Interviews 

The Zero Crew

Last month I got invited to not only watch Authority Zero from backstage, but also got a photo pass for some great shots you can find in my full write up of the show here. The other amazing part of it was the guys in Authority Zero were kind enough to sit down to answer some questions for me. I got to find out how the guys met to talking about the upcoming album. They are adamantly excited about it, plus make me super envious of not visiting Japan yet.…

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Concerts 

The Night of Awesome Band Names

Two people can make up a great band. I’ve had this discussion time to time since discovering both the Two Tens and In the Whale in the past two years. While it doesn’t tend to include a bassist, these bands have an energy and garage punk sound that is enthralling. Entering the night, I was actually most excited to catch the Two Tens again. Plus this would be my first time seeing the Dollyrots. What I didn’t expect was the excellent surprise with Shovel opening up. I haven’t listened to…

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Concerts 

The Ska Prom and a Spring Fling

Spring is a time where the temperatures in Phoenix would be summer time for the rest of the country. Growing up here I’ve become acclimated to it, making it just a great time to get outdoors. With it brings the celebrations and the prom seasons too. This Saturday night was a combination of both for me, with a Spring Fling and taking in another annual Ska Prom. I made my way to the gorgeous Cave Creek for the first time for my friend’s, Jason, Spring Fling. This was my first…

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Concerts 

Punk Rock Straight Outta Yorkshire

What better way to usher in a weekend than with some high paced, punk rock? Coming off a week where I had a house sale to deal with on top of the normal ebb and flow, I was exhausted enough to have an unexpected nap after work. By the first song of First or Last, I already could tell I was too relaxed for a punk show. This couldn’t stand, so with a beer given to me, we started the process into matching the fast paced sounds of the night.…

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Concerts 

T.P.F.R.

I will admit at the top that my experience and knowledge of hip hop isn’t that strong. This includes dating back to early nineties hip hop, where the extent is a little of Wu-Tang and having listened to a bunch of Beastie Boys. It was more that I couldn’t relate to it. Enter the Nerdcore genre, where these were lyrics and topics that bring out things I’m familiar with. For an example of how engrained into some of the nerdcore topics I am, my left arm includes two video game…

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Concerts 

An Old St. Patrick’s Day Tradition Returns

Flogging Molly spent about one third of my life playing St. Patrick’s Day in Phoenix. They spoiled Phoenix with the best way to celebrate the holiday. A couple of those years they came through with their regular tour on top. Then after a long stint living in Los Angeles, they relocated the band to Detroit. This meant a harder trek than just four to five hours every year, and so the Phoenix tradition came to an end. In its ashes, they started doing the Salty Dog Cruise, which for some…

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Concerts 

Making St. Patty’s Day Pink

One of the longer running punk bands in the valley are the Venomous Pinks. Over the last couple months the hard work they have been putting has been paying out dividends. They are now signed to a label, Squid Hat out of Vegas. They have an opening slot on the main stage of this year’s Punk Rock Bowling. Now the first fruits of labor under Squid Hat released with a great new EP titled “We Do It Better,” with two of the hardest songs I’ve heard from them titled “Pizza…

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Concerts 

Ruining… or Making Your Grandma’s Music Better?

Expressions are a great way to engage with an audience. The more animated on stage the more entertaining it can make a performance. Tonight felt like the culmination of a couple of the most expressive performers in our scene getting together. The first two are perfect compliments to each other too. Franks and Deans brought on top one of the most unique punk performances I have seen. The night opened up with the guys from Payson, Alex Squared. This fast paced group of punks right away showed their appreciation for…

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