romance’s grand glory that can uplift and soothe an aching heart or nurture love’s first embrace. Really, love just wouldn’t be the same without great song to accompany it. There’s just nothing better than hearing hit those…
When the esteemed International Blues Challenge took place in Memphis late last month, one local band got an opportunity to go for blues immortality. Namely, the Valley’s Paul CruiZe Blues Crew, which represented Arizona at the annual competition and made it all the way into the semifinal round before bowing…
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 overabundance in metro Phoenix. The Valley’s music scene is gifted with burgeoning bands and emerging artists who will be making waves and…
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…
Some people will do just about anything for a shred of acknowledgement from their pop idols. For Arcadia High School student Matt Peterson, that meant filming himself naked on Camelback Mountain with his no-no area obscured by a foam twerk finger as he asked his celebrity crush Miley Cyrus to…
The Toasters Crescent Ballroom 2/12/14 It’s often said that good things come to those who wait. So after a decade of waiting, I finally got a chance Wednesday night to once again catch one of the oldest ska bands in the United States in concert: The Toasters. And despite having…
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 overabundance of in Metro Phoenix. The Valley’s music scene is gifted with burgeoning bands and emerging artists who will be making waves…
Let’s trip back through time to yesteryear, specifically 1998. Grunge was dead, and from the ashes rose the alternative rock wave of the late ’90s and early Aughts to fill the void. The music industry was flooded by a generation of youths with chips on their shoulders and a knack…
Editor’s Note: Shea Serrano is an award-winning music writer and goofball whose recent exploits include Bun B’s Rap Coloring and Activity Book, and writes this weekly column about his life and times. Earlier this week, I went to the funeral of a person that I cared about. While I am…
Bettye LaVette has been making gritty, powerful soul music for more than 50 years. If you haven’t heard of her, that’s not unusual. If you thinkher career began in 2000, that’s not surprising either. LaVette’s had an up-and-down career, releasing almost three dozen singles — a number of them charting…
MewithoutYou is not a band to be taken lightly, nor is it a band easily defined. And right now, it’s a band that’s happy to be back on the road. Characterized by vocalist Aaron Weiss’ stream-of-consciousness lyrics, the Philadelphia four-piece is ever an immersive act — few bands can weave…
For Pete Bernhard, one of the guitarists and the primary singer for The Devil Makes Three, the process of creating the band’s most recent album, I’m a Stranger Here, was surprising. It was the first time the trio did not produce the record themselves (country singer Buddy Miller took the…
Thursday 13 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:…
No matter who you are, it’s a pretty sure bet guitarist Kid Congo Powers has cooler friends than you do. After all, Powers (real name Brian Tristan) got his start in 1979 playing guitar with legendary punk-blues firebrands the Gun Club, then jumped ship in 1980 to spend a few…
For bands that take the stage at any of the Fetish Revolution events, the term “tough crowd” can take on an entirely new meaning. The annual party is equal parts sexual dream (or nightmare, depending on who you ask), bondage carnival, alternative lifestyle symposium, and lingerie fashion show. It’s one…
Bring Me the Horizon Marquee Theatre 2/11/14 British metalcore act Bring Me the Horizon not only sold out Tempe’s Marquee Theatre Tuesday night, but they also blew the roof off the place with a performance that demonstrated why the band is blowing up in the States. The five-piece blasted through…
While Phoenicians are busy planning romantic dinners, exchanges of roses and chocolate, and other sappy Valentine’s rituals, those in the local dance music scene are busy with plans of their own. The Crush Music Festival is scheduled to go down on Saturday at Arizona Event Center in Mesa, and its…
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 overabundance of in Metro Phoenix. The Valley’s music scene is gifted with burgeoning bands and emerging artists who will be making waves…
For Pete Bernhard, one of the guitarists and the primary singer for The Devil Makes Three, the process of creating the band’s most recent album, I’m a Stranger Here, was surprising. It was the first time the trio did not produce the record themselves (country singer Buddy Miller took the…
As a regular solo act at San Tan Flat in Queen Creek, Mike Easterday puts on a country performance that tends to get people out of their seats and onto the dance floor. During his shows, the 27-year-old country musician sings an array of country covers, from Garth Brooks to…
