With the first day of M3F under my belt, I was more excited going into the second day. I had already discovered so many new to me musicians and bands that it created a bigger anticipation for the second day. The sun was out this time that added warmth and to that feeling that it was going to be a good day. As for the festival, it did live up to that growing anticipation and the bar set by the day prior. First of the music would be another solid…
Read MoreThe now by the name M3F festival has been running since 2004. The three in the name originally coming from McDowell Mountain Music when it started in Scottsdale in view of the McDowell Mountain range. Since then, it has only grown and grown, moving into bigger digs in downtown Phoenix at Margaret T Hance Park. It only made sense for them to remove the direct name of McDowell Mountain and rename to the acronym of M3F. My first attending of the festival was in 2016 where I watched Beck for…
Read MoreThe very first time I saw PEARS was in a Las Vegas backyard in 2015. That was near the beginning with their first album under their belts and Fat Wreck had just signed them. Since then, they have only gone up in trajectory in success, music writing and performances. That includes their self-titled 2020 release being their best to date. However, they never had a chance to tour on it until now. The great one two punch of the tour included Neighborhood Brats who unfortunately dropped due to continuing issues…
Read MoreWhile things are getting postponed or canceled, figured I’d go bring up a band I finally got to see back in October called Ratboys. You may have seen a couple camera shots over on the Psyko Steve Instagram, but I never got around to processing everything I took until now. As a repeated tale from the past two years, they are a band that grabbed my attention over streams. For Ratboys though, it wasn’t just for their music but personality they exude. If I recall correctly, part of that included…
Read MoreThere are artists that just invoke positivity. Not only in their performance, but in their day to day interactions and fans they inspire. You find the crowds in front of them are as supporting and happy as the artist they came to watch. Jeff Rosenstock is that kind of musician, regardless of the negative reflection of the world, albeit true, in his lyrics themselves. So throw in vaccination only requirements, to make people feel safe coming out, and the band themselves bringing Slaughter Beach, Dog and Oceanator with them to…
Read More2020 and part of 2021 gave a lot of time to discover new music you didn’t listen to. Whether it was through the popular livestreams or just randomly going down a “You May Also Like” path, there was more time to dig deeper in. I did just that with one of the prominent ones I found being Beach Bunny. There were, and still are, points I just have them on loop. So when things started coming back and they announced their tour will coming through Phoenix, I was immediately tried…
Read MoreWayne Newton lived in Phoenix. Yes, Mr. Las Vegas and known for his iconic look performing music Wayne Newton. For a part of his childhood he grew up in the Coronado District of Phoenix. He attended North High School before moving again to set him up for all the grandeur of Las Vegas. Why bring this up? That is because WayneFest is a celebration named after him and a get together of the neighborhood he once lived in. It started in 2018 making it one of our newest festivals in…
Read MoreThere are shows you circle on your calendar as must go. After the last year and a half, that has only further magnified those you miss seeing live and those you just have newly discovered. Doll Skin was of those I had circled from the moment it was announced. They are such an excellent band to watch live. For bonuses on the night, that would be getting to catch Winterhaven, An Awful Mess, and Rio Wiley additionally. Opening up was a bouncy and fun band called Winterhaven. This is the…
Read MoreGoing into a show blind can lead to just a bigger high when you discover another awesome band. It is the reason you should always go to a show from the beginning, as those openers have become a few of my favorite bands. However, in the case of Hot Mulligan, they were a band I actually had never listened to prior to this show going in. Additionally, Super American on this tour too. I was there for Sincere Engineer and Prince Daddy and the Hyena. Combined though, all four just…
Read MoreGetting to see a band once is a pleasure, but getting to see them two nights in a row is a double delight. There have been a handful of times that I’ve been able to watch a band two, or more, nights in a row like that. AJJ and Authority Zero are ones I have in the same venues back to back. The Slackers and Crazy & The Brains are two that come to mind that I’ve pulled off in two nights in two different cities. Regardless of whether the…
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