Critic's Notebook

Okilly Dokilly is set to release its first full-length record after going viral last year.

Hiding in a stranger’s bedroom at a house party on the west side of Phoenix, 14-year-old Buzzy Murder, lead guitarist in Exterminators, thought he was going to jail for sure.  “A good percentage of our gear had been stolen,” says Murder, whose real name is Doug Clark. “[Doug Goss, the…

Since Trunk Space officially closed its doors on its original Grand Avenue location this summer, there has been much anticipation in the Phoenix DIY scene to see where the new Trunk Space would be. After many successful pop-up shows around Phoenix and Tempe, the perfect spot opened up for Trunk…

Political correctness and punk rock don’t mix. Sure, there are bands that do the punk thing well and never say or do anything untoward or aiming to offend. These bands are neat, probably dress well, and are nice to their mothers, and the world is safer for it. Luckily for…

Joe Arpaio’s infamous tenure as Maricopa County Sheriff has inspired lots of protest art and music. But the metal community has not yet joined the flock. Until now. Thanks to a volunteer for Bazta Arpaio, a nonprofit dedicated to voting the sheriff out of office during next week’s election, there now…

Arizona metalheads, it’s finally November. Take a deep breath of fresh air — after all, we’re finally out of the triple digits — kick back, and listen to some of your favorite tunes. One of the best parts about the impending holiday season is the end-of-year sales on music and the…

With Halloween and Day of the Dead behind us, we turn now to our Month of the Dead tally and see if there were any October surprises. Of course, there were. Like the nine months before it, we lost some great underrated musicians, many of them songwriters whose names may not…

When we threw down the list of Tucson’s 10 most buzzworthy bands, you might have noticed a handful of glaring omissions. We didn’t forget. The Old Pueblo is proving itself to be a home for hip-hop with innovative events, a bunch of great artists, and its own Tucson Hip Hop…

Cover songs were a huge part of Joan Baez’s repertoire and success, especially at the beginning of her career as a folk artist. Her self-titled debut album, as well as her second record, consist only of traditional blues and folk numbers. Both became gold records. Her first two singles to…

Harper and the Moths have released a special Halloween treat for their fans this year with Mixtape, where the band dresses up, musically speaking, as a synth-laden, drum machine-driven pop band from the 1980s. It’s something the band members have been working on in their off time when they aren’t…

Those three lights in the night sky everyone was talking about yesterday? The ones that stayed in the sky for 45 minutes, disappeared, and caused everyone in the city to declare the return of the Phoenix Lights? If those were somehow related to the press release we just received, every…

Injury Reserve – “All This Money” Injury Reserve is at it again with their second single from their forthcoming album Floss. Quick on the heels of “Oh Shit!!!” comes “All This Money,” and one thing is for sure, Floss cannot get here soon enough based entirely on these first two…

Singer-songwriter Cait Brennan’s first crowdfunding campaign, created to cover some of the costs for Debutante (her debut album, released last January), was all sweetness and light. Contrast that to her new GoFundMe campaign where, Brennan says, “I look like Nixon resigning.” 2016 has not been the year Brennan had hoped…

Miss Krystle aptly titled her latest album when calling it Woman in Motion. As of right now, she has her own entertainment law practice, is the CEO/founder of a local charity, and just released her fifth music video this year alone.  The former beauty pageant queen won Miss Palo Verde…

Good Charlotte began its career with a bang and went on to rule the roost as one of pop punk’s most successful bands among fans with more than 10 million in sales. This happened despite harsh criticisms from rock critics as being too boy-bandish and heavy on the teen angst themes…

Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best new local music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. Holy Fawn – “Reykur (Live)” To be clear, I’m not one to usually share or review a live video for…

BOO! Arizona at Rawhide this past weekend had everything you could want in a Halloween-themed electronic dance music festival. There were loads of eerie decorations, including a ginormous skull onstage that loomed behind DJs, a cannonade of lasers lighting things up, a spooky atmosphere augmented by the bass-heavy sounds blasted…

Insane Clown Posse is not a critically acclaimed band, to say the least. While ICP’s press is more positive than it used to be, and that was a low bar to clear to begin with, most of it has focused on Juggalos, their devoted fanbase. Why the FBI decided that…

Alex Trebek, you need to chill. On Jeopardy the other day, host Alex Trebek talked to one the contestants, Susan Cole, for one of the short get-to-know-you interludes he does between rounds.  Voice dripping with cynicism, Trebek announced that Cole was into a type of music that “doesn’t sound like fun.” …

While the new generation may ask, without irony, who’s Bob Dylan? And, who cares about Willie Nelson? Many of us know it wasn’t always this way. Once, there was an era that hung on Dylan’s every move, and when the folk singer eventually retired as the protest voice of his day,…

Over the course of just 10 years and four albums, progressive rock/hardcore outfit Pierce the Veil accomplished what most bands strive for yet few achieve: the skyrocketing whirlwind of the rock star dream. But they didn’t get there by seeming “untouchable” or big-money ad spots. Pierce the Veil did the opposite,…

Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best new local music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. No Volcano – “Blackout” No Volcano’s Who Saved The Party was in my top five of The 25 Best Albums…