Tired of your fingers getting black while searching through the New Times for live shows? Step into the 21st century and check out Jambase.com. You’ll find shows for many of the popular bars and venues in and around Phoenix. They also have frequent give-aways for tickets to shows or music festivals. Been listening for something new? Check out Garaj Mahal and Al Howard & the K23 Orchestra this sunday at the Rhythm Room. Garaj Mahal is a great jamband and Al Howard & the K23 Orchestra bill themselves as “a unique blend of hip-hop, rock, latin, spoken word and jazz-fusion”.

While on the topic of live music… Phoenix has seen it’s ups and downs when it comes to live shows. Years back we had lots of great independent and mainstream bands rolling through here and there were some great venues. At the current moment I’d say we’re in a bit of a lull. We’ve lost several venues over the past 2 years, namely Nita’s Hideaway, The Bash on Ash and Beeloe’s. Fortunately the Rhythm Room has stepped up to fill the void a bit, and Hollywood Alley has done an OK job varying the acts they book. The problem is we’re missing those key smaller venues for bands too big for your average bar stage, but not big enough for a place like The Marquee. Another problem I see, is that Phoenix is just not viewed as a “must stop” tour location for bands, maybe it’s our lack of a thriving downtown area, or just misconceptions that Phoenix isn’t a hip place. In any case it’s frustrating to see the 5th largest city in the US get looked over.