See also: Dead Eyes of London Aim For Loose Grooves In this week’s issue of New Times, Lauren Wise speaks with modern-rockers-turned-retro-garage-soul fetishists Dead Eyes of London. “[Our music is for] the fan that has listened to punk rock and matured,” guitarist Chan Vallarino says. “[It’s] heavy and darkly romantic…
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 are deceased Bee Gee Robin Gibb’s best songs? How does Ian Astbury of The Cult…
The music of Phoenix-based rock ‘n’ roll outfit Dead Eyes of London is the sound of a reboot. It’s a terse re-imagining of the beats of vintage Motown, the slinkiness of jazz, the sweat-caked T-shirts of garage rockers, and spilled cocktails. But it’s not retro-minded and stuck in the past,…
Don’t worry if you have trouble categorizing what exactly Brooklyn-based artist Reggie Watts does. Is it performance art? Music? Comedy? It’s mostly best to just listen. “I can exist in both worlds — comedy and music,” Watts says over the phone. “It’s just something natural. I like to travel between…
For better or worse, the sacred cows of punk are being gutted — for example, the now-antiquated concept of “selling out” has nearly vanished from the lexicon of underground music. Even hardcore — a genre that places a gigantic bounty on aesthetic purity and hard-nosed authenticity — is rethinking its…
“I’m not of the ‘avant-garde über alles’ mindset,” guitarist Bill Horist says on the phone from Seattle, where he’s lived and launched tours since 1995. “I like all kinds of music. People say they like all kinds of music, and sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. I like a lot…
When it comes to George Clinton and Funkadelic, or Parliament or Parliament Funkadelic or the P-Funk All-Stars — or whatever his backing ensemble might be called — you’re either all in or you’re in for a long evening. Given Clinton’s propensity for playing three- to four-hour concerts, this brand of…
When the owners of the Monarch Theatre stated they wanted the downtown Phoenix venue to become one of the premier forums for electronic dance music in the Valley, they weren’t screwing around. In the four weeks since the joint debuted, it’s featured such top-shelf EDM tastemakers as New York trance…
Thursday 24 16th Street Bar & Grill: Kickback Thursdays with DJ Cedric Ceballos (hip-hop, classics, neo-soul, reggae, R&B, Top 40, old school) Azucar Cuban Lounge: Latin Night with DJ Los & DJ Yoshi (cumbia, reggaeton, bachata, rock en Español, old school, funk) Bar Smith: Double Vision Thursday with DJ Kyko,…
Free online music service Spotify has plenty of fans (and nearly as many vocal detractors) but let’s stick to the facts. According to the music library, Ladylike is a “rock-oriented version of The Pussycat Dolls,” a “contemporary girl group comprised of four striking vocalists.” Below the description, you can listen…
Irene, simply put, is an enabler. Ostensibly a duo, Cincinnati’s Bad Veins are able to augment their indie-pop performances with a vintage reel-to-reel player, such a crucial element to the band that it’s been anthropomorphized, sort of as a do-it-all female multi-instrumentalist (complete with her own Twitter: @thereelirene). “Irene does…
Valley charity Ear Candy — which gets instruments out of closets and sheds and into the hands of Arizona school kids — has teamed up with some notable names. Like the dance party residents at Sticky Fingers, for example, or local indie-poppers Bears of Manitou, and AOR kings Blue Öyster…
Old Town Scottsdale is a typical nightlife hot spot on weekends, but Dollhouse Cocktail Lounge went all out on Friday, May 18. The Let Her Eat Cake fete attracted a large crowd with a custom-made swimwear fashion show thanks to Tami Todd, who also celebrated her birthday at the event…
It looks like Christmas is coming a little early this year. Justin Bieber will be kicking off his just-announced North American headlining tour in the Valley. OMB! Biebs will be stealing the hearts of thousands of girls at Jobing.com Arena on Saturday, September 29. He’s hitting the road in support of…
The Regal Octopus Show is coming up this weekend. Between the monocle on the “fedorable” cigar-smoking mustachioed octopus that looks wise beyond his years and the design of a traditional movie poster, we can tell that the event is definitely going to be a classy one. After all, the flier claims…
The original big-screen blockbuster, Star Wars, is turning 35 big ones, and to mark the occasion, Rips Ales & Cocktails is throwing a themed party to celebrate. “We’re encouraging everybody to come over after Comicon because we actually have a ton of people from Tucson that are coming up, and…
Dead Winter Carpenters are another group of virtuoso musicians toiling in bluegrass obscurity. But it shouldn’t–and won’t always–be that way? Though it would be easy to write this band off as another Yonder Mountain String Band or Trampled by Turtles knock-off giving a punk spin to tradgrass as this Northern…
See also: Fugazi: Five “Waiting Room” Listening Essentials It’s usually a safe bet to cover an artist that influenced a band’s sound, so Darkness Dear Boy opted for some Fugazi. “I’d say we’re rock, reggae, punk, and a little honky tonk. With Fugazi, you’ve got the punk and rock,” says…
Punk and hardcore bands aren’t usually known for lineup stability, but Hermosa Beach, California, rockers Pennywise had a pretty solid run for their first 20 years of existence. Beyond the death of bassist Jason Matthew Thrisk (they dedicated “Bro Hymn” to him) Pennywise’s lineup remained solid as the band toured…
British rock band The Cult have a new album out today, Choice of Weapon. It’s good — a remarkably heavy record without a trace of “heft for the sake of heft.” The songs sound exactly like The Cult, but they aren’t tired, no doubt enhanced by the presence of Chris…
The Avengers may still be kicking plenty of ass at the box office, but don’t get it twisted — superheroes are not easy to come by. As luck would have it, though, the closest thing to a hero Phoenix has will be making an appearance at this weekend’s Comicon. He…
It’s not everyday that we get to check out a concert put on by one of the greats from our parents’ era.I’m proud to say that my dad brought me up listening to music from his early years. My first three concerts were the Beach Boys, and the radio station…
