Nate Ruess

Nate Ruess of Fun. Earns Another Unlikely Number One with Pink's "Just Give Me a Reason"

Back when Nate Ruess was a part of Valley band The Format, it was difficult to imagine him becoming the superstar he is today. After all, in "I'm Actual," from Dog Problems, he sang, "Can we please take this hour and talk about me and my hatred for corporate magazines? You know they don't speak to m ... More >>

Pink, US Airways Center, 2/13/13 (VIDEO)

Pink @ US Airways Center|1/23/13 Oh, what fun it is to be the opening city for a two-month-long tour. Pink got to work out the kinks of her The Truth About Love Tour when she played in Phoenix last night to kick-off her love-themed show. "I'm so glad we got that mistake out of the way," the singer ... More >>

Top Five Must-See Shows This Week in Phoenix

For every up there's a down. It's like reading the awesome news that Elton John plays on the new Queens of the Stone Age record the same day you read Christina Applegate is leaving NBC's Up All Night.. Bummer! So here's the bad news: It's Monday, which is the worst. But some good, too: There's some ... More >>

Pink @ US Airways Center

Don't Want to Go to Coachella? Good Thing All These Coachella Bands Are Coming to Phoenix (Pt. 2)

Phoenix is scheduled to perform Monday, April 8, at Marquee Theatre./td>Last week we ran a list of Coachella bands headed to Phoenix around the festival's dates. Well, since then the list has grown, including big name acts like Phoenix, The Postal Service, and Tegan and Sara. So allow us to fill you ... More >>

Bigger Than Sound Music Documentary Chronicling Charlie Levy's Life as a Local Promoter Finally Hits Web

See also: New Documentary Bigger Than Sound Tracks the Career of Local Promoter Charlie LevyIf you didn't catch the screening of Bigger Than Sound at ASU's downtown journalism school last May, then chances are you probably haven't seen the student-made documentary that chronicles the career of local ... More >>

Viva Crescent: Venue Celebrates an Enduring Scene

25 Gorgeous GIFs from Lollapalooza 2012

See also: Lollapalooza Suspended, Resumed After Dangerous Weather Conditions See also: 10 Things Your Lollapalooza Outfit Says About You By Reed Fischer Ready for some GIFs? To quote Ozzy Osbourne, "I can't fucking hear you!" I said, ARE YOU READY FOR SOME GIFS?! This past weekend's running of Lo ... More >>

Kelly Clarkson and The Fray, US Airways Center, 8/1/12 (VIDEO)

Kelly Clarkson and The FrayUS Airways CenterWednesday, August 1, 2012 See also: Pop Isn't Dead, and Here's 7 New Songs That Prove It If there was one thing that was surprising at the Kelly Clarkson show at US Airways Center last night, it wasn't that Clarkson looked smoking hot as she wore a flatt ... More >>

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our June 7 Issue

This week, New Times ran a list in our print publication highlighting some of the most interesting posts published at Up On The Sun over the past week. Here are links to those posts. What does DJ Jason Ayers hate about "brostep?" What does pop star Santigold have to say about MCA of The Beastie B ... More >>

fun., Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center, 5/31/12

fun. Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center Thursday, May 31 See also: Nate Ruess Has Some fun. At Zia Records fun. frontman Nate Ruess wears his heart on his sleeve, and that's why it's so easy to get into his head. His lyrics -- part stream of consciousness ("My friends are in the bathroom, getting h ... More >>

Jeremiah Gratza Talks DJing as President Gator, Opening for Jimmy Eat World, and How He Almost Managed The Format

Turns out local concert promoter Jeremiah Gratza has more on his plate than just putting on shows, passing out flyers, helping run Crescent Ballroom, and hanging out at hip dance nights. The 29-year-old, who's a promoter with Stateside Presents, occasionally has performed as DJ President Gator ove ... More >>

New Documentary Bigger Than Sound Tracks the Career of Local Promoter Charlie Levy

As a recent graduate from Arizona State University, I can attest to the student showcases the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication regularly hosts. The second floor of the school's downtown building houses the First Amendment Forum, where CNN constantly airs. The public space ... More >>

Sam Means Steps Into the Spotlight with NONA

10 Record Store Day Exclusives You'll Have to Fight Me For

It's almost here: Record Store Day. The day the industry bands together and does its best to shine a light on the independent record stores that dot neighborhoods in cities all over the U.S. Now, I could take this opportunity to lecture about how music fans should treat normal days like Record Store ... More >>

Miniature Tigers Paint a Sensual Scene with Mia Pharaoh

Nate Ruess Has Some Fun. At Zia Records

While the GOP presidential candidates debated in Mesa last night, folks at Zia Records in Chandler gathered for a different kind of spectacle: NYC-based pop band Fun. (featuring Nate Ruess formerly of Tempe rockers The Format) played an acoustic set and signed autographs for about 400 fans. The ba ... More >>

fun. Stream New Record, Some Nights; Headed to Zia Records on February 22

Doesn't matter if you're like me and have been mostly indifferent to fun. in the past, the band's new single, "We are Young (featuring Janelle Monáe)" has been inescapable over the past few weeks. The song's huge, and sounds like it was custom built for a car commercial (and yeah -- that's why you' ... More >>

Catch the New Lydia at Martini Ranch November 4, Plus Four Other Local Bands We'd Like to See Back Together

Leighton Antelman of Lydia​Back in May, Lydia announced that they'd be coming back from hiatus... sort of. The Gilbert-formed band is returning as a shell of itself, with co-founder Leighton Antelman leading the effort. He and drummer Craig Taylor decided to bring the band back after nearly e ... More >>

Panic! at the Disco at Marquee Theatre, 6/17/11 (VIDEO)

Kholood EidPanic! at the Disco at Marquee TheatrePanic! at the Disco June 17, 2011 Marquee Theatre Brendon Urie sure seems happy these days.At last night's Panic! at the Disco show at Marquee Theatre, the frontman seemed more comfortable than ever, hitting high notes his fans haven't been used to, s ... More >>

Former Format Singer Nate Ruess Wants to Have fun. in Arizona

Panic! at the Disco's Brendon Urie Talks Fun Collaboration, New Tour

Panic! at the Disco's Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith​Panic! at the Disco is back. Yeah, the band may be only a pair now since guitarist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker left in 2009, but their new album, Vices & Virtues, is their best yet. Singer Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith lef ... More >>

Jimmy Eat World at Marquee Theatre on 10/30/10

Maria VassettJimmy Eat World performing in costume at Marquee Theatre.​Arizonans often don't have much to root for. Most of the time our state is an afterthought, or the butt of jokes about immigration policy and home foreclosures. For many years, the Cardinals, the Sun Devils, and the Wildcat ... More >>

Lovelorn Lotharios

Fueled by Ramen Artists: Where Are They Now?

Nicki EscuderoCobra Starship​Nicki EscuderoThe Cab​It's hard to believe amid all the Fall Out Boy radio hits, award-winning Panic! at the Disco videos and female-fronted bands that came about because they were inspired by Paramore (who perform tonight at the Dodge Theatre), one of record label F ... More >>

Ladylike

Steel Train Rocks Rhythm Room

​While some Phoenicians have been long-time fans of New Jersey indie rock band Steel Train because they discovered the group on their own, many know the group's studly singer Jack Antonoff for his work with former Valley musician Nate Ruess, who has since moved to New York and formed the pop band ... More >>

Strong Beer, Bassnectar, Jack's Mannequin, Chinese Cultural Festival, and the Losers' Ball Over the Weekend

​Strong Beer Festival at Margaret T. Hance Park The only evidence that we have of even attending the Strong Beer Festival on Saturday, February 13 at Margaret T. Hance park are these photos. Based on them, we can assume that there were many varieties of deliciously decadent brews all very, ver ... More >>

Review: fun. and Jack's Mannequin at Marquee Theatre

Nicki Escudero Andrew McMahon of Jack's Mannequin​It was clear who the star of the show was Saturday night at the Jack's Mannequin concert at Marquee Theatre--Nate Ruess, formerly of local band The Format, currently with New York City-based fun. (possibly the worst band name ever.) Fun. ... More >>

Interview: Andrew McMahon of Jack's Mannequin

Andrew McMahon of Jack's Mannequin​He may be a star now, but back in the day, Andrew McMahon had to haul his piano into the basement of the former Nile Theatre in Mesa just like the rest of them."I've definitely got a lot of good memories from Phoenix," McMahon says, remembering the Valley as one ... More >>

Sam Means' Santa Isabel Soundtrack on Sale For $1.99 at iTunes

​iTunes is selling Sam Means' excellent solo debut, the soundtrack for indie flick The Sinking of Santa Isabel, for only $1.99 through the end of the month.The former Format co-frontman (along with Nate Ruess, who now fronts fun.) did the record for a filmmaker friend and it's mostly instrume ... More >>

Jimmy Eat World Play Not-So-Secret Modified Show With Short, But Sweet Set

Luke HolwerdaJim Adkins singing at Modified Arts.​Christmas came early for the couple hundred die-hard Jimmy Eat World fans who came out to catch the Mesa rock band Wednesday at the intimate Modified Arts for a mere $5 cover. The lucky Jimmy fans in attendance - at one of Modified's last ... More >>

fun.

Mini T's Add More Dates to Fall Tour

Phoenix(ish) band Miniature Tigers have added more dates to their fall tour. The Charlie Brand-fronted outfit rumored to be moving to New York will be touring with fun., fronted by Phoenix expat Nate Ruess, as well as Say Anything, New Zealand's Ruby Suns and the Dodos.Full list of tour dates, inclu ... More >>

fun. Will Play Phoenix Show... At Zia Records

​fun. is playing a Phoenix-area show on their tour after all -- an in-store signing and performance at Zia Records in Chandler. Touring in support of their upcoming record, Aim and Ignite, which we reviewed in last week's paper, the new project by former Format member Nate Ruess will stop by the s ... More >>

fun.

Aim and Ignite
(Nettwerk)

Miniature Tigers To Tour With Fun,

fun.'s second tour won't come to Phoenix, but there is a little local flavor to be had when the new project by former Format mamber Nate Ruess hits the road later this month. Phoenix indie act Miniature Tigers, who recently opened for Ben Folds on his East Coast tour, has been tabbed to open (date ... More >>

fun. Releases New Song, Sets Second Tour

Victor Palaganofun. at their first Phoenix show.With their album, Aim And Ignite, set for release on August 25, Brooklyn-based indie rock outfit fun., the vehicle for former Format member Nate Ruess, has a new song called "Walking The Dog" out. Yes, Nate is still, apparently, a little obsessed with ... More >>

No Doubt, Fun., Pool Parties and Taylor Swift Over the (Memorial Day) Weekend

Girl Power: Females Flock to Cricket Wireless Pavilion for No Doubt and Paramore Right now my ears are ringing something fierce after enduring a non-stop auditory assault of thousands of tweens and teenyboppers girls screaming in absolute elation during No Doubt and Paramore's show at Cricket Wirel ... More >>

The Format Founder Just Wants to Have Some “fun.”

Former Format Frontman's New Band, Fun, Starts Touring Tomorrow

That Format-size hole in the heart of Phoenix music fans is about to get a little healing. Fun, the new NYC-based project by The Format's Nate Ruess, with ex-Anathallo multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dost and Steel Train's Jack Antonoff, will embark on a 34-date tour with Manchester Orchestra tomorrow ... More >>

Just Announced: Former Formatter's New Band Fun Coming to Tempe

The Format's breakup left a huge hole in the local music scene last year. Just when the duo seemed poised to put Phoenix on the map when they split up, but hopefully Nate Ruess's New York-based band Fun can alleviate some of that pain. They've booked a Valley show with Manchester Orchestra, Audreye ... More >>

Video of the Band Fun, Featuring The Format's Nate Ruess

When The Format suddenly broke up last year, it left a lot of people in Phoenix surprised, because they'd been one of the most influential bands to come out of this town in years.Now Nate Ruess from The Format has a new band simply called Fun. Well this video of Fun playing a new song titled "All t ... More >>

How The Loveblisters Got Their Buzz Back

Future $hock: The Cult, Ozzy, Rob Zombie, and more

Format Busters

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

The Format

Adjusting to Format

The Phoenix duo chronicles its scary serendipity on a sublime debut album

Big Deal

The Format burst from nascent Valley obscurity to major-label glory. Here's how.