I’m not sure we’ve honored them with a Flier of the Week nod before, but Colorstore is another one of the Phoenix bands who consistently delivers great concert posters. This week’s pick, for a show at Rhythm Room tonight, has some great typography, something too infrequently honored in this weekly…
If ever there were a theme song for Scottsdale’s current nightlife situation, it would undeniably be David Bowie’s 1971 hit “Changes.” Especially since Old Town’s scene has been in major flux this summer. Renowned establishments like Sugar Daddy’s and Mickey’s Hangover have blinked out of existence and weeklies like House 7340…
Take psychedelic rock — composed by just one person — then slap on some Swedish vocals, and you’ll end up with a recipe for what would seem like some has-been niche band from the 1970s. For multi-instrumentalist Gustav Ejstes, the creative force behind Swedish rockers Dungen, it works well. The…
In 2004, when the Pixies got back together, thereby launching the alt-rock reunion industry, Frank Black told the Boston Globe, “We’ve had this chip in our back pocket for a long time — we’re cashing it in this year.” So how much worth is left in the chip when a…
It’ll take more than a sprained knee and a “low-grade malignant tumor” to keep Depeche Mode from spreading their time-tested brand of brooding synthpop across America this summer. Consider the band’s many personal tribulations: lead singer Dave Gahan’s heroin addiction, lead songwriter Martin Gore’s seizures, and lead wallflower Andy Fletcher’s…
One thing is certain about Mesa’s only known ska-rock septet: They picked a hell of a fun name. Go on. Say “Captain Squeegee” to yourself a couple of times and try not to crack a smile. Try to deny the mental image of a wacky Halloween outfit or the latest…
When you call your band Incubus, you’re asking for all the obvious demon-rapist jokes along with references to the ridiculously cheesy B-movie horror classic. But we’re better than that here, so let’s try to focus on the music. While most of the band’s peers in the somehow still-solvent “alternative” rock…
The first lyric of “Be Calm,” the opening track of Aim and Ignite, finds Nate Ruess narrating “as I walk through the streets of my new city.” The former Format singer has always let his life affect his lyrics in very literal ways, and his move to New York City…
We’re guessing there’s a specific breed of people who would enjoy rare, quality disco with a cosmic, space-aged feel to it. And, if you happen to have this strange bloodline, NOVA at the Yucca Tap Room is the night for you.We visited the every-other-Sunday night event this past weekend. Now,…
Nayo Jones My Name Is Nayo Soul (PowerMove Records) Grade: C+ Critics have been commenting on the death of R&B for a few years now, to the point it’s almost universally accepted that the genre is artistically bankrupt, with few if any quality acts still practicing the time-honored craft of…
Sink Or Swim – The Secret Samu…..
To a classics scholar, Asteria is a mythical goddess who drowned herself in lieu of a non-consensual shtupping by the all-powerful Zeus. She’s a symbol of feminine power and defiance. To fans of Midwestern pop-punk, Asteria are five well-dressed 20-somethings with week-old stubble who sound a little like Hit the…
This is typically where you’d find a diatribe against Hellogoodbye and their bland, unoriginal electro-rock sound. True, the band sounds like an unlikely (and unwanted) collaboration between Blink-182 and T-Pain. True, there are certainly bands that do the whole dance-rock thing to much greater effect (Under the Influence of Giants,…
Max Cavalera is the Roger Waters of heavy metal. Both men spent the early part of their careers fronting hugely influential and innovative bands (Sepultura and Pink Floyd), then left to pursue solo careers that have been inconsistent and, at times, self-indulgent. Meanwhile, their original bands have dutifully continued on,…
Don’t judge Chris Daughtry by the company he keeps. Touring with Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, and Finger Eleven, the American Idol hopeful and the band he assembled could easily be lumped in with the pool of indistinguishable Clear Channel rockers. In fact, even if you judged him by his first…
Like Baywatch, Balkan warfare and runaway Internet speculation, Lyle Lovett will always be indelibly linked to the 1990s. It was in the ’90s, after all, that the spindly country crooner won three of his four Grammy Awards, married Julia Roberts in history’s most egregious abuse of Funny-Looking-Musician Romantic Privilege, and…
The force is quite strong with DJ Dark Vader. While he doesn’t wield a lightsaber or bomb around in a TIE Fighter (at least, not that we’re aware of), the renowned mixmaster has spent the past few months making the East Valley a little bit more irie with his weekly…
You have to love a band that puts its name in its song titles, as Reno punk trio Cobra Skulls have done in the past. Take their 2007 disc, Sitting Army, for example. Every one of the 13 tracks utilizes the word “cobra.” “Don’t Count Your Cobras Before They Hatch,”…
If you haven’t heard of The Cab yet, you’re probably over the age of 23. Associated with Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, and Cobra Starship, this Las Vegas quintet is known for dance-rock ear candy. Fall Out Boy singer Patrick Stump and Panic at the Disco singer Brandon…
So what’s the time? Like the Beastie Boys said, it’s time to get ill, which is why Tony Poer is busting out his gold Adidas track suit and dusting off 400 old-school hip-hop tracks in preparation for Fresh on Saturday, August 8. Along with DJ mig50, Poer will be turning…
If stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods sold music, Bowerbirds would be on the list of organic artists in stock. Simple folk music with haunting melodies and lyrics (free of any overproduction or trans fats) is the recipe for guitarist Phil Moore and keyboardist/accordionist Beth Tacular. Oh, yes, and…
A few years back, Blue October frontman Justin Furstenfeld went to great lengths to make it clear that music was a business to him, first and foremost. So maybe it shouldn’t be such a surprise that his music is devoid of sincerity. He complained about having to be away from…
