Eric Clapton is one of those “guitar gods” who gets all the respect afforded by classic rock radio and guitar player magazines, but not much from rock critics in general. Maybe it was the adult contemporary sounds of the ’80s and ’90s, but it’s hard to imagine some young punk…
Another great bubblepalooza event is coming to Phoenix. Bubble Bobble 4 is this Saturday, March 31, at the Madison Event Center, and since it’s a sick foam party it is not to be missed. The rave features dubstep, hardcore, electro and hardstyle, so there will be plenty of variety for…
See also: Andrew Jackson Jihad’s Sean Bonnette on Knife Man and Gawker In 2004, George “Dubya” Bush was president, we confirmed that there was water on Mars, the last Oldsmobile rolled off the production line, and the Boston Red Sox won the World Series for the first time since 1918…
We were about 20 miles outside of a town called Wikieup, standing off the road, a motionless 1967 Karmann Ghia shaking like a leaf with each passing semi off the road. I get a text: “Jonathan Richman is coming to Crescent Ballroom!” Our stalled trip to Las Vegas suddenly barely…
See also: Metal Mondays: New Music From Pantera Calls for a Home-Made Vulgar Display I don’t think I’m alone in saying this, but heavy metal helped make sense of the world when I discovered it as a kid. It helped me realize that, in general, society is in denial, and…
See also: FoxVag III: Promoters Assures It Ain’t Another Breast-Fest I was out of town, but I’m willing to bet that Fox Vag Fest III, the three-day, two-venue dominating festival of female-fronted punk, rock, and indie acts was pretty crazy. In his feature about the festival, Serene Dominic jokingly compared…
If you’re down to get your pop rock kicks in an estrogen ocean of little girls, the upcoming One Direction concert at Comerica Theatre is the place to be. I could have sworn the boy band era was over, especially once Heart2Heart really put that formerly winning success formula to…
The Great American BBQ and Beer Festival Dr. AJ Chandler Park Saturday, March 24, 2012 Better Than: The last five years of Warped Tour. There was a little something for everyone at the Chandler BBQ and Beer Festival, and it was pretty clear who was there for what purpose. Families…
It seems like teenagers are getting a lot smarter much earlier in life. Take Bryce “Decade” Holt, who’s only a mere 17 years old and already is on track to becoming a seasoned DJ/producer. Boot up the dude’s Soundcloud page and hear mix after mix of quality work by the…
Saturday, March 17, 10:00 a.m. Today is our “off day,” with only one show booked. But it’s a big one, at Barbarella near Sixth Street, Austin’s main drag. Treasure MammaL was put on the bill by Josh Lambert of The Octopus Project, so the pressure’s on. Luckily, the show isn’t…
Covering The Beatles is tough. Not only to you have to contend with tackling some of the greatest songs in the pop catalog, but you also have to deal with the fact that nearly every Beatles song has been covered to death. It helps to have effortless charm on your…
It’s hard for me to find things that I don’t like about Phoenix rockers Snow Songs. Starting with singer Yolanda Bejarano’s lovely vox to the band’s bright arrangements and pop consciousness, there’s so much to fall in love with here. One of my favorite things about them is that they…
See also: KISS and Motley Crue Are Coming to Phoenix (Together!)Don’t make lip-syncing a habit at concerts, or outspoken KISS-man Gene Simmons will have something to say about it.”We’re sick and tired of girls getting up there with dancers and karaoke tapes in back of them,” Simmons said at a…
Welcome to Up on the Sun: The Podcast’s second episode. In this week’s installment, we speak with Phoenix-based metal band Landmine Marathon about being handpicked by Metallica to play the Orion Music and More Festival in New Jersey, and hear a brand new tune from the band’s upcoming EP “Bastard…
Our local music acts make one helluva trip come SxSW time. Aside from the drive to Austin itself, many of the musicians take the opportunity to spread their sounds along the southwest with various gigs along the way. Then of course there’s the actual music festival. Although March 18 marks…
Johnjay Van EsVan Es is the host of the Johnjay and Rich radio show heard on 104.7 KISS-FM here in Phoenix. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play? 104.7 KISS-FM. No other station is programmed on my radio dial –…
See also: Tugboat’s Phillip Hanna Talks About the Band’s Breakup, Final Shows, and What Happens Next After six years, Tempe based weirdo rockers (it’s a compliment) Tugboat are calling it quits. “The idea was up in the air,” Phillip Hanna told Up on the Sun’s Christina Caldwell. “Because we kept…
See Also: Clubhouse Music Venue Closes Down See Also: Last Night’s Town Hall Meeting on Clubhouse Music Venue Shooting Filled With Anger, Accusations, and RhetoricThere’s currently an online petition going that hopes to motivate Tempe city officials to reopen the Clubhouse Music Venue, which closed its doors last week. So far,…
See also: KUKQ Returns to Phoenix (via the Internet) The new online station bearing the call letters of bygone Phoenix radio station KUKQ has launched, streaming online at kukq.com. As we reported last week, the site’s connection to the original radio station isn’t literal — though Facebook comments about the…
Friday, March 16, 9:00 a.m. I wake up to the above photo. This tour feels more than three days old. Outside, the morning is overcast but refreshing. While my bandmates sleep, I do push-ups and yoga in the backyard; Treasure MammaL teaches you not to give a fuck in public…
After three years, a music feature, and a bunch of gorgeous music videos, Boys & Frogs has decided to call it quits. But it’s not so much an ending as beginning, according to songwriter Michael Alexander. “I just think it was time for me, personally, to move on. I’ve been…
Welcome to Throwback Thursday, where we revisit the overplayed, over (and under)rated, and the one-hit and multi-hit wonders of yesteryear. Today’s tidbit of information that will make you feel old: Harvey Danger’s “Flagpole Sitta” is 15-years-old. Even if the title doesn’t ring a bell, its chorus is probably still rattling…
