DJ Rob Kwik @ SoChu House

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…

Bill Tarsha and The Rocket 88s Back a Blues Harmonica Blowout

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…

DJ Green Lantern @ Bar Smith

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…

Fake Snake: I’m Drawn To That Insane Kind of Sound

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…

Take This Kanye West Quiz. It Has Funny Illustrated Clues!

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…

Trivium’s Matt Heafy: Metal’s Not A Genre, It’s A Lifestyle

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…

Ray Ray Hinkle and Bluzone Play The Blues To Pay For Chemo

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…

DJ Snoopadelic at Maya

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…

Eminem and Rihanna’s “The Monster”: Why This Song Sucks

[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…

The 10 Best Phoenix Bands Under 21

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…

2014 Grammy Nominees: Why Metal Will Make A Strong Showing

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…

Red Bull Music Academy Club Tour @ The Monarch Theatre

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…

Top 11 Metal Shows in Phoenix This December

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…

Red Monkey: Work That Turkey @ Monarch Theatre

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…

Bob Corritore and Dave Riley Want You To Hush Your Fuss

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…