Manny and Lindsay Tripodis, What Are You Listening To?

​Manny & Lindsay Tripodis The co-owners of The Rogue Bar want you to come to the Prague CD release party this Saturday, May 14, with additional performances by Snake! Snake! Snakes!, Ladylike and Blue Skies. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station…

Who Needs Talent?

Sometimes, when art imitates life, you get a bunch of glorified karaoke videos dressed as talent competition shows. In this week’s “Noise Complaint” comic, Robbie Pfeffer explores the vacuous realm of music and celebrity judges on “reality” TV…

Rising Pain’s “The Price We Pay,” Explained by the Band

​Local metal band Rising Pain recently released a new EP, War of Souls, at a raucous show late last month at Chaser’s in south Scottsdale. Frequent Up on the Sun readers might recall that the band was involved in an unfortunate incident last summer when band members and several concertgoers…

The Black Angels to Play The Rhythm Room This Wednesday

Get your illicit substances and Syd Barrett bootlegs in order: Austin psych band The Black Angels are bringing their droney rock ‘n’ roll sound to the Rhythm Room this Wednesday, May 18. The band’s latest album, 2010’s Phosphene Dream, comes courtesy of Blue Horizon Records, legendary for its mid-’60s blues…

David Barnes Turns of Montreal’s Live Shows Into a Musical Menagerie

Following a decade of relative obscurity operating in the poppier corner of the indiesphere, of Montreal enjoyed a mid-Aughts breakout with the albums Satanic Panic in the Attic and The Sunlandic Twins, as bandleader Kevin Barnes developed a more idiosyncratic stage presence and songwriting and recording processes. Concurrently, of Montreal’s…

Lady Gaga to Debut New Songs on Farmville

Apparently, any corner of the Internet is free game for music promotion these days. Facebook users accustomed to hearing drizzling midi banjo when they log into Zynga’s Farmville game will be in for a surprise this month — Lady Gaga will be debuting new tracks from her record Born This…

Gang Gang Dance: Eye Contact Review Roundup

That claim may not be that far fetched. Gang Gang Dance established a pretty bold sound with 2008’s Saint Dymphna, although that album often fluttered away at times with its hyphy/grime/dubstep aspirations. Eye Contact, however, is chock full of good ol’ electronic/dance goodness. It’s as bizarre as it charming, with…

Six Million Dead: Arizona Death Metal to Rattle Your Brain

Heavy metal has a rich and diverse history in Arizona. Our state has had a horde of notable residents: hard rock pioneer Alice Cooper, hair metal singer Bret Michaels of Poison, Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and Kerry King of Slayer (both ex-residents now), Sacred Reich,…

Five National Music Videos Shot in Arizona

Believe it or not, Arizona’s a hot spot for shooting music videos — and we don’t just mean literally hot, but conceptually, too. I mean, where else could a pre-slutty Britney Spears pontificate on her virginity from a cliff top overlooking green waters or Paul McCartney pretend to be an…

Country Funk (1970)

Welcome to Obscuro, a feature where Up on the Sun dives deep into the world of vinyl oddities: private press jobs, major label cast-offs, and general thrift shop clutter that’s thus far escaped anyone’s attention. These LPs have been hiding out, collecting dust, until we come along, investigate, probe and…

Mavis Staples and Dr. John To Play Phoenix in June

Two of R&B/soul’s most loved voices are headed for Celebrity Theater on June 16. Mavis Staples and Dr. John are set to take the rotating stage, and the show ought to be utterly fantastic. Staples’ last record, You Are Not Alone (2010) found the 71 year-old songstress teaming with Wilco…

In Which I Explain Why I Love the Music of Kenny Loggins

[jump] My love of all things Kenny Loggins started with The Essential Kenny Loggins. I purchased the two disc collection not too long after it was released in November of 2002 as a suggestion from a friend. I knew a few of Loggins’ songs — “I’m Alright” and “Danger Zone,”…