W♥M

Alexander 23 at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall (10/14/2022)

Read More Alexander 23 Show up early to check out rising pop artist, Alexander 23. Tour dates: 04/11 New York, NY Irving Plaza 04/12 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer …

“How do you live here?”  That’s what Grace Enger wanted to know in regards to the bracing weather that greeted the Hoboken, New Jersey native.  Eighty degrees on Monday, snow on Friday, it’s as bracing as it sounds.

Enger opened the all-age show with a crowd huddled in close as she sang with guitar in hand, starting off with “Me and You” followed by “Bad Guy.” She then sang a cover of Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag” before someone in the audience asked when she would be releasing her first E.P.  That was still a secret.  She was just happy to be on her first tour, but she did sing a possible song from the anticipated release, “Neighborhood.”

Being from Toronto, Renforshort, aka Lauren Isenberg, was into the Twin Cities vibe and wasn’t deterred by the cold and snow as she spent the day driving around the cities.  She had to admit she was pretty bummed for it was her last show on the tour, but she put on a lively set with songs like “I Miss Myself” and “Lust to Love.”

Renforshort is promoting her first full-length album Dear Amelia and she featured the song “Moshpit”, which she said was co-written by Alexander 23.  She then did a cover of Pixie’s “Where is my mind” with an airy lark of an intro before launching into the chaotic throes of the song. 

Alexander 23, aka Alexander Glantz, and his band soon took the stage, but quickly exited after the second song.  It may have been a joke/stunt but it certainly left the crowd a little confused for many were young and female and still wanted to sing along. 

After “Somebody’s Nobody” Alexander removed a long-sleeve shirt to reveal a sleeveless T.  Many cheered and some barked.  “I’ve never been barked at,” he said, which guaranteed barking for the rest of the evening. 

Alexander’s sweet spot is singing about that tumultuous time of being a teenager, which he captured in “High School” with rolling cymbals, rising piano chords and a pointed falsetto voice.

Alexander started off a career by helping other musicians like Selena Gomez, Jeremy Zucker and Role Model with writing and producing credits.  He even garnered a Grammy nomination by helping produce Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour.  He seemed to enjoy being in front of the mic and developed a report with the crowd, almost conversational, as if those in the audience were at his home requesting songs so they could sing along with “Dirty AF1s” and “R.I.P. You and Me.”   He even at one point let the audience vote by barking which song he should sing next. But he saved the last song for one that was still dear to his heart, a song that launched his career and pointed him in the direction as a solo artist, “IDK You Yet.”

Grace Enger

Renforshort

Renforshort

Alexander 23

Alexander 23

Alexander 23

Alexander 23 at Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St Paul (14 Oct 2022)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Alice Glass at Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St Paul (17 Sep 2022)

09/17 Alice Glass ( of Crystal Castles ) with Uffie at Amsterdam Bar & Hall Read More Alice Glass The Zola Jesus and Alice Glass co-headlining tour will be stopping by the Turf Club in St Paul. What’s important to note is that this is Glass’s first-ever solo North American tour. You may recall that we wrote about Glass’ former band Crystal Castles ..... Uffie Uffie to open. Tour dates: Sep 7 San Francisco, CA, US The Independent Sep 9 Portland, OR, US Star Theater Sep 10 Vancouver, BC, Canada Hollywood Theatre Sep 11 Seattle, WA, US Chop Suey .....

Canada’s Alice Glass, formerly of Crystal Castles, is currently on tour for her debut album PREY//IV (Eating Glass Records). The tour stopped in at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall, in St Paul, on Saturday, September 17th.

We haven’t been to the Amsterdam since 2019, so they’ve made some changes to the venue. There used to be a wall, separating the venue from the bar and food-serving area. Now, the venue looks much larger, with the removal of the wall… but it does have a weird contrast, as the bar/food-serving area is well-lit, compared to the darkness of the music dancefloor.

Los Angeles’s artist and fashion icon, Uffie (Anna-Catherine Hartley) opened the show. Uffie is a one-woman show, who sings over pre-recorded backing track. Her biggest fan, as seen at stage right, was Alice Glass, who often waves her arms in the air and mouthing Uffie’s lyrics, such as the viral hit song, “Pop the Glock”. It appears that Glass was also helping with programming the music on her laptop.

Uffie’s latest album, Sunshine Factory, came out in May 2022, via Company Records, and featured “Cool”, which she played near the end of her set.

To understand Alice Glass, you also need to understand the fanbase… which is just as important as Glass’ music. Glass’ visuals and songs about social alienation and depression resonate to her emo or goth fans. It’s not just music, but it’s a lifestyle.

Songs on the setlist includes plenty from her debut album, PREY//IV, but she threw in a couple of Crystal Castles songs, including her favorite, “Alice Practice”.

Remaining tour dates:

Sep 20 Toronto, ON, Canada Lee's Palace
Sep 21 Montreal, QC, Canada Le Belmont
Sep 23 Cambridge, MA, US Middle East - Upstairs
Sep 24 Baltimore, MD, US Ottobar
Sep 25 Brooklyn, NY, US Warsaw
Oct 29 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US Fonda Theatre
Oct 30 San Diego, CA, US Music Box
Oct 31 Pomona, CA, US Glass House

Uffie

Uffie

Alice Glass

Alice Glass

Alice Glass at Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St Paul (17 Sep 2022)

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

Vintage Trouble at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul (04 Dec 2019)

Vintage Trouble at Amsterdam Bar Vintage Trouble Setlist Total Strangers Doin' What You Were Doin' My Whole World Stopped Without You Nancy Lee Pelvis Pusher Can't Let Go Can't Stop Rollin' Run Like the River These Arms of Mine (Otis Redding cover) Crystal Clarity Get It (instrumental) Jezzebella Knock Me Out -- Encore -- Blues Hand Me Down Tour Dates 06 December 2019 Globe Hall, Denver, CO 08 December 2019 Top Hat, Missoula, MT 09 December 2019 The Crocodile, Seattle, WA 10 December 2019 Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, OR 12 December 2019 The New Parish, Oakland, CA 13 December 2019 El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA Read More 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). … Hollis Brown Hollis Brown is a classic pop/rock/Americana band from New York. Their debut album Ride On The Train is out now via Alive Records. …

 Closing in on finishing their first decade together, Vintage Trouble still “can’t stop rollin’” as the Los Angeles foursome returned to the area, playing to an enthusiastic crowd at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in downtown St. Paul.

The evening’s openers were Queens, NY rock band Hollis Brown, named after a classic Bob Dylan song (“The Ballad of Hollis Brown” but probably still get the inevitable question of which one’s Hollis). Mike Montali (vocals/guitar) and Jonathan Bonilla (lead guitar) head the band, alongside Andrew Zehnal (drums) and Adam Bock (keys/vocals) and their latest release is Ozone Park, released in June.

The band has previously supported the likes of Counting Crows, Citizen Cope, Heartless Bastards, and Jesse Malin and plays music in a similar vein to those acts and was well received by the Amsterdam crowd, with the band capping its generous 45-minute set by playing its homage to the legendary actor nicknamed The Duke, ‘John Wayne’.

The audience swelled as the set break was ending and lights framed the Vintage Trouble logo backdrop at center stage. Their local audience has steadily grown, thanks in part to previous high-profile appearances such as opening for The Who and playing the Chipotle Cultivate Festival, as well as good word of mouth from their own memorable headlining shows.

The new album is actually two EPs, Chapter II – EP I and EP II (on McGhee Entertainment), each with both electric and acoustic versions of new songs that represent a more modern sound, versus the retro-soul powered blues rock of their previous albums.

The foursome’s (Ty Taylor -vocals; Nalle Colt – guitar; Rick Barrio Dill- bass; Richard Danielson- drums) wardrobe has slightly changed as well, slightly less structured and not wearing ties (at least this night), though still stylish and dapper, and the quartet entered as they always have – gathering for an encouraging huddle and shaking each other’s hands, before cutting loose for their ninety-minute set.

“Get your hands together!” swaggering singer Taylor intro’d, but the audience didn’t need any additional encouragement, already in the mood for a good time. Danielson’s rapid beat and Dill’s bass anchored the opening song, further riling up the audience and (Viggo Mortensen lookalike) guitarist Colt was in his usual understated but fine form all night.

“Can we dance together in this room?’ Taylor asked as the swaying ‘Doin’ What You Were Doin’ followed, with Taylor noticing the snow on the ground and saying “the best part of it being cold outside, is to be warm inside together” cuing up a classic-sounding ballad, ‘My Whole World Stopped Without You’.

The grinding ‘Pelvis Pusher’ was played early in the set, rounded out more wholly with the help of a new female touring vocalist, and the new songs began with one of the very newest, a slow burner released online just a week prior, called ‘Can’t Let Go’.

The small club was transformed into a juke joint for the new ‘Can’t Stop Rollin’ and exhilarating classic ‘Run Like the River’ found singer Taylor literally everywhere in the club– high-fiving patrons as he went from corner to corner, eventually standing on a back table to dive into the crowd and get carried on fans’ hands, back to the front stage.

One of Taylor’s biggest musical heroes are Booker T. Jones and Otis Redding, and the two influences came together as Jones asked Taylor to cover Redding’s ‘These Arms of Mine’ on his new record, which the band reproduced live, both faithfully and soulfully.

The trio stretched its musical muscles during the instrumental ‘Get It’ giving Taylor a brief breather (but, surprisingly, no wardrobe change), ending with the stomping and very appropriate ‘Knock Me Out’, which was a pounding finish and killer main set-ending blow.

The one-song encore was another Troublemaker favorite and band classic, ‘Blues Hand Me Down’ that had Taylor twirling like a top to start the song and the band unrelenting in contagious rhythm, ending the song acapella as the foursome smartly marched directly to the merch booth for a crowd ready to meet and congratulate them on a breathtaking set.

Still (for some reason) one of rock’s best kept secrets, any chance to see Vintage Trouble live (especially in a small and intimate club) is well worth the opportunity, and you may have just discovered your new favorite band in the process.

(click on any photo below to enlarge and see full image)

Hollis Brown

Hollis Brown

Hollis Brown

Vintage Trouble Setlist

Vintage Trouble

Vintage Trouble

Vintage Trouble

Vintage Trouble

Vintage Trouble

Vintage Trouble at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul (04 Dec 2019)

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Broods w/ Bad Sounds at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul (08 April 2019)

Broods at Amsterdam Bar Broods Setlist Sucker To Belong Eyes a Mess > Everytime You Go Superstar Why Do You Believe Me? Hold the Line > Are You Home L.A.F Free Too Proud Falling Apart Dust Bridges Hospitalized > Old Dog Everything Goes (Wow) Life After Peach -- Encore -- Couldn't Believe Bad Sounds Setlist Are You High? Zacharia Meat on my Bones Milk It Honestly Hot Head Chippenham Avalanche Wages Broods Dates April 16 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA* April 18 Irving Plaza New York, NY* April 19 Asbury Lanes Asbury Park, NJ* April 20 Fillmore Washington, DC* May 14 Christchurch Town Hall Auditorium Christchurch, NZ May 16 Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall Auckland, NZ May 21 Forum Melbourne Melbourne, VIC, Australia May 22 Thebarton Theatre Adelaide, SA, Australia May 25 Big Pineapple Music Festival Woombye, QLD, Australia May 28 Enmore Theatre Newtown, NSW, Australia May 30 Eatons Hill Hotel & Function Centre Brisbane, QLD, Australia June 01 Metropolis Fremantle, WA, Australia (*= Bad Sounds opening) Read More Broods New Zealand brother/sister duo Broods (Caleb Nott and Georgia Nott) is in the US on a headlining tour, after a successful sold out US tour with Sam Smith. They are touring in support of their Capitol Records debut … Bad Sounds Show up early to check out UK-based band Bad Sounds. Tour dates: 4/01 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre 4/02 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre 4/03 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom …

“It’s Ewan’s birthday today...so we’re all wearing his teeth!”

The occasion was another in the series of local Go Shows- club concerts featuring breaking artists and sponsored by local radio station GO96.3, this outing featuring brother/sister-led Broods and two brother-led Bad Sounds.

The opening band’s lead singer was celebrating his birthday; so the headliners, in tribute, decided to all wear the same Bad Sounds t-shirt that featured a closeup of the singer’s smiling mouth on the front.

Bath, UK-raised, Bristol-based five-piece Bad Sounds (Ewan Merrett-keys/vocals; Callum Merrett- vocals/samples; Charlie Pitt -bass; Sam Hunt-guitar; Olivia Dimery- drums) is bad in the way that people would use the term in the 70’s- as in they’re baaaad! The buzzing band has already made waves overseas, playing most major European and UK festivals in support of last summer’s debut full-length, Get Better (Insanity Records) and has North America in their sights next.

“This is our first time here, you all seem lovely”, they said early into their thirty-minute set filled with a cacophony of sounds- disco/funk beats against found sound samples (a la Beck), and verse influenced by early hip-hop MCs like that of De La Soul.

“Thank you for coming to my birthday party...it’s a bit rude because I didn’t invite any of you!” Ewan joked before ‘Meat on my Bones’, and their song ‘Milk It’ could only start with the lyric, “Holy cow!”.

“This is out first time in America, we feel a bit out of our depth” Calum admitted, “this is a song about the sh*t town we’re from” he said, before going into their mixtape-only song, ‘Hot Head Chippenham’. With energy high, Ewan and band departed the stage with many in the crowd singing Happy Birthday as they left.

Consider the monster fed--

New Zealand sibling duo Georgia and Caleb Nott lead Broods, an indie-electropop band that has gradually built its steady and loyal audience over the six years and three albums since the band’s formal founding in 2013. Their latest, Don’t Feed the Pop Monster (Neon Gold/Atlantic Records) was released in February, and is perhaps the group’s least dark and most commercially accessible work to date.

The band started their eighty-two minute with the new album’s opening track. ‘Sucker’, set against dramatic lighting and Georgia smartly dressed in a leather jacket and red cowboy hat admitting in song she is “a sucker for everything, but I'll always go back to the simple things, my Stevie and Sting”. Following was the new ‘To Belong’ then ‘Eyes a Mess’, a 2018 single destined for the new record, but left off in the end.

The overall set’s flow rewarded the patient, with the band gradually building energy as singer Nott’s voice evolved from soft and breathy, to soaring with range, with the double shot of 2014’s ‘L.A.F’ and 2016’s ‘Free’ taking things to new heights. Broods is obviously proud of the new album, playing all of its twelve tracks, while peppering in several older favorites.

‘Hospitalized’ the third and most recent single from the album, got the crowd dancing along with its quick beats, and the band didn’t stop to catch their breath before seguing into the new ‘Old Dog’. 

‘Everything Goes (Wow)’ is about accepting and making peace with the limited morality we all have, and the set-ending anthem ‘Peach’ that brought everyone’s hands in the air, shook off any previous dark-pop reputations of the band with Nott singing “I’m high and I’m low, no control, but everything’s looking peach now” as she bounded from one end of the stage to the other.

The band was coaxed back by the loud cheers and screams for a one-song encore of 2016’s ‘Couldn’t Believe’ with Nott singing “let’s give in to this” which most in the crowd did, in dance, song, and clapping along with little abandon. 

Broods may have all been wearing t-shirts with matching teeth, but it was the entire crowd that was smiling back, following.

(click on any photo below to enlarge and see full image)

Bad Sounds

Broods Setlist

Bad Sounds

Bad Sounds

Bad Sounds

Bad Sounds

Broods

Broods

Broods

Broods

Broods

Broods

Broods at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul (08 April 2019)

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

The Trashcan Sinatras at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul (12 June 2018)

Trashcan Sinatras at Amsterdam Bar Poster Trashcan Sinatras Setlist Set I Got Carried Away All the Dark Horses Freetime How Can I Apply…? Obscurity Knocks Maybe I Should Drive Thrupenny Tears Even the Odd The Best Man's Fall Circling the Circumference Funny Only Tongue Can Tell You Made Me Feel January's Little Joke Set II Easy Read Hayfever Bloodrush Worked a Miracle The Perfect Reminder Killing the Cabinet Orange Fell I'm Immortal Send For Henny Iceberg One at a Time I've Seen Everything The Hairy Years Earlies All Night Weightlifting Tour Dates 06/19/2018 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret 06/20/2018 Seattle, WA Fremont Abbey Arts Center 06/21/2018 Portland, OR Alberta Rose Theatre 06/22/2018 Sacramento, CA Harlow's Night Club 06/24/2018 Mill Valley, CA Sweetwater Music Hall 06/27/2018 Los Angeles, CA The Regent Theater 06/28/2018 Pioneertown, CA Pappy And Harriet's Read More Trashcan Sinatras Trashcan Sinatras is back in town, this time with a brand new album Wild Pendulum, crowd-funded and produced by Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis. We previously caught the Scottish band ....

“It’s time to mount the time machine”-

After many years away, Irvine, Scotland indie-pop/rock band The Trashcan Sinatras returned to the Amsterdam Bar and Hall in downtown St. Paul, for what’s almost become an annual visit; this time playing not one, but two albums in their entirety, along with a handful of other songs. 

The evening’s format would be two sets in an almost all-acoustic seated setting, with the band’s core trio of John Douglas, Paul Livingston and Frank Reader, also relating a few stories along the way.

The band formed in 1987 in a small western Scottish coastal town, releasing their first album, Cake, in the summer of 1990 with second album, I’ve Seen Everything (produced by Gentle Giant’s Ray Shulman) following in 1993. Latest album, 2016’s Wild Pendulum was funded via a pre-order campaign with PledgeMusic and the band’s very loyal fan base remains strong, with those who paid additional for the VIP experience, filling the first two reserved rows of seats at the Amsterdam. 

Before playing the seminal albums, the trio warmed up the crowd with four songs to begin the first set, beginning with 2004’s ‘Got Carried Away’ and ‘All the Dark Horses’.  Douglas told a story of a small nearby island where teens would go to hang out as a sort of rite of passage that would inspire ‘Freetime’ and mentioned before 1996’s ‘How Can I Apply…?’ that they were hoping the older albums would be reissued soon (to loud applause) once they “could manage to get somebody to answer the phone at Universal”. 

Vocalist Reader made the time machine quip, tuning his guitar as the band prepared to play their debut-full-length in running order, with guitarist Livingston mostly head-down, concentrating on playing the only electric guitar on stage, plugged into a small speaker sitting on the chair across from him. 

The unplugged format let the lyrics and wordplay of the songs stand out more, with melodies and occasional vocal harmonies seemingly effortless and often cloud-like in their weightlessness.  After Cake’s opener, ‘Obscurity Knocks’, Reader mentioned the scientific fact that everyone’s cells completely re-generate every seven years…making these songs (from 1990) a full four generations ago, to crowd laughter along to the funny analogy. 

‘Maybe I Should Drive’ was one of the earliest songs the band worked on and ‘Circling the Circumstance’ (which begins Side Two of the record) is a song the band only started playing live again last year.

“Glad so many of you turned up in period costume” Douglas cheekily mentioned, looking out at the crowd, composed of mostly those who would have been in late high school or in college when the original albums were released, though there were a few older and younger in the audience as well.

After a set break, the trio re-convened to play I’ve Seen Everything, starting with the jangly ‘Easy Read’ followed by the album’s biggest single, ‘Hayfever’ (which even appeared on MTV’s Beavis and Butthead), inspired by “one of the more unsavory” characters they met along the way. 

‘Bloodrush’ was borne from the band having their own studio, and being “able to make a right royal racket” without being disturbed and before ‘The Perfect Reminder’, Douglas explained that “at this point on the record, Paul decides to be a front man again” as the guitarist lifted his head to take over lead vocals on the brief track.

‘Orange Fell’ is set during a summer’s late sunset and before ‘Send for Henny’, Douglas acknowledged the notable musical contributions of their former bassist Davy Hughes, to the album and band’s still-evolving sound. 

Douglas took the lead for ‘Iceberg’ and the soaring ‘I’ve Seen Everything’ which lyrically chronicled the band’s extensive touring experiences and the friendships left behind, as a result.  Before the album’s closing track, ‘Earlies’, Reader spoke about how these albums changed their lives completely and for the better, and what a joy it was for the band to play these songs again live, seeing these songs still having meaning to the fans that have dutifully followed their entire career.

Instead of exiting and returning for the encore, the trio remained on stage to play ‘All Night’ from the most recent album before returning to 2004 for the evening’s ending ‘Weightlifting’ with Reader also remembering their various previous gigs in the metro (starting with the 7^th St Entry) and mentioning this was the warmest weather they’d ever experienced, to date here. 

Though the local weather may have been the warmest, the crowd reception was even warmer as the band left to a standing ovation and extended applause. 

The Trashcan Sinatras, now entering their fourth decade, still remain a vibrant musical force, able to create worthwhile new music as well as successfully re-imagine their earlier work in more basic form.  With this night’s performance, the time machine turned out to be a very enjoyable ride, and we hope the band continues to make a regular stop here.

(click on any photo below to enlarge and see full image)

The Trashcan Sinatras

The Trashcan Sinatras at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul (12 June 2018)

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult at Amsterdam Bar, St Paul (21 Oct 2017)

Thrill Kill Kult Setlist Heresy X-Communication Do You Fear Easy Girl Universal Blackness And This Is What the Devil Does These Remains On This Rack Gateway to Hell A Daisy Chain 4 Satan The Days of Swine and Roses Hand in Hand Ride the Mindway Rivers of Blood, Years of Darkness Kooler Than Jesus Burning Dirt -- Encore -- Shock of pt 6 Devil Bunnies Leathersex / Nervous Xians After the Flesh 'Cuz It's Hot Read More My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult Sex On Wheelz My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult It is, however, the song that was used in the MTV commercial for that season of Liquid Television. How's that for useless application of memory. … The Rope The Ocean Blue 11:45 BNLX 10:45 Two Harbors 9:45 Frankie Teardrop 9:00 The Rope 8:15 Gloss 7:30 with DJ Jake Rudh spinning between sets and MC-ing throughout! …

Industrial rock, goth dance band My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult celebrated their 30th Anniversary at the Amsterdam Dam Bar & Hall in St Paul last night (October 21st).

Local rock group The Rope (singer Jesse Hagon, guitarist Michael Browning, bassist Sam Richardson, and drummer Ben Rickel) opened the show. They sounded like Psychedelic Furs’ Richard Butler, but with influences from Peter Murphy, or Joy Division. Their songs were dark, but surprisingly intelligent and danceable.

Songs on their 30-min set included some tracks like ‘Suffer’ from their 2015 Waters Rising. The record was co-produced with Ed Ackerson, who used to be in a band called Polara, but currently in BNLX with his wife Ashley Ackerson from The Mood Swings. The Rope was a special guest at the BNLX release party show at the Varsity Theater (RIP) in November 2014.

Midway into their set, guitarist Michael Browning’s equipment was causing distortion in his amp, which vocalist Jesse Hagon to comment, “Wouldn’t be a show without some sort of difficulty.” They roughed it for the remainder of their set.

My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult was formed in the 1980s by Groovie Mann and Buzz McCoy, and the duo became the posterchild of censorship groups for their references to Satan, Jesus, sex, in their disco dance/industrial music. In the 90s, the band, became synonymous with Ministry, KMFDM, and Front 242, thanks to signing to Wax Trax!

The band’s 1990 record Confessions of a Knife... and 1991’s Sexplosion! became the best-selling record at the time on the Colorado label. Of course, major label Interscope Records saw this and signed TKK to reissue Sexplosion! and secure a two album deal for 13 Above the Night and Hit & Run Holiday.

With the major label on their side, they had Thrill Kill Kult’s songs on various film soundtracks, including cult classic Cool World and The Crow.

For this special 30th Anniversary tour, the band (Groovie Mann, Buzz McCoy, Mimi Star, Arena Rock, Bradley Bills) they decided to concentrate on their earlier albums, including their debut I See Good Spirits and I See Bad Spirits and Confessions of a Knife... .

As expected with these reunion shows, there were plenty of hardcore older (ages 30-50) fans in the audience. Many of them bringing their high school friends and making it a reunion for the audience, as well as the band.

While it may be challenging to play some rare tracks, especially if they weren’t written to be performed live, but it seemed that TKK put together a great set - complete with changing flame backdrop, colorful lightings, and a fog machine.

If you were an industrial music fan in the 90s, you can’t afford to miss these shows.

Tour dates:

10/24/2017 Oriental Theater Denver, CO
10/27/2017 Studio Seven Seattle, WA
10/28/2017 Dante's Portland, OR
10/30/2017 The Ritz San Jose, CA
10/31/2017 Brick & Mortar Music Hall San Francisco, CA
11/02/2017 Beauty Bar Las Vegas, NV
11/03/2017 Club 80's Corona, CA
11/04/2017 Teragram Ballroom Los Angeles, CA
11/05/2017 The Casbah San Diego, CA

The Rope

The Rope

The Rope

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult at Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St Paul (21 October 2017)

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

Guitar Wolf at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St Paul (01 Sep 2016)

poster Tour Dates 09/03/16 Chicago, IL Beat Kitchen 09/04/16 Pontiac, MI Pike Room 09/06/16 Toronto, ON Legendary Horseshoe 09/07/16 Montreal Petit Campus 09/08/16 Providence Fete Music Hall 09/09/16 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's 09/10/16 Brooklyn, NY Baby's All Right 09/12/16 Baltimore Ottobar 09/13/16 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop 09/14/16 Pittsburgh, PA Hard Rock Cafe 09/15/16 Columbus, OH Ace Of Cups 09/16/16 Nashville, TN Exit / In 09/17/16 Memphis The Hi Tone 10/06/16 France Paris Petit Bain 10/07/16 UK London The Dome 10/08/16 Utrecht DB's 10/09/16 Haarlem Patroonat 10/11/16 Germany Hamburg Hafenklan 10/13/16 Norway Oslo Pokalen 10/14/16 Sweden Stockholm Vieille maison 10/17/16 Germany Berlin Wild At Heart 10/18/16 Germany Essen Freak Show 10/19/16 Germany Stuttgart Goldmarks 10/20/16 Austria Vienna Arena 10/21/16 Germany Würzburg Immerhin 10/22/16 Suisse Lausanne Salle 10/23/16 France Valence Mistral Palace 10/25/16 Italy Bologna Freak Out 10/26/16 Italy Torino Blah Blah 10/28/16 France Montpellier Secrete Place 10/29/16 Spain Valencia Funtastic Funkadelic Read More Guitar Wolf Our favorite noisy, coolest Japanese rock ‘n roll band Guitar Wolf will be returning to Minnesota next Thursday, September 1st at Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St Paul. Guitar Wolf’s 12th studio album T-Rex From a Tiny Space Yojouhan .… Hans Condor According to the poster, special guest Hans Condor will open the show. Condor is from Nashville, Tennessee, and he’ll be bringing his band: bassist Erik Holcombe, drummer Ryan “Best in the Biz” Sweeney, and guitarist Chazz Kaster. .…

Japanese trio Guitar Wolf (ギターウルフ) recently headlined the Amsterdam Bar & Hall, in St Paul, on Thursday night (September 1st), promoting their new album T-Rex From a Tiny Space Yojouhan.

Busey

Opening up the show was local trio Busey (singer / guitarist Daniel Berndt, drummer Ryan Keyes, and bassist Ryan Wasleske), a band named after actor Gary Busey. They were a surprise appearance because they were not listed on the Leo Presents bill anywhere... but when we spoke to the band later, they said that they were confirmed since June, right around the time when the show was announced. Although Busey sounded metal, it is clear that they were actually big fans of Guitar Wolf, and it shows in their gratitude when they were booked to play with the Japanese band.

Songs on Busey’s brief 30-min set were in this order, ‘Good Boy’, ‘Basic Needs’ (a preview song from their forthcoming album), ‘Greg’s Friend’, ‘We Don’t Have That’, ‘Gank’ and set closer ‘No Other Reptiles Allowed’.

Hans Condor

Nashville’s Hans Condor was up next with one of the most energetic live rock & roll set we’ve seen. The trio featured Charles “Chazz” Kaster as the raging main singer / guitarist (and apparently the “Birthday Boy” on Thursday night) with dreadlock Erik Holcombe on bass, and Ryan “Best in the Biz” Sweeney on drums.

Midway in their set, Kaster invited fans to come on stage. When a few enthusiastic fans took them up on the offer, Kaster asked, “Is that all I got?” After the song was played, one fan attempted to leave the stage (but was denied!). The fans continued to dance on stage afterwards.

Near the end, their show went a little chaotic, with Kaster throwing his guitar to a fan in the audience and then started a one-man mosh pit in the front.

Hans Condor did impress us, and we can only imagine how insane their show might be if they were playing a massive music festival.

Guitar Wolf, the self-proclaimed coolest band in the world, took the stage to several Ramones songs. It’s obvious that the rockabilly-looking band was inspired by the American punk rock band. In fact, with other outro songs used (Chuck Berry’s ‘Johnny B. Goode’, Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’, and The Runaways’ ‘Cherry Bomb’), the band is truly in love with American music.

Having Minneapolis / St Paul on Guitar Wolf’s regular tour itinerary since 2012 is a small blessing, because, as far as I know, Guitar Wolf’s prior appearance was with the Cramps in November 1997.

Joining singer / guitarist Seiji on stage was Bass Wolf U.G. (who has been with the band since the passing of the original Bass Wolf Billy in 2002) and original Drum Wolf Toru. The trio showed up in Tyrannosaurus Rex masks, in keeping with the theme of their new album T-Rex From a Tiny Space Yojouhan. After some T-Rex claw poses, Seiji opened up a can of beer and drank through the mask. After the drink, the show can really begin.

The masks weren’t the only props used, before ‘Ninja Season’, Seiji would wear a straw hat and then later in the song, he would bring out a fire wallet. It still doesn’t really live up to the more dangerous flaming microphone (as seen in the film Wild Zero), but it was still fun to see.

Midway in their set, Guitar Wolf covered Eddie Cochran’s ‘Summertime Blues’, but adding their Japanese lyrics and take to the song. When we later talk to singer Seiji and mentioned that Cochran was born in Minnesota (but later moved to California), Seiji seemed excited and surprised, “Ooh!?”

Near the end of their show, Seiji would often theatrically pull fans on stage to hand over his guitar. In an overdramatic fashion, he would empower the fan to play music. During this time, it freed Seiji’s hands to sing with the microphone stand up in their air, or gave him the option to body surf!

Also, it would seem that Guitar Wolf’s catchphrase “Rock and Roll” may be one of the few English words the audience understood. There was somewhat of a language barrier, first with Seiji asking a fan (with earplugs), if his ears were okay. Then at the end, when Seiji tried to explain that he lived by a lake in Nagasaki. When he asked for a lake name here, someone in the audience said “Lake Calhoun”, which Seiji could not understand. He would still dedicate the last song to the lake.

In a typical Guitar Wolf show, the real fun is actually during the encore. After the second encore, he got fans to do the human pyramid (which was also done during their 2013 show at the Turf Club). For the true faithful fan who stuck around after the double encore, they were treated with a third and final encore.

Overall, an entertaining and unforgettable show.

Guitar Wolf

Guitar Wolf

Guitar Wolf

Guitar Wolf: U.G.

Building the human pyramid

Guitar Wolf at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St Paul (01 September 2016)

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

The Plot In You at Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St Paul (11 July 2016)

Tour Dates 07/15/16 Orangevale, CA Boardwalk 07/16/16 Anaheim, CA Chain Reaction 07/17/16 San Diego, CA SOMA San Diego 07/19/16 Phoenix, AZ Joe's Grotto Music Venue 07/20/16 Albuquerque, NM The Co-Op 07/22/16 Dallas, TX The Door 07/23/16 Houston, TX Walters Downtown 07/25/16 Tampa, FL Epic Problem 07/26/16 Orlando, FL Backbooth 07/27/16 Atlanta, GA Hell At The Masquerade 07/28/16 Greensboro, NC Arizona Pete's 07/29/16 New York, NY The Studio @ Webster Hall 07/30/16 Philadelphia, PA Voltage Lounge 07/31/16 Worcester, MA The Palladium 08/02/16 Howell, NJ Gamechangerworld 08/03/16 Pittsburgh, PA Rex Theater 08/04/16 Columbus, OH Park Street Saloon 08/05/16 Detroit, MI Shelter 08/06/16 Grand Rapids, MI Intersection Read More The Plot in You The Plot in You tried their best to keep up with the energy of the night but the crowd just wasn't having it. It seemed as if they were still in awe of Sirens & Sailors ....

The Happiness in Self Destruction Summer 2016 tour made a stop at Amsterdam Bar & Hall in Saint Paul on Monday night.

Due to delays, doors didn't open until forty minutes after advertised but that didn't stop hundreds of young kids from waiting in line to get into this heavy line-up of a show.

Sylar of Queens, New York was one of the supporting acts on this tour. Their music is a perfect mix of metal and hardcore with a little hint of hip-hop. At times it sounded like straight up nu-metal but those times were few and far between to the point where you can't just call them a nu-metal band. It had brutal breakdowns with intricate guitar riffs. The vocals were heavy but not too heavy to the point where you couldn't understand what Jayden, the singer, was saying. Their live show, although way, way, way too short, was full of energy. The crowd was going nuts. Jayden eventually just threw the microphone into the crowd where kids clawed their way up to it. You want to see a banger of a set? Go see Sylar. There's no doubt in my mind that these guys will bet the next big thing in the scene.

Invent, Animate

Invent, Animate is another band that I had only heard of in passing but never really dug into them much. These guys were the first touring band to play and really set the tone for the night. You could tell the crowd was into these guys because within the first song, a pit had broken out and multiple people were stomping across the open space.

Their music was heavy and unrelenting. You could see the pure talent of these musicians shine through as they chugged through a quick set. Unfortunately, like Sylar, the set seemed too short for these guys. They deserved so much more but at least they packed a punch into this short set.

Erra

I've seen Erra multiple times and have never been disappointed but last night was the best time I had seen them thus far. Maybe it was the energy in the room or maybe it's that they played with more confidence than I've ever seen them play with but something about them just clicked with me last night. I've always been a fan of these guys but never really loved them until last night. After last night, I can easily say that I love Erra and can not wait to see what the future holds for this talented band!

The Plot In You was the headliner of the show last night. I was more than let down when I saw them open up for Miss May I and Blessthefall back in March. I was disappointed but promised myself that I would give them another chance. Last night was their second chance and they killed it.

They came out and owned that stage. Even though the crowd had been active for hours at this point, they didn't slow down. The crowd got even more intense as The Plot In You hammered through their brutal set. The music, although brutal, was beyond clean and exactly what I needed it to be in order for this band to get back into my good graces. The band members seemed more than appreciate of the crowd and the fact that, even though they were the last band to play on a six band line-up, people were still having fun and moving around.

The show was opened up by locals The Enmity and At Mourning's End.

All of the touring bands have new releases either coming out or already out.

Sylar at Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St Paul (11 July 2016)

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

Trashcan Sinatras at Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St Paul (28 May 2016)

Trashcan Sinatras Setlist Best Days on Earth All the Dark Horses How Can I Apply...? Ain't That Something Iceberg/Autumn Easy Read Hayfever Let Me Inside (Or Let Me Out) Got Carried Away Freetime Only Tongue Can Tell Send For Henny What's Inside the Box? with Sophie Auster The Genius I Was I've Seen Everything All Night Weightlifting People -- Encore -- I See The Moon Obscurity Knocks Tour Dates May 31 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door June 1 - Portland, OR - Dante's June 3 - Las Vegas, NV - G Family Home June 4 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour June 5 - San Juan Capistrano, CA - Coach House June 7 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's Read More Trashcan Sinatras Trashcan Sinatras is back in town, this time with a brand new album Wild Pendulum, crowd-funded and produced by Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis. We previously caught the Scottish band ....

Beloved Scottish band Trashcan Sinatras just headlined the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St Paul on Saturday, May 28th, in support of their crowd-funded new record Wild Pendulum.

Sophie Auster

New York’s Sophie Auster opened up the show. Although the singer/songwriter recorded her first album when she was 16 years old, using her father’s (Paul Auster) French poems and Sophie’s original lyrics... she actually may be known for being an actress in several films (such as Grand Street) and television shows (such as Mozart in the Jungle).

Auster’s 30-min set featured mostly songs from her 2015 album Dogs and Men, including ‘AKA’, ‘Bad Manners’, and ‘Little Bird’ (for which she won the grand prize in the 2016 John Lennon Songwriting Contest).

Trashcan Sinatras

Fans of Trashcan Sinatras have been patiently waiting for the band to return to the touring stage since their last Minneapolis appearance in 2011 (and prior to that, at the now-defunct 400 Bar in 2005)... so it is not often that the Scottish band (currently with singer/acoustic Francis Reader, rhythm guitarist John Douglas, guitarist Paul Livingston, keys Stevie Mulhearn, bassist Frank DiVanna, and drummer Stephen Douglas) make their way to the States. I’m told that John Douglas, who was diagnose with autoimmune disease in 2013, has been undergoing treatments and surgeries, so that may complicate matters when it comes to the harsh touring life.

Anyway, when they do make it to our corner of the world, it is always a great celebration and fun get-together with the bands and their fans.

TCS’ current tour is for their album Wild Pendulum, which came out as a result of a successful PledgeMusic campaign. The band started their Wild Pendulum tour in Boston, then NYC Pop Fest, and eventually to St Paul’s Amsterdam Bar and Hall on Saturday night. Originally the band wanted to book the Cedar Cultural Center (where they previously played in 2011), but the nonprofit venue was booked that night.

Of course, the fans are in the 30-40 age range, many of them have seen TCS numerous times. Everyone at the show wanted to be there, all respectful and quiet and ready to enjoy the show. Some even sacrificing going out of town for the long Memorial Day Weekend, just to be there for TCS.

Walking on stage exactly at 9pm, TCS’ singer Francis Reader nervously asked, “You guys ready?” (to the audience), and the audience overwhelmingly responded “YES!” Thus started their 80-min set with ‘Best Days on Earth’.

Setlist

A lot of old favorites, such as ‘How Can I Apply...?’ and ‘Hayfever’ (which Reader promised, “the hits are coming!”) were played throughout their set, while newer songs from Wild Pendulum were hardly heard... including the intro song, ‘Let Me Inside (Or Let Me Out)’, ‘I See The Moon’ and ‘What's Inside the Box?’. The latter song featured opener Sophie Auster to “sing the girl parts”.

For ‘I’ve Seen Everything’, which was another fan favorite (you can tell that they knew when to do the sequence of claps), Reader dedicted the song to “all the teachers in the room”.

Interestingly enough, Reader mentioned that they originally wrote ‘I See The Moon’ for Britain’s Got Talent Susan Boyle, but apparently her people ultimately rejected the song... so TCS decided to keep the song and recorded it on their new Wild Pendulum album.

Trashcan Sinatras’ Wild Pendulum is out now on Red River / BFD.

Trashcan Sinatras (with Sophie Auster) at Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St Paul (28 May 2016)

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

Empress Of at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul (19 May 2016)

Empress Of Setlist Water Water    (Beyonce “Formation” transition) Threat Kitty Kat Standard Icon    (Aaliyah “One in a Million” transition) Need Myself Realize You    (Prince "Controversy" transition) Woman is a Word    (Bowie/Queen "Under Pressure" transition) Makeup    (Florence + the Machine "You Got the Love" trans.) How Do You Do It Tour Dates June 1 Barcelona, ES Barts June 2 Barcelona, ES Primavera Festival June 4 Copenhagen, DK Distortion Festival June 5 Berlin, DE Berghain Kantine June 6 Hamburg, DE Turmzimmer June 7 Brussels, BE Botanique June 8 Paris, FR Pop up Du Label June 10 Porto, PT Primavera Festival June 12 London, UK Field Day Festival June 13 Manchester, UK Guilvers June 14 London, UK Moth Club June 16 Amsterdam. NL De School June 17 Hilvarenbeek, NL Best Kept Secret Festival July 15-17 Chicago, IL Pitchfork Festival Read More Empress Of We randomly caught Empress Of (aka Lorely Rodriguez) when she opened up for Kimbra in Rocktober 2014. Well Rodriguez is back, this time in support of her latest Me album. … RONiiA Closing out the event will be local Roniia (stylized as RONiiA). This is the group lead by Nona Marie Invie, who you may know was from the popular Dark Dark Dark group. … Dizzy Fae The second show will be at the small 7th Street Entry, with openers Dizzy Fae and Izell Pyramid. …

Another month, another show with wiiings…!

Energy beverage drink Red Bull currently sponsors a monthly music series in several cities called Red Bull Sound Select that brings acts, both up-and-coming as well as established, into smaller clubs, for a reduced admission with pre-event RSVP.

For May in Minneapolis/St. Paul, the headliner was Los Angeles-based electronic pop artist, Empress Of who put on a 40 min. performance that showed how much music a single person can create in a live setting.

This installment of the series was curated by local label Totally Gross National Product, who boasts an impressive array of area artists ranging from Poliça to Fog to Solid Gold and others.

RONiiA

One of those label artists was opener RONiiA, who has recently put out an EP called Sisters. The three-piece includes singer Nona Marie Invie (of Dark, Dark, Dark), Mark McGee (of Marijuana Deathsquads) and Fletcher Barnhill (of Joint Custody) and mostly plays sparse and somewhat downbeat electronic music with vivid lyrics.

Dizzy Fae

The middle act was 17yr old newcomer Dizzy Fae, who just has a small handful of songs to her name at this point, but is quickly gaining local buzz. Backed by DJ So Na, Fae brought a dreamy electronica tinged with R&B to such songs as ‘Color Me Bad’ and ‘Complexion’.

Fae impressed many in the crowd (handfuls were there specifically to see her, it was obvious), even Lizzo, who was also present and “feeling good as hell” (though she didn’t perform). Fae closed with the unreleased ‘Aftermath’ and any fans of FKA Twigs or Morcheeba, are advised to check her out.

Empress Of

The stage was then cleared and set for the headliner, Empress Of (aka Lorely Rodriguez), armed with not much more than a simple Akai MPK225 25-key Midi Controller, a laptop, and basic electronic percussion.  The 25yr old (who looks half her age) jumped about in a black mid-length skirt and fully buttoned black blouse, which resembled a private school outfit.

Playing much of her debut album, Me (XL Recordings/Terrible), Rodriguez skillfully segued each song into the other, often using clipped versions of parts of more familiar songs by the likes of Beyonce, Prince, Queen, and others, to help transition into the next.

Setlist

‘Need Myself’, in particular, was a fervent dose of self-dependent lyrics set to a throbbing beat that definitely caught the audience’s ear.  There was a pop feel to most of the songs, which were also sonically adventurous and somewhat experimental, with diary-like, confessional lyrics, and all coming from the work of a single person on stage, though sounding like a full band.

‘Woman is a Word’ brought a message of empowerment, ‘Make Up’ was about making (and breaking) your own rules of life, and set closer, ‘How Do You Do It’ brought a potential obsession to life in the form of playful synth cutting through a driving rhythm.

From the crowd’s response, they seemed to gain wings of their own from the performance with most in the front dancing the entire set, and Empress Of is just learning to fly – where things take her is worth following.

The Red Bull Sound Select series continues on June 18 with a more urban vibe, featuring sets from Atlanta’s Lil Yachty as well as Jace (Two-9) and Drelli, with additional DJ sets, curated this time, by Greenroom Magazine.

Empress Of at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul (19 May 2016)

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic