Why Arcade Fire Is the Best Canadian Band of All Time

“I don’t wanna live in my father’s house no more.” — Arcade Fire, “Windowsill” For argument’s sake, let’s call Arcade Fire “the greatest Canadian rock band/act of all time.” Many rock fans will object, and with great conviction. They’ll rebut with the unquestionably great Neil Young. They’ll point to the…

The Gay Blades: Savages

Artist: The Gay BladesTitle: SavagesRelease date: October 5Label: Triple CrownFans of Foxy Shazam, take note: I’ve just heard a Foxy-lite act that you may wind up loving just as much as you do FS. They’re called The Gay Blades, and they bill themselves as “an NYC trash pop duo,” but…

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our 10/7 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. Did 50 Cent mean to say gay men should kill themselves?What are college football’s most annoying…

Can $10 Million Buy a Weezer Breakup?

New-Weezer hater James Burns has offered Weezer $10 million to break up, according to Consequence of Sound.Burns, who has been a fan of the band since the 90s, is hoping for $10 million in donations so he can bribe Weezer into never making songs like “Beverly Hills” ever again. The…

Grinderman: Grinderman 2

Artist: GrindermanTitle: Grinderman 2Release date: September 14Label: Anti-Most of the indie rock I’ve heard this year (well over 200 records and counting, with 11 weeks to go in this series) is really pretty toothless. Even the harder-rocking stuff, with its big drums or wall-of-sound guitars or garage-rock aesthetic, seems relatively…

Roger Waters Denies Part of His Show is Anti-Semitic

The Anti-Defamation League is speculating that part of Roger Waters’ show The Wall is anti-Semitic, according to Spinner. The ADL is concerned with the production aspect of his live performances of “Goodbye Sky Blue” because images of Stars of David and dollar signs were used in the same series of…

Swans: My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky

It is rather easy to see Swans are not dead with My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky. The album opens up with a nine-minute opus “No Words/No Thoughts,” that creates an atmosphere that feels like Gira and co. never really took those 14 years off…

The Vaselines: Sex with an X

Artist: The VaselinesTitle: Sex with an XRelease date: September 14Label: Sub PopIf you’re a small-time indie band looking for an opinion leader to lift you from obscurity, you can do no better than Kurt Cobain. That’s the position Scotland’s The Vaselines found themselves in when Nirvana covered a couple of…

Early Listening: Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown UPDATE

There is perhaps no band as celebrated as they are reviled these days than Tennessee rockers Kings Of Leon. Always the lightning rod of controversy, Kings Of Leon broke new ground with their commercially viable 2008 release Only By The Night. That album brought the band a Grammy for the…

Jam Band Charity: Deadheads and Phish Phans Focus on Giving

Hardcore fans of jam bands are a very giving, as are the bands they support. The Grateful Dead recently donated some band memorabilia to a charity auction, while Phishheads/Phans (call them what you will) have raised and distributed over $1 million for charity organizations started by fans of the band.The…

John Lennon’s Birthday Events Planned for Musical Instrument Museum

John Lennon’s 70th birthday would have been October 9 and Phoenix’s Musical Instrument Museum has planned events to mark the occasion.The museum houses the Steinway Lennon used to “Imagine” — not the fancy white grand piano people remember, but a more modest brown Steinway pictured right — which is one…

Rascal Flatts Catches Kisses at Cricket Wireless Pavilion

Rascal Flatts​Country stars Chris Young, Kellie Pickler and Rascal Flatts packed Cricket Wireless Pavilion last night, as fans came out for a night of music under the stars. The Rascal Flatts inspired excitement, lust and prayerfulness during the show, and here’s a round-up look of what fans thought of the…