W♥M

Minneapolis: July 21 to July 25, 2017

Read More Blondie One of our favorites, Blondie is playing an intimate show at the Minnesota Zoo this Saturday. I believe this show may be sold out (even at $70 a ticket), as I went to the venue’s website … Garbage Garbage (Shirley Manson, Steve Marker, Duke Erikson, and Butch Vig) is back with their critically acclaimed sixth studio album Strange Little Birds (STUNVOLUME Records). .…

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from July 21 to July 25, 2017.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

BLONDIE & GARBAGE
at Mystic Showroom
Friday 07/21/17 (7pm/$65)
mysticlake.com

Whatever you do, you cannot miss these two amazing female-fronted bands, Blondie (Debbie Harry) and Garbage (Shirley Manson), together on one bill at Mystic Lake. It’s the best of the 80s and the best of the 90s on this “The Rage and Rapture Tour”.

Blondie’s 11th studio album Pollinator is available now on BMG. Garbage’s new single ‘No Horses’ is available now, proceeds goes to the International Committee of the Red Cross through the end of 2018. They also have an autobiographical coffee table book, This is the Nose That Keeps Me Awake (Akashic Books)... the title comes from their ‘Push It’ song.

Tour Dates:

07/16 - Fiddler's Green , Englewood, CO
07/18 - Kauffman Center, Kansas City, MO
07/19 - Harrah's Council Bluffs, Council Bluffs, IA
07/21 - Mystic Lake Casino, Prior Lake, MN
07/22 - Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL
07/25 - Artpark, Lewiston, NY
07/26 - Sony Centre , Toronto, ON*
07/28 - Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ
07/29 - Bethel Woods Center, Bethel, NY
07/30 - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, Boston, MA
08/1 - Beacon Theatre, New York, NY
08/2 - Mann Center , Philadelphia, PA
08/5 - Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh, NC
08/8 - Seminole Hard Rock, Hollywood, FL
08/9 - Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL
08/11 - ACL Live, Austin, TX
08/12 - Southside Ballroom, Dallas, TX

Read More Rock the Garden The second Rock the Garden music festival on Sunday saw a seemingly bigger crowd, particularly near the front of the stage. … The Revolution Prince was a big deal. When he died unexpectedly, we were shocked and we talked about it for weeks... and we speculated that The Revolution will reunite. And they have! … Bon Iver Bon Iver is a Grammy award-winning American indie folk band founded in 2007 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. The band also includes Michael Noyce, Sean Carey, Colin Stetson and Matthew McCaughan amongst others. .…

ROCK THE GARDEN
at Walker Arts Center
Saturday 07/22/17 (1pm/$69/Sold Out)
rockthegardenfestival.com

Rock The Garden is back at the Walker Art Center (after relocating to Boom Island due to construction). This year it’s back to a one-day event... and it’s sold out.

One of this year’s headliners, The Revolution, re-formed after Prince’s death in 2016. They’re back, and if you couldn’t get tickets to RTG, you can try seeing them at First Avenue on Sunday.

The other headliner is Bon Iver (pronounced “bon-nee-ver”, taken from the French words “bon hiver”). We previously saw them in Los Angeles in October 2016 and wrote, “Bon Iver and his band opened with a myriad of hieroglyphics and light fixtures so psychedelic it was like Willy Wonka decided to go into the scary cave to meet a bunch of Egyptians. Seriously though, I’m pretty sure some people who expected a night of mellow acoustics forgot to check out Justin Vernon’s newest album, 22, A Million, his 3rd full-length record. A stark contrast from his chilling falsettos in For Emma, Forever Ago and my favorite Bon Iver, his voice became increasingly overshadowed by the band’s pressing indulgence into the stratosphere of autotuneness. Though the lyrics equally as heartfelt and beautiful, it’s a vastly different feel however I commend him for the drastic change...it shows how much he’s been through in the past 5 years.”

Lineup:

The Revolution
Bon Iver
Bruise Violet
Dead Man Winter
Margaret Glaspy
Car Seat Headrest
Benjamin Booker
Dwynell Roland

Read More Vans Warped Tour Heading out to Van's Warped Tour 2015 at Shakopee, Minnesota, this Sunday ( 07/26th)? Here are just some of the bands listed to appear: …

VANS WARPED TOUR
at Canterbury Park
Sunday 07/23/17 (12pm/$38)
vanswarpedtour.com

The annual traveling music festival Vans Warped Tour is coming back to Canterbury Park this Sunday.

Weirdly enough, they teamed up with Valiant Comics (we love Solar and X-O Manowar), as seen in the tour poster.

Here are just some of those bands playing:

Valient Thorr, TSOL, Silverstein, Sonic Boom Six, Sick Of It All, Save Ferris, New Years Day, Municipal Waste, Hatebreed, Hawthorne Heights, Gwar, Emmure, Creeper, CKY, Candiria, The Ataris, The Acacia Strain, The Adolescents, Our Last Night, Blessthefall, Carnifex, Stick To Your Guns, Futuristic, After The Burial, Dance Gavin Dance, Fire From The Gods, Memphis May Fire, Alestorm, Fit For A King, William Control, Silent Planet, Hundredth, Sammy Adams, Barb Wire Dolls, Counterparts, Stacked Like Pancakes, Bad Cop / Bad Cop, Hands Like Houses, Courage My Love, Watsky, War On Women, Sworn In, Beartooth, American Authors, Being As An Ocean, Sylar, Neck Deep, Trophy Eyes, Too Close To Touch, Jule Vera, I Prevail, Microwave, Knocked Loose, Movements, Separations, Boston Manor, The White Noise , Bad Omens, Andy Black, Feeki, The Gospel Youth, Twilight Creeps, Farewell Winters, Attila.

Read More Andrew Bird We've written about Andrew Bird, a few times. Anyway, critics are raving about Andrew Bird's latest release, Break It Yourself. NPR called it "something beautiful" … The Melvins Second to play Sunday night was The Melvins. These guys have a huge following in Minneapolis. I truly thought they were from here but apparently that's not true ... Waxahatchee Recently White Lung's Mish Way joined Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee in New York's Lower East Side to bring us two memorable acoustic versions ... Colin Stetson Saxophonist Colin Stetson recently teamed up with violinist Sarah Neufeld a collaboration album Never were the way she was (Constellation Records) and a North American tour in June. ... Lowertown Blues Festival Mears Park in St. Paul plays host to the Lowertown Blues Festival this Saturday, a Free Admission seven-hour event features multiple acts in concert, including two-time ...

Other shows in the area:

07/21/2017 Andrew Bird is headlining First Avenue in support of his 12th record Are You Serious (Loma Vista Recordings). Goulden Balls (not to be confused with Golden Balls) to open. 6pm, $36.

07/21/2017 Dashboard Confessional is playing the Myth with All-American Rejects and The Maine. 6:30pm, $35.

07/21/2017 Multi-platinum-selling artist J. Cole will be at the Xcel Energy Center in St Paul as part of his “4 Your Eyez Only Tour” this Friday. 7pm, $29.50.

07/21/2017 Nashville-based Americana singer-songwriter Mary Bragg is playing the tiny Warming House in Minneapolis. Bragg’s Lucky Strike album is out now. Sarah Morris to open. 7:30pm, $10.

07/21/2017 Waxahatchee is headlining the Triple Rock Social Club this Friday. The duo’s latest album Out in the Storm is available on Merge Records. Cayetana and Snail Mail will open. 8pm, $15.

07/21/2017-07/22/2017 The annual Lowertown Blues Festival is taking place at the Mears Park in Minneapolis. This year’s lineup for Friday: Average White Band, Mick Sterling, Chase And Ovation, McNally Smith Indie Rock, and SKA Ensemble. Saturday: Renee Austin, Ken Valdez, The Jimmys, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, Colin Campbell & The Shackletons, Moses Oakland, Paul Haaland, and Alex Crankshaft Larson. 5pm, FREE.

07/22/2017 Grumpy's Bash at Grumpy’s will feature a lot of fan-favorite bands this year, including Mudhoney, Melvins, Lydia Lunch, Cherubs, The Blind Snake, and Whores. 1pm, $48.

07/23/2017 Saxophonist Colin Stetson will be stopping by the Turf Club in St Paul this Sunday in support of his LP All This I Do For Glory. Justin Walker to open. 7pm, $15.

07/24/2017 Boston’s Bent Knee will be stopping by the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis this Monday, in support of the band’s critically-acclaimed album Land Animal (InsideOutMusic/Sony). AirLands and Oklahoma (from Minneapolis, not Oklahoma) to open. 7pm, $10.

07/24/2017 Wheeler Walker Jr. sold out his show at the Turf Club on Monday. Kasey Tyndall will open. 7pm, $17/Sold Out.

07/25/2017 Electronic producer Mura Masa (aka Alex Crossan) has a self-titled album on Downtown/Interscope Records. He’ll be playing the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis on Tuesday. Although he was born in Guernsey, I believe he’s currently based in the UK. Special guest Kučka to open. 7pm, $20.

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

The Lumineers w/ Andrew Bird, Margaret Glaspy at Target Center, Minneapolis (19 Jan 2017)

The Lumineers Setlist     intro: The Chain (by Fleetwood Mac) Submarines Flowers in Your Hair Ho Hey Cleopatra Gun Song Dead Sea B-Stage Classy Girls Where the Skies Are Blue Charlie Boy Slow It Down Sleep on the Floor Angela Big Parade Ophelia In the Light My Eyes -- Encore -- Long Way from Home Subterranean Homesick Blues (Bob Dylan cover) Stubborn Love outro: Atlantic City (by Bruce Springsteen) Andrew Bird Setlist Capsized A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left Tenuousness Three White Horses Roma Fade Plasticities Pulaski at Night Valleys of the Young Fake Palindromes Margaret Glaspy Setlist Emotions and Math Ex Factor Parental Guidance No Matter Who Situation You Don't Want Me Memory Street Love Like This You and I Tour Dates 01/24/17 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center 01/26/17 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel 01/27/17 Auburn Hills, MI Palace Of Auburn 01/28/17 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center 01/31/17 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena 02/02/17 New York, NY Madison Square Garden 02/03/17 New York, NY Madison Square Garden 02/28/17 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre 03/02/17 Sugar Land, TX Smart Financial Centre 03/03/17 New Orleans, LA Lakefront Arena 03/08/17 Duluth, GA Infinite Energy Center 03/10/17 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life 03/11/17 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center 03/14/17 Pittsburgh, PA Petersen Events Center 03/16/17 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena 03/18/17 Montreal, QC Bell Centre 03/19/17 Quebec City, QC Vidéotron 03/21/17 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire 03/22/17 London, ON Budweiser Gardens 03/24/17 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena 03/25/17 Milwaukee, WI BMO Harris Bradley 03/28/17 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre 03/30/17 Saskatoon, SK SaskTel Centre 03/31/17 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place Read More The Lumineers The Denver-based band is back in town, to promote their second album Cleopatra (Dualtone). The record received overwhelming positive reviews and hit #1 in the UK Albums Chart and the .… Andrew Bird We've written about Andrew Bird, a few times. Anyway, critics are raving about Andrew Bird's latest release, Break It Yourself. NPR called it "something beautiful" … Margaret Glaspy One of the few artists we haven’t written about is Margaret Glaspy, touring in support of her debut album Emotions and Math (ATO Records). Be sure to show up early to check out Glaspy’s set. …

The Lumineers are burning brighter than ever, as evidenced by their recent show in front of 10,000 at the Target Center in Minneapolis —how much brighter?- consider that they played the 7^th St Entry across the very street, less than five years ago, and now were entertaining an audience over forty times in size.

The evening’s eclectic three-act lineup started with Margaret Glaspy, a California singer-songwriter based in New York, in support of her debut full-length, Emotions and Math (ATO Records) and backed by two sidemen for her brief thirty-minute set. 

After missing her on the small stage at last fall’s Festival Palomino, we were eager to see her live and the jangly ‘Situation’ and verse on song ‘Memory Street’, “Walk down memory street, why remember, all the times I took forever to forget?” made her low-key set worth the wait.  Reserved and somewhat demure, Glaspy avoided any talk between songs until the end, thanking the crowd and local station The Current, for their airplay. 

A musician’s musician, baroque folk/pop artist Andrew Bird, who considers the Twin Cities a kind of second home, made the most of his forty-five minute middle set, to satisfy longtime fans and introduce himself to many in the audience seeing him for the first time.  Bird is still in support of last April’s Are You Serious (Loma Vista Records) and played an abbreviated set, similar to last September’s Festival Palomino outing. 

Opening with the mesmerizing lead single from the new album ‘Capsized’, Bird and band deftly moved through tunes old and new, filled with his trademark violin work and string plucking, as well as plenty of whistling. 

“I’m no stranger to this town” Bird said introducing himself, mentioning he recorded ‘Plasticities’ in North Minneapolis and saying he was at the Turf Club the previous night seeing a local band. Ending his set with 2005’s ‘Fake Palindromes’, it was plain he’s great, but better seen playing a full set in an environment where people will listen more intently, like a church.

After a set change, The Lumineers didn’t even wait for their intro music to finish, as the curtain fell and found the band playing along to the end of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’.  The core Denver trio, Wesley Schultz (vocals, guitar) , Jeremiah Fraites (drums, piano) and cellist/backing vocalist Neyla Pekarek (who joined in 2010) doubled their size for the live show, with three sidemen joining on, in support of second major label full-length, Cleopatra (Dualtone/Dine Alone Records). 

2013’s ‘Submarines’ started their eighty-minute set, singer Schultz asking “are you out there Minneapolis?!” after a verse, to screams and wails in response from the mostly millennial-aged crowd.  Surprising was watching them knock out several hits within the first fifteen minutes, as breakout song ‘Ho Hey’ was played third, followed by current single, ‘Cleopatra’.

“This is a really big room… one of the biggest we’ve played”, Schultz said just over twenty minutes in and recalling how they used to play a lot of house shows, wanted to replicate that intimacy as he and band then moved to a center B-stage, for a more sparse four-song mini set.  On ‘Where the Skies Are Blue’ Pekarek took over part of the vocals and ‘Charlie Boy’ was written for Schultz’ late uncle, lost in Vietnam.

The sound grew bigger on ‘Sleep on the Floor’ as the band returned to the main stage, with its lighted groups of organ pipes looking like stalactites and diamond shaped screen showing patterns and obscure images.  The mix sounded surprisingly crisp from the floor, as Schultz’ voice and all instruments were clearly heard and rightly prioritized. 

Arena folk songs like the new ‘Angela’ came off particularly nice, with Shultz slipping in a “I didn’t vote for him” on ‘Big Parade’, to cheers.  No sophomore slump here, as lead single from the new album, ‘Ophelia’ topped both alternative charts on Billboard, and had the 10,000 strong, singing right along, as Schultz dashed out along the right side of the floor to high-five fans. 

The encore would start quietly, with Schultz coming out alone, putting in a plug for a family salvage yard just outside of Mankato, before playing ‘Long Way’, which was inspired by his father’s cancer battle. 

“…want to play a song from somebody else from Minnesota”, Schultz said as the band rejoined him for a tempo-changed, piano-charged version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’, almost reinventing it completely. 

A bevy of confetti showered the crowd on finale, ‘Stubborn Love’ as the crowd sang along with the chorus, with the group taking bows as the Springsteen outro music ushered them from the stage. 

True to their name, The Lumineers continue burning brightly on their meteoric ride, as evidenced by capacity arena crowds and even an invitation from U2, to open a leg on their upcoming tour. Their biggest song-to-date starts, “I've been trying to do it right” and from the crowd reception on this night, mission accomplished.

Margaret Glaspy	Margaret Glaspy	Andrew Bird	Andrew Bird	Setlist
The Lumineers	The Lumineers	The Lumineers	The Lumineers	The Lumineers

The Lumineers at Target Center, Minneapolis (19 Jan 2017)

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

Minneapolis: January 19 to January 26, 2017

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from January 19 to January 26, 2017.

Oddly enough, it would seems trio is the theme of this week’s shows, because Bear’s Den used to be a trio (Andrew, Kevin and Joey), but Joey left the band in early 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More The Lumineers The Lumineers only have one record, a self titled LP, released back on April 3rd 2012, so they basically played almost the entire album. The band threw in a Bob Dylan cover, a Taking Heads cover .… Andrew Bird We've written about Andrew Bird, a few times. Anyway, critics are raving about Andrew Bird's latest release, Break It Yourself. NPR called it "something beautiful" … Margaret Glaspy One of the few artists we haven’t written about is Margaret Glaspy, touring in support of her debut album Emotions and Math (ATO Records). Be sure to show up early to check out Glaspy’s set. …

THE LUMINEERS
at Target Center
Thursday, 01/19/17, 6pm ($29.50 - $59.50)
targetcenter.com

It still amazes me that The Lumineers went from playing the tiny 7th Street Entry to stadium-sized venues like Target Center within a year (from 2012 to 2013). The last time the band was in town, the original venue The Myth was quickly upgraded to the Roy Wilkins Auditorium due to popular demand.

The Denver-based band is back in town, to promote their second album Cleopatra (Dualtone). The record received overwhelming positive reviews and hit #1 in the UK Albums Chart and the Billboard 200 upon its release. Their self-titled debut album already became certified Platinum in the US and Ireland, with Gold certifications in the UK, Australia and Canada.

Come out to the Target Center this Thursday to check out why this is one of the biggest folk/rock/Americana band in the world right now.

Andrew Bird and Margaret Glaspy to open.

Note: In late May and June, The Lumineers will be opening up for U2 on their special 30th Anniversary of The Joshua Tree tour.

North American Tour dates:

01/17/17 Omaha, NE CenturyLink Center Omaha
01/19/17 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
01/20/17 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
01/21/17 St. Louis, MO Chaifetz Arena
01/24/17 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
01/26/17 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
01/27/17 Auburn Hills, MI Palace Of Auburn Hills
01/28/17 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
01/31/17 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena
02/02/17 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena
02/03/17 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena
02/28/17 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre
03/02/17 Sugar Land, TX Smart Financial Centre
03/03/17 New Orleans, LA Lakefront Arena
03/08/17 Duluth, GA Infinite Energy Center
03/10/17 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse
03/11/17 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center
03/14/17 Pittsburgh, PA Petersen Events Center
03/16/17 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
03/18/17 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
03/19/17 Quebec City, QC Centre Vidéotron
03/21/17 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre
03/22/17 London, ON Budweiser Gardens
03/24/17 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
03/25/17 Milwaukee, WI BMO Harris Bradley Center
03/28/17 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
03/30/17 Saskatoon, SK SaskTel Centre
03/31/17 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place

Read More The Devil Makes Three Rootsy acoustic threesome The Devil Makes Three will be bringing their spirited brand of folk and bluegrass to First Avenue next month! Dropping October 30th will be the band’s fourth …

THE DEVIL MAKES THREE
at First Avenue
Friday, 01/20/17, 8pm ($25)
first-avenue.com

You, me and The Devil Makes Three will be at First Avenue this January 20th, in support of their new album Redemption & Ruin (New West Records). The record is a concept album of covers from their heroes, such as Willie Nelson, Tampa Red, Townes Van Zandt and more. The record also features an all-star cast of guest stars like Emmylou Harris, Tim O'Brien, Jerry Douglas, Darrell Scott and Duane Eddy.

Expect plenty of singalong on this North American tour, which began in September and will end this February 2017.

Husband-wife duo Lost Dog Street Band (guitarist Benjamin Tod and fiddler Ashley Mae) to open.

North American Tour dates:

Jan 15 - House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
Jan 18 - 20th Century - Cincinnati, OH
Jan 20 - Orpheum Theater - Madison, WI
Jan 21 - Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL
Jan 22 - St. Andrew's Hall - Detroit, MI
Jan 25 - Anthology - Rochester, NY
Jan 26 - House of Blues - Boston, MA
Jan 27 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY
Jan 28 - Theatre of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
Jan 29 - Jefferson Theater - Charlottesville, VA
Feb 01 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
Feb 02 - Music Farm - Charleston, SC
Feb 03 - Venue TBA - Atlanta, GA
Feb 04 - Cannery Ballroom - Nashville, TN
Feb 09-13 - The Beach - Riviera Maya, Mexico

Read More Bear's Den U.K. band Bear's Den has sold out their entire US tour, they’ll be stopping by the Triple Rock Social Club next Saturday. We previously caught the band in 2014 and noted that …

BEAR’S DEN
at Fine Line Music Cafe
Wednesday, 01/25/17, 7pm ($18)
finelinemusic.com

When Bear’s Den was last in town, on September 24th, we had to see them at the sold-out show at the Triple Rock Social Club... despite already being committed to see KT Tunstall on the same night. It all worked out, but if you had to choose that night too - here is your second chance of catching Bear’s Den out of their winter hibernation at the Fine Line Music Cafe next Wednesday, January 25th.

Although not listed on the venue’s website, but Gill Landry will be opening the show.

Tour dates:

01/17—Los Angeles, CA—El Rey Theatre
01/18—San Francisco, CA—GAMH
01/20—Portland, OR—Doug Fir Lounge
01/21—Vancouver, BC—Biltmore
01/22—Seattle, WA—Tractor Tavern
01/25—Minneapolis, MN—Fine Line Music Hall
01/26—Madison, WI—High Noon Saloon
01/27—Chicago, IL —Thalia Hall
01/28—Columbus, OH—Newport Music Hall
01/29—Toronto, ON—The Phoenix
01/31—Boston, MA—Brighton Music Hall
02/01—New York City, NY—Bowery Ballroom
02/02—Philadelphia, PA—Underground Arts
02/03—Brooklyn, NY—Music Hall of Williamsburg
02/04—Washington, DC—U Street Music Hall
02/06—Atlanta, GA—Terminal West
02/07—Nashville, TN—3rd and Lindsley
02/09—Houston, TX—Raven Tower
02/10—Dallas, TX—Kessler
02/11—Austin, TX—Antone’s

Other shows in the area:

01/19-01/20/17 Popular comedian Jerry Seinfeld is doing a two-night residency at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. Is it too early to say that the show is about “nothing”?

01/21/17 We’ve already mentioned that the funk/rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers is playing the Target Center on this Saturday night. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, plus Jack Irons will open.

01/22/17 Throw The Fight and Deadships to play Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St Paul.

01/24/17 Black Marble (aka Chris Stewart) will be headlining the 7th Street Entry in support of his new album It’s Immaterial, available now on Ghostly.

01/26/17 Dweezil Zappa will be celebrating “50 Years of Frank” at First Avenue. If you didn’t know, that’s Frank Zappa’s son.

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

Festival Palomino at Hall's Island, Minneapolis (17 Sept 2016)

Trampled By Turtles Setlist Wait So Long Victory Help You New Orleans Are You Behind the Shining Star? Come Back Home Keys to Paradise Winners Alone Oh Yoko! (John Lennon cover) Risk (instrumental) Stranger Repetition Walt Whitman Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince cover) instrumental It's a War Again The Arcs Setlist Velvet Ditch Bad Girl Keep On Dreamin' Pistol Made of Bones Put a Flower in Your Pocket The Arc Cold Companion Little Baby Stay in My Corner Outta My Mind Andrew Bird Setlist Capsized Tenuousness Are You Serious Heretics Truth Lies Low Puma Left Handed Kisses Roma Fade Three White Horses Plasticities Jake Bugg Setlist Two Fingers Put Out the Fire Messed Up Kids Trouble Town Bitter Salt There's a Beast and We All Feed It Taste It Slumville Sunrise Kingpin Simple Pleasures Gimme the Love Lightning Bolt Houndmouth Setlist Black Gold 15 Years Darlin' Say It Honey Slider Hey Rose For No One (new unreleased song) Sedona My Cousin Greg Read More Festival Palomino We covered Trampled By Turtles' first ever Festival Palomino last year. It was such a great learning experience for us, and we had a great time... so much that it made it onto my top ten favorite shows from 2014 … Trampled by Turtles Trampled By Turtles (aka TBT) had a very special two-day CD release shows for Friday and Saturday at First Ave, in Minneapolis. For the first night, they were supported by The Devil Makes Three ... The Arcs "Fools Gold" is a new exclusive track from The Arcs (featuring Black Key's Dan Auerbach). The song is available on the 30th Century Records Compilation Volume I … Andrew Bird We've written about Andrew Bird, a few times. Anyway, critics are raving about Andrew Bird's latest release, Break It Yourself. NPR called it "something beautiful" … Jake Bugg Q Awards-winner and Mercury Prize-nominee, Jake Bugg is currently on tour in America in support of his latest release, Shangri La (out now on Jake Bugg Records/Virgin EMI). … Houndmouth Indiana's Houndmouth will be stopping by Minneapolis on Halloween at the Fine Line Music Café. Typically, these Halloween shows are great, as half the fun … Frightened Rabbit Frightened Rabbit is back in Minneapolis next Wednesday, April 27th, touring in support of Painting of a Panic Attack. The fifth studio album came out April 8th ..…

There were Turtles, Crows, a Bird, Rabbit, Elephant, and even a Bugg… but no horses at this year’s Festival Palomino, which nevertheless successfully pulled off a near last-minute venue change and provided a full platter of varied musical goodness at one of our favorite events of the year.

The third annual Trampled By Turtles-curated American Roots Festival found itself moved to historic Hall’s Island, near downtown Minneapolis only a few weeks before the show date, the result of “major storms and flooding which delayed construction”. With its usual location inside the horse track at suburban Canterbury Park unavailable, lemonade was made from lemons and the First Avenue/Rose Presents crews once again expertly executed the nine-hour/seventeen band event, with only a few minor hiccups.

The festival grounds featured food trucks, traditional and specialty food vendors, local beer and wine and merchandise stands which sold clothing, shoes, and handicrafts. Although the festival was more centrally located, Lyft offered service to and from the grounds, and this year’s lineup proved more musically diverse and included an added third stage (hey, maybe they saw and heeded our previous recommendations here: W♥M: Festival Palomino 2014).

Like last year, the two main stages (nicknamed ‘Stars’ and ‘Satellites’) were set up next to each other, with a cordoned-off VIP section in the middle, for a double-barreled look, which also saved the organizers an additional separate set up crew, speaker stack, and front of house board set up. The third (‘Blue Sky’) stage unfortunately was set up a little too close in earshot to the main stages (the result of settling for the smaller overall venue), but a short delay and some speaker re-alignment, helped fix the issue somewhat.

With many in W♥M’s coverage team committed elsewhere &/or out of town, we unfortunately didn’t get to see much of the new stage, which featured Devil’s Flying Machine feat. Charlie Parr, Murder of Crows, Aubrie Sellers, and Elephant Revival among others, who closed that stage with a stirring cover of Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’.

The music of the main stages began with Mandolin Orange, a Chapel Hill, NC folk duo (Andrew Marlin- vocals, mandolin, guitar, banjo) and Emily Frantz- vocals, violin, guitar) previewing tracks from their upcoming Blindfaller (Yep Roc Records).

Local favorites The Cactus Blossoms were next (brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum), drawing a large early afternoon crowd, in support of the JD McPherson-produced You’re Dreaming (Red House Records) and knee-slapping hit, ‘Stoplight Kisses’ then California singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy charmed the crowd with a short set featuring songs from her debut album Emotions and Math (ATO Records) and raspy vocal blend of folk, rock, and touch of soul.

3:05pm Frightened Rabbit (45 min)

The rising Scottish band played a raucous too-short and too-early set that turned the amp volumes up starting with the opening ‘Get Out’ from latest album Painting of a Panic Attack (Atlantic Records) and found singer Scott Hutchison is a friendly and chatty mood.  The band undoubtedly gained new fans as a result of their early slot and songs like ‘Old Old Fashioned’ seemed tailor fit to this type of festival.  ‘The Woodpile’ remains a sonic tour-de-force and the band closed with 2010’s somewhat somber, ‘The Loneliness and the Scream’.

3:55pm Houndmouth (50 min)

The Indiana alt-country band anchored by core members Matt Myers (guitar, vocals), Zak Appleby (bass, vocals), and Shane Cody (drums) took a break from prepping their next album (after 2015’s Little Neon Limelight) to add some Midwest roots rock to the bill and were joined on stage by keyboardist Caleb Hickman and dual sax players.  ’15 Years’ had echoes of ‘50s rock, ‘Say It’ was prefaced by a story of Myers getting booted from an online poker site for saying it like he meant it, and ‘For No One’, ached with Myers’ vocal describing bizarre imagery. Radio hit ’Sedona’ perked up the crowd, with the band ending with ‘My Cousin Greg’ and its cautionary chorus, “If you wanna live the good life, well you better stay away from the limelight”.

4:45pm Jake Bugg (40 min)

The Nottingham, UK singer-songwriter is a music veteran at the ripe old age of 22, having played the massive Glastonbury five years prior, so was no stranger to outdoor festivals.  In support of third full-length, On My One (Island Records), Bugg and three-piece band roared through a short but charged set of revved up rockabilly tinged indie folk. Bugg mostly let the music do the talking, breaking rank only occasionally, to mention ‘Trouble Town’ was about his own hometown, and to thank everyone. Most uptempo songs featured his distinctive rapid fire vocals, but ‘Simple Pleasures’ stood out not only as a slower song, but one that he and the band could stretch out on, musically as well.

6:00pm Andrew Bird (50 min)

The crowd gathered in anticipation and other musicians lined the side stage areas, as Bird and band entered some twenty-five minutes late, but delivered one of the most powerful sets of the day in support of April’s Are You Serious (Loma Vista Records), starting with the opening ‘Capsized’. The Illinois native has always had a strong local following and Bird and his three-piece band added an elegant sheen to the day; he moving between violin and guitar, whistling (of course) and ending their set with a gorgeous and sweeping ‘Plasticities’.

7:10pm The Arcs (48 min)

Dan Auerbach’s psych-soul garage rock band takes his Black Keys roots into ‘60s and ‘70s album radio and comes out the other side with a unique blend of yesterday and today that somehow all fits together seamlessly.  The other five members (Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss, Richard Swift, and Kenny Vaughan) define a tight but loose style, earmarked by two thunderous drummers to support Auerbach’s guitar gymnastics, in support of last fall’s Yours, Dreamily (Nonesuch Records).

‘Put a Flower in Your Pocket’ evokes the gentleness of the peace and love culture, ‘The Arc’ barrels along like a vintage muscle car down a desert road, and ‘Outta My Mind’ brings back the psychedelic garage that 13^th Floor Elevators and others made so famous; all of it fitting neatly and sounding like an early ‘70s movie soundtrack.

8:30pm Trampled by Turtles (78 min)

The Duluth favorites took to the stage, in a haze of dim lighting and smoke, with the slight bite of a fall chill in the air, bright moon in the sky, and perfect view of the city skyline, opening appropriately with ‘Wait So Long’ which morphed into the hyper-speed bluegrass the band has come to be known for.  “All right, I think we’re all warmed up” singer Dave Simonett would say after.

Frankie Lee was brought over from the Blue Sky stage to join TBT for one song, ‘Alone’ remains an incredibly moving lyric, and the harmonies on their cover of John Lennon’s ‘Oh Yoko!’ were exemplary.  As stage lights turned purple, bassist Tim Saxhaug took the vocal lead over for a simple but effective version of Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares to You’, sounding equally inspired by the more famous Sinead O’Connor version.

"Thank you from the bottom of our little frozen hearts- you've been amazing!", Simonett said and the band finished close to the city curfew time, with a fitting ‘Again’ and its chorus “Will I see you, will I see you again”- maybe a subtle invitation to ask you to return next year and from their 2010 album, Palomino, …so everything did come full circle, and Festival Palomino remains one of the best area shows (and best cost-per-band values) of the year.

Frightened Rabbit

Frightened Rabbit

Frightened Rabbit

Frightened Rabbit

Frightened Rabbit

Houndmouth

Houndmouth

Jake Bugg

Jake Bugg

Jake Bugg

Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird

The Arcs

The Arcs

The Arcs

The Arcs

The Arcs

Festival Palomino

Trampled By Turtles

Trampled By Turtles

Trampled By Turtles

Trampled By Turtles

Trampled By Turtles at Hall's Island, Minneapolis (17 Sept 2016)

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

Minneapolis: September 17, 2016

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on September 17, 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Festival Palomino We covered Trampled By Turtles' first ever Festival Palomino last year. It was such a great learning experience for us, and we had a great time... so much that it made it onto my top ten favorite shows from 2014 … The Arcs "Fools Gold" is a new exclusive track from The Arcs (featuring Black Key's Dan Auerbach). The song is available on the 30th Century Records Compilation Volume I … Andrew Bird We've written about Andrew Bird, a few times. Anyway, critics are raving about Andrew Bird's latest release, Break It Yourself. NPR called it "something beautiful" …

FESTIVAL PALOMINO
at Hall’s Island
Saturday, 09/17/16, 12pm ($52)
festivalpalomino.com

The third annual Festival Palomino has been moved to Historic Hall’s Island (in the same area as Boom Island in Minneapolis). While the official reason given on August 30th about the move was “due to major storms and flooding which delayed construction at Canterbury Park”, we actually think it is because of scheduling conflict with the live horse racing, booked for this same day. We knew about the conflict in late September and talked about it offline and wondered about the fate of Festival Palomino.

Check out our coverages of Festival Palomino 2014 (includes as-it-happens live coverage) and Festival Palomino 2015 (complete with setlists and photos).

Anyway, as usual, we’ve written (and seen live) about most of the bands on the bill at the 2016 festival, including headliner Trampled By Turtles, Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit, England’s Jake Bugg, etc.

One of the few artists we haven’t written about is Margaret Glaspy, touring in support of her debut album Emotions and Math (ATO Records). Be sure to show up early to check out Glaspy’s set.

NOTE: With the Minneapolis’ noise ordinance in effect, the music will have to end around 10pm. Trample By Turtles may continue to play, however, they will have to go acoustic - similar to how Wilco handled their recent Hall’s Island appearance on 20 August 2016.

Full lineup:

Trampled By Turtles
The Arcs
Andrew Bird
Jake Bugg
Houndmouth
Frightened Rabbit
Elephant Revival
The Cactus Blossoms
Margaret Glaspy
Aubrie Sellers
Frankie Lee
The Brothers Comatose
The Devil’s Flying Machine
The Murder Of Crows
John Mark Nelson
Mandolin Orange
Erik Berry Duo

Read More Beaty Heart South-London's Beaty Heart is currently touring in support of their debut album Mixed Blessings (Nusic Sounds & Caroline). The trio will be joining JUNGLE …

BEATY HEART
at 7th Street Entry
Saturday, 09/17/16, 8pm ($12/$14)
first-avenue.com

Peckham-based trio Beaty Heart (Charlie Rotberg, Joshua Mitchell and James Moruzzi) will be headlining the 7th Street Entry this Saturday, September 17th. You may recall that they had to cancel their entire 2014 USA tour due to VISA issues, when they were supposed to promote their debut album Mixed Blessings.

Beaty Heart is back, this time, promoting their sophomore album Till The Tomb, which came out earlier this Summer via Harvest Records.

London’s Beach Baby to open.

Tour dates:

9/14/2016 Allston, MA Great Scott
9/16/2016 Chicago, IL Beat Kitchen
9/17/2016 Minneapolis, MN 7th St Entry
9/21/2016 Seattle, WA The Sunset
9/22/2016 Portland, OR Holocene
9/23/2016 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop
9/24/2016 Los Angeles, CA Resident
9/26/2016 Washington, DC DC9
9/27/2016 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's
9/29/2016 Brooklyn, NY Baby's All Right
9/30/2016 New York, NY Berlin

Read More Gold Panda Friday we have Gold Panda. The UK electronic artist is touring for his second album Half Of Where You Live, but expect a new EP on November 11th called Reprise… Cavanaugh Avant garde MC Open Mike Eagle teams up with Chicago comedy rapper legend Serengeti to create something creatively absurd and socially poignant. ...

GOLD PANDA
at Triple Rock Social Club
Saturday, 09/17/16, 8pm ($15)
triplerocksocialclub.com

Electronic producer Gold Panda will once again headline the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis this Saturday, September 17th. We previously caught him at the Triple Rock in 2013 and noted, “Gold Panda didn't have any gimmicks, masked or otherwise, his setup was a rather large table with all the buttons and switches. Set included a mix of various singles and songs from Half Of Where You Live, particularly "Brazil" which played fairly early in.”

Gold Panda’s latest record Good Luck and Do Your Best is out now on City Slang Records.

Open Mike Eagle (one half of Cavanaugh) to open.

Tour dates:

09/11/16 Montreal, QC Théâtre Fairmount
09/14/16 Toronto, ON Mod Club
09/15/16 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
09/16/16 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
09/17/16 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock
09/18/16 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre
09/22/16 Reeperbahn Festival
09/23/16 Bozar Electronic Arts Festival
09/24/16 Paris Cafe de la Danse
09/29/16 Waves Vienna
10/05/16 Berlin, Germany Berghain
10/06/16 Cologne Kulturkirche
10/07/16 Heidelberg Karlstorbahnhof
10/15/16 Osaka, Japan Club Circus
10/16/16 Kyoto, Japan Metro
10/18/16 Tokyo, Japan Shibuya WWW
10/26/16 Lisbon, Portugal Music Box
10/29/16 Colchester Colchester Arts Centre
11/05/16 Barezzi Festival
11/11/16 Milan, Italy Dudeclub
11/12/16 Rome, Italy Monk Club
11/26/16 Singapore Fort Canning Park

Read More Living Hour Omori is currently on his “Sad Guy No More” tour with Canadian dream pop band Living Hour. Living Hour’s self-titled album is out now on Lefse. …

LIVING HOUR
at House Show
Saturday, 09/17/16, 6pm (Free?)
facebook.com

Winnipeg’s Living Hour will be playing a house show this Saturday, September 17th, promoting their self-titled debut album on Lefse Records.

We previously mentioned that they were on tour with Cullen Omori (ex Smith Westerns).

Other bands on the bill for the house show: Sloslylove, Dash Hounds, and Keno Evol.

Tour dates:

09/15/16 - Winnipeg,MB - Burton Cummings
09/16/16 - Clearwater,MB - Harvest Moon Festival
09/17/16 - Minneapolis, MN - House Show
09/18/16 - Chicago, IL - RutCorp
09/19/16 - Cincinnati, OH - Comet
09/20/16- Detroit, MI - Marble Bar
09/21/16 - Toronto, ON - The Drake Hotel
09/22/16- Montreal, QC - Pop Montreal
09/23/16 - Amherst College - Hitchcock Residence
09/24/16 - New Brunswick, NJ - J House
09/25/16 - Brooklyn, NY - Silent Barn
09/28/16- Stuttgart, DE - Galao
09/29/16 - Wiesbaden DE - Kreativfabrik
09/30/16 - Leipzig DE - Ilses Erika
10/01/16 - Dresden, DE - Beatpol
10/02/16 - Prague, CZ - 007 Club
10/04/16 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso
10/05/16 - Paris, FR - Le Pop-Up Du Label
10/06/16 - London, UK - Slaughtered Lamb
10/07/16 - Derby, UK - Hairy Dog
10/08/16 - Manchester, UK - Fallow Cafe
10/09/16 - Leeds, UK - Wharf Chambers
10/10/16 - Cardiff, UK - The Big Top

Read More Carrie Newcomer The Beautiful Not Yet Carrie Newcomer A Shovel Is a Prayer Cedar Rapids The Beautiful Not Yet Three Feet or So Sanctuary …

CARRIE NEWCOMER
at Hennepin Methodist Church
Saturday, 09/17/16, 6:15pm ($20)
hennepinchurch.org

Carrie Newcomer will be playing at the Hennepin Methodist Church this September 17th, 2016. Newcomer’s 16th CD, The Beautiful Not Yet, will be out Sept 16th. The new record was produced by Juno Award for World Music winner Jayme Stone.

With the choice in venue (a church), expect plenty of optimistic, spiritual songs from Newcomer.

Carrie Newcomer’s tour dates:

09/16/16 Madison, WI First United Methodist
09/17/16 Hennepin United Methodist
09/18/16 Goshen, IN Sauder Concert Hall
09/24/16 Delphi, IN Delphi Opera House
09/30/16 Marriottsville Retreat and Conference
10/01/16 Marriottsville Retreat and Conference
10/02/16 Bound Brook, NJ Bound Brook Church
10/14/16 Jasper, IN Jasper Performing Arts Center
10/15/16 Bloomington, IN Buskirk-Chumley Theater
10/16/16 Louisville, KY Christ Church United Methodist
10/21/16 Hillsboro, OR Walters Cultural Arts Center
10/22/16 Seattle, WA Columbia City Theatre
10/28/16 Santa Monica, CA McCabe's Guitar Shop
10/30/16 Berkeley, CA Freight & Salvage
11/11/16 Cambridge, MA Club Passim
11/12/16 New Hartford, CT Beekley Library
11/19/16 Chicago, IL Old Town School
12/02/16 Indianapolis, IN The Church Within
12/03/16 Portland, IN Arts Place
12/04/16 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
12/09/16 Vienna, VA Jammin' Java
12/10/16 New York, NY Joe's Pub
12/11/16 Wilmington, DE World Cafe Live
01/19/17 Wilson, NC Edna Boykin Cultural Center
01/21/17 Decatur, GA Eddie's Attic
01/27/17 Oklahoma City, OK OCCC Visual
01/28/17 Ponca City, OK First Christian Church
01/29/17 San Antonio, TX Studio Theater
03/10/17 Traverse City, MI Dennos Museum
03/11/17 Palos Hills, IL Dorothy Menker Theater
03/25/17 Dayton, OH Harmony Creek Church
04/29/17 Syracuse, NY Park Central Presbyterian Church
05/06/17 Indianapolis, IN Unitarian Universalist Church
07/13/17 Wisconsin Rapids, WI McMillan Library

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

Birds of a Feather IV

Read More Owl City Owl City is the stage name of Adam Young.... and his certified "Gold" album is called Ocean Eyes.

See also Birds of a Feather III, Birds of a Feather II, Birds of a Feather, and Birds Fly Into My Windshield.

OWL CITY
owlcitymusic.com

I've seen Owl City easily sell out larger capacity venues, so it was no surprise me that Owl City sold out the Varsity Theater this Friday, July 13th. If you don't have a ticket to Owl City, your other alternative is buy tickets for Owl City's return to Minneapolis (First Avenue) show on October 4 (tickets goes on sale July 13th at noon).

So what's new with Owl City? He's just announced a world tour this fall in support of his new studio album, The Midsummer Station (to be released on August 21st on Universal Republic). The tour officially starts this September 5th, but fans who are seeing him in July will probably be previewed to his new songs (including "Good Time", the pre-album single).

If you really love Owl City, I do suggest buying your tickets early as his shows has a tendency to sell out. Be on the lookout for The Midsummer Station in August.

07.10.12 Bowery Ballroom in New York, NY 07.12.12 Bottom Lounge in Chicago, IL 07.13.12 Varsity Theatre in Minneapolis, MN 07.15.12 Bluebird Theatre in Denver, CO 07.18.12 Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA 07.20.12 Power Balance in Sacramento, CA 07.21.12 Slims in San Francisco, CA 07.23.12 Triple Door in Seattle, WA 09.05.12 Nashville, TN @ Cannery 09.06.12 Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage 09.07.12 Orlando, FL @ Beacham Theatre 09.08.12 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution 09.10.12 Washington DC @ 9:30 Club 09.11.12 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza 09.13.12 Boston, MA @ Paradise 09.14.12 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts 09.15.12 Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Hall 09.16.12 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall 09.18.12 Houston, TX @ House of Blues 09.19.12 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues 09.20.12 Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa 09.22.12 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues 09.26.12 San Francisco, CA @ Regency 09.28.12 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom 09.29.12 Seattle, WA @ Neptune 10.01.12 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot

10.02.12 Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre 10.04.12 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue 10.05.12 Kansas City, MO @ Beaumont 10.06.12 Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre 10.07.12 Detroit, MI @ Crofoot 10.18.12 Paris, France @ Trabendo 10.19.12 Zurich, Switzerland @ Mascotte 10.21.12 Munich, Germany @ Hansa 39 10.22.12 Frankfurt, Germany @ Batschkapp 10.23.12 Hamburg, Germany @ Knust 10.25.12 London, UK @ Forum 10.26.12 Birmingham, UK @ Library/HMV Institute 10.27.12 Dublin, Ireland @ Whelans 10.28.12 Glasgow, UK @ Garage 10.30.12 Manchester, UK @ Academy 3 10.31.12 Oxford, UK @ Academy 2 11.02.12 Gent, Belgium @ Vooruit 11.03.12 Amsterdam, Holland @ Melkweg 11.07.12 Osaka, Japan @ Big Cat 11.08.12 Tokyo, Japan @ Shibuya Ax 11.12.12 Taipei, Taiwan @ Legacy 11.14.12 Jakarta, Indonesia @ Tennis Indoor 11.16.12 Auckland, NZ @ Powerstation 11.18.12 Melbourne, Australia @ Corner Hotel 11.20.12 Sydney, Australia @ The Metro

ANDREW BIRD
andrewbird.net

We've written about Andrew Bird, a few times.

Anyway, critics are raving about Andrew Bird's latest release, Break It Yourself. NPR called it "something beautiful", TIME called "delightful pop songs", and Newsweek puts it best with "perfect for the sensitive souls".

He's been on somewhat of a media blitz, appearing on "The Colbert Report", "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon", "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and NPR's "Weekend Edition".

If you haven't picked up Break It Yourself, you can hear him playing those new songs on his tour. He's recently added some new dates, including Austin City Limits Festival.

07/08/12 Fifth Third Bank Ballpark Geneva, IL* 07/10/12 North Carolina Museum of Art Raleigh, NC† 07/11/12 Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Richmond, VA† 07/13/12 Stage AE Pittsburgh, PA‡ 07/14/12 Forecastle Festival Louisville, KY 07/15/12 Frederik Meijer Gardens Grand Rapids, MI 07/16/12 Artpark Lewiston, NY 07/18/12 Theatre De Verdure Montreal, QC 07/19/12 Echo Beach Toronto, ON 07/20/12 Higher Ground Shelburne, VT 07/21/12 Hope Artiste Village Courtyard Pawtucket, RI 07/27/12 Soundtown Festival Somerset, WI 08/10/12 Outside Lands San Francisco, CA 08/11/12 The Spreckels Theatre San Diego, CA 08/12/12 The Greek Theatre Los Angeles, CA 08/14/12 Red Butte Garden Salt Lake City, UT 08/15 /12 Chautauqua Auditorium Boulder, CO 08/17 /12 Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre Denver, CO 08/18/12 Jackson Hole Center for the Arts Jackson, WY 08/20/12 Peter Kiewit Concert Hall Omaha, NE

08/21/12 Simon Estes Amphitheatre Des Moines, IA 09/26/12 Overture Hall Madison, WI§ 09/27/12 Midpoint Music Festival Cincinnati, OH§ 09/29/12 Singletary Center Lexington, KY§ 09/30/12 Murat Theatre Indianapolis, IN§ 10/01/12 Orange Peel Asheville, NC§ 10/02/12 Neighborhood Theatre Charlotte, NC§ 10/04/12 Tennessee Theater Knoxville, TN§ 10/05/12 Georgia Theater Athens, GA§ 10/06/12 Charleston Music Hall Charleston, SC§ 10/08/12 Fillmore at Jackie Gleason Miami Beach, FL§ 10/09/12 Ferguson Hall Tampa, FL§ 10/10/12 House of Blues Orlando, FL§ 10/12/12 House of Blues Houston, TX§ 10/13/12 Austin City Limits Festival Austin, TX * with Wilco † with Mavis Staples ‡ with Death Cab For Cutie § with Here We Go Magic

BLUE BIRD
www.bluebirdlovesyou.com

I mentioned Blue Bird last year.

It looks like they are back with a debut self-titled full length album. Don't bother searching for it on amazon, I can tell you that it's not searchable.

Maybe you can pick up the album when you see this Omaha band live:

July 10 New York, NY Pianos
July 11 PIttsburgh, PA Howler's Coyote Cafe
July 12 Louisville, KY The Bard's Town
July 13 Nashville, TN The National Underground
July 14 Columbia, MO The Bridge
July 28 Omaha, NE The Sydney
Sept 22 Laramie, WY Gryphon Theater

BLACK SWANS
theblackswans.com

The Black Swans are from Columbus, Ohio, and they have a new album, Occasion for Song, out on July 31st via Misra Records. Fans might want to pre-order the album now, as you do get a little discount.

The album, I have read, is in memory of death of their founding member and violinist Noel Sayre, who drowned in a swimming accident in 2008.

Frontman Jerry DeCicca described the album as "about a loved one's absence, how death affects the emotional lives of the living, and how their absence affects memory."

Is it morbid to feature the swimming pool where the accident occurred? No, it is just a location, but what's more fascinating is the meaning and feeling associated with it by the band members.

THE LONE CROWS
thelonecrows.bandcamp.com

Formerly known as Heart of Bristol, this local Minneapolis band, The Lone Crows, are playing the 400 Bar this Thursday, July 11th with guest special guest Kelcy Mae from New Orleans. They are hoping you'll come to their show and keep them company so they won't feel so lonely.

The Lone Crows are a bluesy rock band, so it should be interesting to see how they will play with acoustic alt-folk styling of Mae.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Andrew Bird: Break It Yourself

Tour Dates May 03 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA May 04 Beacon Theatre New York, NY May 05 Beacon Theatre New York, NY May 06 House of Blues Boston, MA May 08 9:30 Club Washington, DC May 09 Ramshead Live Baltimore, MD May 10 The Fillmore Detroit, MI May 12 Auditorium Theatre Chicago, IL May 19 Nelsonville Music Festival Nelsonville, OH Jun 02 Field Day 2012 London,UK Jun 04 Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Ireland Jun 06 Trinity Bristol,UK Jun 08 Fruit Market Glasgow,UK Jun 09 No Direction Home Festival UK Jun 10 Theatre Royal Brighton Brighton,UK Jun 12 Teatro Circo Price Madrid, Spain Jul 08 Fifth Third Bank Ballpark Geneva, IL Jul 10 Museum Park Theater Raleigh, NC Jul 11 Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Richmond, VA Jul 14 Forecastle Festival at Waterfront Park, KY Jul 15 Frederik Meijer Gardens Grand Rapids, MI Jul 16 Artpark Lewiston, NY Jul 18 Theatre De Verdure Montreal, Canada Jul 19 Echo Beach Toronto, Canada Jul 20 The Green at Shelburne Museum Shelburne, VT Jul 21 Hope Artiste Village Courtyard Pawtucket, RI Jul 27 Sound Town Fest Somerset, WI Aug 10 Golden Gate Park Festival San Francisco, CA Aug 11 Spreckels Theatre San Diego, CA Aug 12 Greek Theatre Los Angeles, CA Aug 14 Red Butte Garden Salt Lake City, UT Aug 15 Chautauqua Auditorium Boulder, CO Aug 17 Denver Performing Arts Complex Denver, CO Aug 18 Caldera Festival Jackson, WY Aug 20 Holland Performing Arts Center Omaha, NE Aug 21 Simon Estes Amph Des Moines, IA Nov 08 Roundhouse London, UK Read More Andrew Bird Here's a funny video called "I'm Sorry", featuring Andrew Bird and Margaret Cho. Note the distinctive whistling that Bird is known for in the song.

What can one say about the music of Chicago born Andrew Bird? With the recent release of his latest album “Break It Yourself” on 6^th March 2012 he has proved yet again what an adept performer he is and what a gift his multi-instrumentalism is as well. In terms of a comparison – think of him obliquely as America’s Mike Oldfield, someone who creates and nurtures delicate soundscapes and musical techniques that ooze sophistication and emotion in a way that other musicians can’t always emulate. Whereas Oldfield’s song writing isn’t always his strong point, Bird excels in both mediums of instrumentation and lyric writing with perfect results.

Break it Yourself

This is Bird’s sixth solo album proper, and is released on the “Mom+Pop” label. It has already been commercially successful and has brought him many plaudits. It’s quite easy to see why. To many of the songs there is a quiet delicacy, a definite folky feel – something that came about after his initial musical project “Bowl Of Fire” disbanded. "Bowl Of Fire" was formed with Kevin O'Donnell, Joshua Hirsch, Nora O’Connor, Andy Hopkins, Jimmy Sutton, Colin Bunn, and Ryan Hembrey who were all musicians from Bird’s hometown of Chicago and was heavily influenced by musical idioms like swing and post and pre-war lieder. Once this project disbanded there was a swing shift towards a more folky sound.

Bird is typically known for his verbose lyrics and “Break It Yourself” is no different in this respect. The song “Desperation Breeds” is a beautiful example of this, containing lines like:

“This peculiar incantation, sure you heard it before, instead of breeding desperation, make me a pallet on the floor”

When mixed with a delightful blend of pizzicato strings and floaty, ethereal guitars it just has this aura of otherworldliness. When Bird sings the word “Bees” it’s almost as if there are a gentle swarm of them in the air around you such are the harmonies created by his voice.

Songs like “Near Death Experience” are a lesson in softness and strength at once:

“You used to be like toffee in the kitten’s teeth, used to build air raid shelters out of sticks and leaves and spend the whole day underneath”

Again, the notion of pizzicato guitar strings coupled with the harmonics of the dual vocal performance add this edge of delicacy. Quiet, contemplative and quite, quite beautiful.

Where Bird really excels is in the telling of tales. Real folk tales. In his song “Lusitania” there is a true feel that this is where his heart lies, in getting to the meat and bones of a historical story, the horrors of war and in a way comparing it to real life and the present day. Hearing the music is in many ways liked being haphazardly tossed in the ocean – that maybe sounds a little trite, but the gentle sway of the percussion sounds like crashing waves, sounds like the wind that carried the liner on it’s fateful journey.

“If your loose and libel lips, keep sinking all my ships then you’re the one who sank my Lusitania”

There is a definite calmness to the music, something that you could definitely imagine lying back on your recliner sofas and immersing yourself fully in, rather than having to be sitting bolt upright and listening intently to every track. This is quiet, contemplative music with a sense of history and a sense of truth to it. The impression Bird gives is one of a serious musician entirely dedicated to producing truth in music and not just hopping on whatever bandwagon happens to be in his path. With whatever he does and whatever he produces you feel safe in his charge.

Can I see Andrew Bird Live?

Yes you can. Throughout May he will be playing a series of gigs which will showcase the new album. These start off with a date in Philadelphia on the 3^rd of the month, then taking in New York, Boston, Washington, Baltimore, Detroit, Chicago and Nelsonville before he brings his blend of perfect folk pop to the UK with a fairly major gig in London on June 2^nd. He’s back in the US for another series of dates in July, taking in Geneva, Raleigh, Richmond, Louisville, Grand Rapids and Louiston. The tour continues in Canada and back to the US throughout August. A full list of dates and where to buy tickets to see the master at his work can be obtained here Andrew Bird.net. Not only this album, but Bird’s back catalogue of work is a definite recommendation for perfect ethereal beauty and wonderful listening. A true musical treasure.

imogen ♥ andrewbird.net

Cho Dependent

Tour Dates 08/26/10 Arlene Schnitzer Portland, OR 08/27/10 Paramount Theatre Seattle, WA 08/28/10 Queen Elizabeth Vancouver, BC 09/10/10 House of Blues Houston, TX 09/11/10 Verizon Theatre Dallas, TX 09/12/10 Paramount Theatre Austin, TX 09/17/10 Pearl Concert @ Las Vegas, NV 09/18/10 Dodge Theatre Phoenix, AZ 09/23/10 Grove of Anaheim, CA 09/24/10 Humphreys Concerts SD, CA 09/25/10 Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA 09/26/10 Uptown Theatre Napa, CA 10/01/10 Southern Alberta, AB 10/02/10 Wimdspear Centre Edmonton, AB 10/09/10 Paramount Theatre Denver, CO 10/14/10 Overtrue Centrer  - Madison, WI 10/15/10 State Theatre Minneapolis, MN 10/16/10 Chicago Theatre Chicago, IL 10/17/10 Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MI 10/22/10 Massey Hall Toronto, ON 10/23/10 Salle Wilfrid Pelletier, PQ 10/24/10 National Arts Centre Ottawa, ON 10/27/10 Scranton Cultural , PA 10/28/10 Wilbur Theatre Boston, MA 10/29/10 Warner Theatre Washington DC 10/30/10 Caeser's Atlantic City , NJ 11/04/10 Wellmont Theatre Montclair, NJ 11/05/10 New York, NY 11/06/10 Fox Theatre Mashantucket, CT 12/03/10 Wiltern Los Angeles, CA 12/04/10 Nob Hill Masonic Center SF, CA 12/09/10 Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL 12/10/10 Hard Rock Live Orlando, FL 12/11/10 Fillmore Miami Beach, FL 12/12/10 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA Read More Comedy http://weheartmus... Apparently Comedy Central has a record department, although it's not really music that they're d...

Lara tells me that Margaret Cho is beloved by Asians and gay men. It made me question myself when I'm qualified as both Asian and male. To be honest, I think she's well loved beyond those two groups, even by white people. (That's a joke).

Most people may remember Cho as the force behind All American Girl on ABC, advertised for being the "first" all Eastern Asian television show. While this show drew criticism from the Asian community for stereotyping Asians, I just think they didn't understand the humor... I mean how else are you going to make a funny program about race without a little stereotype?

I think the failure of All American Girl caused Cho to disappear from the public for a while. Six years after the cancellation, she came back strong with Notorious C.H.O. I'm glad to see she's back and seemingly doing great!

Her latest project is called Cho Dependent* to be released on August 24^th, just in time to kick off her forthcoming tour. I actually thought this was a new comedy album like Revolution or I'm The One That I Want, but after quickly listening to some same tracks - these are actually original new music recording by famous musicians. Songsmiths like Tegan & Sara, Ben Lee, Fiona Apple, and Ani DiFranco. I'm assuming just by putting in the effort, that these artists are fans of Cho, and vice versa.

I'm actually quite curious to see how her live show will be, especially because I do not think all of these awesome artists will be touring with Cho?  Most likely, I will see Cho singing her songs and perhaps even throw in a joke here or there. Looking forward to seeing her live.

Anyway, here's a funny video called "I'm Sorry", featuring Andrew Bird and Margaret Cho. Note the distinctive whistling that Bird is known for in the song.

Margaret Cho - I'm Sorry- featuring Andrew Bird

Interested in a full tracklisting ? See below:

1. Intervention(co-written with & featuring Tegan & Sara)
2. Calling in Stoned (co-written with Ben Lee / featuring Ben Lee & Tommy Chong)
3. Your Dick (co-written with AC Newman / featuring Ben Lee)
4. Baby I’m With The Band (co-written with & featuring Brendan Benson)
5. Hey Big Dog (co-written with Patty Griffin / featuring Ben Lee & Fiona Apple)
6. I'm Sorry (co-written with & featuring Andrew Bird)
7. Lice (co-written with & featuring Ben Lee)
8. Enemies (co-written with & featuring Jon Brion)
9. Asian Adjacent (co-written with & featuring Grant Lee Phillips)
10. Gimme Your Seed (co-written with & featuring Garrison Starr)
11. Eat Shit and Die (co-written with & featuring Grant Lee Phillips)
12. Captain Cameltoe (co-written with & featuring Ani DiFranco)
13. My Puss (co-written with Diana Yanez & Kurt Hall / parody of Mickey Avalon & Dirt Nasty song)

Hidden Track (on CD/Digital only): Lesbian Escalation (co-written with & featuring Rachael Yamagata)

* PS, sorry, wanted to give this a proper review, but I can't really listen to music on my computer since the preview copy I have is internet-only.  Which is fine, as I suppose  I wouldn't really have the time considering I'm still on vacation-mode.  Also, I will be bringing up Cho on this week's podcast. Stay tuned!

 08/17/2010 21:14:01 ♥ vu () ♥ margaretcho.com