Music

Like a well-kept vacuum chamber, the Rhythm Room seems to have a spot-on knack for sucking in each and every sincere, deep-souled bluesman our venerable national swamp is able to cough up. Picking through the lot could be a real chore, but hell, in the end, what’s the difference? Twelve…

There are some things in life that most people agree are worth experiencing. The duration of a sunset, airplane sex, and an in-person peek at the Grand Canyon are all commonly agreed upon as must-do things by everyone, even if only done just once. Local residents will soon be able…

The difference between noise and noisy rock is in the ear of the beholder, something Pterodactyl realized after initially aping a drunken, cacophonous wreck. Adding structure to their throttling throb, they couch little gems of guitar creativity in jagged squalls of feedback, and stray scraps of melody beneath the cushions…

With its ramshackle buildings, barren lots, and dodgy reputation, south Phoenix ain’t exactly the kinda place we’d normally suggest you hang around after dark. But on Friday, August 3, you’ll definitely wanna make the trip south of Interstate 17 to experience a thunderous, thump-filled evening of drum ‘n’ bass, dubstep,…

This week, Club Candids decided to hit up our favorite pre-party place in Phoenix, Zen 32. The sushi restaurant has a late-night menu and stellar bar service, so we often make a pit stop there before heading out for the evening’s real shindig. On Saturday, July 28, this swanky place…

Ladies, if you want some attention, hit Bruno Mali’s on a Monday night. We were there for the two-year anniversary of the DJ night A Foreign Affair on July 16, and the place was a total sausage-fest. (Click here for more photos.) But be warned, many of these dudes are…

Ryan Adams was needled throughout 2005 for releasing three CDs’ worth of songs without seeming to consider whether the tunes met his standards. In interviews, Adams shrugged off such criticism, but lo and behold, he waited more than 18 months — an eternity for him — to release Easy Tiger,…

This Tempe-based indie band’s new release shows that it has two positive points: plenty of enthusiasm and a refreshing willingness to be open and goofy between tracks, à la The Beatles in Let It Be. During one moment, you can hear studio chatter about what one member of the band…

What the Clink? My Machine is Crushed’s debut full-length venture into the world of heavy metal, with producer credit going to none other than Mike Clink of Guns N’ Roses and Metallica fame. And that’s where the impressive points end. While claiming prog rock, the album is a consistent flow…

In the mid-’50s, while Sinatra swung and Elvis and Chuck Berry showed the world how to rock, black Louisianans of Cajun extraction — Clifton Chenier, for one — were plugging in and pumping crackling rhythm and blues into traditional Cajun dance music. The result was tagged “zydeco,” an ebullient and…

And the geeks shall inherit the Earth, indeed. If anyone said that Rush would last 30-plus years in 1975, when robo-tronic drummer Neil Peart joined the Canadian trio (thus transforming it from a derivative bar band into one of the world’s most revered prog icons), they were probably high. But,…

Ever since 50 Cent’s G-Unit mixtape crew earned mainstream recognition with 2003’s platinum-selling Beg for Mercy, members of the group have worked hard to escape Fiddy’s hulking shadow and establish themselves as independent artists. While Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo have certainly capitalized on G-Unit’s success, neither has managed to…

This bill features a pair of bands noteworthy for their rousing style and lively stage presence. Hailing from Chicago’s Irish South Side, The Tossers began in ’93, before Celtic-punk peers Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys. Though long overshadowed by the aforementioned acts, it wasn’t for lack of talent. While more…

Marnie Stern made one of the most intriguing debuts this year with In Advance of the Broken Arm, a cacophonous yet strangely tuneful blast of prog experimentation that verges on indie rock. Stern’s high-pitched, girlish vocals are slathered in guitar pyrotechnics ranging from crazy metal hammer-ons to Sonic Youth-ish squall…

Generally speaking, styles come and go, but idioms last forever. And when four tuff dudes with the right moxie get their greasy mitts around the correct noise-making implements, settle their deadly attentions upon said idiom (you know, ’60s garage rock), and control their own greasy facial spasms long enough to…

Celeb sensations David Beckham and Posh Spice aren’t the only doses of coolness that England’s been hurling across the pond lately. Witness the growth of dubstep, the darkly rhythmic and beyond-bassy EDM (electronic dance music) descendent of UK garage and grime birthed in London’s underground. Championed by such Brit DJs…

It’ll take three days after I walk through the back door to The Great Escape for my own back door to finally get back to normal (from the ravages of drinking — thus the “great escape”). At any rate, I’m pleased as a pig in shit to review this little…

Remember the good, old days (way back in April), when you could sit at the bar with your beer and suck on cancer sticks without freaking the fuck out about getting fined $50? Well, those days aren’t exactly here again, but there are some places in the Valley where you…