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Minneapolis: January 10 to January 12, 2024

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

01/10 Yellow Ostrich with Bathtub Cig and Megasound at Icehouse Read More Yellow Ostrich Yellow Ostrich already blew away Justina when she covered them a few months ago in New York. Justina described the band's music and why she jumped at the chance …

01/10/2024 Wednesday

Yellow Ostrich
with Bathtub Cig and Megasound
at Icehouse
first-avenue.com

It’s Yellow Ostrich’s 3rd Annual Winter Shindig residency at the Icehouse, starting on January 10th, 2024.

Yellow Ostrich (12 Feb 2014)

We saw Yellow Ostrich at Pianos, in New York, in Feb 2014 and wrote, “I listened to Yellow Ostrich’s music the day before the show and knew immediately that I wanted to see them live. They have a lo-fi indie rock sound with vocals from Alex Schaaf (also member of The Chairs) whose voice is a mixture of fun.’s Nate Ruess and Ben Folds. Other band members include talented musicians: Jared Van Fleet (guitar/keyboard), Zach Rose (bass), and Michael Tapper (drums).”

The band writes:

Yellow Ostrich's Winter Shindig is back for a third year in January 2024, taking place over four consecutive Wednesdays. Each week will feature different setlists and surprises, along with different supporting bands each night (hand-picked by YO).

Yellow Ostrich is a long-running project led by Minneapolis-based songwriter Alex Schaaf, who started the band in Brooklyn in 2010 before moving it to the Midwest. The band released Soft in 2022 on Barsuk Records, the first new music in seven years to be released by Schaaf under the Yellow Ostrich moniker, since he paused the project to explore new musical identities on a handful of excellent self-released albums. This was followed by Make it Make Sense (EP) in January of 2023. The latest full-length, Soft, takes its name from the lyric that stands as a thesis for the entire album, a beautiful and haunting rumination on the pitfalls and pressures of traditional masculinity and on Schaaf's drive toward vulnerability and tenderness as core tenets of his being.

Bathtub Cig is the intimate depression pop project of Hilary James. Born in a Minneapolis bedroom the spring of 2017, it is an honest attempt at coping with her long struggle with mental health. She is joined by Dave Power on drums, Skyler Nowinski on bass, and Hannah Heble on synth, flute and harmony. Their 2018 debut EP “Old Light” draws comparisons to a synth-pop version of Frankie Cosmo with raw lyrics.

2021 Ep “bed” is both a dream-like and hazy musing on quarantine as well as a heartbreaking attempt to cope with grief. In a departure from James’ first full band EP “Old Light”, this new release is a stripped down solo voyage. Hilary is joined by Addie Strei (Adelyn Rose) on clarinet, flute, and bass to create beautiful textures to balance out the loneliness of the electric guitar. Their 2022 debut full length “Night Blindness” has been described as a clever and dark Gen Z Ode, putting our hardest thoughts into music.

Megasound is a rock band brought to you by the minds behind Bad Bad Hats (Kerry Alexander and Chris Hoge) and Party Nails (Elana Carroll).

Tour dates:

Jan 10 Icehouse
Jan 17 Icehouse
Jan 24 Icehouse

01/11 Alina Maira with Another Heaven, d'Lakes and The Envies at 7th St Entry Read More Alina Maira Tokyo Police Club and Alina Maira at 7th Street Entry, in Minneapolis, on October 27th. Canadian band, Pkew Pkew Pkew, who was originally listed to open, had cancel their U.S. appearances ...

01/11/2024 Thursday

Alina Maira
with Another Heaven, d'Lakes and The Envies
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Local singer/songwriter Alina Maira will be headlining the 7th Street Entry on January 11, 2024.

Alina Maira (13 Apr 2022)

We saw Alina Maira in 13 Apr 2022 and wrote, “ Local singer/songwriter, by the way of Philadelphia, Alina Maira end the show. She’s joined on stage by her band (and I got the impression that they are also her best friends): Tim, Seth, Jess, and Jonny. Maira first came to our attention when she opened up for Tokyo Police Club in Oct 2021. Maira described her songs as a way to provoke the human connection through shared experiences… and it would seem that many of her songs are about her past experiences and she’s singing her story.”

Another Heaven, d'Lakes, and The Envies to open.

01/12 Best New Bands of 2023 featuring Barlow • Ber • Clare Doyle • LAAMAR • L.A. Buckner & BiG HOMiE • REIKI • she’s green at First Avenue Read More she's green Local shoegazing band she’s green, featuring Zofia on vocals, Teddy on bass, Liam on guitars, Raines on guitars, and Kevin on drums, opened the show. Although .… Ber Opening the show was Ber. Originally from Minnesota, Ber moved to London in 2020 to work on music. With a massive fanbase on TikTok, she caught the attention of London’s Zane Lowe and Travis Mills ...

01/12/2024 Friday

Best New Bands of 2023
featuring Barlow • Ber • Clare Doyle • LAAMAR • L.A. Buckner & BiG HOMiE • REIKI • she’s green
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

It’s the annual Best New Bands series, which usually at First Avenue or one of their venues. This year will be hosted by The Current’s Jill Riley, Radio K’s Grace Williams, KFAI’s Krista Wax, and Jazz88’s Sean McPherson.

She’s Green (27 Sep 2023)

We’ve seen a few of these artists, for example She’s Green from 27 Sep 2023, “Local shoegazing band she’s green, featuring Zofia on vocals, Teddy on bass, Liam on guitars, Raines on guitars, and Kevin on drums, opened the show. Although, according to Zofia, the group is from the area, but it was their first time playing the Turf Club. We’ve previously mentioned their Minneapolis shows, such as in August 2023 or January 2022 … but never mentioned they’ve played St Paul. The group is still relatively new, so they’re introducing some new songs, such as “Clobber”. At least that’s the title they currently agreed on. Their debut EP, Wisteria came out in June 2023.”

Bands on the bill:

• Barlow
• Ber
• Clare Doyle
• LAAMAR
• L.A. Buckner & BiG HOMiE
• REIKI
• she’s green

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

Alina Maira at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (13 Apr 2022)

Setlist Gin & Smoke Overtones White Noise If You Asked Me To (Keep It Vague) On the Table At An Arm's Length Morning Eyes He Would Feel Sorry State Lines Reservoir Read More Alina Maira Tokyo Police Club and Alina Maira at 7th Street Entry, in Minneapolis, on October 27th. Canadian band, Pkew Pkew Pkew, who was originally listed to open, had cancel their U.S. appearances ...

Alina Maira launched her “Reservoir” single release party last night at the 7th Street Entry, in Minneapolis.

Opening the show was Pit Stop (singer/guitarist Sarah Mevissen, singer/guitarist Jake Balistrieri, guitarist James Patrick Horigan, bassist Zack Warpinski, and drummer Gage Webster). We were actually pretty impressed with them at the Parquet Courts show in March 2022... but to be perfectly honest, they were a little too country to be on the bill. But that’s exactly why we liked them.

I believe they played the same set from First Avenue, including their first-ever song, “Good at Being Alone”. My favorite was “I’m Smiling”, with its catchy “la la la la la” back vocals.

Next up was unofficial “Better Call Saul” spokesband Author. Apparently their singer is really, really into the Breaking Bad spin-off show, and that’s cool, because no one ever thought a show about lawyers would be any good (but it is gripping).

They ended their set with “Blur”, a fitting song with its line, “Can't go away, go away, can't go away.”

Author’s next show is at the My Town, My Music Thesis Residency in Rochester with Sleeping Jesus. The show was postponed to May 13th, 2022, from January 12th, 2022.

Local singer/songwriter, by the way of Philadelphia, Alina Maira end the show. She’s joined on stage by her band (and I got the impression that they are also her best friends): Tim, Seth, Jess, and Jonny.

Maira first came to our attention when she opened up for Tokyo Police Club in Oct 2021.

Maira described her songs as a way to provoke the human connection through shared experiences… and it would seem that many of her songs are about her past experiences and she’s singing her story.

She seemed really happy to see so many people showed up (for a Wednesday) and was more than happy to deliver the set finale, of course, “Reservoir”.

Pit Stop

Pit Stop

Pit Stop

Author

Author

Author

Setlist

Alina Maira

Alina Maira

Alina Maira at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (13 Apr 2022)

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

Girls Girls Girls: Alina Maira, Lala Lala, Bedouine

04/13 Alina Maira at 7th St Entry Read More Alina Maira Tokyo Police Club and Alina Maira at 7th Street Entry, in Minneapolis, on October 27th. Canadian band, Pkew Pkew Pkew, who was originally listed to open, had cancel their U.S. appearances, due to immigration ...

Read more Girls Girls Girls and Minneapolis Music Guide

04/13/2022 Wednesday

Alina Maira
with Author and Pit Stop
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Local singer/songwriter Alina Maira is having her “Reservoir” single release party this April 13th.

They described her as “singer/songwriter from Philadelphia Pennsylvania, recently planting herself in Minneapolis. Her songs are meant to provoke human connection through the avenue of shared experiences; reminding every listener that they are never alone in what they feel. Music has helped her in a myriad of ways since early childhood, and it remains one of the most core parts of her.”

We did randomly catch Alina Maira opening up for Tokyo Police Club in Oct 2021 and embarrassingly misspelled her name as Alina Maria.

Author and Pit Stop to open.

Enjoy photo of Alina Maira from October:

Alina Maira at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (2021-10-27)

04/14 Lala Lala with Elton Aura at 7th St Entry Read More Lala Lala Chicago’s Lala Lala announced that they will be releasing I Want The Door To Open on October 8, 2021, via Hardly Art. This also means that the group will be out on tour to promote the new record. ...

04/14/2022 Thursday

Lala Lala
with Elton Aura
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Lillie West, aka Lala Lala is stopping by the 7th Street Entry this week, April 14th. Lala Lala’s latest I Want The Door to Open is out now on Hardly Art.

We’ve seen the band a few time, the last time, we said, “The interesting thing about West is that she was raised in London, but her family relocated to Los Angeles, when she was a teenager. She got deeply involved in the Illinois music scene, while attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.”

Elton Aura to open.

Tour Dates

Wed. Apr. 13 - Davenport, IA @ Raccoon Motel
Thu. Apr. 14 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
Fri. Apr. 15 - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
Sat. Apr. 16 - Urbana, IL @ Rose Bowl Tavern
Sun. Apr. 17 - Nashville, TN @ High Watt
Tue. Apr. 19 - Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
Wed. Apr. 20 - Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
Fri. Apr. 22 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
Sat. Apr. 23 - Woodstock, NY @ Colony
Sun. Apr. 24 @ Washington, DC @ Black Cat
Thu. Apr. 26 - New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
Wed. Apr. 27 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Thu. Apr. 28 - Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
Fri. Apr. 29 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
Sat. Apr. 30 - Hamtramck, MI @ Outer Limits Lounge
Sun, May 1 - Garfield Park Conservatory , Chicago IL

Lala Lala at First Avenue, Minneapolis (17 Oct 2019)

04/19 Bedouine at Turf Club Read More Bedouine Many took advantage of the warm weather and parked it on the beach all day, with acts like Bedouine and Gladys Lazer in the background. ...

04/19/2022 Tuesday

Bedouine
with Le Ren
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Azniv Korkejian, aka Bedouine is headlining the Turf Club in St Paul this April 19th. We saw her in Desert Daze 2018, but don’t have a photo of her.

Le Ren to open.

Tour dates:

Apr 19 St. Paul, MN, US Turf Club
Apr 20 Toronto, ON, Canada The Great Hall
Apr 22 Evanston, IL, US SPACE
Apr 23 Evanston, IL, US SPACE
Apr 23 Boulder, CO, US Bluebird Music Festival
May 21 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US Pico Union Project
Jun 1 Santa Cruz, CA, US Club Kuumbwa
Jun 2 Sacramento, CA, US Harlow's
Jun 3 San Francisco, CA, US The Chapel
Jun 4 Big Sur, CA, US Henry Miller Memorial Library
Jun 5 Sonoma, CA, US Sebastiani Theatre
Jul 7 Winnipeg, MB, Canada Winnipeg Folk Festival
Sep 3 Denver, CO, US Mission Ballroom

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

Tokyo Police Club at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (2021-10-27)

Read More Tokyo Police Club Canadian quartet Tokyo Police Club is celebrating their “10th Anniversary of CHAMP” tour… and will be stopping by the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on October 27. Funny enough, this is the third time the band ....

Canadian quartet Tokyo Police Club just stopped by the 7th Street Entry in celebration of their 10th Anniversary of CHAMP. This is the third time the band have tried for this tour, having twice having to delay their Champ 10 tour, due to the pandemic.

For the first time, you can get their album Champ on vinyl, along with an expanded digital version, via Mom + Pop (U.S./Mex./Aus.), Dine Alone (Can.) and Memphis Industries (UK/EU).

Canadian band, Pkew Pkew Pkew, who was originally listed to open, had cancel their U.S. appearances, due to immigration control.

Instead, at the last minute, local singer Alina Maira stepped in to open.

Remaining tour dates:

10/28 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
10/30 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre
11/02 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
11/03 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
11/05 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
11/06 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
11/07 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
11/08 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
11/09 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
11/12 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
11/13 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn
11/15 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
11/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
11/18 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
11/19 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
11/20 – Washington DC @ Union Stage

Alina Maira

Tokyo Police Club at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (2021-10-27)

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