W♥M

Best of the Fest: Milwaukee Metal Fest, Kerrville Folk Festival, and Festival International de Jazz de Montreal

Milwaukee Metal Fest (May 16 to May 18, 2025) Read More Gwar GWAR fans know what to expect when they see a live GWAR show. Whether it be covered in bile and blood, or stage props that could be used in any top tier horror ....

Milwaukee Metal Fest
milwaukeemetalfestival.com

Metal Fans Unite! The Milwaukee Metal Fest is coming up on May 16 to May 18, with a pre-party kickoff on May 15. The event will take place at The Rave/Eagles Ballroom, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Since its original announcement, the music festival has added S.O.D. Tribute (ft. Scott Ian, Dan Lilker, Jamey Jasta), EYEHATEGOD, Pentagram, Toxic Holocaust, Bongzilla, Revocation, Ov Sulfur, Left To Die + The Lurking Corpses… now clocking in at over 60 bands on the lineup!

GWAR at Skyway Theatre (11 Oct 2019)

We’ve seen a few of these bands before, with GWAR as one of our most favorite, from Oct 2019: “You see, with each tour, there is a new storyline in the world of Gwar. Last year, the band killed Donald Trump, so this tour, the band is being impeached by the planet Earth. With a new storyline, that meant new songs (to fit with the them) and also delightful new dialogue from the band. Even if you don’t like metal music, you’ll still be very entertained by beheading (and the infamous blood squirts - so wear a raincoat to these shows!), puppets, and incredible costumes. Personally speaking, it’s the most entertaining show we’ve seen all year.”

The updated lineup is now as follows:

Friday, May 16 DOWN (Anselmo, Windstein, Keenan, Bower, Bruders) Chimaira S.O.D. Tribute (Scott Ian, Dan Lilker, Jamey Jasta) Enslaved Paradise Lost Suicide Silence Rotting Christ Wolves In the Throne Room Fugitive Pentagram Oppressor Bongzilla Wormrot No / Más Avernus Legions of Doom Nest Gigan The Lurking Corpses Ruin Dweller Bury My Demons

Saturday, May 17 Black Label Society Devin Townsend Exodus Death Angel 3 Inches of Blood Between The Buried and Me EYEHATEGOD Demolition Hammer TesseracT Left to Die Evil Dead Necrot Macabre Nekrogoblikon Revocation Brat Gorgasm Ov Sulfur Renesans Repentance Wraith SNAFU

Sunday, May 18 GWAR Arch Enemy The Dillinger Escape Plan SCOUR Amigo the Devil Sacred Reich Trouble Harms Way The Acacia Strain Frozen Soul Speed END Exhorder Deceased Toxic Holocaust Full of hell Lionheart Snuffed On Sight Jarhead Fertilizer Gates To Hell Tracheotomy

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
montrealjazzfest.com

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (June 26 to July 5, 2025) Read More Jazz is Dead Billed as Le Jazz Est Mort (Jazz is Dead), the show will bring legendary psychedelic jazz-funk group Cortex (bandleader Alain Mion), to perform Troupeau Bleu in its entirety. ...

The 45th Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (FIJM), presented by TD Bank Group in collaboration with Rio Tinto, will be taking place in downtown Montreal, Canada, on June 26 to July 5, 2025. The festival will span over 350 concerts, with more than half are free of charge!

Ticket sales for paid concerts went on sale yesterday (April 17), with FIJM newsletter subscribers having early access the day before.

Maurin Auxéméry, Director of Programming, commented, “The FIJM team has once again brilliantly risen to the challenge of curating a lineup as bold as it is accessible. After 45 years, this event, a crossroads between the local and international scenes, still knows how to reinvent itself, keep up with the times and redefine what jazz is, here and now. It is a remedy to the challenges of our era, an opportunity to come together and celebrate the unifying power of music, beyond genres and borders.”

Lineup:

NAS, Ayra Starr, Thundercat, Ben Harper, Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, Mon Laferte, Natalia Lafourcade, Violent Femmes, Allison Russell, Elisapie Esperanza Spalding, Mavis Staples, Men I Trust, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Avishai Cohen Trio With Symphony Orchestra, Chris Botti, Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Samara Joy, Bonobo, Lara Somogyi and Jean-Michel Blais, Clown Core, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Madlib, The Budos Band & Secret Chiefs 3, The Cat Empire, Kes, Isaiah Falls, Oscar Peterson 100: Canadiana Suite Featuring Oscar Peterson Centennial Quartet, Arooj Aftab, Ash, Balthvs, Bilal, Bill Frisell Trio, Branford Marsalis, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Dhafer Youssef, Dianne Reeves, Django Festival Allstars, Dylan Sinclair, Endea Owens & The Cookout, Fantastic Negrito, Ghost-Note, Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge, Hanorah, Holly Cole, Jay-Jay Johanson, Kazy Lambist, Kid Koala, Los Bitchos, Madeleine Peyroux, Makaya Mccraven, Marcin, Mike Stern, Nai Palm, Nate Smith Feat. Lalah Hathaway, James Francies & Derrick Hodge, Nubya Garcia, Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp, Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue, Rjd2, Sun Ra Arkestra, The Brooks, Tommy Emmanuel, Yasmin Williams, Série Invitation: Anomalie, Afrotonik Takeover, Ahi, Alan Braufman, Alexis Lombre, Allison Au With The Migrations Ensemble, Allysha Joy, Ambre Ciel, Mykalle, André Leroux, Andy Rubal & Son Del Sun, Angine De Poitrine, Annarella & Django, Anyma Ora, Ariane Racicot, Azymuth Balkan Paradise Orchestra, Benjamin Deschamps, Beth Mckenna, Bolduc Groove Quintet, Brandon Woody, Brekky Boy, Buddy Mcneil And The Magic Mirrors, Busty And The Bass, Caity Gyorgy, Camille Thurman And The Darrell Green Quartet, Carl Mayotte, Charlie Cunningham, Christine Jensen Quartet, Dawn Tyler Watson, Derrick Hodge, Dolphin Hyperspace, Elijah Fox, Empanadas Illegales, Fievel Is Glauque, Frank O'sullivan, Freedom Riders, Frente Cumbiero, Fulu Miziki Kolektiv, Gabi Hartmann, Gabriella Olivo, Gary Bartz, Geminicrab, Malika Tirolien & Caulder Nash, Hanging Hearts, Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few, Ivy Boxall, Jazzbois, Julien Fillion, Julius Rodriguez, Katie Tupper, Kelly Finnigan And The Atonements, Khun Narin, Kiefer, Kojo Melché, Roney Lecypherx, Léonie Gray, Linda May Han Oh, Lorraine Desmarais, Louis Matute Large Ensemble, Magi Merlin, Malia Laura, Marc Ribot, Matteo Mancuso, Meggie Lennon, Mike Shabb, Misc., Mohini Dey, Montreal Thanks Op, Moses Yoofee Trio, Maxx Bitota, New Jazz Underground, Nicola Sala Benevento Jazz Orchestra, No Cosmos, Nora Toutain, Nyota Parker, Pachyman, Papagroove, Paul Beaubrun, Paul Deslauriers & Annika Chambers, Peter Evans, Avec Joel Ross, Nick Jozwiak Et Calvin Weston, Pypy, Rémi Cormier, Salami Rose, Joe Louis, Salin, Sax Machine, Snacktime, Sofie Royer, Sophye Soliveau, Stella Cole, Suuns, Taurey Butler, Thanya Iyer, The Compozers, The Jeremy Ledbetter Trio, The Sugar Darlings, Theon Cross, Tyreek Mcdole, Vibe Benders Takeover, Vijay Iyer & Wadada, Leo Smith

Kerrville Folk Festival (May 22 to June 5, 2025) Read More BettySoo After taking the stage, Betty Soo asked what was on my mind as I walked to the Fine Line: “Everyone ok even though it’s freezing?” Spring is taking its time, but …

Kerrville Folk Festival
kerrvillefolkfestival.org

The Kerrville Folk Festival, taking place at Quiet Valley Ranch in Kerrville, Texas, from May 22 to June 5, have recently announced this year’s New Folk Finalists (see list below).

Betty Soo at Fine Line (15 April 2025)

We’ve seen a few of these musicians before, including Betty Soo a few days ago, on April 15, 2025: “After taking the stage, Betty Soo asked what was on my mind as I walked to the Fine Line: “Everyone ok even though it’s freezing?” Spring is taking its time, but that did not stop two singers/songwriters from Austin, TX from entertaining a pretty fervent fan base. Soo opened up the evening with a generous set wearing a navy blue Cub Scout uniform with its yellow bandanna around her neck. She started off with “Henry and Me”, a song about a family fishing trip where nothing was caught, and followed it with “Down to Goodbye”, a song that highlighted her voice with a nice touch on the acoustic guitar. Soo expressed a love of the Twin Cities, giving a shout-out to MPR and KFAI. She even talked about a stint at the Minnesota State fair where the state of Texas paid her to be an ambassador by playing on a fold-out stage on the back of a semi. A bonus for working all ten days: free cookies and bingo cards.”

Line up:

May 22 — May 25 Dale Watson Adeem the Artist Creekbed Carter Hogan Émilie Clepper Gabe Lee Handmade Moments Jeffery Foucault Lily Talmers Lucy Clearwater Peter Rowan Rachel Sumner Sean McConnell The Hooten Hallers The Secret Sisters The Wilder Blue Yarn	May 26 — May 29 Andrew Delaney Andy Gullahorn Fox Run Five J Wagner Robin Bienemann	May 30 — June 1 BettySoo Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore FRUITION Goodnight, Texas Hayes Carll KC Clifford Mia Borders Next of Kin Nicky Diamonds Prophets and Outlaws Shovels & Rope
June 2 — June 5 Daniel Neihoff Jenny Reynolds Karyn Oliver R.O. Shapiro Steve Fisher Tim Easton	June 6 — June 8 Carsie Blanton Caleb Caudle Lila Blue The Band of Heathens John Craigie Chris Smither Bob Schneider Rainbow Girls Urban Pioneers Rock Bottom String Band Scott Mulvahi	New Folk Finalists Abigayle Oakley Brian Johannesen Martin Gilmore Sophia DeLeo Madeleine Roger Abbie Gardner Morgan Lee Powers Tai Shan Mike Vitale Isabel Shaye Stephanie Sammons Sara Beth Go Christopher Worth Jessica Willis Fisher Holly Lovell AJAYE Helena Hallberg Racyne Parker Jeremy Facknitz Cindy Kalmenson Malena Cadiz Hudson Mueller Katie Dahl Reckless Saints

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

Minneapolis: May 16, 2025

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Anna B Savage at Turf Club (16 May 2025) Read More Anna B Savage County Donegal, Ireland-based songwriter Anna B Savage was next. She has an album You & i are Earth coming out out January 24th, 2025 via City Slang. They described her …

16 May 2025 Friday

Anna B Savage
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Irish singer Anna B Savage will headline the Turf Club, in St Paul, on May 16, 2025. Her new album You & i are Earth is out now on City Slang.

Anna B Savage at Barezzi Festival (14 Nov 2024)

We previously mentioned Anna B Savage in Nov 2024 and said, “County Donegal, Ireland-based songwriter Anna B Savage was next. She has an album You & i are Earth coming out out January 24th, 2025 via City Slang. They described her dancing like Thom Yorke (Radiohead).”

Tour dates:

Apr 17 Utrecht, Netherlands EKKO

Apr 22 Madrid, Spain Moby Dick Club

Apr 23 Lisbon, Portugal Zé dos Bois (ZDB) Gallery

Apr 24 Barcelona, Spain Club Sauvage ( Antigua Sidecar Factory Club)

Apr 28 Milan, Italy Arci Bellezza

May 3 Toronto, ON, Canada Blood Brothers

May 7 Brooklyn, NY, US Public Records

May 9 Washington, DC, US DC9 Nightclub

May 10 Philadelphia, PA, US Side Chapel, First Unitarian Chapel

May 14 Chicago, IL, US Old Town School of Folk Music

May 15 Milwaukee, WI, US Cactus Club

May 16 St. Paul, MN, US Turf Club

May 18 Montreal, QC, Canada L'Escogriffe Bar Spectacle (L'Esco)

Jun 9 Bristol, UK Bristol Beacon, Lantern Hall

Jun 11 Manchester, UK The Deaf Institute

Peter Bjorn and John at Fine Line (16 May 2025) Read More Peter Bjorn and John Like many fans, we first discovered Peter Bjorn and John through their big, viral hit ‘Young Folks’ (the song was soooo massive, even a young Kanye West stole the catchy melody). …

16 May 2025 Friday

Peter Bjorn and John
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

Acclaimed Swedish indie-pop band Peter Bjorn and John will be playing their breakout Writer’s Block album (the album with “Young Folks”) in its entirety, with this special US tour in May 2025. The tour will stop by the Fine Line, in Minneapolis, on May 16, 2025.

Peter Bjorn & John at Fine Line (23 June 2016)

We saw the band in June 2016 and said, “Anyway, after a five-year break (their last album Gimme Some came out in 2011), to give room for various solo projects: Peter’s solo albums, Björn’s “Yttling Jazz”, and John’s project Hortlax Cobra. With all that out of the way and a fresh perspective, the trio is back with their catchiest album yet, Breakin’ Point. Joining the trio were new touring band members, Klaus and Freya, both doing various keys and extra percussions... which is reflective of Breakin’ Point’s synth-heavy new sound. The extra production really adds a fuller sound to PB&J.”

Tour dates:

09 May: San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall

10 May: Pasadena, CA @ Just Like Heaven

13 May: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge

14 May: Denver, CO @ Bluebird

16 May: Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line

17 May: Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall

19 May: Toronto, ON @ Great Hall

21 May: New York, NY @ Irving Plaza

22 May: Boston, MA @ The Sinclair

23 May: Washington DC @ Black Cat

Larkin Poe at First Avenue (16 May 2025) Read More Larkin Poe Nashville-based sister duo Larkin Poe will be opening up for Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band at the Xcel Energy Center the night before (December 12th). ... Amythyst Kiah Amythyst Kiah (on stage at 8:19 pm) sprinkled her set with similar hilarious (self-proclaimed) nerdy rants and pop culture references. The music, which was a combination of blues, folk …

16 May 2025 Friday

Larkin Poe
with Amythyst Kiah
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

GRAMMY® Award-winning duo Larkin Poe (Rebecca and Megan Lovell) is touring in support of Bloom. The tour will stop by First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on May 16, 2025.

Larkin Poe at Knuckleheads (24 Jan 2023)

We saw Larkin Poe in January 2023 and said, “The buzz over Nashville’s Larkin Poe has been palpable and growing louder, but this was the first time we've managed to catch talented sisters Rebecca & Megan Lovell live, to experience their own brand of Southern roots rock and blues, after hearing good things as they’ve headlined and also supported the likes of Bob Seger, Elvis Costello, and Keith Urban. Their prolific and impressive discography includes their newest, Blood Harmony (via Tricki-Woo Records) and their lively energetic eighty-five-minute set did not disappoint the sellout crowd, 2/3 of which were seeing them for the first time as well (per an informal show of hands).”

Amythyst Kiah at Parkway Theater (17 Nov 2024)

Amythyst Kiah to open. We saw Kiah in Nov 2024 and said, “She was naturally funny but alas, her smile is taken, her fiancé’s name is Jessica, who is a Taylor Swift fan, insert shameless plug of the album producer Butch Walker. She said her fandom was not one of a crazed “wear a diaper to get through a Swifty concert” but just enough to make her a bracelet made out of “Dark Matter” before she launched into the song. Other references to a family member included her father who whistled on a song on her second album. She was so proud of her TN relative because he had never done anything like that, a recording in a studio.”

Tour dates:

04/15 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall *

04/17 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox *

04/18 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom *

04/19 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom *

04/22 – Grass Valley, CA – The Center for the Arts *

04/23 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre *

04/25 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore *

04/26 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues *

04/27 – Santa Barbara, CA – Arlington Theatre *

05/8 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer ^

05/9 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club ^

05/10 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza ^

05/12 – Boston, MA – The Wilbur ^

05/14 – Toronto, ONT – The Concert Hall ^

05/16 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue ^

05/17 – Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre ^

05/22-26 - Cumberland, MD – DelFest †

05/29 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium

05/30 – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern

05/31-June 1 - Lexington, KY - Railbird Music Festival

06/1 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel

06/22 – Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes

07/23-27 – Floyd, VA – FloydFest †

09/4-7 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender †

10/3 – Miramar Beach, FL – Moon Crush Avett Moon

10/9-12 - Nashville, TN - Tommy Emmanuel’s Guitar Camp

10/17 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy

10/18 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy

10/19 – Bristol, UK – Bristol Beacon

10/21 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo

10/22 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute

10/24 – Paris, France – Salle Pleyel

10/25 – Tilburg, Netherlands – 013 Poppodium

10/26 – Cologne, Germany – E-Werk

10/28 – Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene

10/29 – Stockholm, Sweden – Circus

10/30 – Frederiksberg, Denmark – Falkoner Center

11/1 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom

11/2 – Warsaw, Poland – Klub Stodola

11/4 – Vienna, Austria – Gasometer

11/5 – Munich, Germany – Tonhalle

11/8 – Geneva, Switzerland – Salle De L’Alhambra

11/9 – Nimes, France – La Paloma

11/12 – Lisbon, Portugal – Coliseu Dos Recreios

11/14 – Madrid, Spain – Sala Riviera

11/15 – Barcelona, Spain – Razzmatazz 1

11/16 – Bordeaux, France – Le Rocher de Palmer

11/18 – Clermont-Ferrand, France – Le Cooperative de Mai

11/19 – La Rochelle, France – La Sirene

11/21 – Antwerp, Belgium – De Roma

* w/ Special Guest Parker Millsap
^ w/ Special Guest Amythyst Kiah
† Festival Appearance

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

James McMurtry at Fine Line 04-15-2025

James McMurtry at Fine Line (15 Apr 2025) James McMurtry Setlist Fuller Brush Man Childish Things Black Dog and Wandering Boy Copper Canteen You Got to Me Choctaw Bingo with Betty Soo Sons of the Second Sons Canola Fields Color of Night If It Don't Bleed Operation Never Mind Jackie No More Buffalo Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call Levelland Too Long in the Wasteland -- Encore -- Blackberry Winter Tour Dates 16 Apr 2025 Wildwood Smokehouse Iowa City, IA 17 Apr 2025 The Waiting Room Omaha, NE 18 Apr 2025 Knuckleheads Kansas City, MO 19 Apr 2025 Beer City Music Hall Oklahoma City, OK 03 May 2025 Rockbox Theater Fredericksburg, TX 23 May 2025 Main Street Crossing Tomball, TX 24 May 2025 St. Joseph's Chapel Galveston, TX Read More James McMurtry How best to describe James McMurtry? Stephen King has called him “... the truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation.” Co-producing his debut album, Too Long in the Wasteland ...

After taking the stage, Betty Soo asked what was on my mind as I walked to the Fine Line: “Everyone ok even though it’s freezing?”

Spring is taking its time, but that did not stop two singers/songwriters from Austin, TX from entertaining a pretty fervent fan base.

Soo opened up the evening with a generous set wearing a navy blue Cub Scout uniform with its yellow bandanna around her neck. She started off with “Henry and Me”, a song about a family fishing trip where nothing was caught, and followed it with “Down to Goodbye”, a song that highlighted her voice with a nice touch on the acoustic guitar.

Soo expressed a love of the Twin Cities, giving a shout-out to MPR and KFAI. She even talked about a stint at the Minnesota State fair where the state of Texas paid her to be an ambassador by playing on a fold-out stage on the back of a semi. A bonus for working all ten days: free cookies and bingo cards.

After singing “Memento” from an upcoming new album, Soo was joined on stage by James McMurtry to sing one of his songs “Gulf Road.”

It was apparent why McMurtry chose to bring Soo on the road with him. Even though their physical presence couldn’t be anymore different, their voices blend so nicely you can feel the musical kinship.

McMurtry is one of those musicians that can entertain a crowd with just an acoustic guitar, but he was joined on stage with a few of his friends: Cornbread on bass, Daren Hess on drums and Tim Holt on guitar and accordion. And right out of the gate they charged ahead with “Fuller Brush Man”, a big rock and roll song sounding like an eight-cylinder Cadillac barreling through the Texas plains.

Unlike Soo, McMurtry was more laconic when it came to audience interaction. He introduced “Black Dog and Wandering Boy” from his latest same-named album as a song about modern medicine.

It’s apparent that the self-effacing wit that appeared in our interview also showed on the stage as he introduced his blistering funny “Choctaw Bingo” as… “a medley of our hit.”

The lyrics, that’s what draws in the listener, like “Choctaw Bingo” a seedy counter to “Route 66” about a family making their way to a family reunion with a cast of colorful characters. And “Copper Canteen”, which McMurtry introduced as a song about marital bliss:

And honey I know that the woodpile's low and you can't close the flue
So I'll split up a couple more cords 'fore the winter time's through
Hold on to your rosary beads
Leave me to my mischievous deeds like we always do

After playing fan favorites like “Canola Fields” and “No More Buffalo”, McMurtry cut loose with “Too Long in the Wasteland” which gave Holt ample time to lean into his guitar solos. Then the encore, which had McMurtry stepping on the stage alone with his acoustic guitar and no mic to sing a personal favorite “Blackberry Winter”.

I hope its lyrics are not an omen for the rest of our spring.

Never saw such a cold day in June did you ever, Virginia?
In our young days the old people called it “Blackberry Winter”

Betty Soo Betty Soo

Betty Soo

Tim Holt

Daren Hess and Cornbread

James McMurtry

James McMurtry James McMurtry

James McMurtry at Fine Line (15 Apr 2025)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥KC! April 19-21, 2025 Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence KS)

Read More Iron & Wine Light Verse is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Iron & Wine, released on April 26, 2024, by Sub Pop. It is Sam Beam's first solo album since Beast Epic (2017), and follows his collaborative album with Calexico, Years to Burn (2019).

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Some exciting shows in the metro for Easter weekend--

A good mix of genres to entertain you and yours, and if you happen to have friends or family in town visiting and wanting to step out. Rain might be in the forecast, so thankfully every listed below is taking place indoors. We know actual egg prices are still hovering near six dollars a dozen, so count us in for any egg hunts that involve finding actual eggs, haha!

Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming weekend from April 19th to April 21st.

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

SATURDAY APRIL 19

Kid Rock, Apr 19, T-Mobile Center, $34+

The Rock N Roll Jesus has returned to live stages, presumably in-between recent White House visits. Bob is just wrapping a brief seven-city Midwest tour, which he’ll follow up with a two-day festival style show in the summer, which will hit some smaller markets. As with previous tours, he’s brought his old friend Uncle Cracker to open the Midwest dates (and Chris Janson on some dates).

The Kid always been entertaining to see live, like when we last saw him, in Topeka in 2022, but for that show, his people unfortunately pulled the plug on all pro photography just before his set started and though he was the weekend’s main headliner, did not allow him to be referenced at all, by name.

Add to that, he’s become part of the political conversations, which at the least, is all very decisive at the moment, and he regularly has protesters now outside his concerts. Inside, his song, “We the People” is very political which can be judged either way, but all of this detracts from just the songs and entertainment value of the performance. Take it for what it is...

Iron and Wine w Jobi Riccio Apr 19, Uptown, $39-$99

Aka Sam Beam is a singer-songwriter who has been creating music as Iron & Wine for over two decades. Through the course of seven albums, numerous EPs and singles, and the initial volumes of an Archive Series, Iron & Wine has captured the emotion of listeners with distinctly cinematic songs. That cinematic quality is brought to life during this tour to support the newest album Light Verse with visuals designed and created by the shadow puppet masters of Manual Cinema.

Arrive early for Morrison CO (site of Red Rocks!) folk singer-songwriter Jobi Riccio who has a debut album, 2023’s “Whiplash” on one of our favorite indie labels, YepRoc.

SUNDAY APRIL 20

Prof, Apr 20, Granada- Lawrence,Sold Out

One of Minneapolis’ favorite sons, rapper Prof has perfected the art of combining blue collar hard work and unimpeachable content while never taking himself too seriously. His seventh studio album, Horse, was released via his own imprint Stophouse Music Group in April 2023. The album reached a career-high on the Billboard charts ranking as the #2 Current Rap Album, #1 Heatseekers Album, #1 Emerging Artist Album, #8 Top Billboard Album, and #17 Independent Album the week of its release.

In 2024 he continued his run by releasing five new singles, racking up over 300 million streams & headlining over 40 (mostly sold out) shows and single, “Dynamite”, released last December, has amassed over 5 million streams and has over 200 million social media views, all ahead of the anticipated new album, Good Time Boy in 2025. Poised to be his biggest project yet, it already boasts new collaborations with T-Pain, Flatbush Zombies, That Mexican OT, and more.

MSSV (mike watt, Stephen Hodges and Mike Baggetta) Apr 20, recordBar, $18.69

The legendary Minutemen bassist, Mike Watt has spent lots of time on the road with mssv over the past few years, and 2025 won’t be any different. The band, which also features Mike Baggetta and Stephen Hodges, has a new and third album, “On and On” released on March 7^th and is now out touring 52 shows in the U.S. and another sixteen in the UK and Ireland.

“Featured in the works on this album is a band-improvised song and, on the vinyl issue only, six more band-improvised interludes. These improvised, then recomposed, instrumentals had their parts recorded separately by each member, then edited down, recombined and recomposed by Baggetta,” the band shared. “They serve as an important connective tissue between the songs on each side, turning ‘On And On’ into an exciting and trippy psychedelic fever dream of a concept album.”

(Does anybody remember when Watt played The Bottleneck in 1995? – his opening acts? – oh yeah, Foo Fighters and Eddie Vedder and his [then]wife – legendary!)

MONDAY APRIL 21

My Morning Jacket, Apr 21, Uptown, $56-$89

Jim James and co. return to their element, the live stage, and on a short first leg of a larger tour, which expands into the summer and fall. My Morning Jacket's 10th studio album and first full-length new collection in more than three years, is...”is” and out now via ATO Records, produced by 3x GRAMMY® Award-winner Brendan O'Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam), the album is heralded by the gorgeous lead single, "Time Waited.”

For almost thirty years, My Morning Jacket have upheld a long-established cultural legacy while sustaining all the curiosity and creative hunger of their very earliest days. In a monumental step for the Louisville, KY-bred five-piece- vocalist/guitarist James, bassist Tom Blankenship, guitarist Carl Broemel, drummer Patrick Hallahan, keyboardist Bo Koster - is once again expands the limits of their sound and elevates their artistry.

The result is perhaps the most masterfully realized work yet from a band fully committed to their belief in music as a conduit for revelation of all kinds. "I like how the word "is" indicates a sense of presence in the now- there's no logic or rationale behind this record; it just is," says James. "All these songs came into existence out of an attempt to connect with something beyond the human experiment, which for me is the whole purpose of music - that connection with something larger than us, yet something we are all equally a part of.

Boy With Uke, Apr 21, The Midland, $30-$50

BoyWithUke is finally awake and revealed! With new release, “Burnout”, aka Charley Yang’s final album under the mysterious moniker that took him around the world from his bedroom–he’s finally ready to trade in the mask and ukulele, for a life fully on his own terms.

From the moment his “Minute Long Songs” on TikTok took off in 2020, BoyWithUke has manage to rack up nearly 1.5 billion streams, multiple Platinum records, and the most viewed Genius Open Mic video to date for "Toxic". Watch as the sensation turns the page on one era and enters an exciting one!

   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

Minneapolis: May 14 to May 15, 2025

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

SPELLLING at Fine Line (14 May 2025)

14 May 2025 Wednesday

SPELLLING
with oeurth
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

Bad spellers of the world, untie! Spellling (aka Chrystia Cabral) will be headlining the Fine Line, in Minneapolis, on May 14, 2025. Spellling’s new album, Portrait of My Heart is out now on Sacred Bones.

oeurth to open.

Tour dates:

April 24 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom

April 25 - Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole

April 26 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar

April 28 - Austin, TX @ Parish

April 29 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall

April 30 - New Orleans, LA @ Santos

May 2 - Atlanta, GA @ The EARL

May 3 - Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle

May 4 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage

May 6 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts

May 9 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

May 10 - Amherst, MA @ The Drake

May 12 - Detroit, MI @ El Club

May 13 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall

May 14 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line

May 15 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room

May 17 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater

May 19 - Reno, NV @ The Holland Project

June 9 - Bristol, UK @ Exchange

June 10 - Manchester, UK @ YES

June 11 - London, UK @ Village Underground

June 12 - Brighton, UK @ DUST

June 14 - Brussels, BE @ Rotonde

June 15 - Best Kept Secret Festival

June 16 - Berlin, DE @ Lido

June 18 - Bern, CH @ Dampfzentrale

June 20 - Paris, FR @ Petit Bain

Aug. 27 - Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s

Aug. 29 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom

Sep. 1 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret

Mayday Parade at First Avenue (15 May 2025) Read More Mayday Parade Tallahassee’s Mayday Parade returns to touring in celebrating of their 11-year anniversary of their self-titled debut record. In addition to the 11 year old album, the band also .…

15 May 2025 Thursday

Mayday Parade
with Microwave, Grayscale and Like Roses
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Tallahassee’s Mayday Parade is celebrating 20 years with a new three-part album, starting with Sweet on April 18. As part of the celebration, the band is out on tour, dubbed Three Cheers for 20 Years Tour, and will stop at First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on May 15, 2025.

Microwave, Grayscale and Like Roses to open.

Confirmed Mayday Parade 20-Year Anniversary Tour

04/22 at Jannus Live in St Petersburg, FL

04/24 at House of Blues in Orlando, FL

04/25 at Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA

04/26 at Marathon Music Works in Nashville, TN

04/28 at The Pageant in St. Louis, MO

04/29 at Uptown Theater in Kansas City, MO

05/01 at Factory Deep Ellum in Dallas, TX

05/02 at Warehouse Live Midtown in Houston, TX

05/03 at ACL Live - Moody Theater in Austin, TX

05/05 at The Van Buren in Phoenix, AZ

05/06 at House of Blues in Anaheim, CA

05/07 at Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, CA

05/09 at Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR

05/10 at Showbox SoDo in Seattle, WA

05/12 at The Union in Salt Lake City, UT

05/13 at Gothic Theatre in Denver, CO

05/15 at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN

05/16 at Salt Shed in Chicago, IL

05/17 at Royal Oak Music Theatre in Detroit, MI

05/18 at Andrew J Brady Music Center in Cincinnati, OH

05/20 at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, PA

05/21 at History in Toronto, ON

05/23 at College Street Music Hall in New Haven, CT

05/24 at Sherman Theatre in Stroudsburg, PA

05/25 at Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park, NJ

05/28 at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York, NY

05/30 at House of Blues in Boston, MA

05/31 at Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA

06/01 at The Strand in Providence, RI

06/03 at The NorVa in Norfolk, VA

06/04 at The Ritz in Raleigh, NC

06/06 at Avondale Brewing in Birmingham, AL

06/07 at The Moon in Tallahassee, FL

10/18 at When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas, NV

Matthew Logan Vasquez at 7th St Entry (15 May 2025) Read More Matthew Logan Vasquez Delta Spirit’s Matthew Logan Vasquez is playing the Icehouse in Minneapolis on May 9th. As usual with these Icehouse shows, because it’s a regular business in the daytime . ..

15 May 2025 Thursday

Matthew Logan Vasquez
with Jacob Alan Jaeger
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Matthew Logan Vasquez is back in town, playing the 7th Street Entry, on May 15, 2025.

Matthew Logan Vasquez at First Ave (07 Oct 2023)

When we saw Logan Vasquez (formerly of Delta Spirit) in Oct 2023, he mentioned that he’s played here many times… and obviously will be returning. And with that said, his upcoming 7th Street Entry headlining tour will take place this May 16, 2024.

Another three-name guy, Jacob Alan Jaeger to open.

Tour dates:

Apr 13 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US Gold-Diggers

Apr 17 Pioneertown, CA, US Pappy + Harriet's

Apr 18 Tucson, AZ, US Club Congress

May 14 Davenport, IA, US Raccoon Motel

May 15 Minneapolis, MN, US 7th St. Entry

May 16 Forest Park, IL, US Robert's Westside

May 18 Millvale, PA, US The Funhouse

May 20 New York (NYC), NY, US Mercury Lounge

May 21 Portsmouth, NH, US The Press Room

May 22 Cambridge, MA, US Middle East

May 23 Providence, RI, US Alchemy

May 24 Philadelphia, PA, US Johnny Brenda's

May 25 Washington, DC, US DC9 Nightclub

May 29 Charleston, SC, US Charleston Pour House

May 31 Nashville, TN, US The Basement

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

Minneapolis: May 12 to May 13, 2025

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Stories We Carry & The Future We Create at Mystic Lake Center (12 May 2025) Read More Dance Yackel Dance Studio is based out of Woodbury and have been around for over 50 years. They teach a variety of dance for ages as young as 3 to 18 years old. They had two type of dance …

12 May 2025 Monday

The Stories We Carry & The Future We Create
at Mystic Lake Center
scl4e.org

The Student-Centered Learning for Equity organization is holding a The Stories We Carry & The Future We Create event for Monday, May 12th, both virtually and in-person at the Mystic Lake Center. All tickets are free, but in-person tickets are limited to the space of Mystic Lake Center.

Details:

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Christopher Emdin
Dr. Emdin is an educator, author, and speaker. He will join our student-centered community for a special keynote address during the opening plenary.

PERFORMANCES BY
Golden Mist & TruArtSpeaks
Golden Mist is a Hmong dance group formed at Park Center Senior High in Brooklyn Park, MN. The girls and boys who joined Golden Mist wanted to show others about the Hmong culture since it is fading away with generations.

TruArtSpeaks is an arts & culture organization based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They provide development opportunities for artists and arts leaders through direct mentorship, workshops, residencies, public events, conferences, statewide initiatives, and more.

STUDENTS HOSTS
Learners from Lakota Tech High School
Talented young people from Lakota Tech in Pine Ridge, SD will emcee the event.

SASAMI at Turf Club (13 May 2025) 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 .…

13 May 2025 Tuesday

SASAMI
with Mood Killer
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

SASAMI is back on tour, in support of the new album Blood On the Silver Screen (Domino Records). The tour will stop at the Turf Club, in St Paul, on May 13, 2025.

SASAMI at Fine Line (09 Oct 2023)

The last time we saw SASAMI, in Oct 2023, we noted, “She 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.”

Mood Killer to open.

Tour dates:

4/19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room

4/22 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge

4/23 - Santa Fe, NM @ Launchpad

4/25 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Co

4/26 - Austin, TX @ Psych Fest

4/27 - Houston, TX @ White Oak

4/29 - Nashville, TN @ The Blue Room

4/30 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl

5/2 - Washington, DC @ The Atlantis

5/3 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts

5/5 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

5/8 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

5/9 - Montreal, QC @ Le Ritz PDB

5/10 - Toronto, ON @ Great Hall

5/12 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall

5/13 - Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club

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

Saint Motel at Palace Theatre (13 May 2025) Read More Saint Motel Touring on their way to Coachella 2015 (and I'm assuming they'll likely play SXSW 2015 as well), Saint Motel will be stopping by Minneapolis' 7th Street Entry on Saturday ...

13 May 2025 Tuesday

Saint Motel
with Brigitte Calls Me Baby
at Palace Theatre
first-avenue.com

Saint Motel is back on tour in support of Symphony in the Sky. The tour will stop by the Palace Theatre, in St Paul, on May 13, 2025.

Saint Motel at Varsity Theater (13 Oct 2016)

The last time we saw Saint Motel, in Oct 2016, we noted, “When we first saw Saint Motel (A/J Jackson, Aaron Sharp, Greg Erwin, and Dak Lerdamornpong) opened up for Arctic Monkeys in 2014, they blew us away: “Like I said, Saint Motel has a lot of potential, and the band is taking advantage of all the sold out Arctic Monkeys shows to play their very best on stage.” The L.A.-based band seemed thrilled to be back in town, especially for singer A/J, as we have previously mentioned, was his hometown. A lot has changed since A/J was last in town, but the city was still as friendly and welcoming as ever... as fans welcome the band with open hearts.”

Brigitte Calls Me Baby at Surly Brewing (13 July 2023)

Brigitte Calls Me Baby to open. We saw the band in July 2023 and wrote, “The Current described Brigitte Calls Me Baby as a unique grade of pop, while Brody compared them to The Smiths (Morrissey). Brigitte Calls Me Baby are Wes Leavins (Songwriter/Vocalist), Jeremy Benshish (Drums), Trevor Lynch (Guitar), Jack Fluegel (Guitar), Zach Lentino (Bass) and Devin Wessels (Keyboard).”

Tour dates:

April 25 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern +

April 26 - Wilmington, NC - Greenfield Lake Amphitheater +

April 27 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel +

April 29 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club +

April 30 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club +

May 2 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore +

May 3 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Paramount +

May 4 - Boston, MA - Citizens House of Blues +

May 6 - Montreal, QC - Beanfield Theatre +

May 7 - Toronto, ON - The Concert Hall +

May 9 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues %

May 10 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre %

May 11 - Madison, WI - The Sylvee %

May 13 - St. Paul, MN - Palace Theatre %

May 14 - St. Louis, MO - The Hawthorn %

May 15 - Indianapolis, IN - Old National Centre - Egyptian Room %

+ Support from Stolen Gin
% Support From Brigitte Calls Me Baby

Bôa at First Avenue (13 May 2025)

13 May 2025 Tuesday

bôa
with Dream, Ivory
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

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.

Tour dates:

April 25 - Moody X-Fest, Rice University, Houston, TX

April 26 - Longhorn Ballroom - Dallas, TX

April 30 - The Plaza - Orlando, FL

May 1 - The Ritz Ybor - Tampa, FL

May 3 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA

May 4 - The Underground - Charlotte, NC

May 6 - 9:30 Club - Washington D.C.

May 7 - Mr. Smalls Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA

May 9 - Electric City - Buffalo, NY

May 10 - Newport Music Hall - Columbus, OH

May 12 - Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI

May 13 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN

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.

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

Minneapolis: May 11, 2025

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Sorry Mom at 7th St Entry (11 May 2025) Read More Chase Petra Diet Cig is bringing along their friend, Chase Petra, who described themselves as “good ol' fashioned mess”. Diet Cig tour dates …

11 May 2025 Sunday

Sorry Mom
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

New York’s queer punk duo Sorry Mom (Juno Moreno and Taryn Gangi) is stopping by the 7th Street Entry, in Minneapolis, on May 11, 2025.

Sorry Mom writes:

our support tour with Chase Petra starts and ends in california, so on our roadtrip out to CA and back home to NY, we're going to be playing some headline shows!! on our headline trip we'll be hitting more of the south, midwest, and finally (for the first time in sooo long) the pacific northwest!!! <3333 we'll also be double dipping back into Canada to play vacnouver, so i guess this also marks Sorry Mom's first ever HEADLINE international tour o.O yay for us! the tickets are on sale now. you can buy them by clicking on the "shows" tab right here on our website. if you are coming to one of these longer headline shows please DM or email us if there's any specific songs you want to hear us play :) Oh!!! the first show of our headline tour is 3/20 which is also the date that our new single "youngstown" comes out! so we'll definitely be playing that at these shows :) who knows maybe we'll play some other n3w stuff too......

Tour dates:

12 Apr Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY

13 Apr The Sinclair Cambridge, MA

15 Apr Velvet Underground Toronto, Canada

17 Apr Mahall's Lakewood, OH

18 Apr Sanctuary Hamtramck, MI

19 Apr Cobra Lounge Chicago, IL

21 Apr Marquis Theater Denver, CO

23 Apr Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT

25 Apr The Independent San Francisco, CA

26 Apr The Roxy Los Angeles, CA

28 Apr The Catalyst Santa Cruz, CA

01 May Hawthorne Theatre Portland, OR

02 May The Black Lodge Seattle, WA

03 May The Pearl Vancouver, Canada

04 May Shrine Social Club Boise, ID

09 May The Rino North Kansas City, MO

11 May 7th St Entry Minneapolis, MN

12 May Ace of Cups Columbus, OH

Julien Baker & TORRES at First Avenue (11 May 2025) Read More Julien Baker American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Julien Baker released her critically acclaimed album, Little Oblivions, during the pandemic, through Matador Records. … Torres Opening will be Torres, aka Brooklyn-via-Nashville musician Mackenzie Scott. We saw her in May 2015, but the last thing I read about Scott was that life on tour/on the road …

11 May 2025 Sunday

Julien Baker & TORRES
with Ali Macofsky
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Julien Baker and TORRES are collaborating on a forthcoming album Send a Prayer My Way (out April 18 via Matador Records). Expect to hear those songs on this upcoming show at First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on May 11, 2025.

Julien Baker at Palace Theatre (15 Aug 2017)

The first time we saw Julien Baker, she was opening up for Belle & Sebastian, in August 2017: “Julien Baker’s appearance on stage. Baker started her music career in 2010 in the band The Star Killers (renamed themselves Forrister), when she was 15 years old, but decided to go solo in 2015. Unfortunately, the shy singer and guitarist’s songs were often drowned out by the chatty crowd (at least where we were at), who were clearly weren’t there to give the opener a chance. It didn’t help that Baker was seemingly troubled by something with her guitar... and didn’t really get her groove in until ‘Funeral Pyre’... which was a song left off her debut record Sprained Ankle. It was just the wrong venue for Julien Baker, her quiet, sensitive, reflective songs would go over well over at the Cedar Cultural Center, or a smaller, intimate set at the 7th Street Entry... not a big room like the Palace Theatre.”

Torres at 7th Street Entry (20 May 2015)

We saw Torres on her first MN appearance in May 2015 and said, “Turnout to Torres' very first Minneapolis appearance at the 7th Street Entry last night was very good for a Wednesday night. Brooklyn-based Mackenzie Scott, or better known by her stage name Torres, is currently on tour for her sophomore album Sprinter, available now on Partisan. After a full three minutes of an instrumental introduction song, Torres came on stage, burning an incense to cleanse the room. Clearly she's been doing this ritual every night.”

Ali Macofsky to open.

Julien Baker & TORRES “Send a Prayer My Way” tour dates

4/23 – The National – Richmond, VA

4/24 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC

4/25 – Haw River Ballroom – Saxapahaw, NC

4/26 – High Water Music Festival – North Charleston, SC*

4/28 – Georgia Theatre – Athens, GA

4/29 – The Lyric Oxford – Oxford, MS

4/30 – Iron City – Birmingham, AL

5/1 – Tipitina’s – New Orleans, LA

5/4 – Stable Hall – San Antonio, TX

5/5 – The Heights Theater – Houston, TX

5/6 – Longhorn Ballroom – Dallas, TX

5/7 – Tower Theatre – Oklahoma City, OK

5/9 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK

5/10 – Liberty Hall – Lawrence, KS

5/11 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN

5/12 – The Admiral – Omaha, NE

5/16 – Kilby Block Party – Salt Lake City, UT *

6/20 – Green River Festival – Greenfield, MA *

6/21 – Mountain Jam – Highmount, NY *

7/4-5 – Zootown Music Festival – Missoula, MT *

*Festival date

iann dior at Fine Line (11 May 2025) Read More Jake Giller Trev, Jake Giller, and Themaraj (although they are not mentioned below) to open. MPLS Drew writes: MPLS Drew and Austin Willette w/ Trev and Jake Giller in the 7th St Entry on January 14 …

11 May 2025 Sunday

iann dior
with Bankrol Hayden and Jake Giller
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

Multi-platinum-selling recording artist iann dior is headlining the Fine Line, in Minneapolis, on May 11, 2025.

His success story started with his debut song, which caught attention of Internet Money founder Taz Taylor, which led him to signing with Elliot Grainge’s label 10K Projects for his debut album Industry Plant.

Bankrol Hayden and Jake Giller to open.

Tour dates:

Apr. 13, 2025 El Paso, TX Lowbrow Palace

Apr. 15, 2025 Corpus Christi, TX Brewster Street Icehouse

Apr. 17, 2025 Austin, TX Empire Control Room

Apr. 18, 2025 Dallas, TX The Echo Lounge

Apr. 20, 2025 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade

Apr. 21, 2025 Nashville, TN The Basement East

Apr. 24, 2025 New York, NY Racket NYC

Apr. 25, 2025 Boston, MA Big Night Live

Apr. 26, 2025 New Haven, CT Toad's Place

Apr. 30, 2025 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's

May 1, 2025 Columbus, OH A&R Music Bar

May 2, 2025 Lansing, MI Grewal Hall at 224

May 4, 2025 Detroit, MI Magic Stick

May 5, 2025 Lakewood, OH The Roxy

May 7, 2025 Indianapolis, IN Turntable Service

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

Em Beihold at Greenroom (13 Apr 2025)

Em Beihold at Greenroom (13 Apr 2025) Em Beihold Setlist Nobody Else Groundhog Day Too Precious Brutus Until I Found You (Stephen Sanchez cover) City of Angels Van Gogh Exorcism with e.woolf Maybe Life Is Good Hot Goblin Scared of the Dark Lottery Soup! 12345 (snippet) Numb Little Bug e.woolf Setlist Hollywood Tear Party People Mush Please Please Please (Sabrina Carpenter cover) Wish Twice Green Daisy Jones Tour Dates Apr 14 Old Town School of Folk Music Chicago, IL Apr 16 Joe's Pub New York, NY Apr 23 Lou Lou’s Jungle Room San Diego, CA Apr 24 The Hotel Cafe Hollywood, CA Apr 25 Swedish American Hall San Francisco, CA Read More Em Beihold Nashville-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Em Beihold will be heading out on her first-ever headline tour. Em Beihold’s latest release is .…

Minnesota’s springs are notoriously short and a little unpredictable as to when it actually starts. April, in particular, is anybody’s guess how the temperatures and precipitation will be. Perhaps Californian Em Beihold brought her home weather with her, as it was as close to California weather as possible. Beihold was in town headlining a show at the Green Room in uptown Minneapolis.

Though there was no opener listed on the Green Room’s website, but e.woolf got us started. The singer and guitarist also occasionally looped in some backing ethereal sounds, this was really about the vocals. The first stage story let us know this was not only their first tour ever, but the first night of the tour. The crowd was visibly excited, as this was likely the first concert for many in attendance, driving a connection out of the gate. The third song, Mush, was that feeling described as just as a wild shake of the hands and a yell. When asked if any more explanation was needed, the emphatic no from the audience was a great moment for e.woolf. A cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s Please, Please, Please had the vast majority of the crowd singing along (“You all sound so good!”) and a great joke when e.woolf let the crowd sing the curse word (“You said it, not me!”).

The next number had some more of the backing music, which gave a slightly different feel for the slower number, but it’s all backed by the vibrant singing. With a lot of the songs focused on various aspects of early love that the younger audience could definitely respond to strongly. The next number gave us a pretty impressive lower vocal range. A quick interlude about visiting the Mall of America, making the audience guess which store she went in (it was the Crayola store) gave e.woolf plenty of time to tune, heading into the song Green, a love ballad. Closing on an about to be released song Daisy Jones, we got a perfectly timed 30 minute set.

Em Beihold is a Los Angeles based singer & songwriter in the pop rock genre. Like many musicians of her generation, she initially gained notice through her release of singles that got attention on Tik Tok. Those singles, particularly Numb Little Bug, ultimately got her signed to Republic Records. Beihold has a pair of EP’s, including 2022’s Egg in the Backseat. And given that Tik Tik run to popularity, it probably isn’t surprising to note that her fans ran quite young, with a hefty set of tweeners in attendance with a parent. (Parents were split on whether to stand with their child or grab a seat upstairs, really running 50-50.)

The tour, called Em Beihold’s Super Small Semi-Secret Piano Tour delivered on the premise, with Beihold playing solo at an upright piano. Beihold mentioned this was the first stop of the tour and she was really excited to share old and new songs. Starting with Nobody Else, it was clear we had a group of super fans, as the crowd knew (and sang along) to the whole song, at Biehold’s encouragement. This is pure pop, with an almost straight shot of sugar (it is an underage audience, after all). Biehold understood the assignment here, knowing how to drive her performance, while keeping the crowd excited and involved. Groundhog Day was a great example, as she balanced her singing & playing, while giving up the signing at one of the choruses. Going into the new songs, Biehold mentioned that many of the songs are still being worked and even written, so we were joining her on this ride.

After candidly discussing that she had taken some time off over some depression issues, Biehold said that a lot of it came from constant comparisons to others. Her next song Brutus was exactly about this, with the lyric, “But you’re Caesar and I’m Brutus…”. We also got a shoe change from heels to sneakers (bought at MOA), leading into her most famous song, Until I Found You, a collaboration with Stephen Sanchez, though obviously solo here. Playing a new song, Biehold mentioned she would screw it up, and did, but the crowd cheered her through it. We got a re-appearance of e.woolf (I don’t play guitar!) for the song Excorcism and their harmonization on the chorus was excellent.

Biehold does nicely with the well-populated genre of happy music with often dark lyrics (think The Smiths or Regina Spektor). That poppy sound works well for solo piano and it let her do a lot vocally. Her banter was fun, and as she described the background for the song Hot Goblin, she had the audience laughing and I realized the tweener to early 20’s crowd is a perfect demographic for this. Simple songs covering complex topics (depression, codependency) all in straight forward musical forms. In the song Scared of the Dark, Biehold said, “uh, there’s a bridge here that I haven’t really written yet” and literally played her way through one until back to the chorus. A late song, Soup!, was written after a falling out with friends. Her final song was Numb Little Bug, though there was a short aside to sing part of 12345 acapella with the audience. An effusively thankful Biehold ended the evening, with a successful kick off to her new tour.

e.woolf

e.woolf

e.woolf

e.woolf

audience

Em Beihold

Em Beihold Em Beihold

Em Beihold at Greenroom (13 Apr 2025)

thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Linda Lindas at Fine Line (12 Apr 2025)

Linda Lindas at Fine Line (12 Apr 2025) The Linda Lindas Setlist No Obligation Resolution/Revolution Too Many Things Once Upon a Time Found a Job (Talking Heads cover) Growing Up Tren al sur (Los Prisioneros cover) Cartographers Yo me estreso Don’t Think Cuántas veces Nothing Would Change Lose Yourself / Excuse Me Nino Stop Oh! Racist, Sexist Boy -- Encore -- When I Come Around (Green Day cover) All in My Head Rebel Girl (Bikini Kill cover) Pinkshift Setlist ONE NATION i'm gonna tell my therapist on you GET OUT cherry (we're all gonna die) On Thin Ice to me Evil Eye Burn The Witch nothing (in my head) Dreamer Read More Linda Lindas I was actually excited to see that The Linda Lindas will open the show. If I were to guess, the band is named after the Japanese film, Linda, Linda, Linda, which I wrote about in May 2007. .… Pinkshift Baltimore-based trio Pinkshift (Ashrita Kumar, Paul Vallejo, Myron Houngbedji) is headlining the 7th Street Entry in support of their forthcoming debut album Love Me Forever (Hopeless Records). .…

One could tell that there was immense love between the two bands that played the Fine Line, in Minneapolis, on Saturday night. Pinkshift, from Baltimore, started off their colorful set with “One Nation” a plea to “thin lips” for support of the transgender and queer communities. They are proudly a strong voice of the minority and younger generation of today. Lead vocalist Ashrita Kumar mused about how weird life is currently. She had always thought that things were usually okay for a while, then not okay sometimes but then eventually would be okay again, however things seem to have been “not okay” for a long time now. They also played the quirky named song “I’m Going to Tell my Therapist on You.”

She had the crowd split down the middle, at one point during the show, also requested the crowd to be a circle and at the end, asked us to “hop it out” which is somewhat appropriate since Easter is next week. They ended the set with a song called “Dreamer.” They have been in the studio recording their next album, they swear the release date had not been divulged before that night, so shhhh, this is a secret between you and the sold-out venue, it will be out in August!

There was a surprising number of kids around the preteen age group in the audience. When The Linda Lindas came out to the stage with videos of girls reading books with cats on the cover, all of the dresses and shirts in the crowd with cats on them made absolute sense. Their sound is very punky, with a dash of riot grrrls, comfortably loud and catchy. The set started off with “No Obligation.”

Although we would have been happy to hear Lucia de la Garza’s every thought, she would quietly say “I don’t know why I keep trying to talk, we have so many songs to play” then launch into the next few songs before speaking again. Somewhere along the lines, it was stated that the band had only gotten three and a half hours of sleep although both were appreciative of all the faces looking up at them. We were asked to hold up our phones with the lights turned on so that they could see us. I felt like a sardine which was reflected in the video behind them that had fish with teeth running across periodically, otherwise known as Piranhas.

About mid-way through the show, the entirety of the group was asked “Is there something you would like to get off your chest?” Someone replied “I love friends!”

The drummer Mila de la Garza said something not mic'ed to which the reply was that My Little Pony was taken off Netflix, that was disappointing to hear. Everyone loves a cover and the 20-song set had a few including “Found a Job” by the Talking Heads and “Tren al Sur” by Los Prisoneros. Ended in their popular hit “Racist/Sexist Boy.”

The encore was definitely recognizable as well starting with Green Day’s “When I Come Around” with the second song their melodic hit “All in My Head” and finally a cover of “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill.

Remaining Tour Dates:

04/13 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge+

04/15 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East+

04/16 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West+

04/18 - Washington DC - Black Cat+

04/19 - Pittsburgh, PA - Spirit Hall+

04/21 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer+

04/22 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn, NY+

04/23 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club+

04/24 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount+

04/26 - Toronto, ON - The Opera House+

*w/ Be Your Own Pet
+w/ Pinkshift

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOE OHOTTO

Pinkshift

Pinkshift

Pinkshift

Pinkshift

Pinkshift

Linda Lindas

Linda Lindas

Linda Lindas

Linda Lindas

Linda Lindas

Linda Lindas at Fine Line (12 April 2025)

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TP-Link Portable Wi-Fi Router

TP-Link AC750 Wi-Fi Travel Router Read More TP-Link Basically, what I needed is to have more access point for my home network. The solution is to get some sort of home mesh network. After looking at Google Wifi (now called Nest) and TP-Link Deco … Visible I’ve been using internet-only telephone service called Visible for three months now… and I feel I’ve experienced all the pain and strain of using their service. The short story is … Tracfone The other day, I ran into an endcap display of Straight Talk Home Internet. I was interested, because two months ago (in September 2022), I got rid of my DSL home internet service …

I lost two computer monitors in transporting them in my car. Of course, the fault is my own… but it also says something about the durability of these monitors. Fortunately, they are cheap to replace, but it’s all a bit inconvenient for me. I still have the Alienware OLED monitor that is coming in my shipping container. I used the original packaging for the monitor - so hopefully it will be in working order once they arrive… but at this point, if it arrives broken, I would not be one bit surprised at all.

The other funny thing that happened to me was that the cleaners took my Straight Talk Home Internet (Tracfone) and threw it in their landfill. I didn’t think I would get it back, so I called Tracfone to deactivate the device and cancel my internet service. After talking to the cleaners, they kept an eye out for it and found the internet modem and returned it back to me.

I called to reactivate my service a few days later, and, you’ll never guess, they couldn’t do it. I don’t know what the big deal was, if you can turn off my service, you can turn it back on, right? I don’t know why it’s so complicated. I got frustrated talking to someone in another country, especially because I felt like this is such a simple thing to fix. You just reactivate my service, right? I guess, once something is deactivated, it can never be re-activated?

So, after three years of using this service, I will likely be shopping around for another home internet service. I don’t know if they have Fiber in my area, or what is being offered… but I’m definitely never going back to Straight Talk after this incident.

Before I discovered the home internet service in Oct 2022, I was entertaining the idea of running my whole home off my phone’s internet, via Visible’s unlimited data plan.

Visible put in place some restrictions, such as you can only tether (hotspot) to one device with a 5mbps cap. While it’s much slower than 100mbps on the native phone, 5mbps is usable. You’re just not going to be streaming in HD or doing online video games… but that’s just fine for me. The only problem is that one device restriction.

There are several ways to get around the one-device restriction. You can look online on how to do this, from getting an iPhone or jailbreaking your phone’s OS… but I found the best way of doing this is to hotspot to a wireless router.

You need to buy a portable router that has the ability to connect to your hotspot. The one I own is the $40 TP-Link AC750 Wireless Portable Nano Travel Router (TL-WR902AC), which has the ability to connect and then share internet access using the small “share internet” button on the side of the device.

The best way to connect to a hotspot is to use a laptop (or iPad) to first connect to the pocket router. Once you’re connected to the router, you can now manage it by going to tplinkwifi.net or 192.168.0.1. The login by default is admin with the password admin. Once you log in, you should probably change the default password.

Now you can search for your hotspot and once you found it, you can connect to it with your hotspot password.

Once the router is connected to your phone, it will now share the internet. Overall, this solution is pretty neat and it’s working for me. You’ll need to reset all your cameras or smart display previously connected to another network. I’ve had to do this with a Lenovo Smart Display and now it is working under the new connection.

Now for some downside to this janky method: download and upload speed are slow. There is no way around this, this is the restriction that Visible placed on their hotspot - probably to discourage people from using it as a home network.

Internet access is sometime unreliable, particularly during congested network activities. For example, you might be watching a YouTube and it’s going okay … until it just stops because there’s no connection. In about a minute, the stream continues. So it’s not a great experience.

You’ll sometime lose connection to the hotspot, due to the phone restarting or random drops or if you change the password or name. Once you get disconnected, I do not believe it will automatically reconnect, so you need to log back into the router’s IP address and re-enter the hotspot password.

The other downside, because you’re constantly using cellular data, it does drain your phone’s battery constantly. You basically need to plug the phone into a power source all day.

Also, using too much bandwidth may result in Visible cancelling your contract or disabling services. So far, this seems to be working for me.

For the price of FREE, I think it’s fine. I am still going to be searching for a home internet product though.

TP-Link AC750 Wi-Fi Travel Router

Yours,

Weekend Gamer
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