Some things in life are totally worth the wait. Like, for instance, a return visit to the Valley by electronica wizards Lazer Sword. It’s been almost two years since the team of L.A.’s Lando Kal (a.k.a. Antaeus Roy) and Berlin-based beathead Low Limit (better known as Bryant Rutledge) hypnotized locals…
There just aren’t enough musical groups out there that allow grown women to cheer for barely legal eye candy. So thanks, One Direction, for filling that void. The British-Irish boy band has conducted a hysteria-inducing worldwide invasion that has won over fans of all ages, with Justin Bieber-esque good looks…
It’s a whole two minutes before the airy New Age flutes break the waves of ambient, billowy synth sounds and plucked nylon-string acoustic guitar that opens “Suicide Demo for Kara Walker” from Canadian art-rock crew Destroyer’s 2011 release, Kaputt. Then the drums — as canned and processed as the synth…
We wish we could tell you exactly what to expect when David Liebe Hart and his band take the stage at Trunk Space, but we don’t know. On second thought, it’s much better that way. An outsider artist more “outsider” than most (he claims he was abducted by Korendian aliens…
In an age when Henry Rollins does Acura commercials, what does “selling out” even mean any more? Tempe “futurepop” band Super Stereo knows a thing or two about product placement: Their ditties have been featured on The Real L Word, TNT’s Rizzoli and Isles, and E!’s Keeping Up with the…
El Hefe Super Macho Taqueria brings the classic taqueria environment to Old Town Scottsdale by making it a place to see and be seen. There was no shortage of that, patrons were dressed to the nines while sipping on beergaritas…
There’s never been a huge a market for heavy metal music videos. Praise is far and few between, and they don’t garner awards like pop music videos, clips like Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” which won seven MTV Video Music Awards in 2010, and even grabbed a Grammy for Best Short…
Nothing says “it’s officially summertime” quite like seeing a dude nonchalantly sporting a short sun dress. Appropriately, Sundressed has got us pumped up for a great summer gig this weekend that’s part of the June F-Boms series.This Friday at 8 p.m., Sundressed will be performing one of five residency shows…
What does true belief sound like? Something like Fred Cole’s guitar, I reckon, or his busted voice, backed by the thumping bass lines of his wife, Toody. Both in their 60s, they’ve rumbled along the back roads of punk rock, garage, and country music for nearly 40 years, most notably…
Though it seems most of the indie bands of the ’80s disappeared for a while (perhaps waiting for Coachella to offer them a stack of cash to reunite), plenty of rock acts — especially those working during the big hair/power-ballad-as-the-second-single era — have stuck around, playing smaller venues, cruise ships,…
It’s high praise for a band to get compared to ’80s pop punks Descendents, and fellow Los Angeles County melodic-punk vets Toys That Kill share a similar backstory. Todd Congelliere previously fronted F.Y.P., a hardcore band with a rotating lineup. F.Y.P. followed a strategy employed by Descendents: changing the band’s…
It was a year of landmarks when rock en español pioneers Caifanes released their self-titled debut. The Washington Redskins were crowned Super Bowl champions, then-presidential candidate George Bush made “read my lips” a catchphrase, and the hottest woman on the planet was a cartoon character named Jessica Rabbit. That year,…
Fridays used to be one of the pimpest nights of the week at Central Avenue danceteria DWNTWN, even dating back its days as Crowbar more than a decade ago. The crowds were huge, the DJs were top-notch, and the beats were hot. Then proprietors pulled the plug on Fridays, preferring…
The year 1977 had a slew of watershed moments for both science fiction and pop culture as a whole. In theatres across the country, George Lucas’ bombastic space opera flick Star Wars was blowing up like the Death Star and changing the cinematic landscape. Every child who was lucky enough…
Editor’s note: We normally run Metal Mondays on, well, Monday, but took yesterday off in honor of Memorial Day. So please enjoy today’s “Metal Monday” column, by our resident rock ‘n’ roll lady Lauren Wise, one day later than usual. Groupies have always fascinated me. They look like supermodels, wear…
If this flyer doesn’t put you in a happier mood, we don’t know what will. This soothing watercolor painting was taken from the cover of Donavon Frankenreiter’s new album Start Livin’, which drops today.Frankenreiter is a longtime friend of Jack Johnson, the most mellow man in America, so he performs…
Hey, friends, we’re taking it easy today in honor of Memorial Day. Enjoy our weekend wrap-up and our favorite May party shots (you write the caption). We’ll be back in full force tomorrow. Enjoy your day and try and reflect a little on what exactly earned us the day off…
Arizona’s rockabilly music scene has a new voice in Mesa’s “devilish duet” The Devil’s Daughters. Sultry sirens Mysti Moon and Lisa Mortensen are equipped with drop-dead stares and cool croons, and a swinging band to announce their arrival. Backed by drummer Leeroy Nelson, guitarist Shorty Kruetz, and stand-up bassist Tommy…
See also: Ladylike Approaches ’70s Pop With Sharpened Tools Records don’t often sound as effortless as Ladylike’s self-titled debut. The Tempe-based power-pop combo subtly incorporates disparate elements of ’70s pop, piano rock, and Queen bombast, topping it all off with effervescent melodies. The band, made up of Rob Kroehler, Ryan…
Don’t worry if you have trouble categorizing what exactly Brooklyn-based artist Reggie Watts does. Is it performance art? Music? Comedy? It’s mostly best to just listen. “I can exist in both worlds — comedy and music,” Watts says over the phone. “It’s just something natural. I like to travel between…
For better or worse, the sacred cows of punk are being gutted — for example, the now-antiquated concept of “selling out” has nearly vanished from the lexicon of underground music. Even hardcore — a genre that places a gigantic bounty on aesthetic purity and hard-nosed authenticity — is rethinking its…
“I’m not of the ‘avant-garde über alles’ mindset,” guitarist Bill Horist says on the phone from Seattle, where he’s lived and launched tours since 1995. “I like all kinds of music. People say they like all kinds of music, and sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. I like a lot…
