Artist: Freeway & Jake OneTitle: The Stimulus PackageRelease date: February 16Label: RhymesayersMy editor, Martin Cizmar, loves hip-hop almost as much as he hates house shows. He loves N.W.A. and Jay-Z, and he knows I don’t have much use for the genre, which is why he asked to me give a…
[jump] So why isn’t Phoenix more renowned as a DJ town then? It’s a situation of how leisurely our lifestyle is in general here, leading to the fact that people don’t care as much about their entertainment. You have to be way more on top of your game to get…
So in case you hadn’t heard, one of Jack White’s many endeavors is something called the “pop-up shop.” This is when he takes his Third Man Records store on the road, and “pops up” a temporary shop in a city other than its native Nashville.Apparently, Jack has leaked the news…
[jump] Tom Petty returns to Arizona for this first time since an August 2008 show out in Glendale. More info on the upcoming tour, including the track “Good Enough” from Petty’s forthcoming album Mojo can be found at TomPetty.com.Other live show announcements (not nearly as big as Tom Petty, but…
Our Valley Fever blog told you about The Police Women of Maricopa County, the new TV program which, apparently, is mostly about spray-tanned chicks with guns getting holier-than-thou about motherhood. Since this is at least billed as entertainment — I’d say it’s more scary than entertaining though — I’m going…
First, let me start my saying that the Arizona Republic did an overall excellent job with its list of “The Valley’s 25 Most Intriguing People.” I was especially impressed with the inclusion of Joe Johnston, a Gilbert restaurateur who’s always working on something awesome, and Dear and the Headlights, which I…
Apple Inc. celebrated a huge milestone today as iTunes sold its 10 billionth song.10,000,000,000 songs.Let’s put that in perspective.That’s approximately 32.8 songs per American, since there are just over 300 million of us now. There are only about 6.8 billion humans on Earth, so we’ve downloaded about 1.4 songs each…
This week’s feature talks about the nature of touring, and how A Storm of Light and Via Vengeance got their upcoming tour together.”Uh, I think someone at our label talked to someone at their label. I’m not really sure.”Interview enough bands coming through town, and you’ll eventually just quit asking…
Artist: Past LivesTitle: Tapestry of WebsRelease date: February 23Label: Suicide SqueezeDammit! I just read that The Rolling Stones will be re-issuing Exile on Main Street in May and that it’s going to have a bunch of extra tracks. I’ve got a copy of the double-album on vinyl (complete with the…
It’s a bit shocking that there is still any unreleased Rolling Stones material at this stage. Apparently there is though.Mick was able to dig up enough for ten extra tracks on the upcoming reissue of 1972’s epic Exile on Main Street. Though there was some revision to the songs, they didn’t…
Bon Jovi proclaimed on their Twitter they were “ready for Arizona” before their show at Jobing.com Arena last night, and the rock band members weren’t the only stars in the building. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre came out, and Dashboard Confessional singer Chris Carrabba had something to say about the concert…
“Uh, I think someone at our label talked to someone at their label. I’m not really sure.” Interview enough bands coming through town, and you’ll eventually just quit asking how a particular tour came together — it’s usually something lame involving an A&R dude. That’s what makes the upcoming tour…
In 2004, Salon.com’s Verne Becker asked guitarist Aaron Burke of The Minibosses, “How far can the Minibosses go?” Burke responded: “I have no idea. Our main focus is playing and having a good time doing it. When that stops, we stop.” Lucky for us, Burke and his buds, fellow guitarist…
Admittedly, it’s not the kind of question that keeps you up at night. Or triggers piercing migraine headaches. Or makes your nose bleed uncontrollably. Still, you’re interested in knowing: What is America’s longest continuously active ska band? According to Robert Hingley, singer and lone remaining founding member of The Toasters,…
This week, New Times ran a small 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 Anthony “Hartbreaks” Hart the new king of Phoenix’s hipster DJs? How was the first show at…
Artist: Shout Out LoudsTitle: WorkRelease date: February 23Label: MergeThe album’s title and no-nonsense cover art and design belie the breezy indie pop contained inside. Mind you, it’s not the wimpy and boring indie pop in the vein of, say, Vampire Weekend. The band’s crystaline sound may seem fragile, but there’s…
Fearless prediction: McDowell Mountain Music Festival 2010 will not be on par with MMMF 2009.The 2009 festival, which took place at Scottsdale’s WestWorld and featured The Flaming Lips and Matisyahu, impressed the hell out of me. In fact, we named it Best Music Festival in our annual “Best of Phoenix”…
So it seems that The Who singer Roger Daltrey made a statement to the BBC recently that he would be interested in working with former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page on a new album. He may be putting the proverbial cart in front of the horse, though, as this is…
Frankie Muniz, the former Malcolm in the Middle star who’s now playing drums for Phoenix band You Hang Up has granted an interview to Popeater where he discusses how he got together with You Hang Up. Unfortunately, Popeater asked stupid questions like “How does the L.A.-based star end up behind…
[jump] What this critic says: “Past Lives — lead by enigmatic lead singer Jordan Billie — have crafted an album that constantly shifts tempos, often playing things on the more slower, serious side. Gone are Billie’s days of relentless screaming over punk-laden guitars, replaced with a more subtle approach to his…
Artist: Brian Jonestown MassacreTitle: Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?Release date: February 23Label: A. RecordsMy only exposure to Brian Jonestown Massacre was in that rock documentary DiG!, which followed the rise in popularity of BJM and kindred spirits/rivals The Dandy Warhols. The latter band eventually achieved some mainstream success while the former sabotaged…
Carly Simon taught me not to be so vain, and not to assume this song — or three-day festival of local and international DIY indie/punk acts — was about me. However, I’m going to go ahead and assume that the “Cizmarch Madness” festival at YOBS has something to do with…
