If ever there were a soundtrack to Memorial Day Weekend, it’d be electronic dance music. That’s because EDM will be in abundance during MDW, whether it’s in the dance clubs of Scottsdale, Tempe, and Downtown Phoenix or around the pools of the nearest swanky boutique hotel. As such, some of…
With hardly a whisper from the collective music community in the past two weeks, the 10th anniversary of a defining record for one of this generation’s most prolific musicians came and went. Ryan Adams’ Love Is Hell, his fifth solo record and what may be his darkest offering to date,…
In 2012, Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace took the world by storm when she publicly revealed herself to be transgender. Though had we been paying attention, we would have noticed the not-so-subtle cues in the band’s lyrics, like these from “The Ocean”: “If I could have chosen / I would…
It’s okay to make money in today’s world. Even necessary to survive and raise a family. But when somebody becomes greedy in the process where they cheat, pollute and hurt others, well that’s not cool. That’s the message in the song “Greedy,” which is on Tommy Castro’s new CD The…
With eight critically acclaimed projects under his belt, Phoenix-based hip-hop artist Trap House has become one of the most prolific and influential hip-hop artists to come out of Arizona. Some of his accolades include being chosen by Vitamin Water to give a personalized tour of the city and being chosen…
“We play more shows a year than any band out there right now, unless you have a residency in Vegas.” –Dez Fafara, vocalist of DevilDriver. Upon reading that, there are probably a dozen bands most people would list off the top of their heads — and probably none would be…
On James Cotton’s new CD, Cotton Mouth Man, there’s a song, “He was There,” that makes the point that the blues harmonica icon has performed just about everywhere. Well, on May 17 the Cotton Mouth Man will perform somewhere he hasn’t performed before: The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. Cotton,…
Against Me!’s latest album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, may be one of the most important records of the decade. We’re deep in a cultural war for gay and women’s rights, but we’ve barely scratched the surface regarding transgender issues. The coming out of someone in the public eye still qualifies as…
Sister Lip is one of those bands on the Phoenix scene that can play just about any show. Since its inception in September 2012, the all-female act has found itself at touring authors’ book-signings, variety shows, the state fair, and just about anywhere that will give the band a stage…
If there is any such thing as garage rock royalty, Holly Golightly certainly must be a member. Lo-fi before there was such a thing, and cool from the get-go, Ms. Golightly visits Phoenix for the very first time with her backing band, The Brokeoffs (which is really just one guy,…
In every musical idiom there are performers who transcend the genre and, at times, the music itself. Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell ranks among them. In fact, to call him a jazz musician is in itself limiting, as Frisell — who began playing surf music as a teen and later worked…
Whenever Sunday night rolls around, most cats are content to simply veg in front of the latest episodes of Game of Thrones or Once Upon a Time. They don’t know what they’re missing. Despite the fact that it’s the final night of the weekend (and your boss expects you to…
Australian sisters, producers and DJs, Nervo, are the embodiment of what so many others wish they were. They have it all. They work with their best friend, they’re accepted into dance music’s in-crowd, they’re talented songwriters and producers, they’re at the forefront of today’s fashion and music movements, and are…
A couple of locals are making music that’s Hollywood-bound. Local producer John Costello’s remix of “How U Girlz Git Down” by local rapper Marcus Latief Scott is featured in the official trailer of Walk of Shame. Walk of Shame is a romantic comedy that came out May 7. The movie…
When there were all those rumors about AC/DC retiring/breaking up a few weeks ago, a lot of people were panicking. Everyone from industry pros to famous musicians wondered if AC/DC was actually going to continue on without guitarist/founder Malcolm Young, or if they should just hang up their hats after…
At first glance, the image appeared to be just another photo, the kind of day-to-day self-documenting that floods online interactions these days: A young man sitting on a chair holding a guitar against bare white walls. Around him are keyboards, amps, and other equipment. It could have been anyone: someone…
Beaten down by lineup changes, shitty opening slots on five-band bills, and an indefinable lack of forward momentum, The Sex could have easily — like countless lesser bands — unplugged their Marshalls long ago. But this scrappy local punk act may just be getting started. This month, The Sex birthed…
As founder of genre-spanning songwriter project Eels, Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E, knows what it’s like to reinvent himself. Since the band’s formation in 1995, he’s bounced among genres while never fearing wearing his heart on his sleeve. With The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett, Eels’ most…
We Are Scientists crafts great songs, tunes that are sincere and catchy slices of indie rock. But the Berkeley trio’s primary appeal (besides looking sharp in suits) may lie in its sense of humor. There are the music videos, especially 2005’s “The Great Escape,” which features the band’s members crouched…
By our count, the DJ duo of Defense.Mekanizm and Self.Destrukt have violated at least four of the seven deadly sins (pride, gluttony, wrath, and — most importantly — lust) during the debaucherous dance nights they’ve hosted around town, In other words, the pair is more than qualified to put on…
On a sweltering Sunday night in early May, a young-skewing crowd of roughly 50 black-clad hardcore fans packed around the tiny stage in the sweaty basement of the Nile Theater in Mesa. The main attraction of the evening was Georgia screamo band Circle Takes the Square, but this crowd was…
Boys Noize performs at Monarch Theatre in Phoenix on Wednesday, May 7. The electro producer and founder of Boys Noize Records is an authority in the electro music scene on a global scale, and was shaping the American electro scene long before anyone was doing the Dada. Boys Noize, aka…
