ould overnight British superstar Susan Boyle have the top album in the UK two years in a row?It’s very possible, according to Billboard.Boyle just released her second album, The Gift, which debuted at the top spot on the UK charts. Her first album, I Dreamed a Dream, which was a…
Oh, how we’ve missed podcasting to the music fans of the Valley. Well, music editor Martin Cizmar and I are back with a new one, with nine new-ish songs and lotsa banter about music, including the artistic achievements of Sufjan Stevens, a great new song by local band Gospel Claws,…
Song: Jessica Lea Mayfield, “Our Hearts Are Wrong” Context: Jessica Lea Mayfield’s now album is due in February, produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and out on Nonesuch. This first single is pretty damn good. Jessica Lea Mayfield – Our Hearts Are Wrong…
In between dates on an extensive international tour, Damon Albarn has been recording a new Gorillaz album on his iPad, according to NME.Albarn said he hopes he has “made a completely different kind of record.” In an effort to be the first to release an iPad-made album, he hopes to…
Taylor Swift may be headlining the 2011 version of the Country Thunder music festival in Arizona.The event’s organizers sent out a press releases today announcing the dates for the annual hootenanny: April 7-10, in Florence where the festival has been staged at Canyon Moon Ranch since outgrowing Schnepf Farms in…
Name: David Kevin StricklerAKA: DK Strickler Current gigs: Retro Hi-Fi Sundays at SideBar, and private/public events on Thursday, Fridays, Saturdays. Genres spun: House and all it’s varied sub-genres, space and indie disco, organic lounge and downtempo.How did you get started as a DJ? Fell in love with EDM back in…
Folk-tinged psych-rockers Akron/Family have a new album due out in February, and they’ve stopped at nothing to get the word out in perhaps the most offbeat way. The album is conveniently titled S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT, natch.The trio has a history of being on…
Song: Weezer, “Tragic Girl”Context: This is the last song on the excellent and informative two-disc re-issue of Pinkerton which came out last week. Weezer – Tragic Girl (Pinkerton Reissue) by mmcizmar…
Regulars at the new Long Wong’s have a new favorite band. What are they called again? They change their name practically every five minutes, but for now they’re going by Future Loves Past and they’re helping shape a special vibe for the venue, making it a hip hangout spot and…
Worthy Farm, home to the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts in the UK, now boasts what festival organizer Michael Eavis calls “the best solar power system in the country,” according to NME.The cluster of 1,116 solar panels that is fixed on top of the cowshed at Worthy Farm is…
Around midnight on a recent Saturday, Jack Maverik gets a text message from a friend. A few minutes later, he gets another one. Then another. While getting three texts in a row is not remarkable for Maverik, the general manager of the new Long Wong’s in Tempe, the reason is…
Over the past 25 years, Gwar has become the most successful extraterrestrial music act of all time, selling more than 30 million albums worldwide. Although attempts at carbon dating have been inconclusive, the members of Gwar are believed to be more than 1 million years old, making them the second-oldest…
I’ve never quite understood why so many white people like reggae music so much. I even say that as a white person who likes reggae music. Maybe it’s just a phase. Sometime in middle school or high school, lots of white kids smoke weed for the first time and begin…
Song: The Aggrolites, Free TimeContext: You’ve got your choice of American reggae bands this week with both The Aggrolites and Pepper coming to town. Both have shows on Friday — choose wisely. The Aggrolites – Free Time by KROQ…
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.Is AZ Country Music USA’s four-month tenure the shortest ever by a Phoenix-area club?How was A Perfect…
What’s more humbling for an alt-rock band whose better days are behind them? Playing a free concert being put on by a radio station or performing at a casino. In a few weeks, Smashing Pumpkins will have the dubious distinction of having done both within the span of six months. KUPD…
When a band uses a cat named Snacks as the mascot for their drum kit, you know the group is cool. And when there’s a guy at the show whose seemingly only duty is to get people to clap their hands, the group gets even cooler. Such is the case…
OK Go is back with a brand new soon-to-be-viral video, according to SPIN.The video for the new song, entitled “Last Leaf,” shows that the band has gone in a new direction with their visuals. Rather than another video that showcases the Rube Goldberg Machine (which was shot 89 times), a…
For a punk band more than 30 years old, Bad Religion still knows how to rock out and put on a great show for fans. Appropriately, the band busted out their track “Ten in 2010,” along with a slew of hits. Audience members at the Marquee Theatre last night couldn’t…
Song: Paul McCartney and Wings, “Band on the Run” Context: If you don’t yet have a copy of Band On The Run, the album, the new remastered version is worth picking up. It certainly sounds a lot better than this mp3. Paul Mccartney & Wings- Band on the Run…
Sweeping generalizations aside, both Aoki and Gillis are famed DJs with similar mashup stylings, as the kids say. Both fellas like to take multiple songs and cram them all into one, a style Gillis has perfected under his Girl Talk moniker. Aoki’s 2008 album Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles had…
Jack White and Norah Jones will be featured on Danger Mouse’s long-running project with Daniele Luppi, according to Consequence of Sound.While Norah Jones has only been rumored to be on the album in some capacity, Jack White has been in the loop for a while. After having showed off his…
