It hasn’t quite been 11 months since Vampire Weekend released their first single, “Mansard Roof.” In that time, they’ve gone from the buzziest band since Arcade Fire, to a cultural touchstone for New Yorker types, to last night’s show at the Marquee, where a dad in jean shorts lifted his towheaded son on to his shoulders for a better view during “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.”
By Martin Cizmar and Benjamin Leatherman Photos by Luke Holwerda Beck Hansen, live in Phoenix. See more shots in our Beck and MGMT slideshow. Music Editor Martin Cizmar and Clubs Editor Benjamin Leatherman both attended Beck’s show at the Dodge Theatre Monday night. Here’s their review, point/counterpoint style: Martin Cizmar:…
By Jonathan McNamara Saturday Music Sampler Missed your music fix Saturday night? Not to worry. Our camera crew (AKA Clubs Editor Benjamin Leatherman) has the highlights. Let’s roll the tape! The Hives at Marquee Theater Music Editor Martin Cizmar calls The Hives one of the best shows you can see…
The Hives and Eagles of Death Metal have a lot in common. Both play stripped-down, three-chord garage rock.
By Jonathan McNamara Shiny Toy Guns keyboardist Jeremy Dawson fiddles with a bit of plastic as he graciously subjects himself to a few questions courtesy of New Times. The band just finished their initial sound check and though they won’t hit the stage for a few hours, roadies and Martini…
By Jonathan McNamara The weekend is upon us once again. I know it will be hard to break away from the weekly tedium and (gasp) have some fun, but fear not! You won’t have to fret about what to do. Just take a look below, take a deep breath in…
By Jonathan McNamara Better than: any of the other shows I’ve witnessed at Tempe Marketplace See more shots in our Ataris slideshow. When New Times covered Carolina Liar in July, the crowd at Tempe Marketplace was less than half of what it was for The Ataris last night. Sure, Carolina…
The Black Crowes show at Mesa Arts Center, postponed yesterday, is now canceled. Refunds are available at the point of purchase.
Earth Dance 2008 Despite a last minute location change, Earth Dance 2008 blasted DJ-spun, raving goodness till early Sunday morning on September 13 and 14. Read: about Earth Dance 2008. See: a slideshow of photos from Earth Dance 2008. Common at the Marquee Theater Common is about as close to…
By Joseph Golfen It’s not often that you get to see a great band from their humble beginnings. But anyone who was at the Modified Arts on Sunday got that chance as local band Miniature Tigers took to the stage, sending wonderful indie rock echoing through the walls of the…
By Martin Cizmar Common is about as close to imageless as you can get in the rap game. He’s got the pretty boy thing going, but he’s not LL Cool J or Nelly. He’s known for smart rhymes, but he’s not Talib Kweli. He’s got live instrumentation, but it’s not…
By Martin Cizmar Some cool new shows announced this week, including Metallica with Austin’s The Sword and former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo’s band Down, who will bustle the shit out of your hedgerow. Metallica Tuesday, Oct. 21 Metallica released a new album this week (see earlier blog item) so they’ll…
By Jonathan McNamara Friday, September 12: Brad B. CD Release Party at Hollywood Alley Call me optimistic, but if there’s free music to be had, I want to hear it. My external hard drive clamors to be fed even more 320 kbps MP3s, especially if we’re talking about local acts…
By Jonathan McNamara Happy Monday, Phoenix. Here’s what you missed while you were decompressing at home from the last work week. First Friday The kids were all right last night as they partied up and down the streets of Phoenix celebrating September’s First Friday. View: this Night Out slideshow with…
By Sarah Ventre The Yucca Tap Room is one of those celebrated landmarks left standing in Tempe, made famous by the bands that grew up there. Last Saturday night, local music fans were treated to a bit of nostalgia when Art Edwards, bassist of the Refreshments, made his first appearance…
By Jonathan McNamara September has reared its slightly cooler (we hope) head and bestowed upon us a great deal of new things to see and do. Here’s what we’ll be hitting up this weekend. Friday, September 5: First Friday in Downtown Phoenix You know the drill: a bunch of kats…
By Jonathan McNamara We said goodbye to Summer (yeah right!) in style this weekend. Check out the plethora of summer themed parties. And just in case that isn’t enough, we’ve got a few shots from a Lucha Libre. Is there a better seasonal send off than a bunch of burly…
By Jonathan McNamara Friday: CopperCon That’s right, Phoenix. It’s time to get your geek on. Enjoy more science fiction and fantasy than you can shake your bantha stick at. Read more: “CopperCon 28” Saturday: AZ Bully Expo 2008 Saturday’s for the dogs. No, really. This Saturday, Pitbull Terriers will descend…
By Benjamin Leatherman The power was off, but the party was on at the Trunk Space. Better than: Watching Colorstore in the middle of a hurricane. “Holy shit! What the hell is going on outside!?!” This profanity-laced exclamation was uttered by yours truly at around 10 p.m. last night as…
The Metal Masters Tour rolled through the Valley last night, with a bill that boasted four titans of heavy metal: Testament, Motörhead, Heaven & Hell, and Judas Priest. Unfortunately, Testament hit the stage at 5:30 and I was stuck in traffic on the I-10 W until about 6. When I arrived at the venue, Motörhead had just started playing.
By Benjamin Leatherman The crowd of Hollywood Alley fans who gathered for the show. See more shots in our slideshow. I know I’m probably going to take some shit for saying this, but Hollywood Alley in Mesa is probably the closest thing to a CBGB’s that Phoenix will ever experience…
By Jonathan McNamara Dave Matthews Band at Cricket Wireless Pavillion Despite the loss of saxophonist LeRoi Moore last week, Dave Matthews Band delivered a great performance at Cricket Wireless Pavilion on Saturday, August 23, 2008. Rage in the Cage at Celebrity Theatre A collection of 24 fighters trained in various…
