By Steve W., lifelong AZ music junkie, accidental fan dad

I’ve seen a lot of bands in this town — dive bars off Mill, converted pizza joints, the occasional big-ticket show when it’s worth the babysitter. I’m a 44-year-old dad with three kids (9, 14, and 15), and I don’t impress easy anymore. So when my oldest begged me to take them to see Piper Connolly & The Habit at Cactus Jack’s for their Record Store Day After Party showcase, I figured I’d hear a few shouty teen anthems, clap politely, and scroll ESPN under the table.

Instead, I walked out convinced I just saw the future of rock.

They opened with “Sweetness” — the kind of punchy, melodic chaos that grabs you by the collar and says, you’re in it now. It was tight, fast, and delivered with so much confidence it could’ve easily been their closer.

Then came the originals. “Warning” hit like a siren—sharp, pulsing, full of teenage urgency without ever feeling juvenile. I saw heads bobbing in the back, and a few of us old-timers just quietly impressed by how dialed-in it sounded.

“Chameleon” might’ve been the moment the whole place locked in. The vibe shifted—Piper’s voice dropped into this haunting, elastic thing while the band layered in this slick pop groove underneath. The lyrics hit heavy, but the song still somehow felt like a summer anthem. My 15-year-old nudged me and whispered, “this one’s the one I really like.” I had to agree.

Midway through the set, they tore into “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “Dark Necessities” with the kind of precision and rawness that reminded me why I fell in love with live music in the first place. 

Then Piper told a quick story about jamming with Robby Krieger of The Doors, which got a respectful nod from every Gen X-er in the room. They followed it up with “Break On Thru”, and I swear to you, it didn’t feel like a cover. It felt like a passing of the torch.

Their GRAMMY medley was a fever dream—part tongue-in-cheek, part flex, but fully entertaining. It definitely had all the young ones locked in… And just when you think the medley would have lost all us oldies…they closed with “Gimme Shelter,” and it was lights out. I mean that. The crowd lost it. People singing along during the vocal crescendo as if they were Merry Clayton, phones in the air recording the moment, and my 9-year-old dancing like he just discovered distortion for the first time.

Here’s the thing: to be clear, this band isn’t just a haphazardly cast “insert brand name music school” project. They’re good. Like, actually good. And they’re clearly building something bigger than a few local shows and a fan base of teenagers. There’s intention, talent, and wild, weird chemistry happening on that stage.

I’ve got no skin in this game. I’m just a guy who’s seen a lot of shows and doesn’t throw the phrase “next big thing” around lightly. But if there’s any justice, we’ll be hearing a lot more about Piper Connolly & The Habit. And if we’re lucky? We’ll be able to say we saw it before they hit the big stage.

And yeah… we bought the whole damn merch table.