Phantogram Crescent Ballroom Saturday, November 5 It’s been a good year for Phantogram. This trip-hop duo played a bunch of festivals, including Coachella, where they attracted a crowd of over 10,000 people in spite of sharing a time slot with The Strokes. Phantogram is currently touring in support of its…
LIGHTSNovember 5, 2011Nile TheaterWhen Canadian electro pop artist LIGHTS, the project name of Lights Valerie Poxleinter, came to the Nile Theater for a headlining show last year, it was clear the crowd loved her, but for all her talent in unifying her fans under one roof, it wasn’t clear that…
Youth Lagoon Crescent Ballroom Friday, November 4, 2011 Last night can be summed up in one word: poetic. Phoenix got some long overdue rain, ushering in eagerly awaited hoodie weather, and Youth Lagoon, the brainchild of Boise’s Trevor Powers, played its second show in Phoenix. Youth Lagoon released its debut…
You’ve got to be one bad, weirdo mofo for King Khan, leader of The Shrines, 1/2 of King Khan and BBQ show (before duo went bust), and about a thousand other obscure soul-funk-garage releases, to dedicate a whole song to you. But that’s exactly what’s going on with “Bob Log…
“There is no better time, or more perfect setting, for the powerful voice and uplifting message of Immortal Technique.” That’s how a Sound Strike press release reads regarding an upcoming performance by the Harlem-based rapper to benefit AZ-based human rights organization Puente. The press release continues: “The boycott strategy has…
Birthday parties for 13-year-olds are usually pretty awkward (or maybe I’m thinking of my own, just-sorta-pubescent 13th birthday), but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Hoodlums Music’s 13th birthday bash this weekend. On Saturday, November 5, the local record store institution celebrates being a teen in the retail…
Peter Murphy and She Wants Revenge Marquee Theatre Thursday, November 3 Peter Murphy is a weird dude. Known as the “Godfather of Goth” for his work fronting Bauhaus, one of the pioneers of the genre. Murphy has released eight solo albums since Bauhaus broke up in 1983. He is a…
Local musician Dave Murrow is a man with the magic hat. One minute he puts it on, and in a rhythmic whirlwind of sound, he becomes Dfactor Dave, front man of power pop rock band Dfactor. Or he can use it to reach in and channel his inner John Lennon…
The Blue Man Group is one of those Vegas shows that sound totally lame until you see it. Here are these three dudes, doused in blue paint, who act like aliens and bang on drums for an hour and a half each night. The act has been parodied all over pop…
Phantogram is hitting the road in support of the follow up EP, or “mini-EP” as guitarist Josh Carter likes to call it, to the group’s dynamic debut LP, Eyelid Movies. Last year, this trip-hop group played a packed show at Rip’s Ales and Cocktails for Sticky Fingers. This time around,…
Sebastien Millon You can check out the local artist and fashion designer’s work here. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? NPR. I love keeping up on the news, but they also have so many great stories on culture, including…
Gwar guitarist Cory Smoot was found dead Thursday morning, according to NME.The band found Smoot, also known to metal fans as Flattus Maxiumus, while they were preparing to cross the border to Canada. The cause of his death is currently unknown.Frontman Dave Brockie, also known as Oderus Urungus, has released…
Nobunny, Mangled Men, JJCnV, and Andrew and his Feisty Felines Yucca Tap Room Wednesday, November 2, 2011 I think my favorite part of my recent JFA/skate punk oral history was Brian Brannon’s description of the early ’80s Phoenix punk scene: “It was good to have so many diverse bands like…
It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from thrash-metal stalwarts, Suicidal Tendencies. Most of the 2000s were void of any new albums, as the band lay dormant following their 1990s retirement. The good news for all you “cyco” fans is that as of 2009 original frontman Mike Muir has…
HemoptysisThere’s nothing more metal than shooting a music video in 100 degree-plus heat in the Arizona summer.That’s exactly what local metal band Hemoptysis did for their new clip, “M.O.D.,” off their debut full-length album, Misanthropic Slaughter. The video was shot this past September at an abandoned metal warehouse in Vail…
We’ve done a lot of coverage on the Rock the R3volution tour, from its announcement to almost inevitable collapse. The confluence of music and politics has always been interesting to me. Political art can be cringe-worthy (“boot up ‘yer ass,” anyone) or undeniably beautiful (“a change is gonna come”). Trevor…
We know our audience here at Up On the Sun isn’t the type to snub its nose toward local music, but if your friends have been willfully ignorant to the scene, there are no more excuses. And if they’re still making excuses, blindfold them and take them downtown. The Phoenix Center…
Earlier this year The Sheepdogs became the first unsigned band to land on the cover of Rolling Stone after they won the magazine’s Choose the Cover contest. Although they toured extensively before they entered the contest, their world was turned somewhat upside down when they finally won, and now they’re…
Reptar makes it look easy. Y’know, the whole “band” thing. The whole build a fanbase, tour, release albums… all that. But the way that the fast-rising dance-pop band’s career has evolved seems so by the book that it seems a little off. After all, didn’t the digital revolution mean that…
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 does Henry Rollins have to say about Occupy, his new book, and KCRW in Los…
This week’s issue is a weird one. In our feature, Danny Torgersen and Trevor Denton of Captain Squeegee and Sun Ghost discuss the Rock the R3volution tour, a musical celebration of Ron Paul. Yeah — as strange as that is. In our Shrapnel section, Chris Piel examines the potentially long-lasting…
When operating in a genre that’s decidedly retro, a little bit of self-awareness is necessary. Otherwise, you run the risk of looking like you’re living, writing songs, and performing in a hermetic time-warp bubble. Someone like the fiery Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings are a terrific band — but their…
