Artists are more often like soda than wine: bubbling with ideas in the beginning, losing their fizz over time, before going completely flat. So though Chrissie Hynde’s led an eventful life — on hand for the Kent State shootings, worked for NME and Malcolm McLaren, befriended Sid Vicious, married and…
Sound the City is the latest Valley band to carve out a large fan base before picking up high school diplomas, following the lead of successful locals Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Greeley Estates, and The Maine. The pop-rock band, whose members are seniors at Corona del Sol and Desert Vista…
At first listen, The Expendables sound like just another ska-punk band from California, a state teeming with such bands. But on closer examination, it becomes clear that this Santa Cruz foursome owes as much to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest as they do to Sublime or No Doubt. Expendables songs…
I admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for cheesy ’80s prog metal. If you perused my collection of old cassettes, you’d find all sorts of stuff featuring intricate dual guitar leads and operatic vocals, all performed by dudes with ridiculous poodle hair. Heir Apparent, Crimson Glory,…
Go ahead and count the number of British musicians who came to the Valley in the past year — you may even be able to count them on both hands. It’s a low number, thus making the stop by Brighton boys Fujiya & Miyagi all the more intriguing. Their name…
Eric Crespo was doing fine as the guitarist for Portland, Oregon band Alarmist when he decided to go his own way and start his own one-man band. The result of his brave ways is Ghost to Falco, a passion project that does Portland’s booming music scene justice. Crespo’s calm but…
While a helluva lot of music from the 1990s really sucked (Spice Girls, Ace of Base, all those boy bands), one brief moment toward the end of the decade caused mainstream robots to wrap their heads around the Swing Revival. With Swingers re-defining cool and raking it in at the…
Logan Howard (a.k.a. DJ Element) has cooler friends than you’ll ever have. Among his plethora of pals are a slew of artists, rappers, and turntablists, all of whom can transform an ordinary club into a playa’s paradise filled with phat beats and hip-hop treats. And they’re doing just that during…
Gwen Stefani is reuniting with her backing band. Kidding! Seriously, folks, No Doubt announced a summer tour today, stopping in Phoenix’s Cricket Wireless Pavilion on Saturday, May 23. Paramore and The Sounds join them. Tickets go on sale next Saturday at noon here…
Looking for something different to do on Sunday fun day? Check out Furio’s new Sunday option, which combines half-price bottles of wine and live music, similar to Phoenix’s The Vig. But where as The Vig gets their party started around three with a cover act featuring Gin Blossoms guitarist Scotty…
Move over Criss Angel – Britney Spears may be after your gig. The pop songstress, known for lip-synching her way through her shows, will bring some magic to her “Circus” tour, according to E! Illusionist/comedian Ed “The Misfit of Magic” Alonzo will be sawing Spears, his magician’s assistant, in half…
Happy opening day, Phoenix!Yes, today is the start of the baseball season. The real start, not the start they’ll be celebrating in the upper Midwest next month, the one that requires parkas. It’ll be 80 degrees and sunny across the Valley as the first pitch of the year will be…
Rarely does a death metal act succeed in spooking a seasoned critic like me, but I have to say there was truly something unsettling about Iwatchedherdie.’s The Ill Effects of Hope. Midway through the seven-song disc I just felt vaguely disturbed by the imagery, the haunting keyboards, the crushing guitars,…
There’s something about a man in a skirt that just says “sexy.” I’m not talking about transvestites or transsexuals or cross-dressers or whatever, but totally masculine dudes who have the balls to wear what’s traditionally considered a feminine piece of clothing — at least, in this part of the world…
A couple of years ago, my friends and I attempted to start a Dilettante Society, where each week one of us would pick an activity of topics we had some talent in or some knowledge about and teach the other members of the group. It never took off because, well,…
It all started on Saturday Night Live in December 2005. Midway through a so-so episode of the New York institution, we were treated to a digital short featuring Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg. The premise was simple enough: two white guys rapping about their Sunday, cupcakes, and The Chronicles of…
Shake! Fourth Year Anniversary at The Rogue William “Fucking” Reed with special guests The Rapture DJs brought the Rogue to the dance floor on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009. Weekend Out: Dear and the Headlights, Matsuri and Rhythm Room We got artistic with Dear and the Headlights at the Heard Museum,…
Today marks an important day in the vibrant history of hip-hop music. 10 years ago, Philadelphia hip-hop pioneers The Roots released their breakthrough album, Things Fall Apart. Bolstered by the strength of the irresistible single “You Got Me,” featuring the vocals of Erykah Badu,Things Fall Apart became The Roots’ most…
The British lower class has been all over the news of late thanks to that 13-year-old kid, Alfie, who apparently knocked up his girlfriend. The music blog at our sister paper in Orange County has a link to a funny video about the hot “donk” trend hitting clubs full of…
Yes, that’s right, Jimmy Eat World’s masterpiece Clarity came out on February 23, 1999. We’re writing a lot more about the record in advance of their sold-out show at the Marquee on March 7, but I wanted to mark the date. Anyone have any memories about the first time they…
On Friday, February 20th, we felt it was high time we head to Hanny’s (for best results, check the slideshow). It’s only been the most talked about downtown bar since, well, before it even opened. Geez, what’s our problem, anyway? Get on it already!If we had to pick one word…
Even to those of us who aren’t huge proponents of mainstream rap, The Game’s second album, Doctor’s Advocate, was hugely influential a few years back. Advocate was a note-perfect throwback to gangsta rap’s halcyon days of the early ’90s and quite possibly the best mainstream rap album since, well, pretty…
