Why Judge Judy Is Paul Leary’s (Butthole Surfers) Happy Place

The Melvins Maybe the most misunderstood band still out slogging it out on tour today. Maybe (definitely) brilliant, maybe mad, always noisily rocking out some of the best heavy sludge you’ll ever hear, Buzz Osborne (guitar and vocals) and Dale Crover (drums) have been the core of the band which…

Arizona Hip Hop Festival a Showcase of Culture

“The culture is back” This is what one of the people introducing MCs on the outside stage at the Arizona Hip Hop Festival at Comerica Theatre got the crowd chanting. I have no idea what the previous culture of Arizona hip-hop was, so I couldn’t tell if you if anything…

St. Lucia – Crescent Ballroom – 10/16/2014

The sold-out St. Lucia show at Crescent Ballroom last night definitely felt like being hit with a tidal wave of pop sensation. Arizona may be one of the only places where you can comfortable rock beachware in October: floral-printed button-up shirts, khaki shorts, flip flops and tans were displayed on…

Combichrist Still Doesn’t Give a Damn

No fucks were given at last night’s Combichrist show — but none were needed. The self-described “aggrotech” band Combichrist stopped in Mesa last night, performing at Club Red with opening acts Davey Suicide, William Control, and Darksiderz. About 300 black-shirted fans filled the venue’s east stage area…

Weezer – Arizona State Fair – 10/16/14

Before Thursday night, I hadn’t been to the state fair in close to a decade. I spent most of the day there, frolicking through the bright, bursting animal smells and the tantalizing stench of grease. The whole day was an adventure, filled with overstimulation, unbridled joy, and thoughts of “Wow,…

Zac Brown Band – Ak-Chin Pavilion – 10/16/2014

It can often seem that country music has taken a turn for the worse in recent years. As the genre edges closer and closer to nothing more than Top 40 pop, one band stands out as the antithesis to the decay: Zac Brown Band. Like a lone blooming flower in…

10 Best Concerts in Phoenix This Weekend

Take a deep breath. Concert season is in full swing, and we have a full slate of shows to see this weekend. There is a massive local hip-hop festival, a show by a local hero, shows by rock legends, current rap stars. Everything you could want is happening this weekend…

Chicano Batman Adds Latin Flavor to Classic Oldies Sound

Psychedelic soul and funk band Chicano Batman have been rocking the Dark Knight moniker since long before Ben Affleck received the nod to be the next Hollywood man to don the legendary cape and cowl. But the Los Angeles-based quartet comprised of singer, guitarist and organist Bardo Martinez, bassist Eduardo…

7 Best Concerts in Phoenix This Week

If nothing else, this week’s slate of concerts in and around Metro Phoenix is what you’d call diverse, or, at the very least, eclectic. How else would you describe a five-day span that feature everything from the indie power-pop of The New Pornographers and the Latin-infused trip-hop of French-Chliean emcee…

Experience Hendrix a Fitting Tribute to Guitar Great

The burning question has always been: What would Jimi Hendrix be doing now if he were still alive? Shortly before passing away at age 27, Hendrix was considering a move away from rock ‘n’ roll psychedelia to explore aspects of jazz and blues. He’d frequently been jamming with progressive jazz…

7 Best Concerts to See in Phoenix This Week

With all due respect to the holiday season, right now is arguably the most wonderful time of the year. We’ve got the Arizona State Fair and its tremendous concert series launching by week’s end, Halloween a few weeks after that, and some great shows to check out until both those…

7 Best Concerts to See This Weekend

Got any plans this weekend? You probably should, considering there are few (if any) reasons to stay glued to the furniture at home. The weather’s certainly nicer, with nary any storm fronts scheduled to move through Metro Phoenix, and there’s no shortage of live music or nightlife events over the…

The 30 Best Concerts in October

Our inbox was hit with an e-mail blast the other day from the proprietors of a local music venue who declared that October was going to be “insane” because of all the fantastic acts they has booked at the joint over the next few weeks. They ain’t the only ones,…

Eagles Tour Looks at Band’s History — When Convenient

Old white people like the Eagles. That is the biggest takeaway from Wednesday night’s “History of The Eagles” stop at Gila River Arena. That, and history is very easily changed when it needs to be for the sake of some feel-good moments on tour. They also more or less left…

8 Things We Learned at Summer Ends Music Festival

It was a weird, wild, and wet weekend. We’re talking about Summer Ends Music Festival, Lucky Man Concerts’ three-day extravaganza scheduled for Tempe Beach Park. But Mother Nature had other plans, and after the second huge rainstorm to hit the Valley in a month dumped more than an inch of…