The Biggest Music-Related News Stories of 2012

As 2012 winds down, we’re all reflecting. There were ups and downs in Phoenix all year. The Valley music community lost valued members, The Sound Strike (sort of) ended. Justin Bieber, not to be outdone, puked on stage in Glendale. Here’s our look back at the biggest Up on the…

The Music Venue Openings and Closings of 2012

The atmosphere inside The Nash during its grand opening concert on a warm night back in early October was positively electric. A fast-paced flurry of a finger-snapping bebop filled the air as a quintet of jazz musicians led by legendary drummer Lewis Nash, the namesake of the new downtown Phoenix…

Top Phoenix Music Stories of the Week

The news waits for no one — at least that’s what we read somewhere — so it’s perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of…

Top 20 Phoenix Concerts of 2012

2012 isn’t even over yet, and we’re already feeling sort of nostalgic for it. We saw a lot of great shows this year, so narrowing it down to the most mind-blowing 20 wasn’t easy, but it was a lot of fun. Enjoy, our Top 20 Phoenix Concerts of 2012. See…

Robert Thornton, What Are You Listening To?

Robert Thornton Thornton is the founder of Paper Clouds Apparel, which is launching a new line of clothing raising funding for special needs schools on January 7. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? The only station I really…

Does the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Matter At All?

So, hey, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame went ahead and announced their Class of 2013, which this time around includes Rush, Public Enemy, Randy Newman and someone called the “Disco Queen,” Donna Summer. Those who were nominated but didn’t make the cut included Kraftwerk, Deep Purple, Joan Jett…

Top Five 2012 Heavy Releases In Phoenix

2012 wasn’t really a bad year for local hardcore and metal music, but there seemed to be more noteworthy demos circulating around than official releases. Now, I understand that the distinction between a demo and an official release is really just a matter of using the word “demo” to describe…

Justin Townes Earle Is a Songwriter, First and Foremost

Justin Townes Earle can tell stories. It’s what the Nashville-raised singer-songwriter has done for six years, writing albums that have placed him at the forefront of rusty, soulful Americana. His records drip with imagery — muddy rivers, ghosts, “Memphis in the Rain” — and he speaks just as vividly as…

Limbeck Takes Its Act Back on the Highway

Like any country band worth its salt, Limbeck knows the value of “road songs.” The band’s sophomore record, Hi, Everything’s Great (2003), is a must-have for any cross-country road trip, its lyrics describing the nation’s cities and highways with the same vivid detail as the interesting characters the band has…

Taylor Swift, Warren G, Rick Ross, and More Just Announced Shows

Taylor Swift is coming to town on Tuesday, May 28, at Jobing.com Arena. And…never has the thought of the pending apocalypse been so appealing. Sure, Swift has her vocal detractors (like me), but her new album, Red was released in October and quickly sold a whole bunch of copies, which…

Top 12 Biggest Musical Letdowns of 2012

This time of year is fun-slash-maddening for us goofy music critic types. It’s a time for poring over notes, for obsessively analyzing what made the records we loved so great. Of course, they can’t all be winners, can they? As we dug into our Best of Lists, we turned up…

Top 5 Genre-Bending Electronic Albums of 2012

I initially conceived this list as a starting point to further explore of one of the biggest albums of the year: “Ayo, if you liked that Grimes record, this shit is pretty good, too.” The Korean and Japanese pop influence on Visions made it easy to like, but it was…

Five 2012 Albums for Enjoying The Apocalypse

Let’s face it, the Mayan Calendar thing is kind of silly, but I’m still obsessed with it because I often ruminate on The End. It’s an important scenario to consider, no matter how unlikely, because it makes us ask the Big Questions and wonder how meaningful/meaningless our lives truly are…

Record Heat: ?! by Brad Dwyer

Once a week Up on the Sun features a new comic strip from punk rocker, cartoonist, and full-time dad Brad Dwyer. See the New Times print edition to check out the strip in glorious, inky newsprint each Thursday. See also: 10 Most Ridiculous Claims Made By Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine Dave…

Top Five Phoenix Music Stories of the Week

The news waits for no one — at least that’s what we read somewhere — so it’s perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of…