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Buffalo Daughter at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (31 May 2023)

05/31 Buffalo Daughter with babybaby_explores and Balloon Race at 7th St Entry Buffalo Daughter Setlist Music Five Minutes Volcanic Girl Don't Punk Out No New Rock Socks, Drugs, and Rock and Roll Chatbot Baby R & B (Rhythm & Basement) ET (Densha) 303 + 606 = ACID We Are The Times Interstellar Journey - When the Spaceship Flies Through the Milky Way -- Encore -- New Rock/Dr. Moog Jellyfish Blues Read More Buffalo Daughter 90s Japanese rock band Buffalo Daughter (suGar Yoshinaga on guitar, Yumiko Ohno on bass, and MoOog Yamamoto on turntables) is making a rare appearance at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on May 31st. .…

90s Japanese rock band Buffalo Daughter (suGar Yoshinaga on guitar, Yumiko Ohno on bass, and MoOog Yamamoto on turntables) made a rare appearance at the 7th Street Entry on May 31st.

Opening the show was local band Balloon Race, playing songs from their latest SLIMETIME. The four-piece band said they were influenced by bands such as King Crimson and Battles.

Near the end of their set, they dedicated their song to “that guy in the T-Shirt, Jacob Gallagher.” I’m not sure if it was a joke, but I also heard, “We’re in love.”

Next up was Rhode Island’s babybaby_explores, an odd low-tech trio (Lids B-day, Sam M-H, and Gabe C-D). Lids does most of the singing and funky dance moves, while Sam in the hat, plays electric guitar, and rounding out Gabe on the drum machine.

Not really sure if you can classify the band’s music… let’s just say they’re quirky. Their music doesn’t flow how you would expect and often it makes an abrupt left turn, but you just go with it.

babybaby_explores’s new album Food Near Me, Weather Tomorrow is out now on No Gold.

“It’s been a long time since we last came here. Nine years ago with Cibo Matto… I hope you were also there,” said Buffalo Daughter’s SuGar Yoshinaga. We weren’t there but we wrote about the 2014 tour, mentioning that the band played the Turf Club on March 4, 2014.

As we previously mentioned, Buffalo Daughter was “discovered” by Luscious Jackson, who introduced them to the Beastie Boys… and they were quickly signed to Grand Royal Records. They’re also friends with Cibo Matto and Butter 08, so if you like 90s Japanese bands, Buffalo Daughter is right up your alley.

Their English was very good, as many of their songs are in English… but also they might have a bigger English-speaking audience having spent most of the 90s on Grand Royal Records.

With their records being re-issued on double vinyl, they also mentioned that they’re actually celebrating their 30th anniversary as a band. What a way to celebrate it with this 2023 tour.

Remaining Tour dates:

Jun 3 Seattle, WA, US Substation
Jun 4 Portland, OR, US Doug Fir Lounge
Jun 6 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US Resident
Jun 7 San Francisco, CA, US Café du Nord
Jun 25 Shibuya, Japan WALL&WALL
Jul 5 Nagoya, Japan Tokuzo / 得三
Jul 7 Kyoto, Japan Metro

Balloon Race

babybaby_explores

babybaby_explores

babybaby_explores

Buffalo Daughter

Buffalo Daughter

Buffalo Daughter

Buffalo Daughter at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (31 May 2023)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Alex Lahey at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (30 May 2023)

05/30 Alex Lahey with Liza Anne at 7th St Entry Alex Lahey Setlist On The Way Down They Wouldn’t Let Me In You’ll Never Get Your Money Back Wes Anderson Makes Me Sick Congratulations You Don't Think You Like People Like Me Misery Guts Permanent Good Time Torn (Ednaswap cover) Every Day's the Weekend The Answer Is Always Yes I Haven't Been Taking Care of Myself Read More Alex Lahey Australian songwriter Alex Lahey is headlining the Turf Club in support of her new album The Best Of Luck Club (Dead Oceans). ... Liza Anne Next was Liza Anne (with full band of Josh on bass, Cody on drums, and Robbie on guitars), who could not get over at how cold it was in Minneapolis (it was randomly snowing throughout the day). The Nashville-based band …

It’s hard to believe that last Tuesday’s Alex Lahey show, at the 7th Street Entry, was her fourth time as headliner in the area.

Opening the show was Liza Anne, with her drummer friend Allie (Allie Cuva). Allie is actually a songwriter herself and have gone on tour as the opener for the Katy Kirby and Sun June show in Mar 2022. In the middle of Liza’s set, Allie took up the guitar and sang one of her songs, “Long Vacation.”

Liza Anne (12 Oct 2019)

We previously saw Liza with Lucy Dacus in Oct 2019. She had a full band, back in 2019, and the band was clearly undressed for Minneapolis’ weather. There were no complaints at Tuesday’s show, so I’m assuming Liza came to Minneapolis prepared.

Songs on Liza’s set included “I Shouldn't Ghost My Therapist” and, my favorite, the ironic upbeat song “Cheerleader”, which ended her set… complete with a pair of pom poms.

As the Australian songwriter Alex Lahey confessed, she loves Minneapolis… but the first time that she came here in 25 November 2017, she had no idea this place (Minneapolis) existed… let alone people living here. The second time she came back, in 01 August 2018, she was treated so warmly that she now looks forward to play the city and make sure Minneapolis is on her tour itinerary.

Tuesday’s night was no exception, with many fans screaming as soon as Lahey took the stage. As you can see from the setlist, some songs were from her new album The Answer Is Always Yes (Liberation Records). She even played a couple of requests, “You’ll Never Get Your Money Back” and “Wes Anderson”. The latter is a love song about going to see a Wes Anderson film, “We went to the movies because I know you like Wes Anderson. You held my hand the whole time, and, no joke, you have the softest skin.”

Based on her fanbase and her love for Minneapolis, it won’t be long when Alex Lahey will be back in town.

Remaining Tour Dates:

Wed. May 31 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas
Fri. June 2 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
Sat. June 3 - Cleveland, OH @ Mahalls
Sun. June 4 - Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
Tue. June 6 - Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom
Wed. June 7 - New York, NY @ Baby’s All Right
Fri. June 9 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
Sun. June 11 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Mon. June 12 - Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
Tue. June 13 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Purgatory
Thu. June 15 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music
Fri. June 16 - Austin, TX @ Parish
Sat. June 17 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Tue. June 20 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
Wed. June 21 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

Liza Anne Allie Liza Anne Liza Anne Liza Anne

Liza Anne

Alex Lahey Alex Lahey Alex Lahey Alex Lahey Alex Lahey

Alex Lahey at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (30 May 2023)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Y La Bamba at Seventh Street Entry (05/21/2023)

Y La Bamba Setlist Dibujos De Mi Alma Crema De Melon Boca Llena Mas Manos Cuatro Crazy Collapse Damned Walk Along Hues Gabriel Nunca Bruja De Brujas -- Encore -- Ceniza Se Escucha Read More Y La Bamba Recently Y La Bamba released her single “Hues”, a song featuring Devendra Banhart. Lead vocalist and producer Luz Elena Mendoza Ramos talked about Banhart, “He was the first young Spanish-speaking musician … Isabeau Waia'u Walker stopping by the 7th St Entry in Minneapolis, on May 21st. Isabeau Waia'u Walker to open. Tour Dates: April 26 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom April 27 – Seattle, WA – Barboza April 29 – Sacramento, CA – Starlet Room …

It was quite a pleasant evening in downtown Minneapolis as suburbanites filed into the Target Center to see Italian superstar, Andrea Bocelli, sing in a crossover pop-classical style while across the street others stepped into the Seventh Street Entry to see Y La Bamba and their hybrid of Mexican folk music with an electronic-dance beat.

Isabeau Waia’u Walker opened up the evening with Margaret Wehr by her side. Walker is new to the musical scene for she spent a decade first teaching high school in Oregon. It wasn’t until recently that she made the leap to full-time musician as a member of Y La Bamba and a solo artist with her first LP, Body, released in 2022.

Her music has been described as Bright Gloom, but it felt that she brings quite a bit of reverence to her music for it's not often an artist stills a crowd that is out for the evening and looking to catch up or impress or joke with whomever they are with.

Walker and Wehr then joined Luz Elena Mendoza on stage for the more up-tempo sound of Y La Bamba. In fact, the first five songs blended seamlessly into each other with a dance beat informed by the rancheros, corridos and boleros of Mendoza’s parents’ home in Michoacán, Mexico.

Mendoza played the guitar and at moments danced on the tiny stage, singing with Walker and Wehr mostly in Spanish. Before you knew it they were halfway through the set with shouts of approval from the crowd.

Y La Bamba is supporting their latest album, Lucha, but they highlighted songs from previous five albums as well. They are definitely a band that has been playing a while together with Antonio Montanez propelling a syncopated beat on drums and Julia Mendiolea creating a haunted West Coast sound on guitar.

Y La Bamba is a band you could listen to all night and the hour-long set wasn’t nearly long enough, especially when they ended with “Bruja De Brujas”, a song that kept ratcheting up the tempo to a point where you felt they were going to spin out of control.

Remaining Tour Dates:

May 23 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
May 25 – Mexico City, MX – Foro Cultural Hilvana
July 19 – New York, NY – Central Park Summerstage *
Aug 27 – Port Townsend, WA – THING Fest
Oct 05 – Boston, MA – Emerson Colonial Theatre &
Oct 06 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater &
Oct 07 – Port Chester, NY – Capitol Theater &
Oct 09 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount &
Oct 10 – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre &
Oct 11 – Durham, NC – Carolina Theater &
Oct 13 – Charlotte, NC – Knight Theater &
Oct 14 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall &

& - w/ St. Paul & The Broken Bones
* - w/ Julia Jacklin and Black Belt Eagle Scout

Isabeau Waia'u Walker

Y La Bamba

Y La Bamba

Y La Bamba

Y La Bamba at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (21 May 2023)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Aquadolls at 7th St Entry, Minneapolis (20 May 2023)

Aquadolls Setlist     Intro: Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” Burn Baby Burn Sick Runaway (The Jam) Our Love Will Always Remain Far Far Away Rich Boyz Take Me Away (Lash cover) Mine Spotlight communicationissexy / idkhow2communicate Vacation (The Go‐Go’s cover) Sneaky Guys Who Sk8 Beachy Wander Tour Dates May 22 - Encore - Kansas City, MO May 23 - Off Broadway - St. Louis, MO May 24 - The Vanguard - Tulsa, OK May 26 - Club Dada - Dallas, TX May 27 - White Oak Music Hall - Houston, TX May 28 - Mohawk - Austin, TX May 30 - Lowbrow Palace - El Paso, TX May 31 - Valley Bar - Phoenix, TX June 1 - House of Blues (Voodoo Room) - San Diego CA June 2 – The Moroccan Lounge - Los Angeles, CA June 3 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA June 4 - Cherry Festival - Beaumont, CA Read More The Aquadolls Southern California rock band Sitting On Stacy is co-headlining a tour with The Aquadolls. Their show is coming up on April 4th at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. ... Allergen The Aquadolls. Their show is coming up on April 4th at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. Allergen to open. Tour dates: Mar 13 El Paso, TX, US Lowbrow Palace Mar 17 Austin, TX, US Cooper's ... Surly Grrly Our friends The Von Tramps (we know them through Fuzzy Machete) will be their special support for the Hey Girl tour. Surly Grrly and DJ WRRC to open. ... Riot Grrrls Jen Smith from Bratmobile inspired the name "riot grrrl". The short-lived band reformed in the 2000 with Ladies, Women and Girls and I finally got to see the band live! When they first started in 1993 .…

Los Angeles’ The Aquadolls is currently on their “Spring Fling” tour, stopping by 7th Street Entry, in Minneapolis, on Saturday night.

We weren’t originally scheduled to cover the Aquadolls, having previously committed to Dave Mason at the Pantages Theatre on this night… but we worked out our tight schedule to see both shows, but that meant missing out on the opening bands for Aquadolls.

On the day of the show, Mason announced his show’s rescheduling, due to illness... so, the good news was that we could see all the bands on the all-ages Aquadolls show.

Starting the show was local band Surly Grrly, who was last seen with The Dollyrots and the Von Tramps in March 2023. The queercore band is fronted by Medbh McNamara and Eloïse Boigenzahn, who takes most of the spotlight in their set, by trading lead vocals on certain songs.

They have a very Bikini Kill sound, with songs like “Piss Boy” and “Hey Little Girl.”

There were two covers in their set, the first was Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time” (but done in the style of Slothrust), and Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name.”

Next up was trio Allergen (front by Shannon Maroney with Mia on bass and Anna on drums), who was last seen with The Aquadolls and Sitting On Stacy in April 2022.

Shannon didn’t talk much between sets, except to make brief comments whenever they’re tuning their instruments. For example, you get the impression that they didn’t want to use social media… but in the modern age, they’re forced to use these tools to get their music out. We can relate, having abandoned a Facebook for many years. So, if you search for the group, they’re using “Allgerg3n” to stand out.

It looks like their last release was called Honesty Hour in 2020, but since then, they’ve released a few demo collections and a new single called “Dirt”.

The Aquadolls (Melissa Brooks, Keilah Nina, Jacqueline Proctor) closed out the show, stepping on the stage to their intro music of Aqua’s “Barbie Girl.” We never knew the origin of the band’s name, but having heard the cheesy line “I’m a Barbie Girl in a Barbie World…”, it suddenly made sense.

Over ten years ago, band leader Melissa Brooks formed The Aquadolls to channel her angst through music, which were influenced from pop music to riot grrrl.

You can tell they admire women that came before them in music, such as The Go-Go’s, which they did their faithful version of “Vacation.” We have to admit that Jacqueline Proctor does a pretty good Belinda Carlisle.

They also love Australian alternative band Lash, based on their cover of “Take Me Away”, which most Americans would have heard through actress Christina Vidal (with Lindsay Lohan) singing the song in the 2003 Freaky Friday film. The funny thing is that the original line “It’s the same old sh**, never ends” was replaced with “It’s the same old stuff, never ends,” because it’s a Disney film. Of course, we got the full original Lash version when Aquadolls plays it. As a cover lover, we approved of this cover.

The rest remaining set had some songs from the forthcoming Charmed album, including “Far Far Away,” which Melissa described as “a fairytale twist on the working class, discussing that the only person who can truly save you is yourself” and “Beachy”, which was the penultimate song.

Charmed will be available June 2nd, via Enci Records.

Surly Grrly

Surly Grrly

Surly Grrly

Surly Grrly

Allergen

Allergen

Allergen

Allergen

Aquadolls

Aquadolls

Aquadolls

The Aquadolls at 7th St Entry, Minneapolis (20 May 2023)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Moss at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (18 May 2023)

05/18 The Moss with the Hails at 7th St Entry Tour Dates 5/19: Chicago, IL @ Schubas 5/22: Columbus, OH @ The Basement 5/23: Syracuse, NY @ Funk ‘n Waffles 5/24: Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right 6/2: Sacramento, CA @ Concerts In The Park 6/17: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo 6/20: Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar 6/21: Indianapolis, IN @ HI-FI Indianapolis 6/22: Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest 6/23: St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House 6/24: Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck 8/26: Olympia, WA @ South Sound Block Party 9/8: Denver, CO @ Endless Sunshine 9/15-17: Atlanta, GA @ Music Midtown 10/13-15: Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits 10/17: Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar 10/18: Tucson, AZ @ Hotel Congress Plaza 10/19: San Diego, CA @ Music Box 10/20: Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour 10/21: Anaheim, CA @ The Parish 10/26: Fort Collins, CO @ Aggie Theatre 10/28: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot 11/29: Washington, DC @ The Atlantis 11/30: Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry 12/1: Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair 12/2: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom 12/5: Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern 12/6: Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle Back Room 12/8: Nashville, TN @ The End Read More The Moss The title track, “Insomnia” has become a breakout single for the Moss following major support from key Alternative radio outlets and cracking the Alternative Radio Top 20 at #17 and approaching 10M global streams ....

After several sold out shows at SXSW, Utah’s The Moss kicked off their 2023 headlining tour at the 7th Street Entry, in Minneapolis on Thursday, May 18th.

Opening the show was Florida’s five-piece The Hails (Robbie Kingsley, Franco Solari, Dylan McCue, Andre Escobar and Zach Levy), who joins the tour, starting in Minneapolis and ending in Brooklyn, New York, on May 24… before playing a home state gig at Cascades Park Amphitheater in Tallahassee, on May 27th.

The band is very young, starting in 2020 with their debut EP He Seems Upset, but has already tour with The Happy Fits and The Beaches… and established a fanbase. You can tell they do have their fans, when audience members were often shouting out “We love you Franco!” (then followed by “We love you Robbie!” when they thought Robbie wasn’t getting enough love).

My favorite song on their set was “Fake a Frown”, but it seems like they were more excited about “Fiona”, which was remixed by Magic City Hippies. The band admitted that MCH were basically their mentors, so it’s been a “dream come true” to have them remix their song.

Also, apparently, it’s no secret, but the band is prepping for their debut album release, sometime later this year. They’re still working out some of these songs, but they sounded very enthusiastic about recording and working on these songs.

Based on their receptive fanbase here, especially with lead singer Robbie wearing his Minnesota North Stars hockey shirt, you can expect the band to return as headliner when they release their debut album.

The Moss is touring on the strength of their “Insomnia” single (from Insomnia EP is available on S-Curve / Hollywood Records), which landed on Alternative Radio Top 20 at #17 and had over 10M global streams.

Unfortunately, first night of the tour, they already had technical difficulties with their guitar amp, which had dead air after the first song, “Secretariat”. This moment had singer Tyke James calling for bassist Caiden Jackson to start a book reading as a joke. After getting a replacement amp from The Hails’ guitarist, Addison Sharp was ready to continue their set. We’ve seen enough first night of the tour to understand these kinds of things are almost expected to happen. Hopefully the rest of the tour will happen without a hitch.

They made it known that since they’re from SLC, that they were almost obligated to play “Salt Lake City (Girl)” in their set, to all their women fans. Of course, they saved their biggest hit song, “Insomnia” close to the end.

The band also recently announced additional dates to their 2023 tour, see full listing on the sidebar.

The Moss’ Insomnia is out now on S-Curve / Hollywood Records.

The Hails

The Hails

The Hails

The Hails

The Moss

The Moss

The Moss

The Moss at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (18 May 2023)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Sam MacPherson at 7th St Entry, Minneapolis (29 April 2023)

04/29 Sam MacPherson with Mikey Ferrari at 7th St Entry Sam MacPherson Setlist Intro Homesick Counts Backseat No Bad Memories Forget I Exist First Place Routine Crash Course Play Dumb How Do You Dress for the Rain? Safe to Say Stretch Would Have Been Nice -- Encore -- Last Minute Read More Sam MacPherson Los Angeles, by-way-of New Jersey, singer-songwriter and producer Sam MacPherson is on his first headlining “Powerlines Tour” … and he’ll stop by the 7th Street Entry on April 29th. … Mikey Ferrari Los Angeles based alt-folk singer-songwriter Mikey Ferrari to open. He recently singed to Neon Gold Records (HAIM, Matt Maeson, et. al) to release “Crash Course” from upcoming Stories From Montana EP. …

Los Angeles, by-way-of New Jersey, singer-songwriter and producer Sam MacPherson headlined the 7th Street Entry on Saturday night, in support of his EP Powerlines.

Opening the show was Los Angeles based alt-folk singer-songwriter Mikey Ferrari touring in support of Stories From Montana.

Right away, the audience was loving Ferrari’s songs and stories and his wooden bear named Boss. Every song had an introduction, and every song you find out more about the singer. It’s really a miracle that at some point in his life, he was homeless and living out of his car.

The highlight of his set was after “Wedding Bells”, he asked if the audience like Baseball? That’s because he made his own rookie trading card. Hoping that one day, when he joins the major leagues, that you had his original rookie card. As he was talking about it, a fan handed him his rookie card, which he used to show off. On the back of the card was a link to download one of his songs. It’s actually a really cool idea, I wish more musicians would sell collectibles like these trading cards. So far, on the tour, this was Ferrari’s best audience. Don’t believe me ? Ferrari said on Twitter: “Wow that was one of my favorite shows I’ve ever played ... I will be back to Minneapolis.”

Sam MacPherson was quite pleased to see so many people on the dancefloor. It was his first time in Minneapolis, and it’s also his first headlining tour, that he admitted that he didn’t know how it would turn out. So he’s happy to even see people here. But he also knows his audience, and thanked everyone that came, including all the boyfriends who were forced to come along.

As you can see from the setlist, he played a lot of new songs, such as the heartfelt single, “Safe to Say”, a song co-written with Adam Yaron. MacPherson talked about the song, “‘Safe to Say’ is about acknowledging the uncertainties of growing up and going through life, and wanting to hear your partner say that the love shared between you two is, at the least, not something that should ever be questioned. It’s a song that asks for assurance from someone in a period of life where nothing is ever guaranteed.”

He saved his viral hit song, “Last Minute” (millions on TikTok) for the encore… a treat for his diehard fans who stayed until the end of the show.

Despite joking that it was “quiet like a library”, you can tell that Sam MacPherson will include Minneapolis again when he books his next tour.

MacPherson’s eight-song EP Powerlines is out now. Look for his forthcoming project later this year via Elektra Entertainment.

Remaining tour dates:

May 2, 2023 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement
May 4, 2023 – Austin, TX @ The Parish
May 5, 2023 – Dallas, TX @ Cambridge Room
May 6, 2023 – Houston, TX @ Bronze Peacock
May 8, 2023 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
May 9, 2023 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
May 11, 2023 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
May 13, 2023 – Portland, OR @ Holocene
May 16, 2023 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord
May 18, 2023 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
May 19, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour

Mikey Ferrari

Mikey Ferrari

Mikey Ferrari

Sam MacPherson

Sam MacPherson

Sam MacPherson

Sam MacPherson

Sam MacPherson at 7th St Entry, Minneapolis (29 April 2023)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Transviolet at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (28 April 2023)

Transviolet Setlist Fever Freak Like Me Bloodstream Money Money Undo Future Bad Intentions Tropics How Lucky Naive The Hamptons Everything Everything Drugs in California Girls Your Age Devils Love and Power Destroy Destroy Destroy -- Encore -- Run Towards The Monster Pretty Head Jagwar Setlist The Circle Down To You Loser Great Time To Be Human I Like To Party Online Long Time Coming It's Your Time Happy Face Read More Transviolet Opening up the show was Los Angeles' Transviolet, a four-piece pop band featuring singer Sarah McTaggart, guitarist Judah McCarthy, bass player Mike Panek and drummer Jon Garcia. … Jagwar Twin Arrive early for Roy English, the creative spirit behind Jagwar Twin, in support of sophomore album, 33, out now and featuring single, “Happy Face”. The follow up to 2019 album, Subject To Flooding, he’s taken a nod from Adele in terms of naming the album. …

Los Angeles’ alternate pop/rock band Transviolet (singer Sarah McTaggart guitarist Judah McCarthy, multi-instrumentalist Michael Panek, and drummer Jon Garcia) returned to Minneapolis, headlining the 7th Street Entry on Friday night.

Opening the show was Jagwar Twin (Roy English). Joining English on stage was his drummer, Luke V on guitars, and a video person (who was perhaps live broadcasting the entire show). They had a fog machine that was constantly running and they seemed excited to play tracks from 33 (Big Loud Rock).

From what I’ve heard, they sounded really good. Great vocals. It’s amped up, but you can tell that English can really, really sing. Songs like “Loser” had “L” hand signs, while “I Like to Party” was pure dancing/going wild.

Highlight of the set was before “Great Time To Be Human”, Luke V (solo artist Luke Villegas) brought out his melodica. English claims that V can play “any song”. To prove his point, he asked the audience to name a song. Sometime shouted out “The Office Theme Song”… in which V started to play the theme song.

The group ended their set with “Happy Face”, with its catchy chorus, “Hey, put on a happy face”. While the song is on an upbeat, happy note, you do get a sense of sad commentary when English sings, “Death of my generation.”

Transviolet came on stage in near darkness. That’s because when they reveal the outfit what singer Sarah McTaggart was wearing, in Jem’s catchphrase, it was truly outrageous! McTaggart, of course, was completely comfortable dancing and jumping and singing in her body… just like their new album (and theme) The Body.

Transviolet (13 Oct 2015)

To be perfectly honest, it didn’t surprise me, because when we first saw the band, on their first-ever tour, in Oct 2015, I commented, “Based on their bright sound and love for performing live music, this band will be on the road to bigger, better things.”

What I should add is that when you watch Transviolet, in 2015, it was impossible to take your eyes off McTaggart. The way she moves, the way she sings, the way her arms expressed itself… you just knew this band was giving it their all.

Seeing the band, now, in 2023, you can easily see that Transviolet was just very, very happy to be on stage again, performing their songs for their fans. It was heartbreaking to hear McTaggart, on stage, telling the story about how the band was touring in 2020, right before the pandemic hit. Their last show, in Denver (which someone in the audience was at that show), the band thought that was it. That was the last show ever. The end of the world. Now the band is in a much happier mood, now that concerts are back.

If you love alternative rock, big arena pop/rock songs, definitely check out Transviolet. Their latest album, The Body, is out now.

Remaing Tour Dates

04/29 — Cudahy, WI — X-Ray Arcade
04/30 — Chicago, IL — Schubas
05/02 — Columbus, OH — Rumba Cafe
05/03 — Pittsburgh, PA — The Crafthouse Stage & Grill
05/05 — Allston, MA — Brighton Music Hall
05/06 — Brooklyn, NY — Elsewhere
05/08 — Philadelphia, PA — The Fillmore
05/09 — Washington, DC — DC9
05/10 — Carrboro, NC — Cat’s Cradle
05/11 — Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade
05/13 — Orlando, FL — HENAO Contemporary Center
05/14 — West Palm Beach, FL — Respectable Street
05/15 — Tampa, FL — The Orpheum
05/17 — New Orleans, LA — House of Blues
05/18 — Houston, TX — House of Blues
05/19 — Austin, TX — Antone’s
05/20 — Dallas, TX — Dada’s
05/22 — Santa Fe, NM — Meow Wolf
05/25 — San Diego, CA — House of Blues
05/26 — Los Angeles, CA — The Echo

Jagwar

Jagwar Twin

Jagwar Twin

Jagwar Twin

Transviolet

Transviolet

Transviolet

Transviolet at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (28 April 2023)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Tanukichan at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (26 Apr 2023)

04/26 Tanukichan with Winter at 7th St Entry Tanukichan Setlist Escape Don’t Give Up Take Care Bitter Medicine Lazy Love Like the Sun A Bad Dream Enough Tomorrow The Blue Sky Thin Air Like You Thank You (Dido cover) Hunned Bandz Been Here Before This Time Read More Tanukichan Highlight of their show for me was their song finale, "Mtn Tune", featuring a great guitar solo by Hannah Van Loon. … Winter Los Angeles-based dream pop/shoegaze band Winter, they are touring in support of their debut LP earlier this year on Lolipop Records, with all-new single on Burger Records. …

San Francisco’s Tanukichan (Hannah van Loon) just headlined the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on Wednesday night. She’s touring in support of her sophomore album GIZMO (Company Records).

Opening the show was Winter (Samira Winter), playing some tracks from her latest album What Kind of Blue Are You? (Bar/None Records).

There was a row of Winter fans in the middle of the dance floor, often screaming “I love you!”. Winter would acknowledge them, saying this was the “best crowd ever” and that she sometime needed words of encouragement.

They must have had sound problems, because for the first song, Winter’s mic was really undermixed and you could barely hear her vocals. It got better by the time “Lose You” was played.

With better vocals, I can hear the last three songs, “Mr. on-my-Mind”, “Good”, and “Kind of Blue”, the title track to her new album.

Tanukichan came on stage shortly after and played selections from her two albums, Sundays and GIZMO. She seems to favor the new songs, possibly because she got to work with Toro Y Moi’s Chaz Bear… which is very ethereal, noisy, and shoegazing. This is so weird, considering that Van Loon started as a fiddle player in a bluegrass band, before joining pop band Trails and Ways.

Trails and Ways (24 Jun 2015)

Speaking of which, yes, of course, we’ve seen Trails and Ways before, in Jun 2015, writing: “Highlight of their show for me was their song finale, "Mtn Tune", featuring a great guitar solo by Hannah Van Loon.”

Of the new songs, “Take Care” was played early in the set. The song was written when Van Loon was depressed… probably due to the COVID pandemic. She mentioned in an interview, “It was painful to feel isolated and I craved companionship or friendship even more, but I knew that someday I would come out of it, and hopefully we would be friends again.”

Despite feeling depressed, much of Gizmo’s songs are positive/happy lyrics.

Remaining tour dates:

4/27 Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
4/28 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
4/29 Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
4/30 Montreal, QC Bar @ Le Ritz
5/2 New York, NY @ Baby's All Right
5/3 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
5/4 Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
5/8 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Upstairs
5/9 Austin, TX @ Mohawk (Indoors)
5/10 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
5/12 Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
5/13Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party
5/15 Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
5/16 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
5/17 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
5/19 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill

Winter

Winter

Winter

Tanukichan

Tanukichan at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (26 Apr 2023)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Mo Lowda and the Humble at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (21 April 2023)

04/21 Mo Lowda & The Humble with Illiterate Light at 7th St Entry Tour Dates 4/22/23 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall 4/25/23 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge 4/26/23 - Columbia, MO @ Rose Music Hall 4/27/23 - Kansas City, MO @ Encore 4/29/23 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre * = all dates with Illiterate Light Read More Mo Lowda Mo Lowda & The Humble will be headlining the 7th Street Entry on April 21, 2023. Illiterate Light will open the show. The duo (singer-guitarist Jeff Gorman and drummer … Illiterate Light Rock duo Illiterate Light (Jeff Gorman and Jake Cochran) will be stopping by the 7th Street Entry this February 7th. Richmond’s indie-rock quartet Camp Howard to open. …

Philadelphia’s Mo Lowda and the Humble headlined the 7th Street Entry on Friday, April 21, 2023.

Opening up the show was explosive guitar/drum Virginia duo Illiterate Light (singer-guitarist Jeff Gorman and drummer Jake Cochran). The group is touring in support of their album Sunburned, out now via Thirty Tigers.

They opened their set with “Wake Up Now”, running at 100 miles per hour. Their high energy performance continues to “Closer”, seeing Jeff head-banging and Jake standing on amps or running through the crowd… the band never seem to slow down. When they are transition between songs (tuning), they’re often playing random notes and drum noises so there’s no dead air.

Highlight of their set was a cover of Neil Young’s “Vampire Blues”, but they’ve extended the song in length and long middle-break.

They ended their 45-min set with “Better Than I Used To”, singing “Some days, I feel good and some days, I feel bad… but every time that I think of you, I feel better than I used to.”

Despite the freeze and snow (in mid-April!), fans lined up outside the Entry to try to get in to see Mo Lowda and the Humble, which is a good sign for this dynamic, progressive alternative rock band.

Speaking of the weather, the band (which started as a trio song singer/songwriter Jordan Caiola, drummer Shane Woods, and bassist Nate Matulis) gained notice when they signed to Bell Tower Records, to release their debut album Curse The Weather, in 2013.

Now the group expanded with touring member Kirby Sybert, for their new album self-titled album and touring strong and building up a strong fanbase from across the country.

Speaking to some new fans, they’ve never seen Mo Lowda before, but through word of mouth, they decided to come check out the band. If they love the band, they’re going to spread the word to their friends… and that’s the best kind of advertisement.

Mo Lowda and the Humble’s self-titled album is out now.

Illiterate Light

Illiterate Light

Illiterate Light

Mo Lowda

Mo Lowda & The Humble at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (21 April 2023)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Academic at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (18 April 2023)

Academic Setlist Why Can't We Be Friends Anything Could Happen Mixtape 2003 Let Go of My Heart Pushing Up Daisies This Is Your Life I Feel It Too Buying Smokes Don't Take It Personally What's Wrong With Me Acting My Age Homesick Northern Boy My Very Best Step My Way Different Right Where You Left Me Girlfriends Bear Claws Tour Dates 4/21/23 – Denver, Globe Hall 4/22/23 – Salt Lake City, Soundwell 4/24/23 – Seattle, Madame Lou’s 4/25/23 – Vancouver, Biltmore Cabaret 4/26/23 – Portland, Holocene 4/28/23 – San Francisco, Brick + Mortar 4/29/23 – Los Angeles, Troubadour Read More The Academic Irish indie rockers The Academic will open the show. After this US tour, the Choice Music Prize nominee band will be returning to the UK to play some of their biggest headlining gigs this November. …

Irish indie rock band, The Academic, stopped by the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, in support of their sophomore album, Sitting Pretty.

Opening the show was local, by the way of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Daphne Jane. Jane is joined on stage with her band: Nate on guitar, Anna on bass, Connor on keys, and Martin on drums. Jane seems to love being on stage, this may be because she’s been writing music and playing gigs since she was just 12 years old. Again, she rather be nowhere but on stage, as she mentioned she’s actually missing graduate day to be here with us.

Most of her 30-min set were taken from her Dreamland EP with songs from her debut album, I Wish I Was in the Clouds, including a couple of pink songs: “Pinky Promises” and “Pinkest Eclipses” (which ended the set), “Green”, the title track “Dreamland”, and “Gemini.”

Highlight was a cover of Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me”, which Jane declares is the “greatest song ever.”

Since it’s an all-ages show, The Academic (Craig Fitzgerald on lead vocals and guitar, Matthew Murtagh on guitar, Stephen Murtagh on bass, and Dean Gavin on drums) showed up on time, and early, clocking in at 8pm, and ready to rock & roll. They started off strong with “Why Can't We Be Friends”, even letting the fans finish the chorus. It’s hard to believe that it’s been six years since they played First Avenue’s room with Judah & The Lion, in Sep 2017. The band is now playing their own headlining show to their diehard fans.

Speaking of fans, I’ve never seen so much adoration from their audience. They’re constantly trying to give gifts to singer, such as flowers, letters, and journal books. When receiving the book, Craig noted, “we are writing songs for the third album on the road” (indicating that he’ll use the book to write the new songs).

And speaking of being on the road, the Irish band is experiencing the USA in full. They announced that they were at their first Denny’s, with everyone going around telling us what they had - from a healthy veggie omelet to their own grand slam with turkey. It’s a wonder they’re not dead… and ironically, the band started playing “Pushing Up Daisies.”

The Academic’s new album, Sitting Pretty, is out now.

PS Before the Academic came on stage, you can hear Supergrass’ “Alright” and Blur’s “Coffee & TV”… their sound guy is clearly a Britpop fan. 

 

Daphne Jane

Daphne Jane

Daphne Jane

Daphne Jane

The Academic

The Academic

The Academic

The Academic

The Academic at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (18 April 2023)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com