Killswitch Engage has gone through some major changes during the past few years. Since 2000 the Massachusetts’ metal act has put out six studio albums, sold more than four million albums in the U.S. alone, and is known as one of the defining bands for the New Wave of American…
Since 1983, California-bred Testament has evolved into one of the biggest names in thrash metal. If you were a metal fan in the past three decades, chances are such albums as 1987’s The Legacy, 1992’s The Ritual and 2008’s The Formation of Damnation. And of course, the band’s most recent…
There’s a lot to love about Huntress, and it’s not just because frontwoman Jill Janus is gorgeous, bad-ass and intelligent. The band’s debut album Spell Eater, recorded and produced by Chris Rakestraw, earned stellar reviews. The musicians–Janus, guitarist Blake Meahl, bassist Ian Alden, and drummer Carl Wierzbicky–thrive on heavy riffs…
Some Kanye West shows have been canceled and/or postponed, and I admit that this is only news in the way “Dog Bites Man Really, Really Hard” is news. Buying a ticket to a Kanye West show is a little like preordering Chinese Democracy in 2000: You’re pretty sure you’re going…
“You can’t 3D-print Obamacare; it’s too beautiful.” This is one of the things you could overhear at a Treasure Mammal practice. It’s what they’re talking about at the moment, but the subject may shift to the “rap-rock vortex,” Juggalos, Bud Lite Lime, or bro culture. It’s part of the consciousness…
Wolfgang Gartner and Tommy Trash will hit the decks Friday at the Marquee Theatre, making sure that Halloween last one day longer. Their recent tour and track “Hounds of Hell” captures both of the DJs’ creative styles, with a bit of a spooky undertone. Up On The Sun spoke with…
Josh Tillman sighs into the phone, taking a breath before launching into a personal sentiment that’s a signature of his tell-all take to his music — something he’s fond of exploring rather than simply talking about his inspirations. As the man behind Father John Misty, the psych-folk act that’s followed his work with both Fleet Foxes and his previous solo project J. Tillman, he’s no stranger to plumbing the depths of philosophy to create his own narrative.
By Jason Roche Recently a petition to have GWAR play the 2015 Super Bowl Halftime Show went live on Change.org. It’s gotten nearly 46,000 signatures, but let’s be honest: Even if it had 46 million, we doubt the NFL would let the costumed metallers perform on its biggest event of…
It’s safe to say you’ll never encounter anyone like James St. James. Sure, you’ve likely heard his name before, since the fabulously freaky celebutante, party guru, and TV personality has earned worldwide infamy for his over-the-top lifestyle and fashion sense. And, of course, for his history as one of the…
Any time you go out to a club in Phoenix, you’re putting your night in the DJ’s hands. Sure: You’ll pick the style of music you’d like to hear, and the venue, and the drinks. But if the DJ’s having a bad night, it’ll take an industrial-strength pair of earplugs…
Terraplane Station has been around only a couple of years, but they’re already making the rounds on the Valley’s blues scene. Terraplane Station has periodic performances at the El Dorado Bar and Grill in Scottsdale, Pappy’s Sports Bar in Sunnyslope, and the American Legion Post on north Cave Creek Road,…
Since 1983, metal band Megadeth has sold more than 20 million albums, and earned eleven Grammy nominations. The band has built an enduring fanbase around their intelligent take on heavy metal, lyrical themes like religion, politics, and addiction, and densely driven grooves. Most recently the band toured the world with…
By Nick Keppler It’s a Tuesday night and I am sitting on a yoga mat in the back of a former grocery store in Pittsburgh, spreading my legs as far as they can go. I reflexively turn to see how the woman next to me is managing her dragonfly pose…
Costume? Check. Drinking money? Yup. The phone number for a reliable cab company? Locked in. Looks like you’re ready to hit the town for some Halloween revelry. So where do you go from here? If our All Hallow’s Eve party guide (see page 44) doesn’t provide enough options, consider heading…
TLC/Courtesy of VH1[Editor’s Note: In his new column, award-winning goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times. Better put on your shoes because your socks are about to be blown off.] On Monday night I watched a movie about TLC, the most important all-girl rap group of all-time. It…
Eccentric Swedish metal act Ghost B.C. released their second LP, Infestissumam, in April and are currently in the midst of a massive world tour, bringing a theatrical, mesmerizing and ghastly show to the masses. For the most part, Ghost have maintained anonymity. Five of the musicians, dubbed Nameless Ghouls (which…
Animal Collective, the once-Baltimore based electronic-psychedelic act consisting of Avey Tare, Deakin, Geologist, and Panda Bear, seems to be in a constant state of flux when the band’s entire catalog is taken into perspective. From the combinations of the most disparate electronic and acoustic musical elements on 2000’s Spirit They’ve…
The Sugar Thieves, considered by many the best dance-blues band in Phoenix, have been busy for a while now, playing a regular gig every Wednesday at Copper Blues, touring across the state, and working toward getting an album out in 2014. Oh, yeah, and band members Mikel Lander and Meredith…
There’s been a lot in the news lately about vinyl records. Vinyl sales hit a 10-year high in Britain, and people are preparing for record store day, a mere month away. This past week on Up on the Sun columnist Steve Wiley presented five reasons CDs are better than vinyl,…
It seems like one has closed every month, lately–Hollywood Alley, Martini Ranch, Rocky Point Cantina–but the Valley is still blessed with enough music venues to make selecting some for each year’s Best of Phoenix a little nerve-wracking. In any case, we did it. Here are the music venues that picked…
The sinister sound-slinger known as DJ Bl3nd is a major freak. And that’s not a slight by any means. Catch one of his high-energy sets on YouTube or at various EDM events and you’re likely to witness the spazzy selector, who sports a Mohawked mask inspired by Chucky from Child’s…
The music is like Bad Religion meets Meat Loaf … the musical. The persona is somewhere between The Joker and Max Sterner. Travis James, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for Travis James and The Acrimonious Assembly of Arsonists, has been a lightning rod for controversy since he set one of…
