Some may call them a novelty act, but the Black Eyed Peas have proved their staying power in the hip-pop industry, creating radio hit after radio hit and being nominated for a 2010 Grammy for Album of the Year. So, it’s no surprise the band packed Jobing.com Arena last night…
Artist: Dum Dum GirlsTitle: I Will BeRelease date: March 30Label: Sub PopIt’s April, and that means it’s time to take a look at some of the best songs I heard during the past month. Some of these acts have appeared on the two “Nothing Not New” podcasts we put together…
It’s not everyday you see fliers for shows with over a dozen bands on them. And when you do, the 8 1/2 by 11-inch piece of paper is more likely to list the headliners and add “And others” instead of naming every single band.So, you’ve got to hand it to…
There’s an interesting facebook battle shaping up over the future of Phoenix’s NPR affiliate, KJZZ 91.5.The instigator is a guy named Greg Ensell who likes to listen to . . . well, umm, pretty much what I listen to: LCD Soundsystem, Black Keys, Hot Chip, The Unicorns, etc.Ensell is a…
Factory Made Future, our one-stop shop for underground party information, has a cool post about an event going on next weekend at The Quicy. (Conveniently located at “the alley behind rainbow doughnuts.”)”We all know it can get more than a tad bit boring going to the same club every weekend,…
When you think of this Texas-bred activist songwriter, you can’t help flashing back to the cover of her 1988 album Short Sharp Shocked. It was a black-and-white photograph of the musician taken during a protest of the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco, and it shows her getting absolutely…
Pigeon John is one interesting bird. Born into a bi-racial household, the future underground rapper (born John Kenneth Duncan) spent parts of his childhood in both the whitest (Omaha, Nebraska) and blackest (Inglewood, California) cities in America. As a Southern California teen skate-rat, he teethed musically on a balanced diet…
It’s been quite a few years since St. Louis band Story of the Year’s mid-decade heyday, when they caught national attention with “Until the Day I Die” and “Anthem of Our Dying Day,” captivating the Hot Topic set and unofficially cornering the market on songs about both death and days…
When he emerged in 2002 with his debut LP Deadringer, Philadelphia-based RJD2 (born Ramble John Krohn) was pegged as the next DJ Shadow for his beat-making and crate-digging prowess; his love of classic soul, funk, and hip-hop; and his forward-thinking reliance on atmospheric, cinematic textures. As his career progressed, however,…
On the band’s MySpace page, The Hypo Twins eloquently describe their particular brand of rock as “disco party scum rock.” If that gem of information doesn’t inspire you to give their music a listen, I’m not sure what will. Not to mention that the band’s description is not too far…
The calendar on your wall may read 2010, but DJ Medik likes to turn the clock back a few decades during his Thursday-night spin session at Renee’s Grand Avenue Tavern, 2448 Grand Avenue. Old-school R&B and funk is always on tap, whether it’s deep cuts of Marvin Gaye or Cameo,…
THURSDAY 1 27th Avenue Bar: Ladies Night with DJ Moy, & DJ Jared Paul (Top 40, hip-hop, Latin) Acua: Neon Gorilla with Tricky T, & guests (electro) Afterlife: Filthy Thursdays (dubstep, breakbeats) AZ88: Mr. P-Body & Friends (classic and old-school grooves) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (jazz, blues, country, R&B,…
Describing Dry River Yacht Club’s sound is no easy task. Not only does the Tempe octet sound unlike any other local band, but thanks to their use of such unconventional instruments as the bassoon, French horn, and accordion, they really don’t sound like anyone else, period. Imagine Björk singing for…
Elliot James is a ballsy guy, and so far it’s worked out pretty well for him. James had the guts to ask the guys in Phoenix rock band Ronin Meyer to jam with him after seeing them perform, and they took him up on his request. He must have been…
Full disclosure: I’d never heard of Nonpoint before sitting down to write this article about Nonpoint. They’re a raised-fist groove-metal band. I’m more a neuroses-infused post-punk guy. I like it when bands shred, but I want them to mitigate their shreddiness with a little irony, some artful doubt. Nonpoint does…
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. How did freak-folker Devendra Banhart break his leg before a sold-out show at The Clubhouse? Did…
Green Day, Chicago, Tim McGraw, The Doobie Brothers and Paramore round out the rest of this week’s show announcements — but seriously, with the news of Justin Bieber coming to town, who the hell really cares?…
Scottsdale kiddie-poppers The Summer Set are on the cover of the April issue of Alternative Press. The band is playing their asses off on the 25-year-old Cleveland-based magazine’s brutal coast-to-coast tour right now so they earned it. You can also get a free download of their single “Chelsea” here…
Artist: The Dillinger Escape PlanTitle: Option ParalysisRelease date: March 23Label: Party SmasherIf you’re a regular reader of “Nothing Not New,” you’ve undoubtedly seen me gripe about the current crop of indie rockers’ general unwillingness to rock. I must’ve been sleeping off a hangover or watching an I Love the ’80s…
Phoenix Fashion Week 2010 kicked off Thursday night at the W Hotel in Scottsdale. Fashionable folks sipped pricey cocktails as they waited (and waited … see Wynter Holden’s review) for the show to begin. Check out the scene in our slideshow…
You might think you know the members of Phoenix hardcore band Royal Monsters by listening to the band’s lyrics. Guitarist Jeff Owens gives fans (and comic book freaks) an even more intimate look into his life with his autobiographical comic, Screw Jeff Owens, found at www.screwjeffowens.com.Owens (also a member of…
So in case you haven’t yet seen, or heard, about the new Erykah Badu video, it’s stirring up quite the controversy. The clip, embedded above, shows Badu walking through Dealey Plaza, in her hometown of Dallas while taking off her clothes one piece at a time.The plaza is infamous as…
