Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best new music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. The Hellflowers – “Running Through The Fog” The Hellflowers may be based in Los Angeles, but half of their lineup hails…
When a band like the Valley’s own BroLoaf tells you its new record has “pop sensibilities,” you just have to roll your eyes. Those who have witnessed the spectacle of the almost 8-year-old band’s live show understand the general need to eye-roll when the subject of the “Loaf” comes up…
Though it may seem contrary to the notion of becoming a successful band, ignoring trends may be the best way to get discovered. At least, that concept proved successful for The Darkness. Formed in 1999 by brothers Dan and Justin Hawkins, the pair set their sights on the big time…
Nonpareil is a band that want to tell it like it is. Locally grown but internationally influenced, the Phoenix-area quartet plays a noisy brand of post-punk carefully designed to enthrall and motivate the listener and will please even the most discerning devotee of the great Dischord Records label out of Washington,…
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. Snake! Snake! Snakes! – “In My Head” Depending on how long you’ve been into Snake! Snake! Snakes! you’ve been waiting…
You can never have too many urinals, right? That probably wasn’t the logic that went into some of the new renovations at Mesa music and event venue, the Nile Theater, but the addition of bathrooms, urinals, and a small room in the men’s room area has allowed the venue’s overall…
In the six years between the release of the self-titled debut of awkwardly punctuated Phoenix band Snake! Snake! Snakes! and the upcoming release of the group’s sophomore record, Tranquillo (due out April 9), the rock ’n’ roll four-piece has changed an awful lot. For starters, the group traded in ivory…
As the temperatures rise, those who travel via motorcycle begin to hit the open road. Bike festival season is on the horizon. The big four nationally recognized veteran bike events are well-known across the US: Sturgis, South Dakota; Myrtle Beach, Florida (both in their 76th year); Daytona Beach, Florida in…
Phoenix Lights 2016 this past weekend was a colorful experience, to say the least. The two-day electronic dance music festival, which invaded Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix, was filled with vivid and vibrant hues from start to finish. There were all the colored lights and lasers emanating from…
March came in like a lion and went out like a light for 16 notable musicians. The latest in the Reaper Ranks for the past 31 days, we have the demise a knighted record producer, a prog rock maverick and an actress turned pop star of whom we know that…
When it rains, it pours—and that’s exactly what you can expect from the metal gods this April in Phoenix! It’s springtime, guys, and we’re in that teeny tiny window of gorgeous weather before triple digits start to slap us across the face. The Valley of the Sun is packed with…
A glam indie rock band lead by a strapping young peacock — that’s lead singer Luke Skinner’s nutshell description for his up-and-coming Brit band the Struts. And now they’re bringing those vibes to the Valley. On Friday April 1, they’ll be headlining a free concert at Tempe Marketplace as a…
Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best local music in column, Right Hear, Right Now. decker. – “Cellars (W.A.S.H. Remix)” At first listen to the music of decker., it’s difficult to imagine any of their songs being…
Masta Ace has been a rapper’s rapper since he jumped into the game back in 1988, and after a 27-year career he remains one of the most respected underground MCs of all time. He is going to be coming through Phoenix for a date at downtown’s Last Exit Live on…
Like most well-known, middle-aged personalities, Punk Rock, known by friends as simply Punk, is a little coy about disclosing its true age. For the most part, though, Punk’s fans and critics tend to agree it was born in 1976, making this year its 40th birthday. We thought it would be…
It’s not that Spafford has anything against Phoenix or Arizona, it’s just that the super heavy prog-jam quintet doesn’t like being called a “local” band. And as of now, the group is starting to earn the credentials necessary to be called a national act. Not only have more of their…
Carbon-based life forms of the Valley, be warned: the phenomenon known as the Phoenix Lights will once again invade our city a few days from now, bringing with it an otherworldly aura and an array of colorful beings into our midst. But before you start stocking up on ammunition or…
Viva PHX, the music festival that turns downtown Phoenix into a mini-South By Southwest for a night, will return on Saturday, March 11, 2017. The 2016 festival brought around 70 musical acts to 17 venues across the city. If you missed it, you can catch a glimpse of the madness…
The last time The Hourglass Cats (THC) dropped an EP Jan Brewer was still governor, KONGOS wasn’t platinum yet, Black Carl was still together, and Sheriff Joe. . .was still sheriff. But that’s neither here nor there. It has been since June of 2012 since THC has release a collection…
If you are a fan of local art rockers Fairy Bones, there is no doubt that you’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of their newest video for the final track from last year’s Dramabot, “Notes From Wonderland.” It is the group’s best video since the creepy house party that was…
You want to see a magic trick? Because the Maple Ash Farmer Wilson Neighborhood is going to make their annual walking tour show disappear. That’s right, the lads and lassies over in the Casey Moore’s district of Tempe, also known as the Maple-Ash-Farmer-Wilson neighborhood or Zone 1, are throwing another “Vanishing…
The Hourglass Cats – “Rainchecks” After their singles last year were heavily indebted to garage rock influences, I was wondering if The Hourglass Cats had decided on a new direction or if they would still make songs that had that classic Cats sound. I got my answer with their newest…
