Forget that Sean Kingston is about as reggae-sounding as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Forget that he uses Auto-Tune more than Kanye West singing the collected works of Freddie Mercury. The important thing to remember is that, well, he’s lovable. He’s a round mound of raw teenage heartbreak that brings out…
Oh, the ’80s, where have you gone? Back when Republicans meant well enough, U2 albums were badass, and every girl wore hoop earrings. Now it’s almost 2010, and all we’ve got is teabaggers, No Line on the Horizon, and hoopfetish.com, which makes me feel like a pervert — all without…
Boy, did we drop the ball on emo. For the longest time, we coolly dismissed it as drama-drenched poseur-rock; all histrionics, no substance. Then lawmakers in Russia went and introduced legislation to ban emo fashions and regulate emo Web sites throughout the mother country. Male eyeliner as the tip of…
Shane MacGowan once said The Pogues were his way of overcoming guilt for not laying down his life for Ireland with the IRA. He was probably shit-faced at the time. Despite their punk leanings, the sodden violence that often accompanies gigs, and MacGowan’s Brendan Behan-influenced — and sometimes radical —…
Amidst the mind-numbing barrage of identical-sounding modern rock and pop starlets, it’s nice to come across something different every now and then. Enter Gogol Bordello. As immigrant punk goes, they’re basically your only choice, so be thankful that they’re also badass. Imagine putting Spoon onstage with a polka band and…
It’s a shame we can’t get every concert advance we’d like to in the paper, but it’s nice to have PHXmusic.com for occasions like this: The Black Heart Procession and The Mumlers are coming to Rhythm Room on Tuesday. BHP, the veteran San Diego indie band, just put out their…
Electric Mustache: Photos: Vivian Girls at Modified Arts 10/13/2009Idolator: Would You Go See Creed If You Only Had To Pay 75 Cents For The Privilege?NME: Sex Pistols to sue over ‘God Save The Cream’ ad campaign?Pitchfork: Rivers Cuomo to Work With Katy PerryPitchfork: Hear Bon Iver’s “Last Show for the…
It’s not often you get to see a rock n roll legend perform, period; so the fact that Wanda Jackson, the “Queen of Rockabilly” and 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, played an intimate venue like the Rhythm Room last night is nothing short of amazing (you can…
The Vivs sweet brand of Motown girl group pop shoved through a pure punk filter, a sort of freaked out Bangles sound, blared through Modified Arts last night. Reverb-ed vocals left the Urban Outfitted trio’s harmonies sounding like calls from the bottom of a well, and, humorously, made between song…
That’s right, we most definitely said “former,” because the live music venue closed its doors for good as of yesterday morning after six years in operation. More precisely, the joint’s landlord was the one who closed the doors, but not before changing the locks due to non-payment of rent. “Bills…
Live Nation says it’s 2-for-1 ticket deal is a hit, and will expand it. “After seeing sales increase by 300% over the previous weeks’ promotions, with fans saving more than $350,000, Live Nation announced today that fan response has been so positive, the company’s popular 2-for-1 concert ticket offer has…
Electric Mustache: We Want YouWaved Rumor: Weezer – (If You’re Wondering if I want you to) I Want You ToSpin: Q&A: Rob Halford of Judas PriestIdolator: Tracking The Ever-Shifting Priorities Of MTV Networks’ Standards And Practices DepartmentSo Much Silence: Good Afternoon, Vintage Photo Of Will Smith Playing RBI BaseballNME: Pavement…
Things getting better with age is an age-old cliché that rarely holds true for anything beyond the obvious “fine wine” analogy, but we can safely add “Nick Cave’s career” to that short list. Now on the far side of a half-century of life, the last few years have been remarkably…
Quick synopsis: I wrote a column saying CenPho’s music scene was dying as Tempe rises up, a bunch of people freaked out, someone even printed an ironic t-shirt mocking my column. The situation blew up over the weekend (we hear reports of “Fuck Martin Cizmar!” Fuck New Times!” and “Downtown…
[jump] Make no mistake — Bob Dylan is not one of my favorite people. I know and understand fully his impact and influence on music, but his career became what it was long before I graced the earth with my presence. That’s no excuse for not being a Bob Dylan…
Tour de Fat at Tempe Beach Par New Belgium Brewing maintains that Tour de Fat is a bike festival first and a beer festival second. To prove it, they got a Tempe citizen to donate his car and agree to utilize only a bike he received at Tour de Fat…
[jump] It seems that Thom Yorke’s contribution is the most anticipated of the bunch, since anything he does these days is reported to an obsessive degree (thanks, Pitchfork). His song, “Hearing Damage” sounds right in line with the sound he created on his solo debut The Eraser. Joining Yorke is a…
East Phoenix punk bar Jugheads has also booked a number of upcoming shows by some major legends from the genre, including Christ on Parade and MDC (whose moniker stands for “Millions of Damn Cops” or “Metal Devil Cokes” depending on who you ask). Black Fag, the flamboyant SoCal Black Flag…
For Bloodshot Records’ 15th anniversary, or quinceañera, if you will, they’re throwing themselves a little party. So far, that party has stopped at 10 cities across these United States with plenty of BBQ, booze and tunes to satisfy the most nomadic and hungry of folk punks. At Tempe’s Sail Inn…
Wanda Jackson has been dubbed many titles, most of which are some play on “The Queen/First Lady of Rock/Rock n Roll/Rockabilly.” This year she finally got that official recognition when she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an “Early Influence.” Last night, a 71-year-old Jackson…
It’s been something of a packed Saturday, what with Tour de Fat, the Tiki Throwdown, Oktoberfest, and various and sundry other weekend events happening around the Valley. If you’ve still got some energy and cash left, jump in your ride and head for Grand Avenue in downtown Phoenix, where the…
By now you’ve probably read music editor Martin Cizmar’s contentious column from this week’s issue regarding his opinion that “CenPho’s Music Scene is So Over” with the impending change to Modified Arts later this year and the opening of Rodney Hu’s 23 West venue.Like many others who’ve spoken out since…
