Concerts Photo Gallery 

Devon Kay and the Solutions Delightful Desert Stop

Eclectic is defined as “composed of elements drawn from various sources.” It tends to be descriptions of the weather in Denver and my music tastes. Similarly, it can be used to describe the bill that assembled at Yucca Tap Room with Devon Kay and the Solutions. Just to touch on how eclectic it was, the night of music included the ska offerings of Bowcat, the punk funk of Okinawa Plane Crash, and the indie rock sounds of Celleste. The four of them combined with what I call the Indie Punk…

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Concerts Photo Gallery 

The Littlest Man Band Pays A Visit to the Desert

The most regular stream I tuned in to through the Covid quarantine was that of Scott Klopfenstein. Not only did I hear, and subtly remember lyrics, of his solo work in regularity, but I heard the songs of this band called the Littlest Man Band. It is a band that formed back in 2003 but went on break while Scott moved to the East Coast. However, since Scott has come back to the West Coast, you can say the cliché he got the band back together. With a couple adjustments…

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Concerts Photo Gallery 

A Skankin Good Time!

This was a show wrap up that started before I knew I had caught Covid 19. I had finished processing the photos the following Sunday night from the show and as I started to sit down to write the following day, the symptoms of Covid 19 started setting in. Given the early symptoms included sinus pressure, it created conflict with my ability to focus on writing about this wonderful night of Ska at the Yucca Tap Room.  However, as I see the tail end of the symptoms I wanted to…

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Concerts Photo Gallery 

Photo Gallery: Ska Parade 30th Anniversary Tour

January 25th was a night of many awesome and hard music decisions in Phoenix. However, my attention went to the collection of amazing and fun ska bands celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Ska Parade radio show. Bowcat were our sole locals that kicked off a night that just felt like a celebration of the genre. Joker’s Republic was the only band new to me and I was blown away. If you’ve never seen Hans Gruber and the Die Hards, then you owe it to yourself to when things resume.…

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Concerts To Consoles 

Concerts To Consoles: Episode 49 – Dane, Katie, and Steven of Bowcat

I’ve been working to get them on since near the beginning of Concerts to Consoles. Now you can watch on YouTube or listen on podcast services as BowCat​’s Dane, Katie, and Steven join me for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe! Chatting goes from the band, to Supernova Ska Festival, moshing in the skanking pit, favorite new ska lately, and to even question if fourth wave ska even exists?

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Concerts 

A Streak of Ska

Most of the year the amount of ska shows is not too concentrated. It usually lends to me making sure to support every ska show in hopes it will bring more. However, we had a strange week in July. There was a stretch of four ska shows in a five day span around Phoenix. That third show was the fun as hell bringing The Holophonics into town joined by Bowcat, Rundown Roommates, and Los Lerpes. Kicking things off first was a three piece Los Lerpes. Down a man, we saw…

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Concerts 

A Skankin’ Fourth

If there wasn’t a genre I did not catch enough of during the pre-Independence Day celebrations, it was Ska. Thanks to the actual Fourth of July, that was remedied. It had one of my favorite voices to hear sing in the Steady 45s and a regular staple of our local Ska scene, Bowcat. Plus Leigh, of Krovak, jumped on for some punk and folk acoustic songs to open up. To say I had a blast, would be an understatement. First, if you have never caught a Krovak show, you should.…

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Concerts 

Putting the BBQ In Punk Rock

The Fourth of July bring out your usual patriotism and fireworks. For me, and a lot in the Phoenix punk scene, it brings other fantastic traditions and get-togethers. The annual Pre-Independence Day Barbeque is one of those amazing events. This is put on by Bo, of the Industry, and his wife Marcia, of Bowcat, alongside a bunch of their punk musicians and friends. I started attending them about three years ago. I have had a blast and made new friends at every one of them. This year mine kicked off…

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Concerts 

No Noise Complaints Here

This was a Sunday night I was looking forward to for a bit. It had been about four years since I last caught Big D and the Kids Table. It was a fantastic time hanging with them at the Warped Tour bowling event. In addition to catching their set the next day, I ran into members of the band, like Ben and Derek, around Warped Tour throughout consistently. The interactions just cemented how great these guys and the Big D are. After that I was bugging their drummer Derek every…

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Concerts 

Skankin’ is Back!

Ska revival might actually be going on. As this year trudges on, it certainly feels like the genre is starting to flourish again. From both newcomers and the established greats, I know there have been more ska shows that I’ve attended this year. As my second love, only to Punk, in music, I am enjoying this extraordinarily. Tonight was the return of Viernes 13 to the Yucca Tap Room accompanied by a solid mix of ska and punk. Opening up was the one not skirting the border of the two…

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