The Vans Warped Tour offers an overwhelming selection of bands each year for its annual summer tour. The problem with the all-day event is that you have to know going in to the event which artists to see. Because of the huge list of performances, it’s impossible to watch them…
Bobby Bare Jr.’s new album Undefeated is a mixed bag stylistically, jumping from power pop to R&B, punk rock to cosmic Krautrock, but at its core the 47-year-old songwriter says it’s “all country.” Born to Country Hall of Famer Bobby Bare and singer Jeanie Bare, his Western roots make perfect…
Country singer and pianist Ronnie Milsap canceled his June 12 show at Celebrity Theatre due to unspecified health reasons…
When trance gone electro, house and big room DJ and producer Ferry Corsten isn’t making music or spending time with his family, he’s likely got one thing on his mind: tearing down a mountain on his snowboard. Corsten, who plays at Maya Day and Night Club in Old Town Scottsdale…
The Fray haven’t always tried to make songs that appeal to the mainstream. It’s that strategy that earned them success in 2005 when the singles, “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and “How to Save a Life” made the Denver band practically inescapable to anyone with the ability to listen to…
Tucson favorites Lenguas Largas are making the trek up to the valley for a June 14 performance at the Yucca Tap Room with The Paul Collins Beat. Lenguas Largas began as recording project between vocalist/guitarist Isaac Reyes and guitarist Ricky Shimo in 2009, and has since expanded to the unorthodox…
James Taylor might be the marquee name in Phoenix this week, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of other shows to see around the Valley of the Sun. Check out the following selections, which include a bass master, indie rock, alt-blues and more. And if those don’t tickle your…
Phoenix Comicon is currently going on, and the “Premier Pop Culture Experience” in the Southwest is really delivering this year with more vendors, more cosplays, and more music based events. One such event was Friday’s “Raving Is Fun” panel. The way it was described in the Comicon programing guide was…
Axl Rose and his new cast of gunners wrapped up their second residency at The Joint inside The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino over the weekend in Las Vegas with a bang. While their were no Izzy Stradlin or Duff McKagen surprise appearances on the final night this time around,…
Amanda Sudano and Abner Ramirez are about to hit the ground running. The husband-and-wife team are home in Los Angeles for all of three hours, hustling to get laundry done in their Toluca Lake apartment, only hours before leaving for another tour stretch again. Such tribulations are nothing new for…
Lionel Richie’s All the Hits, All Night Long Tour Ak-Chin Pavilion June 8 Lionel Richie is one of the best-selling artists of all time. He was a member of Motown’s The Commodores in the ’60s and went on to be a hit machine as a solo artist, with 10-plus albums…
It seems likely that, back in 1968 when James Taylor signed to Apple records for his first album as an aspiring singer-songwriter, he would have happily — willfully — consented to an interview with any publication that would have him. Ah, what good old days those must have been, because…
It’s been one year since Epic Music opened its doors, and the store is looking to celebrate. The store is hosting an anniversary concert at Tempe Center for the Arts on Saturday, June 14. The night is set to feature local bands Tricus, St. Madness, Jerry Robison, and Death Awaits,…
Feeling warm? Don’t let it get to you…seriously. Look, we know you’re miserable now that the heat’s really kicking in, but just crank up the A/C, grab a ice-cold beverage, and think happy thoughts. You can’t stay inside all the time, especially there is many an excellent show to see…
The Western is headed for its last roundup, y’all. The stylish Scottsdale bar/restaurant/music venue, which has been open about a year and change, will apparently be closing after one final show on Sunday night. An e-mail announcing it’s shuttering was sent out this morning by the joint’s PR person with…
Who says live music slows down during the summer? This weekend, catch anything from local pop music to weirdo rappers to top-notch EDM producers. You can always check our comprehensive concert listings for many more options as well…
The Trunk Space in Phoenix is geared toward many musical audiences that are fans of punk rock and experimental bands. Mullarkey, Trunk Space’s volunteer booking agent, who declined to give a first or last name, says that many of the upcoming shows are from bands reaching out to the venue…
You could easily be forgiven for mistaking More Primitive, the new LP by Seattle-based blues trio Lonesome Shack, for a mid-’70s recording from the North Mississippi hill country, the fertile blues scene that gave listeners artists like R.L. Burnside, Fred McDowell, Jesse Mae Hemphill, and more. But no, singer/guitarist Ben…
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. When I was a young music fan, I just liked what I liked. I didn’t…
We’ve got both good news and bad news this afternoon for fans of The Sail Inn. First, the bad news: The popular Tempe music venue is still leaving its longtime Farmer Avenue home at the end of the month. And the good news? Instead of fading out of existence, it’s…
Rocky Votolato is a guy on the shore skipping stones across the water. Part craft, part amusement, the circumspect Seattle songwriter’s success and happiness has ebbed and flowed like the tide, something he’s gradually grown more accustomed to, though it’s not always been a smooth ride. Finally firmly at peace,…
Where would Minibosses be without Samus Aran and Jimmy Page? On the day of its release in 1987, pre-teen Aaron Burke picked up Metroid, an action game for the Nintendo Entertainment System that debuted Aran, a daring bounty hunter in space. A longtime science fiction/space fan, Burke fell hard for…
