Post Malone and 21 Savage are both headed to town on Tuesday, June 19, and will serve as vanguards for an invasion of rappers that will dominate local concert venues over the next several nights.
To wit: West Coast superstar Nipsey Hussle has a gig in the Valley this week, as does old-school artist R.A. the Rugged Man, and new-school artist Deca.
It ain't just a rapper's delight, however, as acts and artists like Ninja Sex Party, Ziggy Marley, New Found Glory, and Igor and the Red Elvises all have shows scheduled in Phoenix this week.
Details about each of these shows and events can be found below. And for even more live music happening around the Valley, hit up Phoenix New Times' online concert calendar.
Ninja Sex Party
Monday, June 18
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
L.A.-by-way-of-N.Y. musical comedy duo Ninja Sex Party have been charming their way into your pants since 2009 with synth-pop and rock songs about sex, unicorns, and dinosaurs. Singer Danny Sexbang (Dan Avidan) looks like a superhero in Spandex, and keyboardist Ninja Brian (Brian Wecht) dresses like a ninja.
They’ve released four albums that include parody songs with titles like “Dinosaur Laser Fight,” “Dragon Slayer” and “No Reason Boner” — and videos with cheesy animation about all the above — as well as their current record, Under the Covers, which is made up of covers of Def Leppard, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Rush, as well as a fantastic rendition of “Africa” by Toto. Siran Babayan
Igor and the Red Elvises are the kind of collusion with Russians we can get behind.
Julie Delisle
Tuesday, June 19
Rhythm Room
The next time you find yourself scouring for questions for a ’90s-themed TV trivia night, we’ve got one question you can slip into the mix. See if anyone can tell you the name of the rock band that fuses multiple styles, and that made an appearance on one of the decade’s most popular shows, Melrose Place. They’ll get the point if they answer Igor and the Red Elvises.
That was in 1998; the band formed just a few years prior to
Their songs are pretty spirited, no matter which style is more at the fore. Songs like “Twist Like Uma Thurman” from their 2008 release Drinking with Jesus, embody the spirit of ’50s party rock. “We Got the Groove” from 2000’s Shake Your Pelvis is a tune that brings the vibe of ’70s acts like Con Funk Shun to mind. More than two decades and their party train
Post Malone
Tuesday, June 19
Rawhide Event Center
The world was introduced to the singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer known as Post Malone by his 2015 single “White Iverson.” Listeners streamed the song about a million times in the month after he independently put it up on SoundCloud, which immediately drew the attention of major record labels. Post Malone (real name Austin Richard Post) then signed with New York’s Republic Records and released his first album, the appropriately titled Stoney.
But “White Iverson” wasn’t just Post’s debut single; it went on to become an unlikely worldwide hit. Barely two and a half years after its release, the song has been streamed more than 550 million times on YouTube alone. And that wasn’t all: He promptly released the smash-hit follow-up singles "Congratulations” and “Rockstar," the latter of which spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last year.
Post dropped his sophomore album Beerbongs & Bentleys back in April and followed it up with a victorious debut set at Coachella. It’s become clear that despite his scruffy appearance and so-so singing chops, the 22-year-old has become a legitimate pop superstar. On Tuesday, Post and 21 Savage's tour hits Rawhide Event Center in Chandler. SOB x RBE will open. Howard Hardee
New Found Glory & Bayside
Tuesday, June 19
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
The guys of New Found Glory are in the midst of a monthlong tour promoting their latest release, Makes Me Sick. That particular tour was announced just months after the close of the band’s worldwide headlining tour 20 Years of Pop Punk, which came through Phoenix last fall.
New Found Glory has been around since
Emo-rock legends Bayside will join NFG on the Sick tour. Formed in 2000 in New York, Bayside has enjoyed a similarly extensive and productive career, with seven studio albums, including their most recent release, Vacancy.
The two groups share more than parallel career paths — they’re all good friends. In fact, Bayside frontman Anthony Raneri has been featured as guest vocalist on a few NFG tracks and even stepped in to replace Chad Gilbert during a tour in 2010. Chelsey Norris
Deca
Tuesday, June 19
The Rebel Lounge
Deca probably has one of the most distinctive voices in hip-hop. His gruff and rigid vocal style, which recalls an alto-voiced Supernatural, is one of his strengths; it grabs your attention instantly, even if it's a bit monotonous. Lyrically, Deca's as solid as they come. On The Hedonist and other albums in his discography, the Denver-born rapper's dexterous wordplay has been bolstered by excellent production that serves to showcase his flows over hot, riot-starting beats.
This week, Deca will pay a visit to The Rebel Lounge on his current tour in support of his latest album, Flux. DJ
Ziggy Marley
Wednesday, June 20
The Van Buren
Much like Sean Lennon, Ziggy Marley is music royalty. His dad was ridiculously successful at spreading Rastafari around the globe and created some of the greatest music ever recorded.
Ziggy Marley has been making music since 1979 when he performed with his siblings and father in the Melody Makers, and he is now a multi-instrumentalist with several occupations. In 1986, the group changed its name to Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers and quickly found great success. In 1988, they recorded an album with members of Talking Heads that helped kill the comparisons to Marley and his father and the group won the Grammy award for "Best Reggae Album" two years in a row.
Rolling solo since 2003, Marley is now touring on his latest album, Rebellion Rises, and will stop by The Van Buren in downtown Phoenix on Wednesday night. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $36-$60. Jeremy Hallock
R.A. the Rugged Man
Wednesday, June 20
The Rebel Lounge
R.A. the Rugged Man may not be the most well-known rapper out there, but there is no denying the guy's skills. The Long Island native signed with Jive Records when he was 18 and has worked with some of hip-hop's biggest talents but has kept things quiet since 2013's Legends Never Die.
That doesn't mean the rapper is idle by any means. He's spent the last several years
Nipsey Hussle
Wednesday, June 20
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
Nipsey Hussle rose to prominence in the same generation of L.A. rappers that brought forth the likes of YG, Kendrick Lamar, and Schoolboy Q. Starting in the aughts, they were among the new guard of MCs who held it down for the city's proud rap tradition.
Since his debut in 2005, Nipsey has been keeping it real within the hip-hop world, playing a brand of West Coast rap similar to the one that's made YG famous. He released a dozen different mixtapes over the past 13 years, including such well-received releases as 2013’s Crenshaw and 2014’s Mailbox Money. Major success always seemed to elude him, however, as Nipsey wasn’t necessarily a megastar à la Kanye or Kendrick, but was instead more of a "your rapper's favorite rapper" type.
Then came this year’s Victory Lap, his first full-length album
Shakey Graves
Thursday, June 21
The Van Buren
You might have guessed that Alejandro Rose-Garcia wasn’t given the cool moniker Shakey Graves upon arrival into the world just over 30 years ago. The name happened during a hangout with friends and it stuck. If you’re a heartbreaking, roots-rock singer dishing out twangy tunes that often fall on the sadder side of the spectrum, it’s certainly appropriate. The Austin, Texas, performer started out as a one-man-band, using some makeshift gear to have a kick drum and tambourine accompaniment to his vocals and guitar. He has dropped a handful of releases since 2011, but his most recent, Can’t Wake Up, finds him stretching his musical muscle.
No worries, there’s still plenty of gut-wrenching lyrics a la older tracks like “Donor Blues,” the title track from his 2012 offering. The arrangements and the diversity in musical styles are where you’ll truly see the singer-songwriter’s evolution. “Dining Alone” is punchy and full of swing. “Kids These Days” really veers off the country path, easily taking a spot next to tunes by psychedelic indie rockers like MGMT. Mix the stylistic makeover with the brightness in production, and Can’t Wake Up as a whole has a vibe that feels rejuvenated and hopeful. Amy Young
Slightly Stoopid
Thursday, June 21
Mesa Amphitheatre
In a culture that tends to pigeonhole practically everything for the sake of convenience, Slightly Stoopid defy any notion of easy categorization. They even defy their own branding, with an adept combination of reggae, funk, hip-hop, rock, and punk that's far from what their goofy name might imply.
Unlike other bands who don't dare to step out beyond their self-prescribed boundaries, Slightly Stoopid wander willingly, and frequently, in fact, into varied terrain, allowing themselves to be taken wherever their muse might carry them. A favorite on the festival circuit, their freewheeling populist appeal has brought them an ever-increasing following — unapologetically dubbed "the Stoopidheads" — since the release of their eponymous debut in 1996. Lee Zimmerman
