Music

If you ever took the time to plot out a flowchart depicting Phoenix’s vastly interconnected DJ/dance scene, its incredibly likely that the name Zach Sciacca, better known as Z-Trip, would be at its heart.Practically every turntablist, mixmaster, or knob-twister in the Valley has some sort of connection to Sciacca, either…

American comic book artist Ed Piskor has a keen eye for pop culture. His 2009 collaboration with Harvey “American Splendor” Pekar, The Beats: A Graphic History, turned its eye to the Beat poets, and his Brain Rot series for Boing Boing touched on vintage Nintendo Entertainment Systems, real-life Seattle superhero…

​Sometimes I’m astounded by the music parents let their children listen to. I know personally. At 9 years old, I knew all of the lyrics to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” much to my father’s pride and horror. But I tend to think Christmas music is the worst of it…

If you’re used to the progressive rock sounds of A Life of Science, get ready for something completely different — their new track “Prisoners No More” is full of dance energy that’s reflected visually in the video with lights, colors and, of course, wicked cool dance moves by the band…

Fifteen years ago today, astronomer, cosmologist, author, and science poet Carl Sagan passed away. Few have done as much to convey the mysteries of outer space in more poetic, beautiful terms. His 1980 13-part PBS series, The Cosmos, is essential viewing (note the awesome Vangelis compositions). In 2009, John Boswell,…

In America, the naughty list folks have it pretty easy. Our parents warned us about coal in our stockings (though recent memes suggest something even worse), but our Christmas threats were mostly harmless, and never, regardless of awful behavior, seemed to materialize. Then there’s Krampus, a long tongued, cloven-hooved, furry…

“This year is going to be different.” That’s what you told yourself last year, isn’t it? Well, just because you have the desire and will to make a New Year’s Resolution doesn’t mean you have the will to actually get it done. It’s pretty easy to make Wishtown your home…

The music of Brandon Decker, who records as decker. has proven to be a pleasant surprise. Primarily based in Sedona, an area known more for snoozy New Age, smooth jazz, and coffeehouse folk, Decker’s third record, Broken Belts, Broken Bones doesn’t sound unlike something you might hear over the sound…

By now it’s news to no one that the United States Postal Service is in trouble. As detailed by Nick Greene earlier this month at Village Voice’s Running Scared, this means print media is in for a punch (you know, while it’s down and everything), your bills are going to…

Maybe I’m still bummed that Santa won’t pay my bills or leave fancy camera equipment under my tree, but Christmas is lame. The holiday makes people mean and greedy — it must have something to do with all that obnoxious music and eggnog, which is only sort of bearable with…

You know, Up on the Sun has a lot of faith in local music, but we don’t have much faith in the marketing abilities of young musicians. Yeah, I understand that you’re busy with your craft, but you can’t just sit around hoping the press will recognize your genius as…