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…
I really like McDonald’s french fries. They’re hot, small, salty, and basically all the same. There’s no element of surprise in them and, with apologies to potatoes, little residual physiological value. But I like them nonetheless, because I know exactly what I’m getting, and what I’m getting is unchallenging and…
Break out your finest Zubaz and don your finest neon slap bracelets, because we’re about to time travel backwards two decades to a simpler time, before the Internet, social media or snarky music blogs. That’s right! This Saturday, March 5 at the Microsoft Theater, the I Love the 90s festival…
Over the course of the past 25 years, the world has gotten to view the performing talents of Gloria Reuben on a number of stages. She is a throwback to an era of multi-talented performers like Sammy Davis Jr. and Rosemary Clooney – she acts, dances, sings, plays piano. On…
It’s been awhile, but for the first time since 2013, Mumford and Sons are making their way back to Phoenix for a concert at Ak-Chin Pavilion. Fans will have to wait until Wednesday, October 5, to get their fix. Yes, Alice Cooper once called Mumford & Sons an “offence to…
Prophets of Rage — the new supergroup featuring members of Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, and Cypress Hill — announced a series of tour dates today leading to a protest show at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July. The group will stop by Ak-Chin Pavilion on…
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,…
Arizona has spawned and been home to some pretty influential acts in heavy metal, from Soulfly to Sacred Reich, Maynard James Keenan to Alice Cooper. But while the more renowned acts helped lay the groundwork for the local scene and style, every city has its key players that dominate the…
If you happen to be attending Phoenix Comicon this weekend, its safe to say you’re going to encounter geeks in masks. That being said, there ere’s one group of costumed geeks who might stick out from the crowd. After all, they’ll be the ones wearing robotic-looking black tiger masks. We’re…
As we’re sure you’re well aware by now, Phoenix Comicon is happening this weekend, which means hordes of geeks decked out in cape and cowl will be invading downtown. Thing is, they won’t be the only ones getting goofy while clad in costume. Downtown Phoenix venue Monarch Theatre, which is…
You stick around long enough and they make up a word to describe you. This month saw the passing of Susannah Mushatt Jones, the world’s oldest living person, and while it’s impolite to ask a woman’s age, at 116, it’s a whole different ball game. Imagine the speedy service you’d…
You’re not going to let a little hot weather stop you from going out, are you? Yeah, we know it’s hot, but you can’t stay cooped up for the next five months. You’re gonna get cabin fever at some point, plus there are a lot of great shows happening that…
Bear Ghost – “Let Us Vote” It was a complete surprise when Bear Ghost dropped a new single this week, so quick on the heels of releasing one of the best local albums of the year. It was even more of a surprise that Mario Yniguez, Dalin Gonzalez, and Matt…
Short-wave radio, coconuts, dried-out leaves — they’re random objects to most, but for Phoenix-based found-sound noise project RPM Orchestra, they are musical instruments for the group’s next performance. Though none of it is quite as weird as the time they hooked a contact microphone up to a Slinky. Anyone who…
Think nerds don’t know how to party? You’ve obviously never hung out downtown after dark during Phoenix Comicon. Attendees of the annual geekfest aren’t exactly what you’d call wallflowers, bub, as they tend to let loose at many of the after-parties, costume balls, and late night shindigs that happen in…
One of the major things that A$AP Ferg and Tory Lanez have in common is that they both have to deal with being compared to their peers and counterparts: Ferg, a member of the A$AP mob, is often held to the high standards set by his team leader, A$AP Rocky,…
The day had begun dusty and dry — nothing a drink couldn’t fix — as night settled crisply over The Lost Leaf, while members of House of Stairs loaded their gear inside. The stage was lit brothel-red and adorned with white Christmas lights, but the small, downtown bar was nearly empty…
