A white rental van pulled up into the parking lot at First Street and Adams, and a guy cleared the crowd to make way for it. “It’s them! They are here.” As the two tech guys were setting up the speakers and projector, someone else screamed, “Hey, where’s Kanye? Is…
Review and Photos by Jonathan Alvira Big K.R.I.T.Club Red, TempeMay 24, 2013 The dim-lit venue suddenly became bright and the crowd awoke as the so-called “underground king” stormed on stage. With his southern hospitality accenting his country slang, Big K.R.I.T. expressed genuine love to his fans the moment he ran…
Thomas Gold Friday, May 24, 2013 Maya Day & Night Club After a solid day of watching The Walking Dead, thanks to Netflix and various other websites I would prefer not to get in trouble, I found myself at Maya for the first time to see Thomas Gold hit the…
The Lawrence Arms Las Vegas Country Saloon Friday, May 24 While I’m thrilled at the opportunity to see Devo and FLAG live (at Punk Rock Bowling), The Lawrence Arms are the main reason I’m in Las Vegas right now. The gritty Chicago punk band hasn’t performed in Phoenix since a…
Before belting into “Compartir,” Carla Morrison addressed the crowd: “I never thought this was gonna happen. I’m so happy to be playing here tonight. I didn’t grow up here, but I lived here for six years, and I consider this place my hometown, too.”
Firemen are the real heroes. Or maybe teachers — I can never remember. In any case, there will be lots of superheroes in town this weekend for Phoenix Comicon. Some of them will even be local musicians. But if you’re looking for a break from the convention — or just…
Carla Morrison’s return to the Valley is a bit of a homecoming: She attended high school at Marcos de Niza and took music classes at Mesa Community College before dropping out to perform with friends in Tempe’s Babaluca. They built a local following for three years before Carla moved out…
The Berlin-based DJ Thomas Gold will be visiting Maya, one of Scottsdale’s newest hosts for EDM artists and events, this Friday. Up on the Sun spoke with Gold about his upbringing in music, how his touring and festival schedules have been going, and what we can possibly expect to see…
Country guys are hot. The crowd at the Miranda Lambert show provided plenty of people-watching opportunities, complete with lots of overdressed people and gigantic trucks that dwarved my poor little Toyota. I’m about as far from the “country girl” image as one can get, but that doesn’t change the fact…
“It’s Friday somewhere” isn’t strictly true — I don’t think the International Date Line works that way — but if Jimmy Buffett were to write a song to that effect, and it made you feel better about going to see The Presets and Dragonette tonight at the Marquee, I think…
Los Dias de la Crescent 2013 was defined by what’s local — the music, the beer, the food, the fans. This year’s schedule looked like a tightened-up version of last year’s format — and it somehow found a way to bring “Stairway to Heaven” into a celebration of Arizona music…
Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley (see the full slideshow.)Desert Sky PavilionMay 16, 2013 For me, the night the Desert Sky Pavilion (or whatever else it’s called from year to year) opens its gates for the first show of the season marks the beginning of summer. And the 2013 summer concert…
One brand-new way to validate your musical tastes in front of your friends: Tell them that you were a fan of Huey Lewis and the News before he put on a raincoat and murdered Weird Al Yankovic with an ax. Murdering Weird Al is a classic sell-out move, but you…
Do not cross Miranda Lambert. You can go see her perform on Thursday at Desert Sky Pavilion, and you can listen to her music, you can probably even say you’re a big fan, and you can go buy a T-shirt. But crossing her does not seem to be a good…
The Marsh is a house venue whose main room’s dimensions I estimate to be around 16 x 20. In this room, there is an alcove where some lights that change color are installed. There is a fog machine somewhere that, in conjunction with the lights, is intermittently successful in creating…
Markus Schulz The Venue Scottsdale Friday, May 10, 2013 Three sets within five hours can be a bit ambitious for most. Sometimes the line-up just isn’t your thing. But it was hard to be steered wrong by the Markus Schulz SCREAM tour, with Schulz and support from KhoMha and The…
Ratt and Dokken (view the full slideshow.)Celebrity TheatreMay 9, 2013 The ’80s paid a visit to the Celebrity Theatre Thursday night, when hair metal rockers Dokken and Ratt hit the Valley for a night full of Aquanet-infused anthems. Dokken might be one of the most underrated ’80s bands still standing;…
Jimmy Eat WorldParamount Theatre, Casa Grande, ArizonaThursday, May 9, 2013 Jimmy Eat World’s Arizona tour turned out to be excellent news for local fans of the band, who get a belated chance to see them in the kind of venues they played before their national breakout more than a decade…
So are you a Tribute-John guy, or a Tribute-Paul guy? Or a Tribute-George guy, I guess? This question and more answered in this week’s list of five Phoenix-area shows this weekend…
Du Hot Club de BizarreCrescent BallroomMay 8, 2013 Turquoise Jeep looks and sounds like a novelty act at first, but that doesn’t quite explain their appeal. What they’re really doing with their bizarre slow jams and paeans to stretchy pants and choreographed dance moves is hitting the basic tropes that…
of MontrealCrescent BallroomMay 8, 2013 You didn’t need to be an of Montreal fan to enjoy Wednesday night’s headlining set at day one of Du Hot Club de Bizarre. The band’s performance was part circus act and part acid trip, providing plenty of entertainment for the casual fan. of Montreal’s…
Built to SpillCrescent BallroomMay 7, 2013 Built to Spill is something of an anomaly. Part grunge, part punk, part indie-rock quirkiness, the band encompasses all these elements without completely embracing any one for too long. That’s what made Built to Spill’s Crescent Ballroom show so appealing — this is a…
