KUKQ Phoenix Locks in Programming Schedule

See also: KUKQ Returns to Phoenix (Via the Internet) See also: KUKQ Phoenix Launches Online; We Speak With Nancy Stevens, Craven Moorehead, and Jonathan L KUKQ Phoenix — the Internet radio station bearing the classic call letters of a bygone Phoenix institution — launched in March, but as station director…

Record Heat: Why the Hell Are You So Sad? by Brad Dwyer

See also: Six Against Me! Songs We Can’t Wait to Hear Tom Gabel Sing as a Woman In an election year, it’s normal for the national conversation to get heated. “War on Women,” “War on Marriage,” “War on Healthcare” — you get the idea. Last week, Tom Gabel of Against…

Greg Lake Is Not a Fan of “Progressive Rock”

Greg Lake says he doesn’t have a whole lot of time to listen to music. He’s too busy playing it, as he’s done since the 1960s, doing time as a member of King Crimson, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, The Gods, Asia, and Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band, effectively establishing himself as…

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our May 10 Issue

This week, New Times ran a list 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 is Devo doing with instrument-maker Corey Busboom’s creations in their new video? Why are we…

Drake’s Take Care Is a Conflicted, Compelling Statement

Since the emergence of the term, “emo rap” has been a pejorative shunned by any artist to whom the tag was applied. But it’s a useful label nonetheless, aptly encompassing a particular brand of emotive, borderline-sensitive hip-hop that emerged full-force after Kanye West’s flawed but important 808s and Heartbreaks. Canadian…

Right to Marry to Stage Benefit Show at Trunk Space

With Arizona politics an ever-increasing mix of insanity and idiocy, it’s nice to know that some folks are still out there fighting the good fight. Alicia Porter, 24, is busy enough with her full-time job as outreach specialist at the Arizona Science Center and pursuing her master’s in museum studies…

Portland Cello Project @ Crescent Ballroom

If you’re bored and have access to the Interwebs, go to Amazon and type “string tribute to” in the search field and prepare to be blown away. Did you know there’s a string version of James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” (because the original is too threatening)? How about Tool? How about…

Record Heat: Dusty and Warped by Brad Dwyer

See also: Record Heat: The Hangover by Brad Dwyer If you’ve ever purchased a vinyl record in Arizona, you’ve got at least one sob story about leaving a record in your car and having the brutal, unrelenting sun turning the thing into black vinyl bowl. The thing is, Arizona is…

Isaiah Toothtaker and Max B Show Off Toothy Wavy Videos

See also: Watch: Isaiah Toothtaker and Max B’s Weird, Swimsuit Model-Studded “Been Told” Last time we checked in with Tucson-based Isaiah Toothtaker and Max B, they were dropping the swimsuit-studded video for “Been Told,” a song featured on their upcoming record, Toothy Wavy. Turns out the grainy, sexy visuals were…

Beastie Boys Aren’t Supposed to Die; R.I.P. Adam Yauch

Beastie Boys aren’t supposed to die, and they certainly aren’t supposed to succumb to cancer when they’re only 47. But that’s what happened today: MCA has passed away. The Beastie Boys seemed eternally youthful — from their punky beginnings to their prank-rap stardom, to their string of genuine and soulful…

Nicki Minaj Is Bringing Her “Pink Friday” Tour to Phoenix

Hip-hop superstar Nicki Minaj is bringing her “Pink Friday” tour to Phoenix on Tuesday, August 7, at Comerica Theatre. The 14-date North American tour finds her skipping some pretty big cities (L.A. and Philadelphia get radio shows) on her first headlining tour, but returning to Phoenix after supporting Britney Spears…

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our May 3 Issue

This week, New Times ran a list 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. Does Phoenix need a heavy metal strip club? How did the “Real Coachella” festival compare to…

Baroness @ Marquee Theatre

Analog obsessives and audiophiles may bemoan the inevitable digitalization of music on the grounds that MP3s lack the sound quality of vinyl, but there’s been no greater victim of the download revolution than the album cover. Think about it — would those Frank Frazetta-painted Molly Hatchet records scream thunderous menace…

Knesset @ Phoenix Art Museum

The phrase “big in Japan” is rife with negative connotations for American musicians. What does it mean when another nation is crazy for a band that remains a lesser-known act in their homeland? In the case of Phoenix indie-rock band Knesset, it simply means that the Japanese are ahead of…