The New York Dolls’ new album, Dancing Backward in High Heels, comes out today, June 7. As one of the most influential acts in the punk and glam rock genres, the New York Dolls’ body of work mostly consists of gritty garage rock and glam punk songs — you know,…
Arizona Hopi reggae artist Casper Lomayesva is used to playing big gigs. In 2009, he was invited by legendary folk artist Pete Seeger to play Seeger’s 90th birthday party at Madison Square Garden (alongside the likes of Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, and Bruce Springsteen). He also headlined the Native Music…
Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, who record under the name 2Cellos, just released a video for their super-symphonic cover of Guns ‘N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle.” If you’ve ever seen an Apocalyptica video, then you’ve seen guys headbanging while playing cellos. Sulic and Hauser do plenty of…
Local hard melodic rock band Digital Summer, whom we profiled in 2008, continues making strides outside Arizona.After having a local hit with their song “Just Run” (which made the rotation at 98 KUPD for seven weeks) and touring with national acts like Sevendust and Drowning Pool, Digital Summer will be…
The Bled The Underground in Mesa Friday, June 3There’s something to be said for metal bands who can make the most of being buried underneath a booming rave. That’s what happened on Friday, as the three local bands who tore up the stage at The Underground — The Author, The Fair and…
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards will be honored at Spike TV’s “Guys Choice” awards on Friday, June 10. And what does he get for playing guitar and surviving rampant drug use for almost 50 years? Brass balls, of course. We imagine Richards is one of those “guys who have everything,”…
Today is First Friday, which means a few blocks of central Phoenix will be transformed into an art walk/street fair tonight. But in addition to the art, antics, and people, First Friday offers a variety of live, local music.Here are some highlights of what’s going on where with local music…
British garage pop rockers Arctic Monkeys’ next album, Suck It and See, hits American store shelves Monday, June 6 — but some stores are going to censor the album cover, according to singer Alex Turner in a recent interview with London radio station XFM 104.9.Turner wouldn’t name specific stateside stores,…
“Gather around, ugly children, and uncle Mushroomhead will tell you a story.” But these are no ordinary stories. The tales told on Cleveland industrial/metal outfit Mushroomhead’s latest album, Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children, are the stuff of nightmares. The band has stated the album title came from an ’80s comic…
What does a drive from Phoenix to the Big Bend area of Texas sound like? Well, according to psych-rock band Pontiak (who are from some place called Holtzclaw, Virginia), a road trip through the landscapes of the southwest sound like a stripped-down, four-part country-blues jam. Pontiak’s upcoming EP, Comecrudos (scheduled…
Here in the land of lizards and dust devils, you’d be hard-pressed to find many local bands willing to play outside in the cold. Tucson goth-surf-punk group The Mission Creeps are an exception — they played a New Year’s Eve party outdoors in Bisbee, where bassist Frankie Stein says they…
This month marks the two-year anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death. Though the King of Pop passed away June 25, 2009 at the age of 50, he left behind an incomparable body of work, one that stands among the greatest contributions to entertainment of the past century. It’s okay if you’re…
Irish-American Celtic punk band Flogging Molly release their fifth full-length studio album, The Speed of Darkness, today. Like Flogging Molly’s previous records, the new one’s full of furious fiddles laid over backdrops of supercharged punk guitar riffs and fast-paced beats. Unlike the band’s previous albums, all the songs on Speed…
REVIEW BY DANIEL RAVEN Danzig Marquee Theatre in Tempe Saturday, May 28, 2011For a guy with a reputation for taking himself too seriously, Glenn Danzig seemed unusually genuine and appreciative of his fans last night, as his band killed it at the Marquee Theatre.With no hint of the unholier-than-thou attitude he’s been rumored…
Mega Ran, and Minibosses Hyatt Regency Ballroom at Phoenix Comicon Saturday, May 28If you’ve ever wanted to run into somebody famous while they’re wearing their pajamas, the lobby of the downtown Hyatt during Phoenix Comicon is apparently the place to do it. Friday, in-between music sets by local bands Halocene, Dead Man’s…
Halocene, Dead Man’s Curse, and Toybox Phoenix Comicon at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Friday, May 26, 2011There was blood on the sidewalks at Phoenix Comicon last night. Thankfully, it wasn’t real — the sticky red puddles were left by hundreds of pasty-faced, costumed”zombies” screeching and shuffling down Second Street for the con’s…
Earlier this week, we wrote about five comics by or about rock stars, in anticipation of Phoenix Comicon, taking place now through Sunday, May 29 at Phoenix Convention Center. While attending opening night festivities last night, I ran across yet another comic book about a rock band — but this…
Who would have thought Spock could croon seductively about making love to you? Oh yes he did — and this week’s music feature, Finding Nimoy, is all about his crossover foray from sci-fi television to ’60s folk and ’70s space rock singer. Speaking of crossover, Leonard Nimoy’s a featured guest…
Fans of Irish rockers U2 who are eagerly anticipating the band’s next album, tentatively titled Songs of Ascent, will have to wait a while longer. The record was first expected in 2010, and in January of this year, the German branch of Amazon.com listed the release date as May 27,…
Troubled hip-hop star DMX, whom we profiled just after he was sentenced to a year in the clink last December, will be released on July 1, according to the website hiphopwired.com. DMX (real name: Earl Simmons) was on the comeback trail last year when he was sentenced to a year…
If you’re like us, you’re probably already sick of hearing about the Rapture that didn’t happen last Saturday. But we reserve the right to kick dead horses, even in the midst of our apocalypse fatigue. This week, Up on the Sun comic artist Robbie Pfeffer explores a world without Christians…
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.Which national music blog featured local band St. Ranger’s new single? What was late pro wrestler “Macho…
