Heard of Warehouse 201, the north Phoenix all-ages venue catering to hardcore, metal and punk acts? No? A lot of other people haven’t either, and that’s sort of a problem says Brandon Kellum, a local dude who’s played in Vera Lynne, The Hostage Situation and is now fronting a new…
Kings of Leon actually got sick of hearing themselves all the time at one point, according to Spinner.”We were all sick of Kings of Leon!” the band’s guitarist Matthew Followill said. “We couldn’t go 10 minutes without hearing one of our songs…It definitely got annoying after a while.”I’d say that…
Perhaps you’ve noticed that the ever-schizophrenic McDowell Mountain Music Festival alternates between hardcore jammy shit and cool kinda-indie shit. Flaming Lips and Matisyahu one year, Steve Kimock and Crazy Engine and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals the next.The 2011 lineup has been announced for the festival — again in the…
Leading the way, at least in my book, are 1990s alternative rockers Toad The Wet Sprocket. I’ll say it right now — I love me some TTWS. I cannot listen to their 1991 masterpiece “All I Want” and not just feel good inside, you know?I absolutely adored the song in…
Janet Jackson — who you may remember for such accomplishments as wearing the world’s worst shoulder pads, being related to the weirdest weirdo in the weirdo-filled history of popular music and letting Justin Timberlake expose her saggy and ugly pierced breast to the largest television audience assembled on any given…
John McRea and company have studied up in their six year absence, coming back with fresh ideas for their latest work – ideas such as the introduction of reverb, something the band had shied away from in the past. Helping balance out the reverb is another first for the band…
Drummer Scott Kusmirek — who did two stints with the Gin Blossoms in the midst of the band’s feud with Phillip Rhodes, the drummer they rode to prominence in the early 90s — has a new project.”The Kooze’s” new band is called Vinyl Station and an “indie-rock” trio also featuring…
Young Money rapper Drake and Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine are set to collaborate, according to Spinner.Who’s Florence Welch, you ask? She’s the singer in the band that sang that hit “The Dog Days Are Over.” You know, the one in the overplayed commercials for the film Eat,…
If you’re one of the many fans of The Maine who caught the recent screening of their flick In Darkness and In Light, you’ll likely remember the scenes where numerous children and pre-teens “ultimately engage in bloody war” using wooden swords.The band’s now offering its fervent fanbase a chance to…
There’s been a rip-roaring debate raging through the religious world for years over the role of Christian rock. Although some hard-liners feel it’s the devil’s music and has no place in the Lord’s house of worship, more moderate (and less fundamentalist) types feel it’s just another avenue for paying tribute…
What’s the real deal: did Soulja Boy actually write Willow Smith’s smash hit “Whip My Hair”? Hell no, but he did receive a bit of songwriting credit for a line that came from his own song, “Turn My Swag On.”Ronald “Jukebox” Jackson is less than thrilled by the songwriting claim…
Song: Queen & David Bowie, “Under Pressure” Context: Mr. Space Oddity is gonna be celebrating his 64th birthday this coming weekend (as does Elvis Preseley…if he were still alive, that is). Queen – Under Pressure by Itubaina Radio Retro…
Name: Colleen Fay McLaughlin AKA: DJ Blonde N0ize Current schedule: I’ve been a resident at Sadisco* for the past six years. I’m also spinning in Tucson at Club Sanctuary for their anniversary party. It just so happens to be my birthday along with DJ Plastic Disease and a host of…
Fear Factory fans disappointed by the band’s last-minute cancellation of their Clubhouse gig over the holidays have a reason to roar again. The death metal legends, who’ve been kicking around the music world for more than two decades, have rescheduled the show for April 24. Fear Factory was originally scheduled…
Former Phoenix Suns player (and current New York Knicks superstar) Amar’e Stoudemire was reportedly a big fan of the Scottsdale’s Old Town scene and the many swanky and stylish clubs populating the district. So it’s not much of a shocker that Amar’e is apparently planning a return trip to his…
Welcome to Obscuro, a weekly 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…
J.R. Phillips, better known as D-JR, is on the move to Los Angeles in hopes of an even brighter future as a DJ. He’s been spinning his way to the top spots of many notable DJ competitions, which have been landing him some big gigs. Even though he has already…
It’s mere minutes into J.R. Phillips’ turntable set at Dirty Pretty in Scottsdale and the dapper DJ is already sweating. Between the heat generated by a dance floor packed with bodies and his rapid efforts behind a laptop and mixers, the 26-year-old (who performs under the moniker D-JR) has developed…
It’s probably safe to assume that Flotsam and Jetsam and Sacred Reich shared a bill or two back in the 1980s, so calling this weekend’s pairing of Hemoptysis and Landmine Marathon the best local metal show the Valley’s ever seen may be a stretch, but it’s certainly the best local…
The year 2010 was a fairly big one for local acts. Just read music editor Martin Cizmar’s lengthy piece from last week’s issue, in which he details 10 great albums by some of the best bands in the Valley. Two groups who also had a banner year were Mesa’s Authority…
This week’s cover story asks the question, “can DMX ever stay out of trouble long enough to top the charts again?” Divining such an answer may take more than mere words can provide. So for you, our readers, we have here three songs to help you decide for yourselves if…
Stephen Drozd of The Flaming Lips is releasing a soundtrack to the documentary The Heart Is a Drum Machine which was produced by local filmmakers Ryan Page and Chris Pomerenke.The film, a documentary which explores why people feel such a connection to music and features cameos by George Clinton, Maynard…
