David Heartbreak is considered an innovator in the tropical bass dance genre, Moombahton. He is fresh off his self titled Heartbreak (EP) release and gearing up for his first European tour in September.He has been playing gigs in Europe for a while now and featured regularly on BBC’s Radio 1. Heartbreak…
Alkaline Trio The Nile Theater July 24, 2011 After 15 years, the guys in Chicago punk staple Alkaline Trio still rock as hard as ever. It just may be a bit harder to hear them over the roar of their boisterous fan base. From the moment the band took the…
Night Ranger, Foreigner, and JourneySunday, July 24Ashley Furniture HomeStore PavilionIn all my years attending concerts at this pavilion (under its myriad names), I’ve never seen traffic like what we waded through before the Foreigner/Journey concert. Cars were still backed up and blocking the intersection at 83rd Avenue and McDowell an…
BY LAUREN WISERed Line Chemistry 910 Live Saturday, July 23, 2011 “This Phoenix show is by far the best we’ve done yet on this tour,” admits Red Line Chemistry bassist Tom Brown, pushing his black-stripe-spiked mop of hair from his forehead after finishing his performance at 910 Live last night.”But…
To celebrate 15 years as a band, Alkaline Trio released a semi-acoustic greatest hits album called Damnesia earlier this month, which features a couple new songs from the band and a Violent Femmes cover. Alkaline Trio is scheduled to play at The Nile Theater on Sunday, July 24 with fellow…
Iceage, Weird Ladies, and Nihilism Yellow Canary Dance Hall Tuesday, July 19, 2011 Hipsters and their irony — goddamn, it’s cute. The place is called Yellow Canary Dance Hall, however, there weren’t any birds, and only a handful of people dancing at last night’s Iceage show. The Danish foursome has…
To put it bluntly, I didn’t know what to expect walking into Comerica Theatre last night.I’m a Bob Dylan fan, but let’s face facts: He’s 70. His most recent album, 2006’s Modern Times and 2008’s Together Through Life, have both been phenomenal efforts, but sounding good in the studio is very…
Ben Folds Marquee Theatre Monday, July 18, 2011 Ben Folds has been writing piano rock oscillating between sardonic humor and commentary on the human condition since his beginnings with Ben Folds Five. Along the way, he’s been cast as many things — a father, a joker, a pissed off dude — but…
Adult Swim Pool Party at Millennium Resort Adult Swim, formerly the hippest of weekly hipster pool parties, returned for just one day on Sunday. Promoters Jared Alan and Jen Deveroux brought Adult Swim to the Millennium Resort this summer instead of to the Downtown Phoenix pools of the past. The…
Reverend Horton Heat Marquee Theatre Saturday, July 16, 2011 Reverend Horton Heat makes an annual stop in Phoenix year after year and never fails to put on a good show. Sure, the band tends to play a lot of the same songs and tell a few of the same jokes,…
America Wild Horse Pass Casino Friday, July 15, 2011 Sure, the venues that America is likely to play these days have gotten smaller, but it doesn’t mean that the band isn’t still capable of putting on a good show. The crowd of folks who came to watch them perform at the…
Megadeth, Godsmack, and Disturbed at Rockstar Mayhem Festival Friday, July 15, 2011 The Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion”You guys are fucking amazing, Phoenix!”This was the first thing I heard as I approached the Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion for the Rockstar Mayhem Festival. The compliment, enthusiastically hollered from the stage by Machine Head singer…
The time is nigh to get your last dose of local songstress Courtney Marie Andrews before she embarks on her west coast tour later this month. The acoustic americana singer has assembled a full band to accompany her on stage for next week’s show.Andrews will be playing at The Rhythm…
In March, Conspire coffee shop closed down, got a face lift, and then re-opened as a downtown art gallery and vegan cafe. There have been growing pains, for sure — the cafe still doesn’t have regular, set hours (don’t expect to ever find the door open before noon), there have…
As the dust settles and the heat continues to ramp up, local misfits Dogbreth will be hosting Oregon-based Self Proclaimed Narcissist and Ariana Marie and Rainbow at The Trunk Space.This Friday, July 15, they’ll be braving sweltering conditions with their do-it-yourself folky pop-punk sounds. You should join them…
Ska-rockers Streetlight Manifesto and Reel Big Fish rocked The Marquee last night, and we were there to take photos. Our reviewer wound up with food poisoning (bleh), but Timothy Cason, next door neighbor of this particular Up on the Sun writer, went, and offered this mini review (I promised him…
Cowboy MouthThe Foundry on First Saturday, July 9 Despite pesky city inspectors delaying the doors opening and Mother Nature battering concertgoers with gusts of wind and blasts of dust, The Foundry on First opened her doors for the first time last night. The work-in-progress venue dealt with its fair share of…
Major League Baseball announced the official All-Star Week musical performance roster on Wednesday, and it reads like the back of a Now That’s What I Call Music compilation mix. But thank god, we love Jordin Sparks and Michelle Branch. It would’ve totally sucked if MLB had a relevant indie surf…
David BazanThe Sail Inn Thursday, July 7Last night was the sixth time I’ve seen David Bazan perform, and I am struck by how each concert has been a unique experience. There were different band-names some of the times: Pedro the Lion, the group he’s best known for, The Headphones, his…
The upbeat melodic pop songs of singer/songwriter Maren Parusel can turn someone with even the surliest reputation into a purveyor of positive vibes. Case in point: Pall Jenkins from Black Heart Procession, a band known for creating deep, dark, introspective songs. Jenkins produced Parusel’s debut album, Artificial Gardens, and when…
Cannonball Pool Party Kickoff The hipster pool party is officially back. The promoters of Sticky Fingers and Retro Hi-Fi have come together for the all new Cannonball Pool Party at the Lexington Hotel. The summer’s remaining Sunday afternoons are going to be all about looking hip, taking a dip and…
NightlandsThe Sail InnSunday, July 3, 2011My very first thought when Nightlands took the stage last night and began cranking out lush harmonies was “Oh man, this band needs to open up for Fleet Foxes,” and I couldn’t be any more sincere about that statement. It might seem a bit far-fetched…
