From bedroom recordings to Target commercials, Portland three-piece Starfucker has had an interesting climb up the pop-culture ladder. In a perfect world, the group’s catchy hook-producing capabilities would make it a Top 40 shoo-in. But perhaps there’s something too deliberate in the act’s chosen moniker. A handful of earlier name…
After our burnt and decimated post-apocalyptic planet is discovered by alien robots thousands of years in the future, they will sift through the rubble of Tempe and likely find, among the ash of unopened textbooks and maroon and gold bongs, hundreds of copies of a round shiny disc with the…
While the lasting image from the Coen brothers’ 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou? may be a mustachioed, overall-clad, hicked-up George Clooney lip-synching “Man of Constant Sorrow,” the film’s multi-platinum soundtrack reignited interest in America’s earliest roots music. It was inevitable that musicians devoted to Americana would look beyond…
On the opening track of Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole’s eponymous 2008 album, the traditional island music is interrupted by a chant provided by Kanaka’ole’s grandmother. Delivering recitations in Hawaiian, her part acts as a bridge between generations and traditions. In fact the entire album, Kanaka’ole’s third, is a family affair, as more…
Clear away the tie-dyed shirts and Widespread Panic bootlegs. Though popular Tempe spot Sail Inn is known best for twirling, weed-addled jam-banders, things are going to get very metal this week, as the Arizona Local Rock Fest sweeps in, bringing acts with names like Flying Donkey Punch, Plagued Angel, and…
Although all the world may (or may not) be a stage — depending on whether you buy into that old Shakespearean aphorism — the streets of Mesa definitely will become a dance floor this weekend when a cabal of local DJs invades the sleepy suburb’s downtown to stage a ginormous…
“Good morning 2012!” was the rallying cry hollered by a young lass in full-on party mode just before dawn broke on New Year’s Day at hip hotel the Lexington. The sky was drenched in imperial violet as the sun readied its leap over the horizon, which usually is the indicator…
Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. Feliz año nuevo, friends. The first What’s Selling list of 2012 is full of familiar faces, with Drake’s Take Care owning the…
Roll Acosta is helping us start 2012 off on the right foot with just that.Don’t miss the band’s residency at the Rogue Bar. They’ll be playing every First Friday for the first four months of the year. Best of all, they’re amping things up a bit by giving a theme to…
When I interviewed Stephen Steinbrink and Christian Filardo for this a column in this week’s paper about Kickstarter, I had no idea that they had teamed up for Condensed Nothing, a new cassette from Steinbrink issued on Filardo’s Holy Page Records label. Drawing on recordings made between December 5-23, the…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. We’ve been counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This installment takes a look at 2011’s coolest Latin tunes. Enjoy! If the 2010 Latin Grammys are any indicator, last year was a big year…
Sunorous is going to be shaking down the Lost Leaf starting at 10 p.m. Saturday night. Your eyes will be bugging out of your head from the band’s great jazzy grooves.It’s always great to support local musicians, but this time there will be extra perks because this gig is free!…
Got any big plans for New Year’s Eve? The party monsters of Warsaw Pact Entertainment most definitely do, as they’ll celebrate the coming of 2012 during the Epic Red Cup Massive New Year’s Eve Extravaganza on Saturday, December 31. Taking place at an undisclosed location in the Valley, the all-night…
Christmas may be over, but Coach House continues to promote the holiday spirit with more Christmas lights than the Griswold house in Christmas Vacation. We grabbed a coat and checked out the holiday festivities on December 20, and the bar had a great turn out for a Tuesday night. Check…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. We’ve been counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This installment takes a look at 2011’s top cover songs. Enjoy! The idea of The Beatles, The Pixies, Tom Waits, and Elton John sharing a…
Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. Christmas is officially d-u-n, done. If you’re like us you’re probably still sitting in a tamale coma, wrapped in you’re brand new…
Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun’s 2011 Review. We’ve been counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. Today’s list comes from contributor Melissa Fossum. Maybe I’m too indecisive for my own good, but year-end lists are always a challenge. Most Up on…
Do you miss the polyrhythmic guitars and glottal growls of Packrat? Well, the band misses you, too. So much that they’ve reformed after a brief hiatus to offer some math-rock cheer to the Trunk Space on Christmas Eve Eve. Boasting the divisive declaration that “Nirvana sucks” on their Facebook page,…
Everyone loves The Beatles. Anyone who says they don’t “get” The Beatles is simply saying it for the sake of playing devil’s advocate. Yeah, it’s annoying, but we tolerate those people because we’re open-minded folk who appreciate an opposing point of view. Even if it’s wrong. On Friday, November 4,…
The Compound Grill, the Phoenix venue and eatery has hosted its share of touring classic rock veterans like Mickey Hart and Timothy B. Schmit. “I’ve heard of them,” you say, “but this Paul Gurvitz and the New Army has me scratching my recognition meter.” Well, with his brother Adrian Gurvitz,…
So, they say the holidays are a time for family, for friends, for gratitude. Well, okay, then. Here’s something we’re grateful for: Our local bands who contribute to the ever-developing Valley culture. For example, there’s A Boy Named Sioux, Rob Toner’s lauded outlaw country band. The band’s celebrating local culture…
One of the more curious entries in last year’s Village Voice Pazz & Jop music critics’ poll was a fan-made (not commercially released) compilation of early Bob Seger material titled Never Mind the Bullets, Here’s Early Bob Seger. The album was ranked 111, beating out releases by Tom Petty, Elton…
