Tucson MC Savant Doesn’t Create Standard Hip-Hop

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…

Low Culture @ Meat Market Garment Factory

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…

15 Favorite National Songs: Jason P. Woodbury

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…

Lonna Kelley and The Broken Hearted Lovers Return

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…

Foundry on First AZ Relaunching as Foundry Live

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…

Five Favorite Shows of 2011: Jason P. Woodbury

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…

X, Puscifer, and Cake Over the Weekend

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…

Five Holiday Gifts For Your Dad

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…

Record Heat by Brad Dwyer

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…

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our December 8 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 songs have we picked to soundtrack your Festivus festivities? What will the upcoming local Jim…

Will Anderson, X, Cake, and More in This Week’s Issue

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…

Puscifer @ Mesa Arts Center

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…

The Black Heart Procession @ Crescent Ballroom

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…