In this week’s issue, I penned a piece for the music section pimping tomorrow night’s release party for the Chronicles of Sheriff Joe split seven-inch. Three local bands — Andrew Jackson Jihad, Treasure Mammal, and Porches — each contributed songs that roast Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio with plenty of…
“We have been waiting all summer long for this,” states the Facebook event page for this weekend’s relaunch of Jared Alan and Sean Watson’s Cheap Thrills dance party. They ain’t kidding, as many fans of the DJ duo have been eager for the long-awaited return of the ultra-popular event.Cheap Thrills…
Nicki Minaj claimed via Twitter on Wednesday that she had no idea about a concert booked for Montclair State University. It turns out that she wasn’t lying: the show was actually a scam.She tweeted, “what is this i’m hearing about a MSU concert? where and when is this concert supposed…
This week’s music feature is on local band Beyond Our Recognitions of God (BORG) taking action within their community. After BORG’s drummer, John Landato, was stabbed in the neck by someone they’ve called a “crazed junky” after playing an anti-meth show in August, band member Joe Terborg has begun to…
Sara Oliver’The Chronicles of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’It’s evident the creators of this flier put a heck of a lot of work into it. There are costumes, the set, the props and the fact that it moves! Don’t worry that the men–and chicken–featured in the flier are actual criminals. They’re just…
Song: Matt & Kim, “Cameras”Context: Matt &Kim will be at the Clubhouse in less than two weeks, but their new record, Sidewalks, won’t be out until November. Here’s the first single. Cameras by mattandkim…
Joe Terborg knows firsthand the damage crystal methamphetamine can do to one’s life: He did a dozen years in prison because of the drug. While Terborg’s history with meth isn’t particularly unusual — casual use led to addiction, which led to dealing, which led to a series of progressively harsher…
What’s the most significant thing you’ve ever accomplished on your laptop? Paid off a credit card? Logged a seven-letter word on Scrabulous? Constructed your first-rate Evite? Hey, no judgments — that shit’s great. It just doesn’t have the staying power of Ratatat, the 2004 self-titled debut disc that guitarist Mike…
Calling a band a “jam band” can be just as stigmatizing as calling them a “Christian act” — a sizable, devoted minority of the music-listening population will see it as a real virtue, while the rest of us silently utter a prayer of malediction, à la Max von Sydow in…
In case you missed it, Palm Beach buzz band Surfer Blood has signed to Warner Bros. It’s a puzzling move three-quarters of the way through the year 2010, when not one but two independent releases have taken the number-one spot on the Billboard charts. What does being on a major…
Frank Black thinks you shouldn’t trust a single word I write about either him or The Pixies. The venerable frontman of the equally venerable alt-rock band has had a contentious and distrustful relationship with music scribes, as demonstrated by his declaration that most band interviews “are mangled and even have…
The music industry is notorious for taking even the best, most down-to-earth people and chewing them up. Even if one is fortunate enough to “make it,” it’s almost impossible to not become a raging asshole-holic. That makes it all the more remarkable that Tom Petty became wildly successful while sticking…
Skybox — whom you may remember from their time in the Phoenix music scene a few years ago — are returning to the Valley from their new home in Chicago for their first show in the area in over a year. The band takes on the music business in a…
THURSDAY 23 27th Avenue Bar: R&B Thursdays (old-school R&B) Afterlife: Filthy Thursdays with Silent J, Casanova, Marc Elliot, Cris Castro, & more (dubstep, electro, breakbeats, drum ‘n’ bass, underground hip-hop) Airia Nightclub: Ladies Night with DJ Circle, & D-JR (hip-hop, Top 40, remixes, house, electro) AZ88: Josh One (rare groove,…
Cream Stereo Lounge’s loss is 910 Live’s gain. The promoters of Giant Wednesdays have left behind the sleek and chic Scottsdale club and moved their weekly party to the far funkier Tempe nightspot, located at 910 North McClintock Drive. They’ll continue to book internationally known house and trance superstars, including…
Don’t panic, but members of local bands Andrew Jackson Jihad, Porches, and Treasure Mammal might be headed to jail this week. Nope, they’re not behind on child support payments, driving drunk, asking for public records, or committing other grievous violations of the law. They are, however mocking ol’ Sheriff Joe…
Over the years, Hollywood has produced a lot of great biopics of famous musicians. You know the titles: Ray, What’s Love Got to Do with It, Walk the Line, The Doors, etc. Some bright, young Hollywood screenwriter ought to start working up a script treatment on Sharon Jones. Sure, Sharon…
Is Torche a metal band? Depends on whom you ask. Despite their pop leanings and lead singer/guitarist Steve Brooks’ repeated claims that Torche is not a metal band, their fan base consists largely of stoner rock and post-metal fans. Why? Well, first, Torche is signed to Hydra Head Records, 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 did we do to piss off Scott Weiland’s publicist?What was the deal with the “suspicious backpacks”…
Stone Temple Pilots have postponed their fall tour after singer Scott Weiland apparently went batshit crazy at a show in Texas over the weekend, according to Spinner. A dozen dates have been axed but the band is planning to reschedule them.To all the people who criticized me for bagging on…
Rapper Wyclef Jean has officially pulled out of the presidential race in Haiti, according to Spinner.Wyclef was enthusiastic about potentially becoming the new president of Haiti when the majority of Haitian youth was eager to support his candidacy. Although Wyclef resides in the United States, not in Haiti, he cares…
Club Silver has had a rocky history, to say the least. The downtown Phoenix dance parlor was opened back in 2007, then it was shut down by the city in 2008, reopened later that year, and later closed down yet again for unspecified reasons last October. Now its been reopened…
