It’s hard to believe that Jonathan Richman turns 60 today.Not only has the man maintained a positively youthful outlook when it comes to his music (do a quick Google search and see how often the term “wide-eyed” gets attached to his name), but it’s hard to believe that Modern Lovers,…
Rapper M-Bone, part of hip-hop group Cali Swag District, died last night after an apparent drive-by shooting in his hometown of Inglewood, California. Cali Swag District’s biggest hit was 2010’s “Teach Me How to Dougie.” The group’s debut studio album, The Kickback, was scheduled for release this year. The title…
My Friend Jason’s Beach House at Madison Event Center It was Friday the 13th this past weekend, which means it was the perfect time for the annual Jason Vorhees-themed dance party put on by local rave promoter Clix Bag of Trix. This year’s edition had a bit of a beach…
However, no one Odd Future member is as intriguing as Earl Sweatshirt, né Thebe Kgositsile. Sweatshirt, who has been absent from the Odd Future limelight for some time, was recently found to be at a boarding school in Samoa. The New Yorker recently reached out to Sweatshirt — and his…
Sound Strike, the movement in which musicians boycott Arizona as a statement of opposition to the state’s anti-illegal immigrant law, SB 1070, is still going strong. As we reported in recent months, acts like Maroon 5 and My Chemical Romance, who had concerts booked in the Valley, canceled them as part…
of Montreal Marquee Theatre May 15, 2011 There’s a certain outrageousness associated with of Montreal. Frontman Kevin Barnes performs in skirts and makeup in the middle of a vaudevillian spectacular that includes giant fish people, disappearing acts, and Barnes riding a live white horse. With the exception of the horse,…
Legendary jazz and R&B singer Etta James has been hospitalized in Riverside, California with a blood infection. James, 73, is perhaps best known for her song “At Last,” though she’s also sang backup vocals for Chuck Berry, toured with Little Richard, and garnered four Grammy Awards since her recording career…
And like a strong woman should, she stood her ground and refused to give her ex-boyfriend a portion of her royalties when he came crawling back to her, according to Spinner.Her ex has broken the silence between the former couple and is asking for a cut of the money she made…
It’s been a wild year for The Love Me Nots. Not only did the band take time off for lead singer/organist Nicole Laurenne to beat breast cancer — which she has, we’re happy to report –but the band has reunited with original drummer Jay Lien, and recorded a new record,…
Bret MichaelsThe Scottsdale WaterfrontMay 13, 2011There’s an old adage out there that goes something like “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In this particular instance, it is being applied towards former Poison lead singer Bret Michaels and his setlist. The last time Michaels was in town — at the Arizona State…
AKA: One-half of 2ToneDisco Current gigs: Every Friday you can catch us at Bar Smith for Sticky Fingers. What genres do you specialize in? Mainly hard electro, house, and fidget (which is a genre with tons of those wobbles that dubstep has, except you can dance to it). We tend…
Phoenix pool hall Clicks Billiards, located at 3935 E. Thomas Road, closed its doors on May 1. We awarded the spot “Best Pool Hall” in 2004, and “Best Place to Play Darts” in 2008.The hall hosted karaoke on Wednesday nights. According to an Examiner.com article, Clicks hosted Phoenix based Clean…
Everyone had a reaction to last weekend’s downing of terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden, even the superstars of hip-hop.Rappers ranging from Public Enemy’s Chuck D to Soulja Boy had something to say about Bin Laden’s death via Twitter. For instance, Lupe Fiasco tweeted “Osama Dead!?! Afghan Operation done now??? Now kill…
If you’re looking for an example of the old platitude that “attitude is everything,” you could do a lot worse than Love Me Nots vocalist/organist Nicole Laurenne. Less than a year removed from a breast cancer scare that forced the band into a five-month hiatus, Laurenne is back onstage and…
Manny & Lindsay Tripodis The co-owners of The Rogue Bar want you to come to the Prague CD release party this Saturday, May 14, with additional performances by Snake! Snake! Snakes!, Ladylike and Blue Skies. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station…
On Sunday, May 15, New Age artist Yanni (pronounced yawn-ee) is scheduled to perform at Jobing.com Arena. I’m personally not a fan of his flowery, adult contemporary compositions, but the man has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, and his instrumental soundscapes have been included in every Olympic Games…
It’s with great sadness that we report that Dennis Chiesa, owner of Tracks in Wax Records, passed away May 1 of complications involving his battle against cancer. Chiesa was 67. The Irish Cultural Center ran this obituary, expressing sincere sadness and extending condolences to his wife, Julie O’Mahar Chiesa, who…
Like they always say, “If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.” In honor of this most important credo, I now present my list of the top ten best You Asked For It songs…
Sometimes, when art imitates life, you get a bunch of glorified karaoke videos dressed as talent competition shows. In this week’s “Noise Complaint” comic, Robbie Pfeffer explores the vacuous realm of music and celebrity judges on “reality” TV…
To a music fan, there’s nothing like having a unique piece of memorabilia from their favorite artist — for example, an autographed guitar, or maybe the mandolin that Ministry used on three world tours, or Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis’ MTV Europe Award. To a music fan and…
Local metal band Rising Pain recently released a new EP, War of Souls, at a raucous show late last month at Chaser’s in south Scottsdale. Frequent Up on the Sun readers might recall that the band was involved in an unfortunate incident last summer when band members and several concertgoers…
Get your illicit substances and Syd Barrett bootlegs in order: Austin psych band The Black Angels are bringing their droney rock ‘n’ roll sound to the Rhythm Room this Wednesday, May 18. The band’s latest album, 2010’s Phosphene Dream, comes courtesy of Blue Horizon Records, legendary for its mid-’60s blues…
