About METROnome
As part of Downtown Devil, METROnome strives to be the written quintessence of the local music scene. Our column will act as a cultural database, an image-filled archive and an educational opportunity for all the music lovers in Phoenix and beyond — and who doesn’t adore music?
We at METROnome will bring you the inside scoop on a plethora of downtown concert venues, musicians and much more. Our coverage will not limit itself based on genre, but rather expand due to increasing varieties reaching the heart of the city, leading you through every nook and cranny of local music — every other Tuesday, at the least.
Oren Simchy-Gross and your author today, Emily Liu, are ready to be the new minds behind METROnome. Right now, we’re pretty new to the downtown Phoenix music scene, but we are thrilled and ready to get into the thick of it.
Get to know your new co-authors
Both freshmen at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Oren and I are extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity to build METROnome so soon in our collegiate years. This column will be our head start in our aspirations to make personal imprints into our field.
After years of writing as an outlet for his passions, Oren decided print journalism had a place for him. He hopes to publish articles on “social issues, the music scene and new controversial advances in science” one day, in order to enlighten minds throughout the world.
When his career isn’t the main focus, Oren spends time drawing and running, if MAD Magazine and Curb Your Enthusiasm aren’t entertaining him already. Oren enjoys expressing the music-indulgent side of himself through guitar, drums and vocals. Getting a band together is just one of his goals for the future; his inner wanderlust brings him dreams of travel, especially to his bloodline’s home of Israel. Though he’ll be eliminating mayonnaise from his future, due to his hatred of it, another priority for Oren is a household canine.
As for me, I am a self-proclaimed wordsmith with an obsession for eye-catching notebooks and purple pens — my ideal tools for writing. Music journalism is a dream field of mine, thanks to Rolling Stone magazine, but I also hope to get involved with nonprofits as a community outreach coordinator someday.
Outside of journalism, I am an avid exclamation point user, a literary nerd and a rarely free busy bee. Proudly, I proclaim that I have visited every coffee shop in my hometown of 10 years, Gilbert, Arizona, and hope to be able to say the same for Phoenix. I am also (shamelessly) a huge fan of various cancelled TV shows and “Uptown Girls.”
We may be two entirely separate individuals with no clue what the future actually holds for us, but Oren and I can definitely agree on one fact: when it comes to music, our lives are pretty clear.
Music has always been a strong passion of Oren’s, partially due to familial influence. If there is any bias in his journalistic mind, it is toward Devin Townsend and Animals as Leaders—to him, the ultimate embodiments of good music. That said, Oren will definitely be bringing metal and progressive rock stories to METROnome.
However, Oren easily enjoys an enormous amount of other genres as well, including jazz, electronic music and indie rock. Some of his recommendations include Queens of the Stone Age, Tool, The Who, Porcupine Tree, Coheed and Cambria, The Shins and Dream Theater.
I am a music junkie with an undying love for soulful lyrics. Taking Back Sunday will always have a special place in my heart as a childhood favorite and my first real-world interview, although my favorite band is currently Of Monsters and Men. I hope I can become your go-to gal for indie/folk bands and guys with raspy singing voices.
Despite encompassing this bit of favoritism, my music taste ranges from fangirl-worthy radio artists to extravagantly unique eclectics — that is, anything from country star Luke Bryan to the steampunk gods of Steam Powered Giraffe. My recommendation is for everyone to listen to The Head and the Heart, Mat Kearney, The Avett Brothers, John Mayer, The Decemberists and Saving Abel at least a million times.
We are ecstatic to have you by our side as we journey through downtown Phoenix, dive into the city’s melodious characteristics and — above all else — binge on as much music as possible.
Contact the columnist at emily.liu@asu.edu
