As the story goes, Eazy E became a rapper by accident. In 1987, the man then known as Eric Wright hired his future N.W.A bandmate Ice Cube to write a song called “Boyz-n-the-Hood” for another group signed to his upstart label, Ruthless Records. One of the guys in the other…
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. Who was the white guy on the cover of N.W.A and the Posse? Z-Trip broke his collar…
Artist: GoldfrappTitle: Head FirstRelease date: March 23Label: MuteTake a look at the record cover you see to right of this text. Head First by the dance-pop band Goldfrapp sounds exactly like you’d think a record with this cover would sound like. And that’s either gonna be something right up your…
Do you you like free music? Do you like French rockers Phoenix? If you answered yes to either, then today is your lucky day. Thomas Mars & co. have made a recent live recording, Live in Sydney, available for a free download. The eight-song offering spans 38 minutes and features songs solely…
M. Ward truly has found his muse in Deschanel. The actor really can sing, and it is her vocals that carry the album. The marriage of M. Ward’s slick, befitting production and Deschanel’s light, cherubic vocals takes listeners of Volume Two to a simpler time, when AM radio was king…
Artist: She & HimTitle: Volume 2Release date: March 23Label: MergeMy editor has claimed this project a triumph for no other reason than I’ve chosen the new over the old — sort of. See, I told Martin Cizmar a while back that I wanted to review tonight’s Ray Davies concert. I…
Arizona State’s student radio station is always a fun throwback to the glory days of college radio, and perhaps the best showcase of that spirit is the annual Guest DJ Week.The long-running tradition — which I participated in last year — started yesterday with restaurateur Chris Bianco and local musician…
Artist: Broken BellsTitle: Broken BellsRelease date: March 9Label: ColumbiaIf you’re a supergroup and you don’t go for broke from the outset, you’ve lost me. That’s kind of the way I feel about this debut record by Broken Bells, the new collaboration by Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley and James Mercer…
The band had this to offer about the leak:”Hey everybody, the album leaked, and we wanted you to be able to hear it from us. We wanted to offer it as a free download but that didn’t make sense to anyone but us.”A free download is a pretty noble idea…
It’s not always easy to keep track of your favorite local artists, especially when some are busy touring around the country. So, here’s a round-up of the goings-on of some of the Valley’s top musical acts, including The Maine, Fat Tree and Whiskey Six.Rock Along Productions sponsored an epic Battle…
[jump] August 3 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center On Sale 4/3 5 Buffalo, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center On Sale 4/17 9 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre On Sale 3/27 11 Washington, DC Jiffy Lube Live On Sale 4/9 12 Hartford, CT Comcast Theater On Sale 4/2 14 Holmdel,…
Country Throwdown, Flyleaf, Alexisonfire and Cute Is What We Aim For help round out the rest of the show announcements from last week. Full list below…
Let’s say you own a record store post-Napster. Now, let’s say that record store burns down.I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t consider re-opening it for more than a split second. Actually, I’m guessing I’d blow town with the insurance money so fast investigators would suspect…
Just when you think it isn’t humanly possible to love Jack (and Meg) White more than you do, go see the new “rock doc”, Under Great White Northern Lights. Not only will you love them a little more, but you’ll also find them more interesting, endearing, and even a little…
I’ve promised my loyal readers a podcast featuring some of the best songs I’ve been listening to in the first three months of 2010.That day is finally here. The podcast is below. You’ll hear 10 songs and a little bit of discussion about each of them. This is my best…
Artist: LocksleyTitle: Be In LoveRelease date: March 16Label: SKH MusicReaders of my daily column, Nothing Not New, might find this essay from The Onion A.V. Club to be interesting. Basically, it asks the question: Are the indie bands of the world releasing too much product? The essay opens by stating…
Arizona-bred DJ Hero Z-Trip broke his clavicle snowboarding last week and has canceled all his shows leading up to Coachella.The Tripster also dropped out of the upcoming A-Team movie soundtrack. The DJ, raised here but now based Los Angeles (apparently this is something The Arizona Republic doesn’t know yet) had…
Stand-up comedian Jim “Hot Pockets” Gaffigan isn’t coming to Dodge Theatre until November 27, but tickets go on sale this morning at 10 a.m.Gaffigan’s 2006 Comedy Central Special Beyond the Pale is certified Platinum, and his memorable stints on “My Boys” and “Law & Order: SVU,” have raised his profile…
This week’s music feature is about Masaki Murashita, the 24-year old lead singer and guitarist of local neo-thrashers Hemoptysis, a band that is rocking SXSW as we speak.Also in this week’s issue you’ll find pieces on Zooey Deschanel’s musical career, and the local post-hardcore band Greeley Estates’ new album, which…
Alex Chilton, singer and guitarist of ’70s rock band Big Star died last night in New Orleans at age 59. The cause of death is suspected to be a heart attack, and Big Star was set to play at this year’s SXSW.The band is cemented in history as a highly…
OK, OK, so they may be from Los Angeles, but the Celtic punk rock band Flogging Molly is one of the best bands around to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with. Not only do they play fun, fast, furious tunes, they also know how to party. According to one fan, the…
Artist: jjTitle: jj no. 3Release date: March 9Label: Secretly CanadianIf you’ve ever found yourself up late at night and unable to sleep, you’ve probably resorted to flipping channels. Of course, you never find anything worth watching at 2:30 a.m., but sometimes those damn infomercials will find a way to hook…
