The psychedelic and theatrical harmony of The Flaming Lips has stood the test of time. Since forming in Oklahoma City 30 years ago the band has bridged the generations by appealing to everyone from the counterculture of the past to the rave-heavy subculture of today. It seems fitting then, that…
Yeezus. Yeezy. Kanye. Ye. Call him what you will, but if last night is any indication Yeezus will go down as one of the best tours of all time, with or without Grammy nominations. Kanye West made sure to mention that his latest record only received two nominations for a…
Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra really packed the people in to the partitioned Crescent Ballroom on Sunday night having easily more than 200 people arrive ready to dance for their fifth show ever, and their first since June. The group, which describes itself as a “musical collective,” consists of 14 musicians–and among…
Few people can flip through their rock ‘n roll rolodex and put together a show quite as well as Valley legend Alice Cooper. After all, Cooper is the king of shock rock, and he paved the way for a legion of acts trying to get a rise out of mothers…
Aydin Immortal is rock ‘n’ roll, and Wolvves is more fun than any other band in Phoenix. Those are the two most important lessons the 25 to 40 people who showed up to Funny World on First Friday learned when they saw the Phoenix-based skate-punks headline a local house show,…
Last week Phoenicians had a chance to celebrate a not-exactly routine Christmas with Alice Cooper. This week you’ve got Korn. I can’t promise any metal Christmases at all next week, so make of that what you will. (View our complete concert calendar here.)…
BeyonceUS Airways CenterSaturday, December 7 Have you ever met Mrs. Carter? She’s a sweet southern belle with a voice not to be reckoned with. Despite all the glitz and glamour, Mrs. Carter is a badass, sexy woman at heart, one who happened to promise me this: “I’ll be your naughty…
For more than 20 years singer and guitarist Aaron Lewis’ powerful, rolling baritone voice has carried fans on a personal journey into his life through songs of acceptance, consequences, depression, love, and family–both with the alternative metal band Staind and most recently his solo country ballads. Friday night, in the…
The smell of burning incense permeated the air at Comerica Theatre last night as the Almost Acoustic Christmas concert kicked off its annual event. Fans filed inside the auditorium in large groups until the place was packed from top to bottom with energetic country music lovers. The line-up was loaded…
First they ignore you, then they’re frightened by you, then they’re fond of you, then you create a youth center for at-risk teens.” – Alice Cooper. His annual Christmas Pudding show and more make up this weekend’s 5 must-see Phoenix shows…
It’s that time of year again, and with the holidays comes the annual Almost Acoustic Christmas concert at Comerica Theatre on December 5. A staple in the Christmas season, and one of the more buzzed about events among Valley country fans, Almost Acoustic Christmas plans on beefing up the artists…
The Black Bottom Lighters are the biggest thing on the Valley reggae scene since white guys learned how to dreadlock their hair. The six-piece Glendale-based desert reggae crew has been jamming together for more than two years in their current form, and that’s all it’s taken to grab the ear…
Justin Timberlake US Airways Center Monday, December 2, 2013 (View the full slideshow.) Pop megastar Justin Timberlake made his eagerly awaited return to Phoenix Monday night and quickly proved why the media has paid obsessive attention to him since his Mickey Mouse Club Days. Over the course of his three-hour…
What follows is nothing but an unabashed love note to Jonathan Richman. He first captured my heart when I saw the movie Repo Man — Jonathan wasn’t in Repo Man, but there is a cover of his song “Pablo Picasso” on the soundtrack. The lyrics of this particular track, like…
It’s nearly the end of 2013 and you still have to pay attention to Justin Timberlake. I don’t think most people are so bothered by that, but just enough people are that I’d like to apologize to them personally. Don’t worry: I know that when you were a 12- to…
Country Thunder fans from across the Valley were out in droves Saturday night to attend the Country Thunder Launch Fest, located in a grass field adjacent to the Tempe Center for the Arts. The first annual Launch Fest was established to announce the lineup for next spring’s Country Thunder, provide…
When was the last time a rap record made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? When was the last time you bought a rap cassette? If the answer to these queries is “never” and also “never,'” you owe it to yourself to represent at Parliament in Tempe this Saturday…
Of all the stars of the ’80s punk scene, only one band is still having impact some 35 years after forming: X. Mixing driving punk energy with rockabilly riffs, staccato rhythms, unexpected dual vocal drive, and socially conscious lyrics, X was a defining voice in the punk movement. Their uncompromising…
The streets will be a graveyard during normal working and drinking hours this weekend. If you didn’t stand in front of Best Buy at two in the morning to get an admittedly pretty good deal on plasma TVs — better black levels, is the thing — you can take advantage…
TMI on KWSS brought out just about every big local act they could for their Feast For The Famished concert at Tempe’s Sail Inn on the day before Thanksgiving. More than 300 people piled into the beloved local dive to hear great tunes ping-ponging back and forth from their outdoor…
A new source of intensity adds to the fiery, riff-heavy attack on Red Fang’s third album. With a relentless touring schedule leaving little time for songwriting or recording, the band felt the deadline pressure seeping into their music. Sandwiched between the Australian Soundwave Festival in February and a European festival…
Place a finger on the 1980s punk scene and one band is still having impact some 35 years after forming: X. Mixing driving punk energy with rockabilly riffs, staccato rhythms, unexpected dual vocal drive, and socially conscious lyrics, X was a defining voice in the punk movement. Their uncompromising ability…
