On paper having Erykah Badu and Janelle Monáe on the same tour is an interesting pairing. On the one hand you have Badu, the experienced neo-soul songstress who has been making hits since the late ’90s. On the other hand you have Monáe, the up and comer who has managed…
“This place is crazy,” the tour manager tells me on the phone, and, indeed, the Clubhouse in Tempe is crazy-packed for Tuesday’s sold-out performance by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes. Before the opening act – Dawes, a folk-rock foursome that reminds me strongly, and pleasantly, of Wilco – finishes…
“How much can you know about yourself, you’ve never been in a fight? I don’t wanna die without any scars. So come on; hit me before I lose my nerve.” – Tyler DurdenConfession time: I’m in my dirty 30s and I’ve never been in a real fight. Sure, I’ve gotten…
Fresh off a successful run on the AP Tour this spring, Scottsdale pop rockers the Summer Set are not slowing down. The band returns to the road this week as part of the annual Vans Warped Tour. The genre-bending mega-festival kicks off this Friday in Carson, Calif. and makes a…
To some, the Vans Warped Tour is heaven — dozens of pop, rock and punk bands on multiple stages and tons of young, scantily clad people reveling in the sweaty, fun mess of dancing and moshing. And to others, Warped Tour is hell. Besides the 100-plus degree heat, there…
This is part of a series of reviews of bands who play weekly at local bars. The show: Running From Bears at the Lost Leaf. The look: Like an New York jazz club underground, but with more space and above ground. The smell: Light perspiration and aluminum. The taste: Savory,…
When “alternative rock” radio debuted in the early ’90s — displacing stations spinning hard rock, classic rock, hair metal, or ’80s college rock — it seemed to be a format designed to evolve. At least to a middle-school me, who imagined it to be fresh, vital, and destined to change…
Apparently, the Lakers-Celtics game wasn’t enough to keep droves of people from attending Iron Maiden at Cricket Wireless Pavilion last night. According to fans who Tweeted their mini-reviews of the show after the concert, the crowd was filled with quite a few young’n’s, and everyone got to witness the legendary…
British hardcore punk rockers GBH name stands for “grievous bodily harm”. While attendance at any punk show poses some threat of injury, what with mosh pits, angry teens, spiked belts, and extreme mohawks, the risk at last night’s GBH show was a little higher.Locals Casket Life and Glass Heroes opened…
As far as I know, my review of Miniature Tigers’ new record Fortress is the first professional piece printed on the formerly-of-Phoenix band’s sophomore effort.I would have waited a few weeks to run it, actually, but for the fact that singer Charlie Brand is playing a solo acoustic show at…
The name The Wailers conjures our best thoughts about reggae. As well it should: Not only was Bob Marley in the group, it also served as springboard for the arguably equal Peter Tosh.So, yeah, the Wailers name is strong enough to tour on 30 years after Marley’s death. The Original…
I’m not generally a fan of angular haircuts or leering, dramatic promo photos, but in the case of a band like Portland-via-Omaha-via-Saint Joseph band The Prids, it’s easy to push at that superficial stuff to the side and just focus on the goods: smart, guitar-driven pop music, with sexy boy-girl…
As the unofficial yacht-rock go-to guy at New Times, it was incumbent on me to attend the Doobie Brothers and Chicago show Tuesday night at Dodge Theatre.So I did my duty, despite the fact that I saw the Doobies play Tempe on New Years Eve (nobody needs to hear “China…
Guess who’s playing Rhythm Room tonight?!No, no…it’s not Justin Bieber. That’s Chase Coy, a guy whose music people who aren’t 16-year-old girls might like. Although the girls are probably still going crazy over Coy, as well.The 19-year-old singer-songwriter from Greenwood, Ind. sounds older than his years, playing acoustic guitar-driven music…
This is part of a series of reviews of bands who play weekly at local bars. The show: Nineball at CK’s Tavern and Grill.The look: Middle class sports bar.The smell: Tank tops and testosterone.The taste: Fried food.Three words/phrases to describe the night: Thoughtfully casual, flip-flops, straightened hair.Who to bring with…
Now some of you may say, “Slow down, friend, Loggins’ music knows no generational bounds.” To that I say yes. I am a huge Loggins fan myself and I just so happen to younger than 30. His November show at the Celebrity Theatre will reflect this phenomenon — fans who…
Ever see that movie Heavy Metal Parking Lot? It’s a good flick, but Juggalo Parking Lot would put it to shame.Why no one has made a serious documentary about Insane Clown Posse fans baffles me. The hooting and hollering, the facepaint, the cheap soda, the bullshit allegations of gang membership…
Since he was here, like, three months ago, and since we ran a big ol’ piece on him last time, New Times has sorta skimped on the coverage of the David Bazan show at Martini Ranch Sunday.That fact should in no way suggest you should skip the show. You shouldn’t…
I have to admit, I wasn’t really expecting much from 50 Cent’s show last night. Maybe it’s unfair to Fiddy, but the last few mainstream rap shows I’ve attended have led me to believe that commercial rap stars have at least one annoying trait in common with Los Angeles Dodgers…
Loren Dircks has been a fixture in Tucson’s music scene for more than two decades, first as a founding member of “country metal” stalwarts Gila Bend and currently as a solo performer and frequent collaborator with fellow Tucsonan Al Perry. Dircks recently attained a degree of notoriety thanks to the…
Miike Snow at The Clubhouse Miike Snow which is currently on tour in support of its self-titled debut album showed up Saturday night at a sold-out Clubhouse in Tempe. While the temperatures outside the Clubhouse were pretty bad it was nothing compared to the heat inside. Amazingly, the members of…
It seems like the ticket to quick success for a band these days is either getting your song on an iPod commercial or on a popular television show. The latter seems to have been the case for Swedish electro-pop outfit Miike Snow. Of course they didn’t just get their song…
