NOFX frontman “Fat” Mike Burkett has quite the reputation. In 2010, while performing at Austin’s South by Southwest Festival, Mike took the stage as “Cokie the Clown”: sad-face paint, oversize Chuck Taylors, and a flower that squirts out “cocaine.” He discussed his mother’s assisted suicide and a troubled relationship with…
We’re only a few days in to 2012, but it looks like local bands are already gearing up to issue brand new releases to usher the year in. With songs sneaking onto the net as we write, we figured it was time to shed a light on what’s coming up…
New Year’s may have been a couple days ago, but let’s be honest: you probably still have a lingering headache after partying too hard. That’s okay, we’ve got you covered with our Songs To Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions, Eight Songs for Your Walk of Shame, and now…
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Jobing.com Arena Friday, December 30, 2011 See also: Our complete Trans-Siberian Orchestra slideshow. Trans-Siberian Orchestra is a lot like Christmas itself: The pretty lights are a good distraction from how over-the-top and annoying it can be. Both have some classy elements and are good for family fun, but…
On New Year’s Eve, it’s perfectly acceptable to get wasted and kiss anyone you find attractive, so long as you can keep your beer goggles (relatively) in check. It’s a celebration of excess and indulgence that’s best spent with wild company. The Rock embraces this concept with Barbra’s Rockin’ New…
Christmas may be over, but Coach House continues to promote the holiday spirit with more Christmas lights than the Griswold house in Christmas Vacation. We grabbed a coat and checked out the holiday festivities on December 20, and the bar had a great turn out for a Tuesday night. Check…
NOFX has been a mainstay of punk rock for almost 30 years. The band has gained notoriety for its antics and activism, recently getting banned from Emo’s in Austin because frontman “Fat Mike” Burkett tricked the audience into believing he served free tequila shots mixed with his own urine. When…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. We’ve been counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. Today’s list comes from contributor Melissa Fossum. Maybe I’m too indecisive for my own good, but year-end lists are always a challenge. Most Up on…
Edward Scissorhands has all the makings of a cult classic: Tim Burton’s signature creepiness, Johnny Depp playing a mysterious gentleman, and screen legend Vincent Price taking on his final role as an unnamed inventor. The 1990 fantasy flick is a cross between Beauty and the Beast and Pinocchio with a…
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 only sort of bearable with…
I went to a lot of shows this year. Thanks to last.fm, I can conform that I went to at least 56 concerts, not counting the numerous times I swung by Yucca Tap Room or Crescent Ballroom just for fun. That’s one show every six and a half days! I…
Andrew Jackson Jihad Crescent Ballroom Saturday, December 17, 2011 See the full slideshow of Andrew Jackson Jihad at Crescent Ballroom. Some guy spat on my face, I have random bruises all over my legs, and even though I only drank water, I reek of beer. The crowd booed and yelled…
In spite of limited commercial success, The Quakes are one of the most influential bands in the tatted up, creepers-and-pompadour subgenre psychobilly. The band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1986 and relocated to London shortly thereafter, where they established a reputation as a fearsome live combo. “There was no…
That stretch from Black Friday to New Year’s Day is just plain annoying. Between the nonstop onslaught of Christmas music, packed malls, and Salvation Army employees on the brink of throwing bells at you for not donating change, hiding at home with rum and eggnog can seem like the best…
It’s hard to believe that Joe Strummer, one of The Clash’s founding members, has been dead for almost a decade. George & Dragon continues to keep his memory alive with annual benefit shows. This year, local punk bands like Glass Heroes, Plainfield Butchers, and Dirty Hairy took the stage, while…
This weekend’s lunar eclipses was exciting, especially if you were able to catch that elusive red moon. If you were among those who got up early or stayed up late (it was a nice break after writing my X review) to check out the lunar eclipse early Saturday morning, you…
X Club Red Friday, December 9 For more photos, click here. Eight overlapping bands in four hours. Last night’s X show felt more like a music festival than a Friday night concert. Eager fans bounced back and forth between Club Red and Red Owl to see a bunch of bands…
Scouring the mall on Christmas Eve for last minute gifts is never a good idea, and, let’s face it, your significant other is probably going to return that ugly sweater anyway. Rather than waste your time and money on a frivolous purchase, you can celebrate the happiest time of the…
Nineteen-eighty was a strange time for music. First-wave punk was finished; disco was on its way out, and practically every pop song on the air was sporting synthesizers. Despite the fact that its uncompromising rockabilly-meets-punk sound was never particularly in vogue, Los Angeles band X held the gaze of the burgeoning…
X set itself apart from its first-generation punk contemporaries with Exene Cervenka and John Doe’s dueling vocals and a serious dose of roots and rockabilly in its sound. X has a difficult and fascinating history. Cervenka and Doe started the band as a couple, got married, divorced, wrote a few…
Best Beach Wavves Coast House Fossils. There are plenty of “beachy” bands out there, and most of them combine 60’s pop melodies with boatloads of reverb. Tennis plays off the nautical theme — on in name, but in origin: the Colorado husband and wife team were initially inspired by a…
Most break-ups end horribly, and reunions are often just as rocky. Despite the original magic, it’s nearly impossible to recapture the love. But sometimes it’s not so dramatic. Haffo had one of those rare breakups where you actually can still be friends with your ex and it’s not that awkward…
