What exactly does a record label offer a musician in 2011? The internet has leveled the playing field in so many ways. No longer does it require a big machine to create awareness. But record labels can still be a big help; musicians can use them market and distribute their…
There’s so much to report and so little Internet to shove it in. First things first: the small bit of youth music we’ve witnessed in the Western United States convinces me thoroughly that my generation of American musicians has the studiousness and audacity to be emotionally unflinching in the face…
As much as ASU’s radio station The Blaze 1330AM still overplays the hell out of “The First Single,” The Format is still a lovable band that will always be in our hearts.One blogger has made it his or her mission to keep The Format’s spirit alive since the group broke…
In this week’s issue, Benjamin Leatherman takes a peak into the life of George Lindell, the motormouth Phoenix-based drummer who achieved internet stardom after a car accident yielded him a viral hit, “Reality Hits You Hard Bro.” Lindell could used some fortune to go along with that fame, he informed…
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 ten songs did we pick to soundtrack the Occupy protests? What legendary country stars are…
These days, women dominate what used to be the boys’ clubby rock scene. There is a strong scent of “girl power” predominant throughout the newest albums from kick-ass groups like Wild Flag and Warpaint. Björk, Lykke Li, and Katy B are the brains and brawn behind some of 2011’s boldest…
George Lindell never seems to stop talking. Loquacious doesn’t begin to describe the 46-year-old motormouth, who appears to be stuck at warp speed. When asked, the Valley resident will gladly (and energetically) inform you of his feelings about the state of the nation or the virtues of Prince versus Michael…
Tipped off from a friend over at Waved Rumor, we were alerted today that prominent music blog Brooklyn Vegan featured Phoenix’s own Landmine Marathon as part of the blog’s CMJ coverage. Well, kinda. Landmine didn’t play as part of the official CMJ Music Marathon, but that didn’t stop Brooklyn Vegan…
Phoenix alternative pop-rock trio Bad Lucy has been staying out of trouble by keeping a full schedule. After making an appearance on Channel 15 and performing at Downtown Phoenix Street Party last week, the band recently unveiled a new radio single and are gearing up for a free show tonight…
Talk about tying things together. We recently blogged about former-Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch dropping a new single and about Alice Cooper’s twisted maze in Hollywood. But now we can blog about The Coop and Head at the same time. That’s because Welch is scheduled to perform Saturday, December 17,…
As we announced last week, bearded angel Sam Beam of Iron & Wine will officially be gracing Phoenix with his presence at the beginning of December.Presumably he’ll be performing songs from his latest album, Kiss Each Other Clean, as well as classics from past albums including The Shepherd’s Dog and Our…
Okay, so Crescent Ballroom has been open two full weeks, which is long enough for us to review five shows there, eat one of Chris Bianco’s burritos, and listen as all the “cool kids” started calling the place “Crescent.”Stateside and Crescent owner Charlie Levy has enjoyed the past two weeks,…
Two of classic country’s baddest bad-boys, Merle “Hag” Haggard and Kris “That Dude From the First Blade Movie” Kristofferson, are headed to Phoenix this week, and they are not performing at a typically “country” place like Toby Keith’s I Love this Bar & Grill. No, the digs will be classier,…
Do you ever feel like you’re just not creeped out enough by the local music? Well, Tempe rocksters Tugboat intend to change that. A series of videos promoting their October Long Wong’s at The Firehouse residency shows the band in all of their glory. Their ballsy, ballsy glory. …
DJ Name: World Famous Rani “g.”Real name: Rani GharfehGenres spun: House, global soul, afrobeat, ancestral soul, jazz, hip-hop, rap, R&B, funk, worldbeat, disco, indie dance, UK garage and whatever else feels right at the moment.Current residencies: Mabel’s On Main on Friday and Saturday, Retro Hi-Fi [at] Sidebar with fellow residents/co-founders…
Could there be any better Halloween gift than to wander around in Alice Cooper’s brain for an evening, watching him teeter on the edge of sanity, just about to fall off? Proooobably not. That’s why this year, Halloween Horror Nights 2011 at Universal Studios Hollywood will veer from its traditional…
We pretty much crowned Sam Beam, the songwriter who leads Iron & Wine, “King of Octobeard” last week (okay, he came in behind Zakk Wylde, but still). I know a lot of people who thought that Iron & Wine’s last record, Kiss Each Other Clean, was too much of a…
Weiss is a fine art photographer with Candid Landscapes and executive director of No Festival Required Independent Cinema, a four-time Best Of Phoenix winner. Weiss will be doing film programming for Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art’s new SMoCA Lounge in November.When you put your key in the ignition and turn…
In one of my favorite pieces he wrote at New Times, former music editor Martin Cizmar argued that Wilco, one of my favorite bands, was, for all intents and purposes, no different than Dave Matthew Band, a group I don’t like. (Anymore, at least. I was a pretty big fan…
What’s better than a rock show and a costume party together under one roof? How about an ’80s slasher costume party benefiting pets of the homeless with The Jack Rollers. AZ Retro Rescue is hosting the fright night at The Rogue Bar in Scottsdale this Saturday, October 22. TJR are…
I really think so. It’s been a busy year for Mesa’s leading reggae/punk export, Authority Zero. The band is in the midst of a national tour that includes a date at Marquee Theatre on November 5, which will be a hometown sendoff of sorts before the band heads to Japan…
This week’s print edition of Phoenix New Times features a little slice of Phoenix skate punk history, with key players in the early days of seminal band JFA discussing Phoenix, skating, and the punk scene of the early ’80s. All four original members of JFA play Hollywood Alley this Saturday…
