Lymbyc Systym @ Yucca Tap Room | Friday, September 21, 2012Jared and Michael Bell, who make up the entirety of post-rockers and former locals Lymbyc Systym, may be brothers but they seem like polar opposites. Mike is definitely the more extroverted one and it shows through his dynamic drumming display…
Merle Haggard @ Wild Horse Pass Casino | Friday, September 21, 2012 We pity the grim reaper on the day he comes to collect the soul of Merle Haggard, because the iconic country musician won’t be going anywhere without putting up a major fight. Without a speck of hyperbole, Haggard…
Suicidal Tendencies @ Marquee Theatre| Friday, September 21As I moved through the crowd tonight during Suicidal Tendencies’ make-up date at Marquee Theatre, I stopped to lean against a rail. An older woman in front of me was texting on her phone. As my eyes wandered to the bright glow of…
H2O, Youth of Today, and Run With The Hunted Within These Walls @ Nile Theater| 9/21/12Last night marked the second year of local hardcore festival, Within These Walls. Last year was a success, with a full day of music on both stages. Most Precious Blood and H2O were the headliners,…
RAW: Natural Born Artists Showcase with The Deer Leader, Francis Dean and Bad Lucy @ Martini Ranch | Thursday, September 20What’s an art showcase without a little live music at the helm? Underground art allies, RAW Phoenix, called on local acts The Deer Leader, Francis Dean and Bad Lucy to…
Curious about what’s going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions where to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don’t fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend…
When you’re a hard touring band, it takes some adjusting to actually get off the road. Gritty Florida-based punk rockers Hot Water Music have nearly gotten the hang of this, taking a hiatus before releasing its eighth full-length record, Exister. Eight years after its last album, The New What Next,…
Fiona Apple and Blake Mills @ Mesa Arts Center|Tuesday, September 18Singer/songwriter Fiona Apple has a reputation. Her public struggles with fame and her label give the impression that a Fiona Apple performance could fall apart at any moment. But it never came close last night at Mesa Arts Center. Not…
Mac Demarco @ Trunk Space| Tuesday, September 18Seeing totally disparate genre blends in one night is cool, but it’s always nice to see a bill that is fully united under one auspice. I’m going to give last night’s Mac Demarco show an easy filing: The Joy of the Floor Tom…
Pretty Lights @ Comerica Theatre| Tuesday, September 18, 2012Damn, summer ended so quickly. It was gone within a blink of an eye. It was nice to be able to fit in one more Pretty Lights show. I last saw Derek Smith — the man behind the electro/soul sound of Pretty…
It’s a pretty good time to be The Gaslight Anthem. The band, which at times sounds like a nostalgic punk rock version of Bruce Springsteen, recently signed to a major label to release its forth full length album, Handwritten. After the band’s frontman, Brian Fallon dedicated some time to bluesy…
When most bands perform, they’ve had plenty of time to rehearse their set and get it down perfectly before getting on-stage. For the members of Judd, they won’t have any idea what lyrics or melody they’re singing until their show, and that’s how they like it…
See also: Turnt Up Thursdays and So Fly Fridays Take Over 27th Ave Bar & Grill See also: DJ John Blaze and PhoenixHipHop.net Team for New MixtapeLatinos in hip-hop is no new thing: Rappers like Mellow Man Ace, Kid Frost, Cypress Hill, and Arizona’s own MC Magic have been in…
See also: The Walkmen Can’t Be Beat on Heaven (Q&A with Hamilton Leithauser) See also: The Full Walkmen @ Crescent Ballroom SlideshowThe Walkmen @ Crescent Ballroom| Sunday, September 16, 2012The Walkmen have always sounded worn. “Sometimes I’m just happy I’m older,” singer Hamilton Leithauser belted on “We’ve Been Had,” from…
Arturo Sandoval @ Musical Instrument Museum| 9/14/12It took all of eight minutes for jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval to lead his band into a driving Latin jazz tempo, one that would remain for most of the evening. Following slow warm-up featuring Sandoval and his keyboardist gently feeling out their instruments, Sandoval,…
Yeah, yeah, yeah…we get it Mondays suck (we’ve read Garfield). But it means the start of a new week, which means a bunch of killer shows in and around Phoenix. And here are a few of the coolest, our top five must-see shows this week…
West Coast All-Stars feat. Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube @ Comerica Theatre | Friday, September 14, 2012″Can I take y’all back to 1994?” It’s a question that Ice Cube popped in the midst of his performance during last night’s West Coast All-Stars Tour stop at Comerica Theatre. The near-sellout crowd…
See also: Los Amigos Invisibles Tried to Make a Pop RecordLos Amigos Invisibles and B-Side Players @ Crescent Ballroom | Thursday, September 13, 2012 The bleachers that cradle Crescent’s backwall were uncharacteristically vacant last night when Venezuela’s feisty funk fellas, Los Amigos Invisibles, breezed through town. I was one of…
Curious about what’s going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions where to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don’t fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend…
See also: Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart: “Gnarly and Deep” See also: Swans’ Michael Gira Returns With The SeerSwans and Xiu Xiu @ Crescent Ballroom| Wednesday, September 12, 2012It was a night worth gutting one’s helpless past. Guys with goatees in the front row were pounding their fists on the stage;…
See also: Packrat Explains “Vultures of Knowledge”I’m used to hearing bands getting excited for an upcoming gig, but when a band is also excited for the other groups on their bill, it tends to be a special night of music. Local rockers Packrat have one such date coming up next…
See also: Passion Pit: The Electropop Band is Doing Just Fine These Days Passion Pit @ Marquee Theatre| 9/11/12Massachusetts electropoppers Passion Pit haven’t performed in the Valley in almost three years. The band’s second full-length album, Gossamer, was released a couple of months ago, and fans responded quite well to…
