While waiting for Paul McCartney to start his set Tuesday night at US Airways Center, I tried to think of living and performing musicians who are irrefutably rock legends (metal bands purposefully excluded). I came up with The Who, Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Rush, and The Beach…
The old joke is to say one likes both types of music: country and Western. That’s not easy anymore. There still are two types, only now it’s run-of-the-mill, generic pop country, or cliché-free, from-the-heart-because-the-song-matters country. Texas singer-songwriter Bart Crow falls into the latter category. “I feel like I’ve got my…
When I got in the door to Funny World, I asked Space-Alien Donald how he was doing. “I have music,” he said. “So I’m happy.” And it turned out, it indeed was a good night for music. A great night actually, from a variety of weird backgrounds from all over…
Typically held in August, the D-Low show is a double-edged sword for many of us. It is both celebration and painful reminder wrapped in a tremendous rock ‘n’ roll show that Dana “D-Low” Wells, son (and stepson) of Gloria and Max Cavalera would have loved. For the uninitiated, Dana was…
7 Seconds recently released its first album in nearly a decade, and the band is back with a vengeance. The new album Leave a Light on harkens back to the band’s signature ’80s hardcore punk sound and positive themes. “It’s an everyday process, it’s not something that you just pick…
The countdown to the end of summer is here. In just five weeks, summer will be over, and so will the city of Phoenix’s annual indoor exile. Time flies when having fun, so check out these concerts as a way to get all Flux Capacitor on the most hated of…
The Monumentour was an apt name for bringing together pop-punk behemoths Paramore and Fall Out Boy for a mega-co-headlining concert. The veteran bands, both more than 10 years old, showed off their greatest hits for an audience who had mostly grown up with them at Friday’s Ak-Chin Pavilion show. Considering…
There is a difference between a “rock star” and a “superstar,” and Justin Timberlake is a superstar. He’d been a rock star since his years with ‘N Sync touring the world and selling millions of albums. But now, in his early 30s, with decades experience performing his own catalog of…
It’s very easy to be seduced by the Nashville-based country/garage-rock quartet Those Darlins. Like a classic issue of Playboy, you pick it up because you love the cover, but you keep reading because the articles are good. The cover of their latest album, titled Blur The Line, displays the four…
Don’t be fooled by the naysayers. Those who say Phoenix doesn’t have live music options in the summer are either lying or basing their statements off of the dark days before engineers mastered central air conditioning. There’s enough music going on this weekend to keep Bomont barn-dancing for years. Here’s…
We’re officially hip deep into the time of year that’s officially know as the dog days of summer, which — if you’re not familiar with the term — refers to the most sweltering period of the season. But while the weather might be keeping your ass glued to the couch,…
Dirty Bourbon River Show has been rocking out of New Orleans, Louisiana, with their brand of gypsy circus brass stylings for the past five or six years. In that time, they were able to assemble a cast of highly skilled players and multi-instrumentalists, made easier by the city’s high supply…
It’s been six years since Phoenix has seen Amos Lee. With his Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song album climbing the charts, it’s only fitting that he plays intimate shows across the country, and last night’s Mesa Arts show was intimacy paired with dark sunglasses and Americana flare. It was…
Wow, what a show. The Hold Steady made a long overdue appearance at Crescent Ballroom last night on the Teeth Dreams tour, but mostly stuck to older material. The music was far from perfect, but that’s the beauty of going to a Hold Steady show…
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, led by singer-songwriter and Philadelphia native Alec Ounsworth, set the standard for being independent artists. In 2005, the band combined the guitarist’s unique vocals with a post-punk beat to critical acclaim on their self-titled debut. They were living proof that hard work and grassroots marketing…
Former Guns N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver axeman Slash brought plenty of nostalgia to Talking Stick Resort Friday night, visiting the Valley for a one-off date in the middle of his North American Tour with Aerosmith. The 49-year-old still looks almost identical to how he looked in the ’80s, still sporting his…
August has begun, and with it, the countdown to the end of summer. (And there’s non-literal meaning to that as well — the Summer Ends Music Festival, which happens just after fall begins at the end of September in Tempe.) Blessed are the rains down in Phoenix this past weekend,…
Andrew Jackson Jihad might be the best band Phoenix has produced. And unlike certain local punk bands from the ’80s, they remain relevant. Unlike most musicians who move elsewhere to “make it,” totally neglecting their hometown later, Sean Bonnette and Ben Gallaty have made every effort to stay involved in…
Plenty to do this weekend, from past-their-prime ’80s rockers to up-and-coming locals. Check out our five recommendations, and browse our comprehensive listings for even more options…
The changes that mark the Hold Steady’s new album are many. Starting out its second decade, the band added a new lead guitarist in Steve Selvidge. Singer Craig Finn left behind many of his signature lyrical elements. The band recorded with a new producer, Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Deftones) in…
Nick Waterhouse is not part of a movement. Despite allusions to the soul sound of Daptone Records in Brooklyn, or the proximity to the rise of doo-wop and R&B in Los Angeles thanks to Burger Records, the still-young singer-songwriter is following a vision that is simply his. While rising to…
Lady Gaga brought her own version of the Electric Daisy Carnival to US Airways Center when her ArtRave: The Artpop Ball came through. The show featured neon ravewear and leg warmers, pacifier shots, glow-in-the-dark balloon backpacks, light-up squishy balls, and stuffed animals galore. It was the most colorful Gaga concert…
