Cover songs can be tricky business. Finding one(s) that everyone in a band wants to do and then executing it while attempting to pay proper homage to whoever or whatever reason you wanted to do it in the first place. Doing an entire set of someone else’s music, though –…
Without using a time-turner — and those things are dangerous — it’s impossible to see every show in Phoenix every week. It’s not even possible to see all five shows in this list. But I really don’t think you should resort to time-travel. There’ll be five more must-see shows this…
There are a few reasons you might be looking to climb into a bottle of booze well before it’s five o’clock anywhere. And regardless of the reasoning, there’s a bar in this Valley to meet your needs. We’ve got dive bars options, wine bar options, and even Scottsdale sports bar…
As much as I embrace the label in a jaded attempt to disarm its pathetic sting, “hipster” doesn’t really describe me. I listen to hundreds of musicians, scattered from every genre you can name (except ska, because fuck ska), but I never choose to like a band because they’re obscure…
Stone Sour and Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has been all over music news lately. Headlines have ranged from “Corey Taylor: There’s Nothing Worse Than Forced Music” to “Slipknot’s Corey Taylor Robbed of Music Gear, Late Bassists’ Guitars Stolen.” There are things that have come to light this past year that…
The MaineCrescent BallroomJuly 27, 2013 (Check out the complete slideshow for more photos.)Ten years ago, a local band selling out a venue the size of the Crescent as convincingly as The Maine did Saturday would be on its way to a major label deal. The Maine, of course, are now…
On Thursday night at Crescent Ballroom, the vibe was even more feel-good and positive than usual. Sure, it was a roster chock-full of locally loved acts — Flamenco por la Vida, Sara Robinson & The Midnight Special, The Senators, and Dry River Yacht Club — that attracted an impressively large…
It’s not that I’m rooting for The Maine to become nationally famous and then commit some terrible faux pas in Western Europe, but I’m halfway through a “Maine in Spain Fails Softly Something Something” headline that I’d really like to sell to the New York Post. They’ll be back in…
There’s always been a dark edge lurking behind the glittery pop and warm strings of Glen Campbell. Yet, it’s taken an unexpected album, culled from a series of time-killing studio outtakes, to reveal this side of Campbell. See You There, coming August 6 on Surfdog Records, takes more than a…
Jimmy Eat World’s new album, “Damage,” is all about breakups and heartache, so a cover of Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” made perfect sense for the band — especially when they could add a hard-rock touch to the track. The band has been playing the song…
Rancid Marquee Theatre Wednesday, July 24, 2013 Seeing a 21-year-old punk band is always kind of a crapshoot. Bands like Social Distortion continue to sell out shows year after year, while groups like The Misfits, Dead Kennedys, and certain iterations of Black Flag would be better off hanging it up…
Kid RockAk-Chin PavilionJuly 24, 2013 (View the full slideshow.) Robert Ritchie, better known as Kid Rock, is no longer a kid, but last night at Ak-Chin Pavilion he proved that he could still rock with the best of them with an energetic performance. As the lights went out, Journey’s “Don’t…
I just got back from my 30th high school reunion in Minot, North Dakota. It was great to see so many of my lifelong friends and classmates. Most of us have spread out across the country, and we all commented on how comfortable and familiar it was to be back…
We’ve hit an oversaturation point for bands having comeback albums, reunion tours, and any number of other obvious cash-grabs, so it’s hard not to roll your eyes whenever some band from the ’80s, ’90s, or even early Aughts makes that kind of announcement. And it’s true: Some of it’s downright…
The week a once-ubiquitous band rolls through town on its comeback tour is a good time to reflect on whether, why, and how much you enjoyed it in the first place. For me and Matchbox Twenty, America’s most indestructible post-grunge band, those answers are “yes,” “because they’re so overproduced,” and…
If either Mighty Mike Saga or Alex King seems at all stressed lately, it’s to be expected. The pair of rivetheads has spent the past two years preparing to bring Saga’s influential dance party I Love Industrial to Phoenix this weekend, and there’s still plenty to do before the madness…
An anomaly is defined as a “deviation from the normal or common order.” That’s a fitting definition of local rockers Anomaly. The band’s sound walks everywhere but the beaten path — it’s a blend of heavy and harmonized vocals, unrelenting chords and structures, and electronic samples and digital beats that…
There’s not much to say about another stupefyingly hot Phoenix summer that hasn’t already been fired in all caps directly onto your Facebook news feed. It’s another year when Circle K Polar Pop cups might fuse with the blacktop if the mercury rises any further. But it hasn’t scorched the…
Thursday 25 AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Barney’s Boathouse: Thirsty Thursdays with DJ Pulse (Top 40, rock) Bar Smith: Dulce Thursdays with DJ Deuce, & DJ JayOne (hip-hop) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (juke joint, R&B, French pop) Bobby Q’s: All-Star Thursdays with DJ Freshmaker,…
It takes a lot for a heavy metal band to beat out Lady Gaga on the music charts — especially in a place like Japan, where people love the pop artist’s catchy dance music and outrageous outfits. (You know, since the Japanese need a reason to sport cartoonish, questionable, and/or…
It’s been a while since Chris Isaak released an album of all-new music (2009’s Mr. Lucky), but for the rockabilly crooner with the spangled jacket, fat Chet Atkins-style guitar, and perfectly coifed hair, new material isn’t really necessary. Isaak made his name with his early albums, most notably San Francisco…
It’s hard to believe Bruno Mars was playing small clubs like Martini Ranch back when his breakout single, “Just the Way You Are,” started to gain traction. Now, after a steady takeover of pop airwaves, he’s playing US Airways Center. It’s hard to avoid hearing the tracks he’s touched, whether you’re…
