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Flashback: Eleni Mandell at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (27 Mar 2009)

Setlist My Twin Artificial Fire Little Foot Personal Tiny Waist Cracked Bigger Burn Front Door I Love Planet Earth It Wasn't the Time (It Was the Color) Needle and Thread Pauline Two Faces Read More Eleni Mandell In stark contrast, Eleni Mandell took the stage with nothing but a blue dress and her small guitar. The last time I saw Mandell at the Cedar, she had a full band. Do I prefer a full backing band? There are pros and cons. … Haley Bonar Since 2003 The Size of Planets, Haley Bonar has been the staple Minneapolis singer/songwriter for years, even when she moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2009! … Daniel Martin Moore Golden Age is the new album from Daniel Martin Moore. The Jim James* produced album will come out October 9th via Sofaburn Records. We last saw DMM at the Cedar Cultural Center …

The Eleni Mandell show at the Cedar Cultural Center on March 27, 2009, was the first post-SXSW show… so we were still trying to recover from the massive music festival. It didn’t help that Minneapolis was very cold and expecting a bad blizzard… it’s a very different environment from perfect weather Austin, Texas.

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It's a chilly night. Come on Minnesota, it's very late March, why am I still wearing a jacket? Even Eleni Mandell admitted that she hoped to survive her travel through the midwest due to a possible upcoming blizzard (tomorrow).

We'll get to Mandell later, first up was folkster Daniel Martin Moore with his acoustic guitar and collection of friends (including the world's quietest drums). Highlight from his set is his cover of "Smile" - originally composed by Charlie "The Tramp" Chaplin song, but made famous by Nat King Cole in the mid-50s. Moore's version features a piano, played by his brother, who apparently lives in Minnesota.

The other highlight was a secret appearance by Haley Bonar who showed up to sing backup. People may remember that I personally chose Bonar's song, "The Queen Of Everything", to represent a bunch of wonderful Minnesota bands and singers.

The thing about the Cedar Culture Center is that every time I go here, it seems the audience are all NPR members. Sometime there are young people, but not tonight. This is not a knock against the Cedar, it's just a warning for you to expect a pretty low-key, sit-down night. The benefit is that instead of a noisy bar atmosphere, the venue is perfect for actually listening to the band as they play. And every noise and note can be heard... So yeah, a wonderful place to hear the band.

Setlist

Eleni Mandell took the stage with her guitar and played two songs solo (which are actually not listed on the official set list), before being joined on stage by the rest of the band.

Half way into "Artificial Fire", Nigel had problems with his bass... which lead to about 10 minutes of awkwardness as the Cedar sound guy ran backstage to get another bass guitar. This led to Mandell talking about how they've been on the road since 7am from Chicago, Illinois.

Mandell remained talkative at certain songs, explaining how she tried to kiss this man, who pulled back and had no idea she was in love with him. She called the song "Tiny Waist", after something he had said to her.

They mostly stuck to new songs (because she loved them so much), with a few exceptions. I thought "Pauline" (from her 2000 album Thrill) sounded amazing towards the end.

It should also be noted that Jeremy Drake is a very excellent guitarist, with his wonderful guitar-playing and foot pedals and warped/spacey sounds.

Eleni Mandell at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (27 Mar 2009)

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Asus ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk Gaming Laptop

ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk ASUS - ROG Strix G15 15.6" Gaming Laptop The ROG Strix G15 Electro Punk embodies streamlined design, offering a formidable core experience for serious gaming and multitasking on Windows 10. Featuring up to the latest 10th Gen Intel Core CPU and a NVIDIA GeForce GPU, it offers high-FPS power that takes full advantage of up to a blazing fast display Game at Professional Speed: An ultrafast 144Hz refresh rate makes the flow of fast-paced action look impeccably smooth and reduces motion blur for precision target tracking. ROG Intelligent Cooling: ROG's Intelligent Cooling philosophy mixes the right features and system settings to ensure the best experience. Performance is boosted with cutting-edge enhancements like liquid metal compound on the CPU and a well-ventilated exterior that keeps noise levels lower than the last generation. Comprehensive Connectivity: Get blazing fast transfers at Gen 2 speeds via the USB 3.2 Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4, or connect an ROG G-SYNC monitor for silky smooth gaming. Three Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports are ready for your favorite gaming gear, while HDMI 2.0b allows you to enjoy content on a 4K monitor or TV at up to 60Hz. Reliable Wi-Fi: Ultrafast Intel Wi-Fi 6 with Gig+ (802.11ax) lets you game reliably at LAN speeds wherever compatible connections are available. Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) enables a peak interface bandwidth up to 2.4Gbps.* Windows 10 Home Edition 15.6" Full HD display 144Hz (1920 x 1080) 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H mobile processor (6-core) 8GB system memory 512GB Solid State Drive (PCI-e) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 TI (4GB GDDR6) Virtual Reality Ready Weighs 5.29 lbs. and measures 1" thin HDMI output Wireless/Wired connectivity (WiFi 6 - 802.11 ax) RGB backlit keyboard Headphone/microphone combo jack. Read More MicroSoft Anyway, when I saw that the new MicroSoft’s Surface Pro 7 (with keyboard cover) on sale for $600, I couldn’t pass it up. Currently their price is $700, but MicroSoft’s website is still showing $600. ...

I’ve been quietly looking for a gaming laptop for a while now. Let’s face it, as much as I like the Surface Pro 7, that machine is not capable of playing any modern games. I wasn’t looking to spend too much money, trying to keep it under $1,000, so when I saw this ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk laptop for $899, I couldn’t pass it up. Both New Egg and Walmart are selling this same laptop for over $1,100… so getting the laptop sub-$1k is still a good price.

For those that don’t know, this the Republic of Gamers Strix (ROG Strix) is a gaming laptop brand from ASUS. The G15 or G17 refers to the screen size, at 15 inch and 17 inch, respectively. Personally speaking, for portability, I prefer smaller screens, so I don’t mind the 15 inch, as it keeps the laptop lighter.

You can get the ROG Strix in a variety of colors, for example “Glacier Blue” or Black. This “Electro Punk” version (Black with Neon Pink trims) may actually be part of a bigger rollout of Electro Punk-related products… such as a Cherry Mechanical Keyboard, mouse, and headphones (and headphone stand?). Personally speaking, I probably won’t be buying any of those accessories, simply because I’m not a fan of the color scheme and I already own great products from Razer or Corsair, and they serve their purpose.

In order to keep costs down for the Electro Punk, there are some subpar or missing features. I’ll address some of these things, so you know what or what not to expect.

The laptop is all (or mostly) made out of plastic. It still looks good, but doesn’t have a “premium” look that some aluminum or metal laptops. The plastic looks durable to me, and I like the weird vents and cyberpunk look, so it looks fine to me.

The Electro Punk edition also has only 8GB Ram. The Strix G15 normally has 16GB, so I feel this is a stepdown. The good news is that you can always upgrade the RAM with one of their open Ram slot. I may eventually upgrade the RAM down the road, but for now, it’s not that important to me.

It also a lack of built-in webcam. This is a problem for game streamers, so if you’re one of those, you probably need to avoid this laptop. You can always buy an external USB webcam if you really need one. Most built-in webcam aren’t great anyway, it’s just a matter of convenience.

It doesn’t have a SD card reader, which really sucks… but again, you can always use an external USB dongle. Same goes for DVD/CD-Rom drive… if you need it, you’ll have to buy an external USB drive. That is not a problem for me, simply because I don’t want moving parts in a mobile device.

Keep in mind that not including those things above keeps the retail price to $999, so I think they made the right decision. If they offer a built-in SD Card Reader for $50 more, I would personally pay for the upgrade.

Let’s highlight some of the main features of the Electro Punk.

The best part about this laptop is that it has a 144Hz screen, which is unheard of for a sub-$1000 laptop. What that means is smoother gameplay. For example, it doesn’t matter if your game is outputting 120 frames per seconds if your screen can only show 60Hz (60 frames). You can only take advantage of the fast refresh screen natively on the laptop. If you output to a 4k monitor using the HDMI-out, it can only display 60Hz. I think 60 is fine.

We’re also getting an i7 with 6-core chip. Again, almost unheard of for a budget laptop. Most budget laptops or desktop uses an i5 chip (or i3). The last few computers I’ve had, I have used i5 and never thought it was lacking anything. The i5 chip is fast, so I feel i7 is just going to be better.

You also won’t find this in other laptops, but the 2020 edition of the ROG Strix comes with “Liquid Metal”, which was intended to keep the laptop cool. They use this technology on their high-end laptops, so I’m very happy to see it on their cheapest laptop as well.

I think a lot of people might scoff at the built-in 512GB SSD PCI Express, saying there’s not enough storage. You have to remember that you’re getting this in a budget gaming laptop, so it’s not a surprise that they are cutting corners on storage. The good news is that there are TWO NVME slots on the motherboard. This is amazing. Most modern desktop or laptops only offers one slot. I have already put in a 1TB NVME and plan on putting in another 1TB (for a total of 2.5TB of storage) soon.

That’s not all. We also get a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphic card (4GB GDDR6). It’s a mobile version, but it’s still very fast and can handle all my games. In addition, it’s powerful enough to fuel Virtual Reality headsets, like Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. Unfortunately, this is budget Graphic Card, so it’s not going to have the latest “Ray Tracing” technology that all the new GPU cards are touting.

What is funny is that one of the main features that Asus is promoting is that the Electro Punk laptop weighs 5.29 lbs. I feel this is very heavy, but compared to other gaming laptops, 5.29lbs is actually reasonable. The 1" thinness (when closed), is pretty compact for a gaming laptop.

We also get the latest WiFi6 (802.11ax). They could’ve kept it cheap and used an older (and more common) WiFi chip, so I appreciate the latest wireless technology. Unfortunately, my current router does not support the latest 802.11ax, but I like the idea that the laptop can take advantage of a faster WiFi… for future proofing.

You typically don’t see extra RGB light strips in a budget laptop, so what’s nice about the Electro Punk is that there are underlighting in sync with your keyboard RGB lights. It uses the ASUS’ Aura software to control the lights. For example, you can have the light display red when it hits 60 degree Celcius, as a visual indicator that the laptop is hot. There are also games that will take advantage of Aura, maybe flashing lights when you’re low in health or when it spots an enemy.

I do have some minor nitpicks on the laptop. I think the Neon Pink accents might actually discourage this for boys. I mean, why not go for Neon Green or Orange? I think any color would go great with the black. If you ignore the pink, and maybe think of this as a Cyberpunk design, it sort of make sense.

The other annoying thing is that venting fans are loud. They run all the time. I don’t think you can turn these off (even on “Silent Mode”). In a quiet room, you can definitely hear the laptop running.

It’s also expected, but I should reiterate, that you should not run games on this laptop on battery. Not only do games drain the battery incredibly fast (a 30-min session cut the battery by 50%), but games are choppy and doesn’t run very well. If you do light browsing and email, the laptop will probably run for less than three hours… so you’ll always want to bring the power adapter with you.

I definitely recommend the Electro Punk laptop, if you’re in the market for an all-in-one gaming PC solution. You can use it as a laptop, or you can always get an external monitor and workstation dock and treat the laptop as a desktop.

If money is no object to you, Asus advertised an Electro Punk with GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER version, but I’m assuming it will be a lot more expensive than $1,000. Overall, I’ve been very impressed with my Electro Punk and its capabilities.

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Xbox Series vs PlayStation 5

Xbox Series vs PlayStation 5 Read More Xbox One As a weekend gamer, I’ve been following the Xbox One X (formerly known as Xbox Scorpio) for a while. Over the E3 gaming expo weekend, Microsoft … Playstation 4 Last week my PlayStation Network account got hacked/compromised. The person removed my email and added his or her email and took $50 from my bank account (that is tied to my account …

With the console war coming up this Holiday 2020. Let’s talk about the new Xbox Series and PS5… and possibly the dark horse in the race, Nintendo Switch.

The exciting news is that both MicroSoft and Sony have unveiled their pricing: Xbox Series X is $499, Xbox Series S is $299, PS5 is $499, and PS5 (Digital Edition) is $399.

Breaking it down, and looking at the specs on paper, it clearly looks like the Xbox Series X is the winner. There are some major things to consider: it promises backward compatibility with previous software and previous controllers and accessories. That means, if you already own the Xbox One controller and want to use it as a second player controller, you can do that with the S and the X.

The other secret weapon is that Xbox has Xbox Game Pass, which is the “Netflix of Gaming”, where you pay $10 a month and can play over 100 games on its service (including new games). For the price-conscious, particularly with the $299 S model, it’s worth looking into if you’re on a budget.

While the S model does not keep up with its more powerful big brother X, I feel the $299 will be fine for any gamers. For serious players, you’ll probably need to look at the X or PS5, because their games will supposedly run on 4k.

As for storage, believe me, 1TB is not enough for me (experiencing this on my laptop). If you install 10 games, you’re tapped out. I’ve compared speed between NVME and standard Harddrive (USB or IDE) on my computer, and I can, without a doubt, say that NVME is much, much faster (and more reliable).

The only advantage that PS5 will have is that they’ll have exclusive games only playable on their devices. With Xbox, because of its relationship with the PC, their games will always be available on computers (which I appreciate).

There is no news on the Nintendo front, but there’s rumors that they’ll come out with the Nintendo Switch Pro in early 2021. The more powerful portable console will support 4K (I’ll believe it when I see it).

Personally speaking, I will not be buying any “next generation” consoles. I think they all look ugly, particularly the PS5’s design with the fat belly of a disc drive. I hate the name “Xbox Series X or S”. It sounds stupid. Games for these new consoles will also cost $69.99 each ($10 more than previous generation). Plus, I barely touch my Xbox One or PS4 for over a year, since I’ve gotten a great gaming PC and laptop. That doesn’t mean that I won’t be following and seeing who will win this console war this Holiday 2020.

Here’s the breakdown - green is good:

Compare	Xbox Series S	Xbox Series X	PS5 (Disc/Digital)
Price:	$299.99	$499	$399/$499
Release Date:	10 Nov 2020	10 Nov 2020	12 Nov 2020
Optical Disc	None	Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD, CD	None / Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD
CPU/GPU	AMD 8-core Zen 2; 3.6 GHz, 3.4 GHz with SMT	AMD 8-core Zen 2; 3.8 GHz, 3.6 GHz with SMT	AMD 8-core Zen 2, variable frequency, up to 3.5 GHz
Memory	10GB of GDDR6 SDRAM	16GB of GDDR6 SDRAM	16 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
Storage	512 GB NVMe SSD (with Storage Expansion Card option)	1 TB NVMe SSD (with Storage Expansion Card option)	825 GB SSD (with upgradeable NVMe M.2 SSD, or external USB-based HDD)
Resolution	Up to 1440p	Up to 4K	Up to 4K
Backward Compatible	Games (limited), works with previous controllers and accessories	Games, works with previous controllers and accessories	Games (limited), does not work with previous controllers

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Flashback: Resplandor / BELL / Asobi Seksu at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (07 Mar 2009)

Read More Asobi Seksu I’m sure I don’t need to remind Asobi Seksu fans that the band’s name roughly translates as “fun sex,” so I won’t, even though I did. Teeny tiny Yuki (small singer night!) is Asian (obvious) and they all call New York home. Olga Bell This Thursday welcomes Moscow-born, Brooklyn-based composer/performer Olga Bell (best known for her work with Dirty Projectors) as she world premieres Krai, a nine-movement song cycle described as a sonic love letter …

Besides from the Yellow Fever that Asobi Seksu brought to the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on March 7, 2009, it should be noted that this was Olga Bell’s first tour. She’s billed simply as BELL, but that name was quickly dropped (probably because it’s just a common name and hard to look up).

As usual, Lara & Kate do their best to send the most wonderful concert review.

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Hey ya’ll (that’s an homage to Vu’s travels down south). I’m sorry, this review is grossly overdue, please don’t be a hater. Fortunately, this was an interesting night, and besides the wealth of minors that obstructed my view, the music was pretty good. Let’s talk about the music.

Openers Resplandor are from Peru, not Beirut*.

Hopefully this doesn’t sound like I’m making a cultural stereotype, but all five members of Resplandor had that dark, brooding elegance that I associate with South America. Similarly, their music was also dark, brooding, and slightly off-putting. Singer Aracelli Fernandez is just a wee thing up on stage; all crazy with the hair and the New Age hand movements. The band lists a lot of shoegaze influences, like My Bloody Valentine and the Stone Roses, but if I were to belittle their artistic merit with inane categorization I’d call it “Innocuous Art Rock,” meaning they lacked that careful balance between humdrum drone and ephemeral brilliance that My Bloody Valentine, for example, achieved in aces.

I’d say Resplandor has potential, which isn’t meant to be condescending in the way you might call something bland “nice,” just a courteous suggestion to push forward (after all, this is certainly the genre to challenge conventions). Resplandor has a few summer dates in Toronto (NXNE music festival).

The crowd had probably doubled by the time BELL came on, an irrelevant statistic (nobody ever shows up early) that, in the moment, seemed odd, since I assumed BELL’s following would be minimal. I guess I was wrong (and also not cool).

Fellas: Olga Bell is a cutie.

Half-way through BELL’s set Kate admitted that the smiley singer’s stage persona was sort of unsettling (because she seemed happy and to be enjoying herself), a sad statement on today’s bitter frown-y music scene. Why do we find comfort in vulgarity and self-loathing? Why are pleasant, well-adjusted artists turn-offs? Something to explore in therapy, I suppose. But since music can be therapy, I will freely disclose that Bell’s smiling made me smile. So what if her clear, soaring vocals channeled early Bjork? So what, We Heart Music. BELL’s thing (her je ne sais quoi) was so charming that every snide aside I felt obligated to share just went “poof” when she pulled out that cute little mini-keytar! And, you know, the girl kind of kicked ass.

Despite this being their first tour, the band sounded sharp—Bell on keyboard, doing her samples and loop-de-looping and blippity blipping, her two drummers adding a necessary and impressive rhythmic oomph—the result was effective. I know BELL inspired at least one dude in the room to shake his groove thang because he did so right behind me. If a band can make the whitest white man gyrate his hips in such an alarming, graceless, amazing way, while simultaneously drinking a pint of beer, then that band can probably say “we’ve made it.”

BELL will be starting the East Coast leg of her tour at the end of April.

Asobi Seksu sex you

I’m sure I don’t need to remind Asobi Seksu fans that the band’s name roughly translates as “fun sex,” so I won’t, even though I did. Teeny tiny Yuki (small singer night!) is Asian (obvious) and they all call New York home. So, sexy name + Asian singer + New York ÷ Minnesota = A LOT of underage Asian girls + their white boyfriends. Seriously, Asian invasion.

Resplandor and BELL may have brought the young and hip, but Asobi Seksu brought the fever: YELLOW FEVER. And let me tell you, Yuki rocked it. Right away the audience was treated to a full dose of pint-size fury, as Yuki thrashed about on stage, barely visible over the top of the microphone stand. The combination of her dreamy, albeit often indecipherable voice and the forceful instrumentation was impressive live (studio polish really doesn’t befit these noisy bands). It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the wave of sound, as it basically crushes that small part of your brain that responds to creative stimulation; conversely, the same effect makes it difficult to consciously distinguish one sound wave from another. A few times during the night I lost my train of listening and drifted (something that is neither good nor bad).

Happily, Asobi Seksu played favorites from Citrus (i.e. “Strawberries,” “Thursday”) along with selections from their new album Hush, including the first single “Me & Mary.” The band is currently on tour.

* When the band introduced themselves I thought they said ‘Beirut’ instead of ‘Peru,’ so I loudly remarked “Beirut! Zach Condon eat your heart out!” or something equally tactless. Now I am embarrassed for myself.

Bell at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (07 Mar 2009) photo by Kate

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Flashback: AA Bondy / Dent May at the 400 Bar, Minneapolis (05 Mar 2009)

Read More AA Bondy I was kind of surprise to see that AA Bondy was the opening act. Clearly his Americana/folksy/rootsy music sounds nothing like CWK's sound of energetic youth indie rock! Still, playing in front of several sold-out shows, might help spread words around - even though the audience wasn't there for him. Dent May Dent May knows he sorta-kinda-maybe sounds like Jens Lekman, thank you very much. He also gets the Stephen Merritt reference, and although the mild-mannered Mississippi native is flattered by the association, … Joe January This Thursday, Feb. 5, Joe January (formerly of Planes for Spaces) is kicking off a month-long residency at the 400 Bar in anticipation of the release of Broken Record, his debut solo album. Joe’s niche seems to be rooted in the classics: classic rock, a little folk-y, a little East Village troubadour …

Joe January photo by Brody

Lara and Kate didn't mentioned it, but Joe January opened this show. This wasn't a surprise, considering that January had a month-long residency at the 400 Bar, and was probably available well into March. All photos by Brody.

As for the rest of the show on March 5, 2009, we were mostly there to cover Dent May (billed as Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele). The headliner was AA Bondy, who previously opened up for Cold War Kids (a very odd pairing). And speaking of odd pairing, it would seem that May and Bondy are truly the 21st century odd couple. Read on!

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Dent May knows he sorta-kinda-maybe sounds like Jens Lekman, thank you very much. He also gets the Stephen Merritt reference, and although the mild-mannered Mississippi native is flattered by the association, it’s obvious he wants to distance himself just enough to establish his own niche. It makes sense, though, the comparisons; all three artists share a tongue-in-cheek humor that glorifies a very specific eccentricity—a silly reverence for serious subject matter and an almost-cutesy collection of cultural references. On top of that, May plays a ukulele, one of four instruments that are funny simply by existing (the other three are the kazoo, the recorder and the rain stick; the keytar was also hilarious until hipsters embraced it).

Dent May opened for A.A. Bondy on Thursday at the 400 Bar. It’s an interesting pairing: May with his magnificent ukulele and songs about Michael Chang; Bondy with his average-sized guitar and songs about heroin. When May stepped on stage he looked like a used bookstore employee/lover of Tron; when Bondy stepped on stage he looked like maybe he’d had a rough night. A 21^st century odd couple, wherein May’s neurotically specific prose complements Bondy’s sloppy-sad loner blues, and the rest is beautiful history.

After all, who writes about Michael Chang (“God Loves You, Michael Chang”)? Obviously, the same person who bemoans the banality of being an understimulated intellectual stuck in a small town (and stuck in apathy): “college town boy get off your ass and do something / college town boy, how does it feel to be nothing?” It hurts in a familiar way, doesn’t it? I remember when I graduated college with a stupid art degree and was forced to get a “real job” and, as a result, essentially wasted four years of private education to collate paper. This must be why May’s music is appealing to us average, middle-class Midwesterners: we’re the new breed of Benjamin Braddock—dissatisfied with life for no valid reason; bored because we have too many options, none of which require much effort or struggle (the idea of blood, sweat and tears is romantic, but getting our hands dirty is gross). When May sings “I’m over, being sober / I’m an alcoholic / I think I’ll get drunk tonight” (“I’m An Alcoholic”) it doesn’t have the same weight as when Bondy sings “Sweet, sweet heroin / won’t you be all mine / I don’t want to feel a thing / want nothing on my mind” (“Vice Rag”). This is my one criticism of May: occasionally his kitschy wit borders on tacky; and while satire is always a little derisive, it’s more effective if the satirist is truly a part of the group he’s mocking, and May seems just on the outskirts of authenticity.

However, believability aside, May certainly charmed the crowd, what with his adorable smallness, dorky-cool spectacles, crazy stage antics (jumping! While holding his ukulele!), and a genuinely feel-good aura. By the time Bondy took the stage and strummed his first bleak note, the small standing room was full and the overall mood had changed.

I was immediately reminded of that period in my life when I would drive around the lakes late at night—one continuous loop around and around, chain smoking, listening to Dusty in Memphis, and doing a lot of non-thinking thinking (you know, when your brain totally mellows but you still feel anxious); watching Bondy brought back those feelings, which sounds far too emo to take seriously, but I’m serious. I was there, man. I think this explains my current infatuation with “new” Americana/gothic alt-country folk (some day I’m going to find a perfectly succinct term for “new Americana gothic alt-country folk”; not this day). Although lyrically Bondy describes a world-weariness that comes with painful experience, the honesty and blunt poetics are capable of tugging even the purest heart. Ignoring the fact that Bondy used to front the Nirvana-esque grunge band Verbena, I’ll say this too: where May lacked some hard-luck legitimacy, Bondy completely pulled off the “I caught my wife cheating on me, my truck broke down, I have $2 in change, how much for a swill of the cheap stuff?” look. Perhaps it was the disjointed between-song rambling; rambling never implies a confident, sober, emotionally sound psyche (I wish I could remember, verbatim, the unintentionally amusing things that came out of his mouth). Whatever the reason, thank you A.A. (and also thank you, Dent) for helping me to confront cheerless self-realizations and loserish tendencies. It’s like discount therapy (with beer).

Dent May + magnificent ukulele are currently on tour with AC Newman (through mid-March) followed by SXSW and a mini-tour with Animal Collective (!). Unfortunately, for Bondy fans, it seems his only upcoming show is Bonnaroo in June. For more information on either musician, see links to their respective websites and Myspace below.

Addendum: my concert date, Kate, would like it to be known, throughout the e-world, that she would not refuse sex from any of Dent May’s band members, if they offer.

Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele at the 400 Bar, Minneapolis (05 Mar 2009) photo by Brody

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Flashback: Blitzen Trapper at First Avenue, Minneapolis (18 Feb 2009)

Read More Blitzen Trapper Blitzen Trapper will be taking over the First Avenue main room on Sunday, October 4th and you will definitely want to be there. I have never been able to see these …

I have seen Blitzen Trapper at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis on July 29, 2007.

Blitzen Trapper at Triple Rock Club, Minneapolis (29 July 2007)

I can say it now, but when I saw them at the Triple Rock, it wasn’t a very good turnout, due to the fact it was a Sunday night. The band was really late to the venue because of roadwork on Highway 61. It wasn’t the band’s finest hour, especially going on cold without a soundcheck.

Fortunately, for Lara’s show, at First Avenue, on February 18, 2009, the show was “packed”...

>>>
Originally scheduled to perform at the Varsity Theatre in Minneapolis, Blitzen Trapper outdid themselves with fan-age and the show was moved to the much larger First Ave. “Danceteria.” Even so, the club was packed—not packed in the fun way, when a girl can casually rub against a sweaty young hipster and still play coy, but packed like a big awkward sardine tin, with the majority of the crowd standing, immobile, clutching Red Stripes and sort of doing the head bob. Weird, huh. I mean, Blitzen Trapper are certainly no Dance Band, but you’d think they’ve earned a few arm thrusts, maybe some leg spasms, at least a pogo or two (the shit’s going to rain on me for that comment; pogo = bad)*.

Blitzen Trapper have been described as “experimental folk,” but I say this with a smirk, as it seems these days, any band that writes lyrics concerning farms or hills or serial killers is deemed “folk-y”**. Similarly, any band that uses synth as a garnish (and not as a main course, a la New Wave/proponents of New Wave), gets a broad ‘experimental’ tagged onto their name. Thus, “experimental folk” is born; though, I have some problems with calling a band whose frontman occasionally enters the Tom Petty sing-talk-groove territory “experimental.” 2008’s Furr may have folk-ish tendencies, but it also rocks (kinda) hard (“Sleepytime in the Western World” sounds positively 70s and makes me think of being inside some dive and throwing a drink in a man’s face).

On Wednesday, I managed to arrive at First Ave. just as opener Alela Diane was finishing her set (unreliable public transportation; cigarette). Unfortunately for me (and also for Alela Diane fans), the crowd chatter was so obnoxiously loud that instead of music, I heard entire conversations about bangin’ chicks (classy crowd chatter). The talking might not have seemed so obvious had Diane’s vocals and instrumentation been more suited to the large venue (the Varsity would fit her perfectly). It wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t the crowd’s fault (maybe it was the crowd’s fault a little—give children more space and they feel the need to be unruly); still, the lukewarm beginning did not bode well for the rest of the evening.

By the time Blitzen Trapper took the stage most of the chatter had dissipated. This was the first time I’d seen BT live, but from what I’ve heard, they have a reputation as an inconsistent live act. General consensus within the blogging community has been ambivalence—this was not one of their stellar performances. Still, I would hardly call the show bad. For now I’ll give them the benefit of doubt: switching to a big, dirty historic concert hall from a smaller, curtain-festooned, lounge setting could potentially be vexing. I enjoyed live versions of “Not Your Lover,” “Black River Killer” (my favorite strange little gothic country narrative), and the abovementioned “Sleepytime in the Western World.” The band looked good (I made a comment about how singer Eric Earley sort of looks like Jeff Tweedy from a great, great, great distance), sounded good, played good. It was one of those “good” shows: no surprises, no special energy, no funny in-between song jokes, no extra credit. A solid B show (B- if you factor in the apathetic crowd).

Blitzen Trapper is currently on tour with Alela Diane supporting. The next few dates are East Coast shows; for more information, visit their Myspace or Website.

*At one point during the show I did notice that somewhere in the horizon, near the stage, far from our standing place, a small group of girls were doing something that resembled dancing!

**I’ve done it. More than once.

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Flashback: Fujiya and Miyagi at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (11 Feb 2009)

Read More School of Seven Bells School of Seven Bells (aka SVIIB) got their name from some PBS program about some "mythical South American pick-pocket academy", as mentioned on their their interview/music session on KCRW (incidentally, check out KCRW's vox page). Although Alejandra have admitted to not being able to verify the name…

It’s really a shame that I missed this show, as I am a big fan of School of Seven Bells… but I was under obligation to cover K’Naan on this same night over at the Varsity Theater, as a favor to Lara (who probably went to the SO7B show this night).

If you didn’t know, Fujiya & Miyagi came out of Brighton, England, and is an all-male British band (they’re not Japanese). They are named after a record player maker, Fujiya and Mister Miyagi from The Karate Kid.

Oddly enough, in a “Flashback” article… F&M’s last album Flashback came out in 2019.

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After a long day of schmoozing and being obnoxiously charming, I couldn’t have looked forward to Fujiya & Miyagi’s show any more than I did. (My real job involves niceness.) Turning F&M way, way up on the drive into Minneapolis, I was itching to dance and be in the company of friends. And luckily, in this case, the build-up made the delivery deliciously satisfying.

School of Seven Bells opened up the sold-out show. I’d heard them on the radio a few times before and was entertained but not intrigued. Never had that urge to Wikipedia them or play hooky in order to pick up their album. And, for me, that feeling carried over to their live performance. Identical twins, Alejandra and Claudia Dehez, are gorgeous and have the voices to match; guitarist Benjamin Curtis is obviously very talented (and under-utilized, in my opinion) but their set, on the whole, left me with a general feeling of indifference. If I can say this without sounding like an after-school special, I think SoSB has enormous potential and just doesn’t realize it yet. Keep your eye on them, though.

Surprisingly, the crowd thinned out a little after School, which was alright with me since I couldn’t see nor breathe.

Let’s move on to shakin’ it.

Fujiya & Miyagi. Yes, yes, yes. The fine English gentlemen opened with “Sore Thumb,” a scene-setting song from their most recent release, “Lightbulbs.” A song that says, “You’re going to need your sexy dance pants for us.” And that crazy talkin’ song speaks the truth. Next up was “Ankle Injuries” from 2007’s Transparent Things, featuring (gasp!) a real, live drummer! Prior to this tour, F&M were a trio with a drum machine. The addition of said drummer, Lee Adams, was a wise choice, resulting in fuller, cruder sound (there is such a thing as too precisely perfect, you know).

With that excellent and promising start, the boys led us through an evening of spellbinding entertainment, perfectly transitioning from high energy crowd-pleasers to stare-off-into-space soundtracks to your silly little daydreams. Both Lightbulbs and Transparent Things were well represented. And with the crowd being so tight, the sound being so together and my hips having a mind of their own, I felt like I had invited all of my friends (and their friends and their friends) into my living room for a spontaneous drunken dance party. Something about this show felt more intimate, more comfortable than most. I guess that’s what happens when everything comes together perfectly: David Best’s sultry whispers and complex guitar work, Steve Lewis’ hard beats and fancypants technological skills, Matt Hainsby’s hot bass grooves, and an overcrowded room of eager hipsters. Damn.

Fujiya & Miyagi are not the guys to listen to when you want to relive your most recent break-up or explore your sensitive side. I don’t think most people could say they feel an ‘emotional connection’ to this noise but I prefer it that way. Sometimes you need to turn your head off and move.

This is music you feel in your tailbone; these are songs that dare you to stand still; this rhythm is seriously going to get you (yeah, I just said that).

Fujiya and Miyagi are on tour in support of 2008’s Lightbulbs. Don’t miss them if you can help it.

Tour dates can be found on their Myspace page at: myspace.com/fujiyaandmiyagi.

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Flashback: K'Naan at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (11 Feb 2009)

Setlist Intro In The Beginning Soobax ABC's America Fire In Freetown Take A Minute People Like Me Viva La Vida (Coldplay cover) If Rap Gets Jealous What's Hardcore? Dusty Streets Wavin' Flag Read More K'Naan This Thursday, Feb. 5, Joe January (formerly of Planes for Spaces) is kicking off a month-long residency at the 400 Bar in anticipation of the release of Broken Record, his debut solo album. Joe’s niche seems to be rooted in the classics: classic rock, a little folk-y, a little East Village troubadour …

Even back in 2009, I wouldn’t cover Winter shows… but as a favor to Lara, I ended up covering this K’Naan show at the Varsity Theater (originally booked at the Cedar Cultural Center). Since it was an all-ages show, security was extra tight that night.

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As you know, I don't know really go outside during the Winter. Since Lara had a conflict on this date, she asked me to cover the show for her. I didn't check when I agreed to it, but apparently this was an all-ages show. It was also moved from the Cedar Cultural Center to the Varsity (all of this was news to me on the date of the show), which required some adjusting on leaving for the venue early. I was also padded down for weapons & booze, which I hadn't experienced since the Jet show in Chicago - so it's rare for me to attend these tight security shows.

The bands were late on appearing on stage, however, the good thing was that between the two warm-up local Minneapolis bands, M.anifest, that they were lightweight when it came to setup. There was no intermission or wait time between the two bands, since both bands only required a DJ.

M.anifest were pretty rootsy when it came to African beats and lyrics - and since half of the audience were white suburban kids - I think it was hard for them to relate. Muja Messiah was more politically-charged, with gangster rap elements, that the audience seem to like. Highlight of Messiah was during the song "Rebel", M.anifest showed up as guest singer and when he shouted out "I survived the Bush era".

Okay, before we get to K'Naan (pronounced "kay-non"), I have to setup something: he's Somalian. Why this is important is because St Paul/Minneapolis has a huge Somalian population - most of them fleeing their country in the early 90s when civil war broke out in the country. Much like the Hmongs that came to St Paul, seeking job opportunities, so did the Somalians.

Setlist

So, I would reckon most of the audience there for K'Naan was of Somalian descendant, which I think is really cool looking at the really great turnout of the show.

The audience reacted well to the faster songs like "Soobax" and "If Rap Gets Jealous" as well as the final song, "Waving Flag" (which all the audience seem to know all the lyrics).

However, my personal highlight was seeing them do a Coldplay cover, "Viva La Vida", with its 'biblical' lyrics of "I used to rule the world/Seas would rise when I gave the word".

PS, everyone who's attended the show was given the opportunity to get a signed poster from K'Naan if you pre-order his album. Plus, you're given a 3-track promo CD featuring a 'making of' and three songs from the fourth-coming album called Troubadour which comes out on February 24th on A&M/Octone Records.

K'Naan at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (11 Feb 2009)

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Flashback: Joe January at 400 Bar, Minneapolis (05 Feb 2009)

Read More Joe January This Thursday, Feb. 5, Joe January (formerly of Planes for Spaces) is kicking off a month-long residency at the 400 Bar in anticipation of the release of Broken Record, his debut solo album. Joe’s niche seems to be rooted in the classics: classic rock, a little folk-y, a little East Village troubadour …

It’s harder to book national bands in Minneapolis, due to the harsh winter. To keep the stage booked, venues would often ask local musicians to play a month-long residency. For February 2009, the 400 Bar booked Joe January to play every Thursday. There’s a joke in there, seeing January in February.

Anyway, Lara braved the snow to see Joe January (formerly of Planes for Spaces) on his first Thursday in his month-long residency.

Please note that the photo of Joe January at 400 Bar was taken by Brody on March 5, 2009.

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All right.  I’ll just put this out there:  Joe’s a friend of mine.  You may think this makes me biased when it comes to reviewing something that he’s created, but it really doesn’t, for two reasons:  1).  I’m always honest when it comes to art, and 2).  I’m not nice.

When I first saw Joe January perform solo, I remember thinking “okay, okay, good lyrics, good songs, but…” and that ‘but’ wasn’t even defined until later, while listening to some sad-sack acoustic whatever at home and deciding that most men and their guitars need more friends—friends with basses and drum kits.  Unless you’re Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith, Dylan, or Jesus it’s unlikely that you’re capable of sitting alone on stage and convincing the audience that your pain is their pain (and lest we forget that all three of those artists plugged it in/turned it up at some point during their careers (Jesus too.  Would it be tasteless to call him the original “rock revivalist?”). Most musicians require something…meaty—a guttural oomph, a pathetically somber guitar twang, even a steady, explicit beat. I’m sorry that I have to say this; in a dream world a man and his guitar could (and would) be enough—enough to convey the emotion behind a simple prose verse. But before words there was sound, and I feel comfortable emphasizing the importance of having a full, distinct sound. Basically, I’m just tired of the “singer-songwriter,” which is a horrible descriptor, because all singers should also be songwriters (and yes, I realize the naïveté of that statement. Let’s move on).

Joe’s sound is one that requires a bit of concentration; he mumbles sometimes, and occasionally pulls back from the microphone. It’s as engaging as it is frustrating (as someone who writes about music), since there were a few moments where I felt tempted to yell something socially inept, like “Can you please repeat that line, I forgot to take notes!” While he doesn’t have the voice to satisfy Belle and Sebastian fans, I’m so tearfully grateful that his style fails to suggest a twee wet dream about to flood (there’s a time and place for sedate little ponderings about cute girls at the coffee shop, like at the coffee shop). He’s not obscure at all, and I might even describe what he’s doing as obvious, but with the trickiness of semantics, I don’t want our readers to think I’m calling his music trite or played out. The contrary, actually, I use ‘obvious’ in the same way that someone might say “I understand what you’re doing because I feel the same.”

It’s also obvious that Joe is interested in the technical side of music-making; listen to his covers—“Bennie and the Jets” is no longer a showy, middle-age foot stomper (bless Elton John), instead he performs it understated, stripped of flamboyance; there’s even a slight bucolic quality (its sparse rhythm lends itself to late-night country driving). Isaac Hayes’ “Shaft” theme (you heard me) is similarly made-under as a cool, semi-serious/still-funny, semi-foxy/still-funny tribute to the greatest, self-proclaimed sex machine (intermixed with Dionne Warwick’s “Walk On By”; admittedly, I didn’t recognize this at first, or it didn’t register; a testament to Joe’s musical reupholstering?). Besides the covers, Joe reserved ample time for original songs, most of which, I’d assume, are candidates for his upcoming record. “Oh Lilly” is catchy enough, an anti-weepy reflection on heartache and heartbreak that ends with the question no girl ever wants to hear (“You know I want you / but do I need you?”). “Keep it Together,” one of my faves from earlier shows, resonated better with the addition of the band; other songs were played solo and sounded fine, if not slightly incomplete. Perhaps this feeling was amplified by how awkwardly everyone repositioned themselves/left the stage; I thought maybe they were practicing for the encore “fake-out.” Awkwardness notwithstanding (and let’s be real here, who doesn’t appreciate a few minutes of uncomfortable silence to buy more beer?), I thoroughly enjoyed the music and thoroughly recommend it, and yes, my biases are showing. I don’t care, go support the rock.

Joe and his guitar are playing every Thursday this month at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis. He’s joined on stage by John Taillon (bass) and Dave Mehling (drums). For more information: Myspace and 400 Bar.

Joe January at 400 Bar, Minneapolis (05 Mar 2009) photo by Brody

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Flashback: Primal Scream at the Forum, Sydney (04 Feb 2009)

Setlist Kill All Hippies Can't Go Back Miss Lucifer Suicide Sally and Johnny Guitar Jailbird When the Bomb Drops Beautiful Future Higher Than the Sun Beautiful Summer Deep Hit of Morning Sun Exterminator Suicide Bomb City Shoot Speed/Kill Light Swastika Eyes Movin' On Up Rocks -- Encore -- Uptown Necro Hex Blues Country Girl Accelerator Read More Primal Scream Primal Scream just announced their 2014 U.S. tour; headling Austin Psych Fest & Play NYC. I saw the band at SXSW in 2009 at the annual Scottish Arts Council showcase. Primal Scream were the headliner for that show (even though I had no idea they were Scottish!) …

It’s still Summer in Australia, and Sally finally got to see her favorite band, Primal Scream at the Forum in Sydney, Australia, on February 4, 2009.

It’s actually pretty funny how Primal Scream influenced a whole generation with that Screamadelica album. In fact, if you watch, The World's End, the whole thing started with “Loaded” (which sampled the Peter Fonda movie The Wild Angels)….. but unfortunately, at Sally’s show, Primal Scream did not play “Loaded,” which is a bit of a bummer.

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Primal Scream is one of the bands in a special list in my head. This list is of bands that I know if I don’t see them now, I will never get a chance to see them. Bands that were at their height in the 90s, that went all quiet (or broke up) and have now come back…. just for me (or so I like to think). Dodgy, The Coral, The Jesus and Mary Chain… and now Primal Scream.

I managed to miss the support act Wolf and Cub, which is a bit disappointing, but being a Wednesday night at a venue that really doesn’t have the most direct public transport link from my house, meant that I wasn’t going to be there early. Plus someone was offering me a lift…. Beggars can’t be choosers. Anyway, managed to get a pretty good viewing spot (or so I thought) even turning up as late as I did.

Primal Scream photo: Greg

I’m not sure whether I should be ashamed to admit it, but when the band walked on stage I couldn’t help myself from smiling like a village idiot and nearly weeing my pants. Bobby Gillespie! Mani!.... and the other ones…. I hadn’t really known what to expect.

I must say, and I nearly wish I didn’t have this opinion, that I was more excited about seeing them in person than I was impressed by their music. It was very loud (however we were standing in front of the largest speaker stack ever constructed) and bobby wasn’t really able to carry a tune, but the tight jeans and overall aura of awesomeness of them cancelled it out.

Bobby swung from wild arm waving to standing in a zombie-like state (I could have sworn he was looking at someone at the side of stage for a signal to begin singing again). Trying to determine whether Bobby was just out of it, or if he just naturally looks like a zombie, did occupy a large chunk of my brain. Not a lot of chit-chat, not coherent chit-chat anyway… but whether that was because he was a completely trollied or just Scottish, who can tell?

They played everything I wanted (except for Loaded, but I won’t whine about it)… I even had a bit of a sing-along with Movin’ On Up. Most importantly they played Suicide Sally and Johnny Guitar, because I do like a good song with my name in it.

So I can now cross another band off my list... and another member of the Stone Roses (one day I’ll see them all, I’m collecting them one by one). Brilliant!

Primal Scream at the Forum, Sydney (04 Feb 2009) photo by Greg

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