Debilitating earthquakes. Aftershocks. Tsunamis that swept away entire towns and destroyed countless agricultural fields. Thousands of dead and missing. All of this occurred after musicians and organizers for South by Southwest’s Japan Nite, an annual showcase of Japanese bands, boarded Austin-bound planes. Now thousands of miles away from one of…
Tempe Beach Park was alive with green last night. Flogging Molly made their annual stop in Arizona to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, playing a show heavy on Irish ballads played at maximum speed, witty Celtic banter and plenty of toasts to their Arizona fans. The band showcased songs from their…
luggo is looking pretty beat these days, but with good reason. The local dubstep producer hasn’t been getting much sleep lately because he’s been hella busy gearing up for a trip to Florida for a couple performance. A few hours after this interview was conducted, Sluggo headed to Orlando for…
Perhaps, your son or daughter yearns to become a professional whiner/lyricist. There is always the slimmest chance they’ll make it, but most people are kidding themselves. And then they turn out like America’s newest sweetheart, the young and oh-so-unlovable Rebecca Black.Black, 13, has managed to embarrass herself in front of…
Flogging MollyTempe Beach ParkThursday, March 17With all of indie folks invading Austin to schmooze and snap photos at SxSW, the rest of us were left with what’s become a Tempe St. Patrick’s Day tradition: watching Flogging Molly at Tempe Beach Park.The band has been a staple each year, with this…
The Sound Strike plans to evolve from a full-on boycott of Arizona to an organization promoting “human rights zones” where musicians opposing the state’s radical immigration policies only do business with its like-minded promoters and venues.Or so the group’s organizers told a crowd of upset Arizonans — all of whom stated their…
You’d never know it to read any sort of music journalism this week, but everyone on earth has not converged on Austin, Texas for South By Southwest. Not quite, anyway.Knowing this, local indie rock band Kinch hired a videographer to shoot their shows on Wednesday. Because they’re ambitious guys not waiting…
Emily Spetrino-Murtagh The former owner of the now defunct Sweets & Beats is the curator of the upcoming Eastside Records Tribute Show opening Friday, March 18 at The Trunk Space. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? 104.7 FM–Top…
The wait has been cruel — it’s been two-years-plus since we reviewed Jesus of Cool, Nick Lowe’s first solo album and the debut of a long overdue reissue series of the singer-songwriter’s catalog — but the re-release of Labour of Lust, Lowe’s second solo outing, is kind. Out of print…
Top o’ the mornin’ to ya! It’s Ireland’s national holiday, and this year it’s a splendid day to spend in church, praying to ol’ Patrick, the mighty saint who cured our isle of snakes ages ago. What’s that, you plan to take off work to drink shitty green beer instead?…
At the risk of sounding like a real nerd, when I got knockout drunk on this day last year, it had nothing to do with green beer or a quick embrace of my Celtic heritage. Big Star leader, Box Tops singer, and solo provocateur Alex Chilton died one year ago…
Progressive improvisational Chicago rockers Umphrey’s McGee are easily one of the most innovative and original bands ever as far as ideas, gigs and fan engagement go. They’re reshaping the typical concert format, and they’re putting technology to great use during their performances.We spoke to guitarist/vocalist Brendan Bayliss about concerts in…
Last week we told you about how local indie-shoegaze act Lisa Savidge is about to head out on tour, and planned to kick things off with a gig at Mesa’s Goathead Saloon. Unfortunately, that gig got axed. Today is St. Patrick’s Day, of course, and it would seem the band’s brand…
Remember Smokey, the pacifist who may or may not have stepped over the line while bowling in The Big Lebowski? He was the fidgety, silver-haired opponent who insisted The Dude mark it eight despite Walter’s contention that his toe slipped over the line, prompting one of the Vietnam vet’s many meltdowns…
There are lots of three and four-word band names among this week’s just announced shows — Cage The Elephant, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Panic! at the Disco, to name a few. However, as someone who is utterly fascinated with hair metal and early 1980’s Sunset Strip, how can I resist,…
This week’s New Times cover story is about Phoenix’s scrappy local low-power FM station KWSS 106.7 where unpaid hosts dedicate their own time to running a non-profit station that’s a lot more like college radio than a regular commercial format. While working on the story, we also got some video…
In October 2007, Girl Talk performed as part of a liquor-company-sponsored event in Tempe Marketplace’s parking lot. Though Night Ripper had been out for more than a year, much of the audience was confused about it what it was witnessing. Since then, a lot has changed for Girl Talk’s Gregg…
With previous addresses in California and North Carolina (and a current one in Kansas), this emo/post-rock quintet has lived like hipster Gypsies — settling here, resettling there, uprooting always. Not coincidentally, The Appleseed Cast sounds like a little of everything. On “Steps and Numbers,” from their 2001 album Low Level…
Sharon Van Etten’s 2010 release, Epic, was a welcome change from her first self-released album, which had some great songs but suffered from being a starkly acoustic album from a singer-songwriter who obsessed over an unknown “you.” Epic is a fuller record from an artist whose growing confidence is also…
Hardcore punk bands started using the double kick drum breakdown nearly 20 years ago. It became one of the defining characteristics of the metalcore movement, which draws elements from death metal, post-hardcore, and emo. Over the years, metalcore has taken a more melodic approach, as vocal and guitar stylings have…
No other band on Earth presents music to their fans quite like Umphrey’s McGee. The progressive jam band recently announced its second annual UM Bowl in Chicago. The event is a one-of-a-kind concert in which fans, via live text-messaging, call the shots on song choices and special collaborations in four…
It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and for Celtic punk bands like L.A.’s Flogging Molly and local boyos Keltic Cowboys, today is the biggest day of the year. Each March 17, mobs of frat boys, sorority girls, punkers, and 9- to 5-ers get the Irish itch, tossing on as much emerald as…
