Metric, who sound like a poppier, gentler version of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, are dropping a new album, Synthetica, on June 12. They’ll be hitting up the Marquee Theatre in support of the record, but it’s likely that they’ll perform old hits such as “Help I’m Alive” and “Gimme Sympathy” as…
Local folksters Bears of Manitou have been covering Damien Rice since the band first formed. “He [Gabe Williams] said that he’d been practicing ‘Volcano,’ and I love that song so much,” says guitar/guitarist/pianist Maria Sais de Sicilia. “It was just crazy, the first time we played it. It felt so…
A taste of São Paolo is en route to Phoenix. That doesn’t mean a new churrascaria is opening up soon, unfortunately, but Brazil’s Curumin will be serving up a fresh blend of samba-infused funk and groovy electronic beats when he and fellow-Brazilian Céu come to town. The half Spanish, half…
See also: Vixens and Sexy Super-heroine Nerdettes of Phoenix Comicon 2012 Once a year, the nerds unite and take over. Phoenix Comicon can be exhausting (there are only so many back issues and vintage clamshells you can look over), but it’s worth the effort for the people-watching alone. Wonder if…
It’s that time of the month: the time when we sift through all the party photos we’ve taken in the past few weeks to create our favorite party photos of the month slideshow. To change it up we thought we’d give you, our loyal readers, a chance to put on…
The recent 10th anniversary party for The Blunt Club saw plenty of old favorites making a return to the long-running hip-hop night. That includes former host Emerg McVay (who’s been busy shooting music videos these days) and onetime resident John Hyder. While the 30something hip-hop selecta left both the Blunt…
Gardner Cole Cole, who has written and produced for artists such as Madonna, is the producer for local country pop band Arrowheart, who are schedueld to perform Sunday, May 27 at Hidden Meadow Ranch. For more information, head here. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on…
Where we’re going, we don’t need roads; just a synthesizer, eyeliner, and a touch of androgyny. Welcome to Flashback Friday. In case you missed it, Google commemorated the 78th birthday of electronic music pioneer, Bob Moog, with a wicked-cool doodle earlier this week. Moog left his mark on the world…
Tupac’s hologram appearance at Coachella sparked all sorts of buzz, from the Hologram Tupac Twitter to the exclusive all-hologram Coachella lineup. And, sure, it would be pretty rad to see Michael Jackson, Nirvana, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, and Bob Marley & the Wailers on the same bill, but Goldenvoice would…
See also: Dead Eyes of London Aim For Loose Grooves In this week’s issue of New Times, Lauren Wise speaks with modern-rockers-turned-retro-garage-soul fetishists Dead Eyes of London. “[Our music is for] the fan that has listened to punk rock and matured,” guitarist Chan Vallarino says. “[It’s] heavy and darkly romantic…
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. What are deceased Bee Gee Robin Gibb’s best songs? How does Ian Astbury of The Cult…
The music of Phoenix-based rock ‘n’ roll outfit Dead Eyes of London is the sound of a reboot. It’s a terse re-imagining of the beats of vintage Motown, the slinkiness of jazz, the sweat-caked T-shirts of garage rockers, and spilled cocktails. But it’s not retro-minded and stuck in the past,…
Free online music service Spotify has plenty of fans (and nearly as many vocal detractors) but let’s stick to the facts. According to the music library, Ladylike is a “rock-oriented version of The Pussycat Dolls,” a “contemporary girl group comprised of four striking vocalists.” Below the description, you can listen…
Irene, simply put, is an enabler. Ostensibly a duo, Cincinnati’s Bad Veins are able to augment their indie-pop performances with a vintage reel-to-reel player, such a crucial element to the band that it’s been anthropomorphized, sort of as a do-it-all female multi-instrumentalist (complete with her own Twitter: @thereelirene). “Irene does…
Valley charity Ear Candy — which gets instruments out of closets and sheds and into the hands of Arizona school kids — has teamed up with some notable names. Like the dance party residents at Sticky Fingers, for example, or local indie-poppers Bears of Manitou, and AOR kings Blue Öyster…
It looks like Christmas is coming a little early this year. Justin Bieber will be kicking off his just-announced North American headlining tour in the Valley. OMB! Biebs will be stealing the hearts of thousands of girls at Jobing.com Arena on Saturday, September 29. He’s hitting the road in support of…
See also: Fugazi: Five “Waiting Room” Listening Essentials It’s usually a safe bet to cover an artist that influenced a band’s sound, so Darkness Dear Boy opted for some Fugazi. “I’d say we’re rock, reggae, punk, and a little honky tonk. With Fugazi, you’ve got the punk and rock,” says…
The Avengers may still be kicking plenty of ass at the box office, but don’t get it twisted — superheroes are not easy to come by. As luck would have it, though, the closest thing to a hero Phoenix has will be making an appearance at this weekend’s Comicon. He…
See also: Three Nerd Concerts to Celebrate Phoenix Comicon A lot of the time, I open Record Heat with some flimsy parallel between the world of comics and music — worlds that have been well connected forever, from Crumb’s brilliantly scuzzy album covers to Adrian Tomine’s classic Weezer poster to…
See also: Up on the Sun’s interview with Chick CoreaOne of America’s jazz great and Grammy Award-winner, Chick Corea, is coming to town. The jazz legend has played alongside people like Miles Davis, but his own catalog is rife with creative explorations. With a little help from Gary Burton, the…
We’re not going to come out and say that the Sound Strike — the commercial boycott of Arizona by a group of bands, musicians, and artists launched in May, 2010 — is over, but we’re not not saying that the Sound Strike is over. Chicago punk band Rise Against, one…
See also: Isaiah Toothtaker Discusses the Hood Internet-Produced Tooth Wavy It’s been tough for us to stop spinning Toothy Wavy, the collaboration among Tucson-based Isaiah Toothtaker, Max B, and The Hood Internet, so it only makes sense that we’d wind up spending a some time with The Hood Internet’s official…
