Go to an online search engine and enter Toasters. The first thing that comes up is “Toasters. Lowest prices on all home appliances.” Oh, well. Search a little harder, and The Toasters, America’s first ska band (though their leader is of English descent) finally appears halfway down the page, even…
At some point in the early 2000s, I downloaded a track by Alaskan singer/songwriter Matt Hopper called “This Is the Sound (Of My Heart Breaking).” It was a slight thing, just an acoustic guitar, a lone electric lead, and some harmonies, something Hopper wrote for some sort of 365-songs-in-365-days deal,…
‘Tis the season for counterfeit Coachella posters, as the three-day tastemaking mega-festival quickly approaches and music fans invent dream lineups or needle the event in snarky fashion. One of the funnier Fauxchella fliers on the Interwebs (other than the one with nothing but fictional bands) is a satirically ironic lineup…
House music is inherently uplifting and energizing. It makes you wanna get of that ass and get crazy on the dance floor. That certainly was the case at the Phoenix Convention Center on Sunday, January 15, when the House for Hunger Tour arrived in town.Hundreds of house-heads, party monsters, and…
So listen up, Goldenvoice. You and I need to have a serious discussion about how I, a loyal customer who can honestly say that the Coachella grounds are my favorite place in the world, got screwed out of tickets this year…
Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. Guided by Voices fans gotta be lovin’ the recently reformed “classic era” lineup of the legendary lo-fi rockers. This album features the…
Despite what it does for your record sales, it sucks when a rockstar dies before his time. Hard times came about in 1996 after the passing of Sublime’s vocalist and guitarist Bradley Nowell.Even good ol’ Lou Dog was bummin’. Frankly, I can’t blame him. If I had been more than…
It’s been two years since Arizona transplant Michelle Blades’ last album release. During that time the soulful singer-songwriter spent some time in Paris where she turned 21, and put in work on her new record, Mariana. The new album, which is scheduled for release on February 18, is currently streaming…
Until last June, it was difficult for Montreal’s Dan Boeckner to separate his two musical projects. The collaboration with wife Alexei Perry (Handsome Furs) and the full-time source of his paychecks (Wolf Parade) both achieved a balance of ’80s synth-pop and punk rock attitude. But when Wolf Parade went on…
Though the name Mighty Sphincter may sound like a stereotypical fictional punk band (say, the band that the mohawked goofus on the bus was jamming on his ghetto blaster in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home before Spock gave him the knockout pinch or whatever), the mythic Phoenix band was…
The next time the fact-finders at the CIA revise the entry for Germany in their popular World Factbook, they really oughta update the country’s list of major exports to include house music alongside high-octane beer, schnitzel, and household goods. Das Vaterland has been fertile ground for birthing practitioners of inexorably…
Pat Travers can kick ass in more ways than one. First, the Canadian guitarist is a black belt in Isshin Ryu Karate. And though he won’t demonstrate martial arts moves on stage, Travers’ hard-hitting music is still a kick in the face. Travers’ work is heavy in sound and thick…
When Tim Bergling started crafting electronica in 2008 in the bedroom of his Stockholm residence, he drew inspiration from his countryman Eric Prydz and the members of the Swedish House Mafia. Flash-forward to 2012, and the 22-year-old artist (now known as Avicii) is sharing the bill with his heroes at…
Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly feature, Sound Off, in which Jason P. Woodbury is joined by a different guest each week to listen to and discuss three tracks from local Phoenix artists. If you would like your songs to be considered for future Sound Off columns, please…
North Scottsdale houses some of the nicest bars in the valley, and Blue Martini is no exception. This swanky lounge attracts a posh Scottsdale clientele and serves delicious drinks at a reasonable price. It’s worth it to make an early trip to Blue Martini for the happy hour drink specials…
Ace-High Cutthroats, Weird Ladies and Hobo Bastard will be joining Big Eyes for this gig. Apparently this will be Hobo Bastard’s first show, so that’s all the more reason to put on your good ol’ Steve Martin funny man shoes and come on out for a good time.It’s all going down…
Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. Contrary to popular belief, CD’s and vinyl are moving off of music store shelves just fine. According to a report in the…
From bedroom recordings to Target commercials, Portland three-piece Starfucker has had an interesting climb up the pop-culture ladder. In a perfect world, the group’s catchy hook-producing capabilities would make it a Top 40 shoo-in. But perhaps there’s something too deliberate in the act’s chosen moniker. A handful of earlier name…
After our burnt and decimated post-apocalyptic planet is discovered by alien robots thousands of years in the future, they will sift through the rubble of Tempe and likely find, among the ash of unopened textbooks and maroon and gold bongs, hundreds of copies of a round shiny disc with the…
While the lasting image from the Coen brothers’ 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou? may be a mustachioed, overall-clad, hicked-up George Clooney lip-synching “Man of Constant Sorrow,” the film’s multi-platinum soundtrack reignited interest in America’s earliest roots music. It was inevitable that musicians devoted to Americana would look beyond…
On the opening track of Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole’s eponymous 2008 album, the traditional island music is interrupted by a chant provided by Kanaka’ole’s grandmother. Delivering recitations in Hawaiian, her part acts as a bridge between generations and traditions. In fact the entire album, Kanaka’ole’s third, is a family affair, as more…
Clear away the tie-dyed shirts and Widespread Panic bootlegs. Though popular Tempe spot Sail Inn is known best for twirling, weed-addled jam-banders, things are going to get very metal this week, as the Arizona Local Rock Fest sweeps in, bringing acts with names like Flying Donkey Punch, Plagued Angel, and…
