When Will Butler struck out on his own with his debut solo effort, Policy, it was expected that the Arcade Fire synth whiz would explore much of the same territory as his band. In some ways, he did. In discussing Arcade Fire, it’s imperative to talk about the nature of…
Like the characters in many of their songs, HoneyHoney lead singer/banjo player/violinist Suzanne Santo and vocalist/guitarist Ben Jaffe also experienced a profound period of searching and minor desperation in the quest to finish their forthcoming album, 3. It isn’t uncommon for musicians to take years between album releases, but rarely…
After a lull of about two weeks, the Phoenix music scene has come alive this week, with a series of big-ticket concerts leading the charge, as well as welcoming two new music venues, Valley Bar and Rebel Lounge, into the fold. There are many musical options for your enjoyment this…
U2 left fans awestruck on Friday night as they kicked off their two-night stand at US Airways Center in downtown Phoenix. To say the iNNOCENT+eXPERIENCE tour was a spectacle would be an understatement, as the world’s biggest band brought a visual and sonic freight train that hit the Valley in…
It has been less than a year since the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion obliterated the Crescent Ballroom with their raucous road show, blasting an eager crowd with its high-energy hybrid of punk-ass blues, noise, soul, garage, and straight ahead punch-you-in-the-face rock ’n’ roll. If you were there, you’ll be back…
New genres seemingly can appear out of nowhere. Take the case of Miami Horror. When Illumination, the band’s debut album, was released five years ago, the words “indie electronic” were used to describe the Australian quartet. When pressed about the difference between indie and non-indie electronic music, band leader Benjamin…
Earl Sweatshirt and I have a history — a three-day history. I have spent the last three days obsessed with Earl Sweatshirt, waiting for his call to record an interview before his show and then again when I thought we had rescheduled. I’m not saying this to give him, ahem,…
If you were under the age of 40 you probably didn’t enjoy REO Speedwagon show last night at Talking Stick Resort. With that said if you were over 40 and attended last night’s show you had a blast watching Kevin Cronin and company execute a well constructed blast from the…
We’ve been fortunate in that this past weekend in the Valley felt like, well, it wasn’t the Valley. This is but the calm before the storm. Summer is coming. The Southwest remembers. Here are our picks for this weekend. If you’d like more options, mosey on over to our comprehensive…
Many are the bands profiled in these pages who ask what a bunch of musicians has to do to get a cover story around here. Sometimes it’s by sheer popularity. Sometimes it’s sheer luck, a slow news week when some guitarist turns out to be more visually appealing than a…
Apache Lake Music Festival recently announced the dates of this year’s festival, October 23 and 24. With the announcement also comes the lineup speculation. ALMF in the past has pegged certain bands like Dry River Yacht Club, Japhy’s Descent, Sara Robinson and the Midnight Special, and Banana Gun to name…
One of the stand out acts of last month’s tremendous FestivALTAZ was without a doubt Family of the Year. Tonight they return to the valley supporting Lord Huron at Tempe’s Marquee Theatre. The band has released some singles deeply rooted in acoustic and folk rock the likes of popular tunes,…
Waka Flocka Flame is running for president in 2016, and he’s already establishing himself as a peacekeeper. The Atlanta rapper had a concert at Livewire in Scottsdale last night, and a Youtube video that will just another nug in the jar for the rapper’s upcoming campaign. DJ Whoo, Flocka’s DJ…
Apparently nostalgia is one hell of a drug because there was nothing new and very few kids in the crowd during the New Kids On the Block show last night at Gila River Arena in Glendale. Since NKOTB got back together in 2008 they have made multiple stops in the…
If you haven’t gotten your tickets for Lana Del Rey’s Comerica Theatre gig with Courtney Love a few days hence, better get a move on. Its arguably going to be one of the biggest concerts of the week, let alone the entire spring. Its not the only “can’t miss” show…
A few people have seen fit to inform us recently that there’s not much happening this weekend. Its an erroneous opinion, frankly, but an understandable one. With all the major music festivals of the springtime having come and gone, one might think that Phoenix is pretty much a wasteland between…
Ernie Halter is an alien. He’s an alien because he played one Star Trek: Voyager (he was beamed away), and he’s an alien because his time in cyberspace has defined, in large part, the direction of his musical career. Through dedicated, hard work, Halter’s music is now beamed (okay, streamed)…
Understandably, many in the Valley are dreading the month ahead. As the weeks roll by, the summertime season will be getting into full swing, everyone you know will start leaving town to escape, and there’s soon to be nothing but dreck on television (Game of Thrones nonwithstanding). It’s not all…
Here are your best options for musical entertainment this weekend. For more choices, check out our comprehensive concert calendar…
Like a front snap punch to the throat, Melt-Banana’s erratic noise will shower you with peals of explosive abandon not unlike Foetus’ or Drive Like Jehu’s. The Japanese noise duo — Yasuko Onuki, responsible for the band’s chirping, hyperactive vocals, and Ichirou Agata, who likes to layer his guitar riffs…
To say the evening was fun is an understatement. Sleater-Kinney played to a sizable crowd at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe Wednesday night who represented one of the most enjoyable gatherings of humans I have seen in a while. There was a true sense of excitement and anticipation in the…
Chilean experimental trio Föllakzoid’s newest release, the aptly titled III, has only four tracks, but there is nothing economical about what they do with their humble arsenal. Each song, including the opening track “Electric,” is an expansive, layered masterpiece that is organically constructed from the haunting rhythms inside their heads…
