Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. This week, we’ve been counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This installment takes a different approach, turning our gaze to the worst of 2011’s worst. Enjoy! Another year has come and gone. The…
Nobody does TV specials like this for Christmas anymore, and after reading this yuleblog you’ll know why. It’s a lot of head-snapping work, flashing back and then flashing ahead forward to the present again, then flashing back, each time having to remember to bring the holiday magic and the vidcam…
This time of year is normally characterized by holiday cheer and good tidings but there’s one more thing December brings; finals. While sharpened number two pencils scratch feverishly on Scantron’s across the Valley, the students of Music Maker Workshops will be taking a different kind of exam this weekend. On…
Editor’s Note: As we continue our observations of 2011, Up on the Sun contributor Christina Caldwell looks at the state of venues around town, and speculates about what the Phoenix music scene has and what it lacks. Answering “what makes a perfect music venue” is a tall order; here’s…
Here’s a Christmas story that’s bound to warm your heart: Local hip-hop cipher Benjamin Walker (better known by his stage name Mr. Puma MC) is at the tail end of a battle with cancer, partly due to the efforts of plenty of Valley DJs.The 39-year-old emcee, who’s been working the…
Remember the ’90s? Those were the days — back when a bro could have frosted hair and not look like a brosef, when women could show nothing but their midriff without looking like a gypsy hooker, alternative rock reigned supreme, and the term “indie” was mostly used to describe race…
Have you lost your soul? Is your step missing its rhythm? Could your swagger use an injection of funk? Phoenix natives Cold Shott and The Hurricane Horns are more than happy to help put a little rhythm and blues in your life. The band doesn’t have to sweat its authenticity…
The recent hiatus of Virginia rap duo Clipse — which comprises brothers Pusha T and Malice, whose Neptunes-produced 2002 debut, Lord Willin’, earned acclaim on the pop charts and Pitchfork alike — has resulted in very different paths for its two members. Pusha T appeared on Kanye West’s My Dark…
You know what I love? I love when an upbeat rock ‘n’ roll song manages to sound sad without staring at its shoes. It’s hard to explain exactly how it works, how a tune packed with brisk snare pops, chugging distortion, and a plucky bass line can still toss in…
Oh, to be the highway patrolman who pulls over this band’s Econoline! “What’s with all the sinister masks, fellas? You’re not one of those 99 percenters, are ya?” He’d most certainly demand to see their registration, and in the course of his interrogation, he’d come to learn that they are…
Pandrogynous industrial icon and Psychic TV frontma . . . uh, frontperson Genesis P-Orridge hasn’t had the warmest of receptions in the Valley. In 2007, the British-born transgender artist — who founded landmark act Throbbing Gristle and helped influence early industrial and other nascent EDM genres — was scheduled to…
In the 1970s, Alice Cooper was the poster child of “the devil’s music,” a sexually ambiguous, mascara-smeared heavy metal demon with subversive lyrics and mock-drama stage theatrics. In 2011? Well, this year marks his 11th Christmas Pudding, an annual variety show-style bash featuring rock stars, magicians, and comedians that has…
In 2008, New Times contributor Ben Westhoff hypothesized a worthy argument: R&B music is dead. Westhoff complained that R&B had surrendered its identity to the demands of urban radio. The genre’s faceless, plodding hip-hop beats were the antithesis of Teddy Riley, D’Angelo, and R. Kelly, creative songwriters who parented an…
The story of how hard it is to break into the national rap scene is an oft-told tale. Breaking into the Phoenix scene? That’s hard, too, says Tucson rapper Savant. “Tucson is Phoenix’s younger stepbrother,” he says. “You need a major co-signer. Someone from Tucson can’t just come to Phoenix…
Thursday 15 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 Balam Acab, Jared Alan, BC/AD, President Gator, Fast Eddie, & more (various) Dollhouse Cocktail Lounge:…
Alice Cooper is a lot of things: Shock rock pioneer, radio personality, golfer, restauranteur, and advocate for at risk youth. This weekend’s 11th annual Welcome 2 My Christmas Pudding event is yet another instance of Alice Cooper atoning for his dark, dark past (you know, like the chicken thing, those…
Attention vinyl collectors, music geeks, and audiophiles of the Valley: One of your favorite record stores will finally be reborn on Friday. The Ghost of Eastside Records, the pop-up reincarnation of the now-defunct vinyl shop that was located at University Drive and Ash Avenue for more than 20 years, is…
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…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next week, we’ll be counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. Enjoy! I’m already regretting this one. I left so much off this list it hurts, deserving songs from the likes of…
It’s hard to believe that Joe Strummer, one of The Clash’s founding members, has been dead for almost a decade. George & Dragon continues to keep his memory alive with annual benefit shows. This year, local punk bands like Glass Heroes, Plainfield Butchers, and Dirty Hairy took the stage, while…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next week, we’ll be counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This installment comes from Mike Escoto, who contributes to Up on the Sun and is one of the main perpetrators over…
A year full of excellent local shows has come and gone, and like years past, we’re sad to see them go. We look forward to a fruitful future of local music in 2012. To ring in the New Year, a gracious amount of local bands have decided to play shows around…
