We don't blame you if things happen to be a little hectic this month. There's the last of all those Halloween decorations to remove (not to mention all that candy to polish off), warm clothes to get out of storage, and the whole holiday season only a few weeks away.
If you can somehow find time in your busy schedule, as well as money in the budget that isn't set aside for the holidays and such, you might consider checking out a show. There are certainly enough great one happening between now and the end of the month, including the following 30 suggestions.
And if you need even more suggestions, be sure to peruse both our daily music picks and New Times' extensive online concert calendar.
Pissed Jeans - Friday, November 7 - Crescent Ballroom
Though they are not the Jesus Lizard Jr. that many have claimed, Pissed Jeans is a real and true combination of noise, punk, power, and testosterone. Interesting, to say the least, and straight-up rockin' if you dig the über-noisy Amrep Records-style sound. These four lads from Allentown, Pennsylvania, are the embodiment of primal rage. To the untrained eye, they certainly appear to be a nice bunch of young guys, but once they hit the stage, you'd better watch your back, because things tend to fly around a lot at their shows.
Signed to venerable Seattle-based label Sub Pop, Pissed Jeans represents a nod to the aforementioned label's glorious past while maintaining a strong dose of "right here, right now" blue-collar angst. The original idea, at least according to Pissed Jeans singer Matt Korvette, was to do a band reminiscent of Flipper, the Crucifucks, or Stickmen with Rayguns. This is the first trip to Phoenix for the Pennsylvanians, each of whom became a first-time dad around the same time a few years ago. This newfound sense of self, though, has not changed the identity of the band, so expect a fantastic time at Crescent Ballroom. Locals Gay Kiss, who recently did a support slot for OFF! on a regional tour and Tucson's excellent Lenguas Largas, fill out the bill. -- Tom Reardon
Life in Color - Friday, November 7 - CityScape
The crack janitorial staff at the CityScape better have their mops primed and timecards ready since both might get plenty of use come this weekend. We expect that it could take a bit of extra elbow grease and a bunch of overtime hours to get the typically squeaky clean downtown Phoenix retail complex, which is located at 1 East Washington Street, tidy after Life in Color rolls through on Friday, November 7. After all, the touring event hypes itself as the "world's largest paint party" and, as you can guess, involves splaying and splattering both its attendees and venues with an endless deluge of rainbow-colored liquid as electro-heavy dance music acts like Krewella, Cash Cash, and Futuristic Polar Bears perform. Needless to say, dropcloths are likely to get used as the beats get dropped and everything and everyone within the blast radius of the various paint cannons gets splashed with color. -- Benjamin Leatherman
Merle Haggard - Friday, October 7 - Wild Horse Pass
Merle Haggard is a furry, freaky, thoroughly unpredictable and not necessarily all too pleasant specimen of Homo sapiens. Scarred by the death of his father when the singer was just 9 years old, Hag, as he is known, developed an ingrained criminal pathology and a lurid record as an incorrigible penitentiary escape artist. Nonetheless, he ultimately outsmarted himself and ascended to unquestioned status as one of hard country's most reliably brilliant, ornery and original artistic forces. With a flabbergastingly varied and achingly beautiful catalog of original compositions -- 38 of which have reached No. 1 on the Billboard country charts -- Hag's relentless drive and peerless skill as an interpretive vocalist burn as intensely today (at age 76) as ever they did. But he won't be around forever, Hoss, so drag your miserable butt down to Chandler for his appearance at Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino or suffer the honky-tonk consequences. -- Jonny Whiteside
Sofia Rei - Saturday, November 8 - MIM
Buenos Aires native and leading light of Latin jazz Sofia Rei infuses the traditional music of Argentina with edgy harmonies and odd time signatures, and she does it with the most infectious of smiles. But even for the non-Spanish speaking, the warmth that goes into Rei's every syllable communicates it all. Cumbia, currulao, fandango, and other rhythms of Colombia get special treatment here, but as a member of John Zorn's multicultural vocal group, Mycale, this is only a starting point. Also, in a memorable segment from his show in 2012, she taught Conan O'Brien how to drink mate, the Argentine national beverage. His response? "You're like a dream." You ain't joking, Conan. -- Aidan Levy
Shakey Graves - Saturday, November 8 - Crescent Ballroom
Background to center stage. Support to headliner. Shadow to light. Everything about Alejandro Rose-Garcia's current life suggests an emergence, even his name. Every exciting opportunity that's come his way -- and there have been many of late -- is a step away from his given name and one closer to his stage name, Shakey Graves. They're one in the same, of course. And those opportunities, which include a spot on this summer's Newport Folk Festival and gigs throughout the U.S., were byproducts of his steady, not-remotely-overnight evolution.
"Right now, I'm really trying to remind myself that I'm lucky and blessed and in a good position. But, at the same time, I've worked really hard and I love this job," he says. "I love the fact that it actually is a job now and I have a lot of good people by my side." He's continues to build an avid following on the strength of his 2011 LP, Roll the Bones and a cache of videos that have garnered millions of views. But, more than anything, his live one-man show has people seeking out his music. It's just Rose-Garcia, a guitar, a kickdrum fashioned from a suitcase and a handful of songs that are some of the best-received offerings to come from Austin in awhile. -- Jesse Sendejas Jr.
Psychedelic Furs - Saturday, November 8 - Talking Stick Resort
The Psychedelic Furs are a study in retroactive popularity. They toiled in the punk and new wave underground for years before finding success as the inspiration for a John Hughes movie in 1986. They re-recorded that song ("Pretty in Pink") for the soundtrack, and after being an afterthought for so many years, with the world at large not really paying attention to which direction they were headed, they suddenly had no direction at all. They recorded a Top 40-ish record as a follow-up to their newfound, long-awaited success (1987's Midnight to Midnight), but the band -- and many of their fans, most of whom wisely dug into their back catalog in the meantime -- have since characterized it as hollow and their weakest overall effort.
Two more underperforming but underrated albums followed, and then the Furs went their separate ways before re-forming in 2000. There has been almost no talk of them revisiting a studio anytime soon; the band is what it is (or, more accurately, what it was). They tour behind a catalog now over 20 to 30 years old, but when the overall aesthetic is as good as the Furs', there isn't any need to apologize or dress it up as something it isn't, either. Alternative rockers The Lemonheads open. -- Pat O'Brien
We Were Promised Jetpacks - Sunday, November 9 - Crescent Ballroom
For the past decade, We Were Promised Jetpacks has been slowly building momentum, working to become a leader in the crowded field of melancholy Scottish rock. The Edinburgh band is full of loud, drone-y guitars and punch-you-in-the-gut drumbeats, both led by singer Adam Thompson's deep, accent-heavy musings on life's darker moments and the struggle to fight through them. The group's new album, Unravelling, is lighter on the noise and heavier on the hooks, but still laden with the same brooding, contemplative lyrics and guitar melodies. This band tends to play with a mountain of amps behind it, so this Crescent Ballroom show will undoubtedly be an engulfing and cathartic experience. -- Isa Jones
Mary Lambert - Sunday, November 9 - Club Red
Though Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Same Love" technically dropped in 2012, the song really hit its stride this year when it became an anthem for LGBTQ rights as well as a hot topic. Mary Lambert -- the singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, and heartwrenchingly silken vocals behind the song's beautiful chorus -- was along for the ride with her fellow Seattle artists and even joined them on a successful tour to sing along to the song that's helped make her a rising artist outside of just her local scene. -- Brittany Spanos
The Black Keys - Monday, November 10 - US Airways Center
Whether or not you think the Black Keys have drifted too far from their garage-rock beginnings, the band's faith in all things rock 'n' roll is admirable. Over the past five years, frontman Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney have become the closest thing we're going to get to the Stones or Zeppelin in this decade. Singles like 2010's muscular, partly whistled "Tighten Up" have appeared in countless commercials, but this year's Danger Mouse-produced Turn Blue proves there's still depth. It's a more personal Keys record than usual due to Auerbach's 2013 divorce; see passages like the outro to lead single "Fever," which is part orchestral and part psychedelic. -- Michael Madden
Death From Above 1979 - Monday, November 10 - Marquee Theatre
It's been a tumultuous decade for Death from Above 1979. Following the release of their acclaimed first album in 2004, the dance-punk duo, composed of a bassist and a drummer, have behaved something like an L.A. celebrity couple: They had a rocky break-up, a sweet make-up and a successful second marriage. In September, they finally released a second album, The Physical World. Drummer and vocalist Sebastien Grainger says that despite his and bandmate Jesse F Keeler's best attempts at stay apart, "No one ever stopped asking about" the group, he says. "For a long time that was difficult," he continues, "because we were both trying to start something new. But [Death From Above 1979] was clearly the winner. We couldn't get away from it."
They broke up in 2006, but five years later they dusted off their egos for a string of shows, including a main stage performance at Coachella. But the concept was easier on paper. "Honestly, the biggest challenge in the whole reunion was just talking, because we hadn't spoken in five years. After that was just kind of like getting back on the bike." This reunion was an "experiment" -- a term thrown around at least a dozen times during our interview. But apparently it was a successful one. After Coachella, Death from Above 1979 played several headlining dates in the UK, all of which sold out almost instantly. Grangier explains that "there were people just singing along at full volume. If we didn't have that experience we wouldn't be here today."
With bruises healing, Grangier and Keeler have buried the hatchet. The Physical World maintains enough of the band's unique formula to remain a compelling listen, but seems likely to also work on a broader, more mainstream scale. Above all, Grangier seems excited to be playing live again. "We have an incredible amount of fun playing these songs and we want people to have the same visceral, exciting experiences that made us who we are. If someone could come to our show and forget about their shit for even 10 minutes that would be great. No texting, no photos, no tweets. Just enjoy it for 10 minutes." -- Zach Bourque
Run the Jewels - Monday, November 10 - Crescent Ballroom
As Run the Jewels, El-P and Killer Mike transcend regional styles, attitudes and hip-hop stereotypes to create some of the most uncompromising, noddable rap music in the marketplace today. The Brooklyn/Atlanta duo's second full-length, the aptly titled Run the Jewels 2, swirls guests like Zack de la Rocha, Three 6 Mafia moll Gangsta Boo and blink-182's Travis Barker around ear-probing production, rubber-band beats and provocative lyrics like "we run this spot like a Chinese sweatshop." Some are understandably tapping it as the rap album to beat in 2014, and live Run the Jewels will surely create some sweaty, spirited, satisfied customers. -- Chris Gray
Hot Water Music - Tuesday, November 11 - Club Red
Gainesville, Florida, isn't a city known for its post-hardcore or punk scenes, so it would be a safe bet that native sons Hot Water Music had to work hard to get noticed during their mid-'90s formative years, but hard work is something the band seem unafraid of. They hadn't released an album of new material since 2004, and officially broke up "for good" in 2006. Three of the members started the Draft, while singer Chuck Ragan also folked it up with Rumbleseat. However, the band returned showing little rust last year with Exister, which found them a little older, a little wiser, but no worse for wear -- the bouncy post-hardcore energy still intact and the pop-punk leanings still as catchy as ever. Their time away from each other coupled with work on other projects seems to have given the group new life. -- Pat O'Brien
J Mascis - Tuesday, November 11 - Crescent Ballroom
Indie-rock guitar god J Mascis has a load of side projects, including a solo joint under his own name. Yes, the Dinosaur Jr. frontman still shreds on Tied to a Star, and his wry sense of humor is on display in the cult-themed video for the lead single, "Every Morning," starring Fred Armisen. On Tied to a Star, he seems to carefully choose his spots for electric guitar. When asked if he misses the loud electric guitar aesthetic when making a solo album, Mascis says he does. "Yeah, I'd always rather play loud. It's more an exercise in restraint trying not to put drums on it. And noisy guitar. That's my instinct. That's what I like to do." -- Richard Morgan
Judas Priest - Wednesday, November 12 - Gila River Arena
Long before heavy metal was known for ingredients such as shredding guitars, double bass, "horns up" or black leather, the budding chefs were studying up in the 'burbs of England. Not far from Birmingham -- which eventually spawned Black Sabbath -- a young Rob Halford walked to school in Walsall on a daily basis, past the metal foundries with molten metal oozing out of vats. In 1973, Halford (in his early 20s) came on board with Judas Priest, just a few years after the band's conception. A year later, the landmark metal band released its debut, Rocka Rolla, followed by such legendary albums as Painkiller, British Steel , and Screaming for Vengeance. "We say that metal was invented in the West Midlands," says Halford. "So we were living and breathing it before a note was even played."
For 40 years Judas Priest has influenced just about every metal band there is in some way, and has brought a brand of ever-strengthening brand of metal to the masses. Even the maturation of Halford's vocals have helped evolve the band's sound -- the singer has elaborated in the past that over time your vocals age; it's not like you can tune them up, like drum skins or guitar strings. -- Lauren Wise
Pizza Underground - Wednesday, November 12 - Crescent Ballroom
For those who keep up with childhood stars who later go on to perform in food-themed tributes to seminal '60s avant-garde rock bands, you already know The Pizza Underground (featuring Macaulay Culkin) will be making their Dallas stop at Dada Wednesday. If Culkin weren't attached to the project, perhaps this sort of tongue-in-cheek act would draw only minimal interest, and almost certainly not enough to garner a nationwide tour. But the band (comprising Matt Colbourn, Phoebe Kreutz, Deenah Vollmer, Austin Kilham and Culkin) seems to have drawn a minor cult following that has also sparked a surplus of cheesy pun-filled fan art on its Tumblr page.
Their medley of Velvet Underground classics (as well as Lou Reed and Nico's solo work) sound like the hazy recorded memories of late-night parties involving group sing-alongs, sans the clanking of beer bottles and hand clapping. Despite the tomfoolery surrounding the delicious nature of Culkin's pizza-pandering venture, it's an endearing novelty. And the idea of seeing Kevin McCallister all grown up and playing kazoo and singing along to "I'm Waiting for the Delivery Man" seems somewhat surreal. It's certainly worth the $13 cover -- the price of a cheese pizza. - Aaron Ortega
Method Man & Redman - Wednesday, November 12 - Marquee Theatre
Although there are many to choose from, one of the best hip-hop duos of the past 20 years is the paring of Method Man and Redman. Between two successful albums and their cult-favorite movie How High, Meth and Red have proven quite possibly the most successful of the bunch outside of maybe Outkast. It's a rare treat to see them live, this being the first chance Phoenix will have in quite some time. -- Jim Bricker
Dum Dum Girls - Thursday, November 13 - Crescent Ballroom
Dee Dee Penny, founder and frontwoman of Dum Dum Girls, is known for her shy disposition. She's probably also tired of hearing about it in the press, but only one second into our phone call, it's obvious how reserved, quiet, and thoughtful she is. The way she speaks is absolutely charming, and it translates well into the shoegaze-y dream-pop band she leads. Dum Dum Girls' recently released record, Too True, is a slight departure from the band's other two LPs and four EPs, with its darker vibe (think Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Jesus and Mary Chain) and dance-y rhythms.
"An artist like [Madonna] or David Bowie or Primal Scream have shifted what they do drastically from record to record," Penny tells me, citing Madonna's pop influence on her from a young age. "I think, on this record, I was keen to do something more upbeat, danceable, [and with a] pop aesthetic, in as much as that makes sense in the Dum Dum Girls world." -- Troy Farah
Preservation Hall Jazz Band - Friday, November 14 - Scottsdale Arts Center
In 1961, Allan and Sandra Jaffe founded Preservation Hall in New Orleans, where they held nightly concerts of traditional jazz music played by those who had seen jazz being born. Defying decades of Jim Crow laws, they integrated blacks and whites in their audiences and even in their band. All the current players hail from New Orleans, with some the offspring of the original band members, including Allan's son, Ben, who like his father plays tuba and leads the group. The younger Jaffe has astutely infused healthy doses of hip into the band, booking appearances on the Grammy Awards, Austin City Limits, Kimmel and Fallon, and associating with the likes of Tom Waits, Andrew Bird and Foo Fighters. Yet for all the hype, they understand the music of New Orleans on a profound, familial level, making them the realest deal of all. -- Gary Fukushima
Los Dias de la Crescent - Saturday, November 15 - Civic Space Park/Crescent Ballroom
So, how bummed were you when that Belle & Sebastian concert got moved the outdoor from Civic Space Park to the indoor, seated Orpheum Theatre setup due to rain? Well, chin up, kids. We knew it wouldn't be long before Stateside Presents' Charlie Levy announced another Civic Space show, and this time he's using his venue's namesake event to do it. Los Dias de la Crescent's 2014 event is now expanding to Civic Space Park, but that's not all that's changed with the annual celebration of local music, which takes place Saturday, November 15. This year's Los Dias de la Crescent is split up into two very different days of events. Saturday's event will feature several local music acts including past performers like Sergio Mendoza y la Orkesta, Black Carl, Wooden Indian, and Dry River Yacht Club that performed previous years. Unlike the past events, the first half of the day's music will take place at Civic Space Park while the shows after 9 p.m. will be at Crescent Ballroom. Both events will be free.
Charlie Levy of Stateside Presents says that he's most excited to see the different styles of music this year. From hip hop acts like Collins & Miny to Nogales' own Afro Cubano band Caray, there's definitely more variety in this year's lineup. The event will even have its first ever Tejano set courtesy of Los Sociales. "There will be a lot of familiar faces, but I think in between those bands people will be pleasantly surprised and hear some music they don't normally get to hear," Levy says. -- Heather Hoch
Relient K/Blondfire/From Indian Lakes - Sunday, November 16 - Nile Theater
With all apologies to Relient K and Blondfire, can we take a moment to talk about great the new From Indian Lakes record is? Absent Sounds is one of the best records to come out this year and "Sleeping Limbs" is one of the best songs that no one is talking about. Yeah, they're indie-rock, and yeah, their singer does kinda sound like the dude from Death Cab, but give it a listen; these songs will worm their way in to your ears and make a permanent home. Then we can all show up early and sing. It'll be fun. -- Cory Garcia
Tegan and Sara - Monday, November 17 - Marquee Theatre
Tegan and Sara are the most unlikely pop stars on the planet. The twin sisters from Calgary were picked up by Neil Young's record label right out of high school. In the mid-'00s, they found critical success with great oddball singles like "Walking With a Ghost" and "Back in Your Head." Then last year, they blew up on mainstream radio when their seventh album, Heartthrob, debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, making them an overnight-success story 15 years in the making. -- David Rolland
Adrian Belew - Tuesday, November 18 - Talking Stick
Adrian Belew has lead something of a charmed existence as a musician for the last thirty years, from his first high-profile gig as a guitarist for Frank Zappa in 1979 to his later work with Talking Heads, Trent Reznor, David Bowie and King Crimson. Though possessed of preternaturally able technical chops, Belew is one of a handful of guitar wizards whose creativity was never hampered by his virtuosity. Belew's current trio includes Julie Slick and drummer Tobias Ralph. Never content to being stuck with one musical style, Belew's music is remarkably for its rich variety of tone and technique without losing a signature sound.
Primus - Wednesday, November 19 - Orpheum Theatre
Les Claypool has been the driving force behind funk-metal outfit Primus since 1984. In that time, he has also written a book, South of the Pumphouse, directed a film, Electric Apricot, and become synonymous with the sounds of animated TV shows Robot Chicken and South Park. Now he's remade the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory soundtrack. Considering his penchant for the bizarre yet playful, it is no surprise that Claypool's had a lifelong fascination with Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka character and Gene Wilder's cinematic interpretation. This obsession eventually spawned a Chocolate Factory-themed New Year's Eve concert, and then Primus' eighth studio album, Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble.
When asked what prompted him to re-imagine the Willy Wonka soundtrack, Claypool says it was his love of the original book and a search for an inspiration for Primus' newest album. "Well, there was talk of taking on some form of sacred cow, whether it was going to be Primus or one of my bands. I had been thinking about it for a while and there was a lot of ideas being tossed around, and one of them was to do Magical Mystery Tour, which we almost did and ended up not doing. Which is fortunate, because the Flaming Lips have just done Sgt. Pepper's, so that would've been a bit, you know, awkward," Claypool says. "And the whole "Candyman" thing just got stuck in my head and we ended up doing a Chocolate Factory-themed New Year's, because we always do a themed New Year's for the past twenty-some odd years, and it worked well and it was easy and it just kind of fell together. We were able to take it and make it our own without a terrible amount of forethought." -- Abel Folgar
Intronaut - Wednesday, November 19 - Club Red
Plenty of metal bands play heavy riffs, but the four men comprising Intronaut layer those riffs with a stunning musical dexterity. Albums like 2013's Habitual Levitations show a group walking a delicate balance between stoner-doom and polyrhythmic jazz-fusion structures. They're able to pull it off because guitarists/vocalists Sacha Dunable and Dave Timnick roar mightily and rain down riffs that appeal to fans of acts like Mastodon and Isis.
Bassist Joe Lester provides a strong underpinning that makes one want to head-bang -- without losing the groove. Drummer Danny Walker, meanwhile, is one of the most versatile percussionists in metal, able to transition seamlessly from ferocious, double-bass pounding to the slower stuff. Pretty impressive. -- Jason Roche
Global Dance Festival - Friday, November 21 - Tempe Beach Park
The Global Dance Festival in Tempe is actually a global sort of event, despite the all-American background of headlining EDM producers like Steve Aoki, Crizzly, and Morgan Page. Emma Hewitt, the Australian electronic music vocalist who has appeared on tracks from such EDM artists as Gareth Emery and Armin van Buuren, and Montreal-based duo Adventure Club both hail from outside the U.S. and are scheduled to perform at the outdoor electronic dance music massive at Tempe Beach Park on Friday, November 21. And they're two additions to its lineup that might get fans of both kinky bass and vocal trance stoked for the event. They join headliner (and hipster dance music king) Aoki at the one night EDM extravaganza. If you're not familiar with GDF, it's been held multiple times over the past decade at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and has blown up into a touring festival that will be making its debut appearance in Arizona and will also be the first EDM event that's ever been held at the park. -- Benjamin Leatherman
The 1975 - Saturday, November 22 - Comerica Theatre
With a name that practically screams retro, the 1975 is basically a pop band that gussies things up with ambient, electronic and indie-rock influences. Granted, Matthew Healy and crew do a fine job mingling seemingly disparate influences into a contemporary sound, but one has to wonder about all the bells and whistles. Nevertheless, songs such as "Sex," "Chocolate" and "The City" (available on the band's 2013 self-titled debut) are catchy and thoughtful tunes that explore familiar themes in an unfamiliar way. Judging by the sound, the 1975 ought to be called the 1985, but with The 1975music this intriguing, it's easy to give the band an extra decade to work with. -- Darryl Smyers
Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys - Wednesday, November 26 - Rhythm Room
Big Sandy -- and he is a big guy, but all together affable -- and his band are something of the missing link between classic country and rockabilly; pulling together the '40s to the '60s. Their sound encompasses everything from Hank Williams to Buck Owens, Buddy Holly to Elvis, Roy Orbison to Duane Eddy, and Gene Vincent to Link Wray. It's quite a mix, but one that doesn't feel forced or stolen. The band is truly passionate about what they do. Throughout their sets, Big Sandy (real name Robert Williams) croons, shouts, raves and sings though the maze of styles, as his tight band -- Jeff West on upright bass, drummer Bobby Trimble and lead guitarist Ashley Kingman -- punctuate the songs with distinctive force or deft touch. -- Glenn BurnSilver
Chrissie Hynde - Wednesday, November 26 - Mesa Arts Center
Chrissie Hynde is so defined by her 30-plus years of work in the Pretenders that it took into her sixties to make an album under her own name. That is this summer's Stockholm, technically a solo album but in reality a close collaboration with Bjorn Yttling of Swedish indie-pop swells Peter, Bjorn & John. Accordingly, Stockholm is a little cleaner and sweeter than Pretenders fans may be used to, but it's still 100 percent Chrissie Hynde. And rest assured, there will be plenty of Pretenders tunes in her live set. -- Chris Gray
Meat Puppets - Friday, November 28 - Crescent Ballroom
Among the handful of American post-punk bands that helped shape Generation-X alternative rock, locally grown heroes Meat Puppets mingled hardcore punk, desert psychedelia and honky-tonk to arrive at a most unique formula. Kirkwood brothers Curt and Cris have been through hell and back since their seminal early-'80s SST albums, but have stabilized since Cris' 2007 return, fleshed out by Curt's guitarist son Elmo and Shandon Sahm (son of late Tex-Mex legend Doug) on drums. Last year the rejuvenated Puppets released Rat Farm, their most intoxicating music since 1994's gold-certified Too High to Die. -- Chris Gray
Pete Tong - Saturday, November 29 - Monarch Theatre
If you know a thing or three about electronic dance music, no doubt you've heard of Pete Tong or listened to the highly influential DJ's popular BBC Radio 1 program, Essential Mix. At the very least, you've raged to some of the formerly neophyte EDM artists, producers, and beatsmiths whom he's helped fling into stardom over the past two decades via the internationally known show and other programs such as Essential Selection, The Big Beat, and his new iHeartRadio dance channel, Evolution.
Tong's credentials as a tastemaker are as lengthy and impressive as his talents as a selector, as he's been dropping esteemed mix albums (more than 40 by our count) for two decades and has been spinning everything from acid house and old school junglism to Balearic beats since the early '80s. The 53-year-old British expat, who famously inspired the rhyming phrase "It's all gone Pete Tong," recently relocated to L.A. and has been gigging at a slew stateside clubs as of late. His travels will bring him to Monarch Theatre for a special Thanksgiving weekend performance. -- Benjamin Leatherman
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