Until yesterday, I used to loathe the Warped Tour. Not because of the bands or music, mind you, but rather because of some bad experiences I’d had while attending the annual summertime mega-tour. When the Warped Tour first came to Phoenix in July 1996, I’d spent every last dime I…
By Heather Hoch About two years ago, John Vanderslice made a promise to a Phoenix audience that he would return to Modified Arts again. Though you couldn’t blame anyone who wanted to avoid Phoenix this time of you, Vanderslice delivered, while supporting his newest release Romanian Names, making his Sunday show at…
Epic Super Hero Battle at Scottsdale Fashion Square Improv AZ and AZ Cacophony hatched a sinister plan for last weekend: assemble a cast of violent villains and honorable heroes and have them duke it out at Scottsdale Fashion Square. The result will come to be known as the “Epic Super…
Clapton began his career with the bluesy stylings of The Yardbirds and then segued into John Mayall’s Blues Breakers. In his days with Cream, he slid headfirst into psychedelic rock and later even touched on reggae. To Winwood’s credit, he led a similar trek, dabbling in the blue-eyed soul of…
This Friday, The Firehouse, one of downtown Phoenix’s finer collective art spaces, is hosting one such benefit show. It is being put on by Rusty Spoke Community Bicycle Initiative and the Phoenix chapter of Food Not Bombs and it features Haunted Cologne, Andrew Jackson Jihad, The Haymarket Squares, Kirkwood Dellinger and…
If you’re worried Ida Maria is the next in a long line of indie princesses to go “pop” the first time some douchey A&R guy suggests it might be a prudent career move, fear not. As she showed last night in Scottsdale, although “I Like You So Much Better When…
Rose Johnson’s Memorial at Icehouse in Downtown Phoenix There was no dirth of Rose Johnson-created (and inspired) art at the memorial celebration held in honor of the artist on Saturday night, June 20th, 2009 at the Icehouse downtown. Hundreds of people showed up to pay their respects to one of…
When I think of folk music, I think of older, fogey-er guys and gals who strum slowly and sing about wild horses and flowers . . . But the Phoenix Annual Summer Folk Festival at Modified Arts, presented Thursday by River Jones Music, made folk cool again.For a Thursday afternoon…
It’s been five years since Loretta Lynn’s Grammy-winning collaboration with Jack White but it seemed even longer at last night’s Celebrity Theatre show, where the Van Lear Rose era seemed long forgotten. Sure, a few curious hipsters made their way down to the show, but, for the most part it…
By all definitions, Viva Voce are a Portland band. They feature at least one member with a beard, and while no one was wearing flannel, it felt like they were one load of laundry away from reaching that point. It is easy to bunch together Portland music as being simple…
I feel like it’d be a little cheesy to write a real “review” of a show I helped book but, suffice to say, our first Summer of Sound showcases kicked some ass Saturday night. In addition to our annual effort to spotlight the best local bands of five genres, we’re…
Onstage at Bonnaroo Music Festival Bonnaroo kicked off Thursday with sets from, among others, Passion Pit and Those Darlins. Friday’s acts included Al Green, the Beastie Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Phoenix and Grizzly Bear. Saturday’s sets included Bon Iver (with Justin Long and Drew Barrymore in the crowd), Wilco and…
New Times annual local music showcase, Summer of Sound, starts this Saturday at Mill Cue Club. Yes, Mill Cue Club. It’s part of our effort to bring music back to Mill Avenue, where all five of our genre-based shows (Americana, pop, indie, hard rock, hip hop) will be. The show…
Dear Taking Back Sunday, I’m soooo not ready for you to be “new again” as you sing about on the self-titled track to your fourth album. In fact, I wish you would just return to your former ways and be old again. Remember Tell All Your Friends and Where You…
Karen O’s charms are mysterious. The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s frontwoman can’t sing, for one. Truth be told, I’m not sure she would score well singing her own song, “Maps” on the pitch-sensing mic for Rock Band — at least not in expert mode. She’s regarded as a sex symbol, but she looks a lot like…
W Scottsdale’s Sunset Sessions Pool Party The only thing hotter than direct sunlight this Sunday was the poolside crowd at the W Scottsdale’s Sunset Sessions. There was no shortage of bronzed bodies in teenie bikinis and reality TV stars sipping assorted libations, but there was still plenty of room on…
Metalhead must be pissed. There’s another hair metal cover band in town and they have G-String, the group’s old guitarist who was the most charismatic member of the group. First, let me say I love Metalhead. I’ve spent many Sunday nights rocking out to their shows. Sadly, though, the new…
In it’s pure, island-bred, form reggae tends to make pretty poor sing-along music for white people. Sure, “Buffalo Soldier” seems like a good sing-a-long, given it’s perfect pace and easily learnable lyrics, but when push comes to shove, in trying to mimic Bob Marley’s accent the average white suburbanite ends up creating a…
Punk is one subculture that will never die, no matter how old the guys who started it get get, and how ridiculous those progenitors look in their old time outfits. In fact, it grows a little all the time. Throw five guys in their 50’s (preferably covered in tattoos, maybe…
This Saturday marks the return of what has to be Jerome, Arizona’s biggest music festival: Jeromeatherapy. The one day music festival features 12 local bands — headed by What Laura Says, Black Carl and Dry River Yacht Club — all playing in an old gold mine. Jeromeatherapy celebrates what makes…
The mid-’90s were in full swing on Monday night when power-punk phenoms The Offspring took to the stage at the standing-room-only Marquee Theatre. And, yes, they played all the hits — from “Keep ‘Em Separated,” to “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy).” The crowd ranged from punks passed their prime…
The blogosphere is abuzz from last night’s MTV Movie Awards, and it’s not because MTV viewers are all huge Twilight fans (I’ll let you guess that particular demographic). True, the vampire movie based off of Stephanie Meyer’s novels absolutely slayed the competition — which shouldn’t come as a surprise since…
