Besides pissing off big-name recording artists and motivating them to boycott Arizona, last month’s passage of SB 1070 became an absolute call to arms for those in the local music scene. And one of the first artists to answer the call was DJ John Blaze. Along with P-Town hip-hop siren…
Song: Vanilla Ice, “Stop That Train”Context: Vanilla Ice’s show at the Venue of Scottsdale tonight has me thinking about the way To The Extreme is the only record my parents ever forbid me from owning, because of this song, track three, “Stop That Train.” In hindsight, perhaps not a bad…
Artist: What Cheer? BrigadeTitle: We Blow You SuckRelease date: May 25Label: Anchor BrainThe world of rock music is plenty big enough for everyone, I suppose. But really, what’s the point of a record by a marching band that’s marketed to the indie music world? Seriously, who’s listening to this at…
tter get word to your mutha, because Vanilla Ice is headed to the Valley. The infamous ’90s rapper (a.k.a. Rob Van Winkle) will be in town to kick off Memorial Day weekend by headlining an off-the-chain evening of rap, rock and hip-hop acts on Friday night at the Venue of…
This week’s music feature is on the awkwardly-spoken Beach Boy Brian Wilson. While he may not give great interviews, he certainly cranks out epic records that define generations. While you might know about the legendary Pet Sounds, you might not know about the should-be-legendary Beach Boys Party!. Don’t worry –…
This week, New Times ran a box 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. Was the cancellation of Phoenix’s Lilith Fair date related to SB 1070? Why did a San…
Here’s both some good and bad news to start your day. First, the bad news: The folks over at Live Nation have announced that the Bamboozle Roadshow, the pop punk-laden summertime touring festival, won’t be making a stop at the Cricket Wireless Pavilion on Wednesday, June 2. And now the…
Song: Pearl Jam, “Don’t GO: BP Amoco”Context: A great video of the Band Oh Horses frontman singing Temple of the Dog’s “Hunger Strike with Pearl Jam in New York posted by So Much Silence led me to turn up this little ditty. You have to sit through a speech, but…
It’s another sweltering Phoenix night — the millionth one of the summer. One hundred forty-seven 20-somethings are gathered in this dank, smelly warehouse, perspiring and writhing in unison to deafening rock music. One young woman in a miniskirt made entirely of paper clips thrashes wildly beside a guy in a…
Brian Wilson is not a great interview. Actually, the best quote I can pull from 10 painful minutes of taped conversation between me and my all-time favorite musician is this: “Print that Brian says: ‘Please, come out to my concert.'” On the surface, that’s probably the worst quote any music…
Artist: Stone Temple PilotsTitle: Stone Temple PilotsRelease date: May 25Label: AtlanticWere you clamoring for a new Stone Temple Pilots record? Was anyone? I know I wasn’t. Sure, STP, hit the road as an oldies act, play the hits at a few state fairs, and grab an easy paycheck. Who could…
After a few weeks of searching for a new home, the promoters of Adult Swim have finally found a new location to host their popular hipster pool party this weekend. And in a huge stroke of irony, it’s the Hotel San Carlos, the place where the party first launched back…
A couple weeks ago, I talked to Brian Wilson. Though he’s my all-time favorite musician, it was a ridiculously terrible interview. Like, it hurt my head to listen to it while transcribing my notes. The column I wrote advancing his show, therefore, is extremely light on quotes and long on…
Pitchfork is reporting that Rage Against The Machine singer Zack de la Rocha has secured commitments to boycott Arizona from Kanye West, Sonic Youth, Conor Oberst, Massive Attack, Rise Against, Tenacious D, Joe Satriani and others.Word comes from his new organization, The Sound Strike which as what I am sure…
Two interesting articles about the effect SB 1070 is having on Arizona music came out this week — and I’m sharing them not just because I’m quoted in them.Dan Gibson, who does some freelance work for New Times, penned a piece for Fox News which says that so far most…
Song: Miniature Tigers, “Tell It To The Volcano” (acoustic)Context: Comparing Tell It To The Volcano and the new Miniature Tigers record, Fortress. “Tell It To The Volcano” Acoustic by Miniature Tigers…
What happens when you take noted DJs Switch and Diplo and add British electronic singing sensation Elly Jackson? A free mixtape named Lazerproof, natch. Switch and Diplo, when working together, are better known as dancehall/reggaeton masterminds Major Lazer and Jackson does vocal duties for La Roux, perhaps best known for…
Artist: Karen ElsonTitle: The Ghost Who WalksRelease date: May 25Label: XL Recordings/Third ManNo one could fault you for rolling your eyes when you heard that Jack White’s wife (a fashion model by trade) was going to make a record. Obviously, the odds of her getting a record deal if she…
On paper, Brooklyn indie rockers Beach Fossils sound pretty tame and, frankly, played-out.Luckily, the band’s self-titled debut is very impressive, raising the band’s profile above the masses of like-minded lo-fi bands struggling to do their thing. With jingle-jangle guitars and surf-tinged rhythms, Beach Fossils don’t have a revolutionary sound –…
The wording of a press release announcing the postponement of Christina Aguilera’s August 14 show at US Airways Center struck me: “Christina Aguilera’s Summer Tour Has Been Moved To 2011” As it’s told to us, “due to prior commitments that the singer had made to her film Burlesque and to…
Song: The Beach Boys, “I Get Around” (Remix)Context: Been thinking a lot about Brian Wilson since interviewing him. The Beach Boys: I Get Around (djcruMbs On The Town Remix) by ⦿djcruMbs⦿…
Artist: Damien JuradoTitle: Saint BartlettRelease date: May 25Label: Secretly CanadianSo much of the music I’ve listened to this month has been unabashed summertime music — whether it’s Sleigh Bells, The Hold Steady, The Dead Weather, even Band of Horses’ sittin’-round-the-campfire rock — so it was unusual to hear a rather…
