Artist: The NationalTitle: High VioletRelease date: May 11Label: 4ADIf The Hold Steady’s Heaven Is Whenever is destined to be the party album of the summer, then The National’s new record, High Violet, is destined to be the party-is-over record of the summer. In fact, I couldn’t blame you if you decided…
Sorry, folks: There will be no hits from the bong in Tucson. Latino rappers Cypress Hill posted an announcement on their website saying they will cancel an upcoming show at Tucson’s Rialto Theatre because of the law, which requires Arizona law enforcement officers to ask suspected illegal immigrants for documentation.The…
I did not wake up this morning feeling like P. Diddy. No sir — but then I saw this video of Ke$ha (pronounced “Kay dollar sign ha”) claiming that she doesn’t use autotune, and I totally felt like P. Diddy. I am convinced that this Ke$ha person is now just…
Song: Hooves, “Giggles”Context: Editing this week’s feature story on the band. Their EP is pretty solid overall, but this song is by far the best. Really a nice piece of rock songwriting. Actually, it’s probably the best song I’ve heard from a Phoenix band yet this year. Hooves – Giggles…
Local metal band American Gods has a thing for hamsters. That’s right–hamsters. The group has a song called “Hamster Stomp” on their current album, Ec-10, but don’t think the group is serious about crushing those cute little furry animals–a bad-arse pic of one of the rodents graces the album cover…
Even if you’re not a regular listener of NPR’s afternoon program All Things Considered, you may want to have a look at this. Found by Fishbowl LA and reprinted by our sister paper, the LA Weekly’s music blog West Coast Sound, it seems that some young people on NPR’s staff…
Artist: ShapiroTitle: ShapiroRelease date: Spring 2010Label: DweebMy editor, Martin Cizmar, has a theory: If Jerry Lee Lewis had not nailed his 13-year-old cousin in 1958 (which, of course, pretty much destroyed his burgeoning career in the United States), rock music today would be primarily a piano-driven discipline rather than a guitar-driven…
It’s been a week since we asked Arizonans angry about SB 1070 — the law that essentially mandates law enforcement agents racially profile Hispanics and requires those Hispanics to prove their citizenship or risk deportation — to send us their protest songs.The response has been amazing. We’ve already recieved tracks…
Song: Kinch UK’s “Bad Dreams”Context: If you’ve ever Googled Phoenix indie band Kinch you’ve probably come across information about the British group of the same name, which called it quits back in January. Ever bothered to listen to The Other Kinch? They’re not bad, actually. I’m sure most locals are…
AKA: Casper…That Funky DJ Current club nights: Currently a resident DJ for Relentless Beats You can catch me at Cream Stereo Lounge on Giant Wednesdays and their one of parties. Thursday nights at Incognito for Beat Freq. I also have regular guest appearances at a variety of clubs through out…
So, you’re totally sick of Lady Gaga, and if you hear her version of “Telephone” one more time…Relax. Now you can still listen to what could be the catchiest pop song of 2010 without it coming from a Christina Aguilera-sound-a-like. That’s right, Britney fans–Ms. Spears’ version of the hit, which…
Every single one of these preening peacocks is hungry to be noticed or photographed, eager to grab onto to their 15 minutes of fame. So, yeah, there are a number of reality show casting calls staged every year in the ‘Dale. That includes the folks behind the ultra-popular sexploitation video…
While some of our writers are fans of Owl City, others are clearly not.Idolator reports that Owl City’s frontman Adam Young has started a side project titled Sky Sailing with an album due out on July 13. And guess what? People are already calling it “Owl City Unplugged.”If you just…
Artist: Gogol BordelloTitle: Trans-Continental HustleRelease date: April 27Label: AmericanHow many of you have listened to someone tell you, “Aw, you just gotta see ’em live to appreciate them”? I know I’ve said that before. And I think I’ve heard more than one person say it in regard to Gogol Bordello,…
This week’s music feature is a cold, hard look at why your cocktail waitress hates you, written from the perspective of a drink-slinging, cork-topped tray carrying, waitress.Martin Cizmar does an interview with none other than country music legend Merle Haggard where he asks him about SB 1070.Plus we’ve got show…
Former Phoenician Ryan Breen, a.k.a. Back Ted N-Ted, just finished a world tour with Imogen Heap, who is probably best known for singing “Hide and Seek,” the haunting song sampled on Jason DeRulo’s smash “Whatcha Say.”As the house producer for Modern Arts Records he moved to NYC with the rest…
Song: Megadeth’s Youthanasia (Condensed)Context: That video of W.A.S.P’s Chris Holmes drinking vodka in a pool makes me crave some metal. What fits the bill better than an album’s worth of searing Dave Mustaine riffs, condensed into seven minutes, with no Dave Mustaine vocals? …
My name is Sarah and I am a cocktail waitress. For two years, I’ve been slinging drinks at a popular Phoenix music venue/bar that shall remain nameless. Armed with only a cork-topped plastic tray, I encounter the best and worst people on Earth. Every night. I’ve seen people who are…
There was a time when Merle Haggard defined defiantly prideful pro-Americanism better than anyone. During the dark days of the Vietnam War, the gruff California country singer penned two songs, “Okie From Muskogee” and “The Fightin’ Side of Me,” that answered Bob Dylan and Joan Baez about as well as…
With that all said, LP4 picks up right where Ratatat’s previous album LP3 left off — and damn is it good…
Artist: Broken Social SceneTitle: Forgiveness Rock RecordRelease date: May 4Label: Arts & CraftsWe just entered our fifth month here at “Nothing Not New” — just under eight months to go on this yearlong new-music journey. I’m a couple of days late on this, but I have to give you my…
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. Is M.I.A.’s controversial “Born Free” video an allegory about Arizona? Who is headlining Arizona’s 2010 Fall…
