W♥M

Shout Out Louds at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (05/17/13)

Setlist Tour Dates May 20 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom May 21 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater May 22 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall May 23 Los Angeles, CA El Rey May 24 Los Angeles, CA El Rey May 25 George, WA Sasquatch Festival Read More Shout Out Louds Stockholm-based Shout Out Louds produced themselves for the first time (assisted by Johannes Berglund) on their fifth and latest release, 'Optica' (Merge Records), and begin touring this May (including a 5/17 date in Minneapolis) .…

Sweden's Shout Out Louds is back at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis last night, May 17, as part of their North American tour in support of Optica, out now on Merge Records.

HAERTS

Opening up for Shout Out Louds was Haerts, a band from New York (by the way of Germany, England, and U.S.). Singer Nini Fabi sometime sounded like Mazzy Star, but the band sounded more pop/dance than typical shoegazing music. You can draw your own conclusion by listening to their debut single "Wings" below:



The last time I saw Shout Out Louds at the Fine Line in 2007, I said the lead singer, Adam Olenius, sounded like Robert Smith (The Cure), and he still have that vocal style. I don't think you would notice, until you bring it up, and then, that's all you can hear.

Anyway, I was expecting the band to play more tracks from the new album, Optica, but they only played about half the album (including tracks like "Sugar", "Walking in Your Footsteps", "Chasing the Sinking Sun", "Illusions", "14th of July", "Blue Ice", etc.) The latter song, "Blue Ice", is currently available for free on amazon.

Surprisingly three songs from their debut album Howl Howl Gaff Gaff made it onto their setlist. The album was originally released in 2003 throughout Scandinavia, but finally made its way to America in 2005. I have in my notes that "The Comeback", "Please Please Please" and "Very Loud" had the best reaction from the audience.

Encore songs were: "Destroy", "Walls", and "Tonight I Have To Leave It", so throwing in a new song with one from their previous 2010 Work album ("Walls") and one from 2007's Our Ill Wills.

SHOUT OUT LOUDS

As for performance, I felt with the years of touring experience, that this is Shout Out Louds at their best. They kept tuning/guitar changing down to a minimum, they have their own set of lighting and massive backdrop, and all the band members all had their little moments on stage. Near the end of their set, Olenius jumped into the crowd and spent a few minutes standing on the drum kit, while the rest of the band members do their rock-thing. They certainly didn't do any of those things the last time I saw them, and I love the new changes.

If you've never seen Shout Out Louds before, you definitely owe it to yourself to check them out on this tour. They do it right: mixing in some fan favorite old songs, but mixing in some newer songs from Optica. They seem to understand that not everyone is going to rush out to get the latest album, so they didn't try and overwhelm us with new materials. Having said that, songs from Optica played live sounded great! Optica was released February 26, 2013, on Merge Records.

Shout Out Louds at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (05/17/13)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ shoutoutlouds.com

Ben Rector w/ Alpha Rev - Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (5/3/13) live review

Setlist Bennie & The Jets (Elton John Cover) Moving Backwards Never Gonna let You Go She Is When A Heart Breaks I Like You Hide Away Loving You is Easy The Beat Let the Good Times Roll Movin’ Out (Billy Joel Cover) White Dress Tour Dates 05/09/13 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom 05/10/13 St. Louis, MO Old Rock House 05/11/13 Columbia, MO The Blue Note Read More Ben Rector Nashville-based indie singer-songwriter Ben Rector embarks on a 32-date North American tour (Minneapolis is long sold out), with Austin’s Alpha Rev (“Sing Loud”) in tow as openers...…

After seeing Ben Rector play live for the first time last Friday night, my only question is ‘Why?’

As in, ‘Why’ isn’t the Nashville-based Rector a bigger known name and playing even bigger venues than his sold-out Varsity Theater show? Is it because he has taken the indie route and doesn't have a major label promotional push? Is it because he looks like an Assistant Professor of Anthropology with his bow tie, checked shirts, and earth-toned suits?

It ISN’T because of the songs-- because they are well-crafted and resonate with his followers; and would more than comfortably fit within with any AAA/Hot AC radio format (think Cities97 locally), in-between the likes of The Fray, John Mayer, Ben Folds, and Jack Johnson. His 83 min. performance, filled with stories and a personable affect with the audience, last Friday more than confirmed than Rector is ready for wider appeal.

ALPHA REV

The evening started with an effective opening set from Austin-based Alpha Rev, whose current song, “Sing Loud” is on heavy rotation on local radio from their recently released full-length, Bloom (Kirtland Records). “We’ve been looking forward to playing Minneapolis for some time now”, lead Casey McPherson declared from the stage, in full beard and Civil War-era forage cap. McPherson, who overhauled the band’s lineup since its beginnings 5+ years ago, was particularly strong leading an all-acoustic, off-mike version of ‘New Morning’ early in their set, the song first brought them national attention.

‘Sing Loud’ predictably received a noisy favorable response and the set ended ably with ‘You Belong’ and a Texas blues/soul version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’, which McPherson noted was his favorite song. The band is proving its chops as well in their marketing—from a wide selection of merchandise available for sale, to McPherson displaying a sign on stage with a phone number for fans to text to, for additional downloadable songs. Alpha Rev seems primed for wider appeal, and ‘Sing Loud’ may be the vehicle that propels them there.

Ben Rector played to an enthusiastic core younger audience that knew most of his lyrics and was also brave enough to bookend his set with cover versions by two of his biggest inspirations and influences. Opening with a loose version of Elton John’s ‘Bennie and the Jets’, Rector then progressed easily into his own spry and uptempo ‘Moving Backwards’.

‘Never Gonna Let you Go’, ‘She Is’ (which starts with the emotional lyric; “she hates the sound that goodbyes make”) and ‘When a Heart Breaks’ followed, with Rector riffing impromptu lyrics covering how grateful he was to be playing to a full house and the local weather. The new ‘I Like You’ followed, Rector’s reaction to the fact that he said there were too many love songs (a few of them admittedly his own fault) and that there needed to be an alternative, though he did work in part of Bob Marley’s ‘Is This Love’ in to the song’s break as well…which may have deflated his point a little.

BEN RECTOR

Continuing a band tradition, Rector let the audience decide the topic of the last verse of his ‘Loving You is Easy’ and after several shouts from the crowd, ‘The Bachelorette’ was chosen (‘hockey’ being a close second) and Rector deftly rhymed and versed a few of the names from this season’s broadcast (that I can’t say I recognized any of). ‘The Beat’ and the high-energy ‘Let the Good Times Roll’ (from his latest, 2011’s Something Like This [101 Distribution]) closed out the main set, the ’Rectour’ band working in full stride (guitarist Matt Kidd, drummer Jake Goff, and bassist Kevin McIntire), snow machine blowing up top (like MN needed to see any more of that).

For the non-encore (Rector explains he doesn’t like the process of leaving the stage then returning, so they just stayed on), a spot-on version Billy Joel’s ‘Movin Out’ (which the crowd may have recognized more via the Broadway musical than Joel’s own) and his biggest hit to date, ‘White Dress’, which has also become a staple at weddings, dazzled the mostly female crowd. Rector has a new album due in July and judging from the reaction of the sold out crowd at his Varsity show, his popularity has nowhere to go but up.

Ben Rector at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (05/03/13)

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ benrectormusic.com ♥ alpharev.com

The Proclaimers at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (04/22/13)

Tour Dates 04/23/13 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern 04/24/13 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios 04/26/13 San Francisco, CA Great American 04/27/13 Santa Monica, CA McCabe's Guitar Shop 08/23/13 Edmonton, AB Century Casino Read More The Proclaimers The Proclaimers are real-life Scottish twin brothers, Charlie and Craig Reid. They had a massive hit with "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" in America, and they are currently on tour in support of their latest album, Like Comedy …

The Proclaimers stopped by Minneapolis' Varsity Theater last night, April 22nd, thanks to Varsity Arts and Sue McLean & Associates. The Scottish twin duo is currently on touring support of their new album, Like Comedy.

KEVIN BOWE AND ANDY DEE

Kevin Bowe with help from Andy Dee did a good job warming up the crowd, considering that it was freezing and snowing outside. Bowe had a lot to say, before "In Too Deep", he told us about how he opened up for Ted Nugent, playing acoustic solo to a stadium full of fans (you can read more details about it here). How he got into a fight to Nugent's roadie, and how he and Andy Dee played on The Proclaimers' record.

Bowe's set included the following: "Every Little Bit Hurts", "Fallen Satellites", "In Too Deep", "Sault Ste Marie", "Riverside", "Waiting for the Wheel to Turn", and "Just Restless".

The Proclaimers, otherwise known as Craig and Charlie Reid, looked amazingly confident on stage. Like their show at SXSW, the duo is just touring with one acoustic guitar (and various percussion hand instruments).

The acoustic 2013 set template look the same, with some options randomly crossed off to create semi-random set (as you can see from the photograph). If you were wondering, yes, they played "In Recognition" instead of "Sean". Otherwise, the setlist shows exactly which songs and what order they played, including the two songs for the encore: "There's a Touch" and, of course, the best for last, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)".

One thing I've noticed, and this is clearly just me, but their Scottish accents are incredibly thick. I was confused at half the things they said on stage. For example, when they announced "Cap in Hand", I thought he said "Capping Hen" (clearly a song about gangster chickens). They said something about Margaret Thatcher prior to "Letter From America", I can only assume it was something unflattering by the tone of it.

The Proclaimers wrapping up their North American tour for Like Comedy out now on 429 Records. If you go to their show, bring their music, or pick up the new album, as the brothers do a meet and greet after the show.

The Proclaimers at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (04/22/13)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ proclaimers.co.uk

Los Amigos Invisibles at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (04/15/13)

Setlist Tour Dates 04/17 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater 04/19 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo's 04/20 - Portland, OR @ Star Theater 04/21 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theater 04/24 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore 04/26 - Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda 04/27 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues Read More Los Amigos Invisibles Los Amigos Invisibles (the invisible friends) will be stopping by the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on April 15th, as part of their tour in support of their seventh studio album Repeat After Me (Nacional - out now). …

Los Amigos Invisibles brought their Latin-funk to the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on Monday, April 15th, in support of their seventh studio album, Repeat After Me.

MALAMANYA

Opening up for Los Amigos Invisibles was local Spanish band Malamanya. They spoke fluent English between songs, but I believe most their songs were sung in Spanish (with the exception of "Red Light Morning"). Songs played, according to their setlist, were: "Deuda", "El Malo", "Red Light Morning", "Viento", "Oriente", "Amore Perdido", "Mi Son Cubano", "Lagrimas Neegas", "Temperatura", and "Rumba".

For you to fully understand what makes Los Amigos Invisibles a great band, you have to understand that a percentage of the show is also their fans and audience. I've never such a large dedicated fanbase, salsa dancing and meeting and sharing their love of this Latin disco/funk/pop band.

About half their set were taken from the new album, Repeat After Me, including: "Robot Love", "Corazón Tatú", "Stay", "Hopeless Romance", "Reino Animal", and"La Que Me Gusta".

Like the opening band, most of Los Amigos Invisibles' music are sung in Spanish. The few rare English songs were a treat, sometime throwing in very brief medley of Technotronic's "Pump Up the Jam" or Davie Bowie's "Let's Dance". I also thought "Stay", also sung in English, was their strongest performance… possibly because I was able to understand the emotion coupled with the lyrics.

If you want to meet other salsa dancers, you definitely need to make it to a Los Amigos Invisibles show. They are wrapping up the rest of their tour this April.

Los Amigos Invisibles at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (04/15/13)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ amigosinvisibles.com ♥ malamanya.com

At the Varsity: Rachael Yamagata, Los Amigos Invisibles, Courtney Jaye, and Haerts

Read More Rachael Yamagata With her latest ep, ’Heavyweight’, Rachael Yamagata compares the rollercoaster ride of romance to a boxing match, and she brought the ‘fight’ Monday to the lush surroundings of Minneapolis’ Varsity Theater for a dark ..…

As I have previously stated, the Varsity Theater in Dinky Town is one of the best venue in town. By far, the prettiest, mostly thanks to their side (or main) business of wedding receptions on the weekend.

Below are some shows coming to the Varsity.

RACHAEL YAMAGATA
rachaelyamagata.com

The last time I saw Rachael Yamagata, she had taken a long four year break from touring and she said on stage that this was the thing she love doing: meeting her fans in various cities. This is evident by the news of her selling out all her shows in Asia (Seoul, Bangkok, and Singapore).

I missed her last November (because I don't go out to shows in the winter), but we did have someone cover the show for us.

John described last year's show was on the more intimate side: "This tour was billed as more intimate, and with a smaller capacity, sparse lighting, and a completely seated crowd, gave a more personal invitation into her world that demanded your attention."

Yamagata's Heavyweight EP is out now, but look for her 'covers' EP to be recorded and release soon. In the meantime, as she promised, she will be back on the road in North America for her "Dealbreaker Heart" Spring and Summer tour.

05/28 - Ithaca, NY - Haunt 06/01 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall 06/03 - Montreal, OQ - La Sala Rossa 06/04 - Toronto, ON - Virgin Mobile 06/07 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall 06/09 - Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall 06/10 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon 06/11 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater 06/13 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater 06/14 - Salt Lake City, UT - State Room 06/15 - Boise, ID - TBD 06/17 - Vancouver, BC - Electric Owl 06/18 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ball Room 06/19 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern

06/22 - San Francisco, CA - Great American 06/23 - Santa Barbara, CA - Soho Restaurant 06/25 - West Hollywood, CA - Troubadour 06/26 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room 06/27 - San Diego, CA - House Of Blues 06/30 - Austin, TX - The Parish 07/01 - Dallas, TX - Sons of Hermann 07/02 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald's 07/05 - Atlanta, GA - Vinyl 07/06 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 07/08 - Alexandria, VA - Birchmire 07/09 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head 07/11 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer 07/12 - Hoboken, NY - Maxwell's 07/13 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom

LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES
amigosinvisibles.com

Los Amigos Invisibles (the invisible friends) will be stopping by the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on April 15th, as part of their tour in support of their seventh studio album Repeat After Me (Nacional - out now).

The Grammy nominated band first got their big break when David Byrne (Talking Heads) signed them to his label Luaka Bop. Since then Los Amigos Invisibles has been developing their music style they call "gozadera", which is a fusion of Latin rhythms with funk, lounge, and disco!

Check them out on tour now:

04/12 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Small's
04/13 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
04/15 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Varsity Theater
04/17 - Denver, CO @ The Bluebird Theater
04/19 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo's
04/20 - Portland, OR @ Star Theater
04/21 - Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue Theater
04/24 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
04/26 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda
04/27 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues

COURTNEY JAYE
www.courtneyjaye.com

Nashville's Courtney Jaye is currently in the middle of her tour, opening up for funnyman Stephen Lynch. Her upcoming album, Love and Forgiveness, is a "rootsy" album, to be out on May 7th. In the meantime, you can pick up her free Noisetrade EP via American Songwriter.

All dates below are with Stephen Lynch, except for where indicated. Her Minneapolis appearance at the Varsity Theater is sold-out.

04/12 Fillmore Detroit - Detroit MI
04/13 Harrahs North - Kansas City MO
04/14 Varsity Theater - Mpls MN
04/27 Talking Stick Resort - Scotsdale AZ
05/02 The Egg - Albany NY
05/03 Gramercy Theater - New York NY
05/04 Gramercy Theater - New York NY
05/05 Gramercy Theater - New York NY
05/7-8-9 Grimey’s - Nashville (Courtney Jaye show)
05/10 Record Release Show - Stone Fox Nashville (Courtney Jaye show)
05/17 Sherman Theater - Stroudsburg PA

HAERTS
haertsmusic.com

Haerts is a "New York" band featuring members from Germany, England, and the U.S. Their first single, "Wings", was produced by St Lucia, and the official music video just premiered on Gorilla vs Bear.

While "Wings" is out as of April 9th via Neon Gold / Columbia Records on vinyl, the band is already hard at work on their debut album, coming sometime this year.

Haerts also announced that they will be supporting Shout Out Louds on their North American tour. All dates below are with Shout Out Louds:

Tue 5/7: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Wed 5/8: Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Fri 5/10: New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Sat 5/11: Columbia, MD @ Sweetlife Festival
Mon 5/13: Montreal, CAN @ La Sala Rossa
Tue 5/14: Toronto, CAN @ The Opera House
Wed 5/15: Detroit, MI @ The Magic Bag
Fri 5/17: Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
Mon 5/20: Vancouver, CAN @ Commodore Ballroom
Tue 5/21: Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
Wed 5/22: San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
Thu 5/23: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
Fri 5/24: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

MIKA at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (04/02/13)

Tour Dates 04/10 Washington DC @ Sixth and I Historic 04/12 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall 04/13 Boston, MA @ Royale Read More Mika Mika is the winner of the Brit Award's British Breakthrough Act 2008, and we've written about the British pop star a few times. ...…

British singer-songwriter MIKA performed in front of a sold-out crowd at the beautiful Varsity Theater on Tuesday, April 2nd, He is on currently on tour promoting his third album Origin of Love out on Republic.

Against a simplistically set stage adorned with single hanging lights, MIKA performed a stripped down set with him on the piano accompanied by two talented, well-dressed, versatile musicians who sang backup, played clarinet, piano and guitar, and drums. The trio, led by MIKA, entertained the crowd during the entire 2½ hour-long show performing songs from all three albums. Whether he was belting out songs from the piano or singing, dancing and grooving from midstage, he was engaging with the audience, performing for us, entertaining us. He is a theatrical performer, glorious and happy as he moves effortlessly through his songs. It was a glorious treat to see him in action. As a testament to the popularity of his music, those in the crowd sang along with almost every song, at times making it hard to distinguish Mika’s voice above the voices of his devoted fans. At times, it was just beautiful and lovely to hear.

Love and happiness were definitely in the air that night and MIKA even facilitated a proposal (she said yes!) during the performance and changed the order of the set list in order to play “Origin of Love” from his new album post-proposal. How cute is that? The show was magical and if you haven’t listened to MIKA and you’re looking for some new, happy dancing music done really well by an amazingly talented musician. Blast this. I'm serious.

MIKA at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (04/02/13)

audrey ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ mikasounds.com

Divine Fits - Varsity Theater, Minneapolis, MN April 4, 2013 live review

Setlist Neopolitans Baby Get Worse Like Ice Cream Would That Not Be Nice My Love Is Real Civilian Stripes Lost (Frank Ocean cover) Chained (New song) You Got Lucky (Tom Petty cover) The Salton Sea Flaggin’ a Ride For Your Heart -- What Gets You Alone Shivers (Rowland S. Howard/Boys Next Door cover) Tour Dates 04/12/13 Indio, CA Empire Polo Club 04/19/13 Indio, CA Empire Polo Club Read More Little Green Cars “I wish that I was in Minneapolis”, Britt Daniel sings on the track ‘Would That Not Be Nice’ and his wish comes true as Divine Fits embarks on an upcoming U.S. Tour that includes Minneapolis on one of its stops, before hitting larger festival ..…

         The over-used term ‘musical super group’ is often associated with good ideas that don’t materialize into great results – for a super group to truly succeed; it must be greater than the sum of its parts. In the case of Divine Fits as evidenced by their sold-out performance at Minneapolis’ Varsity Theater Thursday, they qualify.

         Britt Daniel (Spoon), Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade/Handsome Furs), Sam Brown (New Bomb Turks), and Alex Fischel played a solid 66 min. set, that had the crowd on their side before they even struck a note.

         Ever since hearing the phrase “I wish that I was in Minneapolis” from the song “Would That Not Be Nice” from their debut, ‘A Thing Called Divine Fits’ (Merge Records), an album described on their website as being about “the death of true love, hitchhiking, cocoa butter, emotional distance, what happens when the curtain drops, and Minneapolis, MN”, the crowd was already in their corner. And as further proof of any ‘hipster cred’, every scenester within 200 miles was present in the audience- waxing eloquent about the songs, live blogging, or just generally being seen at this hot ticket show.

SPLIT SINGLE

         The evening did stop short of being a complete ‘Britt-a-Palooza’ though- Daniel played the Divine Fits set and an after party DJ session, but didn’t as hoped, sit in on bass for Split Single, led by Jason Narducy (Bob Mould band) who opened with a solid power pop set.

         Divine Fits then took the stage to an innocent enough beginning- Fishel entering first behind the keyboards as an artificial snow fell from the rafters (as if the MN crowd needed to see more snow) and someone throwing a maraschino cherry out front, in homage to the album cover, then the band going into the churning ‘Neopolitans’.

DAN BOECKNER/Divine Fits

         Next was Boeckner on lead for a throbbing ‘Baby Get Worse’, switching next with Daniel for the poppy ‘Like Ice Cream’ and the role switching continued all night – Daniel and Boeckner swapping lead vocals, even bass and lead guitars for various songs as well. The unofficial MN anthem, ‘Would That Not Be Nice’ followed, the only time Daniel stepped out to sing center stage, and was prefaced by the story of him being envious at a tour friend stopping in Minneapolis for a show. Knowing the local reference, lesser bands would have likely milked the song into some 10min sing-a-long, but Divine Fits simply chose to move through a respectable version, Daniel only briefly prompting an ‘All right”, before he sang the fabled line.

         An 80’s-inspired ‘My Love is Real’ switched Boeckner back to lead, Fishel’s dark synth riffs anchoring the track. ‘Lost’ is what some members in the crowd did, as in lost it jumping around, when the band revealed its faithful cover of the Frank Ocean song, and they followed it with the new ‘Chained’, before another cover – a somewhat stark ‘You Got Lucky’, more brooding than Tom Petty ever performed it. Kicking into another gear was “The Salton Sea’ and ‘Flaggin’ a Ride’ before a crashing ‘For Your Heart’ ended the main set.

each sold out show gets a piñata broken

         The audience also became privy to an apparent Divine Fits tradition – each sold out show gets a piñata broken, so they brought a birthday friend on stage, who took the long handle of a broom to swing at a Transformers piñata, spraying treats into the crowd with the band’s help. Candy + Ear Candy, I suppose.

         The encore began with ‘What Gets You Alone’ followed by Daniel leading us through a passionate cover of Rowland S. Howard’s ‘Shivers’, guitars piercing, strobe lights flashing, then the band exiting to raucous applause like conquering gladiators.

         For a relatively new band, the performance came off like a veteran act that has been on the touring circuit for years, which speaks to their overall chemistry. As only a casual fan of their other bands, on this night at least, the sum was proved greater than the parts. Where they go from here remains anyone’s guess, but consider the cherry popped and the table set for greater heights ahead.

Divine Fits at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (04/04/13)

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ divinefits.com

Alt-J (∆) at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (04/01/13)

Tour Dates 04/02/13 Kansas City, MO Midland 04/03/13 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater 04/04/13 Salt Lake City, UT Complex 04/06/13 Seattle, WA The Neptune 04/07/13 Vancouver, BC Commodore 04/08/13 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 04/10/13 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore 04/12/13 Indio, CA Empire Polo Club 04/14/13 Sacramento, CA Ace Of Spades 04/16/13 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern 04/17/13 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory 04/19/13 Indio, CA Empire Polo Club 06/10/13 Millvale, PA Mr. Small's Theatre 06/11/13 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues 06/12/13 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe 06/16/13 Aarhus, Denmark Adalan 06/22/13 Hilvarenbeek Beekse Bergen 07/06/13 Arras, France Citadel Of Arras 07/07/13 Werchter, Belgium Festivalpark 07/14/13 Lisbon, Portugal Passeio Maritimo 07/18/13 Tonsberg, Norway Slottsfjell Festival 07/27/13 Perth, Aus Challenge Stadium 07/30/13 West Melbourne, Aus Festival Hall 07/31/13 Moore Park, Aus Hordern Pavilion 08/24/13 Reading, UK Richfield Avenue 08/29/13 Oakland, CA Fox Theater 09/01/13 Vancouver, BC Orpheum 09/03/13 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal 09/05/13 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium 09/07/13 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue 09/10/13 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music 09/11/13 Toronto, ON Echo Beach 09/13/13 Boston, MA Bank Of America 09/18/13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 09/23/13 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle 09/24/13 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues 09/27/13 Houston, TX House Of Blues 09/28/13 Austin, TX Stubb's Bar-B-Q Read More Alt-J One of the hottest tickets to get is Alt-J at the very sold out show at the Varsity Theater on April 1st. If you weren't lucky/fast enough to secure a ticket for next week's show - you have a second chance this September 7th!…

Mercury Prize-winner Alt-J (∆) stopped by Minneapolis at the Varsity Theater last night, April 1st, as part of their sold-out tour in support of their debut album, An Awesome Wave.

HUNDRED WATERS

Opening up for them was a Florida band called Hundred Waters. The lead singer Nicole Miglis is usually playing keyboards, but occasional bust out her flute to give their music this weird experimental and improvisation feel to it.

The band is on tour in support of their debut 2012 LP, however they just released an EP called Boreal Remixes last week (March 26th) via OWSLA.

As for Alt-J, what can I say? The band (still) has an amazing amount of buzz. They sold out the Triple Rock last year, so this time, they've upgraded the venue to the beautiful Varsity Theater and the show sold out months in advance.

Like last time, I mentioned that the band basically played their entire album, An Awesome Wave, live, so I was wondering how they will play out last night's show. They threw in a couple of cover songs to pad out their set, including a cover of College's "A Real Hero" (incidentally, High Highs did the exact same cover over at Triple Rock the same night) and a weird mashup of Kylie Minogue's "Slow" and Dr. Dre's "Slow Dre", affectionately calling it "Still Dre".

Also new this time was these tri-light stands. I counted about six or seven, placed all over the stage. These lights have varying degrees of brightness, controlled by someone (perhaps their soundboard person?) to correspond with their music. They set a nice mood when it's completely dark on stage and all you can see are these little lights.

Alt-J is currently on tour. If you live in Minneapolis, and at this point still have not seen the band, you still have one more chance: they are doubling the capacity at First Avenue, but in September. I reckon by August, or earlier that the venue will sell out, so get your tickets now or you'll regret it later.

UPDATE: I am told that both September dates have completely sold out.

Alt-J (∆) at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (04/01/13)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ altjband.com ♥ hundred-waters.com

Great Scots!: Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad live review

Frightened Rabbit setlist 01. That Summer At Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy 02. Alphabet 03. I Became a Prostitute 04. Sick 05. Walking For Two Hours 06. The Wrong Car 07. And She Would Darken the Memory 08. Cold Days From the Birdhouse The Twilight Sad setlist Tour Dates 03/26 Cincinnati, OH Bogarts 03/27 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall Read More Frightened Rabbit Frightened Rabbit came on stage at ten. I get the impression that they've been touring a while with the same roadie, because on cue, he came on stage to add or subtract things ..…

Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad
Varsity Theater, Minneapolis, MN- March 21, 2013

         The very warm (when will they get ceiling fans to circulate the air?), sold-out Varsity Theater in Minneapolis played host to a powerful Scottish double bill of Frightened Rabbit, touring in support of their new release, Pedestrian Verse, and The Twilight Sad, who recently released an album of remixes from their last album, No One Can Ever Know.

TWILIGHT SAD

         Instead of bringing their known ‘wall of sound’, The Twilight Sad was stripped down for this tour, into a more personal threesome of vocalist James Graham, guitarist Andy MacFarlane, and drummer Mark Devine. This formation of the band really brought the lyrics and essence of each song into the forefront, demanding the audience’s attention to the band bathed in minimal light.

         Beginning with ‘That Summer At Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy’, the band made its way through 8 songs in a solid and well-received 40 min. opening set. ‘Sick’ and their finale ‘Cold Days From the Birdhouse’ were standouts, with Graham declaring he’d join the crowd in drinking, to watch the Frightened Rabbit set, to great applause.

         Frightened Rabbit, a Scottish six piece named for singer Scott Hutchinson’s chronic shyness as a child, had no such fears and hit the ground running, with ‘Holy’, from their newest release, a song that perfectly builds momentum and is an ideal opener. From there, into ‘The Modern Leper’, that started the crowd’s chorus singing for the evening.

         This was followed by a rousing ‘Old Old Fashioned’, which proved their mark in helping define the current Anthem Folk movement, so prevalent on current radio airwaves. Much like Led Zeppelin, The Who, and The Rolling Stones did in the 60’s by taking American blues, re-inventing it and giving it back to us with amps turned up, the current crop of UK artists including Frightened Rabbit and Mumford and Sons, have taken Americana folk and roots, amplified and anthem-ized it, and again have the Brits ‘beating us at our own game’.

         Vocalist Scott Hutchinson waxed poetic about his previous trips to Minneapolis between songs- getting stranded in town in snowstorms, drinking across the street at the college bar, and in general how well the Upper Midwest audiences have embraced the band from the very beginning; this proven by the Varsity show being the first sellout of the current tour.

         A feverish ‘Oil Slick’ was followed by a passionate ‘My Backwards Walk’ and the slow building ‘State Hospital’ before the band left the stage, leaving only Hutchinson and his guitar for a heart bleeding ‘Poke’ and ‘Good Arms vs. Bad Arms’, holding the crowd in rapt attention to every lyric sung.

         With the full band back on stage, the big sound returned, closing with a literally blinding ‘Acts of Man’ which ended with a raging avalanche of riffs and flashing strobe lights, winking across the elaborate logo set pieces and backdrop. The three song encore of ‘The Woodpile’, ‘Living in Colour’ and ‘The Loneliness and The Scream’ got the party started up all over again, ending the evening on an emotional high note and an exclamation point as to why Anthem Folk is as popular as it is, particularly when done right by these spirited Scots.

Frightened Rabbit at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (03/21/13)

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Ash at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (03/18/13)

Tour Dates 03/20/13 Detroit, MI / Magic Stick Lounge 03/21/13 Newport, KY / Southgate House 03/22/13 Indianapolis, IN / Radio Radio 03/23/13 Pittsburgh, PA / Altar Bar 07/19/13 Truck Festival Hill Farm, Oxford 07/20/13 Super Bock Super Rock Portugal 07/27/13 Kendal Calling Lake District 08/02/13 Camp Bestival Dorset 08/03/13 Y Not Festival Derbyshire Read More Ash Sure, I mentioned Ash last week, but today, they released the official SXSW shows and "mini" tour dates - which looks like they are catering to the mid-west .…

"We got delayed by a storm for... seven years," joked singer Tim Wheeler from Ash, as they apologized for staying away from Minnesota for so long. Ash is currently on small U.S. tour, making a rare Minneapolis appearance at the Varsity Theater last night, March 18th.

STRANGE NAMES

Opening up the show was Strange Names, a band from Minneapolis, who may or may not be friends with Howler's Jordan Gatesmith. For a new band, I thought Strange Names was really comfortable on stage and sounded like they've been doing this for a while.

The two key players were dedicated singer, and sometime tambourine player, Liam Benzvi, and guitarist, and sometime singer, Francis Jimenez. Both of them were excited about an upcoming new single or EP on March 26th, as they played two new tracks from it called "White Irish" and "Minor Times" (which they ended their set with).

As for Ash, what can I say? It's been a long time, but well worth it, finally seeing them again. I've seen the bands a few times, but they usually were not billed as headliner - for instance, opening up for Saves the Day in 2003 or Bravery in 2005.

For casual fans, let me help catch you up: the Irish band started off as a trio (Tim, Mark, and Rick) and had a massive hit with 1977 in 1996. Charlotte Hatherley joined the band in 1998 with Nu-Clear Sounds, she became an integral part of the band, until her departure in 2004 with Meltdown. By 2007, the band returned to their music roots as a trio with Twilight of the Innocents, but Tim and company were unhappy with its release that they announced it will be Ash's last album. That's not the end of the story: Ash would come back as strictly a "singles" band, returning with the "A-Z" series (recording a new single every two weeks for a year).

“Return of White Rabbit” was really, really good!

If you were afraid that Ash is only doing "A-Z" songs on this tour, let me squash that fear right now. Only a few selected songs were played ("Arcadia", "Joy Kicks Darkness", "Binary" and "Return of White Rabbit"), and they sounded great live. In particular, the set closer, "Return of White Rabbit" was really, really good!

I am also happy to report that a good portion of songs on this current tour were taken from my personal favorite 1977 album ("Goldfinger" , "Angel Interceptor", "Kung Fu", "Oh Yeah", and "Girl From Mars"). You can tell that the audience loved the album as well with their strong sing-along feedback and dancing.

There were a couple of surprises for me at this show, first is Nu-Clear Sounds was largely ignored (no "Jesus Says", no "Wildsurf", etc.), the second is that songs from Free All Angels ("Walking Barefoot", "Shining Light", and the encore "Burn Baby Burn" ) got huge responses from the fans, and third, who knew bassist Mark Hamilton was such a rock star? Wow check out his moves!

It's really been too long. Let's hope we don't have to wait another seven years to see Ash again, the band promised to come back soon.

Ash's A-Z Series is out now. You can pick up all 62 songs at a bargain price of $8.99 on amazon. The physical discs (both Vol 1 & 2) can be picked up at their merchandise table for $10 each.

Ash at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (03/18/13)

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