The Vans Warped Tour–at Quail Run Park in Mesa Thursday–is 18 years old, which is just old enough for it to have second thoughts about going to Warped Tour. That’s the trouble with long-running festivals: Either the music stays the same and the people in attendance get older, or the…
It takes a certain dedication and naiveté to go to Warped Tour in Arizona. Standing outside in what’s predicted to be a 111-degree day with dozens of screaming bands isn’t for everyone, but some teens continue to show their dedication year after year. The glory days of $25 punk Warped…
Shortly after writing Are Out of Town Music Festivals Worth The Hassle? I decided to embark on a cross-cultural adventure. The mission? To explore the Nashville music scene and attempt survival at the 80,000-person music festival Bonnaroo. Four days of camping in the heat (actually, we slept in the trunk…
I know a lot of people who are kind of frustrated that the Vans Warped Tour has passed them by — that they’re targeting new teenagers instead of targeting the people who were teenagers when Warped Tour began. To those people, I ask: How many fellow 30-year-olds do you know…
Harry and the Potters The Trunk Space Saturday, June 22, 2013 Harry Potter fans are an intense bunch. Folks dressed up as their favorite Gryffindor heroes or Slytherin villains are standard fare, but wizard rock takes the adoration to a whole new level. The genre is exactly what it sounds…
This weekend in Phoenix: The ’80s comes together to listen to Cyndi Lauper, the Phoenix music community comes together on a new record (and some old ones), Harry Potter fans come together to listen to songs about Harry Potter, and the Trunk Space comes together to eulogize Noodle. This weekend’s…
Even the most ardent music fans have a skewered impression of Phoenix’s early rock musical landscape. It starts with Sanford Clark and Marty Robbins, then you cross a whole spread of barren desert ’til you get to Lee Hazlewood and Duane Eddy, and then nothing until the early rumblings of…
Green Line Operator knows how to leave an impression in a crowded scene and with a very distractable music editor: Easily digested, arbitrary show ideas. The THR33 Show is, as its flier helpfully points out, three bands with three-word names playing three sets of three songs for $3 at, and…
After what seemed like a hearty chunk of time between the two opening acts and headliner Sea Wolf, the band took the stage last night at Crescent Ballroom. Enforcing the toothy and animal side of their moniker, they kicked it off with “You’re A Wolf” from their first EP and…
Ke$ha and Pitbull, Ak-Chin Pavilion, June 19, 2013 See the full slideshow of Ke$ha & Pitbull here. Pitbull and Ke$ha put together one of the most genius tours of the summer — a pop princess and Spanish-speaking smooth rapper got the masses out at Ak-Chin Pavilion Wednesday night. The show…
Last night, I came to the conclusion that Deafheaven is black metal’s Vampire Weekend. I’ve never thought up an uglier string of words to describe what is fundamentally a thing of beauty. To see Deafheaven is to not see a black metal band but to see black metal being curated…
She & Him (View the full slideshow.)Comerica TheatreJune 18, 2013 Hear about She & Him at blog or magazine distance and your impression of them is dominated by the simple presence of Zooey Deschanel’s name. Get a little closer, within range of one of their albums, and your impression of…
I love Ke$ha. I’m not in love with her, per se, but sometimes I like to imagine that we go clubbing together and share laughs, and drinks, and the terrible secret of a brutal hit-and-run we’ve promised never to reveal. You know, the usual Friday night fare. What is it…
Jon Spencer Blues ExplosionCrescent BallroomJune 16, 2013 It was definitely a crowd of serious fans that filled up the Crescent Ballroom last night to see NYC’s Jon Spencer Blues Explosion lay down their well-oiled rock ‘n’ roll fury. Before the band took the stage, the collective conversation was abuzz with…
She and him and them and them and him and her and them are playing in Phoenix this week, and all of them are a part of our five must-see Phoenix shows this week. You’re bound to like one of those pronouns, if only you give it a chance…
The Black MoodsRockBar Inc., ScottsdaleJune 15, 2013 Old Town Scottsdale came alive last night when The Black Moods blew the roof off Rockbar. On the street, the usual busy social scene of Scottsdale seemed mellow for a Saturday night. But inside, it was apparent word of mouth had spread, emptying…
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Celebrity Theatre (View the full slideshow.) Thursday, June 6, 2013 Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are a band of many talents, combining songs that could have been ’70s rock anthems with Potter’s powerhouse vocals, exuding blues, country, and pop flair. The band’s musical variety attracted…
That Tupac hologram probably gave the whole industry a scare, but for the moment it looks like tribute bands are safely ensconced as the only way you’ll be able to see, say, Pantera live. A night of cover bands at the Marquee, don’t-call-it-chillwave at Last Exit Live, the less-wordy parts…
Somewhere outside of Phoenix, in the blistering desert, towering rock and roll legends of the past buried a time capsule containing the key to a long lost sound. Through perseverance, talent and brilliance, The Black Moods from Tempe, AZ seem to have uncovered that capsule and tapped into the secrets…
The Thermals Crescent Ballroom Wednesday, June 12, 2013 If you like The Ramones, you probably would have loved last night’s show. I know that’s a lofty comparison, but Portland DIY pop punk trio The Thermals performed relatively simple but uber-catchy songs that kept the crowd moving throughout its 20 song…
“Free at Dawn,” the opening song of Small Black’s second full-length album, is the sound of a band reclaiming itself at the start of a new day. Gone is much of what characterized the band’s eponymous 2008 EP and 2010 debut album New Chain — the chill synths and preset…
Fall Out Boy Marquee Theatre (View the full slideshow.) June 11, 2013 It was as if Fall Out Boy had never left. When they played Marquee Theatre last night, it was hard to imagine they’d ever abandoned the scene and called it quits four years earlier. The Marquee was sold…
