August. The hottest month of the year, bar none. At Back East Bagels in Tempe, there’s even a super-spicy sandwich called the August 22. But we’re almost through it: School is starting back up, football is around the corner, fall festivals and holidays are the light at the end of…
It’s hard to believe that the Warped Tour is now trucking into its 21st year. What’s even more amazing is that a festival that is two decades old hasn’t become a variety show for aging punk and metalcore bands. Sure there are reunions and revivals, but the sheer amount of…
Looking for a great concert to check out this weekend? Look no further. We’ve got the lowdown on seven “can’t miss” shows happening over the next few nights at venues across the Valley that are worthy of your time and money. For even more live music options, hit up our…
It’s hard to find Marissa Nadler’s style of folk music described without the word gothic also attached. Dark, brooding, delicate and lush, Nadler’s music can sound otherworldly, even as her piercingly beautiful vocals convey an emotional directness. On Strangers, Nadler’s seventh album and second for the more typically heavy and…
Les Claypool has always done things, well, his way. Whether with Primus, his main band, or any number of side projects including the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, Oysterhead (featuring Phish’s Trey Anastasio, though perhaps Claypool’s most accessible project), or Sausage, Claypool has always looked outside rock conventions for something a…
In Phoenix, the phrase “Warped Tour” brings to mind sweltering crowds, sweaty, dehydrated teenagers, and innumerable pop-punk bands. But for the Arizona-raised band The Maine, the Vans Warped Tour 2016 is a milestone. Guitarist Jared Monaco has seen the band through a number of Warped Tours. This one, he explained,…
It’s hard to believe today, but a slightly overweight, 40-something Jewish man in Buddy Holly glasses once dominated the Billboard 200 charts for weeks, selling more than a million copies of an album parodying songs by Sammy Davis Jr. and long-dead classical composers. Of course, this was in late 1963,…
If you came across the pairing of Modest Mouse and Brand New and thought to yourself, “What an odd bill,” you’re right. The two bands don’t have a lot in common, and their fan bases barely overlap. The only similarity is that they experienced their peak popularity at about the…
Suffering from a little cabin fever after spending all of your free time indoors lately? Can’t say we blame you, considering the average temperature outdoors is around 108 degrees these days. It might do you a bit of good to get out of the house, however, and we’ve got several…
Korn pummeled a packed Ak-Chin Pavilion with hit after hit on Saturday night during a 14-song set that spanned their entire catalog. From opener “Right Now” the new metal pioneers reminded fans not only how important they have been to the metal scene over the years but that they haven’t lost…
Rob Zombie and the metalheads of Korn are headed to the Valley this weekend. So’s blues legend Robert Cray, R&B/pop star Meghan Trainor, grunge-era refugees Soul Asylum, and hip-hop icons EPMD, for that matter. Meanwhile, Japanese avant-garde metal band Boris will be coming to Crescent Ballroom to perform their 2005…
The last eight years have certainly been more than just a dream for Michael Fitzpatrick and his six-piece neo-soul indie pop group Fitz and the Tantrums. In that time, the band has grown from a festival favorite to bona fide superstars. But even with all their successes, their dynamic frontman,…
Despite Steven Tyler’s own protestations that this is not a solo tour because he is performing with a fully integrated band called Loving Mary, it’s hard not to see his whole career trajectory of the last few years—from signing on to judge American Idol to writing a tell-all best-selling biography…
An Arizona (by way of Michigan) candidate has not only thrown their top hat into the U.S. presidential election, but also the British Prime Minister race, and is running on one of the more unique platforms ever. That’s right, Alice Cooper, shock rocker extraordinaire and guillotine proponent, has launched a…
The shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando on June 12 affected many people in different ways. For Stacy Louis, owner of the gay club Stacy’s At Melrose, it hit close to home. “I heard about the event as I was going to sleep that night,” Louis recalls. “The way…
In 2005, Brian “Head” Welch shocked the metal world when he left nu-metal pioneers Korn at the height of the band’s career. The surprise wasn’t so much that Welch was departing from the band he helped create but his reasoning. The guitarist quit the band because he had found Jesus…
Fresh off the release of his critically acclaimed Blank Face LP , Schoolboy Q announced tour dates this week, including a stop at Mesa Amphitheatre on Tuesday, October 11. Chicago rapper Joey Purp will join him on tour. Blank Face LP is Schoolboy Q’s second major label album and follows…
Looking for a great local concert to check out this week? Look not further. We’ve got the lowdown on biggest and best shows happening at Valley music venues over the next several nights, all of which are worthy of both your time and money. Wye Oak – Mondau, July 18…
In a triumphant return after ten long years away from the Valley, Dixie Chicks smashed expectations at Ak-Chin Pavilion with a show that went beyond simple country music. Visually, it was as modern and effective as they come, a slick black-and-white palette as a setting that would have looked at…
If I could pin down the year that Comerica Theatre time traveled to last night for the Taste of Chaos tour, I think it would be 2003. In 2003 Dashboard Confessional had its first top 10 album. Taking Back Sunday was still riding high on its critically acclaimed debut. Anthony Green…
Looking for a memorable concert to check out during the next few nights? You’re in luck, as there are plenty of big shows happening. In fact, we’ve got nine picks for your consideration, all of which are taking place during the next 72 hours are certainly worthy of both your…
The melding of pop and country music is no new phenomenon. The marriage of the two genres has brought the latter into the mainstream and thoroughly incensed the purists of the former for decades now. Country radio today has embraced the change wholeheartedly, yet few artists are willing to admit…
