Besides signaling the (almost) end of summer, the beginning of October also puts us right smack in the middle of National Hispanic Heritage Month. From September 15 through October 15, stateside brown folks can celebrate, “the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the…
Something unusual has been happening recently inside the establishment on the northeast corner of Mill Avenue and University Drive in Tempe: People are having a blast after dark. Lots of people. Such a thing is commonplace along party-hearty Mill Avenue, given its proximity to Arizona State University, just not at…
Mt. Eerie and Bouquet @ Crescent Ballroom| 10/1/12Phil Elverum, the veteran soothsayer behind blackened avant-folk monolith Mt. Eerie, did two things that he hasn’t done in Phoenix for a very long time. First: he played with a full ensemble, complete with Sunn amp stacks and ominous keys, harboring a set…
It’s been a strange week for “gross” pop star news. Let’s start with the good one: Phoenix made it into the national spotlight when Justin Bieber vomited on stage and laughed it off with an Anchorman quote. And while the Biebs may have partied a little too hard with milk,…
Nick Lowe @ The Musical Instrument Museum|10/1/12If the tag “The Jesus of Cool” strikes you as hyperbolic or overblown, you’ve never watched 63-year-old Nick Lowe strut onto the stage, strap on his big Gibson J-200, and proceed to crack jokes and break hearts for 90 minutes. Lowe, with his easy…
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…
“Who’s ready to jump?” If you’ve ever attended an electronic dance music event anytime in the last few years, its incredibly likely you’ve heard the frequently used audio drop — sampled from Dutch house producer Chuckie biggest track — that asks this question and typically causes a crowd explode with…
Speaking with Robyn Hitchcock back in 1996, the conversation quickly diverged from music to the difficulties of growing tomatoes at high-elevation. It was not his issue, but mine, as he lives in England where growing tomatoes is much easier, and I was in Colorado. Still, that conversation made it clear…
By Mark Keresman Brian Eno was quoted as saying, “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.” Rock history is filled with bands and albums that were somewhat unappreciated in their time yet occupy an enviable (by some people, at any…
October is a fun month to start planning Halloween costumes and sip on pumpkin spice lattes or pumpkin flavored beers. The month of the gourd serves another purpose- vegetarianism. Today happens to be World Vegetarian Day, which kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month, so stock up on some hummus. If you’re…
I know it sounds weird, but I’ve always been a fan of Men’s Health magazine. But in a recent issue, the magazine featured an article about updating sex playlists from such old cliches, like substituting Air’s Talkie Walkie in for Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. This article linked…
I missed Sound Wave, so my Saturday was not spent doing ecstasy in a drained swimming pool. Sad face. I also missed Justin Bieber’s concert, which totally blows because he threw up, guys! He threw up on stage in front of hundreds of people and now millions of people will…
Peachcake, the colorful local dance band knows how to put on an entertaining live show with plenty of funky outfits and confetti to go around. The band recently performed at a Norwegian music festival for the second time and has somewhat of a cult following abroad. Check out the enthusiasm…
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…
Sound Wave Music Festival & Red Bull Thre3style Massive: Calvin Harris, Z-Trip, Switch, Adventure Club, Crizzly, and Others at Big Surf | 9/29/12 The third time was most definitely the charm for the Sound Wave Music Festival. The inaugural edition of the electronic dance music massive back in April 2011…
Uproar: Godsmack, Staind, Hellyeah, and More @ Ashley Furniture HomeStore PavilionWhile Friday’s Desert Uprising brought a wealth of debauchery, pyro, and sweat-drenched goths, metallers, emos, hipsters, well, damn, just about every type of rocker you can think of, Saturday’s Uproar turned out a crowd that much more party rock oriented…
Desert Uprising, featuring Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Buckcherry, Corey Taylor, The Art of Dying @ Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion| 9/28/12There have been a lot of ups and downs during the planning of 98 KUPD’s first annual Desert Uprising last night, which found Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie’s Twins of Evil…
Christopher Lee Marshall admits he’s been more than a little tired lately, which isn’t surprising, considering the EDM artist’s busy tour schedule. In the past year alone he’s crisscrossed the country, toured with influential dubstep producer 12th Planet, and played some of the biggest festivals in North America – including…
Rise Against, The Gaslight Anthem, and Hot Water Music @ Mesa Amphitheatre, 9/28/12Punk fans really couldn’t have asked for a better line up last night. As Tim McIlrath stated in our interview, it was a dream team of sorts, with punk vets Hot Water Music kicking things off, The Gaslight…
The news waits for no one — at least that’s what we read somewhere — so it’s perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of…
Last night, Manuel Camacho took a big step towards local DJ stardom. And it only took 15 minutes to do so. The 24-year-old, who performs as Maneone, bested four other mixmasters (including Convince, Mattafact, and Looney) to reign supreme during a Red Bull Thre3style University DJ battle held on Thursday…
A Saucerful of Secrets, The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall, — Pink Floyd and its albums are so world-renowned and integrated into pop culture that even if you don’t like their music you can’t help but have a level of respect for it…
