Arizona Music Scene: Les Paul Roque on Funk, Community & Open Mics
One thing I have come to appreciate about the Arizona music scene is that it rarely feels like everybody is competing for the same little piece of the pie.
More often, it feels like a co-op.
Musicians sit in with other musicians. Artists recommend venues to one another. Somebody hears you at an open mic and invites you to another event. A person you meet at one show can become the connection that gets you onto another stage months later.
As one half of Emma & James Music, I have experienced some of that firsthand. It is also one of the reasons I enjoy being involved with the Desert Vibe Podcast.
Our conversation with Les Paul Roque put that sense of community front and center.
Les brings decades of experience, a serious love of funk, and a musical history that extends far beyond Arizona. But what interested me most was how naturally his philosophy fits the community of musicians that has developed here.
He calls himself “The People’s Piano Player.”
After talking with him, you understand why.
Les Paul Roque and the Arizona Music Scene
Les Paul Roque is a pianist, keyboardist, arranger, composer, and longtime working musician who has made Arizona home.
The nickname “The People’s Piano Player” was inspired by Muhammad Ali calling himself the people’s champion, but for Les it is more than branding. It explains the way he approaches music.
He wants to be able to play with people.
Not just funk musicians. Not just blues players. Not just jazz artists.
If he can hear the music and understand what it is trying to do, he wants to find a way into it.
During the conversation, Les talked about playing soul, blues, gospel, reggae, and even Japanese music. That flexibility does not mean abandoning your own musical personality. It means developing enough vocabulary that you can communicate with whoever happens to be standing on stage with you.
That is a valuable skill for any working musician.
You may have a favorite genre, but the more people you can genuinely connect with musically, the more opportunities you create to perform, learn, and grow.
You can learn more about Les and his music through the Les Paul Roque official website.
Why Funk Has to Make You Feel Something
Les is especially passionate about funk.
He also has a pretty simple test for whether it is working.
It needs to put what he calls a “hump in your back.”
In other words, it has to make you move.
It is funny, but there is a useful musical lesson underneath it. Musicians can become so focused on technique that we forget what the music is supposed to do to the person listening.
The audience does not care how difficult your chord voicing was if the song never makes them feel anything.
Funk exposes that quickly.
The groove either locks in or it does not.
Les’s approach is a reminder that musical skill should serve the feel of a song, not replace it.
Sometimes the most important question is not, Was that technically impressive?
It is, Did anybody feel it?
The Sound of Philadelphia and Learning to Listen
Some of my favorite parts of the conversation came when Les started talking about his experiences around musicians connected to The Sound of Philadelphia, often shortened to TSOP.
That era became known for sophisticated arrangements built around strings, horns, rhythm, groove, and some extremely talented musicians, writers, and arrangers.
Les absorbed lessons from being around that musical environment, but one story from much earlier in his life probably explains his musical brain better than anything else.
As a kid, Les was playing piano from sheet music when his teacher noticed something strange.
He continued playing right through a page turn.
There was only one problem.
He could not see the next page yet.
He had already heard and internalized enough of the music that he was no longer completely dependent on what was printed in front of him.
That tendency followed him into adulthood.
Les listens first.
Then he figures out what belongs, what can change, and how a song can be rearranged without destroying what made it work in the first place.
As a musician myself, I think there is an important difference between knowing how to reproduce a song and knowing how to understand one.
Reproduction gets you the notes.
Listening helps you find the personality.
For anyone interested in the history behind that sound, Philadelphia International Records is a good place to explore the people and music associated with the Sound of Philadelphia.
“Sailing” and Staying Authentic Across Genres
That same philosophy carries into Les’s original music, including his new single “Sailing.”
What stood out to me was not simply the song itself, but the mindset behind it.
Les has spent his career moving between genres without seeming especially concerned about fitting neatly into one category.
That matters for independent musicians.
Genre is useful. It helps audiences understand your sound. It helps venues figure out where you might fit. It helps streaming services categorize music.
But genre can also become a cage if every creative decision is based on what you think your category allows.
Les represents almost the opposite philosophy.
Learn the language of different musical styles.
Respect what makes each one work.
Then bring your own personality with you.
That ability to move between genres while remaining authentic may be one of the most useful skills a working musician can develop.
How Les Paul Roque Ended Up in Arizona
Another part of Les’s story that made me laugh was how practical his eventual move west really was.
There was no mystical desert calling.
There was weather.
After dealing with brutal Northeastern winters and back problems made worse by snow and ice, Les started considering alternatives. Florida came into the picture, but hurricanes were not exactly appealing. Montana quickly lost its charm once he experienced truly cold temperatures.
Island living sounded nice, but Les liked the freedom of being able to get into a car and drive somewhere else.
Eventually, Arizona started making sense.
He also spoke candidly about concerns he had before moving here because of Arizona’s history and reputation. His own experiences after arriving helped reshape his perception of the state and the people around him.
He also watched the music scene evolve.
Les remembers an Arizona scene that once leaned much more heavily into blues. Over time, he saw it expand into a broader mix of funk, rock, jazz, soul, reggae, singer-songwriters, alternative music, and combinations that are increasingly difficult to categorize.
For musicians relocating to Phoenix, Tempe, Glendale, or other parts of Arizona, that variety creates opportunity.
A diverse scene gives artists room to experiment, improvise, meet musicians outside their usual genre, and build a reputation one gig at a time.
Arizona Open Mic Nights and Jam Sessions
The second half of this Desert Vibe episode turned into something we love doing on the show: looking beyond one artist and asking what is happening across the state.
Our What’s Vibin’ in the Desert segment exists because Arizona music does not stop at Phoenix or Tempe.
There are musicians trying a song for the first time in Casa Grande. Somebody is sitting in on a jam in the West Valley. An artist is stepping onto a stage in Yuma. Communities in Sedona and Tucson are building their own local ecosystems.
For musicians, Arizona open mic nights and jam sessions can be some of the easiest ways to enter those communities.
They are not only places to perform.
They are places to meet people.
Sedona Open Mic and Live Music
In Sedona, the conversation pointed listeners toward Mooney’s Irish Pub as part of the local live-music scene.
Mooney’s hosts a variety of entertainment, and Les highlighted it as one place musicians should know about when exploring the Sedona area.
Because open mic and jam schedules can change, I always recommend checking the venue directly before making a long drive.
You can find current information through Mooney’s Irish Pub Sedona.
That advice really applies to every open mic in Arizona.
These are grassroots events. Hosts change. Nights move. Events disappear for a few months and then come back.
Always verify before loading the guitar into the car.
West Valley Jam Sessions
Glen also brought up opportunities in the West Valley, including jam sessions around Glendale and events such as Let’s Light Up the City.
Jam sessions develop a different skill set than performing your rehearsed set.
At your own show, you know the arrangement.
At a jam, you may have no idea what is coming next.
You learn to listen.
You watch the other musicians.
You communicate with a drummer or bass player using eye contact instead of rehearsal notes.
And sometimes you discover that you can play something you never would have attempted on your own.
That is part of what makes local jam sessions so valuable.
Tempe Music Events and Bigger Stage Opportunities
Tempe continues to be one of the most active parts of the Arizona music scene.
One opportunity discussed during the episode was Meet Me on Mill, a Downtown Tempe community event that has included live entertainment and musicians throughout the Mill Avenue area.
Events like this can be useful for artists ready to move beyond open mics and begin applying for larger community stages.
Musicians interested in future performance opportunities can watch the Downtown Tempe events and participation pages for current information.
The Tempe Festival of the Arts is another large downtown event worth watching. Application processes and entertainment opportunities can change, so performers should check the current festival information rather than assuming one application covers every type of participant.
For independent artists, learning how to apply for these events is part of moving from casual performances into more intentional gigging.
Casa Grande Open Mic and Creative Community
Casa Grande also came up in the statewide conversation.
YRHAP, Yoga, Recovery & Healing Arts Project, offers arts and community programming that has included an Open Mic All Arts Stage.
What makes an all-arts open mic interesting is that the stage does not belong only to musicians.
You might hear a singer-songwriter followed by a poet or another type of performer.
A first-time artist may share the room with somebody who has been performing for decades.
That can create a particularly welcoming environment for someone nervous about stepping onto a stage for the first time.
Current programs and events can be found through YRHAP.
Yuma and Tucson Music Communities
Yuma was represented with another recommendation for musicians looking for a welcoming local scene: Coffee Bean Espresso Bar & Cafe.
Listeners interested in the open-mic activity discussed in the episode should check directly with the venue for the latest schedule through the Coffee Bean Espresso Bar & Cafe website.
Tucson also came up for something deeper than a simple venue recommendation.
We heard about musicians rallying around an open-mic host recovering after a violent attack.
It was a reminder that a local music scene is not simply a collection of stages.
It is people.
When something happens to one of the people helping hold a scene together, the community often reveals what it really is.
Musicians show up.
People donate.
Someone covers an event.
Someone else checks in.
Shows matter, but the people making them happen matter more.
One Simple Lesson for Musicians With Stage Nerves
We closed the episode with a simple reminder for performers dealing with nerves.
Breathe, remember why you are there, and do not wait until you feel completely fearless before getting on stage.
Open mics are great practice because confidence usually comes from doing it repeatedly.
You perform.
You survive.
You do it again.
Eventually, the stage becomes more familiar.
The Arizona Music Scene Grows When Musicians Participate
My biggest takeaway from our conversation with Les Paul Roque was not one piano technique or one venue recommendation.
It was participation.
Les has spent a lifetime participating in music.
Different genres.
Different musicians.
Different cities.
Different stages.
And now different communities throughout Arizona.
That is how a music scene grows.
Not because somebody declares that a city suddenly has one, but because musicians continue showing up for each other.
They attend somebody else’s show.
They host the jam.
They tell another artist about an open mic.
They invite somebody to sit in.
They introduce two musicians who should probably know each other.
That is the Arizona music scene we want the Desert Vibe Podcast to document.
And there is a lot more happening than any one of us can find alone.
So if you know what is vibin’ in your part of Arizona, whether that is Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tucson, Yuma, Sedona, Casa Grande, the West Valley, or somewhere we have not covered yet, we want to hear about it. Email us if you would like to be considered for participation.
The desert is a big place.
Let’s keep connecting it.
Follow The Desert Vibe Podcast for more conversations with Arizona musicians and stories from the communities keeping local music alive.
About the Authors: Emma & James Mattison
James Mattison is an Arizona musician, guitarist, and blog writer for the Desert Vibe Podcast. He is one half of Emma & James Music, a husband-and-wife Arizona music duo performing original music and select covers throughout the state.
Emma Mattison is the other half of Emma & James Music and manages the Desert Vibe website, social media, marketing, promotions, and digital presence that helps the podcast and its featured artists reach listeners beyond the studio.
Together, Emma & James perform throughout Arizona while helping support and document the musicians, venues, open mics, and community connections shaping the state’s independent music scene.
Learn more about Emma & James Music and follow The Desert Vibe Podcast for more stories from Arizona’s music community.
REFERENCES
Les Paul Roque Official Website. Artist information, music, and “Sailing.”
Philadelphia International Records. History and background on The Sound of Philadelphia.
Downtown Tempe Authority. Events and current participation opportunities.
YRHAP, Yoga, Recovery & Healing Arts Project. Casa Grande arts, wellness, and community programming.
Mooney’s Irish Pub Sedona. Venue and live entertainment information.
Coffee Bean Espresso Bar & Cafe. Yuma venue information.
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