The Best Concert Photos of June 2011

Yeah, we know. It’s a little late. Somehow all the mojitos we consumed during the fourth at the massive haboob from last week, have us a little behind. Be that as it may, we’re confident that even a cursory glance at the below photos will have you exclaiming, “Damn! Those…

Money Power Respect Entertainment Pushes Local Hip-Hop on a Large Scale

How much does it cost to book GZA from Wu-Tang Clan? Or Lil Jon? Or Nicki Minaj?Cahleb Branch knows, because his company, Valley-based Money Power Respect Entertainment, books international shows for them, among a slew of other well-known hip-hop artists. But beyond that, the five year-old company’s established an innovative,…

The Wailers to Play Compound Grill on August 10

Reggae may be synonymous with island music, but it’s also got a rich history right here in the deserts of Arizona. As we reported a couple years ago in our cover story on Hopi reggae artist Casper Lomayesva, reggae acts from all over the world played reservations in Arizona throughout…

Tumblr of the Week: Nile Theater

Up on the Sun has always enjoyed helping out our friends and promoting worthy local concerts and venues, ​which is why this week’s pick for Tumblr of the Week is the Nile Theater.More on what’s awesome about this week’s Tumblr of the Week after the jump…..

Sacha Levine, What Are You Listening To?

​Sacha LevineThe sous chef of FnB says, “I don’t just love food, I effing heart music as well.” When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? It’s kinda always set to NPR. Occasionally, there are really fantastic interviews with…

Your New Favorite Band: Blood Orange

I suppose it’s a testament to Devonté Hynes — that he can pull the wool over one of his biggest fans’ eyes, effectively tricking me into thinking I had stumbled upon yet another brilliant British indie rock band…

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our July 7 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 eight best local records of 2011 so far? What are the best and…

Remembering Kirby Allan: The Man Behind the Mystique

Headlines struck familiar tones on June 16. The Diamondbacks defeated the San Francisco Giants 3-2, after Justin Upton nailed a 10th inning walk-off home run. Broadway Road was closed between Rural Road and Mill Avenue. A Glendale woman was arrested on charges of pimping out a 17-year-old girl. And a…

The Raconteurs Are Back!

The Raconteurs have announced that they will be performing at the inaugural MI Fest in Brooklyn, Michigan on September 17.The band, which consists of Jack White, Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence of the Greenhornes and Dead Weather, and Patrick Keeler, has not yet revealed any information about any potential additional tour dates…

Super Stereo’s Upbeat Electro-Dance Music Makes a National Splash

It’s a Friday night at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, and local electro-pop band Super Stereo is getting ready to take the stage. The five 20-somethings (two gals and three guys) in the group are wearing sunglasses and coordinated gray-and-white outfits. They look crisp, clean, and cool, as…

Cowboy Mouth’s Fred Leblanc on Being Born Deaf and New Orleans

Pete Townshend once claimed, “I have terrible hearing trouble. I have unwittingly helped to invent and refine a type of music that makes its principal proponents deaf.” But there’s a drummer/singer out there right now who was born deaf but learned to hear. He’s performed more than 2,500 concerts for…

Beyonce, Leonardo DiCaprio to Star in A Star is Born Remake

, according to Consequence of Sound.As if she wasn’t busy enough promoting her new album 4, which is doing quite well on the Billboard charts, Beyonce will take the lead female role as “an aspiring singer who arrives in Hollywood desperate for a break.”The film is set to be released…

H2O to Headline Within These Walls on September 24

The line up of Within These Walls has been changing a bit over the past couple weeks, but it looks like it’s close to being locked down. A headliner was recently announced, and it’s none other than seminal New York hardcore punk heroes, H2O. It’s been a good six years…

Memory Tapes: Player Piano

Dayve Hawk lit up the blogosphere back in 2008 with his multifarious Memory Tapes remixes, as well as 2009’s debut LP Seek Magic. Then championed as chillwave, Memory Tapes is now seen as a more calculated producer effort by Hawk, and rightfully so — he has hit his stride with…