Gwen Stefani Rules (As a Rude Girl and/or Pop Princess)

I’m glad I grew up in the ’90s. I had strong, independent, beautiful women as musical role models, and they ruled the airwaves. The Spice Girls preached girl power, Lilith Fair paraded feminine gusto across the country, and No Doubt , fronted by Gwen Stefani, assured us that being treated…

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our May 10 Issue

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 is Devo doing with instrument-maker Corey Busboom’s creations in their new video? Why are we…

Before Braille’s David Jensen Returns With New Band Loyal Wife

How to measure loyalty, commitment, devotion? In the case of David Jensen, of Sunset Alliance Records and guiding light behind Before Braille, Art for Starters, and now Loyal Wife, his dedication to music can be physically measured in the form of actual compact disc inventory, shrink-wrapped and stacked up, in…

Right to Marry to Stage Benefit Show at Trunk Space

With Arizona politics an ever-increasing mix of insanity and idiocy, it’s nice to know that some folks are still out there fighting the good fight. Alicia Porter, 24, is busy enough with her full-time job as outreach specialist at the Arizona Science Center and pursuing her master’s in museum studies…

Drake’s Take Care Is a Conflicted, Compelling Statement

Since the emergence of the term, “emo rap” has been a pejorative shunned by any artist to whom the tag was applied. But it’s a useful label nonetheless, aptly encompassing a particular brand of emotive, borderline-sensitive hip-hop that emerged full-force after Kanye West’s flawed but important 808s and Heartbreaks. Canadian…

Tumblr of the Week: Bon Iver Erotic Stories

It felt like kind of a big deal when indie soft-rocker Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) won a Grammy Award. But that’s nothing compared to his status as the world’s unlikeliest sex symbol. I mean, have you ever fantasized about Justin Vernon?Perhaps you’ve envisioned yourself in a romantic scenario with him,…

Record Heat: Dusty and Warped by Brad Dwyer

See also: Record Heat: The Hangover by Brad Dwyer If you’ve ever purchased a vinyl record in Arizona, you’ve got at least one sob story about leaving a record in your car and having the brutal, unrelenting sun turning the thing into black vinyl bowl. The thing is, Arizona is…

Incoming: Foxy Shazam, The Bouncing Souls, Carrie Underwood

You one of those people who sits around bemoaning the fact that “rock ‘n’ roll has, like, totally lost its spark, man?” Well, allow us to introduce you to theatrical rockers Foxy Shazam. Entertaining barely scratches the surface; Eric Nally and his circus of musicians put on one hell of…

Beastie Boys Aren’t Supposed to Die; R.I.P. Adam Yauch

Beastie Boys aren’t supposed to die, and they certainly aren’t supposed to succumb to cancer when they’re only 47. But that’s what happened today: MCA has passed away. The Beastie Boys seemed eternally youthful — from their punky beginnings to their prank-rap stardom, to their string of genuine and soulful…

Memorial Services Set for Local Musician Marco Holt

Memorial services have been set for fallen Arizona musician Marco Holt. On Sunday, May 6, family and friends will gather to commemorate the passing of The Tremulants singer/guitarist, who lost a bout with cancer last month. The service will be held at the Sister Cities Garden at Kiwanis Park in…

Daron Sutton, What Are You Listening To?

Daron Sutton Sutton is a broadcaster for the Arizona Diamondbacks. His 7th Annual Sutton’s Strokes for Little Folks will be held on Thursday, May 10, at Arizona Grand Resort. Proceeds benefit the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center. Find more info at Suttongolf.org. When you put your key in the…

Nicki Minaj Is Bringing Her “Pink Friday” Tour to Phoenix

Hip-hop superstar Nicki Minaj is bringing her “Pink Friday” tour to Phoenix on Tuesday, August 7, at Comerica Theatre. The 14-date North American tour finds her skipping some pretty big cities (L.A. and Philadelphia get radio shows) on her first headlining tour, but returning to Phoenix after supporting Britney Spears…

Throwback Thursday: Green Day’s Dookie

We’ve been having fun examining various one-hit wonders and FM curiosities of the ’90s each week with our Throwback Thursday columns, but now it’s time to get serious and examine one of the biggest records on the ’90s: Dookie by Green Day. Dookie was a game-changer, both for young millennials…