Tumblr of the Week: The Maine Daily

The fans who run this Tumblr love the hell out of The Maine. How do I know? They’ve got nearly 950 pages worth of Maine-related material!Everyone seems to love The Maine, which is why we’re giving you more of them, courtesy of The Maine Daily.More on what’s awesome about this…

Grateful Dead Drummer Mickey Hart Taps the Cosmos

In 1972, free jazz pioneer Sun Ra proclaimed, “Space is place,” in a bizarre sci-fi/blaxploitation film of the same name. Space remains the focus of intense interest for astronomers, astronauts, moviemakers, and UFO hunters, and it also serves as the latest inspiration for former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, who…

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our December 1 Issue

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 songs are we excited to spin this holiday season? What Back to Black Friday vinyl…

X103.9’s Bush/Mutemath Concert Cancelled

Local fans of ’90s alt-rock hitmakers Bush are in for some heartbreak and disappointment. The band’s upcoming concert at Celebrity Theatre next Wednesday, which was part of X103.9’s “No Snow Holiday Show” series, has been cancelled.An e-mail that was sent out by Celebrity Theatre’s staff (and reposted on Bush’s official…

Stellacutta Explains “Shadenfreude”

As finals wrap up and holidays consume every waking minute, some people still have work to do. That’s exactly what Stellacutta is doing: working on their debut album. Earlier this year, Michael Lopez broke down the Tempe rocker’s two-song self-titled EP in You Asked For It, and showed a lot…

Coachella Speculations Begin With First Fake Flier

Beware, West Coast festival lovers! The Coachella flier that has started circulating is a phony.Whoever made this flier is both ridiculous and awesome. This is one hell of a lineup but is typically “wishlist,” as these things tend to be. I’d really be pissed at Goldenvoice and other festival organizers…

Light in the Attic Records and Rhino Handmade Team Up

Even with rumors rumbling that the Big Four (soon to be three?) will cease producing CDs at the end of 2012, Seattle-based label Light in the Attic has teamed with Rhino Handmade to help distribute ultra-deluxe compact discs. Turns out, certain people (collectors) still want some physical, musical products, provided…

WTF for the Holidays: Seven Wacky Holiday Records

After Thanksgiving comes and goes, it seems like just about everyone gets into the holiday spirit. Even the creepy, strange and misguided among us (which describes most of the lovely Up on the Sun staff, now that we think about it). We’re not sure what these artists were thinking when…

Record Heat by Brad Dwyer

In “Take it Or Regret It,” one of my favorite pieces of music writing this year, songwriter and Seattle Weekly columnist John Roderick wrote: Music writers aren’t engaged in a conspiracy of bitterness and bad taste (at least not most of them), they’re just trying to make their deadlines. When…

Neil Diamond, Social Distortion, Handsome Furs

The ’70s stunna is going to help you get your adult contemporary groove on when he comes to Phoenix.Neil Diamond, Social Distortion, Handsome Furs and other bands will be bringing some stellar performances to the Valley soon.The rest of this week’s shows after the jump…..

Jacki Orr, What Are You Listening To?

​Jacki Orr The multi-media artist, humorist, performer and publisher of the ladies’ indie adult naughty mag PoolBoy Magazine hosts First Friday Night Live Friday, December 2 at The Firehouse at 11 p.m. Tickets are $7 at the door or $5 online here. $7 tix at the door or $5 online here…

Eric Bachmann of Crooked Fingers Tried to Give Up Music

For a while, Eric Bachmann decided he was done with music. No matter that he’d made a name for himself as frontman of ’90s indie icons Archers of Loaf. No matter that he’d gotten acclaim for Crooked Fingers, his moody, Americana-influenced second act. No matter that he still had yet…

Sting’s “Back to Bass” Tour At Comerica Theatre

The cynical among us (ahem) might view Sting’s “Back to Bass” tour as a way to cash in on The Police experience without having to deal with the other two guys who make The Police so awesome. But we’re the critics? What did you, the loyal reader have to say…

Blogs Teased in our November 24 Issue

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 are your 100 favorite Arizona songs? What bands names might you find on your Thanksgiving…