Yesterday brought an announcement that nearly made me spill my coffee all over my keyboard out of excitement. Two of my favorite rappers that I discovered this year are coming to Scottsdale together on what’s sure to be one of the best bills of the early months of 2012. Childish Gambino and Danny Brown released two of my favorite records of 2011, and they’ve both been on constant repeat as 2011 comes to an end. You probably know Childish as Donald Glover, an actor and comedian, and now rapper. Dude straight kills it on Community and his raps are much sharper than you’d expect from an actor stepping into the music game. As for Danny… he is one of the strangest and most talented rappers in the game, and the latest to prove that Detroit is still running things, even though the city is crumbling all around their stellar hip hop scene. Come out on April 11th and catch this show. Get blunted to these preview tracks and get your tickets early. I’ll see every one of you there.



MP3: Childish Gambino – Fire Fly
MP3: Danny Brown – Adderall Admiral



Heartbeat (No Pets Allowed Dubstep Remix) – Childish Gambino

The Minneapolis-based hip hop group Doomtree released one of the most impressive albums of the year in this humble Phoenician’s view. The group is made up of some of the hottest names in the underground scene and has a sound that is hard to be pinned down and will instantly make you recognize one of their tracks when you hear it. However, where the group really shines is in the live arena, and we’re all in for a taste of that experience come February. That’s because on February 4th Stateside and UM are teaming up to bring the collective to Chaser’s in Scottsdale. You can find all the information your little heart desires, as well as tickets, right over here. This one will sell out!



MP3: Doomtree – The Grand Experiment

If you managed to miss out on the opportunity to ingest said drugs with Neon Indian the last time they were in town, you’ll luckily get another chance to turn on, tune in, and drop out. Or, if you don’t partake in such recklessness, you can simply come and dance your ass off to some electronic-indie goodness. You’ll have to wait a few months, as they’re not coming to town until April 12th. However, the wait will be well worth it, as they’ll be doing a live set at Boomstick, the best dance night that Thursdays in Phoenix has to offer. They’re even making this a 16+ event so the kiddies can come and flood their ears with some Brooklyn-via-Austin hype. Get more details and tickets here.



MP3: Neon Indian – Sleep Paralysis

November is a month that’s stacked with awesome shows in Phoenix and Tucson, with quite a few hip hop shows amongst them. Obviously everyone is geeking out over the OFWGKTA show happening at Marquee on November 8th, but I’m hoping you’re not sleeping on a tour coming through each of the aforementioned towns just a few days after. Universatile Music is bringing The Blue Slide Park Tour to the Celebrity Theatre on November 11th and to Rialto Theatre on November 12th. The tour is being headlined by one of hip hop’s fastest rising stars, Mac Miller, and features the talented openers Pac Div and Casey Veggies. If you love hip hop, and don’t mind the thick smell of marijuana smoke filling a venue, get your tickets to this tour immediately!



MP3: Casey Veggies – 30,000
MP3: Pac Div – Take Me High
MP3: Mac Miller – Nikes On My Feet

I know you didn’t think I was going to keep you waiting about the second huge show announcement at the brand new Crescent Ballroom in the heart of Downtown Phoenix. I can hardly contain the excitement from bursting out from me as I type this post. M83 is coming to Phoenix! That’s fucking right! Anthony Gonzalez is one of my favorite musicians in the history of mankind, and I’ve never gotten a chance to see him perform live. That’s all about to change, as he’ll be here live on November 7th, a few nights after headlining one of the nights of Fun Fun Fun Fest on November 5th. He’ll be touring to support a new double-album, that is schedule to be released in October. Here’s a teaser trailer from the new album and a really awesome remix from the last record for you. Get your tickets to this show right fucking now, or live to regret forever!



M83: We Own The Sky (Datsik Remix)

I’m not sure how many of you have heard the news, but there’s a new venue open in glorious downtown Phoenix. It’s called The Crescent Ballroom and it’s located at 308 N. 2nd Ave, in the heart of the city. Word hasn’t spread too much about the place yet, as there haven’t been many shows there yet. But that’s about to change drastically, as I just got word of two absolutely incredible shows that are booked for this Fall at the venue. The first announcement is that 4AD’s always amazing Gang Gang Dance will bring the biggest party of the year to a city that could use a few more parties led by world-class bands. This is an 18 and over event and tickets are available now. Don’t sleep on this one!



MP3: Gang Gang Dance – MindKilla
MP3: Gang Gang Dance – MindKilla (Lee Scratch Perry Remix)

I’m guessing just about everyone in Phoenix has heard of this show in the few hours since it was announced. Just in case you missed it, here’s the most epic lineup you’re bound to find at a show this year. This lineup happening only in Phoenix. Go to Stateside’s Facebook page and click “Like” so you can get the pre sale password later this week. Holy shit, what a show this one will be!

Today has been full of ups and downs, and a receiving some news I wasn’t necessarily thrilled about. Then I came home and saw that this show was announced, and all worries melted away. Battles put on the best performance I’ve ever seen in Phoenix at the Rhythm Room a few years ago. I truly never thought I’d get to see them here again, and as of a few months ago, actually thought they were finished. Not only did the band drop a new album today, but they’re going to be headed to Venue Of Scottsdale on October 18th. Tickets are up for sale now, and I’d recommend grabbing them right away! You can enjoy a few tracks from the album below, plus enjoy this fantastic bonus video.



MP3: Battles – Inchworm
MP3: Battles – My Machines (Featuring Gary Numan)

This year is already packed full of highly anticipated shows, but I doubt anything is going to top The Railroad Revival tour when it comes to originality. The tour is going to feature Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros, Mumford & Sons, and Old Crow Medicine Show touring the Southwest exclusively in vintage railcards, and playing six outdoor shows at unique venues. The bands are going to eat, sleep, and record on a 1,500 foot long train made up 15 vintage railcars from the 50′s and 60′s, pulled by two locomotives. How fucking cool is that!? Even better, the bands will all have equal times on stage and there will be a lot of collaborating. The entire tour is going to be filmed for a forthcoming documentary as well. This will be an unforgettable experience. The train rolls into town on April 23rd at Arizona Railway Museum in Chandler. Tickets are available for $55 and come with free MP3 downloads of live recordings from the show and a collectible ticket.



MP3: Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros – Home

French electro-pop princess Yelle is preparing to release her sophomore album on March 29th. To get your anticipation up to dangerous levels, she went ahead and released the first single from the LP, called “Safari Disco Club”. While that information alone would be more than enough awesome news from her camp for the day, there’s much more! That’s right, those of you that are skipping out on Coachella this year are in for a treat. Stateside is bringing her out to Arizona for two shows in two incredibly awesome and intimate venues. She will be at Rhythm Room on April 17th with the equally awesome French Horn Rebellion opening. This show is going to be all ages and you better get tickets ASAP. The second show is at Club Congress on April 18th, and this one will be 21+. There’s no word on openers for this show yet, but tickets are available here. Don’t miss these shows Arizonans!



MP3: Yelle – Safari Disco Club
MP3: Database Vs. French Horn Rebellion – Beaches And Friends