Tedeschi Trucks Band the Oldest Type of Supergroup

They’re the oldest type of supergroup. Husband-wife team Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks have tightened the screws on their blues-rock for second album, Made Up Mind, loosening the caboose even as they sharpened their focus on song and melody over their 2011 Grammy-winning debut Revelator. The musical pair met when…

Diarrhea Planet: Joke Name, Serious Rock Band

Everyone likes a good poop joke now and then — but Nashville’s Diarrhea Planet are quick to point out they are “not a joke band with a joke name. We are a very serious band with a joke name.” The weird moniker was chosen as a “fuck you” to the…

How a Dream of Louis Armstrong Inspired Dr. John’s Latest Album

Seminal jazz trumpeter and vocalist Louis “Satch” Armstrong gets revitalized in 2014 thanks to New Orleans music maestro Dr. John. It’s not that Armstrong’s music isn’t forever popular; it’s just that the good Doctor has taken it upon himself to reinvent 13 Armstrong tracks — using funk to blues to…

Ska Vet Dan Potthast of MU330 Returns to the Living Room

Over a career spanning two-plus decades, Dan Potthast has never been short on new ideas. From six full-lengths with “psycho-ska” outfit MU330, to two full-lengths with indie-rock group The Stitch Up, five (soon to be six) solo records, an album leading the California traditional ska collective The Bricks, and an…

How Sudden Stardom Affected the Head and the Heart

As Josiah Johnson of Seattle’s folk-rock sextet the Head and the Heart describes it, the band has evolved from bright and sunny to darker and deeper. “The first record was very optimistic, ‘Follow your heart,’ and the second was ‘Even if you follow your heart, there are going to be…

Blessed Be This Heavy Metal Union in the Valley of the Sun

When I saw this viral video the other week of the “most metal first dance at a wedding,” I couldn’t help but feel a little warm and fuzzy. The goth couple created a playlist that included song snippets from Grave Digger, Pantera, Devil Drive, Cannibal Corpse, Lamb of God and…

The 25 Best Club Candids Photos of July

The Club Candids crew logged a helluva lot of miles and shutter clicks in July as we found ourselves venturing into some rather interesting places From shiny and new Scottsdale bars to the dark and sweaty rave venues out in Mesa, we crisscrossed the Valley and sought out wild times…

Phoenix Band Senteons Offers an Immersive Artistic Experience

You think you’re at a show, but as you walk in, you’re greeted by a “doctor,” who takes your cover charge. You’re whisked away from your friends and led into another room, guarded by two “nurses,” who begin to ask you a series of rapid-fire questions: “Do you go through…

10 Songs that Best Showcase Nils Lofgren’s Sideman Skills

In this week’s cover story, we speak with Phoenix-based guitarist Nils Lofgren about his new collection, Face the Music, which documents 45 years of Lofgren’s solo work. But his work as a sideman with some of the biggest songwriters in music history — including Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Ringo Starr,…

In Defense of Sublime

By Bree Davies I thought I would have to wait until the 20th anniversary of Sublime’s 1996 self-titled mainstream breakout album to write about how fundamentally misunderstood and judged Sublime is. I have so many feelings (too many probably) about a band whose legacy is beaten up almost as much…

10 Best Metal Shows in Metro Phoenix in August

August is filled to the brim with heavy metal shows around Metro Phoenix, thanks to concerts and gigs by locals and major international legends. So check out the 10 best metal and hard rock concerts happening at venues around the Valley next month…

Bare-Knuckle Boxing at the Gathering of the Juggalos

Nate “Igor” SmithNebraska, a personable and modest 22-year-old dishwasher from Lincoln, Nebraska, takes a punch.As our nation’s culture and economy continues to deteriorate, more and more people are taking an interest in watching people beat the shit out of each other. While, under normal circumstances, these events are highly promoted…