Luke HolwerdaWeezer on stage at Arizona Fall Frenzy.New York magazine put it best: “There are few things more terrifying to longtime Weezer fans these days than the prospect of a new Weezer album.”That review of the band’s latest album — sarcastically headlined, “Is Hurley Weezer’s Best Album Since Make Believe?”…
Whoever was manning the hose at Arizona Fall Frenzy had a perfect sense of timing.Temps soared into the triple digit range during the second day of the three-day concert, but luckily the promoters thought ahead and manned a sky-high tower with an industrial-sized firehose. Every so often — particularly whenever…
They weren’t kidding about the “frenzy” part. An abandoned backpack and a few other suspicious packages left near the front gate of Tempe Beach Park created a whirlwind of disruption during the opening evening of Arizona Fall Frenzy. The Tempe Police Department deployed a slew of officers (as well as…
Scott Weiland didn’t take a header off the stage last night at Arizona Fall Frenzy. Nor did he accidentally reveal he was lip-synching or abusing heroin for that matter. In fact, other than a 45-minute delay due to “suspicious packages” found at Tempe Beach Park earlier in the evening, the…
The WalkmenSeptember 17, 2010The ClubhouseHamilton Leithauser smiled between songs during The Walkmen’s set last night. Those smiles stood in stark contrast to his intensely focused, on-the-brink of-destruction singing and pointed lyrics.It was a businesslike show. There was minimal exchange between singer and audience, with most of the music being presented…
Artist: MoovalyaTitle: First Degree, a five song EPBasics: Hey now, some goofy pop punk! That’s more like it! Billing themselves as a “melodic punk band from Phoenix, AZ,” Moovalya plays pretty run-of-the-mill rock music with an edge that was last seen wandering the streets of Anaheim in the year 2000.A…
Tranzylvania’s last hurrah at Palazzo goes down later tonight, so I figured it was a perfect opportunity for a visit with noiz.fkr (a.k.a. Rob Poe), the goth night’s grandmaster and longtime resident DJ.Though he might not may or may not believe in vampires, he’s certainly encountered plenty of patrons dressed…
Kanye WestNot surprisingly, preppy hip-hop star Kanye West managed to inject a lot of energy into his show-closing performance of “Runaway” at Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards. He started out playing a loop which served as the backdrop for the song, then he danced around in his bright red suit,…
British funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen, also known as Ali G, Borat and Bruno, is slated to play Freddie Mercury in an upcoming Queen biopic.As you can see, the resemblance means this isn’t much of a stretch. But will Sacha Baron Cohen really make a good Freddie Mercury?I think so. That…
Song: Far East Movement, “Like A G6″Context: Someone told me Far East Movement killed it when opening for Mike Posner last week. This is their big single, currently in the top 25 on Billboard and iTunes. A Google search reveals that “a G6” is either something totally obscure or a…
Local anti-meth rockers Beyond Our Recognitions of God are playing a benefit/fundraiser show tonight night at UB’s in Mesa for their drummer, Jon Landato, who was stabbed in the neck during an altercation last month following a gig at Goathead Saloon.Landato has made a full recovery, but spent several harrowing…
These days, the lines between indie and mainstream music are difficult to pinpoint. With indie artists featured prominently in mainstream media (I’m looking at you, Twilight soundtrack), it’s hard to see what makes indie music, well, indie. When you add celebrities to the mix, it becomes even more difficult to…
It’s been some time since the Pixies have played a gig here in Phoenix. Fortunately for Valley Pixies fans the band’s latest tour will bring them to the Mesa Amphitheater along with Fuck Buttons on September 24th.The band will be celebrating the 21st anniversary of their album Doolittle by…
Most, if not all, people know that Led Zeppelin is an obtusely derivative band. They took popular American blues and folk music and made it their own, without really bothering to give credit where credit was due. The members of Led Zeppelin were, however, simply operating under the standards of…
As I perused Sirius/XM 90’s on 9 the other day, I was greeted with an intriguing song from a particular Canadian, alternative rock/pop one-hit wonder.This song included an intro featuring a conversation between two fellows that, while intriguing, was pretty pointless. But it got me thinking — what are some…
Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine Jackson is suing AEG Live for hiring Dr. Conrad Murray, the doctor that could have been responsible for Michael Jackson’s death.AEG Live is the company that would have produced Michael’s “This Is It” concert series at the O2 Arena in London.Ultimately, AEG cared more about the…
Sometimes people ask me, “Martin, why are you so hard on noted junkie and sometimes rock singer Scott Weiland?”Well, for one, because he’s a pathetic piece of trash who makes donations to a “charity” that’s actually just his late brother’s family. Also, because he seems to have been caught lip-syncing…
Chances are few in the crowd at Arizona Fall Frenzy will have heard of The Parlotones but, believe it or not, they’ve sold more records than The Killers, U2, and Coldplay.In their native South Africa, at least.Like X-Japan, this band who’s huge on the other side of the world –…
Luke HolwerdaParamore at Dodge TheatreIt’s no wonder Paramore’s fans are so loyal to the emo pop band. Singer Hayley Williams talks directly to audience members during shows, and the band even brought up three lucky peeps to sing (and dance awkwadly during) their hit “Misery Business” for the show closer…
This week’s music feature is on Corey Busboom, a local who makes quirky instruments and one-of-a-kind synthesizers. He never thought he’d get a call from Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo. Mothersbaugh was enamored with Busboom’s creative products that he called to buy 12 of them. Life got even better for Busboom…
Song: Devo, “Please Baby Please”Context: As reported in this week’s music feature, this is one of the songs from Devo’s new record, Something For Everybody, where you can hear local circuit-bender Corey Busboom’s home-made instruments loud and clear. By the way, I’ll be spinning this song and a few others…
Paramore September 15, 2010 Dodge Theatre Hayley Williams is quite the little firecracker.Physically, the Paramore singer sort of looks like a firework, with her bright red hair and ruler-straight body. Personality-wise, she’s a dynamic burst of energy. At her show at the Dodge Theatre last night, she ran around the…
