Choosing to ride a helicopter into EDC might sound a little ridiculous; it did to me. But while most of the hundreds of thousands of festivalgoers make the hour-or-more trek to from the Vegas Strip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway by car or shuttle, a few take to the air…
Behind an unmarked door in a nondescript wall behind a row of vendor tents, there’s a small army of positive-minded people whose job it is to make EDC Vegas fun and safe for every attendee. They’re called Ground Control, and over the course of the weekend, 370 of them roam…
The shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, has sent shockwaves throughout the world, and the Phoenix gay community is no exception. There is a brutal randomness to the attack that almost says, “there but for the grace of God go I.” “I’m shocked and concerned,” says John Martinez, who…
Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best new music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. Sundressed – “Autopilot” Sundressed is one of the hardest working bands in Phoenix and in my opinion they are also one…
You’re heading to Las Vegas with more than 100,000 of your closest friends for the greatest EDM show on earth, Electric Daisy Carnival. We hope you packed sunscreen and water. We already know you don’t plan on wearing much — an EDC tradition. Temperatures are expected to soar this weekend, according…
As you’ve probably heard a million times by now, it’s going to be phenomenally hot this weekend. Phenomenally. Hot. So much so that it’s probably best to do the vampire thing and stay inside while avoiding sunlight at all costs. After dark, however, it will be a bit more tolerable…
Relapse Records obviously knows a good band when it sees (and hears) one. The Pennsylvania-based label is home to an absolutely killer lineup of grind, death, and the heaviest of metal bands including household names (at least in cool households) like Cephalic Carnage, Exhumed, Obituary, and Iron Reagan. And as…
The mass shooting that took place last weekend at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando has left us truly devastated. Luckily, people are coming out in droves to lend a hand; finding different ways to help affected parties and communities. Last night, at fundraiser at BS West in Scottsdale raised more…
There are some extremely intelligent punk bands in the Valley of the Sun. These are bands that have a whole lot more going on in their tunes than a general middle-finger-to-the-establishment affectation. But not many of them are putting as much thought into their lyrics as Clipper “Danger” Arnold and…
Back in 1986, death was in the air. India’s Bhopal gas leak disaster exposed half a million people to toxic fumes, scorching lungs and killing thousands. The nuclear reactor meltdown at Russia’s Chernobyl power plant spewed radioactive fallout throughout Eastern Europe, an outbreak of cancer and birth defects riding the…
Classifying Fishbone is about as easy as explaining what makes Phoenix a desert environment. Some things just are what they are. So, while Fishbone is simultaneously labeled a funk punk ska soul alt-rock band, it’s important to look at how Fishbone got to this place. Though the band formed in…
The Phoenix gay community has not stood still after a shooter killed 49 people at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. About 750 people attended a vigil held Sunday night outside the Phoenix Pride LGBT Center, according to various news reports. Stacy’s at Melrose, a gay bar, hosted its own vigil…
As a young man, Ice-T had a penchant for rock ‘n’ roll. And while his path led him into the hardcore hip-hop world, he never lost that passion for music of the heavier, guitar-driven variety. It wasn’t until the early ’90s until he began to explore the type of music…
Love rock ‘n’ roll? If you live in the Valley, you’re in for a treat this week, especially if you’re into rock of a punk, indie, fuzz-filled, hardcore, or take-no-prisoners variety. This week’s slate of “can’t miss” concerts happening in Phoenix includes band from each of these subgenres, including British-born…
Phoenix hip-hop has come along way. Over the years the scene has risen from being non existent to having multiple artists operating on a national level. Internally, the talent continues to rise as the scene grows. With numerous artists trying to make their mark on Arizona hip-hop scene, we take…
If you feel like the ’90s were just a little too recent to be looking back on with generational fondness, you’re wrong. At the I Love The ’90s tour at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Friday night, an age-and-reference specific dance party ensued, in which everyone, and I mean almost…
Looking for a memorable concert to check out this week after the sun goes down? Consider any of the following eight options on our list of the best shows taking place over the next several nights, which include such acts and artists as Junior Brown, The Garden, Simian Mobile Disco,…
Today has been the day that KONGOS fans worldwide have been waiting for since the band rose to international fame and platinum success with the release of the 2012 album Lunatic. Today, KONGOS released third album and second major label release, Egomaniac. While the strong debut single “Take It From Me”…
Note: Rest in peace Ron “Ronnie Reckless” Grotjan, who died of cancer on June 6, 2016, and was the reason I was listening to his band, Mighty Sphincter, as I wrote this. Peace to those of loved him in this time of transition, especially his wife Robin and daughter Athena…
Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best new music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. Merit – “My Favourite Chords” I wasn’t sure how soon we’d be hearing from Merit again after their magnificently ambitious three-EP…
In 2012, KONGOS released Lunatic to virtually no fanfare. In 2014, a major label (Epic/Sony) re-released that same album without changing so much as a micro-tone, and it spawned a platinum hit in “Come With Me Now,” heard everywhere from The Expendables 3 to the Spike TV app to every…
Zack Carmichael, guitar player for The Freeze, remembers vividly why the band moved to Phoenix in 2009. “I had just moved to the Cape [Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where The Freeze originated] to join the band in October of ’08. It was a brutal winter, and we were having trouble booking…
