Witch Mountain @ Yucca Tap Room|11/12/12I’ve always felt troubled by the psychological exercise of word association, that each response would reveal some flawed abnormality about my character. If you were to say doom metal in such an exercise, my response would most likely be “relaxation” or “easy listening.” Doom, as…
Rusko @ Marquee Theatre| 11/11/12Last night marked the highly anticipated rescheduled date for English producer/dubstep DJ Christopher Mercer, who performs under the moniker of Rusko. Mercer was unable to perform in May due to illness, according to Steve Levine Entertainment’s Facebook event. The headlining DJ didn’t just show off his…
Jens Lekman @ Crescent Ballroom|11/9/12Jens Lekman calls his songs “stories.” Introducing “I Know What Love Isn’t,” the title track from his 2012 LP, Lekman described driving around in a friend’s crappy old car, listening to classic rock radio, and talking about “life, love, and things that that.” He’d become interested…
6 Rounds of Punk with The Misfits, The Vandals, Strung Out, and Guttermouth @ Celebrity Theatre| 11/9/126 Rounds of Punk is a dream come true for fans of good ol’ punk rock. Okay, so maybe not in 2012, but it would have been a dream lineup a decade or two…
Captain Squeegee with the ASU Concert Jazz Band @ Crescent Ballroom | 11/8/12Musicians and concertgoers were nearly indistinguishable at the Crescent Ballroom last night when sci-fi geek rockers Captain Squeegee and Arizona State University’s Concert Jazz Band crowded the stage. With so many people playing, it was hard to tell…
Minus the Bear, Cursive, and Girl In a Coma, Cursive @ Marquee Theatre|11/8/12The term “indie rock” is a convenient catchall, but last night at the Marquee Theatre, the term’s definition was stretched to the limit. Minus the Bear, Cursive, and Girl in a Coma utilize elements of a lot of…
Omaha indie rockers Cursive are no strangers to making concept albums. From Domestica’s tale of Sweetie and Pretty Baby to the religious town in Happy Hollow, each album has its own narrative thread. This is abundantly clear on the band’s seventh album, I Am Gemini. “I was writing really jerky…
Titus Andronicus and Ceremony @ Crescent Ballroom, 11/6/12″Good night, good luck, and four more years!” said Patrick Stickles as he high-fived fans from the stage as Titus Andronicus wrapped up a solid set that ran almost two hours. The night wasn’t as political as it could have been, both bands…
Retox and Regents @ Yucca Tap Room|11/6/12By Mike Bogumill While most people were at the Titus Andronicus and Ceremony show enjoying a bar rock act and a hardcore band, both of which escaped their respective niches to achieve crossover success among general indie audiences, two bands with similarly prefixed names,…
Seattle math rock-meets-electronic indie band Minus the Bear has been going strong for 12 years now, spending most of its time on the road or in the studio. As a testament to how much the band tours, take a look at how many times we’ve reviewed the band over the…
Eddie Vedder @ Comerica TheatreEddie Vedder lists his tools. In the booklet handed out to concertgoers at last night’s packed performance, the Pearl Jam frontman laid out a detailed list of gear he’d be using during the evening: guitars, ukuleles, amplifiers, a modified kick drum made from a Corona box,…
Alanis Morissette @ Comerica Theatre|11/1/12A lot has changed for Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette since the release of her 1995 breakthrough album, Jagged Little Pill. She no longer pens angry songs about the “Mr. Duplicity” who wronged her; she now focuses on her role as a wife and a mother on…
Earth @ Rhythm Room|10/31/12″The last time I was in Phoenix, I was opening for The Lemonheads,” Earth guitarist Dylan Carlson intoned with a chuckle last night at the Rhythm Room. “I was all by myself.” See also: Earth Drummer Adrienne Davies Discusses Cutting Loose (By Earth Standards) The contrast between…
PiL @ Marquee Theatre|10/30/12″You all look so fucking happy!” Public Image, Ltd. frontman John Lydon called out the crowd about halfway through the band’s Marquee Theatre performance. And he was right; the surprisingly small crowd was truly caught up in the moment because; well, simply because the music was so…
Converge @ Nile Theater| 10/30/12By Mike Bogumill When trying to describe to people unfamiliar with Converge what kind of event I went to last night, I was hesitant to use a phrase like “metal show” or “hardcore show”. While metal and hardcore certainly influence all the bands that performed, none…
Matthew Dear @ Rhythm RoomPart of the reason you see musicians live is to experience their craft firsthand. Like a zoo or the ocean, secondhand exposure just doesn’t cut it — you need to see it for yourself. I went into Matthew Dear’s show not knowing what to expect: he…
Tiger Army @ Marquee Theatre | 10/28/12Tiger Army frontman Nick 13 promised something special when we spoke to him last week ahead of last night’s Halloween celebration, Octoberflame V. That could have meant a number of things in hindsight: outrageous outfits, an elaborate stage set up, pyrotechnics, and any number…
Yeah, yeah, yeah…we get it. Mondays suck (we’ve read Garfield). But it means the start of a new week, which means a bunch of killer shows in and around Phoenix. And here are a few of the coolest — our top five must-see shows this week…
Korn @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 10/27/12 The Arizona State Fair got its yearly dose of metal when Korn paid a visit to the valley last night at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The nu metal pioneers treated fans of all ages to a career-spanning set consisting of hits, covers,…
Band of Horses and Howlin Rain @ Marquee Theatre|10/26/12By Mike Cryer Please indulge a quick note about the Marquee before we talk music. All is right in the universe if Ricky Dimmick is tending bar there. If you haven’t met Rick, she’s the one who makes you feel grateful you’re…
Benny Benassi and Congorock @ Marquee Theatre|10/25/12Last night was a late night — things didn’t kick off until 11 p.m., with Italian-born Congorock starting things off, and progressive house master Benny Benassi not taking the stage until well after midnight. Maybe it was the late hour, but despite a solid…
Tucson’s horror film and surf music-loving psychobilly outfit Mission Creeps don’t shy away from the macabre– which is why the group joined the Southern Arizona Ghost and Paranormal Society to spend the night at The Oliver House, where there have been 28 known deaths, making it one of the most…
