W♥M

07/18/2025

Mpls: August 19 to August 22, 2025

07/17/2025

Don't Hate the Player

Alice in Borderland (2020)

Borderlands

I am a big fan of the original Borderlands game, which was described as a "Diablo Shooter". All the benefit of a shooter, and the looting system of Diablo - a 'slooter' as some people have described it. … read more

Alice in Borderland (今際の国のアリス)
netflix.com

With a disappointing Squid Game Season 3 Finale, I’m turning towards another Asian show called Alice in Borderland, obviously named after Alice in Wonderland… but the name reminds me of the video game Borderlands. Anyway, we recently got a trailer for Alice in Borderland Season 3, set to premiere on September 25, 2025. To get me excited for the third season, I revisited the original first season.

Alice in Borderland is a weird Sci-Fi/horror television show, based on the manga by Haro Aso. The story is about a group of friends who accidentally found themselves in an empty Tokyo and forced to play these deadly games. If you win a game, your life is extended until your visa expires… then you’re forced back to playing the game.

The whole thing is fantastical. Lasers from the sky will execute players if they break the rules or go outside a boundary… which they are calling in the show ‘borderland’.

At first, you think the show is going to be about three friends, two brothers and a gangster-ish friend. The show changes direction and suddenly it’s about someone else, a rock climber girl. My least favorite arc in the first season is our characters found themselves at the mysterious “The Beach”. That whole storyline was way too long in the series. There were so many (young) players, partying… it just felt out of place. That is the weakest part of the first season… otherwise by the end, they discover the game master.

Squid Game: Season 3 (2025)

Squid Game

In my original review of Squid Game, I mentioned that the show left an opening to continue the story, but I felt the story should just end with the first season. I didn’t need a continuation of the first season. … read more

Squid Game: Season 3
netflix.com

You guys already know that I really love the first season of Squid Game, the Netflix series that took the world by storm in 2021. To me, they never should have continued the story, it had a good ending with the first season… yet, show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk couldn’t turn down the dump truck full of money. So, he created a sequel, which was broken up in two parts: Season 2 and Season 3.

Season 2 ended on a cliffhanger, so now that Season 3 has finally aired, you have the full complete story of Player 456.

There were many problems with the Squid Games finale, first off some of the games were poorly thought out, like the hide-and-seek game. Basically, you have a group of people trying to hide and a group trying to murder them. There’s no strategy, it’s just here’s a knife, go murder people.

The VIPs were also terrible. The worst part of Season 1 were the VIPs… yet Hwang Dong-hyuk brought them back. Truly terrible. If you go back and remove all the VIPs from the story, it would make the show more enjoyable.

The worst part of the final Squid Game show was the introduction of the baby. It was just so stupid. The baby became a player, and, oh god, who thought this was a good idea? That whole baby storyline was just awful.

This universe is quite interesting, perhaps the filmmakers could have written a totally different player and taken place in a different country (where they play Squid Game differently). It could have been a brand-new breed of players, and the survivor (winner) could eventually meet up with Player 456 or something to tie it back to the first game. Instead, what we have with the second and third game is that it was unsatisfying and unnecessary.

Like The Last of Us Season 2 ruining everything good about the first season… so did Squid Game: Season 3. It ruined the first well-crafted series.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Posted at 04:58 PM in Anime, Japan, Korea, Netflix, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yeison Landero at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (July 16, 2025)

Yeison Landero Setlist

Intro
Epocas de oro
No es negra es morena
Campesino cimmarón
Noche de cumbia
Santa Lucia
El mochuelo
La pava congona
Mosaico la paloma
Perdí las abarcas
Teofilo el gaitero
Mara del Carmen
La hamaca grande

-- Encore --
Cuando lo negro sea bello

Summer at the Cedar

Join us for a series of Free Wednesday night concerts outdoors on the Cedar Plaza!

Please note that FREE Wednesdays will begin outdoors on The Cedar plaza at 6:00 pm. Feel free to bring your own chairs - limited seating is available on the planters. Concessions will be available for purchase from The Cedar.

July 9 - Sinkane

July 16 - Yeison Landero

July 23 - Abinnet Berhanu’s Ahndenet

July 30 - Buddha Prince

August 6 - Combo Daguerre

August 13 - The Burroughs

August 20 - Ukrainian Village Band

The Cedar

Every Wednesday, music fans can experience Summer at the Cedar for free at the Cedar Plaza (outdoors). There are limited seating, so the venue suggests you … read more

The Cedar Cultural Center has a Summer at the Cedar series, come rain or shine. Always scheduled for outdoors, this second in the series moved indoors due to the heavy rain over the last day. It was well worth heading in, as Colombian native Yeison Landero brought his cumbia band to Minneapolis.

Cumbia music is a collective term for some musical and folk dancing traditions originating from the mix if indigenous people of South America, Africans, and Europeans during colonial times. It often has drum & flute, along with supporting brass and percussion. Yeison Landero, a San Jacinto, Colombia native, has added accordion to the mix. Like his grandfather Andrés, the “King of cumbia”, Yeison (“Heir to cumbia”) has become a leader in the genre. His first solo record, La Epoca De Oro, was released in 2021. The band (all backing members were in multi-colored Yeison Landero shirts and cowboy hats) came on as a sextet (accordion/vocals, drums, three percussion players, and bass) and Landero’s bright sounding accordion took over. This was lively and very quickly a portion of the audience was on the main floor dancing.

Landero did as much yelling and pumping up the crowd as he did singing, and that really worked. While his accordion provided the central musical hook, those four percussion players made for a rich beat that consistently provided the audience dancers any guide they might need. They also were all mic’ed up to provide backing vocals or encouraging shouts as needed. In the first real break, Landero asked in Spanish if there were people from various countries, and there were cheers for Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela and more. Back into the music, the band continued the high energy singing. A song about Colombia followed, and one of the drummers switched to flute, which added a nice harmony with the accordion. Also, much like any number of guitarists might, Landero switched between two different accordions between songs.

It was fun to watch the doors open every so often, see a new small group of people come in, stand for a moment, then invariably start dancing or even quickly head to the main part of the dance floor. What had started as a reasonable, if small-ish crowd, was soon a pretty hefty audience enjoying the cumbia tunes. How upbeat was this? At one point the bass player was running in place and it seemed to me that he could barely keep the beat. And that was before the purposeful sped up tempo to end the song. Noche de cumbia had a lot of cymbal and Landero whipping up some of the dancers immediately in front of the stage. (A translation app suggested that at one point, Landero said, “God, move your hips woman, this is for you”.)

A (comparatively) slower song followed and let band and audience groove for a little while, with Landero on extended accordion solos between verses and several percussion highlights. A well-deserved, small break gave us a band rep with a small statement in English about the fact that this was the band’s first time in Minnesota, and that they had been on tour for 15 days and had 15 more to go. He also mentioned that Minneapolis exists on the global music scene because of the Cedar and its mission of bringing the best of world music here. The band got back into it, with a bit of call & response with Landero and the rest of the band and also got us more of the flute.

Another break in the action had Landero telling the history of cumbia music, and even I got the gist of this genre coming together from the mix of different people and cultures interacting and building a shared sound. That ended with a shouted “Esta noche, viva la cumbia” before launching into a high-spirited song with a lot of flute, and the first without accordion, as Landero sang and spoke throughout the very fast paced number. That varied and layered percussion plus bass was really key to the success of many of the songs, as they both filled the large space and gave accordion and occasional flute the chance to really fly as counterpoint. Our first crowd sing along was fairly successful with an explosive finish to the song from the band. Late in the set, one of the percussion players entered the crowd, forming a bit of a dance circle and drawing great cheers. Finishing the main set strong, the band left the stage and the audience broke into a chant of “otra” and Landero and band did indeed come on for an encore. A straight up cumbia banger, all of the best elements of the evening were on full display with a breakneck speed and singers barely keeping pace. We got a bunch of audience members from a number of those different countries up on the stage dancing and it was a pretty brilliant moment. As the band was finally done, they left the Minneapolis crowed happily exhausted.

Yeison Landero at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (July 16, 2025)

photos by Vu

thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com ♥ bsky.app

Posted at 12:23 AM in Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, Thaddeus, World Beat, World Music | Permalink | Comments (0)

07/16/2025

Kiernan at 370 Sets, St Paul (July 15, 2025)

Kiernan at 370 Sets (July 15, 2025)

370 Sets

The 370 Sets is a free concert series on Tuesdays throughout the summer outside on the covered patio of Osborn370 building.

The series runs 4-6 p.m. on Tuesdays through August 12, featuring live, local music plus complimentary drinks to soak in the summer. We hope you will visit the series this summer to relax and support these local artists and downtown Saint Paul!

📍 Osborn370 – 370 Wabasha St N, St Paul, MN 55102
🗓️ 4-6 p.m. on Tuesdays from June 10 – August 12
🎺 Free, live, local music and complimentary beverages
🎶 370 Sets is produced by Saint Paul Downtown Alliance

June 10: Dad Bod

June 17: Kashimana

June 24: Southside Aces

July 1: Katy Vernon

July 8: John Swardson

July 15: Kiernan

July 22: Mary Cutrufello

July 29: Alexander Natalie

August 5: Kate Malanaphy

August 12: Martin Devaney

370 Sets

Another summer day, another free concert series in the Twin Cities. The 370 Sets is a Tuesday afternoon “happy hour concert series” in downtown St. Paul at the Osborn370 building. It is produced by … read more

Kiernan

Kiernan opened first. The quartet eased in with a long and pleasant opening song. Kiernan’s self-description highlights inspiration of Big Thief and the second song is very much in that vein. Both songs … read more

It’s been a stretch of very hot and humid days, so an outdoor afternoon concert wasn’t particularly compelling to me. But with local indie folk band Kiernan on the schedule to play at the 370 Sets, I couldn’t resist.

Kiernan at First Avenue's Best New Bands of 2024 (Jan 31, 2025)

We last saw Kiernan at Best New Bands in January 2025 and is personally my fourth time having watched the band and their Americana, rootsy sound. With the release of their debut full length album, Always, I Love You in May 2025, they continue to build up their repertoire of songs.

Normally a quartet, this performance was a solo show from vocalist and guitarist Laura Kiernan. That made for a stripped-down sound, but an effective one for the setting. With three different guitars, Kiernan started off acoustic for the first several numbers. Kiernan’s plaintive vocals created an intimate setting for the early evening crowd. Kiernan let us know that the first two songs were currently unreleased. A bit of banter had Kiernan talking about songwriters who have inspired her and led to a cover of an Adrianne Lenker song, anything. Getting into some of the music the band has released, I was struck at how well they lent themselves to a solo interpretation. She also had a great sense of humor, cutting off an early applause with a quick “there’s a bridge in this song”.

Switching over to a different and deeper sounding acoustic guitar, Kiernan mentioned that she was hoping we were staying cool, because “I’m sure not; it’s hot out here!”. After a needed tuning, she launched back into the music. Admitting she was picking songs by feel, Kiernan nevertheless pulled a coherent sound and flow. A bit of background to how her grandparents were the inspiration for the next song, Otisville, she had the loudest and most emotional vocals of the set so far. After a very short song, Kiernan switched to her trademark red electric guitar. That change was a nice shake up in sound for a song off Always, I Love You. A more country sound from a song off the EP, Magnetic North followed, ended the first set.

Coming back out, Kiernan performed the first song she ever released, Genie, about Alaska journalist and politician, Genie Chance. She also mentioned that she had put a set list together for the second half. Kiernan continued some of the earlier songs, playing All Over the Place, leaning more into those Americana tones. A final song from the EP, Gloria, had a gorgeous guitar intro and was nice change of pace with its slower tempo. A cover of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi followed and was pretty spot on. Entering the last stretch, Kiernan made the push through the hot temperatures, heavy winds, and the creeping sun (after starting in shade, the artists at 370Sets almost always end up in nearly full sun) to finish strong. We got a brand-new song (written a week ago!), and then back to songs from the recent album. After one last tuning, Kiernan was nearly finished with the beautiful Unhelpful. A final switch back to an acoustic and Kiernan closed her set in downtown Saint Paul.

Between sets, I spoke with Autumn Vagle who works for One Simple Set, a marketing agency supporting St. Paul Downtown Alliance’s sponsorship of 370 Sets. (One Simple Set also helps with Lowertown Sounds, another free music series that we’ve reviewed.) Being in a band herself, Vagle is plugged into the local music scene and has helped book some of the wide range of musical genres that the 370 Sets have highlighted. Vagle mentioned that the location was specifically chosen for the building and its neighboring density of downtown workers with the goal of having events that make the area a better place to live and work. So, this is a series for many of the workers in the immediate neighborhood as they finish their day. That wide range of musical genres of local Twin Cities, especially St. Paul-based artists and bands is also purposeful, as it helps highlight all that the capital city has to offer. As someone who has been to a number of the free music offerings the Twin Cities offers this summer, I do feel spoiled with the wealth of opportunities to see and hear local music.

Kiernan at 370 Sets, St Paul (July 15, 2025)

thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com ♥ bsky.app

Posted at 07:37 AM in 370 Sets, Adrianne Lenker, Joni Mitchell, Kiernan, St Paul, Thaddeus | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jax: August 16 to August 20, 2025

07/15/2025

We♥KC! July 18, 19, 20, 2025 Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence KS)

Read More

Camper Van Beethoven

Camper Van Beethoven, has explored a variety of musical genres in the 20-odd years they’ve been making music. Where CVB injected traditional Eastern European music...

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Dog Days, baby!

We got the heat (but not triple-digits yet), the humidity, and everything in-between, though have been lucky so far to not be at a show rained out, or too oppressively hot, but the outdoor season still has a few months left.

We pre-registered with FIFA and their World Cup ticket lottery to potentially overpay to watch a match next summer, and are kind of wondering on what side of the state line the stadiums might end up following. Kansas is making a good pitch to get at least one of the teams.

This upcoming Friday and Saturday are absolutely jam-packed with live goodness, see below!

Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming weekend of July 18^th, 19^th, 20^th.

(ticket hyperlinks are embedded in each show’s headline)

FRIDAY JULY 18

Railroad Earth, Yonder Mtn String Band, July 18, Grinders KC, $8.32 / $77.93

Three of the jam world’s foremost acts will band together for a brief two weeks and KC gets a date! Railroad Earth, Yonder Mountain String Band and Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country will each deliver sets and doubtlessly spawn some surprise collaborations.

“We can’t wait to set out on the road with our friends Yonder Mountain String Band & Daniel Donato in July,” Railroad Earth’s Carey Harmon shared in a release. “These are the moments (we and) our fans live for, so to be able to get out and do this run is a dream come true.”

Earth Wind and Fire, July 18, Starlight, $60.25-$195.25

Legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire returns to the road on a 22-city summer tour which will wrap up Aug. 10 at The Ledge Amphitheater in Waite Park, MN. We caught the band live last year in Kansas City, on a great bill with Lionel Richie.

After decades in the entertainment industry, the band has gained a new following with younger audiences, almost by accident. Their 1978 hit "September" has more than 2 billion Spotify streams, and has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram via meme culture. At the same time, a growing interest in vinyl among millennials and Gen Z has brought the band's catalog back into regular rotation.

Kröna, July 18, Sk8Bar, $22.19

Miami-via-Santo Domingo Caribbean punk force trio Kröna is charging through North America this summer on a run of tour dates in support of their new single “Take ’Em All”, now streaming and will be followed by their debut LP Dead Air Diaries on November (on their own Merenpón Records).

Blending breakneck punk, hardcore fury, and reggae grooves, Kröna brings an unmistakable Dominican flair to the global punk scene. Formed just over a year ago by childhood friends Cristóbal and JP (formerly of ESPÉRICLES), and drummer Chino (Zeta), the band has quickly earned a reputation for their confrontational yet celebratory sound. With Strung Out, D-Fibs, and SCUD also on the bill.

David Lowery, July 18, Lawrence Public Library, free w/ RSVP (waitlist)

Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven frontman David Lowery's new 28-track solo album "Fathers, Sons and Brothers" was released May 30^th (via Cooking Vinyl), his musical autobiography, celebrating his youth, family, friends and the highs and lows of his 40-year career in the music business.

This set combines three of David's previously online-only released autobiographical solo albums In The Shadow of the Bull, Leaving Key Member Clause, and Vending Machine, and also includes four previously unreleased songs, as well as four newly re-recorded tracks- something he discussed when we saw him last in Lawrence, at The Arts Center back in 2023 (so he must like coming back to town).

He notes, "In lieu of an uninteresting written autobiography I’ve made this record. I do this not so much to tell my own story but to pay tribute to my mother, father, sisters, extended family, friends, and those who have shared their lives with me. I wanted to sing the songs of the unsung, celebrate friends and family, make amends, and apologize where necessary. It took me nearly 5 years to make this recording and I’m a little sad the process is over. Although much of this I recorded alone during the pandemic I had an amazing set of virtual collaborators spread across 5 time zones and three continents. I couldn’t have done it without them."

idobi Radio Summer School w/Taylor Acorn & Rain City Drive, Charlotte Sands, Arrows in Action, Beauty School Dropout, and If Not For M, July 18, $46-$47

(UPDATE- MOVED to the Granada in Lawrence) Following its 2024 debut, the idobi Radio Summer School Tour returns this summer for its highly sophomore year. Sponsored by idobi Radio and Hot Topic, the nationwide traveling festival highlights independent artists while focusing on artist development, community, ticket affordability, and social impact.

Headlining the tour will be Taylor Acorn, Charlotte Sands, Rain City Drive, If Not For Me, Beauty School Dropout, Arrows in Action, and Huddy. This is the festivals second year with a focus on artist development, community, ticket affordability, and social impact. The tour was created by Vans Warped Tour (which it will intersect with) creator Kevin Lyman, Eric Tobin (Hopeless Records) and Michael Kaminsky (KMGMT).

Speaking of Arrows in Action, they’re in support of their forthcoming album I Think I've Been Here Before, featuring single "Cheekbones," which hit over 500K streams on Spotify the first week of release. Blending rock, pop, and alternative styles, their music explores themes of youth, love, and self-discovery.

SATURDAY JULY 19

Laney Jones and the Spirits, July 19, miniBar, $18.86

Nashville-based Laney Jones and the Spirits have released their new single, “Another Rolling Stone,” which follows 2024’s single, “Stay At Home,” and 2022’s full-length, Stories Up High.

Jones is a genre-defying songwriter and front woman whose sound blends indie and psychedelic rock, with a soulful, grungy sound and this 19-date tour makes a local stop.

In 2022, Jones released that critically acclaimed album Stories Up High, marking a turning point in her artistic evolution, praised for its cinematic scope and introspective songwriting with expansive arrangements and lyrical intimacy. Earlier this year, the band released a four-song live EP through OurVinyl, filmed at Fighters Boxing in Nashville, TN.

Father John Misty w Hamilton Leithauser, July 19, Uptown, $58-$100

Father John Misty is out on a new stretch of tour dates in support of his 2024 album, Mahashmashana, with The Walkmen vocalist Hamilton Leithauser set to open and will conclude with a July 31st show in Vancouver, followed by another set of shows across the pond.

Aka Josh Tillman released his sixth studio album, last November, which made many Best-Of lists to end the year, and he also recently shared a 10th anniversary reissue of his 2015 album I Love You, Honeybear; His sardonic wit and banter between songs is worth the price of admission alone.

Maggie Baugh, July 19, recordBar, $25.49

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Maggie Baugh is out on her Entertainers Heart World Tour, in support of her upcoming self-produced sophomore album and a rock-infused sound.

Lead single from the album, “Headstone,” hit #1 on Amazon’s Movers & Shakers chart. That track, along with newest single, “Other Side of the World,” are early glimpses of her next album: real instruments, live band energy, and no filter.

Shane Gillis (comedian), July 19, T-Mobile Center, $47-$133

Comedian Shane Gillis extended his Shane Gillis Live run to eleven additional cities, including a date right here in KC, just following his hosting of the recent Espy Awards. Gillis has already set the all-time ticket sales record at six arenas and the achieved historic sellouts, playing each arena’s largest comedy show of all time, at 11 more- breaking records belonging to acts like Kevin Hart and U2 (he’s as surprised at all of this, as you are).

SUNDAY JULY 20

take a nap

National Touring act coming to Kansas City, Lawrence, KS, Topeka, KS, or vicinity? Let us know so we can spotlight the appearance-email [email protected]

john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com

Posted at 07:23 PM in John, Kansas City, Kansas City Music Guide, Lawrence | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cinema of the Macabre: Rabid Grannies at Emagine Willow Creek, Plymouth (July 14, 2025)

Cinema of the Macabre

Cinema of the Macabre

Every Monday night at Willow Creek, we venture into the macabre with cult classics and obscure gems pulled from the dusty tombs. These screenings are presented each week with a curated pre-show, vintage trailers, and an intro to give context about why the film is unique and worthy of cult status.

Join us but prepare to have your mind melted!

July 7 - Rabid (1977)

July 14 - Rabid Grannies (1988)

July 21 - I Drink Your Blood (1971)

July 28 - REC (2007)

Horror

We ended up going to see The Monkey, the new film by Oz Perkins, at the Emagine Cinema in Willow Creek, as part of their $5 Tuesday promotion. The film is based on a short Stephen King story … read more

As a big movie fan and collector, particularly of the horror genre, so I am delighted to see such a good, or rather rabid, fanbase for the Cinema of the Macabre. This is a horror movie series, curated by Tim Alan Holly (who will also introduce the movie with some notes about the film), that takes place every Monday at Emagine Willow Creek, in Plymouth, and as a tourist, I attended the July 14th showing of Rabid Grannies.

This 1988 movie is truly a terrible film. It was a Belgian / French horror-ish gore-ish comedic (unintentional?) film by writer/director Emmanuel Kervyn. The film made its way to the USA through Troma Entertainment who had to edit the film to make for an R-Rating.

Lloyd Kaufman and Vu, Minneapolis (Dec 2012)

Although Troma became famous when Lloyd Kaufman’s Toxic Avenger film was a hit for them in 1984, the truth is they were already established 10 years earlier and were known for being a distributor of films. Troma was basically known for B-grade, D-grade films, there’s no film too terrible for them! I say this lovingly, because I am a fan and supporter of independent films, and to prove it, here is a rare photo of Lloyd and I, at a Troma screening.

As for Rabid Grannies, a title that Troma created for the US market, I can see why they would want this film. It’s bad. The dialogue and storyline are boring, and you can see the film was influenced by Evil Dead. The only good thing about the film are the special gore effects (lots of limb chopping and blood).

The nice thing about the Cinema of the Macabre is that you don’t have to attend every Monday, but many of their fans still attend every week. Most people have seen the film or already own the DVD, but they still show up.

If I were still living in Minneapolis, I would love to attend the early screening of the remake of Witchboard, and Q&A with director Chuck Russell, on August 4. Russell directed my favorite Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. I’ve seen the original Witchboard and am interested in seeing how they remake the film for 2025.

Tim Alan Holly at Emagine Willow Creek, Plymouth (July 14, 2025)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com ♥ bsky.app

Posted at 01:02 PM in DVD, Films, Horror, Movies | Permalink | Comments (0)

Weekend Gamer: Fallout Statues

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel Premium Statue (July - September 2025)

Fallout

That’s not all the Fallout news, Bethesda released a “Next Gen Update” on Fallout 4 across all platforms, including the PC. Unfortunately, the GOG version may have to wait a little longer, if you got the game on that platform. … read more

With Fallout Season 2 set for December 2025, and Season 1 available on Bluray on July 8, 2025, there’s a new round of Fallout merchandises coming out (or have already come out).

Like my previously roundup one and roundup two, this third roundup compiles all-things Fallout what is known to me. If I am missing anything, please email me, and I will add to a future collection.

DARK HORSE
darkhorsedirect.com

First up is the Brotherhood of Steel Premium Statue, standing at nearly 14 inches tall and coming out July-September 2025, from Dark Horse. You may know Dark Horse as a comic book publisher, but like DC Comics, they’ve expanded to toys and merchandising, under their Dark Horse Direct division.

I really love the bobblehead and Nuka-Cola in the base, but don’t really love the Brotherhood of Steel’s flag for the background. That’s just my taste and thinking that the angles are going to be sharp and might hurt me if I handle it wrong.

As much as I would love to add this to my collection, but seeing as it costs $300, it’s giving me second thoughts. My only future regret is that the statue is limited to 500 pieces, so if I miss my window, I might never see this again.

Dark Horse Comics Fallout (TV Series): Maximus Figure (Nov 2024)

Dark Horse previously released a different Maximus Power Armor figure, but scaled to 10 inches, and retails for $70, however currently Amazon is selling it for $50. It’s still not enough of a discount for me to bite, especially because I already have two versions from McFarlane Toys (at $25 each) and various Think Geek statues.

Also worth mentioning is that the upcoming 13-inch statue is Polyresin vs the 10-inch, which is made of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride). As far as I know, PVC is like plastic and is very light, making it feels cheap, compared to stone or lead-based statues.

P.S. Dark Horse also produced these 8-inch Stylized Fallout Vinyl figures (retails for $54), which I won’t buy, unless it’s heavily discounted. I just find it too cartoonish and off-putting.

Fallout: Elite Series (Nov 2025)

MCFARLANE TOYS
mcfarlane.com

With McFarlane Toys losing the DC Comics license, they’ve been busy looking to expand to other brands - such as Fallout. Last year, McFarlane released a series of 6-inch plastic statues based on the television series in their Movie Maniacs line. The first set included Maximus, Lucy, the Ghoul, and the Vault Boy. The second set was a repaint of the first set.

I actually picked up the repaint on the cheap and am very interested in getting the 12-inch version that I saw at Target in January 2025. I haven’t seen it since, but I know it exists.

Not a statue, but I am also very interested in buying the Fallout: Elite Series Action Figure. McFarlane’s people showed off the figure at an IGN livestream, but little details known about it. It looks like they’re going to give us a million swappable hands and lots of guns (something that McFarlane couldn’t sell with DC Comics per their mandate). My only complaint is that all the Elite figures are going to cost $60… which is a little too much money for an action figure, in my opinion.

I honestly don’t care for the extra hands, so perhaps they can keep the cost down if they got rid of some of the extras.

Nuka-Cola Girl Statue (June 2025)

GAMINGHEADS
gamingheads.com

I think this is an officially licensed 13-inch Nuka-Cola Girl Statue by Gaming Heads, but I am hesitant to buy it directly from their website. I own a few Gaming Heads products, like the Bobbleheads, but those were purchased at a retail store. These statues, like the Mr Handy Statue/Figure might be available on their website exclusively (I’ve never seen them sold anywhere else).

Plus, the Nuka-Girl statue’s release date kept moving… currently it’s estimated to ship from their factory in April-June 2025, but I have seen a different, earlier date listed before. With June already nearing its end… I wonder if the date will be pushed to November, when you return to their website.

Anyway, the statue is available in three different options, a non-color version for $399 (limited to 50), a standard color version for $499 (limited to 1000), and a deluxe (with a backdrop) for $549 (limited to 500). Personally speaking, I would rather save the $50 and get the regular version, but that’s just me.

It is unlikely that I will buy this (especially for $500), but I really do want a Nuka-Cola Girl statue, because I missed out on buying the Think Geek version. Perhaps someone else (Dark Horse?) will put out an affordable Nuka-Girl Statue in the future.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer
[email protected]

Willie Wisely & His Belle Bottoms at Pan-O-Prog, Lakeville (July 12, 2025)

Willie Wisely at Pan-O-Prog (July 12, 2025)

Willie Wisely Setlist

Beast of Burden (The Rolling Stones cover)
Hurts So Good (John Mellencamp cover)
Should I Stay or Should I Go (The Clash cover)
I Can't Explain (The Who cover)
Pinball Wizard(The Who cover)
Break On Through (to the Other Side) (The Doors cover)
Can't Hardly Wait (The Replacements cover)
Champagne Supernova (Oasis cover)
I'll Stop the World to Melt With You (Modern English cover)

-- Intermission --
Raincan
Heart of Gold (Neil Young cover)
Honky Tonk Women (The Rolling Stones cover)
Too Quick to Love
There She Goes (Sixpence None the Richer cover)
Mother and Child Reunion (Paul Simon cover)
Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
Roadhouse Blues (The Doors cover)
I Will Dare (The Replacements cover)
Parador

Willie Wisely & His Belle Bottoms

Willie Wisely is that rare bird, mixing outsized stadium-rock showmanship with songs so lyrical, personal and true, you’ll leave the show feeling like you’ve got a new best friend.

Willie Wisely - vocals, guitar, harmonica, tambourine

Peter Anderson - drums

John Fields - bass

Ryan Smith - guitar (guitarist for Soul Asylum)

Willie Wisely

Willie Wisely to open. Tour dates: 3/26/23: VINYL RELEASE SHOW---> ICEHOUSE (w/Wille Wisely) Mpls, MN 4/20/23: The Dubliner (Acoustic Show) St. Paul, MN 5/6/23: Palmers … read more

The city of Lakeville, Minnesota is at the very southern end of the Twin Cities metro and wouldn’t be a place I would normally find myself. But since 1967, the city has an annual festival called Pan-O-Prog, short for Panorama of Progress. Lasting over a week, there are a lot of local businesses being highlighted, and all sorts of events including a lot of live music. On this last weekend of Pan-O-Prog 2025, I caught local troubadour Willie Wisely performing.

Wisely is a veteran of the Twin Cities music scene for over the last thirty years, though he did have a roughly decade where he was living and working out of Los Angeles. He’s done nearly all of it: singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, film composer, and more. He has nearly twenty albums ranging from his early days as the Willie Wisely Trio, to his solo career, to any number of one off or short-term bands he puts together as needed.

Side note: I recommend checking out his 1996 & 1997 releases She and Turbosherbert as great entry points to his work, although there’s a lot to be said for 2019’s Face the Sun as well.

On this pleasant Saturday afternoon, he was playing as Willie Wisely & His Belle Bottoms. Playing to the crowd, Wisely and the band were all covers starting with The Rolling Stones’ Beast of Burden. The Belle Bottoms were guitar, bass and drums, while Wisely held down vocals and occasionally on harmonica, tambourine, or guitar as suited for the song.

Ever the performer, Wisely had his usual unique stage presence, lead guitarist Ryan Smith (lead guitarist for Soul Asylum) took over for singing duties on Should I Stay or Should I Go. As expected, Wisely was all over the stage, hitting his version of the rock lead singer motifs, including dropping to the stage and rolling back to a standing position. And while the theatrics were fun, it’s also musically well above average, as each of the band were excellent musicians. Pinball Wizard has a rapid-fire set of lyrics and Wisely nailed it. We got the requisite Replacements song with Can’t Hardly Wait, which was well sung by Smith. A short interlude of jokes got us back to the music and close to the end of the first set (the band was scheduled from 2-5 pm).

Due to popular request in the intermission, Wisely (after a costume change!) and the band started the second set with an early original, Raincan, with Wisely on acoustic. An introduction of the band, and the band started Heart of Gold, with a soft but effective Neil Young impression.

Completing the new look with a cowboy hat, the song Honky Tonk Women worked with the western get up and an extended harmonica solo. After a little guitar tuning, the band played another Wisely song, Too Quick to Love, allowing Wisely to really belt it out. A broken string from Smith was quickly replaced and he took lead vocals on There She Goes. The band steadily played on, ranging across a variety of rock genres impressively. Finishing up the second set with the title track from Parador with an epic guitar solo from Smith, Willie Wisely had absolutely killed it in Lakeville. While I couldn’t stay for the third set, Willie Wisely and His Belle Bottoms had certainly entertained the Pan-O-Prog crowd with some extremely talented musicianship.

Willie Wisely at Pan-O-Prog, Lakeville (July 12, 2025)

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Posted at 02:03 AM in Neil Young, Soul Asylum, Thaddeus, The Replacements, The Rolling Stones, Willie Wisely | Permalink | Comments (0)

Potential New Boyfriend at Midway Saloon, St Paul (July 10, 2025)

Midway Saloon Summer Patio Concert Series

Presented by LIVE!! @Center of the Block Productions.
👉 Every Thursday • 7–9PM • FREE • No cover • No tickets

Catch great local bands all summer long on the Midway Saloon patio — cold drinks, good tunes, and zero hassle. See you there! 🍻

07/10 Potential New Boyfriend

07/17 Christopher Paul Stelling

07/24 The New Feral Cats

07/31 Jeff Ray

Potential New Boyfriend

Potential New Boyfriend (potentialnewboyfriend.com) brings fresh versions of mid-1900s Western swing and country classics to the Twin Cities. PNB features Jaclyn Mack on lead vocals, backed up by fiddle, electric guitar, lap steel, and bass to create the unique sound of great Western swing and country bands from the 1930s to 1970s. Our grandparents grew up with these songs, but all ages will sing and dance along -- it's music that is intergenerational and irresistible.

Nick Martin - Fiddle, Band Leader

Anne Elizabeth Brown - guest vocalist

Matt Lange - Steel Guitar, Banjo, Back up Vocals

Tom Weaver - Guitar

John Bergquist – Bass

Midway Saloon

The Midway Saloon is a long narrow set up, but has a two room feel, with the main bar and pool tables in the front, and the stage and a variety of seating in the back. A small, but effective sound … read more

The Midway Saloon in St. Paul hosts an outdoor “patio concert series” in the summer and classic country & western band Potential New Boyfriend was performing on a not too warm Thursday evening.

Potential New Boyfriend arrived as a quintet (vocals, guitar, fiddle, bass, and steel guitar) and focused on Western swing and country music from the mid 20th century. First time guest singer Anne Elizabeth Brown nailed the warm up / sound check with a snippet of Patsy Cline’s Fall to Pieces (regular singer Jaclyn Smith was out of town). After a quick introduction and reporting of upcoming events, the band took over and started with a pair of Bob Wills songs, the first an instrumental, and the second with bandleader Nick Martin singing. A quick joke from Martin about the solidity of the dance floor (concrete patio) led into another instrumental, Panhandle Rag, and the band was hitting their stride. Brown finally came to stage, singing Walking After Midnight, made famous as a cover by Cline. The band really worked across the country and swing genres, but also early rock & roll (though with a countrified twist), such as Bill Haley’s Shake, Rattle, and Roll. Brown stepped away again as the band went into another instrumental featuring Martin’s pretty great fiddle playing.

Our third lead vocalist of the evening (Matt Lange), also had him switch to banjo for a John Prine original. A little confusion on the next song (Lange demurred on another banjo song), led to a Hank Williams song, with a great fiddle intro. Martin is passable as a singer, but quite a delight as fiddle player and the band leaned into the music. Brown returned for another Williams song, Your Cheatin’ Heart, and she had that perfect mix of twang and soulful singing. As it was Brown’s first time with the band, perhaps it wasn’t a surprise that the band often switched back to Lange as vocalist or largely instrumental songs. New Potential Boyfriend finished the first set on Crazy, again letting Brown’s vocals shine.

The second set continued the theme, with Blue Moon getting things kicked off. We also got the full version of Fall to Pieces, and was excellent as expected. Back into the instrumentals, the fiddle took center stage again. The band gave way to Lange for another great instrumental and continued with Martin taking lead vocals. It was pretty smooth transitions across the songs, as they easily traded focus to different players. New Potential Boyfriend continued to impress on that front, as we got our fourth(!) lead singer for the evening, as guitarist Tom Weaver took vocals on the Hank Williams classic, Mind Your Own Business. As the crowd responded on the refrain, it was clear how much the band and audience were having fun. Brown returned with a song outside their normal repertoire, taking the lead on the Bonnie Raitt classic Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About, a perfectly adjacent song for the band. Getting close to the end, they gave steel guitarist Lange the lead on the song Steel Guitar Rag. A Gene Autry song was a late entry and a fun and silly number. Bringing Brown up to finish things, we got another Cline killer of She’s Got You, a perfect song for the band. Finishing on a deep cut Dolly Parton song of the same name, Potential New Boyfriend had found a niche of early country and swing for a receptive audience.

I spoke with Martin after the show. Noting that it isn’t music that people are hearing a lot today, he did state thwt there are many people who really know it, which created the niche. Growing up listening to Cline and others, Martin never thought he would play that, but when he started a band, he found other people who love it as well. The band has centered their sets around Bob Wills and Patsy Cline and then expand in different directions from there. They are starting to think about originals, which doesn’t seem too large of a step from the original instrumentation they are doing for a lot of the songs they play today. They are playing more concerts this summer, and we’ll be on the lookout for them.