Banana Gun has an odd tale of how the band ended up in Phoenix. As bass player Ross Troost tells it, he and drummer Ian Breslin and guitarist Nick Dehaan were on a West Coast tour nearly a decade ago in their old band, Fat Rabbit, when they swung through…
It’s 2014 and high time you got some new music into your playlist — seriously. It’ll help that Phoenix’s music scene has plenty of fresh jams and brand-new tunes to offer, as there’s an overflow of gifted and prolific musicians cranking out sounds. Since many local acts will make waves,…
If KONGOS had not officially “made it” before Wednesday night, they certainly have now. The South African-born, Phoenix-based rock quartet made their national television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and while their single “Come With Me Now” did not sound quite as buff as it does on Lunatic, their latest…
Three decades is a long time to be involved in hip-hop. And many have tried to put an expiration date on the art form, believing that it’s taboo to be in hip-hop after the age of 30. As time goes on, however, artists like Jay-Z, Eminem, and 2 Chainz have…
If you’re a fan of blues music, particularly the kind proffered by local bands and artists, plan to spend part of this weekend soaking up some 12-bar down-home sounds in the great outdoors. The latest Blues Blast, the Valley’s premier festival celebrating the genre, will be held on Saturday at…
February was most certainly a busy month for the Club Candids crew. Each and every week, we hit up hot nightspots and dance joints in both Tempe and Scottsdale and grabbed snaps of some of the mass revelry that was taking place within. And believe us, there was a lot…
If you know a thing or three about electronic dance music, no doubt you’ve heard of Pete Tong or listened to the highly influential DJ’s popular BBC Radio 1 program, Essential Mix. At the very least, you’ve raged to some of the formerly neophyte EDM artists, producers, and beatsmiths whom…
When the aptly named Asses of Evil imploded in 2012, Valley punk rock fans were left eager to see what would come crawling from the wreckage. Stalwart bass thumper Todd Joseph and singer/rhythm guitar maestro Chris JJ Jet quickly formed The Smoke Bombs, enlisting lead guitarist Brandon Meunier and drummer…
After a harrowing accident totaled their van and gear in November, the members of Seattle surf-noir quartet La Luz didn’t just feel lucky to be alive. Singer-guitarist Shana Cleveland says the outpouring of support during the band’s recovery came across as a message that a life in music is where…
A few hours from now, the rest of the country is gonna get clued into what local music fans have known for years: KONGOS jams out some seriously fantastic rock ‘n’ roll…
The marriage of horror cinema and heavy metal — it’s a match made in heaven for me and probably hell for others, like my girlfriends who prefer pop music and romantic comedies. Either way, it’s one of my favorite topics and we’ve definitely got some fresh blood on the matter…
It can be easy to miss unless you’re looking for it, but there are a lot of metal (heavy or otherwise) getting slung in and around Metro Phoenix, thanks to concerts and gigs by locals and touring acts alike. As such, Up on the Sun’s resident metal scribe, Lauren Wise,…
When a band in a small genre possesses a sound that is very much their own, most would assume it would limit the acts it can perform with, but that’s not the case with the local horror-punk trio of the brothers Calabrese. They’ve performed and shared bills alongside a number…
Last night is guaranteed to go down as one of the greatest nights ever in the young life of Matt Peterson. At long last, the 17-year-old Phoenix resident and Arcadia High School student got to go to a prom of sorts with the notorious pop star, albeit in the midst…
It’s 2014 and high time you got some new music into your playlist — seriously. And that’s doubly true when it comes local music, of which there’s an abundance in metro Phoenix. The Valley’s music scene is gifted with burgeoning bands and emerging artists who will be making waves and…
It’s 2014 and high time you got some new music into your playlist — seriously. And that’s doubly true when it comes local music, of which there’s an abundance in metro Phoenix. The Valley’s music scene is gifted with burgeoning bands and emerging artists who will be making waves and…
It’s 2014 and high time you got some new music into your playlist — seriously. And that’s doubly true when it comes local music, of which there’s an abundance in metro Phoenix. The Valley’s music scene is gifted with burgeoning bands and emerging artists who will be making waves and…
If you’ve spent anytime on Facebook recently, it’s a strong possibility that any of the EDM fans, club kids, or party-monster millennials on your friends list have dropped a link in their respective newsfeeds to “#SELFIE” by The Chainsmokers, probably with comments along the lines of “ZOMG! This is soooo…
It’s 2014 and high time you got some new music into your playlist — seriously. And that’s doubly true when it comes local music, of which there’s an abundance in metro Phoenix. The Valley’s music scene is gifted with burgeoning bands and emerging artists who will be making waves and…
Sorry to say, Meat Puppets, but you ain’t Arizona’s favorite band. At least, not anymore. Same goes for you, Gin Blossoms, Roger Clyne, Jimmy Eat World, and Alice Cooper. Y’all don’t rate, at least not to the number crunchers at The Echo’s Nest, a Massachusettes-based “music intelligence company” that supplies…
It’s 2014 and high time you got some new music into your playlist — seriously. And that’s doubly true when it comes local music, of which there’s an abundance in metro Phoenix. The Valley’s music scene is gifted with burgeoning bands and emerging artists who will be making waves and…
There’s just over 11 hours left in the Trunk Space’s oft-promoted Indiegogo campaign to raise enough cash for its 10th anniversary celebration and a new air conditioner. As such, there’s been a flurry of last-minute donations, including the crowdfunder’s biggest monetary gift yet, which came from some famous names: Matt…
