Somewhere in America, Jeff Miller’s ears are burning. The towering vocalist of defunct Bay Area hardcore act Bad Posture, which used to hang with the likes of Dead Kennedys and Flipper during punk’s early-’80s glory days, is getting dissed something fierce by local record store owner Michael Pawlicki. The 49-year-old…
Despite the near-constant backbiting and backstabbing that seems to take place in the Valley’s music scene, it’s kinda cool that artists will band together to help out an old friend in their time of need. To wit: A slew of old-school DJs and music-scene veterans will gather on Sunday, December…
In the four years since releasing her debut album, Urban Myths, North Phoenix native singer/songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews has toured the country with Jimmy Eat World (including a performance at Coachella), been featured in a top style/culture magazine (Nylon, earlier this year), and recorded three more albums. Oh, and she…
It took him 15 years, but Axl Rose did it. Whether you loved it or hated it (general consensus leans toward the latter), Guns N’ Roses released Chinese Democracy, the band’s long-awaited follow-up to The Spaghetti Incident, in 2008. And though the record didn’t exactly tank (614,000 units sold as…
Thursday 22 Afterlife: Thumpin’ Thursdays (various) Bar Smith: Ladies Night with DJ Idenaty, DJ EC Rock, & DJ Oh-Jezus (various) Capitol Sports Lounge: DJ Danny Peru (old school, Latin, Top 40) Crescent Ballroom: Boomstick! with Jared Alan, BC/AD, President Gator, Fast Eddie, & more (various) Dollhouse Cocktail Lounge: DJ Jon…
I finally made it into The Ghost of Eastside Records last night, and it was awesome. A little hard to find, sure (someone yank that “Records” sign from Smoke Shop Records, er, Headquarters and hang it up at the new spot), but worth the search. What it lacks in size…
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 are we spinning? Up on the Sun’s best music of 2011 lists. Could Guns N’…
To say that just a few celebrations will be taking place on New Year’s Eve is a huge understatement. Pretty much any and every drinking or dining establishment will be counting down the seconds until 2012 before popping corks at midnight.So the question is not if you’ll be celebrating on…
Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly feature, Sound Off, in which Jason P. Woodbury is joined by a different guest each week to listen to and discuss three tracks from local Phoenix artists. If you would like your songs to be considered for future Sound Off columns, please…
The true test of any bar’s popularity isn’t if it’s crowded on Friday or Saturday (every place is like that), but rather if it’s just as busy on an off night like Sunday. Based upon the amount of people that crammed themselves inside SideBar during Retro Hi-Fi on Sunday, December…
Big ups to Wayne Coyne and the gang, who took on approximately one project in every month of 2011 and somehow managed to pull it off. They’re one of the greatest and weirdest psychedelic bands out there, and you’ve got to love ’em.Let’s take a trip down memory lane and…
Punk is a dish best served in a confined space. Wait, that’s all wrong isn’t it? Proverbs are always calling to me; Klingon or otherwise. But let’s get back to the point here. A lot of people are pretty damn excited about the sort-of-rebirth of Eastside Records and with good…
If you ever took the time to plot out a flowchart depicting Phoenix’s vastly interconnected DJ/dance scene, its incredibly likely that the name Zach Sciacca, better known as Z-Trip, would be at its heart.Practically every turntablist, mixmaster, or knob-twister in the Valley has some sort of connection to Sciacca, either…
American comic book artist Ed Piskor has a keen eye for pop culture. His 2009 collaboration with Harvey “American Splendor” Pekar, The Beats: A Graphic History, turned its eye to the Beat poets, and his Brain Rot series for Boing Boing touched on vintage Nintendo Entertainment Systems, real-life Seattle superhero…
Sometimes I’m astounded by the music parents let their children listen to. I know personally. At 9 years old, I knew all of the lyrics to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” much to my father’s pride and horror. But I tend to think Christmas music is the worst of it…
If you’re used to the progressive rock sounds of A Life of Science, get ready for something completely different — their new track “Prisoners No More” is full of dance energy that’s reflected visually in the video with lights, colors and, of course, wicked cool dance moves by the band…
Fifteen years ago today, astronomer, cosmologist, author, and science poet Carl Sagan passed away. Few have done as much to convey the mysteries of outer space in more poetic, beautiful terms. His 1980 13-part PBS series, The Cosmos, is essential viewing (note the awesome Vangelis compositions). In 2009, John Boswell,…
Can you believe we’re nearly finished with December? That means we’re inching ever closer to the Arizona Centennial, and ever closer to our 100 Greatest Songs of Arizona list. We need your help — we’ve got some good suggestions in our 100greatestazsongs@gmail.com inbox, but we need more. What songs have…
In America, the naughty list folks have it pretty easy. Our parents warned us about coal in our stockings (though recent memes suggest something even worse), but our Christmas threats were mostly harmless, and never, regardless of awful behavior, seemed to materialize. Then there’s Krampus, a long tongued, cloven-hooved, furry…
“This year is going to be different.” That’s what you told yourself last year, isn’t it? Well, just because you have the desire and will to make a New Year’s Resolution doesn’t mean you have the will to actually get it done. It’s pretty easy to make Wishtown your home…
The music of Brandon Decker, who records as decker. has proven to be a pleasant surprise. Primarily based in Sedona, an area known more for snoozy New Age, smooth jazz, and coffeehouse folk, Decker’s third record, Broken Belts, Broken Bones doesn’t sound unlike something you might hear over the sound…
Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. Corridos and rancheras have a long history of storytelling, dance-inducing beats and violence. Its been 19 years since the legendary Chalino Sanchez…
