Sadie Switchblade of Girls Living Outside Society’s Shit (G.L.O.S.S.) had a pretty simple answer when she was asked why she chose to call her new solo garage rock side project “Dyke Drama.” “It’s pretty straightforward. I’m gay, and the first batch of songs were just like, really personal lesbian love…
Look, we know it’s coming and so do you. And truth be told, there’s nothing that any of us can do to stop it. Summer is just around the corner, its probably going to be as miserable as ever, and the only thing you can do is make sure your…
Few bands have had the power to unify youth the way the Violent Femmes did in the early- and mid-1980s. The band, which stops by Marquee Theatre in Tempe on Tuesday, March 3, had an extraordinary ability to unify the various cliques found in American high schools and colleges. Putting…
It’s not exactly something that’s touted in ads for Sauza and Patron, but did you know tequila is really good for you? True story. Depending on who you ask, the spirituous substance hewn from the agave plants of Mexico can not only work as a sleep aid, but can also…
The year is 1983. Punk is dead, and the undead appears to be on the minds of many post-punk ingénues and avant-garde crowds alike. Nowhere did the dark light shine more forebodingly than in Tony Scott’s campy erotic horror cult film The Hunger, which starred David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve…
Just as the phone conversation between myself and Stephen McBean, leader of the Vancouver, British Columbia band Black Mountain, is warming up, it gets cut short. The quintet’s van is being pulled over by California Highway Patrol. He calls me back 20 minutes later and assures me everything is okay…
Remember that big Rihanna show that was supposed to happen back in March (but wound up getting rescheduled due to RiRi’s bout with bronchitis)? It’s finally going off this weekend. The R&B/pop star is bringing her ANTI tour to Talking Stick Resort Arena on Sunday, and according to everything we’ve…
When you’re already a founding member of the self-anointed “Greatest Rock Band In The World” all the rest is gravy really, and a flute, because nothing says rock more than a toy recorder. In his time away from Jack Black, Kyle Gass has assembled a posse he’s dubbed The Kyle…
Although firmly entrenched in people’s minds and hearts as a power pop band, The Posies were never the rigid adherents to the “verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge” structure as that movement suggests. While always exhibiting impeccable harmonies, the band never skimped on the power part of the equation, which is why they came into…
For Mexican artist Carla Morrison, a decade’s worth of blood, sweat, tears (especially tears) and hard work as an independent artist brought her to Coachella, where she played an early Friday afternoon set both weekends at the Outdoor Theatre. It was a literal dream come true for the Latin Grammy…
In 2012, A$AP Rocky closed out Saturday night of Coachella in the Gobi tent. Considering he had only released his first mixtape, Deep Purple, the summer before, it was a plum set time for the Harlem rapper. Being a rap and Rocky lover, I was excited to see him perform…
Among the many artists making their Coachella debuts this year, Mavis Staples undoubtedly has the most storied résumé. As a solo artist and former member of The Staples Singers, the 76-year-old’s powerful voice has graced over five decades of soul classics, including “I’ll Take You There,” “Let’s Do It Again” and…
Of all the iconic artists to leave us so far this year, the loss of Prince was perhaps the most shocking, and certainly the more honored at this year’s second round of Coachella. For as little time as people had to process the news of his passing — Prince died the…
Electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk are making the trip from Germany to the stateside this year, and they will be making a stop in Phoenix. Kraftwerk is scheduled to play Orpheum Theatre on September 15. The tour is part of a nine-city run in the U.S. that will feature the band’s…
The sight of bacon-wrapped hot dogs sizzling atop metal trays, their fatty aroma intermingling with desert dust and the odor of dead grass, has been a familiar part of the Coachella Valley Music Festival for many years. But not this year. Where they once could be found along any entry…
Allah-Las – Monday, April 25 – Valley Bar If one had to guess the birthplace of the Allah-Las simply based on a few musical interludes, somewhere on the sunshine-y California coast makes for an easy choice. It’s accurate too, as this Los Angeles band co-mingles all the salty goodness of a…
Every year, we travel out to the desert to capture the stories that make the Coachella experience so unique and infamous. Sometimes these tales are touching; other times, frustrating; but without a doubt, the crowd at Coachella is always hilarious. Here are 25 of the strangest, funniest, most memorable things…
Like many of you, we’re still very much in shock over the untimely passing of Prince – and probably will be for some time. And we’re probably not the only ones who have been blasting “His Royal Badness” nonstop while dealing with the unfathomable sorrow over the silencing of one…
Hyper Vessels, the fourth full-length by Fullterton, California, rockers Audacity, is the kind fizzy, ebullient album that can only be crafted by 20-something weirdos fueled by youthful, crazed energy. But a deeper listen reveals a melodic sensibility that — while not “refined,” per se — sounds mature and developed. The…
Calling Holy Holy merely a David Bowie cover band would be an insult. The project had Bowie’s seal of approval. The group — dare we call it a supergroup, as it includes bassist longtime Bowie producer Tony Visconti and and Spiders From Mars drummer Woody Woodmansey — sold out venues…
Dale Watson is about as country music as it gets. Dapper in classic western attire, complete with Stetson, big belt buckle, and boots, his shock-white pompadour and rich, deep tenor lend an air of authenticity. Watson is the archetypical country-music artist. There’s a reason he’s often referred to as the “real…
Thao Nguyen, the singer-songwriter behind the group Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, tells me that I need to give the hit Comedy Central show Broad City another chance. I admit to her I haven’t picked up on the vibe of the show yet. “You got to dig in…
