A few weeks ago, I wrote a cheery little ditty titled Five Things I Hate About Music. In case you somehow haven’t read it (that was a joke, although I do seem to have a few deeply disturbed readers), one of the five was Obvious Songs. While expanding on said…
My friend Mary, a poetry scholar, e-mailed me last month. “Cher is kicking off her new concert tour in Phoenix,” Mary wrote. “Are you going?” “The Cher I would like to see in concert doesn’t exist anymore,” I reminded Mary, who publishes an online zine called Cher Scholar, which uses…
Sharon Jones is one tough woman. A former corrections officer and Wells Fargo security guard who once was told she was “too black, too fat, too short” to make it as the classic soul singer she’s become, Jones recently overcame the toughest battle of her life: beating pancreatic cancer. The…
Anyone who may have been there on the last night of business of a Tempe venue will tell you it’s a lot like the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. Nita’s Hideaway, Long Wong’s, 6 East, Hollywood Alley — none of these beloved nightspots went down without a fight. In some…
Gunfire erupted early this morning inside a Latin-oriented dance club in Central Phoenix, resulting in the death of an employee and the injury of another individual. According to Phoenix Police Department officials, a patron at Mi Ranchito near 32nd Street and Oak was causing problems after last call and opened…
Why does brilliance so often offer a dichotomy of two contradicting personas? You won’t likely get an answer from Annie Clark, better known as the gentle fierceness behind St. Vincent. She’s keen to keep you at arm’s length, but whether it’s shyness or mania that compels her to shroud her…
When it comes to reggae festivals, the common thread among the bands is usually made out of hemp. However, the acts you’ll see performing Saturday, March 15, at sunny Tempe Beach Park extend far beyond reggae and hip-hop grassroots genre’s status quo. In fact, the four headliners — Rebelution, Atmosphere,…
A hazy night with Hot Rock Supa Joint, Arizona’s premier stoner rap wizard, begins with a hazy idea. Let’s smoke a joint from the Bob Marley bong. A joint bowl! It only works about halfway, so we give up and give my five-foot BuddyBong® a try, so named because it…
It’s difficult not to like something called “sunshine reggae” — even for those who aren’t the biggest fans of Marley dreads, Nag Champa and barefoot romps. Iration embodies the description of sunshine reggae perfectly, a mix of dub, reggae and rock, and the band’s live shows pulse with an undeniable…
Up On the Sun’s resident photographers were plenty busy during Viva PHX this past weekend, as were their camera. While everyone else in attendance at the downtown Phoenix music festival was busy witnessing the performances of the 70 or so bands and artists, our shutterbug staff — including Jim Louvau,…
Chances are, if you met me — I’m a tall, goofy-looking, middle-aged white guy with a Canadian accent (it’s actually North Dakotan) — you wouldn’t think, “Hey, I should get some recommendations on fantastic soul albums from this cat.” Of course, I’m stereotyping myself, and you would be, too. I…
Austin has South by Southwest, San Francisco has Outside Lands, Manchester, Tennessee has Bonnaroo, and locally, now there’s Viva Phoenix. Viva Phoenix: A Downtown Music Festival is the Valley’s latest all-encompassing music festival. Last December, there was the disjointed True Music Festival, and the McDowell Mountain Music Festival has been…
Mavis Staples can be found in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s traveling “Women Who Rock” exhibit, currently on display at the Musical Instrument Museum. However, the soul icon, who ironically won a 2012 Grammy Award in the Americana category, easily could fit in several of the loosely genre-demarcated…
Dee Dee Penny, founder and frontwoman of Dum Dum Girls, is known for her shy disposition. She’s probably also tired of hearing about it in the press, but only one second into our phone call, it’s obvious how reserved, quiet, and thoughtful she is. The way she speaks is absolutely…
It’s 2014 and high time you got some new music into your playlist — seriously. It’ll help that Phoenix’s music scene has plenty of fresh jams and brand-new tunes to offer, as there’s an overflow of gifted and prolific musicians cranking out sounds. Since many local acts will make waves,…
By anyone’s definition, Jared Leto is having one bang up week thus far. There’s that whole Oscar thing, as well as the fact he appeared in arguably the greatest selfie in the history of ever. And now, the actor/director/musician is about to hit the road with his band 30 Seconds…
To those not plugged into the deeper chasms of the musical underground, the idea of a noise musician seems oxymoronic and bizarre — an easily understandable stance, given that noise is largely considered an undesirable sonic experience. When most people think of noise, they think of annoyance, panic, and fear…
The members of Rebel Disco are being tight-lipped about their newest hangout. Though they haven’t dropped dime on its location just yet, however, they’ve ecstatically announced the headliner and inspiration for tonight’s “We Still Believe” party, The Black Madonna. Per Rebel Disco’s Facebook: “We are excited about our new venue…
On Thursday, the Arizona Senate okayed a bill that would allow denial of services on religious grounds. A move civil-rights groups (and yours geekly) believe would allow discriminatory actions by businesses. As I read the news, shaking my head and thinking, “What will the crazy conservatives in this state do…
It’s pretty safe to say that Roosevelt Row has more than its share of mad DJ sessions conducted amid the arty milieus of both First and Third Friday, especially outside such venues as Jobot or Aside of Heart. But a madcap DJ session done on gramophones? Yeah, that’s sort of…
Millions of people know who the Pixies are. Since the ’80s, the band has found its songs incorporated into some of the most significant moments within pop culture’s most beloved films and shows — but only within the past 15 years or so. (Think Fight Club’s buildings tumbling, Zack and…
When one thinks of legendary punk rock venues where great bands got their start, folks usually think of CBGB in New York, or the Masque in Hollywood, or the 100 Club in London. Dykstra Hall, a dormitory on the UCLA campus? Not so much. But Dykstra Hall does have one…
