W♥M

Cover Lover: Valentine's Edition

Read more Cover Lover.

Read More Julio Iglesias [04 Sep 2019] Dan Warner (American musician for Julio Iglesias), heart attack [03 Sep 2019] LaShawn Daniels (American songwriter), 41, traffic collision [02 Sep 2019] Laurent Sinclair (French keyboardist and composer for Taxi Girl), 58 …

Julio Iglesias Jr.
julioiglesiasjronline.com

Spanish singer and model, Julio Iglesias Jr. (son of Julio Iglesias), is releasing his all-English album Under the Covers… just in time for Valentine’s Day. The romantic album represent Iglesias’ eclectic mix of hit songs, but reimagined in the style of a classic big-band/swing sound (complete with Iglesias’ crooner vocals).

Not only are these covers, but Iglesias has also tapped the original artists to duet - so you’ll find Jewel, Brian McKnight, Benny Mardones, and Right Said Fred with new vocals, on these recordings.

You can laugh when they sing, “I’m too sexy, too sexy, for this song!” (hear it for yourself on YouTube)

Under The Covers Tracklist:

1. What’s Going On
2. Careless Whisper (with Jewel)
3. Shape of You
4. Everybody Wants To Rule The World
5. Just The Way You Are
6. Heaven Is A Place On Earth
7. Into The Night (with Benny Mardones)
8. Wicked Game
9. I’m Too Sexy (with Right Said Fred)
10. Overjoyed / I Just Called to Say I Love You / Isn't She Lovely (with Brian McKnight)

Read More Daniel Johnston Also, singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston recently died of a heart attack at the age of 58. You may recall that we’re big fans and wrote about him in Sep 2009 and was scheduled to see him in person in August 2016 … but unfortunately .…

Daniel Johnston
hihowareyou.com

Shimmy-Disc has just released the vinyl edition of I Killed The Monster, an 11-track compilation of songs written by the celebrated American music legend, Daniel Johnston. Originally released on CD only in 2006, but this new version is re-mastered by Kramer in 2022, for digital, CD, vinyl, and on limited edition cassette.

I Killed The Monster: The Songs of Daniel Johnston - TRACKLISTING:

Disc 1, Vinyl Version & Cassette Side A

01. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Your Grievances (Dot Allison)
02. Worried Shoes (Danielson & Sufjan Stevens)
03. Bloody Rainbow (Kramer)
04. Cathy Cline (R. Stevie Moore)
05. Follow That Dream (Kimya Dawson)
06. Honey I Sure Miss You (Lumberob)
07. True Love Will Find You In The End (Jad Fair & Kramer)
08. Blue Skies Will Haunt You From Now On (The Electric Ghosts)
09. The Adventures of God as A Young Boy (Jeffrey Lewis)
10. Walking the Cow (Mike Watt)
11. It's Over (Tess)

Digital Bonus Tracks & Cassette Side B

01. Held The Hand (Joy Zipper)
02. Tears Stupid Tears (Rope, Inc.)
03. Going Down (Chris Harford)
04. Rowboat (Mad Francis)
05. Mind Contorted (Major Matt Mason USA)
06. Now (Toby Goodshank)
07. Go Fast And Go Some More (The Dick Panthers)
08. Foxy Girl (The Sutcliffe's)
09. Cosmic Kid (Kickstand)
10. Love Wheel (Emily Zuzik)

Read More Nirvana There's never been a more exciting time to be a Nirvana fan than now, 20 years after Nevermind was released. I remember the first time I saw Nirvana on Spin Magazine…

Mona Mur
monamur.com

German vocalist, composer and audio designer Mona Mur will be releasing Teen Icon on February 17th, via Give/Take Records. In the 80s, Mur can be found working with FM Einheit, Mark Chung, and can be heard on video game and film soundtracks.

Her latest Teen Icon features two cover songs: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana and “Icon” by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Why were these songs chosen? For “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, it was renowned German arthouse film director Elfi Mikesch, who suggested Mona Mur take on the song in her version. Mona created a heavier, doomier version, of the song.

As for “Icon”, that was through a request for a recent tribute album. Mona had never conceived of covering Siouxsie before, but took on the challenge.

Here’s additional information, from Mona Mur.

TEEN ICON - new MONA MUR Digital Single coming 17.2. on GIVE/TAKE !

I have the pleasure to announce another MM single – coming digitally to you on Friday, February 17th, with the good people of GIVE/TAKE. The TEEN ICON – will explain shortly. As the two tracks of this single may be familiar to you. Originally planned to be part of SNAKE ISLAND, we decided to give them an extra kick. SNAKE ISLAND is my first album where I am not only the singer but also the guitarist – besides the huge talents of Gary Schmalzl, En Esch and Goldkind. We are planning to bring this on stage as well - you can’t have enough guitars, can you.

Read More Loretta Lynn The First Lady of Country Music, Loretta Lynn, has died at the age of 90. Lynn is the most awarded female country recording artist and the only female ACM Artist of the Decade, scoring 24 No. 1 hit singles and 11 number one albums. …

Eilen Jewell
eilenjewell.com

For one night only, American singer/songwriter Eilen Jewell and her band, will do a cover concert for Loretta Lynn at the Brunswick Ballroom (in Melbourne, Australia) on March 12. You can find many of these songs on Jewell’s 2010 album Butcher Holler – A Tribute To Loretta Lynn.

The Brunswick Ballroom writes: “Get ready to step back in time and experience the raw and powerful music of Loretta Lynn, as Eilen and her band take the stage at the Brunswick Ballroom. On Sunday, March 12th, they will pay tribute to Lynn's groundbreaking contributions to country music and her fearless approach to songwriting…”

Tour dates:

Mar 3 Fri The Archies Creek Hotel @ Archies Creek
Mar 4 Sat Theatre Royal @ Castlemaine
Mar 7 Tue Factory Theatre @ Lo Carmen Sydney
Mar 9 Thu Thornbury Theatre Thornbury
Mar 10 Fri Port Fairy Folk Festival 2023 Port Fairy
Mar 11 Sat Port Fairy Folk Festival 2023 Port Fairy
Mar 12 Sun Brunswick Ballroom, Melbourne, Australia
Mar 14 Tue The Espy @ St Kilda
Mar 15 Wed Eltham Hotel @ Eltham
Mar 16 Thu The Zoo @ Fortitude Valley Qld
Mar 18 Sat Blue Mountains Music Festival of Folk Katoomba
Mar 19 Sun Blue Mountains Music Festival of Folk, Katoomba
Apr 15 Sat Churchill Arts Council @ Fallon, NV
May 6 Sat WMNF Tropical Heatwave 2023 @ Ybor City, FL
May 10 Wed City Winery Nashville @ Nashville, TN
May 11 Thu Eddie's Attic @ Decatur, GA
May 12 Fri The Grey Eagle @ Asheville, NC
May 13 Sat Albino Skunk Music Festival 2023 @ Greer, SC
Jun 24 Sat Green River Festival 2023 @ Greenfield, MA
Jul 8 Sat Center for the Arts Homer, NY, United States

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Minneapolis: January 1 to January 6

01/01 Charlie Parr with Greta Ruth at Turf Club Read More Charlie Parr Last of the Better Days Ahead is the new collection of songs from Minnesotan Charlie Parr. What’s important to note is that the album is being released on Smithsonian Folkways, the non-profit record label …

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

01/01/2023 Sunday

Charlie Parr
with Greta Ruth
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

As with previous years, Duluth’s Charlie Parr is doing a month-long residency at the Turf Club in St Paul.

We recently saw Parr with Trampled By Turtles at the Armory in Nov 2022 and wrote, “Charlie Parr opened up with his weathered steel guitar and friend, Mick, playing what Parr called: “The washing machine.” Even with no band Parr had no trouble filling the cavernous space of the Armory with an earthy voice that rose to all three levels and into the rafters of the venue. Born in Austin, MN and now residing in Duluth, Parr’s musical style of folk and blues seems to be from another era. Still, he instantly connected with the sold out crowd with a generous set of 12 songs ranging from a career that has produced 16 albums…”

Charlie Parr at the Turf Club Residency in January 2023.

01/01 with Greta Ruth
01/08 with Todd Albright
01/15 with Haley
01/22 with Mike Gangloff & Adam Kiesling
01/29 with Emma Jeanne

01/02 The Cactus Blossoms with Lanue at Turf Club Read More The Cactus Blossoms Ahead of their 2022 tour for their new album One Day For February 11, Minneapolis duo The Cactus Blossoms (brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum) will be playing a residency at the Turf Club, every Monday. …

01/02/2023 Monday

The Cactus Blossoms
with Lanue
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Local favorite band The Cactus Blossoms is once again doing a residency at the Turf Club in January 2023.

The brother duo recently released their Bob Dylan cover EP, If Not For You (Bob Dylan Songs Vol 1).

Jack Torrey (half of the Cactus Blossoms) said, “We had recorded a version of "Went to See The Gypsy” a while back and we were thinking about doing an EP of other people’s songs, but then it just made sense to stick with all Dylan tunes. He’s written a million songs and he’s always been an inspiration for us. So many of Bob Dylan’s songs are filled with wonderful phrasing that doesn’t really lend itself to harmony singing, so we got together and started singing some of his songs to see which ones we could bend into our world.” 

We last saw Cactus Blossoms at their album release instore for One Day in Feb 2022 and noted, “Immediately after the release of The Cactus Blossoms’ new album, One Day, the American duo appeared at three stores, performing at Mill City Sound (in Hopkins), Down In The Valley (in Golden Valley), and Electric Fetus (in Minneapolis), all on February 12th.”

Tour Dates

01/02 with Lanue
01/09 with Michael Gay
01/16 with Molly Brandt
01/23 with Pit Stop
01/30 with Pieta Brown
02/23 - Bellevue, WA - Wintergrass Music Festival
02/24 - Bellevue, WA - Wintergrass Music Festival

01/06 ZEPPO with 5cent Reality at Turf Club Read More Led Zeppelin Robert Plant apparently kiboshed a Led Zeppelin reunion guaranteeing $800 mil. from Richard Branson. 35 dates in 3 cities (London, Berlin, NJ). .…

01/06/2022 Friday

ZEPPO
with 5cent Reality
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Yes, it’s a Led Zeppelin cover lover band, Zeppo. If you love the Zep, you’ll probably be at this Turf Club show on January 6th.

According to their bio, it’s not a traditional tribute band, so no wigs, no costumes, and the band members don’t look like Robert Plant…

5cent Reality to open.

Band members includes:

John Eller (Shiny Lights, Shabby Road Orchestra)

Paul Boblett (Fathom Lane, Faith Boblett)

Terrance J. Fisher (Run Westy Run)

Noah Levy (Brian Setzer, BoDeans, Honeydogs)

Mark Mraz (Mraz Brothers Band, Raggs, Sloppy Joels)

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

City Knights Band at Coon Rapids Festival (03 July 2022)

Third Setlist Get Down Tonight KC & The Sunshine Band Freak Out Chic Super Freak Rick James Cherry Bomb The Runaways Never Been to Spain Three Dog Night Get Ready / Celebrate (medley) The Temptations/Three Dog Night Long Train Running Doobie Brothers Fire/ Shout (medley) Pointer Sisters/The Isley Brothers Pretzel Logic Steely Dan -- Alternates -- Break Down Roadhouse Blues Roll the Dice Soul Man New Girl Now Thunder Island Drift Away Read More Bruce Springsteen Today is July 4th, America's Independence Day. I have put together a collection of Americana/Roots music as theme. Some artists are not strictly in this genre, and to group them together might be unfair …

The city of Coon Rapids in Minnesota is celebrating the Four of July with a long weekend event, that they’ve called Coon Rapids Festival. The annual fireworks was voted “Top Fireworks Show in Minnesota”, so it’s something to check out, if you’re in the area.

Parking was pretty easy at the Coon Rapids Ice Center & Recreation, with plenty of overflow parking a block nearby. It’s a nice park and walk to the open field.

As usual with these events, there are some fun carnival rides, carnival food (think cheese curds and lemonade), games, and parade. It all ends on Monday, July 4th, with a giant display of fireworks.

We attended the Sunday event, which feature live band City Knights Band (misspelled as City Nights Band on the Coon Rapids website). According to the mayor of Coon Rapids, Jerry Koch, they originally didn’t have a band ready for Sunday. They had already booked Saturday and Monday. He talked to a local business Shortstop Bar and Grill, and they said they would provide a band, free of charge. The entire live music booking was thanks to Shortstop.

City Knights Band is a local cover band, and since they had to play for four hours (6pm to 10pm) they actually play three sets. Setlist three features more funk/R&B songs, but set one had more Americana feel (like a cover of John Mellencamp’s “Ain’t That America”), etc.

The band also lists “Alternative Songs”, which they can swap out to extend or shorten set… or if they felt like it.

Schedule:

July 2-4, 2022
Boulevard Plaza
11000 Crooked Lake Blvd

The 4th of July Celebration is a popular event filled with tons of fun activities for every age to enjoy. View live music and a community parade, play games, ride rides or participate in a 5k run. Make sure you don't miss the grand finale fireworks, voted a Top Fireworks Show in Minnesota!

July 2-4 (Each Day of the Celebration)
Noon-10 p.m. - Carnival, North Star Lions Food & Beer Tent, Pull Tabs and Food Trucks

Saturday, July 2
5-11 p.m. - Car Show
6-10 p.m. - Live Music: The Castaways

Sunday, July 3
1 p.m. - Parade
6-10 p.m. - Live Music: City Knights Band
5-10 p.m. - Coon Rapids High School All-School Reunion

Monday, July 4
8 a.m. - Firecracker 5k
9:15 a.m. - Firecracker 5k awards
9:30 a.m. - Kids Sparkler Dash
6-10 p.m. - Live Music: Rockin' Hollywoods
10 p.m. - Fireworks!

The Coon Rapids 4th of July Celebration is sponsored by the Coon Rapids North Star Lions Club, the Coon Rapids Community Strength Foundation and the Coon Rapids Fire Department Social Club.

Coon Rapids Festival

Kamikaze Ride

The Rock Star Ride

City Knights Band

City Knights Band at Coon Rapids Festival (03 July 2022)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Animal Christmas Covers

Read More Spoon Daniel’s voice and guitar work moved from elegance to fierceness almost on a coin-flip, and the songs on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga received the most enthusiastic response. ....

Read more Christmas, Cover Lover and When Animals Attack.

SPOON
spoontheband.com

Last month, Spoon shared their version of The Beatles 1967 fan club single “Christmas Time (Is Here Again)”, as part of the Spotify Singles: Holiday Edition 2021. The collection marks the fifth year of Spotify Singles: Holiday.

Frontman Britt Daniel says about the track, “Recording ‘Christmas Time (Is Here Again)’ was a group effort that pulled us away from rehearsals and quickly sent us down a turbulent path of what you might call the Christmas spirit. And it’s our song with the most band members doing vocals ever - pretty sure I’m counting four. THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS IS OVER.”

While we are at it, Spoon also announced the title of their forthcoming tenth studio album will be called Lucifer On the Sofa. The record will come out February 11th, 2022.

Spoon Tour Dates

12/31/21 - NYE at ACL Live at the Moody Theater – Austin TX

Read More Black Pumas With three Grammy nominations (for “Album of the Year,” “Record of the Year” & “American Roots”), it’s clear that Austin’s Black Pumas are on the top of their game. …

BLACK PUMAS
theblackpumas.com

Ahead of their tour, Austin’s Black Pumas released their Christmas single, a cover of Lou Rawls’ “Christmas Will Really Be Christmas”. The song will be available as part of the Spotify Holiday Singles.

“We were really attracted to the message, the lyrics, the arrangement, the feeling,” frontman Eric Burton says. “It’s a message that needs to be heard right now. I was a little nervous about singing in Lou Rawls’ low register, so I sang it an octave higher and it was nice to arrange vocals with the ladies [backup singers Lauren Cervantes and Angela Miller] as well to put our own spin on it.”

Tour Dates

12/12/21 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
12/15/21 - San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
12/16/21 - San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
12/17/21 - Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater
12/18/21 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues Las Vegas
2/4/22 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
2/5/22 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
2/26/22 - 2/27/22 - Tempe, AZ @ Innings Festival
3/2/22 - 3/5/22 - Cancún, Mexico @ My Morning Jacket's One Big Holiday
3/19/22 - 3/20/22 - Mexico City, CDMX @ Vive Latino
3/25/22 - 3/27/22 - São Paulo, SP @ Lollapalooza Brasil
3/25/22 - 3/27/22 - Bogotá, Colombia @ Estereo Picnic
3/27/22 - 3/29/22 - Boston, MA @ Boston Calling
6/18/22 - Oslo, Norway @ Rockefeller Music Hall
6/19/22 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Berns
6/21/22 - Hamburg, Germany @ Fabrik
6/22/22 - Dortmund, DE @ FZW
6/29/22 - Roskilde, Denmark @ Roskilde Festival
6/30/22 - Barcelona, Spain @ Vida Festival
7/8/22 - 7/10/22 - Trenčín, Slovakia @ Pohoda Festival
7/8/22 - Madrid, Spain @ Mad Cool Festival

SURFBORT
surfbortruinedmylife.com

Punk band Surfbort released their cover of Elmo & Patsy’s “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”

Singer Dani Miller, talks about this festive song, “I think Christmas holidays are a sham and can be lonely and messed up, but we love our grandma and love seeing family on the holidays. Because last year's holiday season was dark we wanted to cover a song that had humor and played off a twisted holiday season. Santa is lame, but family love is where it's at (even if you prefer your found family more). My grandma and grandpa made the cover art! Linda Perry inspired us and produced the song and I'm so happy she had us ring in the holidays. I hope you blast ‘Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer’ and feel the love from Surfbort this holiday season.”

Tour dates:

12/12/2021 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Novy God 2021

Read More Steklovata I caught a brief glimpse at "Новый год" (New Year) on Rocketboom and was so amused by this Russian boy-band, that I had to find out more information on them. …

I know it’s 2021, but I’m revisiting some good viral music from days of yore.

Somehow, one way or another, YouTube’s been recommending me Steklovata (Стеклоvата ). You might remember that I first discover this Russian orphan boy band in March 2008… mostly amused by their video for “Новый год” (or “Novy God”… translated to “New Year”). I posted the original video (in 2008)… which is now long gone from YouTube. Fortunately, other fans have reposted the video (with typo “Novi God”) and over the years … reposted in 2011 with over 4 million views. Many new fans were inspired by “Novi God” that they’ve done their own renditions of it…

Sure, I know some were amused by the awkwardness of the original four Russian boys… but it does take some effort to study and lip-sync, dance, or made up their own lyrics. The original Steklovata doesn’t take offense to it… they seemed honored that their music have brought so much joy and happiness to people, that as recent as Jan 2020, the band (three of them) reformed to redo “Novy God” for 2020.

It’s easy to brush them off as meme, but if you take the time to listen to the song, it’s actually quite good. Personally speaking, it’s probably better than anything on modern radio.

According to user Dereks:

You know, in general they are nothing special at all. The band is just another example of "Ласковый Май" (Laskoviy May / Gentle May) trend that exploded at the down of the USSR era. Laskoviy May was purely commercial project. One producer created a band of orphan boys with very tearful luscious glossy lyrics. In general, it was a normal success of another pop-band. But since all the boys were of pre-pubertal age, all of them had almost similar high voices. You just needed another boy under the age of 12 with basic musical skills and he would sound indistinguishable from the original "Laskoviy Maj". Thus by the end of the 80's there were literally dozens of same bands of orphan boys performing all over Russia. Sometimes they even went under the same names.

So Steklovata is part of that "orphan-band" movement, which still sometimes emerges in small province cities. But their feature, that turned them into a meme is their name. Steklovata in Russian means "glass wool". As you see, it's nothing sweet and glossy in that title…

Also they are using some elements of low-class language, criminal slang, which also promoted them to their success (in terms of becoming a meme, of course).

With that said, I hope you have a wonderful novy novy novy novy god for 2021.

Katches Kids Recreates Novy God	Novy God (Koplo Version)
Новый Год (Стекловата 2021)	Metal Cover
Gourmet-salute! to Steklovata	STEKLOHATA-NOVY GOD
МАЛЬЧИШКИ - НОВЫЙ ГОД 2020	Polish parody No. 1
Russian Snow Boys - Happy New Year (Hardbass)	German Tribute
Latvian parody	Steklovata: Novy God 2020

Steklovata: “Novy God” (the original)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Cover Lover: Amanda Palmer, Outshine, and Pterodactyl Problems

Read More Amanda Palmer I have to admit, Amanda Palmer puts on a very good live show. I knew what to expect, having seen her previously, but it was a different type of show at her appearance last night at First Avenue. This is one of the reasons why we love …

AMANDA PALMER
amandapalmer.net

I’ve always liked Dresden Dolls, so when Amanda Palmer went solo, I naturally followed her adventures. Every time I see her live, she always puts on a great show. I’ll never forget seeing author Neil Gaiman at one of my shows, and was shocked to see how chummy they were (I didn’t it until later, but they were dating at that time).

Palmer was down-under (in Australia), and covered Midnight Oil’s hit song “Beds Are Burning”, featuring Missy Higgins on lead vocals. The song was part of Palmer’s Forty-Five Degrees: A Bushfire Charity Flash Record, a charity album in response to the bushfire crisis plaguing Australia at that time.

If you like Midnight Oil, you’ll be pleased to hear that she also covered “Truganini”, featuring Montaigne. You can hear both of these songs on YouTube, go here for “Beds Are Burning”.

Track listing

1 My Favourite Things (Bushfire Edition)
2 Beds Are Burning
3 The Drover's Boy
4 Black Smoke
5 Suck It Up, Buttercup
6 Truganini
7 Solid Rock
8 Regional Echo

Read More Kavinsky Ever since I saw the trailer to Drive, I wanted to see the film. What I didn't know at the time was that the movie is directed by one of my favorite (new) director, Nicolas Refn, who did one of my favorite film a few years ago called Valhalla Rising. ....

OUTSHINE
outshineofficial.com

Sweden’s Outshine released their cover of “Nightcall” last month. We first heard the Kavinsky (featuring Lovefoxxx) song as the soundtrack to Nicolas Refn’s Drive in 2011. It’s a stand-out song that follows that Beauty & the Beast formula (a growly dark male vocals in contrast to a sugar sweet female vocal), and it works really well in that song.

It’s obvious that Outshine heard this song, liked it, but didn’t really want to include the nice girl-vocals, instead, making their version deliberately dark and dreadful.

A few years ago, we caught London Grammar in Feb 2015 was surprised to hear that covered “Nightcall” on their live set.

Prior to this, The Bluetones frontsman Mark Morriss covered “Nightcall” on his album A Flash of Darkness in 2013.

About the same time, Natalie McCool released “Nightcall” medley with “Real Hero” on her 2013 self-titled album.

There’s something about that song, I just can’t explain…

Read More Adele First up is Adele's 21 album has sold over 25 million records worldwide (10 million in the U.S. alone!). According to the press announcement, Adele is the only European female artist in history to earn this "Diamond Certification" …

PTERODACTYL PROBLEMS
pterodactylproblems.com

Toronto rockers Pterodactyl Problems released their cover of Adele’s “Hello” on Spotify on Valentine’s Day (Feb 14, 2020). You can listen to the song via show.co/pS57a7I or buy it on Amazon.

The band is described as genre-bending, genre-defiling… and apparently now gender-bending version of “Hello”. Overall, if you like the original song, you’ll like Pterodactyl Problems’ version - which played faithfully to the original song.

Adele at the Theatre De La Jeune Lune (02 Jun 2008)

It’s hard to believe how big and far-reaching Adele’s music have gotten. There was a time that no one’s heard of Adele. I had front-row seating to see the singer when she came through town in June 2008. Tickets were $17. My memory is bad as usual, but I don’t remember seeing a packed venue - but was told the show was sold out at 600 capacity. Still... that's a tiny number for someone like Adele. This was Adele’s first time in the U.S.A…

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Kristin Kontrol: Last Christmas

Kristin Kontrol: Last Christmas Read More Kristin Kontrol We are also very excited to see that Dee Dee (from Dum Dum Girls) will be opening for Garbage under her music project Kristin Kontrol. When we saw DDG in 2014 when .… Dum Dum Girls Dum Dum Girls - too cute and popular for this earth ... and CMJ (yet they played some shows). .… …

The news that George Michael died hit us pretty hard on Christmas. We’re still pretty shocked that he’s dead. Obviously, fans from around the world have expressed how much his music meant to them... including James Corden’s heartfelt tribute to Michael.

As previously mentioned, George Michael was my first cassette (Listen Without Prejudice) that I purchased with my own money. And admittedly I’ve lost touch of keeping up with George Michael post-Older, but I still love the music and those great lyrics.

Anyway, the news of George Michael’s death hit Dee Dee (currently as Kristin Kontrol) unexpected too. She actually recorded a cover of Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’, but it was barred from release. The timing felt right, and she posted the link, read more below.

Kristin Kontrol wrote:

December 25, 2016 at 7:48pm

So sad we lost another incredible artist this year. Rest in power, George Michael. A few years ago I recorded a cover of "Last Christmas" as a b-side to an Xmas original. An innocent homage out of love. This was proto-KK as produced by Kurt Feldman (Ice Choir). Was never allowed to release it but f*** it. <3

soundcloud.com/kristinkontrol

We caught KK last year with Garbage at the Skyway Theatre and wrote, “Kristin’s voice has a dreamlike way of getting to you as you listen and even with the dance tunes you get that vibe that you're in the clouds.”

Incidentally, in Dum Dum Girls news, did you all noticed the DDG’s poster in Episode 6 of Netflix’s The OA? In the first few minutes of that episode, we see a trans character Buck Vu (played by Ian Alexander) practicing the movement ... and in the background, you see the poster.

The OA Season 1, Episode 6 (16 Dec 2016)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Minneapolis: September 25, 2015

Read More The Fratellis After a five year absent from the music scene, The Fratellis are back with a brand new album We Need Medicine. The Scottish band is currently in the middle of a tiny, tiny U.S. tour in support of it, and basically selling out every …

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on September 25, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

THE FRATELLIS
at Varsity Theater
Friday, 09/25/2015, 7pm ($20)
varsitytheater.org

You may remember that we went down to Chicago to see The Fratellis at their sold out show at the Metro in 2013.

At the time, they were absent from the music scene... so it is good to see that the Scottish band is back - this time with a fourth album, Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied (which came out August 21, 2015, on Cooking Vinyl).

Critically acclaimed Los Angeles-based Grizfolk to open. The alternative rock released their single "Troublemaker" earlier this Summer, taken from their forthcoming full-length debut for Virgin Records.

Tour Dates:

09/21 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
09/22 - TLA, Philadelphia, PA
09/24 - Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL
09/25 - Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
09/27 - Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
09/28 - Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
09/30 - Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
10/01 - Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA
10/03 - Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
10/04 - Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
10/06 - House of Blues, San Diego, CA
10/08 - The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA

Read More On An On Minneapolis' On An On recently held a special album launch show for their latest album And The Wave Has Two Sides at the Icehouse in Minneapolis on Saturday, July 25th (technically Sunday …

ON AN ON
at Turf Club
Friday, 09/25/2015, 8pm ($12)
turfclub.net

We previously caught local On An On album release party for And The Wave Has Two Sides last July 2015. I wrote that despite starting their set at midnight, the Icehouse had a strong turnout in support of the band. I also mentioned that after their 2015, that the last date was their homecoming show - which is coming up this Friday, September 25th. It'll be good to have them back in the city.

Supporting them on this tour is London-born artist Eliot Sumner (also known as Coco Sumner or I Blame Coco), singing and playing tracks from her debut album Information (set for release in January 2016!). Her talents as a songwriter and instrumentalist have gained praise for her four new songs - "Dead Arms & Dead Legs", "After Dark", "Firewood" and "Species" (all from the forthcoming album).

Also on the bill is local Aaron & The Sea, now known simply as AATS.

Tour Dates:

9/20 Allston, MA @ Great Scott *
9/22 Toronto, ONT @ The Drake Hotel *
9/23 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom *
9/24 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
9/25 St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club*

* with Eliot Sumner

Read More ABBA I will confess to liking, no, loving ABBA. As you may have suspected, I actually love eurodisco and especially Swedish music. …

ABBACADABRA
at Mystic Lake Showroom
Friday, 09/25/2015, 8pm ($23)
mysticlake.com

"You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life!"

You know we love ABBA, but unfortunately the band broke up in 1982. Don't let that stop you from experiencing the magic of cover lover band Abbacadabra as they play all of their hits.

Here is how they describe the band:

With the new resurgence of the ‘70s, portrayed in part by the hugely popular live musical production and now the world wide release of “Mamma Mia” - The Movie, the music of ABBA is finding its way back into the hearts of those who lived it then and taking over the hearts of those who are experiencing it for the first time now.

adbacadabra promises to continue the momentum by performing 20 of the group’s greatest hits in full ABBA fashion and flair. You won’t be able to sit still in your seats as songs like S.O.S., Super Trooper and Dancing Queen are re-created with such precision you’ll swear you were listening to the originals themselves. The melodies of Fernando and Chiquitita will rekindle those feelings of first loves. Take a Chance on Me and Voulez Vous will lift you out of your seats to dance!

The show is authentic in music and dress and is performed to live music that will leave you excited and melancholy... at the same time.

Tour Dates:

09/25/15 Prior Lake, MN Mystic Lake Casino
09/29/15 Norsk Hostfest

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com

Cover Lover: Alternatively Yours

Read More Lucius Brooklyn's Lucius just recently released their debut LP Wildewoman internationally via Play It Again Sam (PIAS). The European release includes a bonus track, new recording of the fan favorite …

Cover lover? You've come to the right place...

LUCIUS
ilovelucius.com

We love Brooklyn's Lucius, having seen the band every time they play in Minneapolis (which, by the way, they are returning to a much bigger venue in October).

The band's latest 7" "Genevieve", came out July 1st via Mom + Pop/Dine Alone Records. The B-Side is a cover of their Tears for Fears song "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" (which incidentally was re-introduced to a legion of teenagers when Lorde covered the song for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Soundtrack).

I did give the song a listen, although it may not sound like the original song when it starts, you'll instantly recognize it when the chorus kicks in... and you may be surprise that you'll be singing along without realizing it!

Hear "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" now via Soundcloud.



Lucius' massive tour schedule:

07/06: Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Bluesfest 07/11: Bridgeport, CT @ The Klein 07/12: Greenfield, MA @ Green River Festival 07/14: Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap ~ 07/18: Chattanooga, TN @ Nightfall Summer 07/19: Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight 07/20: Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival 07/22: Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater ~ 07/23: Atlanta, GA @ Delta Classic Chastain ~ 07/25: Camden, NJ @ XPoNential Festival 07/26: Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival 07/29: Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion ~ 07/30: Nashville, TN @ Woods at Fontanel ~ 08/01: Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza 08/02: Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall 08/05: Seattle, WA @ Marymoor Park ~ 08/06: Portland, OR @ Edgefield ~ 08/08: Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Folk Fest 08/10: San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands 08/15: Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop 08/16: Hamburg, DE @ MS Dockville 08/18: Bristol, UK @ The Fleece 08/20: London, UK @ Lexington 08/22: Leeds, UK @ Leeds Festival 08/23: Paris, FR @ Rock En Seine 08/24: Reading, UK @ Reading Festival 08/26: Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown 08/27: Groningen, NL @ Noorderzon 08/29: Cambridgeshire, UK @ Lodestar 08/31: Salisbury, UK @ End of the Road

09/04: Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre 09/13: Burlington, VT @ Grand Point North 09/29: Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall * 09/30: Birmingham, AL @ Iron City * 10/01: New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina's * 10/03-10/05: Austin City Limits Festival 10/07: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue 10/09: St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway 10/10-12: Austin City Limits Festival 10/15: Stockholm, SE @ Kägelbanan 10/16: Oslo, NO @ Bla 10/17: Gothenberg, SE @ Pustervik 10/18: Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA 10/22: London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall 10/23: Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club 10/24: Liverpool, UK @ O2 Academy 2 10/25: Dublin, IE @ Whelans 10/27: Portsmouth, UK @ Wedgewood Rooms 10/29: Luxembourg, LU @ den Atelier 10/31: Zurich, CH @ Mascotte 11/01: Bulle, CH @ Ebullition 11/02: Milano, IT @ Circolo Magnolia 11/03: München, DE @ Atomic Café 11/05: Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli 11/06: Köln, DE @ Blue Shell 11/07: Berlin, DE @ Magnet 11/08: Strasbourg, FR @ La Laiterie 11/09: Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique ~ = supporting Sara Bareilles * = co-headline w/ Lake Street Drive

Read More Pavement I wasn't expecting Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks to play any Pavement songs, but I was sure hoping he would (I'm not the only one hoping, everybody in the audience were expressing the samev …

RAY & REMORA
rayandremora.com

Electro-pop duo Ray & Remora (Dan Crane and Amanda Walker) just released their video for "Gold Soundz", their cover of the Pavement's classic song.

Their music video featured various stars, including Stephen Malkmus, Kim Gordon, Jeff Goldblum, Money Mark, Scott Shriner, Inara George, and Mike Viola.

Crane explained how the video came together, "We wanted to reference the original Pavement video somehow, that’s where the idea for the ‘chicken pamphlet’ came from. In the original video, the band dresses up in Santa suits and then shoots a raw chicken – or maybe it’s a turkey? It’s hard to tell – out of the sky with bows and arrows. So that became our quasi-religious symbol for the pamphlet we’d hand out... Through a very random series of events, we got him and his suitably handsome ginger-haired standard poodle, Woody. Apparently, Woody eats everything in Goldblum’s house, including pamphlets."

Ray & Remora's debut 1994 EP is out now. The six-track EP features covers of Pavement, Superchunk ("Like a Fool"), Weezer ("Say It Ain't So"), Sebadoh ("Skull"), Dinosaur Jr ("Feel the Pain"), and Guided by Voices ("Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory").

Read More Weezer I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Weezer. After all, this was a nerd band (who played D&D with their "twenty-sided die") and the godfather of "emo music" (according to my brother). …

YOU BLEW IT!
facebook.com/youblewitfl

Orlando's You Blew It! has a five-track all-Weezer covers EP called You Blue It.

Singer/guitarist Tanner Jones explained their love for the Weezer, "We chose Surf Wax because it's a really great song, plain and simple. We didn't want to do singles from the record, and luckily Surf Wax is one of those cuts that could have held its own as one, but seemed untouched enough to allow a fresh perspective on it. Not that we or any other band could, but we really didn't want to try and out-do Weezer. Our goal was to add our touch to Blue, but first and foremost, we wanted pay tribute to the songs themselves in the most respectful way possible. Surf Wax is a great example of that I think."

You Blue It will be out July 15th, a vinyl release is pending for August 12th.

Currently touring with Say Anything, The Front Bottoms, The So So Glos:

Jul 05 Toronto, ON @ Opera House
Jul 06 Millvale, PA @ Mr Smalls Theatre
Jul 08 Lansing, MI @ Common Ground Fest
Jul 09 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
Jul 10 Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
Jul 11 Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
Jul 12 Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Jul 13 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
Jul 15 Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre
Jul 16 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
Jul 17 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
Jul 19 Seattle, WA @ Showbox at The Market
Jul 20 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Jul 22 San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
Jul 24 Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
Jul 25 Pomona, CA @ Glass House
Jul 26 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
Jul 27 Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee

Read More Depeche Mode Depeche Mode is currently on their Delta Machine tour, stopping by Minnesota State Fair, of all places, last Tuesday, August 27th. The thing about the Grandstand stage …

MEGAN WYLER
meganwyler.com

Currently based in London, folk artist Megan Wyler just released her cover of the Depeche Mode song "Just Can't Get Enough" last month via Nowever Records. We recently caught Depeche Mode in Minneapolis last year, and yes that song was the highlight of the live show. Wyler's cover song is was semi-recently used on a Sainsbury's advertisement.

Hear "Just Can't Get Enough" cover on soundcloud.com.

Here is the full description of the cover song:

Megan Wyler’s understated yet enchanting rework, showcases her lush indie-folk style and swaps the new wave keyboards of legendary pop guru Vince Clarke for a contemporary sound that's more first sunset of summer than last song at the disco. Effortless vocals breathe new life into the song’s catchy “hear-it-once, hum-it-all-day” earworm lyrics, with warm acoustic guitars, soaring harmonies and sweeping strings underpinned by a deep analogue synth bass and a driving kick-drum. It’s produced by Luis Almau, and co-produced by Peter Raeburn and Oli Julian.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Cover Lover: Totally 80s

DUNCAN SHEIK
duncansheik.com

You all remember Duncan Sheik, he found massive success with his single "Barely Breathing" from his self-titled debut album from Atlantic Records. He won a Grammy for "Best Male Vocal Performance, Pop", you know, no big deal.

So it's been a while, but Duncan Sheik returns to pop music, and it's obvious that Sheik wears his influences on his sleeve with his all covers album, Covers 80s (released earlier this month via Sneaky Records). I can only imagine that Sheik is a bit of an anglophile, considering the artists covered here: The Cure, The Smiths, Howard Jones, Love & Rockets, Tears for Fears, Japan, Talk Talk, Blue Nile, The Psychedelic Furs, Depeche Mode, Thompson Twins, New Order. No Cyndi Lauper, no Madonna, no cheesy Def Leppard.

I can tell that Sheik loves these songs, it really shows in his covers, and especially the song choices. The Smiths' "William, It Was Really Nothing" isn't one of their more popular songs, and even the almost-random The Blue Nile (from Glasgow) song, "Stay" doesn't quite belong, but he loves it enough to include it on the album. The pronunciation is a little off on the Smiths cover, it sounds like Duncan is saying "Willie-um", which may be a disservice to one Steven Patrick Morrissey.

If you like 80s synth, which many of these artists are, especially Depeche Mode, Howard Jones, and Japan, you may be disappointed that the synthesizers are nowhere to be found on Duncan Sheik's covers... which are more low-key. This is a good thing, in my opinion. Sheik is trying to put his own spin on these songs, and like or hate it, I feel it's the right course.

Other notable mentions is that Holly Brook and Rachael Yamagata appears on the record. I am assuming that is Yamagata singing with Sheik on "Shout" and Brook on "Hold Me Now", which is my favorite cover on the album.

Covers 80s, the seventh studio album by Duncan Sheik is out now.

THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR
theasteroidsgalaxytour.com

Yeah, you know the story. I think these guys are great, calling them top for 2008, and to this day, I sometime hear "Around the Bend" at clubs - which is pretty amazing how far the band's come.

I finally got a copy of The Golden Age EP for review. Guess what? The Asteroids Galaxy Tour covered "Safety Dance", what perfect timing since I just saw Men Without Hats (they are still alive and breathing). The Asteroids Galaxy Tour's version has a bit more horns and that unique Danish vocals from Mette Lindberg. Their version doesn't take into account the extended remix, but that's just fine, it's a perfect pop song.

As for the rest of the EP, lots of horns, giving it a more 70s flavor to it. It is obvious to me that these songs are meant for the dance floor, especially for "Fantasy Friend Forever" and "Safety Dance" cover ("because if your friends don't dance...") If you don't believe me, listen for yourself on their soundcloud set. If video's your poison, their 2+ million youtube video is 70s spectacular: one-eyed villain, kungfu and a spy flutist (yes, it's also a Heineken commercial).

Here's what left of their galaxy tour on Earth:

7/01 – Poland, Open’er Festival
7/10 – Hungary, Balaton Sound Festival
9/23 – Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Rock in Rio

What Difference Does It Make

STRANDED HORSE
theestrandedhorse.com

I love covers and I love the Smiths, and if my math is right, I should love all Smiths covers. That isn't always the case, especially when I heard Emily Browning's "Sing Me To Sleep" on the awful, awful, awful Sucker Punch movie. The song is about suicide, hearing it as a pop song is just.... but anyway, Stranded Horse's cover of "What Difference Does It Make" is actually pretty good. If you listen to it (available as a free download at soundcloud.com), it's basically deconstructed to just singer Yann Tambour's vocals and plucky kora acoustics. It has a very medieval/madrigal feel to whole thing.

Stranded Horse is not actually not a brand new band, it's just shorten from his ex-band, "Thee, Stranded Horse", and just to give you a little background on Tambour, he is French, but based on the Smiths cover and And The Shoreline It Withdrew In Anger, his English is impeccable. His latest album, Humbling Tides was written and recorded in Bristol, UK, but he is returning and touring to France this Fall:

sept, 10 • Bordeaux • Festival Ouvre la Voix
oct, 01 • Bruxelles (b) • Festival 'Comme à la maison'
nov. 03 • Pau • la Centrifugeuse
nov. 04 • Bayonne • le Microscope
nov. 08 • Clermont Ferrand • l'hôtel des vils
nov. 09 • Allonnes (72) • la péniche w/ Arlt
nov. 17 • Martigues • Scène Nationale, Théâtre des Salins w/ Piers Faccini
nov. 18 • Katowice (p) • Festival 'Ar Cameralis'
nov. 24 • Paris • la maroquinerie w/ Arlt

LOVEDRUG
www.lovedrugmusic.com

These guys, I only know because I liked their cover artwork. They make attractive CDs.

Their best of album, strangely titled Best of I AM LOVEDRUG is not really a best of Lovedrug, but a best of covers by "I Am Lovedrug". I know, it's confusing.

You can see the songs covered for yourself at freefallmediagroup.net, the album is available now (June 28th). You can download their cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" for free via their Facebook-thingy.

They didn't list the artists, but here's what I've compiled:

Only Shallow (My Bloody Valentine)
Dreams (Fleetwood Mac)
Hysteria (Def Leppard)
Me and My Arrow (Harry Nilsson)
Talk To Me (Stevie Nicks)
Plug In Baby (Muse)
Zombie (Cranberries)
Pure Imagination (Willy Wonka)
Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
God of Wine feat. Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind)
Endless Day (The Kinks)

 

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

 

Salinthia wrote:

It's called 'Best of I AM LOVEDRUG' b/c all the recordings are from fans pledging for cover songs as part of their PledgeMusic campaign which was called I AM LOVEDRUG (www.IamLovedrug.com).

Posted Tuesday, 05 July 2011 at 01:05 PM