Franz Ferdinand (Eventually) Resurrects The Dead at Marquee

I know it’s probably unfair to compare a crowd at the Marquee to a crowd at Coachella — where the music-obsessed kids even greeted the white reggae band who came on after local boys Dear and the Headlights like The Beatles at Shea Stadium — but since Franz Ferdinand and I were both…

Record Store Day: Why You Should Care

Believe it or not, record stores still function in this digital day and age. On top of that, this Saturday is Record Store Day, or “Time to Give a Shit About Record Stores.” While record stores are a debatable topic, a day that celebrates music in an orderly fashion is…

Conor Oberst Keeps it Mystical at Marquee

Comparing Conor Oberst to Bob Dylan is somewhat old hat. It’s easy enough to make a case for grouping the two Midwestern singer-songwriters known for folky instrumentation and unique styles of story-telling, and people have been since Oberst’s days as a child prodigy in Omaha. But what really strikes me…

Coachella Set Times Released – Let the Madness Begin

Well the long wait is over: those in power at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (Goldenvoice) have released the set times for this weekend’s affair. An initial glance at things shows a pretty smooth flow for the weekend, with minimal conflict for fans of the same genres. Picking…

Zombie Ball Proves the ‘Nix Knows How to Get Down

This Saturday marks the 2009 installment of Arizona’s own Horns and Halos’ Zombie Ball. Knowing what Horns and Halos is capable of, this Saturday will be an epic event, sure to bring out the most devoted zombie fans and other fans of fetish/adult oriented entertainment. It’s remarkable to try and…

Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson and a Bunch ‘o’ Buddhists in Chandler

“Have you ever been given meditation instructions at a concert before?” the emcee asked as the crowd sat down at Chandler Center for the Arts to witness a benefit concert by Velvet Underground legend Lou Reed, his wife, performance artist Laurie Anderson.We had not, but that quickly changed. It was…

Calexico Classy at Heritage Square Concert

There’s one word that describes the Calexico concert at Heritage Square last night: Classy. From the tastefully-appointed stage, to the home-made tamales and high-end beer (Tecate and Four Peaks products only; no Bud) to the gorgeous textures of the band’s unique blend of Western and Tejano music and indie rock,…

Alan Jackson Keeps It Old School at Country Thunder

The annual Country Thunder festival at the dusty Canyon Moon Ranch just outside of Florence is country music’s version of a cattle drive, where over four days some of the bigger names in country music are herded on stage to bleat their biggest hits, then lassoed off to make way…

Country Thunder 2009: Where My ‘Necks At?

I’ve spent the last year telling everyone who’ll listen that Country Thunder is the premier music festival in Arizona. Whether you like country music or not, you should recognize that compared with any other festival in the state Country Thunder’s acts are bigger, the crowd crazier, the part wilder. So…

Bonnie Prince Billy Awes at Modified Arts

I’ve never seen Modified Arts as packed as it was last night during Will Oldham’s performance as Bonnie Prince Billy. And it’s no surprise why. More than 60 people jammed into the downtown Phoenix music venue to watch the iconic and enigmatic indie folk hero’s long, powerful concert that lasted…

Bruce Springsteen Makes Everyone a Little Nostalgic at Jobing

Maybe it was the bouncing beach balls that reminded me of my first concert experiences (seeing the Kokomo-era Beach Boys) or maybe it was the inclusion of a relatively obscure song by glam-punks D Generation (the band who headlined my first-ever club concert) in the before-set house music, but something about Bruce Springsteen’s show at Jobing.com Arena…

All-American Rejects Jam During Super Secret Practice in Tempe

The All-American Rejects held a super secret show Friday in a warehouse on the northeast corner of McClintock and Broadway. OK, it wasn’t a show as much as a jam session in preparation of Saturday’s Tempe Music Fest but it was pretty damn cool nonetheless. The jam session was so…