How will a band whose sound came of age in the previous decade enter into this newfangled 2010? With quite an interesting bang, actually.Sacramento-based dance-punk band !!! (pronounced chik-chik-chik for those uninformed/always curious but too embarrassed to ask) reeled off three albums in the previous decade, starting with 2001’s !!!…
Blitzen Trapper rose to prominence in 2007 with the release of their third record, Wild Mountain Nation, and signing with Sub Pop. Since then, the band has put out a new album every year, thus constantly remaining a focus of the media’s attention. Their latest effort, Destroyer of the Void,…
Dave McGraw and Crow Wing’s rambling, folksy, old-style country sounds like the desert. It’s that stripped-down, no-frills approach that Arizonans cling to, even more than the big, glitzy sound that dominates the FM country airwaves. This aesthetic is often likened to the landscape that occupies southern Arizona, filled with jagged…
Though he currently resides in much greener pastures, singer-songwriter Damien Jurado seems to have a pretty solid connection to the Grand Canyon State, specifically a few of our dustiest locales. He sang about an Arizona gal on his 1997 debut St. Waters Ave, in a song called “Yuma, AZ,” and…
THURSDAY 24 27th Avenue Bar: R&B Thursdays with DJ Moy, & DJ Jared Paul (old school, R&B) AZ88: Mark 5 (rare groove, trip-hop, house) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (jazz, blues, country, R&B, rarities) Blue Martini: Rewind Thursday with DJ Frank Mendez (retro) Bobby Q’s: All-Star Thursdays (hip-hop, Top 40)…
The guys in Phoenix pop-rock band Anarbor were stoked to add more stamps to their passports. After getting those passports before traveling to England this spring, they hopped on a plane in late May, flying to Japan for the “Beyond the Blue” tour, joining bands like Valencia and Artist vs…
Tricky T has been part of some pretty potent P-town dance parties over the past 15 years. From his days ripping it up with Z-Trip in the late ’90s at the old Green Room in Tempe to his most-recent gig at Pinky Ring Wednesdays, the Trickster most definitely knows how…
The Canadian band Stars was the first musical act to publicly boycott Arizona in the wake of the passage of the controversial immigration-crackdown bill, SB 1070. The announcement was met with a collective yawn, because who the hell are Stars, right? But with the release of The Five Ghosts, expect…
Even nearly 15 years after his death, the legacy of Sublime singer Bradley Nowell permeates the musical ecosystem in a number of surprising ways. While many styles and genres have come and gone over the years, Sublime’s pot-fueled white-boy reggae-rock has never really gone out of fashion, with either subtle…
Five years have passed since this darkwave dance duo released their self-titled debut album, smashing the official Guinness World Record for “Most Comparisons to Joy Division Inspired by Any Band Not Called Interpol.” Backed by the formidable Geffen publicity machine, singer/guitarist Justin Warfield and composer/multi-instrumentalist Adam Bravin enjoyed some well-deserved…
When I drove into Harrisonburg, Virginia, again this month. I didn’t need the puddles on the ground to tell me that it had rained overnight — the air was already thick with the smell of dog food. Townsfolk offer all sorts of excuses for the precipitation-activated odor, but they should…
Artist: Pernice BrothersTitle: Goodbye, KillerRelease date: June 15Label: AshmontIt’s been mostly interesting and fun to hear what young indie rockers are doing to break new ground in popular music or what they’re doing to contemporize the established language of rock and pop. But at times this year, the simplest pleasures…
The Marquee Theatre’s phones have seemingly been busy all afternoon, which probably means folks are scrambling to get access to tonight’s Erykah Badu concert. If tickets are indeed sold out (and you also missed out on our giveaway), at least you can hang out at Groove Candy’s after-party later this…
A lot of people really love that chick from Rilo Kiley, you know, the one that used to be a child actress. Personally, I’ve always thought of Jenny Lewis as really, really fake. Also, her music sorta reminds me of Zooey Deschanel, whose charms I have thankfully but mysteriously been…
This week, New Times ran a box 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. Why did several local metalheads go to jail after getting tossed from Club Red for moshing?…
“This place is crazy,” the tour manager tells me on the phone, and, indeed, the Clubhouse in Tempe is crazy-packed for Tuesday’s sold-out performance by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes. Before the opening act – Dawes, a folk-rock foursome that reminds me strongly, and pleasantly, of Wilco – finishes…
Wanna know the best place in the Valley to see The Summer Set when they’re not playing a show? Go to someone else’s show. Earlier this month, the pop rock band, who embarks on the Vans Warped Tour Friday, June 25, checked out Boys Like Girls at Venue of Scottsdale,…
Song: Erykah Badu, “Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)”Context: Ms. Badu is in Tempe tonight — this is her latest single. Erykah Badu – Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY) by Hypetrak…
Lady Gaga always manages to find a new way to challenge convention and shock both her fans and detractors. This little piece of gossip goes far beyond the usual stage antics though.According to NME, Gaga is using Gunther Von Hagens, the same scientist who is responsible for the controversial Body…
Artist: The RootsTitle: How I Got OverRelease date: June 22Label: Def JamAs we inch closer to the midway point of 2010, the fine gentlemen over at one of Up on the Sun’s favorite blogs, Electric Mustache, have posted their top 10 records of the year. They’ve got two lists up…
“How much can you know about yourself, you’ve never been in a fight? I don’t wanna die without any scars. So come on; hit me before I lose my nerve.” – Tyler DurdenConfession time: I’m in my dirty 30s and I’ve never been in a real fight. Sure, I’ve gotten…
Erykah Badu is coming to Marquee Theatre Wednesday and we’ve got a chance for you to win a pair of tickets and meet-and-greet with the soulful Texas singer who is touring in support of her new album New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh.What do you need to do?…
