The music world’s seen a lot of reunions lately. Morris Day and the Time are getting back together; as are legendary ’60s Brit-rockers The Faces (albeit without Rod Stewart), and even the members of Velvet Revolver have been working on some new material. This even extends to the local level,…
Tempe-based roots rocker Shelby James has a yen for yesteryear. The MySpace page for his band, Shelby James and the Crying Shames, is larded with grainy family snapshots and stylized faux ’50s portraits of the musician done up like Jack Kerouac’s nattier kid brother. Over at the band’s official Web…
Shows like The Big Bang Theory give the false impression that geeks are usually brilliant and successful. In reality, most of us are rather shiftless and underemployed, but occasionally someone like MC Chris manages to profit from his geekiness. The Chicago-area rapper first caught notice with “Fett’s Vette,” a humorous,…
Though the name Jed’s a Millionaire may conjure images of rich hicks who struck black gold, the five-piece band from Tempe is known for its softer side. Lead singer R. Shawn Harrington compares the songwriting process to sex: “It’s like, each time you make love, you give a little of yourself…
It’s decreasingly rare that a musician or band ever gets big enough that a tribute band is truly warranted. I don’t believe a tribute band is ever a good idea, just because they do a huge disservice to the one being paid tribute. Having said this, if there is one…
When you write an album review every single weekday — as I have done at New Times’ music blog, Up On The Sun, since January 1 — you become sensitive to the ebb and flow of new releases. For whatever reason, when it comes to shit worth listening to, sometimes…
Don’t mess with a “Twitter tour de force.”
Phoenix resident Nick Nicholson is an especially earnest fellow singing in an especially earnest genre: country music. There’s no post-modern irony or veiled metaphors here. When Nicholson belts out lyrics such as “I’ve seen Creation’s glory displayed throughout the Earth / And cried as I witnessed a little baby’s birth”…
Artist: Ariel Pink’s Haunted GraffitiTitle: Before TodayRelease date: June 8Label: 4ADWith an audacious mouthful of a name like Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, how could this band’s debut record be anything but entertaining and occasionally thrilling yet also showy, confounding, and just plain weird?Apparently, Ariel Pink is a cult favorite who’s…
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 should Arizonans boycott the band Stars? What’s up with whipped cream wrestling at Cream Stereo…
If there are two people in the entertainment world who know how to get folks talking, it’s Jack White and Conan O’Brien. Both are kings of the lost art of the whisper campaign, getting word of mouth buzzing both in real life and virtually whenever they make even the slightest…
Rihanna’s July 22 stop at Phoenix’s Cricket Wireless Pavilion has been moved to Tucson, reports media down south.Before you get your panties in a bunch about SB 1070 boycotts remember that Tucson is actually still part of Arizona (it’s convenient to forget sometimes, I know) and that the venue she’s…
Maybe I’m biased since Up On The Sun is helping book The Train Tracks this year, but I think the first video from season two, of local rapper Random, who was selected to showcase at SxSW in March, is the best episode ever.Love that freestyle flow and love the backing…
Song: Band of Horses, “Compliments”Context: Nearly a month after Band Of Horses was last Today’s Soundtrack Infinite Arms is still getting some spins in my car. What a great record. Compliments by bandofhorses…
“What the fuck is chillwave?????” Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast tweeted back in April, when MTVU blogger Lindsay Hood described her band as “chillwave,” after dismissing genres like “lo-fi,” “glo-fi” and “Gorillavsbearcore” in her blurb advancing the video for the band’s single “When I’m With You.” To be fair to…
Insane Clown Posse’s Tuesday show at Marquee Theatre was axed at the last minute, leaving many sad-faced kids in clown makeup wandering the streets of Tempe.Why? The Detroit rap duo reportedly pulled the plug because they didn’t have any Faygo to spray on the loyal Juggalos in the crowd.A statement…
Artist: Against Me!Title: White CrossesRelease date: June 8Label: SireAs a longtime fan of punk music (I made the leap from Styx and ELO to Buzzcocks, The Dictators, and The Sex Pistols in 1982, when I was 13), I’m usually curious about what punk bands the kids are being force-fed by…
Is your name Alejandro? Well, your life’s about to change thanks to Lady Gaga and her new, 8-minute plus long video for her song “Alejandro.” Always one to have fun with the medium of music video, Gaga has once again proven how important she is to popular music.Now, “Telephone” this…
We’re going to let you in on a little secret: We love Portland’s on First Friday. Yes, we’ve fought the urge to keep the public from learning this little First Friday trick — it’s our job to do what’s best for our readers…
Though school may be out for the summer, Tempe kids shopping at Zia Records manage to stay turned on to all that is new.They’re still all over the Deftones latest record, and Sleigh Bells sneaks in at the number four slot even though not everyone on our staff is as…
What I have noticed about Before Today is that it is an absolute grower of an album — a piece of music that gets right under your skin in all the best ways after repeated listens. Ariel Pink’s genius — and yes, I mean genius — is splattered all over…
Now that pop rock artist Never Shout Never (Christofer Drew) has been steadily picking up steam, with headlining tours and massive MTV promotion, Drew’s got his own record label, called Loveway Records, an imprint of Warner Bros. Records. One artist (besides Drew) who’s on the label is Drew’s pal Carter…
