Halloweekend 2011 @ Brick and The Venue Scottsdale

Plenty of things will be going bump in the night this weekend inside the Valley’s bars and clubs, as local DJs and turntablists host hyped-up Halloween parties aplenty over the next few nights. A variety of EDM all-stars are scheduled to make appearances, and we ain’t referring to a certain…

Toubab Krewe @ The Compound Grill

Toubab Krewe are neo-griot-funk from Southern freak zone Asheville, North Carolina. Their name admits they’re tourists (“Toubab” = white dude) and their sound can be described as “Jampire Weekend.” Blending Mali soul and Afrobeat with bluesy desert surf-twang, Caribbean scratch, and zydeco bounce, Toubab Krewe surround it all with occasional…

Nikka Costa @ The Roxy Lounge

Child stars get a bad rap. Sure, many become damaged, ruined by mothers like those on Toddlers and Tiaras, but Nikka Costa’s father, Don Costa, didn’t exactly thrust his daughter into the spotlight. Don, a record producer best known for his work with Frank Sinatra, knew music was in her…

Power 98.3’s Boo Bomb @ Celebrity Theatre

Package nostalgia concerts are predictable affairs: Artists perform a few of their hits, attempt to plug their latest endeavor, then give up the stage to the next old-timer trying to make a few bucks off your fond memories of their glory days. It’s all very calculated, but that doesn’t mean…

Bane @ Nile Theater

Bane’s fan base is a bit like Matthew McConaughey’s philosophy in Dazed and Confused: They get older; the moshers stay the same age. “When you’re young, you get that feeling that you can take on the world and that music can drive a revolution,” says vocalist Aaron Bedard. “Once you…

Nobunny @ Yucca Tap Room

Former Tucsonan Justin Champlin has roots in area bands like The Okmoniks, Sneaky Pinks, and Golden Boots, but since 2001, he’s occasionally donned a rabbit mask, stripped down to his skivvies, and blasted out barebones rock ‘n’ roll as Nobunny. The songs play like a sloppy mixtape from a boozy…

Club Candids: Dollhouse Cocktail Lounge

As its name portends, there were plenty of dolls on hand for the opening weekend at  Dollhouse Cocktail Lounge in Scottsdale. Dime pieces were on the walls of Old Town’s newest nightlife playground in the form of stylish magazine covers arranged above VIP seating while dames, dolls, and divas populated the…

Flier of the Week: Halloween Night at Long Wong’s

Brainnnnnnnssssss. The poor ‘fella depicted in our flier of the week looks like a zombie treat, head cracked open and ready to go. But wait, he looks like…no! It can’t be! He’s still alive? Halloween gigs are a’plenty, but this spooktacular gig, featuring Sasquanaut, The Woodworks, Future Loves Past, The…

Opeth @ Marquee Theatre

Straight out of the halls of Valhalla, Swedish metal band Opeth has spent the past 20 years perfecting its sound and transcending the guttural growls of death metal. The quintet has left Stockholm in the rearview mirror to tour in support of its latest effort, Heritage. The 10-track album plays…

Primus @ Mesa Amphitheatre

“The Nauga is ugly, but his vinyl hide is beautiful.” At least that’s what an ad campaign for the faux leather Naugahyde suggested in the ’60s and ’70s. This little creature can be blamed for pleather pants and some of IKEA’s ugliest furniture, but that grinning, wide-toothed monster, wasn’t ugly…

Jon Rauhouse @ Crescent Ballroom

There’s no other way to put it: Jon Rauhouse is a badass. When the dude shows up to play on your record or add a little of his pedal steel to your live show, it is going to sound good. Really good. There’s a reason why Los Angeles-based music blog…

Collie Buddz @ Clubhouse Music Venue

As we gear up for another election season, it’s easy to start thinking about all the things America gets wrong. But even though our politics may be screwed up, our music often gets it right. Jazz, blues, rock ‘n’ roll, hip-hop. They were born here, and if you really want…

World Class Thugs @ The Lost Leaf

It’s hard not to wonder where super-villains like The Joker and The Penguin picked up their henchmen thugs. They never seemed that good at what they did, always standing around and second-guessing their evil-genius bosses. To make matters worse, they didn’t even seem to be that tough; Batman and Robin…

Motown & Stax @ The Lounge at Crescent Ballroom

Miguel Ivery (a.k.a. DJ Seduce) is one of the Valley’s most prominent mixmasters. He’s also one of its busiest, as the 33-year-old blasts out Brazilian jams and rare grooves every weekend at local nightspots, as well as at a few high-paying gigs throughout North America (including his upcoming trip to…

Club Candids: Pleasurekraft at Foundry on First

Pleasurekraft got off to a late start, but Foundry on First was full of colorfully dressed patrons ready to dance and/or check out the Raw Artists exhibition. DJ Micro, Juheun, dropper beats for the throngs of of sexy dancers. We captured the festivities in this week’s Club Candids slideshow…

Flier of the Week: Saddles

There’s a vintage travel-poster vibe going on for this Friday night gig at Rogue Bar. The simple colors and lines work wonderfully; you feel like that cowboy gazing at the mount has a lot on his mind.Walkingstick Presents is bringing you a solid lineup of local rock, presenting Saddles, Future…

What’s Selling: Revolver Records Top 10 Selling Albums of the Week

​Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. Your friendly neighborhood record shop, Revolver Records, celebrates four years of buying, selling and trading LPs, CDs and DVDs this month. Here’s…

Flier of the Week: Street Eaters

Be sure to join Street Eaters, Yeah Great Fine, Fountain, and Porches for rip-roaring good time and some good ol’ pop as well as indie punk rock. Maybe there will be some crazy small-scale indoor ramp sledding if we’re lucky.It’s all going down at the Trunk Space on Monday, October 17 at…

Chromeo @ Marquee Theatre

If you were to look at Chromeo’s online diary, you’d find it’s less about collected, coherent thoughts than it is about posting random photos of The Bee Gees, Seinfield’s puffy shirt, and Bill Clinton playing sax on The Arsenio Hall Show. You can’t help thinking that’s exactly how their songwriting…

Wooden Indian @ Chopper John’s

Local boys Ross Andrews and Wally Boudway are very open about the love-hate relationship they have with Phoenix. “The only thing we love as much as we hate Phoenix is Phoenix,” the two quip on their Facebook page. The tug-of-war between love and hate seems to drive the duo’s music…

Foo Fighters @ US Airways Center

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is pretty much the epitome of a rock ‘n’ roll veteran. The dude doesn’t coast despite having been in two of the biggest bands of the ’90s. Wasting Light, the latest album from the Foos, finds the group joined by on-again, off-again guitarist Pat Smear,…