It was one of those perfect sun-drenched spring afternoons in Tempe, the sort of day that draws so many kids to America’s most shat-upon institution of higher learning, Arizona State University. It’s not hard to see why a group of college kids playing kickball and drinking beer on a small…
Remember the good old days when every rock band at a certain level had some decadently elaborate backstory with regard to their recording process? You know, the abandoned French castle where the band wrote the lyrics, followed by the recording of the album in a Kentucky bluegrass bar where Satanic…
Bright Eyes singer Conor Oberst is not backing down from the boycott of Arizona.In a new interview, Outburst Oberst singled out another musician by name, picking on Lady Gaga, who bravely performed in Phoenix last week for the second time on her current tour. Her first time through town she…
Did you know that Odd Future’s designated stoner Domo Genesis was an Arizona State student up until a few weeks before the group’s big coming out party at South By Southwest? Few people knew until they check out this week’s music feature, where New Times contributor Chris Piel caught up…
Song: Akron/Family, “Another Sky”Context: Akron/Family will be at Rhythm Room this week and I’m super excited. Their new record, from which this song comes, is really great. Akron/Family – Another Sky by FBi Radio…
Okay, so good news and bad news. You want the bad news first right? According to a statement from Lucky Man Productions, tonight’s Rebelution has been postponed until May 14.But don’t cut your dreads just yet, because the good news is that New Yorkers Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and…
Welcome to Obscuro, a feature where Up on the Sun dives deep into the world of vinyl oddities: private press jobs, major label cast-offs, and general thrift shop clutter that’s thus far escaped anyone’s attention. These LPs have been hiding out, collecting dust, until we come along, investigate, probe and…
Alice Cooper got what we imagine to be the thrill of his life over the weekend when he got to meet the one and only Lady Gaga.The news broke yesterday. Gaga, of course, was in Phoenix over the weekend for a concert at US Airways (review + video here).Someone let the…
Warning, these are not Not Safe For Work. Or people in the Midwest.
Song: Filardo, “I Can Love You More”Context: Tom Filardo, who used to be in Asleep in the Sea and now lives in Portland, has a cool new project that kinda reminds me of Jens Lekman. Tom is also the brother of Christian Filardo, the kid behind that super weird Dunkwave…
Remember Rebecca Black?Her Hung-ian fame is probably already on the wane, but Up On The Sun cartoonist Robbie Pfeffer remains fascinated by her meteoric rise and nearly simultaneous fall. It used to take years for a teen sensation to become a tabloid fodder. No more.Check out Pfeffer’s analysis below…
, according to Pitchfork.Death Cab has chosen to make a live stream available to allow their fans to watch the music video creation process as the video is actually being shot. Schwing!The band will be streaming on www.youareatourist.com on Tuesday, April 5 at 7p.m. EST. Bing and Facebook will be posting some…
Did you know there was a Guinness world record for the most sombreros assembled in one place? Well, apparently there is, and local rockers Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers wants to break it at the CD release party for their new album, Unida Cantina. Cantina, the recording of which is the…
That last-ditch effort would be Gimme Some, the sixth album from Swedish indie rockers Peter Bjorn and John. Much like The Strokes the week before them, PB&J have to live up to their most prized album — 2006’s Writer’s Block. On that particular album, the trio joined forces with the Shout…
, according to Telegraph.Now that the digital era has taken over, vinyl has become a niche market, which generally makes sales insignificant enough that they aren’t generating a profit for Mercury anymore. Furthermore, handling excess stock causes Mercury Records some monetary loss in the market for music singles as well.Physical…
According to this Facebook event page, West Coast rapper Game is set to appear at Tempe’s School of Rock on Saturday night.The info states that 101.5 Jams will be on hand, and DJ Mikee will be spinning, as well as promising appearances from Nu Jerzey Devil, Brannu Legit and the…
Song: Odd Future, “Sandwitches”Context: Just reading over a feature about Odd Future for this Thursday’s paper — you’re gonna love reading about the group’s Arizona connection. Odd Future – “Sandwitches” by brooklynvegan…
Song: The Baseball Project, “All Future And No Past”Context: The Baseball Project, an indie rock band featuring members of R.E.M. and Golden Smog which writes songs about baseball, will be at Martini Ranch tonight. It’s a super-cool project, having featured contributions from guys like Death Cab For Cutie/Postal Service singer…
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… When you want to wage jukebox warfare, what are the best songs to take into battle?…
, according to Billboard.B.o.B. has just dropped his hot new diss track “No Future,” in which he’s quite adamant about standing his ground as an established rapper.”Body blow, upper cut, I do more than bruise ya / Keep f*ckin’ with me, you ain’t gon’ have no future,” B.o.B. sings about…
Devin Fleenor doesn’t DJ much any more. In fact, he hasn’t performed behind the decks in three years. So when the Mr. Meeble member busts out with a DJ set, you know he’s going to throw everythign he can at the club. Such will be the case next Saturday at…
Tony Morales Morales is the pit master at Big Earl’s BBQ and owner of Desert Smoke BBQ. Cheer him on at the Arizona Barbecue Festival this Saturday, March 26 at the Scottsdale Waterfront. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play…
