W♥M

We♥KC! March 22-31, 2023 Upcoming concerts/shows (Kansas City / Lawrence, KS)

Read More Queensrÿche Queensrÿche is touring in support of their album The Verdict (Century Media Records). The record is available in a variety of limited and exclusive editions, including clear, red transparent, petrol green, red smoke vinyl, etc. …

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Late March is bringing showers… of sold-out shows-- good job KC, for packing live venues again! Plenty else is happening, including several at Knuckleheads and don’t throw away your shot, if you can manage to wrangle those still-elusive Hamilton tickets.

Sad face for the canceled RATM show which would have taken place this week- if they happen to get inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame this fall, maybe some make up dates are in the cards as a victory lap tour leg.

Let’s take look at the Kansas City/Lawrence KS metro musical happenings from March 22nd-31st.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 22

Hamilton (musical), continues through Apr 2, Music Hall,$69+

PNC Broadway in Kansas City continues with its most popular and longest-running show of the season! We all know Hamilton by now- the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a unique score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton is told like never before, and has created a lasting cultural moment in the process.

With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton has won Tony®, Grammy®, and Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors. The Disney+ special is great, but you haven’t seen Hamilton until you’ve seen it live on-stage!

THURSDAY MARCH 23

Eric Bellinger, recordBar, $30-$55

The Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter is out on his headlining Obsession Tour. It follows his 2022 Vibes On Vibes Tour, which R&B singer Sammie co-headlined. VIP packages are available, including a meet and greet, early and priority entry, autographed merchandise and more. Trevor Jackson, Nick Lavelle, and Dom Chronicles are on as support.

Maddie and Tae, Prairie Band Casino-Mayetta, SOLD OUT

Award-winning Country pop duo Maddie & Tae are coming to a sold-out Prairie Band. Their hits include: “Die From A Broken Heart”, “Girl In A Country Song”, current single “Every Night Every Morning”, and many more!

Iris Dement w Ana Egge, Knuckleheads, SOLD OUT

Longtime folk singer-songwriter and former KC resident Dement still obviously has loyal fans in the area. Her debut record Infamous Angel, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary, was recently named one of the “greatest country albums of all time” by Rolling Stone, and the two albums that followed, My Life and The Way I Should, each garnered Contemporary Folk GRAMMY nominations.

Thirty years after her debut, she’s still creating some of the most poignant music of her career, bridging seemingly disparate worlds with every note.

FRIDAY MARCH 24

Smithereens w Marshall Crenshaw (re-scheduled date) Knuckleheads,$35-$55

The popular New Jersey band formed way back in 1980, bringing a contemporary beat to a classic rock sound. Jim Babjak (guitar,) Dennis Diken (drums,) and Mike Mesaros (bass) grew up together and original lead singer, the late Pat DiNizio, hailed from nearby Scotch Plains, NJ. They toured worldwide over the course of 17 albums and 2500+ live shows before the 2017 passing of DiNizio put the band on hold, momentarily.

Longtime friend Marshall Crenshaw takes over lead vocals for this tour, recreating the many Smithereens favorites, as well as likely, a few of his own hits. Special Guest is: The Popskull Rebels.

Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams w Shawn Mullins, Knuckleheads. $35-$55

Multi-instrumentalist-singer-songwriter Larry Campbell and singer-guitarist Teresa Williams’ acclaimed self-titled 2015 debut, released after seven years of playing in Levon Helm’s band – and frequent high-profile guest appearances – helped put them on the map as a formidable musical duo.

And for this tour, they’re joined by singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins, whose critical breakthrough came when 1998 Soul’s Core album shot him to fame on the strength of its Grammy-nominated No. 1 hit, “Lullaby”. In early 2002, he formed super group The Thorns with Matthew Sweet and Pete Droge.

Michigan Rattlers, recordBar, $18

A Michigan folk-rock band composed of Graham Young (guitar), Adam Reed (bass), Christian Wilder (piano), and Tony Audia (drums). Veering beyond their initial Country-leaning sound, the band’s second full-length, That Kind of Life was released in 2021 to positive reviews. Morris & Depew open.

SATURDAY MARCH 25

Jerry Cantrell w Thunderpussy, Uptown,$35-$79

The Alice in Chains singer-guitarist is heading back out for another tour leg in support of his 2021 solo acclaimed album, Brighten. Expect to hear a plethora of solo material along with a number of AIC classics. The 2022 trek included vocalist Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan), drummer Gil Sharone (Team Sleep), guitarist Tyler Bates (film soundtrack composer), who should all return as part of Cantrell’s solid band.

Luzcid, Encore at Uptown Theater, $25

The Houston-born electronic artist is out on his Illusions Tour, an Audio/Visual experience with visuals from Data Byte.

JID and Smino, Midland. $32.50-$59.50

Out on their co-headlining Luv is 4ever Tour (which we’re scheduled to cover later this week in Minneapolis). Atlanta rapper J.I.D’s latest is The Forever Story, which topped many “Best of 2022” lists, including Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, while St. Louis rapper Smino’s third album Luv 4 Rent was his debut with Motown Records, in partnership with Zero Fatigue.

Queensryche w Marty Friedman, Trauma, The Truman,$32.50-$65

The ‘Ryche returns to the road with headlining tour dates in support of their latest album, 2022’s Digital Noise Alliance. Joining the classic progressive metal act on the road as special supporting acts will be ex-Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth) and rising metal band Trauma, making for an entertaining evening all around.

Queensryche said in a press release, "This touring package is amped up and very much looking forward to seeing all of you! Come on out and let's have a great time together, as live music is as vibrant as ever once again!"

Little River Band, Ameristar Casino, $50-$68

The classic rock band from Melbourne is best known for their top hits “Reminiscing,” “The Night Owls” and “Lonesome Loser,” since forming in 1975. Other radio-familiar hits include “Take it Easy on Me,” “Help Is on Its Way,” “Happy Anniversary” and “The Other Guy.”

SUNDAY MARCH 26

Cowboy Mouth, Knuckleheads, $25

Jenny still Says to come to this show for a participatory fun time. Much like gumbo, the New Orleans-born band uses a potent blend of musical ingredients- rock, blues, punk, funk, country, pop, soul and whatever else feels good, for a true rock n roll revival show. Frontman, drummer, and co-founder Fred LeBlanc has asserted “if The Neville Brothers and The Clash had a baby, it would be Cowboy Mouth."

MONDAY MARCH 27

Shame, Bottleneck. $20

The rising London post-punk band has returned with their third full-length, Food for Worms, which just came out at the end of last month. Three buzzing singles were released beforehand, doing exceptionally well on the other side of the pond, “Fingers of Steel", "Six-Pack" and "Adderall".

After they missed Rock the Garden in 2018, we finally caught the band live, last summer headlining in Minneapolis. They've been busy touring the UK and Europe, so are ready to hit our shores with a bang.

Tampa’s They Hate Change will open- the hip-hop/electronic duo released their Jagjaguwar debut Finally, New last May, which is their eighth overall project.

TUESDAY MARCH 28

Rage Against The Machine, March 28, T-Mobile Center CANCELED

WEDNESDAY MARCH 29

Toto Uptown,$39-$99

The longtime rock band has spent most of the last couple years, touring on and off with a similar classic band that’s had its ups and downs, Journey, but returns to the area to make up for a previously postponed headlining appearance.

After announcing a breakup (filled with health issues, a lawsuit, etc) in 2019, they announced a reunion a year later with a revamped lineup including old/new singer Joseph Williams (son of composer John Williams), Steve Lukather, bassist John Pierce, drummer Robert “Sput” Searight, keys/vocalist Steve Maggiora, keyboardist Dominique “Xavier” Taplin and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Warren Ham.

Jessie Murph, The Truman, $17

Alabama alt/pop TikTokker 18-year-old singer Murph is out on her first ever North American tour in support of her debut mixtape, Drowning released last month which includes songs “Always Been You,” “If I Died Last Night,” and “Pray”, as well as three new tracks.

She’s catching more notice as many of her originally booked venues, have been re-booked into bigger halls, to accommodate additional demand. We caught Murph live just over a week ago, in Minneapolis, with her older brother opening the show. 44Phantom is listed as support for KC.

THURSDAY MARCH 30

Koe Wetzel, w/ The Cadillac Three, Dylan Wheeler, Cable Dahmer Arena. $35-$60

The genre-bending outlaw country artist brings his Road to Hell Paso Tour to the eastern KC suburbs iin support of Koe’s latest album Hell Paso, out last September which debuted at #12 on Billboard. In speaking about the album, Koe says: “We pulled in every genre we were feeling at the time. We spent the last ten years trying to make this sound, Hell Paso has it.” Wetzel sold over 350,000 tickets last year and is on track for much more in 2023. Opening acts are worth arriving early for.

Key Glock w Big Scarr, Uptown Theater,$39.50

The Memphis rapper is on his Glockoma Tour, a 31-date run of shows running until April 28 for a home-state show in Nashville, in support of new full-length, Glockoma 2, a sequel to his 2018 release.

Zepparella with Bad Bad Men, recordBar. $20

Expect to feel a whole lotta love for this Led Zeppelin tribute made up of vocalist Anna Kristina, guitarist Gretchen Menn, bassist Holly West, and drummer Clementine. Bad Bad Men (from Omaha) open the show.

FRIDAY MARCH 31

A Moving Sound, Polsky Theatre. $17-$35

Fusing traditional Taiwanese influences with a global sensibility, the award-winning ensemble (Sheng Don 聲動) built a worldwide following through their mix of original music and dance, featuring the timbres of the erhu (fiddle) and zhong ruan (lute), and vocals of Mia Hsieh,

Hsieh draws inspiration from her roots in Asian culture, as well as an assimilation of experimental and improvisational art forms. Her vocal influences range from ethnic to experimental. For many of the compositions, she performs using her own created language; chanting, speaking and singing with emotion.

Take 6, Lied Center. $19-$50

The most awarded acapella group (Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley) in history hits the live stage in Lawrence. With 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards, a Soul Train Award, induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and more, Take 6 are six voices united in crystal clear harmony. We saw them live performing a Christmas mini-set, outdoors in mid-December numbing temperatures, singing from a rail car (no joke!) supporting Sheryl Crow.

Dave Attell (comedian) thru Apr 1, KC Improv, SOLD OUT

The NYC stand-up comedian remains as popular as ever, selling out all shows on this multi-night KC residency. Known for the hit series, "Insomniac with Dave Attell" on Comedy Central, Attell has also been on every late night talk show and his own half-hour stand-up special, among numerous other appearances.

Tech N9ne with King Iso, March 31, Granada. $30

KC’s favorite rapper got a Super Bowl bump, when his unofficial anthem, “Red Kingdom” was played everywhere as our own Kansas City Chiefs repeated as NFL Champions. He brings his Strange Music show to the home of the Jayhawks (who need some cheering up after being bumped from March Madness).

Crystal Bowersox, Mar 31, Knuckleheads (POSTPONED to October 6)

john c (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

SXSW 2023

Read More SXSW SXSW 2015 is taking place March 17–22, 2015. We love this time of the year, as many bands heading down to Austin will likely stop in Minneapolis before or after the event. ....

What a year, once again! This was my 12th SXSW in the last 16 years, and I'll be honest I thought it was going to be a down year post-Covid…. But far from a dull year, Austin was alive and well with loads of great new artists from all over the world in very tiny intimate settings.

To future SXSW attendees it’s still always good to have a nice daily list of shows you want to see and the locations to map out a schedule. All the venues are centrally located near downtown and the transportation options with walking, scooters, bikes, and Lyfts make life easy getting around the music festival.

Anyone that is buying a $1,000 music badge is out of their mind (that isn’t getting it free through label/company etc.). The collection of free day parties all over the city is endless, all you had to do was RSVP to a few, but most of them were free without it. And as far as the nightly showcases paying for $10-20 covers is the way to go.

The first night I saw 15 bands at three venues and paid $30 in covers. The second stage locations were extremely convenient when making decisions on who to catch.

Now for the music enrichment of new music with the top 10 lists.

Top 10 performances at SXSW

1. Orions Belte @ International day stage (Khruangbin/Delicate Steve fans)
2. The Garrys @ Swan Dive and Lazarus Brewery (caught them twice) (Unreal surf rock)
3. Lemonade Shoelace @ Cedar Street Courtyard and Laz (killer psychedelic band from Belfast / Tame Impala-esque)
4. Heavy Heavy @ Parish (killer Ed Sharpe/Nathaniel Rateliff sound) (every song gets better love the male/female vocals)
5. Red Rum Club at Lazarus Brewery
6. Been Stellar @ Swan Dive (Creek and the Cave)… Ben Stellar showed up at this party (Tokyo Police Club sound)
7. The Goa Express @ Swan Dive (killer Britrock)
8. Silverbacks @ Lazarus Brewery (great Irish band reminds me of The Rakes/Art Brut)
9. Kiwi Jr. @ Lazarus Brewery (Strokes vibes)
10. Lounge Society @ Chess Club
    
    --
    Honorable Mention: Sports Team @ Mohawk

Top 10 Artists missed @ SXSW Thee Sacred Souls Fennac (killer DJ) Vanille Balthvs Fonteyn Iguana Death Cult

Good Looks Wild Child Jockstrap Girl Scout -- Honorable mention: Circa Waves, Philline Sonny, Zella Day, Julianna Rolino, Salarymen, Vox Rea

Best Venues at SXSW Lazarus Brewery Mohwak Swan Dive

Can't wait for next year!!!! Rock On!

P.S. Favorite moment at SXSW was hanging out with Ben Romans Hopcraft (former lead singer of Childhood), who I interviewed for W♥M eight years ago at Great Escape Festival in Brighton, England. Crazy small world, we ran into each other at the Lounge Society show at Chess Club. Some of the members of The Nude Party were there as well, who have a sold out show at Turf Club coming up.

Ben has a new band he plays drums and sings for called Miss Tiny. Check them out on Spotify.

Silverbacks at Lazarus Brewery

Lemonade Shoelace Thao at High Noon (15 Mar 2023) Heavy Heavy at the Parish (16 Mar 2023) Red Rum Club Lounge Society at Chess Club (16 Mar 2023)

Lemonade Shoelace at Cedar Street Courtyard, Austin (16 Mar 2023)

brody ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Beths at First Ave (03/20/2023)

Setlists The Beths Setlist Future Me Hates Me Knees Deep Out of Sight You Wouldn’t Like Me Your Side Best Left I Want to Listen Head in the Clouds Don’t Go Away Jump Rope Gazers Less Than Thou I Told You That I Was When You Know You Know I’m Not Getting Excited Silence Is Golden Expert in a Dying Field -- Encore -- You Are a Beam of Light Little Death Sidney Gish Setlist Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second (STRFKR cover) Rat of the City Where the Sidewalk Ends I Eat Salads Now Sin Triangle Persephone Filming School Presumably Dead Arm Not but for You, Bunny Read More The Beths Tribune called The Beths, one of the “best up-and-coming bands”, so we were really eager to catch this young New Zealand trio (Elizabeth Stokes, Jonathan Pearce and ....

The return of The Beths to the Twin Cities officially ushered in the first day of spring. Who cares if there was snow with most still wearing their ski caps. For a brief time at First Ave one could believe winter’s grip was finally losing its hold.

Sidney Gish opened the evening of the sold out show. The signer-songwriter from Boston played the electric guitar while working a row of foot pedals to augment her sound with bass, percussions and the occasional synth chords.

Gish played songs from her two albums Ed Buys Houses and No Dogs Allowed. “I Eat Salads Now” had a soulful, bouncy vibe in which Gish referenced in her lyrics that she was 26 years old. By chance, her actual birthday was a couple days ago and she was in fact turning 26. She said that it was the perfect moment for The Beths to come on stage with cake and balloons when she sang the line.

“Persephone” got a big applause when announced. Gish then accidentally added a layer of synth to the song, but she said: “This is fun!” Aka let’s roll with the new sound.

The highlight of the set was “Presumably Dead Arm” a stream of conscience whisper that Gish sung along with the crowd as the words and music grew into a crescendo “… with a vengeance, it seems.”

Setlist

The Beths opened up their set with “Future Me Hates Me” and then a crowd favorite: “You Wouldn’t like Me.” The band from Auckland, New Zealand was nice enough to return to the Twin Cities after their show was originally cancelled on February 22^nd due to you guessed it: a massive snow storm.

So they rescheduled one last show on their American tour, which lead singer, Elizabeth Stokes, said was symbiotic, since they ended their last American tour at the Fine Line in March of 2022. The giant fish that was so prominent on their tour didn’t make it to First Ave, though, for The Beths and Sidney Gish had to hop on a plane from San Francisco just to make it to the show.

Even though the lead guitarist, Jonathon Pearce, had the word RAGE embossed on his sweatshirt do not be fooled. This is a nice group of musicians with Benjamin Sinclair on bass and Tristan Deck on drums. Sidney Gish described her touring companions as the band you would see in a cartoon. There is a definite brightness in their sound and lushness in their four-person harmony even if the lyrics delve into the angst and worry of everyday life.

This robust sound was best exemplified in “Jump Rope Gazers”. But it was the high-spirited songs like “Don’t Go Away” and “I’m Not Getting Excited” that demonstrated their skills as a tight-knit group as they careened, even shifting speeds and chords midstream.

There won’t be much time for relaxation for this most sought after band. Soon, they tour Europe, then summer music festivals in the United States. And if you missed their show at First Ave, they will be back, opening for The National at The Armory on August 9^th.

Don’t worry! There is little chance the show will be cancelled due to snow.

The Beths

Sidney Gish Sidney Gish The Beths The Beths The Beths

The Beths at First Avenue, Minneapolis (20 Mar 2023)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Diablo IV Beta

Read More Diablo Blizzard’s “Do you guys not have phones?” game, Diablo Immortal launched on iOS and Android on June 1st. The PC version followed soon after. I have tested the game on iPhone 13, iPad (2020), ..…

You guys know me, I love Diablo. Ever since I played the demo disc from PC Gamer, I’ve been addicted to Diablo since 1996. I’ve bought every Blizzard games from Warcraft to Starcraft… but Diablo was my first love.

I started to dislike the company when, in an effort to fight piracy and make money, requires their games to always be online, starting with Diablo III. At the time, in 2012, my internet wasn’t reliable. I hated the fact that Blizzard was treating me like a criminal, asking me to check with their server whenever I play my game that I purchased.

So, in protest, I didn’t buy Diablo III when it came out on the PC. When the game was ported to PS3, it didn’t require an online connection - so I finally got to play the game, finally, in 2014. It’s a good game, even though I didn’t experience it until much later.

By now, my attitude towards “always online” games (even for single player games), have changed since I have reliable internet. I just recognize that it’s not going away, and it is just the way it is. Sure, I still don’t like it, but what can you do?

So I’ve been itching to play Diablo IV, seeing as it’s been over a decade since Diablo III came out. Sure we had the “fake” Diablo: Immortal and the re-mastered Diablo II: Resurrected, but Diablo IV is the true successor to the third game.

In order to get early access to Diablo IV on March 17-19, you had to pre-order the game, get a Diablo tattoo, or buy a KFC’s Double Down sandwich. Then the public open beta will be available March 24-26.

My Long Wait Time

Absolutely no surprise to anyone, there were very, very long waiting queue just to play the game. I was a 148-min wait time at one point. Do you see the problem here? Even if you own the game, you’re not allowed to play it until Blizzard can log you in.

Once you can actually get in to play, you’ll randomly get disconnected from the server. It’s super annoying. I just hope that this kind of thing doesn’t happen when the game actually officially releases on June 6.

As for the game, it’s very good from what I’ve seen. In the beta, you’re limited to a small map of the game and you’re capped at level 25. In the hours that I played, I reached Level 13, so it doesn’t take long to level up (especially if you just follow the main quest). I also like that it’s more role-playing now, and you have a lot of skill options. For example, you can build up your rogue to be focused on bows/crossbows or dual-wielding dagger assassin. Even though it’s the same class, they play very differently.

Also, it’s worth mentioning that each weapon feels different too. For example, a bow is very different from a crossbow. Although both shoot arrows, I find the bow just more satisfying, based on animation, sound, and movement.

So far, from what I’ve played of Diablo IV, I love it. This is only based on playing the Rogue. The other classes available right now is the Barbarian and the Sorcerer. I don’t like playing magic, so I think I’ll try out the Barbarian in my next character creation.

Anyway, Diablo IV is going to be a hit when it comes out on June 6th.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer.

Diablo IV

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Minneapolis: April 13 to April 14

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

04/13 Ryan Traster and NEWSKI with Long Range Hustle at Turf Club Read More Ryan Traster Minneapolis-based musician Ryan Traster is having a Choses Obscures CD album release party this July 6th at the Turf Club. Looking at the poster, he is putting the name Ryan Traster Band on the bill. … Brett Newski Milwaukee-based alternative songwriter / illustrator / podcaster Brett Newski is releasing his first book It’s Hard To Be A Person: defeating anxiety, surviving the world, and having more fun and its ... Chipotle We learned that again over the previous weekend as the Chipotle Cultivate Festival came to town for a day long adventure of food, ideas, and music. ...

04/13/2023 Thursday

Ryan Traster and NEWSKI
with Long Range Hustle
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

The co-headlining tour of Ryan Traster and Newski will be stopping by the Turf Club in St Paul on April 13th.

The press release of the year, for me, was for Newski’s disastrous unlicensed pop-up concert at Chipotle.

“We played an unlicensed show at Chipotle and everyone hated us,” says NEWSKI.

Everything that could go wrong did, for Wisconsin’s jangle pop rock outfit NEWSKI on their spontaneous and unlicensed performance at Chipotle; the guitar fell out of tune, no free burritos were rewarded, and nearly everyone in the place was pissed off.

I thought it was funny enough that I shared it with the W♥M team. Even if the story was made up or overly exaggerated, it made us notice and we like a band with a sense of humor.

I did some digging, and apparently this trio features Steve “Mr Bicep” Vorass on drums, Sean “Tubs” Anderson on 4-string, and led by Brett Newski on guitars and vocals.

Brett Newski (06 July 2016)

Funny enough, we have seen Brett before, at the Violent Femmes show in July 2016, which we described, “Brett Newski opened up the show with his improv-ish songs. Very fun guy, really witty. Highlight of his set was getting an audience member to help play harmonica during ‘In Between Exits’. He ended his brief 30-min set with ‘D.I.Y.’... and newfound fans in the front started to sing along to his catchy lyrics, “I’m D.I.Y., I’m punk as f***. Don’t need your money, I don’t want your love.” Newski also tend to swap out lyrics to make his song more personal and timely. For example, he name dropped The Replacements in the mixtape lyrics on ‘D.I.Y.’”

Long Range Hustle to open.

Tour dates:

03.29 - YPSILANTI, MI @ Ziggys
03.30 - HAMILTON, ON @ Mill’s Hardware
01.31 - TORONTO, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
04.01 - ELORA, ON @ Elora Brewing Co
04.02 - BARRIE, ON @ Queens Hotel
04.06 - STEVEN'S POINT, WI @ UWSP Dreyfus Center
04.07 - MILWAUKEE, WI @ Anodyne Walkers Point
04.08 - MANITOWOC, WI @ Sabbatical Brewing
04.12 - CHICAGO, IL @ Golden Dagger
04.13 - ST PAUL, MN @ Turf Club
04.14 - APPLETON, WI @ Appleton Beer Factory
04.21 - COLUMBUS, OH @ Rambling House Series
04.22 - YOUNGSTOWN, OH @ Westside Bowl
04.23 - PHILADELPHIA, PA @ Krobath series
04.26 - NEW YORK, NY @ Bowery Electric
04.27 - DEWEY BEACH, DL @ Fort Ishu House Show
04.28 - WASHINGTON DC @ Pearl St Warehouse
04.30 - RICHMOND, VA @ Hardywood Brewing
05.03 - ORLANDO, FL @ Will’s Pub
05.04 - ST AUGUSTINE @ Sarbez
05.05 - WEST DESTIN, FL @ Rock by the Sea Fest
05.06 - WEST DESTIN, FL @ Rock by the Sea Fest
05.20 - HAVANA, IL @ Havana Songwriters Fest
05.23 - SEATTLE, WA @ Fun House
05.24 - BEND, OR @ Old St Francis School
05.25 - PORTLAND, OR @ The White Eagle
05.26-27 - PORT ANGELES, WA @ JFFA Festival
06.02- MARSHFIELD, WI @ Hub City Days
06.17 - SHEBOYGAN, WI @ Three Sheeps
06.23 - CEDAR RAPIDS, IA @ Newbo City Market
06.30 - BARABOO, WI @ Tumbled Rock Brewing
07.01 - MADISON, WI @ Terrace at Memorial Union
07.12 - GOSHEN, IN @ Goshen Brewing
07.14 - LANSING, MI @ Bridge Fest
07.15 - GRAND RAPIDS, MI @ Founders
07.16 - THREE OAKS, MI @ Acorn Theatre

04/14 Fruit Bats at First Avenue Read More Fruit Bats If you are looking for a laid back collection of summer tracks then I suggest you look no further than The Ruminant Band by the Fruit Bats. …

04/14/2023 Friday

Fruit Bats
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Nashville’s Fruit Bats (Eric D. Johnson) is currently on tour in support of A River Running to Your Heart. The record will be available April 14 via Merge Records.

“Over the years there's been a lot of geography in my music, a lot of landscapes,” Johnson says. “Sometimes the places are real, sometimes they're emotional. I've always liked the idea of songs and albums that exist in a continuum with one another. I'm not talking about some kind of deep series of concept albums, mind you. More like the idea that my songs are all pretty much tributaries of the same river. Which makes a lot of metaphorical sense because my path has been long and winding and often slow and muddy. But always moving towards the sea…. I guess you could say this album is the one where I took all that emotional geography and kind of mapped it out.”

We saw Fruit Bats in Oct 2015 and said, “Johnson’s honeyed voice was perfect, rivaled only by the dreamy strum of Barker’s guitar and gentle whirr of Klippert’s keyboards. Folk-pop gems like fan-favorite “When You Love Somebody” (from Mouthfuls) saw many people singing the famously quirky lyric, “When you love somebody and bite your tongue all you get is a mouthful of blood.” Blood, bats, love and folk - I couldn’t have asked for a better precursor to Halloween.”

Fruit Bats Spring 2023 Tour:

4/12 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi
4/13 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
4/14 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
4/15 – Maquoketa, IA – Codfish Hollow
4/16 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
4/18 – Toronto, ON, Canada – Phoenix Theatre
4/19 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl
4/20 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
4/21 – Boston, MA – Royale
4/22 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
4/25 – Carrboro, NC – Cat's Cradle
4/27 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
4/28 – Scaly Mountain, NC – Bear Shadow +
4/29 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
4/30 – Jacksonville, FL – Intuition Ale Works
5/10 – San Diego, CA – Belly Up Tavern
5/11 – Los Angeles, CA – The Theatre
5/12 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
5/13 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
5/14 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
5/17 – Austin, TX – Mohawk
5/19 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
5/20 – Salt Lake City, UT – Commonwealth Room
5/21 – Bozeman, MT – The Elm
5/24 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall
5/25 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
5/26 – Seattle, WA – Showbox Market
5/27 – Vancouver, BC, Canada – Commodore Ballroom

+ w/ Spoon

04/14 Aoife O’Donovan with The Westerlies at Turf Club Read More Aoife O'Donovan Opening the show was Ber. Originally from Minnesota, Ber moved to London in 2020 to work on music. With a massive fanbase on TikTok, she caught the attention of London’s Zane Lowe and Travis Mills ...

04/14/2023 Friday

Aoife O’Donovan
with The Westerlies
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

GRAMMY Award-winning artist Aoife O’Donovan will be playing her live recording of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 album Nebraska live at the Turf Club, this April 14th, 2023.

O’Donovan loves Nebraska and explains, “It was this concept album in a way that was just so natural, it was so unforced. Springsteen found these characters and sort of placed them. It’s almost like the American Songbook or something. I just love the record; from the opening moments to the final cut, ‘Reason to Believe,’ it has this beautiful arc. It’s almost novelistic in that way.”

Aoife O’Donovan (20 Nov 2015)

We saw Aoife O'Donovan in Nov 2015 and wrote, “Opening up the show, was Crooked Still's Aoife O'Donovan playing some folky/storytelling songs from her latest solo album Fossils, including set opening song "Lay My Burden Down", "Oh, Mama", and "Beekeeper". She played a couple of new songs, like "Hornets", which she said she played recently when she hosted (along with Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz) at the A Prairie Home Companion show in October 2015. ”

The Westerlies to open.

Aoife O’Donovan Plays Nebraska Tour

March 15 - The Birchmere - Alexandria, VA*
March 16 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY*
March 17 - Sanders Theatre - Cambridge, MA*
March 18 - Stone Mountain Arts Center - Brownfield, ME+
April 12 - Stoughton Opera House - Stoughton, WI^
April 13 - SPACE - Evanston, IL^
April 14 - Turf Club - St. Paul, MN^
April 15 - The Sheldon Concert Hall - St. Louis, MO^
April 16 - The Basement East - Nashville, TN^

*performing the album Nebraska solo, with special guests Hawktail
+performing the album Nebraska solo
^performing the album Nebraska solo, with special guests The Westerlies

Additional Aoife O’Donovan Tour Dates
April 28 - Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN ~
May 30 - Dresden Music Festival - Dresden, DE
August 18-19 - Green Mountain Bluegrass - Manchester, VT
August 25 - The Long Road - Leicestershire, UK
August 26-27 - Tønder - Tønder, DK
September 9 - Moon River - Chattanooga, TN

~ supporting Nickel Creek

04/14 Trapper Schoepp at 7th St Entry Read More Trapper Schoepp Milwaukeean Trapper Schoepp started things off with a fantastic cover of the classic Jimmie Rodgers’ tune “T for Texas” before moving into …

04/14/2023 Friday

Trapper Schoepp
with Becky Kapell and Laura Hugo
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Trapper Schoepp is touring in support of his upcoming album Siren Songs, available April 21 via Grand Phony (US) / Rootsy (EU).

Trapper Schoepp (31 May 2017)

We saw Trapper Schoepp in May 2017 and said, “As a former resident of Green Bay, I was charmed to learn that Trapper Schoepp’s newest EP was written all about the city’s Bay Beach, an east-side amusement park nestled on the bay that happens to be celebrating 125 years of existence this year. Schoepp treated the Turf crowd to a performance of Bay Beach Amusement Park in its entirety with help from Shades bandmates Justin Krol on drums, Quinn Scharber on guitar, brother Tanner on bass/vocals and a 3-piece horn section lovingly called “The Horns”.”

Tour dates:

3/23 - Lake Orion, MI - 20 Front Street
3/24 - Akron, OH - Barno's House
3/25 - Ligonier, PA - Sweet Rust
3/26 - Washington, D.C. - Pie Shop DC
3/28 - Boston, MA - City Winery Boston
3/29 - Cambridge, NY - Argyle Brewing Company
3/30 - Syracuse, NY - The 443 Social Club & Lounge
3/31 - Freehold, NJ - Concerts in the Studio
4/1 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
4/2 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
4/14 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry
4/15 - Madison, WI - Kiki's House of Righteous Music
4/21 - Milwaukee, WI - Colectivo **
4/22 - Berwyn, IL - FitzGerald’s **
4/23 - Nashville, TN - Eastside Bowl **
5/7 - Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall #
5/9 - Davenport, IA - Raccoon Motel #
5/10 - Berwyn, IL - FitzGerald’s #
5/11 - Des Moines, IA - xBk Live #
5/12 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge #

** With Mike Viola
# Supporting Daniel Rodriguez

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Sony 70-200mm GM F2.8 OSS

Read More Sony What I am eyeing, is the rather expensive Sony 70-200mm G-Master Lens. It retails for $2,500, but I have seen it as low as $2,000 during the Black Friday/Christmas sale. I know the price is way more expensive than the …

As I previously mentioned, I had my eye on the Tamron 50-400mm lens, since I wanted a nice long reach at 400mm… but unfortunately, due to the F6.3 (at 400mm), it’s not suitable for photographing concerts.

Then, the idea popped in my head to look at the Sony 70-200mm GM F2.8 OSS lens. This is the original lens that started Sony’s Gold Master (or G Master) lens line up in 2016. Sony has four types of lens: basic (not labeled), Zeiss (developed in cooperation with Carl Zeiss), G (Gold), and GM (Gold Master). G Master is the highest tier, basically the best of the best.

For most photographers, any lens, at any F-Stop should be fine in daytime. For people shooting night photography, you want a low F-Stop… so for a time, I just thought the G Master lens was just too expensive.

But as I looked into it, the low F2.8 started to look more attractive. Once Sony released a version 2 of the 70-200 in 2021, prices for the original version dropped from $2,500 to $2,000… making it slightly more affordable.

When you read into it, you find out that the lens can produce 30 frames a second, if you have a camera that can take advantage of it (no third party lens can do this per Sony’s restrictions). On top of that, with a 2x teleconverter, you can turn the Sony 200mm lens to a 400mm (but it will make the lens a F5.6). Finally, Sony’s Ring Drive Super Sonic wave motor, with Double linear motor, combined with Optical Stabilization (OSS), is one of the fastest autofocusing system on the market.

Basically, I’m just trying to convince myself that all these future-proof features are worth the $2,000 I paid for the lens. And guess what? After using it for concert photo shoot, it’s absolutely worth it!

I’m serious, every shot I looked at my view screen and I’m like Wow! That’s sharp! After a few more shots, I’m like all these photos are keepers!

The Sony G-Master lens, at low light, is on another level! I’ve been using the Tamron 28-200mm (F5.6 at the 200mm end), and while the lens performs fine in good light… it does produce grainy or soft images when you’re shooting in poor lighting conditions.

Now for the negative: the first generation of the 70-200mm F2.8 GM lens is heavy. It’s really heavy. Officially, Sony lists the lens as weighing 3.3lbs, but it feels like 5lbs (the version 2 solves the weight problem by bringing it down to 2.3lbs). Basically, you’ll need both your hands to shoot. You’re going to tire out after a long shooting session… so most people use a tripod or monopod. In fact, Sony knows this, and included a removable tripod foot for the lens (which doesn’t fit Arca mounts).

Size Matters: Sony 70-200mm vs Tamron 28-200mm

The lens is also very long at 8 inches (12 with the hood… it’s the size of a Subway sandwich). The reason for this is because of the internal zooming mechanics. Adding the lens hood, the GM lens is twice as long as my Tamron 28-200 when collapsed.

The size and weight of the 70-200 GM lens makes it unconventional to just bring to, like a birthday party, or just randomly doing impromptu street photography. This is a business lens, that requires planning and commitment.

Still, despite the monstrous size and weight, I think it’s a fair tradeoff for amazing image quality. You can always look at version 2, if the weight bothers you, but I don’t think it’s worth the extra $800.

Anyway, from my experience of shooting with the 70-200 GM lens, I think it’s a very, very good lens. I’m going to try and take it on a hike, when the weather is a little warmer.

P.S. I was surprised to see that the 70-200 GM lens came with its own padded carrying case (with shoulder strap). All the lens I’ve ever purchased never came with its own custom carrying case, so this is a very nice addition.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Minneapolis: This Week (03/26/2023)

Here are some shows, this week, in the Minneapolis/St Paul area.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide

02/22 The Beths with Sidney Gish at First Avenue Read More The Beths Tribune called The Beths, one of the “best up-and-coming bands”, so we were really eager to catch this young New Zealand trio (Elizabeth Stokes, Jonathan Pearce and ....

03/20/2023 Monday

The Beths
with Sidney Gish
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Update: Remember that The Beths show on Feb 22? Well, no thanks to that blizzard of a century that passed through Minneapolis, the Australian band had to postponed the show until March 20, 2023… at the end of their American tour. We are still covering this upcoming show… hopefully no more snow on this date.

Sidney Gish to open.

>>>
New Zealand-based quartet The Beths is back on tour in support of their album Expert In A Dying Field (Carpark Records).

The Beths at Fine Line (04 Mar 2022)

We saw The Beths in Mar 2022 and wrote, “As for The Beths (singer and guitarist Liz Stokes, lead guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair, and drummer Tristan Deck) … it’s been a while since we last saw the band at Rock the Garden in 2019. We wrote, “Chicago Tribune called The Beths, one of the “best up-and-coming bands”, so we were really eager to catch this young New Zealand trio (Elizabeth Stokes, Jonathan Pearce and Benjamin Sinclair) on tour. This is also partly because they are one of those few bands that we haven’t covered and was excited to see their first time in the area. According to guitarist/vocalist Jonathan Pearce, the band have been on a co-headlining tour with Bad Bad Hats since February 2019, so they were pretty happy to share the stage once again with the local band. The band basically played their debut Future Me Hates Me, available now from Carpark Records.”

Tour dates:

Wed. Mar. 8 - Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
Fri. Mar. 10 - Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn
Sat. Mar. 11 - Dallas, TX @ Tulips
Tue. Mar. 14 - Denver, CO @ Summit
Thu. Mar. 16 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Fri. Mar. 17 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda
Sat. Mar. 18 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Mon. Mar. 20 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

03/22 Betty Who with Shea Couleé at First Avenue Read More Betty Who Just in time for Valentine, Betty Who's single "Heartbreak Dream" is coming out February 18th. Who cited Katy Perry and Robyn as massive influences on her music ....

03/22/2023 Wednesday

Betty Who
with Shea Couleé
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Pop sensation Betty Who recently covered Kate Bush’s iconic “Running Up That Hill”; the song had a renaissance last year when it was featured prominently in an episode of Netflix’s Stranger Things.

In other Who news, Betty Who was also been nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in the Outstanding Music Artist category for her acclaimed album BIG! (BMG). The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by GLAAD, the world’s largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives.

Shea Couleé to open.

Tour dates:

02/28/23: Phoenix, AZ at The Van Buren*
03/02/23: Dallas, TX at The Echo Lounge*
03/03/23: Austin, TX at Scoot Inn*
03/04/23: Houston, TX at House Of Blues*
03/06/23: Nashville, TN at Brooklyn Bowl*
03/07/23: Atlanta, GA at Variety Playhouse*
03/08/23: Asheville, NC at The Orange Peel*
03/10/23: Washington, DC at The Anthem#*
03/11/23: New York, NY at Hammerstein Ballroom*
03/14/23: Philadelphia, PA at Union Transfer*
03/15/23: Boston, MA at House Of Blues*
03/17/23: Toronto, ON at The Danforth Music Hall*
03/18/23: Detroit, MI at Saint Andrews Hall*
03/19/23: Columbus, OH at Newport Music Hall*
03/21/23: Chicago, IL at Riviera Theatre*
03/22/23: Minneapolis, MN at First Avenue*
03/24/23: Denver, CO at Ogden Theatre*
03/25/23: Salt Lake City, UT at The Depot*
03/28/23: Seattle, WA at Showbox SoDo*
03/29/23: Portland, OR at Wonder Ballroom*
03/31/23: San Francisco, CA at The Warfield*
04/01/23: Los Angeles, CA at The Novo*

* With Shea Coulee
# With Slayyyter
^ With Neve

03/23 Masego with Ogi at First Avenue Read More Ogi Los Angeles-based Nigerian-American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Ogi, to open. Tour dates: 09/03 – San Diego, CA – Music Box 09/04 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory …

03/23/2023 Thursday

Masego
with Ogi
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Jazz/R&B/multi-instrumentalist Masego is currently on his “You Never Visit Me Tour”. Masego’s self-titled album is available now on EQT Recordings/Capitol Records.

“I'm very thankful of the journey. This went from a hobby to a job,” says Masego. “I was getting all the things that they say that you're supposed to be fulfilled by and I wasn't fulfilled by it. I had to do a re-evaluation of a lot of things. I said, ‘I can't make this what I imagined it to be. So I cannot remain here. I need to move.’”

Ogi to open.

Tour Dates

Mar 12, 2023 Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
Mar 13, 2023 The Observatory Santa Ana, CA
Mar 14, 2023 The Warfield San Francisco, CA
Mar 16, 2023 The Showbox Seattle, WA
Mar 17, 2023 Vogue Theatre Vancouver, BC
Mar 18, 2023 Roseland Theater Portland, OR
Mar 20, 2023 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
Mar 23, 2023 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
Mar 24, 2023 The Salt Shed Chicago, IL
Mar 25, 2023 Royal Oak Music Theatre Detroit, MI
Mar 28, 2023 Agora Theatre and Ballroom Cleveland, OH
Mar 29, 2023 HISTORY Toronto, ON
Mar 31, 2023 House of Blues Boston Boston, MA
Apr 1, 2023 Terminal 5 New York, NY
Apr 2, 2023 Terminal 5 New York, NY
Apr 4, 2023 The Fillmore Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA
Apr 5, 2023 Rams Head Live! Baltimore, MD
Apr 7, 2023 The Fillmore Silver Spring Silver Spring, MD
Apr 8, 2023 The Fillmore Silver Spring Silver Spring, MD
Apr 9, 2023 The Fillmore Charlotte Charlotte, NC
Apr 11, 2023 Marathon Music Works Nashville, TN
Apr 12, 2023 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA
Apr 14, 2023 Jannus Live St. Petersburg, FL
Apr 15, 2023 House of Blues Orlando Orlando, FL
Apr 16, 2023 Oasis Wynwood Miami, FL
Apr 19, 2023 Republic NOLA New Orleans, LA
Apr 21, 2023 House of Blues Dallas Dallas, TX
Apr 22, 2023 Warehouse Live Houston, TX
Apr 23, 2023 Stubb's Austin Austin, TX
Apr 26, 2023 The Van Buren Phoenix, AZ
Apr 27, 2023 The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA
Apr 28, 2023 The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA
May 28, 2023 Cross The Tracks Festival Brixton, UK

03/23 The Church with DJ Jake Rudh at Fine Line Read More The Church Australia’s The Church is back in the city. The last time we saw them at the Cedar in 2015 we noted, “The show was performed as one long set, versus the two separate sets done …

03/23/2023 Thursday

The Church
with DJ Jake Rudh
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

Australia’s progressive, psych band The Church is touring in support of their forthcoming album The Hypnogogue (Communicating Vessels). The group will stop by the Fine Line in Minneapolis on March 23rd.

The Church at Turf Club (15 Oct 2018)

We saw the band in Oct 2018 and wrote, “Australia’s longtime 80s band The Church recently played the sold-out Turf Club show in St Paul, as part of their 30th Anniversary of Starfish tour. Undoubtable, this is the Sydney band’s most well-known album, at least to an international audience, thanks to their top 40 hit single, “Under the Milky Way”. ”

DJ Jake Rudh to DJ before the band.

Tour Dates

Mar 11 Los Angeles, CA The Belasco
Mar 12 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
Mar 14 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
Mar 16 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
Mar 17 Tacoma, WA Elks Temple Ballroom
Mar 21 Englewood, CO Gothic Theater
Mar 23 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Hall
Mar 25 St Louis, MO Delmar Hall
Mar 26 Chicago, IL Thalia Hall
Mar 28 Kent, OH Kent Stage
Mar 29 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
Mar 30 New York, NY Gramercy Theater
Mar 31 Boston, MA The Sinclair
Apr 1 Hartford, CT Infinity Hall
Apr 3 Asbury Park, NJ Asbury Lanes
Apr 4 Alexandria, VA Birchmere Music Hall
Apr 5 Norfolk VA The Norva
Apr 6 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
Apr 8 Pelham, TN The Caverns

03/24 J.I.D and Smino at Fillmore Minneapolis Read More Smino SZA will be appearing in Minneapolis on September 1st. Originally booked at the Cabooze, the show was upgraded to First Avenue’s. Smino and Ravyn Lenae to open. ...

03/24/2023 Friday

J.I.D and Smino
at Fillmore Minneapolis
livenation.com

J.I.D and Smino are on a co-headlining Luv is 4ever tour… they are stopping by the Fillmore in Minneapolis on March 24th, 2023.

Atlanta rapper J.I.D’s latest is The Forever Story, which topped many “Best of 2022” lists, including Rolling Stone and Pitchfork.

St. Louis rapper Smino’s third album Luv 4 Rent was his debut project with Motown Records, in partnership with Zero Fatigue.

Tour dates:

Feb 15 San Antonio, TX, US Aztec Theatre
Feb 16 Houston, TX, US Revention Music Center
Feb 18 Atlanta, GA, US Coca-Cola Roxy
Feb 19 Atlanta, GA, US Coca-Cola Roxy
Feb 21 St Petersburg, FL, US Jannus Live
Feb 22 Miami, FL, US Oasis Wynwood
Feb 22 Miami, FL, US Oasis Wynwood
Feb 24 Charlotte, NC, US The Fillmore
Feb 26 Silver Spring, MD, US The Fillmore
Feb 27 Silver Spring, MD, US The Fillmore
Mar 1 Philadelphia, PA, US The Fillmore
Mar 3 New York (NYC), NY, US Terminal 5
Mar 4 New York (NYC), NY, US Terminal 5
Mar 7 Wallingford, CT, US Dome
Mar 8 Boston, MA, US Citizens House
Mar 9 Boston, MA, US Citizens House
Mar 12 Montreal, QC, Canada MTELUS
Mar 13 Toronto, ON, Canada History
Mar 15 Toronto, ON, Canada History
Mar 17 Detroit, MI, US The Fillmore
Mar 18 Grand Rapids, MI, US GLC Live at 20 Monroe
Mar 21 Chicago, IL, US Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
Mar 23 Madison, WI, US The Sylvee
Mar 24 Minneapolis, MN, US Fillmore Minneapolis
Mar 25 Kansas City, MO, US Arvest Bank Theatre
Mar 28 Cincinnati, OH, US Andrew J. Brady Music Center
Mar 29 Nashville, TN, US Marathon Music Works
Apr 19 Berlin, Germany Gretchen
Apr 21 Antwerp, Belgium TRIX
Apr 22 Paris, France Élysée Montmartre
Apr 24 London, UK KOKO
Apr 25 London, UK O2 Forum Kentish Town
Apr 27 Dublin, Ireland The Button Factory

03/25 Inhaler with Sun Room at First Avenue Read More Inhaler Following a sold-out UK tour, Irish quartet Inhaler released My Honest Face EP, which features their cover of Billie Eilish’s single “Your Power”. ....

03/25/2023 Saturday

Inhaler
with Sun Room
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Irish band Inhaler will be headlining First Avenue on March 25, in support of their second album Cuts & Bruises (Geffen Records).

“If You’re Gonna Break My Heart” is the new single fromCuts & Bruises, which the band described, “Whilst on tour in America last year we were listening to a lot of music by some of the great American writers such as Bob Dylan, The Band, Bruce Springsteen etc. Listening to these artists while travelling on big open highways resonated with us and helped shape this song into making us sound more like a live band than we had before.”

Cuts & Bruises is the follow-up to Inhaler’s debut album It Won’t Always Be Like This which debuted at no.1 in both the UK & Irish Official Charts. Released in July 2021,It Won’t Always Be Like This became the fastest-selling debut album on vinyl by any band this century and saw Inhaler become the first Irish group to top the Album Charts with a debut in 13 years.

Southern California’s Sun Room to open. The rock four-piece features Luke Asgian (lead vocals & guitar), Ashton Minnich (guitar), Max Pinamonti (bass), and Gibby Anderson (drums). Their latest EP Outta Their Minds is out now.

Tour dates:

03/06 Austin Emo’s
03/07 Houston White Oak Music Hall
03/08 Dallas The Echo Lounge
03/10 Nashville Brooklyn Bowl
03/11 Atlanta Buckhead Theatre
03/13 Washington DC 9:30 Club
03/14 Washington DC 9:30 Club
03/16 Philadelphia DC TLA
03/17 New York Hammerstein Ballroom
03/18 Boston House of Blues
03/20 Montreal Corona Theatre
03/21 Toronto Danforth Music Hall
03/23 Detroit St Andrews Hall
03/24 Chicago Riviera Theatre
03/25 Minneapolis First Avenue
03/27 Denver Summit
03/28 Salt Lake City The Complex Grand
03/30 Seattle The Showbox
03/31 Vancouver Commodore Ballroom
04/01 Portland Wonder Ballroom
04/03 San Francisco The Regency Ballroom
04/05 Los Angeles The Wiltern Theatre
04/06 Los Angeles The Wiltern Theatre

03/25 Ingrid Andress with Madeline Edwards at Fine Line Read More Ingrid Andress Keith Urban with Tyler Hubbard Ingrid Andress, T-Mobile Center. $29.50-$169.50 Australia’s favorite country music export is out on his Speed of Now World Tour and bringing along two solid support acts- half of Florida Georgia Line and a rising singer-songwriter. …

03/25/2023 Saturday

Ingrid Andress
with Madeline Edwards
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

3x GRAMMY-nominee Ingrid Andress is on a headlining “The Good Person Tour”.

Andress reached the top of the Country Aircheck chart with her Platinum-certified hit “Wishful Drinking (with Sam Hunt),” as seen on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, taken from her celebrated sophomore album, Good Person.

Madeline Edwards to open.

Tour Dates

Feb 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – Commonwealth ^
Feb 25 – Denver, CO – Bluebird ^
Feb 28 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall ^
March 2 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey ^
March 15 – New York City, NY – Gramercy Theatre •
March 16 – Boston, MA – Sinclair •
March 23 – Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation ^
March 25 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line ^
April 1 – San Diego, CA – Boots In The Park *
May 4 – Dublin, IRL – Whelans +
May 5 – Belfast, UK – Limelight 2 +
May 7 – Glasgow, UK – St. Luke's +
May 9 – Manchester, UK – Gorilla +
May 10 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute 3 +
May 11 – London, UK – Scala +
May 15 – Paris, France – Le Pop Up du Label +
May 16 – Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg OZ +
May 17 – Cologne, DE – Blue Shell +
May 19 – Berlin, DE – Frannz Club +
May 20 – Hamburg, DE – Nochtwache +
May 21 – Copenhagen, DK – Lille Vega +
May 23 – Stockholm, SE – Nalen Club +
May 24 – Oslo, NO – John Dee +

^ with special guest Madeline Edwards
• with special guest Carter Faith
+ with special guest Nick Wilson * festival date

03/26 Yo La Tengo at First Avenue Read More Yo La Tengo Dark Dark Dark (they're from Minneapolis!), Yo La Tengo (not sure if they fit in "folk"), Cadence Weapon (I like him, but again, not sure "folk" fits him), and The Felice Brothers. ...

03/26/2023 Sunday

Yo La Tengo
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Hoboken rock trio Yo La Tengo (“I have it”) is touring in support of their sixteenth studio album This Stupid World (Matador Records). For the first time, Yo La Tengo put together this album entirely on their own, including doing their own mixes.

The tour kicks off March 9th in North Carolina and they’ll end the USA tour at First Avenue in Minneapolis. Then the band will play the UK starting in April 2023.

Tour dates:

Mar 9 Carrboro, NC, US Cat's Cradle
Mar 10 Carrboro, NC, US Cat's Cradle
Mar 11 Asheville, NC, US The Orange Peel
Mar 12 Asheville, NC, US The Orange Peel
Mar 13 Nashville, TN, US The Basement East
Mar 14 Nashville, TN, US The Basement East
Mar 16 Charlottesville, VA, US Jefferson Theater
Mar 17 Philadelphia, PA, US Union Transfer
Mar 18 Brooklyn, NY, US Brooklyn Steel
Mar 19 Washington, DC, US 9:30 Club
Mar 21 Pittsburgh, PA, US Mr Smalls Theater
Mar 22 Cleveland, OH, US Beachland Ballroom
Mar 24 Chicago, IL, US Metro
Mar 25 Milwaukee, WI, US Turner Hall Ballroom
Mar 26 Minneapolis, MN, US First Avenue
Apr 10 Dublin, Ireland 3Olympia Theatre
Apr 12 Manchester, UK Manchester New Century
Apr 13 Bristol, UK SWX
Apr 14 London, UK The London Palladium
Apr 18 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso Grote Zaal
Apr 19 Rotterdam, Netherlands LantarenVenster
Apr 20 Hamburg, Germany Uebel & Gefährlich
Apr 21 Copenhagen, Denmark Bremen Teater
Apr 23 Cologne, Germany Gloria Theater
Apr 24 Prague, Czech Republic MeetFactory
Apr 25 Berlin, Germany Huxley's Neue Welt
Apr 27 Paris, France La Cigale
Apr 29 Barcelona, Spain Sala Apolo
Apr 29 Murcia, Spain Warm Up festival
May 2 Madrid, Spain Warner Music Station
May 3 Bilbao, Spain Santana 27
May 4 Bordeaux, France Rock School Barbey

03/26 The Scarlet Goodbye with Willie Wisely at Icehouse Read More Scarlet Goodbye Cancelled - Feb 11 Willie Wisely and The Scarlet Goodbye at Turf Club Cancelled - Mar 2 The Staves at First Avenue Cancelled - Mar 4 Jonathan Richman at The Fitzgerald Theater …

03/26/2023 Sunday

The Scarlet Goodbye
with Willie Wisely
at Icehouse
icehousempls.com

Minneapolis’ The Scarlet Goodbye has an album release party for Hope's Eternal (InGrooves/Universal Records) at the Icehouse in Minneapolis.

The band features Daniel Murphy (from Soul Asylum) and Jeff Arundel. The two met randomly at a café, after Murphy already quit music and sold all his gears. Murphy regrets his decision, as after meeting Arundel, when they decided to form a new band, the Scarlet Goodbye.

“In 2012 I sold all the guitars and amps” said Murphy, “Now I’m busy buying them all back!”

Arundel adds, “Dan and I have been playing and writing for the same decades, we just never ran into each other. And obviously, we were walking different ends of the musical street… but we met, and I became intrigued when he told me that after being out of it for 10 years, maybe he missed it. So I invited him to the studio, and it was pretty instantly magical—a mutual collision of suggesting things to each other that the other wouldn’t have normally done”.

The Jayhawks (21 Dec 2018)

We saw Murphy randomly appearing at The Jayhawks show in Dec 2018 and wrote, “… the highlight had to be with Johnson and longtime Soul Asylum guitarist Dan Murphy (looking thinner but very happy) forming “semi-Smog” an almost lineup of alt supergroup Golden Smog (sans Jeff Tweedy) for a version of 1998’s ‘Until You Came Along’.”

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 (Outdoor w/Run Westy Run) @ 6pm Mpls, MN
5/26/23: Earth Rider Brewery (w/Rich Mattson and the Allstars) Superior, WI
6/11/23: Hewing Hotel (Outside Rooftop Music Series) Mpls, MN
8/19/23: Hook and Ladder ("Under the Canopy" series w/ Turn Turn Turn) Mpls, MN
8/25-26/23: Outdoor Festival, Silver Bay, MN
9/23/23: 318 Cafe (Acoustic Show) Excelsior, MN

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

¿Téo? at Skyway Theatre, Minneapolis (18 Mar 2023)

03/18 ¿Téo? with Maesu at Studio B ¿Téo? Setlist Besame Thru My Hair Rrrrrico Assim In the Essence Belong in the Sun Buena A Mi Cama Dumo Best Damn Thing Nylon Jam Uno Dos Luna Listening Session Lunatic Tumbao Hagale The Most In Your Body Magic Hour/Confession Americano Read More ¿Téo? ¿Téo? Recently dropped his new single, “A Mi Cama” from his upcoming new album Luna. The song was produced by Colombia-based producer

Colombian-American actor and musician Mateo Arias, or better known as ¿Téo? (formerly T.O), is currently on his Sol & Luna Tour, stopping by Studio B (inside the Skyway Theatre), in Minneapolis, on Saturday night.

Los Angeles, by the way of Birmingham, Alabama, Maesu (pronounced “may-sue”) opened the show.

The singer/producer was inspired by such artists like Toro y Moi and FKA twigs, when he released his debut EP deSerVe. He also mentioned on stage that he’s actually writing songs for other artists, so you may have heard his songs, but not know it.

He ended his set with “Protection”, which had the audience singing along to the catchy chorus, “I need protection.”

Maesu’s latest single is called “Ｓｅｘ Ｏｎ ＧＰＳ.”

¿Téo? is very, very happy to see so many faces, up close and personal: “you show up!” He loves seeing everyone. He said he plays stadium shows (opening for Justin Bieber) and there’s just no connection to his fans. They all seems so far away.

Music wasn’t always in the cards for ¿Téo?, he started posting just fun little songs he produced when he was 17 years old on Soundcloud, and before he knew it, he was producing his debut single “Eclipse” and then with Jaden Smith’s encouragement, he released Enlightened Now. If you didn’t know, Smith, ¿Téo?, and his older brother Moisés Arias, are founding members of MSFTSrep, a creative clothing company.

As expected, since this was the Sol & Luna tour, and as you can see from the setlist, he played a balance of songs between the two albums. He also threw in some songs from his debut self-titled album, such as “Belong in the Sun” and “Uno Dos” (which originally featured Jaden Smith).

In April ¿Téo? will be playing at Coachella, as one of the few Latin artists confirmed to play this year. He’ll play, alongside Jaden Smith and Willow Smith… that should be a treat.

¿Téo? new album Luna is out now.

Remaining Tour dates:

March 21, 2023 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
March 23, 2023 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
March 25, 2023 Seattle, WA Barboza
March 26, 2023 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
March 29, 2023 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop
April 14, 2023 Coachella Indio, CA
April 21, 2023 Coachella Indio, CA

Maesu

Maesu

Maesu

Maesu

¿Téo?

¿Téo?

¿Téo?

¿Téo? at Skyway Theatre, Minneapolis (18 Mar 2023)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Marco Benevento at Turf Club, St Paul (17 Mar 2023)

Mike Dillon Setlist Desert Monsoon Inflorescence Slowly But Surely Stravinsky Spectacles Pandas Devil's Playground Homer & Debs Apocalypse Daydream Another Slippery Slope Never Been To Paris Drivin' Down the Road Read More Marco Benevento Dance rock, psych experimentalist Marco Benevento will stop by the Turf Club in St Paul on March 17th. The Woodstock, NY-based artist will be joined by his band, featuring bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Chris Corsico. … Mike Dillon Mike Dillon & Punkadelick’ album Inflorescence is out now on Royal Potato Family. Tour dates: 3/10 - Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall …

New York’s Marco Benevento just headlined the Turf Club, in St Paul, their penultimate show before they end their long tour. The trio (keyboardist Benevento with bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Chris Corsico) is touring in support of their new album Benevento.

It’s a brutally cold, cold night in St Paul, and it’s up to Mike Dillon & Punkadelick to try and warm us up. The trio features xylophonist Dillon with pianist Brian Haas and drummer Nikki Glaspie. At first, you get the impression that they’re somewhat of a chaotic jazz ensemble, and as they played, you it starts to all make sense.

Dillon announced that they are playing their new record, Inflorescence, from start to finish… basically giving the audience a listening party, only with extra grunts and “yeah!”

The audience was somewhat older, perhaps some of them remembered Dillon when he opened for L7 at the sold-out 7th Street Entry show in 1993? He was there, of course, with a different band (Billy Goat), but he still yelled out, “Welcome to 7th Street Entry, Let’s GO!!!!!!!”

As announced earlier, the group played the last song, “Never Been To Paris”, complete with some weird mermaid siren vocal styling from Glaspie. With some time left on the clock, the band played “Drivin' Down the Road” to end their set.

Marco Benevento’s set is full of dance, psych rock… except “Dropkick”, the second song on their set, sounds a little too pop and a little too 60s. That’s not bad, the audience didn’t seem to mind, as they danced the night away.

This 2023 tour sees the band playing a variety of songs from their new album Benevento (Royal Potato Family). The studio album was written and recorded over the pandemic (2020-2021). Locked up at his home studio in Hudson Valley, Benevento experimented with different instruments (some old broken gears) and long solo jam sessions. The whole album was put together entirely by Benevento (who mixed and played every instrumental with vocals), with the exception of adding his wife and daughter’s vocals on some songs.

Anyway, drummer Chris Corsico looks like he’s ready to rock out, while bassist Karina Rykman (who replaced original bassist Dave Dreiwitz when he joined Ween) is all smiles, doing her head-banging on the bass. The group looks like they are having a good time on this tour, even if it’s about the end. Their last show is tonight, at the High Noon Saloon in Madison, Wisconsin.

Trivia: Marco Benevento and Mike Dillon are members of Garage A Trois, with Stanton Moore.

Mike Dillon & Punkadelick ft. Brian Haas & Nikki Glaspie

Mike Dillon

Karina Rykman

Marco Benevento

Marco Benevento at Turf Club, St Paul (17 Mar 2023)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Minneapolis: April 8 to April 12

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

04/08 Tennis with Kate Bollinger at First Avenue Read More Tennis Husband/wife duo Tennis is back in town. Their forthcoming album Yours Conditionally will be out March 10th via Mutually Detrimental / Thirty Tigers. …

04/08/2023 Saturday

Tennis
with Kate Bollinger
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Husband/wife duo Tennis returns to Minneapolis, at First Avenue, on April 8, 2023.

Tennis (07 Mar 2017)

The last time we saw Tennis, it was Triple Rock Social Club in Mar 2017: “Now, feeling fresh and with new songs from Yours Conditionally, the band seemed rather excited to be back on the road. Judging from the attendance and fan support, singer Alaina Moore seemed really happy that people hadn’t forgotten about them. The title of the record and their song ‘Matrimony’, Moore would explain that it was in reference to their wedding day. They were sailing and ported in Baltimore and decided, for better or worst, that it was time have their wedding ceremony. With a quick self-haircut and her sister bringing them a last-minute vintage wedding dress (and no shoes!)... the “reluctant” wedding became their “best memory”.”

Kate Bollinger to open.

Tour dates:

03/24 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern
03/25 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
03/27 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
03/29 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
03/30 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
03/31 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia
04/01 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
04/03 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
04/04 - Homer, NY - Center for the Arts of Homer
04/05 - Toronto, ON - History
04/07 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
04/08 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
04/10 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
04/11 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
04/12 - Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall
04/14 - Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom
04/15 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up Aspen
04/16 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
04/18 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
04/20 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
04/21 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
04/22 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
04/24 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theatre
04/25 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
04/26 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
04/28 – Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
04/29 – San Diego, CA - Humphrey’s Bar & Grill
05/02 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
05/04 - Austin, TX - ACL Live
05/05 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
05/06 - Dallas, TX - South Side Music Hall

04/08 Avey Tare at 7th St Entry Read More Avey Tare Avey Tare (a.k.a David Portner), one third of influencial experimental band Animal Collective is headlining the Amsterdam Bar & Hall on Sunday, April 7th. Avey Tare’s latest album Cows On Hourglass Pond …

04/08/2023 Saturday

Avey Tare
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Avey Tare (one third of Animal Collective) is touring in support of his fourth album 7s. The tour stops by the 7th Street Entry on April 8th, in Minneapolis.

Animal Collective (11 Oct 2019)

We last saw Animal Collective at Desert Daze (in California) in Oct 2019 and wrote, “… electro-psych band Animal Collective’s set did not disappoint. They opened up with the old school tune from 2005’s Feels, Banshee Beat, fronting stunning visuals of disco dancing girls and hearts. These guys played a bunch of new material, a few being “Gem and I”, “Bolder”, and “Strangers”. Another, “DownDownDownDown” was one that was rare and unreleased. The trippy background art was ridiculous, the one with hands almost holding onto each other being my favorite. Their encore performance was “For Reverend Green”, which they hadn’t played in 12 years.”

Tour Dates

3/23: The Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC
3/24: Lodge of Sorrows – Savannah, GA
3/25: Aisle 5 – Atlanta, GA
3/27: Motorco Music Hall – Durham, NC
3/28: Songbyrd – Washington, DC
3/29: First Unitarian Church – Philadelphia, PA
3/31: Market Hotel – Brooklyn, NY
4/01: Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA
4/03: Bar Le Ritz PDB – Montreal, QC
4/04: The Drake Underground – Toronto, ON
4/06: El Club – Detroit, MI
4/07: Sleeping Village – Chicago, IL
4/08: 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
4/27: Henry Miller Memorial Library – Big Sur, CA
4/28: The Chapel – San Francisco, CA
4/29: HopMonk Tavern – Novato, CA
5/01: Polaris Hall – Portland, OR
5/02: The Crocodile – Seattle, WA
5/03: Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
5/05: Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
5/06: Lost Lake Lounge – Denver, CO
5/08: Meow Wolf – Santa Fe, NM
5/09: Valley Bar – Phoenix, AZ
5/10: Casbah – San Diego, CA
5/13: Lodge Room – Los Angeles, CA

04/12 Michigander with Abby Holliday at Turf Club Read More Michigander Rising indie rock artist Michigander (the stagename for Jason Singer) will be heading out on tour in support of his third EP Everything Will Be Ok Eventually. This is Singer’s biggest tour yet, and he’ll be bringing various support ....

04/12/2023 Wednesday

Michigander
with Abby Holliday
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Buzzworthy indie rock artist Michigander (Jason Singer) is on tour in support of his EP It Will Never Be The Same (C3 Records).

It Will Never Be The Same, produced and mixed by Tony Hoffer (Beck, Phoenix, M83), mastered by Dave Cooley (Spoon, Jimmy Eat World, Paramore), and recorded at L.A.’s Sunset Sound (with the exception of “In My Head” produced by Andy Hull and Robert McDowell of Manchester Orchestra), marks a creative transformation for Singer.

Abby Holliday to open.

Tour dates:

March 28 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
March 31 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
April 1 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
April 2 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone Berkeley
April 4 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
April 5 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
April 6 – Boise, ID @ The Olympic
April 7 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
April 8 – Boulder, CO @ The Fox Theater
April 11 – Kansas City, MO @ RecordBar
April 12 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
April 14 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
April 15 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
April 16 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
April 19 – Washington, DC @ DC9 Nightclub
April 21 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
April 22 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
April 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
April 26 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
April 28 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
April 29 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com