In every musical idiom there are performers who transcend the genre and, at times, the music itself. Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell ranks among them. In fact, to call him a jazz musician is in itself limiting, as Frisell — who began playing surf music as a teen and later worked…
Whenever Sunday night rolls around, most cats are content to simply veg in front of the latest episodes of Game of Thrones or Once Upon a Time. They don’t know what they’re missing. Despite the fact that it’s the final night of the weekend (and your boss expects you to…
Australian sisters, producers and DJs, Nervo, are the embodiment of what so many others wish they were. They have it all. They work with their best friend, they’re accepted into dance music’s in-crowd, they’re talented songwriters and producers, they’re at the forefront of today’s fashion and music movements, and are…
A couple of locals are making music that’s Hollywood-bound. Local producer John Costello’s remix of “How U Girlz Git Down” by local rapper Marcus Latief Scott is featured in the official trailer of Walk of Shame. Walk of Shame is a romantic comedy that came out May 7. The movie…
When there were all those rumors about AC/DC retiring/breaking up a few weeks ago, a lot of people were panicking. Everyone from industry pros to famous musicians wondered if AC/DC was actually going to continue on without guitarist/founder Malcolm Young, or if they should just hang up their hats after…
At first glance, the image appeared to be just another photo, the kind of day-to-day self-documenting that floods online interactions these days: A young man sitting on a chair holding a guitar against bare white walls. Around him are keyboards, amps, and other equipment. It could have been anyone: someone…
Beaten down by lineup changes, shitty opening slots on five-band bills, and an indefinable lack of forward momentum, The Sex could have easily — like countless lesser bands — unplugged their Marshalls long ago. But this scrappy local punk act may just be getting started. This month, The Sex birthed…
As founder of genre-spanning songwriter project Eels, Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E, knows what it’s like to reinvent himself. Since the band’s formation in 1995, he’s bounced among genres while never fearing wearing his heart on his sleeve. With The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett, Eels’ most…
We Are Scientists crafts great songs, tunes that are sincere and catchy slices of indie rock. But the Berkeley trio’s primary appeal (besides looking sharp in suits) may lie in its sense of humor. There are the music videos, especially 2005’s “The Great Escape,” which features the band’s members crouched…
By our count, the DJ duo of Defense.Mekanizm and Self.Destrukt have violated at least four of the seven deadly sins (pride, gluttony, wrath, and — most importantly — lust) during the debaucherous dance nights they’ve hosted around town, In other words, the pair is more than qualified to put on…
On a sweltering Sunday night in early May, a young-skewing crowd of roughly 50 black-clad hardcore fans packed around the tiny stage in the sweaty basement of the Nile Theater in Mesa. The main attraction of the evening was Georgia screamo band Circle Takes the Square, but this crowd was…
Boys Noize performs at Monarch Theatre in Phoenix on Wednesday, May 7. The electro producer and founder of Boys Noize Records is an authority in the electro music scene on a global scale, and was shaping the American electro scene long before anyone was doing the Dada. Boys Noize, aka…
Say you’ve been waiting for your favorite band to perform at a music festival. You’ve spent some time scoping out the best spot on the lawn, and you’ve sacrificed any object you can spare to carve out your spot. It’s a tough decision to give it up to check out…
Ahh, the Revolver Golden Gods Awards. A time when the metalheads freaks and rock ‘n’ roll geeks gather in one small venue to pay tribute to all the artists in the industry who don’t really get credit for their masterful guitar riffs, rumbling bass licks, incessant double kick drum, and…
Doug Deming and Dennis Gruenling with the Jewel Tunes recently rocked the Rhythm Room with their high-powered blues and ’50s rock ‘n’ roll. Deming plays a mean guitar, but he also knows how to entertain the crowd in a style that mixes the modern and the vintage. Gruenling gets to…
Forget the Billboard Hot 100 — if you’re looking for catchy new music, look no further than the Valley. These five new songs from local artists are worth giving a spin. “Unforgettable,” Miss Krystle Pop artist Miss Krystle, who is known for her eye-catching, slickly produced music videos, released “Unforgettable,”…
Perhaps by now you’ve heard Andrew Jackson Jihad’s new album, Christmas Island. The official release date is May 6, but the band released the entire album onto YouTube a few days ago (see below). Check it out. We’re sure you’ll be hearing all about it shortly. The album offers more…
See also: Top 10 Metro Phoenix Metal Vocalists. Now more than ever, there is lot of metal — from comedy to thrash to black to grindcore — getting slung in and around Metro Phoenix, thanks to concerts and gigs by locals and touring acts alike. That’s why we have compiled…
Ravers and drinkers and college cats, oh my. That’s just some of who we encountered in our clubland adventures during the past month while in pursuit of snazzy snapshots. We got to share oxygen with world-famous beat-juggler David Guetta at Maya in Scottsdale, stayed up late with candy kids at…
Even after four albums, each drastically different from the others, Manchester Orchestra is a band headed in the right direction. The Atlanta band’s 2006 debut, I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child, balanced anthemic jaunts “Wolves at Night” and “Now That You’re Home” with the heartbreakingly reflective “Where Have You…
Nikki Lane is raw, unabashed, and commanding — and alluringly soft. Her music hardly follows the stereotypical country blueprint, which is part of what makes it so refreshing. Another part is the intensity packed into each song, from ferocious growls to sexy whispers, sneering jeers to quiet laments — it’s…
Prog-rock diehards and horror movie fanatics had reason to geek out when 2013 saw 40-year-old Italian band Goblin embark on its first-ever North American tour. In 2014, Goblin has decided to come back for more, this time in a round of West Coast shows. The band formed in the early…
