Concerts 

The Skaters and the Punks

There are conventions popping up for plenty of hobbies and fascinations. The most popularized model is the comic and pop culture convention. Furthermore, it is inspiring fans of other hobbies to organize conventions and gatherings for their favorite hobbies. One of the newer ones to pop up is the Phoenix Skatercon. A convention built around the skater culture, from skills to punk rock. The music brought excellent acts from Since We Were Kids to D.I. However, this whole convention is one that exceeded my expectations. In its third year, this…

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Concerts 

80/20 Vision

You never know how long an endeavor is going to last. If it is something you are passionate about, you hope the rest of your life. It is why you celebrate each moment as the things that matter to you hit significant benchmarks. For 80/20 Records’ founder, Michael Zimmerlich, this year marks ten years of just that. It is ten years of him helping musicians get their music out there. I met him through one of my favorite locals that his label plays host to, Captain Squeegee. Then I kept…

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Concerts 

Moving Music

When I entered Friday, I already knew there was a tussle for where I should go watch music. However, when I got the email back that I could take pictures of Skinny Lister and Will Varley, I knew my starting point. These are two bands I fell in love watching when introduced to me through two separate Frank Turner tours. A week prior finding out our local Cockswain had been added as openers and I knew that show was going to deliver. Of course, Valley Bar shows start pretty early…

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Concerts 

The Open Mic Night Surprise

I’ve attended open mics time to time over the years. They bring out great and growing musicians. There were a few I became a regular for a while, including the one that gave me my first nickname of “Homemade Shaker Joe.” This was a night that my friend Jaime, of 1967, returned to Phoenix to visit and perform. I was going to relax after his little set, but a surprise showed itself later into the night. First, let us talk Jaime and 1967. He was once a resident of Phoenix…

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Concerts 

The Message of Unity

This show was a different kind of line up for me. I don’t usually listen to a lot of hardcore punk. There are exceptions, with the fantastic PEARS and Tarter Control. But I usually just don’t get into the Hardcore punk. Enter a night where one of the highest ranking bands on my favorites list, Anti-Flag, comes to town with three of them in tow. If anyone this night made a case for another Hardcore band that I could get into, it was Sharptooth. This was a band with similar…

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Concerts 

Punk Rock Duo

Everyone has an opinion. You don’t have to agree with them, but you can listen to their take on it. It is a common discussion that comes up about two piece bands. There are people out there that aren’t fans. They aren’t open to the idea two members can make great music. However, over the past three years I’ve seen a couple now that I feel make the convincing argument for the amazingness that is a two piece band. In this smaller show, we had the two piece of Mobina…

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Concerts 

The Grounding of All Things Music

Shit happens. A little after a month of this show, I ended up losing my day job. It was how I mostly funded this expedition. However, it showed me how things devolve when you don’t have a financial grounding underneath. It made the following months already backlogged on pictures become more chaotic as the job hunt continued. Among that time I did process pictures for bands at their request, and you probably saw them floating around on their respective sites and social media. That was helpful in giving me grounding…

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Concerts 

The Stars Aligned

Many of us have a bucket list for a specific hobby or just life in general. It is a list of things you want to accomplish before you die. For music, over time I’ve grown a list of my own. There are a few likely impossible, and a few feasible. However, one that has been on mine for near a decade has been Propagandhi. To say that I was looking forward to this night would be an understatement. Add in the fantastic music that is Bad Cop/Bad Cop with the…

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Concerts 

Look What Happened

Road trips are becoming a more common regularity for my concert going. It is not just the big festivals either. This is a random trip to a place out of town like the Rialto in Tucson. With the opening of the Green Room up in Flagstaff, they have been bringing fantastic punk shows through the cooler climate. It is a Crescent Ballroom size venue with an excellent selection of craft beers from around the Flagstaff area. With a car lease, and limited income currently, I have fewer opportunities to get…

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Concerts 

True Sounds of Liberty

The month of August started with a bang. This was show that brought a legendary legacy in punk with the more exciting up and comers. There was no doubt I would be in attendance from the moment I saw show announcement. T.S.O.L. and Father Figures accompanied by the high energy guys of Reason Unknown and the Linecutters conquered Club Red this night. Opening up is easily the best punks to explode on our scene in the last two years, the Linecutters. They blend hardcore singing with the tunes of your…

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