There’s something vaguely dark and mysterious about Fargo, North Dakota’s ambient, psychedelic, otherworldly-sounding trio Secret Cities. The term “secret city” refers to the towns in the former Soviet Union where weapons were manufactured and/or stored and weren’t entirely made public until 1992. Though the band’s sound may not be quite…
At the risk of sounding horribly conceited, I believe I know more about blues music than 90 percent of people under the age of 30, and the Arizona Blues Project is good. Really good. I was thrilled to find out that it features Arizona Blues Hall of Famer guitarist Chuck…
I have a vague recollection of always wanting to go to Warped Tour when I was in middle school. It was just a few years after it had begun, and it was the first time in my life that punk rock could have made sense to me, as I was…
It’s been my experience that many times fans of a particular band tend to have a propensity to take after the band that they love. Whether it’s their general attitude, the way they dress, the way fans (particularly male fans) subconsciously copy the hairstyle of the lead singer, or even…
Pentagon brownies…worth the hype? When we heard about the 26-page Pentagon brownie recipe published recently, we couldn’t resist trying to bake them. Emphasis on trying . What better time for the next Chow Bella Showdown? We gathered the staff and got them baked — er, baking. Whose cuisine will reign…
This is part of a series of reviews of bands who play weekly at local bars. The show: Stan Sorenson Trio at Sacred Grounds in Scottsdale. The look: Your standard church social hall. The smell: Coffee. If my olfactory sense serves me correctly, a dark roast. The taste: Church cookies…
This week’s music feature is on the local band Anarbor. Though their recent tour to Japan may have been a bit of a flop, involving lost teeth and a select band members lying in a pool of his own blood, they’re poised to rock the Warped Tour, and are hoping…
While Radio Phoenix keeps up on what’s new, and fresh, and hip, they don’t get so caught up on it that they can’t appreciate things that are a couple weeks, or months, or years old. This isn’t to say that retro hits will be charting, but if a good comp…
You may not necessarily associate popular music with the Library of Congress, but a few recent inductees have just made the catalog a little bit cooler. NME reports that the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry’s recent inductees include: R.E.M.’s single “Radio Free Europe” Patti Smith’s album Horses Tupac Shakur’s…
The Cherryholmes are not your average family. The six piece Nashville based family band has received four Grammy nominations since 2006, and topped the Billboard bluegrass charts on several occasions, including with the release of their latest record, Cherryholmes IV: Common Threads. The band is currently on tour in support…
Dave McGraw and Crow Wing’s rambling, folksy, old-style country sounds like the desert. It’s that stripped-down, no-frills approach that Arizonans cling to, even more than the big, glitzy sound that dominates the FM country airwaves. This aesthetic is often likened to the landscape that occupies southern Arizona, filled with jagged…
Blitzen Trapper rose to prominence in 2007 with the release of their third record, Wild Mountain Nation, and signing with Sub Pop. Since then, the band has put out a new album every year, thus constantly remaining a focus of the media’s attention. Their latest effort, Destroyer of the Void,…
Blitzen Trapper rose to prominence in 2007 with the release of their third record, Wild Mountain Nation, and signing with Sub Pop. Since then, the band has put out a new album every year, thus constantly remaining a focus of the media’s attention. Their latest effort, Destroyer of the Void,…
This week, New Times ran a box 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. Why did several local metalheads go to jail after getting tossed from Club Red for moshing?…
Lady Gaga always manages to find a new way to challenge convention and shock both her fans and detractors. This little piece of gossip goes far beyond the usual stage antics though.According to NME, Gaga is using Gunther Von Hagens, the same scientist who is responsible for the controversial Body…
This is part of a series of reviews of bands who play weekly at local bars. The show: Running From Bears at the Lost Leaf. The look: Like an New York jazz club underground, but with more space and above ground. The smell: Light perspiration and aluminum. The taste: Savory,…
While Americans don’t take to football (“soccer” in our land) the way the rest of the world does, there’s something special about the World Cup. Something so special, that even musicians can’t help put take part in all the excitement. While R. Kelly wrote an official theme for the global…
British hardcore punk rockers GBH name stands for “grievous bodily harm”. While attendance at any punk show poses some threat of injury, what with mosh pits, angry teens, spiked belts, and extreme mohawks, the risk at last night’s GBH show was a little higher.Locals Casket Life and Glass Heroes opened…
This week’s music feature is on the local hip-hop duo American Negro and their belief that good beats and socially conscious lyrics belong together, even though they claim a lot of people can only get a handle on one, and not both.Craig Outhier talks with Alex Ebert, frontman for Edward…
It’s kinda tough to measure someone’s success as an adult when that person attained international fame at age 13. Child prodigy LeAnn Rimes earned the respect of the country music world at an early age, frequently being compared to Patsy Cline, and reaching number 10 on the Billboard Country Chart…
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, this project has forced me to venture outside of my geographical bias. This week I took a ride to the southern part of the valley to CK’s, a casual sports bar that is primarily lit by flat screen TVs mounted against nearly every vertical…
This week, New Times ran a box 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. Did Insane Clown Posse really cancel a show at Marquee Theatre when their shipment of Faygo…
