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10/07 The Head and The Heart with Shakey Graves at Armory
The Armory Digital Marquee
Tour Dates
10/8/22 - St. Louis, MO - Saint Louis Music Park #
10/10/22 - Birmingham, AL - Avondale Brewing Company 10/11/22 - North Charleston, SC - Firefly Distillery 10/13/22 - St Augustine, FL - The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre 10/14/22 - Atlanta, GA - Cadence Bank Amphitheatre 10/15/22 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheater 10/21/22 - Knoxville, TN - Knoxville Riverbreeze Friday Read More
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An autumn chill filled the air last night as fans of The Head and the Heart headed into the cavernous Armory in downtown Minneapolis. It was a full crowd and they were there early to catch the opening act, Shakey Graves.
What a great stage name for Alejandro Rose-Garcia as if acknowledging those from beyond still might have a few more dance moves. Born and raised in Austin, Texas, he got his start as a solo act, hustling as a busker with a kick-drum made from a Samsonite suitcase.
He had the piece of luggage in toe as he played a couple of songs before his band - with matching suits - filtered onto stage as he set the scene for his next song, “Century City”, a song about his time in Los Angeles, a time filled with break-ups, sketchy roommates and the cons of bringing home used couches.
A special note to “Evergreen” played almost a half-note flat with the band lagging behind the drummers, hoping to catch up, but not quite as Rose-Garcia lyrics summed up the tenor of the song:
Please don't wake me please don't call
Let me rest
Let me be
Ovеrgrown and evergreen
The band quickly changed gears with a guttural blues howl of “Excuses” that brought the crowd to a roar.
We Heart Music caught Shakey Graves at First Avenue in November of 2015 and Rose-Garcia said it was “bananas” to play in a venue as big as the Armory. He then rose a plastic glass and proposed a toast for all to keep in touch with family and friends.
The Head and the Heart kicked off their set with “Every Shade of Blue” from their latest album with the same name.
Josiah Johnson mentioned that it had been a while since they last played Minneapolis. (We Heart Music caught them last at the Festival Palomino in September of 2014.) Even though they had outgrown the venue, he said they still missed First Avenue, and he couldn’t believe how quiet the immense crowd was while they played “Another Story”. (A group of people near me took the opportunity to slow dance as if they and the band were the only ones in the room.)
The backbone of The Head and the Heart’s music - which has drawn fans to fill bigger and bigger venues - is soulful folk with hints of gospel as blocks of piano chords rise and fall with the three-part harmony of Johnson, Jonathon Russell and Charity Rose Thielen.
Thielen gave a special shout out to Minnesota, saying she is from here and has quite a bit a family still in the area. She said her eighty-three-year-old aunt was in attendance and got the crew to shine a spotlight on the relative waving from the upper deck. Even Kenny Hensley got in the act by announcing that he is working on a song about Minneapolis, playing a little ditty of the song from his upright piano.
There was quite a bit of love for the band and they thanked everyone for the positive energy for it had been a long tour after a long pandemic and they were grateful as they ended the evening with “River and Roads”, an uplifting song about leaving in hopes of returning again.
Shakey Grave |
Shakey Grave |
Shakey Grave |
The Head and the Heart |
The Head and the Heart |
The Head and the Heart |
The Head and the Heart at the Armory, Minneapolis (07 Oct 2022) |
| dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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