A recurring aspect of pop history is the “hit machine,” a moniker bestowed upon creative teams of producers, songwriters, and/or record labels known for a distinctive style and lots of hits. The Motown Sound, Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, and Bacharach/David are iconic examples — Philly Soul is another. In…
Clinic’s path back to form after a half-hearted detour with Winchester Cathedral finds the Liverpool art rockers leaning constructively toward late ’60s alchemy even more than they did on 2007’s Visitations. Although the spastic riffs that curl ’round Do It!’s stompy garage ditties are as prominent as they were on…
A mix of blues, folk, and acoustic rock with fringes of jazz is what you hear on this new release by the duo of brothers Chris (from Medeski, Martin & Wood) and Oliver Wood, which follows up 2006’s Ways Not to Lose. Again under the production of John Medeski, the…
When Duran Duran made its U.S. splash in 1981, the heady excess and glitter of the era, along with the surging energy of MTV, made it difficult to tell whether or not the band would amount to a flash in the pan. Certainly, the pouffy-haired fivesome looked good and the…
John and Julian, Bob and Jakob, or Loudon and Rufus: The “like father, like son” adage in rock/pop music has always been a somewhat shaky proposition over the years. Liam Finn, son of Neil Finn (Crowded House) cuts a similar cloth in some songs, in which a few Lennon-driven melodies…
The hearts of local drum ‘n’ bass fanatics are thumping like some dope-ass Goldie track in anticipation of this weekend’s gig by the U.K.’s Micky Finn. Over the past two decades, the British beatmaster and producer (whose slogan states he’s been “mugging ya ears off since 1988”) helped pioneer and…
You want real “alternative” music? How about a CD titled Stories Told: Harmonized Peyote Songs? That’s the title of the new collection of authentic Native American folk songs from Grammy award-winner Verdell Primeaux with Terry Hanks. It’s one of several releases of indigenous music, folk dance, and pow-wow songs from Canyon Records, a local label that’s the focus of this week’s Local Label Spotlight.
Silver Martini & Wine in Phoenix on Saturday, April 26. By: Lilia Menconi For more sultry scenery click here. It’s been too long since we hit the downtown scene, and we were beginning to miss our old digs. So on Saturday, April 26, we strolled down Washington Street looking for…
The local garage rock babes of Bella have decided to reunite for one show, on Thursday, May 1, at The Rogue.
Twin sisters Tegan and Sara Quin spread their musical wings on their sixth (and latest) album, The Con, adding a bit more depth to their arrangements and increasing the potency of their New Wave/indie pop/freak-folk cocktail. But it’s their onstage banter that’s garnered them the most attention lately. It provided the angle for a recent story on the sisters by The Associated Press, and even Sara had to talk about how much she talks onstage at the duo’s gig in Tempe.
There is a new museum slated to open in Phoenix in early 2010, but it’s already kicking up some controversy. The Musical Instrument Museum, under construction at Tatum and Mayo Boulevards, just purchased a collection of rare instruments from California’s Claremont University. The 1200-piece collection includes 19th-century slide trumpets, an oboe by Lehnhold, a curved English horn from the 1760s, and a treble viol by Leandri Bisiach.
Just when you thought the ’80s nostalgia kick was over, promoters announce a ton of My Decade acts that are getting back on the bus, twenty years past their primes. Such throwback outings have been successful because, these days, nostalgia equates to relevance. But ‘80s popsters aren’t the only musicians hitting the road this summer — read on for an eclectic list of just-announced shows.
By Luke Holwerda The show was already going at 8:45 p.m. I fumbled through the door with my camera bag, quickly getting a hand stamp and a wrist band, and I made my way to the front of the venue. The place was pretty full for a Thursday night. I…
When I first pulled into the parking lot of Joe’s Grotto and saw only six cars sitting there, I thought to myself, “Maybe this show will be like the Ramones’ first gig – where there were only like, five people in the audience, but it was an historic event.”
I’m here to see local rock band Downward Dog. I’d heard about the band through a friend of a friend, and since Joe’s Grotto is one of my favorite venues, I thought, “Why not?”
Phoenix post-hardcore band Greeley Estates has lost and replaced six members since forming in 2002, but that hasn’t prevented them from achieving several sonic milestones, including playing every date on the Vans Warped Tour in 2005 and 2006 (as well as every date on the 2006 Taste of Chaos tour), and co-headlining the MySpace Fall Tour 2005.
Lonely days in Phoenix lead to lonely springtime in the desert. Everything is blooming and fornicating, humping, discharging, and collecting all the time, leaving you standing there waiting for that bee. The young dance in the light, on the lawns at spring training games, on small balconies, in backyards by…
THURSDAY 24 Blooze Bar: DJ El Dedo (rockabilly) Bunkhouse: DJ Doom (dance) Club Forbidden: DJ Domenica, DJ Hill, & DJ MJ (various) Club Red: The Blunt Club with P-Trix, Pickster One, DJ Element, Emerg McVay (hip-hop, breaks), Grand Pappy Nappe, Good O’Preecha, & Terrasaurus (dubstep) Crown Room: Crush Thursdays with DJ Gable…
Third albums are notorious for their scope, as bands usually feel secure enough to stretch in new directions, but in Rogue Wave’s case, the band didn’t need added inspiration for its third and latest, Asleep at Heaven’s Gate. It’s an album that frontman Zach Rogue had discussed obsessively with his…
So, the other day, I was listening to Rabbit Habits, the terrific and addictive new album from Philadelphia quintet Man Man — experimental loons whose growly, vaudevillian indie-rock sounds like the best drunken-hobo campfire party you’ve ever been to. Then I began thinking about all the music that’s come outta…
On a recent evening, as the clock approached midnight, I created a makeshift altar with a photo of late Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon, then lit a mixture of wormwood, patchouli, and Mrs. Dash, then chanted over and over, “I summon you from the other side; come to me and…
The kid with the fluorescent green hair can’t be much older than 8. He’s wearing a shirt with a design that resembles the Heineken logo, but is modified to proclaim his love of Anal Blast, the band that’s just pulled him onstage. Singer Don Decker asks the kid, “What’s the…
For decades, critics have been leveling such denunciations as arch, portentous, heavy-handed, and precious at rock music. Destroyer’s Dan Bejar has managed to turn those denunciations into attributes. His vocals feature mannerisms that we’d usually find annoying in our U.K. cousins: feyness, enthusiastic offhandedness, melodramatics, self-importance, and smugness. (Think: Bowie,…
