British tabloid NME has a penchant for overstating it — you know, a new “savoir of rock” every couple weeks — but they’re right on the money with this one: the January 7 issue of the magazine spotlights Phoenix-based Otro Mundo as one of the 100 New Bands You Have…
The Young, Mangled Men, ROAR, The Plainfield Butchers Yucca Tap Room Wednesday, January 4, 2012 Bits of Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney’s interview with Rolling Stone started hitting the web yesterday, with the bespectacled musician stating: “Rock ‘n’ roll is dying because people became okay with Nickelback being the biggest…
IFC’s darling indie cult hit Portlandia returns this Friday at 8 p.m., and we can’t get enough of it. (We like to imagine that all the extras wandering in the back are displaced Phoenicians. Come back, guys — it’s cooler here.) Of course, young retirement does sound awesome. Fred Armisen:…
Life was looking good for robot apocalypse outfit A Life of Science back in August of 2009. They had just released their debut album, The Apneist and got all geared up to produce the most epic underwater city music video ever shot in front of a green screen for the…
This week, New Times ran a list 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. Want to rewind? We take a look at three local cassette tape labels. What famous album…
What happens when a promising young pop band’s album gets rejected by the major label they’ve signed a seven-album contract with? In the case of The Maine’s Pioneer, the band says “screw it,” and releases it anyway. Of course, the story is more complicated than that, which singer John O’Callaghan…
From bedroom recordings to Target commercials, Portland three-piece Starfucker has had an interesting climb up the pop-culture ladder. In a perfect world, the group’s catchy hook-producing capabilities would make it a Top 40 shoo-in. But perhaps there’s something too deliberate in the act’s chosen moniker. A handful of earlier name…
After our burnt and decimated post-apocalyptic planet is discovered by alien robots thousands of years in the future, they will sift through the rubble of Tempe and likely find, among the ash of unopened textbooks and maroon and gold bongs, hundreds of copies of a round shiny disc with the…
While the lasting image from the Coen brothers’ 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou? may be a mustachioed, overall-clad, hicked-up George Clooney lip-synching “Man of Constant Sorrow,” the film’s multi-platinum soundtrack reignited interest in America’s earliest roots music. It was inevitable that musicians devoted to Americana would look beyond…
On the opening track of Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole’s eponymous 2008 album, the traditional island music is interrupted by a chant provided by Kanaka’ole’s grandmother. Delivering recitations in Hawaiian, her part acts as a bridge between generations and traditions. In fact the entire album, Kanaka’ole’s third, is a family affair, as more…
Clear away the tie-dyed shirts and Widespread Panic bootlegs. Though popular Tempe spot Sail Inn is known best for twirling, weed-addled jam-banders, things are going to get very metal this week, as the Arizona Local Rock Fest sweeps in, bringing acts with names like Flying Donkey Punch, Plagued Angel, and…
John O’Callaghan is beat. The 23-year-old singer has just returned from fronting his band, The Maine, on a quickie tour with Taking Back Sunday. O’Callaghan slinks into a molded plastic chair at Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe. He has the rock-star look down pat: a frayed denim vest over a…
Although all the world may (or may not) be a stage — depending on whether you buy into that old Shakespearean aphorism — the streets of Mesa definitely will become a dance floor this weekend when a cabal of local DJs invades the sleepy suburb’s downtown to stage a ginormous…
NOFX frontman “Fat” Mike Burkett has quite the reputation. In 2010, while performing at Austin’s South by Southwest Festival, Mike took the stage as “Cokie the Clown”: sad-face paint, oversize Chuck Taylors, and a flower that squirts out “cocaine.” He discussed his mother’s assisted suicide and a troubled relationship with…
Calling “Fire Ring b/w Weekend Habit,” the forthcoming release from Tempe psychedelic soul combo What Laura Says, a “single” is a little misleading. “Neither song is slated to appear on the next album,” says bassist Mitch Freedom, laughing. Nonetheless, the band plans on releasing the tunes “in the first quarter”…
Thursday 5 Afterlife: Thumpin’ Thursdays (various) Bar Smith: Ladies Night with DJ Idenaty, DJ EC Rock, & DJ Oh-Jezus (various) Capitol Sports Lounge: DJ Danny Peru (old school, Latin, Top 40) Crescent Ballroom: Boomstick! with Fast Eddie, Jared Alan, BC/AD, President Gator, Fast Eddie, & more (various) Dollhouse Cocktail Lounge:…
“Good morning 2012!” was the rallying cry hollered by a young lass in full-on party mode just before dawn broke on New Year’s Day at hip hotel the Lexington. The sky was drenched in imperial violet as the sun readied its leap over the horizon, which usually is the indicator…
Are you ready for some new Metallica? You bet you are, because while plenty have made valiant and noble attempts to enjoy it, Lulu, the band’s collaboration with rock ‘n’ roll animal/poet Lou Reed was a tough one to get through. You can’t fault the band’s ambition, and it is…
We’re only a few days in to 2012, but it looks like local bands are already gearing up to issue brand new releases to usher the year in. With songs sneaking onto the net as we write, we figured it was time to shed a light on what’s coming up…
If you were waiting to hear the members of Foreigner play “Waiting For A Girl Like You” unplugged, get ready for some disappointing news. The ’80s rock legends have canceled their upcoming “Acoustique” gig at Comerica Theatre.Live Nation sent out an e-mail blast yesterday afternoon stating that Foreigner was pulling…
When What Laura Says released Talk last May, I tried to categorize the band as “neo-boogie rock,” stating after their excellent gig at the Icehouse: “At its core, and perhaps at its best, the band gets down like something your weird-but-cool uncle might jam in his Astro Van.” My tag…
Not content to earn a few comparisons to Hall & Oates, a few listens, and a few laughs, Tempe-based folkies Bears of Manitou have wasted no time in following up their 1-866-25-BEARS hotline with another promotional stunt. That’s right, according to the band’s Fiverr page, for just $5, you can…
