Sound Strike

That Was 2012: Our Year-End Lists

As I type this, it's still 2012, but by the time we hit "publish" it'll be 2013. So I'll turn to the great poet, Kanye West, to sum it all up: "I'm livin' in the future so the presence is my past. My presence is the present, kiss my ass." That was 2012, welcome to 2013 -- here's our end of the year ... More >>

Rise Against, The Gaslight Anthem, and Hot Water Music at Mesa Amphitheatre, 9/28/12

Rise Against, The Gaslight Anthem, and Hot Water Music @ Mesa Amphitheatre, 9/28/12Punk fans really couldn't have asked for a better line up last night. As Tim McIlrath stated in our interview, it was a dream team of sorts, with punk vets Hot Water Music kicking things off, The Gaslight Anthem perfo ... More >>

Rise Against Ends Its Boycott of Arizona

Citizen Cope: Arizona is "Really Spiritual Place" But "Rigid Politically"

World-traveled and somewhat of a spiritual guru, blues-folk songwriter Citizen Cope tours incessantly, sometimes pushing 200 shows per year. He's collaborated with Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Dido and Sheryl Crow and landed his tunes in a few major films, from Accepted to The Lincoln Lawyer to Fra ... More >>

Rise Against's Tim McIlrath on SB 1070 and MTV

It's been three years since Rise Against last performed in Arizona thanks to the band's participation in The Sound Strike. The terms of the boycott have changed, so Rise Against is making its triumphant return to the valley. The line-up couldn't get much better, as Rise Against is paired with long ... More >>

The Gaslight Anthem's Benny Horowitz on Handwritten and SB 1070

It's a pretty good time to be The Gaslight Anthem. The band, which at times sounds like a nostalgic punk rock version of Bruce Springsteen, recently signed to a major label to release its forth full length album, Handwritten. After the band's frontman, Brian Fallon dedicated some time to bluesy side ... More >>

Yeasayer at Crescent Ballroom, 9/3/12

See also: Rise Against Ends Boycott of Arizona; Sound Strike Changes Focus See also: Five Sound Strike Bands We'd Like to See Perform in ArizonaYeasayer @ Crescent Ballroom, 9/3/12 Last night had all the ingredients for a great performance: a band fresh off the Soundstrike, a sold-out show, a cool ... More >>

Conor Oberst Releases "MariKKKopa" by Desaparecidos, a Song About Sheriff Joe

See also: The Haymarket Squares Blast Sheriff Joe With New Video; Raise Money For New Record See also: Conor Oberst Disses Lady Gaga, Other Acts who Refuse Arizona Boycott See also: Charlie Levy of Promoter Stateside Presents Pens Open Letter to SB 1070 Boycotters See also: Conor Oberst Pens Totally ... More >>

Five Sound Strike Bands We'd Like to See Perform in Arizona

Last week, punk band Rise Against ended their boycott of Arizona by announcing two high-profile shows. That isn't to say that The Sound Strike , the boycott organized by rockers like Zack de la Rocha to impact the state in the wake of SB 1070 is over, but it's shifting it's focus away from boycottin ... More >>

Rise Against Ends Boycott of Arizona; Sound Strike Changes Focus

We're not going to come out and say that the Sound Strike -- the commercial boycott of Arizona by a group of bands, musicians, and artists launched in May, 2010 -- is over, but we're not not saying that the Sound Strike is over. Chicago punk band Rise Against, one of the Sound Strike's marquee nam ... More >>

Top Five Local Music News Stories of 2011

The Ghost of Eastside Records​Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun's 2011 Review. We've been counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This installment takes a look at 2011's some of the most memorable music stories from 2011. Enjoy! Well kids, anoth ... More >>

Jason P. Woodbury on How Bands Tapped Into Crowd-Funding in 2011

NOFX's Fat Mike on Cokie the Clown, Drinking, and Occupy Wall Street

​ NOFX has been a mainstay of punk rock for almost 30 years. The band has gained notoriety for its antics and activism, recently getting banned from Emo's in Austin because frontman "Fat Mike" Burkett tricked the audience into believing he served free tequila shots mixed with his own urine. ... More >>

Manu Chao Sings "Clandestino" in Front of Sheriff Joe's Tent City

Music can be a lot of things: powerful, divisive, heartbreaking, cathartic. When Manu Chao came to Phoenix in September, his music served a rare purpose: healing. Like it or hate it, The Sound Strike has linked the topics of immigration and music. The Sound Strike endorsed Chao's appearance (it wa ... More >>

Immortal Technique, Loudon Wainwright III, John Prine, Mr. Meeble, and More Over the Weekend

​Immortal Technique at the Puente Office Friday was a good night to fight the powers that be, especially if you were in Phoenix around 13th and Van Buren. In the wake of the Pearce recall, Puente Movement and Sound Strike hosted a neighborhood style Hip Hop show to celebrate and hone in on the new ... More >>

Immortal Technique to Play Sound Strike Benefit Show in Phoenix

​"There is no better time, or more perfect setting, for the powerful voice and uplifting message of Immortal Technique." That's how a Sound Strike press release reads regarding an upcoming performance by the Harlem-based rapper to benefit AZ-based human rights organization Puente. The press releas ... More >>

Fall Frenzy: blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, Matt & Kim, and Halocene

Arizona got a special show last night, a combination of the yearly Fall Frenzy event and The Honda Civic Tour. Jimmy Eat World took My Chemical Romance's spot and locals Halocene shared the stage with Matt & Kim and blink-182 for an evening of fun and nostalgia.

SB 1070 Boycott Over? NCLR Says, "Yes," Sal Reza Says, "Hell, No!"

irregulartimes.comBoycott over? Depends whom you ask. Sand Land's nativism, however, persists.Friday evening, I received the letter below signed by Janet Murguria of the National Council of La Raza, essentially declaring that the boycott of Arizona over Senate Bill 1070 is finito.Granted, the letter ... More >>

The Decemberists at Mesa Arts Center With Video, 8/11/11

The DecemberistsMesa Arts CenterThursday, August 11I guess I had The Decemberists pegged wrong. Here's this insanely popular indie-folk-Americana blended outfit with heavily starched clothing that comes from (where else?) Portland, Oregon. Yes, lead singer and songwriter Colin Meloy has a beard. Yes ... More >>

Sound Strike Benefit Show Scheduled for July 29 in Los Angeles

​Love it or hate it, The Sound Strike's commercial boycott of Arizona is not going anywhere. The organization is hosting a benefit show in Los Angeles on July 29, featuring L.A.-based groups Aztlan Underground, Fitter, and New York rockers Outernational. The downtown L.A. show doesn't feature qu ... More >>

Club America, Famed Mexican Soccer Team, Plays Glendale Despite SB 1070

Club America is returning a year later after canceling a 2010 game because of SB 1070                         Last year one of Mexico's most revered soccer teams cancelled its game in Glendale in opposition to Arizona's immigration law ... More >>

Russell Pearce Bashes Immigrants While Hispanics Are Saving Arizona's Economy

Senate President Russell Pearce claims illegal immigration costs taxpayers beaucoup cash; in reality Hispanics, legal and illegal, are aiding the state's economy.A boom in Arizona's Latino population has resulted in a powerful purchasing bloc that could help save the state's struggling economy.This, ... More >>

Lupe Fiasco Calls President Obama a "Terrorist," Reminds Everyone That He's Never Voted

"Hey everyone, I have an opinion!"​Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco has been known to speak his mind, but what he says usually has some sort of semblance or credence to it. He's not the only rapper to have an opinion these days, and there's nothing that unique about being a musician with some sort of po ... More >>

Blink-182 Schedules a Show in Tempe, Minus Boycotting Tourmates My Chemical Romance

Wikimedia CommonsBlink-182 drummer Travis Barker​My Chemical Romance may still be participating in Sound Strike, but punk band Blink-182 hasn't scratched Arizona from its tour itinerary. Per the band's website, Blink-182 will be performing at the Tempe Beach Park Amphitheatre on September 30. Bl ... More >>

Santana Blasts People of Arizona and Georgia, Still Scheduled to Play Here in September

​ Carlos Santana had some strong words last week for the people of Atlanta, Georgia, and Arizona. Speaking at an impromptu news conference while receiving the Beacon of Change Award before May 15's Braves/Phillies match, the annual Civil Rights Game, Santana said:Via AP:  "The people of Arizo ... More >>

Sound Strike: The Worst Way to Show Opposition to SB 1070

Wikimedia CommonsSound Strike founder Zack de la Rocha​Sound Strike, the movement in which musicians boycott Arizona as a statement of opposition to the state's anti-illegal immigrant law, SB 1070, is still going strong. As we reported in recent months, acts like Maroon 5 and My Chemical Roma ... More >>

Ethnic Studies: Doug MacEachern's Anti-Intellectual Quackery

Courtesy of the Three Sonorans blog. Now here's a quiz: What do all these people have in common? Just a coincidence, I'm sure...It's the easiest thing in the world to label someone a Marxist, a commie or un-American. You don't need any real evidence. All you need to do is show that someone read the ... More >>

Los Lobos in Tucson: Derechos Humanos Refuses To Cross Sound Strike "Picket Line"

Drew Reynolds Strikebreakers, rockers, or both? Los Lobos was never officially part of the Sound Strike, the musicians' boycott of Arizona over Senate Bill 1070, Sand Land's notorious breathing-while-brown law. But when the old-school Chicano rock band announced the cancellation of a gig at&n ... More >>

Tucson's Rebellion Over Ethnic Studies Continues Today

Ethnic studies student Angelica Penaran takes a TUSD board member to the woodshedThe fight against the effort to slowly kill the Tucson Unified School District's embattled Mexican-American ethnic studies program continues today with a TUSD board of governor's meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. La ... More >>