Josh Landau can’t stop moving — mostly because he doesn’t allow himself to. He’s the vocalist for Venice Beach-based The Shrine, along with band members Court Murphy and Jeff Murray, he manages Eliminator, his own skateboarding and clothing company, and the band’s about to embark on a series of continent-crossing…
Courtesy of UniversalSheaface [Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning scribe and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times.] The biggest concern in my life recently is that every show on my DVR is the regular definition version, rather than the high definition version. As you can…
The Devil Wears Prada excels at dark, blanketing instrumentals that sweep from brutal crowd-moshing breakdowns and atmospheric bridges to intricate riffing and uplifting melodics that reflect their collective faith. When you throw in commanding roars and unflinching, post-hardcore vocals, it paints a picture of how the band bridges the gap…
Megadeth is such a strong act that it needs little introduction. One of the underground metal groups of the ’80s who achieved lasting commercial success, the band has sold more than 50 million albums over the course of more than 30 years. The four musicians have a knack for creating…
Booked several days a week at venues across the Valley, it’s clear the Hoodoo Casters are doing something right; they’ve played nearly every blues-friendly venue in the Valley, along with some in northern Arizona. Their motto says it all: They’re “the blues your mama warned you about.” Performing a mix…
On the off chance you haven’t noticed, scads of reboots, makeovers, and metamorphoses have gone down in Scottsdale’s after-dark scene. In just the past month alone, Barney’s Boathouse was sold to new proprietors and became more of a hip-hop spot called Arizona Eye Candy, Jackrabbit Lounge underwent renovation and was…
One of Hermann Hesse’s lesser known collections, Wandering, reflects on anxiety, death and the arts while aimlessly meandering through the countryside. Alt-folk singer Bryant Eugene Vazquez left Flagstaff, Arizona barely two months ago to ramble on to Philadelphia, but he’s still releasing records here in the desert. On his latest,…
One Direction[Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning scribe and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times.] Last week, I wrote about why One Direction’s “This Is My Story” sucks. Usually, whenever one of these pieces goes up (and they go up often), I get a handful…
Smeared black-and-white corpse face-paint (with a little red blood spatter thrown in for good measure) is synonymous with extreme metal. Whether it’s to enhance a demonic theme or carry on cultural tradition, musicians that utilize the medium are definitely projecting a bold message. (For me, it often points to the…
Believe it or not, but it looks as though Adam Dumper’s been taking a few cues from both Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders lately. Over the past year or so, the local artist and impresario, better known as Dumperfoo, has transformed his signature event The Blunt Club into a veritable…
It’s a simple formula: The BluesHounds play upbeat dance blues, and that gets the people happy. The happy people start dancing, and the dancing makes them thirsty, and the thirsty people make club owners happy. Matty Spinelli, lead guitarist and bandleader for the BluesHounds, doesn’t mind the way things work;…
Donald Glover has been making the anti-rounds of press for Because the Internet, his latest Childish Gambino LP due out next month, bouncing from city to city and playing it in the open for anyone who reads his Twitter announcements. He’s declined most interview requests, save for a scant Noisey…
Courtesy of Columbia/SycoZayn and the crew[Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning writer and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times.] Song: One Direction’s “Story Of My Life” History: A long time ago, there were barbershop quartets. After that, there were the New Kids on the Block,…
Beloved local metal quartet St. Madness has been stirring the pot of metal insanity for about 20 years, and you usually won’t know what to expect from them, especially at a live show. But anyone who has met lead vocalist Prophet — a.k.a. Patrick Flannery — knows that the band…
There’s no more sun in Cults’ eyes. The Manhattan-based indie-pop act best known for the cloyingly sweet singles “Go Outside” and “Oh My God” have returned with Static, a departure from what set sights on them in the first place. The only familiar part of their aesthetic is the album cover itself, placing vocalist Madeline Follin and vocalist/guitarist Brian Oblivion’s silhouettes at the forefront. Most everything else, however, is different.
Diehard fans of Southern mathcore outfit The Chariot know what’s happening. They know that after a 10-year run the band is finally going its separate ways. The Chariot is a little over two weeks out from their last show ever, taking place in vocalist and founding member Josh Scogin’s hometown…
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. That’s why we’re looking for it. Here’s a list of nine shows–the 10th was Thursday’s Testament/Killswitch Engage/Lamb of God/Huntress bonanza–you must see this month, as…
Chances are, whatever you’re listening to right now isn’t as heavy as The Body’s Christs, Redeemers. The record, the latest from southern-born duo Chip King and Lee Buford, opens with a haunting drone, “I, The Mourner of Perished Days,” before “To Attempt Openness” kicks in, marrying Buford’s doomy drums and…
If there’s one constant to the rave scene — other than all the bright lights and booming beats — it’s kandie. No, not the sort of sugary confections that are sometimes sold by vendors and often munched on by hyperactive teens and post-adolescents at underground events. Instead, we’re referencing the…
Lita Ford is a bitch. Her words, not ours: She’s touting the title track of her new album, The Bitch Is Back . . . Live. “I heard [the original version] on the radio and it just came tumbling down on me like a ton of bricks: ‘Hello! Please record…
[Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning writer and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times (and Katy Perry’s “Roar.”] History: Katy Perry was born in 1984, except back then people called her “Katy Hudson” because that’s her real name. In 2001, she was like, “You know…
Krimson Chord has been rocking the Valley with their Southwest blues for more than a decade now, playing regular gigs at Pappy’s Bar in Phoenix and Coyote Alley in Surprise. This is no fly-by-night group; they won the Arizona Blues Challenge in 2010 and competed in the International Blues Challenge…
