“Hiatus” is a tricky word. More often than not, when a band tosses the term out there, it’s shorthand for “we’re breaking up, guys.” Dustin Kensrue of influential post-hardcore, post-metalcore, post-pop punk, post-pretty much everything O.C. rock band Thrice insists this isn’t the case when it comes to the band’s…
Entrance Band, Amen Dunes, and Wooden Indian Chasers Bar and Night Club Tuesday, May 1, 2012 See also: Amen Dunes on Living a Million Musical Lives I’m sitting at a table with Paz Lenchantin a few hours before her heavy psych-blues outfit, Entrance Band, decimates the stage at Chasers in…
See also: Record Heat, “Meta Commentary” Like haiku, the classic comic strip is simple, direct, and brief. There’s not room for the kind of exposition or development found in full-size comics or graphic novels. It’s direct and to the point, a quick shot at a joke or a feeling. Like…
See also: Up on the Sun the Podcast, Featuring Amen Dunes and Our Levon Helm Tribute When New York-based songwriter Damon McMahon, the man behind the shadowy, warbly pysch-folk of Amen Dunes, says he’s lived a million musical lives, he’s exaggerating only a little. He spent his early 20s in…
MarchFourth Marching Band @ Crescent Ballroom I think I’m going to run away with the circus. If they can get out of Phoenix, that is. Last night marked the second time I’d seen MarchFourth Marching Band (and, admittedly, the first time I’ve seen them sober). It’s an act that’s difficult…
Sorry about that! Up on the Sun: The Podcast took an unexpected break over the past two weeks to deal with some family matters and take a sweaty trip out to Coachella. (Best show I saw? Wild freaking Flag.) But we’re back in full force, bringing you UOTS: The Podcast…
So there’s punk-rap, nerd-rap, avant-rap, and . . . oh, only about a gazillion other hyphenated hip-hop sub-genres. Open Mike Eagle describes his style as “art rap.” At least for now. “I’m unable to replace it,” he laughs, speaking with me via phone from his home in Los Angeles. “And…
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 local rock luminary Jim Adkins working up with The Love Me Nots? What sounds…
See also: Echo Cloud Brings Actual Local Rock to Mill Avenue’s School of Rock See also: Behind the Scenes of Former Friends of Young Americans’ Practice Pad A couple of weeks ago, our own Anthony Sandoval penned a music feature about Phoenix-based shoegazers Former Friends of Young Americans. In the…
They say “old punks never die,” and though the statement lacks some factual validity, it bears repeating in regard to The Glass Heroes, who celebrate 20 years of punk and roll this Saturday at the George and Dragon Pub. “We have this joke that the last punk standing wins,” laughs…
It hurt back in February, when we had to announce that The Beach Boys were visiting our lovely neighbors to the South (some weird town nobody had every heard of called Tucson. I suggested a road trip — and if you were into the idea you’re probably packing the car…
See also: Comic Approach I look forward to adding my little commentary to Brad Dwyer’s strip each week. It gives me a chance to stretch out, touch on strange topics, or share some goofy insight I think I have about something. Not saying it always works, but I really hope…
Florence and the Machine @ Comerica Theatre When I streamed the band’s Coachella performance last weekend so I could get an idea of what to expect when they came to Phoenix, I thought, “She’s great, but something about the performance is kind of weird.” To hell with those thoughts! Last…
Curious what’s going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions as to how to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don’t fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend. Hunx and His Punx @ Yucca Tap Room Ever since its genesis with Chuck…
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 are our 10 favorite awkward dance moves at Coachella? How close does Dark Star Orchestra…
Brad Pfirrman listens to the radio. The gravel-voiced Pfirrman, better known to a loyal chunk of listeners in Tempe and Phoenix as Beef Vegan, host of KWSS 106.7’s The Morning Infidelity, is on the road en route to his day job, and he’s turned down the radio to answer my…
See also: M. Ward Discusses A Wasteland Companion, and His Arizona Ties to The Meat Puppets and Howe Gelb M. Ward Crescent Ballroom Tuesday, April 17, 2012 Following fIREHOSE’s blistering set of punk jazz, I was almost worried that the hushed immediacy of Portland-based singer/songwriter/producer M. Ward would suffer by…
See also: Cursive at Crescent Ballroom, 2/27/12 (VIDEO) See also: Cursive’s Ted Stevens on I Am Gemini, Duality, and Line Up Changes We’re big fans of AV Club’s Undercover Series, where the Chicago-based pop culture site invites bands into its little round room to cover songs from a list compiled…
See also: Record Heat: I Feel Like Puking by Brad Dwyer Collecting comics is a lot like collecting records, only they are a little less strenuous to move (just a little). They take up a lot of space, a lot of folks wonder what the hell you’re doing with them,…
See also: Kelly Clarkson Nails Super Bowl 2012 National Anthem Maybe you’re a Carrie Underwood fan, but for my money, Kelly Clarkson is the best American Idol the show has given us yet. I should probably clarify — I’ve never been a big Idol watcher. I’ve always yay or ‘nayed…
It’s almost here: Record Store Day. The day the industry bands together and does its best to shine a light on the independent record stores that dot neighborhoods in cities all over the U.S. Now, I could take this opportunity to lecture about how music fans should treat normal days…
What music critic prophet could have predicted that in 2012 hip, indie songwriters like Los Angeles-based Ramona Gonzalez, who records haunting, danceable pop as Nite Jewel, would be compared to acts like Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam or Sade? But here we are, the year the Mayan calendar ends, and…
