Fatboy Slim @ Maya Day and Nightclub

Long before the “Harlem Shake,” there was “The Rockafeller Skank.” Doesn’t ring a bell, huh? It should, considering the 1998 plunderphonics-heavy groove was one of the more epic big-beat hits in the enormous arsenal of British-born musician Norman Cook. Still clueless, bro? Perhaps you know the Englishman by his more…

The Members of Eisley Escape Outside Influence and Return to Form

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…

Two Breeds of Badass Female-Fronted Bands at Mayhem Fest

The annual heavy metal throwdown known as the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival is making its way through Phoenix this week, and things are about to get heated. This year’s lineup is one of the festival’s best, with heavyweights Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Machine Head, and Mastodon. But…

EDM, DJs, and Dancing

Thursday 4 910 Live: Leaether Strip with Technodrone, Audio Virus, A0N, & more (industrial, goth, EBM, noise) 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, & VJ Enigma (hip-hop) Bikini Lounge:…

Sun Bones @ The Rogue Bar

Rather than stick to vague genre tags or invent new hybrids, the members of Sun Bones offer the term “malleability.” It’s fitting for a classically trained band that somehow manages to fit four-part harmonies, bursts of punk, comforting pop melodies, and avant-garde excursions under a single umbrella and make it…

Fatboy Slim and Five More 4th of July DJ Events in Metro Phoenix

Long before the “Harlem Shake,” there was “The Rockafeller Skank.” Doesn’t ring a bell, huh? It should considering the 1998 plunderphonics-heavy groove was one of the more epic big beat hits from the enormous arsenal of British-born musician Norman Cook. Still clueless, bro? Perhaps you know the Englishman by his…

D.I. – Club Red, Tempe – 7/2/2013

D.I.Club Red, TempeJuly 2, 2013 Anyone who might argue that punk is dead should consider Tuesday night’s D.I. show at Club Red as proof to the contrary. What originally was billed as an eight-band lineup became a bit of a debacle when a last-minute change — the rumor around the…

The 25 Best Phoenix Club Photos of June 2013

June ended with a bang–Axis Radius closed down after one last blowout and temperatures spiked from “I guess I signed up for this” to “I did not sign up for this”–but our Club Candids photographers were busy all month, documenting Phoenix nightlife and consuming lots of fluids, probably. Here are…

MC Magic: One Big Mistake Up-and-Coming Rappers Keep Making (and More)

Lost in love? Stuck in a relationship quagmire Ann Landers wouldn’t understand? Trying to figure out what comes next in life and music? We’d like to invite you personally to bring your problems to Ask Magic, your chance to ask Arizona’s reigning slow-jam king for advice on whatever life throws…

Butcher Babies: “It Wasn’t About Sex — It Was About Punk Rock”

Sunset Strip darlings the Butcher Babies have been one of my favorite acts for a while now. They first gained notoriety from a YouTube video performing Pantera’s “Fucking Hostile” and the two frontwomen, Carla Harvey and Heidi Shepherd, started out performing in leather pants with electrical tape over their nipples,…

Glass Heroes Launch New Music Video — on MTV?

So, the music video on MTV as a promotional tool is a thing of the past, is it? Well, on July 1, Fervor Records announced that you could see the new Glass Heroes video for “Let Me Down” on MTV.com, the reformed music channel that’s trying to establish its website…

10 Hilariously Dated Videos Weird Al Has Parodied

“Weird Al” Yankovic has been releasing parody videos since people have been releasing actual videos. He’s made fun of decade-defining artists for four decades running. Through all that — while one-hit wonders fall out of view and genres and styles are declared officially over — he’s remained a timeless figure…

Top Five Must-See Phoenix Shows This Week

The Fourth of July is for buying Chinese fireworks and being a proud American. Maya Day and Nightclub is betting that you might also enjoy some music by a certain very famous British DJ. The War of 1812 is still felt acutely ’round these parts, thank you very much. Regardless:…

20 Photos from Axis Radius’ Big Going-Away Party

Last weekend, after 16 years as an Old Town institution, Scottsdale’s Axis-Radius was the site of one last blowout before closing down for good. (It’s set to reopen next year as a new music venue and craft beer hangout.) We were there for Last Call. Here’s 20 photos from the…

Why Do So Many People Hate Black Veil Brides?

When we interviewed Black Veil Brides lead singer Andy Biersack last week, ahead of their performance at Warped Tour on Thursday, lots of fans — from in and out of town — wrote in to talk about how much they loved the band. A smaller, very vocal contingent, though, wrote…

Top Five Must-See Phoenix Shows This Weekend

Look: After literally everybody who went to Warped Tour in Mesa Thursday melted into an enormous puddle filled with black V-neck T-shirts, you might find this weekend’s concerts in Phoenix a little sparsely attended. Take advantage of that! At least, unless you knew one of the people who melted. Then…

Sara Robinson and The Midnight Special Know Their Musical Roots

It’s been said that in order to truly sing the blues, it’s necessary to have experienced a lifetime of blues material — a broken heart, tragedy, hopelessness. So when you hear about an incredible blues musician, what usually comes to mind is an image of elderly Junior Kimbrough or Etta…