Barring the long-predicted apocalypse slamming down in Phoenix and ruining all our fun, one of the indie world’s favorite bands is coming back to Phoenix and Tucson for what’s sure to be another stellar set of gigs. Stateside announced earlier today that the band will touch down at Club Congress on March 18th and at Rhythm Room on March 19th. The overwhelming amount of hype that the band has received since before they even released a record shows zero sign of showing down, so I’d recommend you get your tickets far in advance to avoid missing these shows. I’ll be celebrating my birthday at the Phoenix one, so feel free to buy me a shot of Jameson, o’ faithful readers.



MP3: Cults – Most Wanted

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

Mr. Meeble just returned home after a whirlwind 18-date tour throughout Europe. It’s really exciting to see a talented band from Phoenix make the hop across oceans and play countries like Czech Republic, Servia, Spain, and Portugal. The tour was reported as a successful endeavor and they’re now ready to finish it off with their last Phoenix show for the year. The show is a 21+ event at Crescent, which means you can expect some booming sound to go along with Meeble’s laser show. I’d recommend arriving early, as the all-locals lineup is worth skipping out on being fashionably late. Meeble even did us the favor of releasing a new song while they were on tour and you can check that out below. I hope everyone comes out for a Friday night of local music.



Star Power (steppdecke edit) by Mr. Meeble

It’s been a couple of crazy busy weeks for me, and unfortunately I haven’t had much time to update this blog. Luckily I have had time to catch a couple of shows at the brand new Crescent Ballroom downtown. I’ve got to say that I’m absolutely in love with this venue, and not just because Stateside advertises on this blog. This is exactly what Phoenix has been needing. The sound is amazing, the layout and size of the venue are just right, and there are multiple bars filled with delicious drinks. Best of all, this will drastically cut down on the number of shows held at the always-awful Clubhouse. Praise jesus! If you haven’t made it down to the venue yet, tomorrow night will be a massive dance party with CSS and MEN, so you should get your asses down there and dance!

MP3: CSS – Hits Me Like A Rock (Dillon Francis Remix)
MP3: CSS – City Grrrl (MEN Meets GRRRL Remix)

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)