Math the Band @ Trunk Space|11/3/12Imagine if that goofy indie rock cred of The Shins and Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, the “Napoleon Dynamites” of music, hadn’t lost so much popularity and had instead evolved, embracing the EDM subculture with sentimental Millenial generation video game samples and more energy than…
The DIY method might be the record-releasing choice of local bands around the country — after all, the Internet opens all kinds of possibilities for self promotion, recording, and pressing — but increasingly, Phoenix artists seem to be signing to small labels. And it seems the Valley’s Mike Zimmerlich is…
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“I know the lyrics,” DMX states, with steely clarity. Then he proves it. The song in question? Johnny Marks’ 1949 Christmas classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Made popular by Gene Autry, Bing Crosby, and The California Raisins, DMX recently freestyled the song for New York hip-hop station 101.5, deftly adding…
World Party @ Crescent Ballroom|12/2/12It was almost with a sigh of relief that Karl Wallinger and World Party began their Crescent Ballroom concert with “Waiting Such A Long Time,” as it has been some years since Wallinger has taken World Party on a large-scale tour. See also: World Party Offers…
Once a week Up on the Sun features a new comic strip from punk rocker, cartoonist, and full-time dad Brad Dwyer. See the New Times print edition to check out the strip in glorious, inky newsprint each Thursday…
What’s the most metal gift you’ve ever received? I can think of several that stick out: Led Zeppelin vinyl, a miniature model of Dimebag Darrell’s Razorback lightning bolt guitar, spike-bedecked high heels that would make a dominatrix envious, a stripper pole paired with a handle of whiskey. But I’ll admit:…
In this week’s issue, we dig in with David Bazan, the songwriter behind Pedro the Lion, who’s touring in support of the 10-year anniversary of that band’s landmark record, Control. We ended up with more material than we could fit, so please enjoy another installment of Outtakes, where we sweep…
People have recognized Danny Marianino — he of the infamous Danzig punching incident and hardcore band North Side Kings — ever since video of the incident hit the Internet. But lately, it’s been a little crazy. While signing my copy of his new book, Don’t Ever Punch a Rockstar: A…
Yeah, yeah, yeah…we get it Mondays suck (we’ve read Garfield). But it means the start of a new week, which means a bunch of killer shows in and around Phoenix. And here are a few of the coolest, our top five must-see shows this week…
The news waits for no one — at least that’s what we read somewhere — so it’s perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of…
Gospel Claws, Sleep Money, Vial of Sound, Knesset, Zero Zero, Me Vale Madre @ Crescent Ballroom|11/30/12 Leave it to Crescent Ballroom to have such a fantastic representation of local acts here in metropolitan Phoenix. Last night may have been an LP release party for Gospel Claws, but the lineup (including…
With a name like Leftover Cuties and a penchant for unabashed use of ukelele, how could the Los Angeles-based quartet of Shirli McAllen, Austin Nicholsen, Stuart Johnson, and Mike Bolger be anything other than adorable? The group’s folksy sound evokes images of happy couples strolling down a boardwalk decades ago…
Bret Michaels is known nationally for his big hits and the big hair he sported as the singer of glam rock band Poison. More recently, his reality TV appearances on VH1’s Rock of Love, and The Apprentice, have brought him to the attention of people who couldn’t sing a single…
What does emotional heavy metal sound like? Well, believe it or not, it’s kind of folky, but mainly acoustic. It’s mostly sad, but strangely fanciful and supremely intense. At least that’s how Marivel Luna and Jesse Simms, the duo comprising local outfit, Revizor, describe it. The pair have been quietly…
Of the many pearls of wisdom that Yoda dropped on Luke Skywalker’s ass in The Empire Strikes Back (“Size matters not,” “Wars not make one great”) it was the green-skinned Jedi guru’s Zen-like mantra of “Do or do not…there is no try” that probably resonates the most with Joe Maldonado…
Elizabeth Kennedy Bayer The composer hosts the podcast Trainwreck in Progress. Listen to it here. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? I drive a scooter! (You know, the orange one with the green, fuzzy seat.) So no…
Curious about what’s going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions where to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don’t fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend…
Lauryn Hill @ Celebrity Theatre|11/28/12″Life out of context is living ungodly,” Ms. Lauryn Hill sings in “Black Rage,” the new song she’s named her 2012 tour after. Built over a jazzy interpolation of the Sound of Music’s “My Favorite Things,” the song is heavy, exploring the brutal and checkered history…
Local Latin, reggae, and punk peddlers Fayuca have seen their fair share of success as a productive year comes to an end. Now the trio is ready to step up their game with a brand new album that’s almost within earshot. We document the band’s 11-year run in this week’s…
Phoenix rock ‘n’ rollers The Technicolors are into big things: Big guitars. Big drums. Big vocals. Big hair. Big sound. It’s only appropriate then that they would record their debut album, Listener, at Studio at the Farm. The recording house, tucked away on three acres of farmland in nearby Gilbert,…
By Dan Moore Psy’s Gangnam Style is now the most-viewed YouTube video ever, and as we go to press Monday morning that means it’s been watched coming up on 830 million times. That means that the single biggest pop culture event of 2012–the video you’re most likely to talk about…
