Reverend Horton Heat at Marquee Theatre, 7/16/11

Reverend Horton Heat Marquee Theatre Saturday, July 16, 2011 Reverend Horton Heat makes an annual stop in Phoenix year after year and never fails to put on a good show. Sure, the band tends to play a lot of the same songs and tell a few of the same jokes,…

America at Wild Horse Pass Casino, 7-15-2011

America Wild Horse Pass Casino Friday, July 15, 2011 Sure, the venues that America is likely to play these days have gotten smaller, but it doesn’t mean that the band isn’t still capable of putting on a good show. The crowd of folks who came to watch them perform at the…

Rockstar Mayhem Festival at Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion, 7/15/11

Megadeth, Godsmack, and Disturbed at Rockstar Mayhem Festival Friday, July 15, 2011 The Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion”You guys are fucking amazing, Phoenix!”This was the first thing I heard as I approached the Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion for the Rockstar Mayhem Festival. The compliment, enthusiastically hollered from the stage by Machine Head singer…

Courtney Marie Andrews Plays The Rhythm Room, July 28

The time is nigh to get your last dose of local songstress Courtney Marie Andrews before she embarks on her west coast tour later this month. The acoustic americana singer has assembled a full band to accompany her on stage for next week’s show.Andrews will be playing at The Rhythm…

Dogbreth Hosts Folky Punk Rock Night at The Trunk Space

As the dust settles and the heat continues to ramp up, local misfits Dogbreth will be hosting Oregon-based Self Proclaimed Narcissist and Ariana Marie and Rainbow at The Trunk Space.This Friday, July 15, they’ll be braving sweltering conditions with their do-it-yourself folky pop-punk sounds. You should join them…

Cowboy Mouth Break in New Venue, The Foundry on First, 7/9/11

​Cowboy MouthThe Foundry on First Saturday, July 9 Despite pesky city inspectors delaying the doors opening and Mother Nature battering concertgoers with gusts of wind and blasts of dust, The Foundry on First opened her doors for the first time last night. The work-in-progress venue dealt with its fair share of…

MLB All-Star Week Music Round Up

Major League Baseball announced the official All-Star Week musical performance roster on Wednesday, and it reads like the back of a Now That’s What I Call Music compilation mix. But thank god, we love Jordin Sparks and Michelle Branch. It would’ve totally sucked if MLB had a relevant indie surf…

David Bazan at The Sail Inn, 7-7-11

David BazanThe Sail Inn Thursday, July 7Last night was the sixth time I’ve seen David Bazan perform, and I am struck by how each concert has been a unique experience. There were different band-names some of the times: Pedro the Lion, the group he’s best known for, The Headphones, his…

Maren Parusel Plays Yucca Tap Room Tomorrow, July 6

The upbeat melodic pop songs of singer/songwriter Maren Parusel can turn someone with even the surliest reputation into a purveyor of positive vibes. Case in point: Pall Jenkins from Black Heart Procession, a band known for creating deep, dark, introspective songs. Jenkins produced Parusel’s debut album, Artificial Gardens, and when…

Nightlands at The Sail Inn, 07-03-11

NightlandsThe Sail InnSunday, July 3, 2011My very first thought when Nightlands took the stage last night and began cranking out lush harmonies was “Oh man, this band needs to open up for Fleet Foxes,” and I couldn’t be any more sincere about that statement. It might seem a bit far-fetched…

Jeff Bridges at The Arizona Biltmore, 7-3-11

Jeff Bridges Arizona BiltmoreSunday, June 3, 2011Jeff Bridges is a likable guy. He’s the kind of character you root for, even when he’s beating up Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man, even when he’s playing a cold-blooded killer in Jagged Edge. He’s got a quality that just endears people to him,…

Dropkick Murphys at Marquee Theatre, 7-3-11

Chants of “Let’s go Murphys” rang through the half-filled Marquee Theatre about 45 minutes before the opening band even took the stage. The mantra only grew louder throughout the night as the crowd grew to capacity and eventually beckoned the Dropkick Murphys out on stage for an encore performance three hours later.

Face to Face at Nile Theater, 7/1/11

Face to Face Nile TheaterFriday, July 1 The ’90s were a good time for punk rock. Fat Wreck Chords, Epitaph, Lookout, and Nitro were powerhouses of the upbeat catchy punk that dominated Warped Tour’s glory days. While many of the bands that defined the genre have faded away after year…

NKOTBSB at US Airways Center, 6-30-11

REVIEW BY MELISSA FOSSUM AND DANIEL RAVEN New Kids On the Block and Backstreet Boys have grown up a bit since their heydays on MTV and the music charts, and so have their fans. But that hasn’t stopped the bands from cashing in on nostalgia, or people from buying tickets for…

Former Friends of Young Americans at The Lost Leaf, 6-30-11

 Former Friends of Young Americans, The Tremulants The Lost Leaf Thursday, June 30 There’s something to be said about Arizona’s music scene when you can slip into a local watering hole and find great local bands like The Tremulants and Former Friends of Young Americans just hanging out, playing a…

The Cosmeticators at The Trunk Space, 6-30-11

The Cosmeticators​The Trunk Space Thursday, June 30, 2011​After the loud ‘n’ proud punk rock show at Trunk Space last night, I’m starting to think there’s a new trend of garage rockers writing songs about their pets. As we mentioned in this week’s music feature on Phoenix trio The Cosmeticators, the band has songs…

Phoenix Rockers This Century to Kick Off National Tour in Scottsdale

The Young & Useless Tour may not be so aptly named. While the performers — Austin Gibbs, Carter Hulsey, and headliners This Century — are young, they’re not exactly useless. Locals This Century, in particular, has been generating buzz around their feelgood, melodic indie rock. Alternative Press named the band…