If Primus bassist Les Claypool had a bumper sticker on his car, it most likely would read: “I’d rather be fishing.” As much as Claypool likes to create strange and esoteric music, he also loves heading out on the water and zoning out. See also: -Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang…
Did you read Monday’s Onion story “SXSW as Cool and as Real as It Gets, Reports Marketing Associate?” Once again, the satirical site takes aim and takes down its target. South by Southwest mania is upon us, and chances are your social-media channels are already being inundated with dispatches from…
Green Day @ Marquee Theatre| 3/11/13Phoenix is pretty damn lucky. We’re one of three cities to host Green Day’s intimate “warmup” tour on the band’s way to South by Southwest. It’s a rare treat to see a band that came up in the clubs before graduating to arenas pack a…
Holy crap! What a weekend. We had the soggy but stellar Carnaval Eléctrico with Cold War Kids, Hanni El Khatib, Mergence, and more at Crescent Ballroom, the raucous Rampage Fest with Nü Sensae, White Lung, Allah-Las, and more at Sail Inn, and a thoroughly enjoyable but exhausting performance by Matt…
After nearly a decade, Celtic folk punkers Flogging Molly have become a St. Paddy’s Day staple in Tempe. The band’s anthems — “What’s Left of the Flag,” “Devil’s Dance Floor,” and “Salty Dog” — pull double duty each year at Tempe Beach Park, serving both the energetic moshers and the…
Matt & Kim @ Marquee Theatre|3/9/13I woke up Saturday eager to see Matt and Kim. My boyfriend suggested passing some time by catching a movie. Hell, why not? So, off to Oz the Great and Powerful — fucking worst movie I have ever put money toward. Oh, wait, my boyfriend…
Rampage Fest, ft. Dune Rats, Wax Idols, Nü Sensae, Allah-Las, and More @ Sail Inn|3/8/13The platter of varying delights that is Rampage Fest, a collection of SxSW-bound bands passing through the desert, offered a taste of beach-crashed pop-punk, sonically loyal garage rock, and blistering hardcore. Under normal circumstances, bills like…
Carnaval Eléctrico ft. Cold War Kids, Hanni El Khatib, Mergence, Stan Devereaux & The Funky Suns, Diners, and More @ Crescent Ballroom|3/8/13It’s awesome when everything goes right at a show: great lineup, great venue, and great concept. But, as the crowd at Friday night’s sold-out Carnaval Eléctrico festival proved, sometimes…
Soft Moon @ Crescent Ballroom|3/7/13Funny what stray pills you can uncover in a fit of spring cleaning. This 20 milligram of Adderall. A dented Xanax bar. Where did all these Percocet come from? And what’s this red-brown gelcap floating in my desk drawer? So down it goes. It could be…
Dfactor is always writing new songs and like all pop-infected minds, he’s a sucker for self-deprecation and introspective topics. He’s also highly sensitive to the world around him. So if his new single, “Yes & No Girl,” is any indicator, it looks like Dave is in a pretty good place…
We’re just a little bit biased about the best way to spend your weekend here in Phoenix. New Times’ Carnaval Electrico with Cold War Kids, Mergence, Hanni El Khatib, and more, is clearly awesome, but get this: There are other cool things going on around town. No joke. Rampage Fest…
Whirr @ Trunk Space | 3/6/13I don’t want to be a shallow critic, but there’s no denying the Whirr’s firm place in the shoegaze section of the record store. They are knee-deep in the genre tropes: the excessive delay and reverb, the lead guitar doing some twinkly thing while the…
First, a “dumb drummer” joke: How do you get a drummer off of your porch? Pay him 10 bucks for the pizza. Now, our Top Five Must-See Shows in Phoenix This Week…
Brujeria @ 910 Live|3/1/13In 2010, Jan Brewer asserted that “our law enforcement agencies” had found decapitated bodies in the desert along the Arizona-Mexican border. Although undocumented immigration from Mexico does lead to deaths in that region, it turned out that the stories about mutilated bodies were unsubstantiated, another one of…
decker. @ Sail Inn|3/1/13Sedona-based songwriter Brandon Decker bounced around the Sail Inn like a pinball, shaking hands, raising drinks, and grooving intently to the lineup of bands dueling between two stages. Decker’s a humble enough guy, but it was impossible to deny: Last night was his night. The broad smile…
When people ask what kind of music I like, I’m tempted to say, “Good music.” I understand the need for musical terminology, but there’s really too much good stuff to limit what you listen to. It’s a lesson Zero Zero teaches well. Nicole Laurenne and Michael Johnny Walker have the…
The Used @ Marquee Theatre | 2/24/13 On Sunday night, the Marquee Theatre reverberated with the sound of cheering fans and hardcore screamo tunes on the Take Action Tour, which aims to raise awareness about such issues as teen suicide, bullying, and more (super-badass). The tour this year consists of…
It’s only the end of February, but I’m convinced I’ve already heard one of the best albums of 2013. Destruction Unit’s new LP, the six-song mind eraser Void, debuts locally on Monday, February 25, when the band takes the stage at the Yucca Tap Room. The band’s been getting some…
Kelly Clarkson may have slept on his phenomenal Kaleidoscope Dream, but that didn’t stop Los Angeles-based crooner Miguel from having one hell of a 2012. He tops our list of must-see shows this weekend in Phoenix, stopping by the historic Celebrity Theatre to showcase sultry jams like “Adorn.” We can’t…
Rakim @ Celebrity Theatre|2/20/13The word “legend” is something that shouldn’t be tossed around lightly, especially when it applies to hip-hop. During hip-hop’s 30-year run, we have seen numerous careers rise and fall. Hell, some artists have straight up vanished from existence. Many would argue that hip-hop is the most unforgiving…
In 1983, an unknown songwriter named Edwin Bankston decided that if no labels were interested in putting out his record — a nine-song country-boogie album called Over There…and Over Here, credited to “The Red Rippers” — he was going to put it out himself. Featuring stream-of-consciousness lyrics, psychedelic lead guitar,…
It’s been a hot minute since Portland-based indie rock stalwarts Modest Mouse put a record out (the band’s latest EP, No One’s First and You’re Next came out in freaking 2009). Songwriter Isaac Brock insists new material is coming (but you know, he named his record label Glacial Pace), but…
