Seething Agitated and Anarchistic Doa Continues to Unleash Tuneful and Frenzied Songs
Think there's nothing to do in Phoenix once the heat hits? That particular trope melts like a Popsicle in the summertime sun after you check out the list of shows happening in the Valley in June.
Thanks to all the touring bands and acts hitting the road this time of year, the Valley's concert calendar is loaded up with great gigs.
This month, for instance, will feature concerts by such superstars and major names Kesha, Macklemore, Maroon 5, Frank Turner,
, REO Speedwagon, and Chicago.
Plus, the final Vans Warped Tour hits town later this month, offering punks of all ages the chance to rock out during a daylong outdoor extravaganza.
Details about each of these gigs can be found in our list of the best concerts in the Phoenix area this month. And for even more music events happening around town, check out Phoenix New Times' online concert calendar.
Iconic punk band D.O.A.
Mike Duddy
D.O.A.
Saturday, June 2
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
Seething, agitated and anarchistic, D.O.A. continues to unleash tuneful and frenzied songs, proving they are far from retired. For 40 years now, the band has unleashed rock and roll tethered to lumberjack toughness and "green" environmental issues. They balance flannel-shirt, beer-smeared, hockey-drenched jukebox drunkenness with punk savagery, aggressive politics and worldly wisdom deploring both corporate madness and lazy public attitudes.
At the helm, singer/guitarist Joey "Shithead" Keithley has always stared down power by culling the hefty history of leftism. He's not Bruce Springsteen waxing sentimental about rivers and steel towns; instead, he exposes fault lines of religion, police brutality, and economic woes. And he's truly one of punk rock's more notable icons.
Early this month, D.O.A. and the equally iconic punk act MDC invade the Marquee Theatre in Tempe. Krovak, The Linecutters, FOL, and Ass Wipe Junkies will open. David Ensminger
Australian-born singer-songwriter Alex Lahey.
Giulia McGauran
Alex Lahey
Sunday, June 3
The Rebel Lounge
Imagine if Hayley Williams had ditched the dudes in Paramore and struck out as a solo songwriter, developing a surf-rock sound with soaring pop choruses and specific-as-hell lyrics. Well, then, she would sound a lot like Alex Lahey.
Lahey is a 20-something Aussie whose 2017 full-length, I Love You Like a Brother, was largely underappreciated in this hemisphere, though it's chock-full of gems. Lahey's persona is scrappy, with the clever self-deprecation of Courtney Barnett (she wrote a song called "Perth Traumatic Stress Disorder"), but she's also got an undeniably tight grip on blast-off pop hooks.
She looks up to Dolly Parton and Bruce Springsteen, and like those idols, she has a way with metaphor: On "Backpack," for instance, Lahey clings to a lover who she knows is unavailable, singing, "It's hard for me to put my arms around you / When your backpack's on." Katie Moulton
Kansas (from left): Richard Williams, Billy Greer, Zak Rizvi, Phil Ehart, Ronnie Platt, David Manion, and David Ragsdale.
Michie Turpin
Kansas
Sunday, June 3
Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale
Kansas could have called it quits when legendary singer and keyboardist Steve Walsh departed in the not-so-distant past.
the veteran rockers carried on with only two original members remaining — guitarist Rich Williams and drummer Phil Ehart — and put out The Prelude Implicit, their first new studio album in 16 years. Released in 2016, the 10-song disc shows the septet in fine form, with the musical aptitude and impressive chops fans have come to expect, proving that rock isn't always a young man's game.
Currently, Kansas is on tour performing a combination of their radio and fan favorites (including their tireless hard rock hit "Carry On Wayward Son") along with material from The Prelude Implicit. It's a show that should meet the cravings of hungry crowds with
intricate output. Chris Callaway
Speedy Ortiz
Tuesday, June 5
The Rebel Lounge
This comically dystopian time we live in makes a lot more sense viewed through the lens of Speedy Ortiz. The Massachusetts indie-rock band led by Sadie Dupuis return this year with Twerp Verse, a scorching riff-driven record just as snarky and smirk-ridden as its title.
"Life is carnage," Dupuis sings on "Lucky 88," just before celebrating the dumb luck of being born into this bonkers chapter of history. There's a dark but whimsical irony about having all the connectivity in the world, only to realize that people are dumber than you ever imagined. It's a story only Speedy could tell, as Dupuis surrounds herself with moronic bros on "Alone with Girls," and pushy creeps on "Villain." But the demons of a maniacal reality are exorcised through relentless riffage.
Dupuis is an unquestionable guitar hero, and Twerp Verse is only more evidence
this truth. With her ferocious knack for songwriting, the torch lit by Liz Phair and Juliana
is burning bright in good hands. Speedy Ortiz will be joined by the excellent Anna Burch, and L.A. singer-songwriter Samira Winter, so this tour is not one to miss. Gerrit Feenstra
Kesha and Macklemore
Wednesday, June 6
Ak-Chin Pavilion
Superstar artists Kesha and Macklemore are hitting the road this summer. Their first stop? Phoenix's Ak-Chin Pavilion. The singer-songwriter and rapper will co-headline a 30-stop tour — called The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore — that will begin with a concert at the open-air venue on June 6.
They've collaborated before. Kesha's featured on the track "Good Old Days" from Macklemore's latest record, Gemini. They performed the song on Ellen earlier this fall.
Their show at Ak-Chin Pavilion kicks off at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 to $137. Rapper Wes
will open. Becky Bartkowski
Members of A Place to Bury Strangers.
Courtesy of Pitch Perfect PR
A Place to Bury Strangers
Wednesday, June 6
Valley Bar
Like his artistic forebears in The Jesus and Mary Chain, A Place to Bury Strangers' Oliver Ackermann knows how to do one thing, and does it well. When it comes to taking a song and drenching it in squalls of feedback, few contemporary musicians can make their amps bleed and howl as consistently and viciously as Ackermann can.
That fidelity to "classic" noise rock has garnered them a fair share of criticism. In a review of their latest album Pinned, Pitchfork called the band a group of "historical actors reanimating the New York of Suicide and Sonic Youth." This isn't an unwarranted jab: Every APTBS album feels like an attempt on the band's part to turn back to the clock to the age when No Wave bands, and a pre-rape-accusation Michael Gira, still walked the earth.
But the band have made changes to their sound: The recent addition of Les Butcherettes' Lia Braswell on drums and backing vocals has added a welcome new element to the band's sonic maelstrom. Her voice adds a much-needed dash of cool and sweetness to the mix. For the first time, Oliver's voice isn't the only thing struggling to be heard over their shrieking guitars. Ashley Naftule
Minus the Bear are heading out on an anniversary tour for 2007 opus Planet of Ice.
Shervin Lainez
Minus the Bear
Wednesday, June 6
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
For a certain kind of early-millennial indie-rock fan, Minus the Bear elicits affection. The band's specific brand of melancholic prog-pop struck a chord with listeners on the breakthrough album Menos el Oso, a complex, layered beast that balances its math-rock, avant-garde tendencies with earnest songwriting. The formula was further refined on 2007's Planet of Ice, a record whose stark, alien instrumentals stood in contrast to Jake Snider's warm, inviting vocals. The album was also a success, charting in the indie sphere, and drawing tons of new fans.
Never content to rest on their laurels, the band members have been expanding their sound and experimenting with form and texture. Notably, their most recent release, Voids, contains songs that might sound as if they come from a different group entirely.
The band has learned to pare down its sound without removing what makes it unique. But for those who prefer the outré experimentation and obtuse song structures of their earlier work, there's always Planet of Ice, which Minus the Bear is celebrating on their current tour. As such, they're playing every song from the album during each performance, including their upcoming show at Marquee Theatre in Tempe on June 6. David Bennett
Speedy Ortiz.
Courtesy of Carpark Records
Maroon 5
Thursday, June 7
Talking Stick Resort Arena
The dreamy and debonair Maroon 5 can make as good a claim to
of the 21st century's most successful band as anyone else.
Since ruling the airwaves with the multi-format crossover smash "This Love" in early 2004, the L.A. group's brand of easy-on-the-ears but ever-so-slightly edgy pop-soul has been a constant presence on Top 40 radio and pop culture, even more so since singer Adam Levine assumed one of the judges' chairs on NBC's The Voice in 2011; he's now in his 14th season.
Maroon 5's latest album is last year's Red Pill Blues, which has already turned out a few hits, including singles "What Lovers Do," "Wait," and "Girls Like You." Chris Gray
Alan Parsons Live Project
Friday, June 8
Celebrity Theatre
Alan Parsons became a household name around the world via the succession of gold and platinum albums that began with Tales of Mystery and Imagination in 1976, which were credited to The Alan Parsons Project. Although his partnership with co-founder Eric Woolfson ended in the '90s, it did allow for us to finally enjoy the music the duo made in concert, starting with a 1995 European tour. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you ... The Alan Parsons Live Project.
"I do wish we'd done it sooner; the circumstances weren't right," Parsons says. "Eric wasn't interested in touring, and it was only [when] we parted company after making the
Rightly or wrongly, the success of I Robot, Turn of a Friendly Card, and Pyramid earned Parsons his rep as the master of the concept album. Who better to ask if the overriding concept suggested the songs, or did the individual songs when collected
the overall concept? "I think a bit of both.
with Tales of
Collie Buddz
Phil Emerson
Collie Buddz
Friday, June 8
BLK Live
When you think of dancehall music, it's safe to assume that the island of Bermuda isn't the first locale that leaps to mind. In fact, though Bermuda is often mistaken as a Caribbean island, its closest neighbor is actually North Carolina. Other Bermuda oddities include the Bermuda Triangle, Bermuda shorts, and the alternative singer Heather Nova, a native.
You may now add to that list the dancehall anthem "Come Around," which is sure to receive the acclaim Damian Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock" did last year. The song is performed by a Bermudian who goes by the handle Collie Buddz. Oh, and did we forget to mention that Buddz is white?
No matter. The song is a monster, from the roots-infused horn intro to the pumped-up basslines. "Finally the herbs come around," sings Buddz, whose stage name doubles as slang for a seasonal high-grade marijuana. His voice resembles Jamaican dancehall staples such as I-Wayne and Wayne Wonder, with a booster shot of rudeboy swagger. Esther Parks
Flatbush Zombies
Tuesday, June 12
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
Even diehard rap fans will tell you: There's something about recorded rap music that often doesn't translate well to the stage. It makes sense for a lot of artists; for those who rely on a carefully chosen vocabulary, much of what makes an artist great can get completely lost in a noisy venue. Some rappers are magnetic in the first place because of their personality and energy, such as Flatbush Zombies. The Brooklyn-based act, who rose to fame with the weed-centric "Thug Waffle," will be in town in mid-June for a show at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe. Chris Gray
George Evelyn, better known as Nightmares on Wax.
Sequoia Ziff
Nightmares on Wax
Tuesday, June 12
Crescent Ballroom
For the uninitiated, "Nightmares on Wax" splashed across a gig poster might conjure to mind the soundtrack from a dark '70s or '80s slasher flick. But for fans of George Evelyn and his many collaborations with N.O.W., the name invokes a lengthy, decade-spanning back catalog of genre-bridging and genre-bending tracks that call to mind a much more laid-back and positively uplifting vibe — especially on the last two full-length albums.
Since 1989, Nightmares on Wax has continued to be a mainstay and one of the most iconic names on the roster of U.K.-based independent record label Warp Records. After releasing numerous notable singles, such as "You Wish," "Flip Ya Lid" and "Les Nuits," Evelyn established himself as a respected electronic and trip-hop trendsetter, and his down-tempo and trip-hop approach to production creates a unique, influential sound built on numerous genres, including modern jazz, funk, soul, and R&B, as well as hip-hop, acid house, and dub.
A live band on the tour supports Evelyn's latest full-length release, Shape the Future, a record that conjures on-the-couch vibes paired with positive messages and observations. Daniel Rodriguez
Frank Turner in concert in 2015.
Henry W. Laurisch/CC BY-SA 4.0/via Wikimedia Commons
Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls
Friday, June 15
The Van Buren
Frank Turner has been known as a relentlessly positive and charmingly optimistic individual for most of his career, despite having taken a long and arduous road to musical acclaim. He achieved recognition as the singer of London-based hardcore band Million Dead before dismantling the group and going solo in 2005.
His first full-length, 2009's Love Ire and Song, showcased the singer-songwriter as a cross between an English Bruce Springsteen and Billy Bragg. His lyrics were earnest and honest, taking in the absurdity of the world and spitting out truths like "Life is about love, last minutes and lost evenings." Turner's optimism waned on 2013's Tape Deck Heart, where, for the first time, he seemed dejected and frustrated by a life on the road and failing personal relationships.
On his more recent albums, including 2015's Positive Songs for Negative People, he strikes a balance between addressing the trials of
and singing loudly and defiantly as a way of coping with them. Andy Thomas
Source: https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/phoenix-concerts-june-2018-10472996
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