The Independence Day Music Festival delivered a true patriotic celebration Wednesday night, and after three years, the country music concert and firework spectacular has officially established itself as a yearly must-see event for the summer. This year featured performances from LoCash Cowboys, Tyler Farr, and country superstar Brantley Gilbert. The…
Five Finger Death Punch appeals to a particular demographic in heavy metal: Their testosterone-driven, in-your-face music is heavy and angry at all that is evil — destruction, internal struggles, politics, war, bullying. Every friend I have in the armed services loves them. I’ve heard of soldiers who’ve approached the band…
D.I.Club Red, TempeJuly 2, 2013 Anyone who might argue that punk is dead should consider Tuesday night’s D.I. show at Club Red as proof to the contrary. What originally was billed as an eight-band lineup became a bit of a debacle when a last-minute change — the rumor around the…
Rather than stick to vague genre tags or invent new hybrids, the members of Sun Bones offer the term “malleability.” It’s fitting for a classically trained band that somehow manages to fit four-part harmonies, bursts of punk, comforting pop melodies, avant-garde excursions and more under a single umbrella and make…
Sunset Strip darlings the Butcher Babies have been one of my favorite acts for a while now. They first gained notoriety from a YouTube video performing Pantera’s “Fucking Hostile” and the two frontwomen, Carla Harvey and Heidi Shepherd, started out performing in leather pants with electrical tape over their nipples,…
Through & Through Gospel Review MIM Music Theatre June 30, 2013 It was Sunday evening, and we weren’t in church, but a crowd gathered at the MIM Music Theatre to hear unconventional gospel-pop songs written by Joel Marquard and performed by the Gospel Claws frontman and a 13-piece live band…
The Fourth of July is for buying Chinese fireworks and being a proud American. Maya Day and Nightclub is betting that you might also enjoy some music by a certain very famous British DJ. The War of 1812 is still felt acutely ’round these parts, thank you very much. Regardless:…
Look: After literally everybody who went to Warped Tour in Mesa Thursday melted into an enormous puddle filled with black V-neck T-shirts, you might find this weekend’s concerts in Phoenix a little sparsely attended. Take advantage of that! At least, unless you knew one of the people who melted. Then…
It’s been said that in order to truly sing the blues, it’s necessary to have experienced a lifetime of blues material — a broken heart, tragedy, hopelessness. So when you hear about an incredible blues musician, what usually comes to mind is an image of elderly Junior Kimbrough or Etta…
Warped Tour returns to the valley in a few hours, officially kicking things off at Quail Run Park in Mesa at noon. There are a few familiar names on the line up, but the onslaught of bands with colors and violent subject matter in their names is a little overwhelming…
The Vans Warped Tour–at Quail Run Park in Mesa Thursday–is 18 years old, which is just old enough for it to have second thoughts about going to Warped Tour. That’s the trouble with long-running festivals: Either the music stays the same and the people in attendance get older, or the…
It takes a certain dedication and naiveté to go to Warped Tour in Arizona. Standing outside in what’s predicted to be a 111-degree day with dozens of screaming bands isn’t for everyone, but some teens continue to show their dedication year after year. The glory days of $25 punk Warped…
Shortly after writing Are Out of Town Music Festivals Worth The Hassle? I decided to embark on a cross-cultural adventure. The mission? To explore the Nashville music scene and attempt survival at the 80,000-person music festival Bonnaroo. Four days of camping in the heat (actually, we slept in the trunk…
I know a lot of people who are kind of frustrated that the Vans Warped Tour has passed them by — that they’re targeting new teenagers instead of targeting the people who were teenagers when Warped Tour began. To those people, I ask: How many fellow 30-year-olds do you know…
Harry and the Potters The Trunk Space Saturday, June 22, 2013 Harry Potter fans are an intense bunch. Folks dressed up as their favorite Gryffindor heroes or Slytherin villains are standard fare, but wizard rock takes the adoration to a whole new level. The genre is exactly what it sounds…
This weekend in Phoenix: The ’80s comes together to listen to Cyndi Lauper, the Phoenix music community comes together on a new record (and some old ones), Harry Potter fans come together to listen to songs about Harry Potter, and the Trunk Space comes together to eulogize Noodle. This weekend’s…
Even the most ardent music fans have a skewered impression of Phoenix’s early rock musical landscape. It starts with Sanford Clark and Marty Robbins, then you cross a whole spread of barren desert ’til you get to Lee Hazlewood and Duane Eddy, and then nothing until the early rumblings of…
Green Line Operator knows how to leave an impression in a crowded scene and with a very distractable music editor: Easily digested, arbitrary show ideas. The THR33 Show is, as its flier helpfully points out, three bands with three-word names playing three sets of three songs for $3 at, and…
After what seemed like a hearty chunk of time between the two opening acts and headliner Sea Wolf, the band took the stage last night at Crescent Ballroom. Enforcing the toothy and animal side of their moniker, they kicked it off with “You’re A Wolf” from their first EP and…
Ke$ha and Pitbull, Ak-Chin Pavilion, June 19, 2013 See the full slideshow of Ke$ha & Pitbull here. Pitbull and Ke$ha put together one of the most genius tours of the summer — a pop princess and Spanish-speaking smooth rapper got the masses out at Ak-Chin Pavilion Wednesday night. The show…
Last night, I came to the conclusion that Deafheaven is black metal’s Vampire Weekend. I’ve never thought up an uglier string of words to describe what is fundamentally a thing of beauty. To see Deafheaven is to not see a black metal band but to see black metal being curated…
She & Him (View the full slideshow.)Comerica TheatreJune 18, 2013 Hear about She & Him at blog or magazine distance and your impression of them is dominated by the simple presence of Zooey Deschanel’s name. Get a little closer, within range of one of their albums, and your impression of…
