Keys to the future: Alicia plans long career in music In her short career, singer/songwriter Alicia Keys has seen firsthand how creating an image is sometimes as important as the music she creates. » READ MORE Updated March 10, 2005
Valley country singer on brink of nationwide success After leading the way-ahead-of-their-time Valley cow-punk outfit Chaingang in the 1980s, Dave Insley put down his guitar and began climbing mountains, testing his skills in solitary man-versus-nature contests against some of the West's most fearsome rock formations. » READ MORE Updated March 10, 2005
Bastard Sons feel right at home in Southwest With the most audacious band moniker in the annals of country music, Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash have a big name to live up to. » READ MORE Updated March 10, 2005
‘Save’ them: Unwritten Law duped at sweet 16 party Unwritten Law doesn't make a habit of playing sweet 16 parties. However, the San Diego-based punk rock outfit appeared on the premiere episode of MTV's “My Super Sweet 16,” a new reality series that debuted in December and chronicles wealthy teenagers throwing overly extravagant parties to mark their special day. » READ MORE Updated March 3, 2005
Steppchild wants to save your soul with rock and roll I had heard the rumors, the myths and the legends about the hard-rocking Tempe band that is Steppchild. That all three members were named Adam. That there were psychic connections between the band from their separate childhoods spent on different continents. That one of the members was an opera singer of some renown. » READ MORE Updated February 24, 2005
Frankenreiter: Not a Jack Johnson clone Before recording his first solo album, Donovan Frankenreiter spent 10 years in the group Sunchild, which played on the Vans Warped Tour, opened for the likes of the Allman Brothers Band, Stevie Nicks and Lynyrd Skynyrd and even recorded a CD. » READ MORE Updated February 24, 2005
Six years ago, Brandon Reid Allen was homeless, broke and ready to end it all. Today, the Chandler resident is a rising star in Christian rock. Homeless and penniless, Brandon Reid Allen hit rock bottom in the freezing rain on the roof of the Westerner Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. » READ MORE Updated February 17, 2005
Well-connected: Motion City Soundtrack teams up Motion City Soundtrack's Justin Pierre is in Colorado, and he's frightened to leave the cozy confines of his band's tour bus. » READ MORE Updated February 17, 2005
Gilbert's Gloria Mendez wins Grammy contest I was confident. I consulted psychics, I had premonitions, and when the show rolled around Sunday evening I sat down with my Grammy picks, ready to revel in the glory of my successful predictions. I had a smirk on my face that said, “None of our readers are going to beat me.” » READ MORE Updated February 17, 2005
Fans wonder if music still indie when it's riding in a long, black limousine If you're not familiar with the music of The Pixies or Fugazi, you're not alone. For two decades, the two bands and other indie rockers like them have stubbornly clung to their musical independence, eschewing major-label support and, as a result, receiving little or no radio play. » READ MORE Updated February 10, 2005
Budding star Dierks Bentley heading back to Phoenix on George Strait tour Country singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley may have left the Valley when he was 14, but his love of Mexican food survives to this day in his adopted home of Nashville. » READ MORE Updated February 3, 2005
Eric Holland's songs illuminate border issues Singer/songwriter Eric Holland was living the good life as a tennis pro at some of the finest resorts in the world. » READ MORE Updated February 3, 2005
Hard-core punk-rock quartet keeps it real on third CD You won't find aggressive punk-rockers Rise Against singing about the “lifestyles of the rich and the famous” anytime soon. » READ MORE Updated February 3, 2005
Corporate man: McMahon rocks out with Tommy Lee Something Corporate lead singer and pianist Andrew McMahon recently spent some time with someone surprising — Mötley Crüe's notorious drummer Tommy Lee. The artists collaborated on a couple of different projects. » READ MORE Updated February 3, 2005
Chalmers Green goes from small town to big city, thanks to Gin Blossoms’ Robin Wilson When Joshua Kennedy drove from his hometown of Wheaton, Mo. — population 721 — to see the Valley band Gas Giants 45 minutes away in Springfield, Mo., in the late ’90s, the teenage musician hung around after the show hoping for a chance to talk to the band's frontman, ex-Gin Blossoms singer Robin Wilson. » READ MORE Updated January 27, 2005
Home Format: Valley's favorite pop sons return There's no place like home. After nearly 15 months of constant national touring, local pop heroes The Format will play Tempe's Marquee Theatre on Friday. » READ MORE Updated January 27, 2005
18-year-old's power pop quickens the pulse He has released two brilliant EPs, played in front of several thousand people at last fall's Edgefest and been performing on Valley stages for half a decade. » READ MORE Updated January 20, 2005
All's quiet on the Mill Avenue front — Tempe bands forced to find clubs off beaten path In its mid-’90s heyday, the Tempe music scene was being hailed by label reps and music fans alike as “the next Seattle” — a hotbed of talent ripe for national discovery. » READ MORE Updated January 13, 2005
