Arroyo Deathmatch, a folk punk band from New Mexico, will be playing their hearts out Sunday, January 1 at Conspire. Ari and Her Banjo, Hug of War and Josue Rodriguez will be joining them as well.Those in attendance are urged to please bring donations for the Arroyo Deathmatch to help…
I went to a lot of shows this year. Thanks to last.fm, I can conform that I went to at least 56 concerts, not counting the numerous times I swung by Yucca Tap Room or Crescent Ballroom just for fun. That’s one show every six and a half days! I…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next week, we’ll be counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. Enjoy! Okay. I’m done. Spent. No more lists. The reissues list was hard. The show list was hard. The songs and…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next couple days we’ll be counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This entry comes from Chase Kamp, a Phoenix musician and writer. Kamp began writing for Up on the Sun with…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next week, we’ll be counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. Enjoy! Is it just me, or was 2011 weird? Like, really weird? Lou Reed and Metallica made an album together. It…
Remember the ’90s? Those were the days — back when a bro could have frosted hair and not look like a brosef, when women could show nothing but their midriff without looking like a gypsy hooker, alternative rock reigned supreme, and the term “indie” was mostly used to describe race…
Have you lost your soul? Is your step missing its rhythm? Could your swagger use an injection of funk? Phoenix natives Cold Shott and The Hurricane Horns are more than happy to help put a little rhythm and blues in your life. The band doesn’t have to sweat its authenticity…
The recent hiatus of Virginia rap duo Clipse — which comprises brothers Pusha T and Malice, whose Neptunes-produced 2002 debut, Lord Willin’, earned acclaim on the pop charts and Pitchfork alike — has resulted in very different paths for its two members. Pusha T appeared on Kanye West’s My Dark…
You know what I love? I love when an upbeat rock ‘n’ roll song manages to sound sad without staring at its shoes. It’s hard to explain exactly how it works, how a tune packed with brisk snare pops, chugging distortion, and a plucky bass line can still toss in…
Oh, to be the highway patrolman who pulls over this band’s Econoline! “What’s with all the sinister masks, fellas? You’re not one of those 99 percenters, are ya?” He’d most certainly demand to see their registration, and in the course of his interrogation, he’d come to learn that they are…
Pandrogynous industrial icon and Psychic TV frontma . . . uh, frontperson Genesis P-Orridge hasn’t had the warmest of receptions in the Valley. In 2007, the British-born transgender artist — who founded landmark act Throbbing Gristle and helped influence early industrial and other nascent EDM genres — was scheduled to…
Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly feature, Sound Off, in which Jason P. Woodbury is joined by a different guest each week to listen to and discuss three tracks from local Phoenix artists. If you would like your songs to be considered for future Sound Off columns, please…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next week, we’ll be counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. Enjoy! I’m already regretting this one. I left so much off this list it hurts, deserving songs from the likes of…
It’s hard to believe that Joe Strummer, one of The Clash’s founding members, has been dead for almost a decade. George & Dragon continues to keep his memory alive with annual benefit shows. This year, local punk bands like Glass Heroes, Plainfield Butchers, and Dirty Hairy took the stage, while…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next week, we’ll be counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This installment comes from Mike Escoto, who contributes to Up on the Sun and is one of the main perpetrators over…
What’s that you say? There’s a pajama jam a la House Party 2 coming up at the Sail Inn? Well by golly, I’ll be there. But I demand parachute pants and tall geometric hairstyles like that of Christopher “Kid” Reid.Quick Henry, Doctor Bones, Strange Young Things and Rudy Rudy Rudy…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next week, we’ll be counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This installment comes from Christina Caldwell, who came on board as a major contributor to Up on the Sun this year…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next week, editor Jason P. Woodbury and the staff will countdown their favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. Earlier this year, someone called me “an old soul.” A little earlier, someone joked that my…
Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. If top selling lists and viral videos are any indicators of trend setting, don’t be surprised if there’s an outbreak of hip…
Welcome to the first installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next week, we’ll be counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This installment comes from Lenni Rosenblum, who has been a major contributor to Up on the Sun for a few…
If you were to base what you know about teenagers on the misunderstood, black-clad fans of As I Lay Dying, you might think that underneath every angst-y, tattoo-covered teen exists the soul of a good Christian kid. Not so. These fans are a special breed. They reappropriated the devilish look…
It’s important for a band to have a solid name, one that provides a sense of identity, a visual hint of what to expect musically. Smashing Pumpkins embodies this ideal. Imagine hundreds of turtles emerging from the sea in a full-moon frenzy to lay eggs on the beach but forced…
