Leg lamps have all the fun. If you had to recall one thing about the film A Christmas Story, odds are good that you’d remember that unsightly, heeled, fishnet-wearing (and, OK, oddly sexy) light-up limb. Lighting might overshadow the tale of the adorable, four-eyed Ralphie Parker, but that’s all right…
Ah, the holidays. It’s a month-long period when spending “quality time” with your extended family is mandatory, children get spoiled to no end, and, of course, getting shitty-drunk at the company Christmas party is expected. It just gives you warm fuzzies thinking about it. The holidays wouldn’t be complete without the…
Yesterday, we blogged about the ultra-famous musicians who support music piracy in the face of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), recently introduced to the House of Representatives, which aims to protect the copyright laws of music and other downloadable intellectual property. Websites such as Reddit, Tumblr, and Mozilla recently dubbed…
No matter your stance on piracy, you have to admit it’s pretty freakin’ sweet that, at any given time, you can hop on the web and get free art. Even if it is illegal. Of course, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is out to change all of that. Introduced to…
In less than a week, we’ll all be around the table, eating the things that will undoubtedly lead to a full-on food pregnancy with the people we love (or despise) the most. Lucky for you, you get to bring the real goods. While those in the kitchen are banging out some…
If it all pans out the way Tourbait hopes, the traditional concert with a standardized, band-written set list could be a thing of the past. The new website basically works as a mediator between the band and fans. Say a mid-sized band like Dawes is coming to town and you…
When a band claims to be on “an indefinite hiatus,” typically it means: “We need some space. We can no longer stand each other’s faces, and will likely be breaking up quite soon.” In the case of Icelandic ambient rockers Sigur Rós, a hiatus beginning in 2010 wasn’t much of…
Let’s face it. “Jamming” is little more than musician code for one great big circle jerk. Each player is just waiting for his solo, and that’s cool, because being at the center of the circle so totally rocks. But when a jam session turns into a “jam band,” it’s a…
In college, everything is better if it’s free. And no matter how many times Mastercard convinces you that the slice of pizza and Frisbee offered at their just-off-campus booth are free, they’re not. …
I had the craziest dream last night. Normally when people say that, their dream is actually pretty boring, but I swear to you, this all happened. …
Well, it looks like Bryan finally got a taste of Facebook’s Lightningrod. Bryan Lightningrod, the 37-year-old ASU student, who claims to be a 97-year-old vampire from Cairo, has experienced plenty of backlash from his solicitation of photos of young girls, many of whom choose to write his name on their…
Former Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce created his fair share of enemies (fans too, unfortunately) over the last few years. But just three nights ago, the SB 1070 sponsor was ousted out of office by voters, replaced by fellow Republican Jerry Lewis. Here is the soundtrack to his defeat, which we imagine he’s…
Oh, the ‘50s. Those were simpler times, back when Harry Truman approved the production of the hydrogen bomb and Senator Joseph McCarthy started his communist witch-hunt. Back when a man could make a real living and a woman could make a real breakfast. No, there was none of today’s paranoia…
When you’re born with the surname Kongos, you’re destined to become a musician. Not just because it brings to mind the conga drum, but because it probably means you actually are related to a South African singer-songwriter, John Kongos. Father Kongos scored a hit with “He’s Gonna Step on You…
It never hurts to have sex appeal on your side, and The Sounds have the act down pat. The band’s new wave energy is sassy and sexy. It also helps to have Maja Ivarsson, the “Hottest Woman of Rock,” according to Blender magazine, around. (You can thank Sweden’s liberated ideas…
You could say that during the month of October, there are some questionable, but well-intended benefits that sexualize breasts for the sake of raising money for breast cancer research.Well, two can play at that game, ladies. Move over, October. Think your chesticles are sexy? Try comparing them to these glorious…
In the world of rock n’ roll, there’s plenty of room for creativity. There’s also a huge emphasis on respecting the “classics,” which in turn leads to confusion. Plenty of different, unique bands take on the same names, leading to perplexing Google searches and sometimes, exposure to the wrong band…
Music is one of those creative things that only hippies do, or at least that’s the stereotype. But seriously, what kind of self-respecting conservative would devote themselves to being a (guf-ah!) professional musician? And what already-famous musicians would commit the career suicide of admitting their Republican affiliation? Sometimes the answers might…
In Arizona, we don’t really get seasons. Phoenix weather is a wide swing between Satan’s sweltering nether-regions and a slight chill. The only real way to indicate the passing of the seasons is with local music, wherein Phoenix’s best release a cornucopia (sorry) of music come autumn (or at least…
The Blue Man Group is one of those Vegas shows that sound totally lame until you see it. Here are these three dudes, doused in blue paint, who act like aliens and bang on drums for an hour and a half each night. The act has been parodied all over pop…
We know our audience here at Up On the Sun isn’t the type to snub its nose toward local music, but if your friends have been willfully ignorant to the scene, there are no more excuses. And if they’re still making excuses, blindfold them and take them downtown. The Phoenix Center…
Sunday football is an American tradition, but you can’t deny that it’s a tradition lacking a certain bit of class. Per ritual, football fans sport flashy polyester duds, feed on salty meats and snacks, and scream for their favorite team like cavemen. Not your style? Have the ambiance of a…
