McDowell Mountain Music Festival named its headliners more than a month ago — Edward Sharpe, Black Joe Lewis and Xavier Rudd probably having the most mass appeal. Now local independent web radio station Creamy Radio has announced the acts playing the local state they schedule. New Times covergirl Courtney Marie Andrews,…
Alas, I must celebrate Japanese metal pioneers Loudness, who are playing an intimate gig at Club Red May 21. I remember first watching the video for their hit 1985 single “Crazy Nights” and simply wondering what the hell was going on — mainly why the hell a Japanese metal band…
Sour Soul, a funky indie-rock band from Mexico City, will be at Rogue Bar on March 8.Please, no one mention this to Sheriff Joe. True, the band played 110 other dates north of the border last year, and, yes, they don’t particularly look like the economically-oppressed small-town Mexican day laborers…
Song: Bass Drum of Death, “Young Pros”Context: This band Bass Drum of Death just signed to Fat Possum — home to Band Of Horses, Wavves, Yuck, The Black Keys and many more of the best bands out there. So far I really like what I hear from them. The track…
In this week’s Noise Complaint comic, Up On The Sun cartoonist Robbie Pfeffer imagines what county jail would be like for the typical Phoenix hipster…Enjoy!…
Ciara is down for getting dropped by her record label, according to Billboard. The hip-hop star has shot down rumors that Jive Records has dropped her. However, she said that she wouldn’t be opposed to the company doing so. Over the last two years she has experienced substantial artistic limitations,…
Underneath The Pine is a more mellow — albeit funkier — album than Causers. It definitely has a more live, instrument-driven feel as opposed to that album’s electronic, laptop-centric music. The end result shows Bundick’s wide breadth as a musician — channeling his smoother, more downbeat side. By changing his…
Song: The Plainfield Butchers, “Truckstop Urinal”Context: This is a standout track from the new record Hard To Be Human by local punks The Plainfield Butchers. Plainfield Butchers – Truckstop Urinal by mmcizmar…
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have proudly announced the title of their upcoming album, which was influenced by something one of the Anthony Kiedis’ friends said while on an acid trip, according to NME.Dr. Johnny Skinz’s Disproportionately Rambunctious Polar Express Machine-head is currently set to be the album title, and…
Arcade Fire.Comerica Theatre.Phoenix, Arizona.April 13.The last time this band was in Phoenix, they played Modified Arts. Now they’re back, playing Comerica and making some of the best popular music you’ll ever hear, winnin’ Grammies, topping Billboard and still confusing idiots. I’m not sure what else there is to say.OK, maybe…
Song: El Ten Eleven, “Paranoid Android”Context: This is the best new Radiohead track you’ll hear all day… El Ten Eleven – Paranoid Android by mmcizmar…
, according to Spinner.The release date of the physical version of the album has been advanced as well, having been moved up from May 9 to March 28.The album can be downloaded at the King of Limbs website for $9.70. It has already been distributed to everyone who pre-ordered it. Also,…
Though it’s been almost a decade since Zach Sciacca put the Valley in his rearview mirror, the artist known as Z-Trip still casts a huge shadow over the local scene. There are few DJs in this town who aren’t connected to the turntable titan. We’ve personally lost count at the…
Kristin Anderson The Fox10 news anchor is participating in the Climb to Conquer Cancer on Saturday, February 26. Go to www.myfoxphoenix.com to join her Fox10 team. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? Probably a CD. But if I’m listening to…
A Tucson-based community group has a huge benefit show lined up in the wake of the Laughner shootings.Jackson Browne, Alice Cooper, David Crosby & Graham Nash, Sam Moore, Nils Lofgren, Keb’ Mo’, Jerry Riopelle, Dar Williams, Ozomatli, and Calexico are all signed up to play Tucson Convention Center on Thursday,…
Song: J.D. Stooks, “Move To Portland”Context: J.d. Stooks, the subject of this week’s music feature, says he thinks this song could be a perfect fit for the new show Portlandia. I agree totally. Move To Portland by J.D. Stooks…
This week’s main music feature is on singer-songwriter J.D. Stooks, who almost gave up music when the songs that’d always come easily to him stopped appearing.A tragedy — a friend’s suicide — shook him up enough to start writing again, and thus he has a new album called Shutterbug out.We’ve…
The Strokes’ experiences while recording their upcoming album Angles wasn’t so happy-go-lucky throughout the entire process, according to NME.There was plenty of resentment amongst the band members. Things got better after they moved to a new location to complete the recording process, but until then, frontman Julian Casablancas wasn’t consistently…
J.D. Stooks said goodbye to music. After playing with Phoenix punk band No Gimmick for seven years and then performing as a singer-songwriter, the soft-spoken 31-year-old was ready to retire from the game. He describes his songwriting process as piecing together random thoughts and weaving them into stories, and in…
The death of an era gave birth to a phase / Frantic crowds callin’ “nigga” ’til we surrendered the trade / Now “Who stole the soul?” became the phrase / When there’s only eight niggas at the show and six of ’em is on stage. — from “Skeletons” by Lifesavas…
Female indie musicians like Feist, Regina Spektor, Kate Nash, and Ingrid Michaelson have a beautiful, feminine innocence in their voices to go along with pop sensibilities. Yet their talent normally manifests itself in the form of background music in coffee shops. Seriously, almost every coffee shop in America plays Regina…
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. Should indie rock fans be happy Arcade Fire won a Grammy or not?What did Justin Bieber’s…
