If you’re looking for proof that yesterday’s indie sound is today’s mainstream sound, you could do worse than examining the record sales of Imagine Dragons and Mumford & Sons, two enormously successful rock acts that spend most of their time blurring what was already a pretty blurry line. If you’re…
Music festivals have been around for decades, and they’re only becoming more popular. Each year, millions of fans fly around the world to attend more than 270 fests of various genres in the United States alone. They aren’t a cheap experience, either: between festival tickets, travel, hotels and basics like…
June is here (basically.) All across the Valley, people are glancing nervously at the sun, aware that at some point in the next month rising temperatures are going to force them into a kind of ersatz air-conditioning hibernation until sometime just after Christmas. Or maybe that’s just me. But hey:…
Fleetwood Mac US Airways Center See the full slideshow of the concert May 30, 2013 It would be challenging, at best, to attempt to write an objective concert review about a band that your love for borders on obsession, so I’m not going to try. Fleetwood Mac’s show at US…
Taylor Swift sold out Jobing.com Arena in Glendale twice this week, which means–if we’re doing our math right–that she was able to get more than 25,000 Taylor Swift fans in, processed, and out for their Best Nights Ever in 48 hours. We couldn’t possibly hope to catch all of the…
When the kind of band I usually go see plays the same setlist over and over, I get a little indignant. If Taylor Swift plays the same setlist Wednesday night that she did Tuesday at Jobing.com Arena, I’ll forgive her–when the grand finale involves a ticker tape parade, a bunch…
Taylor Swift (See the complete slideshow here.)Jobing.com Arena, GlendaleMay 28, 2013 First, you’ll notice the makeup — you’ll notice, more generally, the feeling of being underdressed in the company of 9-year-olds. All around Westgate, which feels itself like a mock downtown, a big occasion to play-act at sophistication, you’ll notice…
by K.C. Libman Taylor Swift is far from just a female-only icon at this point. The erstwhile country star’s crossover appeal has placed her firmly inside the pop pantheon, and it’s more apparent than ever that Swift’s infectious sound is the definition of radio-ready. Show me a red-blooded American male…
Taylor Swift is just hours away from Prince-ing Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, and people are — well, people are conflicted about it. It isn’t that individuals are conflicted — it’s just that the music fans of the Valley are, to a [wo]man, either incredibly excited or aggressively, vocally indifferent. Taylor…
“Just sit back and watch,” my friend tells me. “It’s hilarious.” What he’s referring to is the kind of collective hysteria that typically erupts among crowds of 16- to 19-year-olds at Joyce Manor shows. I had never seen the band live before Monday night, but I was told it was…
Punk Rock Bowling, Day Three FLAG, D.R.I., The Subhumans, and The Casualties Monday, May 27, 2013 Last night featured what was perhaps the most highly anticipated show of the entire festival — FLAG. Two reunited versions of Black Flag currently exist, and the lineup with original members Keith Morris, Dez…
Punk Rock Bowling, Day Two (view the full slideshow) Bad Religion, Turbonegro, Lagwagon, and Bouncing Souls Sunday, May 26 The second day of Punk Rock Bowling was full of some of the biggest names in punk, representing the past and present members of Epitaph and Fat Wreck Records like a…
Limp BizkitMarquee Theatre (view the full slideshow.)May 26, 2013 There were plenty of terrible covers, outfits, and just an overall lack of effort as rap-rockers Limp Bizkit did their best to relive the ’90s Sunday night at the Marquee Theatre. The band hit the stage to begin its 90-minute set…
Devo, The DamnedPunk Rock Bowling, Las Vegas (View the full slideshow.)May 25, 2013 The Punk Rock Bowling Music Festival had a strong start, though some bands like Swingin’ Utters (who bowled today as “Swingin’ Gutters”) had to rush to the festival after the bowling tournament ended around 6 p.m. This…
A white rental van pulled up into the parking lot at First Street and Adams, and a guy cleared the crowd to make way for it. “It’s them! They are here.” As the two tech guys were setting up the speakers and projector, someone else screamed, “Hey, where’s Kanye? Is…
Review and Photos by Jonathan Alvira Big K.R.I.T.Club Red, TempeMay 24, 2013 The dim-lit venue suddenly became bright and the crowd awoke as the so-called “underground king” stormed on stage. With his southern hospitality accenting his country slang, Big K.R.I.T. expressed genuine love to his fans the moment he ran…
Thomas Gold Friday, May 24, 2013 Maya Day & Night Club After a solid day of watching The Walking Dead, thanks to Netflix and various other websites I would prefer not to get in trouble, I found myself at Maya for the first time to see Thomas Gold hit the…
The Lawrence Arms Las Vegas Country Saloon Friday, May 24 While I’m thrilled at the opportunity to see Devo and FLAG live (at Punk Rock Bowling), The Lawrence Arms are the main reason I’m in Las Vegas right now. The gritty Chicago punk band hasn’t performed in Phoenix since a…
Before belting into “Compartir,” Carla Morrison addressed the crowd: “I never thought this was gonna happen. I’m so happy to be playing here tonight. I didn’t grow up here, but I lived here for six years, and I consider this place my hometown, too.”
Firemen are the real heroes. Or maybe teachers — I can never remember. In any case, there will be lots of superheroes in town this weekend for Phoenix Comicon. Some of them will even be local musicians. But if you’re looking for a break from the convention — or just…
Carla Morrison’s return to the Valley is a bit of a homecoming: She attended high school at Marcos de Niza and took music classes at Mesa Community College before dropping out to perform with friends in Tempe’s Babaluca. They built a local following for three years before Carla moved out…
The Berlin-based DJ Thomas Gold will be visiting Maya, one of Scottsdale’s newest hosts for EDM artists and events, this Friday. Up on the Sun spoke with Gold about his upbringing in music, how his touring and festival schedules have been going, and what we can possibly expect to see…
