Seven Music Lessons I’m Passing Down the Family Tree

My oldest daughter arrived yesterday with my two grandsons, ages 1 and 3. That’s right. I’m a music-blogging grandpa. If you’ve ever read any of my past rambling, you may remember that I’m still wrangling kids as well (five kids total, three in the house). That means I’ve got myself…

Top 5 Must-See Phoenix Shows This Week

Want to get in a show this week? There are plenty of concerts and live gigs over the next five days around Metro Phoenix to choose from, as you can see for yourself by viewing our extensive online concert listings. And we’re fairly certain that there’s something for everyone, regardless…

Industrial Freakfest Fallout.Shelter Goes Underground This Weekend

Something especially insidious will be lurking just beneath downtown Phoenix after darkness falls weekend. But before you ask, it’s not a C.H.U.D., Balrog, or hellspawn. More like a slew of sinister subterranean creatures of a more fetishistic and rivethead bent. Specifically, we’re referring to the throng of pleather-clad freaks and…

Top 5 Must-See Phoenix Shows This Weekend

Here’s the problem: I’d really like to open this Top 5 Must-See Phoenix Shows This Weekend with an animated GIF of Dick Van Dyke and his a cappella group just kind of dancing around and having a good time. But that’s on their official website, and not designated a press…

There Are a Ton of Great Female-Fronted Rock Bands Right Now

Though I confess to being an ardent reader of them, I’m resistant to shoveling my year’s listening habits into a year-end list; looking back like that feels like underscoring the records I missed rather than the ones I was spinning endlessly. Beyond that, I find it nothing short of off-putting…

God Help Us: It’s the #SelfieOlympics

Has selfie culture officially gone batshit? Oxford Dictionaries named “selfie” the word of the year in 2013 (it narrowly beat out “twerk” and “binge-watch”) and anyone who goes to concerts sees audience members spending most of the show shooting themselves. Now a marketing firm called 3d Public Relations is asking…

Decoding Darkside’s Psych-Flavored Electronica

In 2011, Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington were on tour in Berlin when, on an off-day, they were too restless to relax. Stationed in a hotel room, Jaar asked Harrington, who was playing guitar in Jaar’s touring band, if he wanted to make some music. Harrington said yes. The duo…

Phil Anselmo Actually Doesn’t Know How to Wind Down

Phil Anselmo has been a pioneering metal vocalist ever since joining Pantera in 1987. Since then, he’s contributed vocals to more than three dozen acts — most notably as the frontman of Down and Superjoint Ritual — and has been involved in twice as many other projects, including voicing Satan…

Fallout Shelter @ Underground Venue TBA

Something especially malevolent will lurk just beneath downtown Phoenix after nightfall this weekend. But before you ask, it’s certainly not a C.H.U.D., Balrog, or hellspawn. It’s slew of sinister subterranean creatures of a more fetishistic and rivethead bent. Specifically, we’re referring to the mass of pleather-clad freaks and geeks who…

Seven Nights of EDM, DJs, and Dancing

Thursday 23 AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Bar Smith: Ladies Night with DJ AL3 (hip-hop, Latin) 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)…

Phil Anselmo: “I Get Annoyed By My Laziness”

Phil Anselmo has been a pioneering metal vocalist ever since coming on board with Pantera in 1987. Since then, he’s contributed vocals to more than three dozen acts–most notably as the front man of Down and Superjoint Ritual–and has been involved in twice as many other projects, including voicing Satan…

Now Open: Record Revival’s Newer, Bigger Midtown Location

Local vinyl junkies in need of a fix now have a new place to score. Namely, the recently reopened Record Revival. Earlier this month, the LP emporium went from pint-size to supersize after debuting its newer, bigger digs along Osborn Road near Seventh Street, which boasts three rooms’ worth of…