W♥M

Cut Worms at Turf Club, St Paul (03 Oct 2023)

10/03 Cut Worms with Ryder the Eagle at Turf Club Cut Worms Setlist Let’s Go Out On the Town Don’t Fade Out Every Once in a While Ballad of the Texas King It Won't Be Too Long Take it and Smile Is it Magic? Castle in the Clouds Sold My Soul Living Inside Song of the Highest Tower Don't Want to Say Good-Bye -- Encore -- Last Words to a Refugee Veteran’s Day Tour Dates Oct. 4 - Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music Oct. 6 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom & Tavern Oct. 8 - Ann Arbor, MI @ Bling Pig Oct. 9 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern Oct. 11 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Read More Cut Worms it just made sense that people were swimming on unicorn floaties while listening to the tunes of Cut Worms or Julia Holter. The installations scattered … Ryder the Eagle Starting a tad later than advertised was Ryder the Eagle, introduced himself as, “a French guy living in Mexico City.” This was his first time in Minnesota, first time in St Paul, “first time here ever.” …

Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Cut Worms just headlined the Turf Club, in St Paul, in support of his new self-titled album (available on Jagjaguwar).

Opening the show was, once again, French guy living in Mexico, Ryder the Eagle. He was just at the Turf Club about two weeks ago with Oracle Sisters.

Ryder the Eagle (22 Sep 2023)

We previously said that, Ryder the Eagle was: “… a one-man-band, he certainly does it all. Not shy about being on stage, even if he wasn’t the headliner. He’s determined to entertain us. If there weren’t enough people on the dance floor, no problem, he’ll jump in and starts a dance revolution. If no one was at the bar? No problem, he’ll start playing saxophone on the bar counter.”

Much like his last appearance, he has a pre-recorded backing music. He’ll provide the vocals and saxophone, but the majority of percussion and backing vocals were played back (so his timing has to be perfect).

Setlist is pretty much the same, starting with “What is Love” (a song written for his ex-wife), “One Day”, and “Queen of the Rodeo”. The latter is the song where he’ll put on a cowboy hat and interact with the audience. At the end of the song, he’ll put the hat on a random girl.

I believe the song “Eloïse” is about his current love. He met her (on Instagram) while working in Arkansas and eventually she came to visit him in Mexico City and he bought her these cowboy boots. He said if the boots fits, then he’ll kiss her and know that she’s the one.

He ended his set with “Wounded Bird”, which had him stripping to his tank top (the last time he was shirtless), and singing on the bar.

Turn out for the Cut Worms (aka Max Clarke) show was incredible, for a sleepy Tuesday night! You wouldn’t know it until Cut Worms took the stage, and his fans filled out the dance floor nicely.

Clarke played a lot of tunes from his latest self-titled album, which is actually his third album. His debut album, called Hollow Ground was a big hit on Metacritic (thanks to Pitchfork leading the positive review).

With the new self-titled album, Clarke mentioned that he was inspired by The Beach Boys (Brian Wilson) four-and five-part harmonies, so the record comes across feeling like it was written in the 60s. You can certainly pick up the influence when you hear them play “Ballad of the Texas King” live on stage, with the jangle harmony.

Cut Worms is available now on Jagjaguwar.

Ryder the Eagle

Cut Worms Ryder the Eagle Cut Worms

Cut Worms at Turf Club, St Paul (03 Oct 2023)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥KC - June 15-21, 2022 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence KS)

Bon Iver with Bonny Light Horseman, June 15, Starlight Theatre Read More Bon Iver Bon Iver is teaming up with contemporary dance company TU Dance, as part of the 2017-2018 Liquid Music season. The shows all sold out, including a fourth late addition for a matinee show on Saturday. …

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Things are heating up! Both in terms of concerts and the weather (heat index already in triple-digits) with the weekend’s highlight being the two-day Boulevardia Festival, taking place now at Crown Center.  Thursday in particular, seems over-scheduled with several very worthy shows to pick from. Stay safe! Stay hydrated!

Here’s what’s happening in the Kansas City/Lawrence, KS June 15^th- 21st

(Several artists are still requiring precautions for entry, so check with the venue and/or assume vaccination proof, might still be required)

Wednesday June 15

Bon Iver with Bonny Light Horseman, Starlight Theatre. $30.50-$100.50

Wisconsin’s own Bon Iver returns with a 23-date US tour continuing in support of their 2019 album, i,i. The shows feature the latest iteration of the live band: Justin Vernon, Sean Carey, Jenn Wasner, Mike Lewis, Matt McCaughan and Andy Fitzpatrick, and we’ve seen Vernon often, either hanging out at Minneapolis shows or live in concert, like we did at 2017’s Rock the Garden. 

Openers Bonny Light Horseman include Anais Mitchell, creator of the Tony-award winning Hadestown, and who we saw solo just last month in MN

Thursday June 16

CANNONS at Bottleneck- Lawrence, (update:SOLD OUT)

We tipped you off to this LA-based electro dream-pop trio when we saw them as openers back in November and (no surprise to us), they’re returning as full headliners to the area, in support of their new full-length, Fever Dream (on Sony Music) which came out in late March.  We predict even bigger things ahead. 

Opener Windser is also Cali-based and aka Jordan Topf and has new single, “Memory” out now. 

CHVRCHES, Uptown, $35-$40

We remain big fans of this Scottish synth-pop band, still out in support of 2021’s Screen Violence album, and last caught them live back in 2018 in St. Paul and they’re nominated this year for NME’s Best Band in the World, so their adoration clearly continues. 

Femi Kuti and The Positive Force, Granada. $25

It’s a night of Nigerian Afrobeat in River City as Kuti and band come out in support of their 2021 release, Stop the Hate which was one of two recent collaborations with his son, Made. We caught them live back in 2016 and expect a night of activist-themed dancing and grooving.

Ambar Lucid at recordBar, $17.50

Twenty-one year old NJ singer songwriter out in support of 2020’s Garden of Lucid who names Alice Phoebe Lou, Willow Smith, and Kali Uchis as her artistic influences. 

Kip Moore w Drew Parker, Power and Light District, $20

Known for hit single, “Somethin’ Bout a Truck”, Moore’s latest to country radio is his re-recording of “Crazy One More Time” and his 2020 album Wild World, is still going strong. 

Margaret Cho, June 16-18, Comedy Club of Kansas City, $35-$45

The Asian comedienne is rightfully recognized as a groundbreaking influence, from her network sitcom American Girl to work on 30 Rock to five Grammy and one Emmy nominations and is in the new streaming series Fire Island. 

Friday June 17

Boulevardia Day One- $35-$145

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats (9:40p), Jenny Lewis (8p), Hembree (6:40p), Dante Elephante (5:20p), more

The first big area multi-day festival of the season kicks off with a bang.  Tentative set times are listed above and there are multiple stages in addition to the main stage, to find entertainment.  We just caught Rateliff and the Night Sweats last weekend at another classic outdoor event Rock the Garden, so are assured they’ll put on a great performance. 

Rainmakers w The Pic and Bow, Stagecoach Park - Olathe, Free

Bob Walkenhorst and band play a free show in the area, starting back in the 80s as bar band Steve Bob & Rich with numerous local 80s/90s radio hits and following the tragic news of Steve Phillips passing away in 2020 from Covid complications. The band inexplicably remains huge in Norway as well. 

Leonid & Friends, Ameristar. $35-$45

In just three short years, the Moscow-based band have an uncanny ability to capture the spirit and musicality of classic rock group Chicago. (To double up on that feeling, see the actual Chicago a few days later).

Adventure Club, Uptown. $30-$75

The Montreal DJ/production duo will no doubt have people moving to their visuals, dubstep, and electronic dance mix.  Latest album is February’s Love // Chaos on legendary dance label, Ultra and has also released a serious of mixes called Superheroes Anonymous. 

Thrice and Bayside with Anxious, The Truman. $30-$60

This co-headlining tour comes as an opportunity for Thrice to further support their last record, Horizons/East, which came out in September 2020 while Bayside released an acoustic EP, titled Acoustic Volume 3, in 2020.

Thrice drummer Riley Breckenridge says, “We had a blast on our Horizons/East headline tour last fall and can’t wait to get back on the road with Bayside and Anxious and share more of the record with you all.”

Riverdance, June 17-19, Starlight Theater, $16-$98

Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show is a reinvention of this beloved favorite, celebrated the world over for its Grammy Award-winning score and the passion of its Irish and international dance.

Twenty-five years on, composer Bill Whelan has rerecorded his soundtrack while producer Moya Doherty and director John McColgan have completely re-imagined the show with innovative lighting, projection, stage and costume designs.

Big Jay Oakerson, KC Improv Comedy Club Postponed to Oct 28-29

Legendz of The Streetz feat Gucci Mane, Jeezy, Trina, T-Mobile Center CANCELED

Saturday June 18

Boulevardia Day Two-$35-$145

Dashboard Confessional (9:45p), Dayglow (8:05p), Valerie June (6:25p), The Far Side (5:05p), Daisy the Great (3:45p), Salvation Choir (2:25p), Glass Bandit (1:05p), more,

Another packed day of performers with Dashboard Confessional headlining, in support of February’s ninth studio album, All the Truth That I Can Tell.  Chris Carrabba and band still have massively loyal fans that know every lyric to every song, which is amazing to witness live. 

We caught Dayglow (aka Sloan Struble) late last year in Minneapolis and their memorable encore of a Tears for Fears cover, and are fans of Valerie June, catching her back in 2017 as fire alarms blared but had June carrying on very professionally. 

The Far Side was formerly The Pharcyde and make sure to arrive early enough for newcomers Daisy the Great, who were recently in the area with Half-Alive and we wrote, “are actually a Brooklyn-based duo, fronted by Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker who made waves last fall when they teamed with AJR on the song, “Record Player”, a re-worked version of their own 2017 folk-pop song.” Their newest single is “Easy”.

Welcome to Night Vale, Liberty Hall-Lawrence, $25-$50.

Live podcast event starring Cecil Baldwin, Symphony Sanders, Kate Jones and original music by Disparition.

Banda MS de Sergio Lizarraga, T-Mobile Center CANCELED

Sunday June 19

Carin Leon, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $42-$142

Leon brings the sound of his Mexican homeland on his first headlining US tour, hot on the heels of his appearance on Grupo Firmo's 'El Toxico'. Expect a show full of romantic tunes as Leon brings the sounds of ranchera, corrido, banda and sierreno music.

Monday June 20

Chicago and Brian Wilson, Starlight. $36-$300

Chicago and Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys, with Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin are out on a co-headlining 25-city tour, both Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame inductees, and this looks like one of the outdoor concert season’s most revered events. 

Chicago is the highest charting US band in Billboard's Top 125 Artists of All Time and the first US rock band to chart Top 40 albums in six consecutive decades. Their 38th studio album, Born for this Moment, arrives on July 15 (via BMG) on the heels of the released first single “If This is Goodbye”.

Brian Wilson is a musical innovator who co-founded the Beach Boys, he is widely acknowledged as one of the most significant songwriters of the 20th century. We caught Wilson, Jardine and band outdoors at the MN Zoo a while back, and came away impressed with the depth of their hits and the musical professionalism displayed. 

Tuesday June 21

Fitz and the Tantrums and St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Devon Gilfillian, Grinders KC, $37-$80

We love all acts on this bill, having seen Fitz and the Tantrums many times in Minneapolis, the most recent being back in 2019.  Always fun live, the band continues out in support of 2019’s All the Feels album, though Fitz did put out a recent solo album as well.

Another great live band is Alabama’s St. Paul and the Broken Bones out in support of January’s The Alien Coast. Like Fitz and the Tantrums, the band started as retro/nu-soul but have morphed into a sound beyond. St. Paul killed it in Minneapolis in an early 2014 show we caught live. 

We also came away very impressed when we first saw Nashville’s Devon Gilfillian, opening for Chaka Khan in 2019.  The soul/blues artist covered Marvin Gaye’s complete What’s Goin’ On album in 2020 and it would be interesting to hear any of those songs transformed live.

Jeff Rosenstock, Bottleneck- Lawrence, $20

NY punk/power pop performer and producer comes to the area shortly after his cohorts PUP were here (both played together on a recent late night TV appearance) and we last caught him live back in 2016.

He’s a jack of many trades, playing in numerous bands, producing the new Bruce Lee Band’s ska record among others, runs a donation-based record label, and composed theme songs for Cartoon Network.  Nnamdi and Catbite to open.

Jimmie Vaughan, Knuckleheads. $29.50-$45

The famed Texas musician and Fabulous Thunderbird last year released The Jimmie Vaughan Story, a deluxe edition of 5-CDs, vinyl LP,  two singles, and 240-page book. Live, expect to hear his solo and band originals as well as covers from Howlin Wolf, Slim Harpo, T-Bone Walker, and more.

“Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, June 21-26, Music Hall, $36-$106

The smash Broadway musical follows The Temptations’ journey from Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. With their signature dance moves and smooth harmonies, they rose to the top of the charts with 42 Top Ten Hits with 14 hitting number one.

Nominated for 12 Tony® Awards, the show tells their story of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal, as the group's conflicts threatened to tear them apart during a decade of civil unrest.

Matchbox Twenty, Starlight POSTPONED to June 18, 2023

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

Brian Wilson w/ Al Jardine & David Marks - MN Zoo (07/27/13) live review

Setlist California Girls Catch a Wave Hawaii Dance, Dance, Dance Little Deuce Coupe Girl Don't Tell Me In My Room Surfer Girl Please Let Me Wonder Then I Kissed Her Don't Worry Baby Cottonfields Little Bird Do it Again Summertime Blues Do You Wanna Dance? I Get Around Heroes and Villains Your Imagination Goin' Home That's Why God Made The Radio God Only Knows California Saga Sail On, Sailor Marcella Darlin' Pet Sounds Wouldn't It Be Nice Sloop John B Good Vibrations Encore: All Summer Long Help Me Rhonda Barbara Ann Surfin' USA Fun, Fun, Fun Summer's Gone Tour Dates 10/20/13 Greek Theatre - Los Angeles CA Read More The Beach Boys Die-hard Beach Boys fan will want to take a look at the deluxe 50th Anniversary edition called Made in California, coming out August 27, 2013, from Capitol/Universal. The six disc release will contain 60 previously…

The sounds of summer could be heard emanating from the Weesner Amphitheatre at the Minnesota Zoo, even if the weather was doing anything but cooperating. On a brisk and very fall-like Saturday night, over 1,450 fans jammed into the outdoor venue to witness two solid sets of mostly Beach Boys songs performed by Brian Wilson with Al Jardine and David Marks and a 9-piece backup band.

AL JARDINE DAVID MARKS

Wilson, Jardine and Marks have carried on for a brief 7-city summer tour, following a successful 50th anniversary album/73-show tour under The Beach Boys name which fizzled after singer Mike Love took the band and name in a different direction following. Of the split acts, Wilson’s version can be described as the more ‘authentic’ one, as he wrote/co-wrote most of the bands hits and sidemen Jardine and Marks were there in the mid-60s, just as the surf band was making musical waves everywhere.

The 71 year-old Wilson seemed to be in good spirits and fairly engaged, perched on the stool behind his ivory piano, opening strong with ‘California Girls’ which got the crowd immediately into the summer spirit on a chilled misty evening. Hits followed- ‘Catch a Wave’, ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ and ‘Surfer Girl’, the first song Wilson ever wrote, still sounding of the beachfront comfort and west coast harmonies it had a half century prior.

The large backing band (most from the Wondermints Plus, who performed with Wilson on the SMiLE Tour) proved more than musically able, each member having a turn in the spotlight; especially Jeff Foskett providing that needed Beach Boys falsetto and Darian Sanaja, who carried the vocals on a nice version of ‘Darlin’.

SETLIST PHOTO

After a 50 min. first set, the band took a short break before returning for their 75 min closing set, the rain by then past, and audience primed to hear the band’s biggest hits.

Beginning solemnly with the quiet ‘Our Prayer’, it quickly built momentum, highlighted early on by the 1-2 punch of the recent Beach Boys reunion single, ‘That’s Why God Made the Radio’ (from their highest charting album to debut) and a powerful ‘God Only Knows’, dedicated to Wilson’s late brother Carl and which brought an extended and well-deserved standing ovation following. Al Jardine, still blond haired in a white suit, led a spirited ‘Sloop John B’, sandwiched between mega hits ‘Wouldn’t it Be Nice’ and ‘Good Vibrations’, which ended the 2nd set.

A six-song encore followed, anchored by ‘Surfin USA’ and ‘Fun Fun Fun’ which really got the crowd moving and singing, before Wilson came out again saying ‘the rock and rolling is done’ and ending with the melancholy but appropriate ‘Summer’s Gone’.

BRIAN WILSON

The sound was mixed well and clear from our upper vantage point, though the crowd in our section were constantly up and down the stairs mid-song (young people and their multiple beer runs and baby boomers and their weak bladders), which proved more than an annoyance when trying to forget the October-like evening and assimilate into the endless summer of the lyrics and melodies.

All in all though, a satisfying reminder of Wilson’s impact on music history in creating a defining sound; and with word of an upcoming album back on Capitol Records featuring Jeff Beck on guitar, proof that this aging legend, still has more than a little gas left in the tank.

Brian Wilson (with Al Jardine & David Marks) at Weesner Family Amphitheater, Apple Valley (07/27/13)

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ brianwilson.com

Life's a Beach

Read More The Beach Boys So this song is from their only Christmas album, The Beach Boys' Christmas Album, released in 1964. It topped out at number 6, although the single "Little Saint Nick" faired …

THE BEACH BOYS
thebeachboys.com

Die-hard Beach Boys fan will want to take a look at the deluxe 50th Anniversary edition called Made in California, coming out August 27, 2013, from Capitol/Universal. The six disc release will contain 60 previously unreleased songs (consisting of home demos, alternative mixes, and live recordings), all presented in a nice yearbook-inspired hardbound book.

I'm lusting over the photos and the tracklisting, but with these things, I cannot afford it. Still, I'm left thinking, "wouldn't it be nice…?"

Anyway, seems like The Beach Boys are continuing touring - minus Brian Wilson. This version of the band features Mike Love (who holds an exclusive license for the use of touring and playing as The Beach Boys).

06/13 Lemoore, CA Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino 06/14 Wendover, NV Peppermill Concert Hall 06/15 Wendover, NV Peppermill Concert Hall 07/06 Oostende, Belgium Kursaal Oostende 07/07 Hyde Park British Summer time 07/08 L'Olympia Bruno Coquatrix 07/10 Henley-On-Thames, UK Henley Festival 07/12 Delaware County Fair 07/13 Greenville, WI Greenville Lions Park 07/14 Lake Superior Big Top Chataqua 07/18 Tampa, FL Hard Rock Casino 07/19 Chesapeake, VA Chesapeake City Park 07/20 Baltimore, MD Pier 6 07/26 Big Flats, NY Summerstage 07/27 Ocean Grove, NJ Great Auditorium 07/28 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun 08/01 Grand Rapids, MI Meijer Gardens 08/02 Detroit, MI Freedom Hill 08/03 Bowling Green, OH Wood County Fair 08/04 Cleveland, OH Nautica - Jacobs Pavilion 08/06 Cancun, MX Moon Palace 08/08 Verona, NY Turning Stone Casino 08/11 Presqu'ille du Lac Osisko 08/13 Kennett Square, PA Longwood Gardens 08/14 Ramapo, NY Provident Bank Park 08/16 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino 08/17 Hyannis, MA Melody Tent

08/17 Cohassett, MA South Shore Music Circus 08/09 Chautauqua, NY Chautauqua Institute 08/10 Montreal, QC Maddie's Place 08/18 Toronto, ON Canadian National Exhibition 08/22 Nanaimo, BC Port Theater 08/23 Vancouver, BC Pacific National Exhibition 08/24 Manson, WA Mill Bay Casino 08/25 Snoqualmie, WA Snoqualmie Amph 08/28 Charlottesville, VA nTelos Wireless Pavilion 08/29 Supply, NC Odell Williamson Auditorium 08/30 Asheville, NC Biltmore Estate 08/31 Anderson, IN Hoosier Park 09/01 Elkhorn, WI Walworth County Fair 09/06 Lincoln, CA Thunder Valley Casino 09/20 Frederick, MD Great Frederick Fair 09/21 Ocean City, MD Ocean City Sunfest 09/22 Charleston, WV Clay Center For The Arts 09/26 Easton, PA State Theatre 09/27 Williamsport, PA Community Arts Center 09/28 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata 09/29 West Springfield, MA The Big E 10/05 Galveston, TX The Grand 1894 Opera House 10/06 Galveston, TX The Grand 1894 Opera House 10/11 Biloxi, MS Beau Rivage 10/12 Biloxi, MS Beau Rivage 10/17 Tuscaloosa, AL Tuscaloosa Amph 10/18 Hampton, GA Atlanta Motor Speedway

Read More Brian Wilson Instead, what ended up happening was walking to the Hyatt to hopefully see Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) get his NOW Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award. The waiting and buildup time was incredible, only to have Wilson…

BRIAN WILSON
brianwilson.com

You may remember us seeing Brian Wilson at NXNE in 2011 or that the Beach Boys reformed on their 50th anniversary to do that one last tour… Well, the Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson has returned to Capitol Music Group and he is currently recording and self-producing his 11th solo studio album.

So why the new record? Wilson commented, "I was really moved by the fans' excitement about The Beach Boys' album and tour last year (That's Why God Made The Radio). It charged me up and my head was full of music - I just couldn't wait to get back into the studio to let it out."

Brian Wilson will be performing select shows this summer with Al Jardine and David Marks, both former Beach Boys bandmates:

July 20 – Atlantic City, NY Grand t
July 21 – Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
July 23 – Interlochen, MI Kresge Auditorium
July 25 – Kettering, OH Fraze Pavilion
July 26 – Highland Park, IL Ravinia Festival
July 27 – Apple Valley MN Weesner Family Amph
Oct 20 – Los Angeles Greek Theatre

BEACH DAY
facebook.com/Beachdayband

Florida-based trio Beach Day has a debut album called Trip Trap Attack coming out on June 18, 2013, via Kanine Records. Nylon claimed that the album is "sun-washed, '60s-inspired album", which actually fits right in there with the Beach Boys theme.

Look for this 60s-inspired girl group on tour, which incidentally kicks off today:

06.11 - Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room
06.12 - Chicago, IL @ Schuba's
06.13 - Detroit, MI @ Garden Bowl
06.14 - NXNE (Urban Outfitters at 2pm)
06.15 - Handle Bar (NXNE)
06.16 - Kops Records (NXNE)
06.19 - Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands
06.20 - Philadelphia, PA @ North Star Bar
06.21 - Washington, DC @ IOTA
06.22 - Raleigh, NC @ The Pour House
06.23 - Asheville, NC @ Double Crown
06.25 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
06.26 - Jacksonville, FL @ Underbelly
06.27 - Orlando, FL @ Will's Pub

BEACH
bitchmusic.com

Karen Mould, otherwise known as Bitch, and recently, as BEACH, will be releasing In Us We Trust on July 16th, 2013, via Short Story Records. Mould describing the project BEACH as "a place where everything shifts. Rocks become sand, water meets earth, birds screech, tides turn and colors collide."

Check out the violinist' video for "Ibuprofen" on YouTube.

Expect even more touring for BEACH, in the meantime, these dates are confirmed:

6/29: Cleveland, OH @ Pride
8/23: Chicago, IL @ City Winery

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

W♥M112: Splendour in the Grass Preview

W♥M112 (50 mins) Listening options: Archive.org: W♥M112

Happy holidays! It's also Sally's birthdate week, as she was kind enough to stop in to preview Splendour in the Grass, which takes place this July 29th to 31st. Doors at 9am, music starts at 11 and ends after midnight. Details at splendourinthegrass.com.

Before we get into the meat of the matter, we did wrap up NXNE, which you can read more details at nxne.weheartmusic.com and all my exploits and adventures and lessons learned.

I did touch a bit on Jo Williamson, not literally, but I kept running into her. Saw Washington played twice, saw loads of other bands too. Disappointed with Brian Wilson, but Men Without Hats, Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield saved the festival. Outro song is "Everybody Loves Me But You" by Hatfield.

Splendour in the Grass 2011 will be covered by the fine Festival Ladies, but Sally and I looked over Coldplay (it was all yellow!), Kanye West (he just shows up everywhere). A good bunch together of Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, Gomez, and Regina Spektor in a block is pretty amazing. Also, Grouplove, who I saw a few months ago, they are on the up and up. Yelle, the French girl is pretty hot too. Of course, Foster the People are a really good band, love their songs!

Amazed that DJ Shadow is still around, he pretty much was the first guy that made a whole album of just entirely out of samples.

Song of the Podcast is: British Sea Power's "Georgie Ray" from their new album, Valhalla Dancehall.

BONUS
More Pulp than you can stand. Fitz & The Tantrums are playing the same night as Pulp, so Sally will have to miss out.

Britpop class of '95 article available on independent.co.uk spotlights on Justine Frischmann, Louise Wener, Debbie Smith, David Roundtree, and Tim Brown. Where are they now and what they are doing. Kind of glad to see Debbie Smith is still playing in several bands (I met her a long time ago in a bar and she asked about my t-shirt - it was my penpal's artwork of Morrissey).

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

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

NXNE: Thursday (06/16/11)

NXNE is finally over. Compared SXSW, the various NXNE venues were all over the map. Some were clump together, but for the majority of locations, you had to take the Transit everywhere! This can prove to be a problem, especially during rush hour (and drinking hours, because of the overpopulated taxis in the city). Still, for what it was, it was still relatively a minor problem.

Due to sleep and recovery, I was only able to recap the "major" bands, so now I'll concentrate on the smaller bands/various random events that went throughout the day. Big thank you to everyone (Flip, M for Montreal, NOW, NXNE staff) for welcoming us to Toronto. I had a wonderful time, and if I can afford it, I will attend again in the future.

All I Want Is More Than I Ever Had by Colin Medley

Thursday daytime started with a meet & greet at Sneaky Dee's for Flip Publicity, who really know how to throw a great party. Did not stay too long because I wanted to head back to the hotel, where a few blocks from there was another NXNE party and book launch, courtesy of Pop Montreal. Unfortunately, due to poor public transport and time restraints, I could not attend. The party was mostly for Colin Medley's first book, All I Want Is More Than I Ever Had, which is a collection of photographs that Medley took on tour with his band PS I Love You.

Instead, what ended up happening was walking to the Hyatt to hopefully see Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) get his NOW Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award. The waiting and buildup time was incredible, only to have Wilson show up and gone in under 30 seconds! Blink and he was gone!

To be fair, we were warned that Wilson was in a rush on his way to his first-ever Canadian tour. I don't know if he had a limo waiting or what the big deal was, but I felt the whole thing was a bit rude and a brush-off, especially considering that NOW Magazine clearly devoted a lot of time and energy putting this together. I gently crossed his name off my itinerary of bands to see for Saturday.

Brian Wilson receives NOW Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award, Toronto (06/16/11)

Evening, I had high expectations to see either Goldenboy or Luyas or DD/MM/YYYY or The Dig, but with transport and overcrowded venues, I did not end up seeing any of those bands. The only decent show was at Lee's Palace, to catch Evan Dando & Juliana Hatfield, so we got there just barely in the nick of time to see Washo again.

How to Tame Lions Swallow 80 Miles Want (Rufus Wainwright cover) The Hardest Part I Believe You Liar Cement Shivers (Nick Cave cover) Meet Me In The Middle Of The Air (Paul Kelly cover)

Megan Washington (aka Washington), did a different setlist from her previous night at Supermarket. Between the two performances, I have to say that Supermarket was more fun, due to the fact that she spent a lot of time talking and telling stories about her songs. Her show at Lee's Palace was strictly "by the books" as it were.

As you can see from the setlist I've laid out for you, she did three cover songs. The last (Paul Kelly) was done in acapella and it was perfect for a very quiet room.

Kevin Seconds is the founding member and lead singer for the 80s punk band 7 Seconds, who had their moment in the sun when they were signed to Sony Records in the mid-90s. The band is still around, complete with the original Kevin Seconds and his brother Steve Youth.

Kevin's live show was understandably a little less than hardcore punk, and I am assuming he did material from his solo work. He sure seem to have a lot of stories about being his travels and his experiences and he generally was happy to be back in Toronto (apparently his band have come through town many times).

Kevin Seconds ended his set with an optimstic "Happy Beginning" song, from his last release, Good Luck Buttons.

Washington at Lee's Palace, Toronto (06/16/11)		Kevin Seconds at Lee's Palace, Toronto (06/16/11)

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

NXNE Preview

Can't get enough of NXNE news? I know you're jealous.

I am leaving in two days for NXNE, so this is my only day that I'll have time to do a preview. I have set up a special url (nxne.weheartmusic.com) to quickly access all-things NXNE on W♥M.

I have downloaded two applications to help navigate and scheduling. See below for details.

To start off first, there is a NXNE welcoming party/opening party that is happening on June 15^th. I'm not sure if it's actually open to the public, so I won't tell you where it's located, but I'm sure if you're resourceful, you'll figure it out.

In NXNE news, Brian Wilson will receive the inaugural NOW Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award on June 16 at the Hyatt Regency Toronto (370 King Street West) as part of the NXNE Festival. This is a bit of a last-minute addition, I wasn't even aware that the Beach Boys legend was even in the Toronto area! It's not made clear if he will be performing on the 16^th, but as facts will have it, he will be doing a live gig at Massey Hall on June 18^th via a "rush line". Spots are pretty limited (limited to 50 NXNE pass holders), and since I do want to see him, I will try and wait it out in line.

M for Montreal and Brooklyn Vegan presents a free NXNE show on June 18th called Bruise Cruise. Check it out: "I'm on a boat! Look at the motherf***king boat!"

Looks like loads of fun, the cruise departs at 2pm and if you miss the boat, you miss the show! Bands scheduled to play are:

Ty Segall (headliner)
Young Governor
Uncle Bad Touch
Jesuslesfilles

I don't know any of the bands, outside of Ty Segall, because artie reviewed his 2009 album. Also, Young Governor is basically Ben Cook from the punk band F**ked Up.

The instructions I got was: get to 207 Queens Quay and walk down the boardwalk to the left of Sobey's towards the lake and it's located at the Captain Matthew Flinders. The boat holds about 575 people, so arrive early. It's FREE.

Here are some bands that I may, or may not, check out. But they are on my radar because people send me emails! You can do the same too. Please have the words "NXNE" in your subject header for the next week, so I can filter things accordingly (it'll help me manage my 200 emails a day! Thanks!)

The Worst Thing (Whitey Jam)

STARS
www.youarestars.com

Since I can't stop loving Stars (some of my favorite albums are Nightsongs and Set Yourself on Fire) and I'll always cherish their show at the 400 Bars many, many, years ago. I have kept up with them, even buying their In Our Bedroom After The War with the DVD, although not one of my favorite Stars album, I still love them.

Arts & Crafts is releasing The Bedroom Demos, so it suggests to me that they had so many songs from their Bedroom album that they are finally releasing the demos (14 tracks!)

The digital pricing is right for a release like this, under $6, and you can download a free track "The Worst Thing (Whitey Jam)" at Pitchfork now.

They are doing some limited dates, including headlining one NXNE show (which you know I'll be there):

June 17, 2011 - NXNE - 7:00 pm Toronto, Canada Dundas Square
July 16, 2011 - Canada Kulth Music Festival - 7:00 pm Parksville
August 6, 2011 - Wolfe Island Music Festival - 5:00 pm Kingston, Canada Wolfe Island
August 21, 2011 - Canada Squamish Festival - 5:00 am Squamish

The Postelles: 123 Stop

THE POSTELLES
thepostelles.com

The Postelles' debut self-titled album came out last Tuesday (June 7th) and for a limited time, you can download their free new single song "123 Stop" at Rolling Stones. The song and album were produced by the band and The Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr.

There is a limited edition vinyl available at Insound until July 6th. I wonder if you can also purchase the vinyl at their live show - which incidentally they are playing NXNE at The Garrison on June 15.

6/10 || Philadelphia, PA || Kung Fu Necktie*
6/11 || Washington, DC || Red Palace*
6/15 || Toronto, ON, Canada || The Garrison/NXNE
6/17 || Chicago, IL || Schubas*
6/18 || Milwaukee, WI || Summer Soulstice Music Festival
6/23 || San Francisco, CA || Popscene @ Rickshaw Stop
6/28 || Los Angeles, CA || The Echo || Kitten, Pageants, Pan Am
7/2 || Las Vegas, NV || Beauty Bar
7/7 || Boston, MA || T.T. the Bear's Place*
8/5 || Southhampton, NY || Escape to New York Festival
8/27 || Montauk, NY || Benefit Show for Music Unites at The Surf Lodge

* with The Dig

SMOKE FAIRIES
www.smokefairies.com

Smoke Fairies are from the UK and their US debut album, Through Low Light and Trees, is coming out next week (June 14th via 453 Records).

I did get a chance to listen to it, and I'll tell you what I like about it: it has great atmosphere. Through Low Light and Trees, with its quiet low-key analog sound and acoustics sounds like it's an album that was recorded in the past.

It's sometime bluesy ("Strange Moon Rising", "Feeling is Turning Blue") and dark ("Devil in my Mind") and sometime a bit too fantasy and fantastic ("Dragon"). Still, it's definitely different and refreshing from the usual indie rock bands that dominates NXNE. Smoke Fairies are worth checking out at The Dakota in Toronto on June 18th. Head over there to find out why Time Out New York noted that Smoke Fairies are "Top 5 Must See Bands".

They'll catch up with Rasputina in July. I suspect if conflicts and scheduling made me miss their NXNE appearance, I will likely see them in August at 7th Street.

June 18 /// The Dakota /// Toronto, ON
June 20 /// Passim Folk and Cultural Center /// Boston, MA
June 21 /// Rockwood Music Hall /// New York, NY
June 22 /// Rock Shop /// Brooklyn, NY
July 29 /// Key Club * /// Los Angeles, CA
July 30 /// SLO Brewing Co * /// San Luis Obispo, CA
July 31 /// Great American Music Hall * /// San Francisco, CA
August 4 /// WOW Hall * /// Eugene, OR
August 5 /// Doug Fir Lounge * /// Portland, OR
August 6 /// Tractor Tavern * /// Seattle, WA
August 8 /// The Railyard * /// Billing, MT
August 11 /// Bourbon Theater * /// Lincoln, NB
August 12 /// Blue Moose Tap House * /// Iowa City, IA
August 13 7th Street Entry * Minneapolis, MN
August 14 /// Shank Hall * /// Milwaukee, WI
August 16 /// Underground * /// Sandusky, OH

Child Bite: Odd Inn

CHILD BITE
childbite.com

From Detroit, Michigan, Child Bite is heading up to Toronto to play some shows at NXNE. The most interesting thing about the band, that I've read, is that they use a gaming joystick on stage. I guess I'll have to check them out to see what that is all about.

They are playing with DD/MM/YYYY on June 16th at Sneaky Dee's. Technically DD/MM/YYYY isn't even on until 1am! Yikes!

They are also playing with Peelander-Z on June 18th, also at the same venue. I know for a fact that I will be at Sneaky Dee's on June 18th, so I'll definitely will catch Child Bite.

I am told that I should look to get some nachos there. Done.

Free download of "Odd Inn" at bandcamp.com

EXTRA ARMS
extraarmsmusic.com

Extra Arms is an indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York. They are playing at The Boat at 10pm on June 16th. Their debut single is called "Race to Sleep", which you can listen on Soundcloud. The song is mixed by Bryce Goggin (who worked on Pavement - and you know how we love our Pavement and recently Antony and the Johnsons, who "scared the crap out of me"). If you end up listening to the song, it does have that Alternative 90s sound, and there's some epic guitar-playing towards the end. I'm pretty certain if the song is done live, it'll be at the end of their set and it'll also be a jamfest.

A full length album, to be produced by Grammy-winner Alex Newport, is due out this fall.

You can keep up with them on facebook and their official website, extraarmsmusic.com.

MYNXNE
www.shweet.com

Screenshots from mynxne Artist Summary

News Feed

The two one NXNE application that will help me navigate are: NXNEi and mynxne.

Mynxne application looks great. It's basically an all-in-one solution, but since I don't live in Canada (and don't have Rogers), it might not be that useful if the data aren't cached from wifi*. I'm probably not going to pay for the AT&T international charges, so I'll turn off cellular data when I'm in Canada.

I like that there are NXNE-related news and complete event listing. Seems like a lot of work to put into this application that will be used maybe a few times a year!

* Update: I did more testing of mynxne last night at the Architecture in Helsinki show. Without data service, I was still able to see event listing overview and was able to add some to my calendar without any problems. The application did warn me that I was not online, which was nice to know in case things have changed since the last time the data was cached. Worked great on wifi and it looks great. One annoyance was I often have to click on "full story" because of lack of formatting (but this is expected because the blurbs are there to give you only a glimpse of the actual news article). Can't wait to use this on the field in a few days.

The NXNE Interactive sessions and workshops are all located at Hyatt Regency Toronto (370 King W, M5V 1J9). It lasts two days (June 15 and 16), and it looks like they are in the daytime, so I don't think it'll conflict with any of my shows. Most of the events on the 15th are workshops, which means you generally need a laptop to work with (and since I'm travelling light, these sessions might not be for me.) I didn't know a lot of the speakers, but there are some things I'm interested in - in particular website designs and social media.

Just realized that the NXNi app is from 2010!

Here are some Interactive Section that stood out/sparked my interests:

Interview with Steve Anderson of OpenMedia.ca June 16 @ 4:50 PM Speaker(s)/Panelists: Steve Anderson Jesse Brown Over the past few years our freedoms to access the internet in an open and fair way have been continually challenged. From selective throttling of bandwidth to anti-competitive billing schemes the major service providers have been trying everything they can to squeeze every last penny out of Canadians. OpenMedia.ca and SaveOurNet.ca have helped raise awareness about these issues to unprecedented levels, resulting in positive results for internet users across the country. Join Jesse Brown of the Search Engine podcast as he interviews Steve Anderson, the National Coordinator for OpenMedia.ca and learn what you need to do in order to preserve our future freedom to access and use the internet in open and innovative ways. Produced by Interactive Ontario		The Black Hole of Facebook June 16 @ 12:00 PM Location: Speaker(s)/Panelists: Lee Dale and Jay Goldman How fans disappear on your Pages and ways to engage beyond Like Facebook maintains the largest single social network on the Web, presenting a huge win for marketers who can tap into even a fraction of this population. Yet the majority of campaigns get stuck at Like, losing the engagement of fans following that initial connection.		Wheel Of Fortune/Misfortune: Conversations About Music & Stuff June 16 @ 2:15 PM Speaker(s)/Panelists: Jeff Waye Meghan Currier Jake Gold Joseph Patel The craziest stories from the road; how promoters really feel about tube socks on riders; the digitization of music and the rebirth of vinyl. Worst mistake ever made. Best advice ever given. Worst artist encounter. Damn kids and their torrents. Why doesn't the entertainment business get with the times... Watch as this group of panelists spins the wheel on a wide range of topics sure to insight hilarious, interesting, insightful, and irreverent ranting conversation. Come be a part of the conversation as additionally we'll be adding the Panel Hi-Jacker chair. Someone from the audience always tries to take over the conversation... so now we're making it official and inviting members of the audience to partake. Good times promised... we might even get the panel drunk!

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