Well, it’s Friday. You know, I feel like there was some song that made a big splash this year about Friday…but…I can’t quite remember it. Must not have been that catchy. Your weekend is not doubt packed with holiday parties to attend, but in case you need a break from…
Phoenix-based Fervor Records is already home to local “futurepop” group Super Stereo and NYC’s Tarik NuClothes, as well as the owners of a massive vintage music record catalog that provides music for some of today’s best television shows. Earlier this week the company announced the addition of local Latin reggae…
So the season hops along, and what’s happening in the Valley? Snow in Scottsdale? Madness indeed. Perhaps it’s an overload of crappy Christmas tunes driving the folks at Weather Control crazy. Let’s fix that with some quality tunes, shall we?Last week Up On the Sun brought you Part I of…
The world has immortalized John Lennon, and for good reason.There’s no denying his talent, or how he used said talent to change the world. 31 years ago yesterday, the Liverpudlian (seriously, that’s the actual name for someone from Liverpool) was shot and killed. But like the rest of us, he…
Renowned local punk promoter Will Anderson, who recently left the Valley and is the subject of this week’s music feature, has lost count of the number of shows he’s attended or promoted over the past 20 years. “I can’t remember what the exact total is, honestly,” Anderson says, laughing. “It…
As you’ve no doubt noticed, we’ve dived headfirst into the holiday spirit around here. We’ve got song to string your Christmas lights to, our favorite WTF Christmas albums, and even a weekly series, “Christmas Music That Doesn’t Suck” (look for installment number two tomorrow). But we’re well aware that Christmas…
Welcome to the first 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 Lenni Rosenblum, who has been a major contributor to Up on the Sun for a few…
WRITTEN BY REYAN ALI It doesn’t look like The Black Heart Procession will wrap their career up any time soon, but when the day of their dissolution does come, “The Waiter” saga will surely be remembered as one of the high points in their career. The ongoing, loosely sketched story,…
[jump] 1. Carl Bean – “I Was Born This Way” (Jay Todd Re-Edit) If you’re at all familiar with Bachman’s polemical platform, no doubt you’ve heard of her folderol urging the LGBT crowd to “pray away the gay.” As any proud member of the rainbow community can attest, their sexual…
If you were to base what you know about teenagers on the misunderstood, black-clad fans of As I Lay Dying, you might think that underneath every angst-y, tattoo-covered teen exists the soul of a good Christian kid. Not so. These fans are a special breed. They reappropriated the devilish look…
It’s important for a band to have a solid name, one that provides a sense of identity, a visual hint of what to expect musically. Smashing Pumpkins embodies this ideal. Imagine hundreds of turtles emerging from the sea in a full-moon frenzy to lay eggs on the beach but forced…
Chris Cornell has led the rock star life, though his Seattle childhood indicated that he’d wind up a programmer at Microsoft, not one of the biggest names in alternative music. The socially awkward pre-teen actually spent a solid two years listening only to The Beatles, being a loner, and avoiding…
Following a major-label disaster, much-hyped and beloved San Diego band Three Mile Pilot broke up before the dawn of this millennium. The group’s splintering allowed members to focus on other projects: Armistead Burwell Smith IV turned his focus to the proggy Pinback, while Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathanial turned their…
Maynard James Keenan isn’t known for being forthright, but he’s pretty open in his description of Conditions of My Parole, the latest album from his folk-electro-hard-rock project Puscifer: “This is an Arizona project. Its inception was in ’95, when I was living in L.A., [but] when I turned on the…
Hipster dance nights have a shelf life, burning brightly before flaming out into obscurity and leaving only hazy memories of drunken exploits, goofy photographs, and tales of hedonistic bliss. Party Foul was no exception, as the weekly electro affair at the old Homme Lounge earned a serious and scandalous reputation…
There’s an amusing photo meme that’s been traversing the Internet in recent months depicting alter kocker rockers Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollins and declaring: “Punk isn’t dead. It just goes to bed at a more reasonable hour.” Try telling that to the pack of aging punks who have forgone an…
Most people remember Cake for the band’s quirky, funky novelty hits: “Never There,” “Short Skirt/Long Jacket,” “The Distance,” the profane take on Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” (Gaynor hated it). Achieving radio success with such a singular blend of mariachi, funk, rock, and hip-hop is weird, but Cake is even…
Nineteen-eighty was a strange time for music. First-wave punk was finished; disco was on its way out, and practically every pop song on the air was sporting synthesizers. Despite the fact that its uncompromising rockabilly-meets-punk sound was never particularly in vogue, Los Angeles band X held the gaze of the burgeoning…
Thursday 8 Afterlife: Thumpin’ Thursdays (various) Bar Smith: Ladies Night with DJ Idenaty, DJ EC Rock, & DJ Oh-Jezus (various) Blue Martini: Azul Thursdays (Latin) Capitol Sports Lounge: DJ Danny Peru (old school, Latin, Top 40) Cream Stereo Lounge: Blush Thursdays (dance) Crescent Ballroom: Boomstick! with Strobes, DJ Sean Watson,…
Just four months after it opened, Tempe’s Venue 104 is closing its doors. The combination coffee house, art gallery, music venue and theater will finish out its final play, Tape by Stephen Belber, on December 17. A final musical blowout is currently in the works with locals Executives, Hometown Letdown…
When it comes to local music (and apparently, everything) all things must pass. So goes the reign of punk promoter Will Anderson, whose belly laugh, dirty Avail hat, and jovial smile have been a near-constant presence at punk shows in the Valley for 20 years. Benjamin Leatherman brings us the…
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 songs have we picked to soundtrack your Festivus festivities? What will the upcoming local Jim…
