1) The Phoenix Coyotes vs. St. Louis Blues – April 7 – 7 PM – Jobing.com Arena – This is the second to last home game of the season for the Coyotes. Since they have returned to full strength they are finishing the season on a REAL strong note. Don’t miss your chance to see some great hockey before the weather skyrockets into the triple digits!

http://www.ticketmaster.com/venueartist/246515/806002?brand=phxcoyotes&camefrom=CFC_COYOTES

2) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – April 3 – 7:30 PM – Jobing.com Arena – The Second night of his world tour comes to Glendale at the Jobing.com arena for a show that is destined to sell out. If you have never seen the Boss in action, you need to clear your schedule and head to his show. There’s a reason why he’s the hardest working man in show business.

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1E00423BDCE26B36?artistid=860453&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1

3) Tempe Music Festival – April 3rd and 4th – Tempe Beach Park – As mentioned previously, one of the biggest musical events of the year is coming to the Tempe Beach Park. Kid Rock and 3 Doors Down are some of the killer acts that will be playing at the festival.

http://www.tempemusicfestival.com/

4) Star Trek Exhibition at the Arizona Science Center – How cool is it when you get to not only sit in Captain Kirk’s chair but check out the bridge from the Enterprise D? Open Daily. Please refer to the link below for hours and ticket information.

http://www.azscience.org/star_trek.php

5) The 26th Annual Gibson Jazz & Blues Festival – Historic Downtown Glendale – April 4th and 5th – Free – One of the coolest and most eclectic Jazz and Blues lineup will be coming to downtown Glendale to throw down some amazing tracks.

For more information along with the times and lineups of artists please refer to the festival website:

http://www.glendaleaz.com/events/GlendaleJazzBluesFestival.cfm

6) First Friday! – Downtown Phoenix – How can you miss this?!?!?

7) Shake! – Every Saturday Night – Rogue Bar – Scottsdale – $5 (approx) If you are a frequent reader of this site you know that one of the best places to go on a Saturday night is Shake!. Great Music and fun for a great price!

http://www.azvibe.com/phoenix-entertainment/2008/10/27/review-shake-the-rogue-saturday-october-25th/

8) FUSE – Bar Smith – Friday Nights – $5 – Bar Smith – Downtown Phoenix – 10PM – 2 AM

9) The Phoenix Film Festival – Scottsdale – April 2 to April 9 – The Phoenix Film Festival is back again for another run and from the looks of every movie synopsis it’s going to be a great one. There are a wide variety of films to choose from and it also looks like there’s a local movie maker category which is always fun to watch.

http://www.phoenixfilmfestival.org/

10) Movies in the Park with ‘From Russia With Love’ – Fridays Through April – Biltmore Fashion Park – Speaking of Movies how about heading to the Biltmore Fashion Park and watching the classic 007 Movie ‘From Russia With Love’? The fun starts at 7:30 at the Center Lawn of the Biltmore Fashion Park. Oh yeah. It’s Free.

http://www.shopbiltmore.com/events.asp?id=9160

11) Dark Star Orchestra – April 4th 2009 – Marquee Theater – $23 – 6:30PM – The absolute best Grateful Dead Tribute Band comes the Valley of the Sun to jam to some of the classic Grateful Dead songs. If you have never seen the Dark Star Orchestra, and you are a fan of the Dead, you need to be here to see this amazing production.

Tickets:
https://www.etix.com/ticket/servlet/onlineSale%3bjsessionid=C5B6E63F59B0C129DC63B1DB0A5F0BDC?action=selectPerformance&cobrand=luckymanonline&performance_id=884533

12) Star Trek Movie Marathon – Chandler Cinemas – April 3rd, 4th, and 5th- $10 – See Link for Movie times – The Chandler Cinemas is having a Star Trek Movie Marathon this weekend for all to come see. The Movies featured will be Star Trek 2, 3, and 4. Admission is $10 for one movi

Last but certainly not Least….

13) OPENING DAY!!! – Arizona Diamondbacks – April 6 – 12:40 PM – Chase Field – That’s right folks! Another season of Arizona Diamondbacks baseball is just about underway! The opening game will be an afternoon game and is a great excuse to use your ’9 inning flu’ excuse to get out of work.

Tickets can be purchased through the Arizona Diamondbacks website:

http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/ticketing/index.jsp?c_id=ari

As you may or may not know, one of the biggest, if not the biggest, music festival in Arizona is taking place this weekend at the Tempe Beach Park.  The Tempe Music Festival has one of the best lineups in recent memory….

The Tempe Music Festival lineup includes Kid Rock, Roger Clyne & The Peacemaker, The Outlaws, Cowboy Mouth and Pop Evil, 3 Doors Down, All American Rejects, Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine): The Nightwatchman , MUTEMATH, Shiny Toy Guns, Vayden, Tongue Dried Sun, Wensday, and Red Letter Drive.

Now we can easily go into a dissertation about the great qualities of each of the artists at the Tempe Music Festival as this is one of the best festival lineups I’ve seen in quite a long time.  However, we would rather not talk about the bands that comprise the lineup.  This is because we firmly believe one of the best parts of going to a festival such as this one is discovering new artists that you may have not heard of.

For example, I went to the Horde Festival many years ago in Washington State only knowing one artist (Lenny Kravitz).  There was one artist in particular in the HORDE lineup that was just starting out as a national touring act but were getting a ton of buzz in the music media. They proceeded to put on an amazing set and I have been a fan ever since.  Who was the band you ask?  The Dave Matthews Band.

My point with this example is that you never know who is going to be the next big thing or what kind of new music you would get turned on to at events like the Tempe Music Fest.  People don’t get the opportunity to discover some great bands, in a great setting with what is expected to be some amazing weather.

Instead of talking about the amazing lineup of bands, we wanted to go into what else is going on at the festival as I have rarely seen so many fun and cool activities that can keep you occupied during the festival.

• Ear Candy Donations – The Good People at Ear Candy will be taking musical instrument donations at the festival. However, we will have a separate post about the latest donation drive from Ear Candy
• Wakeboarding – The Red Bull Wake Lab will have an elaborate setup on the Tempe Town Lake and will be performing both days of the festival.  Please refer to the Tempe Music Fest link at the bottom for performance times.
• Skydiving – the 12 man Red Bull Air Force, a group of sky divers and BASE jumpers will be doing demonstrations during the festival.
• The SRP Lil’ Rockers Area will have hands on instruments along with music related arts and crafts
• The SRP Music Shack Stage and Garage Band Competition is a second stage where the finalists in the SRP Garage Band Competition will battle it out for the rights to be able to open for 3 Doors Down and All American Rejects.
• The Corona Cove – Now this feature of the festival REALLY grabbed my attention as I’ve never seen anything like this at other fesitvals around the world that I have atteneded.  The Corona Cove consists of a sand volleyball pit, the Big Bang dueling pianos (if you have never seen the Big Bang dueling pianos you are missing out on some great, fun music!) along with a great view of the Red Bull Wake Lab events.
• The Bud Light Sports Lounge is simply designed to prevent you from missing any sports or any of the NCAA March Madness tournament.
• TMF TV  – This is an all access program that will look at what goes on around the festival.
• There will be  a fully functional Circle K store on the festival grounds.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see an amazing lineup with all the fun things to do mentioned above.  The Tempe Music is destined to go down as a one of the biggest events on the Phoenix Social calendar this year.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwqYDq2vQjs

Doors open to the Tempe Music Festival at 4:30 on Friday and at Noon On Saturday.

Tickets to the Tempe Music Festival can be purchased from Live Nation’s website (http://www.livenation.com), the Dodge Theater Box Office, Tempe Market Place guest services or by calling 1-800-594 TIXX (8499).

Tickets are $45 per day and VIP tickets are available for $100 per day .

For more information please refer to the Tempe Music Festival website:

http://www.tempemusicfestival.com/

1) The Phoenix Coyotes vs. Edmonton Oilers – March 26 – 7 PM – Jobing.com Arena – One of last appearances of the season for the Canadian teams in the league, the Edmonton Oilers, make their final appearance of the season in the Valley of the Sun. 

http://www.ticketmaster.com/venueartist/246515/806002?brand=phxcoyotes&camefrom=CFC_COYOTES

2) Spring Training – Various Ballparks around the Greater Phoenix Area – Spring Training is just about over so don’t miss the opportunity to catch a ball game in this amazing weather!

http://www.cactusleague.com/

3) Norm McDonald -  Tempe Improv – $25 – March 26-29 – That’s right the former Saturday Night Live Cast member is making a special appearance in the Valley of the Sun. For more information, tickets and show times please refer to the following link:

http://www.symfonee.com/improv/tempe/comedians/Bio.aspx?Uid=bd190c8d-acc6-4b0d-ab76-70432b51c4cf

4) Star Trek Exhibition at the Arizona Science Center – How cool is it when you get to not only sit in Captain Kirk’s chair but check out the bridge from the Enterprise D? Open Daily. Please refer to the link below for hours and ticket information.

http://www.azscience.org/star_trek.php

5) Eric Lindell – Wed April 1, 2009 – 8:00 PM – Rhythm Room – $10 – $12 – Tickets can be purchased via the Ticketmaster widget in the upper right hand side of the screen.

6) Billy Joel and Elton John March 26, 2009 – 7:30 PM – US Airways Center – $49.50 – $175 – Tickets can be purchased via the Ticketmaster widget in the upper right hand side of the screen.

7) Shake! – Every Saturday Night – Rogue Bar – Scottsdale – $5 (approx) If you are a frequent reader of this site you know that one of the best places to go on a Saturday night is Shake!.  Great Music and fun for a great price!

http://www.azvibe.com/phoenix-entertainment/2008/10/27/review-shake-the-rogue-saturday-october-25th/

8) Charlie Daniels Band – Chester’s Harley Davidson – Mesa – $20-$25 – 2PM to 10 PM (Charlie Daniels Band takes the stage at 8 PM)

For more information and to purchase tickets please refer to the following page:

http://chestershd.com/custompage2.asp?pg=bikerbash

9) Arizona Renaissance Festival – $5-$20 – 2/7/09 – 3/29/09
– ENDS THIS WEEKEND!!!!

10) The Phoenix Coyotes vs. Dallas Stars – March 26 – 8 PM – Jobing.com Arena – Come see the Coyotes do battle with

http://www.ticketmaster.com/venueartist/246515/806002?brand=phxcoyotes&camefrom=CFC_COYOTES

11) BBQ – This yet another absolute perfect weekend to host or attend a BBQ at a friends house or your neighborhood park.

12) Go Hiking or Biking! The perfect weather is not going to be here for much longer. Get out and enjoy it while you can!

1) First Friday! – Downtown Phoenix – How can you miss this?!?!?

http://www.artlinkphoenix.com/

2) FUSE – Bar Smith – Friday Night – $5 – Bar Smith – Downtown Phoenix – 10PM – 2 AM

3) Spring Training Baseball

4) The 8th Annual Melrose on 7th Avenue Street Fair – Saturday March 7th – 11AM to 5 PM – 7th Avenue between Indian School and Campbell -  A cultural festival that is not to be missed!!

http://www.pocketnotes.typepad.com/m7streetfair/

5) Chandler Police Department Open House – Saturday March 7th – 10 AM – 2 PM – Fun for everyone!

Chandler Police Department
250 E Chicago St
Chandler, AZ 85225

6 ) Charlie Hunter – March 7th – 6 PM – Rhythm Room -  One of the greatest Jazz musicians of our time comes to the Valley of the Sun for what is to definitely be a great show

Tickets can be purchased through the Ticketmaster widget in the right hand column.

7) Kenny Loggins – Sunday March 8th – 8:00 PM – Celebrity Theater – The Man who brought you great hits such as ‘Footloose’ comes to the Celebrity Theater for an intimate show that fans are sure to love!

For more information and to purchase Tickets, please refer to the following site:

http://www.celebritytheatre.com/upcoming.php?viewevent=716

8) Rascal Flats with Jessica Simpson – Thursday March 12th at 8:00 PM – Cricket Wireless Pavillion

http://www.livenation.com/edp/eventId/402882/

P.S.  No, I didn’t forget the Jimmy Eat World show.  It’s sold out.  That’s why it’s not listed.

In case you haven’t heard, the Tempe Music Fest is back and better than ever!  On April 3 and April 4 some of the best acts in Rock music will descend on Tempe Beach Park.

The full lineup hasn’t been set as of today but the confirmed acts are as follows:

Kid Rock, 3 Doors Down, All American Rejects, Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine) – The Nightwatchman, Mutemath, Shiny Toy Guns, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, Outlaws, and Cowboy Mouth.

In addition to the Main Stage Acts there will be other stages and other activities around the festival that will be announced shortly.  If you are a resident of the greater Phoenix area and are a fan of music, you know that the Tempe Music Fest is an event that you cannot miss.

Right now (for a limited time) you can purchase tickets to one of the hottest tickets in town for $25 per day from Live Nation (Link Below).

Don’t delay!  Pick up a ticket to a festival that is sure to sell out!

Ticket information (with some great discounts in some cases) can be found here:

http://www.tempemusicfestival.com/tickets.shtml

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=110117270783108833567.000458166f2ed676366aa&ll=33.430412,-111.94047&spn=0.003707,0.007768&z=17

Here’s a quick list of things to do for the next week that are fun and, in some cases, unique!

1. Check out Heart at the Celebrity Theater 2/5/09 – Tickets $50-$100
2. First Friday Artwalk  – Free – Downtown Phoenix
3. FUSE – Bar Smith – $5 – Every Friday Night – Downtown Phoenix – 9PM
4. Arizona Diamondbacks Fan Fest at Chase Field  – Free – 2/7/09 – 10 am to 5 pm
5. Phoenix Coyotes vs. Carolina Panthers – Jobing.com Arena – 7PM
6. Arizona Renaissance Festival – $5-$20 – 2/7/09 – 3/29/09
7. Tuca Body Art Ball – 2/8/09 – Orpheum Theater – 7 PM – Free (must print out ticket.  Click link for tickets)
8. The Eagles of Death Metal at the Martini Ranch in Scottsdale – 2/9/09 – 7PM – $16
9. Ivan Nevell’s DumpstaFunk – RythmRoom – 2/10 – (Tickets can be purchased in the Ticketmaster widget at top right of this page)

I want to tell you all about one of the newest and hottest entries to the live music scene.  Every Friday night, FUSE at the Bar Smith in Downtown Phoenix is the conglomeration of four very talented and hungry house/electronic wizards throwing down some of the coolest and infectious beats I’ve heard since I moved to the Valley of the Sun.  Even if you aren’t a house or electronic music fan, you must go and check out what a really cool addition to the Friday night music scene FUSE is.

Oh I forgot to mention….

FUSE takes place on the rooftop bar of Bar Smith.  Great beats in the outdoor bar of Bar Smith.  You can’t beat an event like this anywhere in the Greater Phoenix area.    No other place in the area can match not only the great music and atmosphere of Bar Smith.  Not only that but no other club in the area can match the outdoor setting of Bar Smith.

Now if you aren’t a big house or electronic fan, there is Hip-Hop and Dance music downstairs to shake your booty to.

Don’t miss your chance to see what is surely going to become a mainstay in the Phoenix Music Scene.

For more information and directions to Bar Smith please refer to their website:

http://www.barsmithphoenix.com/

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=110117270783108833567.000460e883d0c72606e16&ll=33.450994,-112.071769&spn=0.007663,0.019312&z=16

One of the best kept secrets in the Phoenix Music Scene is the CBJ Flamenco Ensemble performing every Sunday night at Kazimierz World Wine Bar. For a $5 cover charge you get to watch some of the coolest Flamenco music and dancing in the absolutely coolest setting you can imagine.  On top of that you have the option to sample some of the best wines and food in all of the greater Phoenix area.  If you’re looking for something new and fun to do on a Sunday night, Kazimierz is the place to be.

For more information….

CBJ Ensemble
http://www.chrisburtonjacome.com/cbjensemble

Kazimierz World Wine Bar
http://www.kazbar.net/

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=110117270783108833567.000460998ae1eeec66b7a&ll=33.501664,-111.925685&spn=0.007891,0.010836&z=16

That’s right folks!  The long awaited Black Carl CD Release is here!  Tonight at the Martini Ranch in Old Town Scottsdale, Black Carl will be having their CD Release Party!  $10 will get you into the show AND a copy of their new CD.  The show starts at 9 PM and according to their Facebook event they will go on around Midnight.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=33.502451,-111.924055&spn=0.007515,0.015492&z=16&msid=110117270783108833567.00045ff9b399d380b04aa

Ok by now you’ve probably read about what the amazing folks at Ear Candy Productions are doing over the next couple of months with their Instrument Drive.

If you haven’t, PLEASE read this article before continuing as this is an extremely noble effort that is going on.

On Friday December 5th starting at 6:30 PM the Hard Rock Café in Downtown Phoenix will be hosting the kick-off concert for the Ear Candy Instrument Drive.

The line up for the Show is as follows:

Random Karma
The Preserve
BS (AC/DC Tribute Band)
The ROWYCO All-Stars featuring members of Guns N Roses and Quiet Riot.

In addition, Fender Guitars will be hosting a Rock Band Stage out of the back of a car.

The instrument drive and kick off party is shaping up to be one of those events that will be remembered for many years to come. Don’t miss out on the fun. Tickets are $25 and will sell out!

FYI this is a 21 and over event.

For more information please refer to the Ear Candy Products web page:

http://www.earcandyproductions.org/Event.aspx?Id=10

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=110117270783108833567.0004575018912c7506b8e&z=19

On Sunday November 16th from Noon to 5 PM, there will be a HUGE block party.  The inaugural  “Partners in Prosperity “– The New Indian School Corridor Block Party will take place on Indian School Road from 32nd Street all the way to 38th Street.

According to the organizers…

The Block Party will provide a special and distinctive shopping experience that will make party
revelers want the Indian School Corridor shops and restaurants to become a part of their regular
shopping and dining habit. It will be obvious for all to see that the success of the Indian School
Corridor rests upon the genuine partnership between businesses, neighborhoods, the police,
Sheriff, firemen, parks, neighborhood services, courts, and civic leaders – each working with
and watching out for the other, for the good of all.

Why not come out and support the businesses of the Indian School Corridor and have some fun while you’re at it.  We will be there covering the event.

Among the bands scheduled to Perform:

Hands on Fire
Sketching in Stereo
Holy Rolling Empire
Kinch
Black Carl
SRP Band
Groove Defenders
2nd Shift (SRP Corporate Band)

The events that will be available to all in attendance will include:

- Local school performances including Christ Lutheran’s Bell Choir, Sage Hip Hop
Dance Team, Squaw Peak’s Cheerleading and Chorale, Veritas Prep Madrigal Singers &
Saxphone group.
- Demonstrations including Self Defense demo, Capoereira
- Radio Live Broadcasting –The Blaze (ASU radio station) at Ticket Lobster.com Stage
at 36th Street & Indian School Road
- Slider Eating Competition
- Dunk Tank

Location of the Block Party:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=33.497369,-112.006409&spn=0.008016,0.017209&z=16&msid=110117270783108833567.00045b028cec046b83261

Reviewed Oct 31 – Nov 1st

When I was looking for something to do on Halloween I wanted to avoid going to the places that everyone would be at and wanted to find something that was just really cool and unique.  Sure I went down to Mill Ave for a while and watched the Parade of Costumes.  However, I split around Midnight and headed down to the After Party at Modified Arts in Downtown Phoenix.

I used to live in Seattle and San Diego many moons ago and when the bars closed, there were always places to go and continue the party.  I’m not talking about all-night Diners, I’m talking after-hours clubs where people can go, hang and shake their booty until the sun comes up.  Needless to say when I saw the After Party listed on Promoter Psyko Steve’s website, there wasn’t a second thought as to what I was doing on Halloween.

The After Party was scheduled to start at 1:30 AM but it was more of a general time of when people should start showing up as the music was going before 1:30 AM.  Once I paid my cover I grabbed a free energy drink and checked the place out.  The venue wasn’t as full as the last After Party event (according to the Pictures on Psyko Steve’s Website) but it was hoppin’.

The Beats that were being thrown down were pretty sick.  I was pretty damned impressed by DJ William Fucking Reed and what he created in his electronic lab for all who were in attendance.  However, it was clear that he wasn’t too happy with the lack of people on the dance floor which is completely understandable.  The event lasted until 4:00 AM where pretty much everyone in attendance then moved onto another party down the street.

I talked to some people that were planning on going to this event but didn’t and the majority of them basically said that they got too hammered at the places they were before hand and couldn’t make it out.  I can see that happening as Phoenix is a relative newcomer, compared to other cities around the nation, to the after hours events/clubs scene.  People are so used to what’s familiar to them that they don’t pace themselves to party all night.  They are so used to just going until 2 AM that it’s ingrained in their minds to party for only that long.

Regardless of attendance on Halloween, The After Party is an event not to be missed.  This is one of those events that come along every once in a while that is going to make going out on the town in Phoenix a memorable one.  The next time that another After Party is scheduled, we will post it for you.  This is an event that is NOT to be missed.

Reviewed October, 25th

Well, I went to check out Shake at the Rogue Bar mainly to see Black Carl but ended up experiencing a really fun and cool event/venue in the process.  Shake is Correctly billed (on their MySpace Page) as a “Motherfucking Rock and Roll Dance Party” in that the first part of the evening are all live bands.  At approximately 11:30 or so the music switches to some pretty damned good DJ’s until the The Rogue Bar closes at 2:00 AM.

First off, the major negative of The Rogue Bar and going to Shake is finding the venue. For those of you who have had a hard time trying to find The Rogue Bar in the past know exactly what I am talking about.  The problem with heading North on North Scottsdale Road from Highway 202 in Tempe is that the Addresses jump all over the place numerically.  Secondly, is that there are not any signs or markings of where the Rogue Bar is at.  It’s right next to a mini mart and the chances are you will drive right by it if you are not paying attention are REALLY high.

Just so everyone knows for future reference….

The Rogue Bar is on the corner of North Scottsdale Road and East Fillmore Street when you look it up on Google or those new fangled internet map sites.

I got to the Rogue Bar and paid my five dollar cover charge just as the evening’s festivities were getting underway.  The first band to take the stage was Montresoros.  I’ve never heard them play before and for the short time that they were on stage, I was pretty impressed.  I’m pretty hard to impress when it comes to live shows as I’m not only a musician who has played around Seattle and in San Diego (mainly in Seattle) but I have pretty high expectations of what a really good live show should be.  Montresoros is a pretty good live band and if you see them on any bill around the Phoenix area, check them out.   You won’t be disappointed.

The next band up on the bill was Black Carl.  If you are a frequent reader of AZ Vibe you all know I have a big man crush on this band.  Why?  Because Black Carl REALLY knows how to put on a killer live show. This is the main reason why Black Carl has their own dedicated Event Search Link in the right hand column of AZ Vibe.

Black Carl genuinely, from the last time I saw them this summer, have been working on bettering their craft and it showed during their set at The Rogue Bar.  I’m not sure how long they’ve been around but the vibe they gave out Saturday night at the Rogue Bar was one like they have been playing together for a long time.  Secondly, the characteristic of a REALLY good live band like Black Carl was that they were all visibly having a TON of fun playing that night at the Rogue.  Whether they know this or not, the crowd REALLY fed off of that positivity and it made their performance better and better as the set went on.

The highlights of the set were not only the new songs (all I have is their EP at the moment) and their amazing covers of Blackstreet’s ‘No Diggity’ and the Talking Heads ‘Psycho Killer’ (this cover really got the crowd into the show). By the time their set ended, Black Carl definitely left a solid mark not only on the Rogue patrons but on the Phoenix Music scene as an up and coming force to be reckoned with.  This will especially come true if they keep getting better and better with their live shows.

If you ever see Black Carl on a bill around town they are absolutely a ‘MUST SEE’‘.

The Headliner of the Rock and Roll part of ‘Shake’ was ‘The Stiletto Formal’ and they started off with a BANG and a really killer driving groove.  However, as the set went on, The Stiletto Formal’s set didn’t really go anywhere.  I don’t know if they had an off night or they were trashed but they really need to work on their live show.  The entire set was pretty one-dimensional as it sounded like they were playing the same Wolfmother song over and over and over again.  I normally give bands a couple of chances before making a decision on whether or not they are worth seeing or not.  I’ll check them out again in the future.  Hopefully they can work the kinks out of their live show before I check them out again.

After ‘The Stiletto Formal’s’ set was finished and they took all their equipment off the stage, the next part of ‘Shake’ began.  DJ’s.  The Rogue Bar converts to a dance club and a bunch of DJ’s took turns (in approx 30 or so minute sets) throwing down the best jams for the crowd.  The DJ’s I saw were pretty talented and were definitely keeping the vibe of the crowd in mind when they did their mixes.

One of the other things that was cool about ‘Shake’ is that they had a photographer there named Tate Hemlock that takes pictures during ‘Shake’ that captures the essence and coolness of the evening.  The photos from this past Saturday night are not up yet but keep checking this link as it will be updated soon:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=198399562

All in all, ‘Shake’ at the Rogue Bar is an amazing and unique event that must not be missed.  If you are a fan of music and want to try something new, ‘Shake’ is the thing for you.  This edition of ‘Shake’ was the perfect combination of multiple styles of music rolled up into a mini festival.  Shake is definitely a  ‘MUST SEE’ event

Here’s part 2 of the weekend of Black Carl.  I’m not sure what the cover charge is but the Show starts at 9:00 PM and goes until closing time at 2:00 AM.  Don’t miss this chance to see a great band at a great venue!

The Rogue Bar
423 N Scottsdale Rd
Scottsdale, AZ 85257
(480) 947-3580

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=110117270783108833567.000459e876986e0ac46a8&ll=33.453371,-111.925597&spn=0.000942,0.001751&z=19

As you all may or may not know I, the editor, am a HUGE fan of the Local Phoenix Band ‘Black Carl’.  Well, they’re playing twice this coming weekend.  This is the first of the shows which will be at the Yucca Tap Room in Tempe.  The cover charge is Free and Black Carl will go on around 10:30 PM.  If you haven’t seen them yet, they put on one of the best live shows I’ve seen in Phoenix.

Yucca Tap Room
29 W. Southern Ave.
(Southwest Corner of Southern and Mill)
480-967-4777

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=110117270783108833567.000459e824390bc9378b5&ll=33.393261,-111.940421&spn=0.000943,0.001751&z=19

This Saturday (September 6th) is the 1st annual Y Fest at the Tempe Marketplace.  From 11 AM to 2 PM there will be five bands (The Ivy, Ticket to Tokyo, White Mammoth, The Market & Riley Erin) speakers, slam poetry and many other activities all benefiting New Global Citizens.  New Global Citizens is an organization that is teaching Generation Y to become citizens of the Global community and about the challenges that face the world today.

How can you not beat seeing some local music for Free?!?!?! Come out and support your local music scene as well as New Global Citizens!!!!

More information can be found here:

http://www.earcandyproductions.org/Event.aspx?Id=4

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=110117270783108833567.0004561c08e0cdd777843&ll=33.433501,-111.900408&spn=0.008022,0.014012&z=16

Well, my man crush on the Local Band Black Carl continues as they are playing at the Star Swim – Poolside at the Hotel San Carlos in Downtown Phoenix. Probably going to check this out but I have an event that I’m going to before hand in Scottsdale. Not sure when the show starts I assume around 10. Anyways, be there and support the local music scene.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Dnz2O9cnA

Hotel San Carlos
Monroe and Central
202 N Central Avenue
Downtown Phoenix 85004
http://www.hotelsancarlos.com/

Every Thursday is Rockabilly night at The Blooze bar.  If any of you have not ever seen rockabilly yet, you are in for a treat.  You have to experience a rockabilly band at least once in your life.  Imagine if Elvis and George Clinton had a musical merging/birth together.  The result would be rockabilly (without the funk).

The Blooze Bar is just off the Cactus exit of highway 51.

Address: 12014 N. 32nd St. Phoenix

Cover is probably free but call ahead to make sure.

More info and a detailed schedule of what’s playing at the Blooze Bar, check out their very slick myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/TheBloozeBar

Right now I’m listening to a CD/EP I bought from one of the bands at last night’s showcase, Black Carl.  Great fucking CD by the way.

Ok this was my first local music show in the Phoenix area and man was it an interesting one.  Showcases generally are the absolute best way to check out local music as organizations like the Phoenix New Times filters out all the crap bands and puts up the cream of the crop for the different music genre showcases.  It seems that the New Times is hosting seven different shows over seven different weekends in seven different places.  Last night was a bunch of eclectic artists that shared zero characteristics with one another.  If I haven’t stated it already, I’m always open to listening to new bands.  I should also note that in addition to mainstream music such I’m also into weird shit like this:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUKTZ_Tle5A

(By the way, that’s Mike Patton from Faith No More on vocals)

…and this (The Boredoms)…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=514iBzHJFQQ

So this showcase was perfect for my sometimes weird tastes but it wasn’t for everyone’s tastes, mainly the redneck butt rockers that made up the sound crew.

Now before I begin I want give you some background as to the mental capacity of the sound crew at that event:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC4O0jHvRpk

Sure Beavis and Butthead could hook up the speakers and make them work, any trained monkey can do that.  The thing is that they didn’t know the difference between their assholes and their elbows when it came to properly mixing the sound.  Now add into the mix that since none of these band resembled Slayer or any other metal band the sound guys hated it and it seemed to me they were simply sabotaging the sound of the entire event.  So keep that in mind…

Anyways, the showcase was, for the most part, OK as eclectic music can mean anything in this day and age.  I wasn’t a fan of the headliners as they didn’t offer any sort of variety in their set and seemed to play the same kind of thing over and over again.  People left in droves after the third song of the same kind of thing playing over and over again.  They were like a violin version of Morphine but without the chohones.

<Now I’m listening to the music off of Yourchestra’s MySpace Page>

The Two bands that were really fun to watch was Black Carl and Yourchestra even though Beavis and Butthead behind the soundboards really, really fucked up their sound. Both offer fresh new looks at music and present their sound with ease.  One other thing I noted is that both bands are having fun just being up there and playing which reflects on the overall crowd mood as well.

The rest of the bands on the bill didn’t convince me of their sound or message at ll as they could not fully deliver vocally or musically (mostly vocally) their image.  It’s not really worth it to go into the band as they all needed polishing of some part of their shows.  All the bands had some great aspects to their music but they all (with the exception of Black Carl and Yourchestra) need to go back and work on their live performances.

<back to listening to Black Carl’s CD>

So the verdict…

The Showcase overall…meh

Black Carl and Yourchesrta…Thunderbitchin’ – Anytime you see either of these two names around town…go see them!

Black Carl’s MySpace Page:

http://www.myspace.com/iamblackcarl

Yourchestra’s MySpace Page:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&amp;friendID=80000039

Well, this is the first of many local shows that will be posted here.  This seems to be a local showcase of local eclectic bands out in Mesa for only $5.  From what I’ve been reading, this looks to be a pretty good and varied lineup of bands.  Probably will go out to see this tomorrow night.  Not 100% sure yet.

Price: $5

Papillons Too (formerly Cell Block Venue)
525 S. Gilbert Rd.
Mesa, AZ

Ok people who I’ve talked to who have checked this site out have asked me when I’m going to put up open mic night information. Well, I’m not. The reason why is I found a website that has up-to-date Open Mic information in and around phoenix. Rather than duplicating our efforts, I’m going to put the link up for everyone to check out!

Once I get situated, I’m going to get back into performing live and leveraging this site to find places to go and jam:

http://www.azopenmic.com/

I checked this band out today as I wanted to see what the live music offerings were on a Tuesday night.  I never have been to the Mondrain Hotel before so it was a wee bit hard to find as there aren’t any signs indicating you are at the hotel.

I walked into the bar and heard what was the tightest Latin band I have heard in a long time.  The grooves the Rakata Latin Combo put out had a distinct Miami vibe to them which I love.  I absolutely love Miami based Latin music as well as Miami based House/Techno.

I’m Definitely going to go back and see them again.  However, given the time of the evening I went coupled with the fact that this is the 4th of July weekend coming up, the place was not too packed.  I’m definitely going back after the holiday as this is simply just a cool place for dancing.

Just a note to those of you on tight budgets, the booze at the bar is hella expensive so if you can’t afford around 10 bucks a drink, get water.

The Rakata Latin Combo plays every Tuesday night at the Mondrian Hotel in Scottsdale from 7:30 to 10:30 PM.

More information on the Hotel/Bar:

http://www.mondrianscottsdale.com/mondrian_hotel_scottsdale_asiadecuba.asp