The Vivs sweet brand of Motown girl group pop shoved through a pure punk filter, a sort of freaked out Bangles sound, blared through Modified Arts last night. Reverb-ed vocals left the Urban Outfitted trio’s harmonies sounding like calls from the bottom of a well, and, humorously, made between song…
Tour de Fat at Tempe Beach Par New Belgium Brewing maintains that Tour de Fat is a bike festival first and a beer festival second. To prove it, they got a Tempe citizen to donate his car and agree to utilize only a bike he received at Tour de Fat…
Wanda Jackson has been dubbed many titles, most of which are some play on “The Queen/First Lady of Rock/Rock n Roll/Rockabilly.” This year she finally got that official recognition when she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an “Early Influence.” Last night, a 71-year-old Jackson…
It’s been something of a packed Saturday, what with Tour de Fat, the Tiki Throwdown, Oktoberfest, and various and sundry other weekend events happening around the Valley. If you’ve still got some energy and cash left, jump in your ride and head for Grand Avenue in downtown Phoenix, where the…
For the past three decades, the “Great Bearded One” has been on a Jedi-like quest to separate Star Wars fans from their paychecks by any means necessary. His unabashed over-licensing has even exceeded Krusty the Clown-like levels of hucksterism at times, as evidenced by such WTF? merchandise as green-friendly organic…
Portland indie-electro outfit Starfucker are at a crossroads. They’ll soon change their name to cope with their more widespread popularity — no doubt possible with their accessible, fresh music. Despite all that potential, last night’s show at Phoenix’s Modified Arts was more of a testament to the band’s dedicated fans,…
By Frances Michelle Lopez The throngs of excited First Friday goers seemed to have been M.I.A at the Trunk Space Friday night for the One AM Radio, Former Ghosts, Knesset show. Having had a late start to my night, I wasn’t able to catch much of the Los Angeles-based One…
It’s hard to believe ASU’s Gammage Auditorium has never hosted a hip-hop show — even for ASU, that’s pretty whitebread — but organizers of this weekend’s Civil Disobedience Part Wu, are claiming the concert, a charity event for the Crisis Nursery of Phoenix featuring Gza of the Wu-Tang Clan, and…
BY LINDSEY HOLDER Think Bon Iver is too mellow and folksy to rock? Well, they’re not. At the Mesa Arts Center last night, they transformed their normally minimalist folk rock into a booming, volcanic eruption of a show that hypnotized the audience from the opening strum to the final trailing…
Say what you want about Insane Clown Posse: Never before in the history of popular music has a band created so complete a lifestyle for its fans. The Dead, Buffet, and Slipknot don’t even come close. No, the Detroit-based rap duo’s concert at Tempe’s Marquee Theatre last night wasn’t much…
This show was supposed to be two shows. But, going up against Bon Iver in Mesa, promoters wisely combined the two very different sounds of !!! and The Cave Singers. In the end, !!! took the stage at Rhythm Room around midnight, following a long, long line of acts: Lightning…
Tonight is a huge night for Phoenix shows. Not only are !!! and The Cave Singers combining their shows at Rhythm Room, Bon Iver is nearly sold out at Mesa Arts Center, Creed is selling $10 tickets at Jobing.com and Insane Clown Posse is coming to Marquee Theatre.For me there’s…
There is no better group of Indie Rock impersonators than The Killers. Last night’s sold-out show at Dodge Theatre demonstrated that clearly, as the band’s Fabulous Las Vegas Indie Rock Revue brought down the house, showing the band is, however improbably, one of the biggest acts to emerge in the…
Concert Review: The Get Up Kids at The Clubhouse in Tempe There was something very telling about the two songs The Get Up Kids chose to open their encore at last night’s packed Clubhouse Music Venue show in Tempe. On one hand, it was odd to hear covers of The…
There was something very telling about the two songs The Get Up Kids chose to open their encore at last night’s packed Clubhouse Music Venue show in Tempe. On one hand, it was odd to hear covers of The Cure’s “Close To Me” and The Replacements’ “Beer For Breakfast” get…
By Frances Michelle Lopez After a successful year in 2008 touring their critically acclaimed debut album The Airing of Grievances, Glen Rock, New Jersey’s Titus Andronicus graced the Modified Arts stage to once again dazzle a lucky Phoenix audience with their immensely exuberant and inspiring punk rock gems. I had…
David Cross is a very funny guy. As such, he got away with saying things about deaf people, blacks and native Americans that the rest of polite society can’t conceive of uttering at his Orpheum Theatre gig on Wednesday. Dressed in a blue polo shirt, plaid shorts and hiking shoes…
Dear Sugar Ray fans, I’m embarrased for the 100-or-so of you who actually paid to see Wednesday’s show at Marquee Theatre. I talked to several of you who told me you were offered free tickets or were friend’s of a Marquee staffer. That’s cool. Unless you were just too embarrassed…
Arizona Fall Frenzy In Photos: Arizona Fall Frenzy: Day One In Photos The whole shack shimmy! Fans of The B-52s, Rob Thomas, and Jason Mraz had plenty to scream about at the first night of Arizona Fall Frenzy…see photos Arizona Fall Frenzy: Day Two In Photos Blink 182, Fall Out…
The temperature, reaching well into the 100s, mixed with a less than overwhelming lineup made for the perfect late-arriving crowd scenario. The later sets from Ben Harper and Relentless 7, Flogging Molly and Social Distortion were worth the effort, thankfully, and provided Sunday’s defining moments — a fitting bookend to…
If Friday night of the Arizona Fall Frenzy was cougar town, Saturday was junior high and stoner central, as an army of underagers in skinny jeans (some with knit caps!) braved the heat to see a variety of rock acts.
