Longtime MTV president Tony DiSanto is leaving the network, according to Variety.DiSanto is moving on to pursue a role as an independent program producer on primetime reality series.He’ll be sticking with MTV through the end of the year to help with the transition process for his replacement, who will likely…
@TSIKA9Sara BareillesSara Bareilles is one of those artists you just can’t help but love. The singer-songwriter proves pop doesn’t have to be trashy by keeping her clothes on and putting the focus on her music and her interaction with fans. Bareilles played piano and guitar at her show at Marquee…
Artist: John Legend & The RootsTitle: Wake Up!Release date: September 21Label: ColumbiaThe new collaboration between neo-soul singer John Legend and ace hip-hop band The Roots is a lark dressed up as an important record, given the source material, mostly cover tunes from the Civil Rights Era.Fans of John Legend and/or…
A gay rights group is up in arms about tweets from 50 Cent they seem to believe had something to do with the recent spat of tragic, high-profile suicides of young, gay men. “If you a man and your over 25 and you don’t eat pussy just kill your self…
If there’s one thing our country is good at, it’s not knowing how to properly allocate our spending money. After hearing about America’s big budget for military marching bands, NPR wanted to know just how much tax payers are collectively throwing down for these guys.It turns out that the Marines…
The uber-controversial song “Kill Joe Arpaio,” which sent Valley media into a tizzy earlier this week, made it over the airwaves of a Valley radio station.Beef Vegan, the man behind KWSS 106.7’s The Morning Infidelity, spun the track by San Diego band Crocodiles this morning.Before you get all worked up,…
Bright Eyes has recorded a single for the group of musicians boycotting Arizona. “Coyote Song,” can be bought for $2 here if you want to support people boycotting our state. Or you can give money to people actually working in to make a difference on the ground in Arizona by…
This week’s music feature is on singer-songwriter Jeff Arundel taking a trip down memory lane. Depending on how narcissistic or realistic they are, asking an artist to review the work he did a decade ago could either go pretty well or rather horribly. Martin Cizmar caught up with Jeff Arundel,…
Tucson-based musician/filmmaker/artist Marianne Dissard has a unique gift for marking connections among disparate places, mediums, and ideas. On the surface, the elements she uses appear to have only abstract links, but in her capable hands, they go together like peanut butter and jelly. So it’s not surprising that Dissard is…
Ten years ago, I reviewed a record called Mood Ring by a Minneapolis singer-songwriter named Jeff Arundel. It wasn’t a particularly good record, and it’s fair to say that it earned its spot in the great milk crate in the sky, where promo discs go after they’ve had their industry-standard…
If you watch the music video for Matt & Kim’s indie-dance hit “Daylight” but know nothing else about the band, here’s exactly what you’ll think: “Good gracious. Those are very happy-looking people.” Frolicking through their Brooklyn ‘hood, humorously crammed into refrigerators, dumpsters, and other uncomfortable spaces while — wait for…
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.Could Jan Brewer’s henchmen close Tucson’s Rialto Theatre?What can Apple do with $75 million instead of running…
Song: No Age, “Depletion”Context: Jay Bennett’s long-awaited return to Nothing Not New blogging came with a great record. Depletion by subpop…
President Obama said Bob Dylan was skeptical about a recent performance at the White House, according to NME.Dylan did not ask for a meet and greet with Obama, nor did he ask to take a picture with the President or even rehearse at the White House before his show. Artists…
John Legend is the latest artist taking the initiative to make a difference in education by joining Teach For America’s National Board of Directors.He is looking forward to giving children more opportunities to learn and improving education in America.Legend is no stranger to taking action for change, though. He launched…
Marianas TrenchThere’s just something about Canada and pop-punk bands. Some of the most successful, teen-friendly groups to come out of our neighbor to the north embrace that sorta whiny, super-catchy sound, from Avril Lavigne and Sum 41 to Simple Plan and Hedley. Here’s hoping Marianas Trench is the next group…
Artist: No AgeTitle: Everything in BetweenRelease date: September 28Label: Sub PopAfter two weeks of total Best of Phoenix immersion, a time during which I worked a whole lot and listened to very little music, the new record by No Age is a welcome blast of noise.Some of that noise created…
Move aside, angry pigeons — piss is the new birdshit. In a story that seems too good to be true, MGMT drummer Will Berman was hit in the chest by a glass full of urine during a gig at the Manchester Apollo Sunday night. The band was in the middle…
‘Tis the season to write songs about killing Sheriff Joe Arpaio. This past week I detailed how folk-punkers Andrew Jackson Jihad and other local bands had penned songs for the recent Chronicles of Sheriff Joe record that decries his racist tendencies and invokes murderous notions of offing Maricopa County’s top…
Song: Deerhunter, “Earthquake” Context: Michael Lopez raved about this song in this week’s review roundup of Halcyon Digest. Check it out. 01-deerhunter-earthquake-caheso by kirotnes…
Local boy Alice Cooper is up for induction into Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Better news yet, this year’s field is so weak he appears to be a shoo-in.Actually, this year’s list of 15 nominees is probably no weaker than last year when, somehow, ABBA was inducted into…
Less Than Jake, the Florida ska-punk outfit you may remember from such hits as “Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts,” “History of a Boring Town” and “Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts” will play their 1996 major label debut Losing Streak live in its entirety at a Riot Fest in Chicago next…
