Ding, dong, the witch is dead. (The witch is the heat, here; bear with me.) Supposedly. It might be September, but it’s still 106 degrees, but out-of-towners don’t know that. So with the turning over of the calendar comes a slew of great bands coming to Phoenix and a revitalization…
Earlier this year, during the First Friday art walk, you would find a couple dozen people hanging out outside Palabra – Phoenix’s up-and-coming hair and art collective. It wasn’t that the people wanted to enjoy the fresh air (not with our weather), the former space simply couldn’t fit the rising…
Your patience is about to be rewarded. Now that we’re quickly approaching the moment when all the you-know-what begins to fade, life will start getting back to normal in the Valley. And by normal, we mean must-see music events and gigs out the ying-yang. Over the coming weeks, show both…
On October 18 at Comerica Theatre, more than 80 Arizona MCs, DJs, and performers will get together for what must be the largest local hip-hop show ever thrown, Arizona Hip Hop Festival. This staggering undertaking is the brainchild of JustUs Samuel, the rapper and founder of Respect the Underground, which…
Camper Van Beethoven were born to be wild. Begun during the early ’80s, the violin-led Bay Area quintet were initially a reaction to hardcore punk, but quickly moved afield stylistically. Like the Talking Heads if they’d dropped acid and grown up on the other coast, there’s a goofy, sardonic irreverence…
Ever since Karl Ferdinand Braun graced the world with his cathode ray tube, the masses have looked to their screens for generational guidance. In 1981, MTV appeared like an oracle and descended on the population, sinking its vampiric teeth into the neck of every suburbanite family with a cable subscription…
Steve Wiley is Up on the Sun’s resident Record Store Geek. He shares stories of great music and wacky characters from his continuing 27 years in Valley record stores and the always zany music biz. At the end of July, I wrote about Five Reasons I Don’t Write About New…
Ever known an ass you really, really loved to an unimaginable degree — a behind that spoke to you like no other? If so, Bob Log III has a doozy of a sales pitch for you. On his website, the semi-mysterious one-man band is now selling custom-written songs about butts,…
Mindy DuPonte sees the big picture. No matter what aspect of her life is in question, she’s prepped with an answer, a plan, or an approach, whether she’s talking about songwriting, one-year plans, or mixtape rollouts. It’s likely the best way to operate at the moment, as DuPonte’s hip-hop career…
For several hours this week, I’ve been listening to The Oasis 95.1 FM, a radio station that underwent a format change two weeks ago. Branded as ‘Lite & Refreshing,’ it goes down exactly like a diet Sprite — zero calories, a vague hint of flavor, leaving an empty, fizzy feeling…
Tim Showalter made his name as Strand of Oaks over three albums of dark folk music, a mysteriously enticing mix of dreamscape sci-fi lyrics and a simmering, powerful delivery. Unsatisfied, however, because of a key missing piece, Showalter turned everything upside down for Strand of Oaks’ fourth album, HEAL. “What…
Cable television is confounding, for sure, and the inevitable question often arises: “All these channels and nothing to watch? What the ______?” Recently, I was having one of these moments until I stumbled across an interview/live performance show on the Audience Network called Guitar Center Sessions. This one caught my…
When the lights went down, the screams inside Jobing.com Arena were ear-shattering. It wasn’t quite the level of Beatlemania, but it still caught me by surprise. Arena shows are known to be big with its lights, sounds, stage setup, etc. Sheeran entered the stage with just his guitar, and it…
Our desert summer is finally winding down; and really, it wasn’t so bad, now was it? It’s probably in part to the awesome parade of metal shows that came through our fair state since the music industry’s touring season was in full swing. Either way, at least the September nights…
Here’s some tasty new ear candy for you, all brought to you by Phoenix-based artists…
There were a lot of things both shiny and new making a debut in local nightlife during the month of August. Spots like The King or Cowboys and Whiskey in Scottsdale opened to the clubgoing public while a few new dance nights (such as Motown on Mondays at the Crescent…
Remember when labor unions actually added workers to their rolls? When it wasn’t considered “class warfare” for poor people to demand the government enact policies in their economic interests? Yeah, we don’t either. Our plans for Labor Day include a healthy dose of pool and beer, and here are some…
By Luke Winkie Nobody has written an original rock song since 1953, and the entire music industry is founded on exchanging blurry photocopies of other people’s work. Sure, some art is outright plagiarism, but even when it’s in a gray area, it’s an opportunity for cash. Case in point: Australian…
Concert photography isn’t easy. While portrait and landscape photographers have the luxury of time and stable conditions, concert photographers must do their work in three-song segments, boxing out other photographers and reacting to unpredictable movements of the musicians on stage while adjusting settings on the fly to accommodate lighting changes…
When the Tempe History Museum unveils its long-awaited exhibition delving into the city’s storied live music past later this year, don’t be surprised if there’s little to no mention of Paul “PC” Cardone amongst the many displays doting on the Gin Blossoms, The Refreshments, or other local jangle-pop icons. By…
Experiencing Nickel Creek was almost perfect. So, before I go into what ruined the show for me, I’ll talk about all the things that worked so well. If there’s one thing we could all agree on it’s that Ikeda Theatre was a perfect match for Nickel Creek. Even Chris Thile…
We’ve checked out the calendar, and musically, it seems like summer is coming to end. Musically, at least. From here on out, there are a steady diet of great shows coming to town. Check out our picks below, and browse our comprehensive concert listings if you’d like more options…
