When you spend as much time on the road as songwriter Brandon Decker does, you begin to feel at home on it. The Sedona-based musician and bandmates in Americana outfit decker. have spent countless hours on Southwest highways, promoting their brand of blissed-out desert folk in a “new” 1999 Toyota…
Swans were one of the most original acts of the early ’80s. Formed in New York City, they created grim, ominous throb that suggested industrial music at its most minimalist and fatigued, the entire structure on the verge of inward collapse. Early on, concert volume approached levels that could drown…
Depending on whom you ask, the sound of reggae is either one of spiritual enlightenment or the soundtrack to an awesome kegger. Rastafari might consider the music sacred, but frat boys and sorority girls nationwide simply want to party to it. The double bill of Matisyahu and The Dirty Heads…
See also: R.I.P. Mark Erickson of Colorstore, Roar, and Gospel Claws See also: Download: Colorstore’s Shambolic, Fuzzy “My Life As a Beaver” See also: Serene Dominic Interviews ColorstoreThe details regarding the memorial service for Mark Erickson, known for his roles in Colorstore, Sweetbleeders, Roar, and Gospel Claws, have been announced…
See also: Stabbing at Scottsdale’s Rogue Bar After Argument Leaves Two InjuredThe man accused of stabbing two people at the Rogue Bar this past weekend has been arrested by Scottsdale Police Department. According to a department report, Adam Logan Graham, a 36-year-old resident of Tempe, was taken into custody on…
Self-taught singer/songwriter Taj Mahal has grooved with everyone from The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton to blues progenitors like Buddy Guy, Howlin’ Wolf, and Muddy Waters. Like his friend Ry Cooder, he navigated the twisting waters of the late ’60s and ’70s session scene of Santa Monica, before easing into…
See also: Peachcake Explains “You Matter” Video See also: Peachcake Is Still Sweet — But Growing Up, Too Local electronic pop band Peachcake is used to putting out fun, dance-y music with existential lyrics, and their latest single, “The World Is Our Platform to Mean Something,” is no exception. You…
Once a week Up on the Sun features a new comic strip from punk rocker, cartoonist, and full-time dad Brad Dwyer. See the New Times print edition to check out the strip in glorious, inky newsprint each Thursday…
The news waits for no one — at least that’s what we read somewhere — so it’s perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of…
Word has broken that an altercation took place early Sunday morning at the Rogue Bar in Scottsdale that resulted in two people being stabbed. According to Scottsdale Police officials and a number of posts on Facebook, a dispute took place between patrons of the music venue about 1:30 a.m. during…
Editor’s Note: It’s with heavy hearts that Up on the Sun reports that Mark Erickson, local songwriter and musician known for his roles in Colorstore, Gospel Claws, Sweetbleeders, and Roar, has passed away. Longtime Phoenix New Times music writer Serene Dominic brings us this note of remembrance. Our condolences are…
See also: Download: The World Record’s Sublime Guitar Rock Hit “She’s Not a Liar” See also: Take Cover: Bogan Via Covers Department of EaglesWishful thinking often leads to wishful drinking. The results are usually disastrous, but in Source Victoria’s case, it resulted in a great Built to Spill cover. “We…
As anyone who’s seen the Leo DiCaprio flick Catch Me If You Can is likely to attest, being a commercial pilot is a certainly a pimp experience. Sky captains certainly command plenty of respect (unless they’re unlucky enough to get caught on tape spewing vulgarities), which is one of the…
Ryan Gaumont Gaumont is a member of local sketch comedy troupe Bully Mammoth and is a stand-up comedian. See him perform at Stand Up Scottsdale! in Scottsdale this Friday, August 31 at 9 p.m. For more details, go here. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on…
Seminal politically-charged Swedish hardcore band, Refused, made music well ahead of its time. No debate – these guys were the real deal. “We wanted something more than what was on offer and we gave it our best shot. It didn’t pan out, we went out and played it and people…
Like a lot of bands looking to scrounge up some funds, Los Angeles guitar-pop combo The World Record turned to Kickstarter. The campaign was a success (with funds going to help their label, Squid vs. Whale, issue their double LP Freeway Special), but now requires the band to drive to…
There are two sides to electronic composer Scott Hansen. First, there’s his vintage-inspired, sun-bleached graphic design work as ISO50. Then, there’s his ambient chillwave project Tycho, named after the 16th-century Danish alchemist famed for his accurate work in astronomy. Like Tycho Brahe, Hansen is incredibly precise in his otherworldly and…
Slash is back. That’s not to say the renowned guitarist just got out of rehab or jail or, well, actually went anywhere physically. But after a lengthy career that has found him dabbling in blues, hard melodic rock, and various shades of metal, as well as working with artists as…
Sci-fi thrash-metal band Vektor has seen the future, and it’s a cold, dark place: “A bleak, barren wasteland that has been destroyed by greed, power, corruption, hate, violence, ignorance, and control.” It’s the present, too, Vektor insists, with lyrical themes mirroring their home state of Arizona’s political system. But it…
As August winds down, it’s time to start thinking about your upcoming Halloween weekend. Believe it or not, there’s better options than sitting at home ripping through your siblings’ candy for all the Reese’s. I would suggest heading over to Axis/Radius for the 12th annual Ghostball, which features two-time Grammy…
See also: NASA’s Curiosity Rover: Here’s the Hi-Res, 360 Degree View of Mars See also: Our 10 Favorite Martian Songs in Honor of Curiosity My faith in humanity reached a new high when headlines concerning the Curiosity Rover flooded Facebook and Twitter. Were people really interested in science again, the…
By now you’ve no doubt read, re-read, shared on Facebook and Twitter, and angrily commented on our friends at West Coast Sound’s monster of a list, The 20 Worst Hipster Bands. Like it or hate it, it’s hard to debate one key fact brought up by Ben Westhoff: “…most of…
