Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens' "Surfjohn Stevens Christmas Sing-A-Long Tour: Seasonal Affective Disorder Yuletide Disaster Pageant On Ice," Rialto Theatre, 12/3/12

Sufjan Stevens @ the Rialto Theatre in TucsonIt was a night of deliberate holiday kitsch. It was an ugly Christmas sweater gone awry. If someone told me I mistakenly traveled down to Tucson for a Katy Perry Christmas celebration, based on the costumes, blow up unicorns, and giant game show style " ... More >>

Can You Explain One Direction? No, Seriously

I can't even start writing this blog without thinking about what an utter hypocrite I am. When I was 12, I obsessed with the Backstreet Boys. I may or may not have wished my Nick Carter poster a good night as I went to sleep. I felt like their music spoke to me the same way Fleet Foxes or Sufjan St ... More >>

Hey, Ladies: Five Female Musicians at the Top of Their Game

Anything you can do I can do better. Of course, that isn't the case if you can actually do it better. Just to be clear, this list isn't about girl power. No doubt, there are dudes who rock harder than some girls and girls who rock harder than some dudes. Talent isn't a gift that affects one gender ... More >>

Bah, Humbug: Eight Un-Christmas Songs

No one loves Christmas more than Juggalos.​ Maybe I'm still bummed that Santa won't pay my bills or leave fancy camera equipment under my tree, but Christmas is lame. The holiday makes people mean and greedy -- it must have something to do with all that obnoxious music and eggnog, which is on ... More >>

Five Beers and Their Musical Pairings

​As Munich's 17-day slosh-a-palooza wrapped up yesterday, it left us feeling a little empty. We didn't celebrate Oktoberfest the proper way -- by getting shithoused in lederhosen and violently gesturing toward the breasts of a beer wench with a full mug of god's greatest nectar, all while listenin ... More >>

River Jones, What Are You Listening To?

River Jones​River Jones Jones is the owner of local record label River Jones Music. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? Growing up, I listened to KDKB, KUPD, KEDJ, and KUKQ. Now, I am always streaming music 24/7. But, in the car I liste ... More >>

Vanilli of Milli Vanilli is Making a Comeback and He's Singing For Real

​Vanilli of the infamous lip synching duo Milli Vanilli is attempting to make a comeback, according to Paste.The best part is that he's definitely going to sing this time! Yes, really! Well, at least probably...that's what Vanilli is saying.If Vanilli (also known as Fab Morvan) is so adamant about ... More >>

This Week in Music History: June 27 through July 3

Wikimedia CommonsSaxophones: First patented this week in music history.​Music and musicians have been around for centuries, and every day, new music news breaks. Every Monday, we're going to take a look back at the notable music stories, births, and deaths that took place that week.This week saw t ... More >>

Five National Music Videos Shot in Arizona

Believe it or not, Arizona's a hot spot for shooting music videos -- and we don't just mean literally hot, but conceptually, too. I mean, where else could a pre-slutty Britney Spears pontificate on her virginity from a cliff top overlooking green waters or Paul McCartney pretend to be an unknown clu ... More >>

No. 1 Sufjan Stevens - Countdown of the Best Concerts of 2010

​Over the last days of 2010 Up On The Sun has counted down the best live shows of 2010. Today we look at the #1 show of the year, Sufjan Stevens at Mesa Arts Center.

Top 25 Lists of 13 New Times Contributors

Six New Times Contributors Name Their Top 10 Records of 2010

10 Indie Rock Christmas Songs for Your Holiday Season

Sufjan Stevens​ The Holiday season can be a stressful time. While it's meant to be the one time in the whole year that everyone is a little bit nicer and a little bit happier, certain things can make you just the opposite. If you're anything like me, you've procrastinated all year long and now ... More >>

Sufjan Stevens Releases New Music Video For "Too Much," Performs it on Jimmy Fallon (VIDEO)

​It was a busy weekend for indie king Sufjan Stevens, according to Pitchfork.He released a music video for his song "Too Much" today. The video kicks off with a colorful visual mess that looks like it came straight out of an M.I.A. video. The rest of it is a series of hipsters that are sporting a ... More >>

Nothing Not New: Podcast #10

Peter Storch​Oh, how we've missed podcasting to the music fans of the Valley. Well, music editor Martin Cizmar and I are back with a new one, with nine new-ish songs and lotsa banter about music, including the artistic achievements of Sufjan Stevens, a great new song by local band Gospel Claws, wh ... More >>

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our 10/28 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 do rock stars do that drives interviewers crazy?Did Sufjan Stevens play his banjo or just do the weird electr ... More >>

Sufjan Stevens at Mesa Arts Center Last Night

​Sufjan StevensMesa Arts CenterFriday, October 22, 2010It didn't take Sufjan Stevens long to bust out his banjo at his sold-out Mesa Arts Center show. The Detroit-bred, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter picked up the instrument just after taking stage, opening with the title track from Seven Swans, ... More >>

Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

​Song: Sufjan Stevens, "The Age of Adz"Context: Sufjan Stevens' show at Mesa Arts Center tonight is sold out. Guess people don't hate The Age of Adz that much after all! Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz - 03 Age of Adz

Sufjan Stevens Forsakes His Christian Fans to Create Art

Sufjan Stevens, Gorillaz, Built To Spill, and More in This Week's Issue

Marzuki StevensSufjan's building what could become an experimental indie pop empire with his new album.​Now Sufjan Stevens has gone in another direction with his new album The Age of Adz, Christian rock fans are realizing they set bar a little too high for Sufjan Stevens. He's done with the concep ... More >>

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our 10/21 Issue

T​his 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. Is selling two minutes of silence the weirdest thing Thom Yorke has ever done?What are the five best musical mome ... More >>

Sufjan Stevens: The Age of Adz

​Artist: Sufjan Stevens Title: The Age of Adz Release date: October 21 Label: Asthmatic Kitty The new record by indie-music deity Sufjan Stevens is an hour-and-12-minute endurance test, one who's raison d'etre is revealed in the closing seconds of the record's final song, "Impossible Soul." A ... More >>

Sufjan Stevens - I Want To Be Well

​Song: Sufjan Stevens, "I Want To Be Well"Context: I'm finally getting around to hearing the new Sufjan Stevens record while editing a feature on him for next week's paper. Am I the only one that noticed you could slip an of Montreal song in the middle of The Age Of Adz without anyone noticing? Se ... More >>

Sufjan Stevens: The Age of Adz

​It took him five years to produce a follow-up to his acclaimed studio album Illinois, yet Sufjan Stevens spent his time wisely. Today marks the release of his grandiose, electronically-driven The Age of Adz. Gone is the cute, innocent little banjo player -- replaced with a dark, brooding drum mac ... More >>

Album Stream: Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

That funny sound you may have heard this past Saturday afternoon was the massive sigh of relief from Sufjan Stevens fans.Their collective five year waiting period was over -- Stevens' lastest album The Age of Adz had hit the internet. His first album since 2005's brilliant Illinois, The Age of Adz f ... More >>

Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival

Rockstar Energy's Uproar Festival @ Tempe Beach Park

New Sufjan Stevens Album The Age of Adz Set for October Release

​It's OK, Sufjan Stevens fans, you can piss your pants about this one -- The Age of Adz, Steven's first album in nearly five years -- will be released October 12.This is especially good news for Arizona fans of Stevens as he is set to play Mesa Arts Center on October 22. 

Sufjan Stevens Announces Mesa Concert

​Michigan-bred singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens will bring his banjo to Mesa Arts Center on October 22."Sufjan himself scheduled the trek, which takes him to some of the continent's most notable venues, like New York's Beacon Theatre and The Chicago Theatre," says Stateside Presents, which is prom ... More >>

William Fitzsimmons

Your Yellow Dress

Glenn Beck Lies About Muse, iPhone Only Album, FTC Disclosure and Music Blogs

NME: First iPhone-only album to be released by Kids On DSP - videoElectric Mustache: mp3: Vampire Weekend - "Horchata"Idolator: If Your Mother Says "Here, I Got You Something Autographed By Ian Curtis," Check It OutIdolator: How Will Music Blogs Deal With The FTC's New Disclosure Guidelines?NME: Gl ... More >>

Katharine McPhee's New Hair, Kanye Interupts Obama, Details on New Vampire Weekend

Electric Mustache: Electric Mustache Is Blog of the Week!Idolator: Katharine McPhee: Over Her Brown Hair, Not Over Classic Adult-Contemporary StylingsIdolator: Kanye West: Back To Reality?NME: The Strokes' Julian Casablancas reveals release date for debut solo albumPitchfork: Vampire Weekend Announc ... More >>

Video of Pearl Jam and Rolling Stones Playing Together, New Wavves Track, Soundtrack in Decline?

Spin: Video of Pearl Jam Playing with Rolling Stone Pitchfork: The Verve Break Up Once Again Pitchfork: New Wavves Tune: "Cool Jumper" Idolator: Natalie Imbruglia Puts On Some Gloss Electric Mustache: Video: The Big Pink - "Dominos" Idolator: Mamma Mia, This Article On "The Decline Of The Soundtrac ... More >>

New Sufjan Stevens Due, Trent Reznor Chased Off Twitter, Chris Brown Apology Video

Rolling Stone: Trent Reznor Ends Twitter Legacy By Deleting Account Idolator: Monica Would Like The Boy To Tell Her If He's Hers Or Not NME: Sufjan Stevens announces new soundtrack release NME: Activists oppose turning Michael Jackson's home into tourist spot Pitchfork: Weezer: New Album, Pinkerton ... More >>

Your Yellow Dress

The Via Maris: A Song Worth Checking Out

Great North Invasion

Canadian band legally crosses the border to perform at Modified

Offbeat, But Right On

Completely adorkable

Page France

Pop, not corn

It's That Time of the Year

Various Artists

The Sound the Hare Heard
(Kill Rock Stars)

Half-Handed Cloud

Halos & Lassos
(Asthmatic Kitty)

Indie Kids

See You on the Moon! appeals to grown-ups as much as children

Skybox

Arco Iris
(Big Red Balloon)

They Did What?

2005's top WTF? moments

O.C. Can You Say

When indie goes prime-time, what's left?

Top 10 best-selling releases at Stinkweeds Records in Tempe

Chart-busters for the week

Top 10 selling CDs at Hoodlums Music, ASU Memorial Union in Tempe

The week's chartbusters

Top 10 sellers at Stinkweeds Records