For the fifth year, a slew of Phoenix bands will pack their vans and head down to the Sidepony Express Music Festival in Bisbee on November 11-13, and New Times has the exclusive scoop on the 101-artist lineup this year. Yes, the festival takes place in Bisbee, the haunted mining…
Watchu doing this weekend? There’s most definitely no shortage of things to do, whether its hanging out at the Arizona State Fair, checking out Ignite Phoenix’s first-ever music edition, And lest we not forget, it also just happens to be Halloween weekend, which means tons of costume parties, masquerades, and…
Many fans and critics alike felt Black Rebel Motorcycle Club had gone soft, given the tone and sound of their most recent album, 2013’s Specter at the Feast. Album opener “Fire Walker” meanders in with Pink Floyd “Echoes”-like wanderings, and even with the fuzzed-out guitars, sullen harmonies and dark basslines,…
Not unlike The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne last Saturday night, Tom Araya, Slayer’s ass kicking bassist/vocalist, talked to the Fair crowd about the importance of remembering to share the love about halfway through the band’s set. Then he and his band melted the faces off the people in the front…
“Reward the listener.” When was the last time you heard any artist say that and not have it not mean including a discount coupon for their fragrance tucked away in a CD? Okay, so Brooklyn neo-psychedelic pop band Yeasayer never actually say anything about rewarding the listener either, but Chris Keating,…
Let’s face it, there’s something downright magical to Stevie Nicks. When I think of Nicks, three things come to mind: Fleetwood Mac, the sexiest voice on the planet, and magic, probably in that order. Even the way I had the opportunity to see Stevie Nicks and the Pretenders on Tuesday night…
It’s always bittersweet to see a band unexpectedly hang it up at the height of their game and call it quits prematurely, but sometimes it’s a blessing in disguise. Metal’s most chaotic act, the Dillinger Escape Plan, doesn’t want to be that band who makes the subpar record fans despise…
Look at the cover of Paper Bird’s eponymous album. Standing clustered together in Old West-styled garb on a white background, shades of Fleetwood Mac are apparent. Musically, the Denver band strikes numerous similarities to the Stevie Nicks-fronted band. With multiple female harmonies, catchy hooks, and driving pop songs, the appeal…
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Phoenix, head to the desert. Desert raves have been an underground staple of the dance music scene since I can remember. Once upon a time, underground parties were the only places you could listen to electronic music and engage in…
We’re rolling into one of the busiest weeks of the year for live music – and its not only because the Halloween party season about to kick into gear. By sheer happenstance, a slew of great concerts will be happening over the next few nights at Valley venues, and every one…
The Flaming Lips are known for their wild performances and colorful theatrics on stage. Yet, there is a lot more to their flamboyant productions than first meets the eye. Last night at the Arizona State Fair, frontman Wayne Coyne showed the entire coliseum the deep roots of his musical mission…
Jimmy Eat World might not have burst onto the national consciousness until “The Middle” hit the airwaves in 2001, but the band actually formed in 1993, during the heyday of the Mill Avenue jangle-pop scene. But while the Gin Blossoms were riding the wave of “Hey Jealousy” and the streets…
Up for seeing a great concert this weekend? If so, we’ve got a few suggestions for y’all. As a matter of fact, we’ve got 10 of ‘em, which include shows from a wide variety of genres, ranging from R. Kelly and Yuna to The Cookers and Nicolas Jaar. We’ve also got the…
Taylor Momsen is no stranger to the spotlight. She’s been modeling and acting since age 2, and she began writing music by the time she was in grade school. (Years later, a song she wrote at age 8 even ended up on a 24-year-old reality star’s debut album). She starred…
On November 18, 2014, North Carolina’s Hiss Golden Messenger appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman. After the band’s performance, a funky, swaying version of “Southern Grammar,” Letterman raved. “I like everything about this,” Letterman beamed. “What are you worried about?” Bandleader M.C. Taylor answered with a smirk and…
Of Montreal fans have, in a sense, been reading frontman Kevin Barnes’ diary for the past 20 years. Endearingly vulnerable and addictingly frank, his lyrics are emotionally magnetic, with enough highbrow literary references and sesquipedalian terminology to make you feel like you’re in with the smart kids if you get…
Is it just me or are people who are afraid of clowns kinda dumb? Fear of masks (masklophobia) makes sense to me — it could be anything under there, or even spookier, maybe there isn’t a face at all! But a clown is just an idiot in makeup — what’s…
Blend up some catchy garage pop, a punk rock heart, some quirky sensibilities, and a heap of sincerity and you’ll wind up with Australian duo, Gooch Palms. Otherwise known as Leroy MacQueen and Kat Friend, these two – who are also a couple – have been working their asses off…
Halloween is only a couple of weeks away and – as you’d expect – ’tis the season for sporting kooky costumes, madcap masks, and freaky face paint. And, fittingly enough, some of this week’s best concerts in the Valley will include artists and acts who are famous for their costumes,…
When the lights went up inside the historic Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix after an emotional performance by Icelandic dream rockers Sigur Rós, my eyes were, for lack of a better word, moist. I was moved and I did not know why. As the crowd emptied, I attempted to keep…
Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame has always been known to have eye-popping visuals accompanying his concerts. Now, for the first time since 2012, Phoenix fans will get the chance to judge for themselves. Waters’ Us + Them Tour will stop by Gila River Arena in Glendale on June 14,…
If ever there was a time to see Bob Dylan in concert, it’d be this weekend. As you might’ve heard by now, the folk legend is making headlines for winning the Nobel Prize for literature earlier this week, arguably one of the proudest accomplishments of his 57-year career in music…
