Last week Chumbawamba, the nonsensically named band responsible for the ubiquitous nonsensically named hit “Tubthumping,” announced it was calling it quits after 30 years. The news item drew reactions ranging from “Oh yeah, that ‘I get knocked down’ ’90’s band?” to “They were still around?” and also “God, that song…
Danny Abromovitz, 32, of Phoenix punk band West End Crooks died in his sleep on the morning of Tuesday, July 17. Abromovitz, best known as Danny American, was West End Crooks’ bassist and an active member of the local punk community…
Don’t worry, Arizona hipsters: There still is time to get behind Kongos. I know how you fickle fans operate. You drop a band and put your faith in someone more obscure the minute a band you formerly championed begins headlining shows and making money, with thousands of fans shouting out…
What would Jerry do? That’s a question posed by a bumper sticker, but it also adds context to this query: If a band exclusively plays the music of another person or group, whether dead or alive, shouldn’t that group then be considered a tribute band and have a name reflective…
Texan Hans Zimmerman started The Young — with its nearly-impossible-to-Google moniker — as a solo project, but it quickly blossomed into something else. 2010’s Voyagers of Legend (Mexican Summer Records) was a psychedelic masterpiece of pieced-together garage rock riffs, ramshackle drums, and distinct melodies, something like The Replacements lost in…
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 are the weirdest instruments we found in Phoenix thrift shops and on Craigslist? What’s the…
His major label debut, channel ORANGE, was only released digitally a week ago and physically yesterday, but I’m going to wager a guess: You’re sick of hearing about Frank Ocean. The singer/songwriter has been the subject of hundreds of insightful think-pieces, a talking point in the (necessary) discussion about hip-hop…
See also: We Spoke to Lamb of God’s Chris Adler Before the Band’s Future Was Up in the Air See also: Vintage Violence: TOAD’s Rotten Tide Oozes Analog Menace The arrest and detention of Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe in the Czech Republic has held the attention of metal…
See also: Club Candids: Calvin Harris at Myst See also: Sound Wave Music Festival 2012 Announced for September When Scottish electopop producer and vocalist Calvin Harris appeared in Scottsdale in January, he nearly caused a riot. Thousands of club kids and EDM fans jammed into the now-defunct Myst to watch…
See also: Zach Booher of Pop-Punk Band While We’re Up Killed in Car Accident Steven Rouk of Tempe acoustic pop-punk outfit While We’re Up, and Trevor McCoy have been released from the Luther Hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, following the fatal accident that claimed the life of Mesa-native Zach Booher…
See also: Z-Trip Talks Growing Up in Phoenix, Johhny D., Crate-Digging, Mexican Food, Smite, and More See also: Up on the Sun’s Coachella 2012 Coverage Goldenvoice promised an announcement at 6 p.m. today, but looks like someone jumped the gun: Get ready for the S.S. Coachella cruise, which takes a…
Legendary singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston is coming to Crescent Ballroom on Sunday, November 11. The mythic outsider artist and inspiration to Kurt Cobain (who famously wore a Johnston shirt), Beck, Bright Eyes, The Flaming Lips, more (see the tribute album The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered and Covered) was the subject…
See also: Throwback Thursday: Green Day’s Dookie The evolution of Green Day has to be one of the strangest transformations in music history. Over the last 25 years the band has moved from angsty, power-pop tinged punk to politically-charged rock operas to Broadway musicals. So a return to their roots,…
See also: North Side Kings’ Legacy of Brutality See also: Danzig Says He Would Have Played Wolverine Less ‘Gay’ Than Hugh Jackman See also: Danzig @ Marquee Theatre See also: When Danny Punched Danzig by Serene Dominic Glenn Danzig, demonic rock-god and real-life comic character, has a way with words…
Every Monday morning Up on the Sun features a new comic strip from punk rocker, cartoonist, and full-time dad Brad Dwyer. See the New Times print edition to check out the strip in glorious, inky newsprint each Thursday. In this week’s Record Heat, Brad Dwyer finds that his record collection…
The news waits for no one — at least that’s what we read somewhere — so it’s perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of…
See also: Joel Marquard Fought Cancer and The Indie Community Chips in To Help Him Out In this week’s issue, Anthony Sandoval brings us the story of Gospel Claws/Through and Through Gospel Review songwriter Joel Marquard’s battle with testicular cancer. We’re happy to report that he beat it, and proud…
See also: Phlava on Changes to the Scottsdale Nightlife Scene, Spinning in Strip Clubs, and Why Paris Hilton’s DJ Set Was Horrible Perk up your ears and listen hard. If the wind is just right, you might be able to hear the sweet-sounding “ca-ching” of a cash register coming from…
See also: Former Friends of Young Americans Stream New Album, Estas Diluculo Where we’re going, we don’t need roads; just a synthesizer, eyeliner, and a touch of androgyny. Welcome to Flashback Friday. It may not be easy to lump locals Former Friends of Young Americans into any one specific genre,…
Jill Bryan The comedian hosts Stand-Up Live’s Comedy Gold showcase and radio’s “What A Mouth.” Check out www.jillbryancomedy.com for upcoming shows and events! When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? KMLE Country, 107.9-FM. I’m a big fan of…
See also: Throwback Thursday: Green Day’s Dookie Ronald Reagan’s wars, both on drugs and against the “evil empire,” made the ’80s a prime time to be a punk band. The scene was ripe in California, notably in the Bay Area, as 924 Gilman Street opened and crossover genres exploded in…
What do Eminem, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, 50 Cent, and Beyoncé have in common? The all make cameos in this week’s cover story, “Fast Cars and Rap Stars: How a Sugar Daddy’s Empire Crumbled on Everyone Involved,” by Ray Stern, telling the strange tale of…
