Rock favorites like Weezer, Coheed and Cambria, Pixies, and ZoSo all have performances at local concert venues over the next few nights, as do video game rapper Mega Ran and geeky indie act Treasure Mammal.
Other highlights of this weekend’s concert offerings include gigs by extraterrestrial EDM duo ATLiens, pop-punk veterans The Ataris, and jazz legend Charlie Hunter.
Details about each of these gigs can be found below. And for even more live music happening around the Valley this weekend, hit up Phoenix New Times' online concert calendar.
Zoso-The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience recreates the experience of a Led Zeppelin concert.
Jeff Schad
Friday, August 10
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
Playing Led Zeppelin music with authenticity means not just re-creating the band’s sound but also capturing its members’ movements,
The tribute group will perform at Tempe’s Marquee Theatre on Friday, August 10, starting at 6:15 p.m. The band stays true to the original music while adding touches such elongating, shortening or bending notes. Matt Jernigan, the band’s lead singer/Robert Plant says, “We try to execute and try to bring people what it was like to see them live.” Jernigan adds that Led Zeppelin appeals to different audiences because of the folk, heavy metal, blues, Celtic, classical, and reggae sounds in its music. Tickets cost $25 to $35. Laura Latzko
Kat Edmonson
Friday, August 10
Musical Instrument Museum
Kat Edmondson probably shouldn't be a jazz singer. She's young, and from Austin, Texas, which means how she wound up singing jazz and not blues, country, folk, or indie rock is anyone's guess. But jazz it is, and she's good at it – the New York Times called Edmonson "promising" and "kittenish," while the Boston Globe says her 2009 album Take to the Sky demonstrated her abilities as a “confident interpreter of song.”
Of course, some of the songs Edmonson chooses to interpret on Sky are hardly anyone's idea of jazz – the Cardigans' "Lovefool," for example. But listen as she brings out the inner bossa nova in The Cure's "Just Like Heaven." More traditional jazz fans, on the other hand, might prefer her
Mega Ran
Friday, August 10
Last Exit Live
As we noted in Phoenix New Times’ current cover story, shows by local rapper Mega Ran tend to offer “an infectiously fun atmosphere” that feature interactive singalongs, impromptu freestyle sessions, and a geeky vibe. Expect to encounter such a scene if you attend Mega Ran’s show on Friday night at Last Exit Live.
He’s joining forces with quirky indie band Bear Ghost, as well as hip-hop artist Alfred Banks and local act The Color 8, for the gig. Mega Ran and Bear Ghost’s sets will both recorded and special stickers and posters will be given away to attendees. Performances start at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $12 and a VIP package (which includes the aforementioned swag) is $20. Benjamin Leatherman
Treasure Mammal
Saturday, August 11
Trunk Space
No other musician in Phoenix pours as much blood, sweat, and raw imagination into their live performances than Treasure Mammal’s Abe Gil. The mastermind behind Treasure Mammal puts on delirious spectacles for his live shows. Backed by dancers wearing Mammal’s signature multicolored spandex bodysuits, Gil performs alongside giant inflatable snowmen and Christmas trees. Sometimes he’ll create
But there’s more to Treasure Mammal than putting on spectacles. Gil’s been writing earworms for years, catchy jams like “Amethyst,” “Dream Catcher,” and “Stevie Wonder to the Bullshit” that pop out of their cassette trappings like some brilliant fusion of ’90s pop and old school video game music. And while the Mammal is a proud hometown hero, his goofy spirit and pop chops have been recognized by a host of big names who’ve guested on his stuff (like Flaming Lips impresario Wayne Coyne and legendary DIY weirdo R. Stevie Moore). We look forward to seeing what Treasure Mammal will evolve into next. Ashley Naftule
ATLiens
Saturday, August 11
Monarch Theatre
Earthlings of the Valley, you’re about to receive a visitation from a pair of bass oddities. The dance music beings known as ATLiens will descend from the heavens and invade your space this weekend. The otherworldly duo won’t be bearing messages of peace and intergalactic unity, but rather auditory assaults of trap-laced dubstep and bass that will probe minds and induce massive amounts of headbanging and fist-pumping.
Consider acquainting yourself with their colonization procedures, or checking out their Soundcloud page to prepare. They’ll land at Monarch Theatre on Saturday, August 11, and fellow DJs Eliminate, Dark Mark, and SoulSpeek will assist them with their takeover. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $15 to $30. Benjamin Leatherman
On August 12, Weezer and the Pixies will play Ak-Chin Pavilion. Can you feel the tension?
Jim Louvau
Saturday, August 11
The Rhythm Room
One of the most incomparable present-day jazz musicians, Charlie Hunter is not just an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader but a true innovator. Performing primarily on seven- and eight-string guitars customized to include both bass and guitar strings, Hunter simultaneously plays bass lines, rhythm guitar, and solos.
First coming to prominence in the early '90s, Hunter has recorded close to 20 albums. Included in an array of trios, quartets, and quintets
The Ataris
Saturday, August 11
Pub Rock Live in Scottsdale
The Ataris saw the peak of their fame in 2003 with their cover of Don Henley's "Boys of Summer." That was back when boy bands who played their own instruments were just edgy enough to appeal to the up-and-coming indie crowd. Still, The Ataris had some pretty catchy songs. Their breakthrough album, So Long Astoria, became a canon of pop punk and indie rock with anthems like "In This Diary" spilling cliches about "listening to '80s songs and quoting lines from all those movies that we love" and how "being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up."
It's no wonder they were a big deal with the 15- to
Weezer and Pixies
Sunday, August 12
Ak-Chin Pavilion
In the beginning, there was a brawl between the words “Angst” and “Awkward.” The two words were distant neighbors in the “A” section of the dictionary and never liked each other, so they decided to fight. Not to the death, mind you, but close and it was ugly. There was some cursing, then shoving, then biting, then punches were thrown, and, in the end, there was a strong grudge that lasted until the late 1980s when a band came along that united the two wayward words. That band was the Pixies, and they were filled with angst and were also very awkward.
Painfully awkward, really, and because of this awkwardness, angst flowed through their riffage giving their singer, Black Francis (a.k.a. Frank Black), a twisted pallet to work from in order to share his sordid stories of angst-ridden and awkward relationships. A few years later, “Angst” and “Awkward” gave birth to another band: Weezer. They were also full of angst and awkwardness and people gravitated to them quickly because lots of people in the '90s were attracted to awkward, angst-ridden things. Sweaters were worn and sometimes even had songs written about them and clunky glasses, too, were a thing. It was awkward and angst-y and awesome.
Tom Reardon
Coheed and Cambria and Taking Back Sunday
Sunday, August 12
Comerica Theatre
Coheed and Cambria release concept albums based off a sci-fi storyline called The Amory Wars. After taking a break from the concept albums for The Color Before The Sun, they are back with the storyline for their newest album, Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures. They're co-headlining this tour with Taking Back Sunday, who are touring off their album TIDAL WAVE. Pop-punk act The Story So Far, who
[image-11] Omar Apollo
Sunday, August 12
Valley Bar
Omar Apollo, born Omar Apolonio, dropped out of college after just two weeks. Soon after giving academia the boot, he started creating an easy-going style of retro-tinged pop that borrows from jazz, R&B, funk, alternative and soul.
The 20-year-old first-generation Mexican-American singer-songwriter, who calls Indiana home, began strumming the guitar at age 12 and then put his ax to the side for a few years. He resumed playing at 18, at which point he began to absorb new styles of music and started to pen his own material. He quickly made up for lost time.
While he brandishes accomplished picking chops, in addition to winsome crooning, his music expands beyond the typical guitar-driven fare. He cites David Bowie, Prince, Alex G, Cuco and MorMor among his influences. His recent EP, Stereo, includes songs in both English and Spanish.
This weekend, Apollo visits Valley Bar on his current tour. Locals MK
[image-12] Borgeous
Sunday, August 12
Maya Day & Nightclub in Scottsdale
It's something of a necessity for every DJ/producer working the global EDM circuit to have a specialty or signature sound if they hope to ever make it in the biz. Having a few big hits in their quiver couldn’t hurt either. Borgeous has both. The American-born DJ and producer
You’re likely to hear these tracks blasting from the sound system at Maya in Scottsdale during his set during the latest Soundwave pool party on Sunday. The afternoon-long event will also feature sessions by local DJs, as well as the usual poolside shenanigans. Gates open at noon and tickets are $10. Benjamin Leatherman
