Rogue Wave Setlist
Tour Dates
07/12/13 San Francisco, CA Independent
07/13/13 San Francisco, CA Independent 07/16/13 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret 07/17/13 Seattle, WA Neumos 07/18/13 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom 07/20/13 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre 07/21/13 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern Read More You know, I have often mistaken this California band for Minneapolis' own Rogue Valley. Rogue Wave is basically Zach Rogue (vocals, guitar) with Patrick Spurgeon (drummer) and various band members. …
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CAVEMAN
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"Beautiful town you guys have here - it's nice to be back!" was the welcome from singer/guitarist Matthew Iwanusa. Donning a Hawaiian shirt and gaudy gold chain, he seemed extra exuberant to be playing in Minneapolis. The last time they played here, back in March, he seemed a little too over-exuberant (read: extremely drunk) and the show suffered as a result. This time, they were focused, yet enjoying their time on stage.
'Country's King', the first track off their first album Coco Beware was next. Singer Matthew Iwanusa joined drummer Stefan Marolachkis with drumming duties, as he pounded the beat out on a floor tom while he sang. 'Where's the Time' followed, with intense drumming and cool synth lines by keyboardist Sam Hopkins. Matt Iwanusa kept on with drum duties on this song and exuded high energy. Next was the song 'Dec. 28', another track off their first album. A favorite of mine, they played through it flawlessly...the bass and drums in perfect sync, three part harmonies, and dreamy guitar lines produced by guitarist Jimmy Carbonetti.
For the next song, 'Shut You Down', Rogue Wave drummer Dan came up on stage to provide his guitar skills. After he left the stage, they played the instrumental song 'Vampirer', which featured a really cool/spooky crescendo of guitar parts. They faded to the next song, 'Old Friend', and once again brought a ton of energy back to the stage. 'In the City', a single from their newest, self-titled Caveman followed. The song featured pretty synth lines combined with equally pretty guitar riffs.
They played the song 'Over My Head' next, and I couldn't help but think it sounded like a cut from a Sting record from the late 80s. Matthew dramaticized the vocals a bit more live and added some arm flair which made it end up coming off a bit corny. They ended their set with 'Easy Water' and the whole band really got into it, with the intense bass line and drums and Matthew playing his floor tom while singing and dancing around wildly. They left the stage and took with them some new fans and the spirit of why they enjoy playing for Minneapolis music lovers.
As for Rogue Wave, please refer to their setlist to see what songs were played. They didn't really play that much from the recently released album Nightingale Floors (out last month on Vagrant Records). Selected new songs were done fairly early on, including 'Siren's Song', 'S(a)tan', ' Figured It Out', and 'College'.
For the encore, Zach and company came back on stage to hand out flowers to fans. After 'Cheaper Than Therapy', they announced that the show in Minneapolis was the last night that Caveman was touring with them, so Caveman were invited on stage to help sing the Duran Duran cover of 'Rio'. Honestly, I felt that they could've ended their set on a high note with Caveman, but Rogue Wave felt obligated to do their hit 'California' song.
Catch them the next time they are touring in a city near you...you will not be disappointed!
Rogue Wave (with Caveman) at the Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis (06/29/13) |
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