It’s tough to believe that locals Jimmy Eat World released what was perhaps their biggest hit, “Sweetness,” nearly a decade ago. But sure enough, Tokyo Police Club is here to remind us of just how much we’ve aged. As part of their “10 days, 10 covers, 10 years” project, the…
Just a few weeks ago, Beef Vegan of KWSS 106.7’s The Morning Infidelity asked New Times music editor Jason Woodbury when the Black Bottom Lighters should expect a write-up in our humble alt-weekly. While the band was sitting in the studio. Not that we’re feeling the pressure — the Glendale…
Jean Grae comes across as the kind of lyricist you don’t want to mess with. “You Don’t Like It (So What),” from her forthcoming album, Cake or Death, states it plainly: “I’m like Judy Bloom with uzis.” You wouldn’t expect DJ LES735 (a.k.a. Luis Sias), who will be spinning at…
Patrick Stump didn’t just lose three of his bandmates when he started his solo career. The former Fall Out Boy frontman also tossed out those signature hats and shed a bunch of weight, too, recasting himself as a svelte and sexy singer with a personal style that favors bow ties…
Even though Prince’s control-freak tendencies made him itch to play every instrument himself in his first band, Grand Central Corporation, friend and guitarist Morris Day swung his swanky balls around enough to earn a place in the little guy’s future collaborative royalty. Day’s song “Partyup” ended up on Prince’s genre-ravaging…
Of all the Rock and Roll Hall’s glaring omissions, it’s hard to beat the institution’s blind eye toward the “Wizard of Osmond” himself. When The Osmonds abandoned their barbershop quartet revival campaign and recorded “One Bad Apple,” a song that Motown had rejected for the Jackson 5, it ended the…
There’s a killer song by ’80s doom-metalheads Saint Vitus called “Born Too Late,” and the song’s subject fits Tempe-based roots-rock band The Smith Family Band well. The music of Derek and Ryan Smith doesn’t have anything to do with the sludgy guitars and crawling tempos of Saint Vitus, owing its…
With so many girls wearing bikini tops to raves, a lingerie-themed party was bound to happen. Jackson’s on 3rd hosted the fifth annual Lingerieve on Saturday, August 20 and did not disappoint. There were plenty of corsets, fishnet stockings, and glow sticks to go around. Check it out in this…
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. Looks like the students returning to nearby ASU have been hitting Zia Records in Tempe up for some dorm-rocking jams. Just about…
Want to see indie rockers The Globes, El Ten Eleven, and Sister Crayon for free on Tuesday, August 23, at The Rhythm Room? Up on the Sun has two tickets to give away to one lucky reader. Read on to hear a tune from each band, and details on how…
Since fist-pumping his way from his hometown of Miami to making Scottsdale his new scene of choice, Michael James has certainly been a busy dude. He regularly spreads his time between hitting the clubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and right here in the Valley, moving between Old Town’s Axis/Radius…
Music experts have long debated who exactly spawned that loud, angry beast that is heavy metal, but most everyone agrees that Led Zeppelin are the genre’s absentee forefathers. Yeah, go ahead and scrunch your nose, but it’s true in a way: Led Zeppelin, along with Black Sabbath and Deep Purple,…
Sir Sean Connery’s classic “We named the dog Indiana” line from 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is one of the best in film history. It would seem Colorado-via-Phoenix songwriter Brent Cowles, who goes by You Me and Apollo when performing his freaky folk rock, took Indy’s dad’s lesson…
You’ve got to wonder about a band that’s opened for both Gil Scott-Heron and Joan Jett. Phoenix-based Hot Birds and The Chili Sauce has done just that, managing to move the crowds of both the proto-rap pioneer and the hard rocker. Credit the band’s power to woo disparate audiences to…
It seemed to happen when no one was looking, but all of a sudden, Australia has turned into a hotbed of electronic music. Credit Cut Copy’s brilliant 2004 album, Bright Like Neon Love, for luring the eyes and hears of music fans Down Under. The attention hasn’t hurt Sydney electronic…
Ever since George Clinton promised, “Free your ass and your mind will follow,” funk bands have aimed to find the perfect cerebral groove. Orgone, a nine-piece Los Angeles-based Afrobeat/funk/soul ensemble keeps the axiom in mind, searching for the midpoint between booty-shaking and chin-stroking. The group has been playing together for…
Axis/Radius has something for everyone. Axis is geared toward fans of top 40 and R&B and Radius is a great place to check out up and coming electronica acts. Admission grants access to both clubs, which are joined by a sleek catwalk patrolled by servers dressed as hot nurses. The…
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This year’s new flock of freshmen will be welcomed by Lupe Fiasco and Jason Derulo. The show is going down on Tuesday, August 16 at Wells Fargo Arena on the Tempe campus.Admission is free for all ASU students, so don’t miss out if you have a Sun Card (even an…
Check out Peachcake’s gig this Saturday, August 13. It’s the second date on their string of four shows they will be playing at Rogue this month.The show will begin at 9 p.m. and end at 2 a.m. Tickets are just $6. Get ’em right here! A big plus for Peachcake fans…
Editor’s Note: We here at Up on the Sun are sad to announce that we are losing Michael Lopez as a staff blogger. Lopez is moving back to his hometown, Portland, Oregon. Over the past three years, M.Lo has been a distinct voice on this blog and in print. You…
