The Strokes – Under Cover Of Darkness

Song: The Strokes, “Under Cover Of Darkness”Context: Today’s pick was actually chosen on account of how annoying it is. Why would The Strokes choose to release a stupid 30-second snippet of a single they’re going to “give away” for two days next week? I guess they really want to up…

Gorillaz Not Breaking Up Just Yet

Rumors were flying around last week that the Gorillaz had broken up. However, they haven’t split just yet, according to Consequence of Sound.During a performance in New Zealand back in December, vocalist Damon Albarn gave a lengthy speech about how the show might end up being the band’s last ever…

Cut Copy: Zonoscope

Zonoscope is quite a departure from 2008’s far-too-brilliant In Ghost Colours. The band pretty much had no choice on the matter. Almost anything similar would pale in comparison — it’s rare to hear a band hit their stride in such a magnificent fashion as Cut Copy did on In Ghost…

Tennis – Take Me Somewhere

Song: Tennis, “Take Me Somewhere”Context: This buzzing Denver band comes to Rhythm Room tomorrow night. Tennis – Take Me Somewhere by forcefieldpr…

Authority Zero – Movement

Song: Authority Zero, “Movement”Context: Authority Zero plays Club Red tomorrow night for New Times Soundcheck — a festival which features a bunch of local bands. Authority Zero – Movement by renanvec…

Lil Wayne Releases Green Bay Packers Anthem

Lil Wayne will be rooting for the Green Bay Packers in this year’s Super Bowl, according to SPIN.Weezy’s all about reppin’ the green and yellow, stating in his newly released Wiz Khalifa rip-off “Green and Yellow,” “I’m a cheesehead/Y’all n****s cheese whiz.” He posted the song on his blog Weezy…

Damon Brasch, What Are You Listening To?

​Welcome to What Are You Listening To?, a new weekly feature on Up on the Sun where notable locals talk about their favorite music. Damon BraschBrasch is the owner and chef of Green restaurant in Tempe with a new location coming soon to Phoenix. He is also the guitar player…

Rihanna Gets Her Material Banned in 11 Countries

Eleven countries, and possibly more to come, have already restricted any airplay on television. Even BBC 1 radio refuses to play Rihanna’s song during most hours of the day since the lyrics aren’t too clean. Meanwhile, YouTube users are required to confirm that they are at least 18 years old.Rihanna’s…

Calexico – Crystal Frontier (Live)

Song: Calexico, “Crystal Frontier” (Live in Nuremberg)Context: When I spoke with Calexico frontman Joey Burns in the wake of the Giffords tragedy we discussed this song, which he suggested as a wake-up tune aboard the space shuttle for the astronaut husband of a famous fan of his band, Gabby Giffords…

Interpol’s Metallica-esque Meltdown and Rebirth

It’s a cliché, but there’s a reason people say that being in a band is a lot like being in a relationship. In fact, a lot of times, being bandmates can be even more straining than being husband or wife. At least when you’re married to someone, you (probably) have…

Dawn Jameson Looks the Part — But Can She Sing It?

Questing for female pop stardom? It’s not so hard, really. First, make sure you can sing decently well. Don’t sweat it too much — though it’s now mostly thought of by the masses as a gimmick, Auto-Tune is actually a useful tool for fixing anything Randy might describe as “pitchy.”…

Elton John Wants Billy Joel To Clean Himself Up

Although they’ve been good friends for many years, Elton John has finally revealed that he’s sick of Billy Joel’s light stints in rehab, according to People.John told Rolling Stone in this week’s cover story that he has recently been upset about Billy Joel’s unstable lifestyle. He said that they’ve had…

Dawn Jameson Performs “So Beautiful” (VIDEO)

In this week’s issue of Phoenix New Times, we profile local pop singer Dawn Jameson (read the story here.) Since we last talked to the singer, Jameson has partnered with Lost Angels Foundation of Hope, a charity that raises awareness about child prostitution. She wrote a track for the foundation…

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our 2/3 Issue

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. Why did Coachella sell out so fast? Why does Keller Williams love Yo Gabba Gabba! so…

Zoë Keating – Escape Artist

Song: Zoë Keating, “Escape Artist”Context: The Compound Grill in north Phoenix just announced a show featuring former Rasputina cellist Zoë Keating, who has also played with DJ Shadow and Dresden Doll Amanda Palmer. Apparently she now tours solo, using “a foot-controlled laptop to turn herself into one-woman orchestra.” Sounds pretty…