This week, New Times ran a list in our print publication highlighting some of the most interesting posts published at Up On The Sun over the past week. Here are links to those posts. What are we spinning? Up on the Sun’s best music of 2011 lists. Could Guns N’…
Can you believe we’re nearly finished with December? That means we’re inching ever closer to the Arizona Centennial, and ever closer to our 100 Greatest Songs of Arizona list. We need your help — we’ve got some good suggestions in our 100greatestazsongs@gmail.com inbox, but we need more. What songs have…
Money Power Respect’s list of clientele continues to grow in relevance and notoriety. Off of the heels of Hannibal Leq’s Hype Music deal, MPR stablemate’s Mob Fam recently locked up a deal of their own, signing with local independent music label Nastyboy Records, the label founded by Phoenix’s MC Magic…
You sick of hearing about how awesome Saturday night’s Andrew Jackson Jihad show was? Well, too bad. Some of us weren’t able to make it, as Brad Dwyer illustrates in this week’s installment of Record Heat. Lucky for you (and Brad), we caught a good chunk of the show on…
Depending on your status, either check these guys out again or contemplate what the hell you’ve been waiting for and get your ass to Comerica Theatre this summer.Foster the People, Cults, Lucero and others are among those making stops in the Valley in the coming months.The rest of this week’s…
David Bickford Bickford writes two prominent local blogs, PHX Rail Food and PHX Trail Dude. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? I listen to KJZZ for news by day and jazz by night. I grew up listening…
Editor’s Note: As we continue our observations of 2011, Up on the Sun contributor Christina Caldwell looks at the state of venues around town, and speculates about what the Phoenix music scene has and what it lacks. Answering “what makes a perfect music venue” is a tall order; here’s…
In the 1970s, Alice Cooper was the poster child of “the devil’s music,” a sexually ambiguous, mascara-smeared heavy metal demon with subversive lyrics and mock-drama stage theatrics. In 2011? Well, this year marks his 11th Christmas Pudding, an annual variety show-style bash featuring rock stars, magicians, and comedians that has…
In 2008, New Times contributor Ben Westhoff hypothesized a worthy argument: R&B music is dead. Westhoff complained that R&B had surrendered its identity to the demands of urban radio. The genre’s faceless, plodding hip-hop beats were the antithesis of Teddy Riley, D’Angelo, and R. Kelly, creative songwriters who parented an…
The story of how hard it is to break into the national rap scene is an oft-told tale. Breaking into the Phoenix scene? That’s hard, too, says Tucson rapper Savant. “Tucson is Phoenix’s younger stepbrother,” he says. “You need a major co-signer. Someone from Tucson can’t just come to Phoenix…
Alice Cooper is a lot of things: Shock rock pioneer, radio personality, golfer, restauranteur, and advocate for at risk youth. This weekend’s 11th annual Welcome 2 My Christmas Pudding event is yet another instance of Alice Cooper atoning for his dark, dark past (you know, like the chicken thing, those…
Those speculating about Coachella 2012 (I for one would love to see Refused, but a reunion would ruin the whole breakup, and if Tom Waits is indeed playing, I’ll probably soil myself) should take note of the little logo at the bottom of the advertisements for the Red Hot Chili…
They say that being in a band is just like a marriage — there are ups, downs, fights, and plenty of time where you’re not sure anything is working. The of course, there are those transcendent moments that make it all feel worth it. But sometimes it just doesn’t work…
His album Camp has been receiving an awful lot of good hype from the kids lately. (Some serious hate, too: Hipster Runoff has been slamming him for months, and the anti-Glover backlash capped off with a crazy, scathing review from the folks over at Pitchfork) Given his Glover’s ever-increasing profile,…
Bill Binder Binder is a performer at The Torch Theatre. He performs with The Foundation every Saturday at 8:30 p.m. and with Apollo 12 every Friday at 10:30 p.m. through December. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now?…
Phoenix-based Fervor Records is already home to local “futurepop” group Super Stereo and NYC’s Tarik NuClothes, as well as the owners of a massive vintage music record catalog that provides music for some of today’s best television shows. Earlier this week the company announced the addition of local Latin reggae…
So the season hops along, and what’s happening in the Valley? Snow in Scottsdale? Madness indeed. Perhaps it’s an overload of crappy Christmas tunes driving the folks at Weather Control crazy. Let’s fix that with some quality tunes, shall we?Last week Up On the Sun brought you Part I of…
There’s an amusing photo meme that’s been traversing the Internet in recent months depicting alter kocker rockers Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollins and declaring: “Punk isn’t dead. It just goes to bed at a more reasonable hour.” Try telling that to the pack of aging punks who have forgone an…
Most people remember Cake for the band’s quirky, funky novelty hits: “Never There,” “Short Skirt/Long Jacket,” “The Distance,” the profane take on Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” (Gaynor hated it). Achieving radio success with such a singular blend of mariachi, funk, rock, and hip-hop is weird, but Cake is even…
Nineteen-eighty was a strange time for music. First-wave punk was finished; disco was on its way out, and practically every pop song on the air was sporting synthesizers. Despite the fact that its uncompromising rockabilly-meets-punk sound was never particularly in vogue, Los Angeles band X held the gaze of the burgeoning…
When it comes to local music (and apparently, everything) all things must pass. So goes the reign of punk promoter Will Anderson, whose belly laugh, dirty Avail hat, and jovial smile have been a near-constant presence at punk shows in the Valley for 20 years. Benjamin Leatherman brings us the…
This week, New Times ran a list in our print publication highlighting some of the most interesting posts published at Up On The Sun over the past week. Here are links to those posts. What songs have we picked to soundtrack your Festivus festivities? What will the upcoming local Jim…
