Concerts 

The Rockin’ Folk

Music is a therapy. It is something that is a great place to forget your stress. For me, it is how I started this frequenting of shows. The venues are a place of letting the mind escape on the chords of the instruments, the rhythm of the drums, and words of the lyrics. Catching the three bands of this night, Dirty Sunset, Foresteater, and Valley Queen, were another example of that amazing therapy. The night opened up a little more folky with Dirty Sunset. These guys play a bluegrass and…

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Concerts 

Did I Say I like a Rocking Guitar?

The annual Viva PHX music festival has been a place to see the bands that I love playing and catch some new ones. This year that included the guys of Rozwell Kid and their praise of the AT&T moon. Granted, these guys were touring with Jeff Rosenstock and the Menzingers so I would have caught them no matter where they played. However, they jumped high onto my radar once I saw them play at Viva PHX. For the first tour since, they came through with two bands I hadn’t heard…

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Concerts 

The Overlapping Tastes

If you told me there would be a tour with Reverend Horton Heat, Fishbone, and Strung Out on it, I would have given you an askew response. I think highly of all three bands, but together on one stage I wouldn’t imagine. However, it makes complete sense after a little thought. There are a bunch of crossover fans from the three genres of punk, ska, and rockabilly. With that, we got fantastic performances plus a great surprise in the opening Los Kung Fu Monkeys. Entering the show I had a…

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Concerts 

DIY Punk At the Rats Ass

The DIY scene goes hand and hand with the punk scene. Many come in the form of homes turned into venues. A couple DIY spaces are official establishments that cater to a broader range like 924 Gilman and our own local Trunk Space. One of the better ones to pop up was the Rats Ass. The venue since this show has shut down. Although fear not, it has reopened under a new name. Even under the new name, you must “ask a punk” to find the address. I arrived late…

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Concerts 

Punk Pals

Personality is the word I would use to describe the night. This will be repeated throughout below. Personality is the most common trait of every band that played the First or Last album release. A unique acoustic set from Rundown to the hard rockers of Alex Squared. Opening up was Rundown Roommates in a more unplugged form. Elliot and Tyler sat adorned stools on the Yucca stage. They both had acoustic instruments, guitar and bass. Like their full band sets they kept the charm you find in a regular set.…

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Concerts 

A Little Taste of Americana

It has been longer than I like to go between posting shows. At the volume I attend, this thing just piles up. Unfortunately, the day job that has funded this for four years has let me go. The past couple weeks have been applying to jobs and getting used to the additional stresses. I want to say an up front apology for the longer delay. With that though, I’m excited to get back on this. The show I left off with was that of Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold, two…

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Concerts 

Wasn’t Going Out

This was a Saturday that I had consigned to staying in. It was the beginning of a more stressful period at my day job, and I always have pictures to catch up on. I posted it to Facebook to try to hold myself to it. Alas, it seems that music calls to me despite all the attempts to stay in. Music brings me to a place I enjoy being. So, I went over to Last Exit Live to catch a mix of bands I mostly didn’t know. Opening up was…

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Concerts 

Yard Decorations Go Great On a Stage

Nights of discovering new music are fun. They can be brought on because I already know a band on the bill. They can be by happenstance that I decided to go check out a new show. However, tonight it was a combination of factors including the man, Matt, who was putting on the show. I met him at the last Good Ol’ Joel performance, and conveniently they were on this show too. Between Matt being a great salesman to get my interest peaked and Good Ol’ Joel, they had me…

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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 

Blind Discoveries

One of the merits since the Trunk Space started the Indie 500 was catching new bands. You can show up for a known band, but stick around until your eyes won’t stay open. In that time you see a large mixture of genre. You see bands you never knew the name of that stick in your memory as you leave. Good Ol’ Joel is one of those bands I first saw at the 2016 Indie 500. One thing that stuck with me was their guitarist made a skateboard into his…

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