It was quite a shock stepping into Cream Stereo Lounge in Scottsdale last night, and not because there weren’t any VIP hostesses pestering me about getting bottle service. Truth be told, there was a decidedly un-Scottsdale aura flowing through the joint as Joe DiPadova brought his popular “ONE” dance night…
By Mike R. Meyer and Martin CizmarWhen it comes to divisive ’90s alt-rockers, we at Up On The Sun like to hedge our bets. So, as we did for the Beck and Nine Inch Nails/Jane’s Addiction shows, we dispatched two music critics to Tuesday night’s Tool concert at Phoenix’s US Airways Center…
Tonight is a home-coming show of sorts for Tool, whose frontman Maynard James Keenan graced our cover a few months back because of his ambitious wine-making operation near Sedona. We’ll have a review for you tomorrow morning.Some other things to read before the show:Our somewhat controversial advance from last Thursday’s…
ASU Cronkite Journalism School Mourns the Death of Its Namesake Walter Cronkite, famous CBS anchorman known as “the most trusted man in America,” and long-time mentor to Arizona State University School of Journalism students, died today at his New York home. He was 92…full story Rockstar Mayhem Tour: Slayer Plays…
Two stages, 13 bands, more than nine hours of music, and yet the Rockstar Mayhem Festival could easily be summed up in one word: SLAYER! Unfortunately, New Times doesn’t pay me for one-word reviews, and to be honest, a handful of other bands on the bill definitely made an impression…
“Huh? The Toadies are back together?” was pretty much my reaction last week, when I heard a radio ad for Wednesday’s show at Martini Ranch in Scottsdale. Clearly, I’d been out of the loop, since Todd Lewis had reconstituted his Dallas-Fort Worth band — known nationally for 1994’s Rubberneck and…
The last time I was at Celebrity Theatre, I saw country legend Loretta Lynn do most of her set by request, politely declining to sing the songs with lyrics she was fuzzy on. George “No Show” Jones, one of a handful of living musicians who can claim a place near…
The Fray and Jack’s Mannequin made the perfect touring partners when their show stopped into the Dodge Theatre Tuesday. Both bands produce piano-driven melodies and songs that can get haunt your head for days. Both tend to attract a late teen to twentysomething crowd of starry-eyed girls as well as…
If you thought skinhead punk was a fringe phenomenon occurring only in clannish groups like the one depicted in American History X, think again. Chicago punk act Rise Against appeared to send a clear message that they’re outraged with the Obama administration at Mesa Amphitheatre last night, offering a bitter…
Perspiration was the cologne of choice at last night’s A-Trak show at Tempe’s Club Red, as the sweltering 100-degree-plus temps inside the nightspot caused many a scenester to baste in their own sweat. Then again, it might’ve also been the white-hot beats that the A-List turntablist and remix king was…
Jenny Lewis at The Marquee: Not Quite Convincing Jenny Lewis is certainly an entertainer. “From Los Angeles, with love, here’s Jenny Lewis,” the announcer belted Vegas-style as she took the stage at the Marquee on Saturday night, and Ms. Lewis wasted no time making her indie-diva status abundantly clear. As…
Jenny Lewis is certainly an entertainer. “From Los Angeles, with love, here’s Jenny Lewis,” the announcer belted Vegas-style as she took the stage at the Marquee on Saturday night, and Ms. Lewis wasted no time making her indie-diva status abundantly clear. As her ace-card backing band cranked out solid seventies-folk…
At The Scream The Prayer Tour, there’s no better way to express your love for the lord than to yell loudly at people about how Jesus Christ died for your sins. Jesus Christ. I’m not kidding.It’s Always Darkest Before The…..
Given that yesterday was the day the world said goodbye to Michael Jackson with a glitzy, arena-sized sendoff, it shouldn’t have been surprising to see Beyonce dedicate a song to the late King of Pop at last night’s U.S. Airways Center show. And, with emotions running high, it also shouldn’t…
Hoodlums Music, at 6434 S. McClintock in Tempe, will be screening RiP! a remix manifesto for free Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. Here’s a bit from the movie’s promotional materials:In RiP: A remix manifesto, Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the…
Despite sweltering heat and scarce air conditioning, about 160 folks crammed into Phoenix’s Modified Arts last night to watch the much-hyped Deer Tick as they rolled into town in their converted school bus to support their new record, Born on Flag Day. The boys, lead by singer/songwriter John McCauley, plowed…
Could Jay-Z Replace Michael Jackson? Jay-Z’s claim to being “The Best Rapper Alive” is delivered so flippantly it’s almost filler anymore. Certainly, there was a time after 2003’s The Black Album dropped that it’d have been indisputable to any serious fan of hip-hop music, but, in the years since, it’s…
We already told you a lot about Deer Tick in this week’s paper, and we’ll tell you a little more tomorrow, after tonight’s show at Modified Arts but in the meantime we just wanted to give you a little reminder: DEER TICK IS TONIGHT.In case you’re too lazy to click…
The last time I went out to The Marquee Theatre, The Offspring made themselves at home amongst the sweaty, aging punk audience. Friday night’s performance by The Joey Arroyo Band at this very same venue can be described in two words that The Offspring show could not: civil and desolate…
Jay-Z’s claim to being “The Best Rapper Alive” is delivered so flippantly it’s almost filler anymore. Certainly, there was a time after 2003’s The Black Album dropped that it’d have been indisputable to any serious fan of hip-hop music, but, in the years since, it’s become such a droning constant that…
Sometimes a show falls through the cracks that deserves more coverage in the ‘Nix. It’s no one’s fault in particular — it can be a tough task to be on top of every single noteworthy show that comes to The Valley. Such is the case for this Friday night as…
Until yesterday, I used to loathe the Warped Tour. Not because of the bands or music, mind you, but rather because of some bad experiences I’d had while attending the annual summertime mega-tour. When the Warped Tour first came to Phoenix in July 1996, I’d spent every last dime I…
