Lineup Changes Can’t Slow Down The Hourglass Cats

The last time The Hourglass Cats (THC) dropped an EP Jan Brewer was still governor, KONGOS wasn’t platinum yet, Black Carl was still together, and Sheriff Joe. . .was still sheriff. But that’s neither here nor there. It has been since June of 2012 since THC has release a collection…

Future’s Short Set Irks Some, But Pot Of Gold Fest Still Delivers

With a demographic ranging from young trap-obsessed kids looking to turn up, to older weed-loving reggae fans, this year’s Pot of Gold Music Festival was looking to convince every market possible to attend the two-day event at Rawhide. Veteran underground hip-hop legends Atmosphere joined the likes of Slightly Stoopid and…

Tempe Shoegaze Band Alison’s Halo Added to Seminal Shoegaze Box Set

Formed in the good old days (see: early ’90s and 1992, specifically), Tempe, Arizona band Alison’s Halo enjoyed a healthy run as a fully functional recording and live band for the majority of the decade. Founded by married couple Adam and Catherine Cooper (guitar and vocals/guitar respectively), and Lynn Anderson (bass,…

MS MR’s Founders Built an Indie-Pop Empire

Even if you don’t know the synth-pop stylings of MS MR, make sure to shake the hands of Lizzy Plapinger or Max Hershenow if you see them around town —  it’s likely that you indirectly owe them something if you’ve turned on a pop radio station in the past three…

The Pre-Show Rituals of 10 Phoenix Musicians

You’ve probably read numerous articles over the years that talk about the different pre-show rituals of popular musicians. For instance, Coldplay doesn’t take the stage without having a group hug (yes, you can gag if you want to). Others, who eat before performing, have specific things they like to ingest…

The 14 Best Metal Concerts in Phoenix in March 2016

March always brings a packed calendar of events to the Valley of the Sun — we have Spring Training, which brings more than 100 baseball games spread across a dozen fields, lots of outdoor festivals, and the calm before the 100 degree days. The spring also prompts bands out to…

Eighteen Musicians Who Died in February 2016

After the carnage that was January 2016 when we lost David Bowie AND Glenn Frey and two members of the Jefferson Airplane on the same day, media outlets felt it was their duty to tell us that since they ain’t making classic rock musicians anymore, we’d better get used to losing…

Kanye West Delivers a Messy Masterpiece with The Life of Pablo

Love him or hate, you cannot deny the artistic impact of Kanye West. Since his debut album, The College Dropout, came out in 2004, West has managed to influence and sculpt the hip-hop world, whether is through the speed-up soul sampling of his early days to his avant-garde, auto tune-heavy sound of…