Alice Cooper is a lot of things: Shock rock pioneer, radio personality, golfer, restauranteur, and advocate for at risk youth. This weekend’s 11th annual Welcome 2 My Christmas Pudding event is yet another instance of Alice Cooper atoning for his dark, dark past (you know, like the chicken thing, those…
The story of how hard it is to break into the national rap scene is an oft-told tale. Breaking into the Phoenix scene? That’s hard, too, says Tucson rapper Savant. “Tucson is Phoenix’s younger stepbrother,” he says. “You need a major co-signer. Someone from Tucson can’t just come to Phoenix…
You know what I love? I love when an upbeat rock ‘n’ roll song manages to sound sad without staring at its shoes. It’s hard to explain exactly how it works, how a tune packed with brisk snare pops, chugging distortion, and a plucky bass line can still toss in…
Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly feature, Sound Off, in which Jason P. Woodbury is joined by a different guest each week to listen to and discuss three tracks from local Phoenix artists. If you would like your songs to be considered for future Sound Off columns, please…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next week, we’ll be counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. Enjoy! I’m already regretting this one. I left so much off this list it hurts, deserving songs from the likes of…
Phoenix-based alt-country band Lonna Kelley and the Broken Hearted Lovers disbanded five years ago (on Valentine’s Day, no less), but not before cementing an intriguing legacy: The band recorded a lone album, credited to Lonna Kelley & the Reluctant Messiahs, and, changing their name along the way, opened up for…
When downtown Phoenix venue Foundry on First shut its doors in mid-November, most music fans assumed the worst. Rumors spread that the music venue was done for, in the wake of canceled shows, reported employee drama, and a strange media silence. Not so, says part-owner Tim Thomas. “We’re looking to…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next week, editor Jason P. Woodbury and the staff will countdown their favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. A lot of people imagine this job as nothing but us writers lounging around listening to…
Those speculating about Coachella 2012 (I for one would love to see Refused, but a reunion would ruin the whole breakup, and if Tom Waits is indeed playing, I’ll probably soil myself) should take note of the little logo at the bottom of the advertisements for the Red Hot Chili…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next week, editor Jason P. Woodbury and the staff will countdown their favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. Earlier this year, someone called me “an old soul.” A little earlier, someone joked that my…
X, The Love Me Nots, and more at Club Red Eight overlapping bands in four hours. Last night’s X show felt more like a music festival than a Friday night concert. Eager fans bounced back and forth between Club Red and Red Owl to see a bunch of bands that…
Alright, slacker. There’s no more denying it: the holidays are here, and you need to get on that shopping list. Luckily, Up on the Sun has caught gift guide-fever, and over the course of this week we’ll be offering you suggestions for the entire family. We’re starting with dear old…
They say that being in a band is just like a marriage — there are ups, downs, fights, and plenty of time where you’re not sure anything is working. The of course, there are those transcendent moments that make it all feel worth it. But sometimes it just doesn’t work…
Well, it’s Friday. You know, I feel like there was some song that made a big splash this year about Friday…but…I can’t quite remember it. Must not have been that catchy. Your weekend is not doubt packed with holiday parties to attend, but in case you need a break from…
As you’ve no doubt noticed, we’ve dived headfirst into the holiday spirit around here. We’ve got song to string your Christmas lights to, our favorite WTF Christmas albums, and even a weekly series, “Christmas Music That Doesn’t Suck” (look for installment number two tomorrow). But we’re well aware that Christmas…
WRITTEN BY REYAN ALI It doesn’t look like The Black Heart Procession will wrap their career up any time soon, but when the day of their dissolution does come, “The Waiter” saga will surely be remembered as one of the high points in their career. The ongoing, loosely sketched story,…
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 songs have we picked to soundtrack your Festivus festivities? What will the upcoming local Jim…
When it comes to local music (and apparently, everything) all things must pass. So goes the reign of punk promoter Will Anderson, whose belly laugh, dirty Avail hat, and jovial smile have been a near-constant presence at punk shows in the Valley for 20 years. Benjamin Leatherman brings us the…
Maynard James Keenan isn’t known for being forthright, but he’s pretty open in his description of Conditions of My Parole, the latest album from his folk-electro-hard-rock project Puscifer: “This is an Arizona project. Its inception was in ’95, when I was living in L.A., [but] when I turned on the…
Following a major-label disaster, much-hyped and beloved San Diego band Three Mile Pilot broke up before the dawn of this millennium. The group’s splintering allowed members to focus on other projects: Armistead Burwell Smith IV turned his focus to the proggy Pinback, while Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathanial turned their…
What can we say? We’re suckers for a good cause. Hoodlums Music’s Art Rocks! event is certainly a good one. The indie record store is teaming with Arts Council for Youth, Marcos de Niza High School, Kyrene Middle School, and the City of Tempe for the Saturday, December 10 gig,…
Tom “Soda” Gardocki spent years playing guitar in SoCal rockers Wax (go rewatch the credits of Mallrats; the band plays right after its pals Weezer) but more recently he’s devoted himself to more rustic purposes. Either performing with his Large Band, his “Million Piece Band,” or solo with his 12-string…
