How often do you see a two band show? I feel like it is rare that any show I attend isn’t a minimum of three. However, that is exactly what happened on Streetlight Manifesto’s latest trip to Phoenix with Kitty Kat Fan Club. Although with bands this good, two is a good number. Our openers were Kitty Kat Fan Club, a familiar group to anyone who went to the last times that Streetlight Manifesto or Koo Koo Kanga Roo came to town. I was in attendance at both, though felt…
Read MoreIn my latest artist spotlight, it is a case for why you show up early for every band. I first saw Potty Mouth as part of the tour with Skating Polly. Skating Polly was a band I was recommended prior, but had not had a chance to watch live before. Though before those guys played there was this band called Potty Mouth. They are an all-girl four piece live, and three piece otherwise, that brought an enthusiasm to the stage. They played a pop punk brand of music with fantastic…
Read MoreHave you ever heard a song and immediately were enamored with it? Hearing Amyl and the Sniffers song “GFY” for the first time on the Jonah Raydio podcast was just that. After that, I immediately jumped over to Spotify to listen to the rest of the self-titled album that it came from. The energy and sound grabbed me song after another on it. Of course, luck would have it they would be in town about a month after with a rad group of locals. Up first is a band I…
Read MoreThere are bands that you think the world of when you hear them. You want to catch them live anytime you can. Then, something happens and they disappear. Sometimes that is it, but in others they continue on. The latter is the case with Harper and the Moths, who since their last album release have had a little turnover in their ranks. The changes and break only further makes it wonderful they are back, with new music and bolstered by a strong set of bands on their album release night.…
Read MoreThere are musicians from the first song you know that you just want to keep listening to after. On a tour last year with Lawrence Arms and Red City Radio, there was a solo musician called Sincere Engineer. She came out with not only catchy and well written verses, but an honest stage presence that played well with the Phoenix crowd. She is one of those musicians that you look forward to catching once you’ve heard her. This time around she brought her full band alongside co-headliners Heart Attack Man,…
Read MoreOn the newest Artist Spotlight, I highlight one of the newer members of the Phoenix Punk scene, The Maybe Next Years. It is a band that I actually first watched a pair of the members in other bands. For one, Davey I first watched in the band the Darling Sounds. That was a slower tempo band, a little indie and alternative rock. He apparently had energy and enthusiasm he was holding back until The Maybe Next Years. Then there is Sage, who I first caught in her other band Dwarf.…
Read MoreFor the six years I’ve been heading to Punk Rock Bowling, there has been the added benefit of bands passing through Phoenix the Tuesday I’m back. This year was different with no punk show to run out to when I got home on Tuesday. However, we did have the benefit of Sniper 66 passing through one day later. On the bill were a few local favorites, Birth of Monsters, most of Ass Wipe Junkies, and TV Tragedy. The openers would be the high energy, high enthusiasm Birth of Monsters. These…
Read MorePerspective is a point of view. With a camera, the lens or lenses you use have the possibility to give you a change on your perspective. For this night, I challenged myself to only use the 85mm lens. When shooting pictures in a festival, like the Bash recently, it is a perfect way to get those closer shots on the big stage. In a smaller venue, such as the Rebel Lounge, it forces me to tackle my shots and angles in different ways and positions. Skinny Lister back in town…
Read MoreThe amount of music festivals popping up over the past couple years has grown exponentially. A few stationary ones continue to grow, such as The Fest and Punk Rock Bowling. Meanwhile, the format of craft brew tasting mixed with music from a few of your favorite bands has begun to be the predominant model for the newer ones. This year in the stead of the annual Sabroso festival, Arizona and Phoenix residents were treated to the first ever Bash Festival headlined by Rancid. Joining them for this stop was the…
Read MoreDespite what a few people might think, there are bands out there I have yet to discover. For one, there are bands always popping up while others end for one reason or another. I suppose you would refer to it as the ebb and flow of the music scene. In the case of this night at the Lunchbox, I returned to catch a band with no social media presence and one with that I had seen before. With them I found two local bands I had never seen. The musicians…
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