West Phoenix gets too much flack. Really, it’s not so bad: housing is cheap, movie theaters are everywhere, and sporting events are actually well planned and executed. Case in point– think about how much easier it is to leave a Coyotes game than a Suns game. See also: Club Candids:…
So this one time, my college roommate was gonna buy this album. It came in two formats: CD and MP3. The CD version was a few bucks cheaper. I argued with my roommate that a CD was a better deal because you also got a physical copy of something, but…
Six years is a long time for a musician to be absent from the field. Unless you’ve reach “legendary” status, making a comeback after such a long period of dormancy is nearly impossible. With that said, Justin Timberlake’s last album, FutureSex/ LoveSounds, is one of the greatest R&B albums of…
Our sister paper, the Village Voice’s annual Pazz & Jop music critic’s poll is live, and the results are in: Frank Ocean’s neo-neo-soul record channel ORANGE is the album of the year, and Carly Rae Jepsen’s infectious (and impossible to escape) “Call Me Maybe” is the single of the year…
Down and Warbeast @ Marquee Theatre|1/14/13So, it turns out there’s a reason it’s called “stoner metal.” I’ve been to several Down shows before, but two things stuck out to me during Monday night’s Down/Warbeast concert at Marquee Theatre. My friend (who goes by “Iron Maiden,” thank you very much) and…
Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you stop…
We once asked local turntablism guru Logan Howard to approximate how many gigs he’s performed over the course of his 16-year stint as DJ Element. While he wasn’t able to answer the question exactly — which you can’t fault him for, considering the staggering length of his career — but…
Following up last year’s New Times Soundcheck, a two-day festival at Club Red in Tempe — which featured performances by The Love Me Nots, Sugar Thieves, 2 Tone Lizard Kings, Jason Devore, Skky Brown, The Insects, Crusher Sound System, and more — was a serious task. See also: -The Love…
Musicians traditionally get all of the glory, but what about the venues that house them? Arizona hip-hop artists are regularly lauded for their lyrical lexicon and dazzling deliveries, but they couldn’t be heard if popping music houses didn’t provide the dark digs, microphones, stages, and booming sound systems. See also:…
As a metal head, I often face lots of people who assume I don’t listen to anything else. Of course, I’m guilty of it too. It’s the first agitated thought I have when douche bags roll up next to my car blasting Soulja Boy and all I want to do…
Once a week, Up on the Sun features a new comic strip from punk rocker, cartoonist, and full-time dad Brad Dwyer. See the New Times print edition to check out the strip in glorious, inky newsprint each Thursday…
For the past 14 years, Las Vegas’ Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival has featured some of the biggest names in punk music. Previous lineups mostly comprised Warped Tour veterans that were big in the ’90s — think NOFX, Rancid, Good Riddance, etc. The festival combines that nostalgia factor with…
Yeah, yeah, yeah…we get it. Mondays suck (we’ve read Garfield). But it means the start of a new week, which means a bunch of killer shows in and around Phoenix. And here are a few of the coolest — our top five must-see shows this week…
Although he’s only been working the local DJ circuit for around four years, Tonic Kemestry has had more than his fair share of memorable experiences. The 25-year-old has performed at numerous underground dance affairs, gotten throngs of teenyboppers shaking their groove things with his EDM mixes, and has even had…
Stretch your sea legs and sharpen those soul patches: Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath is hosting the biggest 90’s radio rock revival of all time upon the warm waves of the Atlantic, and even from here I can smell the salty goodness of Clinton-era prosperity. See also: Should We Feel Bad…
Texas-based thrash metallers Warbeast thrive off meat-grinding riffs, jackhammer double bass, a range of lyrical topics, and 180-degree hooks. Made up of veteran rockers that have been creating music for decades –the members’ resumes include Rigor Mortis, Gammacide, and Demonseed– Warbeast formed in 2006, and in 2010 released its debut,…
David Tyda Tyda is the owner of EATERAZ.com, Arizona BBQ Festival and Arizona Taco Festival. He invites you to Flavors of the West Sunday, Feburary 17. For more information, go here. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now?…
Curious about what’s going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions where to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don’t fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend…
Castle @ Yucca Tap Room|1/9/13Every journalistic piece has an angle. The last time Castle played here, touring with Portland doom-metallers Witch Mountain, I was so overwhelmed by the riff-saturated environment that the angle for the piece I wrote on that show shifted to the eating habits of the various touring…
Palms, Wiley One, Jared and the Mill, and Sara Robinson and Midnight Special @ Crescent Ballroom|1/9/13South by Southwest, the sort of Mecca of indie music, is kind of a big deal. A good show there can make or break a band, even if the event itself is a tad self-indulgent…
Katie BainThe EDM cruise Holy Ship!! journeyed from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas this past weekend, and we’re still recovering. Here’s our complete coverage. A highlight was an afternoon spent on a pristine private island in the Bahamas for an afternoon of sun, surf, cocktails and the kind of dancing…
Editor’s Note: We’d like to welcome local hip-hop artist and writer Jaron Ikner to Up on the Sun. You’re probably familiar with his Black One project, and now he’s bringing his voice to the music blog here at New Times. Salute! Longevity and consistency are two things that are considered…
