Joe Purdy’s not one for big statements and volume, at least not right off the bat. He’s not a showy performer, he hasn’t shaped an eccentric stage presence, and he doesn’t project needy ego. He’s understated. But that doesn’t mean he’s not usually the center of attention when he performs…
For Howard Stern Show fans, the mere mention of Amon Amarth inspires chuckles. It’s virtually impossible not to think of Stern show writer Richard Christie declaring Amon Amarth his “faaay-vrit” in his trademark Kansas drawl. While Christie — an accomplished heavy metal drummer in his own right — is often…
Outlaw country legend Jessi Colter has never slowed down. She’s most famous for her heartbreaking lovesick ballad “I’m Not Lisa” and her 1970s collaboration with late husband Waylon Jennings, but in the past 10 years, Colter has been busy, too. She’s released a compilation of her own work and a…
Mumford & Sons, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros all chug through town via the Railroad Revival Tour this weekend. The three bands are traveling in vintage rail cars on a six-date cross-continental jaunt, performing together, practicing in the cars, and generally trying to make…
If Steelheart had come around a few years earlier, they could have been Poison or Mötley Crüe. They certainly had the hair-metal formula down perfectly: a lead singer (Miljenko Matijevic) who had incredible vocal range, fully capable guitarists, quality power ballads, and a hairdresser’s ability to get the bangs just…
It’s tempting to say that the lineup for local hard rock station KUPD’s U-Fest looks culled from a Where Are They Now? marathon on VH-1. But that would imply that someone actually gives a shit where bands like Papa Roach, Drowning Pool, and Powerman 5000 are now. Those holdovers from…
Steve Aoki’s set at the Pussycat Lounge in December was a thing of beauty. So why, pray tell, would you want to pay $35 to go to The Collossal Event (which is being headlined by the renowned mixmaster) this weekend? Easy. There’s gonna be more at the event than just…
Title: Leave It Be EPBasics: Well, looks like it’s back to some more old guy garage rock for this week’s YAFI. Thankfully, these rock bands with decidedly older members know a goddamn thing or two about recording good music, and The Unlucky 8s are no exception. Their sound is self-described…
Despite it’s name, you won’t find President Barack Obama kicking it old school inside this chic Craftsman Court lounge, which is modeled after the illustrious presidential residence from which it draws its moniker, right down to the portico columns out front.Instead, the Whitehouse in Scottsdale is populated with winsome women,…
The Beatles’ attack on American charts in the ’60s was only the first incarnation of “The British Invasion.” Like clockwork, at least one British band seemingly every decade manages to become ridiculously popular in the States — even more popular than they are across the pond. The Rolling Stones, Oasis,…
It’s been more than three years since local punk icon Jeff Dahl played his last gig in the Valley, packed up his belongings, and moved to the tropical climes of Hawaii. Dahl hasn’t played a gig since — the small island town he lives in doesn’t have a proper live…
It’s a strange time to be the Black Keys. With their five albums before 2010’s Brothers, they were critical favorites, selling more copies with each release, gaining momentum with the Danger Mouse-produced Attack and Release. When the more soul-influenced Brothers was released last year, it connected with listeners quickly, with…
Orgcore loosely defines a subgenre of punk that draws from alt-country, pop punk, and hardcore, spawned mainly by the tastes of the Punknews.org community. These PBR-drinking, flannel-wearing beardos favor sing-alongs that have the proper balance of melodic beats and gritty vocals. Fake Problems started out as a characteristic orgcore band:…
The idea that a power pop supergroup comprising mostly Canadians unheard of by many people would be wildly successful and one of the most popular indie acts around probably seems absurd. But after nearly 15 years as a band, it’s easy to take The New Pornographers for granted. With four…
Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks make a pretty good pair for a lot of reasons. For one, both partied incredibly hard in their ’70s heydays, when Stewart fronted The Faces, arguably the finest blues rock band England ever produced, and Nicks singing in Fleetwood Mac, definitely the hardest soft-rock band…
Pinback is the introspective, gloomy brainchild of Rob Crow and Zach Smith, who have roots in a plethora of bands. Their side projects are varied (see doom metal act Goblin Cock), but Pinback, formed in 1998, is the longest-running. That’s not surprising — defined by plucking bass riffs and brooding…
Holding a DJ/dance event at a strip club can be a dicey proposition for a turntable jock. No matter how pimp your talents as a selecta are, patrons are usually in the place for one reason (and it ain’t to hear you mixing it up on the ones and twos)…
The bars and nightclubs of Scottsdale can be quite dead on Sunday evenings, as clubgoers usually expended most of their partying energy (not to mention their cash) the night before. Not so at The Lodge, where Sundays always seem to be alive and kicking.While we saw neither hide nor hair…
Between the Buried and Me, The Parallax: Hypersleep DialoguesMetal Blade RecordsRelease Date: April 12, 2011 What is it about prog metal bands and two-part albums? Last year, the Ocean’s one-two punch of Heliocentric and Anthropocentric topped my “Best of ’10” list. Now, Raleigh, North Carolina’s Between the Buried and Me…
Whether fronting The Verve or in his solo career, Richard Ashcroft is all about musical majesty. His best songs are sweeping, epic and grand, some would say “grandiose,” but he’s always aiming for a transcendence from the ordinary to the sublime. When he succeeds in the effort — and most…
You’re in for a smokin’, tokin’ good time if you hang out with Mergence at the tight joint known as the Yucca Tap Room on 4/20 this year (weed pun intended).”With the new laws coming into lay, it’s Arizona’s time to catch up a bit, and we are celebrating,” said…
Title: 2-song self-titled EP, containing the tracks “Schadenfreude” and “Inching The Foot”Basics: Stellacutta are an young, unsigned 5-piece band from Tempe whose members all study music at Arizona State University. The band describes their current mission as wanting to get the word out about their music, but also — in…
