In 2008, New Times contributor Ben Westhoff hypothesized a worthy argument: R&B music is dead. Westhoff complained that R&B had surrendered its identity to the demands of urban radio. The genre’s faceless, plodding hip-hop beats were the antithesis of Teddy Riley, D’Angelo, and R. Kelly, creative songwriters who parented an…
The story of how hard it is to break into the national rap scene is an oft-told tale. Breaking into the Phoenix scene? That’s hard, too, says Tucson rapper Savant. “Tucson is Phoenix’s younger stepbrother,” he says. “You need a major co-signer. Someone from Tucson can’t just come to Phoenix…
Alice Cooper is a lot of things: Shock rock pioneer, radio personality, golfer, restauranteur, and advocate for at risk youth. This weekend’s 11th annual Welcome 2 My Christmas Pudding event is yet another instance of Alice Cooper atoning for his dark, dark past (you know, like the chicken thing, those…
Those speculating about Coachella 2012 (I for one would love to see Refused, but a reunion would ruin the whole breakup, and if Tom Waits is indeed playing, I’ll probably soil myself) should take note of the little logo at the bottom of the advertisements for the Red Hot Chili…
They say that being in a band is just like a marriage — there are ups, downs, fights, and plenty of time where you’re not sure anything is working. The of course, there are those transcendent moments that make it all feel worth it. But sometimes it just doesn’t work…
His album Camp has been receiving an awful lot of good hype from the kids lately. (Some serious hate, too: Hipster Runoff has been slamming him for months, and the anti-Glover backlash capped off with a crazy, scathing review from the folks over at Pitchfork) Given his Glover’s ever-increasing profile,…
Bill Binder Binder is a performer at The Torch Theatre. He performs with The Foundation every Saturday at 8:30 p.m. and with Apollo 12 every Friday at 10:30 p.m. through December. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now?…
Phoenix-based Fervor Records is already home to local “futurepop” group Super Stereo and NYC’s Tarik NuClothes, as well as the owners of a massive vintage music record catalog that provides music for some of today’s best television shows. Earlier this week the company announced the addition of local Latin reggae…
So the season hops along, and what’s happening in the Valley? Snow in Scottsdale? Madness indeed. Perhaps it’s an overload of crappy Christmas tunes driving the folks at Weather Control crazy. Let’s fix that with some quality tunes, shall we?Last week Up On the Sun brought you Part I of…
There’s an amusing photo meme that’s been traversing the Internet in recent months depicting alter kocker rockers Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollins and declaring: “Punk isn’t dead. It just goes to bed at a more reasonable hour.” Try telling that to the pack of aging punks who have forgone an…
Most people remember Cake for the band’s quirky, funky novelty hits: “Never There,” “Short Skirt/Long Jacket,” “The Distance,” the profane take on Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” (Gaynor hated it). Achieving radio success with such a singular blend of mariachi, funk, rock, and hip-hop is weird, but Cake is even…
Nineteen-eighty was a strange time for music. First-wave punk was finished; disco was on its way out, and practically every pop song on the air was sporting synthesizers. Despite the fact that its uncompromising rockabilly-meets-punk sound was never particularly in vogue, Los Angeles band X held the gaze of the burgeoning…
When it comes to local music (and apparently, everything) all things must pass. So goes the reign of punk promoter Will Anderson, whose belly laugh, dirty Avail hat, and jovial smile have been a near-constant presence at punk shows in the Valley for 20 years. Benjamin Leatherman brings us the…
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 songs have we picked to soundtrack your Festivus festivities? What will the upcoming local Jim…
Attention rock and alternative acts around Arizona: The Phoenix Zoo wants you for 2012’s Rock the Zoo event. “We’re looking for rock and alternative acts,” says zoo PR & Marketing Manager Linda Hardwick. “In the past, we’ve done ’80s music, but this year we really wanted to involve the community,…
Neil Hamburger is not your typical comic, and DJ Horsepussy is not your typical DJ. Hamburger’s “anti-comedy” style has certainly inspired an entire crop of alt-comedians, and while Phoenix has a few DJs with “fucking” offensive names, none go as far to remain anonymous as the lucha libre-masked rocker. Both…
In the latest installment of “Wait, Fox said whaaat?” Eric Bolling, host of Fox Business’ Follow the Money had a conversation with Media Research Center guest Dan Gainor and Andrea Tantaros, co-host of The Five, where they discussed the staunch anti-corporate tone of The Muppets. Jason Richard Kron, of local…
As the football weekend wrapped up Monday night, fans had plenty to cheer about. Cheeseheads everywhere breathed a sigh of relief as the Green Bay Packers survived the New York Giants 38-35 to preserve their undefeated season, while the Cardinals shocked the Dallas Cowboys in overtime. Although the Denver Broncos…
Most break-ups end horribly, and reunions are often just as rocky. Despite the original magic, it’s nearly impossible to recapture the love. But sometimes it’s not so dramatic. Haffo had one of those rare breakups where you actually can still be friends with your ex and it’s not that awkward…
Lucky for us locals, we’re blessed with an annual celebration in Tempe Beach Park featuring a performance by Flogging Molly. It’s official: they’re back for some more luck o’ the Irish and another St. Patty’s bash.The rest of this week’s shows after the jump…..
My favorite moment of Herman Cain’s “That’s it, I’m out of here” speech was when quoted Donna Summers’ “Power of One,” a favorite “poem” of us, and coincidentally, the theme from Pokémon 2000. Brad Dwyer features another kids show in this week’s installment of Record Heat, the much-loved Yo Gabba…
Lisa Whealy Whealy is the CEO of Surface to Air Records and owner of Mountain Music Promotions. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? Radio iPod. What’s the first album you bought? Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, Works Volume 2. What’s the…
