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…
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…
Jay-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail is–well, I haven’t listened to it yet. (iPhone 3GS users are actually barred from owning it until they upgrade to a newer device.) This isn’t a review of the album, except to say that I think “BBC,” with its bizarre, layered production and conciliatory Nas…
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…
I can’t really blame Yes for not thinking about this back in 1968, when they formed, but if I were their SEO consultant at the time I would have strongly suggested they go with something that was a little easier to Google. Like “Future Loves Past” or — even better…
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…
Thousands of people showed up for the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival on Friday, from all walks of life–five-year-olds with their parents all the way to couples pushing 60, meatheads and meth-heads, respected industry figures and pierced and tattooed punks–but there was one definite commonality. All of them came out…
Everything eventually turns into porn. Guitar porn–Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 is all about it–whiskey porn… well, regular porn. But recently, food porn has blown up. Which is great for me. You see, there are only a few things that I take voracious pleasure in consuming, and two of those…
For some party monsters in Scottsdale, the Revolutionary War apparently never ended. It’s been exactly 230 years since the storied conflict with the forces of King George III that gave birth to our nation officially drew to a close, a fact that didn’t seem to matter to a few of…
Dust off your chain wallet: Everclear, Live, Filter, and Sponge are coming to Tempe tonight. Nah, just kidding. There is way more to do than just dust off your chain wallet. To pay proper homage to this packaged concert tour, there are some more fashion details to consider. It’s kind…
Eventually, every single musical variable collapses into time. Live fans and Filter fans and Everclear fans might not have gotten along especially well in the ’90s, but here in the unfamiliar ‘teens (are we going with ‘teens? aught-teens?) they are all bands who were on the radio back when you…
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…
“Late ’90s Confusion Pop” is a genre term that may have been coined, originally, by my friend Daniel Schurgin of the band Gay Kiss. It describes a series of mainstream alt-rock acts from the late ’90s who released very accessible pop hits and whose influences seem myriad to the point…
The Independence Day Music Festival delivered a true patriotic celebration Wednesday night, and after three years, the country music concert and firework spectacular has officially established itself as a yearly must-see event for the summer. This year featured performances from LoCash Cowboys, Tyler Farr, and country superstar Brantley Gilbert. The…
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…
Miley Cyrus’ video for “We Can’t Stop” is one of the weirdest videos of the year. It features giant bear backpacks, a french-fry-covered skull, and lots and lots of bread. As the nation sat scratching its heads after its June 19 debut, California-based The Pet Collective saw an opportunity for…
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…
Five Finger Death Punch appeals to a particular demographic in heavy metal: Their testosterone-driven, in-your-face music is heavy and angry at all that is evil — destruction, internal struggles, politics, war, bullying. Every friend I have in the armed services loves them. I’ve heard of soldiers who’ve approached the band…
Todd Rundgren’s breakthrough album, Something/Anything?, was a winding double-LP on which he wrote, produced, and performed nearly everything himself. That says a lot about 1972, but it says even more about Rundgren, who’s been seen as something of a pop-rock prodigy ever since. If it seems he’s never been quite…
What do you do when your once-formidable alternative bands fade into obscurity? Start an annual summer tour together! The Summerland Tour is the brainchild of Everclear frontman (and lone remaining founder) Art Alexakis and Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath, and it’s back in 2013 for its second go-round. This year, Everclear…
“Weird Al” Yankovic once parodied “Rico Suave.” He’s parodied two separate Milli Vanilli songs. He been making parodies so long that he donned a leather-jacketed fatsuit for “Fat” before Michael Jackson was a pariah, continued to wear it for 20 years afterward, and has gone on parodying Michael Jackson now…
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…
