W♥M

Minneapolis This Week (May 25, 2025)

What’s happening this week.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Momma at Fine Line (19 May 2025) Read More Momma Momma is a rising Los Angeles indie rock band and opened the evening with a thirty-minute-set, in support of recent record “Household Name” and more recent single, “Bang Bang” …

19 May 2025 Monday

Momma
with Wishy
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

New York, by the way of California, Momma (formed by Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten) is headlining the Fine Line, in Minneapolis, on May 19, 2025, in support of their new album Welcome to My Blue Sky (Polyvinyl Records).

Momma at Azura Amphitheater (11 June 2023)

We saw the band in June 2023 and said, “Momma is a rising Los Angeles indie rock band and opened the evening with a thirty-minute-set, in support of recent record “Household Name” and more recent single, “Bang Bang”. The band would make a return appearance as well, jumping on stage to join Weezer for a song during their set.”

Wishy to open.

Tour dates:

Apr 23, 2025 WFPK Waterfront Wednesday Louisville, KY

Apr 25, 2025 Skully's Music Diner Columbus, OH

Apr 26, 2025 Motorco Music Hall Durham, NC

Apr 28, 2025 Terminal West Atlanta, GA

Apr 29, 2025 The Basement East Nashville, TN

Apr 30, 2025 Growlers Memphis, TN

May 2, 2025 Last Concert Cafe Houston, TX

May 3, 2025 Tulips Fort Worth, TX

May 4, 2025 Mohawk Austin, TX

May 6, 2025 Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ

May 9, 2025 The Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, CA

May 10, 2025 August Hall San Francisco, CA

May 12, 2025 Aladdin Theater Portland, OR

May 13, 2025 Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, BC

May 14, 2025 Neumos Seattle, WA

May 16, 2025 Kilby Block Party Salt Lake City, UT

May 16, 2025 Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, UT

May 17, 2025 Marquis Theater Denver, CO

May 19, 2025 Fine Line Minneapolis, MN

May 20, 2025 Thalia Hall Chicago, IL

May 22, 2025 The Axis Club Toronto, ON

May 23, 2025 Club SAW Ottawa, ON

May 24, 2025 Théâtre Fairmount Montreal, QC

May 28, 2025 The Sinclair Cambridge, MA

May 29, 2025 The Atlantis Washington, DC

May 30, 2025 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA

May 31, 2025 Warsaw Brooklyn, NY

Jun 4, 2025 - Jun 8, 2025 Primavera Sound Barcelona, Spain

Jun 12, 2025 - Jun 15, 2025 NOS Primavera Sound Festival Porto, Portugal

Jun 13, 2025 Victoria Park London, UK Outbreak Festvial

Jun 14, 2025 - Jun 15, 2025 Manchester B.E.C Arena Manchester, UK Outbreak Fest

Sep 21, 2025 Ascend Amphitheater Nashville, TN

Sep 23, 2025 Red Hat Amphitheater Raleigh, NC

Sep 24, 2025 Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre Charlotte, NC

Nov 4, 2025 Pitchfork Festival Paris, FR

Nov 8, 2025 Pitchfork Festival London, UK

Tennis at First Avenue (21 May 2025) Read More Tennis Husband/wife duo Tennis is back in town. Their forthcoming album Yours Conditionally will be out March 10th via Mutually Detrimental / Thirty Tigers. … Billie Marten Yorkshire’s Billie Marten is touring in support of her new album Drop Cherries (IMPERIAL Music). The album was recorded entirely on tape in Somerset and Wales ....

21 May 2025 Wednesday

Tennis
with Billie Marten
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Acclaimed indie-pop duo Tennis (husband and wife Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore) is touring in support of Face Down In The Garden (Mutually Detrimental). The tour will stop by First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on May 21, 2025.

Tennis at First Avenue, Minneapolis (08 April 2023)

We saw Tennis in April 2023 and said, “So it’s been a long time since we last saw the band. This is due to conflicting shows, or the fact that the COVID pandemic caused cancellations throughout the last few years. Seeing the band on stage, you can tell that the band is very excited to be playing live again. As you can see in some of the photos below, Alaina’s look is of love and adoration. It carries in the way she sings and how the band play to the beat.”

Billie Marten at 7th Street Entry (16 June 2023)

Billie Marten to open. We caught Billie Marten in June 2023 and said, “Billie Marten is a woman in love, she asks “Anyone in love?” Every note, every words, there is a hint of longing. From what I’ve gathered, listening to her talk, her love (Will Taylor of Flyte) was very far away. Of course, the longing and sadness could have something to do with her severe seasonal affective disorder (SAD).”

Tour dates:

05/16 – Las Vegas, NV – Swan Dive *

05/17 – Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall *

05/18 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Block Party #

05/21 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue †

05/23 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed †

05/24 – Indianapolis, IN – HI-FI Annex †

05/25 – Cleveland, OH – Globe Iron †

05/27 – Toronto, ON – The Concert Hall †

05/30 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner †

05/31 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall †

06/01 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17 †

06/03 – Washington, DC – The Anthem †

06/05 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz †

06/06 – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern †

06/07 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville †

06/09 – Dallas, TX – The Factory in Deep Ellum †

06/10 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall (Downstairs) †

06/11 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater †

08/18 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts by the Bay

08/20 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre

08/22 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy + Harriet’s

08/23 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren

08/24 – Santa Fe, NM – The Bridge

08/26 – Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom

08/28 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall

08/29 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Grand Lodge

08/30 – Vancouver, BC – Malkin Bowl

09/02 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24 ^

09/04 – Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery ^

* w/ Special Guests Husbands
† w/ Special Guest Billie Marten

# Festival Appearance

Friko at Fine Line (22 May 2025) Read More Friko Chicago band Friko (vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger) opened the show. Prior to their First Avenue appearance, the full band stopped for a signing of their .…

22 May 2025 Thursday
Friko
with youbet
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

Chicago’s Friko (vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger) to headline the Fine Line, in Minneapolis, on May 22, 2025.

Friko at First Avenue (15 Sep 2024)

We saw Friko in Sep 2024 and wrote, “Chicago band Friko (vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger) opened the show. Prior to their First Avenue appearance, the full band stopped for a signing of their album Where we've been, Where we go from here (ATO Records) and live session at the Electric Fetus record store, in Minneapolis. The group is known for their high-energy live shows, and they certainly let loose on the main stage at First Avenue. Singer Niko mentioned that being on stage and playing to an audience was their dream. Playing at the venue that Prince made famous, well, that was a dream come true. You can tell that the band idolized Minneapolis and the First Avenue venue.”

youbet to open.

Tour dates:

April 30 - Boise, ID @ Neurolux $

May 2 - Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl $

May 3 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s $

May 4 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios $

May 7 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop $

May 9 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room HLP $

May 10 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar $

May 13 - Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed #

May 14 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown #

May 17 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party

May 18 - Denver, CO @ Marquis $

May 20 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge $

May 21 - Des Moines, IA @ xBk $

May 22 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line $

*w/ Peel Dream Magazine
% w/ Starcleaner Reunion
$ w/ Youbet
# with Black Country New Road

Matt Berninger at First Avenue (23 May 2025) Read More The National The National has become one of our favorites, having traveled last year to San Diego to catch their live show, back then in support of album, “First Two Pages of Frankenstein." …

23 May 2025 Friday
Matt Berninger
with Ronboy
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Matt Berninger, the singer of The National, is doing a solo tour, stopping by First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on May 23, 2025. Berninger’s second solo album, Get Sunk will be out May 30th, via Book/Concord Records.

The National at Moda Center (03 Oct 2024)

We saw the National in Oct 2024 and wrote, “Though the “war” had just wrapped their set, longtime fans of The National were elated when they began their night closing set with 2007’s “Start a War”, an album rarity from their “Boxer” full-length, and a choice for a set opener, we hadn’t seen since maybe that album’s initial release. The band, fronted by Berninger had again delivered a performance that was both intimate, emotional, and also scaled for this sized venue, He, dressed typically in a dark suit, wrapped his lanky arms around himself on “Eucalyptus”, paraded on stage amongst all the square-shaped lighting on “Tropic Morning News” and retreated to the back near the drums, as the Dessner brothers tore into their guitars, facing each other on “Don’t Swallow the Cap”. Selections from 2010’s “High Violet” remain fan favorites, including the anthemic “Bloodbuzz Ohio” and later, the spiteful downpour of “England”, while “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” thrilled with its staccato guitars, fractured riffs, and poignant piano work.”

Ronboy to open.

Tour dates:

May 19 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox

May 20 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo’s 365 Club

May 21 - Los Angeles, CA - Palace Theatre

May 23 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue

May 24 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall

May 26 - Toronto, ON - Concert Hall

May 28 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer

May 29 - Washington, DC - Lincoln Theatre

May 30 - New York, NY - Webster Hall

June 1 - Norwalk, CT - District Music Hall

August 22 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street

August 23 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street

August 25 - Glasgow, UK - SWG3 Galvanizers

August 26 - Manchester, UK - Albert Hall

August 27 - London, UK - Troxy

August 28-31 - Nr Tolland Royal, Wiltshire, UK

August 31 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli Vredenburg

September 1 - Antwerp, Belgium - OLT Rivierenhof

September 2 - Paris, France - Elysee Montmartre

September 4 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys

September 5 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega

September 6 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller Music Hall

September 8 - Hamburg, Germany - Große Freiheit 36

September 9 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli Vredenburg

September 10 - Antwerp, Belgium - OLT Rivierenhof

September 12 - Brussels, Belgium - Cirque Royal

Baroness at Turf Club (23 May 2025) Read More Baroness Inside the club, the mood was not of the Crimson and Blue of the college basketball team, it was somewhat darker with the night’s soundtrack reflected in the spectrum …

23 May 2025 Friday
Baroness
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Baroness will be revisiting their first two albums (the Red Album and Blue Record) at the Turf Club, in St Paul, on May 23, 2025.

Baroness at Bottleneck (02 Apr 2022)

We saw the band in April 2022, and said, “Inside the club, the mood was not of the Crimson and Blue of the college basketball team, it was somewhat darker with the night’s soundtrack reflected in the spectrum of the last five albums from Baroness, all color-themed in title, including their latest, Gold & Grey (2019, on Abraxan Hymns). The night’s setlist was unique as well- its first half consisting of fan-voted tracks, bridged by a short acoustic set, and finished with a choice selection from the band itself, resulting in a well-rounded retrospective of their two decades in music.”

Tour dates:

MAY 7 Metro Baltimore Baltimore, MD

MAY 8 The Meadows Brooklyn, NY

MAY 9 The Meadows Brooklyn, NY

MAY 11 The Sinclair Cambridge, MA

MAY 13 Empire Live Albany, NY

MAY 14 The Song & Dance Syracuse, NY

MAY 16 Grog Shop Cleveland, OH

MAY 17 Magic Stick Detroit, MI

MAY 18 The Pyramid Scheme Grand Rapids, MI

MAY 20 Sleeping Village Chicago, IL

MAY 21 Sleeping Village Chicago, IL

MAY 23 Turf Club St Paul, MN

MAY 24 Waiting Room Lounge Omaha, NE

MAY 25 recordBar Kansas City, MO

MAY 27 Black Circle Brewing Co. Indianapolis, IN

MAY 28 The KING of CLUBS Columbus, OH

MAY 30 Prepare The Ground festival Toronto

MAY 31 Thunderbird Café & Music Hall

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

Joywave at the Albatross (May 16, 2025)

Joywave at The Albatross (16 May 2025) Joywave Setlist setlist courtesy of Lonnie  Scared Buy American Obsession Tongues Hate to Be a Bother 787 Dreamliner Somebody New Life in a Bubble I Blew Brain Damage Yellowish Sunbeam Funny Thing About Opinions Coming Apart Traveling at the Speed of Light Dangerous (Big Data cover) It's a Trip! Swimming in the Glow Destruction Little Image Setlist Intro THE PRESSURE BLUE NOVACAINE OUT OF MY MIND HOME RUN FOR FOREVER KILL THE GHOST BOTTLES WORTH IT Read More Joywave That was completely the vibe for Rochester, NY’s Joywave as they played an hour-long set, in support of fourth album, Cleanse, released in February. Singer Daniel Armbruster ...

>>>
16 May 2025 Friday
Joywave
with Little Image
at The Albatross
blacksunshinebooking.com

Rochester-based band Joywave will be headlining The Albatross (formerly known as Underbelly), on May 16, 2025, in support of Permanent Pleasure.

Joywave at the Granada (30 Aug 2022)

We saw Joywave in Aug 2022, and noted that “That was completely the vibe for Rochester, NY’s Joywave as they played an hour-long set, in support of fourth album, Cleanse, released in February. Singer Daniel Armbruster and band even all dressed as wash attendants, complete with name-badge matching jumpsuits and the back-end frame of a Corvette against the back screen, provided additional stage lighting. In addition to their big beats and irresistible indie poptronica blend, the band and Armbruster’s stage presence is often quirky, purposely ironic, self-deprecating, and honest, all of which makes for very relatable and affectionate banter.”

Dallas alt-pop trio little image to open.

Joywave and little image US Tour Dates:

April 19: Cleveland, OH @ The Roxy

April 21: Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection

April 22: Madison, WI @ The Sylvee

April 23: Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater

April 24: Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s

April 26: Kansas City, MO @ The Truman

April 28: Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre

April 30: Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall

May 02: Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spades

May 03: Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriets

May 05: Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole

May 06: Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf

May 07: Oklahoma City, OK @ Beer City Music Hall

May 09: Nashville, TN @ Eastside Bowl

May 10: Birmingham, AL @ Saturn

May 11: Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall

May 13: Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room

May 15: St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live

May 16: Jacksonville, FL @ The Underbelly

May 17: Charleston, SC @ Music Farm

May 19: Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle

May 21: Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall

May 22: Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman Theater

Little Image

Little Image Little Image

Little Image

Joywave Joywave

Joywave

Joywave at the Albatross (May 16, 2025)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: Update (May 2025)

Galaga Arcade1Up Read More Arcade1Up So, I accidentally bought my second Arcade1Up, an Atari's Asteroids machine. Of all the cabinets that Arcade1Up released, this was my least desirable.…

Now that I’m starting to settle down in Jacksonville, I’ve been requesting shows in the area to get a better lay of the land. Right now, the only venues I’ve been to are Decca Live and Jack Rabbits. Jack Rabbits, based on the bands they are booking, is fast becoming my favorite venue in Jax.

Tonight, I’ll be heading out to Underbelly, or rather re-named/re-branded to Albatross. I know ‘underbelly’ sounds scummy and shady, but at least it’s a known name for the last decade. With the new name, I’m not sure what that is! Is it a bird?

Anyway, hopefully I’ll get to check out more music in the area.

As for the gaming, I finally got around to putting together my Galaga Arcade1Up. I’ve had this thing in the original box for more than a year, because I knew eventually, I had to move to Jacksonville, and it was just easier to leave things in its compact state. When I put it together, I soon realized I did not bring my Pac-Man and Street Fighter II console controllers… so instead of putting the Galaga side art, I prefer the bright yellowness of the Pac-Man side.

I seriously don’t really have the space for these cabinets. If you’re in the same boat, do yourself a favor and invest in a cab that has a ton of games on it, rather than a cab that only plays Galaga and Galaxian. That’s my biggest complaint about these first generation Arcade1Up machines. For about $300 (on sale), you can get a Pac-Man machine that has 14 other games on it, including Galaga.

My computer is all setup. I lost two computer monitors in the move (all my fault), but thankfully Alienware OLED monitor is in working order. I had the original Alienware box with all the protective cardboard that helped with the long move. I suggest, if you are planning on moving, to keep the original box, if you can.

I also kind of lost my Corsair keyboard, so I’m using my Asus Azoth keyboard, as my main driver, with a cheap (but very good) Inland 10-key. Both are wireless, but sometime I’ll plug them in to recharge the battery or have instant connection (to conserve battery when in Bluetooth mode, the devices often go to sleep).

I also lost my Razer Speakers (it just broke in the move!), so now I’ve reverted back to an old Sony Portable Bluetooth Speaker. This thing is built like a tank and just as heavy… but it still works after 11 years and it sounds great. I have other speakers in the house, but this one has the best sound (in my opinion).

In free video games news, Dead Island 2 is currently free on Epic Games. I bought this game when it first came out in 2023 on Steam. I got it on sale and never really played it… one day, maybe last year, I found out I got an automatic next-gen upgrade for Dead Island 2 for free. That’s the cool thing about PC gaming… unlike Nintendo or Sony that charges $10 for something like this.

If you have Amazon Prime (gaming.amazon.com), you can get Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus for FREE on Xbox/PC (Games Anywhere). The Xbox free games are great, I previously got Wolfenstein: Old Blood, Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Mindcraft Legends for Xbox. I love it, keep it up with the free Xbox games! At the rate we’re going, I feel like we’re going to get Doom next.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer
[email protected]

Weekend Gamer’s Keyboard

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Mpls: June 14 to June 17, 2025

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

I’m With Her at Fitzgerald Theater (14 Jun 2025) Read More I'm With Her I'm With Her is the supergroup project, featuring Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O'Donovan. The trio’s debut album See You Around is available now on Rounder Records. ....

14 Jun 2025 Saturday
I’m With Her
with Mason Via
at The Fitzgerald Theater
first-avenue.com

Beloved folk trio I’m With Her is out on tour in support of their new album Wild and Clear and Blue (available May 9th via Rounder Records).

I'm With Her at Fitzgerald Theater (01 Mar 2018)

We saw I'm With Her in Mar 2018 and wrote, “After a break, the ladies of I’m With Her entered for their eighty-minute headlining set, surrounded by stands holding the musical instruments they would pick up and put down as the songs demanded. Though together since an impromptu 2014 performance, the band’s debut album, See You Around (Rounder Records) has only been out a couple weeks, and the eager audience was treated to live versions of all those songs beginning with the title track, with a few additional covers thrown in for good measure. Each of the ladies was very familiar and thankful to be playing at the venue, Watkins a founding member of Nickle Creek, O’Donovan with string quartet Crooked Still, and Jarosz in her own right, and each took turns at lead vocals (i.e. Jarosz on ‘Walkin’ Back to Georgia’), with the trio’s harmonies soaring to the historic theater’s rafters, an ideal venue for their sound.”

Mason Via 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.

I’m With Her has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 per ticket goes to supporting Conscious Alliance’s mission to end hunger nationwide and feed families in need.

Tour Dates:

5/26 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso

5/29 - London, UK - Barbican

6/5 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant

6/6 - Bloomington, IN - Buskirk-Chumley Theater

6/7 - Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theater

6/8 - Grand Rapids, MI - Venue TBA

6/10 - Madison, WI - Capitol Theater

6/13 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall

6/14 - St. Paul, MN - The Fitzgerald Theater

6/15 - Iowa City, IA - The Englert Theatre

6/17 - Kansas City, MO - Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

6/19 Telluride, CO - Telluride Bluegrass Festival

7/10 - Interlochen, MI - Interlochen Center for the Arts *^

7/11 - Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theatre *^

7/12 - Asheville, NC - Asheville Yards Amphitheater *^

7/13 - Cary, NC - Koka Booth Amphitheatre *^

7/15 - Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap *

7/16 - Westport, CT - Levitt Pavilion^

7/18 - Oak Hill, NY - Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival

7/19 - Portland, ME - Thompson's Point *^

7/20 - Burlington, VT - The Green at Shelburne Museum *^

7/21 - Northampton, MA - The Pines Theater *^

7/23 - Richmond, VA - Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden *^

7/24 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre *^

7/25 - Lafayette, NY - Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards *^

7/26 - Newport, RI - Newport Folk Festival

9/25 - Oklahoma City, OK - Tower Theatre

9/26 - Dallas, TX - The Majestic Theatre

9/27 - Austin, TX - Paramount Theatre

9/29 - Santa Fe, NM - The Lensic Performing Arts Center

10/1 - San Diego, CA - Epstein Family Amphitheater

10/2 - Los Angeles, CA - Venue TBA

10/3 - Santa Barbara, CA - Campbell Hall

10/6 - Davis, CA - Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

10/8 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre

10/9 - Bellingham, WA - Mount Baker Theatre

10/10 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall

10/11 - Boise, ID - Egyptian Theatre

10/13 - Jackson, WY - Center for the Arts

10/14 - Aspen, CO - Harris Concert Hall

10/15 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre

11/4 - Buffalo, NY - Asbury Hall

11/5 - Toronto, ON - Koerner Hall

11/7 - Princeton, NJ - McCarter Theatre Center

11/8 - Boston, MA - Boch Center Shubert Theatre

11/9 - York, PA - Venue TBA

11/11 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre

11/12 - Rocky Mount, VA - Harvester Performance Center

11/14 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Music Hall

11/15 - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle

11/16 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium

*co-headline with Iron & Wine
^ support from Ken Pomeroy

Julia Wolf at Turf Club (14 Jun 2025) Read More Julia Wolf Italian-American indie-pop artist from Queens, NY, Julia Wolf (aka WOLF) released “RBF: Part 1,” an exclusive Spotify Singles track as a part of the platform’s first-ever Fresh Finds program. ...

14 Jun 2025 Saturday
Julia Wolf
with Worry Club and Ellis
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Julia Wolf, aka Wolf, is on tour in support of the new album Pressure.

Julia Wolf at Fine Line (02 Apr 2022)

We saw Wolf April 2022 and wrote, “New York’s Julia Wolf (aka WOLF), opened the show. We last mentioned that she released her debut EP Girls In Purgatory… so most of the songs played were taken from the debut, including “Falling In Love” and “In My Way”. She also had some new songs that haven’t been released yet. One of those songs, which I’ll call “Get Off My D**k” (based on a partial setlist that she released on her Facebook page), was written after being stood up from a record label.”

Worry Club and ellis to open.

Tour Dates:

May 29 -- White Oak (Upstairs) -- Houston, TX

May 30 -- Antone's -- Austin, TX

May 31 -- TX Tea Room -- Dallas, TX

June 2 -- Rebel Lounge -- Phoenix, AZ

June 3 -- Parish @ HOB -- Anaheim, CA

June 4 -- Brick and Mortar -- San Francisco, CA

June 6 -- Madame Lou's -- Seattle, WA

June 7 -- Polaris Hall -- Portland, OR

June 8 -- The Pearl -- Vancouver, BC

June 10 -- Neurolux -- Boise, ID

June 11 -- Kilby Court -- Salt Lake City, UT

June 12 -- Marquis -- Denver, CO

June 14 -- Turf Club -- Minneapolis, MN

June 15 -- Cobra Lounge -- Chicago, IL

June 16 -- A&R Music Bar -- Columbus, OH

June 17 -- Velvet Underground -- Toronto, ON

June 19 -- Brighton Music Hall -- Boston, MA

June 20 -- AMH -- Long Island, NY

June 21 -- Atlantis -- Washington, DC

June 22 -- Motorco -- Raleigh, NC

June 24 -- Radio Room -- Greenville, SC

June 25 -- The Loft -- Atlanta, GA

June 26 -- Basement East -- Nashville, TN

*Supporting Artemas

Sleigh Bells at Fine Line (Jun 14, 2025) Read More Sleigh Bells Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller are Sleigh Bells, and they are finally back after taking a small break. Last night was only their fourth show in the past two years but it felt as if they had never stopped. .…

14 Jun 2025 Saturday
Sleigh Bells
with Sophie Hunter
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

Sleigh Bells (producer/guitarist Derek Miller and singer Alexis Krauss) is back on tour, stopping by the Fine Line, in Minneapolis on June 14, 2025. The duo released their first new music in three years called “Wanna Start A Band?,” which you can get from Mom+Pop Music.

The song is really the band’s secret origin, as they describe, in their own words: “In 2008 while eating at a restaurant in Brooklyn with my mom, our server, Derek, wasted very little time asking me, essentially, "Wanna Start A Band?" Hard to believe that almost 17 years later we are still hyped and obsessively making records together. Derek started messing with the riff for this song around 2014 -- it needed a lot of work but a spark was there. We had a band by then but didn't know how long it would last. For us, this song is a reminder of how we started but it's also the first part of a new story we want to tell -- more on that very soon! We hope you will come along for the ride.”

Sleigh Bells at Fine Line (Sep 3, 2016)

We saw Sleigh Bells in Sep 2016 and wrote, “Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller are Sleigh Bells, and they are finally back after taking a small break. Last night was only their fourth show in the past two years but it felt as if they had never stopped. Sleigh Bells is known for their unique sound and high-energy shows. They played to a full house on Saturday night at the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis and proved that nothing has changed. Their songs are upbeat and powerful. They mix elements of punk rock with indie-pop and almost electronic beats. All of the diverse elements come together perfectly and when you mix that with the energy Krauss brings to the stage and the extreme light show, you get a near perfect show.”

Sophie Hunter to open.

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:

May 10, 2025 - Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up

May 13, 2025 - San Francisco, CA @ August Hall - Music Hall

May 16, 2025 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre

May 17, 2025 - Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre

May 19, 2025 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre

May 21, 2025 - Denver, CO @ Summit

May 23, 2025 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall - Downstairs

May 24, 2025 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater

May 25, 2025 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk

May 28, 2025 - Tampa, FL @ The RITZ Ybor

May 29, 2025 - Orlando, FL @ Plaza Live

May 30, 2025 - Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room

June 1, 2025 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West

June 2, 2025 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel

June 3, 2025 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer

June 5, 2025 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

June 6, 2025 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club

June 7, 2025 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall

June 10, 2025 - Toronto, ON @ Axis Club Theatre

June 11, 2025 - Detroit, MI @ El Club

June 12, 2025 - Chicago, IL @ The Metro

June 14, 2025 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line

June 15, 2025 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre

Sunflower Bean at 7th St Entry (17 Jun 2025) Read More Sunflower Bean In celebration of their debut album Human Ceremony (Fat Possum), Sunflower Bean (Jacob Faber, Julia Cumming, and Nick Kivlen) is currently on tour - headlining the 7th ..…

17 Jun 2025 Tuesday
Sunflower Bean
with GIFT
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Sunflower Bean (Julia Cumming, Nick Kivlen, and Olive Faber) is touring in support of their new album Mortal Primetime (Lucky Number).

Sunflower Bean at Fine Line (21 May 2022)

We saw Sunflower Bean April 2022 and wrote, “Let me tell you about Sunflower Bean’s first Minnesota show at Turf Club (14 Oct 2015). Seven years ago, the audience were simply blown away at Sunflower Bean’s sugar sweet shoegazing songs. We witness so many fans coming up to the band and buying their album and telling them how great they were. Some of those fans were at the Fine Line show. It seems like perhaps the band has grown, their upcoming album Headful of Sugar is leaning towards indie rock. Singer and bassist Julia Cumming seems more outgoing and confident on stage. To be fair, we said the same thing when we saw them in April 2016: “Now seasoned with a year of touring. And it shows. The trio (Jacob Faber, Julia Cumming, and Nick Kivlen) seemed completely at eased on stage, with Cumming looking and sounding more confident than their previous appearance. Even their music is a lot more upbeat (and possibly even aggressive), playing almost everything on their debut album... and especially when they announced they were playing some new (unrecorded) songs.” ”

GIFT to open.

Tour Dates:

5/1 – Leeds, UK @ Belgrave Music Hall

5/2 – Liverpool, UK @ Baltic

5/3 – London, UK @ Rough Trade East

5/4 – Brighton, UK @ Resident

5/15 - Troy, NY @ No Fun *

5/16 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas *

5/17 - Boston, MA @ Deep Cuts *

5/22 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw #

5/23 - Washington, DC @ The Atlantis #

5/24 - Raleigh, NC @ Kings #

5/25 - Asheville, NC @ Eulogy #

5/27 - Nashville, TN @ Blue Room at Third Man Records #

5/28 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl #

5/30 - Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves #

5/31 - Austin, TX @ The Ballroom #

6/01 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Upstairs #

6/04 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar #

6/05 - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah #

6/06 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room #

6/07 - San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel #

6/9 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios #

6/10 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s #

6/12 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court

6/13 - Fort Collins, CO @ The Coast #

6/14 - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive

6/17 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry #

6/19 - Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village #

6/20 - Detroit, MI @ Third Man Records

6/21 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison

* with Laveda
# with Gift

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

We♥KC! May 19-22, 2025 Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence KS)

Read More Against Me! Punk band Against Me! recently announced that they have extended their Spring headlining tour to include a ton of new dates throughout May. They are currently touring in support of their sixth studio album ...

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Kelce takes a break--

Word came down that the new annual tradition of Kelce Jam, a party with brothers Jason and Travis and several of their favorite acts, is off for this year, but they're promising an even bigger and better experience next year.

That leaves KC with one less summer festival, but Starlight opens its historic 75^th season this weekend (with some renovations in-progress we previously mentioned) and look for LiveNation to offer some $30 tickets to several shows, beginning May 21, while they last (AEG books more shows locally at the moment, so selection won’t be as plentiful as in other markets)

Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming week of May 19th-22nd.

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

MONDAY MAY 19

Volume, May 19, miniBar, $13.15

Heavy fuzzed out psych rock from the desert of 29 Palms, CA, this trip is for fans of Monster Magnet, desert stoner rock, and dense doom rock. The band is said to draw its musical influences from bands such as The Stooges, MC5 and Black Flag to name a few, while also crafting their own heavy identity.

Originally formed in 1993 by ex-Fu Manchu singer Patrick Brink, the band has featured a revolving set of collaborators, and the current live lineup includes Mingus on drums, bassist Jason Hernandez and lead guitarist Derek Christiansen and their recent release is called “Joy of Navigation”. The Soiled Doves and Momovudu slated as support on the bill.

TUESDAY MAY 20

Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, Climber: Defying Limits: Climbing the 14 Highest Peaks, May 20, Kauffman Theatre, $45-$68

Another great and interesting speaker from the Kauffman’s Changemaker Speaker Series. At 23, Austrian mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner achieved her greatest dream: climbing an 8,000-meter peak. Fast forward to today, Gerlinde has climbed all 14 peaks of 8,000+ without supplemental oxygen and without the help of high-altitude porters, the first woman to do so.

She completed the quest on her 7th attempt up what many consider to be the most daunting climb in the world, the world’s second highest peak, K2, known worldwide as the “Savage Mountain,” in the remote Karakoram Range of Pakistan and China.

Leon Bridges, May 20, The Midland, $216 (resale only)

Modern soul artist Leon Bridges is finishing up his The Leon Tour, which began last year in support of his self-titled album, Leon, released last October. We last saw live him a decade ago in Minneapolis as he was just starting out, and his sound has developed and evolved since, while staying relevant. He embarks next on a co-headlining tour with fellow Texan Charlie Crockett to take them both through the summer.

Alabama-born country singer Kashus Culpepper will open.

MIKE w/ duendita and Anysia Kim, May 20, Bottleneck-Lawrence, $24-$28

The NYC rapper / producer (aka Michael Jordan Bonema) alongside Tony Seltzer just released the second single from their recentl collaborative album, Pinball 2, which was just released on May 7th via MIKE’s 10k label and is the sequel to their first joint project Pinball, which arrived last March.

This is all in addition to his tenth solo LP Showbiz!, making him one of the essential and prolific young voices in hip-hop this decade via his own label ,10k, and his free Young World festival in Brooklyn. The current #aotc tour is the biggest of MIKE’s career, and includes 40 dates across the country, 

Arrive early for Queens, NY’s duendita band who compose and play bass-coated tones and mix of jazz, piano, soul and R&B,.Newest project is the 10-track EP, a strong desire to survive, released April 4th via MIKE’s 10k label with lead single, “baby teeth”. (yes, they seem to prefer lowercase).

Mean Girls (musical) May 20-25, Starlight, $14.72-$120.75

Direct from Broadway, Mean Girls is the hit musical from an award-winning creative team, including book writer Tina Fey ("30 Rock" and based on her film script), composer Jeff Richmond ("Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde) and original director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). and tells the story of a naïve newbie who falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies.

Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. Soon, this naïve newbie falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies, The Plastics – Regina, Gretchen and Karen. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina's reign, she learns the hard way that you can't cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.  Wearing pink seems to be encouraged.

WEDNESDAY MAY 21

Patti Lupone, May 21, Kauffman,$43-$137

“A Life in Notes, A musical touchstone of a life” – the legendary performer trained at Juilliard in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and began her professional career in 1972 with The Acting Company. LuPone has won three Tony Awards including Best Actress in a Musical and a Grammy Award.

In her new concert, Patti LuPone: A Life in Notes, she performs an array of songs which do just that — songs that are touchstones and reflections on her life growing up in America — from a young girl during the burgeoning rock and roll scene of the fifties, to coming of age in the politically and socially turbulent sixties, to eventually achieving success with both career and family. The show was conceived and directed by Scott Wittman with music direction and arrangements by Joseph Thalken and was written by Jeffrey Richman.

Laura Jane Grace, May 21, Granada- Lawrence, $29.50-$35

The musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the founder, lead singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist of the punk rock band Against Me! Is back on the road in support of the new upcoming album, “Adventure Club” (out July 18 with lead single, “Active Trauma”). and Lawrence gets an early date to hear the new music!

Grace fronts the band Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers, a solo project she started in 2016 but this time, the billing reads Laura Jane Grace and the Mississippi Medicals (featuring Mikey Erg, Matt Patton, Paris Campbell Grace) with support from Pet Needs.

THURSDAY MAY 22

The Lion King (Broadway touring), May 22-June 1, Music Hall, $79-$317

The entire Serengeti comes to life as never before! - This is Disney’s THE LION KING, making its triumphant return to the Music Hall! More than 100 million people around the world have experienced the inspiring visual artistry, the unforgettable music, and the theatrical storytelling of this Broadway spectacular (since it first opened in Minneapolis!) and it has remained one of the most breathtaking and beloved productions in modern theater history!

Winner of six Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, the production brings together one of the most imaginative creative teams on Broadway. Tony Award®-winning director Julie Taymor brings to life a story filled with hope and adventure set against an amazing backdrop of visuals. Its return again features the extraordinary work of Tony Award®-winning choreographer Garth Fagan and some of Broadway’s most recognizable music, crafted by Tony Award®-winning artists Elton John and Tim Rice. Whether your first time or a repeat- run, don’t walk for the chance to see this beloved classic!

Gráinne Hunt, May 22, KC Irish Center, $23

Irish folk singer-songwriter Gráinne Hunt enchants audiences with her heart-melting vocals and emotional songs and her two original records delve into personal experiences, evoking pain and longing. She showcased in Kansas City at Folk Alliance International last February before her first US tour, mid-last year.

Aside from her solo work, Gráinne collaborates with guitarist Brendan Walsh in the duo Gráinne and Brendan such as on their 2019 release, “Songs From Ireland” and is also part of the folk duo Hibsen with Jim Murphy who wrote an album of songs based on James Joyce’s “Dubliners” on 2023 album,‘The Stern Task of Living’.

Gráinne Hunt is appearing with the financial support of Culture Ireland and we just covered her recent stop in St. Paul, MN.

 

L.A. Guns, May 22, Knuckleheads, $30

L.A. Guns (we think) are Tracii Guns, Phil Lewis, Ace Von Johnson, Johnny Martin, Adam Hamilton and Shawn Duncan, but check those local listings to be sure. They’ve been around since 1983, but splintered into two versions, which is nothing but confusing. With Tracii and Phil on-board, you’ve got the right one.

The band is promising a new record, Leopard Skin soon, but has the previous Black Diamonds album and 2021’s “Checkered Past,” to lean on in the meantime. And don’t forget those classic 80’s hits either - “The Ballad Of Jayne” “Over The Edge”; “Kiss My Love Goodbye”; “Electric Gypsy”; “Never Enough”; “Sex Action”, and more.

La Cerca, May 22 at Lucia- Lawrence AND May 23 at The Ship, Kansas City, $9.92

The desert psychedelic guitar four-piece La Cerca from Tucson, AZ is out in support of their latest album, 'A Nice Sweet Getaway'(via Fort Lowell Records). They've actually been around since '90s (originally as Wise Folk Malcontent) and are helmed by Andrew Gardner, alongside other founding member guitarist Bill Oberdick.

Building on influences from Sonic Youth and The Cure to Dylan and Ride, La Cerca additionally incorporates a desert-infused blend of shoegaze, ambient, twangy pop hooks, and signature dueling guitars. They play Lucia in downtown Lawrence (thought I don't see the event listing on the venue’s FB), then are the middle act of a three-band bill at The Ship in KC the following evening, so you really have no excuse to miss.

   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

Something for the Weekend: Art-A-Whirl

What’s happening this weekend.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Art-A-Whirl (May 16-18, 2025) Read More Art-A-Whirl Art-A-Whirl... yeah, it's a dumb name, but what can you do? It's that time of the year again, the NEMAA (Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association) is putting together their annual Art-A-Whirl …

May 16, 2025 Friday
May 17, 2025 Saturday
May 18, 2025 Sunday

Art-A-Whirl
at Northeast Minneapolis
nemaa.org

NEMAA (Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association)’s Art-A-Whirl is celebrating their 30th Anniversary with a bang, throughout Northeast Minneapolis, this weekend: May 16-18, 2025.

This special anniversary will bring together more than 1,400 local artists... and with a projection of bringing in more than 120,000 attendees, local bars and venues around the area have also put together live music entertainment to attract visitors.

Cornbread Harris at Palmer’s Bar (April 6, 2025)

The big name is Cornbread Harris (courtesy of Minneapolis Sound Presents). We recently saw Cornbread in April 2025 and said, “Ahead of the show out front on the street, there was a sign stating: “No parking, Cornbread only”. It was obvious right away that most of the bar crowd was definitely regulars for Harris. Harris arrived and waited while warming his hands up with a coffee near the stage as the backing band (guitar, trumpet, drums and upright bass) got things set up at the small performance area up front. It was a prompt start, with Harris rolling right into his piano playing. Any signs of age were instantly erased as his fingers went to work, and it’s a joy to watch an expert ply their craft. The supporting band has definitely honed their sound around Harris. I was particularly impressed by the trumpet player’s ability to be loud enough to be heard while staying below the piano’s volume.”

There is also a special appearance by Andrea Swensson, bringing her book A Deeper Blues to the Cornbread show.

I think all the music events are free, but please check if you’re not sure. There are a few bands we’ve seen before that it might be fun to see again. Some local bands that I like are Dad Bod and Creeping Charlie.

I have compiled all the music events in the area, courtesy of The Current.

As usual with these things, bands and schedules may change at the last minute.

May 16, 2025 Friday

The Liquid Zoo at Bauhaus Brew Labs 5:30 pm: Maria and the Coins 7 pm: Heavy Metal Brass Band 8:30 pm: Viva Knievel	Casket Arts Building – 4th floor lounge 6 pm: Best Intentions 7:30 pm: The Beavers 9 pm: Chemistry Set	Twin Ignition 5:30 pm: Retrofizz 7:30 pm: Carnage The Executioner + DJ Piecemeal Present: THE COLLABORATORY
Whirlygig at Indeed Brewing 5:45 pm: Gifted Handz 7 pm: Barlow 8 pm: Thomas Abban 9 pm: Early Eyes	Elias Metal Studio at the Waterbury Building 5:00 pm: Emily Rhea 6:00 pm: Funk N Spuds 6:45 pm: Xelias Airial Arts 7:00 pm: Chutes 8:00 pm: Lighter Co.	Sociable Cider Werks 5 pm: Electric Church 7 pm: Machinery Hill 8 pm: Of the Orchard 9 pm: Northern Hammer
Solar Arts Building – 2nd Floor 5-6pm: Jun and Liliana 6:30-7:30pm: Why Worry? 8-9pm: Marie Nelson	331 Club 8 pm: Big Salt (outdoors) 10 pm: Uspop	Kickernick Building – Studio 100 8 pm: Jazz with Greg Schutte, Cody McKinney, and Jeremy Ylvisaker

May 17, 2025 Saturday

331 Club 12 pm-8 pm: Vintage and makers market 6 pm: Speed Riders (outdoors) 8 pm: Mary Jam (outdoors) 10 pm: Socktopus	Eastside Food Co-op 12 pm: 26 Bats! 1 pm: Eleganza! 2:15 pm: Greg Grease 3:30 pm: bathtub cig 4:45 pm: Dr. Mambo’s Combo	Twin Ignition 1 pm: Trevor McSpadden 2 pm: Native Music Hall of Fame’s Keith Secola 2:45 pm: David Huckfelt 3:45 pm: Cornbread Harris 6 pm: Dan Israel 7 pm: Izzy Cruz
The Liquid Zoo at Bauhaus Brew Labs 12 pm: The Dalmatian Club 1:30 pm: Terrell X and the Unknown Potential 3 pm: Faith Boblett: She’s All That 4:30 pm: McNasty Brass Band 6 pm: TABAH 7:30 pm: Vicious Vicious 9 pm: White Boy Summer (Thomas Abban and L.A. Buckner)	Elias Metal Studio at the Waterbury Building 11:45 a.m.: Camp Kitten 12:00 pm: Xelias Arial Arts 12:15 pm: The King James Version 1:15 pm: Uncle Katy 2:15 pm: Slumber 2:45 pm: danser 3:15 pm: Xelias Arial Arts 3:30 pm: Dad Bod 4:30 pm: Purple Funk Metropolis 5:15 pm: Xelias Airial Arts 5:30 pm: Creeping Charlie 6:30 pm: Fanaka Nation	Whirlygig at Indeed Brewing 1:30 pm: Palms Psalm 2:30 pm: Anita Velveeta 3:30 pm: Lighter Co. 4:30 pm: Dilly Dally Alley 5:30 pm: Juice Lord 6:30 pm: Obi Original & the Black Atlantics 7:30 pm: Dylan Salfer Band 8:45 pm: Black Market Brass
Sociable Cider Werks 3 pm: Owen Trelstad and the occasionals 4 pm: Rhino Shrine 5 pm: Beggars 6 pm: Manaias 7:30 pm: Harlow 9 pm: Keep for Cheap	Solar Arts Building – 2nd Floor 12-1pm: Jerry Esnough 1:30-2:30pm: Max Rewitzer 3-4pm: Cathy English 4:30-5:30pm: Vittorio & the Bridges 6-7pm: Zoë Says Go	Casket Arts Building – 4th floor lounge 12:30 pm: Patrick Adkins/Alma Engebretson 2:30 pm: Joan Griffith 4:30 pm: Joel Shapira 6 pm: Chris Lomheim

May 18, 2025 Sunday

Whirlygig at Indeed Brewing 12 pm: Marvelous 1 pm: BAKKWOODDRIFT feat. Solorah 2 pm: Clare Doyle 3 pm: Salty Dog 4 pm: Aby Wolf, Kavyesh Laviraj, LSQ 5 pm: Javier Santiago	331 Club 12 pm-6 pm: Vintage and makers market 3 pm: Jake La Botz & Mikkel 7 pm: Diane 9 pm: Switchyard	Twin Ignition 12 pm: Havana Quartet 12:45 pm: Lucy Michelle 2 pm: The Nunnery 3:15 pm: Eddie & Craig
Solar Arts Building – 2nd Floor 12-1pm: Joe Kemmerling 1:30-2:30pm: Marko Fields 3-4pm: Jeff Kasbaum	Sociable Cider Werks 12 pm: SJMS 4 pm: Twin Town Band	The Liquid Zoo at Bauhaus Brew Labs 12 - 6 pm: Backyard Boombox Dance Party

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

bôa at First Avenue (May 13, 2025)

bôa at First Avenue (May 13, 2025) bôa Setlist Deeply Whiplash For Jasmine Frozen A Girl Strange Few (Violin intro) Beautiful & Broken Seafarer Welcome Drinking Elephant Angry Worry Fool -- Encore -- Twilight Walk With Me Duvet Dream, Ivory Setlist Bullet Train Wedding Crasher I'm So Emo Scorpion Would It Kill You At All Welcome and Goodbye Solar Eclipse Tour Dates June 10 - New Century Hall - Manchester, U.K. June 11 - Newcastle University - Newcastle, U.K. June 12 - Queens Hall - Edinburgh, U.K. June 14 - National Stadium - Dublin, U.K. June 16 - Rescue Rooms - Nottingham, U.K. June 17 - Stylus - Leeds, U.K. June 19 - SWX - Bristol, U.K. June 20 - Tramshed - Cardiff, U.K. June 21 - 02 Forum - London, U.K. July 31 - Aug 3 - Lollapalooza - Chicago, IL July 25 - Latitude Festival, Suffolk, UK. Read More bôa U.K. alt-rock trio bôa will be headlining First Avenue on May 13, 2025, in support of the new album Whiplash. Dream, Ivory (brothers Christian and Louie Baello) to open. …

First Avenue played host to bôa and Dream, Ivory for the final show of their Whiplash tour, which consisted of 13 shows throughout the East Coast and Midwest. It’s been a busy year for bôa, with a nine-show European (Is Istanbul Europe? I guess it depends on who you ask?) tour preceding their US tour. Dream, Ivory joined the tour for ten shows starting in Orlando. bôa released their third (or 6^th depending on whether you consider Istanbul to be in Europe or not, no just kidding, depending on your definition of release – check out their Wikipedia page) album, Whiplash, in October of 2024 while Dream, Ivory announced that their next album “When You Come Back I Have So Much To Tell You” will drop in July.

Dream, Ivory got the show started with “Bullet Train”, a single from their upcoming album. I was amazed to learn after the set that playing guitar and bass live is relatively new to the brothers (Christian and Louie Baello) who prefer to experiment on synthesizers and computers. The sense Christian conveyed, is that creating music and playing music are distinct for them. On the advice of their manager, they added a drummer (Daniel Vanchieri) for their live performances, which is part of the “leveling up” process that the brothers are aspiring for. Based on this show, it’s paying off; Daniel’s addition lends a fullness to the band’s live sound. The band played to a large and appreciative audience with many singing along. Even with slower songs like “Wedding Crasher”, “I’m So Emo” and “Scorpion” the crowd was very engaged. “Would It Kill You At All” brought the tempo up a smidge and “Welcome and Goodbye”, their biggest hit to-date was played with particular intensity and met with joy from the audience. The set ended with “Solar Eclipse”. It was fun to watch the fans interacting with Christian after the show. I heard more than one express words to the effect of “your music changed my life”. The whole experience has me rooting for them to make it big.

After about 30 minutes, bôa took the stage and put on a show! Jasmine Rodgers has a strong, confident voice. In my experience you never know what you’re going to get when you hear a voice live for the first time, Jasmine does not disappoint. Their setlist stayed true to their previous US shows, full of crowd favorites and a mix of old and new. If you’re not familiar with the band’s backstory, it’s worth a few minutes on Wikipedia familiarizing yourself. The three current members of bôa are Jasmine, Alex Caird, and Lee Sulivan; however, only Jasmine of that trio was present. She was accompanied by a backing band consisting of Robin Diaz (drums), Harry Smith (multi-instrumentalist), Carlos Garcia (guitar), and Josh Morrow (base; I’m not 100% of Josh’s last name). Being new to bôa, I enjoyed their show, which was made all the better by the adoration of their very young audience. Despite being a band that dates back to the ‘90s, bôa’s audience seemed to be comprised of mostly early twenty-somethings and younger. One lucky 17-year-old got to see the 18+ show because her mom accompanied her. Jamine alternated between dancing around the stage and playing guitar and was quite good at engaging the crowd, sensing when they would respond to her call and going for it. “Drinking”, the 10^th song they played, had everyone whipping out their phones, turning on the flashlight, and waving them about like they were trying to coax John Lennon onto stage (Google it). It wasn’t until the second to last song before the encore, that we got a little chit chat with the audience with Jasmine thanking Dream, Ivory, acknowledging that it was their last show of the tour, introducing the band and thanking First Avenue. She confessed that she was particularly excited because of the tie to Prince and that she’s a HUGE fan. Twice she sang a line from a Prince song and implored the audience to finish the line. Twice she was met with silence. She handled it was humor and aplomb; it was endearing. Despite being the home of Prince, this just wasn’t a Prince crowd, I guess. There was a 3-song encore, which ended with the song everyone had been waiting for them to play, “Duvet” – a hit from their 1998 album The Race of a Thousand Camels, which was re-released as Twilight in the US in 2001.

I am a fan of British pop, especially when fronted by a female, so I don’t know how I’ve missed bôa all of these years, but now that we’ve met, they will be in heavy rotation on my playlist. Seeing these two bands play together with their fans so engaged and invested in the show was a great way to become familiar with them. If you have the chance to see either of them in the future, take it.

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matt ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

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.

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SASAMI at Turf Club (May 13, 2025)

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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]

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