26 Jan 12th–Jan 18th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | music | cafe | film | culTuRe | NighT+Day | feaTuRe | NeWs | OPiNiON | feeDBacK | cONTeNTs | Starting Off Strong 11 concerts we’re looking forward to in January. BY PHOENIX NEW TIMES WRITERS J anuary is a unique month for concerts in the Valley. There’s a lull to start things off, thanks to the holiday hangover, but once touring artists return to the road and get back into a groove, things really kick into gear. From mid-January onward, a nonstop parade of big names and memorable shows will be headed to the Valley. Motown icon Smokey Robinson. Punk icons Unwritten Law. English post-punk band Dry Cleaning and living funk legend George Clinton. Indie faves such as Yonder Mountain String Band, Tim Kasher, and the Valley’s own Sean Bonnette. Read on for more details about each of their gigs and other “can’t miss” concerts this month or check out Phoenix New Times’ online concert calendar for more live music happening in the Valley in January. George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic Friday, January 13 Celebrity Theatre, 440 North 32nd Street If you missed George Clinton’s last two “farewell” tours when they rolled through the Valley, the living legend is bringing the mothership back our way for another gig. So is the 81-year-old icon finally hanging up the mic for good after serving up more than 50 years of funk? Honestly, we can’t say, and neither can Clinton (who’s stated in a recent interview that “you might not be able to get rid of me for a while”). Just be glad you’ve got another chance to see the man whose funk-drenched tunes born from a fusion of jazz, R&B, and psychedelic rock have inspired everyone from The Roots, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone. 8 p.m., $38-$69 via etix.com. BENJAMIN LEATHERMAN Davina and the Vagabonds Sunday, January 15 Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 East Mayo Boulevard Davina and the Vagabonds are a whirlwind of bluesy, jazzy, and rootsy fun in the vein of Squirrel Nut Zippers, Asylum Street Spankers, or many similar acts mining the broad pantheon of Americana. Centered on the magnetic presence and intoxicating vocals of songstress/pianist Davina Sowers and backed by brass musicians and a Hammond B3 organ, the five-member ensemble create a potent concoction of neo-soul, jazz, and swing bubbling over with energy and verve. It’s guaranteed to get toes tapping in the audience at the Musical Instrument Museum when Davina and the Vagabonds amble through in mid-January. 7:30 p.m., $33.50-$49.50 via mim.org. BENJAMIN LEATHERMAN Tim Kasher and Sean Bonnette Sunday, January 15 The Rebel Lounge, 2303 East Indian School Road Mick Jagger said it best in 1966: What a drag it is getting old. Tim Kasher wouldn’t disagree, as the perils and pitfalls (and surprising pleasures) of getting older are his chief lyrical concerns on his 2022 album Middling Age. The frontman of both The Good Life and Cursive unpacks the compromises and complications of hitting the middle of the road, exploring the anxi- eties that come when wondering if you’ve wasted your life and fear of what comes next. Fans expecting the vitriol and aggression of his best Cursive records might be disappointed, though, as this is a far more mellow affair. But while his guitar playing might not draw blood, his words certainly do. Kasher continues to collapse within himself as a songwriter, which isn’t a bad thing: few songwriters are as good as plumbing the depths of self-loathing, self- recrimination, and self-deprecation as he can. Kasher gazes deep into his navel and sees things that would turn H.P. Lovecraft’s hair white. It’s a gift that hasn’t dimmed with middle age. He’s joined on his current tour by AJJ co-founder, and onetime Valley resident, Sean Bonnette and both singer- songwriters will perform selections from across their respective careers. With Veronica Everheart; 8 p.m., $16/$18 via seetickets.us. ASHLEY NAFTULE EDEN Tuesday, January 17 The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren “I spent too many late nights just thinking a hole in the earth,” EDEN’s Jonathon Ng sings on “Drugs.” Like so much of his output, the song deftly intertwines beauty and bleakness. Currently performing under the name EDEN, Ng has worked on a few different projects in the past: EDEN is the latest iteration of his sound, pushing his electronic dance music style into a more pop-friendly direction. Not many musicians can boast of moonlighting as a model, but EDEN has walked runaways when he’s not writing and recording his own songs. A multi-instrumentalist, the Dublin-born artist was trained in classical violin from the age of 7. As The Eden Project, he released a series of EPs, singles, and remixes that integrated confessional songwriting with dubstep and drum ’n’ bass sounds. On his more recent albums as EDEN (Vertigo, No Future, and last year’s ICYMI), he continues to work in the elec- tronic realm but embraces more emotional and hook-driven songs. These are tunes that are primed for dance floors and late- night headphone listening; songs with the capacity to move you physically and emotionally. 8 p.m., $30-$130 via live- nation.com. ASHLEY NAFTULE Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers Friday, January 20 Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 East Second Street Bruce Hornsby has had a storied career as a rock ’n’ roll performer, songwriter, and side man. From his time with Bruce Hornsby and the Range (1984 to ▼ Music Singer-songwriter Tim Kasher. Erica Lauren >> p 28 George Clinton during a 2016 concert. Levan TK
