There was a time when if you told your friends you were going to see a “Janet concert,” they knew without further explanation you were going to see the leader of the Rhythm Nation, or Miss Jackson if you’re nasty. As the years went by, the world seemed to forget…
Garth Brooks did my job for me Friday night when he took a moment toward the end of his set to talk to me about my concert review. Okay, I realize that sounds a little bit egotistical and far-fetched; I’ll clarify: He took a moment to address all of my…
Last month, I found myself, along with the rest of America, gripped by a strong case of papal fever. Pope Francis’ messages of love and mercy are so stunningly different than previous pontiffs that it’s difficult not to like the 78-year-old Argentinian church leader. Yet when he made his trip…
Apache Lake Music Festival is one of the best Phoenix music scene events of the entire year, and it’s coming up really soon! It’s not huge like the festivals Lucky Man production has been putting on and it doesn’t have quite production value of a Viva PHX, but Brannon Kleinlein…
Run the Jewels Marquee Theatre Thursday, October 15, 2015 If you went to last night’s Run the Jewels concert at Marquee Theatre, there’s a good chance you’re reading this while nursing a hangover and a black eye. Run the Jewels has an interesting fandom full of fans who love cats…
There is a scene in the film Almost Famous where the lead singer of the fictional band Stillwater, played by Billy Crudup, talks about how with music you “remember the mistakes.” For those who attended the alt-J performance at Comerica Theatre, the few mistakes that were made by the Leeds…
In Simon Reynolds’ fantastic book Rip It Up and Start Again, the author asks the question, “What made me believe music could matter this much?” The answer is well worth any music fan’s time discovering, but Reynolds’ book, which is almost textbook-like in its approach to music history, explores his…
Rock opera maestro Marvin Michael Lee Aday, better suited by his stage name, Meat Loaf, finds his way to Phoenix as a headlining act for the opening weekend of the 2015 Arizona State Fair. The multi-platinum Bat Out of Hell entertainer will take the stage on Sunday, October 18 at…
I’m not sure I’ve ever been to a sold-out show at Comerica Theatre — or any other name — over the years. It was clear that there had been a line around the building for a good portion of the day as abandoned blankets, beverages, and snacks lined the perimeter…
It’s hard to dance with a devil on your back, as Florence Welch exclaims in her band Florence + The Machine’s anthemic hit song “Shake It Out.” Luckily she brushed off that pesky demon long before she took the stage at Ak-Chin Pavilion on a balmy Tuesday evening. The British…
The songs on Heartless Bastards’ latest record reflect both the band’s relentless touring life and the breadth of styles the group embraces. So in a number of ways, says singer-songwriter Erika Wennerstrom, the Restless Ones title is especially fitting for this collection of 10 songs. “I know what direction I…
As the songs were coming together for their sophomore album, the members of punk quartet Timeshares felt like the band was settling into a stronger identity. Already Dead, the follow-up to 2011’s Bearable, is a record of big guitars, sing-along melodies and recalls bands like the Replacements and Lucero, punk…
Jake Smith, a.k.a The White Buffalo, enjoys a good beer. In fact, he’s pulling off a small tour nightmare/miracle to play at Pedal Haus, a new Tempe Brewery, on Saturday, October 17, when he will lay down some mighty fine “American” music, as he likes to call his brand of heavy,…
July of 1990. Mudhoney’s set had just concluded and I had to piss so bad I ran to the bathroom at the now-defunct Tucson venue Mud Bugs and took the first urinal I saw. Luckily for me, I chose the middle urinal because the next two people into the bathroom…
Fresh off their ridiculous new hit “Downtown,” a song that’s literally about buying a moped, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis announced a nationwide tour today, including a stop in Phoenix. The hip-hop duo will stop by Comerica Theatre on Friday, January 9. I mean, look at that suit in the picture…
Here our our picks for music in Phoenix this week. Check out our comprehensive concert calendar for more options. Xavier Rudd and the United Nations – Monday, October 12 – Marquee Theatre Australian-born performer Xavier Rudd takes the multi-instrumentalist label far beyond its usual connotation. In addition to creating music with…
In making 2013’s Dormarion, Telekinesis frontman Michael Lerner says he was “bit by the synth bug.” Recording his band’s third album in Austin, with Spoon’s Jim Eno producing, Lerner for the first time got to experiment, just a tantalizing bit, with synthesizers. A drummer turned songwriter and guitarist, Lerner was…
Judging from the band’s album cover art alone — blobbish landscapes, overgrown hedges, phallic mounds of food — if nothing else, Battles understands texture. The New York threesome snubs genre with its mix of instrumental post-rock, intricate math rock, and complex, creamy rhythms. There is the raw propulsion of Holy…
After years of living on the edge, caught up in a world of rock ‘n’ roll hedonism, Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. eventually managed to break the cycle and get clean. Yet, it wasn’t before the band’s fabled aura of rock greatness was severely tarnish by a pair of lackluster…
Since early 1978, brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald have being working on a band, music, or some form of noise making either together or apart. At first they were The Tourists, then in 1980 they became Red Cross (but some nutty non-profit organization already had dibs on that name), and…
Here are our picks for the best concerts in Metro Phoenix happening Monday through Thursday of this week. For more options, check out our comprehensive concert calendar. Turnpike Troubadours – Monday, October 5 – Marquee Theatre The world is rapidly waking up to Oklahoma’s Turnpike Troubadours, whose new self-titled LP…
The stage at Comerica Theatre went from pitch darkness to sudden illumination, revealing the presence of Don Henley and the members of his touring band singing “Seven Bridges Road” a cappella. Despite the many calls from the audience throughout the evening for Henley, who’s also the drummer and a vocalist…
