Phoenix Music Blog

The M.O. for the affair is the chance to get first crack at tickets for the WWE's Wrestlemania XXVI, which is taking place at the adjacent University of Phoenix Stadium next March. 

These prized admission passes are scheduled to officially go on sale to the rest of world on Saturday and sometimes sell out within nanoseconds. Those willing to spend a few hours waiting in line at Westgate, however, will get first dibs on 1,000 pre-sale tickets without having to bodyslam any of their fellow WWE entusiasts.

Don't click there for more information. Just go to the event's myspace page.

This Saturday marks the return of what has to be Jerome, Arizona's biggest music festival: Jeromeatherapy. The one day music festival features 12 local bands -- headed by What Laura Says, Black Carl and Dry River Yacht Club -- all playing in an old gold mine. Jeromeatherapy celebrates what makes the quirky little ghost town so unique while offering those Northern-ish Arizona residents (yes, you, Flag) a pretty decent lineup of local music. Jeromeatherapy's best selling point, in my opnion, is the fact that's free and offers a great camping experience for those fans of both inexpensive live music and sleeping outdoors.

www.myspace.com/sadistic_disco

The undead can dance on Saturday night at Sadisco's DJ Zombie Face Off.

The undead will be rising from the grave tomorrow evening and stumbling their way towards downtown Phoenix, looking satisfy their unending hunger for brains. Or at least that's what the DJs and party monsters of Sadisco* told us will happen during the latest edition of their monthly freak fest tomorrow night at Homme Lounge (138 West Camelback Road, 602-234-3023)

The theme for the party is "DJ Zombie Face Off" and will feature dozens of rivetheads and other goth groupies reenacting Dawn of the Dead by dressing in ripped and bloodied clothing, as well as the resident Sadisco spinners (Squalor, ///she///, 5arah, $&M, and Blonde NOize) blasting their usual mix of Industrial, EBM, noise, electronica, and harsh dance music. And for those who'd like to try their hand at doing the same, the event will serve as an "open call" for wanna-be DJs, who can sign up for slots lasting three songs each. Doors open at 8 p.m. with an $8 cover charge.

By the way, next month's theme will be the depravity-filled Sadisgula Orgy of Bacchus & Venus (inspired by the reign of debaucherous Roman emperor Caligula), with the David Lynch-esque Lost*Velvet Sadisco following in July.

For more info on the parties (as well as Sadisco* itself), visit their Myspace.

Jonathan McNamara

The scene at last summer's Star Swim.

Last summer, one of the coolest (and indeed, hottest) places to be seen was at the Hotel San Carlos for the weekly Star Swim pool party. An absolute throng of hundreds of hepcats and kittens crowded the tiny swimming area at the vintage auberge in downtown Phoenix for several weekends while an array of local indie bands and musicians like Miniature Tigers, Black Carl, and Mr. Meeble provided a summertime soundtrack.

Co-promoter Jen Deveroux sums up the scene last summer fairly succinctly: "It was fucking insane," she says. "It was half-naked people splashing around listening to great music. Definitely different than if you went to some Scottsdale party. We had the hipster crowd and a way different vibe." (Peep our slideshow from last year).

Deveroux is expecting this year's Star Swim to be equally as well-attended when it launches this weekend at the Wyndham Hotel (50 East Adams Street, 602-333-0000). The set-up remains much the same as last year, with a slate of local and touring indie talent performing poolside every Saturday night through Labor Day.

So what's with the change in venue? Read on for the answer, as well as a full rundown of who's scheduled to perform and some info on how score a pair of tickets to the launch party this weekend.

The Indigo Girls are scheduled to perform on Sunday at Mesa Arts Center.

It's been a few years since Amy Ray and Emily Saliers (a.k.a. the Indigo Girls) last did their thing collectively on a Valley stage. Sure, Ray came through town earlier this year for a solo gig at Martini Ranch, but we're sure it wasn't the same as seeing the noted folk rock duo performing together, like they will this Sunday at the Mesa Arts Center.

But if lesbian folksters aren't you're bag, baby, there's plenty more to see and do this weekend. DJ Tranzit's holding the second of his summertime H2O pool parties at the posh Mondrian Scottsdale on Saturday, and it promises to be a blast. Chicago house DJ Mark Farina is headlining the event, which also features sessions by locals Rani "g" and Senbad.

This weekend also features what could be the "final" Valley appearance of Trent Reznor. As I noted a few months ago when tonight's Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction show was announced, the ultra-moody industrial rocker is talking about putting the band on the shelf, possilby for good. So if you'd like to see Reznor's gothy synth-rock shennangians live and in person, tonight's NIN/JA super-concert at Cricket Wireless Pavillion might be your last chance. (Click here to read Mike R. Meyer's preview). The rest of the weekend's concert schedule follows after the jump.

Her Space Holiday is scheduled to perform on Sunday at Modified Arts.

www.richardcheese.com

Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine are scheduled to perform at the Wrigley Mansion on Sunday.

I suppose the liberal use of the word "jam" here is a red flag of sorts

This weekend marks a big occasion for fans of outdoor music festivals and jam-ish bands: the McDowell Mountain Music Festival. The lineup boasts The Flaming Lips, Matisyahu and Michael Franti -- a pretty solid lineup for such a festival (and I didn't even include Hot Tuna). Those artists all lend respectability to the festival and allow the festival to be put on the map, if you will, in the realm of smallish outdoor music festivals in heavily populated American cities. The festival is in it's sixth year and is looking strong -- all of the work done by the promoters has resulted in a well-planned and impressive looking music festival. All of this hard work comes to a screeching halt, however, after one quick look at the festival map.

The Devil Wears Prada is scheduled to perform on Saturday at the Marquee Theatre.

What's there to do this weekend? A lot.

Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere (or haven't been reading Up on the Sun much lately), you probably aware that fearless freak Wayne Coyne and the rest of the Flaming Lips are performing on Saturday at the massive multi-day McDowell Mountain Music Fest out in north Scottsdale. (read Michael Alan Goldberg's hilarious article on Coyne from this week's issue here). The alt-rock eccentrics are giving the yearly hippie-friendly event some street cred, and we definitely suggest you check out their set, if for no other reason than seeing Coyne surf the crowd in a giant gerbil ball.

If weed and weirdness ain't your bag, perhaps you'd rather partake in the Christian metalcore stylings of Ohio's The Devil Wears Prada, who stop by the Marquee Theatre on Saturday night. The sixsome is touring in support of its soon-to-be-released disc With Roots Above and Branches Below.

But if you'd rather salve your sinning soul with sounds of a different sort, the Reverend Horton Heat will be offering rockabilly salvation tomorrow night at the same venue, with local 'billies The High Rollers and The Earps (check out Mike R. Meyer's profile on the latter band from this week).

Hit the jump for our complete rundown of weekend concerts and major music events.

Record Store Day - it exists and it is happening this Saturday

Believe it or not, record stores still function in this digital day and age. On top of that, this Saturday is Record Store Day, or "Time to Give a Shit About Record Stores." While record stores are a debatable topic, a day that celebrates music in an orderly fashion is okay by me, even if it competes with one of the year's biggest outdoor music festivals. Steve Jansen just gave us five reasons to get your ass out to a record store on Saturday, which serves as plenty of justifiable reason. In all honesty, who doesn't love a chance to get some sweet deals on some music while also having the chance to see some cool in-store performances? That is what Saturday is all about, and you can have a moderate amount of fun at your local record store -- even in this economy.

Astronautalis is scheduled to perform on Sunday at the Trunk Space.

Lollipops, blood and boobs. What is not to love about the Zombie Ball?

This Saturday marks the 2009 installment of Arizona's own Horns and Halos' Zombie Ball. Knowing what Horns and Halos is capable of, this Saturday will be an epic event, sure to bring out the most devoted zombie fans and other fans of fetish/adult oriented entertainment. It's remarkable to try and comprehend what Horns and Halos does for the Valley, but their presence is more than appreciated by those Arizonans who clamor for the kinkier side of life.

Those familiar with their famous Fetish Balls know that Horns and Halos brings out all the stops in providing their outstandingly unique form of entertainment. They damn well better, too, because you can't conceive an idea like the Zombie Ball and half-ass it. It has to be full-boar insanity, completely with a music lineup to satiate the undead masses and zombie make-up artists on site. Even if you are lacking in the resources to do yourself up for the ball, Horns and Halos has you covered -- what's not to love about that?

Metal Blade Records

Swedish death metal band Amon Amarth is scheduled to perform on Friday at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe.

Does anyone have any concert-going energy left (or any money, for that matter) after last week's ginormous orgy of music events?

We definitely do, which is why our asses will be out and about this weekend. Since Easter is on Sunday, the schedule is somewhat lighter than normal, but there's still some rather cool concerts and events happening. In addition to the swan song by Valley popsters The Loveblisters (read music editor Martin Cizmar's preview here), goth-rocker Voltaire and indie folk queen Mirah will both be hitting local venues over the next 72 hours. Bizzy Bone (of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony fame) and Viking-theme death metal masters Amon Amarth are also scheduled to be all up in this bitch.

Here's the complete weekend rundown:

Yeah, I see it, too. It's a dijeridou. Just use your own discretion this weekend.

As already revealed by Martin Cizmar, this weekend holds a bevy of entertainment for the Valley. Tempe has it's annual Music Fest and Florence will cast some Country Thunder down upon the masses. If neither of those spark your fancy and you want a fun (and cheap) way to enjoy the weekend weather while hearing some tunes, then make the trek on out to Glendale. This Saturday and Sunday mark the 26th Annual Gibson Jazz & Blues Festival, held in "Historic" Downtown Glendale. Headlining this year's festival will be Jimmy Thackery and Charlie Musselwhite, two men with quite possibly the two neatest last names I have ever come across. Oh, did I mention the festival is free? Because it is.

Art Perry

Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson are scheduled to perform on Sunday at the Chandler Center for the Arts.

If you're the type who bitches how nothing ever goes on in Phoenix, please feel free to grab a nice steaming cup of STFU.

We've been referencing all week long on this very blog about how huge this weekend's concert line-up is going to be, but "huge" doesn't even begin to describe it. As music editor Martin Cizmar noted, it's probably the biggest concentration of superstar musical talent that the Valley has ever experienced.

It's almost like the "Perfect Storm of music," where a confluence of marquee-level musicians and Grammy Award winners will descend upon our fair city starting tonight through Sunday. Just took at the line-up: Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, Fall Out Boy, Tim McGraw, Cheap Trick, Tracy Lawrence, Shiny Toy Guns, Alan Jackson, Mutemath, Kid Rock...the staggering list just goes on and on.

Ironically, one of the bigger shows is also one that's not getting that much coverage. Namely, Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson's appearance at the Chandler Center for the Arts on Sunday. The afternoon-long gig is called "Mind Meets Music," and it's more than just a concert. It also serves as a benefit for Phoenix's Yongey Peace Prevails Center, a non-profit Tibetan Buddhist meditation organization.

As such, the event will feature audience instruction in using music and meditation to achieve serenity in addition to performances by Shangao Cai and the Phoenix Chinese Art Ensemble, violin/guitar duo Lyra, and (of course) solo and duet renditions by both Reed and Anderson. The whole deal starts at 3 p.m. and tickets are $48-$68 (serenity doesn't come cheap, apparently).

Be sure to stay tuned to "Up On the Sun" all weekend as we'll be providing coverage of many of the big events and shows. For now, check out the complete rundown of the weekend's ginormous lineup, which follows the jump.

After writing about a few bar and club closures over the past week (including Maloney's in Tempe and Lyte Lounge in Scottsdale), it feels refreshing to dole out some news about some openings instead. It's even better when it's a previously-deceased nightspot that's getting reincarnated with a new identity.

Case in point, the late Scottsdale dance palace e4 (which closed last December) has been transformed into the appropriately-named Afterlife. Opening this Friday, it's designed as a late-night hangout running from midnight until 4 a.m. where people can decompress and sober up on the weekend after club-hopping around Old Town.

Hip-hop mixmaster extraordinaire DJ M2 will work the wheels at the Golden Buddha during Power 98.3's Sexy Saturdays.

If you're looking for a place to get your swerve on this weekend, we advise you to seek out the Golden Buddha.

No, we're not dispatching you on some spiritual journey to seek out enlightenment a la Siddhartha, but instead are urging you to head for the Chinese Cultural Center for a night of drinks, dames, and dope music. Hip-hop station Power 98.3's moving their Sexy Saturdays dance party from Sugar Daddy's in Scottsdale to the Golden Buddha Chinese Restaurant located at the center. It's a pairing that goes together just like brocolli and beef, and we're betting it will result in a fly mix of Asian and urban culcha, just like when RZA started mixing chop-socky clips and soul beats to give birth to the Wu-Tang Clan.

Sexy Saturdays resident DJ M2 will be showing off his kung-fu turntablism skills all night in the eatery's back room as he blasts out the hip-hop both in person and over the airwaves alongside JX3 (a.k.a. the "President of the Afternoon"). Meanwhile, DJ Dark Vader will be spinning old-school hip-hop and reggae in the front, joined by hostess Karli Hustle. Tomorrow night's party will also boast an open bar until midnight (albeit with a $10 cover).

Doors open at 10 p.m. The Golden Buddha Chinese Restaurant is located at 668 North 44th Street. Call 480-797-6233 for table reservations.

The Lives of Famous Men are scheduled to perform tonight at Chyro Arts Venue in Scottsdale.

As music editor Martin Cizmar mentioned in his post earlier today, the slate of concerts scheduled to go down from tonight until Sunday kinda pales in comparison to the overwhelming assortment of superstars who'll be in town next weekend.

But while this weekend's line-up of major music and comedy events doesn't have any major music festivals, it does boast a few big names (such as the piano-pop pairing of Billy Joel and Sir Elton John, who are performing tonight at US Airways Center), as well as slew of indie rock and folk acts both local and national (including The Dangerous Summer, Brett Dennen, and I Set My Friends on Fire).

Other highlights include tomorrow night's performance by the skate-punk pioneers of J.F.A. (a.k.a. Jodie Foster's Army), who got their start in the Valley back in the early '80s, as well as Phoenix hip-hop station Mega 104.3 FM presenting their annual old-school/R&B Spring Jam on Saturday at Celebrity Theatre.

Hit the link for the complete rundown of what else is happening this weekend:

Thriving Ivory is scheduled to perform tonight at Martini Ranch in Scottsdale.

Heavily tattooed blues singer/songwriter Jake La Botz will perform twice this weekend - at West Phoenix's Rogue West on Friday and Tempe's Last Exit Bar & Grill on Saturday. The Friday show, kicking off somewhere around 9 p.m., will be a more intimate gathering with drink specials throughout the night and a $4 cover.

Last Exit's show, presented by Hillgrass Bluebilly, will also feature The Restavant and Soda & His Hashknife Outfit. The show begins at 8 p.m. and has a $6 cover.

In addition to singing the blues, La Botz is an established actor who has appeared in the film "Rambo" along with countless others -check out his IMDB page! - and an episode of "Gilmore Girls." La Botz hit the road last year for his third annual five-week "Tattoo Across America Tour" where he performed in city tattoo parlors.

Oh wow, a cartoon leprechaun playing the fiddle. Real original, I know...

For those of you who may not know, this coming Tuesday is St. Patrick's Day - a day to revel in the sheer glory of Ireland and all that Irish culture has bestowed upon us. As I have also been told, St. Patrick's Day is an excuse to get shitfaced on a Tuesday while drinking green beer. Plenty of events will come this Tuesday, including a concert at Tempe Beach Park as well as overall mayhem at the various Irish bars located throughout the Valley. While the majority of the population - especially in a college environment - tends to focus on the alcohol aspect of St. Patty's Day (who can blame them?), Irish music is as important an aspect of the celebration as anything else. The Valley has quite a selection of Irish music for the coming weekend and St. Patty's Day, so I will take an opportunity to point out the different events that will feature some delightful Irish music.

As Tall As Lions is scheduled to perform on Sunday at the PHiX.

Semi Precious Weapons are scheduled to perform on Friday at The Sets in Tempe.

E-40 is scheduled to perform on Saturday in Scottsdale.

The Venue of Scottsdale is gonna become a house of hyphy this Saturday, as the NoCal rap superstar E-40 (a.k.a. the "Ambassador of the Bay") will take over the joint. We're expecting plenty of slick rhymes from the "King of Slang," as well as the myriad local hip-hop artists that are also on the bill, including Rocadolla, Young Phee, and Hannibal Leq.

E-40's not the only chartbuster in town for the weekend, as Dweezil Zappa hits Dodge Theatre tonight to perfom some of papa Frank's tunes, and fellow second-generation folkster Ben Taylor (son of James Taylor) will be at Martini Ranch on Friday.

The rest of our rundown of this weekend's concert line-up follows the break.

Looking for something different to do on Sunday fun day? Check out Furio's new Sunday option, which combines half-price bottles of wine and live music, similar to Phoenix's The Vig. But where as The Vig gets their party started around three with a cover act featuring Gin Blossoms guitarist Scotty Johnson and half-price bottles of wine, Furio starts their fun at 5 p.m.

Valley musicians Adam Sheron and Javier Garcia will perform Sunday with the live sounds kicking off at 9 p.m. Has anyone checked this out yet?

The Vig is one of my favorite Sunday hangouts due to its large patio - where the band performs - and delicious wine selections, making it one of the coolest places to day drink. Plus, you gotta love the music. The cover band, which has been asking patrons to suggest band names every week, sings everything from Neil Diamond to Matt Nathanson to the er Gin Blossoms.

The Nappy Roots are scheduled to perform on Friday at Club Red in Tempe.

Now that the chill of winter is starting to subside (temps are supposed to get into the high 70s) you've got little excuse to stay cooped up inside your domicile this weekend.

Why not book it to the ongoing Renaissance Festival, or perhaps take a splendid moonlight hike? Better yet, spend your weekend checking out any of the numerous concerts and music scheduled to happen tonight through Sunday.

Practically every major music genre is represented: If you're down with the hip-hop scene, both Nappy Roots and The Game are going to be in the Valley. Wanna hear some classic rock? Check out Dokken at Club Red in Tempe and the Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular at Dodge Theatre, both on Saturday. Feeling the blues? Not only is Bob Corritore will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of his KJZZ show Those Lowdown Blues on Friday night at the Rhythm Room, but the annual Blues Blast festival is taking place at Mesa Amphitheatre on Saturday. Plus, there's also Jordin Sparks, Sadisco, Digital Summer,  Joan Baez, and many more. Whew.

Here's the complete rundown of the all of this weekend's concerts and events.

The extreme metal freaks of Cradle of Filth are scheduled to perform on Friday at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe.

As our blogger Yvonne Zusel noted a couple days ago, there's plenty of things to see and do in the Valley this weekend that have absolutely nothing to do with the hoopla surrounding the 2009 NBA All-Star Game.

And here's the proof to back up said statement: our regular weekly round-up of all the non-All-Star concerts and major music/comedy events happening from tonight until Sunday.

Hit the jump for more info.

Joshua James is scheduled to perform on Sunday at Modified Arts.

Things are changing up just a bit for this edition of the weekend concert calendar. We're going to start including Thursday in our weekly roundup, if for no other reason than there seems to be a number of big and boss shows that are happening on Thump Day. (Besides, Thursdays is the new Friday, ya dig?)

And tonight is no exception, especially over in Tempe: the scintillating gypsy-meets-indie act DeVotchKa will be at the Clubhouse Music Venue, third wave ska legends The Toasters and Voodoo Glow Skulls will be rocking the Marquee Theatre, and alternative hip-hop artist Busdriver is headlining the weekly Blunt Club experience at Club Red.

Although the rest of the weekend's line-up, which follows the break, isn't as stat-studded, there are some cool-ass shows you might want to check out. Bluesy BBW babe Candye Kane hits the Rhythm Room on Friday, the rockabilly boys of Three Bad Jacks will be in town on Saturday, and Portland indie darling Joshua James (pictured) visits the Clubhouse on Sunday.

Bay area punkers NOFX are scheduled to perform on Saturday at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe.

We'll give you three guesses as to why there's only one concert listed on Sunday (and the first two don't count).

As music editor Martin Cizmar reported earlier this week, no one wants to compete with the Arizona Cardinals' Super Bowl battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with the lone exception of the Graf Orlock show going on at Modified.

On Friday and Saturday, however, there's a full slate of big-name shows happening, including a massive hard rock/nu-metal fest being put on at Jobing.com Arena Friday night featuring Avenged Sevenfold, Buckcherry, and Papa Roach.

As always, the rest of the weekend sked follows:

Greeley Estates is scheduled to perform on Saturday at the Clubhouse Music Venue in Tempe.

We've got some mighty big plans this upcoming weekend. On Friday, we're gonna be stopping by the Marquee Theatre in Tempe to witness the return of SoCal metal-punk legends Snot, followed by a jaunt over to Myst in Scottsdale to watch DJ Craze whipping up a masterful mix of hip-hop and drum 'n' bass.

Saturday's gonna be all about riding the waves of groovy, distortion-filled rock 'n' roll over at the Ruby Room, where The Surfside IV will be holding it's Surf & Garage Cocktail Party featuring The Mod Zombies, The Rebel Set, and Thee Jaguar Sharks. Or maybe a visit to the Clubhouse Music Venue is in order, seeing as it's been awhile since our ears have been assaulted by local boys Greeley Estates.

Finally, we're wrapping things up by spending Sunday evening with legendary country troubadour Willie Nelson, who's performing at Dodge Theatre with his daughter Paula Nelson.

So what do y'all have planned? Nothing as of yet? Then by all means take a peek at what's scheduled to happen at the 'Nix's music venues over the next 72 hours or so and make your decision. The complete list of concerts and events follows the jump.