Dear and the Headlights Officially Break Up

Dear and the Headlights, a band we once deemed “the most important band in Arizona,” officially announced its breakup yesterday, via the band’s MySpace and Facebook. “As I’m sure many of you have possibly assumed at this point since there has been absolutely no update as to what we are…

Pictureplane: Thee Physical

However, therein lies the skillful, electronic music sensibilities of Travis Egedy — his music effortlessly whisks listeners away to a bygone era of day-glo, grown men sucking on pacifiers, and an all-night-long rave in a dingy warehouse. Not too bad for the man who coined the term “witch house,” even…

KWSS 106.7 Announces Benefit Show

As we reported yesterday, local independent radio station KWSS 106.7 FM has gone off air, but the station’s still streaming online at kwss.org. Representatives of the station are not making any “official” comments at this time as to why they’re presently not on terrestrial radio, but are expected to go…

Help Unlock a New St. Vincent Track Via Twitter – UPDATE

Fans must include the hashtag #strangemercy in their tweet to help unlock the new song, the progress of which is currently being monitored at strangemercy.com. There are four exclusive videos on the website — unlocked intervals along the way — the first of which features some women conversing, perhaps revealing…

The Riveras Explain “Tied”

Listening to the band’s music can feel like watching an old Western or reading Faulkner. Vocalist and violinist Jody Lew almost whispers her words to the audience, begging them to hear the music engulfing each one. The lyrics contain a story, for sure, but the music provides the setting in which the words thrive.

KWSS 106.7 FM Goes Off-Air, Still Streaming Online

Local independent radio station KWSS 106.7 FM went off the air today.The station, which we profiled in a cover story  this spring, is still streaming online at kwss.org and will continue hosting its popular The Morning Infidelity show from 6 to 10 a.m. MST on the Internet.We called representatives from KWSS…

Lollapalooza: “It Was 20 Years Ago Today…”

It’s kind of hard to imagine that Lallapalooza is 20 years-old. I wasn’t in attendance in 1991, but the event still feels like a cultural touchstone for me (due in no small part to the “Homerpalooza” episode of The Simpsons, which introduced me to Sonic Youth, and cemented my growing…

Andrew Jackson Jihad Announce Knife Man

Everyone’s favorite sardonic folk duo, Andrew Jackson Jihad, have announced details regarding their new album, Knife Man, due out on Asian Man Records on September 20.I spoke with bassist Ben Gallaty about the new record.”Sean [Bonnette, singer/guitarist] gave me a CD of 13 demos in December. The working title for…

Your New Favorite Band: Thundercat

When Bruner isn’t helping out others in the studio and on the road, he records his own bass-driven, jazz fusion music under the name Thundercat. Bruner’s debut Thundercat album, The Golden Age of Apocalypse, is due out August 30. It’s an overwhelming mixture of his bass funk, experimental jazz, and electronic-minded rhythms…

The Black Keys Done With New Album

, according to Consequence of Sound.Dan Auerbach says the next album “doesn’t sound like Brothers. It doesn’t have that open soul feel to it. It’s way more driving and the tempos are really fast.”The Black Keys have not yet announced a release date, a title, or a track list for…

Roar Explains “Christmas Kids”

Roar is a popular band name, but the bewitching vocal-driven pop of Phoenix’s Roar makes them stand out from their hard rock contemporaries. Plus, our Roar recorded a Daytrotter session. As much as I’d like to classify Roar as ’60s pop, indie pop, beach pop, or vaudeville, frontman Owen Evans…

Shantidas Contu-Owen, What Are You Listening To?

​Shantidas Contu-Owen The local fashion designer was the winner of Project Ethos’ VitaminWater Zero Fashionista Challenge. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? Generally 96.9-FM. I’m not really loyal to any one station. I just switch around and…

Matt Pinfield and 120 Minutes Return to MTV Networks this Month

120 Minutes, the MTV show that broke countless alternative bands from 1986 to 2000, is coming back, this time on MTV2 — and it will be hosted by the show’s original veejay, music geek extraordinaire Matt Pinfield. Pinfield has been one of the most influential and enthusiastic figures in alternative…

Spotify Finally Lands in the U.S.

Well, thankfully for those Americans who must have their tunes on them at all times, Swedish streaming music service Spotify has officially landed on U.S. shores. Spotify allows you to stream music from Spotify’s gigantic database of 15 million songs — on any computer with an Internet connection. Best of…

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our July 14 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 the best cover songs in other languages? • What does Lawrence Zubia of…