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Something for the Weekend: Friday the 13th

What’s happening this weekend.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Saint Small at Hook and Ladder (June 13, 2025) Read More Saint Small The upcoming “Singles Going Steady”, a singles-release party will be featuring Ryan and Pony, Benjamin Cartel (from KaiserCartel), and Saint Small. Down in the Clown Lounge … Little Man Little Man is back with new music and video for “BLVD”, which you can see on YouTube. The single was recorded and mixed by producer John Fields (Soul Asylum, Jonas Brothers). .… Mood Swings So tonight, The Mood Swings will be at the Sauce, at their CD-releasing party. As with previous Susstones showmania, they are cheap ($5, man!) and features a ton of bands …

June 13, 2025 Friday
Saint Small
with Mood Swings and Little Man
at Hook and Ladder
thehookmpls.com

Minneapolis’ garage-rock band Saint Small is reuniting to play a farewell gig at the Hook and Ladder Theater in Minneapolis, one night only, Friday the 13th, celebrating the band’s debut vinyl release Thank You Friends, the Album.

The last time we mentioned Saint Small was in Dec 2018: “The upcoming “Singles Going Steady”, a singles-release party will be featuring Ryan and Pony, Benjamin Cartel (from KaiserCartel), and Saint Small. Down in the Clown Lounge (underneath the Turf Club), will feature Revenge Wedding and Kris Gruen.”

Local favorites, Little Man and The Mood Swings are sharing the triple-bill.

Mood Swings at Turf Club (Mar 3, 2023)

We previously caught The Mood Swings in March 2023 and wrote, “To be perfectly honest, I was rather excited to see The Mood Swings. The band, featuring Ashley Ackerson and Sallie Watson, had not released anything new since 2009’s Recessionista. While the band would play on and off gigs, it seemed like they are fairly inactive since 2009. During the Mood Swings’ hiatus, Ashley would spend more time in her side project BNLX, with her husband, Ed Ackerson (of Polara) - that’s why you saw BNLX albums (the album with their dog on the cover) at the Mood Swing’s merchandise table.”

Little Man at 400 Bar (April 9, 2009)

We saw Little Man in April 2009 and said, “Anyway, Little Man played a pretty full set, which is a relief since I was so used to the 30 sets from SXSW. Sometime they would pause for applause and sometime each song leads directly into the next. Halfway into the set, Perricelli picks up his acoustic guitar for two songs (I think "Seal Of Secrecy" and "Love Of All Time"), before going back to electric for the rest of the set. The acoustic was a nice treat, especially with the harmonica (which sort of made me think of Bob Dylan). You can tell right away that Perricelli is an excellent guitarist with his left hand moving quickly up and down the neck of the guitar. It's no surprise why the City Pages called Little Man the Next Big Thing on their cover story for February 27th, 2007. I did ask Perricelli the story behind this and he told me that they had sent someone over the house to interview and take some photographs. He honestly didn't know it was going to be a cover story, so he was a little shocked when he learned about it.”

Belfast Cowboys at Lake Harriet Bandshell (June 13, 2025) Read More Music in the Parks Today, Labor Day, is the last day and the “End of Summer Celebration” from Music in the Parks series. Today’s schedule will feature Laughing Waters Blue Grass Festival at … Belfast Cowboys A pretty last-minute decision found me at Turf Club on St. Patrick’s day to see locals The Belfast Cowboys. A brass heavy band that “specializes in the music of Van Morrison” .…

June 13, 2025 Friday
Belfast Cowboys
at Lake Harriet Bandshell
minneapolisparks.org

Come see local 9-piece band Belfast Cowboys play Lake Harriet Bandshell, in Minneapolis, as part of the Music in the Parks series.

Belfast Cowboys at Turf Club (Mar 17, 2025)

We saw Belfast Cowboys in Mar 2025 and said, “The nine-piece band has a full brass section, multiple guitars, keys and drums. Lead singer Terry Walsh, asked, “Is it seven yet? We want to be prompt.” The first song, You Make Me Feel So Free had the full brass sound, including a great sax solo. The band was in the spirit, with some adorned in various types of St. Patrick’s Day accoutrements (sparkly green tie, green bowler hat, etc.). Walsh said, “It isn’t summer yet, but it’s coming”, as the band launched into a cover of Chuck Prophet’s Summertime Thing that included a brass riff on Summer in the City.”

Music in the Park 2025 Schedule

06/14 Twin Cities Mobile Jazz Project

06/24 Jeff Dayton

07/01 Salsa Del Soul

07/08 Westwind Big Band

07/15 Minneapolis Commodores

07/22 Tumblin Dice

07/29 Two Sundays Big Band

08/05 Rooms on Fire

08/12 Pan-handlers Steel Drum Band

08/19 Bavarian Musikmeisters

08/26 Brio Brass

Movies in the Park 2025

08/28 Inside Out 2

09/05 The Wild Robot

09/12 If

Mozart’s Prague Symphony with Gábor Takács-Nagy at Ordway Concert Hall (June 13-15, 2025) Read More SPCO Taking place this Friday and Saturday, at the Ordway Concert Hall, in St Paul, is Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s latest event: Steven Copes Plays Prokofiev’s First Violin Sonata. ...

June 13, 2025 Friday
June 14, 2025 Saturday
June 15, 2025 Sunday
Mozart’s Prague Symphony
with Gábor Takács-Nagy
at Ordway Concert Hall
thespco.org

Kicking off this Friday the 13th is audience favorite and newest SPCO Artistic Partner Gábor Takács-Nagy returning for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s 66th season finale! Hopefully, if all goes well, we’ll get a review for the Sunday show.

We saw SPCO’s Steven Copes Plays Prokofiev’s First Violin Sonata in May 2025 and said, “The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra concert program on Saturday night held a sober reminder that the horrors of the past are unfortunately echoing in the headlines of today. The first work of the evening was a lament from Ukrainian composer and cellist Zoltan Havrylovych Almashi. It was a piece that Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv invited Almashi to compose by using Samuel Barber’s iconic Adagio for Strings as a reference point. This request was during the full-scale Russian invasion, and the work “Maria’s City” is dedicated to the city of Mariupol, one of the first cities destroyed by the Russian Forces.”

Schedule

Friday, June 13, 2025 – 11:00 AM
Ordway Concert Hall Downtown St. Paul

Saturday, June 14, 2025 – 7:00 PM
Ordway Concert Hall Downtown St. Paul

Sunday, June 15, 2025 – 2:00 PM
Ordway Concert Hall Downtown St. Paul

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

R.I.P. Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys)

(Read more Musicians who died in 2025)

R.I.P. Brian Wilson

In an already tough week, the hitmaker, pop visionary, and leader of The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson has died at the age of 82. His family announced the death on social media but did not provide a cause, nor any specific details.

His wife Melinda, had preceded him in early 2024 and Wilson’s business representatives were granted a conservator status by a judge, stating that Wilson had been in declining health, had dementia and “a major neurocognitive disorder”.

Often touted in his prime as a musical genius; the fun-in-the-sun lyrics, multi-part vocal layered harmonies, and perfect pop soundscape structure all defined a genre of music that is still strong today (despite the fact that he didn’t surf himself), though that pinnacle of genius would eventually be damaged by self-doubt, drugs, and mental illness.

Brian Wilson was born in Inglewood, CA to a machinist and part-time songwriter and homemaker, the oldest of three brothers. Despite some reported maltreatment by his father, Wilson was able to pick up music quickly, and learned by ear how to play, excelling on several instruments and performing at the family’s church.

He was re-writing lyrics to established songs by nine and was regularly playing the family piano before his teenage years, also deconstructing and learning vocal harmonies with his brothers and friends, influenced by the early doo-wop groups of the day.

His producing beginning started when he received a simple two-track recorder for his sixteenth birthday, and he began experimenting with techniques and harmonies. His cousin and frequent singing partner, Mike Love would join the Wilson brothers, as well as their classmate Al Jardine, and Wilson would continue exploring styles of music, learning several of the classical masters by 17.

He would go on to a smaller Los Angeles college as a psychology major, only to drop out after eighteen months, but was composing songs the entire time, with it all coming together in the fall of 1961 to debut those songs performing as The Pendletons. The band’s first hit, “Surfin’” written by Wilson and Love became an area favorite and charted in the Billboard national charts, with Candix Records changing the group’s name (without their permission) to The Beach Boys.

Candix would sell those masters and fold, but Capitol Records was persuaded to release a double-A side 7” single culled from a new batch of demos- “Surfin’ Safari” (which became the band’s first Top 10 song) and “409”, which charted well nationally and led them to a seven-year contract with the bigger label, including giving Wilson some autonomy with his recording methods and locations.

In 1963 alone, the band released three albums, “Surfin’ USA” “Surfer Girl” and “Little Deuce Coupe”, all of which Wilson produced, and he also began working with other artists as well such as Jan and Dean, The Castellas, and Donna Loren among others.

By the following year, Wilson was experiencing panic attacks from the fast-paced schedule and his own sense of recording perfection and stopped touring with the group but continued to oversee the songs from the studio. Numerous hits continued including, “California Girls” and “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “I Get Around”, “Help Me Rhonda”, “Good Vibrations”, and many, many others.

In 1965, he began working on what would be considered his masterpiece album, “Pet Sounds” (released the following year), with fabled backing band, The Wrecking Crew in tow, and blending classical instrumentation and lesser-known sounds (like a theremin) to create a complex and innovative new evolution to their sound, and though the album was not commercially popular at the time of its release (but would eventually get acknowledged in outlets like Rolling Stone who would declare it the second-best album of all time).

A planned follow-up, Smile, was not released, and Wilson’s mental health declined enough that he retreated from the group and was checked into a psychiatric hospital in 1968 for treatment, as his drug use also continued. He would become encumbered with controversial psychologist Dr. Eugene Landy overseeing more and more of his care and spent much of the mid-’70s as a recluse.

By 1976, he was declared to be back and rejoined the group on tour and was making music again, both under the band’s and his own name, but would succumb to health and addiction issues again, a few years later. Landy’s exceeding control would remove him from the band as well as have the doctor take more control creatively and financially into the ‘80s, and had Wilson release a first solo album in 1988.

By 1992, brother Carl Wilson led the family in stepping in to intercede, and Landy’s medical license was revoked and a restraining order against Wilson was granted. Lawsuits, both internal and external, plagued Wilson through the ‘90s, but his productivity would increase following the release of Landy; resulting in more solo releases, though at not near the commercial success he had in the ‘60s.

In 1999, he embarked on first solo tour (with an accompanying live album to follow) and he was performing Pet Sounds in its entirety, often backed by a full orchestra. Touring and new music continued, and The Beach Boys would reunite for a 50^th anniversary celebration album and tour, in 2011/2012 spearheaded by their re-recording of the song, “Do It Again”.

By the following year, there was another split and Wilson was again performing solo (with longtime members Al Jardine and David Marks) which is when we caught him live, outdoors at the MN Zoo. Touring continued, despite talks of retirement and his overall declining health (and we last saw The Beach Boys in 2019, playing all the hits at a Minneapolis benefit concert). He would sell off his publishing rights by the end of 2022 and play his last concert that July at Pine Knob in Michigan, characterized as stoic and expressionless.

Wilson’s contribution to music and the cultural zeitgeist cannot be overstated and his numerous songs will live on for generations, as even the mildest fan, is very familiar with the many hits that have permeated into the culture and will continue to do so. Wilson leaves behind five adopted children, and daughters Carnie and Wendy (aka two-thirds of vocal group Wilson Phillips).

John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com

Mei Semones at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (June 9, 2025)

Mei Semones at 7th St Entry (Jun 9, 2025) Mei Semones Setlist Tegami Wakare no Kotoba Inaka Kabutomushi Kemono Dumb Feeling Dangomushi Tora Moyo I can do what I want Animaru Norwegian Shag Rat With Wings Zarigani Sasayaku Sakebu Itsumo Kurayami Muchuu Hfoas Kodoku -- Encore -- Waters of March with John Roseboro John Roseboro Setlist How to Pray I Took the L Topo Chico MFL The Empress Crumb How to Love Right 80 Summers How to Cope Johnny Tour Dates June 11 - Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch* June 12 - Toronto, ON @ Longboat Hall* June 13 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB* June 14 - Boston, MA @ Red Room Cafe 939* July 11 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada July 12 - Austin, TX @ Parish July 15 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar July 16 - San Diego, CA @ Quartyard July 18 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room July 19 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent July 21 - Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall July 22 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret July 23 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza July 27- Minamiuonuma, Japan @ Fuji Rock Festival * with John Roseboro Read More Mei Semones Brooklyn’s Mei Semones is touring in support of her debut album Animaru (Bayonet Records). The tour will stop by the 7th Street Entry, in Minneapolis, on June 9, 2025. .…

On a cool summer evening (the best time of year!), it was a jazz influenced evening with Mei Semones headlining at 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis.

Getting things started was John Roseboro. The Brooklyn, NY based artist is a leader in a sub-genre labeled post-bossa nova, taking the laid back, syncopated samba rhythms and updating with more meaningful lyrics than its Brazilian predecessor. His debut album, Human Nature, came out in 2021 and he’s been busy ever since, releasing more music, with 2024’s Fools being most recent. Coming out on stage solo with guitar, Roseboro opened with How to Pray, and encouraged the audience to sing with him. That finger picking style looked so easy, but you could see the skill underneath it.

Roseboro had a charming and amusing banter that had the audience laughing and feeling at ease. He thanked the crowd for coming early and how he appreciated it for “a sold out show for Semones!”. I Took the L got us a “there’s a saxophone solo here” and more laughs, but Roseboro didn’t need any support as he easily carried his songs through. A small hiccup on sound was quickly corrected and Roseboro thanked the sound guy Andrew (“the MVP!”). These were efficient numbers and Roseboro moved them along with either brief banter or quick guitar interludes. He went from a love song to a break up song, though noted they were not about the same person.

He taught the crowd a brief chorus to the next song, Crumb, while he sang the verses, and the crowd was game. If there’s a word for Roseboro and his music, it’s “charming”. We got a partial play of a “song I’m working on”, and it was fun to see him reacting to it in real time. How to Love You Right was another deceptively simple number and a new round of banter about how this is the only time he gets to play guitar (“you’re in the van, you’re setting up, but this is the fun”). 80 Summers may have been the longest song of the set. Guest appearing for the last pair of numbers was Semones, and the contrasting vocals were a delight. Roseboro had certainly made an impression and we’ll look forward to seeing him in the Twin Cities in the future.

Mei Semones, an Ann Arbor, Michigan native now based in Brooklyn, is headlining her first tour. Her debut album, Animaru, was released earlier this year and is a good representation of her many influences. The mix of jazz and indie pop music, while singing in both English and Japanese, gives Semones a rich and distinct sound. Appearing on stage as a quintet (violin, viola, guitar/vocals, bass, and drums), they started with Tegami, and it was a hit with the crowd. A very brief bit of banter had Semones thanking the crowd “for selling out our first headlining show in Minneapolis”.

The next number really showed off the power of those dual violins. I don’t tend to think of strings being able to drive rock music like that, but it absolutely did the job. Semones has constructed a very particular sound and has the right group of musicians to make it work. Inaka was simply incredible as the band drove the dynamic range from mezzo piano to mezzo forte extremely quickly and it was an effect they would return to throughout the evening. The bassist had left the stage and Semones and violinists would absolutely nail Kabutomushi. The bassist returned, along with more from the drummer, would go back to that indie rock sound, even as Semones sang a number mostly in Japanese.

This was a pretty amazing performance and quite intense. A small break to introduce the band gave us a brief respite, but after mentioning they had just released their first album, we were back into it. This was a ride and that mix of jazz and indie sensibilities played so well in Semones’ hands. The finger plucking on the strings created a different tone (think Andrew Bird), but all of these instruments were being used to their full effect. A bass solo reminded us that all of these musicians are quite talented and that it was truly a team effort making this fly so high. Some of those bossa nova style numbers came through in the middle section of the set and were fantastic. I can do what I want, which might be Semones’ best number, was played at a blistering pace and had the audience enraptured. Followed by the title track, Animaru, it featured those strings and Semones’ angry lyrics (“I am not a cardboard box to be lived in”). The band ran a few numbers together with no pause in between, surging forward even with different overall vibes in each of the songs.

Some very classical sounding intro from the strings quickly transitioned to the Japanese bossa nova sound, and yes, I recognize the dissonance of that sentence. But that was truly the key to Semones’ magic. There’s great change of pace within individual songs, but they have also sequenced the set list to maximum effect. As the viola player shook out his hand, I could only nod my head in empathy; this band was working hard. A solo start by Semones on the song Sasayaku Sakebu gradually had the band joining back in. This led to the band playing some newer, as yet unreleased, numbers. The first was Itsumo and was a rapid and jazzy number just as we rolled past the hour mark. More classical vibes from the strings allowed Semones to tune before getting going yet again. Some very complicated guitar work from Semones was particularly impressive. Returning to some older numbers (if 2022 counts as old), the band had more of those bossa nova grooves, including the quieter Hfoas. Ending the main set with Kodoku, Semones again thanked the audience and will certainly be back at a bigger venue next time. After a short break, the show ended the only way it could have, with John Roseboro back on stage for the song that Semones and he had co-written, Waters of March, ending an epic 90 minute set.

John Roseboro John Roseboro (with Mei Semones)

John Roseboro

Noah and Claudius Agrippa (Mei Semones) Ransom (Mei Semones)

Mei Semones (with John Roseboro)

Mei Semones Mei Semones

Mei Semones at 7th St Entry (June 9, 2025)

thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

R.I.P. Sly Stone

(Read more Musicians who died in 2025)

R.I.P. Sly Stone

The multi-genre legend that took us higher and let everyday people all dance to the music, has passed--

Sly Stone, the hugely influential, socially conscious, eccentric and often troubled singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer who had numerous hits on multiple genre charts during the late 1960’s and early ’70s with his band the Family Stone, passed away at the age of 82 in Los Angeles.

Cause of death according to a statement from his representatives was “a prolonged battle with C.O.P.D.” lung disease, “and other underlying health issues”, all of which worsened in recent years.

A true musical pioneer, Stone redefined the boundaries of pop, rock, soul, funk, R&B, and even gospel, putting together a very diverse collective of multi-racial, mixed gender band, that helped widen the musical freedom that was being explored during those world-changing times.

Sly and the Family Stone’s biggest hits included “Everyday People,” “Dance to the Music,” “I Want to Take You Higher,” “Family Affair,” “Hot Fun in the Summertime” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin);” each of which and more, would be heavily sampled and musically given homage to, by those who would follow as musicians.

Aka Sylvester Stewart was born in the middle of World War II in Denton, TX to a deeply religious couple (though they did encourage musical expression) as part of their five overall children, and the family soon would soon move to the North Bay area, near San Francisco.

He was quickly recognized as a musical prodigy, mastering multiple instruments before becoming a teenager and joined bands in high school, notably doo-wop group The Viscaynes, who would release a few local singles (as would Stone solo, under the name “Danny Stewart”).

Following, he would work as a soul radio DJ and staff producer for area label Autumn Records and played keyboards for a growing list of A-list names. By 1966, he was playing regularly with his own band, Sly and the Stoners, a precursor to his famous lineup as he added members that he saw fit, no matter their gender, race, or backgrounds.

Debut album A Whole New Thing was released in 1967, but gained little notice, though their initial hit single, “Dance to the Music” would soon follow, and become the title of the follow-up album, released the next year. Also in 1968, they would play a medley on the most-prized slot in television, “The Ed Sullivan Show” and further cement their reputation with sets at the following year’s Newport Jazz Festival, the Summer of Soul concerts in Harlem (recently unearthed and restored on film by The Roots’ Questlove), and of course, at Woodstock.

Like Marvin Gaye and other contemporaries, the albums that followed- “Life,” “Stand!” and “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” each had a feeling of joyous musical freedom but also reflected the undertones of a social consciousness and fragile state of the country and world, as an overseas war, racial injustice, and other turbulent issues, raged with regularity.

As the 70’s continued, his sales slowed, and drug use increased, and the band would finally end things in January 1975 after some erratic touring and a disastrous Radio City Music Hall gig. Members, including Sly, went off to solo careers and other projects, including his assembling a new Family Stone and collaborations with George Clinton, but none had much commercial success. A handful of songs would appear on various soundtracks or as guest appearances, and his occasional troubles with the law would continue.

The band was rightfully inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame early, in 1993, and Sly would appear for that, only to mostly disappear out of the public eye until the mid-2000’s. Legal fighting with his former management, and previous financial recklessness had left Stone basically homeless, though we’d all see him again in a puzzling 2006 Grammy Awards performance.

We remember Stone’s attempted comeback in the late 2000s and scheduling a spendy late First Avenue appearance in Minneapolis (which would cancel due to "scheduling conflicts"), but his erratic behavior, late starts, short directionless sets and walk outs, continued to tarnish his legacy. In more recent times, he released a memoir, had a documentary made about him (and another more recent one, “Sly Lives! [aka the Burden of Black Genius]” again directed by Questlove) and supposedly finished a screenplay about his life.

Stone would influence so many of his peers and those who followed, including George Clinton, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Michael Jackson, Outkast, Red Hot Chili Peppers and D’Angelo, and multiple hip-hop stars, as well as established jazz musicians like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. He leaves behind three children and generations of fans.

John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com

Dawes at Ameristar Star Pavilion, North Kansas City MO (07 June 2025)

DAWES SETLIST The Game Still Feel Like a Kid Someone Else's Café/Doomscroller Tries to Relax Million Dollar Bill (Middle Brother cover) Most People Mister Los Angeles Comes in Waves When My Time Comes House Parties (Taylor acoustic, solo) From the Right Angle A Little Bit of Everything When the Tequila Runs Out All Your Favorite Bands DAWES TOUR DATES Jun 28 Penny's Flight FAM JAM Oyster Bay, NY Jul 10 Concerts Under the Stars King of Prussia, PA Jul 11 Count Basie Center for the Arts Red Bank, NJ Jul 12 Pleasantville Music Festival Pleasantville, NY Jul 13 The Stephen Talkhouse Amagansett, NY Jul 17 The Astro Amphitheater La Vista, NE Jul 18 Ozarks Amphitheater Camdenton, MO Jul 19 Paycom Center Oklahoma City, OK Aug 2 Lancaster Festival Lancaster, OH Aug 14 - Aug 16 Park City Song Summit Park City, UT Aug 28 Tree House Brewing Company Deerfield, MA Aug 29 United Theatre Westerly, RI Aug 30 Prescott Park Arts Festival Portsmouth, NH Aug 31 Lake Morey Resort Fairlee, VT Sep 11 - Sep 14 Bourbon & Beyond Louisville, KY Sep 25 Lobero Theatre Santa Barbara, CA* Sep 26 The Guild Theatre Menlo Park, CA* Sep 27 Luther Burbank Center for the Arts Santa Rosa, CA* Oct 2 Club Red Telluride Telluride, CO* Oct 3 Belly Up Aspen Aspen, CO* Oct 4 Strings Music Pavilion Steamboat Springs, CO* Oct 5 Washington's Fort Collins, CO* Oct 9 Appalachian Wireless Arena Pikeville, KY Oct 10 Township Auditorium Columbia, SC Oct 24 Salem Civic Center Salem, VA Oct 25 ExploreAsheville.com Arena Asheville, NC Mar 13-20, 2026, Bayamo Cruise Miami, FL Read More Dawes The three-hour evening was opened by Los Angeles-based Dawes, who considers Minneapolis one of their strongest markets, in a solid hour-long set of their own. …

Things Happen--

As a band continues, their sound evolves, members may come and go, and life’s priorities change, with families begun, important events taking precedent, and the public’s often fickle preferences changing with the times. But, in the end, you hope your favorite band stays together; and at the core, that's been the case with LA-based folk rock band Dawes, after over fifteen years as a musical unit.

Formed out of the ashes of Simon Dawes (following musician/producer Blake Mills’s exit) in 2009, singer/guitarist Taylor Goldsmith and his younger brother drummer Griffin were always the band’s foundation; and now, with the release of their recent ninth studio album, Oh Brother (released last October via Dead Ringers), they are down to just a brotherly pair for the first time.

This change alone, was enough to start a new chapter in the band’s annals (as well as each sibling recently welcoming new children); but add to that, the devastation of January’s Altadena and nearby area wildfires (that affected Taylor’s studio and Griff’s home) which thrust them into an unexpected limelight to open up the recent Grammy Awards broadcast and take part in the related FireAid benefit concerts, and you have a very obvious turning of the page.

The Goldsmiths have (re)recruited veteran guitarist Trevor Menear and Austin TX bassist Z Lynch, along with Brooklyn-based Frank LoCrasto on keyboards (for this night, as it's a slightly rotating role), to reconvene as a five-piece and resume their road work, with the Kansas City show being the final stop of the leg. After some brief time off, the brothers will embark on their first duo tour, and the full band will be out with the Avett Brothers and then Turnpike Troubadours into the early fall.

As far as the Kansas City show itself, it seemed an odd venue (a casino showroom north of downtown) and no opener generally means two full Dawes sets with an encore, but this was instead a single ninety-minute, encore-less set (perhaps due to venue restrictions).

We’re used to seeing the band in the Minneapolis area (for our previous eight times), a market which is one of their strongest, but KC still has a little work to do, though many of the fans attending were very loyal and sang along all night. The good news is the band was musically spot-on, as usual.

The group keeps their setlist changing (though admittedly, Taylor showed a basic flow of how the tracks fit together, on social media and his Substack) which keeps fans guessing, and more serious fans that see them on multiple stops, get a fresher show every time. On this tour, they would open with a track from the new album, “The Game” where he notes, “losers only think about the winners, the winners only think about the game.”

“Still feel like a Kid” got everyone in a lighthearted mood, and “Million Dollar Bill” was an unexpected pleasure, taken from the one-off 2011 album by songwriting trio Middle Brother that included Taylor, and closed that particular record.

The limelight stayed on him for the Dawes hit, “Most People”, performed primarily solo, and we’ll admit we were disappointed that drummer Griff stayed back at his kit for the show, and didn’t take on a lead vocal for a song, or two (as it seems like they could be/should be this generation’s Frey and Henley).

Perhaps due to the time constraints, Taylor didn’t say too much between songs, mentioning it “had been a little while” since they last played in the KC metro (their previous time in the area was in Lawrence in 2023) but wasn’t completely sure, since casinos don’t have any windows.

“Comes in Waves” featured an expert guitar duel between Taylor and Menear and dedicated fans were shouting requests between songs, causing Taylor to use the James McMurty quote that goes, "Some of you know what you want to hear, but none of you know what you're going to hear" which quelled things admirably.

Many of the songs featured extended end jams and fans knew exactly what to do when Taylor rotated the mic towards the crowd for the choruses of “When My Time Comes” (which we’re also hearing again in ads for the Owen Wilson streaming series, “Stick”). Looking Dylanesque and alone on stage, there was complete silence as Taylor performed “House Parties” completely off-mic and to the hushed audience.

He prefaced “From the Right Angle” as admitting it was about falling in love with “a young musician in his 20’s that doesn’t know what he is talking about” and for the storytelling opus of “A Little Bit of Everything”, he headed back to play piano for the song, as LoCrasto embellished the chords on his nearby organ.

“When the Tequila Runs Out” came to a bit of an abrupt end (maybe it did run out...actually, time was getting short to venue curfew) and the final “All Your Favorite Bands” has the crowd up and each other’s arms, swaying left and right and singing along to the chorus, and stayed up to leave them with a standing ovation.

We’re happy to have followed the band since its early days (anyone remember those two stellar nights on the Leinie Stage at the MN State Fair?), have heard and embraced their evolving musical identity as they explored more electronics with heavier bass, taken on more of a jam band approach, and were the backing band to the likes of Jackson Browne, Stephen Stills, Phil Lesh, and Bright Eyes. We've continually been amazed at their versatility, adaptability, resilience and musical curiosity, and will always be interested in where Dawes goes next.

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

DAWES at Ameristar Star Pavilion, North Kansas City MO (2025-06-07)

DAWES at Ameristar Star Pavilion, North Kansas City MO (2025-06-07)

DAWES at Ameristar Star Pavilion, North Kansas City MO (2025-06-07)

DAWES at Ameristar Star Pavilion, North Kansas City MO (2025-06-07)

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

Weekend Gamer: Summer of Gaming 2025

ROG Xbox Ally (Holiday 2025) Xbox Games Showcase (June 8, 2025) Summer Game Fest (June 6, 2025) Nintendo Switch 2 (June 5, 2025) Read More ROG Ally Now enter the ROG Ally from Asus. The ROG Ally will address all the things that I wanted in my Steam Deck: Windows, faster chip, better screen, higher resolution … Xbox The much-rumored Xbox Handheld, codename Keenan, is coming to us closer than you think (I first mentioned this in Nov 2024)! The details are exclusively from a report … Game Awards I normally don’t do live streams, but when I got home from work today, YouTube was heavily promoting the livestream of The Game Awards (happening at exactly the time I turned on my computer). … Nintendo Switch Everybody knew the Nintendo Switch 2 was coming… after all, it’s been eight years since the original Switch launched and in the last few years, the original Switch just …

As the resident Weekend Gamer, I am obligated to mention the craziness of this week in Summer Gaming! Traditionally, since most kids are outside during the summer, game sales are poor… so the gaming industry would announce games in the summer for games to be on sale this holiday or year end.

Right now, June 8th, there is Xbox Games Showcase 2025 … followed by The Outer Worlds 2 Direct.

This promises “the biggest Summer of Games”, as Microsoft Games show off their 2025-2026 lineup, through this interview and trailer livestream.

The first big announcement is that the ROG Xbox Ally (the official name) is coming Holiday 2025 and available in AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme variant or less powerful (and cheaper) Z2A version. Depending on its price (it needs to be under $700), I will likely buy the new ROG Xbox Ally.

After the showcase (which I’ll have to update after the event), there will be a direct with The Outer Worlds 2. Despite being excited about the first game, I bought it and have admitted that the first game is not good. I do not like The Outer Worlds, I felt that it was dumb and I did not appreciate the level-scaling in the game. I’m not sure if you can turn it off, but I wish the game didn’t have level-scaling. All this to say, that I do not care for The Outer Worlds 2, I’m sorry to say!

On Friday, June 6th, there was Summer Game Fest 2025, followed by Day of the Devs. I did not watch Day of the Devs, which obviously is a nod towards the classic zombie film Day of the Dead, because I wasn’t interested in indie gaming or how developers talked about their games.

I did watch Summer Game Fest, hosted by Geoff Keighley and Lucy James. There were some big games announced, most of them were exclusive to the platform. The biggest game revealed was Resident Evil Requiem, but I was kind of curious about Atomic Heart 2 (a shooter) and Mixtape (which has some great music from DEVO, Jesus and Mary Chain, Roxy Music, Lush, Portishead, The Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, the Cure, and more).

Compare to Keighley’s The Game Awards, Summer Game Fest is less impressive, but it’s more focused in what it’s trying to deliver - which are games coming out soon-ish.

All this amidst the launch of the Switch 2, which landed in stores on June 5, 2025. Nintendo, not confident in their system, would not allow anyone to use the Switch 2 until launch day, as a giant patch was pending on day one. In order to play any game, you had to have an internet connection to download the patch. Some journalists, such as Destin tried to play a game offline and was visibly unhappy with the results. Even if you own the physical game, you’re not allowed to play the game.

I’ve seen other console disc collectors have sworn off on the digital apocalypse and they are not happy with the Switch 2. While there are some games, such as Cyberpunk 2077 that is available on a physical card, most games are digital only or as “Game-Key”. The Game-Key is basically a digital game, only it has restrictions. If you “insert” the Game-Key on a device, you cannot play that game on another device until you “eject it” and “insert” it in the second device. All the annoyance of a physical game, but none of the benefit!

I have already mentioned that I will not be buying the Switch 2, because I could not justify paying $80-$90 for their games… or do I want to pay a subscription to use GameChat or pay money to play online.

Instead of spending $500 on the Switch 2, I’m going to put that money towards the ROG Xbox Ally.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer
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vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Annie DiRusso at Fine Line, Minneapolis (June 7, 2025)

Annie DiRusso at Fine Line (Jun 7, 2025) Annie DiRusso Setlist Ovid Legs Good Ass Movie Hungry 9 Months Leo Hybrid Wet I Am The Deer Wearing Pants Again Back in Town Untitled Song new untitled song, written in the prior week Don't Swerve Emerson Coming Soon -- Encore -- It's Good To Be Hot In The Summer Daffo Setlist Get a Life Absence Makes the Heart Grow Complete Circle Go Fetch Good God Quick Fix Habit Poor Madeline Seed The Experiment Tour Dates 6.08 - Milwaukee, WI - Vivarium 6.10 - Saint Louis, MO - Off Broadway Nightclub Previously: Annie DiRusso at Bottleneck With just one debut album, “Super Pedestrian” (via her own Summer Soup Songs [ADA]) under her belt, singer-songwriter Annie DiRusso charged ahead on the first show of her “Back in Town Tour” with a generous and fun eighty-five minute performance, that might be hard to top, as the tour rolls on. The record was produced by Caleb Wright (Hippocampus, Samia, so there’s the connection with the opener) and follows 2023’s breakthrough EP, “God, I Hate This Place”, and two years on the road, headlining and opening for Haim and beabadoobee. To say she’s built up a following and fan base as a result is an understatement, as several in the crowd were dressed eclectically, and jockeyed for space up front, to get a closer view of DiRusso and band, who were all playing together publicly for the first time as well. [ Continue Reading Annie DiRusso at Bottleneck ] Read More Annie DiRusso The rising Nashville indie artist has just released her debut album Super Pedestrian. DiRusso says of her debut, “a lot of the album is .…

When you attend a single show, it is easy to simply focus on that one moment in time. But when you stop and back out, it can be a lot of fun to see all of the connections that are being made in this live music circuit that we love. Certainly, there is the overall tour an artist or band is making; which cities and venues, in what order, and how they change across tours. But there’s also all of the intersections between bands and venues that are all happening in tandem. On a rainy weekend night in Minneapolis, Annie DiRusso helped build some new connections (some which will be noted below) with her stop at Fine Line.

Daffo opened the evening. Daffo is the band name for Brooklyn-based artist Gabi Gamberg. Gamberg, a classically trained violinist, has had music available since at least 2021, but with the release of 2023’s EP Pest, they have been very busy gigging, with stints this summer opening for DiRusso and soon for Blondshell (who, connection #1, will be performing at Fine Line in just a few days).

Daffo self described their music as “garage folk” and that isn’t a bad descriptor at all. Pest has a lot of those lo-fi elements, but sonically, it has that indie folk vibe. Coming out as a quartet (dual guitars, bass, and drums). The opening song leaned into that folk sound, with Daffo’s vocals are in the Big Thief neighborhood. The second song, Absence Makes the Heart Grow, started with some heavier feedback and was a much more upbeat rock song. The band was moving around stage and was all smiles.

Complete Circle was another change of direction, and seemed to be the theme of the set. Between songs, Gamberg asked everyone to bark like a dog, which led to the song Go Fetch, which had a great intro guitar lick. A bit of a coughing spell for Gamberg during the quieter intro of Collector could have been awkward, but made for a supportive crowd response. The backing vocals from bassist Sam Cronin on that one added a nice depth. Some nice guitar solos in this section of the set got the audience cheering.

Habit, a new song about to be released, was a noisier one, with a lot more crashing cymbals and jangly guitars. Poor Madeline had an ask for the audience to sing along, with a fair number taking them up on it. An introduction of the band led to the song Seed, which had a long outro, with the band in full rock mode. Ending with the very folky The Experiment, which included harmonica solo, was a silly and fun ending for Daffo, who then headed back to the merch table.

I spoke with Gamberg after the show and, with the upcoming switch of bands they will be opening for, asked if the headliner makes any difference in how they approach their set, or what they are trying to accomplish. They said that while the headlining band can make things more comfortable, it doesn’t really affect what Daffo is trying to do. Gamberg noted they were a little nervous coming up to Blondshell, as they would be some of the biggest venues Daffo has ever played in. Asked about what else is upcoming, Gamberg mentioned there is more music, such as Habit being released soon and that they will be opening for the band Wednesday in the fall.

Annie DiRusso was up next and would be arriving to the stage to a pretty pumped audience. DiRusso is a New York born artist now residing in Nashville, playing a very indie rock sound. We last saw DiRusso at the end of March in Lawrence, KS for the kick off of this Back In Town tour and have a thorough review of that show. The opener there was Raffaella, who, connection #2, is a fellow New Yorker who has also relocated, but to, connection #3, the Twin Cities.

Samia at First Ave (June 6, 2025)

As noted in our Lawrence review, DiRusso has taken off in popularity, having been opening for artists like Samia, connection #4, we reviewed Samia’s show from yesterday at First Ave. Also, connection #5, Samia is friends with, and guest sang on, a Raffaella song. DiRusso is now headlining her own tours and has released her debut full length album, Super Pedestrian, just prior to the start of the tour. The rest of the band (bass/keys, guitar, and drums) started things off with a snippet from the song Derek Jeter, which then brought DiRusso to the stage. After the briefest of technical glitches, they got going with Ovid, with the entire front of the house singing along. DiRusso, on vocals and guitar, had a cool nearly guttural chanting to close out the song. A change of guitar also got us a “Hey, Minneapolis”, and again, the crowd went completely nuts.

Legs had a good use of backup vocals to make a nearly echoed effect. DiRusso mentioned that she was happy to be back in Minneapolis for the second time, before quickly backtracking and saying it was actually her third time. An amusing and ever lengthening anecdote during a tuning led invariably to the song Good Ass Movie. DiRusso has certainly tagged into her target audience (the very early 20’s), as the name-dropped films were all circa 2010. A solid bass riff was a great foundation for the next number, with a long and rollicking close.

9 Months, DiRusso’s earliest breakthrough song (written when “I was 20 or 21”) felt very comfortable for the band. Another change over of guitar got a brighter sound for Leo, and at one point had DiRusso singing on two microphones for a distorted/distant echo effect. At several moments in the set, you could hear a little of that Nashville indie influence on the songs, which provided a little variation on some of the newer work in Super Pedestrian. I enjoyed the triple harmonies and guitar work on Hybrid, which might have been the highlight of the evening. DiRusso worked the 10,000 Lakes angle into the set up for Wet, and in lesser hands might have fell completely flat, but came off mostly ok here.

Some more reverb on vocals and guitars had the crowd in more of a head banging mode than some of the more euphoric dancing from earlier. The very Americana sounding Wearing Pants Again had some steel guitar effect and back up vocals from the drummer. One of the crew (Lily, “a Minneapolis native”) who had come on with a guitar suddenly became a fifth musician for Back in Town and was a pretty unique moment. Heading into the final section of the set, we got a brand new song written on an off day during the tour. Emerson got a great audience response and was well placed to drive to the end of the evening. The non-encore encore, It’s Good To Be Hot In The Summer was a good slow close to the show and DiRusso and band were off to make the next set of connections.

Daffo

Daffo

Daffo

Daffo

Daffo

Annie DiRusso Annie DiRusso Annie DiRusso Annie DiRusso

Annie DiRusso

Annie DiRusso at Fine Line (June 7, 2025)

thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Samia at First Avenue, Minneapolis (Jun 6, 2025)

Samia at First Avenue (Jun 6, 2025) Samia Setlist Triptych Dare Fair Game Sacred Bovine Excision Proof Carousel Hole in a Frame Big Wheel Kill Her Freak Out Spine Oil Craziest Person Lizard North Poles Fit N Full Pants -- Encore -- Pool Is There Something in the Movies? Honey Raffaella Setlist drama queen. Man of Your Dreams 43 Bone Courtney GROWN UP BUICK Polly Pocket BLONDE Queensland Tour Dates 09-08 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West 09-09 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn 09-11 - Dallas, TX - Echo Lounge & Music Hall 09-12 - Austin, TX - Scoot Inn 09-13 - Houston, TX - T Heights Theater 09-16 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom 09-17 - San Diego, CA - Music Box 09-19 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre 09-20 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore 09-22 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom 09-23 - Vancouver, BC - Hollywood Theatre 09-24 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre 09-26 - Salt Lake City, UT - Soundwell 09-27 - Englewood, CO - Gothic Theatre 09-29 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room 09-30 - St. Louis, MO - Delmar Hall 10-01 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl Read More Samia Samia took no time engaging the crowd as she led off with “Kill Her Freak Out” from her sophomore album, Honey. The audience responded a standing ovation of screams … Raffaella We saw Raffaella in Sep 2019 and wrote, “New York’s Raffaella (with live backing band bassist Charlie and drummer Alonso) opened up the show with a very brief 30-min …

First Ave was the venue for three local bands playing a sold-out, all-ages show to a devoted audience. Doors were 6:30 and the opening act, Ava Levy, was kicking things off at 6:45. Apparently there was a line of kids around the block ready to go as doors opened, so with minimal ID checks the show started with a solid crowd. I wouldn’t know for sure because when I got there at 6:43 I had to wait in line for will call and didn’t get inside until Ava had played a few songs. Note to self: be early for all-ages shows if I want to catch all of the opening act.

Luckily, I was able to catch ~4 songs from Ava, a Twin Cities singer-songwriter who has been performing on stage with her dad, Adam, since she was in her teens. Her comfort with the stage was obvious. She was on stage at First Ave playing to a full (not sold-out level, yet) crowd, and holding her own. She brought a collaborator and great friend up on stage and the two of them sang a lovely song while goofing around with dance moves and fake fighting. I’m certainly glad I was able to see what I saw. I’ll make sure to get there early next time.

Up next, Raffaella! The New York-raised artist who has made Minneapolis home since early 2020 thanks to now-fiancée Jake Luppen of Minneapolis-based Hippo Campus (a play on everyone’s favorite brain structure, the hippocampus, named because it looks like a sea horse or hippocampus in Latin). Rafaella has stage presence and played a ten-song set, which had the crowd energized. She was charming in her “stream of conscious” banter with the audience as well as her ability to bust a move. My guess is that she was a ballerina at some point.

The set was half unreleased songs and half off of her debut two-part EP Live, Raff, Love, which she co-wrote and produced with Jake. The audience was able to sing along with all of the songs, so clearly knew her work. One of the highlights was “Courtney”, which she said is about Courtney Love but also just friends she knows who are strong. “Polly Pocket” and “Blonde”, a single off of the EP, were crowd favorites with big reactions. It’s great to see Raffaella so nicely settled into the Minneapolis music scene.

As Samia’s set started, her band took to the stage first. I had a photo pass for the show, which allows me to be in “the pit” directly in front of the stage for the first three songs; it was so fun to be two feet from Samia as she came on stage and to see the genuine joy on her face as she took in the love from the sold-out show. She had one of those authentic smiles that lit up her entire being. For me, that in and of itself, made the show and it hadn’t even really started.

The first song was Triptych” off of her debut album, The Baby, released in 2020 (see playlist to the right for full list). “Fair Game” off of Bloodless had Samia moving around the stage and dancing to the rhythm of the guitar and the beat of the drum. She knows that she is the spotlight of the show and used that to highlight her bandmates by almost snuggling (see picture below) with each of them in turn throughout the show. I think this was in lieu of actual introductions and was sweet, demonstrating, I think, her affection for each of them. I could be completely wrong about that but that’s what I’m choosing to believe.

“Bovine Excision” and “Carousel” are two of my favorites and clearly crowd favorites as well with the latter demonstrating her flexibility and core strength as she went from kneeling to laying back on the stage with her knees beneath her and back up without using her hands. I felt my quads tearing just typing that. Maybe my favorite song by Samia is “Spine Oil”, which has a great hook, a high energy drum beat and beautiful chorus. It’s interesting to me that this song was described as one of her weaker efforts by one reviewer when I find such an emotional connection to it. There are many ways to evaluate music.

“Craziest Person” is a fun, quick song where Samia sat while singing and “North Poles” had the crowd singling along. “Pants” coming in around seven minutes was the final song before the encore. The highlight of the three-song encore was undoubtedly “Honey”, which had seemingly everyone associated with the show up on stage singing and bouncing along (see the blurry picture below) while the crowd sang along. I think the world could use more experiences like this.

Ava Levy

Rafaella

Rafaella

Samia

Samia

Samia

Samia at First Avenue (Jun 6, 2025)

matt ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Brit Floyd at the Midland Theatre, Kansas City MO (03 June 2025)

Brit Floyd at the Midland Theatre, Kansas City MO (03 June 2025) BRIT FLOYD SETLIST -- Set 1 -- Signs of Life Learning to Fly High Hopes Goodbye Blue Sky Empty Spaces What Shall We Do Now? The Dogs of War Time Breathe (Reprise) The Great Gig in the Sky Two Suns in the Sunset Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 Mother Pigs (Three Different Ones) -- Set 2 -- One of These Days Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) Welcome to the Machine Have a Cigar Wish You Were Here Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-VII) Comfortably Numb -- Encore -- Brain Damage Eclipse Run Like Hell Brit Floyd - Wish You Were Here Tour Tour Dates 5TH JUNE RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATER MORRISON, CO 6TH JUNE PIKES PEAK CENTER- COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 8TH JUNE FINDLAY TOYOTA CENTER- PRESCOTT VALLEY, AZ 10TH JULY ARIZONA FINANCIAL THEATRE PHOENIX, AZ 11TH JULY THE GREEK (WITH ALAN PARSONS) LOS ANGELES, CA 12TH JULY CAL COAST CREDIT UNION (WITH ALAN PARSONS) SAN DIEGO, CA 13TH JULY LEE’S FAMILY FORUM HENDERSON, NV ​ 15TH JULY GRAND SIERRA RESORT (WITH ALAN PARSONS) RENO, NV 16TH JUL GRAND SIERRA RESORT (WITH ALAN PARSONS) RENO, NV 18TH JULY IRONSTONE AMPHITHEATRE (WITH ALAN PARSONS) MURPHYS, CA 19TH JULY WARFIELD THEATRE SAN FRANCISCO, CA 20TH JULY MOUNTAIN WINERY SARATOGA, CA ​ 22ND JULY KELLER AUDITORIUM PORTLAND, OR ​ 23RD JULY MARYMOOR LIVE REDD, WA 24TH JULY QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE VANCOUVER, BC ​ 26TH JULY FIRST INTERSTATE CENTER FOR THE ARTS SPOKANE, WA 27TH JULY EGYPTIAN THEATRE BOISE, ID 29TH JULY MAVERIK CENTER SALT LAKE CITY, UT ​ 31ST JULY KIVA ALBUQUERQUE, NM​​​ ​ 1ST AUG WAGNER NOEL PAC MIDLAND, TX 2ND AUG ACL LIVE AT THE MOODY THEATER AUSTIN, TX 3RD AUG BAYOU MUSIC CENTER HOUSTON, TX ​ 5TH AUG TEXAS TRUST CU THEATRE GRAND PRAIRIE, TX 6TH AUG MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM SHREVEPORT, LA 7TH AUG TULSA THEATER TULSA, OK​ 9TH AUG MARK C. SMITH CONCERT HALL HUNTSVILLE, AL 10TH AUG TENNESSEE THEATRE KNOXVILLE, TN ​ 12TH AUG EVERWISE AMPHITHEATER INDIANAPOLIS, IN ​ 14TH AUG PNC PAVILION CINCINNATI, OH 15TH AUG JACOBS PAVILION CLEVELAND, OH 16TH AUG KRESGE AUDITORIUM INTERLOCHEN, MI 17TH AUG ROSE MUSIC CENTER HUBER HEIGHTS, OH ​ 19TH AUG BROADVIEW STAGE AT SPAC SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY 20TH AUG Hartford HeathCare Amphitheater BRIDGEPORT, CT ​ 21ST AUG MAINE SAVINGS AMPHITH BANGOR, ME 22ND AUG CASINO BALLROOM •HAMPTON BEACH, NH ​​ 24TH AUD TANGER CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS GREENSBORO, NC 25TH AUG WILSON CENTER WILMINGTON, NC 26TH AUG OVENS AUDITORIUM CHARLOTTE, NC 27TH AUG TOWNSHIP AUDITORIUM COLUMBIA, SC 28 SEPT 17:00 GRIEGHALLEN BERGEN, NOR 28 SEPT 20:30 GRIEGHALLEN BERGEN, NOR​ 29 SEPT KONSERS STAVANGER, NOR 1ST OCT OSLO KONSERS OSLO, NOR 2ND OCT BRATTHALLEN KRISTIAND, NOR 3RD OCT OLAVSHALLEN TRONDHEIM, NOR 5TH OCT KARLSTAD SEN CCC 6TH OCT LINKÖPING SEN KONSERT & KONGRESS ​​ 7TH OCT ROYAL ARENA KØBENHAVN S, DAN 9TH OCT MCH HERNING KONGRESCENTER HERNING, DAN 10TH OCT ODEON ODENSE C, DAN 12TH OCT AFAS LIVE AMSTERDAM, NL 13TH OCT CONGRESS CENTER HAMBURG, GER 14TH OCT STADSSCHOUWBURG ANTWERP, BEL 16TH OCT METROPOL THEATER BREMEN, GER 17TH OCT MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC HALLE DUSSELDORF, GER 18TH OCT HARIE HEILBRONN, GER 20TH OCT SPOT/OOSTERPOORT GRONINGEN, NL 22ND OCT HAUS AUENSEE LEIPZIG, GER 24TH OCT BIG BOX KEMPTEN, GER 25TH OCT GRAN TEATRO GEOX PADOVA, ITA 26TH OCT LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA MEDIA CENTER 28TH OCT MEISTERSINGERHALLE NUREMBERG, GER 29TH OCT CIRCUS KRONE MUNICH, GER ​ 30TH OCT TEATRO CLERICI BRESCIA, ITA 1ST NOV CASINO BARRIERE TOULOUSE, FRA 2ND NOV THEATRE FEMINA BORDEAUX, FRA 3RD NOV SALLE HERMIONE ST. BRIEUC, FRA 5TH NOV THEATRE LE RHONE BOURG LES VALENCE, FRA 6TH NOV ESPACE DOLLFUS NOACK SAUSHEIM, FRA 8TH NOV CARRE DES DOCKS LE HAVRE, FRA 9TH NOV THEATRE SEBASTOPOL LILLE, FRA 10TH NOV L'OLYMPIA PARIS, FRA 11TH NOV SALLE DE L'ALHAMBRA GENEVA, SUI Read More Pink Floyd Pink Floyd is one of the most influential (and not to mention commercially successful) bands in popular music …

On a stormy weeknight in Kansas City, if you were “staying home to watch the rain” instead of donning a jacket and heading out downtown to The Midland to see Brit Floyd; your friends that did go probably “wished you were here” to take in the spectacle with them, of this high-caliber tribute show.

The Liverpool, UK band has returned to the stage with a brand-new production that celebrates fifty years of the classic 1975 Pink Floyd album, Wish You Were Here, including playing the record in full, during its over two-hour evening. Plenty of other very familiar hits helped make up the set, from the band’s early days, up to its late ‘80’s David Gilmour-led era.

The band began back in 2011 by its founder, long-time guitarist/vocalist and musical director Damian Darlington, who was actually a member of the similar Australian Pink Floyd (who we caught live in Minneapolis back in 2016), but thought he could put on a more authentic and more entertaining show; and over 1,000 performances later, he’s still proving his point.

The band also featured longtime members Ian Cattell – vocals, bass; Edo Scordo - guitars, vocals; Matt Riddle – keyboards, synths; Arran Ahmun – drums, percussion; Eva Avila-backing vocals; and other expert musicians to faithfully re-create that distinctive Floyd sound.

With Pink Floyd themselves likely never to reunite again (besides the fact of keyboardist Rick Wright’s death in 2008) and each pursuing solo ventures, this is the closest to see the classic Floyd in its prime years; and for the younger generations in the crowd, about the only way to, in-person.

We also have to mention the band’s generous photo/video policy – they not only allow but encourage respectable cellphone pictures and video filming and social media sharing, something we wish more bands would realize the value of. As a credentialed photographer, we were allowed to shoot the entire show (instead of the first three songs) This again was a very welcome and appreciated exception to the “standard rule”.

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The two-set evening smartly got underway with the later years first – those commercially successful songs and albums without bassist Roger Waters’ participation, but still somewhat polarizing to some purist fans. Despite that, one can’t deny the widescreen scope of “Learning to Fly”, the ferocity of “Dogs of War” and Gilmour’s signature riffs on those later songs.

Things then shifted to “The Wall”-era songs, complete with very similar (though not exact) vintage graphics from the familiar large circular screen, images that reflected the original animation from the film and that tour, not the later ones that Waters would update to reflect more current politics.

The set would then transition back to the timeless “Dark Side of the Moon” 1974-era with stopwatch images on-screen for “Time”, the pulsing of “Breathe” and a stunning vocal performance on “The Great Gig in the Sky” (as well as on “Mother”, a few songs later). Even 1983’s “The Final Cut” album was represented with an on-screen apocalyptic animated storyline playing out on the visuals.

“Pigs (Three Different Ones)” would end the first set, but without any inflatable pig roaming above the crowd by remote control. Though people looked up searching for it, the band not relying on expected props (no stagehands building a Styrofoam wall in front of the band either) made it clear that the group is putting the music first, and without any distractions.

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After a twenty-minute intermission, lights again dimmed and the signature bassline of 1971’s “One of These Days” drew any remaining straggling audience members back to their seats quickly. Wish You Were Here in its entirety was next- the band’s follow-up to the perpetually selling “Dark Side” album (that must have been high pressure to deliver on), and served as a fitting tribute to original bandmember Syd Barrett, whose mental state and drug use, made him unable to continue in the band.

The album counterbalances the longer instrumentals of the title track, against the more brief and catchier tunes like “Welcome to the Machine” (complete with gears, clicks, and tech images) and that timeless title track ballad, that brought cellphone lights swaying back and forth in the air, and the multi-generational crowd singing along to every lyric.

“Comfortably Numb” ended the second set, with bassist Cattell putting on a white lab coat and singing, “Just a little pin prick” as he flashed a giant syringe (I know we said no props, but this was pretty minimal). In terms of playing the familiar songs, there a very fine line for a tribute band- to authentically re-create them in a version that everyone seems familiar with, balanced with a small opening for creativity, for the players to interpret the notes as they see fit, and Brit Floyd collectively managed to stay within that ‘sonic sweet spot’ for their performance.

No one plays like the signature sound of David Gilmour’s guitar but Darlington managed to honor that sound (both on guitar and sitting on lap steel) while embellishing here and there with his subtle differences; guitarist Scordo played similar to Eric Clapton at times, when EC went on tour with Waters in the mid-80s for his first solo album, and interpreted many of the Floyd classics; and keyboardist Riddle stayed faithful as well, but the longer instrumental passages allowed him some freeform as well.

The three-song encore consists of two classics from “Dark Side” with lasers and vari-lites on full display (along with politician images from all sides of the aisle), and culminated with a shaking “Run Like Hell”, prefaced by an echoing Darlington solo, amidst enough lasers and lights flashing that it was hard out make him out on stage.

A sustained standing ovation as the band bowed and waved good night, and all had truly been “eclipsed by the moon”. Brit Floyd managed to bring back that classic version of the band usually only seen in older memories and vintage video clips – Shine On!

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

BRIT FLOYD at Midland Theatre Kansas City MO (2025-06-03)
BRIT FLOYD at Midland Theatre Kansas City MO (2025-06-03)

BRIT FLOYD at Midland Theatre Kansas City MO (2025-06-03)

BRIT FLOYD at Midland Theatre Kansas City MO (2025-06-03)

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

TV: Killers and Murderers

Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) Read More Aliens The latest Alien film, Alien: Romulus is very good. I’ve always liked the Alien franchise, I’m even one of the few people that liked Alien: Covenant (although I didn’t really like ....

Predator: Killer of Killers
hulu.com

There’s a new Predator animated film called Predator: Killer of Killers, which just aired on Hulu and Disney+ on Friday. The show was directed by Dan Trachtenberg, formerly of The Totally Rad Show. He’s previously directed 10 Cloverfield Lane and Prey (a Predator film).

What this new film is: three different Predator stories, taking place at three different time and region. The cool thing is you get to see Predators throughout the ages, they are three very different Predator designs.

The first is a good-old fashion Viking revenge story about a mother and her son, and their clan. They sailed across the ocean to kill another clan who murdered her father. I really like the first story, because I really thought the gigantic Predator was going to kill the mother… and so the son has to continue the violent cycle and take revenge against the Predator. It’s not what you think - the aging mother still has some fight left in her and it’s a fight of wits vs pure muscles.

This revenge story is short and sweet, and to the point. You get the entire full story of the grieving, revenge-driven mother in an action-packed 30 minutes, vs what it took the terrible Last of Us Season 2 to tell one third of a revenge story in seven hours!

The second story takes place in feudal Japan. There are two rival brothers, who are setting a 20-year-old score… and as they fight, a Predator was in their midst. The two swordsman has to work together to defeat the Predator. Although they killed the Predator, sadly, one of the brothers passed away due to the injuries he suffered from the fight. Pretty simple story, and the choreograph is very action-packed.

The last story is about a mechanic, from World War II. There’s a Predator ship in the middle of the battle, and he has to find a way to defeat the Predator. Again, really good stuff, you get the gist of what it was like to be a pilot back on those days.

All three Predators survivors, from different time periods, find themselves on the Predator homeworld. The Predator king tells the three of them that they have to fight to the death, and that the winner will have an opportunity to fight him. Of course, you guessed it, the three has to work together to fight the king. I love it… even though we all know ultimately that they can’t win.

It’s a good ending, and it ties together with Prey.

All this is getting me excited to see Trachtenberg’s forthcoming Predator: Badlands, set for theatrical release on November 7, 2025, by 20th Century Studios.

If you can’t wait until November, Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth is coming to FX and Hulu on August 12, 2025. The show stars Sydney Chandler and Timothy Olyphant (Justified).

I am looking forward to this new Aliens series, because I am a big fan of Hawley’s other shows, Fargo and Legion.

Murderbot (2025) Read More Infinity Pool No, it’s not a crossover of Infinity Gauntlet and Deadpool… this is a Sci-Fi/Horror film called Infinity Pool. This dark film follows novelist James Foster (played by Alexander Skarsgård) ....

Murderbot
tv.apple.com

The new Sci-Fi/Comedy Murderbot, starring Alexander Skarsgård as the Murderbot, is currently airing on Apple TV. This series is based on The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, published by Tor Books.

I know Skarsgård from True Blood, but recently I bought two of his films, The Northman and Infinity Pool (which I said was my Horror film of 2023).

Based on the comedy aspect of it, I didn’t think I would enjoy Murderbot, but I love it! I think this is a delightful little Sci-Fi show, that doesn’t really take itself too seriously. In many ways, the comedy and observation from Murderbot is a commentary on humanity itself.

The show is about an expedition group who had to bring with them a Security Unit, so they bought the cheapest refurbished Security Unit (or SecUnit for short) - which is our hero, the Murderbot.

Since the robot is sentient, all he wants is to be left alone so he can watch his space soap opera, The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. The clips we get of the soap opera is over-the-top, and it stars John Cho as the captain.

My only complaint about the show is that the episodes are very short. Nothing really happens in each episode, for example, Episode 3 nothing happens. Literally it’s the team getting on a bus and that’s it!

So far, only five episodes have aired, and the plot is slowly unfolding. That’s because each episode is only about 20 minutes long (if you take out the credits). I wish Apple would combine two episodes in one - or release it two at a time. Waiting seven days for 20 minutes of story is insanity, especially if the last episode ends on a cliffhanger. I suppose Murderbot feels the same way when he has to wait for another episode of Sanctuary Moon.

Anyway, what we do know after an hour and forty minutes is that someone is trying to kill everyone on the planet. They’re hacking the robots to murder the humans. Even though Murderbot has free will, he still chooses to try and save the humans… and that’s compelling stuff for a stupid Comedy/Sci-Fi show.

So far, from what I’ve seen, the show gets a recommendation from me.

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