Check out the best options for music this weekend, and browse our comprehensive concert listings for more options.
Angry Samoans - Friday, October 10 - Yucca Tap Room
First wave punk rockers everywhere are alive and kicking. Just look at the Angry Samoans, hailing from Los Angeles, they've been doing their thing since the late '70s. And since their inception, they've made a career out of being offensive. Rumor has it their song "Get Off the Air" was a direct jab at legendary KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer, who reportedly used his influence to blacklist the band around the Hollywood scene in the early '80s.
Though the current lineup's only original members are singer Mike Saunders and drummer Bill Vockeroth, they continue to delight with their full-throttle punk sound. --Brandon Ferguson
The Hip Hop House - Friday, October 10 - Diamond Lounge
After the Hidden House suddenly and unexpectedly went belly up last month, there probably wasn't anyone more surprised by the closure than local hip-hop impresario Nick Norris. After all, they had recently booked a number of upcoming gigs at the lounge, including the latest edition of the Hip Hop House, the monthly joint he organizes with others in the local scene, which was originally scheduled to take place the same day that the Hidden House locked its doors for good. Within a day or two, Norris and company quickly found a new home for the underground hip-hop night over the Diamond Lounge, another Central Phoenix spot with divey vibe, which speaks to how they're fairly dialed into the local scene.
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And while the location may have changed, the Hip Hop House remains the same. It still will feature DJ Fact135 on the ones and twos while serving as a showcase for burgeoning local talents from throughout the country. The lineup for this weekend's event will feature rappers and acts like Cali's Kahlee, Dubie, and Bonnie Blue, as well as Oso Negro Hip-Hop from Oregon, Boise's Ed Able, and the curiously named Street Jesus in SLC who (as his name implies) hails from the heart of Mormon Country. Local standout RoQ'y TyRaiD will host the night, which kicks off at 9 p.m. -- Benjamin Leatherman
Speedy Ortiz - Saturday, October 11 - Yucca Tap Room
The real mystery about Speedy Ortiz, the four-piece from the demure town of Northampton, Massachusetts, is how the hell singer Sadie Dupuis manages to make her dissonant vocals over her even more dissonant guitar lines sound so damn catchy. The first track off the band's 2013 debut, Major Arcana, is called "Pioneer Spine," and it has an intro that practically sounds like Discipline-era King Crimson, minus the virtuosic squareness and plus a more primal distortion. Guitar lines slink and crawl through the most angular, cacophonous parts of the chromatic scale, and Dupuis' vocals, lacking anything resembling traditional melody, provide a discomfiting counterpoint.
But as strange and foreign the album's songs appear, the tracks maintain a familiar type of '90s grunge that ebbs and flows in ways that are entirely pleasing to the ear. There aren't many bands out there quite like Speedy Ortiz, and given its reputation for raucous live shows, seeing the band at a place like Yucca Tap should prove to be quite a treat. -- David Accomazzo
Lil Jon - Saturday, October 11 - Maya Day & Nightclub
Thanks to the laws of gravity, physics, and common sense, it's incredibly unlikely that the scene inside Maya's dance club during Lil Jon's DJ set on Saturday, October 11, will result in the sort of massive property destruction, spazzy dance chaos, or face-melting lunacy seen in the batshit insane music video for "Turn Down For What," his blockbuster collaboration with DJ Snake. That's not to say that those in attendance won't try to replicate some of the loonier body-bumping dance moves when the crunk king drops the mega-hit track, as well as a slew of hip-hop, electro, and EDM songs. Here's hoping, however, that no one tries to crash through the walls or destroy any furniture with explosive crotch thrusts while busting a move. -- Benjamin Leatherman
Puddles Pity Party - Sunday, October 12 - Crescent Ballroom
Now's the chance to use that old-fashioned monogrammed hanky that's burning a hole in your dresser drawer, or just grab a cheap box of tissues -- whatever suits you best for sopping up tears mixed of both laughter and desolation -- and spend the evening with Puddles Pity Party. Known as the "sad clown with the golden voice," Puddles is the stage name of Big Mike Geier, a multi-talented singer, actor, and performance artist whose 6-foot, 8-inch stature, appropriately twisted sense of humor, and majestic baritone command a room.
The Lynchian sad-sack clown has been steadily collecting fans over the past couple of years. His operatic version of the popular Lorde song "Royals" has become a much-shared YouTube video, and then there was that time that Puddles punched Eels frontman Mark Everett right in the kisser. The whole thing turned out to be a gag that included fake blood and manufactured hostility, but the stunt certainly created more interest in the giant clown. His intimate, cabaret-style show features Puddles delivering unique versions of sad pop anthems and having a little fun with audiences in ways that only freaky, maudlin clowns know how to do. -- Amy Young
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