Shantidas Contu-Owen, What Are You Listening To?

​Shantidas Contu-Owen The local fashion designer was the winner of Project Ethos’ VitaminWater Zero Fashionista Challenge. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? Generally 96.9-FM. I’m not really loyal to any one station. I just switch around and…

Matt Pinfield and 120 Minutes Return to MTV Networks this Month

120 Minutes, the MTV show that broke countless alternative bands from 1986 to 2000, is coming back, this time on MTV2 — and it will be hosted by the show’s original veejay, music geek extraordinaire Matt Pinfield. Pinfield has been one of the most influential and enthusiastic figures in alternative…

Spotify Finally Lands in the U.S.

Well, thankfully for those Americans who must have their tunes on them at all times, Swedish streaming music service Spotify has officially landed on U.S. shores. Spotify allows you to stream music from Spotify’s gigantic database of 15 million songs — on any computer with an Internet connection. Best of…

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our July 14 Issue

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 the best cover songs in other languages? • What does Lawrence Zubia of…

Bob Dylan Comes to God in an Arizona Hotel Room

According to legend, it was a chilly November night in 1978 when Bob Dylan experienced a vision of Jesus Christ. Holed up in a Tucson hotel room, he had just finished a set and was mentally and physically exhausted. His marriage to Sara Lownds had ended a year earlier, and…

Ben Folds Is No Misogynist

There’s hardly a subject that escapes Ben Folds’ wit. From style faux pas (“For Those of Y’all Who Wear Fannie Packs”) to apathetic scenesters (“Battle of Who Could Care Less”), Folds produces all manner of self-deprecation, sardonic observation, and irreverence, stretching from “Your Redneck Past” to his cover of Dr…

High Horse Explains Song Off of Self-Titled Debut

When you team up the brotherly duo from The Necronauts, Billy and Dale Goodman, with Stereotyperider guitarist/vocalist Mike Upsahl, good things are bound to happen. And good things have taken shape in the collaborative effort that is the band High Horse. The trio released their self-titled seven-song EP earlier this…

Crescent Ballroom – Whatchu Know ‘Bout It? No, Seriously.

And today on Mystery Venue Theatre, Crescent Ballroom — a mystical name that almost rivals the mystery surrounding the new downtown Phoenix venue. Formerly home to Bentley’s Nightclub, whose former website bentleysnightclubphx.com now leads to the sultry, kind of NSFW Pinupdoll.com, specific details about the venue at 308 N. 2nd Avenue,…

Jack White Makes His Hip-Hop Debut on New Track by Black Milk

 according to Spin.White has produced and contributed to the songs “Royal Mega” and “Brain.””Brain” is available for streaming here, and Spin has “Royal Mega” available for streaming here. It sure is catchy, and the hard blues undertones pair up perfectly with the vocals.More daily music news and gossip about Al…

Sound Strike Benefit Show Scheduled for July 29 in Los Angeles

Love it or hate it, The Sound Strike’s commercial boycott of Arizona is not going anywhere. The organization is hosting a benefit show in Los Angeles on July 29, featuring L.A.-based groups Aztlan Underground, Fitter, and New York rockers Outernational. The downtown L.A. show doesn’t feature quite as big a…

Washed Out: Within And Without

After two brilliantly crafted EPs, Greene has finally released Washed Out’s much-anticipated debut, Within And Without. Buoyed by the strong lead single, “Eyes Be Closed,” Within And Without carries the chillwave torch, one still has plenty of fuel left. Greene’s latest effort not only helps broaden the appeal of the…

We Were Promised Jetpacks Featured on So Much Silence

So Much Silence features a link to a new song by We Were Promised Jetpacks album, In the Pit of the Stomach, due out in the U.S. on October 4 via Fat Cat Records. SMS also features a few details on mysterious new Crescent Ballroom, a new venue joining the…