News flash: The 1990s are back. You already knew this; I did too. The music and culture that defined the Alternative Nation-era are everywhere. Still, when I passed throngs of teenagers in the mall last week (don’t ask) wearing Doc Martens, ripped stockings and “vintage” Nirvana shirts on the way…
Isn’t this place supposed to be a desert? This new weather system that is moving in promises to bring about a half-inch of rain has already done some damage. Stateside Presents announced today via a press release that the Belle & Sebastian show scheduled for Civic Space Park on Wednesday,…
Duel in the Desert this past weekend at Celebrity Theatre almost became “Deuce in the Desert,” thanks to the antics of controversial L.A. battle rapper Daylyt. That’s because the notorious MC — whose previous stunts include declaring that he’d “fuck Diddy” or performing autofellatio while performing — attempted to take…
Craving a respite from the same stuff you’re hearing on the radio? Check out these four new locally released songs, flavors for any musical taste. “Looking at You,” Jane Joyce Local singer-songwriter Jane Joyce worked with producer Gardner Cole for her new track “Looking at You,” a song she said…
With all due respect to the holiday season, right now is arguably the most wonderful time of the year. We’ve got the Arizona State Fair and its tremendous concert series launching by week’s end, Halloween a few weeks after that, and some great shows to check out until both those…
By Lina Lecaro After fierce blowback from a disgruntled community of drag queens, drag kings, transgender folk, and more, Facebook has eased enforcement of its “real name” policy. Chief Product Officer Chris Cox said in a Facebook post that the whole situation took the company by surprise. Some individual decided…
Next month’s Global Dance Festival in Tempe just got more global. Organizers of the outdoor electronic dance music massive at Tempe Beach Park announced two additions to its lineup yesterday that might get fans of both kinky bass and vocal trance stoked for the event…
Got any plans this weekend? You probably should, considering there are few (if any) reasons to stay glued to the furniture at home. The weather’s certainly nicer, with nary any storm fronts scheduled to move through Metro Phoenix, and there’s no shortage of live music or nightlife events over the…
Steve Wiley is Up on the Sun’s resident Record Store Geek. He shares stories of great music and wacky characters from his continuing 27 years in Valley record stores and the always zany music biz. What can I tell you? I’m middle-aged. Forty-nine to be exact. I stopped my wild…
The release of the David Fincher film Gone Girl, featuring a soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, continues a trend that began a few years ago: prominent electronic/industrial musicians from the 1990s and 2000s carving out a new niche for themselves by scoring feature films. The big beats of…
Our inbox was hit with an e-mail blast the other day from the proprietors of a local music venue who declared that October was going to be “insane” because of all the fantastic acts they has booked at the joint over the next few weeks. They ain’t the only ones,…
Old white people like the Eagles. That is the biggest takeaway from Wednesday night’s “History of The Eagles” stop at Gila River Arena. That, and history is very easily changed when it needs to be for the sake of some feel-good moments on tour. They also more or less left…
Last night’s Joyce Manor show was arguably the perfect format for a punk show. A couple hundred kids were jam-packed into Yucca Tap Room to sing along to the California punkers’ sweaty, 40-minute set, which was just shy of 20 songs. The stage banter was kept to a minimum and…
By Kat Bein Correction: This article originally contained an incorrect byline. It was written by Kat Bein, not Katie Bain. Up on the Sun regrets the error. Calm down, party girl/boy. Before you go flaunting your shiz in the face of the selector, think about what you’re really getting yourself…
Sure, music is the highest form of art, but it rarely gets as abstract and conceptual as Black MIDI, a genre of electronic music that’s pretty hard to dance to. But be warned: Black MIDI might give you nightmares, or, if you’re epileptic, a seizure. Dealing with literally millions of…
Should someone undertake a study of musical groups and the manner in which most dissolve, it is unlikely that many end amicably. Typically, internal friction, ego, death, or addiction causes band breakups. Anberlin has decided to take a different path despite differences making the band’s existence somewhat tenuous. “The decision…
Summer is officially over, which is both a blessing and a curse. Yeah, the heat may have dissipated (for the moment, at least) but that means the end of all those groovy pool parties. As the swim soirees drop off, however, you’re gonna see club scene activity pick up a…
Khayree Billingslea has some pretty strong feelings about the Tempe Police Department’s Safe and Sober Campaign, the city’s annual zero-tolerance crackdown on parties, underage drinking, and impaired driving. “The city of Tempe turned this place into a police state for three weeks under the guise of preventing people from drinking…
UPDATE, October 7, 2014, at 11:37 a.m.: Due to expected rainfall, the Belle and Sebastian concert has been moved to the Orpheum Theatre. Belle & Sebastian guitarist Stevie Jackson hoped to be celebrating Scottish independence. What better way to commemorate 18 years of making music, the re-release your out-of-print vinyl…
Our annual celebration of the best of everything Phoenix is just around the corner, and in addition to local food and booze, Valley musicians will be providing the entertainment. The event takes place Saturday, October 4, at Burton Barr Central Library. Samuel L Cool J will provide their cool, retro-soul…
It’s said you have your whole life to write your first album. Tucson songwriter Billy Sedlmayr would probably laugh — one of the distinct, wheezing chuckles the Tucson songwriter punctuates most of his statements with — at that sentiment…
Waylon Jennings sure collected a lot of strange items during his life. Now, several hundred of them are going on auction at the Musical Instrument Museum, including a motorcycle once owned by Buddy Holly, a pair of Hank Williams’ boots, Willie Nelson’s braids, and a whole lot of clothing, jewelery,…
