Alright, slacker. There’s no more denying it: the holidays are here, and you need to get on that shopping list. Luckily, Up on the Sun has caught gift guide-fever, and over the course of this week we’ll be offering you suggestions for the entire family. We’re starting with dear old…
The members of Grammy-nominated metal group As I Lay Dying are further into their career than they thought they’d ever be. Not only does 2011 mark the band’s 10-year anniversary, but the band released a new album, Decas, and are burning through the country with Of Mice and Men, The…
Ke$ha is sort of awful, but not for the reasons you think. Yeah, her music is terrible. It’s fun music you don’t really need to think about. But it’s alleged that the songstress is smarter than people give her credit for. It’s rumored that she scored a 1500 on her…
They say that being in a band is just like a marriage — there are ups, downs, fights, and plenty of time where you’re not sure anything is working. The of course, there are those transcendent moments that make it all feel worth it. But sometimes it just doesn’t work…
Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. If top selling lists and viral videos are any indicators of trend setting, don’t be surprised if there’s an outbreak of hip…
His album Camp has been receiving an awful lot of good hype from the kids lately. (Some serious hate, too: Hipster Runoff has been slamming him for months, and the anti-Glover backlash capped off with a crazy, scathing review from the folks over at Pitchfork) Given his Glover’s ever-increasing profile,…
CakeMarquee TheatreSaturday, December 10, 2011Cake can be great for a lot of things, including eating, smashing, and celebrating. Thanks to John McCrea and the gang, last night’s Cake show left an equally sweet taste in my mouth. An absolutely packed house at the Marquee was treated to two sets of…
Puscifer Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center Friday, December 9, 2011 For more photos, click here. “I’ve read through that handbook for the recently deceased. It says: ‘Live people ignore the strange and unusual. I, myself, am strange and unusual.” -Lydia Deetz So, Maynard James Keenan has a flair for…
X Club Red Friday, December 9 For more photos, click here. Eight overlapping bands in four hours. Last night’s X show felt more like a music festival than a Friday night concert. Eager fans bounced back and forth between Club Red and Red Owl to see a bunch of bands…
Bill Binder Binder is a performer at The Torch Theatre. He performs with The Foundation every Saturday at 8:30 p.m. and with Apollo 12 every Friday at 10:30 p.m. through December. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now?…
Well, it’s Friday. You know, I feel like there was some song that made a big splash this year about Friday…but…I can’t quite remember it. Must not have been that catchy. Your weekend is not doubt packed with holiday parties to attend, but in case you need a break from…
Phoenix-based Fervor Records is already home to local “futurepop” group Super Stereo and NYC’s Tarik NuClothes, as well as the owners of a massive vintage music record catalog that provides music for some of today’s best television shows. Earlier this week the company announced the addition of local Latin reggae…
So the season hops along, and what’s happening in the Valley? Snow in Scottsdale? Madness indeed. Perhaps it’s an overload of crappy Christmas tunes driving the folks at Weather Control crazy. Let’s fix that with some quality tunes, shall we?Last week Up On the Sun brought you Part I of…
The world has immortalized John Lennon, and for good reason.There’s no denying his talent, or how he used said talent to change the world. 31 years ago yesterday, the Liverpudlian (seriously, that’s the actual name for someone from Liverpool) was shot and killed. But like the rest of us, he…
Renowned local punk promoter Will Anderson, who recently left the Valley and is the subject of this week’s music feature, has lost count of the number of shows he’s attended or promoted over the past 20 years. “I can’t remember what the exact total is, honestly,” Anderson says, laughing. “It…
As you’ve no doubt noticed, we’ve dived headfirst into the holiday spirit around here. We’ve got song to string your Christmas lights to, our favorite WTF Christmas albums, and even a weekly series, “Christmas Music That Doesn’t Suck” (look for installment number two tomorrow). But we’re well aware that Christmas…
Welcome to the first installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. Over the next week, we’ll be counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This installment comes from Lenni Rosenblum, who has been a major contributor to Up on the Sun for a few…
WRITTEN BY REYAN ALI It doesn’t look like The Black Heart Procession will wrap their career up any time soon, but when the day of their dissolution does come, “The Waiter” saga will surely be remembered as one of the high points in their career. The ongoing, loosely sketched story,…
[jump] 1. Carl Bean – “I Was Born This Way” (Jay Todd Re-Edit) If you’re at all familiar with Bachman’s polemical platform, no doubt you’ve heard of her folderol urging the LGBT crowd to “pray away the gay.” As any proud member of the rainbow community can attest, their sexual…
If you were to base what you know about teenagers on the misunderstood, black-clad fans of As I Lay Dying, you might think that underneath every angst-y, tattoo-covered teen exists the soul of a good Christian kid. Not so. These fans are a special breed. They reappropriated the devilish look…
It’s important for a band to have a solid name, one that provides a sense of identity, a visual hint of what to expect musically. Smashing Pumpkins embodies this ideal. Imagine hundreds of turtles emerging from the sea in a full-moon frenzy to lay eggs on the beach but forced…
Chris Cornell has led the rock star life, though his Seattle childhood indicated that he’d wind up a programmer at Microsoft, not one of the biggest names in alternative music. The socially awkward pre-teen actually spent a solid two years listening only to The Beatles, being a loner, and avoiding…
