Concerts 

That Small Venue Feel

Venues define the personality of a show. How much a venue defines that personality varies from place to place. For some of the midsize to larger, it can create a distant experience. In those spaces, it is up to a band’s performance to engage the crowd more. However, the smaller spaces bring the sense of energy closer to both the fans and the bands. From the moment it was announced that Guttermouth was playing the Yucca Tap Room, I was excited. That is a room that the performance style of…

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Concerts 

Among Friends

For 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…

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Concerts 

That PHX Ska Punk Bowling!

Twenty 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…

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