Bruno Mars sure has a way with the ladies. His song “Just the Way You Are” has become an anthem for females everywhere, as the number one hit implores women (and, well, anyone) to stay true to themselves and not give in to changing for the object of their affection…
Following in the footsteps of Jake E. Lee and Randy Rhoads would seem an unenviable task, but Zakk Wylde proved he was more than up to the challenge, serving as Ozzy Osbourne’s lead guitarist for a two-decade, five-album stretch from 1987 to 2009. Along the way, Wylde formed his own…
We all agree that Nat King Cole’s 1951 version of “Unforgettable” is a wonderful piece of music. Timeless. Velvety. A real soul-warming hymn of devotion. Can we also agree that the song is more overused than Michelle Duggar’s uterus? Kenny Rogers recently covered it. So did Jackie Chan. And let’s…
I was going to get an “I Hate Social Distortion” tattoo, but I didn’t, for a couple of reasons. First, just about every tattoo artist loves the band, and I didn’t want hepatitis C. Second, I was afraid my T-shirt would cover up the “I Hate” part, and people would…
It helps to have friends in high places. Just ask This Century, a Phoenix pop-rock band that, thanks to its pals in another local pop-rock group, The Maine, recently scored a record deal with a Warner Bros. subsidiary. The Maine, which released its 2010 album, Black & White, on Sire…
Vincent Gallo has done a lot of weird stuff in his day. The on-screen fellatio, the hexing of Roger Ebert, the marketing of his own reproductive fluids — these are just a few of Gallo’s performance-weirdness masterworks. So the actor-director-screenwriter-painter-musician-model (and part-time astronaut-obstetrician?) had something of a reputation to uphold…
I can’t imagine it makes Mr. Raymond IV very happy, but Auto-Tune may have saved his career. It’s not as though he were about to disappear off the pop music map or anything, but when you’ve already sold 40-some million albums, any album that doesn’t dominate your genre’s landscape isn’t…
You may think that the days of punk songs sounding just like those of The Ramones are over. Not so. The Qt up a bit, and throw in some surf-y sounds. That sound is packaged for digestion with fast-paced, two-minute songs. The New Hampshire-based band (note the irony: New Hampshire…
THURSDAY 18 27th Avenue Bar: R&B Thursdays (old-school R&B) Afterlife: Spice Thursdays (dubstep, electro, breakbeats, hip-hop) Airia Nightclub: Ladies Night with DJ Circle, & D-JR (hip-hop, Top 40, remixes, house, electro) AZ88: Josh One (rare groove, urban funk) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (jazz, blues, country, R&B, rarities, vintage vinyl)…
Rhythm Room, PhoenixNovember 17 2010It was at some point during Portland indie punk trio The Thermals’ set last night where I caught myself remembering that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the band’s 2004 album Fuckin A.Granted, I was a total spazz back then and my music tastes weren’t quite…
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.Has My Chemical Romance also abandoned the Sound Strike boycott of Arizona?Which song by local band Gospel…
Song: Mini Mansions, “Thriller Escapade”Context: Mini Mansions, an LA-based trio featuring Queens of the Stone Age bass player Michael Shumanthat, are playing Nov. 30 @ the Yucca Tap Room The Mini Mansions – Thriller Escapade by Vlady Turner…
Let’s just get this out of the way now — I am originally from Portland, Oregon. I have nothing but love for my beloved Beervana, and anyone that knows me knows that I like to talk your ear off about all things Portland. Hutch Harris, founding member and lead singer of…
There’s a little 80s darkwave goth kid inside all of us, so we were elated to get a serious fix Saturday night at Sanctum, everyone’s favorite local vampire disco. From Q Lazzarus to Concrete Blonde to Janet Jackson, DJs Dan and Noiz.Fkr went way beyond the stereotypical retro darkwave tunes…
The Strokes have finally finished a long awaited album, according to SPIN.While the mixing and mastering still has yet to be done, the recording process itself has been completed.After working out their differences and deciding to go forth with making a new album, they worked with Beck and White Stripes…
Maybe you read Spin magazine’s October feature about how Kings of Leon remain defiantly popular despite the fact that everyone who knows anything about music thinks they suck?Maybe you also recognized the first quote in the piece was from a post on Up On The Sun. The quote has since…
When the nightlife gods taketh away a country bar in Mesa, they ultimately giveth one as well.Mere weeks after AZ Country USA closed its doors, the good ol’ folks behind Graham Central Station are opening a brand new boot-scootin’ bunker this Friday on the opposite end of the city. It’s…
You could argue that the Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon is as big an annual event as the East Valley has.Especially for the formerly important town of Tempe, which saw Glendale steal away the city’s BCS bowl game in 2007. Since then, the East Valley really hasn’t had any other…
You’re lucky if you already have Bruno Mars tickets for his show this Saturday, November 20 at Martini Ranch–the show quickly sold out, and it’s no wonder, considering you can’t turn on a Top 40 radio station without hearing one of his many hit tracks. Martini Ranch was probably a…
Wishy-washy Sound Strikers My Chemical Romance have posted a short and sweet statement about their re-boycott of Arizona.We want to apologize to all our fans for the cancellation of our Phoenix show on May 24, 2011. This show should have never been booked due to our affiliation with Zach de…
Artist: StereolabTitle: Not MusicRelease date: November 16Label: Drag CityNo, Stereolab, the long-running and influential indie-pop band, is not necessarily “back.” (In fact, the band is still reportedly on indefinite hiatus.) The near-hour of music found on Not Music comes from the sessions that produced the 2008 record Chemical Chords. The…
Song: Digable Planets, “Nickel Bags”Context: Not only are Digable Planets coming to town, Nickel Bags are, too. Up On The Sun is so proud of how our sister blog Valley Fever is quickly becoming Arizona’s paper of record for the coming medical marijuana program. Digable Planets – Nickel Bags…
