As we barrel toward the impending Arizona Centennial, we find ourselves contemplating a lot of things. Why would someone settle in this hot-as-bejeebus desert? Who serves the best burrito in the state? Most importantly — where are the faces in the Grand Canyon? The Presidents? We’ve been thinking a lot…
I’m not stoked on the current sound of “indie.” Real Estate play things more on the traditional jangle pop/C86 side of things, but the band fits into the nebulous state of indie rock circa 2011 — chillwave over there, lo-fi in the corner, new wave revivalism out back. The pretentious…
I had the craziest dream last night. Normally when people say that, their dream is actually pretty boring, but I swear to you, this all happened. …
Okay, so let it be known that I’m a nerd — a supernerd, even — but I think the dudes of A Life of Science have me beat. The band’s label, Sundawg Records dropped two brand new exclusives on Up on the Sun, an animated video promoting the group’s strange,…
Even if you dont’ know exactly what Amnesty International does, chances are you jive with the organization’s mission. Tempe and Arizona State University Amnesty International chapters are hoping to gain a little more exposure in the community when they host Localpalooza for Human Rights this Saturday, November 19 at The…
This past Saturday Michael J.Fox, who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, held his annual charity benefit, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson’s. While at the New York fundraiser, Fox busted out a guitar and reenacted the popular scene from 1985’s Back To The Future where Marty McFly…
What were you doing at 17? Chances are it wasn’t half as rock ‘n’ roll as Nils Lofgren. At that tender age, he was playing on Neil Young’s seminal record, After the Gold Rush, plopped down at a piano, which he had never spent much time playing, but where his…
Garret Dutton and his band, more commonly known as G. Love & Special Sauce, are coming back for more love from their fans in the Valley.The Philly group will be bringing their alternative blues jams to Martini Ranch in support of their latest album, Fixin’ To Die.G. Love & Special…
Previously on The Serene Dominic Show we chatted with Jono Manson in a motorbus waiting to go on at last Saturday’s Tempe Block Party. While Jono was onstage getting ready to perform, I got a chance to — in that very same motorbus–meet with Aaron Beaver of the Austin Texas…
Mergence’s 11.11.11. Show at Crescent Ballroom The 11.11.11 show featuring Mergence, Kongos, The Technicolors, and Huckleberry was long anticipated. And you could feel that excitement all throughout the night at the Crescent Ballroom. Arriving around 9:45 pm, the patio was packed, the lounge was packed with diners and hipsters, and…
Well, it looks like Bryan finally got a taste of Facebook’s Lightningrod. Bryan Lightningrod, the 37-year-old ASU student, who claims to be a 97-year-old vampire from Cairo, has experienced plenty of backlash from his solicitation of photos of young girls, many of whom choose to write his name on their…
The past few years have been busy for prolific songwriter Loudon Wainwright III: he revisited his early records with Recovery, a full-band effort produced by Joe Henry; won a Grammy for his High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project , a tribute to the American banjo player; and released…
Last week Jason Woodbury and DJ Dana chatted about Courtney Marie Andrews’ latest single “Bumper in the Hail” for Up on the Sun’s weekly episode of Sound Off. Our experts marveled at the singer’s voice as they discussed the lead single off of her upcoming album, No One’s Slate Is…
There’s seriously nothing I enjoy more than an hour or two killed in a good record store, but you know, this new-fangled interwebs-thing is pretty good for finding music, too. A couple weeks ago I read something interesting about a power pop artist named Carl Rusk (of The Nashville Ramblers,…
The Tumblr made by The Whisperlights, who we recently touched upon in a post about Drinkify, is worthy of a mention. The Whisperlights are a great local group (well — locally formed — the members of the band are currently spread pretty far out) that has a self-described “dreamy folky…
The 11.11.11 show featuring Mergence, Kongos, The Technicolors, and Huckleberry was long anticipated. And you could feel that excitement all throughout the night at the Crescent Ballroom. Arriving around 9:45 pm, the patio was packed, the lounge was packed with diners and hipsters, and a small population of fans was…
Since 1984, TED has dedicated itself to providing a platform where world-changing ideas are exchanged from speaker to audience. The abbreviation stands for technology, entertainment and design. The “x” in TEDx simply means it’s a completely independent event, organized by local volunteers; a new facet of the organization introduced in…
Sometimes you see a press photo of a band and laugh. Is one guy staring artfully away from the others? Are they pressed against a brick wall? Are they all making the goofy face? Phoenix-based metal band Howitzer isn’t having any of that. Seriously — look at these guys. They…
It was a case of “close but no cigar” for DJ M2 last night in Sin City. Despite putting on an impressive display of spinning and scratching on the decks, the Phoenix turntablist king came up a bit short during the Red Bull Thre3style U.S. finals on Thursday evening at…
No Regrets: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Memoir is the new book by legendary KISS guitarist Ace Frehley. Assisted by Joe Layden and John Ostrosky, Space Ace pretty much hits it all: his young years in a gang, his audition to be in KISS (there was a job application), the band’s…
Dayvid LeMmonThe photographer, who also shoots photos for our sister blog, Chow Bella, is the recipient of the Arizona Commission on the Arts’ 2010 Artist Project Grant, is currently one of the City of Phoenix’s selection for this year’s ongoing 7th Avenue Streetscape public art project, and is working on…
Despite recent the recent gaff by Rick Perry, Herman Cain can has remained the most entertaining Republican presidential candidate to watch. Whether he’s switching up the lyrics of John Lennon’s classic song “Imagine” to “imagine there’s no pizza” (no thank you, Mr. Cain) or the number of women who have…
