St. Vincent Crescent Ballroom Thursday, October 20 On the lightrail ride home, the words of a friend: “Do you think she was wearing that ring to ward off potential stalkers or is there something she isn’t telling us?” Sounds like a funny question, but it isn’t all that unreasonable. St…
It’s been a good year for Memphis instrumental soul. Not only did original groover Booker T. release a great album (The Road From Memphis), but The Bo-Keys, featuring Stax, Hi Records, and American Studios pros Floyd Newman, Floyd Newman, Archie “Hubby” Turner, Archie “Hubby” Turner, a cast of younger Memphis…
Smashboxx in Scottsdale will finally get its newest neighbor tonight as Dollhouse Cocktail Lounge is opening to the clubgoing public. After two months of renovation to the old Crown Room over the summer, Old Town nightlife impresario Chad Landau (who also helps manage the adjacent Smashboxx) will be raising the…
Today, Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., better known to the world as Snoop Dogg, turns 40. He’s scheduled to share his birthday in Phoenix, performing at the Arizona State Fair tonight. Both of these things say a lot about how rap has changed since Snoop’s debut record, Doggstyle, hit record stores…
What exactly does a record label offer a musician in 2011? The internet has leveled the playing field in so many ways. No longer does it require a big machine to create awareness. But record labels can still be a big help; musicians can use them market and distribute their…
One of the advantages of being older than dirt is seeing some of your New Times predictions come true. Luckily this one didn’t take too long. I anticipated big things for these four brothers from South Africa, who call themselves KONGOS, when I first wrote about them in 2007. So…
There’s so much to report and so little Internet to shove it in. First things first: the small bit of youth music we’ve witnessed in the Western United States convinces me thoroughly that my generation of American musicians has the studiousness and audacity to be emotionally unflinching in the face…
As much as ASU’s radio station The Blaze 1330AM still overplays the hell out of “The First Single,” The Format is still a lovable band that will always be in our hearts.One blogger has made it his or her mission to keep The Format’s spirit alive since the group broke…
In this week’s issue, Benjamin Leatherman takes a peak into the life of George Lindell, the motormouth Phoenix-based drummer who achieved internet stardom after a car accident yielded him a viral hit, “Reality Hits You Hard Bro.” Lindell could used some fortune to go along with that fame, he informed…
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. What ten songs did we pick to soundtrack the Occupy protests? What legendary country stars are…
Whether you like Jimmy Buffett’s music or not, there’s something about dressing like a Parrothead that’s exhilarating. It’s probably the not-give-a-fuckedness of the whole situation. Parrotheads, I imagine, are usually tied to desk jobs and family life, and getting the opportunity to dress like a total asshole is pretty fun and exciting…
Straight out of the halls of Valhalla, Swedish metal band Opeth has spent the past 20 years perfecting its sound and transcending the guttural growls of death metal. The quintet has left Stockholm in the rearview mirror to tour in support of its latest effort, Heritage. The 10-track album plays…
“The Nauga is ugly, but his vinyl hide is beautiful.” At least that’s what an ad campaign for the faux leather Naugahyde suggested in the ’60s and ’70s. This little creature can be blamed for pleather pants and some of IKEA’s ugliest furniture, but that grinning, wide-toothed monster, wasn’t ugly…
There’s no other way to put it: Jon Rauhouse is a badass. When the dude shows up to play on your record or add a little of his pedal steel to your live show, it is going to sound good. Really good. There’s a reason why Los Angeles-based music blog…
As we gear up for another election season, it’s easy to start thinking about all the things America gets wrong. But even though our politics may be screwed up, our music often gets it right. Jazz, blues, rock ‘n’ roll, hip-hop. They were born here, and if you really want…
It’s hard not to wonder where super-villains like The Joker and The Penguin picked up their henchmen thugs. They never seemed that good at what they did, always standing around and second-guessing their evil-genius bosses. To make matters worse, they didn’t even seem to be that tough; Batman and Robin…
These days, women dominate what used to be the boys’ clubby rock scene. There is a strong scent of “girl power” predominant throughout the newest albums from kick-ass groups like Wild Flag and Warpaint. Björk, Lykke Li, and Katy B are the brains and brawn behind some of 2011’s boldest…
Miguel Ivery (a.k.a. DJ Seduce) is one of the Valley’s most prominent mixmasters. He’s also one of its busiest, as the 33-year-old blasts out Brazilian jams and rare grooves every weekend at local nightspots, as well as at a few high-paying gigs throughout North America (including his upcoming trip to…
George Lindell never seems to stop talking. Loquacious doesn’t begin to describe the 46-year-old motormouth, who appears to be stuck at warp speed. When asked, the Valley resident will gladly (and energetically) inform you of his feelings about the state of the nation or the virtues of Prince versus Michael…
Thursday 20 27th Avenue Bar: DJ Manage (Top 40) Afterlife: Thumpin’ Thursdays (various) AZ 88: Josh One (various) Bar Smith: Ladies Night with DJ iDenaty, DJ EC Rock, & DJ Oh-Jezus (various) Blue Martini: Rewind Thursday with DJ Mendez (hip-hop, dance, Top 40) Bobby Q’s: DJ Deuce (hip-hop) BS West:…
Nearly every piece I’ve read about Pearl Jam’s 1991 release Ten turning 20 has been some variation on the “this makes me feel old riff.” And it makes sense. I didn’t buy Ten when it first came out, but I wound up with a copy of it a few years…
Tipped off from a friend over at Waved Rumor, we were alerted today that prominent music blog Brooklyn Vegan featured Phoenix’s own Landmine Marathon as part of the blog’s CMJ coverage. Well, kinda. Landmine didn’t play as part of the official CMJ Music Marathon, but that didn’t stop Brooklyn Vegan…
