Let’s say you decide to start a solo project, eventually inviting some friends to play with you. It’s hardly serious — the newly formed band is just a way to see some friends you might not otherwise get to see on a regular basis. Why not give the band a…
San Francisco duo The Dodos’ bright, intricately rhythmic music quilts together influences ranging from Afro-pop and folk-psych to country-blues and po-mi (post-millennial) experimental pop. Since forming in 2005 around singer/songwriter Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber, The Dodos have released three increasingly polished and refined albums, with a fourth, No…
Musically, the Vietnam War era is remembered through “All Along the Watch Tower,” “American Woman,” “War Pigs,” and Hot Rocks-era Rolling Stones — the sort of heavily bluesified rock songs you’ll hear in Platoon and Full Metal Jacket. Odd as it may seem, future generations may think Operation Iraqi Freedom…
Mixtapes have been a staple of the hip-hop world, dating back to the old days when NYC selectas like Kool Herc were using the rhymes of artists like Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa to help launch their careers. Another cat who rose to glory via his masterful mixtapes was DJ…
What can we make of Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister these days? The 65-year-old frontman of semi-legendary punk/metal outfit Motörhead is still the same bird-flipping rock ‘n’ roller who changed the lives of innumerable angry suburban children with guitars. But he’s also turned into a bit of a grandpa. Yes, he’s still…
After a quarter-century of showcasing the biggest up-and-coming bands, Austin’s South by Southwest has built enough of a brand to warrant unofficial offshoots in far-flung places. Like, umm, Tempe, which is a convenient stop for Texas-bound bands from the West Coast. Every year, the folks at Stateside Presents toss a…
When it comes to South By Southwest, Phoenix’s fortunes are always changing. In recent years, as many as 20 local bands have played at the king-making music industry event in Austin, a half-dozen from Phoenix alone scoring official showcases. This year, there are only four Arizona acts showcasing, including one…
THURSDAY 10 27th Avenue Bar: DJ Manage, & DJ Android (Top 40) 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) Blue Martini: Rewind Thursday with DJ Mendez (retro) Bobby Q’s: All-Star Thursdays (hip-hop,…
Miley Cyrus is continuing to prove that she’s into older men, according to the Fab Life.Cyrus seems to be having a fling with Kings of Leon bassist Jared Followill. They’ve been doing an awful lot of texting lately, according to a source that’s close with Kings of Leon.The source said,…
It’s become a cliché for music journalists to write “pity poor Ron Sexsmith” stories about how wonderful the Canadian singer-songwriter is and how it’s a crime that he doesn’t sell more records. It’s only a cliché because it’s true. With his eleventh studio album, Long Player Late Bloomer, in stores…
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. Are The Refreshments really playing South By Southwest as reported?Which Strokes side project is the best…
Casey Moore’s is the neighborhood bar of Tempe. Located just walking distance from the Mill Avenue bars, Casey’s is the perfect place to have a couple beers and still be able to talk to your friends without yelling. Jimmy Eat World even wrote a song about the place. The casual…
SanTan Brewing is taking the beer festival band thing to a whole new level at their first Ameri”CAN” Canned Craft Beer Festival.The Chandler brewery cans instead of bottles, which probably seems like a trivial distinction (or a horrible mistake) to people who aren’t into craft beer.Trust me, it’s the sort…
Song: Family Of The Year, “Treehouse”Context: LA’s Family Of The Year will be playing the South By Stateside show on Monday at Sail Inn. This is a super cool song from the group. Treehouse by Family of the Year…
Title: For When It’s Sunny OutBasics: Phoenix foursome Snow Songs features the versatile Yolanda Bejarano as their lead singer, and it’s damn near impossible to not to mention Bejarano when discussing the band. She is one of the strongest presences I have come across in my time with YAFI and…
Festival season is a great time to be a music fan in Phoenix. With South by Southwest and Coachella both right around the corner, tons of great bands will be passing through Arizona on their way east or west across our state. You can add The Dodos to this list…
Their live shows, however, are where the band makes their reputation. They coordinate their clothes — usually all white — and pretty much just have at it onstage. Nothing is out of bounds and seemingly everything tends to happen. Luckily for the Phoenix crowd, Man Man are set to release…
According to Associated Press, former Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr was found dead in a home in Salt Lake City earlier today. Starr, 44, played bass in the band from the band’s formation in 1987 till 1993, when he was kicked out of the group, though not before playing…
In this week’s Noise Complaint comic, Up On The Sun cartoonist Robbie Pfeffer riffs on the sorry state of the Valley’s bus system.Sure, they might have What Laura Says doing cute little commercials for them, but the Valley’s buses as seen through his eyes aren’t anywhere you’d happily be. Some…
Sad news for ASU students: College Dropouts Bar, located conveniently next to Sun Devil Stadium on College Avenue, closed at the end of February. The bar, known for its retro Nintendo console and a seriously insane penny drink Tuesday (“Drinking With Lincoln,” they called it) may have had a primo…
, according to MTV News.Gaga says she wants to stand on her own two feet this time around, although many people think it’s safe to jokingly say that she practically collaborated with Madonna on the hit single “Born This Way,” anyway.”I’ve already collaborated with my favorite female in the business,”…
Song: The Horde and the Harem, “Gold Rush”Context: This Pacific Northwest quintet plays part one of the annual South By Stateside showcase on Monday at Sail Inn in Tempe. Gold Rush by The Horde and the Harem…
