If you didn't happen to be in Casa Grande when Jimmy Eat World played this show, back in May, you may find it more convenient to head out to Tucson for a show from this year's Readers' Choice for Best Local Band.
If you weren't really into "The Middle," for some reason, fear not--there's more going on this weekend. (View our complete concert calendar here.)
Doctor Bones - Rogue Bar - Friday, September 27
Six months, a Kickstarter, a new lead singer, and numerous assurances they weren't done later, local "Indie Dance Music for People" purveyors Doctor Bones returned to the stage on Day 1 of Future Loves Past's Lushfest to debut their new look.Their first full show back is Friday, and it'd be a good one to catch--they're joined by Snake! Snake! Snakes! and Sun Ghost, for one thing. If you have to miss them, though, take heart: This is apparently the start of a monthly Rogue Bar engagement.
John Williams - Symphony Hall - Saturday, September 28
John Williams is hands down the most successful movie composer of all time. Whether or not he is the greatest is up for debate--Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman are also fantastic--but Williams is definitely ranked among the best of the best. His soundtracks are part of what makes Steven Spielberg's films so iconic. But not just Spielberg's; Darth Vader's "I am your father" is only as memorable as Star Wars' opening theme. The Jaws theme is one of the few songs that is instantly recognizable after two notes. Few songs are more triumphant than the the one playing underneath Raiders of the Lost Ark.John Williams' rare live performance not only features his iconic film scores, but an appearance from none other than Steven Spielberg himself. The film scores will play in sync with a large video screen that projects the corresponding scenes, so expect plenty of Indiana Jones, E.T, Jaws, and more. Spielberg and Williams probably have their hands tied with Jurassic Park 4, making this one-time performance even more special. Better yet, all of the proceeds will benefit The Phoenix Symphony's Education and Community Outreach Program. -- Melissa Fossum
Don't Kill My Vibe - Mind's Eye Studios, Mesa - Saturday, September 28
The enigmatic local EDM combo Spiders Down Yonder are as dark as they are mysterious. The duo -- who are known simply as "!" and "?" -- often adorn themselves with bandannas, lampshades, or other face coverings that obscure their identity, whether its on their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/spidersdownyonder) or during their shows. Head over to YouTube and your senses can soak in the unsettling and bloody imagery contained within the disturbingly dark music video for the Spiders Down Yonder track "Venom," which is backed by one of their typically murky mixes of such wicked sounds as dark electro, dubstep, and moombahcore.Their brand of audio brutality, which features the pair digging up both "the grimy and the symphonic," is probably what they'll be blasting during Don't Kill My Vibe on Saturday, September 28, inside the Mind's Eye Studios, 43 West Sixth Avenue in Mesa. Spiders Down Yonder will be one of the featured performers at the weekend dance party, which will also include kinky and warbling beats from Matt Dunn, Damien Helzcoming, HD, Electro Negro, Captain Mead, and others. Moabyte will also provide the visuals, a shuffling contest with $150 in cash and prizes will be staged, and various vendors will have booths set up. The party runs from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m. Admission is $10 before 10 p.m., $15 afterwards. Call 480-420-9856. -- Benjamin Leatherman
Jimmy Eat World - The Marquee Theatre - Sunday, September 29
After their customary three-year hiatus following 2010's Invented, the Mesa natives announced their eighth album and an Arizona tour in rapid succession in April. The album, Damage, was prototypically Jimmy Eat World; the tour was a little unusual. Bypassing Phoenix and Tucson entirely, Jim Adkins and company scheduled much smaller shows in not-quite-hotspots like Yuma, Wickenburg, Sierra Vista, and Casa Grande. The result was a run of up-close, sold-out shows that were as small as any the band has played since Clarity made them cult heroes in the late '90s.We were there on May 9, for the Casa Grande show, and aside from betraying their big-city upbringing -- locals offered some helpful pronunciation tips for "Grande" -- they haven't lost their small-show touch. That performance's encore ended with a fan jumping up and down on stage. At a bigger venue, that'll get you kicked out before the guitar solo in "The Middle." In Casa Grande, it earned him a high-five.
Terry Malts - Rhythm Room - Sunday, September 29
None of Terry Malts' three members carries that name on their birth certificate, and what sounds like a brand of vinegar used to flavor fried fish is instead a fuzz-addled punk band more classic than pop. Hmmm... perhaps the vinegar analogy actually works--the band is full of plenty of piss too--as is evidenced on their recent Slumberland Records release Nobody Realizes This Is Nowhere. Forget Green Day, which also evolved out of the San Francisco Bay Area. Terry Malts and their cross-bay counterparts share little in common other than the punk rock moniker.Terry Malts--Corey Cunningham (guitar, throat), Phil Benson (bass, vocals) and Nathan Sweatt (drums, confusion)--offer the real deal, a solid Britain-to-Cali 1979 throwback to a time when the music and action behind it mattered most, and not aspirations of commercial success. It's refreshing to discover a straight-ahead thrashing, gripping, music-first punk band worth its mosh pit--even though the Malts also feel comfortable scattering a few subtle, catchy hooks amongst the staccato drums, angry guitars and off-pitch vocals, notably in "I Was Not There," "No Tomorrow" and the Wire-like opener "Two Faces." More power to 'em. -- Glenn BurnSilver
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