THURSDAY 9 Bomberos: DJ Rani “g,” dk.strickler, & guests (house, global soul) Bunkhouse: DJ Doom (dance) Cherry Lounge: Scandalous Thursday with DJ Juan Rocha (house, electronica) Club Red: The Blunt Club with Sab, Span Phly, Bobz-illa, Pickster Uno, DJ Element, more (hip-hop) Copper State Tavern: DJ Kavi, & guests (hip-hop)…
If you find yourself asking who the Vivian Girls are, prepare to be answered on two fronts. In the literary/esoterica world, the Vivian Girls are heroines who lead a child slave rebellion in a 15,145-page fantasy written by janitor-turned-outsider-artist Henry Darger. In the music world, they’re still heroines, a three-piece…
Local favorites Andrew Jackson Jihad once asked, “Why doesn’t Mirah come to Phoenix?!” The singer-songwriter (born Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn) has spent the past decade with the Pacific Northwest indie fortress K Records. Whether over the backing of her own acoustic guitar or in collaboration with the likes of Phil…
We imagine you young ‘uns are sick of hearing how fab the 1960s were, but it was a time when assorted strains of roots music were literally in the air. Take Aurora “Rory” Block — as a teen in NYC’s Greenwich Village early in that decade, she heard folk and…
Ozomatli play the type of music one would expect from a band that takes its name from the Nahuatl word for an Aztec astrological sign. Their mix of Latin, hip-hop, funk, rock, jazz, and reggae comes from a group that stretches from seven to 10 members, playing both traditional rock…
With acts like Band of Horses, Grand Archives, and Fleet Foxes already on board, Seattle-based indie label Sub Pop seems to have firmly established itself as the leading purveyor of country-tinged folk-pop played by sensitive, bearded guys from the Pacific Northwest. Thus, it hardly seemed like a radical departure for…
Zach Sciacca (a.k.a. Z-Trip) may not look like the Easter Bunny, but just like ol’ Peter Cottontail, the renowned Phoenix-born turntablist is planning on delivering some treats this weekend. We ain’t talking about sugary peeps or gooey chocolate, however, as Sciacca will instead be serving up some sweet beats as…
Living with an addict destroys you. Either you shut down emotionally to weather the shitstorms or you erupt like Vesuvius because someone has relegated you to secondary status, behind the drug of choice. An addict only has to keep falling and the world sympathizes with his co-dependency. But how about…
Ever since we got a press release about Green Day’s impending album, 21st Century Breakdown, a few weeks ago, I’ve been eager to see when the band would start playing live again. Turns out our sister paper in San Francisco was there to see Billie Joe, Tre, and Mike play…
Looks like AZPunk’s not dead after all. The infamous local website was reborn last week with a completely new look after taking a year-long hiatus from the Internet. For those of you unfamiliar with AZPunk, it functioned as an information resource and meeting ground for P-Town’s punk and hardcore community…
We were a little hesitant about shooting at Saturday’s debut of the returning Hip Joint DJ night at the Paisley Violin. Not that we don’t adore the little eatery/coffee shop/art gallery/anything venue down on Grand Avenue…we just weren’t sure it could wrangle a real party crowd.But, holy crap, were we…
You excited for McDowell Mountain Music Fest yet? No? Not yet? Well, that’s about to change, kids, because no one in their right mind would want to miss The Flaming Lips Saturday set after seeing this amazing cover of Madonna’s “Borderline.”By the way, we’re doing our own little covers project…
So we here at Up on the Sun are here to make sure you, our dear readers, get the best of Valley culture and music. Ergo, since Scott “Bringing Out My Punk Side Tonight” MacIntyre happens to hail from our great state, we thought we’d check out his performance before…
From our sister paper in St. Louis comes a funny blog post about a Craigslist ad for a new indie rock club that’s requiring a mix CD with applications for bartender, barback, and doorman.mix cd should contain music in and around the neighborhood of indie rock/pop. the more unknown the…
Generally, I write positive reviews about bands that are good at what they do. I like a little bit of everything, so it’s not that hard for me to appreciate either a delicate ballad or ear-shredding thrash. Shit, I genuinely love the first Britney Spears record, and think Toby Keith…
Armed with subtle yet snarky British vocals and a staggering amount of originality, Britain’s Mica Levi has assembled an album that stands as one of 2009’s best so far. I know I have already deemed Reintegration Time by Edmonton’s Shout Out Out Out Out as my favorite of 2009 (and…
Actually, Scotty the Blue Bunny points out he’s not an easter bunny at all. He’s just your average 6-foot-plus-tall, bearded, 40-something dude in a sparkly blue spandex bunny suit who happens to be the guest star of this Thursday’s Easter Alternative at Cherry Lounge and Pit in Tempe. Check out…
From superstar writer Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight phenomenon, to a virtual list of who’s who of Young Adult authors including J.S. Lewis, P.J. Haarasma, Chris Gall, Shannon Hale, Dean Lorey, Brandon Mull, James A. Owen, Janette Rallison, and Laini Taylor — all donated their time and prized…
Am I the only one who didn’t realize people were still listening to Incubus? The band’s been around 1991, and seemingly peaked in 1999 with the double platinum Make Yourself, but is somehow still has a #1 album, and is playing Jobing.com Arena. Go figure. So, I guess that’s a…
Wait! Before you check out all the content from our weekend coverage, grab a big cup of coffee and relax. It was a big weekend and as such, there’s a lot here. Take it in and enjoy it. Tempe Music Fest 2009 This weekend Tempe Music Fest 2009 united us…
It makes sense these days for some older acts to get out on tour and start playing some shows. Just looking at this past weekend in the Valley, we saw Springsteen, Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen all unravel some shows well in the twilight of their respective careers. Paul Frederic…
There are few artists in the same league as Leonard Cohen. Even Lou Reed has placed the poet and songwriter in the “highest and most influential echelon of songwriters.” There are few as respected as revered Cohen and yet he has been able to maintain an air of distance and…
