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…
On the cover of his just-released sophomore album, Neon Icon, Riff Raff stands in front of hot pink and blue laser beams clutching a Husky puppy in one arm and a dumbstruck toddler in the other. You might not want the Houston-based rapper to watch your kids or dog, but…
Michele Chinichian knows a thing or three about throwing a boffo birthday bash. For proof, look no further than the magically delicious affair she threw in honor of her own b-day in January. It overflowed with unicorns, balloons, rainbow-colored party favors, and other playful revelry. Chinichian, who performs as DJ…
Whatever deity runs the universe — be it Yahweh, Ganesha, Mother Nature, or even the Flying Spaghetti Monster — we’re starting to wonder if they might have a beef with EDM festivals held at Big Surf in Tempe. Three years ago, during the first-ever Soundwave, it rained cats and dogs…
Dubstep producer and DJ Asaf “Borgore” Borger is scheduled to perform Friday, May 2, at the Pressroom in Phoenix. This Israeli-native is known for his brash and brutal style of dubstep, which he named “gorestep.” Borgore is one of the pioneers of modern dubstep in America. His 2010 breakout hit,…
When Azar Lawrence plays Phoenix on Wednesday, April 30, as part of International Jazz Day, he will bring with him a lifetime’s worth of jazz knowledge, plus the experience of playing with jazz greats such as Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, and Elvin Young, not to mention non-traditional types such as…
April was a great month for concerts in Phoenix. Give credit where credit’s due — Coachella’s proximity had a lot of great acts like Broken Bells, Sleigh Bells, Lana Del Ray, and others coming through the Valley. If you missed any of these shows, that’s really too bad, but you…
If you got it, flaunt it. That certainly seems the be the case at Wet Electric every year, as the EDM festival and ginormous pool party features hordes of the skinny, stylish, or bodacious bodies wearing revealing swimwear. Such was the scene during either of the two-day Wet Electric this…
There’s something fascinating about Motörhead’s longevity. Nearly 40 years ago, the English band fused together heavy metal and punk — fueled by healthy doses of whiskey — to become one of the early pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal…
It’s time to drop a little knowledge on y’all: According to the eggheads of acoustic science, sound waves tend to travel much more efficiently through water than through air. And the practical upshot of this particular factoid? If you somehow wind up underwater at either of the this weekend’s two…
Founded 17 years ago in Morris Fields, New Jersey, genre-twisting metal act The Dillinger Escape Plan was simply made to disrupt. Unimpressed with a bland metal scene and without a vehicle to exercise his intentionally dissonant and defiant songwriting style, guitarist Ben Weinman formed the band that would go on…
Plenty of bands profess bizarre origins, but few are quite as violent as Samuel L Cool J. According to the Phoenix-based group, lead vocalist Haendel Balzora and rhythm guitarist Joel Marquard teamed up after assassinating each other’s respective gang leaders, “Bernardo” and “Tony.” Instead of the electric chair, an extremely…
Alexander “A.J.” Fimbres, known by his hip-hop stage name Whyte Rekluse, died early Wednesday morning after suffering a scooter accident on April 20. He was 28. Fimbres was a regular at The Firehouse Gallery’s variety show, Firestage, as well as other hip-hop- and performance-based shows around the Valley. According to…
It’s time to drop a little science on y’all: According to the eggheads of acoustic science, sound waves tend to travel much more efficiently through water than through air. And the practical upshot of this particular factoid? If you somehow wind up underwater at this weekend’s Wet Electric pool party…
When a fistfight breaks out at an ordinary club night, it’s typically cause for alarm and swift intervention by security. But when such punches are thrown at a Fight Club Sadisco* party, it’s just part of the usual chaos and cacophony of the combination dance fest and slugfest. Arguably one…
Wet Electric, Phoenix’s original water-park festival returns this weekend for two days at two locations: Saturday, April 26, at Big Surf in Tempe, and on Sunday, April 27, at Talking Stick Resort and Casino in Scottsdale. As always, the lineup includes everything from dance music heavyweights to local legends. If…
Though the lineup certainly has changed a few times over the course of its five-decade career, The Freeze is still performing and preparing to record a new album. “We are supposed to be recording in July with Jason Newsted from Metallica producing and engineering,” says founder, frontman, and only remaining…
Treasure MammaL has been one of the weirdest musical acts in Phoenix for a decade, and soon the rest of the country will share Phoenix’s spirit animal. Treasure MammaL has been invited by the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne to play on his upcoming compilation tribute to the Beatles’ classic Sgt…
Like fiction, the best hip hop — albums that persist beyond the noise of their release, lyricists whose lines take residence in your consciousness long after the record has stopped spinning — transports you from whatever mundane existence you inhabit and into the world of the artist. All music does…
MonaLisa Watkins sang “Xanadu” with Tab Benoit, watched Dick Dale stand behind the bar telling stories to Rhythm Room employees, and watched Francine Reed sing “A Song for You” a cappella to the bar’s staff. Those are some of the memories that she has after 17 years of working at…
It’s a beautiful thing when the pieces fall into place. For Lizzy Plapinger and Max Hershenow, the creative forces behind MS MR, the New York-based synth-pop duo currently supporting Grouplove on a nationwide tour, serendipity was strong at work during the band’s inception. While studying at Vassar College, Plapinger having…
