SONORAN SOUNDS Book to Chronicle Arizona's Music Legacy
Journalist Josh Crutchmer's sixth book examines Tempe's Mill Avenue scene and acts like Gin Blossoms and The Format.
Back Lounge Publishing has announced the release of Sonoran Sounds: Mill Avenue Rock, Desert Folk, and the Enduring Legacy of Arizona Music, set for release in March 2027. It will mark the sixth book from Josh Crutchmer, a roots music journalist, New York Times editor, Rolling Stone contributor and one-time Arizona resident. The book's official website is sonoran-sounds.com.
Sonoran Sounds will be available in print, e-book and audiobook formats and is available for pre-order now through Back Lounge Publishing. Readers of Crutchmer's previous books — including 2020's Red Dirt and 2024's Red Dirt Unplugged, as well as his 2026 release, (Almost) Almost Famous — will recognize his distinct, behind-the-scenes reporting style in Sonoran Sounds. Its original 220-page release will be supplemented by a series of special editions — akin to limited-edition vinyl albums — available during the pre-sale window.
About Sonoran Sounds
Sonoran Sounds is a journey across the Arizona landscape — from the skyscrapers, back alleys and college bars in greater Phoenix and Tucson to the high deserts, border towns (and beyond) that gave rise The Grand Canyon State's folk, rock and country music scenes.
This book is a walk along Mill Avenue in Tempe, the centerpiece of the post-grunge heyday where Gin Blossoms, the Refreshments and Dead Hot Workshop paid their dues. It's the story of Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers forging a loyal fanbase the hard way while building a festival from the ground-up that reshaped the future of Rocky Point, Mexico. It's a reminder that Jimmy Eat World and The Format launched themselves from Arizona. It's an appreciation of the career that native son Evan Honer built for himself. It's an appraisal of the life of Waylon Jennings and the music that Shooter Jennings continues to unearth to this day. It's a recognition that Drew Cooper, the Jons and more are keeping independent, original music coming from the same desert sands. And it's a reminder that artists like Micky & The Motorcars, Dalton Domino and Shelby Stone would not have the careers they have without Arizona.
'I grew up in Northeast Oklahoma, raised country and listening to country music — until high school, when I heard Gin Blossoms' New Miserable Experience for the first time, and it redirected my entire life. A few years later, The Refreshments' Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy became the soundtrack to my late teen years. In college in the early 2000s, I immersed myself in the Red Dirt and Americana scenes, and I was shocked to discover that one band, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, was the next iteration of those same Refreshments from my high school days. Five years later, I was living in Arizona, exploring the same Tempe bars that gave rise to my favorite artists and watching them give rise to a new wave of rock, punk and emo outfits like Jimmy Eat World and The Format. I never lost my fascination with the music being made in Arizona, and now, 20 years later, Sonoran Sounds is my best effort at reminding fans of the impact Arizona continues to have on our favorite music,' Josh Crutchmer says.
Details
The book is anticipated to be 220 pages, including 20+ pages of photography featuring the artists showcased in Sonoran Sounds. The cover will be revised slightly in late summer 2026 to feature the names of showcased artists.
The Cloverdale Project
Sonoran Sounds will support The Cloverdale Project, which was launched in June 2026 by Evan Honer's Cloverdale Records label. The Cloverdale Project is about taking care of people, animals, and the world around us. The fund supports causes near and dear to the artists on Evan Honer's Cloverdale Records label — including supporting people living with schizophrenia and helping dogs find homes. Readers can add a $10 donation to their order and will receive a one-of-a-kind sticker as a thank you. The donation is tax deductible and will include a receipt confirming the donation. The Cloverdale Project is fiscally sponsored by Plus1, a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit.
A Look Inside
The book will include profiles, interviews and behind-the-scenes reporting. It is described as not a history lesson, but a colorful, vibrant taste of what Arizona has given the world of music in 2027. A sampling of what's covered:
Jimmy Eat World will talk about 25 years of Bleed American, one of the seminal pop punk albums of its time. This is the record where 'The Middle' debuted to the MTV crowd and ultimately became the Mesa, Arizona natives' life-altering hit.
The Format breaks down their 2025 comeback and subsequent tour. They'll talk about their roots in Mesa, the endurance of Dog Problems — 20 years strong — and the simple motivations behind Boycott Heaven and their 2026 unplugged tour.
Gin Blossoms will reflect on the success of their ongoing co-headlining tour with Spin Doctors and Blues Traveler, and the place that New Miserable Experience has earned in the lexicon of American rock music.
The Maine return to the Valley of the Sun in January to host their 8123 Festival with the likes of Andrew McMahon and The Band Camino. The high-energy rockers will talk about the influence of Arizona on their art.
Evan Honer wears Arizona on his sleeve. It's part of his stage backdrop, and there's an Arizona flag on stage when he plays. The book will discuss how it shaped his artistic side, as well as how far he has come since leaving the state to become one of the most dynamic artists in independent music.
Dierks Bentley will look back on three decades atop country music's mountain. As close to a sure thing as country had after he burst onto the scene with songs like 'Get a Little Closer' and 'Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go),' the Phoenix native was also instrumental in the rise of Red Dirt in his support of acts like Cross Canadian Ragweed and Kaitlin Butts.
Waylon Jennings is associated with Austin and Nashville, but he hails from Arizona, and the late trailblazer is buried in Chandler. The book will talk with Shooter Jennings about the Waylon records he has unearthed and brought to life over the past year-and-a-half, and about finding his place as a producer of some of the most important albums in modern country and Americana.
Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers are the vector through which the rest of Sonoran Sounds will flow. This is the band that ties Arizona's history with its present-day grassroots music scene and the creative outlets that come with it. This book offers a fresh look at Roger and his band even for diehards who watched every second of the Here's To Life documentary in 2017.
Shelby Stone's groundbreaking debut album, Silveryear, was recorded in Arizona, with Peacemakers' drummer P.H. Naffah producing. Shelby will discuss the impact of that album as well as the importance of the creative process that Naffah helped bring out of her.
Arizona is inseparable from Micky & The Motorcars' early days, before they were household names from Idaho to Texas. The book will get more stories out of the band for Sonoran Sounds.
The book will also showcase Drew Cooper, Dead Hot Workshop, The Sidewinders, Pistoleros, and as much more as can be packed into 200-plus pages.
The Views from the Wings
The book will capture in-the-moment concerts, gigs and barrooms too. Once part of the vibrant Tempe scene that centered around Mill Avenue, the Yucca Tap Room is something of the last bar standing from the ones that gave rise to Clyne, Gin Blossoms and Dead Hot Workshop. The book will explore its ongoing appeal. Likewise, it will take a trip to Puerto Penasco, Mexico, and Clyne's annual Circus Mexicus festival.
The Foreword by Robert Earl Keen
Once Crutchmer learned that The Rhythm Room, a Phoenix musical landmark, would shut down after its 2027 concert season, he turned to Robert Earl Keen, who authored the best song about the old rock room: 'Furnace Fan' off of his Farm Fresh Onions album. Keen will introduce Sonoran Sounds with the tale of writing 'Furnace Fan' and reflect on other Arizona showcases too.
Chapter Rundown
Foreword by Robert Earl Keen (The Furnace Fan Story)
Prologue
Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers
The Refreshments
Festival Recap: Circus Mexicus 2026
Why I Wrote This Book
Dead Hot Workshop
Sidewinders
Pistoleros
Gin Blossoms
The Yucca Tap Room and Mill Avenue
Dalton Domino
Shelby Stone
Micky & The Motorcars
Festival Recap: Copper Country Fest 2026
Shooter Jennings on Waylon
Evan Honer
The Maine
The Format
Jimmy Eat World
Concert Recap: Jimmy Eat World and The Format at Hollywood Bowl 2026
Epilogue
(Subject to change depending on developments)
Sonoran Sounds: Mill Avenue Rock, Desert Folk, and the Enduring Legacy of Arizona Music
By Josh Crutchmer
Release: March 2027 (exact date to be announced in conjunction with a release event)
Publisher: Back Lounge Publishing
Formats: Paperback, Hardcover; e-book; audiobook
ISBNs: Coming November 2026
ARCs: December 1, 2026
Primary charity: The Cloverdale Project
Secondary charity: Saturdays in the Park
