Denver-based synth-buddies David Schmitt and Kyle Even are very young, very tattooed, and very loud. Their brand of buzzing, densely layered electronica is sometimes classified as screamo — which in this case means it sounds like someone took a death-metal band, replaced their guitars with Korg X50 synthesizers, and let…
While it’s practically impossible for a white dude with an acoustic guitar and harmonica to achieve anything genuinely surprising, it’s nearly as difficult for such an artist to achieve anything approaching genuine. Joe Pug’s “I Do My Father’s Drugs,” from his excellent 2008 Nation of Heat EP, is one of…
The best cover songs are born when an artist takes a song written by someone else and not only performs it, but fundamentally changes it, imbues it with something new, and alters the song’s DNA in a way that claims the song and makes it their own. Think of Cat…
Tom Reardon is been a guitar-beating, band-organizing, lyric-spitting juggernaut who’s been a major figure in Phoenix’s rock scene for more than 15 years. In addition to his lengthy involvement with on-again/off-again noise-rock act Hillbilly Devilspeak and the defunct joke-punk band Pinky Tuscadero’s White Knuckle AssFuck, the bespectacled 40-year-old has also…
In Southern California, a place of seemingly limitless sub-regionalism and cultural density, it seems as though every city, county, and housing development has served as the epicenter of some well-documented “movement” in commercial music. From Silver Lake’s anti-folk revolution in the ’90s to Orange County’s ongoing pop-punk apocalypse to South…
Is electro waning in popularity in the Valley? One might think so, given the fact that some of the more popular electro nights, such as Gosh Damn and Party Foul, have blinked out of existence over the past six months. But that hasn’t stopped the promoters of this weekend’s ElectroSelf…
Want to win a pair of tickets to see Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime at the Marquee Theatre Thursday night?PHXmusic.com will make this very easy for you: Just twitter the date Lou Dog went to the big pound in the sky to me, New Times music editor @martincizmar, sometime before…
Listening to Polysics is like doing a hit of acid in a vat of extra-sugar-coated Jujubes. Choose your album. Whether its 2008’s We Ate the Machine, this year’s Absolute Polysics, or any of the older albums in their catalog, the candy-sweet, frenetic energy that erupts from the Tokyo-based band will…
You may remember that little trilogy titled Pirates of the Caribbean, which featured Keith Richards playing the part of Captain Teague Sparrow, the father of Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp. Apparently, Depp’s friendship and fascination with Richards goes far beyond that of a pretend father/son relationship. He plans to…
Okay. We’ve received complaints that New Times makes a point of mentioning all the good bands that don’t come to Phoenix yet rarely, if ever, mention it when they do. So . . . Deer Tick will be coming to the Trunk Space on April 14. Last time Deer Tick were in town, they played…
Seems like Phoenix band The Attitude has found themselves in some controversy recently. The rock band is holding a benefit show on Thursday, February 4, for singer Jim Louvau, per the flier that’s displayed on the Clubhouse Music Venue’s website, but it doesn’t specify what the show is benefitting, exactly. A call…
Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…
Welcome to The Grand Tour, a regular feature where PHXmusic.com takes you inside practice spaces, tour vans and seedy apartments occupied by Phoenix-area bands. This week we give you a look inside the glamorous rehearsal space of Gospel Claws.Smells Like: Cigar smoke. The boys were puffing away the whole time…
Martin Cizmar’s review of the sold-out Phoenix show Monday night has raised some eyebrows, making a few good points about the current state of the French band. A lot of Martin’s opinions come from someone who isn’t the biggest fan of the band, and that is perfectly fine. I, on…
You Hang Up – the band that showcases former Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz on the drums – has canceled its gig scheduled for this Saturday at Chopper John’s. The reason given, according to show promoter Alia Souissi, was a “family emergency.” The band also confirmed the news…
It sure has been a while since we’ve walked into a club and felt totally inspired. Yes, inspired. Not, “I just saw the Mona Lisa” inspired, but definitely, “let’s get our party on” inspired.The five year anniversary of the hip hop night, The Shop, took place at the Hidden House…
Eastside Records is one of the last vestiges of the traditional American record store you’ll find in the Valley of the Sun. It has a loyal clientèle and remains one of the best spots to find obscure used vinyl. Even those hard to obtain, single-issue punk albums. Even though it’s…
Rolling Stone: At a time when a lot of retro-garage types are playing it languid and low-fi, the Soft Pack exude wide-eyed angst — a sense of discovery that’s hard to put across with hand-me-down rock…
Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…
The owner of Hoodlums music store in Tempe is taking on the Marquee Theatre over ticket prices. Ticket price stories tend to make my eyes glaze over pretty fast (I’m a critic, I don’t pay!) but Arizona Republic freelancer Serene Dominic did an interesting little piece on the matter. The debate…
Chart Attack readers named Lucas Silveira of Canadian rockers The Cliks, the “Throw Your Underwear Award.” This makes him the first transgender man to win. He even beat out Avril Lavigne’s ex, Sum 41 front man Deryck Whibley. Considering that the rock world is progressive, but still has stark lines…
Okay, I admit it: I have no idea why people go gaga for Phoenix, which sold out the Tempe theater. After watching the veteran act (which has been plugging away in one form or another since 1999 without getting much attention before last year) play for an hour and a…
