It’s hard to figure out exactly what to make of modern country’s flirtations with genres outside Nashville’s rustic confines. Taylor Swift’s Red incorporated an (ever-so-slight) dubstep wobble into her pop-country frame. The Zac Brown Band is covering Metallica in concert. Former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker gets as…
Charles Bradley, his voice dripping with raw emotion, sings as though his life depends on it. It’s a voice that, in essence, gave Bradley a new start in life at 61, when his debut album, No Time for Dreaming, at long last found its way into the world, via Daptone…
Thursday 15 AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Barney’s Boathouse: Thirsty Thursdays with DJ Pulse (Top 40, rock) Bar Smith: Dulce Thursdays with DJ Deuce, & DJ JayOne (hip-hop) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (juke joint, R&B, French pop) Bobby Q’s: All-Star Thursdays with DJ Freshmaker,…
Yeah Yeah Yeahs were among the earliest members of their particular indie cohort to earn mainstream fame, but they wore it well — aside from the unavoidable song-fatigue side effects of appearing in a version of Rock Band, “Maps” seems to have avoided every possible pitfall on its way to…
Earth Crisis is the epitome of obnoxious vegan straight-edge subculture. Not that there’s anything wrong with being vegan or straight-edge — both practices require discipline and are healthy if done correctly — but being preachy about it on this level rarely is cool. The title track of the hardcore band’s…
Rumor has it Poeina Suddarth canceled her June 27 Phoenix show because she couldn’t arrange transportation to the Valley, let alone the venue. Suddarth currently is supporting Poeina on her “Trains, Planes and Automobiles” tour, relying on the ride-sharing kindness of fans, strangers, and truckers to get her from gig…
It’s best not to confuse Billy Joe Shaver with Billy Ray Cyrus. It’s unlikely Shaver would ever sing anything as maudlin as “Achy Breaky Heart,” for one thing. He probably won’t sing anything as popular, either; Shaver falls in with that long line of acclaimed but underappreciated West Texas outlaw…
If you’re anywhere on the internet today, or within 500 feet of a teenage boy, you’ve probably heard that today marked the official Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer reveal. You may have also heard that the trailer contained the world premier of a new Eminem song, “Survival.” That’s right: One…
By Michael Cryer When Paris James took the stage Tuesday night at the Musical Instrument Museum’s “I Am AZ Music” Acoustic Blues show, a collaboration with the Phoenix Blues Society, and bid everyone “good evening,” the audience said “good evening” in turn with a tone that was more “peace be…
It’s been over a year since Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samutsevich performed their “punk prayer” in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior. February 21, 2012, was the date they chose to perform their spontaneous prayer on the altar that is normally a space preserved exclusively…
It’s hard to figure out exactly what to make of modern country’s flirtations with genres outside Nashville’s rustic confines. Taylor Swift’s Red incorporated an (ever-so-slight) dubstep wobble into her pop-country frame. The Zac Brown Band is covering Metallica live. Former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker gets as much…
Last week, we spoke to FLAG’s Keith Morris about Greg Ginn’s Black Flag lawsuit. Black Flag released another new song Tuesday, “Wallow in Despair,” which sounds a bit better than the band’s other new material. Ultimately, we’re just thankful that it doesn’t feature five minutes of Ginn playing the theremin…
In today’s completely random lineup news, Less Than Jake and Anti-Flag are coming to Mesa’s Nile Theater on Tuesday, December 3, as part of the 2013 Fat Tour. These groups aren’t the most representative members of the Fat Wreck Chords roster, since Anti-Flag’s last Fat release was 2003’s The Terror…
Like most superheroes and supervillians, it’s hard not to take a guess at the true identities of Wisconsin’s pop punk gem, Masked Intruder. After getting a close look at all four members, I can confirm that none of them are Mikey Erg. The verdict’s still out on whether or not…
The soul-rock-blues quartet Vintage Trouble see themselves as not just practitioners of what they call “live-wired, straight-shootin’, dirty-mouthed, pelvis-pushing juke music,” but protectors of a long and fruitful legacy. The band of veteran musicians — Ty Taylor on vocals, Nalle Colt on guitar, Rick Barrio Dill on bass, and Richard…
Although the scribes at DJ Mag won’t be releasing the results of their annual (and oft-debated) Top 100 poll for another couple of months, we’re willing to wager there’s one name that’s guaranteed to be close the top of the list: Hardwell. Bet on it…
Normally I don’t go out of my way to listen to music the moment it’s released, but I devour on-trend, manufactured pop like a snake devouring its prey. I digest over a period of days, listening to it over and over, and then something snaps inside me and the song…
Nate “Igor” SmithCody Morin, juggalo and Make-A-Wish recipient.By Daniel Hill and Drew Ailes We first heard about 17-year old Cody Morin on our way in to Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, site of the 14th-annual Gathering of the Juggalos. After hours spent driving through southern Illinois, we stopped at a restaurant/visitor’s lodge in…
I’m quite curious to know what hardcore Korn fans think of the new single. Personally, I love Korn. It was one of the bands that set the stage for me to explore the realm of heavy metal, tracing it back decade by decade. But here’s the problem with the band’s…
One of the true hardships that we face as a nation is the omnipresent problem of being surrounded by booze and stimulating foods. In the comforts of your own home, you may be able to curb your pizza roll addiction into having just a civilized cup of tomato soup. At…
As a general rule, I don’t like to be lectured by Lady Gaga. This is not to say that I haven’t earned a lecture, since she’s a rich and famous superstar who’s touched millions of kids who feel sad and alone and I’m a guy who listens to episodes of…
It’s not often that band names are as straightforward as Masked Intruder. They wear masks, they claim to be interested in breaking into your house and stealing your VCR, the end. Something like “Earth Crisis”–you’re left wondering what the crisis is, and why they’re named after it. Of course, Lyle…
