Local synth-rockers The Holy Coast know something about today's average music consumer: mainly that they have the attention spans of gnats.

The trio comprised of Keith Walker, Brett Davis and Braden McCall recently put on their first live performance and have completed their debut album, but they're still carefully calculating the dissemination of their sound.

Instead of finalizing an official release date for their record, the group has decided to release one new track, along with an accompanying music video every month.

"What we're trying to do is reinvent how we approach everything," Brett Davis says. "We're trying to be innovative with the ways that we release our music which we haven't done too much of so far. We have a full album, but we're sick of the idea of the full album. I fucking love albums, but I don't know that the attention span is there anymore. We want to continuously release music and write new music so it's not like, 'here's an album, now move on.'"

See also:
The Holy Coast Adds Dead Wildlife's Braden McCall to the Fold
The Holy Coast Debuts Earnest Glitch Folk Single

More »

Of course, the video isn't really about the girls.

Every so often, some group of well-meaning progressive bowdlerizers forces the ACLU to explain why it defends the right of the Ku Klux Klan (et al) to say ridiculous and offensive things, and the result is usually an argument that neither party enjoys having. Robin Thicke's new video, "Blurred Lines" -- banned from YouTube last week for having Too Many Breasts -- is less ridiculous than the Ku Klux Klan, which is good news for me as a music writer.

But it's pretty ridiculous.

More »

After beefing it up last summer, Tempe meme rap ace Glass Popcorn (a.k.a. 16-year-old Will Neibergall) goes hard for Google+ in his new video for the slow-mo syrup haze of "My Circle." But don't hold your breath for the "My Top 8" MySpace remix: The track may well be Glass' last.

More »

Melissa Fossum

Black Thought of The Roots

Are you still sleeping off the hangover you picked up at the 10th annual McDowell Mountain Music Festival? In case you somehow missed it, MMMF 2013 brought some great acts to Phoenix. We're still tapping our feet every time we hear a song by The Roots or The Shins, and we've got our fingers crossed that Margaret T. Hance Park will be play host to more McDowell Mountain Music Festival lineups in the future (and more music festivals in general).

Reviews, slideshows and dancing hippie GIFS say a lot, but they only say so much about the festival, so I made a video featuring 12 of the bands that played. Check it out after the jump.

See also:

-Our Complete Coverage of McDowell Mountain Music Festival

More »

The Holy Coast's Keith Walker

It's been three short months since Keith Walker and Brett Davis came together to form the brooding, synthesizer-inflected sounds of The Holy Coast, but in that time they've released two singles and have become a trio.

Dead Wildlife's Braden McCall has officially joined the team.

The boys initially planned on releasing their debut record on April 30, but that date has since been scrapped as they continue exploring their options for an official release. In the meantime, they dropped "In the Dark" along with a new video for the moody track.

Walker filled us in on recording and explains how McCall fits into the fold.

See also:
The Holy Coast Debuts Earnest Glitch Folk Single
Being Cool is Lonely Wishes You A Happy Xmas

More »

AeRi Swendson

Filardo

It is a recurring event in my life that whenever I hear a new song by former Tempe, currently Los Angeles-based songwriter Tom Filardo, it becomes my favorite song for a week. The last time this happened was when I saw the music video for "I Don't Getcha Kid" at the opening of the Tempe Museum of Contemporary Art last month.

More »

The times I've chatted with Maynard James Keenan, he's always seemed calm, collected, and to-the-point. He's a businessman, a vitner, and he's real busy. Then, just when I've imagined him as a normal dude (a fan of Justified, The Walking Dead, and Fringe, by the way) he reminds me that he built his career fronting bands like Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer by being really, really weird.

Puscifer's brand-new video for Puscifer's cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," the lead single from the band's new EP, Donkey Punch the Night, is a perfect example. It's as if Keenan took a listen to the recording -- which clings closely to the original's rock 'n' roll opera template -- and said, "Oh man, we gotta add some crazy to this thing."

See also:

-Maynard James Keenan Discusses Donkey Punch the Night

More »

Tired of "Gangnam Style" yet?

Don't worry -- current meme "Harlem Shake," featuring students, office workers, and your mom getting down to Baauer's song of the same name -- is currently all anyone can talk about. The viral phenomenon has caught on like, uh, a virus, partly because it's really easy to do. All you need is a person casually dancing at the beginning, then when the bass drops, a jump cut reveals a room full of people dancing. (Clothing's optional; crazy costumes and dry humping is highly encouraged.)

We hit the YouTubes and rounded up the 10 Best Harlem Shake videos from Phoenix (and as a bonus, we tossed in the one that Phoenix New Times made).

See also:

-Gangnam Style Bests Justin Bieber for Most-Watched YouTube Video Ever. What's the Formula?

More »

Hobo Stew

Thanks to the popularity of the programs such as Photoshop, everyone in this day and age feels like they can become a media design mogul with purchase of a camera and a few ideas.

What very few realize is that it takes much more than a few hours in front of a computer to really set yourself apart from the crowd. Tucson graphic design artists Marco Oliva and Tommy Haskins, also known as the duo Hobo Stew, know that it takes not only talent and style but also an unique approach and finesse to climb to the top of the business. Over the last couple of years, the duo has produced videos and graphics for rising hip-hop greats, including Tucson-based artist, Isaiah Toothtaker and underground legend Murs.

I got a chance to catch a quick interview with the two young artists to get the lowdown.

See also:

-Arizona's Murs Bridges Hip-Hop's Divide

More »

Black Moth Super Rainbow

Epileptics beware: the new Black Moth Super Rainbow video for "Hairspray Heart" warns you against seizures. But watching WWE pro wrestler Goldust (Dustin Runnels) perform as "The Pink One" in this juicy Jacuzzi jam will give you quite a few other convulsions.

See also:

-My Bloody Valentine Might Release Its New Album Any Day Now
-Tremulants Alum Isaac Hensleigh Forms New Trio, Blanche Beach
-Maynard James Keenan Discusses Donkey Punch the Night

Here's four that we discovered watching this video on repeat.

More »