Back in March, we blogged about the imminent arrival of Tempe Tavern on Apache and McClintock, the new bar set to take up residence in the historic White Dairy Barn building, built in 1918.The bar opened up last weekend, with plenty of nods to classic Phoenix/Tempe bars housed within its…
Heavy metal has a rich and diverse history in Arizona. Our state has had a horde of notable residents: hard rock pioneer Alice Cooper, hair metal singer Bret Michaels of Poison, Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and Kerry King of Slayer (both ex-residents now), Sacred Reich,…
Coheed & Cambria Marquee Theatre, Tempe Monday, May 9, 2011 My two previous attempts at seeing Coheed & Cambria perform live were marred by bad luck. The first time I went to a Coheed show, about three years ago, I brought a girl I was sweet on. Much to my dismay, she decided…
Believe it or not, Arizona’s a hot spot for shooting music videos — and we don’t just mean literally hot, but conceptually, too. I mean, where else could a pre-slutty Britney Spears pontificate on her virginity from a cliff top overlooking green waters or Paul McCartney pretend to be an…
Today, The Cars release their first record since 1987’s Door to Door. The new album, Move Like This, also marks the band’s first album without bassist and co-lead vocalist Benjamin Orr, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2000, twelve years after The Cars broke up.Orr’s harmonies and bass lines are…
Next month marks the 18-year anniversary of punk pariah G.G. Allin’s death. Yes, G.G. Allin is dead, but that hasn’t stopped his older brother Merle from using his name to try and make a living. You may have noticed a band called “G.G. Allin’s Murder Junkies” are playing this Thursday…
Michael Stipe of REM said he tried to reach out to Kurt Cobain as an attempt to help save Cobain’s life, according to NME.Stipe recently told Interview Magazine that he devised a plan to try to save Cobain from the awful state of mind he was in before he killed…
So your most celebrated and, arguably, talented member just left the band to focus on his solo work. For most bands with only one album to their credit, a departure like this would spell a most certain doom. However, New York experimental rockers Battles aren’t most bands.The band’s most prolific…
Welcome to Obscuro, a feature where Up on the Sun dives deep into the world of vinyl oddities: private press jobs, major label cast-offs, and general thrift shop clutter that’s thus far escaped anyone’s attention. These LPs have been hiding out, collecting dust, until we come along, investigate, probe and…
Just as any artist would be, DJ and producer David Guetta is understandably quite upset over the recent leak of his new song, according to Rolling Stone.Guetta has gone above and beyond to catch the sleazy hacker who leaked his new single “Where Them Girls At?” which features Nicki Minaj…
Queensryche wasn’t in town last night, but for their fans, what went down at Club Red had to be the very definition of “next best thing.” Following an introduction by Queensryche singer Geoff Tate, in town to pimp his Insania Wine, the Ryche took the stage.Arguably the premier Queensryche tribute…
Black Carl and Gospel Claws The Duce Friday, May 6Who would have thought a boxing ring would make such a great stage? And that an old warehouse turned retro mini-mall and bar would have good acoustics? But both were so Friday night at The Duce in downtown Phoenix, where two well-known local…
Jimmy Kimmel may lag behind CoCo and Jimmy Fallon as the funniest guy in late night television, but he kicked everyone’s ass with his musical guest last night. Rocking a strong Cinco de Mayo vibe, he featured Tucson-based act Calexico, joined by Mariachi Luz de Luna. Performing “Crystal Frontier” from…
Two of R&B/soul’s most loved voices are headed for Celebrity Theater on June 16. Mavis Staples and Dr. John are set to take the rotating stage, and the show ought to be utterly fantastic. Staples’ last record, You Are Not Alone (2010) found the 71 year-old songstress teaming with Wilco…
May already? Yup. In case you are in the same work-induced haze that I am, you may need a reminder that April is, in fact, over. Luckily hindsight is twenty-twenty. You’ll appreciate that as you look back at the best concert shots from April. April was one hell of a month…
[jump] My love of all things Kenny Loggins started with The Essential Kenny Loggins. I purchased the two disc collection not too long after it was released in November of 2002 as a suggestion from a friend. I knew a few of Loggins’ songs — “I’m Alright” and “Danger Zone,”…
In April of last year, longtime Valley radio show host Jonathan L left the Phoenix airwaves and moved to Berlin, Germany. L was a popular DJ here, and hosted shows or did programming at radio stations all around Arizona for 30 years, including a long stint at alternative station KUKQ and…
The term “progressive rock” conjures all sorts of sound bites, good and bad, from the jam meanderings of King Crimson to Geddy Lee’s nasally wail in Rush. The music of Coheed and Cambria, playing the Marquee Theatre on Monday, is often labeled progressive rock, but it’s really more just rock…
Jason AlfordThe executive chef of Roka Akor hosts a Mother’s Day brunch and dinner at the restaurant on Sunday, May 8. For more information, log on to www.rokaakor.com. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? KYOT (95.5-FM) smooth jazz. What’s the…
By my estimations, I’ve been doing You Asked For It for over a year now — just about 15 months. In that time, I have come across some really fresh, interesting new music from local, unsigned bands. Those albums have shown me that there is a very solid core of…
The margarita makers are primed, and the shots have been poured. It’s Cinco de Mayo, and if there’s one party Phoenix knows how to throw, it’s this one. With spicy food specials, drinks discounted all around town, and practically every cantina rolling out some sort of special event, it can…
This weekend, you can have your local funk and experimental art rock, too. Not only are Black Carl and Gospel Claws playing a free show at hip hot spot The Duce on Friday, but there’s another killer music show of local acts lined up at The Fixx in Tempe for Saturday…
