Jazz is for everyone. At least, that’s the message that the owners of The Nash want to spread. This June, Phoenix the award-winning jazz venue will host a number of summer workshops for the second year in a row. The workshops are designed for anyone looking to improve their skills…
In 2004, singer-songwriter Matt Pond quietly released his critically acclaimed fifth album Emblems with his band, Matt Pond PA. Documenting the artist’s stressful relocation to Brooklyn from Philadelphia, the album delved into the creative highs and lonely lows of a new city. It showcased a musician at an artistic peak…
Steve Wiley is Up on the Sun’s resident Record Store Geek. Biweekly, he shares stories of great music and whacky characters from his continuing 27 years in Valley record stores and the always-zany music biz. Welcome back, my friends. When I last left you, I was discussing my favorite record…
Buffalo Killers, at the very least, seem to hail from another time, which makes them perfect for right now. This four piece Ohio-based band adheres to that old balls-to-the-wall rock and roll credo when music was all about style and substance as well as simply piling on the heavy…
I love live music. As someone who writes about music for a living, that is probably as unsurprising a sentence I could type. I love going to concerts, hanging out with like-minded music lovers, and watching professionals execute their craft at the highest levels possible. I love music music that…
Steve Wiley is Up on the Sun’s resident Record Store Geek. Biweekly, he shares stories of great music and whacky characters from his continuing 27 years in Valley record stores and the always-zany music biz. As you might expect, working in a record store is a pretty cool job. Sure,…
Despite the fact he sports snapbacks and Coolin’ Out T-shirts, spins at the Blunt Club, and has a new project with Phoenix rapper Very G., local selecta Dominic Khin Htay doesn’t consider himself to be purely a hip-hop DJ. The 35-year-old, who performs as DJ Organic, prefers to be versatile…
Musicians of Phoenix, start limbering up your wrists and get practicing. Not at bettering your strumming or drumming abilities, but rather your skills at tossing strikes and spares. That’s because the Phoenix Independents Bowl is back after a three-year absence. Local concert promoter “Psyko” Steve Chilton announced earlier this week…
Many legends have spawned from Arizona’s hard rock and heavy metal scene — Chester Bennington, Maynard James Keenan, Alice Cooper, David Ellefson, Dave Mustaine, and Jason Newsted, as well as bands like Job for a Cowboy and Flotsam and Jetsam — just to name a few. There’s a common denominator…
Damien Jurado’s 2012 album Maraqopa — a dreamscape narrative that found the once-quiet singer-songwriter enmeshed in spacey psychedelic rock — is only half the story. After a stalled effort at a follow-up record, Jurado took the advice of a friend and revisited the album’s world — which came to him,…
Against Me!’s latest album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, may be one of the most important records of the decade. We’re deep in a cultural war for gay and women’s rights, but we’ve barely scratched the surface regarding transgender issues. The coming out of someone in the public eye still qualifies as…
For Brad Paisley fans hoping to beat this summer with some musical relief, bad news: LiveNation anounced today that the show has been canceled due to “scheduling conflicts.” Refunds will be available at the point of purchase. Find any show in Metro Phoenix via our extensive online concert calendar. 9…
On May 18, classic rockers the Steve Miller Band, Journey, and Tower of Power will join forces for a summer tour. Last week, Miller, along with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain — both original Journey members — participated in a lengthy conference call to talk about all kinds of stuff,…
Chips off the block, The Safes — three brothers from Chicago — credit their dad, a working musician and record collector for laying down a rich musical foundation that inspired them to naturally progress from siblings into a power pop trio. Their new release, Record Heat, is loaded with muscle-y,…
Drop by El Hefe in Scottsdale on any given Sunday afternoon and you’ll find yourself in the middle of a party, and quite the epic one at that. The Saddlebag Trail spot is a bit infamous for its weekly 4-2-10 Sundays affair, which is one the wildest club events in…
The Black Keys announced a nationwide tour in support of their forthcoming album, Turn Blue, and they will stop by Phoenix on November 10 to play the US Airways Center. No word yet on ticket price, but if you pre-order the album through the Black Keys’ website you can get…
If you missed the sold-out shows Dr. Dog played at the Crescent Ballroom in February, you don’t have to wait much longer for another chance to see the Philadelphia band. Dr. Dog is playing a free show at Desert Botanical Gardens on May 15. RSVP here. See also: Dr. Dog’s…
On a sweltering Sunday night in early May, a young-skewing crowd of roughly 50 black-clad hardcore fans packed around the tiny stage in the sweaty basement of the Nile Theater in Mesa. The main attraction of the evening was Georgia screamo band Circle Takes the Square, but this crowd was…
Whether it’s through his digital design work or his post-rock music outfit, A Cloud for Climbing (AC4C), Brock Lefferts has one goal in mind: “organically distorting what is perfect.” In AC4C, Lefferts flies solo, using audio software Ableton Live to manufacture loops and beats for him to play alongside on…
Bandleader Sergio Mendoza was born in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, but crossed the U.S./Mexico border to the American side of the city (in Arizona) when he was 8 years old. He moved north to Tucson at 18. He formed Sergio Mendoza y la Orkesta in 2009, banding together a group of…
Summer is only in its infancy and we’re already more than eager for its end. Not only because we won’t be sweating it out in a pizza oven writ large, but also because there are a few big outdoor concerts scheduled to take place, the most prominent of which was…
#477130465 / gettyimages.com Record Store Day has come and gone. By all accounts, it went well and my indie record store geek brethren was elated. Beautiful. See also: 10 Best Record Stores in Metro Phoenix However, as I suggested in my last column, to really appreciate record stores, you can’t…
