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SXSW 2024 Experience

About Music For Listeners A radio show with Music .... For Listeners - Live on KRTU FM 91.7 and krtu.org Friday nights into Saturday Mornings 12AM-3AM central time See more SXSW 2024 Neon Waltz at SXSW 2024 Folk Bitch Trio at SXSW 2024 Read More SXSW Once again, SXSW (South by Southwest Music Festival) is returning to Austin, Texas. This year marks the festival’s 38th annual event. Like previous years, there are a million bands. ....

Hello folks, welcome to Austin. Do you have your schedule ready? Are you here to watch a movie and wave to Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling in a convertible, network with AI, Cyber, Crypto masterminds at Panels or the Expo at the acc, or do you have your pocket schedule for rock n roll from Noon-2AM for 6 straight days. "Easy Answer."

Rain, protests, and large annoying crowds were supposed to disrupt this year's South By South West. We all know the Black Keys played two epic shows at Mohawk and Stubbs (I probably should have caught one from the street) and Janalle Monoe had a DJ set party, but we're here to see fresh new talent from all over the world.

Catching bands in tiny intimate settings-- from churches to backyards -- is the reason everyone should attend SXSW. Discovering a band that's about to explode once they meet the right people or getting the chance to chat with artists right after a set are just two of the many reasons to return every year.

My 12th SXSW in the last 14 years was quite the rush. If you're looking to see music for 14 straight hours, I suggest staying away from the free Lone Stars at Hotel Vegas. Pick-up the free sliders at Shangri-Las for stamina. Flying around in a Lime was the way to go, for $15 that got you an hour in 3 days.

A $4 Lyft was the way to go at certain times. Still had to rock that straw hat in the outdoor heat, but a lot of the events were indoors or had decent canopies for shade.

Enjoying that cool Austin breeze on the East side of 6th Street felt pretty good too. This was my first year purchasing a wristband for $200, and still would spend about only 150 on covers but also got into shows where I needed the wristband to have a prayer to get in.

Every year I help out with a Music for Listeners party run by a great radio station based out of San Antonio (KRTU). Michael Thomas and Orlando Torres have booked and hosted a phenomenal event for 14 years now. This year was the 5th year at Lazarus Brewery of the east side of 6th just past Hotel Vegas and close to High Noon (Paste Mag Party). Some of the biggest bands they booked this year were Sprints, Ash, and Rameesh (Voxtrot’s lead singer).

Lazarus has an incredible hard-working staff that has been more than accommodating over the years. We will miss one of the best managers in town in Marcus. Good luck in Maui!

Alright, let's cut the chase and give you some bands to check out.

Top 20 Performances at SXSW 2024 (you be the judge but gave a quick comparison) Daniel donato cosmic country (antones) (Goose meets Billy Strings) Neon waltz (BME downright Austin backyard) (New Style We Were Promised Jet Packs) Susan O'Neill (private Irish House Performance) (The next Norah Jones but even better) Airu (Lazarus Brewery) (spanish ) Folk bitch trio (Driskell/Lazarus) (The Staves, Secret Sisters) The Vices (Cooper's BBQ) (Netherlands version of The Hives unreal stage performance) Oh he did (Antones) (the next alabama shakes) Balthvs (Mohawk/Parish) (Khruangbin Vibes) Holly Macave (BME downright Austin backyard) (UK version of Lana Del Ray) Wilt (Mohawk/Creek in the Cave) (Way better Paramore, Unreal Vocals and Stage Presence) Voxtrot (Mohawk) (Austin Legends) Lamont Landers (Empire Garage) (new St Paul and the Broken Bones) Fieh (Lazarus Brewery/Backyard Boogie) (Jazzy Amy winehouse ) Angelica Garcia (BME downright Austin backyard) (London Grammer) West 22 (Valhalla) (Beach Vibe Jamz) Dave from Revivalists (paste mag party/high noon) (Awesome Country/funk/blues) San Antonio band (still working on band name from secret backyard boogie show) (Spanish -Surf rock) Bel Air Lip Bombs (swan dive patio) (Aussie indie Rockers) Farmers Wife (Hotel Vegas) (New-Style darker Alvvays) Ash (Lazarus Brewery) (Irish Legends)

Top Bands I missed at SXSW Georgia Gets By Tauk Laveda The silver lines Highschoo Cloudchord Searows The Big Wys Brass Band Dry Cleaning Do Nothing

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Ash at Music for Listeners Party (13 Mar 2024)

brody ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com ♥ bsky.ap

Best of the Fest: Mosswood Meltdown and SXSW 2024

07/06/2024-07/07/2024 Mosswood Meltdown, Oakland Read More B-52s One of them is the distinctive vocal styling of B-52's frontsman, Fred Schneider! I actually don't have any music for this and probably won't request more music to review, since I'm knee-deep in a crappy ... Hunx and His Punx Hunx (aka Seth Bogart), from said-band, have branched out to 50s teen music, with his band Hunx and His Punx. And you know what ? It's GOOD AWESOME. It's not sexual, it's not ... Big Freedia Boyfriend is opening for Big Freedia. Big Freedia is a rapper that knows how to get a crowd going. Frederick Ross (AKA Big Freedia) is not a newcomer to the hip-hop…

Mosswood Meltdown
July 6th & 7th, 2024
mosswoodmeltdown.com

Bay Area music festivals represent! Cult filmmaker and local bad-ass John Waters is gearing up to host the Mosswood Meltdown summer festival in Oakland for the tenth time this year, on July 6th and 7th. Get ready to revel in some proper throwbacks, and, as Waters says, “our days to shine in the punk grime.”

This year’s full line-up has already been announced, and includes headliners The B-52s, who keep saying they’re retiring for good but happily keep coming back to give us more. Also playing are the Bay Area baddies Hunx and his Punx, Big Freedia, Redd Kross, Gibby Haynes and the Paul Green Rock Academy performing songs by the Butthole Surfers, and the first-ever drag contest hosted by Peaches Christ, with Waters as one of the judges.

Recent line-ups have included Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, Bratmobile, and the Linda Lindas. As always, Mosswood promises a more DIY, gritty vibe than your larger Cali-based Outside Lands and Coachella. That’s East Bay-style, baby.

MOSSWOOD MELTDOWN 2024 LINEUP

The B52s

Hunx & His Punx

Big Freedia

Peaches Christ Hosts a Drag Contest!

Redd Kross

Pure Hell

Egyptian Lover

Gibby Haynes & The Paul Green Rock Academy

Die Spitz

Bush Tetras

Go Sailor

Pansy Division

Wifey

The Space Lady

Sheastie Boys

Diesel Dudes

Trap Girl

Non Plus Temps

Gumby’s Junk

Baus

Hot Laundry

Hosted by John Waters!!!

03/08/2024-03/16/2024 SXSW, Austin Read More SXSW What a year, once again! This was my 12th SXSW in the last 16 years, and I'll be honest I thought it was going to be a down year post-Covid…. But far from a dull year, Austin was alive and well with loads of great new ....

SXSW
March 8th-16th, 2024
sxsw.com

Once again, SXSW (South by Southwest Music Festival) is returning to Austin, Texas. This year marks the festival’s 38th annual event. Like previous years, there are a million bands.

Too many to list here, go to their website to see the full listing.

Some of the bands I’m interested in seeing:

Ash (Ireland)

Bad Bad Hats (Minneapolis)

Bootsy Collins (Cincinnati)

Fat Dog (London)

Gruff Rhys (Wales)

Love Language (Montréal)

Lottery Winners (Leigh)

MC Frontalot (Berkeley)

Peach Luffe (Toronto)

porij (Manchester)

Pussy Riot (Russia)

Psymon Spine (Brooklyn)

Sabrina Song (Brooklyn)

Spyres (Glasgow)

villagerrr (Columbus)

robin ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com ♥ bsky.ap

Ash at Swedish American Hall, San Francisco (22 Sep 2018)

Ash 2018 USA Tour Read More Ash We love Ash. We've been following the Irish band for a long time now, and a few years ago, they famously said they would "never" release an album. Instead the trio concentrated on just recording singles … Ash Tour Dates 10/16 - Sheffield - Leadmill 10/17 - Glasgow - O2 ABC 10/19 - Bristol - SWX 10/20 - Birmingham - O2 Institute 10/21 - Norwich - Waterfront 10/23 - Manchester - O2 Ritz 10/24 - London - O2 Forum Troy sent us this photo of Ash (not to be confused with Hawaiian singer Ash) at the Swedish American Hall in San Francisco (22 Sep 2018). The SF date marked the end of Ash’s mini-2018 USA tour. Opening up the San Francisco show was Veers (stylized as VEERS), from Los Angeles. The group features Andrew James as singer/guitarist, Spencer Evan Schuck on guitars, Nick Lanata on bass, Jef Pauly on drums, and Sean Brennan on keys. Ash’s seventh studio album Islands came out May 18 on Infectious Music/BMG Records. The album is the first since 2015’s Kablammo! The trio (singer/guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist/synth Mark Hamilton, and drummer Rick McMurray) will resume touring on October 16 at Leadmill in Sheffield. Setlist Buzzkill A Life Less Ordinary Goldfinger True Story Kung Fu Cocoon Oh Yeah Confessions in the Pool Angel Interceptor Uncle Pat Annabel Shining Light All That I Have Left Petrol Cantina Band (John Williams cover) snippet Walking Barefoot Orpheus Girl From Mars -- Encore -- Lose Control Is It True? Numbskull Burn Baby Burn vu ♥ weheartmusic.com photo by troy

Ash at the Independent, San Francisco (22 Sep 2016)

Ash Setlist Lose Control Goldfinger Girl From Mars I'd Give You Anything Gone the Dream Kung Fu Oh Yeah Let It Flow Innocent Smile Angel Interceptor Lost in You Darkside Lightside Jack Names the Planets T. Rex Does Your Mother Know (ABBA cover) A Life Less Ordinary -- Encore -- Orpheus Let's Ride Shining Light Burn Baby Burn Tour Dates 09/28 | Lincoln Hall | Chicago, IL 09/30 | Shelter | Detroit, MI 10/01 | Mod Club | Toronto, ON 10/03 | Middle East | Boston, MA 10/04 | Rock n Roll Hotel | Washington, DC 10/05 | Foundry | Philadelphia, PA 10/06 | Music Hall of Williamsburg | New York, NY 11/10 | Olympia | Dublin, Ireland 12/03 | MOD | Hasselt, Belgium 12/04 | Luxor | Cologne, Germany 12/05 | Knust | Hamburg Germany 12/07 | Lido | Berlin, Germany 12/08 | Paradiso Nord | Amsterdam, Netherlands 12/10 | Roundhouse | London, UK 12/11 | Ritz | Manchester, UK 12/12 | Rock City | Nottingham, UK 12/14 | Garage | Aberdeen, UK 12/15 | Garage | Glasgow, UK Read More Ash We love Ash. We've been following the Irish band for a long time now, and a few years ago, they famously said they would "never" release an album. Instead the trio concentrated on just recording singles …

Northern Irish trio Ash (singer / guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray) headlined The Independent in San Francisco on September 22nd 2016, touring in celebration of their 20th Anniversary of their debut record 1977.

San Francisco (by the way of Ireland) band The Hooks (Keith Mulligan, Ronan Mulligan, Colin Delaney, Chet Hamby) took to the stage shortly after 8:00 p.m. This was a completely new band to me and I had not heard any of their songs before. A few of the people in the audience seemed to know their songs though.

Apparently the four-piece did two nationwide tours with the Pogues’ Shane MacGowan when they first formed in Ireland.

They played some pretty upbeat energetic guitar pop songs and held the audience over very well while waiting for the headlining act. They had catchy tunes and were a nice start to the evening.

The stage went dark with just some faint blue light left as some ambient synth music played with some spoken word in the background mentioning meteor showers and several voices counting up. Out came Ash to the cheers and delight of the audience. Tim grabbed his famous Gretsch Silver Jet as Mark took to the stage followed by Rick, who was wearing a possibly fan made, very bright colored ‘Ash Wars’ hat. (If you're an Ash fan I’m sure you know what that's about.)

Tim launched straight into ‘Lose Control’ to kick things off. This set list had no surprises if you're familiar with the 1977 album track listing. They tore through the songs in the exact order of the album with Tim switching guitars between the silver jet, a gold Les Paul and his trademark flying V. They kept the crowd the whole way getting huge cheers when launching into some of their best known hits like ‘Goldfinger’, ‘Angel Interceptor’, ‘Oh Yeah’, ‘Kung Fu’, and of course ‘Girl From Mars’, where Tim stopped in the bridge and asked the audience “Do you still love her?!” Answered with more cheers from the crowd. It was really nice for fans like me to hear the other tracks from 1977 that the band don't play very often. As many times as we've listened to that album all the songs are great. It felt like seeing them in their early days when they only had Trailer and 1977.

Mark did his usual wide stance stretches, throwing his bass all around him and putting his foot up on the monitors. Rick played hard and with a lot of energy on the drums, his face slightly hidden by his hat. Everything went smoothly except for one equipment malfunction with one of Tim's pedals that he quickly sorted out.

He asked the audience to count off the “last” song for him before starting ‘Darkside Lightside’. After which they said thank you and left the stage, only to return to the cheering audience a minute or too later.

They ripped into the encore with their classic single ‘Jack Names The Planets’. Next up was one of my favorite b sides that I was excited they decided on, ‘T. Rex’.

Tim then he began telling the crowd they were going to do cover from a band with two very attractive members, a band called ABBA. They do have a recorded version of ‘Does Your Mother Know?’ as a B-Side.

They finished out their set with some more Ash classics, ‘A Life Less Ordinary’, ‘Orpheus’, then a newer tune from ‘Kablammo!’ (the title track from their 2015 album), ‘Let’s Ride’, ‘Shining Light’ (not on set list), and then capped things off with what is probably their most known song in the U.S. ‘Burn Baby Burn’.

They took to the front of the stage and took a bow and thanked the audience with Tim saying they're working on a new album and hopefully they'll be back next year!

The Hooks

Ash Setlist

Tim Wheeler

Ash

Ash

Ash at the Independent, San Francisco (22 Sep 2016)

troy ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Britpop Now: Ash, Lush, Oasis

Read more Britpop.

Read More Ash We love Ash. We've been following the Irish band for a long time now, and a few years ago, they famously said they would "never" release an album. Instead the trio concentrated on just recording singles …

ASH
ash-official.com

Hands down, the greatest Ash album has got to be 1977 (released in 1996). The record has all the hits we know and love, including ‘Goldfinger’, ‘Girl From Mars’, ‘Kung Fu’, and ‘Oh Yeah’.

I remember picking up the album at that time and was simply blown away by some of the catchiest songs I’ve ever heard. And let’s not forget that these guys “introduced” Jackie Chan to America using their single ‘Kung Fu’ as part of the promotion for his film Rumble in the Bronx.

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of 1977, the trio (singer/guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray) will be playing the album, from start to finish... of course, sans hidden track ‘Sick Party’.

In addition to the anniversary tour, Ash is also releasing Live On Mars: London Astoria 1997, an 18-track set recorded over the band’s five night run at the London Astoria from the 28th of February to the 4th of March. You can only pick up these limited colored vinyl or CDs at this upcoming tour (I believe if you can’t make it to a show, you can order the album via their official website).

Ian Fortnam from Classic Rock, writes, “These five nights at The Astoria, from February 28th to March 4th 1997, sound and feel like a party. An exuberant, irresistible celebration of a band who, transcending the faddishness of concurrent Britpop, succeeded on that rarest of commodities: raw talent.”

Tour Dates:

09/21 | The Roxy | Los Angeles, CA
09/22 | Independent | San Francisco, CA
09/23 | Soda Bar | San Diego, CA
09/24 | Rips | Phoenix, AZ
09/26 | Stubb’s Jr | Austin, TX
09/28 | Lincoln Hall | Chicago, IL
09/30 | Shelter | Detroit, MI
10/01 | Mod Club | Toronto, ON
10/03 | Middle East | Boston, MA
10/04 | Rock n Roll Hotel | Washington, DC
10/05 | Foundry | Philadelphia, PA
10/06 | Music Hall of Williamsburg | New York, NY
11/10 | Olympia | Dublin, Ireland
12/03 | MOD | Hasselt, Belgium
12/04 | Luxor | Cologne, Germany
12/05 | Knust | Hamburg Germany
12/07 | Lido | Berlin, Germany
12/08 | Paradiso Nord | Amsterdam, Netherlands
12/10 | Roundhouse | London, UK
12/11 | Ritz | Manchester, UK
12/12 | Rock City | Nottingham, UK
12/14 | Garage | Aberdeen, UK
12/15 | Garage | Glasgow, UK

Read More Lush I have mentioned this at various time, I was more of the Britpop-sounding Lush vs their early shoegazing beginning. That doesn't mean I don't occasional enjoy listening to Gala or Spooky …

LUSH
lushofficial.com

I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to hear Lush reunited last year. I’ve caught the band in 1994 and have been patiently waiting for their reunion.

The band is returning to the States in September - and we are committed to driving to Chicago at the Vic Theatre on September 18th. The show is sold out, but we’re hoping to make it in.

I’ve deliberately avoided looking at their setlist from recent reunion shows, so not to spoil myself. I’m assuming they’ll play all the big hits (‘Ladykillers’, ‘Heavenly Nobodies’, ‘Untogether’, ‘For Love’, and ‘Kiss Chase’). I’m sure they’ll play ‘500’, even though it’s not my favorite song.

I would also love to hear B-Side ‘Ex’ live, but I doubt they will be playing these deep, deep cuts. Also, would love to hear the anti-love song ‘Ciao!’, but may be hard to pull off as that requires a Jarvis Cocker to sing the male part.

Tamaryn will be Lush’s special guest on all dates, excluding Portland and Toronto. We previously saw San Francisco’s Tamaryn in 2012 and noted, “Last night's show is what you'd expect from a shoegazing show: dimly lit atmosphere with movie projection accompanied by heavy guitar effects and distorted undistinguished vocals.”

Lush’s Tour Dates:

09/13/16 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
09/14/16 New York, NY @ Terminal 5
09/15/16 Boston, MA @ Royale
09/17/16 Toronto Urban Roots Festival
09/18/16 Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
09/19/16 Detroit, MI @ St Andrew's Hall,
09/21/16 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
09/22/16 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
09/24/16 Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre
09/25/16 Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre
09/27/16 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
11/03/16 Iceland Airwaves Festival 2016
11/05/16 Rolling Stone Weekender Festival 2016
11/25/16 Manchester @ Academy

Read More Oasis Internet time moves so quickly. If I had mentioned something about Noel Gallagher quitting Oasis on Friday, that would've been accepted. But it's been three days later and now I feel like people …

OASIS
oasisinet.com

After an explosive breakup of Oasis in August 2009 and a quiet breakup Beady Eye (in October 2014 via a tweet!), frontman Liam Gallagher has signed a major label record deal with Warner Bros. His solo album is coming out in 2017. In the meantime, Liam is posting photos of his brother Noel Gallagher, calling him “Potato”.

Oasis is also the subject in a recent Supersonic documentary, set for release on October 2nd in limited UK theaters. Director Matt Whitecross was granted an unparalleled look into the troubled relationship between Gallagher brothers Liam and Noel who are both credited as executive producers... and showcase their humble beginning in 1993.

When I saw Oasis in Sacramento in 1994, they weren’t mobbed by fans for autographs. In fact, Liam and Bonehead was hanging outside the venue and we talked to them a bit before going inside to see the opening band...

Supersonic will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download on October 31.

Details:

Featuring extensive unseen archive, SUPERSONIC charts the meteoric rise of Oasis from the council estates of Manchester to some of the biggest concerts of all time in just 3 short years. This palpable, raw and moving film shines a light on one of the most genre and generation-defining British bands that has ever existed.

PS Big Brother Recordings recently unveiled Oasis’ classic 1997 video for their No.1 single ‘D’You Know What I Mean?’ on vevo.com. Directors Dom & Nic added Noel Gallagher's new mix of the song and adding in previously unseen footage. The video has been completely re-graded and is now in High Definition format.

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

Ash at Nether Bar, Minneapolis (30 Sept 2015)

Ash Setlist Evel Knievel Cocoon Jack Names the Planets A Life Less Ordinary Go! Fight! Win! Goldfinger Free Kung Fu Let's Ride Evil Eye Oh Yeah Orpheus Arcadia Shining Light Machinery Girl From Mars -- Encore -- Burn Baby Burn Tour Dates 10/06/15 Portland, OR McMenamins Lola's 10/08/15 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop 10/09/15 Filter Magazine's Culture Collide 10/10/15 San Diego, CA Music Box 11/16/15 Amsterdam, Netherlands Melkweg 11/17/15 Cologne, Germany Bürgerhaus Stollwerck 11/19/15 Stockholm, Sweden Debaser Strand 11/20/15 Oslo, Norway John Dee 11/21/15 Copenhagen Pumpehuset Club 11/23/15 Hamburg, Germany Grunspan 11/24/15 Berlin, Germany Columbiaclub 11/26/15 Munich, Germany Backstage 11/27/15 Bologna, Italy Covo Club 11/28/15 Vienna, Austria FLEX 11/29/15 Zurich, Switzerland Plaza 12/01/15 Paris, France Petit Bain 12/02/15 Bristol Bristol Bierkeller 12/03/15 London O2 Shepherds Bush 12/04/15 Newcastle Riverside 12/05/15 Newcastle Riverside 12/06/15 Glasgow ABC1 12/08/15 Manchester The Ritz 12/09/15 Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall 12/10/15 Sheffield The Leadmill 12/12/15 Norwich Waterfront 12/13/15 Brighton Concorde 2 12/14/15 Cardiff Plas Nightclub 12/15/15 Dublin Olympia Theatre 12/17/15 Galway Roisin Dubh 12/18/15 Cork Cyprus Avenue 12/19/15 Limerick Dolans Warehouse 12/20/15 Belfast Belfast Empire Music Read More Ash We love Ash. We've been following the Irish band for a long time now, and a few years ago, they famously said they would "never" release an album. Instead the trio concentrated on just recording singles … Maudlin Green Room Music Source is sponsoring two shows at The Loring Theater in Minneapolis. John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light - 9:00pm Maudlin - 8:00pm …

Veteran Northern Irish band Ash did something they said they wouldn’t do again—

… and we’re all the better for it.

With their last major project, The A- Z Series, the band released 26 singles at the rate of one every two weeks, and at the same time said they would not release any more full albums.  Flash forward a couple years and Kablammo! a new album has surfaced.

Not just a sound effect, that’s the title of the album that was first crowdfunded on PledgeMusic, then released physically on earMusic. Ash bassist Mark Hamilton seemed happy to be back to doing albums, saying the resurgence of vinyl and people streaming more than just a song, has helped return their faith to the long-playing format.  As a result, the band has embarked on another US/UK tour, reclaiming old fans and gaining new ones along the way.

Maudlin Setlist

Local trio Maudlin opened the evening, in what was a sort of re-emergence for them as well.  The band has been around for the better part of a decade, with husband/wife team David and Priscilla Priebe taking a little time away to expand the family, and now joined by drummer Whelan Keen on a Donovan tribute single and new release of their own, scheduled for 2016.

Maudlin

The band play a familiar yet ear-worthy blend of guitar-fronted indie rock, with vocals traded between both Priebes on songs like ‘Block by Block’, ‘Six/Eight’, and set closer, ‘Stacy Dahl’.

Tim Wheeler

Ash took to the stage for their 65 min set in true kablammo style, opening big and loud with ‘Evel Knievel’ and ‘Cocoon’, both being songs from the new album with singer Tim Wheeler’s Flying V guitar turned to 11.  The wayback machine then dialed back to 1994 for ‘Jack Names the Planets’ and 1997’s title track to the film ‘A Life Less Ordinary’- hard to believe it’s been over two decades since the band (Tim Wheeler – lead vocals, guitar, ; Mark Hamilton – bass; Rick McMurray- drums) first started.

“The next one is from an album in 1996… confusing called 1977” Wheeler said, intro-ing ‘Goldfinger’, one of 18 of their singles that went Top 40 in the UK charts.  Their “incredible light show” was debuted during 1996’s ‘Kung Fu’, a cheeky comment on the low budget effects that the intimate venue could best provide.

Ash Setlist

In terms of a live show, the band still has the energy shown those two decades ago, and the new album helps capture that live element, on record.  A guitar change later, the new ‘Machinery’ brought soaring riffs and licks then set closer, ‘Girl from Mars’ had most in the crowd pogo-ing in place.

Encore ‘Burn Baby Burn’ effectively drowned out the three-band hard rock show going on elsewhere in the club and the band was generous enough to stick around after, to meet and greet the loyal fan base.  So, a toast and welcome back to Ash- to their return of making albums again, to their noisy-good live shows, and for being the good guys to get to know, that they are.

Ash at Nether Bar, Minneapolis (30 Sept 2015)

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

Minneapolis: September 30, 2015

Holy cow! Can you believe we are going to close out September with these shows?

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on September 30, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Big Star Big Star is releasing some singles on Record Store Day. This is to coincide with the release of the documentary of Big Star called "Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me", which you can check out the … R.E.M. One of the most important albums, R.E.M.'s Murmur was re-released yesterday as a Deluxe Edition by Universal Records. What sets this release apart from the original 1983 release and the "IRS … The DB's Reunions are always a tough gig. Die hards want the old stuff and the band paid to play the new stuff. The DB's were no exception. Set consisted mostly of new, 2 older songs and one cover The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows". … Ken Stringfellow You might know Ken Stringfellow from The Posies (we all remember "I Can Dream All Day" song) and the re-formed Big Star. Speaking of moons & stars, his latest album is called Danzig in the Moonlight, and it's …

BIG STAR'S THIRD
at First Avenue
Wednesday, 09/30/2015, 7pm ($20)
first-avenue.com

Back in 2010, Chris Stamey, best known as the co-founder of 80s indie-pop band the dBs, had the idea to put together a collection of his favorite musicians and perform Big Star’s Third (also known as Third/Sister Lovers). Stamey had successfully done a similar thing with an Elliott Smith tribute a few years prior and decided to tackle the influential band’s classic, brutal third studio album. As Stamey explains on the Big Star Third website: “It struck me at the time that this was “concert music of a generation,” that regardless of who performed it, it should be heard out in the air, not confined to earbuds, cars, and living rooms. In the same way that Mozart and Beethoven, in their day, were heard.” And thus, Third, found new life in the instruments and voices of such talents as Mike Mills from REM, Mitch Easter of Let’s Active, Ken Stringfellow of the Posies (and the 90s incarnation of Big Star), Stamey himself and surviving Big Star member, Jody Stephens, as well as Charles Cleaver, Audley Freed (Sheryl Crow and Black Crowes), Brett Harris, and Skylar Gudasz.

All these years later, Minneapolis is finally being treated to this once-in-a-lifetime event: a performance of the album with a chamber orchestra.

Uh, did you catch all that?

ALL those musicians AND a freaking ORCHESTRA!! Oh and the guest list for this gig?

DAVE PIRNER! MATT WILSON (Trip Shakespeare)! JOSH GRIER (Tapes & Tapes)! THE WOOLDRIDGE BROS! TRAPPER SCHOEPP!

As a fan of every single musician involved in this project and a dedicated listener of Big Star (and the creative musical minds therein), I am beyond thrilled for this show. Third has so many incredible moments on it: the emotional devastation of “Holocaust,” the reverb-wrapped “Kangaroo,” the transcendent love ode “For You,” the joyful bombastic “You Can’t Have Me,” the shimmering melancholia of “Nighttime.”

Big Star tapped into something special, something very human, a beauty that has resonated with people for over four decades. It’s hard for me to overstate just how important this band and their music is. I can already predict that this September 30th performance will be an evening no one will forget.

If you’re looking for something to do while you count down the days until the show, check out the books A Man Called Destruction by Holly George-Warren, Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band by Rob Jovanovic and It Came From Memphis by Robert Gordon and the documentary film Nothing Can Hurt Me (the title, of course, taken from Third’s “Big Black Car”).

An Orchestrated Live Performance of the Legendary Album featuring guest vocalists and a chamber orchestra backed by: original Big Star member Jody Stephens, Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Chris Stamey (The dB’s), Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, Big Star), Charles Cleaver, Audley Freed (Sheryl Crow, Black Crowes), Brett Harris, and Skylar Gudasz

featuring special guests: Jim Boquist, Josh Grier (Tapes & Tapes), Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum), Linda Pitmon, Trapper Schoepp and Tanner Schoepp, Matt Wilson (Trip Shakespeare), and The Wooldridge Bros.

Read More Ash It's no secret, we love Ash. The trio made their so-called 'Ash Wednesday' return with "Cocoon", their first single from their forthcoming studio album Kablammo. Did I hear that right? Ash will be releasing …

ASH
at Nether Bar
Wednesday, 09/30/2015, 7pm ($20)
millcitynights.com

We love Ash. We've been following the Irish band for a long time now, and a few years ago, they famously said they would "never" release an album. Instead the trio concentrated on just recording singles (ultimately those singles were collected into their A-Z compilation).

Anyway, as we have previously mentioned, the band backpedaled a little, announced that they have recorded an album called KABLAMMO!... and they are heading out on tour in support of the new record. The world tour will take them first to the USA and then all over Europe, and ending with a five dates for Ireland.

Although they will be previewing new songs from KABLAMMO!, they'll also be playing the hits ("Kung Fu", "Girl From Mars", "Goldfinger", etc.) as we have previously mentioned from their 2013 Varsity Theater show.

Tour dates:

25.09.15 / Jammin Java / Washington DC
26.09.15 / Gramercy / New York, NY
28.09.15 / Subterranean / Chicago, IL
29.09.15 / Majestic Theatre / Madison, WI
30.09.15 / Nether Bar / Minneapolis, MN
03.10.15 / Crocodile / Seattle, WA
04.10.15 / Biltmore Cabaret / Vancouver, BC
06.10.15 / Lola’s / Portland, OR
08.10.15 / Rickshaw Stop / San Francisco, CA
09.10.15 / Culture Collide Los Angeles, CA
10.10.15 / Music Box / San Diego, CA
16.11.15 – Melkweg (Oude Zaal), Amsterdam (NL)
17.11.15 – Buergerhaus Stollwerck, Cologne (GER)
19.11.15 – Debaser Strand, Stockholm (SWE)
20.11.15 – John Dee, Oslo (NOR)
21.11.15 – Pumpehuset, Copenhagen (DK)
23.11.15 – Gruenspan, Hamburg (GER)
24.11.15 – C-Club, Berlin (GER)
26.11.15 – Backstage Halle, Munich (GER)
27.11.15 – Il Covo, Bologna (IT)
28.11.15 – Flex, Vienna (AT)
29.11.15 – Plaza, Zurich (CH)
01.12.15 – Le Petit Bain, Paris (FR)
02.12.15 – Bierkeller, Bristol (UK)
03.12.15 – Shepherds Bush Empire, London (UK)
04.12.15 – Riverside, Newcastle (UK)
06.12.15 – Abc, Glasgow (UK)
08.12.15 – Ritz, Manchester (UK)
09.12.15 – Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton (UK)
10.12.15 – Leadmill, Sheffield (UK)
12.12.15 – Waterfront, Norwich (UK)
13.12.15 – Concorde 2, Brighton (UK)
14.12.15 – Y Plas Cardiff University, Cardiff (UK)
15.12.15 – Olympia, Dublin (IR)
17.12.15 - Roisin Dubh, Galway (IR)
18.12.15 - Cyprus Avenue, Cork (IR)
19.12.15 – Dolans, Limerick (IR)
20.12.15 – Empire, Belfast (IR)

Read More Tremonti The first album of a double album effort from Tremonti and it does not disappoint. The music is rhythmically tight and heavy, the melodies are great, Mark's vocals have improved a lot over the past 3 …

HARDDRIVE LIVE TOUR
at Mill City Nights
Wednesday, 09/30/2015, 7pm ($20)
millcitynights.com

Meanwhile, over at the main stage at Mill City Nights will be the "HardDrive Live Tour", featuring:

Tremonti is named after frontman Mark Tremonti, best known as the guitarist of the American rock band Creed. Co-headliner Trivium is a metal band from Florida with six studio albums and countless tours under their belt. They will be releasing Silence In the Snow on October 2nd through Roadrunner Records.

Opener Wilson is a hard hitting rock band from Detroit, MI. They recently released Right To Rise on Razor & Tie Records. Metal Injection declares Wilson, “sounds like He Is Legend and Andrew W.K. got together and wrote a hooky, riff-stuffed party anthem that demands to be blasted.” After listening to a couple songs online, I can hear it and am now super excited to see what these guys do in a live concert setting.

Tour dates:

09/25/15 Baltimore, MD Baltimore Soundstage
09/26/15 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre
09/28/15 Pontiac, MI Crofoot
09/29/15 Chicago, IL Concord Music Hall
09/30/15 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
10/02/15 Green Bay, WI Watering Hole
10/04/15 St. Louis, MO Pop's Blue Moon
10/06/15 Dallas, TX Bomb Factory
10/07/15 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
10/08/15 San Antonio, TX Alamo City Music
10/10/15 Mesa, AZ Club Red Theaters
10/11/15 Las Vegas, NV Hard Rock Cafe
10/14/15 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom
10/15/15 Reno, NV Knitting Factory Concert House
10/17/15 Seattle, WA Studio Seven
10/18/15 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory Concert
10/20/15 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall

langen + emily + vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com

Ashes to Ashes

Read More Ash Ash recently stopped by to visit James Dineen at Sessions From the Box this past Tuesday, March 4th. The band recorded "Return of the White Rabbit", which will be broadcast on KZME 107.1 …

ASH
ash-official.com

It's no secret, we love Ash. The trio made their so-called 'Ash Wednesday' return with "Cocoon", their first single from their forthcoming studio album Kablammo. Did I hear that right? Ash will be releasing an album? This is weird, considering that we covered the news in 2007 that Ash To Stop Releasing Albums.

Commenting on the new album - “After a wait of 8 years, and a long string of singles, we’ve gone on to do what we said we would never do again: we've only gone and recorded a brand new album!”

I don't think anyone cares if they back off on their words, we're just happy to get new music from the trio... in any format. In fact, not a surprise with the album-thing, since singer Tim Wheeler released his debut solo album Lost Domain (Sony Red), late last November 2014 as a heartfelt and emotional response to the loss of his father to dementia.

Ash's new single "Cocoon" is available to download February 19th. You can pre-order Kablammo now on PledgeMusic.

UK Tour Dates:

07/06/15 - Dublin, Whelans
08/06/15 - Belfast, Limelight
09/06/15 - Edinburgh, Liquid Room
11/06/15 - London - Scala
12/06/15 - Manchester, Sound Control
13/06/15 - Long Division Festival, Wakefield
14/06/15 – Isle Of Wight Festival

Read More Emmy the Great Emmy the Great: Can you get more egotistical than that? I'm sure it's a joke and a nod to Alexander, you know, Alexander the Great. Anyroad, despite dating Tim Wheeler (we love Ash), I've actually have never listened ...

EMMY THE GREAT
emmythegreat.com

"After years of enjoying the worst performances ever by many of my favourite artists, I decided to join the ear-destroying world of shreds with this, my own lovingly crafted worst performance ever of Swimming Pool," said Emmy the Great. You can check out Emmy the Worst at YouTube which was taken from her recently sold out show at London's Oslo.

Personally speaking, I think Emmy is missing the point trying to create the worst performance ever, because the best ones are unintentional.

Emmy The Great's recent four track EP S came out in January 2015 on Bella Union, Emmy explained the difference between her previous releases, "My previous recordings were a reflection of my internal world, but this is a record of me trying to engage with the outside. Over the course of travelling and touring for the last two years I inhabited many cities and landscapes. While I wrote this EP and the album that will follow, everything changed. As I wrote the songs I began to reflect more and more the world that I saw around me, incredibly bright, technologically breathtaking. I am curious about being a person in this world, and I tried to write that into the music."

Catch Emmy tonight in New York:

February 19th– Mercury Lounge, New York
February 21st– Great Scott, Allston
July 24th– Deer Shed 2015 Topcliffe

Read More Fanfarlo Fanfarlo? …more like Fan Far Out! The playful and eclectic Fanfarlo is currently out on tour, in promotion of their third and latest, Let’s Go Extinct (on Blue Horizon Ventures), ...

FANFARLO
fanfarlo.com

Did you know Fanfarlo has a podcast? And it's good! One of their earlier episode, they interviewed Charlotte Hatherley (hear it on soundcloud.com).

In 2014, Fanfarlo singer Justin Fink, on his podcast "Countdown to Extinction Podcast", talked to Hatherley about her new project Sylver Tongue. We first took note of Sylver Tongue in 2012.

In this episode Justin Fink talks to ex-Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, who now creates as Science-Fiction-Synth Pop queen, Sylver Tongue, about her transformation and listening to and making Science Fiction film soundtracks amongst other things.

Since they wrapped up promotional touring for Let's Go Extinct last year, the band remained relatively quiet in 2015. You can still keep up with them on their podcast, where Justin Fink does a great job talking to musicians he loves... he really is a 'fan'farlo.

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

Ash: Jack Names the Planets (20th Anniversary)

Jack Names the Planets (20th Anniversary) Ash Read More Ash As for what lies ahead for the band... Who is to say? I know one thing, they still perform with the same kind of energy they had when they performed Glastonbury and all the big festivals …

Ash recently stopped by to visit James Dineen at Sessions From the Box this past Tuesday, March 4th. The band recorded "Return of the White Rabbit", which will be broadcast on KZME 107.1 and streaming on 1071fm.org next Thursday (March 13th) from 4-6 PM Pacific time.

March 5th marked the 20th anniversary of the release of Ash's debut single, Jack Names the Planets, making it an 'Ash Wednesday'. To celebrate, the band re-recorded a new version as free download.

According to Ash, the song was originally written in 1992 and featured on Ash's second demo tape Shed and on demo compilation tape Pipe Smokin' Brick. The song was handpicked by Stephen Taverner who released it on his label, La La Land records, 20 years ago. When the single got picked up on Radio One (courtesy of DJs Steve Lamacq, John Peel and Mark Radcliffe), Ash was quickly signed to Infectious Records.

In many ways, "Jack Names the Planets", on the strength of the song, rocketed the band to success.

Take a listen for yourself:



Look for Ash to headline Pandora's Brooklyn Night Bazaar (along with Run River North, Golden Suits, Drop Electric, DJ I, Storm) on April 5th in Brooklyn, New York.

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

Ash at One Eyed Jacks, New Orleans (02/07/14)

Ash at One Eyed Jacks, New Orleans ‎photo credit: Ash Setlist Meltdown A Life Less Ordinary Girl From Mars Oh Yeah Binary Goldfinger Walking Barefoot Lost in You Kung Fu Evil Eye Joy Kicks Darkness Shining Light Orpheus Return of White Rabbit Jack Names the Planets -- Encore -- Lose Control Angel Interceptor Burn Baby Burn ‎information from setlist.fm Read More Ash Robin sent in this photo of Tim Wheeler (of Ash) at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco. The Irish band is currently on tour in the U.S. leading up to their Weezer Cruise in mid-February. The show was presented by Popscene …

Ash @ One Eyed Jacks, February 7th

Before I talk about the performance here's a quick update on the band and a quick blast from the past.

Ash formed in 1992 as a three piece band and has released a total of six albums. Mr. Tim Wheeler has been dating Emmy the Great, a very talented singer song writer from England. They even made a Christmas LP titled, This Is Christmas. I'm glad Tim has time to keep Ash going strong even after the loss of former lead guitarist Charlotte Hatherley back in 2006. Ash's most recent release in 2010 was a compilation called A-Z, which collected all of their twenty-six weekly singles from October 2009 to September 2010.

Breaking down the show

The famous Irish band from the late 90s is still going strong. Guzzling Louisiana's finest Abita Amber, the band brought to our attention memory of their last stop in New Orleans, rolling one of their amps on the street running into a cab. Ash played all the hits: "Girl from Mars", "Shining Light", "Burn Baby Burn", and, of course, "Goldfinger".

Tim was constantly switching guitars, from a clear guitar to the classic red Flying V flaming guitar. Drummer Rick McMurray played his Ringo Star role very well, helping out with all the choruses on most of the tracks. My favorite out of all the band members was bassist Mark Hamilton who looks like a giant next to Wheeler was sporting the long hair and jumped out to jam with the crowd and was sporting the moves. I've never watched a bassist play guitar from every angle over his head, behind his back, you name it, he was flat out jammin'. The crowd was also entertained and enjoyed all the old hits, one fan almost got kicked out for doing some swim moves on stage. I was very impressed by their energy and pacing of all the songs. Tim can be engaging in conversation with the crowd, but he wasted no time in between songs and kept everyone on their feet. Not to mention they played for a good 90 minutes, including a three song encore. They have plenty of material to pick from for every set, but I always appreciate a band that performs a lengthy set.

As for what lies ahead for the band... Who is to say? I know one thing, they still perform with the same kind of energy they had when they performed Glastonbury and all the big festivals in the early 2000's. I hope they tour as long as the Rolling Stones and write some more classics. Would love to see Emmy the Great join the band and add a whole new twist to the legendary sound of Ireland's finest Ash. Only time will tell. For those of you who have never seen Ash live, or aren't even crazy about their records, I still recommend checking them out on tour. Some bands just never lose their swag.

For those of you going to SXSW, I believe the band or at least Tim will be making an appearance. Stay tuned!

Ash at One Eyed Jacks, New Orleans (02/07/14)

brody ♥ weheartmusic.com