Arizona | OurStage Blog

Taking the title from John McCain: Lady Maverick

Stealing the title from John McCain: Lady Maverick

The term “maverick” gets thrown a lot these days, but only a fraction of the people who use it truly earn the title. The word dates back to Samuel A. Maverick, an American pioneer who refused to brand his calves. Lady Maverick, based out of Arizona, falls somewhere between a trailblazing rancher and just another member of the herd.

Blessed with a killer set of pipes, Lady Maverick can sing, for sure. But her songs aren’t exactly groundbreaking. Belting out an entire song a cappella, such as “A Prayer” is a bold move, but even the rich timbre of Lady Maverick’s voice isn’t enough to distract from the fact that the actual melody is a little feeble. She kicks things into groove mode with “Lines” a tune about female empowerment a la TLC’s “Scrubs.” “I’m tired of these brothers spitting lines at me it’s getting old / I’m looking for that one who’s genuine with me, ladies say Oh.” It’s a catchy refrain, but one that’s weakened by omnipresent chimes and overly synthetic strings.

With a tighter focus on melody and composition, Lady Maverick’s got the chops to break free from the herd and be the maverick she wants to be. We’ll be rooting her on from the other side of the fence.

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Home of: Alice Cooper, the Grand Canyon, Charles Mingus, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Sandra Day O’Connor, Frank Lloyd Wright, Jimmy Eat World, Meat Puppets, Gin Blossoms, Jordan Sparks, Anarbor, John McCain, Michelle Branch

Fun Facts: State flower; flower of the saguaro cactus, state song; “Arizona,” state bird; cactus wren

The Venues: The Rhythm Room in Phoenix features live music from local, national and international bands seven nights a week. While The Rhythm Room made a name for itself booking blues and roots music, the venue recently started branching out. Blues and rockabilly now find themselves sandwiched between rock and electronic music. Be sure to catch OurStage electro favorites Database at The Rhythm Room on August 19th.

Located in Tucson inside the historic Hotel Congress, Club Congress is the longest running live music venue west of the Mississippi. The club is such an important part of the Arizona music scene that in 2005, former Arizona governor and current US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano declared Labor Day Weekend to be “Club Congress Weekend.” To celebrate, each year, the hotel puts on a three-day live music festival called HOCOFest. This year’s line up includes Calexico, Meat Puppets, John Doe and Excene Cervenka of X, Har Mar Superstar and more.

The Music:

Lady Maverick -Arizona might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of hotbeds of hip hop talent, but all that is about to change. Lady Maverick combines fresh, toe-tapping beats with insightful, intelligent lyrics. If you’re a fan of old school hip hop, check out the Lady’s throwback jam “Reminiscin’.”

Halocene -Phoenix rockers Halocene are taking the state by storm, playing at Hot Topics, bars and anywhere else that will have them. If you can’t wait for the new Paramore album to drop, tide yourself over with Halocene’s “Rumble.”

The Sweet Remains - The Sweet Remains acoustic folk rock and luscious three-part harmonies propelled their song “Love Song” into the Acoustic Channel Top 10 for the past three months and earned them the Number 1 channel prize in June. Sincere without being sappy, “Love Song” is what all good love songs should be. For more Arizona acoustic pop, check out Ten Dollar Outfit, which features The Sweet Remains guitarist/vocalist Brian Chartrand.

Christopher Kevin – Some singer-songwriters need a string section and big production to catch a listener’s ear. All Christopher Kevin needs is his voice, an acoustic guitar and some hand-claps. Take a listen to “Sun Comes Up” and you’ll see why Kevin has earned comparisons to Eric Hutchinson and Gavin Degraw.