When life gives you lemons, they say, make lemonade. But sometimes life throws you a double-fudge chocolate cake. That’s sorta what happened to heavy-rock outfit Unwritten Law. In 2002, just after the mainstream success of their single “Seein’ Red,” the five-piece (now four-piece) band from Poway, California, was asked to…
Autumn’s Victorian rock operas offer surprisingly poppy burlesque-glam — imagine a coned-tit-era Madonna gone goth. Rasputina and Dresden Dolls are obvious touchstones, sharing similar predilections for moody theatricalism, classical music, and Kurt Weill. A violin prodigy, Autumn attended the Music Conservatory at Indiana University when she was 14. She wouldn’t…
If you’ve loved all the hipsterrific DJs, EDM artists, and remix maestros who’ve been coming through the Valley in recent months (including Flosstradamus, Pictureplane, and Cassian), be sure to give a hearty high five to Jeremiah Gratza. The Stateside Presents co-promoter has been exposing our fair city to some of…
Title: The Progression Vol. 1Basics: More YAFI hip hop? You got it. Luckily, The Orphanz have a clue as to what they are doing, as opposed to certain other hip hop artists from last week. Veteran producers Dre Lesean and D.K. Simmons comprise The Orphanz and their Progression Vol. 1…
Ravers are an ultra-colorful bunch, to say the least. For example, if you happened to hanging out at Stratus this past weekend, your eyeballs likely woulda exploded from the onslaught of outrageous outfits, multi-colored madness, and bizarre behavior. The event was called Just Keep Raving IV, and the cast of…
This new hit of hers might be a little too similar to Madonna’s hit “Express Yourself.” In the “Born This Way” video, Gaga’s rockin’ Madge’s classic lengthy high ponytail hairdo. Lady Gaga portrays herself as a strong, powerful woman just as Madonna has always done, plus she’s channeling the 80s…
To paraphrase what John Lennon said of Chuck Berry and apply it to Bob Marley’s impact on his chosen musical genre, one could easily opine: “If you tried to give reggae another name, you might call it ‘Bob Marley.'” Approaching the 30th anniversary of the Legend’s death on May 11,…
It’s hard to decide which is more awesome: This flier or the names of the bands that are performing. Based on the flier, Japanther’s upcoming show at the Trunk Space seems like it’s going to be a damn good time.The New York duo will also be joined by the bands…
Title: The New Millenium ManBasics: San Diego born, RoQ’y TyRaid (né Jacob Raiford) has since moved to Phoenix to try and make his new name. I say new because Raiford was once known as J RoQ, but as he explains on “Vanguard,” “J RoQ is Neo, who was slain /…
Title: So Close Yet So Foreign EPBasics: It’s back to the pop punk grind here at YAFI, thanks to No Gimmick last week and now Russian Arms and Optics this week. Thankfully, RAO’s brand of pop punk isn’t that terrible — there’s is a pop punk with plenty of synths…
Hype can be a double-edged sword in the music industry. If you don’t have enough of it, your music, no matter how good it is, will go unheard before fading away into obscurity. Too much hype, though, and you’ll find it increasingly difficult to live up to it. That is…
Sometimes the anticipation of sex can be just as thrilling as the act. The same goes for MartyParty’s bass, especially heard in concert. His slow, ever-building melodies — constructed with bleeping synths and snare — peak, then pause, before giving way to deep valleys of dubstep bass lines. As a…
Rocky Votolato’s music has a hushed, strummy ambiance and bittersweet, minor key melodies that recall Elliott Smith — albeit with more backbeat and a hint of country. Votolato grew up in Dallas before moving to Seattle for high school, and he blends the disparate sensibilities honed in those cities with…
New Jersey band Streetlight Manifesto is the whole package — all the raucous fun we’ve come to expect from Jersey without the orange tans and irritating accents. Yes, the seven-piece band plays ska punk, a genre that’s irritating almost by default, but they do it so flawlessly that even people…
The popularity of the dubstep scene continues to grow in the Valley. At least four different nights devoted to the bass-heavy genre are operating at local clubs, including Subversion’s Thursday throw-down at Disco, 4301 North Civic Center Plaza in Scottsdale. Anchored by rock star residents HavocNdeeD (the talented twosome made…
Canibus is probably best remembered for his feuds with LL Cool J, Wyclef Jean, and Eminem, but the Jamaican-born rapper has kept busy in the years since those famous tiffs of the late ’90s and early ’00s. Outside of a two-year stint in the U.S. Army, Canibus has remained prolific…
Michael Benjamin Lerner is a Seattle-based indie rock musician who performs under the moniker Telekinesis. Though he was a solo act before hiring two guns for his latest album, his foil on this particular project has long been Chris Walla, a guitarist who plays in Death Cab For Cutie. Walla,…
A story in today’s Arizona Republic should worry all local music fans. The paper reports that Mesa Amphitheatre, a grassy 5,000-capacity outdoor amphitheater has entered a world of hurt as it loses out on big-name acts booked into another city-owned space, Mesa Arts Center, and other competitors.The Republic story paints a picture that’s…
Shake! may have ended two years ago, but the original DJs got together last Saturday to celebrate the dance party’s six year anniversary. The Rogue Bar was packed with Scottsdale’s sexiest and strangest patrons, who resurrected the party once more. DJs spun a mix of indie, brit pop, 80’s rock,…
It looks like there’s a new entry for the brilliant Who Is Arcade Fire? tumblr. Unfortunately, this one is longer than 140 characters — by about a full page in The New York Times. Steve Stoute — CEO of marketing company Translation and a veteran record executive — took to The New…
After listening to the Strokes’ new single, “Under Cover of Darkness” when it dropped, I didn’t set my hopes very high for the rest of the album.The single, which dropped a few days ago, was just ta little better than OK. The chorus, of course, is reminiscent of “Angel of…
Title: Loss For Words EPBasics: I think I was getting far too cocky atop my YAFI perch. Here I was about to collect my two month chip for being pop punk sober. Thanks to power punk trio No Gimmick, I’m off the wagon yet again. I give up — it’s a…
