Vektor is leaving their Tempe home for Philadelphia, but they’re not about to bid us adieu with happy-go-lucky feelings… are they? The self-described “progressive sci-fi thrash metal” band is known for painting brutal landscapes with their lyrics and dark, doom-and-gloom emotions with their music. As they put it, they “portray the…
Walk into Long Wong’s at the Firehouse on any given Wednesday night and you’ll most likely hear Page Davis singing about Jan Brewer and teenage plastic surgery. Davis performs under the Page the Village Idiot moniker and is easy to spot thanks to his handlebar mustache and fanny pack. He…
BY BENJAMIN HOROWITZ Hot Snakes Crescent Ballroom Wednesday, March 28 When I heard about the Hot Snakes reunion tour, my first thought was, “that doesn’t make sense.” The band just didn’t seem like the reuniting type. They called it quits in 2005. They certainly didn’t have the commercial clout of…
You may not be familiar with the name “Wynter Gordon,” but you’ve heard her work. Wynter’s first success came when she wrote a hit for for Mary J Blige at only 19-years-old. Shes’s since collaborated with EDM artists like Steve Aoki, Laidback Luke, and David Guetta, and hip-hop artists like…
Valley pop-punk rockers Dogbreth have big things planned for 2012. Aside from helping Trunk Space celebrate their 8th birthday next month, the band has two 7″ records in the works, a split cassette and a two-month US/Canada tour coming up. The new recordings mark a departure from the band’s first…
Despite its name, School of Rock on Mill Avenue caters less to the local music-minded than Top 40 listeners in ass-baring dresses that come from the suburbs to make a purchase at the meat market. And that’s cool. Every district has its scene, but knowing that just 20 years ago…
The Great American BBQ and Beer Festival Dr. AJ Chandler Park Saturday, March 24, 2012 Better Than: The last five years of Warped Tour. There was a little something for everyone at the Chandler BBQ and Beer Festival, and it was pretty clear who was there for what purpose. Families…
Our local music acts make one helluva trip come SxSW time. Aside from the drive to Austin itself, many of the musicians take the opportunity to spread their sounds along the southwest with various gigs along the way. Then of course there’s the actual music festival. Although March 18 marks…
See also: Tugboat’s Phillip Hanna Talks About the Band’s Breakup, Final Shows, and What Happens Next After six years, Tempe based weirdo rockers (it’s a compliment) Tugboat are calling it quits. “The idea was up in the air,” Phillip Hanna told Up on the Sun’s Christina Caldwell. “Because we kept…
I’m throwing myself under the bus here, but I’m going to do this anyway. These are my Chuck Taylor All Star tennis shoes. As of yesterday, my retired Chucks. They used to be black and white, but now they’ve got this brown hue — and holes to boot. I don’t…
Despite their tongue-in-cheek moniker, there’s nothing truly controversial about Good Old War. It would be tough to argue the negative sides of singable indie folk, after all. The Philadelphia-based trio makes pretty music. It’s accessible. They’re not looking to be the next hipster fad, but to have approachable melodies that…
Cults Rhythm Room Monday, March 19, 2012 Better Than: Sweating buckets or inhaling copious amounts of secondhand smoke at previous Cults shows. Being “Internet famous” can come as a mixed blessing, but Cults has now played three sold out Arizona shows thanks to hype from the blogosphere. The band’s career…
This poster by Nakatomi caused the kid behind me to say: “Dad, I want the giant squid poster. Now.” See also: The Worst Moments from SXSW 2012 By Nick Rallo Flatstock is a dangerous place to be with a credit card. This year, Flatstock 33 (presented by the American Poster…
Flogging Molly at Tempe Beach Park Owwwww… St. Patrick’s Day is the one day a year where we confuse the warm fuzzies we have for our fellow man for outright hostility. It’s also the one day a year we get to punish our bodies for being Irish. At least that’s…
You were a little flat at the end of your performance of “Happy Birthday” there, Wolf ViolinistThe last few days, Village Voice Media’s indefatigable music staff has been regaling you with stories of the best from SXSW 2012. In the midst of these discoveries, we’ve been culling another list: the…
Flogging Molly Tempe Beach Park Saturday, March 17, 2012 Owwwww… St. Patrick’s Day is the one day a year where we confuse the warm fuzzies we have for our fellow man for outright hostility. It’s also the one day a year we get to punish our bodies for being Irish…
Nick RalloJustin Townes Earle at Stubb’s BBQSo, we come to it: the end of all things. Four days of madness, Doritos, Skrillex and finally, St. Patrick’s Day. Before we bid SXSW 2012 farewell, allow us to share our favorite moments from SXSW day four. Later, we’ll let you know which…
The Ataris Yucca Tap Room Friday, March 16, 2012 Kris Roe’s had a few near-death experiences in Arizona, but he now calls the state home. The rest of the band relocated to Tempe in July and played its first official “local” show last night. Roe has played a couple solo…
Marco Torres50 Cent and Eminem at the Austin Music Hall. More photos below.If you’re familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing a full day…
Caspa School of Rock Thursday, March 15, 2012 UK DJ Caspa likes to brag that he’s the “dopest ghost in town,” and while plenty of folks were across town checking out a couple of other pale, English gents, he proudly shredded speakers in downtown Tempe and lived up to his…
Photos Courtesy of SXSW Editor’s note: We’re happy to bring you a special guest post by Houston Press/Rocks Off blogger Craig Hlavaty, who’s hanging tough at SXSW. Bruce Springsteen’s Thursday started with a keynote speech in one of the big ballrooms at the Austin Convention Center, and ended with a…
RadioheadJobing.com ArenaThursday, March 15See the full Radiohead slideshow here.Last week I made it public knowledge that I’m not a Radiohead fan. Call me crazy, but the songs of the critically adored, legendary art rockers just don’t speak to me. The sounds are distant and obtuse, and what can I say?…
