Ska-rockers Streetlight Manifesto and Reel Big Fish rocked The Marquee last night, and we were there to take photos. Our reviewer wound up with food poisoning (bleh), but Timothy Cason, next door neighbor of this particular Up on the Sun writer, went, and offered this mini review (I promised him…
So we finally got a little rain last night — but if your car is still as dirty as mine from last week’s haboob — it wasn’t nearly enough. I’m talking some serious monsoon action, the kind that lasts a few days. Here’s 10 songs that that will hopefully inspire…
By this point in July, it almost feels stupid to talk about how hot it is. Brains are practically melted, and the heat has just become this all oppressing force, destroying day-off plans and any semblance of ambition of doing anything outside. Anything besides lounging by the pool and drinking…
David BazanThe Sail Inn Thursday, July 7Last night was the sixth time I’ve seen David Bazan perform, and I am struck by how each concert has been a unique experience. There were different band-names some of the times: Pedro the Lion, the group he’s best known for, The Headphones, his…
Do you want a copy of DJ Element’s new mixtape, FreeStyle Session Japan? It’s been hailed as a “funk odyssey” by no less than, um, the Phoenix New Times. For real though, the first 50 peeps in the door tonight at tonight’s Blunt Club installment at The Yucca Tap Room…
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 are the eight best local records of 2011 so far? What are the best and…
THURSDAY 7 27th Avenue Bar: DJ Manage, & DJ Android (Top 40, dance) Afterlife: Thumpin Thurzdays (various) AZ/88: Josh One (rare groove, urban funk) Bar Smith: Splash Thursday (reggae, dancehall, Top 40, house) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (jazz, blues, country, R&B) Blue Martini: Rewind Thursday with DJ Mendez (various)…
Don’t let that mask scare you. DJ Raccoon doesn’t want to dig through your trash; he wants to get your ass moving. “I stray far, far away from Top 40,” Raccoon, a.k.a. Jake Brennan, says via e-mail. Raccoon is more into indie, dance, house, and dub, which he’ll be playing…
Featuring former members of Tempe jangle-pop kings The Pistoleros, Dead Hot Workshop, The Gin Blossoms, and Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, The Persuaders debuted earlier this year, cranking out the same kind of melodic pop rock that defined the sound of their earlier bands.If you’ve spent any time near Mill…
Jeff Bridges Arizona BiltmoreSunday, June 3, 2011Jeff Bridges is a likable guy. He’s the kind of character you root for, even when he’s beating up Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man, even when he’s playing a cold-blooded killer in Jagged Edge. He’s got a quality that just endears people to him,…
Sometimes the word “eclectic” just doesn’t do a dude justice. Djentrification is one of the most “eclectic” DJs in town, and the term barely serves to scratch the surface when it comes to his unique musical approach.He’s not a typical DJ, finding kindred spirits in guys like legendary Phoenix oddballs…
Last week Up on the Sun put out a last-minute request over Twitter for a local band to submit a cover of Modern English’s “I Melt With You.” Well, we kind of biffed it and asked for a cover of The Cure’s “I Melt With You,” which our astute readers…
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 members of local band The Comseticators have to say about their song, “Apple”? •…
THURSDAY 30 27th Avenue Bar: DJ Manage, & DJ Android (Top 40, dance) Afterlife: Thumpin Thurzdays (various) AZ/88: Josh One (rare groove, urban funk) Bar Smith: Splash Thursday (reggae, dancehall, Top 40, house) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (jazz, blues, country, R&B, rarities, vintage) Blue Martini: Rewind Thursday with DJ…
Phoenix-based indie rockers St. Ranger don’t have an album out. In fact, the band has released only two songs at this point, the Grizzly Bear-esque “Ohnowoe” and the fidgety, intricate, nearly prog “Shark Week.” So why did national music blog My Old Kentucky Blog feature the band in May, and…
Djentrification has always been known for his eclectic taste, as evidenced by his genre-bending sets at 602Tuesdays at the Bikini Lounge, but with his new night, The Palace, at FilmBar, 815 North Second Street, he’s taking things to a whole new level, spinning solely world music. “Man, there’s a lot…
The Commodores are mostly known for their slow jams — tunes like “Sail On,” and “Easy,” featuring former frontman Lionel Richie’s exceptionally smooth voice. But the band also excelled at high-energy funk: “Brick House,” with Clyde Orange on vocals, became one of their biggest hits and still jams hard, even…
As a discerning music lover, you’ve no doubt been asking yourself, “Are any bands deemed “Best New Music” by the tastemakers at Pitchfork coming to Phoenix this summer?” Well yeah, a couple, including Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Kurt Vile, and Cut Copy. But if you were to ask yourself “Will…
I’m embarrassed that I didn’t get to this story sooner, but Arizona music historian John “Johnny D” Dixon is back on the FM dial. Mostly Vinyl with Johnny D aired it seventh show Sunday night, on indie station KWSS 106.7. The show runs for three hours, and during this previous…
“It’s like the Discovery Channel, with beer.” Nerd Nite at Carly’s Bistro is an informal gathering that goes down every so often, featuring noted (or not so noted) authors, experts, or fans sounding off on a nerdy topic of their choosing. Thursday, June 30, Arizona Republic and New Times contributor…
Abstinence, French Quarter, Tacocat, and ForeverYOBS in TempeMonday, June 27The cops who patrol the Farmer neighborhood handing out noise violations can rest a little easier at their posts. Last night, YOBS, a.k.a. Ye Olde Bike Saviours, a.k.a. Tempe’s noisiest punk rock house venue/art space/zine, record, CD and cassette tape factory,…
Summer in Phoenix means a couple of things. It means burning your soft flesh while trying to buckle your seat belt, it means your energy bill is about to get very, very frightening, and it means there’s going to be pool parties. Lots of pool parties. Promoter Stephen “Psyko Steve”…
