Last year buying Coachella passes got a little hellish, particularly for those who thought they’d be fine if they waited a while to buy them. This year looks to be…well…not that different. The ticket purchasing process has changed yet again. Despite two weekends to choose from, there are now…
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 albums sold the most copies at Hoodlums Music in 2011? What songs are easing our…
Until last June, it was difficult for Montreal’s Dan Boeckner to separate his two musical projects. The collaboration with wife Alexei Perry (Handsome Furs) and the full-time source of his paychecks (Wolf Parade) both achieved a balance of ’80s synth-pop and punk rock attitude. But when Wolf Parade went on…
Though the name Mighty Sphincter may sound like a stereotypical fictional punk band (say, the band that the mohawked goofus on the bus was jamming on his ghetto blaster in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home before Spock gave him the knockout pinch or whatever), the mythic Phoenix band was…
The next time the fact-finders at the CIA revise the entry for Germany in their popular World Factbook, they really oughta update the country’s list of major exports to include house music alongside high-octane beer, schnitzel, and household goods. Das Vaterland has been fertile ground for birthing practitioners of inexorably…
Pat Travers can kick ass in more ways than one. First, the Canadian guitarist is a black belt in Isshin Ryu Karate. And though he won’t demonstrate martial arts moves on stage, Travers’ hard-hitting music is still a kick in the face. Travers’ work is heavy in sound and thick…
When Tim Bergling started crafting electronica in 2008 in the bedroom of his Stockholm residence, he drew inspiration from his countryman Eric Prydz and the members of the Swedish House Mafia. Flash-forward to 2012, and the 22-year-old artist (now known as Avicii) is sharing the bill with his heroes at…
The year 2011 may go down in history as the first year we paid more attention to where music will be stored and what delivery system it will stream from than we did to actual music (which continues its steadily declining devaluation in the marketplace, thank you). One hallowed time,…
As Ricky Rozay can attest, it costs to be the boss. The redoubtable 35-year-old has encountered a few glitches en route to hip-hop celebrity. His gluttonous build, self-parodying image, and seemingly absent moral compass (the offensive language on 2010’s Teflon Don doesn’t stop with “If she died on my dick…
In 1970, Elton John released his self-titled sophomore album and Tumbleweed Connection. In 1974, Kiss released their eponymous debut and its followup, Hotter Than Hell, nine months later. In 2003, alt-country songwriter Ryan Adams released his most flippant album, Rock N’ Roll, the same day he released his darkest, Love…
Thursday 12 16th Street Bar & Grill: Kickback Thursdays with DJ Cedric Ceballos (hip-hop, classics, neo-soul, reggae, R&B, Top 40, old school) Bar Smith: Ladies Night with DJ Idenaty, DJ EC Rock, & DJ Oh-Jezus (various) Bobby Q’s: Capricorn B-Day Bash with DJ Phlava, Judge Da Boss, & Petey Wheatstraw…
Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly feature, Sound Off, in which Jason P. Woodbury is joined by a different guest each week to listen to and discuss three tracks from local Phoenix artists. If you would like your songs to be considered for future Sound Off columns, please…
Blessthefall is a true Phoenix success story. Since forming in high school, the group has kept at it, and gained a diehard fanbase along the way. The band released its third full length, Awakening, on Fearless Records this past October. This week we’re bringing you local metalcore in the form…
North Scottsdale houses some of the nicest bars in the valley, and Blue Martini is no exception. This swanky lounge attracts a posh Scottsdale clientele and serves delicious drinks at a reasonable price. It’s worth it to make an early trip to Blue Martini for the happy hour drink specials…
Over the years, it’s been hard to peg Portland solo project turned electro-pop trio Starfucker as any one thing. Known for wearing women’s clothing during live performances, having song titles like “Biggie Smalls” and “Queen Latifah,” and changing their band name more times than they’ve changed their performance panties, it’s…
Packrat The Rogue Bar January 10, 2012 In the build-up to last night’s show at The Rogue Bar in Scottsdale, Phoenix rockers Packrat bragged that they had assembled some of the noisiest local groups in town. Three hours later, the ringing in my ears (despite using ear protection) gave some…
If you think playing a show in a tiny corner of a dive bar is hard, try playing a set in a van driving down the road.That’s what you’ll see in local rock band Nomadic’s new video for their song “Hypocrite,” off their current three-song EP, TURN, the second in…
Phoenix music historian Johnny “D” Dixon has a way with words. He recently updated his Mostly Vinyl Facebook page (the official site of his Sunday evening anything-goes program on KWSS 106.7) with a cryptic message: “What can I say…..I can’t believe this has been sittin’ in the can for 40+…
This weekend sees two very different fitness events: Sunday’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon (with performances from a variety of bands, including The B-52s) and one day earlier at Mesa Proving Grounds, the Tough Mudder, described on the event’s official website as “a hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British…
After tweets yesterday from Dave Pratt Live co-host Kassi Jayde indicated yesterday that KEXX-FM (103.9) would be shifting to a “classic rock” format, a Facebook post by Gadger, a X103.9 jock, who hosts (or hosted) the station’s “Local Frequency” program, states that the format shift will be less “classic rock”…
Larkin Grimm’s infant son Otis is already more rock ‘n’ roll than you. From the safety of his car seat, the four-month-old interjected a couple times during my interview with Grimm. Larkin and Otis are on tour, headed in her Prius to Albuquerque, New Mexico for another gig. “I’m playing…
Ace-High Cutthroats, Weird Ladies and Hobo Bastard will be joining Big Eyes for this gig. Apparently this will be Hobo Bastard’s first show, so that’s all the more reason to put on your good ol’ Steve Martin funny man shoes and come on out for a good time.It’s all going down…
