“I remember, it was early afternoon, and the car was so hot I couldn’t get in it. I couldn’t touch the steering wheel in the car. I had to start it and run the air conditioner for about 15 minutes,” says Emmett “Murph” Murphy III, Dinosaur Jr.’s original drummer. Murphy…
There was once a time when blues music was a popular force in American music. Funk music dominated the ’70s. Folk singer-songwriters once ruled Billboard charts. Now, blues rarely strays outside the confines of blues clubs, funk music is a garden from which hip-hop artists occasionally harvest to create new sounds,…
At long last, it’s finally here. That moment when the live music scene in Phoenix finally awakens from its summertime slumber and gets into gear. For proof, look no further than the fact that many of the Valley’s various arts centers are kicking off their fall performance schedules in the…
Still got some money, energy, and mojo left over from your action-packed Labor Day adventures? Feel like checking out a cool concert or dance party this weekend? If you answered “yes” to either question, we’ve got a few suggestions for you. This weekend’s slate of “can’t miss” concerts includes emo…
Anthony Raneri, lead singer and guitarist of the emo rock band Bayside, doesn’t care what other people think of him or his band. He is proud of what the group has accomplished throughout their 16 years together and the seven albums they have released. “I learned that you can’t make…
Drake is all about energy. Hell, he even has a song called “Energy.” So when Drake says that Phoenix might be one of the most energetic crowds of his career you just might have to take his word for it. It was clear that Drake was aiming to please the…
One of Phoenix’s prized musical daughters announced a solo tour today, and the first date will kick off in Phoenix. Stevie Nicks, the mystical Fleetwood Mac singer, will kick off her tour on Tuesday, October 25, at Talking Stick Resort Arena. She will be joined by the Pretenders, the Rock…
First, some good news: As of today, the summertime season is officially over with and done. Now, the bad news: that only applies to the rest of the country and unfortunately not us Arizonans. Sucks, don’t it? Like it or not, we’ve still got another couple of weeks of heat…
There are plenty of big concerts to look forward to next year. And as of last weekend, that includes the annual Pot of Gold Music Festival, the two-day outdoor concert extravaganza taking place during Saint Patrick’s Day weekend. Lucky Man Concerts announced the dates of next year’s music festival, which…
Need something to do this weekend? Hope so, since it’s Labor Day and all and you’ve got three straight days of work-free bliss at your disposal. There plenty of pool parties and club parties happening, as well as many other events connected to the Labor Day holiday. And, of course,…
The Flamin’ Groovies would prefer to take the oft-bestowed label as one of the “greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands you’ve never heard of” and kick it to the curb. And yet, 50 years since their humble San Francisco beginnings, this sincere, yet dubious distinction given to them may be be…
The summertime certainly had its fair share of great concerts, including many of the stunning, spectacular and super-sized variety. With that being said, September is going to be even better. No joke. As a matter of fact, we can assuredly state that this month will feature some of the most-anticipated…
When the Deftones released their 1995 debut record Adrenaline the metal world was already seeing a changing of the guard as bands wearing tank tops, baggy shorts, and spiked hair were redefining the genre. While the Deftones were major players in putting the term “nü metal” on the map, it was…
The world needs more wild children. You know the type, right? Free spirits who actually do things. Powerful women and men who, when pushed, push back, and tend to keep pushing the boundaries placed in front of them because they have no choice but to keep on pushing. Juliette Lewis…
It’s not like music festivals are a new thing. Woodstock, anyone? In fact, long-running ones, like Coachella, going strong since 1993, have inspired a hearty annual calendar of multi-act, multi-day concert destinations. Whether you want your music delivered via stages at a remote desert site like the aforementioned Coachella or…
Nikki Hill’s secret recipe: Take equal parts revved-up rockabilly punk, AC/DC metal stomp, and scorching modern electric blues, and add overflowing spoonfuls of raw, edgy jump blues, R&B, and soul. Blend on 11. What pours from the speakers is one fiery, passionate soul shouter with plenty of attitude and the…
Cool weather is just around the corner, Phoenix, and with it, the opportunity to actually walk outside. Scottsdale Quarter, the fancy mall up north on Scottsdale Road and Main Street, is preparing for the cool temps by throwing together a weekly concert series starting September 10 and featuring bands that…
The Valley is going to be hesher heaven this week. Thanks to the fact that the annual Psycho Fest took place in Las Vegas this past weekend, a number of participating metal and rock bands (including many of the experimental, psychedelic, stoner, and death variety) are passing through Phoenix in…
This weekend’s slate of big concerts happening around the Valley is downright eclectic, to say the least. It seems an apt description, considering it includes a lingerie rave, a visit from punk icons Face to Face, and a performance by instrumental post-rock act Explosions. And that’s just on Friday.The rest…
Go to enough pop concerts and certain parts of the show will start to annoy you. For instance, pretty much every pop star incorporates the state flag of whatever city they’re in into the set, usually to resounding, pandering applause. They throw unrealistic superlatives to the audience, saying they’re the…
What Coldplay is these days is increasingly rare: A young-ish rock band that inspires a monoculture and plays to adoring crowds in arenas nationwide. To illustrate: Coldplay headlined the Super Bowl halftime show last year, a show where only the least offensive, most broadly popular artists get to perform. It…
Sometimes bands really do get it right with a name that truly reflects the nature of its music. It was a dazzling display of fireworks following the band’s first-ever gig that spawned the name Explosions in the Sky, and for 16 years this all-instrumental Austin, Texas, four-piece has consistently delivered…
