In March 2009, Portland folk-rockers The Decemberists released a rock opera called The Hazards of Love. Inspired by an EP of the same name by English folk singer Anne Briggs, the album tells the story of a woman who falls in love with a shape-shifting forest dweller. It was an…
Some bands ride a rollercoaster of popularity, with a steep climb quickly followed by a period when — absent a radio hit — the bottom drops out. Death Cab for Cutie’s enjoyed a more modest incline. It has experienced a steady growth in stature over the past 14 years —…
For dance-driven electro acts, there’s no grander feat than managing to stay “big in Brooklyn” while inching toward the mainstream. Melbourne-bred quartet Cut Copy has got the trick down, parlaying its steady buzz into one of the ultimate status symbols for a band, a headlining slot at the Coachella music…
Phoenix-based stoner-metal band Twingiant doesn’t screw around when it comes to material. “Songs about being accidentally shot out into space on a giant garbage barge because y’all was sleeping in a pile of garbage when the tractor beam picked y’all up by mistake,” reads the bio on the group’s (hilarious)…
When the name of your band comes off like a warning, you can be sure no one is going to mistake you for a straightforward pop band. Sure enough, Chandler hardcore band Keep Your Distance makes aggressive music, but songs like “For I Am the Sky” may surprise listeners expecting…
The naysayers doubted, but The Summer Set has proved they’re more than a one-hit wonder and they have a future beyond dating Disney Channel stars. Yeah, the audiences still consist mostly of rabid, screaming teenage girls, but Everything’s Fine, the band’s solid sophomore album, balances a knack for writing catchy…
We’re going to play nice. Days of the New singer Travis Meeks has had it rough over the years. A kidney stone in 1999 led to an addiction to painkillers, which led to cocaine and, finally, meth. He even appeared in 2005 on A&E’s Intervention to document the whole thing…
It might not pack the same mental hot flash as having Tom Jones ask you “What’s New Pussycat?” or Chubby Checker requesting your help twisting something, but having Fee Waybill, lead singer of The Tubes, tell you in so many words he may have to “Talk to Ya Later” comes…
Following a 16-year career and four-year album-making process, Los Angeles-based DJ Jaybird’s first full-length record was finally released in March, and it’s all him — sort of. At least that’s the title. It’s All Me features a collection of DJ Jaybird originals and dubstep-ified remixes of high-profile tunes like Cee-Lo…
THURSDAY 11 27th Avenue Bar: DJ Manage, & DJ Android (Top 40, dance) Afterlife: Thumpin Thurzdays (various) AZ/88: Josh One (rare groove, urban funk) Bar Smith: Splash Thursday (reggae, dancehall, Top 40, house) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (jazz, blues, country, R&B, rarities, vintage) Blue Martini: Rewind Thursday with DJ…
Mill Avenue is loud, and Vintage is no exception, perched on the corner of 4th Street and Mill blasting dance music to passerbys. It’s loud for a reason, Vintage has a huge dance floor full of Tempe’s finest. We captured the mischief in this week’s Club Candids slideshow…
Getting boozy for cheap usually amounts to staying at home and looking at the bottom of a 40 of Steel Reserve, but a new Phoenix-based online business, TipsyDevil, is out to change that.The Groupon-like discounted gift certificate website is focusing its efforts mainly on Scottsdale, Phoenix and Tempe nightlife and…
It’s not unusual to be an 18-year-old kid in a rock ‘n’ roll band, playing all-ages shows and house parties while still learning exactly what to do with that stringed thing in your hands. It’s less common to be an 18-year-old in a band that’s huge in Europe, and get…
While I’ve chosen this Tumblr that’s run by an LA Times writer so I can share it with other writers, I’ve also chosen it so everyone else can enjoy it as well. I sure do enjoy your writing, Todd Martens, so here’s to you. This week’s Tumblr of the Week pick is You…
In the midst of the madness, a three-story Sony warehouse in Enfield that was stocked with materials from over 150 indie labels was burned to the ground by rioters on August 8. The building, which was owned by Sony DADC, contained stock for Domino Records and XL Recordings, among others, and…
Downtown platter-master DJentrification is plenty busy with his regular nights, 602’uesdays at Bikini Lounge and The Palace at FilmBar, but this Friday night will find him exploring a little passion project: Funky Oddway at The Lost Leaf.The evening will find DJentrification will spend the entire evening focusing exclusively on music…
He may be known best as a “wild and crazy guy,” but Steve Martin is the master of more than one craft. In addition to his work as a comedian and actor, Martin is a writer, playwright, and as Rare Bird Alert, his new album with The Steep Canyon Rangers…
A scenario like this happens more often than not, but there’s still hope for those albums initially overlooked — hope that usually comes in the form of a song that went unnoticed in the first place, yet now begs for repeated listens. That one song can open up an album…
Despite being a cavernous hole for Justin Timberlake to toss his money in while he should be busy putting out another record, MySpace isn’t good for much. But the rickety old site still serves some use — when I read the lineup for the River Jones Songwriter Showcase on Saturday,…
They say it ain’t bragging if it’s true — but last time we wrote about someone’s Kickstarter project, big things happened. Now I know that we aren’t the sole reason Shawn Demumbrum’s Smiths comic met and exceeded its goal. It’s a great idea on its own, and the fact that…
Ah, to pass the harmless sound of Top 40 pop rock onto America’s youth. That’s really what this country is all about. Avril Lavigne, Adam Lambert, Colbie Caillat and a long list of other VH1 crowd favorites are out to make the dreams of 12 young musicians come true on The…
One might expect someone who demands they be addressed as “Ms.” whatever-their-name-is might be a little narcissistic and perhaps have a bit of a superiority complex going on too. That seems to be the case with Ms. Lauryn Hill. Reports are surfacing that Jay Gore, a former guitarist for Lauryn…
