Where is R&B going these days? That is the question posed by this Philadelphia newcomer, whose self-titled CD features guest appearances from Lupe Fiasco, Q-Tip, and Wyclef Jean. The first track that grabs the listener’s attention is the anti-racist anthem “It Don’t Make Any Difference To Me,” which contains some…
It’s hard to know when, or whether, the Australian one-man dance act known as Muscles is being serious. Live, ensconced behind a tower of keyboards and contraptions, he’ll yell to his hipster crowd, “This is my trance song! Do you all like trance?!” Before anyone can respond, he’ll launch into…
Music scribes can appreciate the smart-ass lyrics of Vampire Weekend’s über-groovy song “Oxford Comma,” wherein singer and guitarist Ezra Koenig quips and croons, “Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?/I’ve seen those English dramas too-oo/They’re crue-ool” against a bopping sonic backdrop that sounds like a ’70s bubblegum commercial. Music…
Much like free-jazz pianist Cecil Taylor, who pioneered an unapologetic sound birthed from classical training, San Francisco-based Thollem McDonas manages to perform solo piano in a unique, powerfully creative way. And, like those unappreciated cats who lived in shabby tenements in New York City during the 1960s, McDonas once put…
It’s not for nothing that this legendary Japanese four-piece, which is largely ignored in its home country, gets greeted with hysterical, slack-jawed enthusiasm by its American and European fans when it tours every two or three years. Melt-Banana gets tagged as noise, punk, hardcore, indie rock, metal, no wave, art…
While Nashville’s Will Hoge may lack the smooth soul grooves of the John Mayer Trio or the witty charm of Ben Lee’s pop rock, Hoge’s soulful voice and introspective lyrics will appeal to many of the same adult-alternative fans. To be certain, there is a level of blue-eyed soul reminiscent…
This Minneapolis duo has been a team since their teens, when DJ Abilities left home, and Eyedea’s mom put him up in their basement, where their partnership flourished. Eyedea began competing in battle rap competitions, taking top honors in the ’99 Scribble Jam before he was 18, and winning the…
The dance floor funkheads behind Outside World Entertainment are always busy cooking up some kinda PLUR-heavy throwdowns for rave fans here in the PHX, whether it’s a shindig like Acid Reign, Diablo, or the annual Philter spectacular. Now you can add another EDM event to the pile, as they’re gearing…
THURSDAY 22 Axis/Radius: Red Hot Thursdays (rock, Top 40, hip-hop) Coach & Willie’s: General Malice with DJ S. Doobie, DJ Neglect, Killa-Ranks, & EVOL 1 (d’n’b, jungle, dance) Dirty Pretty: Foxy Bitch Thursday (rock, Top 40, hip-hop) Henry Jack’s: Mr. DJ Ray (cumbia, old school) Hollywood Alley: The Blunt Club’s…
Rarely has revenge been served colder than the frozen shit sandwich the record industry has been served. Two decades after forcing the record-buying public into accepting the CD without once lowering its list price, people let it be known via iTunes that they just want the tracks they like, thanks…
Not all music interviews aspire to get at the pith of an artist or band’s identity, or to say anything all that insightful about them. No, sometimes interviews exist just as a means to give an artist a chance to voice a bit of his or her personality and, if…
1921, Sugar Land: Huddie “Lead belly” Ledbetter, incarcerated for killing his cousin during a fight, pleads his case for early release to Texas Governor Pat Morris Neff. During the proceedings, Leadbelly performs — for no money — a clemency song he penned especially for the occasion. Soon thereafter, Neff frees…
It’s been a while since we hit up Scottsdale for some photo action, so when we heard that Twisted Restaurant was clearing out tables and throwing down a dance floor, we decided to check it out. (Click here for more photos.) On Friday, November 16, we weren’t the only folks…
It’s tough to wake up at 10:45 on a Sunday morning after only five hours of sleep. It’s particularly tough to get up and make it to a noon wedding. In fact, I’m hoping I can just get there without vomiting or shitting my pants (time will tell). Thank God…
After spending this week’s annual food fest (a.k.a. Thanksgiving) figuring out how many yams you can jam down your craw, you’ll probably wanna veg out on the couch watching the Jets and Cowboys pound on each other for football supremacy. But try to shake off the food coma after overdosing…
For simplicity’s sake, there are two cornerstones to Yourchestra’s sound: old-timey, ’20s-era jug band sounds and psychedelic freakout. Now, attempt to sonically bridge the gap between these two ridiculously disparate elements, and you’re close to imagining what their debut effort, Sparkel, Sammy, sounds like. “Water in His Heart” kicks off…
If you’re as sick as we are of hearing trite, toe-the-line renditions of holiday classics on throwaway compilations put out solely to feed the commercialization of Christmas, then Psychostick’s Flesh Eating Rollerskate Holiday Joyride may be just the coal you need in your stocking. The comical metal band throws “tidings…
It’s lucky for Kid Rock that he’s an egomaniacal dipshit, because otherwise, his music would be about as memorable as a Molly Hatchet eight-track sans “Flirting With Disaster.” Still, the former Mr. Pamela Anderson’s good-humored salutes to his own cocksmanship — not to mention his skill at Xeroxing classic boogie…
Recorded with pedal steel/dobro player Ben Keith, bassist Rick Rosas, and drummer Ralph Molina, Chrome Dreams II is the sequel to a shelved 1976 project. It gathers new renditions of previously unrecorded songs spanning the years. With the search for inner peace being the single unifying theme, II holds together…
Psychedelic music — sounds to evoke or accompany chemically enhanced/altered states of imagination/perception — existed long before Syd Barrett or John Lennon dropped their first tab of “sunshine” in the 1960s. In 1830, prompted by the double-whammy mojo of unrequited love and opium, French composer Hector Berlioz composed his masterwork,…
Despite his announcement late last year that he had fathered an illegitimate child, Alejandro Sanz remains an internationally beloved Latin balladeer. An aging heartthrob and the bestselling pop star to ever come out of Spain, Madrid native Sanz is not yet a household name in America, despite hitting big with…
Chris Martin recently said that Scottish band Travis “invented” Coldplay, and repeat listens to Travis’ fifth album, The Boy with No Name, provide ample evidence of Travis’ influence on a whole slew of UK bands, from Coldplay to Keane to Snow Patrol. Perhaps if Travis frontman Fran Healy had married…
