Most of the year the amount of ska shows is not too concentrated. It usually lends to me making sure to support every ska show in hopes it will bring more. However, we had a strange week in July. There was a stretch of four ska shows in a five day span around Phoenix. That third show was the fun as hell bringing The Holophonics into town joined by Bowcat, Rundown Roommates, and Los Lerpes. Kicking things off first was a three piece Los Lerpes. Down a man, we saw…
Read MoreEveryone 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…
Read MoreBirthday shows tend to be a more common occurrence as I meet more within our music scene. They bring out the friends and musicians. Some I don’t get the pleasure to see as often as I would like. In the case of tonight, I got to catch someone who I have missed play for a while, someone I had not seen before, and a bunch of regular bands I love to see live. Opening up the night was the birthday girl herself, Cecilia. Playing with her friend on guitar, the…
Read MoreWhat do you do after spending about ten hours out at a Warped Tour in Phoenix? If you’re me, you take the day off to rest and go out to music the next night. Plus given Harper and the Moths are taking time off to put toward a new album, the Real Fits show was on the top of my radar. The night opened on a fantastic touring band, then flowed into great local acts across two air-conditioned venues. That touring act would be Beachwood Coyotes from L.A. These awesome…
Read MoreThere’s nothing like good folk and acoustic music. Tuesday night was a mix of some I’ve seen before, and some I haven’t, expanding the list of musicians I like. I discovered Ike Fonseca and Ghost in the Willow, and catching the talented Chip Hanna and Leonhardt once again. Opening up was Leonhardt, who from the sound of it was driving back that day to Phoenix. Lucky for us, we got to catch him play a set. He plays with a guitar and drum box like Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold…
Read MoreWhat do you do after four days straight of punk rock? Go to more punk rock. Unlike my last three years of Punk Rock Bowling, this Tuesday had two awesome punk shows the night I returned. Over at the Yucca Tap Room, Booze & Glory passing through. Meanwhile, at Time Out Lounge the excellent guys of Lost in Society. I split my time between, catching the two awesome out of town openers at Yucca and made it in time for Lost in Society and Bad Funk at Time Out. Opening…
Read MoreDiscovery is one of the special ingredients of life. Tonight I was familiar with one of the bands, but didn’t do any research on what to expect from the other two. What I discovered was two more bands with personality. You can add Cadaver Dabba Doos and Redneck Nosferatu to that list alongside Creepsville 666 already on it. All three of them combined for a great middle of the week show. First on the bill was the Cadaver Dabba Doos. They have been playing a bit these days, but this was…
Read MoreMusic festivals tend to give you a great amount of music for your buck. However, they make it hard to catch every band and musician you came to see. Either they overlap parts of the set, or the entire set at times. Such was the case when I first saw Russian Girlfriends during the Rebel Riot. Sandwiched between the 2 Tone Lizard Kings and Broloaf, I only caught a portion jumping between the outdoor and indoor stages. Tonight was where I fulfilled catching a full set from the talented group…
Read MorePassions are what make life worth it. Tonight was a night of two of my biggest passions happening nearly the same time, music and videogames. I love them so much that they are the two things tattooed on me. When I saw set times, I was like, this will perfectly work out. Of course, on punk rock time means there is going to be sets later than planned. That’s fine, because I actually had issues tearing myself away from watching Common Tongue’s set to pick up the Nintendo Switch. Before…
Read MoreMoney, it is usually the enabler to see some of the touring musicians when they come to town. Money would somehow be what kept me from discovering Frank Turner until the release of Tape Deck Heart and not seeing him live for the first time until 2014. I had just discovered the awesome band, Larry and his Flask, at Warped Tour a little prior to the show at Crescent Ballroom so I should have been there in 2012. Though going back to school for a second degree, living off of…
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