Circus Mexicus just kicked things up a bit.Okay, terrible puns aside, the soccer tournament Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers have scheduled for this year’s big drunken party in Rocky Point seems like a good idea. The World Cup will be going on at the same time, which is what inspired…
Artist: GrowingTitle: Pumps!Release date: April 6Label: ViceNo less an authority than Pitchfork.com, the Bible of indie rock, declared the Brooklyn experimental group Growing to be “cruising music for Brian Eno fans.” Better watch what you say, Pitchfork, or you’re gonna have a lot of pissed-off Eno fans on your hands.Growing…
I was excited to see an e-mail about the new Against Me! record, due June 8 on Sire. As the band’s publicist says, the record from one of the best live bands I’ve seen in the past year was produced by Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, etc., etc.) so it…
What does a band do if its tour bus hits a deer? Ask Blessthefall, who at least pretend to deal with that situation in the latest dispatch from the Bangover tour, currently selling out shows in Canada. How do we know it’s Canada? Just listen for the part where the…
Those not familiar with Twin Sister will notice a flowing, romantic feel to their music. Lead singer Andrea Estella’s vocals are sinfully innocent with a heady nod to Stereolab’s Lætitia Sadier…
When you used to be in a band with a guy that made arguably the most anticipated album of the last two decades, which turned out to be Axl Rose’s epic failure Chinese Democracy, it’s kinda hard to top the hype yourself. But alas, Slash has found a few ways…
Artist: Holly Golightly and the BrokeoffsTitle: Medicine CountyRelease date: March 30Label: Damaged GoodsHard to believe Holly Golightly’s been doing this rock ‘n’ roll thing for almost 20 years. In a long list of things that make me feel old, add her tenure as a viable musical act. I’ve been a fan…
AKA: DJ Mastamonk Current club nights: Friday at Vintage in Tempe or Dirty Pretty in Scottsdale, Saturday at Whip Lounge in Tempe, and a Sunday monthly residence at Martini Ranch in Scottsdale. Preferred genres: Man, there’s waaay too many things I like playing genre-wise right now. Really diggin the funky…
Halocene, a female-fronted Valley pop-rock act I kinda like, is scheduled play at this Saturday’s Phoenix Coyote’s game. The show will be staged just outside the doors of Jobing.com Arena and will run from 5:30 until just before the game begins.I won’t be there, having vowed to not travel to…
This week’s music feature is on the large, local, lo-fi band Dry River Yat Club. They reflect on their latest live album release, touring, and their very big, never changing lineup.We also have pieces on Phoenix rockers Ronin Meyer and their raffles for hugs in concert, and the “groove metal”…
According to NME, Pearl Jam will be planting $210,000 worth of trees in Washington state. Why, you may ask? Well, in order to make up for all of the environmental damage they did during last year’s U.S. tour. The band believes that the planting of these trees will not only…
Some may call them a novelty act, but the Black Eyed Peas have proved their staying power in the hip-pop industry, creating radio hit after radio hit and being nominated for a 2010 Grammy for Album of the Year. So, it’s no surprise the band packed Jobing.com Arena last night…
Artist: Dum Dum GirlsTitle: I Will BeRelease date: March 30Label: Sub PopIt’s April, and that means it’s time to take a look at some of the best songs I heard during the past month. Some of these acts have appeared on the two “Nothing Not New” podcasts we put together…
There’s an interesting facebook battle shaping up over the future of Phoenix’s NPR affiliate, KJZZ 91.5.The instigator is a guy named Greg Ensell who likes to listen to . . . well, umm, pretty much what I listen to: LCD Soundsystem, Black Keys, Hot Chip, The Unicorns, etc.Ensell is a…
Factory Made Future, our one-stop shop for underground party information, has a cool post about an event going on next weekend at The Quicy. (Conveniently located at “the alley behind rainbow doughnuts.”)”We all know it can get more than a tad bit boring going to the same club every weekend,…
Describing Dry River Yacht Club’s sound is no easy task. Not only does the Tempe octet sound unlike any other local band, but thanks to their use of such unconventional instruments as the bassoon, French horn, and accordion, they really don’t sound like anyone else, period. Imagine Björk singing for…
Elliot James is a ballsy guy, and so far it’s worked out pretty well for him. James had the guts to ask the guys in Phoenix rock band Ronin Meyer to jam with him after seeing them perform, and they took him up on his request. He must have been…
Full disclosure: I’d never heard of Nonpoint before sitting down to write this article about Nonpoint. They’re a raised-fist groove-metal band. I’m more a neuroses-infused post-punk guy. I like it when bands shred, but I want them to mitigate their shreddiness with a little irony, some artful doubt. Nonpoint does…
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. How did freak-folker Devendra Banhart break his leg before a sold-out show at The Clubhouse? Did…
Green Day, Chicago, Tim McGraw, The Doobie Brothers and Paramore round out the rest of this week’s show announcements — but seriously, with the news of Justin Bieber coming to town, who the hell really cares?…
Scottsdale kiddie-poppers The Summer Set are on the cover of the April issue of Alternative Press. The band is playing their asses off on the 25-year-old Cleveland-based magazine’s brutal coast-to-coast tour right now so they earned it. You can also get a free download of their single “Chelsea” here…
Artist: The Dillinger Escape PlanTitle: Option ParalysisRelease date: March 23Label: Party SmasherIf you’re a regular reader of “Nothing Not New,” you’ve undoubtedly seen me gripe about the current crop of indie rockers’ general unwillingness to rock. I must’ve been sleeping off a hangover or watching an I Love the ’80s…
