Seen live: No Age

Good music comes to those who wait. And that was exactly the case at last night's No Age show. The L.A. noise rockers were supposed to play Phoenix in December, but postponed the concert in favor of a smaller venue. I'll be thanking the music gods for that for a while.

The Trunk Space, which is super intimate, was the ideal setting for the energetic performance and pleasantly unexpected from a higher profile band like No Age. Singer/drummer Dean Spunt and guitarist Randy Randall replicated their sound perfectly in the live show and played a solid mix of songs from their three albums. Once again, Phoenix's music scene continues to impress.

More live music goodness can be found here.

Five for Friday: Well-rounded weekend

There's something for everyone this weekend. Live shows, sporting events, hiking, movies and design projects are right up my and the fiance's alley. Do you have anything fun planned?

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1. Good music comes to those who wait

After postponing their December concert in protest over a crappy venue (thank goodness I'm not the only one who despises the Clubhouse), No Age comes to town for a Sunday show at The Trunk Space. I've loved the L.A. noise rock duo for a while, and I can't wait to see them perform live for the first time.

2. The Apple Cup of men's basketball

It's a big game for the Cougs, who not only look to beat rival UW in Pullman, but gain ground in the Pac-10 standings. WSU (14-6, 4-4) is coming off a close loss to Arizona. The Fuskies (15-4, 7-1) are atop the Pac-10 and ranked 17th in the nation. GO COUGS!

3. Oscar buzz

We saw previews for The King's Speech before Black Swan in early December and it looked promising then. And that was before the numerous awards and nominations. Plus, I'll take any opportunity to watch the hotness that is Colin Firth for two hours.

4. Back to nature

Taking advantage of the fabulous Phoenix weather before it's 110 degrees outside is a must and what better way than a hike in the North Mountain Preserve. It's pretty cool living in a city with mountains in the middle of it.

5. Paper chase

We are the proud owners of an all-in-one printer, something that was on my Christmas list. My mom gave us money to put toward one, and we finally picked it out last weekend. A trip to Staples for photo paper, cardstock and calling card paper, and I'll be printing to my heart's content.

Phoenix concert season gets even better

Arizona concert promotion group Stateside Presents continues to amaze me with the quality of acts they bring to the Valley. I mentioned before how stoked I was to see bands such as Best Coast, Land Of Talk, Surfer Blood and Ra Ra Riot, and the newest batch of upcoming shows is outta control. 

The who's who of indie and alternative music, including Deerhunter, Joanna Newsom, Jimmy Eat World, Oh No Oh My, Delorean, Frightened Rabbit, School Of Seven Bells, Holy Fuck, Portugal. The Man, Built To Spill, Matt & Kim, Deer Tick, Minus The Bear, Azure Ray and Sufjan Stevens are gracing us with their presence courtesy of Stateside.

The shows I'm most amped for:

Phantogram / Josiah Wolf / Jared Alan 

Friday, Oct. 8 | 10 p.m. showtime | Club Sanctum | $10 adv. / $13 day of

 Sleigh Bells

Wednesday, Oct. 13 | 8 p.m. showtime | Clubhouse Music Venue | $15

No Age / Lucky Dragons

Friday, Dec. 3 | 8 p.m. showtime | Clubhouse Music Venue | $12 adv. / $14 day of