Phoenix is a pretty great place to live if you like nerd music. Not only have we got The Minibosses, one of the most respected NES-rock bands in the biz, but we’ve got Mega Ran, AKA Random, who raps serious stuff over video game samples, including sounds from the Mega…
Oh, dear god. What have I done?Last week I wrote about my discovery of 37-year-old Chandler “scene” creep Bryan Lightningrod. I mean, “97-year-old vampire from Cairo” Bryan Lightningrod. Whatever. Same difference. The point is, he solicits fan photos, regardless of their nature, and posts them to his Facebook, MySpace, Twitter,…
River Jones Jones is the owner of local record label River Jones Music. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? Growing up, I listened to KDKB, KUPD, KEDJ, and KUKQ. Now, I am always streaming music 24/7. But,…
Seems like that licensing deal is working out well for Phoenix-based hip-hoppers The New F-o’s. The group’s song “Good and the Bad” will be featured on tonight’s episode of the FX sitcom Wilfred. In case you haven’t got hip to it, the show features Elijah Wood and Jason Gann in…
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 rock star is being “memorialized” at Memorium in Bar Smith? Why is Bryan Lightningrod the…
Check out this week’s issue of Phoenix New Times for a feature on a guy many call one of the most talented young musicians in the Valley, indie singer/songwriter/violinist Tobie Milford. Milford performs with band The Whisperlights, but when he takes the stage at Scottsdale’s The Rogue Bar this Saturday,…
When Jeff Rosenstock’s band The Arrogant Sons of Bitches broke up in 2004, he decided to record a bunch of weird songs alone on his computer and just give them away for free on the Internet. He called this project Bomb the Music Industry. “When I realized I could record…
We don’t like change. We don’t like evolution, slow growth, or new surprises. Once we’ve figured something out, it’s easier if it just stays as it was when we got to know it, thank you very much. And we’re skeptical when those whom we’ve gotten to know as actors start…
Over the course of its 10-year run as a downtown music venue, Modified Arts has seen its share of emo concerts, indie rock get-downs, and hard-rock shows. In 2009, the venue’s focus shifted from “big indie rock shows” to being a full-time visual art gallery. The change promised that the…
DJ Michael James is record-hugging transient of sorts. The Cream Stereo Lounge resident DJ divides his time between his home in Scottsdale, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, occasionally venturing off the west coast to perform gigs in his hometown of Miami. All of the traveling hasn’t sucked his energy, though. His…
DJ Refleckshin mans the wheels of steel each Monday night at British Open Pub in Scottsdale, but yesterday he got to spin a neo-soul mix for all the interwebs to hear when he appeared on Mattlock and DJ Element’s Sol Shades program…
But I still think it’s important to recognize some truly great famous female performers out there.Luckily there’s a Tumblr devoted to exactly that! Awesome Girls in Bands sheds a little light on cool chicks in bands and fantastic female solo artists as well.More on what’s awesome about this week’s Tumblr…
In these economically screwy times, value is an important thing. Apache Lake Music Festival organizer Brannon Kleinlein knows this, and he thinks his music festival is one hell of a deal. “We have over 30 bands, the whole event is $30, so [that’s] less than a dollar a band,” Kleinlein…
It’s a crazy time for radio personalities in Phoenix. Dave Pratt has taken over at X103.9, and now KWSS 106.7 has announced the return of a voice very familiar to Valley listeners. On Monday, August 22, Jonathan L’s Lopsided World of L will make its terrestrial debut on the Phoenix…
The staff at Revolver Records in downtown Phoenix loves vinyl, and according to co-owner T.J. Jordan, the store plans on taking its relationship with wax to the next level. Jordan doesn’t have a confirmed date, but believes that mid-October should see the debut vinyl release from Revolver’s new label, Ammit…
Back in May, Hooves frontman Andrew Krissberg explained to me before the band took the floor at Bikini Lounge that the band’s decision to move to Washington was one step in a grand plan. The band’s plan sounded idyllic –hanging out in the Pac Northwest, touring, and recording a new…
It can be hard to watch child stars grow up. But like a car accident, sometimes you just can’t look away.One word that came to mind when I learned that Lizzie McGuire star and terrible pop artist Hilary Duff is pregnant with her first child, and that word is “ewww.””No,…
It seems like only yesterday that we were speaking with Colorstore about the band’s “bloated and pretentious” Saturday night gig at FilmBar (okay, so it it was Friday). The gig went off without a hitch, but last night the guys ran into a serious snag: Someone ripped off a bunch…
There’s really no gentle way to say it. People were expecting Amy Winehouse to die young. Even her own parents were prepared for her death. Celebrity deaths impact the public in varying ways, but there will always be a combination of trolls and mourners. Hiding behind the anonymity of the…
X103.9’s Facebook fans may still be posting comments like “Maybe you guys can set around in your daily meetings and talk about how great the color red is and the wonders of wearing untied white high tops. You guys really screwed yourselves on this decision” and “Pratt? I thought he…
Kyuss Lives!, which features most of the members of seminal ’90s stoner rock band Kyuss (but not Josh Homme, who’s apparently too busy being in Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures), is scheduled to play Marquee Theatre on October 6. It should be an awesome show –…
Kings of Leon have been treading some rough waters over the last few weeks. First they had to cut their show short in Dallas on July 29 due to frontman Caleb Followill needing to go backstage, puke and drink some more. Then the band canceled the rest of their US…
