Name: J.R. Philips. AKA: D-JR Current club gigs: I’m at Dirty Pretty on Tuesdays, Airia at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler on Thursdays, Pussycat Lounge and Dirty Pretty on Friday and Saturday (kinda like a rotation, I’m either at one or the other). I’m also doing PCL on Sundays several…
Are you an aspiring music critic? If so, Mesa band Trains Eye View has a gig for you! There’s no pay. And, ummm, your work won’t be published anywhere. Oh, also, you’re not really being edited by someone who knows anything about journalism or could serve as a reference in…
Song: Andrew Jackson Jihad, “We Didn’t Come Here to Rock”Context: Andrew Jackson Jihad plays Trunk Space tonight. This is a great song from a great record, Can’t Maintain. I was hoping for a new record from the folk-punk duo in 2010 but it never materialized. Let’s hope 2011 brings one…
Part of G-Unit isn’t feeling so hot right now. Rapper and actor 50 Cent is being sued for copyright infringement, according to Billboard.It turns out that rapping about how you’ve got tons of money isn’t always a good thing. Atlanta rapper Caliber is filing a lawsuit against Fitty and 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 was Miley Cyrus smoking out of a bong?What does Insane Clown Posse’s official Christmas card look…
Hi, there! You may not recognize me, but I’m the girl from the concert the other night. You know, the one you shoved out of the way to get to the front. The one you spilled your drink on. The one who gave you the evil eye as you talked…
They don’t come more original than Sweet Pie. The 67-year-old is, as far as anyone can tell, the world’s only nudist boogie-woogie pianist. The eccentric self-taught musician, born Paul Winer, roamed the country from 1965 through 1990, performing at ski resorts, colleges, and tourist spots all along the East Coast…
Local pop/rock band The Maine seems to be on a quest for world domination. They’re barely out of high school but already they have an imprint on Warner Brothers, a keepsake book, a box set, and a button pack. Now, the early-20-somethings have set their sights on cinema. The Maine…
Song: The Maine, “Growing Up”Context: In going back to listen to prominent releases from local bands to prepare my “Best Local Records of 2010” list I was struck by how mature this song from The Maine is. Ya know, these guys could really grow into something even Phoenix indie snobs…
While lots of people are polite concergoers, so many others just don’t understand the basics of concert etiquette. Maybe you’re that tall guy that blocks the view of shorter people, or you’re the wasted guy singing the song at the top of your lungs. There’s a reason people are giving…
At a benefit event he recently hosted for Los Angeles radio station KCRW, former Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins revealed that he produced an album for serial murderer and cult leader Charles Manson, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Rollins produced a handful of Charles Manson’s acoustic “pop songs” at some…
Greetings, programs! Didja know there’s some kind of movie called Tron Legacy hitting theatres this weekend? Yeah, it took us by surprise too, considering there’s been absolutely zero promotion or press about it lately. All jokes aside, the flick that many are expecting to be one of the biggest of…
Paper Tongues and Neon Trees played a very interesting venue last night for their show — the Ovations Live! Showroom at Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino.Tons of fans (including The Summer Set’s Jess Bowen) made it out to Chandler to show their support and were quick to live Tweet…
Ska kids and rude boys from throughout the Valley will definitely be skanking up a storm at this news: alt-rock station X103.9 and local promoter Jeremiah Gratza (a.k.a. President Gator) are bringing a massive two-night ska festival to the Clubhouse Music Venue in Tempe next month. The first night takes…
Congratulations, Alice, you’re headed to Cleveland.Alice Cooper, the shock rocker raised and residing in Phoenix (Detroit is also trying to claim him today) has been selected for enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum on the shores of Lake Erie.Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, Dr. John and…
Song: Foals, “Spanish Sahara”Context: NME’s top song of the year is, as the Brits say, a load of donkey bollocks. They’re trying to do that LCD Soundsystem thing where a seven-minute song has five minutes of build-up to two minutes of brilliance but they’re not near pulling it off. There…
Artist: Tierra del Fuego Title: Queen of the Rendezvous Release date: December 11 Label: Scapular Winging Through pure happenstance, I witnessed this local band, Tierra del Fuego, on Saturday night play as they played to a small but appreciative crowd at Trunk Space. It just happened to be the band’s…
While December is a time usually reserved for the hordes of formulaic top ten lists, it is also a time for looking ahead to next year’s most anticipated releases. South Carolina wiz-kid Chaz Bundick — better known as Toro Y Moi — has one of those anticipated releases, his sophomore…
At some point in time, Michael Jackson wrote a song for Hanson, according to ShowBiz 411.The song was written for them to play, not in their honor. Jackson never actually gave the song he wrote for Hanson to them. He intended to send it to the 90s boy band but…
KWSS 106.7’s morning show, The Morning Infidelity is making a big push for local music fans. The show, which airs weekday mornings is running a countdown featuring Arizona-only acts every day at 9.a.m. Pretty cool, right?Here’s the details:…
Some prominent faces were in the audience last night at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill for The Tempe Trap show. Openers for Neon Trees tonight at Ovations Live! Showroom at Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Chandler, Paper Tongues, took in the show, as well as…
Song: Mariah Carey, “Oh Santa!” Context: Mariah Carey’s 1994 Christmas album is the all-time best, so I’m excited to see she has a new Christmas album out. This is the lead single off Merry Christmas II You. Mariah Carey – Oh Santa by Ju Miguel…
