Though she didn’t start playing music professionally until after she had moved away, Katy Davidson of Key Losers (formerly of Dear Nora) says that Phoenicians seem to be able to sense that she’s a native. “It’s a cool feeling,” she says over the phone from Fun Fun Fun Fest, where…
Normally, a band releasing three albums in one year would be a big deal. But in the case of Japanese power trio Boris, the rapid-fire output is less surprising than the diversity featured on the albums. Over the course of Heavy Rocks (the group’s second album sporting the title), Attention…
Given the nature of the tribute band game, acts usually wow or disgust. There’s not much room for gray area. When it comes to the real legends and the emotional attachments fans have to their records, bands like Led Zeppelin, it’s go big or go home. For example, “Achilles Last…
Music is one of those creative things that only hippies do, or at least that’s the stereotype. But seriously, what kind of self-respecting conservative would devote themselves to being a (guf-ah!) professional musician? And what already-famous musicians would commit the career suicide of admitting their Republican affiliation? Sometimes the answers might…
I was there last time, and many would agree that it was easily one of the best shows to have come through Phoenix in 2010.Roger Waters, New Edition, Megadeth and Motorhead will be gracing the Valley with their presence in the coming months.The rest of this week’s shows after the…
As we reported a few weeks ago, Authority Zero is getting ready to head across the pond for a tour of Japan. “Japan has come about from a combination of two things: one, the four records we have released over there since 2001, and two, the promoters we work with…
It was over a year ago that we speculated that Radiohead, and by extension Thom Yorke, must have vowed “to never step foot in The Grand Canyon State again.” Well, if there was such a edict issued by the lads from Oxford, they’ve totally called it off. Radiohead has announced…
I wish every local band would make fliers that let people know that their show is going to be as awesome as this one.Dfactor will be bringing you “cool rockers, glam slams, loud guitars, edgy riffs, sexy songs, and rebel calls.” Now here’s a gig that promises to pack a…
Plenty of folks like to think of The Rogue has Scottsdale’s own CBGB’s — and with that excellently dingy punk rock bathroom, it’s hard to argue against the club being one of the best loved dive/rock ‘n’ roll clubs in town.Its’ the sort of place where things can go from…
March just can’t come fast enough for me. I miss Mad Men something fierce, and season four left me with so many questions (I won’t spoil anything if you haven’t caught up, but man, could Betty have been more awful?). I’m not the only one wishing that the show was…
In Arizona, we don’t really get seasons. Phoenix weather is a wide swing between Satan’s sweltering nether-regions and a slight chill. The only real way to indicate the passing of the seasons is with local music, wherein Phoenix’s best release a cornucopia (sorry) of music come autumn (or at least…
Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. It’s been 13 years since neighborhood music store Hoodlums made their first sale. Last week we caught up with owner Steve Wiley…
Phantogram Crescent Ballroom Saturday, November 5 It’s been a good year for Phantogram. This trip-hop duo played a bunch of festivals, including Coachella, where they attracted a crowd of over 10,000 people in spite of sharing a time slot with The Strokes. Phantogram is currently touring in support of its…
LIGHTSNovember 5, 2011Nile TheaterWhen Canadian electro pop artist LIGHTS, the project name of Lights Valerie Poxleinter, came to the Nile Theater for a headlining show last year, it was clear the crowd loved her, but for all her talent in unifying her fans under one roof, it wasn’t clear that…
Youth Lagoon Crescent Ballroom Friday, November 4, 2011 Last night can be summed up in one word: poetic. Phoenix got some long overdue rain, ushering in eagerly awaited hoodie weather, and Youth Lagoon, the brainchild of Boise’s Trevor Powers, played its second show in Phoenix. Youth Lagoon released its debut…
You’ve got to be one bad, weirdo mofo for King Khan, leader of The Shrines, 1/2 of King Khan and BBQ show (before duo went bust), and about a thousand other obscure soul-funk-garage releases, to dedicate a whole song to you. But that’s exactly what’s going on with “Bob Log…
“There is no better time, or more perfect setting, for the powerful voice and uplifting message of Immortal Technique.” That’s how a Sound Strike press release reads regarding an upcoming performance by the Harlem-based rapper to benefit AZ-based human rights organization Puente. The press release continues: “The boycott strategy has…
Birthday parties for 13-year-olds are usually pretty awkward (or maybe I’m thinking of my own, just-sorta-pubescent 13th birthday), but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Hoodlums Music’s 13th birthday bash this weekend. On Saturday, November 5, the local record store institution celebrates being a teen in the retail…
Peter Murphy and She Wants Revenge Marquee Theatre Thursday, November 3 Peter Murphy is a weird dude. Known as the “Godfather of Goth” for his work fronting Bauhaus, one of the pioneers of the genre. Murphy has released eight solo albums since Bauhaus broke up in 1983. He is a…
Local musician Dave Murrow is a man with the magic hat. One minute he puts it on, and in a rhythmic whirlwind of sound, he becomes Dfactor Dave, front man of power pop rock band Dfactor. Or he can use it to reach in and channel his inner John Lennon…
The Blue Man Group is one of those Vegas shows that sound totally lame until you see it. Here are these three dudes, doused in blue paint, who act like aliens and bang on drums for an hour and a half each night. The act has been parodied all over pop…
Phantogram is hitting the road in support of the follow up EP, or “mini-EP” as guitarist Josh Carter likes to call it, to the group’s dynamic debut LP, Eyelid Movies. Last year, this trip-hop group played a packed show at Rip’s Ales and Cocktails for Sticky Fingers. This time around,…
