Philadelphia indie-rockers Dr. Dog are an interesting bunch. Able to appeal as much to granola crunching jam-banders and Urban Outiftted indie kids, the band’s new record Be The Void (due out on ANTI Records on Tuesday, February, 7) finds them returning to the freewheeling looseness of their early work, aided…
This week, New Times ran a list 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. What does James Fella of Gilgongo Records think of songs from Nathaniel Nichols, Seas Will Rise,…
A little editing sure goes a long way. Not long ago, the members of Phoenix-based dance-rockers Factories used to be in a band called Underwater Getdown, a group with great sounds as unfocused as they were chaotically beautiful. Inspired by the disparate sounds of improvisational jam bands and indie-rock acts,…
For the past two years, the artist-owned and -operated record label collective known as Black Cactus Records effectively has helped push Phoenix-based music to the masses. Comprising local bands the Necronauts, Tremulants, Former Friends of Young Americans, High Horse, and Midnight Vitals, the cooperative has helped facilitate a better creative…
The punk-goes-acoustic thing is fun, but let’s be honest: When you listen to a Chuck Regan solo folk LP, you’re secretly crossing your fingers that he’ll make a new Hot Water Music album. Such longing isn’t necessary with Frank Turner. After his post-hardcore band Million Dead called it quits, Turner…
It’s hard to make a comeback, but it helps if you went out on a high note. Ignoring a digital-only EP in 2005, The Jealous Sound’s last big blast of noise was Kill Them with Kindness (2003). And what a blast it was — the swaggering, confident sound of emo…
It’s ironic that Be the Void, the new album by Dr. Dog, begins with a song lamenting being “Lonesome.” Ironic considering the band’s steady rise: A couple of well-received albums on indie label Park the Van attracted fans and wooed critics throughout the 2000s, leading the band to a contract…
When Al Page and his friends started spending their Saturday nights at the Hidden House spinning up hip-hop and old-school cuts back in 2005, the DJ admits the operation was haphazard at first. “We used two CD players and my dad’s vinyl, and it was raggedy mixing,” he says. “Stopping…
Twin Cities hip-hop crew Doomtree has come a long way in the nearly four years since the collective’s 2008 self-titled debut, let alone the decade since it came together. The members have grown more comfortable not only in their own skins and talents, but with each other propelling them to…
We were sitting at the bar, my friend and I, talking about shows we’ve seen. Great shows. Tom Waits! M.I.A.! Prince! And, then, the less than great. And then, the most troubling of all, that weird and wobbly middle ground of the “inconsistent.” Notorious acts like Cat Power could sometimes…
Thursday 2 16th Street Bar & Grill: Kickback Thursdays with DJ Cedric Ceballos (hip-hop, classics, neo-soul, reggae, R&B, Top 40, old school) Afterlife: Beat the Scene Thursdays (electronica, dance, remixes) Bar Smith: Ladies Night with DJ Idenaty, DJ EC Rock, & DJ Oh-Jezus (various) Bobby Q’s: Capricorn B-Day Bash with…
Don Cornelius, creator and first host of Soul Train, the iconic television dance show was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound early this morning in his Encino, California home. The short, but obviously shocked response from ?uestlove, drummer of The Roots, is a good indicator of the weight of…
We’re knee deep in finishing up our 100 Greatest Songs of Arizona list (to be released next week). It’s been a lot of fun digging through Arizona’s musical past and present, and also pretty mind blowing to realize the contributions Arizona’s artists have made to America’s musical culture as a…
On any given evening, you’re likely to find Dario Varela inside of a Valley nightclub. If it’s during the weekend, he’ll be working the mixers at joints like Oceans Seven. On other nights, however, he’s usually on the other side of the DJ booth, observing other selectas order to help…
I’ve never spent any time in Philadelphia, but I feel as if I have. Two of my favorite records of 2011, Kurt Vile’s Smoke Ring for My Halo and War on Drugs’ Slave Ambient both came from the town, sharing a blue-collar yet still out-there aesthetic. Adding the works of…
Denying the cuteness of the cats isn’t an option when those little critters are standing in on some major artists’ album covers. This week we’re bringing you The Kitten Covers, a modified collection of classics.Alfra Martini, the creator of The Kitten Covers, offers something for everyone, from Nat King Cole to The…
You know, if Coachella didn’t sell out in record time, I’d argue that a lot of Phoenicians wouldn’t really need to head out to Indio to catch some big-time shows. M.Ward and fIREHOSE? Coming to Phoenix. Florence and the Machine? Coming to Phoenix. At the Drive In, Refused, Godspeed You…
Have you opened your chakras and found your power animals yet? Well, you should. Maybe then we wouldn’t have to write about all of these assholes that ruin our music-going experiences. If you’re having a hard time quieting your mind long enough to find that inner peace, you can always…
Wanna know what would happen if you’d mix ravers, clubbers, house-heads, and the usual Scottsdale crowd all in one place, all at the same time? You’d likely get the same scenario the ensued on Sunday night at Myst in Scottsdale…
There’s no getting around it: At raves, things can get weird. Awkward. Uncomfortable. Rave newbies often just don’t know what they’re getting into. True ravers — not frat boys looking to act nuts or the randoms who know one song by a certain DJ — follow a code of conduct,…
The term “punk festival” conjures up images of bratty tweens with asymmetrical haircuts crowd surfing at Warped Tour. Remember when Warped Tour actually had punk bands and was, you know, good? It may seem like a bygone era, but the annual Punk Rock Bowling Music Festival in Las Vegas caters…
The Sara McAllister Duo serves up a sweet taste of mood-lifting acoustic ska/reggae that soothes the soul. It’s good stuff, but not the sort of thing I picture Barbie and Ken listening to while cruising to their playset mansion…anti-Barbie music, anyone?While two of the duo’s dates have already come and gone, you…
