Cancer, to paraphrase renowned rhyme-slinger Sadat X, is like the darkest of dark days. Sadly, far too many artists and performers connected with the Valley’s music scene have had dark days of their own this past year as they fought for their lives against cancer, including Blunt Club collaborator Jules…
Any true heavy metal fan can attest to the fact that the worlds of fashion and heavy metal should never go hand-in-hand — but this day and age, selling out and heading mainstream is only becoming more prevalent. So years back, when a handful of heavy metal bands began releasing…
Bill Tarsha and the Rocket 88s led the 18th annual blues harmonica blowout last week at the Rhythm Room. More than 35 blues harmonica players performed. Tarsha and his band opened with a couple tunes. The blues harmonica players put their names in a hat and after each performance they…
James D’Agostino has never slipped the surly bonds of gravity and traveled into outer space. Nor has he visited Oa, taken possession of a fabled Power Ring, battled the dastardly Sinestro, or bombed around with the other members of the JLA. Despite all these facts, the 38-year-old is known throughout…
Screeches cycle through the drone and reverberate off the cratered concrete walls of [venue name redacted] as Fake Snake frantically claws through their set. We’re out among the dilapidated shitholes of Phoenix’s industrial parks, inside this warehouse shed doubling as crashpad and venue for several underground acts. Here, the Phoenix…
All illustrations by me. I’m Shea. [Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning writer and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times.] This game is very simple: Look at the pictures and guess what Kanye West song each one represents. Boom. That’s it. That’s all. You’re done…
Whenever my brothers and I are together, it’s pretty difficult for anyone to understand our conversation unless they have a strong knowledge of Dumb & Dumber, Ace Ventura, or Anchorman quotes. And when I heard there was going to be an Anchorman: The Legend Continues film, I had my hopes…
Guitarist and lead vocalist Matt Heafy was around 13 or 14 when Trivium formed in Orlando in 2000, and only 17 when Trivium released their debut album, Ember To Inferno. Over the past decade, Heafy and the other members of Trivium have come a long way, from constant experimentation (each…
The blues community continues to rally around those in need. About 10 bands recently performed at Pho Cao Vietnamese Restaurant and Nightclub in Tempe to help Lenny Malik. Malik, known for his harmonica playing in the Phoenix area, is suffering from colon cancer. He was a truck driver for many…
RZA/Bobby Digital/Prince Rakeem ain’t got nothing on Snoop Dogg, at least when it comes to the alter-ego shizzle. To his mama and papa, he’s either Calvin Cordozar Broadus or “Snoopy,” his childhood nickname. Meanwhile, he’s been the Doggfather to the hip-hop world for two decades, hood anchor Nemo Hoes on…
Back in 2009, Brian “Head” Welch was hosting auditions at his Phoenix studio in order to craft a band for his own brand of music. The legendary former Korn guitarist experimented and jammed out with a few members, but then went back to searching for his ideal bandmates. In 2011,…
[Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning writer and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times.] Song: Eminem’s “The Monster,” featuring Rihanna History: Eminem did a freestyle battle. He went up against Papa Doc and choked. It was pretty sad. Then some more sad stuff happened to…
Whether they were adding a bit of flair to an old favorite, taking the scene by storm, or continuing their march to the top, 2013 was a big year for Valley musicians under 21. Here’s 10 of our favorites who spent most of 2013 in the all-ages sections of their…
The Grammys has never been known for supporting heavy metal. Heavy bands show up and it’s like a burnout kid crashing his parents’ fancy dinner party. Even when Halestorm won Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for their song “Love Bites (And So Do I)” at the 2013 Grammys, Lzzy Hale told…
From blasting “Schools Out” during my teenage wasteland days to jamming out to the chugging guitar in “Under My Wheels” in my office, Alice Cooper has always played a prominent position in my heavy metal playlist. Not only did he help shape the sound and look of heavy metal with…
The best way to get rid of the blues is to play some good blues and make it for the benefit of those in need. Many of the blues players in the Valley do just that. One example would be Bluesman Mike and the Blues Review Band, set to host…
EDM artists, DJs, and producers could learn a thing or two from Lunice, at least in regard to how to hustle. The 25-year-old Montreal native cut his teeth as a b-boy in the early Aughts, popping and locking as member of the 701 Squad and working gigs nonstop before gradually…
[Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning scribe and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times.] Here’s what you need to know about Robert Sylvester Kelly: He’s the fucking best. At singing. At wearing masks. At making videos of himself having sex. All of it. And so…
It can be easy to miss unless you’re looking for it, but there’s a lot of metal in the Valley, locals and touring acts alike. Our Metal Mondays columnist, Lauren Wise, is always on the lookout for the best local and national metal shows to come through town. That’s why…
When I heard Rex Brown’s Southern twang on my phone, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve been fortunate enough to interview all the other surviving former members of Pantera, and Brown was the last in line. I wanted to know about his recently released Pantera memoir — Official Truth:…
Pete “SuperMix” Salaz is planning to lay out an impressive spread for his nearest and dearest on Thanksgiving, although its gonna be a feast that’s more audio than edible. The godfather of local house music has been rocking record decks for more than two decades, and he and a slew…
Imagine everybody in a blues bar laughing so hard they can hardly contain themselves. That’s the case with Bob Corritore and Dave Riley’s new CD, Hush Your Fuss. Internationally acclaimed blues musicians Corritore and Riley held CD release parties for Fuss, their third album, this past weekend at Monterey Court…
