Action Bronson, Club Red, 6/8/12

Action Bronson Club Red Friday, May 8 See also: NYC’s Action Bronson Plays It Tough and Cool “You want me to rap or what?” That was the first thing that Flushing, Queens, rapper Action Bronson asked the crowd last night at Club Red in Tempe. Rhetorical question or not, the…

Destroyer, Crescent Ballroom, 6/7/12

Destroyer and Sandro Perri Crescent Ballroom Thursday, May 7 See also: Destroyer Got Rejected By Jazz Festivals, Which Is Good for Pop Fans Speaking with Dan Bejar of Canadian indie rock band (or smooth jazz or ’80s pop or Bowie-worshiping-street-poet rock — the band was all of these at various…

Five Must-See Shows This Weekend

Curious what’s going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions as to how to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don’t fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend. Friday, June 8: Action Bronson @ Club Red in Tempe Action Bronson, who hails…

Walk the Moon at the Rhythm Room, 6/6/12

See also: Nicholas Petricca of Walk the Moon Wants to Jam With Michael McDonald (Let’s Make It Happen)Walk the MoonRhythm RoomWednesday, June 6, 2012Walk the Moon have conquered kiddie rock, impressed the masses at Sasquatch, and they’ve got the song of the summer. They’re coming up quickly, and they can’t…

Stephen Steinbrink Leaves Arizona With a Pop Record About Arizona

Like nearly everyone in Phoenix, songwriter Stephen Steinbrink (you may recognize his project named French Quarter, as well) has a love/hate relationship with the city. It’s easy to love the pockets of true community, the DIY art spaces, punk rock house shows, and the affordable, delicious Mexican food, but the…

Santigold at Crescent Ballroom, 6/4/12

See also: Santigold Discusses Bjork, MySpace, and The Death of MCA Santigold Crescent Ballroom Monday, June 4, 2012 Better Than: Every show I’ve been to this year. Seriously. It’s hard to imagine a show living up to as much hype as Santigold’s Phoenix debut. The show sold out well in…

Douchebags and Lingerie Over the Weekend

Annual Douchebag Party at Smashboxx Being called a douchebag is usually a bad thing, but patrons of Smashboxx were encouraged to sport spray tans, sunglasses, and Ed Hardy swag in honor of the 3rd Annual Douchebag Party. There was an abundance of duckface and blow outs at the packed bar…

Santigold Discusses Bjork, MySpace, and The Death of MCA

There’s no such thing as the sophomore slump for Santi White, who has once again charmed audiences with the genre-defying Master of My Make-Believe. The album includes collaborations with members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Switch, Diplo, and David Sitek, as well as the infectiously catchy song “Disparate Youth.” Santigold’s…

fun., Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center, 5/31/12

fun. Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center Thursday, May 31 See also: Nate Ruess Has Some fun. At Zia Records fun. frontman Nate Ruess wears his heart on his sleeve, and that’s why it’s so easy to get into his head. His lyrics — part stream of consciousness (“My friends…

Can You Explain One Direction? No, Seriously

I can’t even start writing this blog without thinking about what an utter hypocrite I am. When I was 12, I obsessed with the Backstreet Boys. I may or may not have wished my Nick Carter poster a good night as I went to sleep. I felt like their music…

Five Must-See Shows This Weekend

Curious what’s going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions as to how to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don’t fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend. Friday, June 1: Frequency Fridays @ DWNTWN Fridays used to be one of the…

Gun Outfit and Broken Water, Meat Market Garment Factory, 5/30/12

Gun Outfit and Broken Water Meat Market Garment Factory Wednesday, May 30 I will declare, without the slightest inkling of doubt or hesitance, that Olympia, Washington has the best independent music scene in the country right now. The major hipster metropoli (Brooklyn, San Francisco, Austin) all have loads of recognized…

Nadia Ali and Ladylike Over the Weekend

Ladylike at Crescent Ballroom In this week’s music feature the men of Ladylike, the Tempe-based pop combo that packed Crescent Ballroom last night, discussed the difference between a live show and a recording, noting that limiting their approach in the studio in favor of their live setting only hampers both…