Something about a jam band’s free-form nature lures its members into the world of electronica. Maybe it’s the improvisational aspect and turns the music makes as DJs adapt to the audience at hand? Maybe it is simply the like-mindedness that a solid dance groove trumps all others? Whatever the reasons,…
Yes, the man behind commercially ubiquitous songs like “Old Time Rock and Roll” and “Like a Rock” is coming to Phoenix this week. Bob Seger’s legacy includes 17 studio albums that have gone platinum 20 times, a co-writing credit on the Eagles hit “Heartache Tonight,” and countless, mind-boggling numbers of…
I’m unable to decouple Riff Raff, the rapper, from the character of “Alien,” as played by James Franco in Harmony Korine’s 2012 film Spring Breakers. This is not an uncommon thing, as even Riff Raff himself is insistent that the character is not just inspired by him, but is him,…
The Marquee Theatre was packed from wall to wall Friday night when the pale emperor Marilyn Manson paid a visit to the Valley in front of a sold-out crowd. Half of the fun of attending a Manson show is that you just never know what you’re gonna get out of…
While I try not to whine about it too much, it’s a true fact that our fair Southwest desert doesn’t get too much “rock festival” action. Sure — we seem to have EDM raves and indie rock fests galore. But when it comes to weekends packed with hard rock, and…
Dear Readers, When I initially pitched the idea of doing a list of 10 local records I found to be hugely influential, I had no idea where the road would lead or what I would find when I traveled it. The journey has been enlightening, fairly difficult, and, more than…
By Ali Lerman You’re in your favorite bar, you’re feeling good while hanging out with your buddies, and some newbie walks up to the jukebox. The only thing that’s on your mind now is, this jackass better not play a douchey song. We’ve all been there and mood killing by…
Here at Up on the Sun, we spend a lot of time out in bars and venues watching live music and then lots more time thinking, discussing, and writing about it. We have writers focusing on every aspect of the Phoenix music scene, reacting to it, interacting with it, and…
Happy Valentine’s Day weekend. Here are seven shows, with varying degrees of hearts and chocolates, to enjoy this weekend…
Fans of the old Big Bang in Tempe, lend us your ears. In fact, if you’ve been mourning the loss of the beloved Mill Avenue basement bar and its dueling pianos, you’d should cheer up and get ready to rock out once more. That’s because RCK CTY, the glitzy nightclub…
We knew the nightclub scene in Scottsdale had to be lucrative, but damn! We had no idea just how much. Nightclub & Bar, an online trade magazine for the nightlife industry, released its 2015 Top 100 Revenue Generating Nightclubs, Bars & Lounges in the U.S. list last week, and three…
Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best new music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. There Is Danger – “Youth” There Is Danger’s album Living Dreams was my favorite local album of 2013, and by the…
When John 5 received his first guitar at age 7, it became a lifelong love affair (lucky for us). He had no way of knowing that, within just a few decades, he would be seen as one of music’s most acclaimed and sought-after guitar-slingers. All I gotta say is when…
Not many bands get the privilege of working alongside musicians and producers they love. The Toasters are one such band to have done so (creating record labels Moon Ska Records in the ’80s and Megalith in the 2000s), and they’ve been doing it that way for going on 35 years…
As Marilyn Manson approaches 50 years old, the world no longer is afraid of him. It’s just not sure what to do with him, either. At times, it seems Manson doesn’t know what to do with himself, but one thing he loves to do keep himself entertained. As we speak,…
Gravity gave Greta Morgan a gift and a broken fibula. Working as a skilled tightrope tripper, fatigue set in from constant touring in the circus and she fell three stories. Recovering in the wake of her broken dreams, she taught herself piano and created Springtime Carnivore. “I’ve been playing ever…
Every Wednesday is Heritage Hump Day! That’s because every Wednesday from now to the end of the year or before someone really big stops us, Heritage Hump Records (a temporary subsidiary of Onus Records) and New Times will be bringing you a limited edition collector’s item of a much beloved…
The music of San Francisco band Dodos packs plenty of shifting time signatures, stylistically syncopated drumming, and a constantly growing technical savvy in its music, but don’t even think of labeling this duo as math rock. If anything, the band embodies the spirit of 1970s prog icons such as Yes…
When it all comes down to it, DJs wield a certain degree of power — and we ain’t just referring to all the money, fame, and influence that comes with the job. Instead, we’re referencing their talents at controlling the energy and driving the dance floor at whatever gig they…
You’ve seen those memes: the ones about how musicians spend thousands of dollars on gear, hours rehearsing and loading/unloading, and drive 40 minutes to just play a show for $100. How noble and brave our poor musicians are, selflessly sacrificing themselves at every turn for a chance to do what…
Don’t beat yourself up if you missed psychedelic rockers the Myrrors’ debut, Burning Circles in the Sky, way back in 2008. The album was released in scant quantities around Phoenix — a run of about 50 hand-burned CD-Rs exist — but the young band showed promise, enough so that in…
Ricky Martin’s coming to town, playing Comerica Theatre on Saturday, September 26. The singer is promoting his 10th studio album, A Quien Quiera Escuchar, which came out Monday. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 20, at 10 a.m. at Live Nation’s website…
