“Music for a cause.” You’ve heard it, and it’s not good. Go ahead and listen to “We Are the World” for a refresher. But sometimes music does serve a cause other than inflating a performers ego. Americana artist Adam Smith, who performs September 9 and 10 at Desert Ridge Marketplace…
I’m positive that wherever you are reading this, whatever you were doing before reading this, you’re not having more fun than Freddie Gibbs. I phoned the Gary, Indiana-based rapper last Friday, and could barely make out his laid-back voice over the roar of the early afternoon party going down on…
On her 2009 release High Hopes & Heartbreak, Mesa-born American Idol finalist Brooke White covered “Use Somebody.” It’s tough not to hold the song choice against her (I’m going to blame Randy Jackson, dawg), but Gemini from White’s new project Jack and White certainly goes along way in helping to…
Most people who post an ad on the free online classifieds site are just looking to start a band, but then there are the others. Foraging the thick forest of weird that is Craigslist for tasty nuggets reveals strange bits of musical nonsense. Here are a few creepy, annoying, or…
Good news for lovers of gravelly-voiced eccentric songwriters: There’s a new Tom Waits album coming down the pipe. It’s called Bad As Me and drops on October 25, courtesy Anti- Records, Waits’ home for the past decade. The title track hit both iTunes and Amazon for download today, and it’s perfectly…
What do you call a beautiful woman on a bassist’s arm? A tattoo. Bassists get picked on, even more than drummers. You’ve heard the insults: “failed guitarist,” “ugly,” and “forgettable.” So many bassists just pluck the same four notes, so it’s easy to see why everyone views the instrument as…
Local rap-duo Cut Throat Logic is gearing up for the video release party of their dance jam “We Own The Night” this Friday, August 26, at Majerle’s in Scottsdale. The track is the lead single off of the group’s upcoming album, When The Lights Go Out, scheduled to come out…
If Prince ever revealed anything about himself, it’s that he liked to take charge (just too demanding, and like his father, too cold). There’s no better example than The Time. When Warner Brothers allowed Prince to recruit new talent for the label, he hooked up Minneapolis band Flyte Tyme with…
She’s at the forefront of the “white folks saying the N-word debate,” been compared to Odd Future’s Tyler the Creator, and her big single “Gucci Gucci” possesses anti-commercialism undertones, but if you ignore all the implications of her music, Kreasyshawn makes party music. And that’s a handy thing, seeing as…
As if anything could possibly tarnish Lindsay Lohan’s reputation more than her past actions already have, Lohan is reportedly suing Pitbull for defamation due to the lyrics he wrote in his annoying, overplayed hit song “Give Me Everything.” The lyrics that are getting Lohan fired up are “Hustlers move aside…
Sad news hitting the web today: Jerry Leiber, the lyricist who wrote classic songs from Elvis Presley, The Drifters, Stealers Wheel, and many more, passed away today at the age of 78. Leiber and Stoller worked as a team, with Leiber writing words to Stoller’s compositions (that man’s way with…
Twin Sister is a Long Island-bred indie-pop quintet that creates lush, dreamy music. The songs are an outburst of melody enriched with a deep sense of emotion and atmosphere, personified by lead singer, Andrea Estella’s warm, whispered vocals resulting in a remarkable set of songs that can only be described…
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. Looks like the students returning to nearby ASU have been hitting Zia Records in Tempe up for some dorm-rocking jams. Just about…
Last week marked the 16th anniversary of the tragic death of Mike Condello, who took his life on August 17th, 1995, in his Santa Monica apartment. Best known as the musical director of The Wallace and Ladmo Show, Condello’s musical career was marred by spotty promotion and record company politics…
Sean Daley, A.K.A. Slug of Atmosphere, is an outspoken dude. Just listen to The Family Sign, released earlier this year by Slug’s label Rhymesayers for proof. Over live guitar, keyboards and beats courtesy of Ant, his long time partner, Slug rattles of tales of abusive boyfriends, his personal life, and…
The holiday season may not be upon us just yet, but it’s never too early to start planning. When buying a gift for a metalhead, your gift better rock, otherwise you’re going to illicit a “mehhh” before a “fuck yeah!” Don’t sweat, heshers and moshers, we’ve got you covered. Metalheads…
Phoenix-based outfit Snake! Snake! Snakes! specializes in a sound well suited for high drama. The group’s 2010 self-titled release proved that the band had its gaze aimed at the big time, filled with tunes that earned comparisons to previous indie bands that wound up playing arenas: U2, The Arcade Fire,…
Mainstream and indie film actor Michael Cera knew what was up back in January. He hopped on the supergroup bandwagon and joined a band called Mister Heavenly, which is made up of Honus Honus of Man Man, Nicholas Thorburn of Islands and The Unicorns, and Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse…
Last week we wrote about Alice Cooper’s new album, Welcome 2 My Nightmare, set to be released on September 13. While the promise of a new “Coopster” (that’s what fans call him) record no doubt excited classic rock fans, we did lack one element in our blog post that could…
They might have a solid lineup slated for tonight’s grand opening, but Venue 104 won’t be getting boozy for the next few weeks. The combination art space, music venue, theater, coffee house, bar and restaurant will actually only be the first three things in that list tonight, as they host locals…
First came Cheap Trick’s disastrous performance at the Ottawa Bluesfest. Thankfully nobody was badly hurt in that disaster. Next came the Flaming Lips’ lighting rig in Oklahoma. The band wound up with $800,000 worth of damaged equipment. Last weekend it happened with Sugarland at the Indiana State Fair. Misfortune has…
Phoenix is a pretty great place to live if you like nerd music. Not only have we got The Minibosses, one of the most respected NES-rock bands in the biz, but we’ve got Mega Ran, AKA Random, who raps serious stuff over video game samples, including sounds from the Mega…
