​If it all pans out the way Tourbait hopes, the traditional concert with a standardized, band-written set list could be a thing of the past.

The new website basically works as a mediator between the band and fans. Say a mid-sized band like Dawes is coming to town and you really want to hear "When You Call My Name," but they're too busy to playing things off of 2011's Nothing is Wrong.

Now you can bribe them - literally - to play your song.

The money is not collected if the band does not play your requested song. The band is like your own personal jukebox (which is what they always wanted, right? Right?).

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Whoever decided to do an outdoor show at Sail Inn on Friday night was certainly a brave person. Until around 10 p.m. the Fall Frenzy on Tempe Town Lake could clearly be heard.

Fortunately, the lineup that night were poised perfectly to take on such a challenge and the background sounds were not an issue. Despite the weather being a little on the hot side of comfortable, it was nice to see at least a couple kids dancing at a show in Tempe. Local band, Factories rocked as always, San Francisco's Painted Palms were awesome and BRAIDS tore the house down, as expected.

Here's a short clip of what you missed, and our review.

Photos by Anthony Sandoval

​It was a familiar sight in front of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's downtown office yesterday afternoon. Another assembly of a dozen protesters or so had gathered and members of the media were waiting in tow.

Word eventually reached Joe that some multilingual, slightly-famous international recording artist was on his way to play some music or something. "Is he gonna sing my favorite song 'My Way,'" Arpaio asks.

Not quite Joe. This "singer-guy" happens to be Manu Chao and um, he's kind of a big deal.

Ahead of tonight's free Alto Arizona concert across the street from El Portal Restaurant at West Grant and S. 2nd Avenue, Manu stopped by the Wells Fargo building Arpaio has called home since 1998, to stand in solidarity with the protesters who have gathered tirelessly in an effort to oust the sheriff.

"A lot of people here are trying to fight against these new laws and I think it's important to come and see what's happening with my own eyes and do my part to better the world," Manu says. "My message [to Arpaio] would be, that it makes no sense to make more people suffer for something that is naturally coming. You cannot make war against a flow that is natural."

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David Robles

Neon Trees

​ Neon Trees are neither neon nor trees. What they are is a band; a band that rocked the hell out of Marquee Theatre over the weekend. See Neon Tress along with Iamwe, and local boys Peachcake in this slideshow from the concert.

Photos by Anthony Sandoval

The Sofa King himself, Dan G.

​Dan G wakes up while it's still dusk outside and gets ready to start his day at 4 a.m. Work is a small, family-owned butcher shop in Scottsdale called French's Meat Shoppe. He wields sharp blades, dicing up various kinds of animal flesh before processing, packaging, and delivering the meat to local businesses (think Otto from The Simpsons, only tan). Little would you know, the dude dropping off your potential sustenance is also the man responsible for SofaKingRadio.com, an Internet station that broadcasts music 24 hours a day.

For the last five years, he's worked as a butcher, and like a lot of things in his life, he just kind of fell into it. A Detroit native, Dan G moved to the Valley in 1981. He studied journalism while in junior college and eventually made his way to Ohio State where he planned to major in fire science. He had hoped to write fire safety manuals but ran into complications when it came time to complete his clinicals. No hospital would let him through the door. With his tattoos, long jet black hair, and earrings, he wasn't exactly a prime candidate.

"That's when I started to rethink my career options," he says.

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Luke Holwerda

Britney Spears at Jobing.com Arena

​Yeah, we know. It's a little late. Somehow all the mojitos we consumed during the fourth at the massive haboob from last week, have us a little behind. Be that as it may, we're confident that even a cursory glance at the below photos will have you exclaiming, "Damn! Those are some mighty fine concert photos."

See for yourself.

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Dominic asserts that "in 1975 the hottest band in the land was not KISS but The Osmonds, five brothers from Provo, Utah who didn't let things like pre-marital sex and drugs get in the way of their global conquest of shrieking little girls!"
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M. Woodlee

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Photo illustration by Shawn Anderson

​Ah, Nicki Minaj. She's a woman of pure beauty and pure poetry. In honor of her appearance opening up for Britney Spears Wednesday, June 22, here are 10 of her most thought-provoking raps. Eat your heart out, world! More >>

www.facebook.com/saddlesmusic

Charles Barth, a.k.a. Saddles

​

"Homegrown" and "organic" are not words normally associated with Phoenix. After all, what the hell could possibly grow from soil that rivals the sun in heat? How about "acoustic-driven indie folk" artist Charles Barth from local band Saddles.

Barth, 24, is something of a one-man army of musical talent. All instruments on Saddles' recordings are played by him.

He draws musical influences from an array of songs, but lyrically he draws inspiration from David Bazan of Pedro the Lion. "Lately, the lyrics that keep coming out naturally have been about what a piece of crap I am," Barth says. "I try to eschew the use of clichés or being a self-loathing cliché, but there's never really a happy song coming out."

Saddles will be playing with fellow Phoenicians, Snake!Snake!Snakes! on June 24, at The Rogue Bar in Scottsdale. Check out an exclusive video of Saddles' sound after the jump...

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