Conor Oberst

13 Phoenix Bands You Need to Know in 2013: The Complete List

As 2012 draws to a close, we couldn't be more optimistic about the state of music in the Valley of the Sun. With new bands emerging from various scenes and subgenres, it can be hard to keep up with the latest in Phoenix music. What follows are our picks for 13 acts that will make an impact on the S ... More >>

13 Phoenix Artists You need to Hear in 2013

Sundressed Is Sad (And That's Good)

Indie folk band Sundressed is a sad bunch, and that's good. Lead by singer/songwriter Trevor Hedges, the quintet thrives on all of those things that make pop music so endearing; you know, things like heartbreak, rejection, and misery. See also: -13 Bands You Need to Hear in 2013 -[Archive] That W ... More >>

Blake Mills: Fiona Apple's Guitarist Makes Killer Pop on His Own

Blake Mills isn't a household name, but like classic sidemen of lore (David Lindley, Ry Cooder, Leon Russell), he's makes an impact wherever he shows up. As a guitarist in Fiona Apple's band (he's performing with her on Tuesday, September 18, at Mesa Arts Center), Lucinda Williams, Cass McCombs, B ... More >>

Jason Anderson @ Trunk Space

Songwriter Simon Joyner Chases Ghosts on His Latest Album

Five Must-See Shows This Weekend (Cinco de Mayo Edition)

Curious what's going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions as to how to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don't fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend. Saturday May 5: Cinco de Mayo Phoenix Festival in Downtown Phoenix More than 150,000 people are expected to ... More >>

Seven Suggested Songs For the Morning Commute

Kholood EidThe morning commute can be a zen experience with the right playlist.​The morning commute can be a drag. A lack of sleep, caffeine or motivation can take its toll on a person. Luckily, there's music to at least help make the trip to work/school more bearable. Up on the Sun threw togethe ... More >>

Six Degrees of The Elected

Blake Sennett of The Elected: Somehow connected to Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, and Bright Eyes.​The 1993 film Six Degrees of Separation, about how everybody is ultimately connected to everybody else through somebody else, has spawned some spin-offs -- most notably, the game "Six Degrees of Kevin ... More >>

Top 40 Songs with Arizona in the Lyrics: Songs 40 through 21

Wikimedia CommonsArizona: Land of sun and song.​There have been more than 140 songs with lyrics about Arizona in them. Seriously. Some of them have been big hits by huge acts, too ("Get Back" by The Beatles, "Take It Easy" by The Eagles). The lyrics to these songs capture various snapshots of the ... More >>

Happy 70th Birthday Bob Dylan: The Seven Best "New Dylans"

​ Bob Dylan turns 70 today. The man who gave us "The Times They Are A-Changin'," the man who wrote "Like a Rolling Stone," "Mr. Tambourine Man," and "With God On Our Side." Over the years, he's influenced and remained busy. He inspired Sam Cook to write "A Change is Gonna Come," and even gave his ... More >>

Sound Strike Responds To One-Sided Salon.com Article

Zack's been coming to AZ long before 1070 was an issueWhen I read the recent Salon.com article "How a boycott meant to save Arizona is hurting it," I wondered to myself how its author, a woman by the name of Drew Grant, ended up writing such an insipid, one-sided piece about the Sound Strike, a piec ... More >>

The Sound Strike Suffers Major Defections, Blocks Journalists from Facebook Page

​The Sound Strike has hit a rough patch.Yesterday, a federal appeals court again blocked SB 1070, which you can read all about on our Feathered Bastard blog, meaning the extremist Arizona immigration law will likely never take effect. That's great news for people who support the state's migrant co ... More >>

Conor Oberst Disses Lady Gaga, Other Acts who Refuse Arizona Boycott

​Bright Eyes singer Conor Oberst is not backing down from the boycott of Arizona.In a new interview, Outburst Oberst singled out another musician by name, picking on Lady Gaga, who bravely performed in Phoenix last week for the second time on her current tour. Her first time through town she famou ... More >>

The Sound Strike Gets Fancy New Web Site

​Would you like to see fewer (possible no) concerts played in the state of Arizona until SB 1070 has been repealed by a state legislature more interested in getting a gun into the hands of every man woman and child and making Obama hop through hoops to get his name on the 2012 ballot? The Sound St ... More >>

River Jones & Friends Music Festival at The Paisley Violin Last Night

Melissa FossumMichelle Blades playing live at the River Jones Music & Friends Festival at Paisley Violin in Phoenix.​River Jones Music Festival The Paisley Violin Sunday, January 16, 2011 The first images that came to mind when I heard about a folk festival at The Paisley Violin? Tie-dyed col ... More >>

Owl & Penny: Fever Dreams

​Artist: Owl & PennyAlbum: Fever DreamsBasics: Ryan Osterman -- the man behind both Sownbones and Owl & Penny -- is one of the more talented players on the River Jones Music roster.Osterman's folk-tinged indie rock smacks of one of his admitted favorite artists, Ryan Adams.There's also a h ... More >>

Atreyu @ Marquee Theatre

Painting by Cris Kirkwood, Signed Calexico and DeVotchKa Guitars, and More in Artists For Action Raffle

​Artists for Action, those plucky do-gooders counteracting Evil Mastermind Zach de la Rocha's attempts to make our state silent until SB 1070 is "repealed" (despite the fact that California's "eerily similar" Prop 187 was never repealed -- it just got stopped by a judge, the same way SB 1070 did) ... More >>

Top 10 Celebrity Cameos in Indie Rock Videos

These days, the lines between indie and mainstream music are difficult to pinpoint. With indie artists featured prominently in mainstream media (I'm looking at you, Twilight soundtrack), it's hard to see what makes indie music, well, indie. When you add celebrities to the mix, it becomes even more d ... More >>

Whoops!

How Phoenix's Smokus Pocus Accidentally Joined the Sound Strike Boycott

How Phoenix's Smokus Pocus Accidentally Joined the Sound Strike Boycott

The Most Worthlessly Obscure Bands on The Soundstrike's Arizona Boycott List

​Well, Thursday is finally upon us -- however, what could have been an entirely shitty day was made less so by the wonderful foresight of U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton and her injunctions on SB 1070. Gov. Brewer's evil army of mercenaries will have to wait until a decision is made on the ... More >>

An Open Letter To Conor Oberst: What Will You Do If Nebraska Passes an SB 1070 Clone?

Charlie Janssen: The man who may make Conor Oberst boycott his own state.​Dear Conor,Open letters about SB 1070 are all the rage right now, so I'm writing you one. I enjoyed the letters you and Arizona promoter Charlie Levy exchanged a few weeks ago and I thought your essay on the topic was though ... More >>

July 14 In Blogs: Rage Against the Machine, Casey Moore's, Snakes! Snakes! Snakes!, Steam Crow, and J.D. Hayworth

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Rage Against the Machine, Conor Oberst To Headline Anti-SB 1070 Concert

Zack de la Rocha, back when all we had to worry about was ArpaioTrue to its June 29th promise, the Zack de la Rocha-led, anti-SB 1070 musicians' movement Sound Strike has announced a benefit concert for Friday, July 23 at the Hollywood Palladium to benefit organizations fighting SB 1070 on the groun ... More >>

The Dan Band, "Total Eclipse of the Heart"

​Song: The Dan Band, "Total Eclipse of the Heart"Context: Conor Oberst SB 1070 boycott letter ---> Bright Eyes ---> Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" -----> Hilarious scene from Old School where The Dan Band plays the song. The Dan Band - Total Eclipse of the Heart

Incoming: Yo La Tengo, Mars Volta, Monsters of Folk, The Voodoo Organist, Marcy Playground, Sevendust

We've already hit a lot of the highlights of this week's concert announcements earlier in the week (Yo La Tengo, Mars Volta, Monsters of Folk, The Voodoo Organist) but somehow a big one slipped through the cracks.Yes, Marcy Playground (pictured) is making their long-awaited return to Club Red o ... More >>

Matthew Reveles: A Glass of Whiskey and Some Sad-Bastard Music Are All He Needs

Folk You

Franz Ferdinand (Eventually) Resurrects The Dead at Marquee

Martin CizmarSorry folks, this iPhone setlist shot is the best photo we got, as our photographer's credentials were lost.I know it's probably unfair to compare a crowd at the Marquee to a crowd at Coachella -- where the music-obsessed kids even greeted the white reggae band who came o ... More >>

Matthew Reveles

We'll Meet Halfway
(self-released)

You Asked For It: Matthew Reveles

One of the things I love best about Bright Eyes (and yes, I unapologetically love Bright Eyes) is the way the band mingles so many rootsy sounds in songs that end up being totally contemporary. It's for that reason, and not just Matthew Reveles' vulnerable, emotive vocals, that I compare the Tempe s ... More >>

Top Ten Americana Albums of 2008

By Noah W. Bailey Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category. Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen ... More >>

Concert Review: The Faint at Marquee Theatre on Nov. 1

Future Shock: Horns up, Metallica is coming

Neva Dinova

Bright Spots

Maria Taylor

Good, angsty fun

Format Busters

Songwriting duo Nate Ruess and Sam Means had enough of major-label drama, so now they're calling the shots

Sage Francis

Not even Gandhi is safe

This Week's Day-by-day Picks

Damien Jurado

Low-key does not equal boring

The Good Life

Wry chapters of doomed love

Conor's Cult

Rising star stays true blue

The Ultimate Rock Fantasy

Phoenix Falling

Want to see a good band? Go to Tucson.

Hardest Art

Tim Kasher of Cursive plays Ugly Organist. The rest is up to the listener.

Breakup Songs

The ironically named The Good Life is a dark detour from Omaha auteur Tim Kasher