Ke$ha grills Ke$ha on the topic of the Hollywood sign, the Grammys, Ke$ha’s album Animal and some of her favorite artists, among them Bob Dylan, the Beastie Boys and Arizona’s own Alice Cooper. Prepare yourself for the video after the jump…
It seems Yoko Ono is allowing French automaker Citroën to use footage of John Lennon for the purposes of advertising a new “anti-retro” car. Needless to say, there’s a slew of people who are up in arms. The footage is of Lennon discussing the creative process, and nostalgia as a…
Artist: GorillazTitle: Plastic BeachRelease date: March 9Label: Parlophone/VirginThe cartoon band Gorillaz have a new record called Plastic Beach, and it’s pretty darn good. My only previous exposure to the band was the song “Feel Good Inc.,” which I really liked for its Ray Davies-esque chorus and cool bass line. Come…
This week’s music feature looks at the musical career of the Phoenix music blogger, Dfactor. A frequent contributor of comments to Up On The Sun, he’s also seeking a band to collaborate with.”Current solo artist seeks drummer, bassist, perhaps keyboard player. Must be into early-period Guided by Voices, adore Strummer,…
Glendale’s Independence High School has pulled the plug on this weekend’s Gospel Rap Extravaganza, which DMZ was set to perform at, says TMZ.Apparently a $1 million insurance policy wasn’t enough to allow DMX to lose his mind “Up In [T]here.” The show had been scheduled for Saturday and was hosted…
Kinch is planning to play four new songs during their set at Friday’s release party for the latest Flying Blanket compilation CD.The band goes on early, just before 8 p.m., so arrive at Martini Ranch early if you want to hear the new stuff.”All four new songs are guitar songs,…
“Current solo artist seeks drummer, bassist, perhaps keyboard player. Must be into early-period Guided by Voices, adore Strummer, Westerberg, Weller, Richman. Must be interested in rocking out un-ironically. Hipster douchebags and scene kids need not apply. If interested, contact Dfactor at his music blog, www.WavedRumor.com.” Talking with David Murrow, the…
It’s been a busy year for Kirkwood Dellinger. Since their last record, an eight-song EP titled Miniature Stallion, dropped in the summer of 2008, the band has been signed to a label, toured twice, and cut a new album. Their latest project, Gold, set to be released this Saturday, is…
Why would the frontman/guitarist of a successful indie-rock group switch to bass for his solo work? Ask David Bazan, the songwriter who formerly fronted the indie-rock band Pedro the Lion and released his solo debut, Curse Your Branches, last fall. “So much of the time I spend really loathing myself…
It’s been just more than a year since Phoenix grindcore revivalists Landmine Marathon inked a deal with Prosthetic Records, so the first thing I wanted to hear about when we sat down for an interview recently was how their lives had changed since signing a record contract. Surely, there would…
So we’re a little late with this. Yeah, we know Christmas was over two months ago, but the constant rush of this day-to-day journalistic lifestyle has left us with little time for gift-giving…or sun light. Anywho, we hope you’ll accept our late X-mas gift: the brand-spankin’-new “Happy Hours” app for…
Artist: Johnny CashTitle: American VI: Ain’t No GraveRelease date: February 23Label: American RecordingsI approached this new record from Johnny Cash with some skepticism. By the time these tracks were recorded, J.C. simply wasn’t singing very well anymore. The songs on “Ain’t No Grave” were recorded during the same sessions as the…
This week, New Times ran a box 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’s inside the new Musical Instrument Museum in north Phoenix? Why is local Poison tribute band…
Earlier today, we brought you a Q&A from sisters Alexia and Anissa Rodriguez of Eyes Set to Kill, who are nominated for a Revolver Magazine Golden Gods Award for “Hottest Chick(s) in Metal.”Okay, so we were hoping they’d say something to start a cat fight. Alas, the girls chose to…
The Melvins lead off this week’s breakdown of just announced shows with a June date at Tempe’s Clubhouse Music Venue.The seminal ’80s punk band led by the freakishly-coiffed Buzz Osborne has 19 albums to their credit, all in their trademark blend of sludge, metal, and punk. This year marks the…
You really don’t need to spend more than, say, an hour in the Valley to notice that there are an inordinate amount of hot chicks ’round these parts. Who knows if it’s the sunshine, the constant influx of new residents, or if cacti and oleander emit some sort of magical,…
Kanye launched a new blog last week, and it ain’t so easy on the eyes. I guess the new concept shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. After all, Kanye is really good at doing what people least expect him to do. The first thing you see on the page is…
The latest story was written by Si Robins for Wavelength, a mag published by Phoenix’s National Public Radio station, KJZZ-FM 91.5. It does teeter on puffy, press-release territory, however the piece also features some nice touches, such as a brief background of the label’s namesake, River Jones, as well as some…
DMX is planning to make an appearance at a Glendale church this weekend. The rapper known as “Earl Simmons” by Sheriff Joe’s prison guards had previously said he’s planning to skip town as soon as he gets out of the joint, but apparently had a change of heart…
Artist: High on FireTitle: Snakes for the DivineRelease date: February 23Label: E1 MusicI dodged a bullet. Yesterday, I bet everyone a million dollars they couldn’t listen to the new two-hour-long triple album by critics’ darling Joanna Newsom in its entirety, front-to-back, more than once. A bunch of people wrote to…
U.K. experimental rockers These New Puritans have finally unleashed their second full-length record, Hidden. Their 2008 debut, Beat Pyramid, found the band exploring their post-punk roots, joining the already massive stable of like-minded British bands. Two years later, the band has turned their own sound on its ear, blowing up…
J.D. Salinger, the famed Catcher in the Rye author, passed away just over a month ago. Lucky timing: A documentary about him by writer/director Shane Salerno has already been in the works for five years. Rumors were circulating, but it’s finally confirmed that Jesse Malin has been asked to write…
