It’s been a good year for Tempe spazz-funk weirdos Playboy Manbaby, which in that time has morphed from an art-punk joke into something more concrete. “We’re actually a band,” singer Robbie Pfeffer says incredulously. “We practice and make new songs and show up to the shows relatively on time. Nobody’s…
Unlike many New Wave acts, Depeche Mode has managed to withstand the ravages of time — more or less. Despite all the personal drama that’s afflicted the members of the iconic British synthpop ensemble — ranging from drug addiction to near-fatal health issues — the band and its moody, electronica-laden…
Every year, Flogging Molly storms into Tempe for St. Patrick’s Day, performing to a sea of drunken revelers primed to let loose to the sounds of the band’s Celtic punk. Flogging Molly never fails to bring a lineup of party-minded bands with them, and this year is no different: The…
Locating the root of singer/guitarist Matt Costa’s passion for folk music means returning to the scene of a most gruesome injury. At age 18, the Orange County-bred Costa was a skateboarder on the verge of going pro. Then, during one skating session, he botched the landing of a staircase jump,…
Thursday 14 Afterlife: Touch Thursdays with DJ Tsunami, DJ Michael Ryan, & DJ Matt Fox (Top 40, EDM) AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (juke joint, R&B, French pop) Bobby Q’s: Black and Green Party with DJ Freshmaker, DJ Phlava, DJ…
“I don’t feel at all that we have made it in the bluegrass world. We exist on the fringe at best,” Yonder Mountain String Band bassist Ben Kaufmann lamented back in 2003. “The bluegrass music we are writing is different than the other bluegrass music that is out there. I…
For Christ’s sake, don’t break any of these commandments this year.You’re going to South by Southwest, right? Or you’re already there? One of those things is bound to be true. Well, we here at DC9 have got some advice for you, and we’ve managed to format it all into the…
Local bands and musicians of a Celtic bent have plenty of reasons for their Irish eyes to be smiling right now, as this weekend is pretty much the biggest of the entire calendar year. St. Pat’s lands on a Sunday this year, which means three straight days of partying and…
If Primus bassist Les Claypool had a bumper sticker on his car, it most likely would read: “I’d rather be fishing.” As much as Claypool likes to create strange and esoteric music, he also loves heading out on the water and zoning out. See also: -Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang…
Did you read Monday’s Onion story “SXSW as Cool and as Real as It Gets, Reports Marketing Associate?” Once again, the satirical site takes aim and takes down its target. South by Southwest mania is upon us, and chances are your social-media channels are already being inundated with dispatches from…
It’s a ways off, but electronic pioneers Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher — collectively known as Depeche Mode — are coming to Phoenix. The band will end its U.S. tour at Desert Sky Pavilion (because, hallelujah, the owners of the venue got as sick of saying “Ashley Furniture…
Green Day @ Marquee Theatre| 3/11/13Phoenix is pretty damn lucky. We’re one of three cities to host Green Day’s intimate “warmup” tour on the band’s way to South by Southwest. It’s a rare treat to see a band that came up in the clubs before graduating to arenas pack a…
Dear Spence, When your singer, who goes by the name of Daniel David Spence on Facebook, first approached me on Facebook to become my “friend,” I strongly considered accepting his request to friend me. After all, I work in digital marketing as a social media strategist, and I accept everyone…
Twenty-five years ago, the Phoenix hip-hop scene was virtually nonexistent. That’s when Irin Daniels — taking the name IROC — got involved, and since that time, he’s become one of the most respected hip-hop entities in Arizona. If you have had any semblance of a hip-hop career in this state,…
Editor’s Note: It’s not every day that a band capable of filling arenas headlines a gig at the (comparatively) intimate Marquee Theatre. But that’s exactly what’s going down tonight, when the Bieber-bashing, ¡Uno-¡Dos!-¡Tre! -releasing Green Day heads to Tempe for a sold-out show. Critical consensus can be pretty mixed when…
Once a week, Up on the Sun features a new comic strip from punk rocker, cartoonist, and full-time dad Brad Dwyer. See New Times’ print edition to check out the strip in glorious, inky newsprint each Thursday…
Steven “Slippe” Lueder and Jesse Hudson aren’t lacking for ambition. The duo, who come together to create EDM bangers under the name Drunk Dial — are quick to tout what makes their EDM different from most of what’s out there. “The way I like to describe it is like, ‘If…
Chances are, if you’re a weekly reader of Metal Mondays here at Up on the Sun, you don’t think of metalheads as thickheaded, grotesque, and crude Neanderthals. You know metal fans can be smart, erudite, and witty. Still, among the pop masses, there’s a prevailing attitude that metal listeners are…
Holy crap! What a weekend. We had the soggy but stellar Carnaval Eléctrico with Cold War Kids, Hanni El Khatib, Mergence, and more at Crescent Ballroom, the raucous Rampage Fest with Nü Sensae, White Lung, Allah-Las, and more at Sail Inn, and a thoroughly enjoyable but exhausting performance by Matt…
By now, you know the scoop regarding New Times’ Carnaval Eléctrico at Crescent Ballroom: It rained — a lot — but performances by pop princes Diners, the soulful Stan Devereaux and the Funky Suns, hard rockers Mergence, garage kingpin Hanni El Khatib, indie combo Cold War Kids, and more, made…
After nearly a decade, Celtic folk punkers Flogging Molly have become a St. Paddy’s Day staple in Tempe. The band’s anthems — “What’s Left of the Flag,” “Devil’s Dance Floor,” and “Salty Dog” — pull double duty each year at Tempe Beach Park, serving both the energetic moshers and the…
Matt & Kim @ Marquee Theatre|3/9/13I woke up Saturday eager to see Matt and Kim. My boyfriend suggested passing some time by catching a movie. Hell, why not? So, off to Oz the Great and Powerful — fucking worst movie I have ever put money toward. Oh, wait, my boyfriend…
