There has been a palpable lead up to release of The Big Roar — the band’s 2009 A Balloon Called Moaning EP set the blogoshpere ablaze with the band’s unique brand of rock music, lead by Bryan’s soaring vocals. The Joy Formidable have dates set for this year’s Coachella and SXSW music…
Local rock outfit Kinch got a lot attention from their three January residencies in LA, San Diego and Scottsdale. Now the newish Long Wong’s at the Firehouse in Tempe is running with the idea.Technically, the promo is called by the more modest-sounding title, “Featured Band of the Month,” but it’s…
Song: Joey Cape, “B Side” Context: Lagwagon singer Joey Cape will bring his acoustic solo act to Yucca Tap Room tomorrow. Should be a cool show — and we hear they have the last keg of Bell’s Hopslam on Tap, too, so look for that. B Side by joeycape…
First there was word about Mumford & Sons playing at the upcoming Canned Beer Festival, and now there are rumors spreading about the Foo Fighters. This week seems to be full of false local rumors about awesome musical performances in Chandler, which is both disappointing and quite a shame.Toward the…
Song: Lisa Savidge, “90 Pills”Context: This is my favorite old song from Lisa Savidge, the band featured in this week’s New Times. Listening to this new, much noisier version and the one from 2008 I’m struck by how drastically the band has evolved. Most local bands break up long before…
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark director Julie Taymor has finally had enough of the Broadway show’s complications and has chosen to step down from her position, according to Rolling Stone.For the time being, Taymor will still be the director and co-writer of the show, but she will no longer be…
Numerous local bands and artists are headed to South By Southwest over the next week to represent our fair city, including Random, Kinch, and the boys of Gospel Claws.Turns out you can also add DJ Melo to that esteemed list, as the 36-year-old Karamba resident will be travel to Austin…
March and April are certainly busy months for Pains, as the kids call them. Their time at SXSW in March is followed by a slot at Coachella in April, all with the release of Belong sandwiched rather nicely between. Unfortunately, the band is playing Tucson the same night Phoenix gets…
Pavle Milic You can find the co-owner of restaurant FnB at the Old Town Farmers’ Market in Scottsdale every Saturday from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? If my wife drove, it’s highly likely…
The outdoor amphitheater previously known as Desert Sky Pavilion, Cricket Pavilion, and Desert Sky Pavilion again now has a new name. It’s a doozie, too. How much are you going to love seeing shows at the Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion?Live Nation Entertainment announced a five-year name deal with Ashley Furniture HomeStore…
This week’s music feature is about local shoegazers Lisa Savidge. Ever wondered what sort of music soldiers in Iraq blast while patrolling the streets of Baghdad? Dan Somers, the band’s singer, did two tours of duty and shared his experience with writer Melissa Fossum.Another thing you may be wondering: Why the fuck…
Song: The Dodos, “Fables” Context: The Dodos will play The Duce — which is a super-cool venue in downtown Phoenix — on Sunday The Dodos // Fables by user1479531…
Lady Gaga has revealed to Neil Strauss that her apartment used to be covered in cocaine and cockroaches, according to NME.American and Kittian author Neil Strauss’s upcoming novel, Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead: Journeys Into Fame and Madness, has included exclusive Gaga excerpts in his book. Gaga had a…
Musically, the Vietnam War era is remembered through “All Along the Watch Tower,” “American Woman,” “War Pigs,” and Hot Rocks-era Rolling Stones — the sort of heavily bluesified rock songs you’ll hear in Platoon and Full Metal Jacket. Odd as it may seem, future generations may think Operation Iraqi Freedom…
What can we make of Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister these days? The 65-year-old frontman of semi-legendary punk/metal outfit Motörhead is still the same bird-flipping rock ‘n’ roller who changed the lives of innumerable angry suburban children with guitars. But he’s also turned into a bit of a grandpa. Yes, he’s still…
After a quarter-century of showcasing the biggest up-and-coming bands, Austin’s South by Southwest has built enough of a brand to warrant unofficial offshoots in far-flung places. Like, umm, Tempe, which is a convenient stop for Texas-bound bands from the West Coast. Every year, the folks at Stateside Presents toss a…
When it comes to South By Southwest, Phoenix’s fortunes are always changing. In recent years, as many as 20 local bands have played at the king-making music industry event in Austin, a half-dozen from Phoenix alone scoring official showcases. This year, there are only four Arizona acts showcasing, including one…
Miley Cyrus is continuing to prove that she’s into older men, according to the Fab Life.Cyrus seems to be having a fling with Kings of Leon bassist Jared Followill. They’ve been doing an awful lot of texting lately, according to a source that’s close with Kings of Leon.The source said,…
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. Are The Refreshments really playing South By Southwest as reported?Which Strokes side project is the best…
SanTan Brewing is taking the beer festival band thing to a whole new level at their first Ameri”CAN” Canned Craft Beer Festival.The Chandler brewery cans instead of bottles, which probably seems like a trivial distinction (or a horrible mistake) to people who aren’t into craft beer.Trust me, it’s the sort…
Song: Family Of The Year, “Treehouse”Context: LA’s Family Of The Year will be playing the South By Stateside show on Monday at Sail Inn. This is a super cool song from the group. Treehouse by Family of the Year…
Their live shows, however, are where the band makes their reputation. They coordinate their clothes — usually all white — and pretty much just have at it onstage. Nothing is out of bounds and seemingly everything tends to happen. Luckily for the Phoenix crowd, Man Man are set to release…
