Seminal politically-charged Swedish hardcore band, Refused, made music well ahead of its time. No debate – these guys were the real deal. “We wanted something more than what was on offer and we gave it our best shot. It didn’t pan out, we went out and played it and people…
Like a lot of bands looking to scrounge up some funds, Los Angeles guitar-pop combo The World Record turned to Kickstarter. The campaign was a success (with funds going to help their label, Squid vs. Whale, issue their double LP Freeway Special), but now requires the band to drive to…
There are two sides to electronic composer Scott Hansen. First, there’s his vintage-inspired, sun-bleached graphic design work as ISO50. Then, there’s his ambient chillwave project Tycho, named after the 16th-century Danish alchemist famed for his accurate work in astronomy. Like Tycho Brahe, Hansen is incredibly precise in his otherworldly and…
Slash is back. That’s not to say the renowned guitarist just got out of rehab or jail or, well, actually went anywhere physically. But after a lengthy career that has found him dabbling in blues, hard melodic rock, and various shades of metal, as well as working with artists as…
Sci-fi thrash-metal band Vektor has seen the future, and it’s a cold, dark place: “A bleak, barren wasteland that has been destroyed by greed, power, corruption, hate, violence, ignorance, and control.” It’s the present, too, Vektor insists, with lyrical themes mirroring their home state of Arizona’s political system. But it…
As August winds down, it’s time to start thinking about your upcoming Halloween weekend. Believe it or not, there’s better options than sitting at home ripping through your siblings’ candy for all the Reese’s. I would suggest heading over to Axis/Radius for the 12th annual Ghostball, which features two-time Grammy…
See also: NASA’s Curiosity Rover: Here’s the Hi-Res, 360 Degree View of Mars See also: Our 10 Favorite Martian Songs in Honor of Curiosity My faith in humanity reached a new high when headlines concerning the Curiosity Rover flooded Facebook and Twitter. Were people really interested in science again, the…
By now you’ve no doubt read, re-read, shared on Facebook and Twitter, and angrily commented on our friends at West Coast Sound’s monster of a list, The 20 Worst Hipster Bands. Like it or hate it, it’s hard to debate one key fact brought up by Ben Westhoff: “…most of…
See also: Westley Allen of Erratic! Radio on Three Years of Punk Rock Madness on the AirOnce a week Up on the Sun features a new comic strip from punk rocker, cartoonist, and full-time dad Brad Dwyer. See the New Times print edition to check out the strip in glorious,…
See also: Local Wizards: Songwriter Makes “Based Garagebandcore;” We Interview Via TwitterThe pre-release fanfare for highly anticipated albums has gotten particularly elaborate recently. Avant-industrial legends Swans have the entirety of their latest two-hour, triple-LP epic available to stream on NPR Music, including a track that runs more than 30 minutes…
The news waits for no one — at least that’s what we read somewhere — so it’s perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of…
See also: A Hot Ghetto Mess of Hip-Hop, Art, and B-Boys: The 10-Year Journey of The Blunt Club See also: DJ M2 Talks Power 98.3, Groove Candy, Disney Cartoons, James Brown, KRS-One, and MoreYou probably haven’t seen Element at many local club gigs recently, and there’s a good reason. The…
See also: River Jones, What Are You Listening To? See also: River Jones Music Featured in NPR’s Wavelength MagazineChances are, you’ve heard the name River Jones thrown around, either surrounding the many artists his label represents (such as Courtney Marie Andrews, Sareena Dominguez or You Me and Apollo) or over…
Marnie Wong Wong is the co-owner and trainer at Boot Camp Babes, a fitness program for women. Find out more information at www.BootCampBabes.com. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? I’m totally digging Spotify right now. I’m all over…
See also: Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe Set Free; Five Finger Death Punch Weighs In See also: Five Finger Death Punch’s Jason Hook on American Capitalist, Playing For the Troops, and Spending the Night in One of Saddam’s PalacesFive Finger Death Punch has been called a lot of things: overzealous,…
There is a fine distinction between trusting one’s intuition and merely surrendering to impulse. Twenty-two-year-old songwriter Michelle Blades has walked this tightrope during her time in the desert, deftly veering from improvised jazz folk to staccato post-punk to full-length impressionistic baroque-pop records, all without a single glance over her shoulder…
Silver Medallion was very different four years ago. Back then duo, Oren J (Oren J. Schauble) and Carnegie (Abay Lattin) made party music about the ladies of Scottsdale. The two hip-hop heads mined electro sources like Chromeo, Spank Rock, and Santigold. Their first single, “Scottsdale,” was as cynical as it…
It’s always fun when an band records an official anthem, offering a rare peek as to how artists perceive themselves: The Clash stormed with “This Is Radio Clash,” Iron Maiden illustrated its historical themes with “Iron Maiden,” and the Ramones borrowed Motörhead’s lovable bonehead anthem “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.” It’s a stretch, but…
See also: Digital Summer Drummer Ben Anderson Plays Contra on Drums See also: Local Hard Rock Band Digital Summer Hits the Road with Saliva Digital Summer is a popular fixture on the local rock scene, but its members have spent a great deal of the last year out of town,…
See also: Chasers Sold to New Owners and Becomes Pub Rock, A Music Venue With an In-House Radio Broadcasting Studio Jesse Malin has done it all, or most of it at least. In his barely-teens he was fronting Jersey-based hardcore ensemble Heart Attack, then spent the ’90s in glam-punk wreckers…
Somewhere north of Apache Junction, there’s a long road leading to a rock on the edge of the Salt River that Jesse Elliott still needs to see. For a songwriter who makes the most out of near-endless traveling, that rock represents just another one of those tempting little side roads…
You remember that infamous clip of Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman? The one where he announced to the world he was retiring from acting to pursue a career as a rap artist? Well, thank Baby Jesus, that turned out to be a hoax. But you know what isn’t? Snoop Lion. “I…
