Big Hassle Fest from p 34 pearances. Devon, who resembles his late father, promises a hot night. It will start with a warm-up set by his project with Duane Betts, the Allman Betts Band, before an all-star cast — including musicians Rob- ert Randolph, North Mississippi Allstars’ Cody and Luther Dickinson, Jimmy Hall, Alex Orbison, Art Edmaiston, and blues guitarist Samantha Fish – performs. The music kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $38.50 to $85. NATHALIE BARET Wale at The Van Buren Wale has come a long way from the enthu- siastic bounce-rap style that introduced him to the masses. Debuting in the mid- 2000s, early tracks like “Rhyme of the Cen- tury,” “Dig Dug (Shake It),” and “Breakdown” got the rapper attention in his hometown of Washington, D.C., and on the radar of Atlantic Records, who released his debut album Attention Deficit in 2009. He later sharpened his vernacular and de- fined his appeal with the release of his widely respected 2011 album, Ambition, and struck gold the following year with the single “Lotus Flower Bomb” and inspired a new class of rap to rise from the under- ground. Wale’s lyrics, combined with a Devon Allman and Duane Betts of Allman Family Revival. keen ear for proper beats, set him apart from everyone else in the game. More al- bums followed, including back-to-back Billboard favorites The Gifted in 2013 and 2015’s Seinfeld-inspired The Album About Nothing. Wale’s touring behind last year’s Folarin II and is scheduled to play The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren Street, on Thursday, February 17, with Guapdad and Cam Wallace. Tickets for the 9 p.m. show are $27 to $79. RU JOHNSON Deafheaven at The Rebel Lounge One of the most controversial, nontradi- tional, and high-profile groups in the greater metal scene, Deafheaven first gained attention for their 2013 record Sunbather and its 2015 followup, New Bermuda. Both albums exhibited an in- tense mix of black metal vocals; shoegaze- influenced production; heavy, major-key guitar riffs; and intense, poetic lyrics that gained attention from mainstream music publications like Pitchfork and earned scorn from black metal traditionalists. Be- yond awards or criticism, the music is sim- ply devastating in its impact. They’ve been nominated for a Grammy Award, >> p 38 Deafheaven. ANTI Records 37 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES FEB 10TH– FEB 16TH, 2022
