Twin Sister is a Long Island-bred indie-pop quintet that creates lush, dreamy music. The songs are an outburst of melody enriched with a deep sense of emotion and atmosphere, personified by lead singer, Andrea Estella’s warm, whispered vocals resulting in a remarkable set of songs that can only be described…
Last week marked the 16th anniversary of the tragic death of Mike Condello, who took his life on August 17th, 1995, in his Santa Monica apartment. Best known as the musical director of The Wallace and Ladmo Show, Condello’s musical career was marred by spotty promotion and record company politics…
Phoenix-based outfit Snake! Snake! Snakes! specializes in a sound well suited for high drama. The group’s 2010 self-titled release proved that the band had its gaze aimed at the big time, filled with tunes that earned comparisons to previous indie bands that wound up playing arenas: U2, The Arcade Fire,…
Mainstream and indie film actor Michael Cera knew what was up back in January. He hopped on the supergroup bandwagon and joined a band called Mister Heavenly, which is made up of Honus Honus of Man Man, Nicholas Thorburn of Islands and The Unicorns, and Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse…
Last week we wrote about Alice Cooper’s new album, Welcome 2 My Nightmare, set to be released on September 13. While the promise of a new “Coopster” (that’s what fans call him) record no doubt excited classic rock fans, we did lack one element in our blog post that could…
First came Cheap Trick’s disastrous performance at the Ottawa Bluesfest. Thankfully nobody was badly hurt in that disaster. Next came the Flaming Lips’ lighting rig in Oklahoma. The band wound up with $800,000 worth of damaged equipment. Last weekend it happened with Sugarland at the Indiana State Fair. Misfortune has…
Phoenix is a pretty great place to live if you like nerd music. Not only have we got The Minibosses, one of the most respected NES-rock bands in the biz, but we’ve got Mega Ran, AKA Random, who raps serious stuff over video game samples, including sounds from the Mega…
Oh, dear god. What have I done?Last week I wrote about my discovery of 37-year-old Chandler “scene” creep Bryan Lightningrod. I mean, “97-year-old vampire from Cairo” Bryan Lightningrod. Whatever. Same difference. The point is, he solicits fan photos, regardless of their nature, and posts them to his Facebook, MySpace, Twitter,…
River Jones Jones is the owner of local record label River Jones Music. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? Growing up, I listened to KDKB, KUPD, KEDJ, and KUKQ. Now, I am always streaming music 24/7. But,…
Seems like that licensing deal is working out well for Phoenix-based hip-hoppers The New F-o’s. The group’s song “Good and the Bad” will be featured on tonight’s episode of the FX sitcom Wilfred. In case you haven’t got hip to it, the show features Elijah Wood and Jason Gann in…
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 rock star is being “memorialized” at Memorium in Bar Smith? Why is Bryan Lightningrod the…
Check out this week’s issue of Phoenix New Times for a feature on a guy many call one of the most talented young musicians in the Valley, indie singer/songwriter/violinist Tobie Milford. Milford performs with band The Whisperlights, but when he takes the stage at Scottsdale’s The Rogue Bar this Saturday,…
When Jeff Rosenstock’s band The Arrogant Sons of Bitches broke up in 2004, he decided to record a bunch of weird songs alone on his computer and just give them away for free on the Internet. He called this project Bomb the Music Industry. “When I realized I could record…
We don’t like change. We don’t like evolution, slow growth, or new surprises. Once we’ve figured something out, it’s easier if it just stays as it was when we got to know it, thank you very much. And we’re skeptical when those whom we’ve gotten to know as actors start…
Over the course of its 10-year run as a downtown music venue, Modified Arts has seen its share of emo concerts, indie rock get-downs, and hard-rock shows. In 2009, the venue’s focus shifted from “big indie rock shows” to being a full-time visual art gallery. The change promised that the…
DJ Michael James is record-hugging transient of sorts. The Cream Stereo Lounge resident DJ divides his time between his home in Scottsdale, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, occasionally venturing off the west coast to perform gigs in his hometown of Miami. All of the traveling hasn’t sucked his energy, though. His…
DJ Refleckshin mans the wheels of steel each Monday night at British Open Pub in Scottsdale, but yesterday he got to spin a neo-soul mix for all the interwebs to hear when he appeared on Mattlock and DJ Element’s Sol Shades program…
But I still think it’s important to recognize some truly great famous female performers out there.Luckily there’s a Tumblr devoted to exactly that! Awesome Girls in Bands sheds a little light on cool chicks in bands and fantastic female solo artists as well.More on what’s awesome about this week’s Tumblr…
In these economically screwy times, value is an important thing. Apache Lake Music Festival organizer Brannon Kleinlein knows this, and he thinks his music festival is one hell of a deal. “We have over 30 bands, the whole event is $30, so [that’s] less than a dollar a band,” Kleinlein…
It’s a crazy time for radio personalities in Phoenix. Dave Pratt has taken over at X103.9, and now KWSS 106.7 has announced the return of a voice very familiar to Valley listeners. On Monday, August 22, Jonathan L’s Lopsided World of L will make its terrestrial debut on the Phoenix…
The staff at Revolver Records in downtown Phoenix loves vinyl, and according to co-owner T.J. Jordan, the store plans on taking its relationship with wax to the next level. Jordan doesn’t have a confirmed date, but believes that mid-October should see the debut vinyl release from Revolver’s new label, Ammit…
Back in May, Hooves frontman Andrew Krissberg explained to me before the band took the floor at Bikini Lounge that the band’s decision to move to Washington was one step in a grand plan. The band’s plan sounded idyllic –hanging out in the Pac Northwest, touring, and recording a new…
