The Young, Mangled Men, ROAR, The Plainfield Butchers Yucca Tap Room Wednesday, January 4, 2012 Bits of Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney’s interview with Rolling Stone started hitting the web yesterday, with the bespectacled musician stating: “Rock ‘n’ roll is dying because people became okay with Nickelback being the biggest…
What happens when a promising young pop band’s album gets rejected by the major label they’ve signed a seven-album contract with? In the case of The Maine’s Pioneer, the band says “screw it,” and releases it anyway. Of course, the story is more complicated than that, which singer John O’Callaghan…
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. Want to rewind? We take a look at three local cassette tape labels. What famous album…
Calling “Fire Ring b/w Weekend Habit,” the forthcoming release from Tempe psychedelic soul combo What Laura Says, a “single” is a little misleading. “Neither song is slated to appear on the next album,” says bassist Mitch Freedom, laughing. Nonetheless, the band plans on releasing the tunes “in the first quarter”…
John O’Callaghan is beat. The 23-year-old singer has just returned from fronting his band, The Maine, on a quickie tour with Taking Back Sunday. O’Callaghan slinks into a molded plastic chair at Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe. He has the rock-star look down pat: a frayed denim vest over a…
Clear away the tie-dyed shirts and Widespread Panic bootlegs. Though popular Tempe spot Sail Inn is known best for twirling, weed-addled jam-banders, things are going to get very metal this week, as the Arizona Local Rock Fest sweeps in, bringing acts with names like Flying Donkey Punch, Plagued Angel, and…
Are you ready for some new Metallica? You bet you are, because while plenty have made valiant and noble attempts to enjoy it, Lulu, the band’s collaboration with rock ‘n’ roll animal/poet Lou Reed was a tough one to get through. You can’t fault the band’s ambition, and it is…
When What Laura Says released Talk last May, I tried to categorize the band as “neo-boogie rock,” stating after their excellent gig at the Icehouse: “At its core, and perhaps at its best, the band gets down like something your weird-but-cool uncle might jam in his Astro Van.” My tag…
Not content to earn a few comparisons to Hall & Oates, a few listens, and a few laughs, Tempe-based folkies Bears of Manitou have wasted no time in following up their 1-866-25-BEARS hotline with another promotional stunt. That’s right, according to the band’s Fiverr page, for just $5, you can…
As a rule, I think band’s should rip off as much as they can from Hall and Oates. I’m not talking some goofy, ironic appreciation of the fashion or mustache, I’m talking musically — Hall and Oates are badass, and their string of hit singles is an enduring example of…
It would seem Jacob Adler likes “difficult” music. A member of experimental outfits Zeelab, Integers Are For Counting, and Taraf Degrief, as well as avant-garde instigator behind St. Augustine’s Otoacoustic Emissions Halloween droning church service, Adler also teaches Advanced Rhythm at ASU. This Saturday, January 7, Adler will be hosting…
Peoria-based indie popsters Boys and Frogs have a flair for the dramatic: witness the bands excellent and creepy videos. But the cover for the trio’s new mixtape, Sorry For the Weight (a pun regarding the wait for the band’s follow-up to their last LP, Rain Dance Snowed In) takes the…
First, a scene from NBC’s 30 Rock: Tracy Jordan: Do you mind if I google myself in your office? Liz Lemon: Sure, Tracy. Tracy: Can I use your computer? Liz: How else are you gonna do it? Today’s installment of Record Heat (Up on the Sun’s very first post of…
See also: Phoenix New Times New Year’s Eve Guide Ring in the New Year With These Local Shows (Minibosses, Meat Puppets, Futurekind, Gin Blossoms, Sugar Thieves We owe a lot to The Meat Puppets around here (you know, our name and all), so we’re always happy when the Kirkwood boys…
See also: Five Songs to Ring in the New Year Ring in the New Year With These Local Shows: Meat Puppets, Gin Blossoms, Love Me Nots, Sugar Thieves, Futurekind Phoenix New Times New Year’s Eve Guide Well, it’s that time. Another year has come to a close. 2011 was weird,…
When I interviewed Stephen Steinbrink and Christian Filardo for this a column in this week’s paper about Kickstarter, I had no idea that they had teamed up for Condensed Nothing, a new cassette from Steinbrink issued on Filardo’s Holy Page Records label. Drawing on recordings made between December 5-23, the…
In this week’s issue of New Times, I join our friends in café, art, and stage in a look back on 2011, observing trends and noting the good, the bad, and the ugly of the year in the review. I focused on the crowd-funding site Kickstarter. We featured a couple…
As we head into 2012, it’s worth stating: The Internet still hasn’t destroyed music. This year saw Napster, the vanguard of first-wave web piracy, officially meet its end and Spotify, a label-sanctioned and completely legal free site that sort of does the same thing, launch to great acclaim. MySpace continued…
Now that you’ve checked out our photos and review of last night’s Guns N’ Roses gig at Comerica Theatre, we’ve taken to the Twittersphere to find out what you guys thought of the show. Remember to follow us @phxmusicdotcom and tweet at us to discuss. @musicloverchick: Well Phoenix? Any comments…
Guns N’ Roses Comerica Theatre Tuesday, December 27 See also: Our complete Guns N’ Roses and Sebastian Bach slideshow. Our interview with Guns N’ Roses bassist Tommy Stinson. The line stretched around Comerica Theatre, and snaked all the way down Adams, placing us just across the street from the stucco…
A couple weeks ago I made a joke about Phoenix-based metal band Sorrower singing about puppies. According to comments, I wasn’t far off — band member Tim Callaway (sporting the Black Flag logo as his icon, natch) confirms that “the puppy comment was very funny considering our singer’s obssession with…
Every week on Wednesday morning, I call into 106.7 KWSS’ The Morning Infidelity program, and gab about local and national music with the TMI crew: Beef Vegan, Shorty, and Buddha. It’s been quite a year for the station — winning cash from their friendly competitors at X103.9, briefly going off…
