There’s no getting around it. No matter how awesome DJ Star Slinger may have been before getting shouted out by Donald Glover, AKA Childish Gambino, AKA Troy on one of TV’s best shows, Community, he was immeasurably cooler afterward. The cred boost wasn’t entirely necessary. Slinger, known as Darren Williams…
There are always those albums that you miss. Analog Drift, by Chico Mann came out in 2010, but I didn’t get it until last week. Which is a real shame, because it’s a fantastic disc, featuring 12 tracks comprised of vintage hip-hop synths, Afrobeat shuffles, Latin vocals, and a Talking…
Maynard James Keenan doesn’t seem to like down time. When not working with prog rock giants Tool, he performs in the arty A Perfect Circle, and when not keeping busy with either of those bands, he makes wine here in Arizona, and has a major role in the upcoming existentialist…
BRAIDS The Sail Inn Friday, September 30, 2011 The thing most interesting about BRAIDS is the band’s ability to create elegant, intricate post-rock without coming off as overtly eccentric. There’s a reason why they engage in a side-stage group-hug before hoping on stage. Crafting music as delicate as theirs requires…
Arizona got a special show last night, a combination of the yearly Fall Frenzy event and The Honda Civic Tour. Jimmy Eat World took My Chemical Romance’s spot and locals Halocene shared the stage with Matt & Kim and blink-182 for an evening of fun and nostalgia…
The Zombies Celebrity Theatre Friday, September 30, 2011 50 years is a long time. There’s no getting around it — The Zombies, lead by original members Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone, have been at it for a five decades; much longer than the original run of The Zombies, from 1961…
The southern California leg concluded nicely. Thanks to a great promoter and the draw of some awesome local rippers, we played to 130 kids at The Smell in Los Angeles, a well-known downtown all-ages space with a relatively big stage. We don’t normally get the opportunity to play with big…
Incubus has been a longtime favorite band for alternative rock fans. Now in their twentieth year together, Incubus released their seventh studio album this summer, entitled If Not Now, When?. Multi-instrumentalist and bassist Ben Kenney, former member of The Roots, joined the band in 2003 and has been on board…
As we get closer to the end of the year there are probably quite a few music nerds who are already working on their best of 2011 lists. After all, there have been some pretty amazing records released this year from the likes of Kanye and Jay-Z to the Fleet…
Bad news for fans of ’80s new wavers Blondie — the band has canceled its appearance, previously scheduled for October 4 at Foundry on First. Promoter Danny Zelisko confirms that the band had a “late scheduling conflict,” and on Facebook states that the gig may possibly be rescheduled. I spoke…
Ellie Elmore: The interior designer and Zumba fitness instructor. Teaches at Diverse Elements Dance Studio in Phoenix Monday nights. For more information on her classes, go here. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? Lately, 97.5-FM has been…
This weekend is full of things to do in the Valley of the Sun. Tonight, the massive AZ Fall Frenzy concert, featuring Halocene, Matt & Kim, Jimmy Eat World, and blink-182 hits Tempe Beach Park; MegaRan and MC Chris bring the nerd-rap “Race Wars” tour to Martini Ranch; and British…
Seattle band iji have roots here in Phoenix. Songwriter Zach Burba started the group in Tempe, and played frequently at The Trunk Space, honing his weird funk-pop. I’ve always liked the Burba’s sensibility (full disclosure: a band I used to play in a band that covered the iji tune “Meet…
Phoenix psych rockers The General Electric are knee deep into the recording of their debut LP. The quartet were originally slated to play the Lost Leaf last night but have had to alter their performance schedule as they put the finishing touches on their as of yet, unnamed debut album…
GTL: The process of staying fresh and mint. Stands for “Gym, tan, laundry.” Must be done every day to achieve maximum potential. Side effects may include fist pumping. Coined by the eloquent Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino from MTV’s ground breaking Jersey Shore. You gotta GTL everyday to make sure you’re…
In this week’s olde-timey paper edition we told you all about local rapper MegaRan, who delivers slick rhymes and rapid-fire lyrics inspired (mostly) by classic video games like Mega Man 2 and Final Fantasy VII, and is appearing live at Martini Ranch tomorrow night. We also mentioned a couple of…
Thrice has been a staple in the alternative rock world for more than a decade. But even to those paying close attention, the band’s extensive catalog is hard to keep up with. Their eighth album, Major/Minor, was released on September 20 and is –as usual– another stage in the band’s…
Pale Face Sailor, Another Tomorrow, Woodworks, and Every Letter will all be sharing the stage with Quick Henry to bring you a great start to your weekend.If you want to witness the action, check out the scene at the Rogue Bar on Friday night. It all starts at 9 p.m…
What kind of music do you listen to? It’s an honest question that rarely yields an honest answer. After all, the wrong answer could get you shunned in certain circles. However, a more complex question could very easily be, what kind of music does your band play? With lines blurring…
Indie’s Viva Voce, the husband-wife duo of Anita and Kevin Robinson, never had to fall back on “being cute.” Music lead them to each other, not vice versa. They’ve toured extensively over the better part of the last six years, including a stint with The Shins and local boys Jimmy…
You’ll find this week’s issue wrapped up in our annual Best of Phoenix special. This week, Chris Hassiotis takes us into the world of teacher-turned-rapper MegaRan, who is taking the world of nerd-rap by storm. We’ve also got short features on blink-182, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, who are scheduled to…
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 NPR’s music blog have to say about Sister Cities? What does Halocene’s Addie Nicole…
