Putting a cover song as the second track on your CD is ballsy. Either you’ve got ’em right there, or you’ve lost ’em forever. For a metal act to put a cover of an Ozzy song second on their record? That’s pretty much suicidal. Sure, Ozzy and Sabbath can be…
A few weeks back I was blown away by local singer-songwriter Matthew Reveles’ new album We’ll Meet Halfway, so when we started the Sun Sessions I knew we’d have him stop by the New Times courtyard sometime soon, but I didn’t dream we’d have so perfect a chance to showcase…
In case you haven’t been following the comments on our previous post on the subject, it’s semi-official: Isle of Essence is the Best Band in Phoenix (according to the Arizona Republic).Now, I actually hate to pile on the Republic right now. They’re having a pretty rough week. First, The East…
So the boys over at Electric Mustache piqued my interest in the new Matt & Kim record yesterday by putting up this super cool new video for the first single “Lesson Learned.” Turns out the rest of the new record, Grand, is great top-to-bottom. Unlike the Brooklyn duo’s self-titled debut…
On Valentine’s Day, long-time New Times freelancer Serene Dominic had a heart attack after playing a show in Glendale. Don’t worry, folks, Dom recovered, and has found a little humor in the situation, as you can see from this video he filmed in the ICU at Arrowhead Hospital. Also check…
The PackageBest New Artist(Self-released)What sort of indie band is The Package? The kind of “indie” band that sends us a flier titled “AZ’s Biggest Indie Band Releases Debut Album” despite their only scheduled show being at a small club in Prescott next month. The kind of “indie” band who has…
Dear and Beloved Readers,It’s been a few months since we had one of these little blog update posts, so I’ve got all sorts of Up on the Sun news to share with you.PHXmusic.com: First, I’m happy to alert you to our new re-directing web address. Starting this afternoon PHXmusic.com takes…
Since my day at Coachella I’ve been asked by a lot of people if I discovered any cool new bands. Actually, I did: The Aggrolites. I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical about the band, who took the stage after local boys Dear and the Headlights, when I first…
That Format-size hole in the heart of Phoenix music fans is about to get a little healing. Fun, the new NYC-based project by The Format’s Nate Ruess, with ex-Anathallo multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dost and Steel Train’s Jack Antonoff, will embark on a 34-date tour with Manchester Orchestra tomorrow.Their first record isn’t…
We’re pretty excited about The Flaming Lips at McDowell Mountain Music Festival this weekend. So excited, in fact, that we’re having a little shindig tonight to pre-game for the show. It’s our first tweetup (follow Phoenix New Times and me) but we’re also promoting it here, in case you’re not…
Green Day announced dates for their 21st Century Breakdown Tour this morning (full list on jump) but haven’t said where they’ll be playing in each city. They come to Phoenix on August 22. That could just be a hiccup — bands do sometimes announce dates before venues if one or…
I know it’s probably unfair to compare a crowd at the Marquee to a crowd at Coachella — where the music-obsessed kids even greeted the white reggae band who came on after local boys Dear and the Headlights like The Beatles at Shea Stadium — but since Franz Ferdinand and I were both…
Prehab’s posters have caught my eye a few times before, whether it was this pretty funny one for an April Fool’s Day show, or this eye-catcher but it wasn’t until this week we’ve honored them with Flier of the Week. The Phoenix indie band has a pretty good sound too,…
So I know Coachella isn’t quite the planning nightmare SxSW is — given that there’s less than a tenth of the bands playing, and it’s at a single site — but I’ve learned my lesson and have planned things carefully. I thought I’d share it with you. I’ll be there…
We’ve gotten our fair share of hate mail over the years, especially after our Super Bowl cover story about weak-kneed Cardinals fans and their coal-mining hillbilly counterparts (Steeler Nation) from Western Pennsylvania, but we’ve never received anything as hilarious/disturbing as this video. Yes, those are the words from one of our…
Comparing Conor Oberst to Bob Dylan is somewhat old hat. It’s easy enough to make a case for grouping the two Midwestern singer-songwriters known for folky instrumentation and unique styles of story-telling, and people have been since Oberst’s days as a child prodigy in Omaha. But what really strikes me…
St. MadnessSaintanic(Evil Me Music)Putting a cover song as the second track on your CD is ballsy. Either you’ve got ’em right there, or you’ve lost ’em forever. For a metal act to put a cover of an Ozzy/Black Sabbath song second on their record? Well, that’s pretty much suicidal. Sure,…
Conor Oberst — who is Bright Eyes in the way that Trent Reznor is Nine Inch Nails — comes to the Marquee tonight. To mark the occasion we enlisted local singer-songwriter Zachary James Dodds to play a song from Conor’s immense catalog. He chose “Tourist Trap” off the Four Winds…
I actually try to keep Republic-bashing to a minimum here on Up on the Sun, but, as you’d probably expect of one of the largest papers in the country to never win a Pulitzer, the Gannett-piloted drone just keeps embarrassing itself.The latest example? Their “Best Local Band” category in the…
Right now, if you were to amble over to Live Nation’s No Doubt page you’d see that lawn tickets for Gwen Stefani’s band’s show at Cricket Wireless Pavilion are $25. Not tomorrow. In a promotional effort tied to tax day they’ll be a more modest $15. For the band that…
If you’re a fan of The Love Me Nots, a local act that makes their bones playing originals inspired by the garage acts from the Motor City, you will not want to miss The Detroit Cobras at The Rhytm Room on May 27. Actually, anyone with even the tinest soft…
First, the good news: Wilco is coming to Arizona for the first time in five years on June 18. Now, the band news: to Tucson. A two-hour drive really won’t affect the most die-hard fans (like me) of the Americana-turned-jam-turned-soft rock band, which tours extensively and once wrote a song about how…
