Metal legend Ronnie James Dio — the original metal pioneer and former Black Sabbath frontman — passed away at the age of 67 Sunday morning in Los Angeles. Dio’s death was announced by his wife and manager, Wendy, on his website. It’s a somber time for fans of the metal…
Artist: LCD SoundsystemTitle: This Is HappeningRelease date: May 18Label: DFA/ParlophoneIt’s true what they say: You learn something new every day. Here, I thought LCD Soundsystem was just another electronica act. Then I heard their new record, This Is Happening, and it dawned on me: No, this isn’t just a synth-crazed…
Song: Queen, “We Are The Champions”Context: I’m so proud of what the Up On The Sun team did last year. Queen – We Are The Champions by SWBOY1994…
In case you happened to miss Jared Leto in all his gorgeous glory (pink mohawk, what?!) last night at the Marquee Theatre with his band 30 Seconds to Mars, Up on the Sun presents a collection of reviews by the fans, all in 140 characters or less. @dre6273- 30 Seconds…
It brings me great joy to report that Up On The Sun was named the Best Features Blog in the state by the Arizona Press Club in a ceremony Saturday night in downtown Phoenix. Niki D’Andrea, Jonathan McNamara, Stephen Chilton and I made up the winning team. (Full results here.)The…
It was Gleek heaven this weekend as the FOX show Glee brought not one, but two shows to Phoenix’s Dodge Theatre featuring stars from the show performing all the most popular songs from the musical television program, including “Bad Romance” and “Like a Prayer”. While the Associated Press reported the…
So last night, Carnegie Hall was the place to be. Rolling Stone wrote a review of a star-studded benefit for the Rainforest Fund that included Sting performing a Fine Young Cannibals cover, Elton John doing an over-the-top rendition of Madonna’s Like a Virgin, and the finale to end all finales…
Name: Freddy Krems AKA: DJ Circle Current club nights: I do Toxic Mondays at Zuma, Airia at Wild Horse Pass on Thursdays with D-JR, Fridays at Dirty Pretty all by myself, and then Cream on Saturdays. I’m also in a rotation on Sundays at Martini Ranch for Retox Sundays. Genres…
It’s been a pretty big past two weeks for indie rock: Hold Steady, New Pornographers, Flying Lotus, The National, The Dead Weather. That’s a lot of heavy-hitters. Meanwhile, some lower-profile stuff has been piling up on my desk, so it’s time to give you a rundown of the other stuff…
Song: Against Me! “White People For Peace”Context: All these musicians boycotting Arizona… Against Me! – White People for Peace…
Artist: Male BondingTitle: Nothing HurtsRelease date: May 11Label: Sub PopRemember all the buzz about Wavves last year? I thought they were just okay. Hopefully, their next record (slated for release this year) will be better. In the meantime, I’ll be listening to the new record by Male Bonding, which takes…
Arizona is facing more heat over our crazy new immigration law, SB 1070.Belinda Carlisle took to Facebook today to say she wants Lilith Fair organizers “to move the phoenix date in protest of the new immigration law in ARIZONA. the gogo’s [sic] condemn the law and want the date moved.”So,…
When you really like a musician you let certain things slide. How about when musicians decide to create a “high frequency” concert geared for you and your dog?That’s exactly what Lou Reed and his wife Laurie Anderson are doing. TwentyFourBit reports that this event will be taking place at none…
This week’s music feature is about the local rock ‘n’ roll band Hooves. They’ve got a new EP coming out (check out one of our favorite tracks here) and you may be surprised at some of the antics that accompany their “dad rock” sound. We also take an examination of…
You may remember a few weeks ago that Radio Phoenix was in a bit of a financial pickle. The station was in desperate need of about $1,500, so they threw a benefit show for the cause at The Rogue. In case you were curious how it turned out, here’s the…
They said it couldn’t be done. Nothing Not New is well into its fifth month. That’s something like 100 records that I’ve listened to so far. That’s a lot of songs, and here are 11 more standouts from the past four-plus months.On this podcast, music editor Martin Cizmar and I…
Song: Evelyn Evelyn, “My Space” Context: Wondering if I should drive to LA on a Wednesday Evelyn Evelyn – “My Space” by moderntonic.com…
It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. They practiced, they planned, they were ambitious and optimistic. Then, like so many rock musicians before them, excessive use of alcohol took it all away. Before they knew it, Hooves had embarrassed themselves at probably the biggest annual event in the Phoenix rock…
The most powerful force in commercial music today? No debate. It’s iTunes. According to recent data, Apple’s online behemoth crammed 69 percent of our collective digital-music spending into its swollen, Jabba-like gullet last year. That works out to 25 percent of all music sales — a fairly astounding figure that…
For Dan Snaith, a.k.a. electronic musician Caribou, winning the Polaris Prize for his fourth album, 2007’s Andorra, was validation of seven years of hard work. The award, given annually to the best Canadian album, was an odd nod considering the solitary nature of his bedroom recording and the cultish appeal…
Artist: Flying LotusTitle: CosmogrammaRelease date: May 3Label: Warp RecordsA while back, a reader posted a comment on one of my Nothing Not New posts asking why I continued to listen to electronic/laptop music even though I don’t care for it all that much.Well, first of all, in the spirit of…
Ever wonder what sort of merch the Phoenix band featuring former Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz would print? We have the first look and it ain’t pretty. Actually, it looks like, ummm… Affliction Tapped Out the Smashing Pumpkins in 1996.Yeah, that about sums it up.You Hang Up says…
