With August behind us, we are inching closer to the sold-out Foster the People show going down at The Venue Scottsdale on Tuesday, September 13. When the band’s single “Pumped Up Kicks” came out, the dreamy synth pop sound washed over us like a wave of euphoria, even if we…
It was only yesterday that I was sharing the news of Smiths-related activity in Phoenix, including former-Smiths bassist Andy Rourke’s DJ set at Bar Smith this Friday, and the upcoming performance by Los Esmiths, Calexico, California’s premier Smiths tribute band, at Rips Ales and Cocktails. But it looks like I…
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. Why did DMX get arrested last week? What underground hip-hop is Yaya Martinez bringing to Power…
Zog’s Tiki Lounge Party 5 so you can make Labor Day weekend plans that are way better than looking like a lobster after floating down the Salt River.The Rhythm Room will be transformed into a tropical paradise just for this event, which features Thee Swank Bastards, The Surfside IV, Bata…
In May, Oakland rapper Kreayshawn bubbled up from the underground with her smash single “Gucci Gucci.” Now she’s the talk of hipsterdom. With its propulsive, jackhammering beat, “Gucci Gucci” was skillfully produced, but the content left something to be desired. Kreayshawn rapped about dining at Arby’s and selling pills to…
Over the past 40 years, the term “supergroup” has taken a beating. Acts such as The Traveling Wilburys and The Highwaymen defined the term: a group of established music legends teaming up for kicks. Nowadays, the term gets applied to just about any combination of semi-notable songwriters. Mister Heavenly falls…
With hip-hop more mainstream and codified than ever, Gucci Mane represents a refreshing departure from the formulaic marketing and progressive emasculation of contemporary rap music. The Atlanta artist’s rhymes may suffer when it comes to depth, variety, intelligence, and delivery, yet his realness on and off the mic transcends his…
Once awash in blogosphere love, Cold War Kids have experienced a shift in buzz. The band’s third album, Mine Is Yours, was supposed to launch them into the big time, breaking them through the way Kings of Leon’s third album did for that band. Yet the record hasn’t quite taken,…
Bands whose names are also geographical locations: a tricky situation. More often than not, get ready to chart out a set list of lousiness. Chicago? Meh. Europe? No way. Asia, Boston, Kansas? No good. America? Okay, “A Horse with No Name” is good. Younger bands like Beirut and Defiance, Ohio,…
When Jimi Hendrix reinvented the guitar instrumental as we know it with “Third Stone from the Sun,” he took time out to make a PSA warning that stated: “You’ll never hear surf music again.” In 1967, the sounds of 1961 and, even, 1964 seemed a century removed. But if surf…
It seems pointless to define the music of Sade (either the female lead singer/songwriter or her group of the same name) as “sexy” at this point. “Sexy” is as Sade does. Sure, sexy will always have a place on the radio, but it’s Sade’s career model that flies in the…
First, you notice the beats. The melodies pulsating in the air have a hypnotic quality, and their rhythms command your hips to move, your feet to shuffle, and your arms to be thrown in the air. It’s such feel-good electronic dance music that fist pumping is forgivable, but standing still…
San Diegan DJ Scooter has built a reputation on the West Coast and beyond. His hometown consistently shows him love, like voting him San Diego’s best DJ four years in a row. Hey, what can he say? He’s a fun dude to have at a party. Always mixing up his…
Thursday 1 27th Avenue Bar: DJ Manage (Top 40) Afterlife: Thumpin’ Thursdays (various) AZ 88: Josh One (various) Blue Martini: Rewind Thursday with DJ Mendez (hip-hop, dance, Top 40) Bobby Q’s: DJ Deuce (hip-hop) BS West: Intravenous Thursdays (goth, industrial, electronic, ’80s) Capitol Sports Lounge: DJ JS3 (various) Carly’s Bistro:…
On Thursday, August 25, Cue Bar celebrated their 16th birthday with a huge party. The bar’s signature long island iced teas and sexy clientele made it quite the sweet sixteen. Check out pictures in this week’s Club Candids slideshow…
Dear and the Headlights may have officially broken up, but we’re not done hearing music from the Phoenix indie rockers. In their official breakup letter to fans, guitarist PJ Waxmen expressed frustration with the music industry, but not with writing music itself. Clearly they were actually pretty prolific when it came…
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Live From the E-Werk Viewed at Cinemark 16Watching a rock concert from a seat in a Mesa movie theater is a strange experience. People in the theater clapped after every song as if they were really there, but nobody cheered or hooted or got rowdy and…
Welcome to the first installment of our new weekly feature, Sound Off, where I will be joined by a different guest each week to listen to and discuss three tracks from local Phoenix artists. If you would like your songs to be considered for future Sound Off columns, please email…
You know how every once in a while an album comes out and just throws a right cross to your jaw? That’s how I felt the first time I heard ¿Dónde Jugarán las Niñas? by Mexico’s hip-hop metal outfit Molotov. It was epic. The album, titled as a play off…
Jack White and I.C.P. have one thing in common — they love screwing with people’s expectations. Scratch that, they’ve got two things in common. Just listen to “Leck Mich Im Arsch,” the new single that combines unlikely collaborators Jack White, I.C.P., Mozart, and Jeff, the Brotherhood. I’ve spent plenty of…
During all of the times I had seen Patrick Stump perform with Fall Out Boy, he never looked quite as comfortable, confident or happy as he did last night during his solo set at Martini Ranch.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but conventional wisdom suggests that fans of Morrisey and The Smiths are prone to naval gazing, crying, and a lot of black clothing. But that’s all stereotyping, right? You don’t have to be a depressive to dig the band. Even Fred “I…
