Tag Archives: Crescent Ballroom

New Age Duo Blues Control Escapes From New York with ‘Valley Tangents’

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Blues Control duo guitarist Russ Waterhouse and pianist Lea Cho travel the spaceways of indie rock on an undulating platform of psychedelia, electronic, jazz, prog, and new age conventions. The combined result is music that flows from blissful quiet to … Continue reading

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Mergence: Phoenix Band has a Good Thing Going On

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Mergence is one of those Phoenix bands that garners incredible local hype for its talents while simultaneously admitting that such popularity would be considerably less likely in New York or Los Angeles. While the plaudits of the critics generally are … Continue reading

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World Party Return to Phoenix Stage in Fine Fashion

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World Party, Crescent Ballroom, Dec. 2, 2012 It was almost with a sigh of relief that Karl Wallinger and World Party began their Crescent Ballroom concert with “Waiting Such A Long Time,” as it has been some years since Wallinger … Continue reading

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Riding Chairlift’s psychedelic dance pop to the top

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At an early ’90s Cocteau Twins concert in Denver, half-asleep and fully delirious, I drifted in and out of reality as strobe lights pulsed behind my eyelids, Elizabeth Fraser‘s voice wafted about my head, and driving rhythms and reverb held … Continue reading

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fIREHOSE rages full on at Crescent Ballroom gig

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fIREHOSE, Crescent Ballroom, Tuesday, April 17, 2012 I entered the Crescent Ballroom with a mix of anticipation and apprehension in my gut. Soon to be on stage was fIREHOSE, a band I frequented in the 1990s and despite guitarist Ed … Continue reading

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fIREHOSE’s Ed Crawford: “It Was Our Job. We F**kin’ Showed Up Every Day.”

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It’s always a questionable thing when a long-gone band suddenly reappears on the musical landscape. Too often the motive is obvious—money—and the performances laughable. Yet, there are those bands with the integrity to come back and do it right. More … Continue reading

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Portugal. The Man’s calming effect

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John Gourley feels good. Tired, but really good. His band, Portugal. The Man, is chilling in El Paso following a rollercoaster ride of TV appearances, festival stops, a tour supporting the ultra-hot Black Keys, a jaunt to Alaska, a crusade … Continue reading

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Where it’s always the Year of the Cat

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In the unlikely event that Al Stewart can’t make his scheduled March 2 concert, Destroyer frontman Dan Bejar could definitely fill in. Maybe he’s Stewart’s illegitimate love child, because, seriously, what are the odds two unrelated people could have that … Continue reading

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Live review: Colliding cultures propel Dengue Fever’s east meets west soundscapes

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Dengue Fever, Crescent Ballroom Thursday, January 26 The setting was the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, but given the atmosphere and exotic sounds emanating from the stage, it may as well have been Cambodia circa mid-1970s. Eyes closed, it hardly mattered, … Continue reading

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Dengue Fever: “It Doesn’t Matter…They Don’t Know What the Hell We’re Saying Anyway”

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Imagine wild organ swirls, rolling surf licks and jazzy party horns coupled with angular and decidedly eastern melodies, plus a sultry singer who shifts between English and her native Cambodian dialect. That’s just a fraction of what shapes Dengue Fever‘s … Continue reading

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