Festival season is officially upon us — with Country Thunder and Tempe Music Festival next weekend, and McDowell Mountain Music Fest later in April — and we’ve got one more to add to your calender. Clean Slate Celebration in Glendale April 11 is a benefit for Murray Grey Foundation, which…
Declaring that “special events are drivers of ridership,” Metro Light Rail CEO Rick Simonetta today announced extended hours for the April 3 and 4 Tempe Music Festival. Instead of the last train leaving at 11 p.m., as usual, east- or westbound riders can depart from the 3rd Street and Mill…
For an unprecedented third time since its December launch, the Metro Light Rail will be extending its hours to accommodate those patrons of the Tempe Music Festival (April 3rd & 4th) hoping to catch either night’s later sets. The Tempe Music Fest now joins New Year’s Eve and the NBA…
It wouldn’t be hard to argue that The Bronx are on a steady decline. When the band first played Phoenix, they were at the area’s biggest club-type venue, the Marquee. Then, last year, they played the much smaller Clubhouse. Last night, they were crammed into the tiny (but wonderful) Yucca…
One of the things I love best about Bright Eyes (and yes, I unapologetically love Bright Eyes) is the way the band mingles so many rootsy sounds in songs that end up being totally contemporary. It’s for that reason, and not just Matthew Reveles’ vulnerable, emotive vocals, that I compare…
Jonathan McNamara There will be no more pour at Maloney’s on Campus in Tempe, at least for the foreseeable future. When hundreds of drunken douchebags and frat-boys festive revelers jammed into Maloney’s on Campus for the Saint Patrick’s Day tent party last Tuesday, they probably had little idea that the…
Those wily whippersnappers over at Pitchfork have dubbed yet another indie buzz band with their “artist to watch” label. This time around it is Staten Island rockers Cymbals Eat Guitars, masters of the ancient, time-honored tradition known as the art of “using a sentence as our band name.” All sarcasm…
The folks down at the Lost Leaf have an offer that local punk fans surely can’t refuse. Namely, the downtown Phoenix beer and wine parlor is hosting a rare solo performance tonight by hardcore punk icon Kevin Seconds tonight. And guess what? It’s absotively, posilutely free. The Seven Seconds frontman…
A lot of big indie shows — but not big, big shows — in last week’s concert announcements. Lucero, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears are coming to Rythm Room in May, as are Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s. St. Vincent plays Modified on Sunday, May 31, which…
After discovering that MxPx lead singer Mike Herrera was coming to Tempe’s Yucca Tap Room with his rockabilly/country side project Tumbledown, I knew I had to check it out for sheer curiosity alone. I’ve been an MxPx fan for years and have seen the band live on numerous occasions. And…
SxSW Wrap Up Whether you’re trying to put back together the memories you made after being hit by the speeding truck that was this weekend’s SxSW music festival or you’re a local who couldn’t make the trip, we’ve got all the slide shows and articles to catch up on what…
If you are like most people reading about SxSW on every blog out there, it can be a bit overwhelming. But that is nothing compared to how overwhelming it can be to actually be at a festival where 300 bands are playing at every minute (how many stages does Coachella…
Local fans of The Killers have been waiting patiently for the band’s upcoming gig at Dodge Theatre next month. It’s been almost two years since The Killers last performed in the Valley, and local fans of the blockbuster post-punk band have been waiting oh-so patiently for their chance to see…
You can expect several things from Super Sensational Saturdays at the Bikini Lounge: great tunes from resident DJs Borisimo and The Gestapo – plus a revolving dorr of special guests, drinks you can still feel the next afternoon, and the promise of a $500 raffle that never actually happens (see…
We’ve got some very sad news for you this Monday: The Loveblisters are very likely breaking up. No announcement on their MySpace, but we got an e-mail from their former manager, Jack Maverik, saying their upcoming show at Last Exit will be their, umm, last exit, and confirmed the news…
Right now I’m writing up a column on last week’s I Heart AZ party, a SxSW showcase our blog contributor Steve Chilton threw last week in Austin, which was definitely the highlight of my week at the festival. Radio works faster than us print folks though, so I figured I’d…
Whether you’re trying to put back together the memories you made after being hit by the speeding truck that was this weekend’s SxSW music festival or you’re a local who couldn’t make the trip, we’ve got all the slide shows and articles to catch up on what you missed. This…
Attention, all Phoenicians unable to attend SxSW this year: Don’t worry. Sure, it’s not as good as standing inches away from your favorite band in a trendy Austin club, but we’ve got the coverage to keep you satisfied. Scenes from South by Southwest We’ve got some images from around town…
It’s no secret that we at Up on the Sun love local music. Hell, our music editor just made the journey to SxSW to make sure you get to read first-hand accounts of how Miniature Tigers, Kinch, Dear and the Headlights and several other Phoenix bands did in Austin, Texas…
Of all the Arizona bands at SxSW, no one had a higher profile than Dear and the Headlights. They played five shows over the course of the five-day festival, including headlining the I Heart AZ showcase and the same official showcase at Spiro’s that Miniature Tigers played.I caught up with…
Attention, all Phoenicians unable to attend SxSW this year: Don’t worry. Sure, it’s not as good as standing inches away from your favorite band in a trendy Austin club, but we’ve got the coverage to keep you satisfied. Village Voice Media SXSW Party: Meese, Bear Hands, Crystal Antlers, Gomez and…
There’s been a non-stop chorus of girlish screams of joy coming from across the Valley since this morning, and we’ve finally deduced they cause behind all the shreiking: The Jonas Brothers are coming in concert this summer. The trio of Disney-programmed animatronic pop robots Disney-backed pop stars will visit Jobing.com…
