Normally, a band releasing three albums in one year would be a big deal. But in the case of Japanese power trio Boris, the rapid-fire output is less surprising than the diversity featured on the albums. Over the course of Heavy Rocks (the group’s second album sporting the title), Attention…
As we reported a few weeks ago, Authority Zero is getting ready to head across the pond for a tour of Japan. “Japan has come about from a combination of two things: one, the four records we have released over there since 2001, and two, the promoters we work with…
It was over a year ago that we speculated that Radiohead, and by extension Thom Yorke, must have vowed “to never step foot in The Grand Canyon State again.” Well, if there was such a edict issued by the lads from Oxford, they’ve totally called it off. Radiohead has announced…
Plenty of folks like to think of The Rogue has Scottsdale’s own CBGB’s — and with that excellently dingy punk rock bathroom, it’s hard to argue against the club being one of the best loved dive/rock ‘n’ roll clubs in town.Its’ the sort of place where things can go from…
March just can’t come fast enough for me. I miss Mad Men something fierce, and season four left me with so many questions (I won’t spoil anything if you haven’t caught up, but man, could Betty have been more awful?). I’m not the only one wishing that the show was…
You’ve got to be one bad, weirdo mofo for King Khan, leader of The Shrines, 1/2 of King Khan and BBQ show (before duo went bust), and about a thousand other obscure soul-funk-garage releases, to dedicate a whole song to you. But that’s exactly what’s going on with “Bob Log…
“There is no better time, or more perfect setting, for the powerful voice and uplifting message of Immortal Technique.” That’s how a Sound Strike press release reads regarding an upcoming performance by the Harlem-based rapper to benefit AZ-based human rights organization Puente. The press release continues: “The boycott strategy has…
Birthday parties for 13-year-olds are usually pretty awkward (or maybe I’m thinking of my own, just-sorta-pubescent 13th birthday), but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Hoodlums Music’s 13th birthday bash this weekend. On Saturday, November 5, the local record store institution celebrates being a teen in the retail…
Nobunny, Mangled Men, JJCnV, and Andrew and his Feisty Felines Yucca Tap Room Wednesday, November 2, 2011 I think my favorite part of my recent JFA/skate punk oral history was Brian Brannon’s description of the early ’80s Phoenix punk scene: “It was good to have so many diverse bands like…
We’ve done a lot of coverage on the Rock the R3volution tour, from its announcement to almost inevitable collapse. The confluence of music and politics has always been interesting to me. Political art can be cringe-worthy (“boot up ‘yer ass,” anyone) or undeniably beautiful (“a change is gonna come”). Trevor…
This week’s issue is a weird one. In our feature, Danny Torgersen and Trevor Denton of Captain Squeegee and Sun Ghost discuss the Rock the R3volution tour, a musical celebration of Ron Paul. Yeah — as strange as that is. In our Shrapnel section, Chris Piel examines the potentially long-lasting…
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 does Henry Rollins have to say about Occupy, his new book, and KCRW in Los…
Danny Torgersen and Trevor Denton are two very different guys. We’re huddled around a table at Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe on a busy Tuesday night. Torgersen is firing off rapid-fire statements, punctuated by a unique laugh, akin to a cackle, one that half endears you to him and half…
Danny Torgersen and Trevor Denton are two very different guys. We’re huddled around a table at Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe on a busy Tuesday night. Torgersen is firing off rapid-fire statements, punctuated by a unique laugh, akin to a cackle, one that half endears you to him and half…
Okay, so we’re going to come clean. When we saw that Phoenix-based electro/indie/hip-hop dude YUS had a tune called “Hunger Strike” on his SoundCloud page, we thought we were in for a Temple of the Dog remix. Clearly, we’ve been spending too much time reading grunge 20th-anniversary coverage. YUS’ “Hunger…
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…
The ’80s. Pretty much since they ended, there has been mini-to-full-scale ’80s revivals every few years, with New Wave, dance punk, vintage hip-hop and other sounds of the cocaine-decade repurposed by young musicians. But some of 2011’s most buzzed-about records share a common bond, utilizing elements from ’80s soft rock…
People like to dedicate the month of November to specific tasks. Say, growing a mustache (Movember) or writing a novel (National Novel Writing Month). One dude who clearly knows how to do both is Nick Cave. His books, And the Ass Saw the Angel (1989) and The Death of Bunny…
Last weekend was full of fun Halloween parties, and Bar Smith exceeded expectations with this week’s edition of Sticky Fingers. Don Bolles of The Germs headlined this hipster dance party full of movie stars, sexy costumes, and people dressed as tacos on Friday, October 28. Check out all of Melissa…
Otoacoustic Emissions at St. Augustine’s Church in Tempe Monday, October 31, 2011 According to the Billboard Contemporary Christian Music charts, “Courageous,” by the Georgia-based band Casting Crowns, is the most popular Christian song in America. The song is a lot of things: vaguely arena rock, pitched somewhere between Coldplay and…
The last time Roger Waters pulled a big marketing stunt, it made a lot of people really mad — so I’m not at all surprised that the piggy bank that showed up yesterday at the New Times building proves that Waters isn’t into desecrating sad-indie kid memorials every time he…
On the official Rock the Revolution site, presidential candidate Ron Paul says: “I always knew that if you were going to have a revolution, you needed two things. Young people, and music.” Well, it used to say that at least. Now it just says: “Rock the r3volution Tour Has Been…
