Sitting down with Christian Dion Dean, a.k.a. Vee Tha Rula, it’s clear he’s always had a vision. His foresight is how he got his name in the first place. “In the neighborhood, anything that would happen, my homeboys would always come to me and ask what’s going to happen,” Vee…
Thomas Wesley Pentz, better known as five-time Grammy-nominated producer, DJ, and recording artist Diplo, has had many illustrious collaborators since his rise in the early 2000s — M.I.A., Shakira, Robyn, Kid Cudi, Bruno Mars, No Doubt, and Snoop Dogg, to name a few. Now to that list you can add —…
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. Harper and the Moths – “In the Shadows”Last weekend, Harper and the Moths released their new EP, Rock.Pop.Soul., to a packed house…
The idea of disruption is big these days. It seems everyone is trying to disrupt something: the mattress industry, healthcare, taxi services. You don’t have to look far to see advertisements talking about new, better, and different ways of looking at established products and services, especially when it comes to…
Jodi Arias “really wants to see” the music video Phoenix rapper Kareem “Lefty” Williams made about her, a cheerful Arias said in a prison phone call leaked to Radar Online published yesterday. In the 15-minute phone call between rapper Williams and convicted murderer Arias, the two also talk prison food, what books…
The new year means new beginnings, fresh ideas, and more chances to give birth to new projects. In such a populous area, we are privy to a tremendous amount of ambition and diversity when it comes to the local music scene. The area’s creative class constantly churns out new music…
“We have all been here before, we have all been here before…” It’s only fitting that the guy who drummed on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Deja Vu album would die two deaths, one year apart. If you remember, there wasn’t any major rock ’n’ roll carnage taking place in…
It’s hard to imagine a more destabilizing feeling for an indie touring band than waking up to see that the entire trailer has been stolen off the hitch, but that is exactly what Sundressed woke up too Saturday in Salt Lake City. “It was the most devastating feeling. I woke…
Two members of the famous Russian activist band Pussy Riot will appear in Phoenix in February. Maria Alyokhina and Ksenia Zhivago will appear at Beth Hebrew Synagogue (333 E. Portland St.) on Saturday, February 16. Alyokhina received worldwide attention in February 2012, when she and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were arrested for…
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. Emby Alexander — “In Your Doorstep Bleeding” For the third year in a row, Emby Alexander will kick off June with…
Cris Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets begins talking almost immediately, standing in his driveway, dressed casually in sweats, his hair and beard gray save for a few stray dark strands radiating in all directions from his head. A fuzzy halo. His neighbor, he says, was the victim of a recent…
From styles that range from sweet, sad pop to in-your-face blistering punk rock, there are plenty of talented female musicians showing off their skills in bands all around the metro Phoenix area. We made you a list of ten local bands to check out that are fronted by women. Here…
Phoenix band Harper and the Moths’ throwback funk/soul blend not only matches their clean-cropped look perfectly. It makes their sound accessible to a wide variety of people, an attribute that has landed them some solid successes, including getting some radio play on KWSS. “We see people as young as 16…
Like any good pirate, Lindsey Stirling has a reputation that precedes her. Most of America knows her story. It’s one that underdog-loving households can get behind. A young artist is told on national TV that there’s no way she can sell out a Vegas venue with her electric violin dance…
Rum Drinker may write songs about tropical paradises and “SNES Heaven,” but the band’s Shangri-La just happens to be Sunnyslope, the Phoenix neighborhood wrapped around Nouth Mountain. The lo-fi surf punk quartet is fronted by singer/guitarist Josué Rodríguez and keyboardist Paris Tejas, a couple who met in Portland but now…
f One could argue that 2015 was one of the greatest years in Arizona hip-hop history. With a wide range of talent across the state, the beautiful culture simmering underground for years now bubbled up to the surface. The artists of this community are beginning to see fruits of the…
Country music lovers with an affinity for its roots, classic songs, and seminal performers are most likely familiar with Dana Armstrong. Known around town as DJ Dana, Armstrong is behind the Valley Fever event that features live country acts with the spinning of country records in between band sets by…
After playing The Marquee Theatre on New Year’s Eve, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers are headed southbound on Mill Avenue to Yucca Tap Room. The band is taking up residence at the Tempe bar to commemorate the 20th anniversary of The Refreshments’ major label debut Fizzy Fuzzy Big and Buzzy,…
Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best local music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. Bear Ghost — “Funkle Phil” Bear Ghost is celebrating the New Year by releasing another single from its forthcoming debut full-length…
A year ago we began this Heritage Hump celebration each Wednesday with the hope of bringing you the stories and songs of great Arizona bands, sung and unsung. Now that year has come to a close, and so has our series. We’d like to thank all the bands that participated…
At first glance, it may seem trivial, but one of the things every city needs is a good record label. Sure, clean water is nice, a low crime rate is great, and affordable housing is key, but a good record label can make a city into something truly special. Just…
Psyko Steve Chilton’s Rock Lottery (scheduled for Saturday, January 16), now approaching its third year, is one of the more brilliant ideas to take hold in the local music scene. There is nothing quite like the exhausting task of shuffling some two dozen musicians together, forming random, new five-piece bands,…
