From Print: Blogs Teased in Our February 23 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. Want to listen to (almost) all of our 100 Songs that Defined Arizona? Why is Megadeth…

Big Brain Awards 2012: Cash Prizes for Emerging Creatives

Hope those thinking caps aren’t too snug: Phoenix New Times’ Big Brain Awards are back. The annual awards designed to recognize innovative artists in the fields of design, visual art, fashion, performing art, and culinary art, and give each $500 for their creative endeavors…

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks @ Crescent Ballroom

It never fails: Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks release a new album (like they did last spring, issuing Mirror Traffic) and just about everyone says “It’s the most like Pavement he’s sounded since . . . well, Pavement.” As you might imagine, it’s a common statement, and only sort of…

Toxic Holocaust @ Clubhouse Music Venue

What’s in a name, anyway? Well, when you go by “Joe Grind,” plenty. Since 2003, Grind has released records under the name Toxic Holocaust, taking cues from the most disparate recesses of heavy metal, influenced by thrash, black metal, and d-beat punk. His latest, Conjure and Command, finds Grind and…

Motorhead @ Comerica Theatre

They don’t come much more genteel than modern-day Nick Lowe, and they don’t come more with a more hell-raising reputation than Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead. Yet on a recent episode of Marc Maron’s podcast, WTF with Marc Maron (consistently one of the best interview programs out there), Lowe discussed his…

Record Heat: New to Me, Anyhow by Brad Dwyer

In 2010, our New Times operations manager and Up on the Sun contributor Jay Bennett wrote a column about listening to only new music called Nothing Not New. For a whole year. Some time has passed, but not the lesson that column taught me. There’s nothing wrong with favorites, but…

Musical Instrument Museum Debuts “I Am AZ Music” Exhibit

On Saturday, February 18, the Musical Instrument Museum debuted its “I Am AZ Music” exhibit, featuring over 40 installations that examine the scope and history of music in Arizona in celebration of the State’s centennial. Reggae artist Walt Richardson performed, as well as psychedelic soul band What Laura Says. Deon…

Listen to New Hooves Song, “Animal Mother”

We’re pretty excited about Hooves’ homecoming gig in March, and listening to “Animal Mother,” our exclusive sneak peek at the band’s upcoming Fetch, Little Doggie LP, justifies the commotion. A live staple at the band’s shows for some time, the recorded version offers a certain clarity that isn’t always present…

Happy Birthday Arizona: 100 Songs that Define Arizona, Pt. 4

Editor’s Note: An abridged version of this article appears in this week’s issue, featuring 100 Songs that Defined Arizona. In celebration of Arizona’s centennial, we’ve rounded up sound clips for (almost) everything featured in our list. Thanks to everyone who submitted song suggestions, all of our guest contributors (John Dixon,…

Happy Birthday Arizona: 100 Songs that Define Arizona, Pt. 3

Editor’s Note: An abridged version of this article appears in this week’s issue, featuring 100 Songs that Defined Arizona. In celebration of Arizona’s centennial, we’ve rounded up sound clips for (almost) everything featured in our list, and will be rolling them out over the course of the week. “Everybody knows…

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our February 16 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 inspired Pickster One, Z-Trip, and LL Cool J’s “Super Baller”? What five singers should team…

Michelle Blades @ The Trunk Space

It doesn’t take long for “La Verite,” the opening track on Michelle Blades’ new record, Mariana, to assert itself as new territory for the singer/songwriter. With its swelling strings (courtesy of violinist Tobie Milford), galloping drums, sprightly keyboards (both played by members of Blades’ post-punk outfit North Dakota), the song…

Happy Birthday Arizona: 100 Songs that Define Arizona, Pt. 2

Editor’s Note: An abridged version of this article appears in this week’s issue, featuring 100 Songs that Defined Arizona. In celebration of Arizona’s centennial, we’ve rounded up sound clips for (almost) everything featured in our list, and will be rolling them out over the course of the week. “I just…

Kimber Lanning on Sleepwalker’s “Out of Here” (1998)

Editor’s Note: A version of this article appears in this week’s issue, featuring 100 Songs that Defined Arizona. In celebration of Arizona’s centennial, we spoke with Kimber Lanning, whose got musician (Half-String, Letdownright), record store owner (Stinkweeds), and retail activist (Local First Arizona) on her resume. She discussed Sleepwalker’s 1998…