W♥M

Minneapolis: May 14 to May 16

05/14 Sir Chloe with Moon Kissed at Turf Club Read More Moon Kissed NYC synth-pop female trio Moon Kissed returns with their follow-up to 2019’s debut I Met My Band at a New Years Party with I’d Like to Tell You Something Important, another self-explanatory album title due October 22, with first single …

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide

05/14/2022 Saturday

Sir Chloe
with Moon Kissed
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Sir Chloe, who recently appeared with alt-J in March 2022 at the Armory, is returning as headliner at the Turf Club in St Paul this May 14th.

Moon Kissed to open the show. We caught the band in Nov 2021 and wrote, “Moon Kissed (Leah, Emily and Khaya) started their set with “Money Mouth”… and proceeded to play every song they’ve ever written. The band is very young, but there’s a lot of potential. It’s clear that they love to be on stage, and they love the idea of seeing new cities across the United States. Based on their comments, this was their first time in Minneapolis, and they planned on coming back.”

Tour dates:

May 6 New York (NYC), NY, US Bowery Ballroom
May 7 Philadelphia, PA, US Johnny Brenda's
May 8 Washington, DC, US Songbyrd Music House
May 9 Cambridge, MA, US The Sinclair
May 11 Toronto, ON, Canada The Garrison
May 12 Chicago, IL, US Subterranean
May 14 St. Paul, MN, US Turf Club
May 16 Denver, CO, US Meow Wolf Denver
May 17 Salt Lake City, UT, US Kilby Court
May 19 Portland, OR, US Polaris Hall
May 20 Vancouver, BC, Canada Fox Cabaret
May 21 Seattle, WA, US Barboza
May 23 San Francisco, CA, US August Hall
May 26 San Diego, CA, US Quartyard
May 27 Santa Ana, CA, US Constellation Room
May 28 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US

05/14 Nilüfer Yanya with Tasha and Ada Lea at Fine Line Read More Nilüfer Yanya Be sure to not miss her at First Avenue in Minneapolis this February 16th. British songwriter and guitarist Nilüfer Yanya to open. …

05/14/2022 Saturday

Nilüfer Yanya
with Tasha and Ada Lea
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

Pitchfork called London artist Nilüfer Yanya’s sophomore album Painless as “Best New Music”. The album is out now on ATO Records.

Nilüfer Yanya is headlining the Fine Line on Saturday, May 14th.

Tasha and Ada Lea to open.

Tour dates:

04/26 - Austin, TX @ Antone's Nightclub
04/28 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
04/29 - Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival
04/30 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
05/01 - Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
05/03 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
05/04 - Philadelphia ,PA @ Underground Arts
05/06 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
05/07 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
05/09 - Montreal, QUE @ L'Astral
05/10 - Toronto, ONT @ The Axis Club
05/12 - Detroit, MI @ El Club
05/13 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
05/14 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
05/15 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
05/17 - Boulder, CO @ The Fox Theatre
05/18 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Commonwealth
05/20 - Vancouver, BC @ Fortune
05/21 - Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
05/22 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
06/10 - Copenhagen, DK @ Syd For Solen Festival
06/24 - Margate, UK @ Leisure Festival
07/06 - Lisbon, PT @ NOS Alive
07/07 - Bilbao, ES @ Bilbao BBK Live
07/21 - Southwold, UK @ Henham Park
08/05 - Tower Of London, UK @ Crystal Palace Bowl
08/11-13 - Gothenburg, SE @ Way Out West Festival
09/01 - Salisbury, UK @ End Of The Road Festival
10/25 - Segrate, IT @ Circolo Magnolia (Indoor)
10/26 - Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv Club
10/28 - Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz salas 2 & 3
10/29 - Madrid, ES @ Moby Dick Club
10/30 - Valencia, ES @ Loco Club

05/15 Hatchie with Caroline Loveglow at Turf Club Read More Hatchie Australian singer/songwriter Harriette Pilbeam, otherwise known as Hatchie, just released her debut studio album Keepsake…. and she’s touring in support of the album …

05/15/2022 Sunday

Hatchie
with Caroline Loveglow
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Hatchie is back in town at the Turf Club this May 15th. We caught her in Sep 2019 and said, “Hatchie (aka Harriette Pilbeam) closed out the show. Just a little history on Hatchie, but she started playing bass for Babaganouj and Go Violets in Brisbane, Australia. Although she was still influenced by The Ramones and Tiger Trap, she wanted to “try” something different, and so she wrote “Try” in 2015 and eventually the song got picked up by Triple J Unearthed.”

Hatchie’s new album Giving the World Away is out now on Secretly Canadian.

Caroline Loveglow to open.

Tour Dates:

05/04/22 - Washington, D.C. - Songbyrd Record Cafe
05/05/22 - Philadelphia, PA - The Foundry
05/06/22 - Somerville, MA - Crystal Ballroom
05/07/22 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
05/09/22 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz PDB
05/10/22 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison
05/12/22 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
05/13/22 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups
05/14/22 - Chicago, IL - Sleeping Village
05/15/22 - St Paul, MN - Turf Club
05/19/22 - Vancouver, BC - Fortune Sound Club
05/20/22 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
05/21/22 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
05/23/22 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
05/25/22 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
05/26/22 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room

05/16 Dijon at First Avenue Read More Dijon Absolutely Dijon November 5, 2021 Big Mike's Scratching Many Times Annie ...

05/16/2022 Monday

Dijon
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Originally booked at the Fine Line Music Café, this Dijon show has been upgraded to the bigger First Avenue’s mainroom… thanks to his television appearances (including The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon) and profiled on Pitchfork’s Rising feature.

Tour Dates:

4/29/22 - Nashville, TN @ The Blue Room
4/30/22 - Nashville, TN @ The Blue Room
5/02/22 - Washington, DC @ Sixth & I
5/05/22 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/06/22 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/08/22 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
5/09/22 - Boston, MA @ Royale
5/11/22 - Montreal, QC @ L'Astral
5/12/22 - Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix
5/14/22 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
5/15/22 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
5/16/22 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
5/20/22 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
5/21/22 - Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre
5/22/22 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
6/01/22 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
6/04/22 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern

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

We♥KC - April 4-11, 2022 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence KS)

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Open for business!

Concert season looks to be in full swing and it’s been especially great to see UK and international acts finally make it over, to play previously postponed dates. 

The pandemic and recent deaths like Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters and Tom Parker of The Wanted should show us to try and see our favorite bands while we still can, instead of saying to “just wait for the next tour”.

Recent show announcements to the area include Sheryl Crow, Imagine Dragons, Halestorm/The Pretty Reckless, Courtney Barnett and The National, so start saving those pennies. 

(Despite some health mandates loosening up, several artists are still requiring for entry, so check with the venue and/or better to assume vaccination proof and/or masks may be required)

Here’s what’s happening in the Kansas City/Lawrence area for the First Week of APRIL:

04/06 Ben Folds at Liberty Hall Read More Ben Folds Five I recently found out that Ben Folds will be releasing a brand new album called So There, slated for release on September 11th... with a November tour date to follow! …

Monday April 4take a nap

Tuesday April 5read a book

Wednesday April 6
Ministry w Melvins and Corrosion of Conformity, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland,  $39.50-$45

A solid triple-bill, headlined by the mighty industrial legends Ministry, with frontman Al Jourgenson still kicking it.  Latest album is Moral Hygiene out last fall (on Nuclear Blast) and the first to feature Tool’s original bass player, Paul D’Amour.

Live, they may slip in a track or two from side projects 1000 Homo DJs and Pailhead as well and you might hear a Stooges and/or Red Kross cover this night too. 

Ben Folds, Liberty Hall- Lawrence, $45-$99

The piano frontman is out on his cheekily-named “In Actual Person Live for Real Tour” in a mix of solo piano and orchestral shows (St. Louis got the orch, Lawrence gets solo after the 2021 KC Symphony date was off).  Folds is additionally working on a new album, has a successful podcast, Lightning Bugs, and is scheduled to start taping a TV series. 

We remember seeing him way back in the mid-90’s on the first Ben Folds Five tour, and actually helped him load his piano into their small U-Haul trailer on a cold Kansas City night after their show at The Hurricane.

04/07 alt-J at Cable Dahmer Arena Read More alt-J (∆) British band Alt-J (∆) have been consistently selling out all their Minnesota appearance, and their special Halloween show at the Myth Nightclub is no less. Typically Halloween shows are amazing .… 04/07 Lawrence at Granada Read More Lawrence New York’s brother/sister act Lawrence (not to be confused with Lawrence, Kansas), got an upgrade in venue from the smaller Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St Paul, to the big mainroom of First Avenue …

Thursday April 7
alt-J w Portugal. The Man, Cherry Glazerr, Sir Chlor, Cable Dahmer Arena- Independence $53.50-$83.50

The London group is back with fourth album, The Dream, and a co-headlining Dream Tour,  a decade after the breakout success of debut album, An Awesome Wave. 

We’ve seen them live a handful of times, starting with that first US Tour in 2012 and have always been amazed by their loyal fan base. Their Halloween 2014 show performed in full Kiss makeup was especially fun. 

We’re fans of Wasila, Alaska (since Portland-based) band Portugal.The Man as well (and despite their punctuation), having seen them last in 2016.  Newest single is the Alfred E. Newman-inspired “What, Me Worry?” in addition to a streaming live album last year, and song collab with Weird Al, the year before. 

Lawrence, Granada. $20

Lawrence...IN Lawrence?!- this is perfect!  The eight-piece group (led by siblings Clyde and Gracie Lawrence) is actually from New York City, and plays mostly soul-pop music with some hints of funk, R&B, and rock and roll, and has had a recent hit with single, “Don’t Lose Sight”.

In concert, they’ve played Annie, Nickelodeon, Sean Paul, and NSYNC covers, so you know it will be a fun time.  Hotel TV is their new and third album, out last summer.

Frank Caliendo (comedian), Prairie Band Casino- Mayetta, $45-$50

No one does a better and funnier John Madden impersonation. 

The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, Uptown. $35-$99

We last caught the veteran blues gunslinger live in 2013, when he played with Peter Frampton and Jeff Lukather. Expect to hear a good amount of tracks from 1997’s Trouble Is… as he and the KWS Band are celebrating its 25^th anniversary. 

Five Grammy nominations, nine #1’s on the Blues charts and two Billboard Awards speak to his still-growing legacy. 

04/08 Grandson at Granada Read More Grandson Nothing But Thieves + Grandson, Demob Happy First Avenue Fri 09/14/2018 (8pm/$20) Critically acclaimed U.K.-based band Nothing But Thieves is back in Minneapolis, in support of their forthcoming new 4-track EP .…

Friday April 8
Grandson with Royal & The Serpent, Granada. $22

The Toronto alt-rap/rock singer-songwriter is getting even bigger after his 2020 debut album, Death of an Optimist.  Since then, he’s also collab’ed with the likes of Tom Morello, Steve Aoki, Kesha, and Travis Barker, among many others. 

Opening is aka Ryan Santiago who released a third EP in January and she also lent her vocals on the Gayle current smash radio hit, “ABCDEFU”.

Iliza Shlesinger(comedian),  Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $35-$65

The Last Comic Standing winner has taped four Netflix specials and just released her second book is out on her “Back in Action” Tour.

Jantsen, Madrid. $25-$45

Expect the walls to shake - Boulder, CO DJ Jantsen has devised his signature sound over the past decade, drawing influences from across the musical spectrum to bring life into EDM bass music.

04/09 Girl Talk at The Truman Read More Girl Talk Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis) just teamed up with Philadelphia rapper Freeway to bring you their collaborative EP, Broken Ankles. The EP will be out sometime this Fall (album artwork not released yet). .… 04/09 The Greeting Committee at Uptown Read More The Greeting Committee Join Kansas City’s The Greeting Committee on their first-ever North American headlining tour at the 7th Street Entry this Tuesday, June 11th. The band opened up for MisterWives in June 2017. …

Saturday April 9
Girl Talk, The Truman. $25-$30

DJ and sample-obsessed producer (aka Gregg Gillis) and his computer are back on the road.  Expect participation, sweaty dancing, and basically the entire audience on stage all dancing along.

Penny and Sparrow, recordBar,  $22-$25

Olly Olly! This Alabama soft-folk duo hit the road to show off the musical yin/yang of their relationship.  Sixth album title Finch, is a nod to Charles Darwin and the pair even have their own whiskey, Oak & Eden, so maybe a shot or two on stage. 

Shooting Star, Ameristar, $20-$35

Hang On for your life tonight! The Midwest’s premier shoulda-been-huge classic rock band hits the casino stage for a setlist of hits and local radio favorites.  Most of the original members have departed, but the new lineup injects some energy into forty-year old songs.

The Greeting Committee, Uptown. $25-$49.50

Hometown faves!  The KC band is on the road supporting last September’s Dandelion, their second full-length and predictably has a large and loyal local fan base who will turn out for this theater show.  Latest single is “Float Away” and that’s what the band hopes you’ll do, in musical bliss.

Buku, Aura Nightclub, $15

Pittsburgh EDM trap DJ spins

Snow Tha Product, Granada. $25

The alt-Latin hip hop/R&B star just started her Dale Gas Tour, with new album, Valemadre, expected out soon and expect hyper-fast raps, so try and keep up. 

04/10 Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons at Kauffman Center Read More Frankie Valli Tommy DeVito (American musician and singer for The Four Seasons), 92, COVID-19 Tommy DeVito, one of the founding members of iconic doo-wop group Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons has died from COVID-19. He was 92. ... .… 04/10 Hayes Carll at Knuckleheads Read More Hayes Carll Country/Americana singer Hayes Carll will be in town with Aubrie Sellers at Cedar Cultural Center (7pm/$20) .…

Sunday April 10
Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Kauffman Center. $35-$139

The Jersey Boy is 87 years young- you’re encouraged to see him while you can.

 

Soccer Mommy w Peel Dream Magazine, Granada- Lawrence, $22/$25

 

Her newest and third full-length album, Sometimes, Forever is due out until June 24, but that hasn't stopped Sophie Allison and band from hitting the road in advance-of.  Expect a good preview of the new work live, including lead single, "Shotgun", and just maybe a Slowdive cover as well. 

 

The uniquely named openers actually began as the nom de plume for Brooklyn's Joe Stevens, now LA-based.  Latest full length is called Agitprop Alterna and there's been a Moral Panics EP recently as well.    

Claudia Oshry, (comedian/author) Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $35-$69

Instagram personality aka GirlWithNoJob

Hayes Carll, Knuckleheads. $25

Alt-Americana rock singer is out with new album, You Get it All, and often draws similarities to Townes Van Zandt.

John Gorka, Lied Center. $16-$30

Contemporary folk artist with sixteen albums under his belt calls Minnesota his home, living just south of St. Paul. 

The Texas Tenors,  Yardley Hall. $15-$49

Classic/crossover/country trio with 2021 album, Outside the Lines, who are also three-time Emmy winners. 

Keith Washington, Cherrelle, Howard Hewett and more, Memorial Hall. $50-$150

A night of ‘90s R&B classics with five artists on stage and music made for slow love and smooth nights.

Monday April 11 fly a kite

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

Rocktober: October 19 to October 20, 2017

Read More Trombone Shorty Mardi Gras will continue at the Minnesota Zoo later this week as Trombone Shorty comes to town for an undoubtedly spirited show. Releasing his Grammy-nominated debut album, Backatown… Vintage Trouble One of the most exciting live bands of recent note, Los Angeles’ Vintage Trouble hits the road again, this time in promotion of their latest, 1 Hopeful Road (Blue Note Records). …

Rocktober: Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from October 19 to October 20, 2017.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE
+ Vintage Trouble
Pantages Theatre
Fri 10/20/2017 (7:30pm/$37)
palacestpaul.com

Trombone Shorty is led by singer, songwriter and horn-blower born Troy Andrews. His new album is called Parking Lot Symphony and is available on Blue Note Records.

Show up early to see our favorite Vintage Trouble. We first saw the explosive band at the now-defunct Nether Bar in 2013 and wrote, “Beginning with the One/Two punch of 'Hard Times (They are Coming)' and 'Blues Hand Me Down', the crowd was immediately in a frenzy; asked all evening to call-and-respond, clap along, move front to back, and generally become a part of the show. Vocalist/frontman Ty Taylor has come a long way from his Rockstar:INXS days, morphing into a mesmerizing and charismatic showman that spins, juts, and shakes in a way that would make James Brown proud. Drummer Richard Danielson and bassist Rick Barrio Dill more than ably held down the bottom end, while band 'secret weapon', guitarist Nalle Colt (looking like a dapper Viggo Mortenson) impressed with roaring riffs and stretched out solos.”

Tour dates:

10/14 – Terminal 5 – New York, NY
10/20 – Palace Theater – St. Paul, MN
10/21 – Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL
10/23 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, Canada
10/24 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, Canada
10/26 – The Fillmore – Detroit, MI
10/27 – Egyptian Room – Indianapolis, IN

Read More LÉON Fresh from an appearance a few days before on The Late Late Show with James Cordon, Swedish singer LÉON found herself along the banks of Lake Minnetonka, for a promotional ... Wrabel Also on the bill: We The Kings, Wrabel, Cobi and Hailey Knox. Gavin DeGraw’s tour dates: 11/17 Minneapolis, MN Cities 97 Sampler 12/03 Nashville, TN Nashville Christmas Parade 12/08 Denver, CO Alice in Winterland ...

LÉON
+ Wrabel
Fine Line Music Cafe
Fri 10/20/2017 (8pm/$17.50)
finelinemusic.com

LÉON (aka Lotta Lindgren) is back with her sophomore EP Surround Me. She returns to North America on her second headlining tour this October.

We previously caught the Swedish singer/songwriter at her first “proper” concert (we also previously saw her at a brief five-song promo event) in Minneapolis at her sold-out show at 7th Street Entry in, February 2017, and wrote, “With still only the four-song Treasure EP (Columbia Records/Sony) released, fans remain patient waiting on the full-length, but were treated to a headlining set just short of fifty-minutes, which should give good indication on how the album will sound. Music is in the blood for the woman born Lotta Lindgren (the daughter of a composer and a cello player) and backed by three musicians, her stage presence seems natural and relaxed.”

Wrabel to open.

Tour dates:

10/14/2017 Seattle, WA Crocodile
10/16/2017 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
10/17/2017 Denver, CO Globe Hall
10/19/2017 Kansas City, MO The Record Bar
10/20/2017 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Café
10/21/2017 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
10/23/2017 Toronto, ON Velvet Underground
10/25/2017 Boston, MA Paradise
10/27/2017 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge
10/28/2017 Philadelphia, PA The Foundry
10/29/2017 Washington, DC U Street Music Hall

Read More Gavin DeGraw Multi-platinum recording artist Gavin DeGraw (best known for his album and title track "Chariot" and the theme song to One Tree Hill) released his new single "Best I Ever Had" … SPCO The Nufonia Must Fall show is part of the Walker Art Center and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music series (now in the middle of its fourth season) …

Other shows in the area:

GAVIN DEGRAW
First Avenue
Thu 10/19/2017 (7pm/$40.50)
first-avenue.com

Gavin’s new album Something Worth Saving is out now on RCA Records.

MILKY CHANCE
Skyway Theatre
Thu 10/19/2017 (8pm/$31.50)
skywaytheatre.com

German duo Milky Chance’s new video and single is called ‘Blossom’, from Republic Records.

Tour dates:

10/17 - Egyptian Room - Indianapolis, IN
10/18 - The Rave - Milwaukee, WI
10/19 - Skyway Theater - Minneapolis, MN
10/21 - The Wilma - Missoula, MT
10/22 - Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR
10/23 - Showbox Sodo - Seattle, WA
10/24 - The Commodore - Vancouver, BC

THIS IS KIT
+ Rogue Valley
Turf Club
Thu 10/19/2017 (7pm/$15)
turfclub.net

This Is The Kit and Rogue Valley to play the Turf Club on Thursday.

PINEGROVE
+ Florist, Lomelda
7th Street Entry
Thu 10/19/2017 (7pm/$16/Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

Pinegrove is touring with Florist and Lomelda (aka Hannah Read). The show is sold out.

Tour dates:

10/14 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
10/16 - Iowa City, IA @ Gabe's *
10/17 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Total Drag Records
10/18 - Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
10/19 - Minneapolis, MN@ 7th St Entry
10/20 - Milwaukee, WI@ The Back Room

ALT-J
+ Bishop Briggs
The Roy Wilkins Auditorium
Fri 10/20/2017 (7pm/$39.50)
theroy.org

Alt-J is back in town.

Tour dates:

10/13/17 - Doug Mitchell Thunderbird - Vancouver, BC
10/15/17 - Winspear Centre - Edmonton, AB
10/16/17 - Winspear Centre - Edmonton, AB
10/17/17 - Big Four Building - Calgary, AB
10/18/17 - The Wilma - Missoula, MT
10/20/17 - Roy Wilkins Auditorium - St. Paul, MN
10/21/17 - Murat at the Old National Centre - Indianapolis, IN
10/23/17 - Riverside Theater - Milwaukee, WI
10/25/17 - Express Live! - Columbus, OH
10/27/17 - Massey Hall - Toronto, ONT
10/28/17 - Massey Hall - Toronto, ONT
10/29/17 - Place Bell - Montreal, QC

TY DOLLA $IGN / TINASHE
+ Coin
Univ. Of Minnesota
Fri 10/20/2017 (7pm/$25)
homecoming.umn.edu

Ty Dolla $sign and Tinashe to headline Homecoming at University of Minnesota. Nashville pop/rock band COIN will open. COIN’s sophomore album How Will You Know If You Never Try is out now.

DEER TICK
+ Chris Crofton
The Cedar Cultural Center
Fri 10/20/2017 (7pm/$22.50/Sold Out)
thecedar.org

Deer Tick is on their Twice Is Nice Tour. The show will start with a a stripped-down, acoustic performance, then a break, and then a full-on electric set. Opener will feature comedian Chris Crofton.

Deer Tick 2017 Fall Tour

10/17 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall
10/19 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
10/20 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
10/21 – Chicago, IL – Metro
10/22 – Bloomington, IN – The Bluebird
10/24 – Maquoketa, IA – Codfish Hollow Barn
10/25 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown
10/27 – Colorado Springs, CO – The Black Sheep
10/28 – Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre
10/31 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge

LA FEMME
+ Jacques
Turf Club
Fri 10/20/2017 (8pm/$16)
turfclub.net

La Femme really impressed us with their recent appearance at Desert Daze. Be sure to check them out at the Turf Club this Friday.

RON POPE
+ Ages And Ages, The Heart Of
First Avenue
Fri 10/20/2017 (7pm/$20)
first-avenue.com

Ron Pope's new album Work is out now on Brooklyn Basement Records. Rolling Stone Country called him one of the “10 New Country Artists You Need To Know” while Uncut called Pope “Atlanta’s answer to The Boss” going on to say that “Work finds Pope more in thrall with the E Street Band than ever on vivacious blue-collar anthems.”

Tour dates:

10/14 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theatre
10/16 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart’s
10/17 - Detroit, MI - The Majestic
10/19 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
10/20 - Minneapolis, MN - First Ave
10/21 - Chicago, IL - Park West
10/22 - Indianapolis, IN - Deluxe
10/28 - Stockholm, SE - Fryshuset (Klubben)
10/29 - Oslo, NO - Parkteatret
10/30 - Copenhagen, DK - DR Koncerthuset
10/31 - Hamburg, DE - Terrace Hill
11/1 - Amsterdam, NL - Bitterzoet
11/2 - Cologne, DE - Artheater
11/3 - Munich, DE - Ampere
11/5 - London, UK - The Garage
11/6 - Manchester, UK - Academy 3

SPCO: Introducing Lembit Beecher
Capri Theater
Fri 10/20/2017 (7pm/$15)
thecapritheater.org

Chamber Music Series: Introducing Lembit Beecher is described as “Lembit Beecher, the SPCO’s Music Alive composer-in-residence, curates and hosts this program which features his most recent string quartet, written in 2016 and inspired by his love of Schubert. The ideas of repetition and obsession, combined with a sense of nostalgia and longing, inhabit all the works on the program.”

SPCO (Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra) is also hosting “The SPCO at Icehouse: SCHUBERT” at the Icehouse on October 19th ($20, 6pm)

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

alt-J w/ Lovelife @ Myth, Maplewood, MN (31 Oct 2014)

Photo Gallery Lovelife Setlist alt-J Setlist alt-J: Thom Green alt-J: Cameron Knight Alt-J Setlist Hunger of the Pine Fitzpleasure Something Good Left Hand Free Dissolve Me Matilda Bloodflood Bloodflood Pt. 2 Interlude I: ❦ (Ripe & Ruin) Tessellate Every Other Freckle Taro Warm Foothills The Gospel of John Hurt -- Encore -- Lovely Day (Bill Withers cover) Nara Leaving Nara Breezeblocks Lovelife Setlist Tonight (We're Taking Our Own Lives) Angel Stateless Invisible Exhaler Nova The End of the World Your New Beloved Dying to Start Again Tour Dates 11/07/14 Austin, TX Auditorium Shores 11/10/14 Detroit, MI The Fillmore Detroit 11/11/14 Toronto, ON Kool Haus 11/12/14 Montreal, QC Metropolis 11/14/14 Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre 11/16/14 New York, NY Beacon Theatre 11/18/14 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre 11/19/14 Washington, DC Echostage 11/30/14 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room 12/01/14 Columbus, OH The LC Pavilion 12/02/14 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom 12/03/14 St. Louis, MO The Pageant 12/05/14 Jacksonville, FL Metropolitan Park 12/06/14 St Petersburg, FL Vinoy Waterfront 12/12/14 San Diego, CA Valley View Casino 12/13/14 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena 12/16/14 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal 01/04/15 Busselton Sir Stewart Bovell Park 01/24/15 London The O2 - London 02/03/15 Brussels, Belgium Forest National 02/04/15 Paris, France Zenith Paris 02/05/15 Amsterdam Heineken Music Hall 02/07/15 Offenbach Stadthalle Offenbach 02/08/15 Cologne, Germany Palladium 02/09/15 Hamburg Sporthalle Hamburg 02/11/15 Berlin, Germany Columbiahalle 02/13/15 Winterthur Eishalle Deutweg 02/14/15 Assago, Italy Mediolanum Forum 02/15/15 Milan, Italy Alcatraz 02/16/15 Vienna, Austria Gasometer 02/17/15 Munich, Germany Zenith 02/19/15 Copenhagen, Denmark Tap 1 02/20/15 Stockholm Munchenbryggeriet 02/21/15 Oslo, Oslo Spektrum Arena ANS 03/30/15 New York, NY Madison Square Garden 07/09/15 Lisbon Passeio Maritimo De Alges Read More alt-J (∆) British band Alt-J (∆) have been consistently selling out all their Minnesota appearance, and their special Halloween show at the Myth Nightclub is no less. Typically Halloween shows are amazing .… Lovelife Opening up for Alt-J on the first leg of their tour will be Lovelife, a band that we previously mentioned was iTunes Single of the Week. Lovelife's latest release is called Silk Road EP, which is out now. …

A giant watermelon slice, killer clowns, panda bears, and astronauts- alt-J sure attracts some strange looking fans…

The Myth Audience

Okay, it may have had something to do with the fact that it was Halloween night (and their first Halloween show playing in the States) at the band’s recent sold-out show at Myth, in suburban Maplewood, MN.  The people watching became that much more interesting as a result, and the band did not disappoint the 3000+ party-ready fans that packed the venue for a rollicking evening.

Lovelife

London (via Los Angeles) five-piece band Lovelife opened this fifth night of the tour, in promotion of their three EPs (self-released and on National Anthem), including last year’s Stateless, with an upcoming full-length due soon.  The band has risen out of the ashes of former group Viva Brother, who put out a distinctive debut album (ironically called Famous First Words) only to flame out just a couple years later.

Lovelife as US Presidents

Fully into the Halloween spirit, the five entered to the sounds of Ray Parker’s ‘Ghostbusters Theme’; all dressed in black pants and white dress shirts, with each wearing a different U.S. Presidents (Obama, Clinton, Nixon, etc) mask.  Lee Newell and Ally Young (he, formerly of Mirrors) lead this up-tempo R&B-laced synth pop band, who is making their most of a second musical life.

Opening number, ‘Tonight’ had the spaced-out quirkiness of early MGMT, and the band deftly conquered initial feedback issues, to get the mostly younger crowd on their good side.  Unfortunately the masks were too hot to continue in (I felt the most sorry for the keyboardist with Nixon mask) and were shelved right after the second song.

Other keyboard-based songs had the musical elegance of Keane or the just-disbanding The Knife and singer Newell slinked lithely about the stage like Suede’s Brett Anderson. Their satisfying 40 min. set included brand new single, ‘The End of the World’ with a hope that they return, once their full-length is finished.

alt-J: Gus Unger-Hamilton

Leeds, UK’s alt-J has always been a musically hard-to-pin-down band; from its experimental Radiohead-esque tempo changes, to a jazz/ jam band inventive way of constructing a song, to vocals that are sometimes indistinguishable.  This so called “folkstep” (a synthy blend of Mumford-esque folk and dubstep) has polarized many critics as a result, but the Mercury Music Prize-winning band has sold out every local appearance to date, and the capacity crowd in attendance was all in their corner, often with raised hands in the form of the band’s triangular A-shaped logo.

alt-J: Joe Newman

The four-piece [Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals), Thom Green (drums), and new member Cameron Knight (bass/guitar)] is out in support of their sophomore release, This is All Yours (Atlantic Records) and opened their 72 min. set with ‘Hunger of the Pine’ (complete with its Miley Cyrus sample), from the new album.  Each of the four were dressed in dark clothing, ensconced along the front edge of the stage, and were all in Kiss-like facepaint, with singer Newman ably pulling off a Peter Criss Catman look.

Numerous Vari-Lites and a light-patterned backdrop, illuminated an otherwise dimly-lit stage and the crowd rose, with second song, ‘Fitzpleasure’ and its hypnotic vocal harmonies.  ‘Left Hand Free’, the second single from the band’s new album, began the multi-panel patterns on their lighted backdrop that would continue for the rest of the show, and there was an overall exact precision to their playing the songs.

“Good effort!”, Hamilton called out, admiring all the varied costumes in the audience before the slower ‘Matilda’, which had the crowd shouting the chorus back to the band.  Newer songs like ‘Every Other Freckle’ and ‘Warm Foothills’ fit in nicely amongst the older tracks, the band expanding its ever-experimental sound palette to go beyond any typical alternative band’s musical description.  Not much was said between songs, other than the usual pleasantries, the band instead focused on the delivery of their music, and probably not trying to sweat the Kiss face paint off.

Even the encore, which started with new album hidden track, a turned-inside out cover of Bill Withers' ‘Lovely Day’ stretched out in a most relaxed way.  An abbreviated version of the album’s “song cycle” followed, with ‘Nara’ and ‘Leaving Nara’ played back to back, in an ode to the Japanese city of the same name.  ‘Breezeblocks’ from their debut album, and a song which went Top 10 on the Indie charts in America, closed the evening.

From the nodding heads and raised hands of the costumed watermelon slice, front row astronaut, and giant panda head, everyone in the crowd (costumed or not) was won over by the end, insuring no doubt another sellout show the next time the band comes to town.

After playing a handful of holiday radio shows, alt-J heads to bigger venues in Europe in 2015, before returning to the U.S. in late March for an impressive headlining gig at New York’s fabled Madison Square Garden.

alt-J at Myth, Maplewood (31 Oct 2014)

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

Rocktober: October 31, 2014

Read More Mojave 3 It's in this thin veneer of nostalgia that Mojave 3 find their sound. If I could sum up the whole of my summers past in an album, it would undoubtedly be Mojave 3's Spoon and Rafter. The band -- founded by once-Slowdive members …

Here are shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul on October 31, 2014.

What a way to end Rocktober 2014 with these Halloween shows! Unfortunately, there's still no rest for us - as November is looking to be just as busy as October ... stay tuned.

SLOWDIVE with Low
at Fine Line Music Café
Friday 10/31/14, 8pm
$25: finelinemusic.com

This January, a mysterious text read, “here she comes…”, a song from Slowdive’s second album, Souvlaki; and with that, the long-awaited reunion was in motion for this Reading, UK shoe-gaze, experimental dream pop band.

European summer festivals and a 20-date tour on the continent followed, with the band finally coming to these shores for our own 20-date set of reunion dates. The local appearance is sold out, so hope your tickets are already in hand.

Tour Dates:

10/22/14 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
10/23/14 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
10/25/14 New York, NY Terminal 5
10/26/14 Boston, MA Royale Nightclub Boston
10/27/14 Montreal, QC Le National
10/28/14 Toronto, ON Opera House Concert
10/30/14 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
10/31/14 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Cafe
11/03/14 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
11/04/14 Seattle, WA The Neptune
11/05/14 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal
11/07/14 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
11/08/14 Los Angeles, CA Theatre At Ace Hotel
12/19/14 London, United Kingdom The Forum
12/20/14 London, United Kingdom The Forum

Read More alt-J British indie-rock quartet Alt-J (∆) wrapped up their US tour last night at the Bluebird Theater in Denver. Touring in promotion of their debut album, An Awesome Wave, these highly coveted tickets for the band’s first performance … Lovelife UK/LA-based synth-pop group Lovelife's new EP, Feel (with the track 'Your New Beloved') is currently iTunes Single of the Week! As of this writing, the song received over 120,000 downloads, and you can count me as one of those downloader. …

ALT-J with Lovelife
at Myth
Friday 10/31/14, 7pm
$35: mythlive.com

British band Alt-J (∆) have been consistently selling out all their Minnesota appearance, and their special Halloween show at the Myth Nightclub is no less. Typically Halloween shows are amazing, because everyone is dressed up ... and watching the show on stage is only half the fun.

Alt-J is on tour in support of their latest album This Is All Yours, out now on Atlantic.

Opening up for Alt-J on the first leg of their tour will be Lovelife, a band that we previously mentioned was iTunes Single of the Week. Lovelife's latest release is called Silk Road EP, which is out now.

Tour Dates:

10/24 - San Diego, CA - Soma *
10/27 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex *
10/28 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium *
10/31 - Minneapolis, MN - Myth *
11/02 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre *
11/04 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom *
11/05 - Dallas, TX - Southside Ballroom *
11/06 - Houston, TX - Bayou Music Center *
11/07-11/09 - Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Fest
11/10 - Detroit, MI - The Filllmore
11/11 - Toronto, ON - Kool Haus
11/12 - Montreal, QB - Metropolis
11/14 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theater
11/16 - New York, NY - Beacon Theater
11/18 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theater
11/19 - Washington, DC - Echostage

* with Lovelife

Read More My Gold Mask We've written about My Gold Mask before, but I don't think that would prepare us to see how feisty singer Gretta gets on stage. You can tell they love performing on stage. …

THE HOOD INTERNET with Various
at Turf Club
Friday 10/31/14, 8pm
$15: turfclub.net

Chicago's The Hood Internet (Aaron Brink and Steve Reidell) are DJing across the country with other fellow Chicagoans: Psalm One (as Hologram Kizzie), My Gold Mask, and Fluffy (not to be confused with UK all-girls "Eight t*ts, no talents" band Fluffy).

We previously seen My Gold Mask before and I noted that singer Gretta Rochelle was quite comfortable on stage.

My Gold Mask recently showcased their "goth-pop ecstasy" song "Explode", via soundcloud.com.



Tour Dates

10/23 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme*
10/24 - St Louis, MO - 2720 Cherokee *
10/25 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck *
10/30 - Milwaukee, WI - Miramar Theatre *
10/31 St. Paul, MN - Turf Club *
11/01 - Chicago, IL - Double Door *

* w/ My Gold Mask, Hologram Kizzie & Fluffy

Read More DJ Paul Oakenfold But a few of the fortunate on Friday got to see landmark DJ, Paul Oakenfold, hit the decks in the new Rev Ultra Lounge (the downstairs of Union Restaurant)- a room with a capacity of a mere 280. …

HALLOWEEN PARTY and COSTUME CONTEST
at First Avenue
Friday 10/31/14, 8pm
$5: first-avenue.com

If you feel like dancing away in your Halloween costume, First Avenue's annual Halloween Party, billed as "The Best Halloween Party In Town", is the place to be. DJs spinning are:

DJ FooLProoF

☁ (CLOUD)

DJ Espada

Mike 2600

DJ Smitty

Roy Freedom

and more...

Hosted by Ian Rans.

Plus don't forget you can win over $1000.00 in cash prizes:

First Place: $500.00 + 5 pairs of concert tickets*
Second Place: $300.00 + 3 pairs of concert tickets*
Third Place: $200.00 + 2 pairs of concert tickets*
Ian’s Pick: $50.00
Best Bar (1st Place): $200.00
Best Bar (2nd Place): $50.00

[* = mutually agreeable shows]

Also, over at the Record Room, is the "Holla-Ween 9: The Walking Dread Volume 2" party, featuring Verb X.

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

Empire of the Sun at the State Theatre, Minneapolis (09/16/13)

Setlist Lux Old Flavours DNA Standing on the Shore Breakdown Half Mast We Are the People Concert Pitch Celebrate Ice on the Dune I'll Be Around Surround Sound Swordfish Hotkiss Night Walking on a Dream Tiger by My Side Encore: Alive Tour Dates 09/18/13 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle * 09/19/13 New Orleans, LA The Civic Theatre * 09/20/13 Houston, TX Warehouse Live 09/21/13 "Breakaway Music Festival" 10/23/13 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre 10/26/13 "Life Is Beautiful Festival" 10/27/13 Las Vegas, NV Downtown Las Vegas 10/29/13 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre 10/31/13 Los Angeles, CA Shrine Auditorium 10/31/13 Los Angeles, CA Shrine Auditorium * with Alpine Read More Empire of the Sun The Australian duo is currently on tour in America in support of their latest album Ice On The Dune, which Cristina thinks is too pop and did not like it. .…

Sydney's Empire of the Sun is currently on tour in America in support of their second album, Ice on the Dune. The band stopped in at the State Theatre in Minneapolis last night, September 16th, bringing in some of the most wonderful themed stage, dancing girls, visuals, and amazing songs.

ALPINE

Opening up the show was Alpine, a band from Melbourne, Australia. I actually really enjoyed their performance, which were centered mostly between dueling vocals of Phoebe Baker and Lou James. When the two women are not busy harmonizing sweet vocals, they would try and incite the audience to stand up and dance for them. It's a shame that people were still shuffling in when Alpine started their set (on time), because I felt they missed a really fun performance.

Song from their brief set list was basically all the songs from their debut album A Is For Alpine, including (and in this order): "Lovers", " The Vigour", "Too Safe", "Seeing Red", "Icy Poles", "Hands", "Gasoline", and the finale "Villages".

If you missed Alpine this time around, the seven piece band will be back in Minneapolis at the Nether Bar (Mill City Nights) on October 19th.

Empire of the Sun started shortly after 8pm with a drummer and keyboard/bassist and two dancers, warming up to "Lux". Then, like a Christ-figure, Luke Steele is slowly risen via a platform with his helmet and costume, as two additional dancers are revealed. What an entrance!

There were a few technical difficulties plaguing the show, including Luke Steele's guitar not working out and microphone mix issues, but overall, the synchronized dancing, light show, smoke, and overall theatrics made up for any issues.

The thing I noticed and mentioned in the audio recording, is that each song and set piece were all planned and designed for, indicating to me that Luke Steele (or whoever is the creative force behind it) has this amazing vision for this band. You can tell they worked really hard on the setlist, the dance routine and especially the costumes. It wasn't just the band on stage, the audience was also part of the event, with a few fans dressing up for the occasion (the face makeup, the funky headbands, etc).

Obviously fans loved and responded well to Empire of the Sun's singles, like "We Are the People" and "Walking on a Dream", and the encore song, "Alive". As for the visual part, I thought the biggest (perhaps strangest) surprise was when a giant puppet with a skull for a head came on behind the set.

At the end of the show, Luke Steele smashed his guitar to bits. Perhaps it was out of frustration because his guitar wasn't working out earlier in the set, but I felt this was all part of the show (considering how fast the cleanup crew came on stage with a brush immediately after Steele left the stage). I haven't seen guitar smashing in a long time, so that was really fun to witness live.

Empire of the Sun is currently on tour for Ice on the Dune. If you're still debating on spending that $40 or $50 to see Empire of the Sun, I'm here to tell you that it's totally worth the price of admission. It's a show, show, and it's something you probably won't experience in a typical rock n roll concert.

PS, Just randomly, but it's worth noting that the other half of Empire of the Sun, Nick Littlemore, was not present on this tour.

Empire of the Sun at the State Theatre, Minneapolis (09/16/13)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ empireofthesun.com ♥ facebook.com/alpineband

Alt-J (∆) at the Bluebird Theater, Denver

Tour Dates 06/10/13 Millvale, PA Mr. Small's Theatre 06/11/13 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues 06/12/13 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe 06/16/13 Aarhus, Denmark Adalan 06/22/13 Hilvarenbeek Beekse Bergen 07/06/13 Arras, France Citadel Of Arras 07/07/13 Werchter, Belgium Festivalpark 07/14/13 Lisbon, Portugal Passeio Maritimo 07/18/13 Tonsberg, Norway Slottsfjell Festival 07/27/13 Perth, Aus Challenge Stadium 07/30/13 West Melbourne, Aus Festival Hall 07/31/13 Moore Park, Aus Hordern Pavilion 08/24/13 Reading, UK Richfield Avenue 08/29/13 Oakland, CA Fox Theater 09/01/13 Vancouver, BC Orpheum 09/03/13 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal 09/05/13 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium 09/07/13 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue 09/10/13 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music 09/11/13 Toronto, ON Echo Beach 09/13/13 Boston, MA Bank Of America 09/18/13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 09/23/13 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle 09/24/13 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues 09/27/13 Houston, TX House Of Blues 09/28/13 Austin, TX Stubb's Bar-B-Q Read More alt-J Mercury Prize-winner Alt-J (∆) stopped by Minneapolis at the Varsity Theater last night, April 1st, as part of their sold-out tour in support of their debut album, An Awesome Wave. ….

British indie-rock quartet Alt-J (∆) wrapped up their US tour last night at the Bluebird Theater in Denver.  Touring in promotion of their debut album, An Awesome Wave, these highly coveted tickets for the band’s first performance in the Mile High City sold out back in December.

Similar to the April Fool’s Day Alt-J performance we reviewed back in Minneapolis, the band played their entire album almost song for song, with the audience chanting every word to hits like “Matilda”, “Breezeblocks”, and “Taro”.  The band performed in front of a gigantic tarp painted to resemble their album cover art depicting the Ganges Delta.  The band again performed their smash-up of Dr. Dre’s “Slow Dre” and Kylie Minogue’s “Slow” and returned to the stage after the crowd’s frantic stomping for an encore to cover College’s “A Real Hero”.

The quality of the band’s sound was present and charged with the alluring beauty of frontman Joe Newman’s voice, but the energy and audience interaction were significantly lacking.  Although still powerful at the musical core and equipped with the band’s signature heart-achingly lovely harmonies, the performance last night was a good representation of tour exhaustion.  It was an awesome wave, but a brief one.  Leaving little room for audience applause, Alt-J raced through their set and encore in just over an hour.

After some much needed rest, Alt-J will return to Denver in September to perform at the larger Fillmore Auditorium venue; get your tickets now or never.

Alt-J at the Bluebird Theater, Denver (04/03/13)

kira ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com/altJ.band

Alt-J (∆) at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (04/01/13)

Tour Dates 04/02/13 Kansas City, MO Midland 04/03/13 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater 04/04/13 Salt Lake City, UT Complex 04/06/13 Seattle, WA The Neptune 04/07/13 Vancouver, BC Commodore 04/08/13 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 04/10/13 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore 04/12/13 Indio, CA Empire Polo Club 04/14/13 Sacramento, CA Ace Of Spades 04/16/13 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern 04/17/13 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory 04/19/13 Indio, CA Empire Polo Club 06/10/13 Millvale, PA Mr. Small's Theatre 06/11/13 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues 06/12/13 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe 06/16/13 Aarhus, Denmark Adalan 06/22/13 Hilvarenbeek Beekse Bergen 07/06/13 Arras, France Citadel Of Arras 07/07/13 Werchter, Belgium Festivalpark 07/14/13 Lisbon, Portugal Passeio Maritimo 07/18/13 Tonsberg, Norway Slottsfjell Festival 07/27/13 Perth, Aus Challenge Stadium 07/30/13 West Melbourne, Aus Festival Hall 07/31/13 Moore Park, Aus Hordern Pavilion 08/24/13 Reading, UK Richfield Avenue 08/29/13 Oakland, CA Fox Theater 09/01/13 Vancouver, BC Orpheum 09/03/13 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal 09/05/13 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium 09/07/13 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue 09/10/13 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music 09/11/13 Toronto, ON Echo Beach 09/13/13 Boston, MA Bank Of America 09/18/13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 09/23/13 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle 09/24/13 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues 09/27/13 Houston, TX House Of Blues 09/28/13 Austin, TX Stubb's Bar-B-Q Read More Alt-J One of the hottest tickets to get is Alt-J at the very sold out show at the Varsity Theater on April 1st. If you weren't lucky/fast enough to secure a ticket for next week's show - you have a second chance this September 7th!…

Mercury Prize-winner Alt-J (∆) stopped by Minneapolis at the Varsity Theater last night, April 1st, as part of their sold-out tour in support of their debut album, An Awesome Wave.

HUNDRED WATERS

Opening up for them was a Florida band called Hundred Waters. The lead singer Nicole Miglis is usually playing keyboards, but occasional bust out her flute to give their music this weird experimental and improvisation feel to it.

The band is on tour in support of their debut 2012 LP, however they just released an EP called Boreal Remixes last week (March 26th) via OWSLA.

As for Alt-J, what can I say? The band (still) has an amazing amount of buzz. They sold out the Triple Rock last year, so this time, they've upgraded the venue to the beautiful Varsity Theater and the show sold out months in advance.

Like last time, I mentioned that the band basically played their entire album, An Awesome Wave, live, so I was wondering how they will play out last night's show. They threw in a couple of cover songs to pad out their set, including a cover of College's "A Real Hero" (incidentally, High Highs did the exact same cover over at Triple Rock the same night) and a weird mashup of Kylie Minogue's "Slow" and Dr. Dre's "Slow Dre", affectionately calling it "Still Dre".

Also new this time was these tri-light stands. I counted about six or seven, placed all over the stage. These lights have varying degrees of brightness, controlled by someone (perhaps their soundboard person?) to correspond with their music. They set a nice mood when it's completely dark on stage and all you can see are these little lights.

Alt-J is currently on tour. If you live in Minneapolis, and at this point still have not seen the band, you still have one more chance: they are doubling the capacity at First Avenue, but in September. I reckon by August, or earlier that the venue will sell out, so get your tickets now or you'll regret it later.

UPDATE: I am told that both September dates have completely sold out.

Alt-J (∆) at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (04/01/13)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ altjband.com ♥ hundred-waters.com

April 1st

April 1st is known as April Fools' Day... and yes, we are fools for music.

Here are some shows happening in Minneapolis on April 1st. We are covering four shows that night. Two are listed below, in addition to Little Green Cars at 7th Street Entry and Thao and the Get Down Stay Down.

ALT-J (∆)
altjband.com

One of the hottest tickets to get is Alt-J at the very sold out show at the Varsity Theater on April 1st. If you weren't lucky/fast enough to secure a ticket for next week's show - you have a second chance this September 7th! That's a long time from now, but the band will appear at a larger venue at First Avenue. Expect to hear them talk about Prince when they play the main room.

Anyway, you may remember how I saw Alt-J at Triple Rock in 2012, and noted that they were the best band in all the Mercury Prize nominees. And as predicted, they took home the prize last November.

So, find out what all the buzz is all about, check them out on tour now:

03/22/13 New York, NY Webster Hall 03/24/13 New York, NY Terminal 5 03/25/13 Montreal, QC Virgin Mobile 03/27/13 Toronto, ON Sound Academy 03/28/13 Chicago, IL Metro / Smart Bar 03/29/13 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre 03/30/13 Columbus, OH Lifestyle Communities 04/01/13 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater 04/02/13 Kansas City, MO Midland 04/03/13 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater 04/04/13 Salt Lake City, UT Complex 04/06/13 Seattle, WA The Neptune 04/07/13 Vancouver, BC Commodore 04/08/13 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 04/10/13 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore 04/12/13 Indio, CA Empire Polo Club 04/14/13 Sacramento, CA Ace Of Spades 04/16/13 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern 04/17/13 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory 04/19/13 Indio, CA Empire Polo Club 06/10/13 Millvale, PA Mr. Small's Theatre 06/11/13 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues 06/12/13 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe

06/16/13 Aarhus, Denmark Adalan 06/22/13 Hilvarenbeek Beekse Bergen 07/06/13 Arras, France Citadel Of Arras 07/07/13 Werchter, Belgium Festivalpark 07/14/13 Lisbon, Portugal Passeio Maritimo 07/18/13 Tonsberg, Norway Slottsfjell Festival 07/27/13 Perth, Aus Challenge Stadium 07/30/13 West Melbourne, Aus Festival Hall 07/31/13 Moore Park, Aus Hordern Pavilion 08/24/13 Reading, UK Richfield Avenue 08/29/13 Oakland, CA Fox Theater 09/01/13 Vancouver, BC Orpheum 09/03/13 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal 09/05/13 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium 09/07/13 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue 09/10/13 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre 09/11/13 Toronto, ON Echo Beach 09/13/13 Boston, MA Bank Of America Pavilion 09/18/13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 09/23/13 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle 09/24/13 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues 09/27/13 Houston, TX House Of Blues 09/28/13 Austin, TX Stubb's Bar-B-Q

HOW TO DRESS WELL
howtodresswell.com

Since I already mentioned Sky Ferreira, I will focus on How to Dress Well. The two are doing a double-headliner tour, and yes, they are stopping by Triple Rock Social Club on April 1st.

You may remember how I saw Tom Krell (otherwise known as How to Dress Well) at 7th Street Entry last year and said that he sings in falsetto.

Check out the official website for worldwide tour dates (including shows in Asia, Australia, Europe). I am only listing his North America dates with Sky Ferreira below:

How to Dress Well's sophomore LP, Total Loss, is available now. The Sky Ferreira/HTDW tour kicked off last night!

03-20 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom 03-21 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall 03-23 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's 03-24 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall 03-25 Montreal, Quebec - La Salla Rossa 03-27 Toronto, Ontario - Wrong Bar 03-29 Columbus, OH - Basement 03-30 Chicago, IL - Schubas

03-31 Madison, WI - The Frequency 04-01 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock 04-03 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge 04-05 Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret 04-06 Seattle, WA - Barboza 04-07 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios 04-10 Silverlake, CA - Los Globos

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

W♥M173: The Varsity Theater

W♥M173 (12 mins)

Shayna from the Varsity Theater is our guest this week on W♥M Radio.

The Varsity Theater is the prettiest/best-looking venue around town; this is mostly thanks to their other business of booking wedding receptions and private events. They also get some of the best national bands with upcoming acts such as funnyman John Mulaney (03/16) , one of my favorite Britpop acts Ash (03/18), Frightened Rabbit (03/21), Mercury Prize Winner Alt-J (04/01), Pop Star Mika (04/02). We are actually covering a lot of bands at the Varsity - if I'm not there, usually I send someone else to cover it for me.

Anyway, too many good bands to mention, head over to varsitytheater.org to see their full calendar.

Shayna is really excited about Carroll (carrollmusic.net). The band won Vita.mn's fourth annual "Are You Local" contest and is heading down to SXSW:

03/14 SXSW Funk-It Rec Showcase
03/15 SXSW Minnesota Nice Showcase
03/15 SXSW Free Now Showcase

Song of the show is Jim James' "State of the Art (A. E. I. O. U)" from his album Regions of Light and Sound of God. I've previously written about James and how he's the singer of My Morning Jacket. He recently announced some exclusive "Conversation at SXSW", which I'll list all the tour dates and information below. His North American tour kicks in April.

For the latest updates, check with jimjames.com.

03/12 SXSW MTV/VH1/CMT Present 03/13 SXSW Interview w/ Bill Flanagan 03/13 SXSW Aquarium Drunkard Presents 03/14 SXSW Heartbreaker Banquet 03/15 SXSW Auditorium Shores’ show 03/16 SXSW Record Signing @ Waterloo Records 04/17: Louisville, KY @ Brown Theatre 04/19: Milwaukee, WI @ The Pabst Theater 04/20: Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre 04/21: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue 04/23: Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall 04/24: Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre 04/26: Boston, MA @ Royale 04/27: Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer 04/29: New York, NY @ Webster Hall

04/30: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club 05/02: Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom 05/3: Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel 05/6: Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek 05/7: Dallas, TX @ House of Blues 05/9: Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre 05/11: Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre 05/12: San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore 05/14: Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom 05/15: Seattle, WA @ Neptune 05/17: Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Fest 06/13-06/15: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo 06/22: Dove, DE @ Firefly Music Festival 07/12-7/14: Louisville, KY @ Forcastle Festival 07/27: Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival

BONUS: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (or rather the shortened OMD) is coming to the Varsity Theater on July 8 July 22. This is a long way from now, but hopefully, if it all works out, I will be at that show. I don't want to call Shayna out on this one, but the song appeared on "Pretty in Pink". Although between you and me, I often get all of those John Hughes/Molly Ringwald movies mixed up ("The Breakfast Club", "Sixteen Candles", and "Pretty in Pink").

I don't think if it's officially announced yet, but Diamond Rings will be opening up for OMD on their US dates. We previously covered the Thomas Hardy book lover at 7th Street Entry. Update: OMD made the Diamond Rings news official on March 6th.

04/05/13 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom 04/06/13 Seattle, WA Showbox At The Market 04/07/13 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom 04/10/13 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot 04/12/13 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom 04/14/13 Indio, CA Empire Polo Club 04/21/13 Indio, CA Empire Polo Club 04/28/13 Margate, UK Winter Gardens 04/29/13 Birmingham, UK Symphony Hall 05/01/13 Nottingham, UK Royal Centre 05/02/13 Ipswich, UK Ipswich Regent Theatre 05/03/13 London, UK Roundhouse 05/05/13 Bristol, UK Colston Hall 05/06/13 Oxford, UK New Theatre Oxford 05/08/13 Sheffield, UK Sheffield City Hall 05/09/13 Leeds, UK O2 Academy Leeds 05/10/13 Manchester, UK Manchester Academy

05/13/13 Gateshead, UK The Sage Gateshead 05/14/13 Liverpool, UK Liverpool Empire Theatre 05/21/13 Hamburg, Germany Docks Konzerte 05/22/13 Bielefeld, Germany Ringlokschuppen 05/24/13 Berlin, Germany Tempodrom 05/25/13 Leipzig, Germany Haus Auensee 05/27/13 Cologne, Germany E-Werk 07/11/13 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall 07/12/13 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer 07/13/13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 07/15/13 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club 07/17/13 New York, NY Terminal 5 07/19/13 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall 07/20/13 Detroit - St. Andrew's Hall 07/22/13 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater 07/23/13 Chicago, IL Metro / Smart Bar

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

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