New bars and clubs are constantly popping up in Scottsdale as of late. But no matter how hip and hype the latest sensation might be, we prefer coming back to old favorites like American Junkie. The sports bar-meets-danceteria is almost always a popular playground for drinking, dancing, and debauchery, as well…
Zach Sciacca (a.k.a. Z-Trip) is arguably the biggest DJ ever to come outta Phoenix.Enjoying a level of superstardom that many local turntablists and mix masters can only dream about, the 38-year-old Valley native has spent the past decade and a half using his stellar scratching skills to propel himself to international…
Fans of Irish rockers U2 who are eagerly anticipating the band’s next album, tentatively titled Songs of Ascent, will have to wait a while longer. The record was first expected in 2010, and in January of this year, the German branch of Amazon.com listed the release date as May 27,…
I really wanted to drop some Randy Newman jams on KWSS this morning, but alas, time didn’t permit. Newman will be in town this weekend, doing a two-night stand at the Biltmore. If you are only familiar with his soundtrack work — or know him as simply as the butt…
Troubled hip-hop star DMX, whom we profiled just after he was sentenced to a year in the clink last December, will be released on July 1, according to the website hiphopwired.com. DMX (real name: Earl Simmons) was on the comeback trail last year when he was sentenced to a year…
If you’re like us, you’re probably already sick of hearing about the Rapture that didn’t happen last Saturday. But we reserve the right to kick dead horses, even in the midst of our apocalypse fatigue. This week, Up on the Sun comic artist Robbie Pfeffer explores a world without Christians…
In case you haven’t noticed, a bunch of us at Up on the Sun are total nerds. Our coverage of artists appearing at Phoenix Comicon and related stories has not so subtly hinted at our fan-boy-and-girl hearts. So we won’t bother trying to tiptoe around the fact that we are…
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.Which national music blog featured local band St. Ranger’s new single? What was late pro wrestler “Macho…
The Dirty Dozen Brass BandThe Rhythm RoomWednesday, May 25, 2011Maybe I don’t get out that much, but I can count on my hand the number of times I’ve seen a sousaphone played live in concert — especially at the Rhythm Room. Such was the case with last night’s The Dirty…
A million name changes weren’t enough for Sean Combs. Apparently, it was time for another one, according to Paste.Rapper and producer Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs, can’t seem to ever settle on a name. Even this time he feels that his new alter ego will only be suitable…
For those too impatient to wait two weeks, Grooveshark is currently streaming the album in its entirety…
Noisy and melodic Australian guitar-and-drums duo An Horse — which channels the scrappy spirit of such “college rock” icons as Throwing Muses, The Spinanes, and Blake Babies — comes back to town behind its excellent new sophomore album, Walls. We caught up with super-friendly singer/guitarist Kate Cooper to get her…
On the surface, John Vanderslice seems like just another in a long line of melancholy singer-songwriters. Frankly, even if a slew of mopey indie-folk songs were his only contribution to the American music canon, he’d still be worthy of praise, just because he does that whole mopey indie-folk thing so…
People who thought Matisyahu was unusual for being an American Hasidic Jewish reggae artist will really be thrown for a loop when they hear the music of Asaf Borger, a.k.a. Borgore. This mixmaster from Israel puts a new twist on dubstep, adding layers of hard drum ‘n’ bass and metal…
You have to fish where the fish are. Maybe that’s why so many bands from Japan make their U.S. debuts playing anime and sci-fi conventions. Why slug it out like rookies when a built-in audience of squealing fan girls and manga-obsessed Pocky swallowers awaits? Toybox, the Valley’s only band whose…
The Pods make dirty, sexy music. The group incorporates a lot of styles on their new self-titled album, ranging from metal and grunge to pop. Guitarist/vocalist Dusty Rose describes the album as “spats of glitter and spats of grime,” while drummer Collin Burdette goes even further, claiming the album “cures…
In 1967, with his role as science officer and lieutenant commander Spock on Star Trek beaming him into living room television sets all across America, Leonard Nimoy boldly went one place he’d never gone before: the recording studio. A year earlier, Dot Records, a small label known for country, rockabilly,…
Jonathan Sakas may not look like the new face of electro-pop, but you’ve probably seen his mug plastered on the walls of your favorite bar or on your friend’s refrigerator. The 26-year-old Arizona native takes his full-time job as a musician seriously, relentlessly self-promoting around the Valley with stickers and…
Back in the day (read: the mid-1990s), one of the pimpest places to dance up a storm to goth, industrial, and alternative tracks was the old Atomic Café in Scottsdale, which has since become rock club Chasers. DJ Ricky D and Reverend Dale are reviving the spirit of the bygone…
THURSDAY 26 27th Avenue Bar: DJ Manage, & DJ Android (Top 40, dance) Afterlife: Thumpin Thurzdays (various) AZ/88: Josh One (rare groove, urban funk) Bar Smith: Splash Thursday (reggae, dancehall, Top 40, house) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (jazz, blues, country, R&B, rarities, vintage) Blue Martini: Rewind Thursday with DJ…
This week’s issue of Phoenix New Times, on news stands now, features a profile on local electro pop artist Jonathan Sakas. Sakas has a show tomorrow, May 26, at Clubhouse Music Venue, and you can get a sneak peek of what to expect from his performance by checking out his…
Wanna hear some hot new local music? Check out the “Morning Infidelity” program on KWSS 106.7 FM tomorrow (Thursday, May 26), when Jason Woodbury, the new Phoenix New Times Music Editor, plans to spin songs by artists highlighted in this week’s print issue.As we reported in a cover story this spring,…
