Taylor Momsen is no stranger to the spotlight. She’s been modeling and acting since age 2, and she began writing music by the time she was in grade school. (Years later, a song she wrote at age 8 even ended up on a 24-year-old reality star’s debut album). She starred…
On November 18, 2014, North Carolina’s Hiss Golden Messenger appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman. After the band’s performance, a funky, swaying version of “Southern Grammar,” Letterman raved. “I like everything about this,” Letterman beamed. “What are you worried about?” Bandleader M.C. Taylor answered with a smirk and…
Of Montreal fans have, in a sense, been reading frontman Kevin Barnes’ diary for the past 20 years. Endearingly vulnerable and addictingly frank, his lyrics are emotionally magnetic, with enough highbrow literary references and sesquipedalian terminology to make you feel like you’re in with the smart kids if you get…
Is it just me or are people who are afraid of clowns kinda dumb? Fear of masks (masklophobia) makes sense to me — it could be anything under there, or even spookier, maybe there isn’t a face at all! But a clown is just an idiot in makeup — what’s…
Blend up some catchy garage pop, a punk rock heart, some quirky sensibilities, and a heap of sincerity and you’ll wind up with Australian duo, Gooch Palms. Otherwise known as Leroy MacQueen and Kat Friend, these two – who are also a couple – have been working their asses off…
Halloween is only a couple of weeks away and – as you’d expect – ’tis the season for sporting kooky costumes, madcap masks, and freaky face paint. And, fittingly enough, some of this week’s best concerts in the Valley will include artists and acts who are famous for their costumes,…
When the lights went up inside the historic Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix after an emotional performance by Icelandic dream rockers Sigur Rós, my eyes were, for lack of a better word, moist. I was moved and I did not know why. As the crowd emptied, I attempted to keep…
Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame has always been known to have eye-popping visuals accompanying his concerts. Now, for the first time since 2012, Phoenix fans will get the chance to judge for themselves. Waters’ Us + Them Tour will stop by Gila River Arena in Glendale on June 14,…
If ever there was a time to see Bob Dylan in concert, it’d be this weekend. As you might’ve heard by now, the folk legend is making headlines for winning the Nobel Prize for literature earlier this week, arguably one of the proudest accomplishments of his 57-year career in music…
You know MC Magic when you hear him, and not only because the Phoenix producer/rapper/singer often intros himself at the top of his songs. Whether on one of his own records or features for Latin rappers like Brown Boy, Arion, and Ms. Krazie, Magic (real name Marco Cardenas) is instantly…
Wes Miles, the leader of the indie rock band Ra Ra Riot, remembers how much fun he had staying home from school because it afforded him the opportunity to watch science-fiction movies. He would watch the original Star Wars trilogy, only to go back and have a repeat viewing of…
Indie folk star Ryley Walker didn’t really take to Phoenix the last time he played here. Google does not offer any clues of the exact date when the Rockford, Illinois, native previously performed in the Valley. It’s difficult to confirm if the sordid events he described even took place. Yet…
It’s strange to let 27 years pass before seeing one of your favorite bands again. But somehow, that’s how much time had elapsed since the first and, until last weekend, only time I had ever seen The Who. I hadn’t intentionally avoided seeing them again, but over the intervening years, it…
After selling out the 2,650-capacity Celebrity Theatre in August, Brian Wilson will return to the venue once more on May 22, 2017, the singer announced today. Wilson has been touring the country for the 50th anniversary of the iconic Beach Boys album Pet Sounds, hailed critically as one of the most…
If there’s one thing we learned at Desert Trip, it’s this: Our parents used to rage. And given half the chance, they still know how to throw down. All over the Empire Polo Club grounds at Goldenvoice’s massive classic-rock festival, folks in their 50s, 60s and even 70s were getting…
For the first time since 2013, Green Day will play another concert in the Valley, the band announced today. The band is scheduled to play Talking Stick Resort Arena on March 1. Against Me! will open. Green Day just released Revolution Radio on Friday, October 6. It is the band’s 12…
Up for seeing a great concert this week? If so, we’ve got a few suggestions for y’all. As a matter of fact, we’ve got 10 of ’em, and the list includes shows from a wide variety of genres and formats, from post-punk and indie folk to hip-hop and good ol’…
Failure celebrated the 20-year anniversary of Fantastic Planet by playing the influential record from to back Saturday night at Livewire in Scottsdale. Typically when a band plays a record in its entirety it can be a mixed bag, since the surprise element that is so important in a concert experience…
As a proud 10-time Coachella attendee, I was more than a little curious when Goldenvoice announced Desert Trip, fondly referred to as “Oldchella.” Leave it to the creators of the two-weekend music festival to find another way to make history. When Desert Trip instantly sold out both weekends, it was…
It’s 11:30 a.m. on a Saturday, and a classic rock cover band is serenading a small, mostly middle-aged crowd lazing around a pool at the Shadow Hills RV Resort in Indio, California. They’re belting out Van Morrison’s “Wild Night,” which seems like an odd choice for this hour — or…
Here are our picks for the best concerts in Phoenix this weekend. For more options, check out our comprehensive concert calendar. Cyndi Lauper – Friday, October 7 – Talking Stick ResortIn terms of animal comparisons, Cyndi Lauper would best be categorized as a chameleon, considering the way she’s adapted and…
No matter what they do, Mumford and Sons will likely never escape their reputation as the polite British guys with the banjos. That’s not to say there was no effort involved. The quartet traded their vests and their plaid for solid colors and single layers, and the smoky lighting added…
