spaces for artists and musicians to experi- ment and perform. “Also, as a local who has watched all the great all-ages venues that I went to (as a youth) close, it’s really fun,” Swan says. The key players love being involved with TNT, and that enthusiasm spreads. Bradley, Long, and their selection committee compa- triots Mark Glick (of AJJ and Celleste, who will play Saturday night at Rocket Space), and Brandon Wilson (The Cause of Depression, playing at Yucca Tap Room on Friday night) radiated excitement when discussing the lineup and how much they love supporting the local scene. “Phoenix has always kind of had this built-in self-loathing, like somehow we don’t think our music scene is as good as others, but I’m over that,” Bradley says. “We have to stop doing that negative self-talk, even though we are producing art as good as most other places. Hopefully (Tempe Noise Takeover) will do a little to dispel that.” Glick got involved because of his friend- ship with Long and Bradley. He was hanging out at Bradley’s vintage store, King Pigeon, when Bradley pitched Glick on helping out. “I jumped at the opportunity,” Glick says. For Wilson, it was a submission by his band, The Cause of Depression, for the 2024 version of the Tempe Noise Pop Takeover. “It’s a romantic story,” he says, laughing. “We found out about the fest and we just submitted ourselves. We thought it was an interesting concept. It was a free festival, circled around showcasing what the local Arizona music scene has to offer. It’s also a benefit festival where we get to donate proceeds to an organization of our choice every year. We thought it was a great oppor- tunity for us to get in the mix.” Long and Bradley went on a stealth mission to check out The Cause of Depression live. Bradley approached Wilson directly after the set to tell him the band was in for 2024. A friendship began to form. “Our constant running joke is Joan of Arkansas and The Cause of Depression just essentially play every show together that we end up booking,” Wilson says. “So, this year, when they wanted to start getting things rolling for the fest, E.P. came up to me and he said, ‘Hey, I would love for you to be involved. I want you to pick some bands. I want you to help make some decisions. I want you to run a venue for me.’ I was honored.” Between the four, they managed to pare 100 submissions down to 40 bands for the festival. The lineup will showcase new bands alongside Valley favorites like Snailmate, Batter the Drag, Scorpion Vs. Tarantula and the venerable Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra. Maybe even more impressive: Not one band balked at their set time once the schedule was set. And everyone plays Tempe Noise Takeover for free. “I’m looking forward to the feeling of community that this event conjures,” Glick says. “We made a point to ask artists across a ton of varying genres, so these few days should feel like a slice of Phoenix as a whole coming together for a good cause.” Here’s one recommendation on how to cut that perfect slice: To get your maximum rock on while also impressing your pedometer, check out skate punk troubadour Rad Pinckard at Rocket Space at 7 p.m., then head to Time Out Lounge for the Devo-esque electronic weirdness of Analog Monsters (7:30-8 p.m.). Then bounce back to Danelle Plaza to scope out The Cause of Depression and Strelitzia from 9:30 p.m. to 10:45 p.m., back to back. Then pick your poison: Scorpion Vs. Tarantula will bring blistering punk ‘n’ roll to Yucca while DOMS does proto-punk right at Time Out Lounge. Live Longer Burn Everything and Goya will close out Yucca with heavy-hitting jams. Tempe Noise Takeover happens on Friday, September 5 and Saturday, September 6, 2025, at Rocket Space, Time Out Lounge, and Yucca Tap Room in Tempe, Arizona. Admission is free. Rocket Space is all-ages, and Time Out Lounge and Yucca Tap Room are 21+. Music starts at 7 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday. There is also an art show at Rocket Space on both days. Find more festival info at instagram.com/tempenoisetakeover Tempe Noise Takeover from p 17 Scorpion vs. Tarantula is ready to rock the Tempe Noise Takeover. (Courtesy of SvT)
