Underground Cities The Sail Inn Wednesday, June 29 No amount of preparation or wishful thinking guarantees a successful tour, but certain measures will improve a band’s odds. That old adage about “being in a band is like being married” is fitting, since petty arguments about snoring or stink cause more…
As a discerning music lover, you’ve no doubt been asking yourself, “Are any bands deemed “Best New Music” by the tastemakers at Pitchfork coming to Phoenix this summer?” Well yeah, a couple, including Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Kurt Vile, and Cut Copy. But if you were to ask yourself “Will…
There isn’t very much literature out on San Diego’s Tape Deck Mountain, but don’t let that detract you. When you’re releasing EPs and singles on cassette tape, that whole digital information trail tends to not be so effective. If you’re lucky, you might be able to get your hands on…
The Whisperlights The Duce Tuesday, June 28, 2011 The Whisperlights are now two-for-two for hosting fun and exciting CD release parties. Almost a year ago to the date, the band released their debut EP, Wake Up Dead, at the Yucca Tap Room. To celebrate their first full-length album, Surfaces, the…
Wiz KhalifaMesa Amphitheatre Tuesday, June 28, 2011The cloud of smoke that lingered over the crowd at last night’s sold-out Wiz Khalifa show was proof positive that the Pittsburgh rapper’s Rolling Papers tour had lived up to its name. Rail thin and covered in more ink than a newspaper, Khalifa kept the…
It’s logical for a band from the U.K. that’s been compared to Coldplay and Snow Patrol and received more than a thousand spins for their first single on Sirius-XM’s Alt Nation channel to move to the U.S. seeking stateside success. But Phoenix seems like an unlikely relocation choice compared with…
Abstinence, French Quarter, Tacocat, and ForeverYOBS in TempeMonday, June 27The cops who patrol the Farmer neighborhood handing out noise violations can rest a little easier at their posts. Last night, YOBS, a.k.a. Ye Olde Bike Saviours, a.k.a. Tempe’s noisiest punk rock house venue/art space/zine, record, CD and cassette tape factory,…
Blacklist RoyalsThe Trunk Space Monday, June 27 What did you do last night? If you are like most Phoenicians, you did not come out to see the Blacklist Royals rock out at The Trunk Space. Your loss. Despite the lack of a formidable crowd, the Tennessee four-piece put on an…
Peter CaseThe Rhythm RoomSunday, June 26As much as he’s a songwriter, Peter Case is a storyteller. All throughout his solo acoustic set at The Rhythm Room last night, Case peppered the space between songs with stories from his rock ‘n’ roll past: Scoring free records from Elektra when his band…
The QueersChasersJune 23, 2011Last night, I found myself in the dark doldrums of Chasers stage area with melodic blasting in my ears. Dim lights and camera flashes bounced off frantic faces and the smell of teenage angst wafted through the air. Yup, I was at a punk rock show, all…
Los Angeles-based electro-dance musicians, The Glitch Mob, are bringing their reverberating talents to the Valley when they play The Venue Scottsdale on Tuesday, June 28. The orchestral trio made up of Justin Boreta, Ed Ma, and Joshua Mayer will be blending futuristic robotic beeps, rhythmic drumming, and slow, heavy-hitting basslines…
Britney SpearsJobing.com ArenaWednesday, June 22When Britney Spears decides to stop touring, she should get a residency in Vegas. Her Femme Fatale tour, which came to Glendale’s Jobing.com Arena last night, was part concert, part cabaret, part circus, and part film. It almost made you forget Spears doesn’t sing live. If…
Black Lips with Cerebral Ballzy Rhythm Room Wednesday, June 22, 2011 Damn you, dyslexia, when I read the bill for last night’s show at Rhythm Room, I thought Black Lips were playing a benefit gig for cerebral palsy. Not the case. Cerebral Ballzy, however, is actually the name of a…
When it comes to hot, sweaty, outdoor indie shows, it doesn’t get any better than Conspire. The folks who hang around this downtown cafe collective and performance space are just as colorful as the graffiti-slathered building, and the bands that rock the makeshift stage out back are usually eclectic, under-the-radar,…
Thao & Mirah Rhythm Room Monday, June 20 Punctuality. Where I’m from (Miami), folks don’t understand the concept that well. When doors open at 7:30, the masses show up at nine, often foregoing the opening set, and subsequently missing the opportunity to discover new music via supporting acts. However, that’s not…
Round Three Pool Party The Round Three Pool Party took over the Apache Station apartments in Tempe on Saturday. Pool partiers spent the afternoon getting splashed and trashed to the beats of DJ Smooth and DJ2 Drop…see photos. Fight Club Sadisco 2011 Grindwhore and various local DJs provided the soundtrack…
The DonkeysYucca Tap RoomSaturday, June 18The past few shows I have been to — Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Givers — have wound up being pretty low-key, unassuming affairs. Crowds at either show have been modest at best and each set turned out to be a tight, enjoyable hour or so…
Panic! at the Disco June 17, 2011 Marquee Theatre Brendon Urie sure seems happy these days.At last night’s Panic! at the Disco show at Marquee Theatre, the frontman seemed more comfortable than ever, hitting high notes his fans haven’t been used to, screaming and growling with urgency, and even smoking…
When I got the flyer for Phoenix death rockers Bella Lune’s upcoming video release party next week, I was ready to dismiss it after reading two words: death rock, not to be confused with death metal, which is where my mind immediately went. (Nothing against you metal heads; I just…
The dreamy, danceable, synth-heavy music of Fate of the Galaxies sounds more like something that would come out of early-to-mid ’80s England (The Cure, Joy Division) than downtown Phoenix. But that’s where the trio that makes up Fate of the Galaxies — Mandel Moreno, Oompa Pavone, and Chris McClay –…
Mavis Staples and Dr. JohnCelebrity TheatreThursday, June 16″Joyful noise.” That’s how Mavis Staples described what her and her band create onstage. It’s an apt characterization, one that is appropriately loaded with gospel history, and one that connotes how the 71-year-old singer approaches performing. It can be summed up by another…
Rush US Airways Center Thursday, June 16 It’s always exciting when a band pays tribute to their most successful album by playing it from beginning to end. It was no surprise that US Airways Center was nearly sold out last night, packed with thousands of Rush fans singing and air-drumming…
