One of the saltiest, sliest, most macho hombres ever to slap a bass guitar, Mike Watt truly is a breed unto himself. Raised in the hardscrabble port town of San Pedro, California, Watt taught himself bass and practically rewrote the book on it. His “thudstick” would be the dominant expressive…
Born in Texas and raised in Seattle, where he still resides, 32-year-old singer-songwriter Rocky Votolato has traveled a compelling career path over the past 13 years. It started in earnest in the late ’90s when, along with brother Cody (who later played in Blood Brothers and, more recently, Jaguar Love),…
Long before the practice of combining hardcore punk and thrash metal became commonplace, there were The Cro-Mags. The New York hardcore band is often credited with giving birth to the musical genre of “crossover thrash” or “metalcore” (depending on whom you’re asking) with the 1986 release of their classic debut…
“Current solo artist seeks drummer, bassist, perhaps keyboard player. Must be into early-period Guided by Voices, adore Strummer, Westerberg, Weller, Richman. Must be interested in rocking out un-ironically. Hipster douchebags and scene kids need not apply. If interested, contact Dfactor at his music blog, www.WavedRumor.com.” Talking with David Murrow, the…
What’s the easiest way to get to Wonderland? Forget about slipping through the looking glass or diving down the rabbit hole, Alice, and instead get yourself to Acua, 7144 East Stetson Drive in Scottsdale, on Thursday, March 4. Inside, DJs Jared Alan and Brazilia will preside over the Lewis Carroll-inspired…
It’s been a busy year for Kirkwood Dellinger. Since their last record, an eight-song EP titled Miniature Stallion, dropped in the summer of 2008, the band has been signed to a label, toured twice, and cut a new album. Their latest project, Gold, set to be released this Saturday, is…
Why would the frontman/guitarist of a successful indie-rock group switch to bass for his solo work? Ask David Bazan, the songwriter who formerly fronted the indie-rock band Pedro the Lion and released his solo debut, Curse Your Branches, last fall. “So much of the time I spend really loathing myself…
It’s been just more than a year since Phoenix grindcore revivalists Landmine Marathon inked a deal with Prosthetic Records, so the first thing I wanted to hear about when we sat down for an interview recently was how their lives had changed since signing a record contract. Surely, there would…
So we’re a little late with this. Yeah, we know Christmas was over two months ago, but the constant rush of this day-to-day journalistic lifestyle has left us with little time for gift-giving…or sun light. Anywho, we hope you’ll accept our late X-mas gift: the brand-spankin’-new “Happy Hours” app for…
Dwight Yoakam’s version of “Little Sister” was blasting out of the loudspeakers, along with other country and classic rock hits spun up by a cowboy hat-wearing DJ. Meanwhile, patrons sucked down Budweiser and other bottled brews whilst eating peanuts and gawking at a pair of tight-bodied waitresses in Daisy Dukes…
Artist: Johnny CashTitle: American VI: Ain’t No GraveRelease date: February 23Label: American RecordingsI approached this new record from Johnny Cash with some skepticism. By the time these tracks were recorded, J.C. simply wasn’t singing very well anymore. The songs on “Ain’t No Grave” were recorded during the same sessions as the…
This week, New Times ran a box 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’s inside the new Musical Instrument Museum in north Phoenix? Why is local Poison tribute band…
Earlier today, we brought you a Q&A from sisters Alexia and Anissa Rodriguez of Eyes Set to Kill, who are nominated for a Revolver Magazine Golden Gods Award for “Hottest Chick(s) in Metal.”Okay, so we were hoping they’d say something to start a cat fight. Alas, the girls chose to…
The Melvins lead off this week’s breakdown of just announced shows with a June date at Tempe’s Clubhouse Music Venue.The seminal ’80s punk band led by the freakishly-coiffed Buzz Osborne has 19 albums to their credit, all in their trademark blend of sludge, metal, and punk. This year marks the…
You really don’t need to spend more than, say, an hour in the Valley to notice that there are an inordinate amount of hot chicks ’round these parts. Who knows if it’s the sunshine, the constant influx of new residents, or if cacti and oleander emit some sort of magical,…
Kanye launched a new blog last week, and it ain’t so easy on the eyes. I guess the new concept shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. After all, Kanye is really good at doing what people least expect him to do. The first thing you see on the page is…
I’ve been behind local metal band Hemoptysis since I reviewed their debut EP nearly a year ago. In fact, I picked the neo-thrashers as our automatic bid to South By Southwest this year, and am happy to report the band is playing a showcase at Soho Lounge on Friday, March…
The latest story was written by Si Robins for Wavelength, a mag published by Phoenix’s National Public Radio station, KJZZ-FM 91.5. It does teeter on puffy, press-release territory, however the piece also features some nice touches, such as a brief background of the label’s namesake, River Jones, as well as some…
“Seriously, he’s wearing that?”That’s what I kept asking myself throughout Tuesday night’s episode of American Idol. I mean, really, it got to the point where the guys’ outfits were distracting from their performances. There were, however, a few things that managed to catch my attention more than the male contestants’ fashion disasters on…
DMX is planning to make an appearance at a Glendale church this weekend. The rapper known as “Earl Simmons” by Sheriff Joe’s prison guards had previously said he’s planning to skip town as soon as he gets out of the joint, but apparently had a change of heart…
Artist: High on FireTitle: Snakes for the DivineRelease date: February 23Label: E1 MusicI dodged a bullet. Yesterday, I bet everyone a million dollars they couldn’t listen to the new two-hour-long triple album by critics’ darling Joanna Newsom in its entirety, front-to-back, more than once. A bunch of people wrote to…
It’s not every weekend that we insist on hitting club events. Sure, this past weekend’s Club Candids still featured a night of booze, great music, and hot people but, this time, we classed it up at an art opening at the Ice House…
