Former Phoenix Suns player (and current New York Knicks superstar) Amar’e Stoudemire was reportedly a big fan of the Scottsdale’s Old Town scene and the many swanky and stylish clubs populating the district. So it’s not much of a shocker that Amar’e is apparently planning a return trip to his…
Welcome to Obscuro, a weekly 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…
J.R. Phillips, better known as D-JR, is on the move to Los Angeles in hopes of an even brighter future as a DJ. He’s been spinning his way to the top spots of many notable DJ competitions, which have been landing him some big gigs. Even though he has already…
It’s mere minutes into J.R. Phillips’ turntable set at Dirty Pretty in Scottsdale and the dapper DJ is already sweating. Between the heat generated by a dance floor packed with bodies and his rapid efforts behind a laptop and mixers, the 26-year-old (who performs under the moniker D-JR) has developed…
It’s probably safe to assume that Flotsam and Jetsam and Sacred Reich shared a bill or two back in the 1980s, so calling this weekend’s pairing of Hemoptysis and Landmine Marathon the best local metal show the Valley’s ever seen may be a stretch, but it’s certainly the best local…
The year 2010 was a fairly big one for local acts. Just read music editor Martin Cizmar’s lengthy piece from last week’s issue, in which he details 10 great albums by some of the best bands in the Valley. Two groups who also had a banner year were Mesa’s Authority…
This week’s cover story asks the question, “can DMX ever stay out of trouble long enough to top the charts again?” Divining such an answer may take more than mere words can provide. So for you, our readers, we have here three songs to help you decide for yourselves if…
Stephen Drozd of The Flaming Lips is releasing a soundtrack to the documentary The Heart Is a Drum Machine which was produced by local filmmakers Ryan Page and Chris Pomerenke.The film, a documentary which explores why people feel such a connection to music and features cameos by George Clinton, Maynard…
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 were the stupidest music stories of 2010?Is a new Gorillaz song about an interview with the…
Courtney Love has gotten herself caught up in a Twitter defamation lawsuit, according to Rolling Stone.The trouble just never seems to end for America’s biggest hot mes…I mean Courtney. She’s being sued for attacking a fashion designer by the name of Dawn Simorangkir in multiple harsh tweets back in 2009…
Alice Cooper will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a few months. If you’re like me, it’s easy to see Al as he is now, an old dude who plays a lot of golf and does a little radio show and reps for JC and…
It’s the fourth day of 2011, which means many of you are probably close to giving up your New Year’s resolution.Need a little inspiration? A few good reasons to buckle down, hit the gym, stick to your principles and/or work harder?Give Bob Seger’s “Like A Rock” a listen. Now, I…
Song: Social Distortion, “California (Hustle and Flow)”Context: Social D’s rescheduled shows at Marquee Theatre are next Thursday and Friday. The band will have a new album, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, out the Tuesday after their Tempe show. So far this track has been warmly received — “[Singer Mike] Ness…
Dick Dale is the King of the Surf Guitar. Actually, the Boston kid turned OC beach bum pretty much invented the guitar sound associated with everyone from Brian Wilson to Wavves.So it makes sense that Phoenix’s Musical Instrument Museum is super stoked about his January 29 show, an acoustic/electric affair…
Now that the song has been out for a while, Soulja Boy is claiming he wrote Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair,” according to Idolator.Yeah right, I’m calling bullshit. On Sunday, Soulja Boy (@SouljaBoy) tweeted in self-important all caps, “YES ITS TRUE I WROTE ‘WHIP MY HAIR’ FOR WILLOW SMITH. THATS…
I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited for such a fortuitous list of just announced shows. Joining Smith Westerns in the frenzy are Rocky Votolato, Quiet Riot and The B-52s.The rest of this week’s non-overly-biased-by-myself just announced shows:try{for(var lastpass_iter=0; lastpass_iter…
How does the band follow up their previous album, a revamped score to the 1934 documentary The Man From Aran? By getting back to grandiose guitars and dense lyrics, a formula that made the band’s 2003 debut The Decline of British Sea Power such an intriguingly different album. The band…
Colin Meloy and company are back to their usual folk-inspired roots, keeping their whimsical air about them even though The King Is Dead is the band’s third major-label release. Harmonicas and twangier-than-normal guitars join the fold this time around, while Meloy’s trademark vocals are at perhaps their best. But don’t let…
New album releases don’t really get going until next week, but there are still plenty of January/February releases generating a lot of buzz. Here now are ten songs from those releases — one being from an already-released album — complete with embedded Soundcloud versions for your listening pleasure…
It’s official: Dispatch will be touring this summer. Indeed, a reunion is in order.The band made the announcement after an ongoing countdown on their website that ended at midnight on New Years Eve.Sorry, Phoenix, but they’re not coming here. They will be at Red Rocks though…
Paramore have recruited two new band members, according to NME.Recovering quickly from guitarist and drummer Josh and Zac Farro’s recent split from the band, Paramore have announced that Justin York and Josh Freese will temporarily fill the Farros’ spots for the duration of the band’s South American tour.In addition, the…
I listened to more than 3,000 songs in 2010, so I was asked to come up with a list of the best of the year. But you’ve probably heard “Swim” by Surfer Blood and “Boyfriend” by Best Coast and “Helicopter” by Deerhunter and “Hustle and Cuss” by the Dead Weather,…
