To continue my rant from last week about bitches who rock (see The Butcher Babies, Boobs and Blood) and in conjunction with Revolver Magazine’s announcement of their 2013 Hottest Chicks in Metal calendar, I must pay tribute to two more female-fronted bands that I saw last week at the Marquee…
Over a year and a half has gone by since Rebecca Black made her dreadful debut, which means it’s time for another American tween to publicly embarrass herself to the rest of the country’s delight. Just like Rebecca’s video, this one got millions of hits and over 73,000 comments on…
Rapper T.I. must have seen something he liked when he stopped by Phoenix this past weekend. His Atlanta-based record label Grand Hustle is showing Arizona some love with a new mixtape, The Phoenix Edition Mixtape. The 17-track release showcases some of the Valley’s up and coming hip-hop acts including Yung…
It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what’s pulsing in the world of underground shoegaze pop, but it seems to sound an awful lot like the hazy, languid rock of San Francisco’s Young Prisms. Heavy, droning, swirly, fuzzy, gothic, melancholy, and cathartic, Young Prisms’ music is reflective of an…
In the hands of Dutch symphonic metallers Epica, just about any subject matter can take on operatic proportions, from tales of romance to quantum physics. But lately, the six-piece’s style, which builds heavily on classical instrumentation, has focused on current affairs. With 2012’s Requiem for the Indifferent, guitarist/vocalist Mark Jansen…
Gliding across a musical spectrum, from the infectiously groove-laden “Itchin’ on a Photograph” to the dance pop of “Tongue Tied,” from the indie quirkiness of “Naked Kids” to the bubblegum pop of “Sunny Day,” Grouplove clearly has a group love of all forms musical on its debut album, Never Trust…
Second best isn’t that bad, right? To call horrorcore rappers Twiztid — Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child — the second most popular Juggalo act (after Insane Clown Posse) doesn’t seem all that fair. ICP are the originators, of course, making Madrox and Child something like apostles to Shaggy 2 Dope…
If the eggheads at NASA ever decided to send another compilation of tunes into the far reaches of the universe (à la the “Music From Earth” collection that’s aboard the Voyager spacecraft), we’d suggest including a track or two from local DJs Joseph Mercado, Byron Fenix, and RMC. Though the…
Rush does its own thing. Resolutely, absolutely, completely. The “Holy Triumvirate’s” fierce individualism can be viewed as a tribute to one of its heroes, Ayn Rand, but it’s okay if you’re not into the Objectivist thing; you can appreciate Rush for exactly what it is: a power trio that’s enjoyed…
Last weekend’s cold spell made finding an appropriate outfit for Saturday night shenanigans a bit of a challenge. It was way too cold to rely on go to cute dresses or button down tops, so it was time to dig cozy hoodies and sweaters out of storage. In spite of…
You know, we’re not sure we can trust this Grouplove band. Just say it out loud. “Grouplove.” Sounds pretty hippie-ish, right? Might as well be named “Communelove,” or “Socialistlove,” right? Anyway, beyond that, the Los Angeles-based outfit named its debut LP Never Trust a Happy Song, and it’s got songs…
Here’s what I expected from The Butcher Babies on the opening night of their “Hush Little Baby” tour: Sexy, sexy bitches; electrical tape-adorned boobs; vocals ranging from erotically melodic to ear-shatteringly demonic, intermixed with headbang-worthy breakdowns. For those of you who don’t know what you’re missing out on, we’re not…
Hate him or love him for it, there is no question that UK-born producer Christopher Mercer (a.k.a. Rusko) helped change popular notions of dubstep, making the genre ubiquitous in American dance clubs. In 2009, American tastemaking indie EDM label Mad Decent started pushing Rusko’s UK bass stateside. By that time, American…
It’s not clear whether Reverend Peyton actually is an ordained minister or just likes the moniker, but his Delta-blues-meets-moonshine-fired-hillbilly songs are undeniably sermon-like, with an all-or-nothing fire-and-brimstone delivery. Then again, all that hootin’ and hollerin’ also makes him sound like a man possessed. In any case, it’s the spirit of…
As the old saying goes, what do you get the man who has everything? Or more specifically, what sort of gift could you possibly buy a cat like Steven Chung (a.k.a. DJ Tranzit) in honor of his 32nd birthday this weekend, given that he already owns a pimp ride, a…
Right now, some kid is listening to Enter the Night, the 2012 release from Drop the Lime (NYC-based producer/DJ/pop artist Luca Venezia), and it’s blowing their dubstep-addled mind. They’re pressing play on his cover of Bruce Springsteen’s stark 1982 classic “State Trooper” and thinking, “Oh, my God, this is brilliant…
Taalib Johnson, better known as Musiq Soulchild, or sometimes just Musiq, released his debut album, Aijuswanaseing, in 2000, at the apex of the neo-soul movement. The term, coined by then-Motown president Kedar Massenburg, described a particular streak of black American music. As with any name given to a diverse and…
Football fans can be a rather crazy lot. Setting aside the fact they spend around four months out of every year obsessing over a single team and practically living and dying on their every move, pigskin addicts are more than willing to watch games in the freezing cold, while wearing…
Well folks, this is it. Election day is here and that means one thing: regardless of how you vote today, campaign season is over. Uncoincidentally, local hip-hoppers Random a.k.a Mega Ran, Mouse Powell, Mr. Miranda and DJ DN3, wrapped up their campaign tour a few weeks ago and as a…
Led Zeppelin was, is, and always will be a driving force in the evolution of heavy metal. Their heavy, guitar-driven blues rock opened the world to an intriguing new sound, influencing generations of bands. Now, more than 40 years after they first came together, they are still one of the…
The terms “black metal” and “benefit show” may not seem like they go hand-in-hand, but you’d be amazed at the amount of love coursing through veins of local act Blessedbethyname. This industrial black metal band is one of the best known metal bands to come out of the Valley of…
Other Lives don’t write songs so much as soundtracks. That’s not to disparage frontman Jesse Tabish’s breathy, languid croon. It’s more to note the epic sweep and orchestral mien of their widescreen compositions. Their soundfield suggests a dry river bed extending to the horizon line, ringed by mountains with twilight…
