You never say an unkind word about the time. It’s that time of year again. We hope you’re stocked up on all of your supplies, namely munchies before you begin your 4/20 shenanigans. Whether you’re lighting up at home or going to a party, we’ve got you covered with 15…
It’s a classic scenario: Boy meets girl. Boy can’t have girl. Boy and girl build up a bunch of tension and hook up anyway, usually to some romantic acoustic song like “Save Tonight.” This song has been used to fit that scenario in shows like Daria, Felicity, and A Lot…
The Arizona music community lost a prominent figure and friend when Marco Holt from local rock group The Tremulants passed away this weekend following a bout with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Since 2003, Holt served as the indie rock band’s primary creative force and lone consistent member, doubling as guitarist and singer…
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 our 10 favorite awkward dance moves at Coachella? How close does Dark Star Orchestra…
Brad Pfirrman listens to the radio. The gravel-voiced Pfirrman, better known to a loyal chunk of listeners in Tempe and Phoenix as Beef Vegan, host of KWSS 106.7’s The Morning Infidelity, is on the road en route to his day job, and he’s turned down the radio to answer my…
In a rather controversial concert review last December, New Times contributor Nicole Smith wrote of the indie sailor-pop band Tennis’ singer, Alaina Moore, “I generally hate chick singers who don’t have anything spectacular to offer.” Sure, it’s tough to paint 50 percent of the human population with one brush stroke,…
Anytime a huge band takes a hiatus, bands of a similar stripe get an opportunity to move in quickly and make Huge Band’s audience its own before Huge Band returns. It happened in the ’80s, when the Police took progressively longer to follow up their albums — we got all…
A few years ago, I worked as a hip-hop DJ at a nightclub in Illinois. I always tried to please the crowd, so when a girl came to my DJ booth and asked me to play some Feist, I did, though at that point in my life, I had no…
A day in the life of Florence Welch is a lot better than a day in yours: Her group, Florence + the Machine, taped the kickoff episode of MTV’s Unplugged in New York’s oldest synagogue, surrounded by dozens of candles, backed by a 10-person choir, and performing a version of…
It’s said that competitors are truly at their best when fighting with their closest rivals for the ultimate prize. Even the great Bob Marley knew this to be true when he sung “The hotter the battle / The sweeter the victory.” This weekend, the competition is guaranteed to be white…
It’s “Emo Night” at Idle Hands, a dimly lit bar in Manhattan’s East Village. I’ve stumbled in with a some friends for a drink, unaware that the stereo system would be blaring angsty emo hits from the early 2000s. As I grab a seat, I hear a familiar sound, the…
Ever since its genesis with Chuck Berry and Elvis, the rock formula has consisted of three parts fun and one part danger. Proto-punkers like the MC5 and The Stooges gradually shifted the ratio a bit, but somewhere down the line, the guitar-based offspring of blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and punk…
Thursday 19 16th Street Bar & Grill: Kickback Thursdays with DJ Cedric Ceballos (hip-hop, classics, neo-soul, reggae, R&B, Top 40, old school) Afterlife: Beat the Scene Thursdays (electronica, dance, remixes) Bar Smith: Double Vision Thursday with DJ Kyko, DJ Idenaty, & DJ Dario (Latin, hip-hop) Bobby Q’s: DJ Phlava, MC…
New York City has a few moombahton nights spring up across its nightlife landscape in the last year, as has El Lay, London, Miami, and even Dallas. (Hell, the Bay Area has at least four or five separate events devoted to the genre). As for Phoenix? Eh, not so much…
“They call me the ice cream man/I serve it on a cone with two giant balls/And you swallow it even if it comes up your nose.” As the above lyrical bit illustrates, the music of Asaf Borger (better known in the music world as Borgore) is provocative and downright filthy…
See also: M. Ward Discusses A Wasteland Companion, and His Arizona Ties to The Meat Puppets and Howe Gelb M. Ward Crescent Ballroom Tuesday, April 17, 2012 Following fIREHOSE’s blistering set of punk jazz, I was almost worried that the hushed immediacy of Portland-based singer/songwriter/producer M. Ward would suffer by…
See also: fIREHOSE’s Ed Crawford: “It Was Our Job. We Fuckin’ Showed Up Every Day.” fIREHOSE Crescent Ballroom Tuesday, April 17, 2012 I entered the Crescent Ballroom with a mix of anticipation and apprehension in my gut. Soon to be on stage was fIREHOSE, a band I frequented in the…
For more than a decade, industrial electro/rock band The Strand have increasingly become known for an electrifying stage presence, undeniable talent, and enigmatic sexual energy. They’ve been known to frequent the Valley’s fetish balls and favored intimate venues. And they have a knack for seducing the crowd — not just…
As we inch closer to Record Store Day we’re directing our attention to the wonderful independent storefronts participating in this weekend’s revered event. In recent years the indie-moniker has been thrown around so much that it’s almost diluted the meaning of the word. Luckily RSD helps us revel in the…
Coachella was a lot of fun. I crossed a bunch of bands off my bucket list that I never thought I’d be able to see live–Refused, Pulp, Justice, At The Drive-In, 2pac…okay, 2pac wasn’t actually on my bucket list, but it was cool to kind of see him. A major…
Kottonmouth Kings are almost as serious about their music as they are about getting high. And you can expect plenty of music and smoke at Marquee Theatre in May to wrap up their tour. That’s right, they’ll be lighting up the stage (pun intended) with their stoner rap.Kottonmouth Kings, Caifanes,…
See also: Coachella: The Best of Sunday, April 15Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg closed out weekend one of Coachella with a performance that was unquestionably legen– wait for it –dary. While both rappers and the slew of guest stars were all fantastic, Tupac’s hologram stole the show.Chances are that when…
