Underground hip-hop duo Grouch & Eli have been getting some rave reviews as of late, particularly for their latest album Say G&E!, which hit the streets last month. The pair of L.A.-based artists, who comprise one-fourth of renowned California hip-hop collective Living Legends, spit some seriously smooth rhymes on the…
It’s been a few years since Amy Ray and Emily Saliers (a.k.a. the Indigo Girls) last did their thing collectively on a Valley stage. Sure, Ray came through town earlier this year for a solo gig at Martini Ranch, but we’re sure it wasn’t the same as seeing the noted folk…
Jimmy Buffet is a bizarre cultural force. His had-to-be-damn-close to sold out show at Cricket Wireless Pavilion was quite a spectacle to be seen. While it is hard not to be aware of the phenomenon that is Buffett and his Parrothead followers, it is another thing to see it. I…
We’re used to seeing the occasional Motown review or single original member-led hair metal act come through Celebrity Theatre, but tonight’s show was supposed to be an oldies extravaganza of another stripe.Three post grunge acts who never gave up the ghost — Sponge (“Molly,” “Wax Ecstatic”), Days of the New…
The word “experimental,” when self-applied by indie rock acts, usually means painfully slow, and, quite probably, dreary. Not Minnesota outfit Cloud Cult, which plays Rhythm Room Sunday with Say Hi (To Your Mom) and Ice Palace. They’ve got all the buoyancy of poppier indie acts, and more exotic instrumentation than…
Pitchfork: Weezer to Tour With Blink-182Jess Harter: I’m off until May 18Pitchfork: Bonnaroo Reveals Festival ScheduleNME: Alanis Morissette to guest star on ‘Weeds’…
Back in 2007 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. ran an ad disguised as editorial content in Rolling Stone which featured an insert called “The Indie Rock Universe” that had cartoons and features on indie rock bands. F*cked Up and Xiu Xiu have both sued the company over using their names in…
For those of you living under a rock or just emerging from a coma, Jimmy Buffett will be playing tonight at Cricket Wireless Pavilion, much to the delight of seemingly tens of thousands of Valley Parrotheads. I must admit — the number of my friends attending tonight’s show is shockingly…
I spoke with Jack Maverik, the co-owner of Last Exit Bar & Grill, who’s been plenty busy lately. He and his partner Brad White are still working on nailing down a rental agreement with Arizona Partners Retail Investment Group, the peeps who own the Tempe strip mall where the bar…
I will be the first to admit that as excited as I am about last night’s Idol results, I am also really shocked (as are a lot of other people, apparently). I think most people–whether they were Gokey fans or not–thought his large hausfrau fan base would keep him safe…
The Dollyrots are this week’s Flier of the Week partly because this is one of the better offerings in a weak field, and partly because their latest record, which came out in 2007, is called Because I’m Awesome, which is also the name of the best song on said album…
Ted Nugent talks a lot about discipline. Speaking on the phone from his ranch outside Waco, Texas, the Detroit-born guitarist of “Cat Scratch Fever” fame comes back to it again and again. His life of clean living is the way to go, he says, living another way is nothing less…
A funny thing happened to me as I watched the new Wilco concert DVD, Ashes of American Flags: I was forced to admit, without hesitation, that my favorite band is, in fact, a jam band. Yes, a jam band. Wilco are the kind of band that sees their shows taped…
Like major-league closers, modern-rock musicians tend to specialize in the high hard stuff. Still, that doesn’t mean fans of the genre reject any and all softer sounds — and that’s where Kevin Devine comes in. A generation ago, Devine, who has local boys Miniature Tigers on tour with him, wouldn’t…
When two of the biggest and most influential alt-rock bands of all time tour together, it’s hard to find much to complain about. Indeed, the only negative we can come up with about Nine Inch Nails touring with a newly reunited Jane’s Addiction is the unfortunate “NIN/JA” moniker they’ve slapped…
Over the course of three albums, Kings of Leon have worn their undigested influences on their rangy, sleeveless arms. Sure, this is partly born of a supremely unambitious approach, but the result is a rare, uncomplicated rock pleasure. 2005’s Aha Shake Heartbreak has endured several years into the blog era,…
Certain bands have a vibe that makes you just know they’d be fun guys to grab a beer and a burger with. Then there’s Earth Crisis. A fun day with this Syracuse, New York-based metalcore quintet seems more likely to include pouring blood on unsuspecting fur coat wearers, strapping yourself…
What do Styx and REO Speedwagon have in common besides the obvious cheese factor, being aging rock musicians, and sharing the stage at Dodge Theatre this weekend? The ’70s and ’80s power rockers have seven tracks featured on the Rock Band Music Store catalog for the wildly popular video game…
It’s apparently been en vogue lately to jump from Stray Cat Bar & Grill in Tempe to Jugheads. The first to flee was DJ Johnny Volume, who moved his popular BANNED night to the east Phoenix punk bar in March. And now it looks as though DJ Refkekshin’s made the…
Unfortunately, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement — the singing Kiwis who constitute Flight of the Conchords — weren’t available for an interview in conjunction with their current tour. Nonetheless, I’ve spent some time imagining how my conversation with them might go. The key is to get on their good side…
THURSDAY 14 Bomberos: DJ Rani “g,” dk.strickler, & guests (house, global soul) Bunkhouse: DJ Doom (dance) Cherry Lounge: Scandalous Thursday with DJ Juan Rocha (house, electronica) Club Red: The Blunt Club with Nosal Thing, Golden Tung, Pickster Uno, DJ Element, Emerg, & more (hip-hop) Coach & Willie’s: The Recession Sessions…
Though I firmly believe “Cheeseburger in Paradise” to be the single biggest piece-of-crap pop song of all time — worse, even, than Bob Seger’s execrable “Katmandu” — this won’t be a rant about Jimmy Buffett’s musical abilities. Or lack thereof. Because that would miss the point. The point is, it’s…
