17 Phoenix local music picks for December

Destruction Unit will rock the Rebel Lounge in celebration of their latest effort, "Negative Feedback Resistor," in a month that also brings release shows from Doll Skin, Japhy's Descent and the Haymarket Squares. Among the other local highlights for December are a two-day festival at Tempe's Marquee Theatre called Desert Frostover, a 10th-anniversary celebration of Fine China's "Jaws of Life" and Night of 1,000 Reunions with Trunk Federation, Beat Angels and Less Pain Forever.

Here's a look at those and other shows on tap from local artists in December. I didn't feature any New Year's Eve shows because there's so much going on before then and we've got a New Year's Eve live music guide coming up later this month.

12/2 and 12/16: ‘Round About Midnight

Every so often, the Valley Bar squeezes a second night of its outstanding jazz series into the monthly schedule. December is one of those months, with two shows on each of those nights. On Wednesday, Dec. 2, the Denny Monce Quartet pays tribute to bebop icons John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and more. On Wednesday, Dec. 16, Café Jaleo salutes the Latin jazz of Celia Cruz, Buena Vista Social Club, Tito Puente and more.

Details: 7 and 9 p.m. Wednesdays, Dec. 2 and Dec. 16. Valley Bar, 130 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. $5. Valleybarphx.com.

12/4: Japhy’s Descent EP release show

Japhy’s Descent are promising a “rocker” to follow the “Christopher Robin” album they released last year. For those unfamiliar with their music, it’s kind of all over the map, but in a way that most songs quality as rockers. On “Christopher Robin,” a concept album based in part on “The Tao of Pooh,” they set the tone with a wistful folk-rock instrumental that evolved into a soaring blues-guitar lead. From there, they made their way through the banjo-driven hard-rock swagger of a track called “Rabbit” to the horn-driven funk groove of “Bounce.” A copy of the new release, an EP titled “Senseless,” recorded at Stem Recordings, is included with the cover charge. Also playing: Wyves, Captive Cooks and Fairy Bones.

Details: 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $10; $8 in advance. 602-296-7013, the rebellounge.com.

12/4: Snake! Snake! Snakes!

They just won the Best Total Reinvention of Your Sound category in November's azcentral's Best, in which I had this to say: Released in 2010, their first EP set the tone with a slow-burning anthem called “City on Fire” whose sense of drama seemed designed to speak directly to fans of Arcade Fire’s “Funeral.” It was great stuff, channeling a widescreen majesty that felt like it was playing to the back rows of a stadium. But they’ve undergone a major transformation since that first EP, rocking the McDowell Mountain Music Festival with a punkish intensity that led to the following azcentral rave: “The excitement level rarely faltered as they made their way from song to song with the reckless abandon of classic punk without necessarily staking their claim as a punk band. I have no idea how they got from the vibe of that 'City on Fire' EP to what they did at Margaret T. Hance Park. Hell, I have no idea why. But if you haven't seen them live in recent memory, you're really missing out.” And if you're keeping scoring at home, yes, I did just quote myself quoting myself. They recently recorded an entire album in a single weekend with the great Bob Hoag producing but they haven't let me hear it yet (those bastards). In the meantime, this should be a great show, also featuring Emby Alexander, Celebration Guns and Nanami Ozona (featuring members of Numb Bats and Thin Bloods).

Details: 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $10. 602-716-2222, crescentphx.com.

12/4-5: Desert Frostover

This two-day festival includes what promises to be the last we’ll see of Frequis. Unless, of course, they reunite. But in the meantime, this festival is being billed as their final performance. A farewell message on their Facebook page says, “With so many members going their separate ways we have decided to end the adventure known as Frequis, at least for now. But the good news is we will be having an epic farewell all-ages performance Friday Dec 4th at the Marquee Theater!” Friday’s bill also brings Black Bottom Lighters, Soundmankillz, the Black Moods and seven other local artists, plus comedians. Saturday’s bill is topped by Howitzer, Pelvic Meatloaf, Sicmonic and Virulent with eight other bands and comedians.

Details: 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4; 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $10 per day; Two-day pass for $20; $15 in advance. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.

12/5: Benefit for Heather Wiening

This concert is a benefit for the mother of Harrison Hufman, the avant-garde experimental artist who fronts the Harrison Hufman Experience and celebrated his 13th birthday this year. His mom has diabetes, is losing her vision and is on a waiting list for a pancreas transplant. In addition to Hufman’s Experience, the lineup features Drunk and Horny, Run-On Sunshine and several other acts, with a headlining set by Treasure MammaL. If you don’t know Treasure MammaL, they recently released a great new album titled “I Will Cut You With My EBT Card.” The album features guest appearances by Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, R Stevie Moore, Yvonne Lambert of Octopus Project, Sean Bonnette of Andrew Jackson Jihad, and Lonna Kelley. But the guest list isn’t nearly as intriguing as the odd artistic vision of head Treasure MammaL Abelardo Gil.

Details: 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. Trunk Space, 1506 N.W. Grand Ave., Phoenix. 602-256-6006, thetrunkspace.com.

12/6: Daisy EP release show

These Gilbert rockers have released one song from their “In Retrospect” EP, a track called “Q&A” that features atmospheric textures of the sort U2 perfected in the ‘80s and pop sensibilities that are probably closer in spirit to the sort of thing a OneRepublic fan could get behind. Either way, the chorus hook is instantly accessible and fairly soulful as the singer pleads, “I’ve been waiting for you to know me / I’ve been waiting to know you.”

Details: 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $8; $5 in advance. 602-296-7013, the rebellounge.com.

12/10: Destruction Unit release show

These rockers set the tone for 2013's aptly titled "Deep Trip" with a hail of feedback and reverb-saturated noise guitar before following through on that promise with an album's worth of reckless rock and roll that effectively blurred the lines between Stooge-y garage punk and post-Sabbath stoner rock. This show celebrates the followup, "Negative Feedback Resistor," on which they somehow found a way to take things in a noisier direction, fading in on the feedback-laden atmospheric chaos of a track called "Disinfect" before hurtling full-speed ahead with the reckless abandon of hardcore punks trying to out-thrash the thrash-metal band in the adjoining practice space. It's a twin-release party with Draa.

Details: 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10. Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $17; $14 in advance. 602-296-7013, the rebellounge.com.

12/11: Doll Skin Punk Rock Holiday Celebration

The first time I saw Doll Skin, they were tearing up the stage at Alice Cooper's Proof Is in the Pudding contest, sounding like the sort of thing you might have heard at CBGB in the '70s. Their singer, Sydney Dolezal, is 15, and the oldest member of the group is 18. So compare them to the early Donnas if you must but I heard some Debbie Harry in the blase vocal stylings of the verse on the first song they posted on Bandcamp, "Let's Be Honest,” while “Family of Strangers” pushes the metal side of their glitter-punk more into focus. Both songs are on the aptly titled “In Your Face” EP, produced by David Ellefson of Megadeth, who signed them to his imprint, EMP, which is distributed by Megaforce, the label responsible for launching the careers of Anthrax and Metallica. But the EP's big surprise is the lighter-waving power ballad, "Blind." And if you're going, don't miss Fairy Bones, one of the best things the Valley has going for it going into 2016.

Details: 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11. Last Exit Live, 717 S. Central Ave., Phoenix. $10; $8 in advance. 602-271-7000, lastexitlive.com.

12/11: Fine China "Jaws of Life" 10th anniversary show

These local indie-rockers are returning to the stage after nearly a decade of silence to celebrate the release of an expanded 10th anniversary 180-gram black-vinyl reissue of 2005's "The Jaws of Life." The re-release is a collaborative effort between Velvet Blue Music, Common Wall Media, Plastiq Musiq and President Gator. Jacob Graham, co-owner at Plastiq Musiq and one-half of the Drums says: "I've been a huge Fine China fan since their first releases on Velvet Blue Music in the '90s. I love everything they've ever done, but "The Jaws of Life" really seems like their masterpiece. Whenever I DJ I'll always play ‘Person of the Month’ and it never fails to get people excited, which isn't easy when you're playing a song no one's ever heard before, but it's just that good!"

Details: 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11. Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $10. 602-296-7013, the rebellounge.com.

12/12: Haymarket Squares CD release show

They're smart. They're funny. They're raging against the machine in four-part harmony. Billing themselves as "Arizona's finest purveyors of punk-grass" and/or "punk-grass for the people," the Haymarket Squares are releasing the long-awaited followup to "Righteous Ruckus," on which they memorably set the tone with the apocalyptic hootenanny of "Don't Panic." If you haven't heard them, a fun place to start is last year's video for "Gateway Drug," a mock indictment of smoking marijuana, which includes the lines, "It leads to laughter / It leads to tears / It leads to scholarly discussions 'bout the songs of Britney Spears." And earlier this year, I witnessed them slipping a snatch of the Talking Heads song "Road to Nowhere" into "Working Reward" in an Airstream Sessions video.

Details: 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Last Exit Live, 717 S. Central Ave., Phoenix. $10; $8 in advance. 602-271-7000, lastexitlive.com.

12/12: A Concert to End Valley Hunger

A benefit for the Valley of the Sun United Way, this show is headlined by the Senators, who got off to a strong start with a promising debut called "Harsher Than Whiskey / Sweeter Than Wine." Early this year, they posted a video on their website of a song called "Salt & Water," recorded live at Paramount Recording Studios in Hollywood. And that was followed by a rousing horn-fueled single titled "Hummingbird,” the proceeds of which also benefited the Valley of the Sun United Way. This benefit, which doubles as an Ugly Sweater Party, also features Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold.

Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Valley Bar, 130 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. Free. Valleybarphx.com.

12/16: Cover the Crescent: Bob Dylan & the Byrds

Cover the Crescent salutes two iconic rock acts exploring their country side as the psychedelic ’60s went looking for roots. Tierre del Fuego will tackle Dylan’s “Nashville Skyline” while the Odd Byrds do the Byrds’ beloved “Sweetheart of the Rodeo.” And who exactly are these Odd Byrds? Glad you asked. The lineup features Robin Vining of Sweetbleeders, steel-guitar master Jon Rauhouse, Carolyn Camp of Pick & Holler, Michael Krassner, Taylor Upsahl, Tommy Connell and more. All proceeds go to Peer Solutions/Stand and Serve, local teen organization preventing violence and promoting empowerment.

Details: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16. Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $5. 602-716-2222, crescentphx.com.

12/18: Monster May I release show

There’s a suitably haunted undercurrent to the brooding post-punk highlights of Monster May I’s self-titled debut, from the gothic romance of the opening track to the album-closing “Nocturne,” in which the singer asks, “And who can reckon all the things a man can want? / A hundred phantom hungers whispering wishes to the heart they haunt? A silhouette reflected in the car outside?” And then he answers his own line of questioning with “I found out that everything is justified.” Also playing: Andy Warpigs, Travis James & the Acrimonious Assembly of Arsonists and TK and the Irresistibles.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18. Trunk Space, 1506 N. W. Grand Ave., Phoenix. 602-256-6006, thetrunkspace.com.

12/18: Nile Ross

"I been movin' but I'm here to stay," the young rapper proclaims on "FNE$," a moody hip-hop track on which he also calls himself "Young Beethoven in this s--t." And with singles as strong as "FNE$," he could be here to stay. And yes, he knows a lot of people will be lining up to see a "Star Wars" movie that day. I got a press release announcing that a new force will awaken at the Ross show. "His name is Nile Ross, a hip-hop artist who is a force to be reckoned with," it reads. "He does not hail from a galaxy far far away, but 25,000 light-years to the galactic center and 25,000 light-years away from the rim of the Milky Way, in the Solar System, on the third planet from the Sun (Earth), on the Northern Hemisphere, located 33.3000° N, 111.8333° W (Chandler, AZ)."

Details: 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18. Pub Rock, 8005 E. Roosevelt St., Scottsdale. $10. 480-945-4985, pubrocklive.com.

12/19: Night of 1,000 Reunions

Who cares if there are only three reunions when Night of 1,000 Reunions promises performances by such beloved local artists as Trunk Federation, the Beat Angels and Less Pain Forever? To sweeten the deal, the bill is rounded out by No Volcano (which features two members of Trunk Federation) and Serene Dominic, who in addition to the freelance work he does for azcentral.com, is a brilliant songwriter who could teach a class in showmanship that almost no one in that class would understand but they would all be entertained. The show is sponsored by Onus Records and Heritage Hump, who will release a charity CD titled "Heritage Hump Helps, Vol 1" that very night with proceeds earmarked for the Sunnyslope AZ Humane Society.

Details: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $10. 602-296-7013, the rebellounge.com.

12/19: Citrus Clouds EP release

The title track of the new EP this show is meant to celebrate, “In Time I Am,” finds them staking their claim on the dreamier side of the dream-pop revival, its hazy sense of atmosphere topped by ethereal vocals and slathered in reverb. A key component of that sound is the way guitarist Erick Pineda’s vocals blend with those of bassist Stacie Huttleston (at least on the two songs they’ve posted on Bandcamp at this point). Also playing: The Lonesome Wilderness, Tierra Firm and Jade Helm.

Details: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. Rogue Bar, 423 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. $10 with EP; $5 without. 480-947-3580, facebook.com/theroguebar.

12/23: Jared & the Mill

It could be argued that one could write about these guys without mentioning Mumford & Sons. But the day those U.K. folk revivalists captured America's heart on the Grammy Awards, it primed the pump for folks like Tempe's Jared & the Mill, who deliver the goods with style on banjo, acoustic guitar, harmonica, washboard, upright bass and accordion. And Jared Kolesar is a talented lyricist, setting the tone for "In Our Youth" with "You and I could run away and find a place to hide some day but I wouldn't blame you if you wanted more." That song is one of many highlights on "Western Expansion," which hit the streets in 2013. And this year's "Life We Chose" expands the scope of what they do without abandoning the rustic charms of the previous effort, sometimes in the course of one song. This holiday show is a homecoming gig for the heavy-touring Jared & the Mill with Harrison Fjord and Bear Ghost opening.

Details: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23. Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $17; $15 in advance. 602-716-2222, crescentphx.com.