Posts by Jack Cavanaugh

It’s almost March in Arizona and MLB’s Cactus League (Spring Training for many) has begun its annual initiation to remind us summer is on its way. And while most might not assimilate both the charismatic and somber likes of Greta Van Fleet and Hozier to pitchers working on their “stuff,” downtown Tempe has an annual […]

Touring behind their fourth studio album, A Man Alive, released on March 4th of this year and produced by Merrill Garbus (aka tUnE-yArDs), Thao and the Get Down Stay Down take on the arduous task of performing this rhythmic and robust record with the same power and intensity the listener gets from the recording.  Describing […]

The historic Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix, which normally hosts ballets and operas, was the venue for St. Vincent’s Phoenix appearance in support of her brilliant self-titled album released in late February. And quite ironically, attendees found themselves directed to their seats by elderly ushers in crimson jackets; not your typical procedure for a performance […]

The venue filled up early for the sold-out Phantogram show on Wednesday night for what would be their second appearance in Phoenix, and their first at the Crescent Ballroom.  The band, consisting of Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter and supporting members, took the stage around 9:45 with Barthel donning a leather jacket with fringes on the […]

Five seconds into “Woman of Many Colors,” the first track of Courtney Marie Andrews’ latest album, On My Page, instantly conjures a scene of the countryside from a train window.  You can almost see the serene face of a girl with a guitar case next to her gazing out of it.  Thoughtful and literary, On […]

Any fans concerned that Bankrupt! will be freakishly different than the Phoenix they've come to appreciate have nothing to worry about.  Basically, Bankrupt! is a melodic and slightly gentler version of Wolfgang, and while this album could be considered experimental for them, but all of the songs are easily recognizable as a Phoenix song upon first listen.  Taken in isolation, it's catchy, but maybe not with any songs capable of reaching megahit status.  If they set out to make an album that's compositionally divergent from anything they've ever done before, they didn't do so well.  If they set out to make an album of easy-on-the-ears pop songs with a few subtle twists, they did pretty well. 

Samuel Beam, better known as Iron and Wine, has now released his fifth studio album Ghost on Ghost and first on Nonesuch Records.  On top of changing labels – previous albums were released on Subpop and Warner Bros./4AD – Beam has also changed his approach to songwriting, as stated on the band's website: “Beam sought to move from what he called the 'anxious tension' of his two previous records.  'This record felt like a reward to myself after the way I went about making the last few."

It was a quiet election day eve and Other Lives made their return to the Valley of the Sun.  They've come to Phoenix before as the opener for Radiohead back in March and opening for rock royalty has definitely taken their public awareness to new heights.  They returned this time as the headliner at Crescent Ballroom, a much more intimate venue than the giant Jobing.com arena they played last time.

Grimes is, in some sense, a testament to the pursuit and creation of an artistic vision, no matter how outlandish it may seem, and making it fly, and the fact that she is controlling everything coming out of the PA from start to finish is also impressive.  After an hour of songs, she speaks to the crowd for the first time.

It was a completely full house in the Marquee on Tuesday, September 11th, and everyone was in a celebratory mood, despite the historic date.   Shortly before the 10 pm stage time, chants of “Passion Pit” began, and most of the capacity crowd joined in.    The house lights flicked off, causing a roar, and purple lights from the sides of the stage glowed as frontman Michael Angelakos and the five other  members that comprise Passion Pit walked out.  Wearing an untucked dress shirt and tie, Angelakos screams, “Hands in the air! All the way in the back!”  The vast majority of the crowd complies and the synth organ intro for “Take a Walk” starts the show.  

While Tycho's songs sounded faithful to the album versions to someone who has listened to Dive several times, there seems to be a touch of improvisation to the performance.  Surely, Scott Hansen is meticulous in his approach, but the songs feel more organic than those of someone standing at a laptop, and live bass and drums take the show far beyond typical ambient music, especially with the bass turned up so high.   Tycho creates a euphoric atmosphere using organic rhythms, warm tones from vintage synths and ethereal visuals.

In a live setting, Van Etten rocks louder than listening to her albums alone would imply, while still maintaining a strong sense of intimacy with the audience.  Several of her songs are dramatic builds to powerful moments that are captured in the studio recordings, but appear much bigger and louder on stage.  

It's the last weekend in June, the time of year when Phoenix dwellers rethink their reasons for living so close to the mouth of hell and are looking for the closest place to cool off or at least forget about how hot it is, and because it is Saturday, several dedicated music buffs or at least the die-hard young and hip of downtown Phoenix ventured out to the increasingly beloved Crescent Ballroom to drink, dance and sweat.

It was a calm yet warm Mother's Day crowd in Phoenix's Crescent Ballroom for Sunday's show, and for those who didn't forget completely, Portland Cello Project and Emily Wells double-headlined a unique and classy affair to take a venturesome mother.  Someone in the audience snickers that there will be no mosh pit at this show, and although Crescent doesn't normally host shows that compel one to mosh, but they also don't normally set out candlelit tables on the ballroom floor either.

With a show and a new album that is melodic, delicate and slightly odd in places, the members of Chairlift are fantastic performers, especially for how long they've been in existence, and their music manages to be accessible and 80s vintage without being cheesy.

Cults, a New York-based noise pop act that are a combination of several vintage sounds intermingling, sold out their show at Phoenix's Rhythm Room: it was definitely golden age syndrome in action.  The whole performance, which included Mrs. Magician and Spectrals as openers, was part surf-rock, part go-go, part doo-wop, part new wave, and altogether erratic. The vibe seemed to bounce from a Pulp Fiction-style chase scene to classic oldies’, serving only fitting that Dick Dale is slated to play the same stage soon.

Sporting large, circular glasses and a casual blue button-up shirt, Bundick looks more like an Apple employee instead of the prolific contributor to several musical projects.  Recording under the name Toro Y Moi since he was a teenager, he's got an 80's pop voice that makes it look like he could be wearing a red leather jacket, tight jeans and a giant pair of high-tops. And although he has been grouped into the chillwave subgenre, which includes acts like Washed Out and Neon Indian, both of which he has remixed, the live show is more lively than a guy standing at a station of synths turning knobs. 

As for Cursive, they are a distinct new incarnation of the band, one that is both more mature and progressively ardent.  While I am Gemini may be an obtuse tale of split personality delusions, they still put on a show that's as comprehensible as it is blaring.  Cursive's live show translates: “We're brilliant, we're sophisticated, we're surly and we still know how to rock.”   

Michelle Blades first appeared in Phoenix seemingly out of dry air at an open mic and proceeded to blow everyone's minds by improvising a melodious song with simple strums on her uke. Since then, she has played at countless local venues, toured Europe and recorded three albums under the River Jones label.  We all can consider ourselves lucky to witness the evolution of such an amazing musician into a tremendous performer, without losing a ounce of sincerity and modesty.