Whether they were adding a bit of flair to an old favorite, taking the scene by storm, or continuing their march to the top, 2013 was a big year for Valley musicians under 21. Here’s 10 of our favorites who spent most of 2013 in the all-ages sections of their…
The Grammys has never been known for supporting heavy metal. Heavy bands show up and it’s like a burnout kid crashing his parents’ fancy dinner party. Even when Halestorm won Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for their song “Love Bites (And So Do I)” at the 2013 Grammys, Lzzy Hale told…
From blasting “Schools Out” during my teenage wasteland days to jamming out to the chugging guitar in “Under My Wheels” in my office, Alice Cooper has always played a prominent position in my heavy metal playlist. Not only did he help shape the sound and look of heavy metal with…
The best way to get rid of the blues is to play some good blues and make it for the benefit of those in need. Many of the blues players in the Valley do just that. One example would be Bluesman Mike and the Blues Review Band, set to host…
EDM artists, DJs, and producers could learn a thing or two from Lunice, at least in regard to how to hustle. The 25-year-old Montreal native cut his teeth as a b-boy in the early Aughts, popping and locking as member of the 701 Squad and working gigs nonstop before gradually…
[Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning scribe and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times.] Here’s what you need to know about Robert Sylvester Kelly: He’s the fucking best. At singing. At wearing masks. At making videos of himself having sex. All of it. And so…
It can be easy to miss unless you’re looking for it, but there’s a lot of metal in the Valley, locals and touring acts alike. Our Metal Mondays columnist, Lauren Wise, is always on the lookout for the best local and national metal shows to come through town. That’s why…
When I heard Rex Brown’s Southern twang on my phone, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve been fortunate enough to interview all the other surviving former members of Pantera, and Brown was the last in line. I wanted to know about his recently released Pantera memoir — Official Truth:…
Pete “SuperMix” Salaz is planning to lay out an impressive spread for his nearest and dearest on Thanksgiving, although its gonna be a feast that’s more audio than edible. The godfather of local house music has been rocking record decks for more than two decades, and he and a slew…
Imagine everybody in a blues bar laughing so hard they can hardly contain themselves. That’s the case with Bob Corritore and Dave Riley’s new CD, Hush Your Fuss. Internationally acclaimed blues musicians Corritore and Riley held CD release parties for Fuss, their third album, this past weekend at Monterey Court…
Josh Landau can’t stop moving — mostly because he doesn’t allow himself to. He’s the vocalist for Venice Beach-based The Shrine, along with band members Court Murphy and Jeff Murray, he manages Eliminator, his own skateboarding and clothing company, and the band’s about to embark on a series of continent-crossing…
Courtesy of UniversalSheaface [Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning scribe and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times.] The biggest concern in my life recently is that every show on my DVR is the regular definition version, rather than the high definition version. As you can…
The Devil Wears Prada excels at dark, blanketing instrumentals that sweep from brutal crowd-moshing breakdowns and atmospheric bridges to intricate riffing and uplifting melodics that reflect their collective faith. When you throw in commanding roars and unflinching, post-hardcore vocals, it paints a picture of how the band bridges the gap…
Megadeth is such a strong act that it needs little introduction. One of the underground metal groups of the ’80s who achieved lasting commercial success, the band has sold more than 50 million albums over the course of more than 30 years. The four musicians have a knack for creating…
Booked several days a week at venues across the Valley, it’s clear the Hoodoo Casters are doing something right; they’ve played nearly every blues-friendly venue in the Valley, along with some in northern Arizona. Their motto says it all: They’re “the blues your mama warned you about.” Performing a mix…
On the off chance you haven’t noticed, scads of reboots, makeovers, and metamorphoses have gone down in Scottsdale’s after-dark scene. In just the past month alone, Barney’s Boathouse was sold to new proprietors and became more of a hip-hop spot called Arizona Eye Candy, Jackrabbit Lounge underwent renovation and was…
One of Hermann Hesse’s lesser known collections, Wandering, reflects on anxiety, death and the arts while aimlessly meandering through the countryside. Alt-folk singer Bryant Eugene Vazquez left Flagstaff, Arizona barely two months ago to ramble on to Philadelphia, but he’s still releasing records here in the desert. On his latest,…
One Direction[Editor’s Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning scribe and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times.] Last week, I wrote about why One Direction’s “This Is My Story” sucks. Usually, whenever one of these pieces goes up (and they go up often), I get a handful…
Smeared black-and-white corpse face-paint (with a little red blood spatter thrown in for good measure) is synonymous with extreme metal. Whether it’s to enhance a demonic theme or carry on cultural tradition, musicians that utilize the medium are definitely projecting a bold message. (For me, it often points to the…
Believe it or not, but it looks as though Adam Dumper’s been taking a few cues from both Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders lately. Over the past year or so, the local artist and impresario, better known as Dumperfoo, has transformed his signature event The Blunt Club into a veritable…
It’s a simple formula: The BluesHounds play upbeat dance blues, and that gets the people happy. The happy people start dancing, and the dancing makes them thirsty, and the thirsty people make club owners happy. Matty Spinelli, lead guitarist and bandleader for the BluesHounds, doesn’t mind the way things work;…
Donald Glover has been making the anti-rounds of press for Because the Internet, his latest Childish Gambino LP due out next month, bouncing from city to city and playing it in the open for anyone who reads his Twitter announcements. He’s declined most interview requests, save for a scant Noisey…
