A quick question: Is it possible for a rock ‘n’ roll song to feature bells — those chiming, ringing things — without plunging to the depths of saccharine “twee-ness”? We’re not talking booming “For Whom the Bell Tolls”-by-Metallica bells. We’re talking street-performer, Christmas-caroling bells. Is it possible to employ the…
Singer-songwriter and folk troubadour Greg Brown is more than just another guy with a guitar and resonant voice. Brown’s ability to forge a musical style that melds Appalachia, folk, and blues with lyrics that capture the spirit of the land and the people who live and work on it has…
Mergence is one of those Phoenix bands that garners incredible local hype for its talents while simultaneously admitting that such popularity would be considerably less likely in New York or Los Angeles. While the plaudits of the critics generally are a bit over the top, the band really does have…
Carrie Brownstein had a pretty awesome 2012. Her band Wild Flag mounted a successful tour, her IFC comedy series Portlandia won a Peabody and got renewed for a third season, and her voice just appeared in an episode of The Simpsons. We caught up with the Seattle-born multi-hyphenate to chat…
If you aren’t already envious of Matan Zohar, who performs as Mat Zo, you’ve got every right to be nothing but helly jelly. At the tender age of 22, the London-born trance and house producer already has collaborated with Porter Robinson (on last year’s epic progressive track “Easy”) as well…
Editor’s note: In early 2012, our sister paper the Village Voice ran writer Steven Thrasher’s interview with Kronos Quartet violinist David Harrington about the influence of composer Philip Glass. In anticipation of the Quartet’s two-night stand at the Musical Instrument Museum, here is that conversation. In addition to several collaborations…
In his blustery way, Phil Anselmo has embodied everything that is right and wrong with the heavy metal lifestyle. Fronting the legendary Pantera, he raised the bar with one timeless album after another. In Down, he combined soul and sludge. With Superjoint Ritual, he brought forth a mix of hardcore…
Thursday 10 Afterlife: Touch Thursdays (Top 40, electronica, dance) AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (juke joint, R&B, French pop, honky tonk) Cadillac Ranch: Thirsty Thursdays with DJ Chris Villa & DJ Kyko (Top 40, hip-hop, house) Dollhouse: Thursdays de Besitos…
http://www.voiceplaces.com/monsterland-phoenix-2993678-l/
Editor’s Note: In an eerie (and downright unlucky) twist of fate, the freaky folks at Monsterland announced the impending closure of the Mesa spot this afternoon within hours of this blog’s publication. See below for more info. Editor’s Note #2: In an even more bizarre twist, whoever’s in charge decided…
David Bowie had one hell of a 66th birthday yesterday by releasing a new single and announcing his first new album in a decade. Poor Elvis — Ziggy Stardust had to steal all of the glory of a January 8 birthday. New single “Where Are We Now?” may be a…
We’re only a week and a half into 2013, but Dry River Yacht Club is already having a great year so far. These gypsy rockers were one of the five artists added to the River Jones Music Label on New Years Day. The big news doesn’t end there, the band…
Were you looking forward to seeing what West Coast G-funk pioneer Warren G on Thursday, February 10? Looking forward to seeing if he could bring that old hutzpah to classics like “Regulate” and the curiously titled “Party We Will Throw Now?” Well, we were — we crowned the guy king…
Even though it’s only about two hours away, Tucson and the musical happenings within it can seem distant and obscure to a Phoenix resident like myself. For instance, I only found out about Tucson metal act Godhunter today — despite the fact that it appears that they have been consistently…
There were a lot of grim faces on Monday morning as the electro-loving masses emerged off the MSC Poesia — a.k.a. the EDM party boat Holy Ship!! — and did a slow zombie shuffle through U.S. customs and back into the real world (a.k.a. Fort Lauderdale). Here in the industrial…
Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you stop…
Local record label 80/20 has been on a roll lately. The label signed Future Loves Past, PALMS, and Captain Squeegee last month, and announced the acquisition of local electro fuzz poppers Zero Zero yesterday. Zero Zero, like the other three bands, is set to release a new album this year…
A band with genuine mystery is hard to come by in the Internet age, but Tempe scrap-pop outfit The Cigs had it: Not much is known about the short-lived project, but last week, the band posthumously released its second full-length, Marble Red, on Bandcamp. The band started in January 2012…
Katie BainA-TrakAboard the Holy Ship!! one gets to mix and mingle with the slew of name DJs. “Hey there’s Zedd in line for pasta salad. Oh wow, there’s Dillon Francis in the elevator. Oh damn, Diplo is out on the beach swimming with all the fans. “Jackbeats just bought all…
Katie BainOn Friday afternoon, nearly 3,000 raver chicks, dude guys, scenesters, club kids and DJs assembled at a port in Fort Lauderdale and boarded the MSC Poesia, a.k.a. Holy Ship!! (There are two exclamation points because this is the second edition of the EDM party cruise put on by L.A.’s…
And so it begins. Now that the all the decorations have been put away into the attic and holiday season is firmly in the rearview, so ends a relatively dead period in the local concert calendar. As the days grow longer and the temperatures begin to climb, big shows and…
I’m almost a little bummed that the world didn’t end on December 21. No War of the Worlds or 2012 scenes became a reality, although I was so sure that the only reason gas prices were down was because all the rich people were holed up in their submarines, burrowed…
