Sharon Van Etten’s Tramp is a study in directness. Beyond Van Etten’s voice — a clear, present, hum — there are the sounds, sparse and focused, produced by of Aaron Dessner of The National. The record is centered on the idea of clarity, illustrated by song titles like “I’m Wrong,”…
Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion was one of 2009’s best, and ‘Collective fans are understandably antsy about its followup three years later. Well, the waits is over: Animal Collective has a new album, Centipede Hz due in September. Yesterday, the band shared “Today’s Supernatural” on the recently launched Animal Collective…
See also: Avery Covers Damien Jurado Steve Earle famously opined: “Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I’ll stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that,” so it stands to reason that Townes is a tough songwriter to do justice…
See also: The Writer’s Guild Release Song in Response to Dark Knight Rises Shooting in Colorado Local music website PhoenixHipHop.net has been an advocate of the Valley’s hip-hop scene since its inception in 2009. Sticking to its promise to “help continue the growth of the Phoenix area’s hip-hop scene by…
See also: Monday Monday: Is Heavy Metal Really The Devil’s Music? The desert is the perfect place for heavy metal to spawn: desolate, hot, seemingly devoid of life, save for the plants and critters that spit poison or are encased in thorny flesh. Yet Valley of the Sun’s healthy metal…
The employees and fans of Valley radio station Power 98.3 are in mourning today as former hip-hop jock Chris Chavez died over the weekend. According to a source at the station, the 34-year-old midday host passed away in his sleep on Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Although an official…
S*PUNK: A Sadisco SExperience @ Chaser’s The party monsters of local DJ collective Sadisco* aren’t shy about their utter devotion to industrial music. They’re slaves to the cacophonous grind of relentless electronically driven mayhem, brutal guitar hooks, and dystopian lyrics about dark lords and demons that only bands like Nachtmahr,…
See also: Apache Lake Music Festival 2011 Features Scenery and Over 30 Arizona Bands See also: Phoenix Music Heads to Tortilla Flat Apache Lake Music Festival 2012 is on: an official website has been launched, and the festival lineup has been announced, featuring scheduled performances from Robin Wilson of the…
Every Monday morning 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…
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…
oOoOO Crescent Ballroom Saturday, July 28 2012 See also: oOoOO Makes Terrifically Scary Pop Self-described as Blondie with autism, oOoOO assembles a world run by his own rules. Whatever structures remain are quickly abandoned, reassembled, and screwed back together so quickly you can hardly keep up…
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…
Luckyiam, Mouse Powell and Creed Chameleon Yucca Tap Room Thursday, July 26 See also: Mouse Powell’s “Holding Home” Music Video Features Local Landmarks and a Slew of Wet Girls The Valley’s revered no-charge hip-hop night, The Blunt Club at Yucca Tap Room, stayed true to its reputation for rocking the…
Giant Sand Rhythm Room Thursday, July 26 See also: Howe Gelb on Giant Giant Sand, and How an Acid Trip and Roman Polanski Birthed Tucson’s Music Scene By Mike Cryer “And here I am, the center of all beauty!” — Frank O’Hara This is how emotion and melancholy gets played…
Boom Chick The Rogue Bar Thursday, July 26, 2012 See also: Q&A: Frank Hoier And Moselle Spiller Of Boom Chick On Touring, Honoring The Blues, And Nirvana About a week and a half ago, my dad opened a show at the Rogue Bar. When he, my mother, and I arrived…
There are some things you’re guaranteed to see at any Sadisco event, such as people in wild outfits, industrial rock bands ripping out killer sets, and some crazy mischief taking place. Another hallmark of the dance party crew, which showcases industrial and noise music, is its resident selectors, who have…
Tonsil Yeti Rockbar, Inc. Thursday, July 26, 2012 See also: Tonsil Yeti is In it To Win It, Dude A year ago, I got some scratchy, unlabeled demos in the mail from a band called Tonsil Yeti. I was confused, both by the band name and the untitled tracks, but…
See also: Isaiah Toothtaker Discusses Toothy Wavy See also: Isaiah Toothtaker and Max B Show Off Toothy Wavy Videos If you utter his real name and snitch to police, Isaiah Toothtaker will likely torture and kill you. He’ll probably use a hammer or some weird rusty mace on your face…
Amy Donohue The stand-up comedian presents as part of Ignite Phoenix After Hours Friday, July 27 at Radius in Scottsdale. For more information, go here. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? 101.1-FM. I love old school hip-hop!…
Curious about what’s going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions as to how to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don’t fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend…
See also: Dave Pratt’s Out, MasterChef Contestant Monti Carlo Is In at 103.9, Plus More Radio News It’s been a strange week in Valley radio: On Sunday, July 22, KDKB-FM (93.3) personality and local concert promoter Danny Zelisko announced that his program, The Danny Zelisko Presents radio program (also known…
See also: We Spoke to Lamb of God’s Chris Adler Before the Band’s Future Was Up in the Air See also: Lamb of God Controversy: Tempe Metal Band TOAD Sounds Off The continued incarceration of Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe in the Czech Republic in alleged connection with the…
