Subject: Michael Lopez

• Edgefest 2008: Recap

  September 28, 2008

• This Weekend: Weezer and Spam

  October 17, 2008

• Café Tacuba Party Down at Celebrity on Nov. 19

  By Michael Lopez Calling the crowd that made it out to the Celebrity Theatre Wednesday night receptive would be selling them short by a mile. Every song played by Mexican alt-rockers Café Tacuba whipped the crowd into an absolute frenzy that didn’t die until the house lights came on. I must admit, I didn’t understand much from the night since the band sings in Spanish, which would make sense given their best befitting genre is “Rock en Español.” Not understanding the lyrics did n

  November 20, 2008

• Rolling Stone: Still Blowing Bob Dylan

  Rolling Stone, that music magazine that felt it necessary to feature the ladies from MTV's The Hills on the cover of its May issue, just released its list of top 50 albums of 2008. Wouldn't you know it; they put Bob Dylan at number two. Why not number one, Rolling Stone? Maybe because they realize it's the year 2008 - and believe me, they do by putting Taylor Swift and The Jonas Brothers at numbers 39 and 40, respectively. At least they put those two right next to each other to get that crap o

  December 11, 2008

• A Year End Top 10 List with an International Flavour

  It's that time of year, the time when people trot out their list of what they see to be the top 10 albums of the year. I always enjoy this time of year, it's a great way to catch up on any albums I may have overlooked, a good way to check my own favorite albums against the multitude of lists and a fun way to totally disagree with the lists provided by some more respected music institutions. This particular list will provide the best 10 international (non-American) albums of 2008. Since the inter

  December 26, 2008

• Five Pacific Northwest Albums That Made a Difference in 2008

  Some of the more well-received albums of 2008 have come from the rainy, bike-loving confines of the Pacific Northwest - a trusty bastion for indie rock and insanely innovative pop. When bands from the two meccas of the Pacific Northwest - Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington - emerge onto the national scene, it is hard not to take notice of the region's widespread influence. Five albums, in particular, made all the difference in 2008, cementing the Pacific Northwest's legacy as a musical inn

  December 29, 2008

• 30 Highly Anticipated Albums of 2009

  With 2008 in the can, it's time to start thinking about what 2009 will bring, musically. The upcoming year is stocked full of highly anticipated albums, not to mention some very impressive debuts. As usual, the early part of the year looks to be leading the way with a throng of solid albums. The following list of 30 albums represents some of the more anticipated albums of 2009, with the month of release noted. Not all of the albums have a release date set or an album name quite yet. Please note

  January 2, 2009

• You Asked For It: Always Randy

  Always Randy's Protect Your Nuts is exactly the kind of record we have Your Asked For It to review. Truthfully, there's little chance I'd pop in an album with a cover featuring three semi-mulleted old dudes wielding baseball bats and a guitar in front of a background of peanut shells if it weren't my policy to do it once a week, even with Late of The Pier's Fantasy Black Channel, (which Michael Lopez raves about in a review for next week's paper) sitting here unopened. Always Randy sounds pre

  December 30, 2008

• Round Up: Best Of Our Best Of Lists

  Happy New Year! Up on the Sun and Phoenix New Times have had a lot of lists for you over the past month. Like, more than we can count. Just in case you missed some, here are a few of our favorites:Phoenix's best records of 2008: The best 10 records released in this town last year, including Kinch, Miniature Tigers, The Stiletto Formal, Cousins of the Wize and Tractor Pull Divas.Concert of the Year Countdown: Ten of 2008's best shows,including Kanye West, Blue Man Group, Metallica, The Lovebl

  January 1, 2009

• Aww...Ben Gibbard and Zooey Deschanel Got Engaged

  Ben Gibbard and Zooey Deschanel both enjoy wearing a silly hat, a basic freedom most Americans sadly don't take advantage of.Well it finally happened. Indie rock icon and dorky eyeglasses connoisseur Ben Gibbard - better known to those few grandmothers and Buddhist monks (who actually don't know who he is) as the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie and 2003's side project The Postal Service - got engaged last week to movie star and recent recording artist Zooey Deschanel, sister of TV's Emily Des

  January 6, 2009

• Coachella Lineup Officially Announced

  Coachella's 2009 official lineup is officially out -- as of 3:15 this morning, says Michael Lopez. Here it is: Girl Talk, Crystal Castles, The Knux, Fleet Foxes, Lupe Fiasco (that's, in order, five of my 10 favorite records of 2008) plus The Black Keys, Late of the Pier, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gaslight Anthem, Amanda Palmer, Ida Maria... oh, hell, stop reading my picks and see the list yourself. By the way, the bulk of the leaked list we published was correct, though obviously most of the "rumored

  January 30, 2009

• Where to Party During St. Patty's Day Tomorrow

  Bad Religion is scheduled to perform with Slightly Stoopid at the St. Patrick's Day Celebration at Tempe Beach Park. Tomorrow is one of the biggest drinking/partying holidays of the year and definitely don't wanna be unprepared. So if you're looking for a place to suck down a little (or a lot) or green beer and sport a funky green hat, make sure to peep our exhaustive St. Patrick's Day Guide for a comprehensive list of all the celebrations happening tomorrow. For instance, punk legends Bad

  March 16, 2009

• Conor Oberst Keeps it Mystical at Marquee

  Luke HolwerdaConor Oberst on stage at the Marquee in Tempe on April 14, 2009. Comparing Conor Oberst to Bob Dylan is somewhat old hat. It's easy enough to make a case for grouping the two Midwestern singer-songwriters known for folky instrumentation and unique styles of story-telling, and people have been since Oberst's days as a child prodigy in Omaha. But what really strikes me about the two men is their fearless, oftentimes seemingly anti-commercial approach to their careers.Dylan, of course,

  April 15, 2009

• I Totally Object

  Arizona's high-stakes high school mock-trial program teaches kids the basics of jurisprudence--including how to recruit a ringer

  April 16, 1998

• Stinkweeds Offers a Killer Comp of Local Music for Record Store Day

  The unique CD artwork for Phoenix: We Love It Just in case you weren't already enticed into participating in tomorrow's Record Store Day after reading Steve Jansen's and Michael Lopez's scribblings on the nationwide event (which celebrates the independent spirit of mom-and-pop music emporiums), we've got one more reason for you. And it's kinda teh awesome. Kimber Lanning and the kids down at Stinkweeds Record Exchange (12 W. Camelback Road, 602-248-9461) are putting out a special compilatio

  April 17, 2009

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs Coming to Marquee Theatre on June 8

  The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Even though music editor Martin Cizmar already laid out the latest show announcements earlier today, we've got one last gig to tell y'all about. NYC alt-rock faves the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are gonna be hitting the Valley at next month for a gig at the Marquee Theatre on Monday, June 8. It's news that will definitely delight Up on the Sun contributor Michael Lopez, who previously posted about the band's recently-released album It's Blitz back in February, gushing about how the

  May 8, 2009

• Micachu & The Shapes Cancel U.S. Tour, including Phoenix Date

  ​If it sounds too good to be true it probably is: Micachu & The Shapes have canceled their U.S. fall tour, including a September 14 show at The Rhythm Room, which Michael Lopez previewed in fawning terms a few weeks back. "Scheduling conflicts," were cited as the reason.No doubt more than a few people will be disappointed, as the band has gotten rave reviews, including this blurb from Pitchfork:"(Jewellery is) pretty much the freshest thing to come along so far in 2009... Levi and her band

  August 18, 2009

• Incoming: Peaches, The Sounds, Dirty Projectors, Zac Harmon, Kittie and MC Chris

  ​MC Chris got a great review from Michael Lopez when he came to Clubhouse last year so his Halloween show at Club Red should be amazing. Who knows what kind of crazy costumes the geeks that show up for that concert will be wearing on The Devil's Day. What other must-sees were announced this week? Peaches and The Sounds, for two. Read on full listings. mc chris is dead - mc chris

  August 28, 2009

• Kanye West, Lady Gaga Plot Tour: Phoenix is First Stop

  ​Kanye West and Lady Gaga are coming to U.S. Airways Center on November 10, the first date on their Fame Kills joint tour.Having been blown away by Kanye's last tour, I'm super excited, as you should be, even if that Taylor Swift stunt pissed you off, as it did Michael Lopez.Full concert dates below. Tickets here.

  September 15, 2009