The Black Keys with Cage The Elephant and Stone Foxes Mesa Amphitheatre Thursday April 14, 2011 The duo is dead. That fact hadn’t occurred to me until about ten songs into The Black Keys set at Mesa Ampitheatre last night when I realized the band had doubled in size after a few songs…
Is Weezy sober as good as the Weezy who was getting blazed and freestyling about Al Sharpon in a 9 minute song? Now that Lil Wayne is out of jail and on probation he’s supposed to stay straight, which is bound to have an impact on his work. So is…
Score one for Zack de la Rocha, Javier Gonzalez and the Sound Strike.Steve Earle has bowed to intense pressure from organizers of a boycott of Arizona related to an immigration law that will never take effect, postponing his upcoming Arizona show indefinitely.In a statement, Earle says he was “under the…
Song: The Stone Foxes, “I Killed Robert Johnson” Context: San Francisco’s Stone Foxes have been impressing us for awhile. Glad to see them back in town tonight opening for The Black Keys. I Killed Robert Johnson by The Stone Foxes…
It’s not often an NBA star can be described as “the short one” in a group photo, but check out this picture of Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash meeting Canadian indie rock outfit Arcade Fire before their show at Comerica Theatre last night.Yup, Nash is the short one on the…
Arcade FireComerica TheatreWednesday April 13, 2011Considering his band hasn’t played a Phoenix show in nearly seven years, Arcade Fire singer Win Butler seems to have a pretty good sense of the place.That connection goes deeper than a few localized references Butler slipped into last night’s show at Comerica Theatre in…
If you walk through the front door of a barbecue joint and find yourself facing a big ol’ T-shirt stand, it’s usually wise to spin right back around and slip out before the door bangs closed. Not that corny pig-themed merchandise is always a harbinger of smoky doom — the…
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 happens when a Rebecca Black fan lash out at a New Times blogger? What’s the real…
Song:Local Natives, “Shape Shifter”Context: Local Natives who are actually natives of Los Angeles, will open for Arcade Fire tonight. Here’s one of the better tracks from their Gorilla Manor record, which you can stream in its entirety here. Shape Shifter by Local Natives by infectiousmusicuk…
Song: Arcade Fire, “Sprawl II” (Mountains Beyond Mountains – Tommie Sunshine’s Quaalude Mix)Context: Arcade Fire. Comerica Theatre. Tomorrow. Arcade Fire – Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) [Tommie Sunshine’s Quaalude Edit] by tommiesunshine…
The Sound Strike has hit a rough patch.Yesterday, a federal appeals court again blocked SB 1070, which you can read all about on our Feathered Bastard blog, meaning the extremist Arizona immigration law will likely never take effect. That’s great news for people who support the state’s migrant community, but…
Were you at the big Soundwave Music Festival at Big Surf this weekend?If so, check out our photos here. While you’re browsing through those photos maybe play a little Where’s Waldo with the face of Up On The Sun cartoonist Robbie Pfeffer.Pfeffer hadn’t been to a rave in several years,…
The last time we caught up with the Meat Puppets it was mostly to talk about the ‘Arizona scene’ after a rough week at Austin’s South by Southwest music conference.Regrettably, I didn’t even mention the band’s new record Lollipop in that piece. But, yes, the Puppets put out a brand…
Song: Cage The Elephant, “Aberdeen”Context: I really like this song from the new Cage The Elephant record. Looking forward to seeing the guys open for The Black Keys in Mesa this week. Aberdeen – Cage the Elephant by mssngpeces…
The Shizz has announced the lineup for this year’s Shizzfest. The two-day festival is spread over three venues and features sets by the usual suspects (Minibosses, Father’s Day, Peachcake, etc.) from the Phoenix website as well as a few touring acts, a Nintendo Tetris tournament and an art show. Full set…
AzRockabilly, a local web site that promotes Rockabilly shows and general culture will be celebrating its anniversary with a show featuring The Meteors, the British band credited with starting the psychobilly movement in the ’80s.California’s Cold Blue Rebels and Calabrese, open along with S.O.L. The show is scheduled May 6 at…
It’s been nearly a year since Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1070 into law, unleashing a shitstorm that’s still going although the law was blocked by courts and will likely never take effect in any meaningful way.While The Sound Strike, the organization promoting a boycott of Arizona led by out-of-state…
Song: Michael & Janet Jackson Vs. Gorillaz, “Stylo Scream” (Stanwik Mashup)Context: Janet Jackson comes to Comerica Theatre tonight. Her 1995 duet with Michael, “Scream,” has always been one of my favorite tracks by either Jackson sibling — very underrated. And remember that video? Super cool. Check out this mashup remix…
Standout Phoenix alt-country act Tractor Pull Divas is doing a fundraiser for Helen’s Hope Chest, a charity affiliated with the Mesa United Way. The Hope Chest provides clothing and other basic items for foster children in the Valley. Band member Ryan Brown is himself a foster parent and says he’s…
Full disclosure: Belfast-based singer-songwriter Rachel Austin is the daughter of one of my former co-workers and she once let me and one of my buddies crash at her “flat” (this is what sophisticated European travelers call apartment homes) while visiting Northern Ireland. However, that’s not why I’m posting this charming…
Song: Aaron Lewis, “Country Boy”Context: The insufferable fakeness of this terrible song is the focal point of a piece in this week’s issue. The Tea Party bullshit and the sample of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” at the end are only part of the reason why — picturing this…
Sarah Ventre went in search of the story of the oldest record ever made by an Arizona artist in this week’s issue. Those records were made by original cowgirl singer Billie Maxwell and her humble family band from Eastern Arizona in the 1920s.To do that, Sarah spoke to one of…
