“Weird Al” Yankovic Is Coming to Chandler – Plus More Phoenix Music News

Metro Phoenix’s concert calendar for 2022 just got a little weirder. The legendary “Weird Al” Yankovic has announced he’s bringing his upcoming tour to the Valley next fall for a gig at Chandler Center for the Arts, which is likely to be attended by local geeks and fans of the famed song parody artist.

The show announcement is one of a few items in our latest round-up of recent news from the Valley’s music and concert scenes. We’ve also got details on a new hip-hop event, the return of a beloved live music joint, and a local band getting their song on a prestige television show.

“Weird Al” Yankovic Coming to Chandler Center for the Arts

Local fans of “Weird Al” Yankovic who weren’t able to attend the Valley’s stop on his Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour in 2018 will get another chance to do so next fall. He’s reportedly bringing the tour back to town on September 11, 2022, for a visit to Chandler Center for the Arts. Like its previous edition, shows will feature Yankovic eschewing his usual shtick and stage production for a more stripped-down and intimate performance of his older material and “style parodies.” Tickets for the concert go on sale Friday and are $59 to $89.

The Slims Album Being Reissued

Defunct local alt-country/Americana band The Slims, which haunted Valley music venues during the heyday of Tempe’s jangle-pop scene, are getting their album Slow Road to Hell reissued later this month. The female-fronted act, which was led by vocalist/guitarist Connie Maverick (née Hoy), was a regular at spots like the equally defunct Long Wong’s in Tempe and were what Phoenix New Times described way back when as “four highly-skilled, tightly knit bar rockers who aren’t afraid to let their Southwestern jangle hang out.” Their 11-track album, which originally came out in 1995, is being put out on December 14 by Little Pink Studios, a local label owned by Tempe musician Jim Swafford. It will also be available on Spotify and iTunes. (A preview is available here.)

The Womack Reopens

Central Phoenix nightspot and live music joint The Womack has reopened its doors more than 20 months after shutting down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like practically every bar in the Valley, the retro cocktail lounge and stomping grounds for local R&B/soul artists closed its doors in March 2020, but took longer to return to the scene. (The Womack’s proprietors haven’t stated what caused its extended absence.) The spot reopened on December 2 and is still featuring DJs and local musicians, including sets by the Roscoe Taylor Band, the Steven Himmelstein Trio, and the DJs of Recordbar Radio.

Legends of Hip-Hop Carnival Announced

Local promoter/organizer Justus Samuel of Respect the Underground

The Father Figures Get a Song on Yellowjackets

The musicians of local rock/punk band The Father Figures can add another entry to the lengthy list of accomplishments, as one of their songs was included in the soundtrack for the Showtime program Yellowjackets. According to Phoenix-based label Fervor Records, the band’s 2012 track “Maid in China” was featured on the fourth episode of the show, which aired on December 5. It’s not the first time Fervor Records has gotten the music of local bands (past and present) played on a prestige television show, as acts like Gentleman Afterdark have made the soundtracks of Stranger Things and Marvel’s Hit-Monkey in recent years.