If David Lowery were allowed only one word to describe his punk, Middle Eastern, folk, ska, Slavic, Indian, Spanish, psychedelic, country, rock band Camper Van Beethoven, it would be “weird.” Weird that a band with a catalog of entirely dissimilar albums has survived 30 years. Weird that influences include hippies,…
So this one time, my brother left a large tube of salami under our bunk bed — because he likes to hoard food — and totally forgot about it for three weeks, until it started to smell so bad that we almost called the paramedics. We looked down there and…
A few years ago, Kid Rock was at a concert, watching T-shirts sell for $40. He had more reason than most stars to wonder why they were charging so much. He has a T-shirt company of his own, Made in Detroit, and he knows exactly how much it costs to…
You heard about all that #FreeJahar stuff after the Boston Marathon bombings, right? Basically, surviving bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev — thanks to some combination of his floppy boy-band hair and whatever it is that causes women to propose to Scott Peterson in jail — has become a bit of a sex-symbol-slash-online-community,…
There’s no shortage of ways to contribute to efforts benefiting the families of the firefighters killed in Yarnell late last month, but if you were hoping to see Dierks Bentley as part of the arrangement, you’re too late: July 22’s Dierks Bentley Country Cares concert is sold out. The hastily…
Located just an hour and a half north of the valley, Prescott is better known being a premier Christmas getaway than for its artistic community. With a population composed of more retirees than the average small town, it’s safe to assume that its music scene is also a little dated. The introduction of Prescott’s first DIY, nonprofit festival, Whisperfest, is looking to change that for good.
GOOD, BETTER, BEST … Want to know where to go and what to do in Phoenix? Your essential mobile guide–also known as our Best Of app–just got better…
Thanks to its close proximity to Arizona State University’s main campus, wild times are often afoot on Mill Avenue. And most nights, you can find Damion Hernandez helping stoke things up at some of the rowdier bars along the Downtown Tempe thoroughfare. The 33-year-old, known to the scene as DJ…
High in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Widespread Panic takes the stage at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, as its done many times before. But the day is June 30, 2013, and this isn’t just another performance. With this show, Widespread Panic will leave holding another impressive attendance record: 42 sellouts,…
The Baptist Generals are coming, but we’re not talking Ulysses S. Grant or Robert E. Lee. Rather, July marks the return of a psychedelic folk band from Denton, Texas, last heard from circa 2003. Back then they were touring behind their debut release, No Silver/No Gold, a crash-bang-boom rush of…
Spend some time with the guys in Slightly Stoopid, and you’re bound to walk away with a fascination for the band’s business model and a new cologne — of the skunk variety. For almost 15 years, the members of Slightly Stoopid have made music together, and somehow they’ve perfected one…
Lost in love? Your relationship too weird for Ann Landers to understand? Trying to discover what comes next in your life or your music? Bring your problems to Ask Magic, your chance to ask Arizona’s reigning slow-jam king for advice on whatever life throws at you. (Click here to ask…
Baseball and music have a storied history together, from the ballpark organs and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” sing-alongs of yesteryear to today’s increasing reliance on various components of the Cha Cha Slide. Not all music is for the fans, though: The Arizona Diamondbacks’ walk-up music is for and…
This is not man-bites-dog news, but it may still be exciting news: Pearl Jam is touring the United States this fall, and Phoenix is on its list of 24 North American dates. Our chance to see the last flannel-wearers standing comes on November 19, at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale. It…
Luckily, I started when they were just pups. Because I discovered something on our recent vacation: The large window of musical influence that I’ve exerted over my kids all these years has shrunk down to almost nothing. We take a driving vacation every other year, and in past years, I’ve…
One of the best things about life is spontaneity. Adventures and experiences, big or small, that happen on a whim can make life pretty fucking fun. Especially because, for most of us, the rest of that time is bogged down by realities like jobs, school, and bills; when we can…
Officers from the Scottsdale Police Department have arrested a suspect involved in the brutal stabbing that occurred at nightclub and music venue Martini Ranch late last month. Simon West, a 29-year-old resident of Gilbert, was taken into custody by Scottsdale cops on Monday afternoon, exactly a week after a patron…
Being a rock fan in the early ’70s meant never knowing a year when rock wasn’t moving forward — when newer and bolder innovations weren’t always just around the corner. Yes took the burgeoning progressive rock movement further — and with a longer running time — than anyone else had…
Currents, the latest from indie darlings Eisley, is the sound of a band that’s free at last. At least, that’s the subtext — not just a sense of freedom from Warner Bros., after a brief major-label stint, but also the freedom of having gotten 2011’s bitter, angst-ridden The Valley out…
The annual heavy metal throwdown known as the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival is making its way through Phoenix this week, and things are about to get heated. This year’s lineup is one of the festival’s best, with heavyweights Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Machine Head, and Mastodon. But…
Lost in love? Stuck in a relationship quagmire Ann Landers wouldn’t understand? Trying to figure out what comes next in life and music? We’d like to invite you personally to bring your problems to Ask Magic, your chance to ask Arizona’s reigning slow-jam king for advice on whatever life throws…
“Weird Al” Yankovic has been releasing parody videos since people have been releasing actual videos. He’s made fun of decade-defining artists for four decades running. Through all that — while one-hit wonders fall out of view and genres and styles are declared officially over — he’s remained a timeless figure…
