Stephen Denton
Audio By Carbonatix
Fans of local band
It won’t be the only live music extravaganza happening in downtown Phoenix this weekend as the second edition of PhxArt Amplified will fill bring dozens of local musicians and acts to the Phoenix Art Museum on Sunday.
Other highlights of this weekend’s concert offering include shows from Chrome Sparks, Portland Cello Project, TLC, Booker T. Jones, and Dawes.
Details about each of these gigs can be found below in our list of the best shows happening in the Valley this weekend. And for even more live music happening around the Valley, hit up Phoenix New Times‘ online concert calendar.
Chris Garvey and Nick White of The Prototypes.
Primary Talent International
The Prototypes
Friday, January 18
Shady Park in Tempe
Now that school is back in session at Arizona State University in Tempe, the bars and clubs on or around Mill Avenue are as busy as ever. One of the places where the drinking and partying masses are flocking to after sundown is Shady Park. That’s especially true whenever its outdoor bar park hosts a popular electronic dance music act – a category that The Prototypes certainly fall under.
The popular British-born DJ duo, which consists of Chris Garvey and Nick White, have been blasting out drum ‘n’ bass-influenced sounds since the beginning of the decade, earning them a legion of fans and several big tracks, including “Pop It Off,” “Pale Blue Dot,” and “Transmission,” among others. “Both of us have always had one common goal, and that’s to smash it as hard as we can and be the best at what we love doing,” the pair stated in a 2015 interview.
You can bet that Garvey and White will be smashing it on Friday, January 18, at Shady Park. The beats get going at 9 p.m. Crimes!, S-Doobie, Beev$ta, Retnuh, and Lavander will open. Tickets are $18 to $22. Benjamin Leatherman
Chrome Sparks
Friday, January 18
Crescent Ballroom
If it were possible to genetically engineer the quintessential electronic artist for the Tumblr era, Jeremy Malvin, (better known as Chrome Sparks) would likely be the result. Before settling on the Chrome Sparks moniker, Malvin served several stints as drummer for a number of bands, including internet synthpop darling Stepdad. Choosing to take his background in classical percussion in a more danceable direction, Malvin traded in
Since the switch, Malvin has enjoyed tremendous success as a solo act. Signed to Future Classic – the Australian label home to Flume, Chet Faker, and Cashmere Cat – Chrome Sparks has attracted attention for not only, well, producing future classics but also successfully juggling several moods and sounds. “Marijuana” – which sampled Idris Muhammad’s disco classic “Could Heaven Ever Be Like This” long before Jamie xx did on last year’s “Loud Places” – is Chrome Sparks’ most popular song for good reason. A lean, three-minute eruption of puff-puff-pass bliss, “Marijuana” is as equally effective as a bass-synth-driven sleep aid as it is a club-floor filler. Zach Schlein
The Portland Cello Project will offer up their take on Radiohead’s OK Computer at the MIM.
Jason Quigley
Portland Cello Project: Radiohead’s OK Computer
Friday, January 18
Musical Instrument Museum
Cellos aren’t just for symphony halls anymore. Portland Cello Project is all about bringing cello music to unconventional spaces, playing music people don’t normally associate with the cello, and collaborating with musicians across diverse musical communities. It started with nine cellists performing what they thought would be a one-time gig back in 2006. Now they’re touring with a repertoire of over 1,000 pieces. You can hear them perform music from Radiohead’s iconic OK Computer album at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, January 18, at the Musical Instrument Museum. Tickets start at $38.50. Lynn Trimble
T-Boz and Chilli of TLC.
Dennis Leupold
TLC
Friday, January 18
Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Chandler
It’s been a minute since TLC was in heavy rotation on the radio. The group’s last certified hit was 2013’s “Crooked Smile,” a collaboration with J. Cole. But
Chilli believes part of the reason TLC continues to resonate with audiences is the group made what she calls “life-changing music.” Their songs were the soundtrack to the formative years of the early-’90s and TRL generation, and they addressed everything from safe sex on “Waterfalls” to the ways in which societal standards of beauty can magnify women’s insecurities to a dangerous level on “Unpretty.” Chilli says it was not only the music but also
The musicians and performers of Pink Martini.
Chris Hornbecker
Pink Martini
Friday, January 18
Chandler Center for the Arts
Pink Martini’s blend of Latin music, jazz, and classical music is the perfect antidote to everything that’s happened in the past year – it’s music that celebrates the world’s diversity while honoring the deep musical traditions formed by musicians long passed. Founded in Portland, Oregon, in the mid-’90s, the group features multiple singers and around a dozen horn players, all skilled in the Neapolitan blend of styles that is practically the perfect lounge music.
The group’s debut album, Sympathique, became a worldwide success, earning the group awards from countries as far away as France. The group is a callback to the early half of the 20th
Friday, January 18, to Sunday, January 20
Downtown Phoenix
Local act
Things get going on Friday, January 18, at The Van Buren, when the band will perform an “all-request set” at a pre-party with songs curated by their fans and determined via an online poll. The next evening is the actual 8123 Fest at Civic Space Park, which will feature sets by
Everything wraps up on Sunday, January 20, with a performance by This Century and Palm Springs Eternal at Crescent. Start times and ticket prices vary for each event. Festival promoter Psyko Steve’s website has all the details. Benjamin Leatherman
Frankie Valli
Courtesy of Ticketfly
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Saturday, January 19, and Sunday, January 20
Celebrity Theatre
Before One Direction, the Jonas Brothers and other modern boy bands, there were ’60s sensations Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, now on tour with their biggest hits throughout the years. The “Big Girls Don’t Cry” crooner will always be remembered for other songs, like “Walk Like a Man,” “Rag Doll,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” but Valli’s powerful falsetto was also responsible for dozens of other Top 40 hits during the band’s career. They sold more than 100 million records between 1962 and 1978 alone, and who could forget the account of their lives in the hit Broadway musical (and later film) Jersey Boys? Sam Byrd
Booker T. Jones is scheduled to perform on Thursday, January 4, at the Musical Instrument Museum.
Piper Ferguson
Booker T. Jones
Saturday, January 19, and Sunday, January 20
Musical Instrument Museum
It’s almost always impossible to not sound like a doofus when you’re trying to explain to someone what an instrumental song sounds like. After a few attempts, you usually end things with the statement, “You’d know it if you heard it.”
That’s true for Booker T. Jones’ classic rock-and-soul instrumental, “Green Onions,” recorded by his then-band, Booker T. and the M.G.’s. Released in 1962, the track rose to No. 3 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart and topped the R&B list. It saw some action again in the late ’70s after being included in The Who-based film Quadrophenia. The Memphis native and crew went on to have a number of hits, and they won a Grammy in 1995 for their hit “Cruisin’.”
Jones is a multi-instrumentalist, but his relationship with the Hammond B-3 organ is one that generally gets mentioned when he’s the topic of conversation. He’s played it, as well as the guitar, on his own efforts, as well as in the studio for a number of bands, including Willie Nelson, Elton John, and Rancid. Amy Young
Folk rock band Dawes.
Magdalena Wosinska
Dawes
Sunday, January 20
The Van Buren
Taylor Goldsmith has been going strong with his band, Dawes, for nearly a decade. The Los Angeles-based folk-rock quartet that features bassist Wylie Gelber, keyboardist Lee Pardini, and Taylor’s brother Griffin on drums, have recorded six studio albums in this limited time, including the recently released Passwords. A large part of their success is due to their frequent touring schedule, which has seen them build steady, yet increasingly larger audiences in all corners of the country. Later this month, they’ll pay a visit to The Van Buren in downtown Phoenix on their current tour. Jeff Strowe
PhxArt Amplified offers the chance to see local musical favorites in a new context.
Courtesy of Phoenix Art Museum
PhxArt Amplified: Volume II
Sunday, January 20
Phoenix Art Museum
Ever wish you had more time to explore the local music scene? You can see dozens of Arizona-based bands perform during PhxArt Amplified: Volume 2, happening from noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday, January 20, at Phoenix Art Museum. The lineup includes Jerusafunk, Las Chollas Peligrosas, RPM Orchestra, and plenty more. Visual artists and dancers are taking part, too. So add Liliana Gomez, Sierra Joy, Tyson Krank, and Nicole Olson to the list of local legends whose work you can explore that day. Performances take place throughout the museum, and you can check out the exhibits while you’re there. Tickets are $23 in advance, or $28 day of show. Lynn Trimble
