It was a night of a perfect combination of locals over at 51 West. Sore Eyes opening up with high energy. However, due to illness and down members the Jaunts went acoustic for this set. Then it was back to high energy, high flying as Zero Degrees North and No Lungs closed it out. A fantastic night of local music melting faces. Check out a few of the shots from the night below.
Read MoreLast month we had the pleasure of catching 88 Fingers Louie for the first time in years, and first time in general for me, in Phoenix. Joined by Decent Criminal on the tour and the excellent locals Wewerestereo and No Gimmick, this was easily one of my early favorite shows of 2019. While I’ve been busy trying to get the Concerts to Consoles show going, I fell a little behind. Despite that, I wanted to make sure you saw a little bit of this awesome night of music!
Read MoreIf there was one band to credit for me finding Rockabilly and Psychobilly, it would be Reverend Horton Heat. They were the first band of the genre to grab my attention, in part, due to the humor. The Rock ‘n Roll influences combined only to add to reasons I wanted to listen to more. With that, it should come as no surprise that I aim to always catch Reverend Horton Heat when they visit Phoenix. They brought with them two other special things about this night. One, it would be…
Read MoreContinuing on with the artist spotlight feature brings a local Nerdcore duo into the light. This is one you may not see as often locally because they have been doing a lot of trekking around the country since they started. My history with them goes back to when April was drumming in this fantastic blues and soul style band, Sister Lip. When that band ended up calling it quits, a few members went onto new projects with April joining Kalen for Snailmate. In the more than a decade since I…
Read MoreThere are older bands I have not caught in a non-festival setting. These are excellent ones that either they haven’t visited in the time since discovering or I had one of my regular overlaps of music I want to go see in the same night. The Lower Class Brats and Old Firm Casuals are both bands that until recently fit underneath this. A show additionally bringing a Tucson favorite, Thug Riot, and I got introduced to a band I had never heard before, Grade 2. Opening up are the Tucson…
Read MoreSometimes it is the small shows that pack the biggest wallop. Where there are only two bands, yet it feels like you watched a bigger concert. There were slightly contrasting energy of the music performed, but both Narrow Head and Fucked Up made it a show to remember. Our openers were guys from Texas called Narrow Head. These guys gave me more of a grunge rock and Nirvana vibe. It was in part due to a lot of their songs had a slower pace with drawn out chords underneath. It…
Read MoreFor the third band in my most recent feature, the Artist Spotlight, I am shining it on the Bombpops. This is a band I discovered the first time at Last Exit Live on a tour with the Swingin’ Utters in April 2015. This unknown was upbeat and the right kind of pop punk I love. A little Ramones blended with Joan Jett with their unique take on it. Lyrics I could relate to, with a few specifically because I had just come out of one of the worst relationship of…
Read MoreIn the world of music there are icons and those that most would argue defined a type of music. In the larger spectrum, probably see the names of Elvis Presley and the Beatles thrown into that discussion. However, in the world of punk rock, the Misfits defined what horror punk is. In addition, they brought a look and names to the mix that forever cemented their icon status. Since the time of the band, three of them split off to form their own projects. One member to do this was…
Read MoreAlbum releases tend to fit into a certain mold. They usually involve getting together with a band’s friends and playing all the new stuff off of that album. Although in this case, circumstances changed that. We found ourselves with an entire locals showcase to celebrate the new Authority Zero album. This night there was a familiar cast in front of them with Torn at the Seam, Nomada, Madd Dog Tannen, and Good Boy Daisy. This genre spreading cast did a superb job to lead up to one of my favorite…
Read MoreIn my second Artist Spotlight, I am bringing your attention to this awesome band out of Reno called Boss’ Daughter. My history with them goes back to a backyard barbecue during Punk Rock Bowling 2015 where a couple members played in a band called Vampirates. They technically played openers of that barbecue for PEARS. Keeping in touch with one member in particular, Chris Fox, brought his newer band Boss’ Daughter to my attention in the time following that. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the stars align for a Phoenix stop yet.…
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