fun., your best bet at a dose of The Format methadone, is in town this week. At the same time, Future Loves Past and approximately a million other cool local bands will be performing at Lushfest in Tempe over the weekend. So if you missed your chance to be a…
Diehard fans of The Format had a lot of soul-searching to do when fun.–the band formed by erstwhile lead singer Nate Ruess–hit the mainstream with Some Nights. Some of it was about the music, and some of it was about the reaction: What are you supposed to do when somebody…
I’ve never done anything interesting enough to merit a Kickstarter, but if I ever happen to by accident I could do worse than following the example of Northern Hustle, who’s celebrating their crowdfunding victory with a CD Release show this weekend. That’s just one of the titular must-see Phoenix shows…
Backstreet BoysComerica TheatreSeptember 5, 2013 The Backstreet Boys have been in comeback mode–yes, I know the album’s called Never Gone–for almost 10 years now. I don’t think we spend enough time thinking about how weird that is. When bitter rivals *NSYNC made their comeback at the VMAs recently it was…
Apollo’s Lounge is quickly becoming quite the Phoenix nightlife hotspot. The Hot Pink crew set up shop on Friday nights for RAD, and DJs Roya and Funkfinger take over on the first Saturday of every month for Tongue Tied. Apollo’s is a natural transition for Roya and Funkfinger after participating…
Lil Wayne Celebrity Theatre September 3, 2013 (View the full slideshow.) Few critically acclaimed artists make critics reevaluate that acclaim as frequently as Lil Wayne. Not in the sense that some of his albums are better than others–in the sense that some of his choices are so strange that they…
This week’s Lil Wayne show started out weird–in a smaller venue than you’d expect Lil Wayne to play, with less than a month’s notice, for the benefit of a charity–and it looks like it will finish weird, too: Monday night, with fans lined up outside Celebrity Theatre waiting for the…
Happy Labor Day! We like to spend our Labor Day checking out Lil Wayne charity shows. (Note: That’s not a picture of Lil Wayne.) We don’t know how you like to spend your Labor Day week, which is why we’ve included no fewer than five options for enjoying yourself. If…
Black SabbathUS Airways CenterAugust 30, 2013 (View the complete slideshow.)There were more devil horns on display at Black Sabbath’s concert Friday night than at an ASU football game. That’s not surprising, however, given the band’s affinity for dark lyrics, occult-like imagery and satanic references. What was surprising was the great…
An event called Boob-a-Palooza is bound to turn some heads, because who doesn’t love boobs? Now that I’ve got your attention, you can learn more about The Rhythm Room’s third annual Boob-a-Palooza, an event that’s part fundraiser, and part rockin’ swing dance show. Check out what Mona Watkins, the Rhythm…
If Black Sabbath isn’t quite terrifying anymore, they’ve done a remarkably good job recovering from their lead singer appearing in a goofy MTV reality-sitcom for three years. You’ll be able to see just how well they’ve recovered Friday at US Airways Center. If that’s not your speed, we’ve got four…
Over nearly 30 years as a solo artist, Joe Satriani has fused rock with blues, funk and world music among other styles (remember his 2000 electronica-meets-rock release, Engines of Creation?), all in an effort to do something new with each successive album. Given the sort of influences he had growing…
After a lengthy absence–33 years–Black Sabbath have returned with 13. And unbelievably, this is your grandmother’s Black Sabbath. Eschewing a turbulent history that left the band frequently in musical flux and misdirection –particularly those middle years–today’s Sabbath, complete again with the exception of drummer Bill Ward, comes to us straight…
For the true Black Sabbath devotee, there is only one place to be on Friday night. No, not US Airways Center. Sure, a true devotee would probably pay some shekels to see three quarters of the band that created Paranoid, Masters of Reality, and Volume IV in the flesh, sagging…
It’s been a quiet year for the Liquid Sol music festival, a “Coachella-like” event announced with some fanfare back in February. At the time, it was scheduled for September 19-21 at Canyon Moon Ranch in Florence, the site of the annual Country Thunder festival. Since then: Nothing. Until Tuesday. The…
The True Music Festival, scheduled for Saturday, December 14, at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, announced its first five performers on Tuesday, and it’s a solid slate: In addition to noted festival heroes the Flaming Lips, the festival is bringing in Wiz Khalifa, Bassnectar, Capital Cities, and Lord Huron. What…
When Black Sabbath broke onto the music scene in 1969, no one was playing music with such heavy intent and darkness. Prior to figuring out their sound, the band was your average jazzy-blues-rock outfit. It was a popular musical form at the time in England, yet, there was just too…
FYF Fest, Day Two Sunday, August 25, 2013 Los Angeles State Historic Park The 10th annual FYF Fest ended with My Bloody Valentine blowing out a monitor. While it was disappointing to hear the seminal shoegaze band’s wall of sound come and go, it seemed like an appropriate ending to…
When I was a small boy, I was relatively certain “The Safety Dance” was about a dance, possibly the one they were doing in the video. When I was a slightly larger boy, someone said, “No, it’s about nuclear war, possibly the one at the end of the video,” which…
Wildly psychedelic, stylishly dressed, always uplifting in spirit (so much that some considered them just another wayward Texas cult), The Polyphonic Spree has kept a relatively low profile lately. The band has been holed up in leader Tim DeLaughter’s home studio jamming the night away — but the pop-psych veterans…
Day 1 at Los Angeles’ FYF Fest was pretty hectic. Yeah Yeah Yeahs headlined, closing out the first night of the fest opposite of Death Grips. The action packed day also featured rare performances by The Breeders, FLAG, Thee Oh Sees, The Locust, and many more. The festival was divided…
Think you’re down with hip-hop culture? Okay, son, then which of its four elements — be it rapping, b-boying, graf artistry, and turntablism — is the most vital part of its mix? According to veteran local selector DJ Akshen, it’s the latter, since the beats dropped from the decks help…
