Watch enough infomercials for Time-Life ’80s compilations, and you’ll come to this conclusion: Some albums are of their time because they were released at the peak of a particular trend, and some albums were a trend. She’s So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper’s famous debut, is so important to our conception of…
Courtney Marie Andrews has been a Phoenix institution seemingly forever — she was on our cover three years ago — but she won’t turn 23 until November. In the five years since her debut release, Urban Myths, she’s toured and recorded with fellow institution Jimmy Eat World, continued to release…
It’s almost like a local indie supergroup! No Volcano features Colorstore guitarist Jeremy Randall, bassist Jake Sevier of Letdownright and Kingfathand, and drummer Chris Kennedy and vocalist/lead guitarist Jim Andreas of the mid-’90s outfit Trunk Federation. And perhaps you’ll recall Trunk Federation’s mirrored head that would spin like a disco…
Kendrick Lamar isn’t the first young rapper to spend the better part of his breakthrough album asking what it means to be a good person. He’s not even the first young rapper to frame said album with a vague concept. But where Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon: The End…
Phoenix has plenty of things going against it when it comes to uniting the local music scene. The venues that most often book local acts are often miles and miles apart, forcing fans to hop on freeways and drive up to an hour to see their favorite bands. Some of…
It’s been a couple of weeks since Edward Snowden ratted out the National Security Agency, and most of America’s still in a twist over revelations of our government’s Orwellian-style surveillance tactics. And maybe in the mood to riot, stage a few protests, or — at the very least — preach…
Even the most ardent music fans have a skewered impression of Phoenix’s early rock musical landscape. It starts with Sanford Clark and Marty Robbins, then you cross a whole spread of barren desert ’til you get to Lee Hazlewood and Duane Eddy, and then nothing until the early rumblings of…
Will Wiesenfeld, the 24-year-old lap-pop programmer and dedicated pianist who performs as Baths, has made numerous mentions of his disdain for the “glitch” tag that is sometimes glued to his palpitating, cathartic compositions. Can’t blame him: It brings to mind inscrutably syncopated drum ‘n’ bass, or the decreasingly cited anymore…
Thursday 20 AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Barney’s Boathouse: Thirsty Thursdays with DJ Pulse (Top 40, rock) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (juke joint, R&B, French pop) Bobby Q’s: All-Star Thursdays with DJ Phlava, DJ Dark Vader, & DJ Skoolboi (hip-hop, R&B, reggae) Cadillac Ranch:…
Given what we know about Kanye West, a comparison between his newest (best, maybe) record and the long-dead punk rock movement seems like a tough case to make — the dude telling God that he’s stacking his millions seems like an odd choice for a continuation of Never Mind the…
Glitter-trash Princess Ke$ha will break in the newly christened Ak-Chin Pavilion tonight with rapper Pitbull. The pairing of Mr. 305 and MTV’s latest reality star may seem unlikely, but according to Ke$ha, the two just want to bring a party and make you dance. She isn’t your typical cookie-cutter pop…
She & Him (View the full slideshow.)Comerica TheatreJune 18, 2013 Hear about She & Him at blog or magazine distance and your impression of them is dominated by the simple presence of Zooey Deschanel’s name. Get a little closer, within range of one of their albums, and your impression of…
Even from the first sound of the album, it is clear that Yeezus is a very different album from any of Kanye West’s other works. There is no introduction; the album begins with “On Sight” which features heavy, wonky synthesizers and a pounding Chicago house beat provided by Daft Punk…
Friends and members of the local music community are remembering Daniel Somers, a producer and singer/guitarist of Phoenix rock band Lisa Savidge, as a hardworking, talented musician. Somers, 30, took his own life on Monday, June 10. The U.S. Army vet had been suffering from nightmares, flashbacks, and hallucinations related…
Anyone who follows Arizona’s reigning slow-jam king on Twitter or Facebook knows that he’s into keeping in touch with his fans. With that in mind — and because Ann Landers just doesn’t know you as well as he does — we’d like to invite you personally to bring your problems…
The venue intermittently known as Desert Sky Pavilion has seen a number of sponsors come and go since opening more than 20 years ago, so let’s hope this one sticks: Out with Cricket and Blockbuster and Ashley Furniture HomeStore, in with Ak-Chin Pavilion, named for and sponsored by the Ak-Chin…
By Alex Distefano I have been a heavy metal fan for over 50 percent of my existence on this planet. But when you’re talking about the all-encompassing musical genre known as “heavy metal,” you might as well be talking about something as infinitely complicated as the universe. It’s that vast,…
Load up your copy of Avicii’s “Last Dance” and steel yourself for some depressing news, EDM fans and nightlife fiends: Axis-Radius, the longest-running dance club in Scottsdale, will close by month’s end after 16 years in operation. The Old Town institution — which has served as the epicenter for DJs,…
Indie rock band Sea Wolf is getting ready to wrap up a lengthy tour in support of their new release, Old World Romance. The third full-length offering from the group founded and orchestrated by California native Alex Brown Church veers a bit from their previous endeavors. The folk elements that…
I love Ke$ha. I’m not in love with her, per se, but sometimes I like to imagine that we go clubbing together and share laughs, and drinks, and the terrible secret of a brutal hit-and-run we’ve promised never to reveal. You know, the usual Friday night fare. What is it…
Jon Spencer Blues ExplosionCrescent BallroomJune 16, 2013 It was definitely a crowd of serious fans that filled up the Crescent Ballroom last night to see NYC’s Jon Spencer Blues Explosion lay down their well-oiled rock ‘n’ roll fury. Before the band took the stage, the collective conversation was abuzz with…
Phoenix doesn’t just boast talented music makers, we also got this cool seraglio of directors. And when you combine the two, you get the kind of music vid that’s worthy of all your indie cred. Cash it in right here with three kickass, locally produced music videos. Bogan Via -…
