W♥M

Save Ferris at Jack Rabbits (May 13, 2025)

Save Ferris at Jack Rabbits (May 13, 2025) Save Ferris Setlist Anything Turn It Up The World Is New What You See Is What You Get Nobody but Me Do I Even Like You? Superspy New Sound Mistaken Your Friend Holding On Under 21 Goodbye Get Dancing Lights Out in the Reptile House Spam -- Encore -- Too Drunk to F**k (Dead Kennedys cover) Come on Eileen (Dexys Midnight Runners cover) Knives Setlist My Only Gold Home Dance Electric Kiss You in Hell Chemicals Moments Oh This Sin of Mine Ghost with Mickey Tour Dates 5/14- Pensacola, FL - @pensacolahandlebar 5/16- Houston, TX - @lastconcertcafe 5/17 - Dallas, TX - @ferriswheelers 5/18- Oklahoma City, OK - @89thstreetokc 5/20 - St. Louis, MO -@oldrockhousestl 5/24 Hatfield Slam Dunk Festival South 5/25 Leeds Slam Dunk Festival North 5/29 G. Berlin So56 5/ 30 A. Wels Sbam Festival 7/20 Nl Koog Aan De Zaan Haltpop Festival 8/2 B. Duffel Brackrock Festival 8/3 London Islington O2 Academy 8/4 Slovenia Tolmin Punk Rock Holiday Festival 8/7 Huddersfield Parish 8/8 Blackpool Rebellion Festival Read More Save Ferris Having been absent from the music scene since 2003, I’m happy to report that ska-punk band Save Ferris (named after Ferris Bueller's Day Off) will be in town this Saturday, March 11th at the …

90s ska/punk band Save Ferris, famous for their ska-tastic cover of Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen”, is back on tour, celebrating their 30th Anniversary as a band (the band formed in 1995 in Orange County). The tour stopped by Jack Rabbits, in Jacksonville, Florida, last night.

Based on the poster, Knives (or officially known as Knives FL) wasn’t originally on the bill. Thanks to support from the venue and being friends with the band, they were added to the lineup, and they seemed very thankful to get a chance to play their music to a full room, “Thanked for showing up early. I know you have no idea who we are, but thank you!”

The band is led by Danny Attack, who mentioned that the band isn’t 100% complete. In fact, they had to get a temporary drummer, Aaron from the band Bad Year, to sit with them for this gig (he had to learn their set in a few hours). Aaron, that night, had to drive back to Wisconsin, where he lives. I’ve recently had to drive from Minneapolis to Jacksonville, so I feel for you.

The alt-rock band went through their setlist very quickly, and they learned that they had to fulfill a 30-min set, Danny decided to add “Moments” to their set. The song, is about falling in love at a Denny’s.

Highlight of their set was their closer, a song called “Ghost”. A friend of the band (and someone working at Jack Rabbits), Mickey came on stage to help them close out their set.

Keep Flying at Turf Club (May 1, 2025)

The current tour, with supporting band Keep Flying, stopped at the Turf Club, in St Paul, a few weeks ago, which Thaddeus reports: “The opener was Keep Flying, a band from the Northeast (various sites say they are from New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, though part way in the lead singer said, “We’re from New York”). For an opener, Keep Flying had quite the complicated on stage set up, with background banner of the band name. They also had very tall (8 foot?) posters on each side of the stage saying Time on the left and Tide on the right, supporting the name of their newest album, Time & Tide. They really felt like a headlining act. The sextet came out flying, with several members playing the hype/dance part. It’s a busy group with two guitarists (including the lead vocalist), bass, drums, and brass (with one of them playing back up and occasional lead vocals).”

You can tell by the way the band carries, that this wasn’t their first rodeo. They were, of course, promoting their record, Time & Tide. Trying to entice fans to purchase the vinyl to enter into a drawing, but also, they were promoting a non-profit called Punk Rock Save Lives. I believe representatives were travelling with the tour.

Keep Flying’s music was loud and in your face. The best part of their music is the horns section. Between John Ryan constantly pogoing and Henry Menzel’s eyeballs, they did a good job in getting the audience ready for the headliner.

Since Save Ferris emerged from the 90s, you would expect the audience to be in their 50’s, but it was surprisingly to see some teenagers in the audience. Perhaps they’re children of those older original fans… but it was still nice to see a different generation showing up to hear ska/punk music.

Singer and band leader, Monique Powell, in red hair and blue dress, was the center of attention. All eyes were on her, as she directs the audience to hands up or dance. To get a better idea of their show, read about May 1, 2025 appearance.

According to the band, the Jacksonville show was their first time they played the city as a headliner. They mentioned that they may have stopped through as part of the Warped Tour. Often with those touring music festival, the band gets lost in a sea of 100 other bands, so as headliner, it was a one-to-one with their fans.

The other thing that I can tell you, and it shouldn’t surprise you, is that they end their set with their big hit song, the Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen”. Undoubtedly, the highlight of their set, as everybody in the audience is dancing and singing along.

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Save Ferris at Jack Rabbits (May 13, 2025)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

SASAMI at Turf Club (May 13, 2025)

SASAMI at Turf Club (May 13, 2025) SASAMI Setlist Figure It Out Honeycrash I'll Be Gone Need It to Work Not the Time Call Me Home Lose It All Anything but Ordinary (Avril Lavigne cover) Just Be Friends Horn Interlude Nothing but a Sad Face In Love With a Memory Slugger Tour Dates 5/15 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge 5/17 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party 5/18 - Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club 5/20 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom 5/21 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos 5/22 - Eugene, OR @ Soreng Theatre 5/24 - Napa, CA @ BottleRock 5/25 - San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel Previously: SASAMI at Fine Line (Oct 9, 2023) According to both Sasami and Yeule, the band almost didn’t make it to Minneapolis, as their tour bus broke down in Omaha, Nebraska, early in the morning of October 9th. In an emergency, they could only get a Toyota Corolla rental… which you would know is considerably smaller than a traditional tour bus. Everyone is cramped in the small car, with their instrumentals packed in a U-Haul trailer. Somehow they were able to make it to the show, perhaps a tad later than they had anticipated, but they were happy to be in Minneapolis, at the Fine Line… Sasami confessed that she was nervous, not having a band to “hide behind.” Since she has to play guitar and serves as a one-woman-show, she decided that she was going to “experiment” with brand new songs that have never been released. Perhaps some of these songs will make it in a future album. [ Continue Reading SASAMI at Fine Line (Oct 9, 2023) ] Read More SASAMI Los Angeles-based artist Sasami (stylized as SASAMI) is returning to the area, at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St Paul on Saturday, April 20th. SASAMI’s debut self-titled album .…

In the midst of some very summery (read: hot) weather, we had some heat of our own at the Turf Club, with SASAMI headlining a pop rock evening.

Mood Killer took the stage to open. I enjoy their self-described term, “experimental pop artist”. Mood Killer (aka Michael Zarowny) have released several EP’s, as well last year’s debut album ABRACADABRA. This is electronica pop with full recorded background musical tracks, as it was the solo performer. There were a number of vocal effects (reverb, auto tune, etc.) to contrast the songs against that electronica beat underneath. A song mid-set with the chorus “in the blink of an eye” was a pretty compelling dance song. Mood Killer turned towards that deep bass beat on the next number, Go Crazy, with a lot less singing and a more spoken word approach and significantly more dancing. The lighting effects continued to be more dramatic, with a lot of strobe and colored lights. Their song, Happy Birthday, was equal parts disturbing and ridiculous.

Mood Killer is squarely in the group of artists who believe that the performance is as important (or maybe more so) than the music. I’m on the fence about this approach, as it can quickly become more theater than concert. And sure enough, a ribbon wand baton appeared on the song Abrakadabra, with a full out twirl routine. Finishing on the obvious next song title, “What do you say after Abrakadaba?”, Alalazam leaned back into the dance beats for Mood Killer.

SASAMI (Sasami Ashworth) is a singer & songwriter playing multiple styles generally in indie pop rock. A classically trained French horn player, she initially started with the band Cherry Glazerr before establishing her solo career. Sasami has released three albums, including 2025’s Blood on the Silver Screen. She entered with only a drummer as a band mate to her guitar and vocals, although it was clear at different points that there was more backing music. As she played Figure It Out, it is perhaps the best song of the recent album and had the audience enthralled and cheering throughout. SASAMI is wildly photogenic and obviously knows it; she has a way of hitting those hand motions in stride with guitar work.

In her first banter with St. Paul (“Is that even your real name?”), SASAMI asked the audience to get into a Friday night mood. There’s a real charisma and she pulled the audience willingly into dancing along during I’ll Be Gone. An extended discussion of double kicks from the drummer Diego had the crowd going, with SASAMI asking them to mosh during Need It to Work. With Not This Time following, we got a lot more straight rock & roll than I had expected from my listens of Blood on the Silver Screen. It’s a great reminder that the order an artist arranges their music can give very different impressions of what their sound is.

The smoke machine was suddenly set to saturate, and I simply don’t know what the goal of that is. Lose It All was a fan favorite and had the audience nearly ecstatic. A cover of Avril Lavigne’s Anything but Ordinary followed, and was a solid acoustic guitar song to highlight SASAMI’s vocals. A ridiculous interlude about the Wisconsin Dells led to Just Be Friends, which had a significant portion of the crowd singing along.

Diego returned to the stage (I lost track and didn’t know he had left!), making his return an absolute crashing solo. The French horn made an appearance for an interlude that was a great transition to the final few songs. I realized SASAMI also had some performative moments to her set, but they accentuated her music rather than upstaging them. In Love With a Memory was back into that electronic pop sound. It’s a clever song to be near the end of a set, with the lyric “before we say goodnight”, and really showed how thoughtful the entire set order had been. Ending on Slugger, SASAMI ended on a hit and wrapped up her set.

Mood Killer

Mood Killer Mood Killer

SASAMI

SASAMI

SASAMI

SASAMI at Turf Club (May 13, 2025)

thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥KC! May 16-18, 2025 Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence KS)

Read More Ben Rector Ben Rector is an artist we’ve seen really move up to new heights over the last couple years, with melodic and memorable songs, a growing (mostly female) fan base, and a Billy Joel-influenced sound ...

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

You’d think concert ticket prices just went up across the board, but…

...that’s not really the case- The Ticket Act, which requires that all fees are disclosed up front, as part of the total ticket price, just went into effect. So, it’s more transparent to see all the various inflated fees, that are part of some of the ticketed shows out there.

While we think it’s generally a good idea; bringing in Kid Rock, dressed as some star-spangled used car salesman to present this new law, could have used a bit more couth.

Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming weekend of May 16th-18th.

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

FRIDAY MAY 16

Ben Rector, May 16 and 17, The Midland, $43-$314

Ben Rector returns to KC for two nights, now on his The Richest Man in the World Tour which is the Tulsa-born, Nashville native and University of Arkansas grad’s first major full band tour since 2022’s “The Joy Of Music” (which we checked out live in Kansas City).

“I’m excited to take a different approach to touring this year," Rector said. "I know the band and I are looking forward to it and will bring something really, really special every night we get to perform."

Rector recently released three new songs in an EP titled, “Songs From The Richest Man In The World." with an expected new album due later this year. Rector has independently released a total of seven studio albums and his songs have received both RIAA Gold and RIAA Platinum certifications, amassing more than a billion streams. His most popular songs include "Brand New," "Love Like This" and "Drive."

Lukas Nelson, May 16, Knuckleheads, sold out

GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist Lukas Nelson has become one of the most respected voices in music today, with eight studio albums to his name and this time he’s out solo, without his famed backing band, Promise of the Real.

Since his arrival in Nashville, Nelson has established himself as a highly sought-after collaborator both in the studio and on the stage, joining forces with The Travelin' McCourys, to arrange and perform a bluegrass-inspired rendition of Adele’s hit, “Someone Like You,” which featured Sierra Ferrell.

Additionally, he co-produced the music on the GRAMMY Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack of Best Original Music winning soundtrack for the acclaimed 2018 film “A Star is Born,” in which he also appeared.

Amigo the Devil, May 16, moved to Warehouse on Broadway, $31.02

Singer-songwriter Amigo the Devil (aka Danny Kiranos) returns on the road to support his most recent studio album ‘Yours Until The War Is Over’ and is bringing many like-minded dark folk friends along, like MN’s own Charlie Parr, for a full bill.

Kiranos previously completed a US tour with Flogging Molly, had runs in Australia and New Zealand, and played gigs with Frank Turner last summer before resuming his road schedule again.

Nekrogoblikon, May 16, Granada, $29.50-$35

Nekrogoblikon, Revocation and Ov Sulfur are on the road this May for "The Show Me Your Goblin Tour.” The tour also features openers Brat and Exmortus trading off opening spots midway through the trek. The tour kicked off on May 8 in Roseville, CA and wraps back on June 13 in Los Angeles.

Melodic death metal of monstrous proportions, they claim to be the "Best Goblin Metal Band" (and/or maybe the only "Goblin Metal Band"). John Goblikon, the host of the Right Now Podcast, is the face behind the sung vocals with the screaming actually being delivered by Dickie Allen (also of Infant Annihilator). Sounds like a rock party, if we’ve ever heard of one.

SATURDAY MAY 17

Alison Krauss and Union Station w Willie Watson, May 17, Starlight, $40.50-$188.75

For the first time in nearly a decade and known for transcending boundaries of roots, country, rock 'n' roll and pop, the magical pairing of Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas will be officially reuniting for a massive 73-date “Arcadia” tour, putting one of the most celebrated bluegrass and roots music groups back on the road again.

There is a new and long-awaited album “Arcadia” as well- the first in nearly 15 years and since 2011’s award-winning Paper Airplane. Russell Moore from the bluegrass band IIIrd Tyme Out has now joined the band as well, joining Ron Block (banjo, guitar, vocals), Barry Bales (bass, vocals), and of course bluegrass Hall of Famer and 14-time Grammy winner Jerry Douglas on dobro and vocals. Dan Tyminski looks to have left the group to instead focus on his solo ventures, which is a big loss.

“I’m so grateful to get to make music again with my comrades of 40 years,” said Krauss in a statement. “They’ve always accomplished incredible work individually and have been constantly traveling because of it. We’re very inspired to experience this new exciting chapter in the band’s history.”

Arrive early as opening the tour will be former founding member of Old Crow Medicine Show and singer-songwriter, poet, actor, and multi-instrumentalist Willie Watson who only recently after twenty years into his career, released his first-ever solo album of original material- Willie Watson is out everywhere via Little Operation Records (Thirty Tigers).

Steeldrivers, May 17, Knuckleheads, $35

Out on their spanning 20^th anniversary tour, Grammy-winning quintet The SteelDrivers also are releasing a new album, Outrun, featuring lead single, ‘The River Knows’, on May 23rd on the legendary Sun Records imprint.

The album features the classic, blues-infused bluegrass sound the band has been known for, for two decades now, with stories and singalongs alike. Between bluegrass and the blues, another element of Outrun is their tribute to late founding member Mike Henderson who passed away in 2023.

SUNDAY MAY 18

Queensryche, May 18, Ameristar, $58-$132

“Can you hear it calling?” Veteran metal/prog band Queensryche returns to a local stage focusing on group's early releases, the 1983 self-titled EP and 1984's "The Warning" album. Singer Todd La Torre said in a statement: "We are thrilled to bring to you 'The Origins Tour'. This will be the first time in QUEENSRŸCHE's history that the EP and 'The Warning' will be performed live in their entirety. Join us for this unique and very special experience, as we celebrate the origins of QUEENSRŸCHE. Take hold!"

On their previous tour, QUEENSRŸCHE's set included no less than five songs from the band's sixteenth studio album, "Digital Noise Alliance", which came out in October 2022 via Century Media and welcomed back guitarist Mike Stone in 2021 after longtime guitarist Parker Lundgren was exiting the group to focus on "other business ventures."

The core trio of La Torre, guitarist Michael Wilton and bassist Eddie Jackson remains, so expect the classics as well as some of the new, in this decades-spanning performance.

Lissie w Madisen Ward, May 18, Warehouse on Broadway, $37.15

A Midwest favorite, folk singer-songwriter Lissie (Maurus) returns live, all the way from her farm in Iowa. Raised in Rock Island, IL, fans first fell in love with her on her five-song EP Why You Runnin', and follow-up full- length debut, Catching A Tiger was released in 2010.

Flash ahead a decade to 2020, when Lissie released her covers EP "Thank You To The Flowers", a collection of cover songs by female artists that she admires, which her other popular and diverse covers, including 'Go Your Own Way' and 'Dreams' by Fleetwood Mac,’ Bad Romance' by Lady Gaga, ‘Pursuit Of Happiness’ by Kid Cudi and 'Nothing Else Matters' by Metallica. Her fifth studio album, Carving Canyons, was released in September 2022.

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

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

Jax: June 11 to June 15, 2025

Read more Jacksonville.

Hail the Sun at The Albatross (11 June 2025) Read More Hail The Sun Covet, Hail The Sun The Cabooze Polyphia is headlining the Cabooze on Tuesday, October 23rd. …

June 11, 2025 Wednesday
Hail the Sun
at The Albatross
jaxlive.com

California rock band Hail the Sun will be headlining the Albatross (formerly Underbelly), in Jacksonville on June 11, 2025.

Tour Dates:

05/01 — Raleigh, NC — The Ritz *

05/07 — Kansas City, MO — Uptown Theater *

05/09 — Indianapolis, IN — The Vogue ^

05/10 — Milwaukee, WI — The Rave *

05/11 — Iowa City, IA — Wildwood ^

05/13 — Fargo, ND — The Aquarium ^

05/14 — Minneapolis, MN — The Fillmore *

05/19 — Chicago, IL — Riviera Theatre *

05/20 — Lansing, MI — Grewal Hall ^

05/21 — Grand Rapids, MI — GLC Live at 20 Monroe *

05/23 — Millersville, PA — Phantom Power ^

05/24 — Rochester, NY — Montage Music Hall ^

05/25 — Montclair, NJ — The Wellmont Theater *

05/27 — St. Louis, MO — The Pageant *

05/30 — San Antonio, TX — Aztec Theatre *

05/31 — Corpus Christi, TX — House of Rock ^

06/01 — Austin, TX — Come and Take It Live ^

06/02 — Houston, TX — House of Blues Houston *

06/05 — Atlanta, GA — Tabernacle *

06/06 — Nashville, TN — The Basement East ^

06/07 — Memphis, TN — Growlers ^

06/09 — New Orleans, LA — Fillmore New Orleans *

06/11 — Jacksonville, FL — Underbelly ^

06/12 — Myrtle Beach, SC — House of Blues Myrtle Beach *

07/08 — Manchester, UK — Rebellion ^

07/09 — London, UK — Oslo Hackney ^

07/11 — Cheltenham, UK — 2000trees Festival

07/13 — Glasgow, UK — The Garage ^

# — w/ The Amity Affliction, Many Eyes, Unwell
* — supporting Ice Nine Kills
^ — headline show

Modest Mouse at the Amp (11 June 2025) Read More Modest Mouse Longtime Portland alternative band Modest Mouse is closing out their Golden Casket Tour, in support of the 2021 album of the same name (on Epic Records) …

June 11, 2025 Wednesday
Modest Mouse
with Douglas Martsch
at the Amp
theamp.com

Modest Mouse will be headlining the Amp, in St Augustine, on June 11th, in support of their forthcoming new album The Golden Casket (Epic Records).

Modest Mouse at Starlight Theatre (24 June 2024)

We saw Modest Mouse in June 2024 and said, “Modest Mouse still changes their setlist nightly and mostly plays what they want, which is more than fine with their loyal fans, many of whom stood and cheered for their entire set. Brock’s real only dialogue to the crowd was mentioning having to follow Marshall and band, and the tendency to complain about the heat (or cold...or anything). The set started strong with the now almost quarter-century-old “The Stars Are Projectors”, would continue its upward arc with 2004 radio hot, “Ocean Breathes Salty” and crest with their driving cover of 1980’s “A Forest” by The Cure. The more casual fans were satiated with radio hits, “Lampshades on Fire” and “Float On” played back-to-back, though the former seemed in a different time signature than the studio version, making it less immediately recognizable.”

Douglas Martsch to open.

After this appearance, the band will be touring with The Flaming Lips:

August 1, 2025 - Atlanta, GA - Coca-Cola Roxy#*

August 2, 2025 - Raleigh, NC - Red Hat Amphitheater#*

August 3, 2025 - Richmond, VA - Brown's Island#

August 5, 2025 - Philadelphia, PA - Mann Center for the Performing Arts#*

August 7, 2025 - Portland, ME - Thompson's Point#*

August 8, 2025 - New Haven, CT - Westville Music Bowl#*

August 9, 2025 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE#*

August 11, 2025 - Indianapolis, IN - Everwise Amphitheater#*

August 12, 2025 - Cincinnati, OH - The Andrew J Brady Music Center#*

August 14, 2025 - Madison, WI - Breese Stevens Field#*

August 15, 2025 - Minneapolis, MN - The Armory#

August 16, 2025 - Chicago, IL - The Salt Shed - Fairgrounds#

August 19, 2025 - Irving, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory#*

August 20, 2025 - Houston, TX - 713 Music Hall#*

September 3, 2025 - San Diego, CA - Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre#^

September 4, 2025 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre#^

September 5, 2025 - Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bow#l^

September 7, 2025 - Berkeley, CA - The Greek Theatre#^

September 10, 2025 - Troutdale, OR - McMenamins Edgefield#^

September 11, 2025 - Troutdale, OR - McMenamins Edgefield#^

September 13, 2025 - Carnation, WA - Modest Mouse Presents: The Psychic Salamander Festival @ Remlinger Farms

September 14, 2025 - Carnation, WA - Modest Mouse Presents: The Psychic Salamander Festival @ Remlinger Farms

#w/ The Flaming Lips
* w/ Friko
^ w/ Dehd

Max McNown at FIVE (15 June 2025) Read More Max McNown Singer/songwriter Max McNown sold out his February 6, 2025, show at the 7th Street Entry, that he booked an additional date for February 5. So if you missed out on Feb 6 …

June 15, 2025 Thursday
Max McNown
at FIVE
fivejax.com

Max McNown is currently on tour in support of Night Diving. The tour will stop by Five, in Jacksonville, Florida, on June 15, 2025.

Max McNown at 7th St Entry (15 Apr 2024)

We saw Max McNown in Apr 2024 and wrote, “Folk singer-songwriter Max McNown opened the show, playing tracks from his debut album Wandering, which came out April 12 on Fugitive Recordings. He previously opened for Americana folk-rock band Briscoe last month (March). Joining McNown on stage was guitarist, banjo player, and harmonica player, Ethan Luck. Luck is documenting his time on tour entitled “On The Road With Max McNown” on YouTube.”

Tour dates:

May 4 Sun - Auckland, NZ - Powerstation

May 6 Tue - Brisbane, QLD - The Tivoli

May 7 Wed - Brisbane, QLD - The Tivoli

May 11 Sun - Sydney, NSW - UNSW Roundhouse

May 12 Mon - Sydney, NSW - UNSW Roundhouse

May 13 Tue - Melbourne, VIC - Forum Melbourne

May 14 Wed - Melbourne, VIC - Forum Melbourne

May 16 Fri - Perth, WA - MetroCity

May 23 Fri- Boston, MA - Boston Calling Music Festival

May 30 Fri - Knoxville, TN - The Mill & Mine

May 31 Sat - Gadsden, AL - Bash at the Bend

Jun 1 Sun - Lexington, KY - Railbird Festival

Jun 6 Fri - Nashville, TN - CMA Fest at Riverfront

Jun 13 Fri - St Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live

Jun 14 Sat - Orlando, FL - The Plaza Live

Jun 15 Sun - Jacksonville, FL - Five

Jun 17 Tues - Isle of Palms, SC - The Windjammer

Jun 19 Thurs - Richmond, VA - The National

Jun 21 Sat - Chattanooga, TN - The Signal

Jun 27 Fri - Bloomsbury, Australia - Country Fest Queensland

Jul 4 Fri - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest

Jul 18 Fri - Redmond, OR - Fairwell Music Festival

Aug 2 Sat - Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza

Aug 8 Fri - Elkhorn Precinct, NE - Pinnacle Bank Championship Concert Series

Aug 30 Sat - Aspen, CO - Jas Aspen Labor Day Experience

Softcult at Jack Rabbits (15 June 2025) Read More she's green Local shoegazing band she’s green, featuring Zofia on vocals, Teddy on bass, Liam on guitars, Raines on guitars, and Kevin on drums, opened the show. Although .…

15 June 2025 Thursday
Softcult
with She’s Green and Dark Spring
at Jack Rabbits
jaxlive.com

Canadian grunge and shoegaze band Softcult (twin sisters Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn) will be headlining Jack Rabbits, in Jacksonville, on June 15.

Minneapolis’ She’s Green and Jacksonville’s Dark Spring to open.

she's green at Cloudland (02 Mar 2024)

We saw she’s green in March 2024, and wrote, “We caught she’s green in September last year at the Turf Club. They were also one of the Best New Bands of 2023 at First Avenue’s annual concert. They are Zofia Smith on vocals, Liam Armstrong and Raines Lucas on guitar, Teddy Nordvold on bass and Kevin Seebeck on drums. Their sound can be described as lush shoegazing as Armstrong and Lucas hardly looked up from their pedals. A crowd favorite was “Smile Again” as “Tarmac” built into a wonderful crescendo with Smith’s longing vocals.”

Tour dates:

05/29 - Bridgeworks - Hamilton, ON

05/30 - The Axis Club - Toronto, ON

05/31 - The 27 Club - Ottawa, ON

06/01 - L'Escogriffe Bar Spectacle - Montreal, QC

06/03 - Sonic Hall - Guelph, ON

06/04 - Rum Runners - London, ON

06/06 - The Sanctuary Detroit - Hamtrack, MI

06/07 - Cobra Lounge - Chicago, IL

06/08 - Skully’s Music Diner - Columbus, OH

06/10 - The End - Nashville, TN

06/11 - Purgatory at The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA

06/13 - Crowbar - Tampa, FL

06/15 - Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville, FL

06/17 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC

06/18 - Black Cat - Washington, D.C.

06/19 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY

06/21 - The Foundry - Philadelphia, PA

06/22 - The Middle East - Cambridge, MA

If your band is coming to the Jacksonville/St Augustine area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Magnetic Fields at Fitzgerald Theater (May 9-10, 2025)

Magnetic Fields at Fitzgerald (May 9-10, 2025) The Magnetic Fields at Fitzgerald Setlist (May 9, 2025) -- Set I -- Absolutely Cuckoo I Don't Believe in the Sun All My Little Words A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off Reno Dakota I Don't Want to Get Over You Come Back From San Francisco The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits The Cactus Where Your Heart Should Be I Think I Need a New Heart The Book of Love Fido, Your Leash Is Too Long How F**king Romantic The One You Really Love Punk Love Parades Go By -- Set II -- Boa Constrictor A Pretty Girl Is Like... My Sentimental Melody Nothing Matters When We're Dancing Sweet-Lovin' Man The Things We Did and Didn't Do Roses Love Is Like Jazz When My Boy Walks Down the Street Time Enough for Rocking When We're Old Very Funny Grand Canyon No One Will Ever Love You If You Don't Cry You're My Only Home (Crazy for You But) Not That Crazy My Only Friend Promises of Eternity The Magnetic Fields at Fitzgerald Setlist (May 10, 2025) -- Set III -- World Love Washington, D.C. Long-Forgotten Fairytale Kiss Me Like You Mean It Papa Was a Rodeo Epitaph for My Heart Asleep and Dreaming The Sun Goes Down and the World Goes Dancing The Way You Say Good-Night Abigail, Belle of Kilronan I Shatter Underwear It's a Crime Busby Berkeley Dreams I'm Sorry I Love You Acoustic Guitar The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure -- Set IV -- Love in the Shadows Bitter Tears Wi' Nae Wee Bairn Ye'll Me Beget Yeah! Oh, Yeah! Experimental Music Love Meaningless Love Is Like a Bottle of Gin Queen of the Savages Blue You I Can't Touch You Anymore Two Kinds of People How to Say Goodbye The Night You Can't Remember For We Are the King of the Boudoir Strange Eyes Xylophone Track Zebra Tour Dates May 12 Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak, MI May 13 Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak, MI May 19 Memorial Hall OTR - Cincinnati, OH May 20 Memorial Hall OTR - Cincinnati, OH Sep 19 19/09/25 Norway- Oslo Concert House Sep 20 Norway- Oslo Concert House Sep 22 Sweden- Malmo Live Sep 23 Sweden- Malmo Live Sep 26 Italy- Sala Petrassi, Rome Sep 27 Italy- Sala Petrassi, Rome Sep 29 UK- Bristol Beacon Sep 30 Bristol Beacon Oct 02 Union Chapel, London Oct 03 Union Chapel, London Oct 05 Brighton Dome Oct 06 Brighton Dome Oct 08 Portugal- Centro Cultural Vila Flor, Guimaraes Oct 09 Portugal- Centro Cultural Vila Flor, Guimaraes Oct 11 Spain- Shoko, Madrid Oct 12 Spain- Shoko, Madrid Oct 14 Union Chapel, London Oct 15 Union Chapel, London Oct 29 West Palm Beach, FL- Kravis Center Oct 30 West Palm Beach, FL- Kravis Center Nov 1 Miami, FL- Adrienne Arsht Center Nov 2 Miami, FL- Adrienne Arsht Center Read More Magnetic Fields Accompanying Stephin Merritt on stage was cellist Sam Davol, also from the Magnetic Fields. Since the set list was put together with very specific order, the two would ....

Five Artists, Four sets, three records (or CDs if you prefer), two nights, and one Stephin Merritt: 69 Love Songs the 25th Anniversary tour at the Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul. What a sublime couple of evenings. The Magnetic Fields know how to put on a performance and those in attendance were treated to an amazing one. I had the pleasure of seeing them perform 69 Love Songs like this back in 2002 and was blown away by the fidelity to the sound of the album while simultaneously being its own event. The voices of Shirley Simms and Stephin Merritt were flawless. Having been to my fair share of recent shows by bands from the ‘90s and ‘00s, I was not sure what to expect of their voices 23 years later. Well, spoiler alert, they’re still flawless, and I don’t say that lightly.

For those who don’t know, the set-up for these shows is the main touring members of the Magnetic Fields playing all 2 hours 52 minutes and 3 seconds of 69 Love Songs from “Absolutely Cuckoo” to “Zebra”. There were no surprises when it came to which song was next, which was probably juust fine with this audience. On Night One at about 8:10, with cheers from the audience, the band sauntered on to stage to their individual spots, which looked like modern desks at a hip communal workspace. Stephin (vocals and various “random” instruments) was in the front stage left with Shirley Simms (vocals, ukulele, whistling), in the front stage right. Sam Davol (cello) was center stage slightly behind. With Chris Ewen (keyboards/synthesizer) back right and Anthony Kaczynski (vocals, guitar) back left, both on a raised stage. Upon taking their positions and without a word, they launched into song. There is not a lot of physicality to their shows, but don’t let that fool you; there is a tremendous amount of energy to their sets, and they know how to entertain an audience.

After the third song, “All My Little Words” sung by Anthony, Stephin in his subdued baritone casually offered that a lot of their songs are about animals, some of which aren’t so pretty. Obviously referencing “A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off”, which followed. Before the next song, “Reno Dakota” sung by Shirley, Stephin offered that a lot of their songs are about cities, too. Animals and cities. Both of these comments were met with laughter from the audience, most of whom were well aware of this information. “The Luckiest Guy On the Lower East Side”, another city song, was a highlight of the show with everyone waiting to see how Anthony, taking lead vocals, would compare to Dudley Klute who provided vocals for the album and held the note on the lyric ride for 16 seconds. I know 16 seconds doesn’t seem like a long time, but for those of you who have tried to match it while singing along know - it is challenging. I don’t think Anthony quite made it 16 seconds, but the audience still rewarded him with some love. The first set ended with “Parades Go By”, which was preceded by Stephin announcing there would be a 20-minute intermission and a casual mention of merchandise, including a few posters from their Toronto show left, at the merch shop and if you hurried you might get one. You might also be realizing that there is a second night and head to the box office to get tickets only to realize there aren’t any left... you shouldn’t have gotten the poster first...

“Boa Constrictor”, a lovely song about potential infanticide, sung by Shirley, kicked off the second set. Every song they played is worth writing about, but there are only so many words I imagine you’re willing to put up with. Of particular note: “Sweet-Lovin’ Man” sung by Shirley, “When My Boy Walks Down the Street” sung by Stephin, which had the audience feeling it, and three of the final five, which are slow, beautiful, melodic gems that really tug on one’s musical heart strings: “You’re My Only Home”, “My Only Friend”, and “Promises of Eternity” all sung by Stephin. Prior to the last song, Stephin informed us that this would be the last song followed by a 24-hour intermission.

Night Two (a new seat) The band’s entrance was much the same as Night One except the first song was “World Love” sung by Stephin. The next song, “Washington, D.C.” sung by Shirley was an opportunity for some theatre and subtle political commentary in the way the song was performed. The audience got the bit and responded with approval. “Long-Forgotten Fairytale” sung by Anthony immediately followed and was delivered so beautifully as was “Papa Was a Rodeo”, a duet between Stephin and Shirley. You could feel the uncertainty of and the marveling at love. “Acoustic Guitar” was a fan favorite delivered with the appropriate level of humor and resigned longing by Shirley. Finally, the first set wrapped up with Stephin singing “The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure” preceded by the same general announcement of a 20-minute intermission and merch available delivered with the all the enthusiasm of a “management is making me tell you this” style. The joke, obviously, being he is management.

The second set started slowly with “Love In the Shadows” sung by Stephin. Two duets were particularly entertaining as judged by the audience reaction: “Wi’ Nae Wee Bairn Ye’ll Me Beget” sung by Shirley and Anthony with Stephin providing backing vocals and “Yeah! Oh, Yeah!”, a song about a wife realizing her husband no longer loves her sung by Shirley and Stephin complete with glasses of rosé and hand gestures. Then finally Chris got in on the singing with the oh so meh “Experimental Music Love”, which thankfully is only 29 seconds long but is worth mentioning for how much it sounded like the version on the album. Anthony delighted the crowd with his rendition of the humorous and pithy “For We Are the King of the Boudoir”. Prior to the last song “Zebra”, sung by Shirley, Stephin let us know that this song would be followed by a 25-year intermission after which we could join them for the 50^th anniversary and purchase the 69 Love Songs gold album.

The show closed with a minutes-long standing ovation even though the audience knew there would be no encore. It’s truly amazing how many great songs there are on 69 Love Songs most of which have held up remarkably well over the years. Being able to spend 3 hours over two nights with hundreds of Magnetic Fields fans listening to the album sung live from beginning to end helps you appreciate what a masterpiece it is.

The Magnetic Fields at Fitzgerald Theater (May 9-10, 2025)

matt ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Gráinne Hunt at Celtic Junction (May 11, 2025)

Gráinne Hunt at Celtic Junction (May 11, 2025) Gráinne Hunt Setlist -- Set I -- Lilacs (in June) Between the Pines Don't Let the Truth Get in the Way Turning Tipping Point Evelyn Somewhere I Called Home (Song in Gaelic) -- Set II -- Magnets This Secret I Wasn't Quite Ready for Love I Am Water, I Am Air Home I Will Come So I Could Leave Somewhere I Called Home -- Encore -- Hold On Hard setlist courtesy of setlist.fm Tour Dates 05/14 Ca d'Zan, Cambridge, IL 05/15 Board & Batten, Des Moines IO 05/16 Alluvial, Ames, IO 05/17 Whistle Stop Antiques, Belton, MO 05/19 Blue Strawberry, St Louis, MO 05/22 Kansas City Irish Centre, KS Read More Gráinne Hunt Gráinne Hunt, the hardest working woman in Irish music, according to Glen Hansard will be playing the Celtic Junction, in Minneapolis, on May 11, 2025. The last Celtic Junction ... Celtic Junction Before their show, the head of Celtic Junction Arts Center, Cormac Ó Sé, came out to introduce the band. He was excited to bring back the band, having just booked Lúnasa at the same ...

International tours are expensive and difficult with all of the travel logistics. Having organizations and partners that help sponsor and/or support musicians is crucial for many artists to ever have a chance at getting that international opportunity. On an evening with Graínne Hunt playing at St. Paul’s Celtic Junction, that support was obvious in making the event possible.

Culture Ireland (Cultúr Éireann) is a governmental agency that, you guessed it, supports and promotes Irish Arts on the international stage and were a key supporter of Hunt’s North American tour. On this side of the Atlantic, the Celtic Junction is a St. Paul based organization supporting concerts, classes, and events throughout the year. Though they sponsor events at many locations, they also have a physical location, the Celtic Junction Arts Center. The CJAC hosts Irish dance and music events, and has a performance hall that holds around 250. Hunt’s concert was the final in the CJAC’s Women’s Concert Series.

Graínne Hunt is a Kildare based songwriter and folk singer. She had a 2019 album, This Secret, and supporting it had many of the challenges of those released near the start of the pandemic. Hunt was performing alongside Jules Stewart on the tour. With Hunt on guitar and Stewart on drums, the pair started with the song Lilacs (in June). It’s worth pointing out right away, Hunt is a great singer; a strong alto with that Irish accent playing softly on her folk singer ways. Between the Pines, the first track off of This Secret, was a lovely number, and the lyrics “with California on my mind” makes more sense knowing Stewart lives in San Diego. Some hilarious banter from Hunt about her accent and crowd sourcing what some lyrics from the song actually were demonstrated Hunt’s ability to bring the crowd along the journey and her overall professionalism as a performer.

Don’t Let the Truth Get in the Way was a funkier sound and was a biting story of an ex-collaborating musician. Given the limited instruments, this was an impressively full sound. Hunt and Stewart are fantastic together. At one point, Hunt went to start a song and Stewart simply said “that’s a different one”. Hunt quickly recalibrated and if she hadn’t brought notice to it, “she (Stewart) knows them better than me”, you might not have even noticed. Musically, this is similar to some of the best contemporary folk music out there. Solid lyrical stories with intricate vocals and harmonies, it’s just top-notch musicianship. Tipping Point highlighted Stewart’s harmonies, riding above Hunt’s.

Hunt spent the pandemic, “very productively”, and part of that was working in online song writing groups. She co-wrote and released an album of 15 songs based on James Joyce’s The Dubliners. We got to hear one of those songs, Evelyn, a tragic love song. Hunt ended the first set with an a cappella song in Gaelic. After a brief intermission, we jumped back into the action with Magnets, a cute love song of dealing with the differences in a partner. This Secret was “another song about the sea”, but to me was really about those things you hold dear. It was clearly a song that means a lot to Hunt and featured a more finger picking style on guitar. I Wasn’t Quite Ready for Love was a song inspired by a Tom Waits song and was maybe the best pairing of Hunt and Stewart’s playing together. A late song, So I Could Leave was the requisite folk singer’s break up song, but worked well. An encore with Hold On Hard had Hunt and Stewart thanking the audience and finishing a great night of folk music. If you enjoy this kind of music, you should absolutely look her up.

I spoke with Hunt and Stewart and asked how the tour was going. Besides having issues with the CD’s arriving (a shipping fiasco of legendary proportions), it has been a great time. Hunt noted that Stewart lives in the US, and I have to believe that makes some of the logistics and scheduling easier. They also did an 11 city Northeast to Midwest tour last year, during which they met and re-met a number of acquaintances at the concerts as well as at the Folk Alliance in February 2024. One of those people was Cormac Ó Sé, Board President of Celtic Junction. They talked and the date and venue for this show was agreed upon, and this was now her first time in St. Paul. And that network gave them other, similar experiences to find places to perform. And so far, at least, it’s a positive feedback cycle, where each concert stop gives them more people to meet and building future possibilities. They are excited to be expanding the audience and sharing their sound with others. Hunt also mentioned how much Culture Ireland’s financial support helps make this really work. I got the feeling that Hunt will be back through in the future, and hopefully will swing through Minnesota again.

Gráinne Hunt

Jules Stewart Gráinne Hunt and Jules Stewart

Gráinne Hunt

Gráinne Hunt, with Jules Stewart, at Celtic Junction (May 11, 2025)

thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Mpls: June 10 to June 13, 2025

NOTE: Since I have relocated to Jacksonville, I am scaling back on Minneapolis Show Previews for June and beyond. If you have an upcoming Minneapolis (or Jacksonville) show that you’d like me to take a look at and spotlight, please email me [email protected] with the subject Minneapolis or Jacksonville, and I will be sure to add your show to my listing.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Ashe at First Avenue (11 Jun 2025) Read More Ashe Ashe’s main audience are teenage girls, and they overtook First Avenue’s dancefloor… singing along to all her songs. This is a group of pop music fans, as prior to Ashe’s ...

11 Jun 2025 Wednesday
Ashe
with Bo Staloch
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Ashe is on her Trilogy Tour, stopping by First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on June 11, 2025. The name of the tour implies that she’ll be playing songs from her trilogy of albums: Ashlyn, Rae, and Wilson.

Ashe at First Ave (08 May 2022)

We last saw Ash in May 2022 and wrote, “Ashe’s main audience are teenage girls, and they overtook First Avenue’s dancefloor… singing along to all her songs. This is a group of pop music fans, as prior to Ashe’s appearance, the DJ played to the crowd: Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me”, One Direction’s “Steal My Girl”, and ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”… each song were met with singing from the crowd. Ashe didn’t seem to mind, she seemed pleased and encourage the audience to finish some of her songs. She mentioned that when she was booking the 2022 tour, she said of all the cities, Minneapolis was the one she was most looking forward to playing. Since it was Mother’s Day, she first asked to hear from all the mothers in the audience (who were probably chaperoning their daughter to the show). Ashe was determined to make this night a very special night for the fans (and their mothers).”

Nashville, by the way of Austin, singer/songwriter Bo Staloch to open. Staloch’s new EP The Garden is out now on Capitol Records.

Tour Dates:

5/28 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse

5/30 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club

5/31 – Boston, MA – Royale

6/3 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel

6/5 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall

6/6 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall

6/8 – Chicago, IL – Metro

6/11 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue

6/13 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre

6/14 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot

6/16 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox

6/17 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall

6/19 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre

6/20 – Los Angeles, CA The Bellwether

Blondshell at Fine Line (11 Jun 2025) Read More Blondshell Starting January 18th, Los Angeles’ Blondshell (aka Sabrina Teitelbaum), will take over as support. Blondshell is still very new, having only released four singles, her debut ....

11 Jun 2025 Wednesday
Blondshell
with meg elsier
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

Blondshell is back on tour to support her sophomore album If You Asked For A Picture (Partisan Records). The tour will stop by the Fine Line, in Minneapolis, on June 11, 2025.

Blondshell at Palace Theatre (17 Nov 2023)

We last saw Blondshell in Nov 2023 and said, “Blondshell aka Sabrina Teitelbaum opened the evening sporting a vintage Rod Stewart concert baseball shirt with the tagline: “Blondes have more fun.” We last saw Blondshell at Seventh Street Entry in July and it appears she has been on the road since as she promotes her self-titled debut album with songs like “Veronica Mars,” “Sepsis” and “Street Rat.” And although the crowd skewed older than her Seventh Street Entry performance, she received a favorable roar of applause for her songs “Salad” and “Kiss City.” It’s easy to see why Liz Phair picked Teitelbaum to open for her tour. Even with the age gap the two singers have a conversational persona in their singing that tends to casually if not coolly remove them from subject material that is not casual or cool.”

meg elsier to open.

Note: There is a strict 6 ticket limit. Any attempt to exceed the ticket limit of 6 per customer or household, or to game the system in any way, will result in cancellation of orders without notice. There is a transfer delay for all tickets up to 72 HOURS prior to show.

Tour Dates:

5/2/25 - Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever (Album Release show) - Los Angeles, CA #

5/28/25 – Belly Up Tavern – San Diego, CA ^

5/30/25 – The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA ^

5/31/25 – August Hall – San Francisco, CA ^

6/2/25 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR ^

6/3/25 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA ^

6/6/25 – Soundwell – Salt Lake City, UT ^

6/8/25 – Gothic Theatre – Denver, CO ^

6/11/25 – Fine Line – Minneapolis, MN *

6/13/25 – Metro – Chicago, IL *

6/14/25 – Skully's Music Diner – Columbus, OH *

6/16/25 – Phoenix Concert Theater – Toronto, ON *

6/17/25 – Theatre Fairmount – Montreal, QC *

6/19/25 – Royale – Boston, MA %

6/20/25 – Brooklyn Steel – New York, NY %

6/21/25 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA %

6/24/25 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC %

6/26/25 – Orange Peel – Asheville, NC %

6/27/25 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA %

6/28/25 – Basement East – Nashville, TN %

# support from Draag
^ support from Jahnah Camille
* support from Meg Elsier
% support from Daffo

Florry at 7th St Entry (13 Jun 2025)

13 Jun 2025 Friday
Florry
with Lily Seabird
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Florry is headlining the 7th Street Entry, in Minneapolis, on June 13, 2025, to support their album Sounds Like... (available May 23rd on Dear Life Records).

Lily Seabird to open.

Tour Dates:

06.05.25 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground

06.06. 25 - Montreal QC @ la Sotteranea

06.07.25 - Toronto, ON @ The Baby G

06.08.25 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Bottlerocket Social Hal

06.10.25 - Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe

06.11.25 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop

06.12.25 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas

06.13.25 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry

06.14.25 - Madison, WI @ Gamma Ray Bar

06.16.25 - Des Moines, IA @ Raccoon Motel

06.17.25 - Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge

06.18.25 - St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway

06.19.25 (Juneteenth) - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar

06.20.25 - Nashville, TN @ DRKMTTR

06.21.25 - Athens, GA @ Flicker Theatre

06.22.25 - Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle

06.24.25 - Durham, NC @ The Pinhook

06.25.25 - Richmond, VA @ TBA

06.26.25 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd

06.27.25 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry

06.28.25 - Brooklyn, NY @ TV Eye

06.29.25 - Medford, MA @ Deep Cuts

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Spectra 6

Huessen - ePaper Photo Frame Read More reMarkable Paper Pro Now enter the reMarkable Paper Pro, which was just announced. This large 11.8” color display uses Gallery 3. As I previously mentioned, Gallery 3 is the superior color e-Ink display, but unfortunately, it’s very slow to refresh ....

The next generation of e-ink is here, and it is called Spectra 6.

The original Spectra had only three pigments (red, black, white), but over the years, they evolved to Spectra 6, featuring six colors: red, yellow, blue, white, black, and green… and through those combinations can produce about 60,000 colors.

The technology was introduced in April 2023, but it’s taking a long time for it to make it to market. I’ve seen earlier version of Spectra, but it was limited to two or three colors, like those red with black and white small tags in retail stores. Unfortunately, because of its slow refresh, about 20 seconds per refresh, the technology is limited to fine art, photo frames, or signage.

I’m mostly interested in seeing this tech adopted as a comic book reader. I do not mind the 20-second refresh, just as long as I can read the comic book and it looks just as good as a printed page.

Most of the photo frame is small (8 inches): Bloomin8 ($240) and Reflection Frame ($350).

The larger frame (13 inches), which is what I’m interested in, will launch with Ink Poster and Huessen, but neither have pricing or availability.

Based on the $200+ pricing of the 8-inch frames, I am going to assuming the price will double for the larger displays. The Verge said prices are expected to hit $600 for 13.3-inch and $1,700 for the 31.5-inch displays. Unfortunately, I’ll probably never buy them, as it is a little expensive for me. At that price, you can get a very nice gaming computer or maybe the Nintendo Switch 2 and not worry about their $80 game prices… or maybe a down payment for the new Sony 50-150mm f2 lens.

Anyway, that’s all future-stuff for my future-self to deal with… What you probably want to know is: what is the current state of color e-ink? Well, currently Kaleido 3 is still king. Amazon finally entered the color e-ink market with Kindle Colorsoft, using Kaleido 3, in Oct 2024. The product is a flop, because, as of this writing, the inferior glue they were using causes a yellow tint at the bottom of the screen that readers are complaining about. It is also $280 for a 7-inch product.

Remarkable Paper Pro vs Boox (note the color differences)

The biggest problem with Kaleido 3 is that the screen is dark. You cannot use Kaleido 3 without the usage of a front light. The other problem of Kaleido 3 is the resolution is often 50% of its black and white counterpart. For example, most of these panels have B&W 300ppi, but for colors it is only 150ppi. And if you compare Kaleido 3 colors to Gallery 3 colors - you can clearly see that Gallery has some additional colors - particularly yellow-ish tones.

I’m mostly interested in using these devices for reading comic books, so I need them to be the size of a typical modern comic book, which is about 12 inches (see video below for size comparison). Right now, the only product I have that fits that large 12 size is the Remarkable Paper Pro.

There are a few large 13.3 Kaleido 3 devices coming out (or came out): BOOX Tablet Tab X C ($820) and the Fujitsu Quaderno A4 3rd Gen ($720). Since they’re both using Kaleido 3 and costs more than the RPP, I feel they are dead in the water. The pricing is a little crazy, but considering that they are probably paying 150% tariff, it suddenly makes sense why they’re so expensive.

For now, between all my e-ink readers, my go-to device is the Remarkable Paper Pro, simply because comic book reading is an absolute pleasure to read because it’s using Gallery 3, which has more colors.

On paper, both Gallery 3 and Spectra 6 seems to be using similar tech, but Gallery 3 uses CMYW particles, while Spectra uses RYBW. It’s also noted that all the Spectra colors are reflective (so they look better in light), while Gallery 3 uses some transparent colors. I haven’t seen Spectra 6, but I’m almost sure he’s a better e-ink than Gallery 3. From my usage, Gallery 3 is okay, but I wish it was better and brighter (like bright white paper).

As I’ve previously mentioned in my original review the Remarkable Paper Pro is just very expensive for a limited use device.

If you’re still interested, I have made a little video talking about my favorite comic book reader at the moment.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer
[email protected]

My number one choice for reading comic books is on the Remarkable Paper

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Ice Nine Kills at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2025-05-06)

Ice Nine Kills at Uptown Theater (2025-05-06) ICE NINE KILLS SETLIST intro music: The Silver Scream Red Right Hand The American Nightmare Thank God It's Friday Stabbing in the Dark SAVAGES The Jig Is Up A Grave Mistake Rocking the Boat Enjoy Your Slay Freak Flag The World in My Hands Merry Axe-Mas Love Bites IT Is the End -- Encore -- The Fastest Way to a Girl's Heart Is Through Her Ribcage The Greatest Story Ever Told Meat & Greet THE WORD ALIVE SETLIST The Word Alive Is Dead... Wonderland New Reality 2012 Glass Castle Nocturnal Future Eyes Above One Of Us Life Cycles FUNERAL PORTRAIT SETLIST Generation Psycho You're So Ugly When You Cry Blood Mother Hearse for Two Dark Thoughts Holy Water Suffocate City MELROSE AVENUE SETLIST Fool and the Beggar Body Bag Deep End Through Hell Reflections Suffering ICE NINE KILLS TOUR DATES MAY 7 Uptown Theater Kansas City, MO MAY 9 The Rave Milwaukee, WI MAY 10 The Rave Milwaukee, WI MAY 11 Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival Columbus, OH MAY 13 The Fillmore Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN MAY 14 The Fillmore Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN MAY 15 The Admiral Theater Omaha, NE MAY 18 Riviera Theatre Chicago, IL MAY 19 Riviera Theatre Chicago, IL MAY 20 GLC Live at 20 Monroe Grand Rapids, MI MAY 21 GLC Live at 20 Monroe Grand Rapids, MI MAY 23 Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA MAY 24 The Wellmont Theater Montclair, NJ MAY 25 The Wellmont Theater Montclair, NJ MAY 27 The Pageant St Louis, MO MAY 29 Aztec Theatre San Antonio, TX MAY 30 Aztec Theatre San Antonio, TX JUN 1 House of Blues Houston, TX JUN 2 House of Blues Houston, TX JUN 4 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA JUN 5 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA JUN 6 Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL JUN 8 Fillmore New Orleans, LA JUN 9 Fillmore New Orleans, LA JUN 11 House of Blues North Myrtle Beach, SC JUN 12 House of Blues North Myrtle Beach, SC Jun. 14 - 15 Warped Tour Greenway, DC JUN 20 Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, CA JUN 27 Empower Field at Mile High Denver, CO Jul. 18 - 20 OKC Horrorcon Oklahoma City, OK Aug. 1 - 3 Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Con Rosemont, IL Aug. 29 - 31 Nightmare Weekend Cleveland, OH Sep. 12 - 14 Silver Scream Con Worcester, MA OCT 18 When We Were Young Las Vegas, NV NOV 19 Alcatraz Milan, Italy NOV 20 Halle 622 Zürich, Switzerland NOV 21 Salle Pleyel Paris, France NOV 23 Gasometer Wien, Austria NOV 24 Zenith Munich, Germany NOV 26 AB Bruxelles, Belgium NOV 27 Palladium Köln, Germany NOV 28 SaSaZu Club Hlavní Město Praha, Czechia NOV 30 Haus Auensee Leipzig, Germany DEC 1 Klub Stodoła Warszawa, Poland DEC 2 Verti Music Hall Berlin, Germany DEC 4 Sporthalle Hamburg, Germany DEC 5 Poppodium 013 Tilburg, Netherlands DEC 6 Jahrhunderthalle Club Frankfurt, Germany DEC 8 Co-op Live Manchester, UK DEC 9 OVO Hydro Glasgow, UK DEC 10 Motorpoint Arena Nottingham, UK DEC 12 OVO Arena Wembley London, UK Read More Ice Nine Kills Ice Nine Kills is on the road across for their The Silver Scream-A-Thon tour which is a two-night experience in every city that will …

Metal horror opera has a new standard – The Silver Scream-A-Thon!

Horror-inspired Boston theatrical metalcore band Ice Nine Kills has currently embarked on the most ambitious tour of their 25-year career, logging back-to-back nights in each city for two completely different live experiences wherein the band play their albums The Silver Scream on the first night and The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood in full on the second night (along with a selection of deep cuts and fan favorites).

Each night has its own distinctive character, with a bevy of different opening acts to distinguish each night’s show as well. And, if that weren’t enough, the band has also recently announced a forthcoming live album, “I Heard They KILL Live 2””- a hometown show recorded in Lowell, MA back in 2022 during the Trinity of Terror Tour, so it really seems like it’s an I9K world that we’re just living in.

We only covered the opening night but immediately felt a great sense of FOMO to not be able to be present at both- save yourself that feeling and book the two-day passes that are available at each stop. The entrance line for this sold-out show ran long around the block, and the merch line once inside was long as well, so plan accordingly.

Night One began with a short set from Melrose Avenue, a rising Aussie pop metalcore group featuring singer Vlado Saric from Sydney and who are celebrating being on their debut full-length US tour with this run. Latest single is “Body Bag” released in March (via Hopeless Records) and one which they played early-on in their energetic set, which was all spotlighted (literally) by a girl on stage armed with a bright light that followed Saric and band members.

Most of the younger crowd seemed already familiar with the newish quartet from Down Under and their mix of melodies, hardcore screams, and attention to social media, all of which make them ones to watch, and who are just getting started.

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The Funeral Portrait would be next- an Atlanta theatrical emo hardcore band who formed a decade ago, out in support of last year’s “Greetings from Suffocate City” full-length and a companion EP, Casanova (From Beyond the Abyss). The album’s title track was a collab on record with Ice Nine Kills’ singer Spencer Charnas, and their more recent single, “Holy Water” featured their pal, Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch- both tunes were performed live to close out their brief set.

The band’s interaction on stage kept the crowd engaged but also came off slightly awkward as we couldn’t determine if singer Lee Jennings and guitarists Cody Weissinger and Caleb Freihaut were just having a laugh with each other, or if there was more than met the eye.

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Phoenix hardcore was represented by The Word Alive, out in support of their seventh studio album, 2023’s “Hard Reset” which also represented a lineup change in the band with the departure of founding guitarist Zack Hansen and drummer Daniel Nelson, and a move from Fearless to Thriller Records.

The crowd showed their approval of the newer music and current lineup by crowdsurfing over the railings and a general shared chaos on the venue floor. The band’s been playing the yet-to-be-released, brand-new “Eyes Above” which thrilled the diehards, and ended their set with “One of Us” (a collab with Bad Omens and not the Joan Osborne song) and “Life Cycles” which dates all the way back to 2012 and their second studio album.

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Finally, it was time for the main act as the stage was set and the intro music of the Nick Cave classic, “Red Right Hand” (who we just saw live the night before downtown) cued up the emergence of Ice Nine Kills to the stage for a unique and immersive performance, beginning with their 2018 album, The Silver Scream, played in its entirety.

Singer Charnas went through some character changes, consistently engaging the audience as onstage props, twisted characters, and backdrops conjured an environment filled with inspirations from all the popular horror film classics. Killer clowns, bloody hockey masks, skeletons and coffin motifs were all a part of this horrorscape come to life, taking the mantle from the likes of Alice Cooper, to present a modern and darker version of this kind of theater.

Deeper cuts from the album pleased the most devoted fans – hearing “Enjoy Your Slay” performed non-acoustic, “Freak Flag” played for the first time on this tour, and bringing songs like “The World in my Hands” (inspired by Edward Scissorhands) back into the setlist.

“IT is the End” would end the album and main set, inspired by the now-classic Stephen King story and films with Charnas singing, “IT cannot be fought, we all float down here” along with some creepy clown images that can’t be unseen.

Of course, the movie inspirations continued into the encore, beginning with 2014’s memorably titled vampire-laden number, “The Fastest Way to a Girl's Heart Is Through Her Ribcage” then it was back to 2007 for “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, a story of murderous love and loss.

The night would finish with 2021’s “Meat & Greet” from the 2018 album’s sequel (which would be played in full on the following night) and the band appropriately singing, “Bid farewell and close the casket” but also, “This dance never ends” meaning it may have to be goodbye to Night One, but Night Two was to follow.

This is no mere concert and no simple horror film homage – this is a true event, and plans should be made to bear witness to Ice Nine Kills and The Silver Scream-A-Thon! when it comes to your city.

ALL PHOTOS BY JASON DOMINGUES

(click on any image to enlarge and to see in full)

ICE NINE KILLS at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2025-05-06)
ICE NINE KILLS at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2025-05-06)
ICE NINE KILLS at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2025-05-06)

THE WORD ALIVE at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2025-05-06)

THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2025-05-06)

MELROSE AVENUE at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2025-05-06)

John C ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥X / twitter.com ♥ bsky.ap

Porch Light at Lawn Layover (May 10, 2025)

Minnesota United FC vs. Inter Miami CF at Allianz Field (May 10, 2025) Tour Dates 06/12 Los Angeles, CA Moroccan Lounge 06/23 Brooklyn, NY Baby's All Right 06/25 Milwaukee, WI Cactus Club 06/27 Rochester, MN Historic Chateau Theatre* 06/28 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line 06/29 Chicago, IL Space * supporting Night Moves porch light at First Ave (Jan 31, 2025) porch light is an indie rock band that has been together less than a year. With Jackie Uhas’ extremely strong voice (that was definitely the theme of the evening), leading the way, this is right in the alternative rock wheelhouse. Guitar riffs and driving drums featured heavily on the second song. Several members of the band were also in The Dalmatian Club, in an interesting case of double duty. porch light certainly found a friendly audience, with a lot of cheering throughout. [ Continue Reading First Avenue's Best New Bands of 2024 ] Read More porch light porch light is an indie rock band that has been together less than a year. With Jackie Uhas’ extremely strong voice (that was definitely the theme of the evening), leading the way ... MNUFC While you expect (and get) the local radio stations to sponsor certain show, how about MNUFC, the local Major League Soccer team (aka The Loons) being involved? …

MNUFC, the Major League Soccer team, also known as the Loons, had a big-time game on Saturday, with Inter Miami CF visiting. That team happens to have Lionel Messi playing for them. For those who don’t know soccer, Messi is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, having helped his native Argentina hoist the World Cup title in 2022. The 37-year-old is finishing his professional career with a few years in MLS, and every road game is a big event for the home team Miami is visiting.

As such, MNUFC had a full outdoor set of festivities, including several concerts on their Lawn Layover stage and field outside of the stadium. Those bands were spread out over several hours, but first up was newcomers Porch Light, who we last saw as part of Best New Bands in January. (Soul Asylum would be up later in the afternoon.)

The band could not have asked for better conditions. It was as beautiful of a day as you could have drawn up: 70 degrees, sunny, with a mild breeze. And MNUFC has excellent AV setup for the bands, so it sounded great, even in the outdoors. Given the big stage, it was an opportunity to freeze up, but Porch Light had no obvious butterflies. Isaiah Trimbo’s opening drums had the band on the right foot. As in January, Jackie Uhas’ vocals are the band’s calling card, and she delivered. In the second song, she gets to let loose on the chorus and really nails it. Considering it was several hours before the game and that people were there for soccer, Porch Light was able to get a fair number into the audience.

A call out to Uhas’ grandmother, “it’s her first time seeing us” gotten a great round of cheers. We also some got some fun guitar solos that let the rest of the band show off their chops. A cover of Mazzy Star’s Fade Into You kept things moving along. Uhas told the crowd she had just lost her job and had filed for unemployment. She noted the next song had written as a joke, “but now hits a little hard”, as it started with the lyrics “Please don’t make me get a job…”.

The next song was a little slower paced and let Uhas be a little more soulful in her singing. It also had extended guitar, bass and drum solos, letting each of the band shine. A newer song, with the chorus Give Me Something, started with vocals and guitar before the others entered. A nearly 45 minute set let Porch Light show a broad range of indie rock stylings and they thanked the audience and hustled to get their gear off the stage.

I got the chance to talk to Uhas after the show. Asking about these early experiences of being on the First Avenue MainStage and now here at Allianz, she said the band is very aware of how lucky they have gotten with these early opportunities. But she also said that the band is not going to skip over steps, noting that the next year will be a lot of house shows. Porch Light has been together for just about a year, and there are lots of ways to progress and continue to hone their sound. We also chatted about the balance of going after your passion, while still needing to make the ends meet. Uhas mentioned that the band members look for opportunities that make it easier, like remote work, but that when it comes down to it, you do what you have to, “manual labor, selling clothes, whatever”. But it’s clear the band believes in themselves, and it will be fun to see where the go over the next few years.

Porch Light

Porch Light

Porch Light

Porch Light

Porch Light at Allianz Field (May 10, 2025)

thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com