One of the best moments on The Simpsons was in a 1993 episode in which we learned that Homer, Principal Skinner, Barney, and Apu were in a barbershop quartet called The Be Sharps. The group was so good that they won a Grammy award for best “Barbershop Quartet Album.” At…
Valley metal band Hellen has always been an anomaly. In a genre dominated by men, Hellen founders (and sisters) Mindy and Desiree DuPonte raged as gutturally and viciously as any testosterone-filled metal band. With Desiree on guitar and Mindy on drums, the pair shared vocal duties (brutal grunts and operatic…
Yesterday, in an interview with CBS News’ Shira Lazar, Fiasco labelled President Obama as “the biggest terrorist.” Now, there’s something rather unique about that statement, given Fiasco’s history of rallying against Obama.The kicker? Fiasco was a guest on the show What’s Trending, there to discuss his latest album, Lasers. Last…
Reign of Vengeance vocalist Mashall “Fucking” Beck has never shied away from controversy, but his band’s latest album, Disemboweling Swine, takes things to a whole new level. The album cover, as seen above, depicts Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio being gutted alive by rioting inmates. Lyrical topics range from killing…
, according to Consequence of Sound.James Franco and Kalup Linzy have become the new musical duo that they’ve appropriately named Kalup and Franco. Their three-track EP, Turn It Up, will be released July 12. They’ve got plans to shoot music videos that will feature multiple “surprise guest cameos” for all…
The African djembe drum may be a familiar sight for pop music fans — it’s popped up onstage with plenty of Western artists like Paul Simon, Ben Harper, and Peter Gabriel — but intrepid percussionists will have a chance to hear the drum played by two grand masters, Mamady Keïta…
Do you fear the upcoming zombie apocalypse? Do you have a dog-eared copy of The Zombie Survival Guide stashed on your night stand next to a loaded revolver? Well, prepare for big news: The Zombies are indeed coming to town.But don’t climb into your shelter just yet; It’s the lovelorn…
Glendale death metal band Job for a Cowboy released their new EP, Gloom, today, but don’t bother looking for it at Zia or Best Buy. The four-song EP is available for download through most online digital outlets, but a mere 2,500 physical copies are being sold exclusively via mail order…
Arizona Hopi reggae artist Casper Lomayesva is used to playing big gigs. In 2009, he was invited by legendary folk artist Pete Seeger to play Seeger’s 90th birthday party at Madison Square Garden (alongside the likes of Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, and Bruce Springsteen). He also headlined the Native Music…
Well, fuck all that nonsense — it’s finally June 7th and Gloss Drop is finally out. It’s a good thing, too, since I believe Gloss Drop is one of 2011’s finest albums to date — a proper 1-B to the 1-A ranking of Fleet Foxes’ brilliant Helplessness Blues. Gloss Drop…
, according to Spin.The band’s upcoming album, titled I’m With You, is officially scheduled to drop on August 30, per an announcement on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ website.This time around, they’ve got a new guitarist, too. Josh Klinghoffer has replaced John Frusciante after Frusciante left the band on good…
Phoenix/Las Vegas duo HavocNdeeD recently remixed Linkin Park’s “Wretches and Kings,” and the track is getting some major love from the NME Blog. “Oh my. This is, well, bloody amazing,” writes Rebecca Schiller about the remix. “Wretches and Kings” originally appeared on Linkin Park’s divisive album A Thousand Suns, a…
, according to Prefix.He better keep his promise! If he doesn’t, Jay-Z will have something to say about it. Along with his new vow to do away with auto-tune came the unfortunate introduction of the pathetic-sounding “T-Pain Effect.”The title “The T-Pain Effect” makes it sound like he’s just renaming auto-tune,…
My favorite people watching moment at Phoenix Comicon had to be spotting a crew of teens dressed as Hogwarts students smoking outside of the Convention Center. I liked to imagine I had found the “bad kids” of the school, looking bad-ass in their school uniforms, puffing away with magical indifference.The…
It’s been quite a year for local indie band The Whisperlights. Their debut EP, Wake up Dead , has been out for about a year now. “Death” was ranked number one on Michael Lopez’s Top Ten Best You Asked For It Songs. Former music editor Martin Cizmar included the album…
Local hard melodic rock band Digital Summer, whom we profiled in 2008, continues making strides outside Arizona.After having a local hit with their song “Just Run” (which made the rotation at 98 KUPD for seven weeks) and touring with national acts like Sevendust and Drowning Pool, Digital Summer will be…
For £7.50 ($12.27), fans can download ten out of a possible twenty tracks, create their own album art and then sell the album — earning £1 every time their particular version is downloaded. Every one of the twenty Tony Visconti-produced tracks can be listened to before being chosen.Drummer Rick Wilson…
Devin BerkoThe director is the co-founder of Ber Co. Productions, specializing in music videos, commercials, and creative content. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? 103.9-FM. What’s the last song played on your music player? “Jack Sparrow” by…
, according to NME.Australian scientists have concluded that the behavior of great whites was affected in different ways when different kinds of music was played in the water around them.When a diver played the music of AC/DC, the sharks’ behavior became “more investigative, more inquisitive, and a lot less aggressive,” said…
It was just a few weeks ago that we profiled Danny Zelisko Presents, the new venture by the longtime Valley concert promoter and radio DJ. DZP has announced a whole slew of new shows, all scheduled to take place at new downtown venue The Foundry on First boasting a 1,500-capacity…
Veteran Mesa punk band Authority Zero recently released a new video for the track “Big Bad World” from their 2010 album, Stories of Survival. The reggae-tinged song and accompanying video were inspired by the ongoing economic crisis. In a recent blog post on Buzznet.com, lead vocalist Jason DeVore described the…
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.Why is local band Born Loser and the Hangers On launching an LGBT awareness campaign?Were Tegan and Sara…
