Third wave ska was born out of the punk scene in the late eighties, combining the sound of old school ska with the upbeat and fast paced nature of punk. Of those within the genre, there is only a pair I have watched in double digit. One of those tattooed on my arm, Less than Jake, and the other is Reel Big Fish. I used to joke they were a band that I couldn’t miss. That I always ended up at their Phoenix stops regardless of remembering they were playing.…
Read MoreHow 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 MoreCertainly one of the best of the best in the Phoenix punk scene are the Linecutters. They join me for the difficulty and the character creator of Bloodborne. We chat about their recent tours, why the Nile Underground is a good venue, the DIY shows, and video games.
Read MoreThis episode bring’s Madd Dog Tannen’s Brian Willey around to play Paperboy 2 on the SNES! We chat the band, when it had a ska brass section, Batman, Back to the Future and more!
Read MorePets are a member of the family. They are taken in and loved like any one of our children, and sometimes are the only children we have. However, there are situations where this is not the case. People who think they have time for taking care of one until the realization they don’t and, in some cases, worse mistreatment lands many of our favorite canine’s in animal shelters. That is where AZ K9 charity comes in, to educate and support adoption of shelter dogs that need a home. In its…
Read MoreIf there was one band to credit for me finding Rockabilly and Psychobilly, it would be Reverend Horton Heat. They were the first band of the genre to grab my attention, in part, due to the humor. The Rock ‘n Roll influences combined only to add to reasons I wanted to listen to more. With that, it should come as no surprise that I aim to always catch Reverend Horton Heat when they visit Phoenix. They brought with them two other special things about this night. One, it would be…
Read MoreAlbum 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…
Read MoreTwenty 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…
Read MoreCinco de Mayo is the celebration of the Mexican army defeating the French in the Battle of Puebla. It is a holiday that has taken on a celebration of Mexican culture and drinking here in the U.S. Over the years, the holiday has been more of day that my activities are more dictated by if there is a good show. This year presented a festival that has been hitting Tucson and a few stops around the country for a couple years now. It is the Sabroso Taco Festival with acts…
Read MoreEnthusiasm is the intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval. Many describe it as infectious. I would go with it as the theme of the amazing lineup of a tour. This night’s tour package had Less than Jake and Face to Face co-headlining with Direct Hit and Jukebox Romantics along for the ride. All four of these bands brought a large amount of enthusiasm to their night’s performances. Opening up was the only band I was unfamiliar with going in, the Jukebox Romantics. The three piece from New York was…
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