W♥M

Dean Lewis at Freight House, Stillwater for Cities 97.1 Live at the Lake (11 July 2019)

Live at the Lake 2019 Dean Lewis Setlist 7 Minutes Stay Awake Chemicals Need You Now Don't Hold Me Half a Man Hold of Me Straight Back Down Waves Be Alright Dean Lewis Tour Dates 19-21 July 2019 Splendour in the Grass Festival, Byron Bay 01-04 August 2019 Lollapalooza Grant Park, Chicago, IL 02-04 August 2019 Osheaga Music , Montreal, QC 06 August 2019 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 07 August 2019 Madrid Theatre, Kansas City, MO 09 August 2019 Gothic Theatre, Englewood, CO 13 August 2019 McMenamin's Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR 14 August 2019 The Showbox, Seattle, WA 15 August 2019 Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC 06 September 2019 Crammerock Stekene, Belgium 07-08 September 2019 Lollapalooza Berlin 26 September 2019 Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON 28 September 2019 House of Blues Boston, MA 30 September 2019 9:30 Club, Washington, DC 02 October 2019 Theatre of Living Arts Philadelphia, PA 07 October 2019 Webster Hall, New York, NY 10 October 2019 The Underground, Charlotte, NC 11 October 2019 Buckhead Theatre, Atlanta, GA 12 October 2019 House of Blues, New Orleans, LA 14 October 2019 White Oak Music Hall, Houston, TX 16 October 2019 House of Blues, Dallas, TX 18 October 2019 The Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ 20 October 2019 House of Blues, San Diego, CA 23 October 2019 The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA Read More Live at the Lake appearing as part of local station Cities 97.1’s summer outdoor Thursday music series, called Live at the Lake for his Twin Cities metro debut, in support of full-length, Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent (on Virgin/EMI Records). .…

On a picture-perfect Thursday afternoon, another installment of Live at the Lake, a summer free weekly outdoor promotional concert series curated by local station Cities 97.1, took place near the banks of the St. Croix river, in Stillwater on the patio atThe Freight House featuring Dean Lewis.

The afternoon’s music opened with a short set from local alternative rock group Harbor & Home, who blends Americana roots with a classic rock sound (working in a couple covers alongside their own originals), in support of last October’s four-song EP called Live Studio Sessions.

Vocalist/guitarist Kaleb Williams easily connected with the happy hour crowd, and the band had many fans in the audience, glad to see and hear their brand of feel-good music warm up an already balmy day further.

Local fans of Sydney Australia singer-songwriter Dean Lewis had waited a long time to get a proper look at him, with a scheduled sold out headlining show at the Fine Line on February 25^th, canceled at last-minute because of extreme winter weather preventing him getting to town. 

Lewis’ only two previous appearances in the metro were brief ones, both in Oct. 2018- opening at the 7^th St Entry, and at the final Cities Sampler release party in Maplewood, so a longer appearance has been highly anticipated and the outdoor crowd was treated to a ten-song/forty-five minute set.

Lewis’s debut full length, A Place We Knew (on Island/Universal) topped the charts in his native Australia, and has been a slow burner here, gradually but solidly rising as more of this country discovers his music. Inspired to write songs by listening to Noel Gallagher and by his own bittersweet personal memories of past relationships, Lewis has taken hold with a still-growing audience, confirmed by an upcoming August 6 date, headlining the Mainroom at First Avenue.

“This is incredible!” Lewis said, admiring the swelling crowd, also jokingly noting the relative paleness in the sunlight of he and his guitarist, despite their Aussie heritage. ‘Need You Now’, from his previous EP, is a song he rarely performs in an acoustic setting, but fit in well amongst his other newer, heart-on-his-sleeve ballads.

Lewis mentioned that ‘Don’t Hold Me’ was worked and re-worked for months until he felt he got it right and ‘Half a Man’ was actually the song responsible for his initial record deal. ‘Waves’ is a song as big in Australia as his breakthrough hit, nominated for five ARIA awards, and the set ended with Lewis’s biggest song to date, ‘Be Alright’ which topped the charts and went 7x Platinum in his native land.

The late afternoon session proved a fine sampler for Lewis’s upcoming headlining appearance locally on August 6^th with full band, and anyone admiring the emotional anthem-ness of singer-songwriters like Ed Sheeran and Vance Joy, are encourage to tune in and get a ticket to Dean Lewis while you can.  

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Harbor and Home

Harbor and Home

Dean Lewis Setlist

Dean Lewis

Dean Lewis

Dean Lewis

Dean Lewis

Dean Lewis

Dean Lewis at Freight House, Stillwater for Cities 97.1 Live at the Lake (11 July 2019)

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

Lewis Capaldi at Lord Fletcher's, Spring Park (Cities 97.1 Live at the Lake) (13 June 2019)

Lewis Capaldi 2019 Fall USA Tour Lewis Capaldi Setlist Hold Me While You Wait Bruises Headspace Grace Lost on You Someone You Loved Tour Dates 19/06/2019 – 22/06/2019 OverOslo 2019 Oslo, Norway 21/06/2019 Irish Independent Park, Cork, Ireland 25/06/2019 Ormeau Park, Belfast, UK 27 – 30/06/2019 Rock Werchter Festivalpark 29/06/2019 Glastonbury Festival Other Stage Pilton 01/07/2019 Montreux Jazz Lab, Montreux 04 – 07/07/2019 Barn on the Farm Gloucester 05 – 07/07/2019 Down the Rabbit Hole Down the Rabbit Hole 11 – 13/07/2019 Mad Cool Festival Madrid 11 – 14/07/2019 G! Festival Gøta, Faroe Islands 17 – 20/07/2019 Colours Of Ostrava Dolní Oblast Vítkovice 19/07/2019 Tramlines Hillsborough Park, Sheffield, UK 20/07/2019 Open Air Theatre, Scarborough, UK 25 – 28/07/2019 Camp Bestival East Lulworth, UK 25 – 29/07/2019 Standon Calling Standon, UK 26 – 28/07/2019 Truck Festival Hill Farm, Steventon, UK 01 – 03/08/2019 Tartan Heart Festival 02 – 04/08/2019 Indiependence Music 06/08/2019 Stadtpark Freilichtbühne 06 – 10/08/2019 Stars In Town Herrenacker 07 – 11/08/2019 Boardmasters Festival Fistral Beach 09 – 11/08/2019 Heitere Open Air Zürich, Switzerland 13/08/2019 Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, UK 14/08/2019 Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, UK 16/08/2019 Roundhay Park, Leeds, UK 17/08/2019 Roundhay Park, Leeds, UK 23 – 25/08/2019 Victorious Festival Castle Field, Southsea, UK 23 – 25/08/2019 The Big Feastival Alex James' Farm 30/08/2019 Open Air Theatre, Scarborough, UK 31/08/2019 – 01 Sept 2019 weekender festival Royal Jersey 17/09/2019 Granada Theater, Dallas, TX 18/09/2019 Emo's Austin, Austin, TX 19/09/2019 The Ballroom at Warehouse Live, Houston, TX 24/09/2019 Fox Theater - Oakland, Oakland, CA 27/09/2019 House of Blues - San Diego, San Diego, CA 27/09/2019 Ohana Music Festival, Dana Point 28/09/2019 The Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ 01/10/2019 Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO 03/10/2019 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 04/10/2019 Thalia Hall, Chicago, IL 06/10/2019 REBEL, Toronto, ON, Canada 07/10/2019 L'Olympia de Montréal, Montreal, QC 09/10/2019 Royale, Boston, MA 11/10/2019 Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY 12/10/2019 9:30 Club, Washington, DC 13/10/2019 Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA 22/10/2019 L'Alhambra, Paris, France 24/10/2019 La Madeleine, Brussels, Belgium 25/10/2019 TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht, NL 26/10/2019 Essigfabrik Köln, Cologne, Germany 28/10/2019 Teatro Barcelo, Madrid, Spain 29/10/2019 Bikini, Barcelona, Spain 30/10/2019 Fabrique, Milan, Italy 01/11/2019 Kaufleuten, Zürich, Switzerland 02/11/2019 Neue Theaterfabrik, Munich, Germany 03/11/2019 Planet.tt Bank Halle Gasometer, Vienna, Austria 05/11/2019 Docks, Hamburg, Germany 06/11/2019 Astra Kulturhaus, Berlin, Germany 07/11/2019 Palac Akropolis, Prague, Czech Republic 10/11/2019 Forum Black Box, Frederiksberg, Denmark 11/11/2019 Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway 12/11/2019 Vasateatern, Stockholm, Sweden 14/11/2019 Tavastia Club, Helsinki, Finland 15/11/2019 Ионотека, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation 16/11/2019 Aglomerat, Moscow, Russian Federation 18/11/2019 Caribbean Club, Kyiv (Kiev), Ukraine 21/11/2019 Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland 22/11/2019 Ulster Hall, Belfast, UK 23/11/2019 Manchester Academy, Manchester, UK 25/11/2019 O2 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham, UK 26/11/2019 O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol, UK 28/11/2019 O2 Guildhall Southampton, Southampton, UK 29/11/2019 O2 Academy Brixton, London, UK 30/11/2019 Norwich Nick Rayns LCR UEA, Norwich, UK 02/12/2019 Rock City, Nottingham, UK 03/12/2019 O2 Academy Sheffield, Sheffield, UK 05/12/2019 Usher Hall, Edinburgh, UK 07/12/2019 O2 Academy Glasgow, Glasgow, UK 08/12/2019 O2 Academy Glasgow, Glasgow, UK 02/03/2020 O2 Apollo Manchester, Manchester, UK 03/03/2020 O2 Apollo Manchester, Manchester, UK 05/03/2020 The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, UK 06/03/2020 The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, UK 08/03/2020 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland 09/03/2020 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland 11/03/2020 Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff, UK 12/03/2020 SSE Arena, Wembley, London, UK 13/03/2020 SSE Arena, Wembley, London, UK 15/03/2020 P&J Live, Aberdeen, UK Read More Lewis Capaldi I REALLY like Lewis Capaldi's ACOUSTIC versions of the majority of this album. After listening to them for months prior to the release, the album cuts just ruin it for me; the beat, vocal inflections …

Your debut album comes out and immediately tops the charts in the UK, Scotland, and Ireland and you’re slated to play all the major festivals, including Glastonbury.

You come to the US for promotional TV appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and are the first musical artist ever asked back for two nights on The Late Late Show with James Cordon, and your very next stop is… a lakeside restaurant/bar in hidden, tiny Spring Park, MN?!?

If you’re rising singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi, that was your schedule, appearing as part of local station Cities 97.1’s summer outdoor Thursday music series, called Live at the Lake for his Twin Cities metro debut, in support of full-length, Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent (on Virgin/EMI Records).

Dressed in a record label hoodie and accompanied by keyboardist Aiden Halliday (“equally as important to the whole operation” Capaldi quipped) the boyish-faced Scot from West Lothian treated the patio-based drinking audience to a six-song / thirty-five minute mini-set that entranced current fans, and gained many new ones.

His self-deprecating wit (evident in the album’s title, his social postings, and the thirty second TV commercial for the record) was on display, telling the audience he would be singing nothing but depressing songs on this nice sunny day.

The elegant (but yes, depressing) ‘Bruises’ was next, written shortly after a breakup, with Capaldi’s Scottish brogue rising to the rafters of the covered stage and he then picked up a guitar - “D’ya like rock n’ roll?” Capaldi teased, tuning, “...then you’re not gonna like this one” playing the slow but moving ‘Headspace’ with its impactful lyric, “I never thought a lie could sound so sweet, until you opened your mouth and said you loved me”.

The video for next song played, ‘Grace’ features Capaldi cheekily portraying a stripper and he stopped to mention to remind everyone to purchase his album, as he still lives with his parents, who also do his washing, and wants to give them some peace by moving out.

The building ‘Lost on You’ gave way to a brief Q+A with the hosting morning DJ duo, asking if he’d consider playing a Prince cover when he returns in the fall, with Capaldi confessing he doesn’t possess enough talent to pull it off to his satisfaction.

Breakthrough single, ‘Someone You Loved’ finished his brief set to rave applause and anyone missing this short lakeside set, has another chance locally, as Lewis Capaldi (yes, distantly related to former Dr. Who actor Peter Capaldi) returns in the fall, to headline the Mainroom at First Avenue on October 3^rd.

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Lewis Capaldi at Lord Fletcher's, Spring Park (Cities 97.1 Live at the Lake) (13 June 2019)

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

Echosmith at Maynard's, Excelsior- Live at the Lake (05 July 2018)

Echosmith at Live at the Lake Echosmith Setlist Let's Love Diamonds Get Into My Car Bright > I Will Follow You into the Dark (Death Cab for Cutie cover snippet) Over My Head Cool Kids Tour Dates 12 July USANA Amphitheatre West Valley City, UT 14 July White River Amphitheatre Auburn, WA 15 July Arranmore Farm and Polo Club Oswego, IL 17 July Shoreline Amphitheatre Mountain View, CA 19 July FivePoint Amphitheatre Irvine, CA 21 July Ak-Chin Pavilion Phoenix, AZ 22 July Isleta Amphitheater Albuquerque, NM 24 July Zoo Amphitheatre Oklahoma City, OK 25 July Arkansas Music Pavilion Rogers, AR 26 July Dos Equis Pavilion Dallas, TX 28 July Austin360 Amphitheater Austin, TX 29 July Mitchell Pavilion The Woodlands, TX 31 July Chastain Park Atlanta,GA 02 Aug Oak Mountain Amphitheatre Pelham, AL 04 Aug PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte, NC 05 Aug Veterans United Virginia Beach, VA 07 Aug Coral Sky Amph West Palm Beach, FL 09 Aug Midflorida Tampa, FL 11 Aug Walnut Creek Raleigh, NC 12 Aug Jiffy Lube Live Bristow, VA 14 Aug BB&T Pavilion Camden, NJ 15 Aug Jones Beach Theater Wantagh, NY 20 Aug PNC Bank Arts Center Holmdel, NJ 22 Aug SPAC, Saratoga Springs, NY 23 Aug St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater Syracuse, NY 25 Aug Pavilion at Montage Mountain Scranton, PA 26 Aug Xfinity Theatre Hartford, CT 28 Aug Xfinity Center Mansfield, MA 30 Aug Darling's Waterfront Pavilion Bangor, ME 01 Sept Keybank Pavilion Burgettstown, PA 02 Sept Hersheypark Stadium Hershey, PA 05 Sept Riverbend Music Center Cincinnati 06 Sept Budweiser Stage Toronto, ON, Canada 08 Sept Ruoff Mortgage Music Center Noblesville, IN 11 Sept Harrah's Council Bluffs, IA 13 Sept Blossom Music Center Cuyahoga Falls, OH 16 Sept Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre Tinley Park, IL Read More Echosmith Up and coming Los Angeles pop band Echosmith, makes a brief (and free) promotional 5pm stop at Cities 97’s Oake on the Water, this week located at Tally’s Dockside in White Bear Lake. …

On a busy promotional and festival appearance week filled with stops in Miami, Orlando, Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Milwaukee, Los Angeles-based electro-pop sibling band Echosmith found their way to Minneapolis on a picture-perfect Thursday afternoon, for a brief acoustic set of favorites, both old and new. 

The occasion was part of a weekly summer series of live music appearances at various area waterside restaurants called Live at the Lake, put on by local radio station Cities 97. Echosmith was making a return appearance to the series, having last performed a few years ago on the other side of the metro, in suburban White Bear Lake.  

For this Thursday, the setting was Maynard’s in Excelsior, a bustling restaurant and bar on the shores of Lake Minnetonka, celebrating their twentieth anniversary in business, and the afternoon opened with a set of music from Maple Grove resident and American Idol Season 13 contestant, Eric Gordon and his guitarist.

Gordon debuted his newest single, ‘What r u doing?” at this same concert series two weeks prior, and was happy (and relieved) to see so many more people this time around.  The R& B/pop singer mixed in originals of his own, like ‘The World’, ‘Lies’, and ‘Nobody Said that it Was Easy’ with a few covers, including one by station favorite Andy Grammer (who would play the station-sponsored Basilica Block Party just two days later). 

After a short break, Echosmith – aka the Sierota siblings- Sydney (vocals, keys), Noah (bass) and Graham (cajon) along with new guitarist Jacob Evergreen- took to the stage for their half-hour stripped down set of songs.  While we still all await their second full-length to be released, the group has released some new music including recent EP, Inside a Dream (Warner Bros Records).

“This is a really cool version of an acoustic set” singer Sydney began, looking out at the tables filled with people taking the late afternoon off, and the numerous boats docked along the horizon behind the grounds, before starting with ‘Let’s Love’. 

Next up was ‘Diamonds’ a newer song “barely played” live at this point, followed by one of singer’s professed favorite songs, ‘Get into My Car’.  The platinum-selling ‘Bright’ was next, ending with a verse from a Death Cab for Cutie cover as a duet by Sydney and Noah, as they also did when we saw them perform at First Avenue earlier this year.

Newest single, ‘Over My Head’ has already been a hit on radio, and Sydney asked the crowd to sing along to the repetitive chorus, which many did, in between drinks and conversations, which usually are a large part of these free outdoor promotional gatherings. 

Closing the early evening was the group’s biggest hit, ‘Cool Kids’ sounding different but still very similar, when performed without the keyboard sounds and electronic augmentation, with Evergreen on acoustic guitar, and the usually-shy drummer Graham, sitting and tapping on his box-shaped cajon.    

Echosmith formally resumes the road later this week with a summer tour supporting Pentatonix, hopefully culminating in their anticipated album’s release, and another headlining tour of their own. 

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Eric Gordon

Eric Gordon

Echosmith

Echosmith

Echosmith

Echosmith

Echosmith at Maynard's, Excelsior- Live at the Lake (05 July 2018)

 

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

 

Minneapolis: November 16 to November 17, 2016

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from November 16 to November 17, 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More DZ Deathrays DZ Deathrays are on their first ever tour of the US playing songs off their debut release, Bloodstreams. Their 30 minute set was loud and thrashy. Vocalist/guitarist Shane Parsons … The Dune Rats The opener was The Dune Rats from Australia. They looked and acted like Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I had a hard time figuring out if it was an act or if these guys …

DZ DEATHRAYS / DUNE RATS
at 7th Street Entry
Wednesday, 11/16/16, 7pm ($12)
first-avenue.com

The DZ Deathrays and Dune Rats co-headlining “International Disaster” tour is heading to Minneapolis’ 7th Street Entry this Wednesday. Both bands are from Australia. Both bands will be releasing a new album sometime in 2017, but expect them to preview some of those upcoming tracks on this forthcoming show.

We caught the latter band with Fidlar earlier in September 2015 and wrote, “The opener was The Dune Rats from Australia. They looked and acted like Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I had a hard time figuring out if it was an act or if these guys were really just that stoned and drugged up.”

We saw the former on their first US tour with Bass Drums of Death in 2012 and wrote, “DZ Deathrays are on their first ever tour of the US playing songs off their debut release, Bloodstreams. Their 30 minute set was loud and thrashy. Vocalist/guitarist Shane Parsons screamed into the microphone while stepping on effects pedals laid out on a mile-long board, while Simon Ridley beat the ever-loving crap out of the drums, flailing fast and furiously.”

Danger Signs to open.

Tour dates:

11/13 -- Seattle, WA -- Sunset Tavern
11/16 -- Minneapolis, MN -- 7th St. Entry
11/17 -- Chicago, IL -- Empty Bottle
11/18 -- Cleveland, OH -- Now That's Class
11/19 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Kung Fu Necktie
11/20 -- Washington DC -- U Street Music Hall
11/21 -- Brooklyn, NY -- Baby's All Right
11/23 -- Boston, MA -- O'Brien's Pub
11/24 -- Montreal, QB -- Bar Le Ritz PDB
11/25 -- Ottawa, ON -- House of Targ
11/26 -- Toronto, ON -- The Silver Dollar

Read More O.A.R. Rockville, MD quartet O.A.R. is very familiar with the Basilica stage and has also done several promotional appearances for Cities 97, so their inclusion to headline the Preferred … Gavin DeGraw Multi-platinum recording artist Gavin DeGraw (best known for his album and title track "Chariot" and the theme song to One Tree Hill) released his new single "Best I Ever Had" …

CITIES 97 SAMPLER RELEASE PARTY
at Myth
Thursday, 11/17/16, 5:30pm (N/A)
mythlive.com

The Cities ’97 Sampler Release Party will be taking place at the Myth this Thursday. From my understanding, I do not think you can actually purchase tickets to attend the show. You must win tickets from the radio station: “You can't buy tickets to the Cities 97 Sampler Volume 28 Release Party - you can only win them! Keep listening to Cities 97 all day for a shot to win passes and a copy of this year's Sampler and passes to the Release Party!”

O.A.R. will be headlining the show with special guests Gavin DeGraw. We last saw O.A.R. at the Basilica Block Party in 2015 and wrote, “Rockville, MD quartet O.A.R. is very familiar with the Basilica stage and has also done several promotional appearances for Cities 97, so their inclusion to headline the Preferred One stage on Day One, seemed a natural fit. Singer Marc Roberge and band were so “in the zone” playing that they didn’t break until after the sixth song, with Roberge remarking “I always forget to say 'Hi 'because we love playing so much”.”

DeGraw first came to our attention when he was asked to open up for Shania Twain in July 2015.

DeGraw’s fifth studo album Something Worth Saving is out now on RCA Records.

Also on the bill: We The Kings, Wrabel, Cobi and Hailey Knox.

Gavin DeGraw’s tour dates:

11/17 Minneapolis, MN Cities 97 Sampler
12/03 Nashville, TN Nashville Christmas Parade
12/08 Denver, CO Alice in Winterland
12/09 San Francisco, CA One Starry Night 2016
12/10 Portland, OR Deck the Hall Ball
12/12 Indianapolis, IN 99.5 WZPL Jingle Jam
12/13 Huntington, NY The Paramount
12/15 Raleigh, NC G105's Holiday Social
12/16 Baltimore, MD Mistletoe Meltdown

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LÉON at 6Smith Restaurant, Wayzata, MN (04 Aug 2016)

Setlist Treasure Nobody Cares For You (new, unreleased song) Dreams (Fleetwood Mac cover) Tired of Talking Read More Cities 97 The happy hour solo acoustic mini-set was sponsored by local station Cities 97 as part of their summer weekly Live at the Lake series and in support of The .…

From Late Late night, to mid-afternoon on a Midwestern dock—

Fresh from an appearance a few days before on The Late Late Show with James Cordon, Swedish singer LÉON found herself along the banks of Lake Minnetonka, for a promotional radio appearance near restaurant 6Smith in suburban Wayzata.

The event was part of local station Cities 97’s Live at the Lake series, taking place over happy hour on Thursdays at local lakeside restaurants during the summer.  After an opening piano set by Keri Noble (also the station’s morning drive time co-host), LÉON and her keyboardist took to the small stage under a canopy for a short five-song, twenty minute set.

“I’m so excited to be here—this is my first time in Minneapolis”, she beamed, dressed appropriately for the warm weather in short sleeve dark blouse and above-the-knee navy skirt.  Singing in English more precise than most Americans, her relationship lyrics and slightly smoky voice charmed the happy-hour crowd. Her first recorded foray is the four-song Treasure EP (Columbia Records/Sony), with full-length to follow soon.

The statuesque 22-year old Swede began the afternoon with the EP’s title track, a video of which, has just debuted online.  Lyrically, like Tove Lo, she gets sometimes brutally honest, not afraid to mix a curse word or two in to get her point across, as on the un-recorded and unreleased song, ‘For You’.

Mid-set, she tried her hand at a Fleetwood Mac cover, calling it “one of my favorite songs- I listened to this, like every day”, she said before admirably interpreting the Stevie Nicks vocals, for her own stripped version of the radio classic.

She wrapped her set, with initial single ‘Tired of Talking’, with she prefaced by explaining how nothing much was happening a year or so back in Stockholm, and so she was urged by her producer, Agrin Rahmani to release something on SoundCloud to stir interest.  This was a notion she was initially against, but in the end relented, resulting in the song charting over twenty-nine million plays and counting, on Spotify.

Coming from a musical family (the daughter of a composer and a cello player) and estimating she composed her first song at age 8 or 9, it’s clear that LÉON has music in the blood.  Her catchy single, radio-ready voice, and sturdy good looks, make her one to watch as her already finished debut album, gets released soon.

Agrin Rahmani

Léon

Léon

Léon

Léon

LÉON at 6Smith Restaurant, Wayzata, MN (04 Aug 2016)

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

Sampler Mania! - Cities97 Sampler CD / Release Party

Read More Cities 97 The 1975 stopped by Studio C at Cities 97 to promote their live appearance at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis tonight, October 21st. .… Echosmith Up and coming Los Angeles pop band Echosmith, makes a brief (and free) promotional 5pm stop at Cities 97’s Oake on the Water, this week located at Tally’s Dockside in White Bear Lake. The group is riding high with current single .… Family of the Year The W♥M family like Family of the Year, having covered their appearance in New Orleans and in Minneapolis, where John noted that the band offers "feel good vibes and melodies". .… Scars on 45 If you want to hear the song, which features backing vocals from Aimee Driver and David Nowakowski from Scars on 45, you can check it out on Soundcloud. .… Oh Honey Opening up for this latest tour are Brooklyn-based Oh Honey and Seatle-based Barcelona (who we previously saw in 2008 - and not to be confused with synthpop Barcelona.) .…

Leaves are changing and there’s a chill in the air, which means locally, it’s that frantic time of year again…

Cities Sampler 26

…when the Cities Sampler goes on sale at various Target stores in the Minneapolis/St . Paul metro region, which always prompts lines of shivering people outdoors waiting to buy the release and a scavenger hunt of sorts, for those trying to locate the now 26^th edition of the CD.

Most of the bands featured are those championed over the past year, by local Modern AC station the ClearChannel…ahem, iHeartMedia owned Cities97.  Bands get scheduled in for “Studio C Sessions”, often at the station’s address or out at events and their short sets are recorded, with a best-of, making up the tracklisting of the annual sampler.

Due to licensing, a limited (if you can call it that nowadays) run of 35,000 CDs are produced, with proceeds benefiting a handful of local charities.  The CD itself goes on sale bright and early at area Targets on Thursday, November 20, with the station constantly updating everyone on-air and on social media which outlets have sold out.

Unfortunately and again to licensing restrictions, the album is not available digitally (which is almost unheard of in this day and age), but the station does auction additional copies off online, after the initial supply has sold out at the retail level.

In addition to the CD itself, the station has hosted a sampler release party prior to the on-sale for the last several years, to further build buzz, and this year’s installment features a handful of promising up-and-coming artists.

Echosmith, Family of the Year, Scars on 45, and Oh Honey headline the event happening at Myth in Maplewood, on Tuesday, November 18.

W♥M has covered Echosmith and Family of the Year over the past year and was present in the studio for the album’s first track by The 1975, so listen closely and maybe you can hear one of us clearing our throat or applauding.

CITIES SAMPLER 26 Tracklisting

1.) The 1975 - 'Chocolate'
2.) Delta Rae - 'Bottom of the River'
3.) Ben Rector - 'Beautiful'
4.) Sleeper Agent - 'Waves'
5.) American Authors - 'Believer'
6.) Ingrid Michaelson - 'Girls Chase Boys'
7.) Bleachers - 'I Wanna Get Better'
8.) Neon Trees - 'Sleeping With a Friend'
9.) Jillette Johnson - 'Torpedo'
10.) Phillip Phillips - 'Gone, Gone, Gone'
11.) Scars on 45 - 'Crazy For You'
12.) Echosmith - 'Cool Kids'
13.) Eric Hutchinson - 'Tell The World'
14.) Ed Sheeran - 'Sing'
15.) ZZ Ward - 'Last Love Song'
16.) Brett Dennen - 'Out of My Head'
17.) Birdy - 'Skinny Love'
18.) Aloe Blacc - 'Wake Me Up'
19.) Mary Lambert - 'Secrets'

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

Gaelic Storm w/ Jetta and Magic! at Fine Line, Minneapolis (17 March 2014) event re-cap

Show Poster Setlist Instrumental Raised on Black and Tans Drink the Night Away Girls of Dublin Town Tell Me Ma Tour Dates 03.17.2014 Mill City Nights - Minneapolis, MN 03.19.2014 Magic Bag Ferndale, MI 03.20.2014 Taft Theatre Ballroom Cincinnati, OH 03.21.2014 Davis & Elkins College Elkins, WV 03.22.2014 Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH 04.12.2014 Old Settler's Music Festival, TX 07.12.2014 Colorado Irish Festival Littleton, CO 07.25.2014 Dayton Celtic Festival Dayton, OH 07.26.2014 Dayton Celtic Festival Dayton, OH 07.27.2014 Dayton Celtic Festival Dayton, OH 08.01.2014 Iowa Irish Fest Waterloo, IA 08.02.2014 Iowa Irish Fest Waterloo, IA 08.03.2014 Iowa Irish Fest Waterloo, IA 08.07.2014 Big Top Chautauqua Bayfield, WI 08.29.2014 KC Irish Fest Kansas City, MO 08.30.2014 KC Irish Fest Kansas City, MO Read More Irish CBS Interactive recently featured Academy Award winning singer/songwriter Glen Hansard for their webcast concert series, "Live on Letterman." Hansard is currently promoting his Drive All Night EP …

“…so, this is morning?...this is what it feels like?!...let’s never do this again!”

Gaelic Storm’s Patrick Murphy joked, as he and band played a brief early set today at the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis. The Celtic band is in town for a proper show tonight at venue Mill City Nights, but was somehow coaxed into an early AM performance, along with Toronto reggae-pop band, Magic! and new UK songstress Jetta, for a St. Patrick’s Day radio promotion called “Keggs and Eggs” for local Modern Adult Contemporary Station Cities97.

Canadian four-piece Magic! opened with a brief set, featuring their single, “Rude”, from an upcoming debut album on Sony Music International. Singer Nasri Atweh is an established songwriter and producer (Pitbull, Chris Brown) and along with Mark Pelli, Alex Tanas and Ben Spivak brings plenty of rhythm to their songs, and is also featured on a track on Shakira’s upcoming album.

23 year-old Liverpool born, London-based Jetta then took to the stage for a brief 4-song set, including the radio single, “Feels Like Coming Home” from her debut EP, Start a Riot (Lava Music / Republic Records). After singing backup for Paloma Faith, the singer is ready to step out on her own, with a set of soulful songs that shows off her soaring range and guarantees we’ll be talking about her again soon, as bigger things are ahead.

Gaelic Storm

Celtic favorites Gaelic Storm then got the holiday started right with their stirring Irish songs that invite dancing, and yes, drinking. The Boathouse is the sixth album released on the band’s own label, Lost Again Records, and is thematically, a seafaring set of traditional based songs.

An instrumental started the 30 minute set on the right foot, with fiddle, tin whistle, and bagpipes getting the green-garbed crowd in the proper spirit. “Raised on Black and Tans” had Guinness pints in the air as newest member, fiddle player Kiana Weber, put bow to violin with a focused passion.

“How come you guys ain’t got work?”, Murphy teased to the early drinking crowd, “…I want your job!”. “Drink the Night Away” followed, and though the day was early, many responded to the rallying call.

Murphy then took a shamrock-colored Vikings hat from a fan that had flown in from Las Vegas to see them, and launched into “Girls of Dublin Town”, about ship The Shenandoah that traveled between Mobile in Ireland and Mobile Bay, Alabama.

Returning the green cap, Murphy gave the woman a tambourine as well, to play along on their final song, remarking, “I hope you’re good…!”. The stomper, “Tell Me Ma” which the band describes as a children’s song, ended with the crowd arm-in-arm, dancing about and clapping along.

With Gaelic Storm playing tonight at Mill City Nights, and Celtic Woman across the river in St. Paul, it’s a very lucky night indeed, for local Irish music lovers.

Gaelic Storm at Fine Line, Minneapolis (17 March 2014)

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Minneapolis Music Guide: March 16-March 22, 2014

The Stone Blindtango Read More Prince Step aside William and Harry, there’s a new Prince in town! His Purpleness, backed by band 3rdEyeGirl, has been popping up all over London in a series of surprise shows. …

Here is a guide of some Minneapolis (and St Paul) shows next week: March 16-March 22. Looks great this week, since bands are touring post-SXSW and stopping by Minneapolis on their way across the country... and seemingly only playing at the 7th Street Entry!

MARCH 16: 7TH STREET ENTRY
André Cymone w/ American Youth

Longtime collaborator and mentor to Prince, André Cymone is back with The Stone (February 18, 2014, via Blindtango). The album mark a rather long 27 year hiatus for this legendary singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist.

So far, only two dates are confirmed, but expect Cymone to return with a more national tour later this year.

03/16/14 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis
03/31/14 The Bowery Electric, New York

Opening up the Minneapolis show is four-piece American Youth. The band is described as "feel-good heartland indie-rock whilst mixing atmospheric soundscapes and folk," which sounds like typical mid-west heartland/Americana music (at least to me)... even though the band said that that they want to break that cliché mold.

Tour Poster Read More News: Augustines are currently touring North America Augustines are currently touring North America. The band played Los Angeles' Troubadour last night and are set …

MARCH 17: 7TH STREET ENTRY
Augustines w/ My Goodness

Augustines- “We Are”…no more?

The Brooklyn trio, now relocated to Seattle, has returned with their second effort, a confident self-titled album (Caroline/Oxcart Records) that also reclaims their original band name (resolving a trademark issue), and after rising from the ashes of previous band, Pela.

Billy McCarthy and Eric Sanderson along with UK drummer Rob Allen spin their own unique take on a no-frills indie-rock sound that is more developed and less bittersweet than their previous effort, and continues to tour with memorable and passionate live performances.

The Wall Street Journal describes their latest effort as “a stirring, soulful record, full of sweeping hooks on expansive songs that strike a balance between hopeful and melancholy."

Expect a couple Pela songs in concert, as well as maybe a Damien Jurado cover as well.

Tour dates:

14 Mar 2014 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop 15 Mar 2014 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall 17 Mar 2014 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry 18 Mar 2014 St Louis, MO Firebird 19 Mar 2014 Kansas City, MO Riot Room 21 Mar 2014 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge 10 Apr 2014 Leeds, West Yorkshire Cockpit 11 Apr 2014 Glasgow, Scotland Arches 12 Apr 2014 Gateshead, Newcastle The Sage 2 14 Apr 2014 London Koko 16 Apr 2014 Manchester Academy 2 17 Apr 2014 Bristol, Avon Trinity Center 23 Apr 2014 Zurich , Switzerland Bogen F 24 Apr 2014 Lausanne , Switzerland Les Docks

25 Apr 2014 Clap Your Hands Festival 27 Apr 2014 Melkweg Oude Zaal 28 Apr 2014 Hamburg Gruenspan 29 Apr 2014 Frankfurt Batschkapp 01 May 2014 Heidelberg Karlstorbahnhof 02 May 2014 Munich Hansa 39 03 May 2014 Berlin Heimathafen 05 May 2014 Bevrijdingsfestival 06 May 2014 Cologne Luxor 10 May 2014 Sheffield, S. Yorkshire Plug 11 May 2014 Nottingham, Notts Rescue Rooms 12 May 2014 Oxford O2 Academy 14 May 2014 Liverpool East Village Arts Club 15 May 2014 Edinburgh, Midlothian Liquid Room 16 May 2014 Birmingham Institute

The 1975 at Studio C @ Cities 97, Minneapolis (10/21/13)

Setlist Intro Sex (:20) Interview Pt. 1 (4:16) Haunt // Bed (7:40) Interview Pt. 2 (9:59) Chocolate (11:52) Interview Pt. 3 (15:20) Read More The 1975 Everybody loves ‘Chocolate’…the candy, as well as the current single from Manchester UK-based The 1975, whose debut album (on Dirty Hit/Polydor) debuted at #1 …

The 1975 stopped by Studio C at Cities 97 to promote their live appearance at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis tonight, October 21st.

Matthew Healy and Adam Hann, from the 1975, played three songs, set to acoustic guitar and keyboard. Between songs, they answers questions from Cities 97 DJ Nai-ma.

The most interesting song on their set, since they normally only prepare for two songs, was a "not really a song, but a song" song that was written for Matthew's younger brother. I could have sworn Matthew got choked up a little when he sang the lines, "someone who can watch over you", but it could also be he was coming down with a cold.

At the end, fans in the audience were invited to have their pictures taken with the band and were given a pre-autographed 8x10 print.

Look for the full session will be broadcast on Cities 97 and on their website, along with all the questions and answers.

UPDATE: You can listen to the full audio stream right now at Cities97.com. I have also updated the setlist to reflect the official listing from their website (which included the corrected song title for "non-song" for Matthew's brother).

The 1975 is on tour:

October 21 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
October 23 Marquis Theatre Denver, CO
October 24 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT
October 26 Neumos Seattle, WA
October 27 VENUE Vancouver, Canada
October 28 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR
October 30 Independent San Francisco, CA
October 31 Observatory Santa Ana, CA
November 1 Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, CA
November 2 Vinyl Las Vegas, NV
November 3 Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach, CA
November 4 Club Congress Tucson, AZ

The 1975 at Studio C, Minneapolis (10/21/13)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Tegan and Sara come a little closer: Heartthrobs Radio Appearances in Minneapolis

Tour Dates 03/15 Warehouse Live - Houston, TX 04/12 Coachella - Indio, CA 04/14 Rialto Theatre - Tucson, Arizona 04/19 Coachella - Indio, CA 04/25 Sydney Opera House - Sydney, Aus 04/27 Groovin' The Moo - Glen Oak, Aus 04/28 Groovin' The Moo - Canberra, Aus 04/30 Tivoli Theatre - Brisbane, Aus 05/02 Palais Theatre - Melbourne, Aus 05/04 Groovin' The Moo - Bendigo, Aus 05/05 Groovin' The Moo - Townsville, Aus 05/07 Thebarton Theatre - Adelaide SA, Aus 05/09 Metro City - Perth, Aus 05/11 Groovin' The Moo - Banbury, Aus 07/06 Donwview Park - Toronto, ON 07/09 Jacobs Pavilion - Cleveland, OH 07/13 CMAC - Rochester, NY 07/16 Meadow Brook - Detroit, MI 07/18 Stage AE - Pittsburgh, PA 07/19 The Mann Center - Philadelphia, PA 07/20 Merriweather Post - Columbia, MD 07/22 Hudson River Park - New York, NY 08/22 Red Rocks Amph - Denver, CO 08/23 Salt Air Outside - Salt Lake City, UT 08/27 L.Tahoe Harvey's - Lake Tahoe, NV 08/28 Idaho Botanical Garden - Boise, ID 08/29 Edgefield - Portland, OR 09/06 Greek Theatre - Berkeley, CA 09/10 Comerica Theatre - Phoenix, AZ 09/12 Gexa Energy Pavilion - Dallas, TX 09/16 Tuscaloosa Amph - Tuscaloosa, AL 09/18 Mizner Park Amph - Boca Raton, FL 09/19 UCF Arena - Orlando, FL 09/22 Woods at Fontanel - Whites Creek, TN 09/24 Family Circle Cup - Charleston, SC 09/25 Red Hat Amphitheater - Raleigh, NC 09/26 nTelos Wireless - Charlottesville, VA Read More Tegan and Sara Tegan and Sara was one of those bands that I had heard of for many years but never listened to until I saw them open up for Death Cab for Cutie at the Hollywood Bowl a few years ago.…

         Both before and after their recent sold-out First Avenue gig, Tegan and Sara graced the airwaves of two local Minneapolis radio stations, in support of their 7th full-length, Heartthrobs.

         Just before their evening performance, they treated a small and select audience (myself included) to an acoustic performance and some conversation at Cities97’s Studio C in St. Louis Park. At this session, they talked about memories of Minneapolis, and discovering Prince’s songwriting genius (via Cyndi Lauper’s re-make of ‘When You Were Mine’) and the Replacements' "Unsatisfied" (courtesy of one Ryan Adams). They also thought aloud about what kind of food truck they might envision owning, and the evolving of the more 'commercial' sound found on their newest album. After the session, the girls were nice enough to stay briefly for pictures and autographs.

New Kids on the Block was an even bigger influence

         The morning after their performance in First Avenue’s mainroom, they woke up early and made their way to the other side of the Mississippi River and landed in St. Paul, at the studios of 89.3 The Current. For this private session with the morning DJs, the Quin sisters went into more detail about choosing Greg Kurstin (aka half of The Bird and the Bee; and Pink, Lily Allen, Sia producer) to produce their latest album, and why Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block was an even bigger influence than first realized.

        Songs played at both appearances were "Back In Your Head,"(from The Con) and "I Was A Fool" & "Closer"(from Heartthrobs).

         Both sessions are currently available to stream (though the Studio C session may be for a limited time):

• Cities97 Studio C
• 89.3 The Current

Tegan and Sara at Cities97 Studio C, Minneapolis (03/05/13)

john ♥ teganandsara.com