Concerts 

Playing To Their Fans

Album 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…

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Artist Spotlight Concerts 

Artist Spotlight: Boss’ Daughter

In 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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Concerts 

They Did It Their Way

This is where the obvious pun, all good things must come to an end probably sits. It was a night where a band who only popped up about two years ago is saying goodbye. However, in this case they are doing it on their terms. The words said through the night make it sound like Exxxtra Crispy benefited members of the band greatly. It helped a couple members through a few hurdles that life before and through the band’s life had presented to them. With the help of a lineup…

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Concerts 

All Hail Our New Imperial Overlords

Album release shows bring with them bigger crowds and higher energy. They tend to inspire creativity and more showmanship from the bands. One band that tends to not only go with the bigger room, but it brings out the best of their creativity is Playboy Manbaby. Leading up to this night, we had political ads and signage for the band lobbying to become Imperial Overlords. With that, we had a broader musical spectrum of a few of Phoenix’s finest musicians leading into their album release set. Opening up were the…

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Concerts 

Personalities That Rock

There are always bands to discover. There is always a continuous flow of new music and bands ending. There are regional limitations, where you are lucky to get the smaller to midsize bands making the drive all the way to Phoenix. One of my favorites that I discovered at the last Viva PHX was Rozwell Kid. Lucky for us, this year they went back on the road across the country again. Their tour mates for it were the excellent Prince Daddy and the Hyena plus our local Sundressed tasked with…

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Concerts Photo Gallery 

Photo Gallery: The Damned, Radkey, and The Darts

A new feature that I will use time to time are these Photo Gallery posts. In this case, I wanted to be sure to post up the full collection of pictures from the night of The Damned tour coming through Phoenix with Radkey and our own locals, The Darts! I was taking pictures for Yab Yum this night, so you can see the accompanying words Tom Reardon put to a couple of these pics by clicking here. Enjoy!

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Artist Spotlight Concerts 

Artist Spotlight: Sad Dance Party

Sad Dance Party is a band that sounds like it pulls influences from a few directions. A listen to their brand new album, Spontaneous Human Combustion, reveals this immediately. It kicks off strong with “Airplane” opening up with a fast pace and high energy. The vocals from Peter give me Sean Bonnette, of AJJ, and Jello Biafra vibes. It is that higher octave pitch and occasionally fast paced singing found on the new album. Their faster tracks like “Fade to Black” and “Passion Tinn” completely remind me of AJJ and…

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Concerts 

Warehouses Were Made For Music

Going to music brings you to a variety of places. We have our house shows, the hole in the walls, the bigger venues, and the DIY shows. These DIY shows more often are houses, although they have brought me to a rental space and now to a warehouse. This warehouse gave an awesome aesthetic surrounded by stacks of computer parts and cases. It brought together a variety of musicians with Bad Times, Not Confined, Monty O’Blivion, TOSO, and the Linecutters. Opening up is the always great to see familiar face…

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Concerts 

A Visit To Mt. Nerdcore

There are shows that are just a magical coming together of musicians. They have artists that when you list dream shows, you put them together. When it gets announced, it is hard to contain that excitement. The Mt. Nerdcore tour is that magical dream show of artists coming together. For the first time on the West Coast, it brings together four of the biggest names in Nerdcore with MC Lars, Mega Ran, Mc Frontalot, and Schaffer the Darklord plus one local surprise. That surprise was Teek Hall opening up the…

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Concerts 

That PHX Ska Punk Bowling!

Twenty years ago there was a small festival that started up in Las Vegas as a couple of club shows. That festival gradually grew to become what everyone knows as Punk Rock Bowling. Five years ago, in a similar idea for the Phoenix scene, Andy Jones put on the first ever Phoenix Ska Punk Bowling. The goal was to bring together our local punk, ska, and rockabilly at an affordable price for a couple days. Each year brings a couple national headliners too, that first one included Teenage Bottlerocket, The…

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