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

Local indie band ROAR just released a new music video that manages to be funny, heartwarming, and highly entertaining at the same time. It also does a damn good job of selling the band as a local act that you should pay attention to. “I Can’t Handle Change” is the title track for the band’s EP, that you can download right over here. After you watch this video, you should be primed and ready to come see the band open up for Andrew Jackson Jihad at Crescent Ballroom on December 17th. The killer locals lineup also features Sweetbleeders, Empire Of The Bear, and the DJ king DJentrification.

I think it’s fair to say that the secret is out when it comes to Crescent Ballroom, the newest and greatest venue in downtown Phoenix. I’ve yet to talk to a single person that wasn’t absolutely thrilled with the spot, and I’ve got to say I share the same opinion. From the sound, to the benches in the back, to the multiple bars and fantastic food, there isn’t much I can complain about. I would like the front lounge and outdoor bar to be a little bigger, but that’s just nitpicking at this point. I think one of the best uses for the main room is hosting massive 21+ dance parties, and luckily there’s a huge one coming on Saturday, November 26th. The one and only Switch will be doing a rare solo gig while he’s currently touring the world with Major Lazer. There will be more information on openers and such soon, but for now you can grab tickets.



MP3: Switch Ft. Andrea Martin – I Still Love You

Here’s another set of photos courtesy of Tyler Nevitt, which I’ve again managed to post late. One of these days I’ll get this straight! These photos come from a very special set that No Age played at The Trunk Space. The band was scheduled to play on a stage outside, but rainy weather reared it’s head and the band had to head inside. A bunch of kids crammed in the room to see a band that is more at home on the festival circuit these days. Of course, this also allowed Tyler to grab some pretty intimate photos from the show.

I want to start off with saying that Tyler Nevitt took these photos at the release show on JANUARY 27th! How bad has the slacking gotten around these parts? Sorry, Tyler and everyone else awaiting these photos. It’s nice to go back to the photos a few weeks after the show though. It brought me back to that night and remembering how awesome it was. Small Leaks Sink Ships played two sets on that fine evening at Rhythm Room to celebrate the release of their new EP. It’s called “Oak Street Basement” and you can get it on iTunes and at all the local record stores. Have a listen to the first single at the end of the post.

Small Leaks Sink Ships – Pray For Pills

Tyler Nevitt most likely hates me. That’s right, even though he’s a regular contributor to the site, I have a feeling he secretly despises me behind my back. After all, I continuously sit on series of photos he sends me. In fact, I think he started his own blog to just to spite me by posting his photos when they’re most relevant. How dare he!? Seriously though, this blog is a one man show and this man is often lazy or incredibly busy. With all that said, here’s some awesome photos that Tyler shot at the sold out Best Coast and Wavves show at The Clubhouse. I heard the energy levels were pretty damn high in the room that night. Did the show live up to the hype of those of you that attended?

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

Tomorrow night brings the return of live music at Bikini Lounge. It’s always awesome to see how many people and gear can possibly be crammed into my neighborhood watering hole. It’s especially fun as people get more and more drunk and start trying to dance around. If you’ve never been privy to this awesome sight, you’ve got another chance tomorrow night. Hooves will be coming to drop a live set in celebration of Dawn’s 10 year anniversary party. That’s right, she’s been holding down the bar for 10 years now, so don’t give her any shit on her special night! The word is the band will have a few new songs for your hungry ears, and Borismo will be laying down some tracks for you to (attempt to) dance to. As always, it’s free to get in and booze is cheap!