Not the first post-punk band to emerge from Leeds, England, and most assuredly not the last, Eagulls made its U.S. television debut in January on the Late Show with David Letterman. Not a surprising coup for a band with such a big buzz, but one made more exciting for the…
If ever there were a soundtrack to Memorial Day Weekend, it’d be electronic dance music. That’s because EDM will be in abundance during MDW, whether it’s in the clubs, around the pool, or at your local bar. And some of the Valley’s more prominent dance music promoters and venues are…
Thursday 22 AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Baja Joe’s: Latin Live Thursdays with DJ Chop (Top 40, Latin) Bar Smith: Ladies Night with DJ AL3, & DJ Fantastico (hip-hop, EDM, trap, Latin) Bobby Q’s: All Star Thursdays with DJ Freshmaker, DJ Phlava, DJ Dark Vader,…
If ever there were a soundtrack to Memorial Day Weekend, it’d be electronic dance music. That’s because EDM will be in abundance during MDW, whether it’s in the dance clubs of Scottsdale, Tempe, and Downtown Phoenix or around the pools of the nearest swanky boutique hotel. As such, some of…
Jazz is for everyone. At least, that’s the message that the owners of The Nash want to spread. This June, Phoenix the award-winning jazz venue will host a number of summer workshops for the second year in a row. The workshops are designed for anyone looking to improve their skills…
It’s not in the mainstream that a listener can hear the true heart and soul of rap music. Underground hip-hop musicians are the lifeblood of the genre — they are the internal organs incumbent on keeping the system alive. It’s unfortunate that the genius and devotion of these individuals goes…
In 2004, singer-songwriter Matt Pond quietly released his critically acclaimed fifth album Emblems with his band, Matt Pond PA. Documenting the artist’s stressful relocation to Brooklyn from Philadelphia, the album delved into the creative highs and lonely lows of a new city. It showcased a musician at an artistic peak…
With hardly a whisper from the collective music community in the past two weeks, the 10th anniversary of a defining record for one of this generation’s most prolific musicians came and went. Ryan Adams’ Love Is Hell, his fifth solo record and what may be his darkest offering to date,…
In 2012, Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace took the world by storm when she publicly revealed herself to be transgender. Though had we been paying attention, we would have noticed the not-so-subtle cues in the band’s lyrics, like these from “The Ocean”: “If I could have chosen / I would…
It’s okay to make money in today’s world. Even necessary to survive and raise a family. But when somebody becomes greedy in the process where they cheat, pollute and hurt others, well that’s not cool. That’s the message in the song “Greedy,” which is on Tommy Castro’s new CD The…
With eight critically acclaimed projects under his belt, Phoenix-based hip-hop artist Trap House has become one of the most prolific and influential hip-hop artists to come out of Arizona. Some of his accolades include being chosen by Vitamin Water to give a personalized tour of the city and being chosen…
Steve Wiley is Up on the Sun’s resident Record Store Geek. Biweekly, he shares stories of great music and whacky characters from his continuing 27 years in Valley record stores and the always-zany music biz. Welcome back, my friends. When I last left you, I was discussing my favorite record…
Perhaps you stepped outside this morning and started sweating. Summer is coming, reverse Game of Thrones-style, and as the temperature starts ratcheting up, relief from the heat will come in smaller and smaller windows each day. That said, it’s still quite pleasant at night, and you can catch anything from…
“We play more shows a year than any band out there right now, unless you have a residency in Vegas.” –Dez Fafara, vocalist of DevilDriver. Upon reading that, there are probably a dozen bands most people would list off the top of their heads — and probably none would be…
Buffalo Killers, at the very least, seem to hail from another time, which makes them perfect for right now. This four piece Ohio-based band adheres to that old balls-to-the-wall rock and roll credo when music was all about style and substance as well as simply piling on the heavy…
There are reviews you wish would just write themselves. Peek behind the curtain, if you will, and see my struggle. I really wanted to write an über-positive review of the Black Flag show at Pub Rock on Saturday, May 17. I wanted to write that the punk rock fury I…
Old Town was congested on Saturday night, what I assumed to be a combination of ASU graduation celebrations, the Mario Lopez appearance at International and Nervo’s performance at Maya Day and Nightclub. If you have a ticket or table, getting into Maya usually isn’t a problem. There is a normal…
I love live music. As someone who writes about music for a living, that is probably as unsurprising a sentence I could type. I love going to concerts, hanging out with like-minded music lovers, and watching professionals execute their craft at the highest levels possible. I love music music that…
Steve Wiley is Up on the Sun’s resident Record Store Geek. Biweekly, he shares stories of great music and whacky characters from his continuing 27 years in Valley record stores and the always-zany music biz. As you might expect, working in a record store is a pretty cool job. Sure,…
There are always shows in Phoenix, here, we humbly recommend five you should check out. If none of these strike your fancy, check out our comprehensive concert listings for many more options. Sister Lip – Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17 – Sail Inn Sister Lip is one of…
Despite the fact he sports snapbacks and Coolin’ Out T-shirts, spins at the Blunt Club, and has a new project with Phoenix rapper Very G., local selecta Dominic Khin Htay doesn’t consider himself to be purely a hip-hop DJ. The 35-year-old, who performs as DJ Organic, prefers to be versatile…
On James Cotton’s new CD, Cotton Mouth Man, there’s a song, “He was There,” that makes the point that the blues harmonica icon has performed just about everywhere. Well, on May 17 the Cotton Mouth Man will perform somewhere he hasn’t performed before: The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. Cotton,…
