The woods can be a dark and scary place. According to Lord of the Rings fans (ringers?) on the interwebs, they are lousy with orcs. Other times, they’re full of tension, as esteemed environmental philosopher Geddy Lee once observed: “There is trouble with the trees, for the maples want more…
Carlos Santana isn’t exactly the hardest brother on the block. Those Rob Thomas and Michelle Branch collaborations didn’t do much for his street cred. Luckily, his personal brand of champagne, Santana DVX Sparkling Wine (it’s just so smooth), is one of the few factors keeping the Mexican guitar-god legit. That…
Rockabilly trio Tiger Army hasn’t released a new record since Music from Regions Beyond in 2007, and they played all of two shows in 2010. So why are they touring now? Well, frontman Nick 13 — who is into transcendental meditation — must’ve had some kind of vision after releasing…
It’s tough to be bandmates with a sibling (see The Kinks, Oasis, and The Louvin Brothers), but luckily the Cincinnati-based Buffalo Killers have some practice. Brothers Zach and Andy Gabbard played together for years in the dearly departed boogie/garage outfit Thee Shams, learning the hard way to share tunes and…
It’s a Tuesday night at The Lost Leaf in downtown Phoenix. The bar’s small dance floor is packed with dancers; one girl in a flowery dress does the typical hippie dance, arms flailing in the air, while one guy emphatically skanks about the room. DJ Smite is on the turntables,…
As we chat, Kurt Vile is getting ready to play the Pitchfork Festival, and he’s totally cool with it. His voice exudes a sinewy, rural-and-cold-steel-Philadelphia toughness as he proclaims, sounding like he just won a street fight, “I can’t wait to see all those bands!” Vile has been busy touring…
The Blunt Club is going on tour, and the DJs behind the popular, long-running Valley hip-hop night are having a party to celebrate. DJs Pickster and Element (pictured) are hitting the road to explore California (one tour stop even features Warren G), but everyone knows you can’t leave town without…
Forget Lady Gaga. If there’s one pop star today who’s managed to morph into a brand beyond singing talent, it’s Katy Perry. Her songs are inescapable. Five singles from her Grammy Album of the Year-nominated sophomore disc, Teenage Dream, have taken over Top 40 radio, making it impossible to not…
THURSDAY 28 27th Avenue Bar: DJ Manage, & DJ Android (Top 40, dance) Afterlife: Thumpin Thurzdays (various) American Junkie: Groove Candy with DJ M2, & Fresh 85 (neo-soul, classics) AZ/88: Josh One (rare groove, urban funk) Bar Smith: Splash Thursday (reggae, dancehall, Top 40, house) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy…
For local hardcore band American Standards, performing isn’t just about the music, it’s about making an impact on the community. Their show this Saturday, July 30 at The Fixx in Tempe is called “Hope for the Hopeless” and serves as a benefit for Teen Lifeline, a local non-profit working against…
Thom Travisano loves the blues, and like one of those proverbial Blues Brothers, he’s on a mission from God to document the music he loves.Okay, okay — Travisano never actually claimed to be on a mission from God when I met with him Sunday afternoon at his short term lease,…
There’s more to the west valley then sports and suburbs. University of Phoenix Stadium was completed around the same time as Westgate, causing an overnight nightlife boom for the western portion of the 101. Sandbar was part of this growth, providing Mexican food and a cozy beach atmosphere without getting…
DJ Pauly D will be spinning on Britney Spears’ tour, according to the Fab Life.The Jersey Shore star will be opening for Britney for six dates during her fall tour.”Britney is one of my favorite performers and certainly one of this generation’s most influential artists,” he said. “It’s an amazing…
The Tubes have serious roots in Arizona. Formed after two Phoenix-based bands, The Beans and Red, White and Blues Band, moved to San Francisco and combined, The Tubes were remarkably ahead of their time. The group’s mix of simulated sex and hard rock landed them some primo opening spots, setting…
Liturgy The Rogue BarTuesday, July 26Unfairly or not, Liturgy gets a lot of flack. There are a lot of reasons, I suppose. The band plays black metal — true “outsider” music — but they don’t look the part, at least not when the part normally looks like this. Then there’s…
After teetering between Valley venues for years, Stateside Presents announced this morning that it finally has a spot to call its own. Downtown’s Crescent Ballroom, as we speculated earlier this month, will open sometime in October, says Charlie Levy, owner of the local promotion company. And, yeah, we totally nailed…
On their Twitter page, local rock band Gospel Claws describes their music as “grainy and rough yet still deeply soulful.” That’s a pretty fitting description; the songs on Gospel Claws’ 2010 debut LP, C-L-A-W-S, embody this aesthetic, as songs like “Summer Nights Lakeside” and “Walk Me Down” juxtapose dreamy melodies…
When I listen to 3, the new album by the Cincinnati-based rock ‘n’ roll band Buffalo Killers, I like to imagine the band tearing down the highway, blasting sweet classic rock tunes on the way to some mythical backwoods gig.Speaking with bassist Zach Gabbard, who is joined by his guitarist…
, according to One Thirty BPM.TIMF has brought a pretty solid lineup to the table for its fifth year. The bill has been somewhat split into a day of rock and a day of dance.The festival is set to take place October 15 and 16 in San Francisco. Early bird…
Celebrity look-alikes are always amusing to look at, particularly when an ordinary person looks unbelievably similar to the famous person.It’s not hard to find people sporting the Bieber ‘do these days, with some celebrities among them. Tom Brady rocked it for a while, although not very well. Zac Efron even…
Long time Valley radio personality Dave Pratt is returning to the FM dial. On August 15, Pratt will be taking over the morning slot at X103.9.Pratt has been a Valley FM staple for years — his time at KUPD lasted twenty of them — before he moved to KZON in 2002,…
Positive vibes are super contagious. Hip-hop Hype duo, The New F-O’s know this and feed off of it. Earlier this month we talked about the local band’s rap/rock sound, and this week you can see just how the group gets down, with live MCing mixed with live drums and instrumentation…
