Nick Thorburn calls Islands’ fifth album, Ski Mask, a culmination and summation of everything the band has done. Since the band arrived with Return to the Sea (after the dissolution of The Unicorns), Islands has turned in stylistically varied albums, from explosively poppy to emotionally somber. “Ski Mask is everything…
Parquet Courts, Destruction Unit, Dogbreth Crescent Ballroom 1/20/2014 Those looking for the through line connecting Brooklyn-by-way-of-Texas post-punkers Parquet Courts to Dogbreth and Destruction Unit, the two Phoenix bands they shared the Crescent Ballroom stage with Monday night, might look to the impassioned yet cynical refrain of the Courts’ “Master of…
Talking to 3 Doors Down guitarist Chris Henderson you get the sense that he lives by the Keep It Simple, Stupid code of music life. When you are in a rock and roll band, you need to just enjoy the ride and not overthink things or worry about how long…
Oregon-based reggae five-piece Synrgy played Tempe’s Sail Inn on Friday night, along with locals Kush County and Vegas-based Lady Reiko and the Sin City Prophets. The entire show was played on the Sail Inn’s indoor stage, which generally would be a bad thing. (Even jovial Synrgy fron man Brian Zach…
The Freaks of Nature have It. Whether it is charisma, spunk, panache, chutzpah, or a mix of everything and more the Valley-based proto-punks are entertaining as hell. They play a fast-paced style of rock that is as easy to shake and shimmy to as it is to mosh. At their…
We’re just about three weeks into 2014 and it seems like the concert schedule has finally shaken off its post-holiday doldrums. Bands and musicians everywhere — especially those of the touring variety — have finally finished their month-long sabbaticals and returned to the grind of the road. And you, the…
So, how was your weekend? Perhaps you got all up in the club, got in as much revelry as possible, or got yourself into one of the big concerts going on around town. Then again, maybe you just sat around killing time before the big NFC or AFC championship games…
Yellowcard Nile Theater 1/18/14 Attending Yellowcard’s show on Saturday night at the Nile made me realize just how old I’m getting — and I was one of the youngest persons there. Along with a crowd of 20-somethings, 30-somethings, and a few teens, I was celebrating the tenth anniversary of Yellowcard’s…
Volcano Choir Crescent Ballroom 1/17/14 Volcano Choir gave Phoenix a bit of a treat last night — the first stop on the band’s short west coast tour. Their Crescent Ballroom concert on Friday night was sold out well ahead of time and could have very well been moved to a…
Hear that? It’s the clock counting down the hours until your weekend begins and it’s nearing the magic moment known as quitting time. To help the time pass more quickly, you might consider what it is you’ll actually be doing during the next couple days and nights of work-free bliss…
Treasure Mammal is one of those bands that you have to see live to fully understand. Words can only go so far to describe the performance art, interpretive dance, and random nods to pop culture that make up a Treasure Mammal show. This is the type of band you want…
Don’t worry: This man has not been harmed. He’s simply very intensely hopeful that you’ll come see his show. If you don’t–well, he could stop bleeding, or he could bleed even more. It’s hard to tease out his emotions. (View our complete concert calendar here.)…
Look, your mom deserves to be happy. You get that and I get that. Dad’s been gone for a while, and all the kids are starting families of their own, and she’s certainly earned the chance to focus on herself for a change. But there’s something about Pat, her new…
It’s really a shame Janelle Monáe was ordered by doctors to postpone her November performance at the Crescent Ballroom late last year for “mandatory vocal rest.” If her performance would have been anything like the Saturday, January 11, concert at Marquee Theatre, it most certainly would have been on our…
Rubber Brother Records is really cool — the cassettes, the amazing DIY shows, the sincere work with high-school-age musicians, and now a seamless transition from an epic underground festival to a sardine-can-tight all-ages show at Crescent Ballroom along with one of Phoenix’s premier acts, Wooden Indian. Like a lot of…
One of these men is a member of the version of Herman’s Hermits coming through town this weekend. The others are not even hermits at all. (View our complete concert calendar here.)…
Let me speak on behalf of everyone by saying, “Whoa, the 2014 Coachella lineup came out early.” The news is still pretty fresh — Coachella sent out the lineup e-mail a little after 9 Wednesday night, causing the Internet to blow up as usual. It’s tough to see beyond the…
It feels as though about once a month the Crescent Ballroom puts on a free show that could make you think, “Are you sure we weren’t supposed to pay for this?” And January 7 was definitely one of those nights. The evening kicked off at 8 with D.G. Scherrer backed…
After five years of fun and memorable shows, The Whisperlights are calling it quits. Like all veterans of long-distance relationships, the band members tried to make it work by getting together once a year or so and rekindling the magic, but they had the added problem of trying to get…
“I think there’s a big misconception of EyeHateGod,” says Jimmy Bower. “People see the name, think, maybe these guys are Satanists, maybe they’re just stupid.” I first heard EyeHateGod back in 1992 when In the Name of Suffering came out. Admittedly, I was as enthused by their name as much…
Are you still writing 2013 on your checks? Are you still writing checks? If the first full week of the year has you a little jet-lagged, it might not seem like a good idea to go to a probably loud show that goes until probably very late at night. But…
The post-holiday hangover is in full effect and it’s more than a little funky. We’re still finishing off the last of our Christmas leftover, trashing the remainder of the decorations and festive miscellanies, and trying to get our brainpans back into a normal schedule after all these mid-week holidays and…
