By now you’ve probably heard the dozens of promos that KUPD has been running daily for the free Smashing Pumpkins concert they’re putting this coming Thursday night. Billy Corgan and his crew are making a swing through the Valley (guess they’re not down with Zack de la Rocha and the…
It’s probably safe to call the members of Green Day rock n’ roll gods. Maybe it’s because their concerts sets are more than 3 hours long, or maybe it’s because they allow fans to come on-stage and play with them. The veteran trio performed for an adoring crowd last night…
Song: Green Day, “21 Guns” Context: Green Day comes to Phoenix tonight. 21 Guns [Green Day] by BIG Papi…
Song: “Porirua Gurls”Context: In the wake of the “Arizona Gurls” video I went searching for the world’s most ridiculous parody of Katy Perry’s song. This one, named for a suburb of New Zealand’s capital and made by a radio station there, takes the cake. The references are totally incomprehensible, and…
America’s favorite old man/recording artist Bob Dylan tried to stick it to the man this past Wednesday night at San Francisco’s Warfield Theater.The 69-year-old folk legend decided he was going to rebel against Ticketmaster and surplus ticket charges and nix issuing tickets to his show altogether.It’s a noble experiment in…
While you might not be able to watch DJ RMC doing the weekly grind at Club Incog any more, the 37-year-old is still plenty visible. Each and every Saturday afternoon the house music maestro boots up a live spin session over the Internet via Ustream.tv, and he’s also got a…
NASA has found a way to integrate the general public into their upcoming STS-133 mission.As NME reports, the task at hand is to decide what music should be used to wake up the astronauts while in orbit.Currently, there is a list of 40 potential songs that could be used as…
Artist: Ra Ra RiotTitle: The OrchardRelease date: August 24Label: BarsukIf you like Vampire Weekend, you’ll probably like Ra Ra Riot, a prim-and-proper chamber pop band that sounds more suited to a country club function than a night out at the rock club. These guys are vaguely danceable and indebted to…
It was bad enough when Weezer felt the need to insert Best Buy into their incredibly overplayed radio hit “I Want You To.” Now it seems that their record Hurley, scheduled to be released on Sept. 14, may not be a direct reference to the Lost character played by Jorge…
It’s OK, Sufjan Stevens fans, you can piss your pants about this one — The Age of Adz, Steven’s first album in nearly five years — will be released October 12.This is especially good news for Arizona fans of Stevens as he is set to play Mesa Arts Center on…
This week’s music feature is on The Maine’s rise to success, all the way from the networks of MySpace to their major label signing and $38 keepsake albums. Their adaptability has allowed them to chart and headline. And it doesn’t look like the power-pop force is gonna be on the…
Ever wanted to play a freakin’ laser beam? Like, instead of an instrument? A Scottsdale company called Beamz Interactive gives you the chance with a device called the Beamz Player. It’s a cool little gadget: The $199 player is hooked to a computer and speakers and you coax pre-programmed tones…
Song: The Philistines Jr., “The Bus Stop Song” Context: The Philistines Jr., a project from Peter Katis, the producer who makes The National and Interpol sound like they do (or at least how they did at their peaks) has a new record coming out in October — the first in…
Don’t look now, but there’s a revolution going on in the Valley music scene. No, not that kind of revolution — no dope, guns, and fucking in the streets. But, over the past few years, the Valley has quietly become a hotbed for young, Internet-savvy power-pop bands weaned on Jimmy…
Somewhere, down deep inside each one of us, a Tubes song is playing. Possibly it’s “White Punks on Dope” or it might be “What Do You Want from Life.” Unfortunately, it is probably “She’s a Beauty.” The pre-punk, post-glitter rock of this bright band with its long, sparkly roots here…
Slayer is known for having very dedicated fans. Turns out they’re dedicated enough to issue their own press releases.Hand-written on notebook paper, no less. So, yeah, check out this crazy letter from someone who says he’s Greg Valentino of Pleasant Hills, California. No idea who that is, but the bodybuilder…
Artist: Dead ConfederateTitle: SugarRelease: August 24Label: Razor & TieRecently, I wrote about a really good band with a terrible name. Today, I’ve got a band with a pretty cool name and really so-so music. Dead Confederate evokes a sound that is quite a bit different from what actually emits from…
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. Why did the drummer of a local band get stabbed in the neck outside a show?…
Song: Calexico, “Two Silver Trees” Context: Getting excited for the big Artists For Action show this weekend. Two Silver Trees…
You could never really call Katy Perry original. From the moment she broke onto the scene with her first mainstream single, “I Kissed a Girl,” she was criticized for copying the title of the track by Jill Sobule. Her songs have always been sticky sweet pop that’s radio-ready, but on…
As Idolator points out, John Legend and The Roots are typically known for their socially conscious music. So it was a bit surprising to hear that Legend performed the music for the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant. The performance featured the skinny girls in heels performing choreography that was more like…
Local rockers Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers tweeted the unsurprising news that the GreenStock has been canceled this afternoon.I’ve been unable to confirm this with organizers — who don’t seem to have voicemail and haven’t answered an e-mail — but there’s little reason to doubt it’s true…
