VW TrainwreckDramaturgy(self-released)”Punk rock, comedy, and politics” can be a great combination — look at NOFX. But when a local band declares they’re playing with these elements in their self-penned biography, I get a little nervous. VW Trainwreck’s new album, Dramaturgy, is exactly why. With a band theme song, a track…
Since it seems pretty popular to show up to work hungover on Fridays, we figured Thursday night would be a sure fire way to put together a stellar slideshow. We headed to one of our favorite drinking holes, The Yucca Tap Room, to snap some shots and get the weekend…
This flier of the week comes to us by way of suggestion from New Times contributor Jose Gonzalez and, I have to say, it portends great things for The Necronauts’ show at Trunkspace tomorrow. The lo-fi indie/punk band has a cool sound, full of grumbling, fuzzy guitars that often remind…
Sound the City is the latest Valley band to carve out a large fan base before picking up high school diplomas, following the lead of successful locals Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Greeley Estates, and The Maine. The pop-rock band, whose members are seniors at Corona del Sol and Desert Vista…
At first listen, The Expendables sound like just another ska-punk band from California, a state teeming with such bands. But on closer examination, it becomes clear that this Santa Cruz foursome owes as much to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest as they do to Sublime or No Doubt. Expendables songs…
I admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for cheesy ’80s prog metal. If you perused my collection of old cassettes, you’d find all sorts of stuff featuring intricate dual guitar leads and operatic vocals, all performed by dudes with ridiculous poodle hair. Heir Apparent, Crimson Glory,…
Go ahead and count the number of British musicians who came to the Valley in the past year — you may even be able to count them on both hands. It’s a low number, thus making the stop by Brighton boys Fujiya & Miyagi all the more intriguing. Their name…
Eric Crespo was doing fine as the guitarist for Portland, Oregon band Alarmist when he decided to go his own way and start his own one-man band. The result of his brave ways is Ghost to Falco, a passion project that does Portland’s booming music scene justice. Crespo’s calm but…
While a helluva lot of music from the 1990s really sucked (Spice Girls, Ace of Base, all those boy bands), one brief moment toward the end of the decade caused mainstream robots to wrap their heads around the Swing Revival. With Swingers re-defining cool and raking it in at the…
Logan Howard (a.k.a. DJ Element) has cooler friends than you’ll ever have. Among his plethora of pals are a slew of artists, rappers, and turntablists, all of whom can transform an ordinary club into a playa’s paradise filled with phat beats and hip-hop treats. And they’re doing just that during…
Rarely does a death metal act succeed in spooking a seasoned critic like me, but I have to say there was truly something unsettling about Iwatchedherdie.’s The Ill Effects of Hope. Midway through the seven-song disc I just felt vaguely disturbed by the imagery, the haunting keyboards, the crushing guitars,…
On Friday, February 20th, we felt it was high time we head to Hanny’s (for best results, check the slideshow). It’s only been the most talked about downtown bar since, well, before it even opened. Geez, what’s our problem, anyway? Get on it already!If we had to pick one word…
Rarely will you find me at a Scottsdale dance club on a Saturday night — if you’re looking for an Up on the Sun contributor, keep your eyes peeled for Kelly Wilson — but, if you do, there’s a very high probability it will be at The Rogue for “Sir”…
Like it or not, DJ William Fucking Reed’s debaucherous weekly dancefest Shake! has been a Saturday-night institution for booty-shaking hepcats around P-town since launching in 2005. And after four years of rocking the Rogue Bar in Scottsdale, it’s still managing to survive and thrive amidst an ever-turbulent nightlife scene. One…
It’s said that “a Sunday well spent brings a week of content,” which is why for the past few years we’ve been spending the last night of our weekends tuned into local NPR station KJZZ (91.5 FM on your radio dial) for Bob Corritore’s program Those Lowdown Blues. Every week…
Perhaps you’ve heard of a band called Modest Mouse. They had a 2004 song, “Float On,” that quite possibly everyone in America and at least three other continents knew the lyrics to. Perhaps you’re also a fan of Morrissey and his band, The Smiths, which featured Johnny Marr on lead…
Lisa Hannigan has quickly become a hot commodity since breaking off from her collaboration with Damien Rice, especially in her native Ireland. The singer’s solo debut, Sea Sew, was recently released in the States and has been nominated for a Choice Music Prize, an award given to the best Irish…
Hellraisin’ runs in alt-country badass Hank Williams III’s family. His granddad, the patron saint of country music, was a serious drinker and drugger who checked out in the backseat of a Caddy on the way to a gig on New Year’s Eve 1953, and his daddy, who in his prime…
It’s apparently gonna be a big weekend for drum ‘n’ bass fans. In addition to the launch of the new Influx Friday monthly dance party over at Draw 10, a slew of local turntablists will be bringing the boom to Cajun restaurant Chez Monieux, 5004 South Price Road in Tempe,…
HogjawDevil in the Details(Self-released) As much as I generally prefer music that bears the stamp of the town that births it, there’s something to be said for a band that becomes so obsessed with another region’s music that they transform themselves, to the point they mimic it perfectly. The Love…
We fully admit to our jealousy of Mathew Ward. Not only does the Portland guitarist have an obscene amount of talent (which he’s demonstrated much over the past decade on seven separate full-length albums), Ward’s collaborated musically with such indie all-stars as Cat Power, Bright Eyes, and Yo La Tengo…
You really can’t blame folks for wanting to get a little boozed up on this holiday.If you’re hooked up, it’s time to get loose and get kinky. If you’re single, there’s no better time for some drunken wallowing. And, if you get lucky, you’ll find another lonely soul at a…
