Over the past decade, Xiu Xiu has released some pretty bleak tunes. The musical project of San Jose singer/guitarist Jamie Stewart and various collaborators has put out guaranteed party-stoppers like “Support Our Troops OH!”(“Did you know you were going to shoot off the top of a 4-year-old girl’s head?”) and…
Random If Random wanted to be any more the opposite of mainstream rap, he’d probably have to take up the banjo and start playing country music. A middle-school social studies teacher by day, Random writes hip-hop music that is devoid of profanity, misogyny, violence and (thankfully) Auto-Tune. Instead, Random’s hip-hop…
This week, New Times ran a box 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. Why did Howard Stern give Phoenix band The Heartless $5,000? Why is John Lennon Advertising cars?…
Artist: AcrassicaudaTitle: Only the Dead See the End of the WarRelease date: March 9Label: ViceI forget who said it (Ebert? Tarantino?) but someone once questioned whether a movie is really any better just because it’s “based on a true story.” Whomever said it was implying that no, it’s usually not…
It seems anything involving Blondie and Converse, the quintessential and iconic shoe of late-’70s punk rockers, would be a great idea.Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry wasn’t just known for her golden tresses and her take-charge attitude, but also for her sense of style. Many musicians who came after her followed her…
Artist: Titus AndronicusLabel: The MonitorRelease date: March 9Label: XLMy wife thinks this project is destroying my taste in music. I know she’s frustrated that we can’t play the hits around the house for another 9.5 months. Believe me, I’m not too thrilled about it, either. But what are you gonna…
Tonight ABC’s Nightline will feature a segment on killer Juggalos, including an interview with the Insane Clown Posse, which was conducted by anchor, Martin Bashir.Bashir, who is probably most famous for his series of Michael Jackson interviews, enters the Juggalo world through the story of a Pennsylvania man named Michael…
Give a hearty high-five to the members of the Haymarket Squares the next time you see them around town or performing at Lost Leaf, as the punkgrass/alt-folk act emerged victorious during the Train Tracks Grand Finale this past weekend…
With Lil Wayne’s imprisonment this morning, and T.I. still behind bars, the two greatest rappers of a generation are currently incarcerated. That’s pretty ridiculous, considering neither of them actually hurt anyone in any way. Only one person has ever had a number one record while in prison — Tupac –…
It took Wayne Coyne and The Flaming Lips seven years to complete their film, Christmas on Mars, but they’re already back hard at work on a new one.Front man Wayne Coyne says he hopes to use “real actors” this time, instead of using himself and his band mates to play…
[jump] What this critic says:Plastic Beach doesn’t have the touches of super-producers like Danger Mouse and Dan the Automator, yet it is the band’s most polished effort. Lead single “Stylo” is the perfect sample of what Plastic Beach feels like — grimey and subdued, yet plenty funky.”Stylo” has that widespread…
Mark Linkous, renowned and beloved singer/songwriter who released his music under the name Sparklehorse, took his own life this Saturday in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was 47 years old.With Sparklehorse, Linkous created a vivid, beloved alt-rock/alt-country sound adored by his fans for its earnest, yet dark, lyrics. Sparklehorse released its first…
Everyone wants to write a musical nowadays. And I don’t get it.Why musicians feel the need to write songs for musical theater is beyond me. I suppose it’s another creative outlet, but to harsh critics of musicals (like myself) it seems they’re nearly all watered-down versions of both song and…
Artist: Ted Leo and the PharmacistsTitle: The Brutalist BricksRelease date: March 9Label: MatadorDid any of you watch the Oscars last night? Judging by what I saw on the Facebook this morning, it would appear I was one of the few who didn’t tune in. I like movies, but I just…
Personally, I love seeing shows in Scottsdale. I’ve seen some amazing shit at Martini Ranch, and I’ve always loved The Rogue. However, I’m an East Valley guy. Always have been, probably always will be. What happens when you drop a West Sider into an awesome show at, say, Martini Ranch,…
This past weekend was a busy one for local bands and fans, with bands like The Love Me Nots and Kinch packing Martini Ranch and Killswitch Engage rocking the sold-out Marquee Theatre. And, if you’ve been wondering where Digital Summer (the band with a sticker plastered on just about every…
Name: Michael Johnson AKA: DJ Phlava Current club nights: Right now I’m doing every Friday night at Myst for Dream Fridays, and on Wednesdays at Bar Smith. During the week it kinda varies. Preferred genres: You can catch me anywhere doing hip-hop, but I also spin everything else. I spin…
British electro musician Matthew Herbert’s latest artistic endeavor involves documenting the life cycle of a pig, and turning those sounds into music.The animal rights organization PETA condemned his efforts, Pitchfork reports, claiming that recording these sounds would mean recording the pig’s life in preparation to be killed, and ultimately recording…
Satellite radio personality Howard Stern had a little fun with Phoenix pop-punkers The Heartless earlier this week.Lead singer Abe Schmidt and guitarist Jeff Tretta played the song “Just to Be” on Stern’s show to win a $5,000 prize. It wasn’t quite that simple, of course. Stern attached a microphone to…
Artist: LiarsTitle: SisterworldRelease date: March 9Label: MuteThe liner notes to Liars new album indicates the trio recorded these 11 songs at 11 different locations. Ten spots in the Los Angeles area, the remaining song set to wax in Prague. The concept is kinda contrived, but whatever: They got a good…
Bonnaroo announced the addition of Ween, Galactic and Umphrey’s McGee, singer/songwriter Brandi Carlisle and The Gossip this morning. Tucson’s Calexico is still the only Arizona band in the four-day Tennessee festival’s full lineup, which can be found below…
While the boys of Hopeless Records-signed Phoenix band Anarbor compete this week for a spot on mtvU’s rotation, they’re also building anticipation for their debut full-length with a new track, “Gypsy Woman,” available for your listening pleasure on their website. The track will be found on the album The Words…
