Tempe's Porches, the brainchild of The State Press opinions editor Ben Horowitz, embodies every part of the Phoenix music scene. Part folk, part punk, Porches brings Horowitz together with various friends and collaborators to create loud, messy jams with curious titles like "Walgreen's Woman" and "Crazy Brain Trains." Each song is an animal all its own - sometimes a loud, screamy piece of thrashing punk, other times simply Horowitz strumming on an acoustic. The records, tours and local shows are all scraped together in traditional indie-rock fashion. The revolving Porches lineup has played house shows and downtown Phoenix art spots, as well as various West Coast locales over the past few months. See Porches at the Trunk Space (1506 N.W. Grande Ave., Phoenix) at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11.
Runners-up:
1. Captain Squeegee and the Soap Suds
2. Andrew Jackson Jihad
3. Stiletto Formal
