Depending on whom you ask, hipsters either provide salvation or ruination to dive bars. When fashionable types latch onto a particular hole-in-the-wall, they tend to bring a ton of additional drinkers wielding disposable income. At the same time, all the attention can erode a dive’s cool factor and turn it…
Artist: Danger Mouse & SparklehorseTitle: Dark Night of the SoulRelease date: July 13Label: CapitolThe “lost album” of Gnarls Barkley’s Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse (a.k.a. the late singer-songwriter Mark Linkous) was finally officially released today after more than a year in legal limbo. A cast of thousands (including Iggy Pop, Suzanne…
The dollar may not go as far as it used to (especially in these tough economic times), but the Blooze Bar’s Tumbleweed plans on stretching the $4,600 jangling around in his pocket as far as it will possibly go. That’s the exact amount that was generated by a pair of…
Song: Glacier Saints, “The Devil” Context: The Seattle-based male/female duo will be filling the Trunk Space with their haunting indie-electro tunes and soulful singing later tonight. Lady Lazarus, Hug-of-War, and Michelle Blades will also perform. (Click here for more details). 03 The Devil by Glacier Saint…
According to NME, Jason Bonham, former drummer for Led Zeppelin and son of John Bonham, the band’s original drummer, said that Zep came close to reuniting and playing new material — without lead singer Robert Plant, that is. Apparently Bonham, along with John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page had worked together for…
Call it vapid, call it superficial, call it genius: whatever you think of MTV “reality” show The Hills, the program’s managed to make its mark on the music scene. Thanks to star Audrina Patridge’s cushy “job” at Epic Records, as well as castmates Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port’s work at…
Crazy For You is scheduled to be released July 27 via Mexican Summer.UPDATE: If you didn’t like the link provided by Urban Outfitters (or just don’t want to associate with them) then you can hear the entire album at Wichita Recordings. Too lazy to click that link? Fine, I’ll embed the damn…
Arulpragasam, known to the world as hip-hop visionary M.I.A. Today sees the release of Arulpragasm’s third album as M.I.A., the cleverly titled ///Y/. Calling Arulpragasam controversial is akin to declaring July “pretty fucking hot” in Phoenix — once the stark, violent video for lead single “Born Free” hit the Internet in…
I remember it like it was yesterday: it was the summer of 2002 and I was in super-humid Milwaukee for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. We were in the parking lot of Miller Park, enjoying the pre-game festivities, eating and drinking all of the finest food the city of Milwaukee and…
Artist: Crowded HouseTitle: IntriguerRelease date: July 13Label: FantasyThanks to the many people who read and commented on my post last week of my must-hear songs from the first half of 2010. Seems I touched a few nerves with that list — a common theme of those who were critical of…
Welcome to 21 Questions, a regular feature where PHXmusic.com goes to the favorite hangout of a notable Phoenician and asks the “big” questions. This week we met up with Ear Candy’s Nate Anderson at the Compound Grill. Name: Nate AndersonAge: 28Occupation: Founder and President of Ear Candy CharityNew Times: In one…
While it may be the opinion of the majority of Up on the Sun writers that Glee represents everything that is awful about the world of popular music, and even popular culture, the show’s producers seem to have found yet another way to piss off music critics everywhere. According to…
Name: Jimmy Ng, Jr. AKA: Silent J Current club nights: Thursdays and Fridays at Afterlife in Scottsdale.Genres spun: Electro, Dutch, dubstep, hip-hop, mash-ups.Craziest shit you’ve seen at a club? I would say seeing one guy get maced for trying to get into a fight with a girl, and blindly trying to…
Artist: Ty SegallTitle: MeltedRelease date: May 25Label: GonerOne of most reliable indie record labels going is the Memphis label Goner, which has putting out lo-fi garage and punk rock for well over a decade now. Most of the acts still are strictly underground, so Goner may be best known for…
Ever wonder why Kings of Leon have such a massive following, even though critics love to hate them? This week’s music feature offers up a few explanations on the love/hate phenomenon. Valley favorites Kinch have been keeping busy, writing personalized songs and touring the country. Could they be the next…
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 does Andrew W.K. think makes a great party? Why did Music Editor Martin Cizmar let…
While some Phoenicians have been long-time fans of New Jersey indie rock band Steel Train because they discovered the group on their own, many know the group’s studly singer Jack Antonoff for his work with former Valley musician Nate Ruess, who has since moved to New York and formed the…
Trap just released his second mixtape, I Never Sleep, last Friday, but the Phoenix rapper/producer shows no signs of slowing down. Trap says he still has several other upcoming projects in the works, including a highly anticipated collaboration with Hannibal Leq and Lo called Monstaz Ink. For now, though, local…
If Kinch doesn’t become the next Phoenix band to earn national acclaim, it won’t be for lack of effort. The guys have been spending plenty of time on the road recently, and drummer Jake Malone confirms that the band members have essentially committed themselves to music full time. “I quit…
How do you know when a band crosses over into pop-rock mega-stardom? How about when it plays its second big show in 14 months in any given town. Sure, indie bands will play the Valley two or three times, flogging the same disc because they desperately need the money. But…
Why does the lady in the tan cargo shorts have a sad look on her face? Probably because this was the weekend that Lilith Fair was supposed to come to Cricket Wireless Pavilion but didn’t. Why? Anemic ticket sales. Unless you harbor some kind of SB 1070-backlash conspiracy theory —…
