Features

Song: Teenage Bottlerocket: “Without You”Context: Local music blogger Dfactor is hyping this show, big time. Teenage Bottlerocket – Without You…

​Artist: Sun Kil MoonTitle: Admiral Fell PromisesRelease date: July 13Label: Caldo VerdeA few years back, with the effects of aesthetic atrophy settling into my music-consumption habits, I took a increasingly rare gamble, paying full price for Ghosts of the Great Highway, the first record by Sun Kil Moon. I was aware…

Time to clear the desk of all these CDs. Stuff’s really piling up and I’m not sure I’ll get to write full posts of many of them, so let’s take a quick look at what’s new and notable (or not).Tracy Bonham: Masts of Manhatta — Remember Tracy Bonham? In the…

Song: Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative”Context: Bobby comes to Celebrity Theatre tonight…

Gospel Claws upcoming record, C-L-A-W-S, isn’t due until October but the first single, “Summer Nights Lakeside” was made available for download from Magnet Magazine earlier this week.”The song is great summer sing-a-long about camping, drinking beer, and drowning,” they claim. Another track, “Walk Me Down” is available on Bob Hoag’s…

If you saw rock band Thrice at the Marquee Theatre last night, chances are you were in a great mood. Judging by Tweets fans posted after the show, the band played an extensive, polished set that may have even inspired new show jargon — bangover, anyone? And if you wanted…

Artist: Mystery JetsTitle: SerotoninRelease date: July 13Label: Rough TradeMystery Jets are one of those bands whose backstories threaten to overshadow their actual musical output. Here’s what I’m talking about: 1) The British band’s leader/singer has spina bifida, a condition that forces him to walk with crutches. 2) Said bandleader’s dad, in…

Song: Wolf Parade, “Ghost Pressure”Context: Listening to the #1 record of the week at Stinkweeds…

The interwebs is aflutter with talk of “digital drugs” today after Gizmodo found a hilarious video from a newscast where outraged Okie worry their children are getting high with the help of special tonal Mp3s that alter brainwaves to induce a state of narcotic-like ecstacy.It’s a gateway, they claim. It’s…

According to PopEater and British tabloid The Sun, (don’t you just love gossip first thing in the morning?) California prison inmates are warning Lohan that her time in the pen may be tougher than she expects. The Sun reported, “‘Everyone will want a piece of her. It will make them…

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. Who was the real star of the show at Saturday night’s Kings of Leon concert? What…

This week’s music feature is on Bobby Brown’s “comeback” with the Heads of State show. This is after he’s had time to reflect on his many years of substance and alleged spousal abuse. In the end, the man fancies himself an entertainer. But just how compelling is he these days?We…

Bobby Brown would really appreciate it if you’d go see the Heads of State show on July 16 at the Celebrity Theatre. Seriously, he’d really like the opportunity to perform for you — personally. Whatever you may think of Bobby Brown — as the former Mr. Whitney Houston, as a…

You’ve probably noticed: There are a lot of festivals. It doesn’t matter that not all are rousing successes (look at the rampant cancellation of dates for the reborn Lilith Fair) or that some are scrapped completely (San Diego’s Street Scene is taking the year off, just as Tempe Music Festival…

Silversun Pickups has done quite well over the past couple of years, tapping into the sounds of Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine to build its own successful alt-rock kingdom. Last year’s Swoon continues to spawn hits, so the band has embarked on a headlining tour. We caught up with…

Artist: Authority ZeroTitle: Stories of SurvivalRelease date: June 22Label: Suburban NoizeI have a friend who’s a native Phoenician and longtime fixture in the Valley punk scene, both as fan and musician. He loves West Coast punk, thinks Southern California spawned the best of the best punk, especially in the scene’s…

Phoenix indie-rockers Snakes! Snakes! Snakes! are getting a lot of buzz around their new self-titled EP, which came out on iTunes Tuesday. You can hear the first single, “The Mountain Fire,” below — it reminds me a little of The National’s older stuff.The band’s CD release show is scheduled for…

Internationally successful multi-platinum recording artists Local band Jimmy Eat World’s next album, Invented, is set for release on September 28. The announcement came this morning via the totally-annoying-but-sadly-not-yet-obsolete-technology Twitter: “@jimmyeatworld Our new album “Invented” will be out September 28, 2010 #passiton #fb”What exactly the #passiton and #fb tags are for…

David Liebe Hart an oddball ventriloquist/musician who got some play via Adult Swim’s Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! is coming to Trunk Space Friday.I’m not sure I can describe his act in any way remotely comparable to what the above video demonstrates. Musician/performer Adam Papagan joins him on…

[jump] Will the real Slim Shady please stand up? We get it, M.I.A. — you’re less than pleased with the recent claims that you are less than authentic. Maybe if your lead single didn’t just plain suck like “Born Free” does, then maybe people would back off a bit. At least…

Walk into any Hot Topic store, and you’re bound to be bombarded with an array of band T-shirts that have different band names on them but tend to look all the same. If you’ve ever thought, “I could make a way better shirt” before, now’s your chance to put your…

Song: Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse, “Dark Night of the Soul” (featuring David Lynch) Context: It may have only gotten a B+ from Jay Bennett, but Danger Mouse’s long-awaited collaboration with the late Mark Linkous gets an A+ in my book. It’s a well-crafted and multifaceted album filled with sonic gems, particularly…