San Francisco’s Joe Louis Walker is a bluesman’s bluesman, appreciated more for his talent and dexterity than his star appeal. Walker’s most recent studio release was 2009’s Between a Rock and the Blues, and the title’s an on-the-nose clue-in to what’s in store. Blues aplenty, but with a rockin’ emphasis…
Trendy dance music genres tend to come and go (anyone remember B’More?), but electro-house seems to have stood the test of time, particularly in the clubs and danceterias of the Valley. One of the latest burgeoning talents helping keep the genre alive is Wolfgang Gartner. The Grammy-nominated DJ/producer’s funky and…
Over the years, metal has spawned such subgenres as grindcore, metalcore, doom metal, black metal, and thrash metal, but it doesn’t get much heavier and darker than death metal. Hailing from sunny Southern California, Carnifex plays the type of aggressive and visceral death metal that has been redefining the genre…
The Kills are kicking off April in fine form, releasing their fourth album Blood Pressures next Tuesday. For those who simply cannot wait another week for some more unbridled, grimy garage rock from Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince, the band is offering a stream of Blood Pressures via their official…
Title: I Imagine So…Basics: What say you to a YAFI first — at least for my tenure? That’s right, I’m talking about some smooth, uncensored jazz. No more pop punk or countrified rock. Just the sweet, dulcet tones of Warren L. Jones III and his supporting cast. Jones has a long, impressive history…
If there’s one thing that Scottsdale excels at, it’s excess. To wit: Even though Old Town’s nightlife district already is populated by plenty of Mexican-inspired drinkeries (Dos Gringos, Loco Patron, Salty Senorita, et al.), why not add one more to the mix? Enter El Jefe, the tony taco and tequila…
Singer-songwriter Torquil Campbell trades in opposites. With Canadian indie pop group Stars, he’s often at his most grandiloquent, as befits the band’s often sweeping, grandiose sound. With Memphis — a Canadian indie pop duo with longtime friend Chris Dumont — Campbell is subtle, as befits the combo’s more intimate jazz-tinged…
Title: WednesdayBasics: Billed as “funk-based blues and straight-ahead rock n’ roll,” Third and Maryland (TAM) play more blues than rock on their first full-length. The majority of the album is stripped-down, mellow rock with a few upbeat tracks bookending everything. This all leads to an unfortunately disjointed effort that feels…
Title: The Great Give & TakeBasics: Originally from Alamogordo, New Mexico, Gilbert’s Fat Tree are billed as a rock/funk/jam band. Nowhere in there, however, is the descriptor “painfully white,” because that’s what I can’t help but hear when I listen to this album — a bunch of white dudes trying…
Take a walk on a warm, sunny day through any college apartment complex near Arizona State University that houses Caucasian stoners (read: every college apartment complex near Arizona State University) and you’re guaranteed to hear someone blasting reggae. Chances are, a few Rebelution songs will be scattered in that playlist…
As much as she tries to out-weird herself, Lady Gaga can’t exactly be called original. When the singer — most recently chastised for ripping off Madonna — comes through town for a second Phoenix date on her Monster Ball Tour, don’t expect many surprises. The tour that never stops has…
Tribute bands are a dime a dozen, but few are on the level of The Pink Floyd Experience, headlining a venue only a little smaller than the one Roger Waters himself played a few months ago. Playing the songs of the psychedelic prog-rock mega-group requires an advanced level of observation…
In the late ’80s, sexual objectification of women in music was primarily limited to hair-metal bands and gangsta rappers. In other words, it was a “guy thing” (even if some of those guys wore lipstick and mascara). So imagine everyone’s surprise when Lords of Acid vocalist Jade 4U opened the…
Just like Charlie Sheen’s career, the residents of Fuse Fridays will never say die. They’ve endured both lineup changes and venue changes and are still coming back for more. Led by DJ Mara and Disko Da, the Fuse crew will make their re-debut on Friday, March 25, at their new…
All of the Westgate bars were bursting with St. Patrick’s Day festivities, but McFadden’s Irish décor made it the place to be. The bar was packed all night as guests were entertained by live music, jello wrestling, a bikini judging contest, and green beer that flowed like water. Some of…
Title: Street of Dreams & Ghetto CafeBasics: Detroit sent us both a 2-song Street of Dreams CD single, if you will, as well as Ghetto Cafe, a 6-song album/EP. The former is from 2010, the latter 2009. Detroit has quite a history in Phoenix – a quick bio on Last.fm…
Perhaps, your son or daughter yearns to become a professional whiner/lyricist. There is always the slimmest chance they’ll make it, but most people are kidding themselves. And then they turn out like America’s newest sweetheart, the young and oh-so-unlovable Rebecca Black.Black, 13, has managed to embarrass herself in front of…
The wait has been cruel — it’s been two-years-plus since we reviewed Jesus of Cool, Nick Lowe’s first solo album and the debut of a long overdue reissue series of the singer-songwriter’s catalog — but the re-release of Labour of Lust, Lowe’s second solo outing, is kind. Out of print…
In October 2007, Girl Talk performed as part of a liquor-company-sponsored event in Tempe Marketplace’s parking lot. Though Night Ripper had been out for more than a year, much of the audience was confused about it what it was witnessing. Since then, a lot has changed for Girl Talk’s Gregg…
With previous addresses in California and North Carolina (and a current one in Kansas), this emo/post-rock quintet has lived like hipster Gypsies — settling here, resettling there, uprooting always. Not coincidentally, The Appleseed Cast sounds like a little of everything. On “Steps and Numbers,” from their 2001 album Low Level…
Sharon Van Etten’s 2010 release, Epic, was a welcome change from her first self-released album, which had some great songs but suffered from being a starkly acoustic album from a singer-songwriter who obsessed over an unknown “you.” Epic is a fuller record from an artist whose growing confidence is also…
Hardcore punk bands started using the double kick drum breakdown nearly 20 years ago. It became one of the defining characteristics of the metalcore movement, which draws elements from death metal, post-hardcore, and emo. Over the years, metalcore has taken a more melodic approach, as vocal and guitar stylings have…
