Music

Only because this is Arizona do we make this disclaimer: If you think this is the Rich Little of Jethro Tull tribute bands, don’t hold your locomotive breath. England’s Aqualung is Matt Hales, and according to his official bio, he was a child prodigy who wrote his first songs at…

There is such a thing as sophisticated simplicity, and Let Go’s self-titled debut makes a sly example. With its soaring vocal harmonies, shimmering drums, and rich, driving guitar, it feels comfortably familiar at first listen. But on second thought, how many new bands are giving a 21st-century, indie spin to…

“America’s favorite DJ” (according to BPM magazine) and acclaimed electronic music producer Paul van Dyk is touching down in the Valley this weekend, right on the heels of the release of his latest double mix CD, Politics of Dancing 2. Van Dyk, who grew up behind the Iron Curtain in…

“God save me from my past and present sins,” growls Freddy Cricien (rhymes with Christian) on the Kings of New York Hardcore’s latest aggro epistle, “Heaven – Hell.” Past sins include being an offshoot of a band you may have heard of called Agnostic Front, releasing albums that clock in…

Reggie and the Full Effect front man James Dewees revels in theatrics, whether you’re talking about the many aliases he’s used with Reggie — like Paco, Klause from the fictional Common Denominators, and, of course, Reggie — or the bunny costumes he and his bandmates wear onstage as they cover…

Like his buddy Reverend Horton Heat or his inspiration Jerry Lee Lewis, Colonel J.D. Wilkes is pure showman (and he’s no more military than Heat is clergy). Wilkes leads the Shack Shakers through similar intersections of blues/rock/country/rockabilly, wielding the wheel like a man possessed. Holding on to the mic stand…

Through the Eyes of the Dead will sneak up from behind to snap its enemy’s neck. The South Carolina band blends ominous growling with sweet melodies, creating metal (with a touch of grind) that will get stuck in your head. Anthony Gunnels’ vocals express such agony that one can imagine…

Anyone who’s been subjected to Baha’i ska or Krishna punk can tell you that Christianity is not the problem with Christian rock — it’s the manipulation of secular music with religion. Reggae, on the other hand, is religious music in the first place, with a distinctly Judaic root. No surprise,…

Back in 2000, in the year of ye olde nü-metal, a fledgling Disturbed carried on one of metal’s oldest traditions: self-seriousness, bordering on self-parody. Rather than trying to be street like everybody else, singer Dave Draiman and flanks proffered master’s degrees and philosophical pomp. On the new Ten Thousand Fists,…

American Analog Set’s albums are kind of like sampling apple pies made by your mom, aunt, and grandmother. Sure, they don’t taste identical. Sure, Aunt Ruth uses too much salt. But in the end, it’s still just apple pie. AmAnSet’s multiple releases are pretty much just that — a decade’s…

Imagine it’s 1925 and you and your special lady or mister have decided to spend Friday night at the club. Onstage is a new female duet with a forward-thinking way of melding jazz, swing, tightly woven harmonies, and vaudeville-era musical theatre. There’s a tall drink o’ water on the mandolin…

Admittedly I’m a little bit behind on my Dave Matthews clones — once he quit the Blues Traveler harping of his earlier hits, I couldn’t even tell the DMB from Hootie. Then came that John Mayer guy who performed at the Grammys honoring James Taylor, mumbling his hit “Your Body…

Kool Keith is a hip-hop legend going back 20 years to rap’s early beginnings. The onetime Bellevue patient was a member of seminal Bronx group Ultramagnetic MCs before striking out on his own to forge some of the most outlandish rap characters in the pantheon — Doctor Octagon and his…

Barbez is a whirlwind of Old World energy, a picture postcard suffused with smoky moods and late-night cabaret. Like Gogol Bordello getting a makeover from the Dresden Dolls, Barbez mixes Eastern European folk styles from gypsy to klezmer with a Weimar/Kurt Weill fascination, and flavors the sound with a theremin…

On July 27, Kris Johnson — one of the founders of Bad Stain Records — was leaving O’Brien’s (35th Avenue and Northern) when he was approached by two teenage assailants, a male and a female. Johnson didn’t know these people — had never seen them before — yet without exchanging…

While receiving high accolades for her quick-fingered guitar work, Brazil’s Badi Assad is equally dangerous behind the microphone. This reigning bossa queen has been applauded heavily on the classical circuit for an innate ability to sidestep styles with mercurial lightness. With a penchant for jazz and traditional soundscapes, Verde is…

Against Me! never ceases to amaze. Searching for a Former Clarity has songs for everyone, while still being the album longtime fans would want to hear. The disc kicks off with a long guitar intro in “Miami,” which is the standard Against Me! song with throaty, gritty vocals over a…

Between the Buried and Me has solidified its technical metal sound with its new disc, Alaska. It starts off with thick bass lines and quirky guitar riffs on “All Bodies,” which sets the tone for the rest of the album. Also, it’s where we get our first taste of vocalist…