W♥M

Anberlin with Copeland, The Dangerous Summer at Madrid Theatre, Kansas City MO (2025-03-24)

ANBERLIN SETLIST Never Take Friendship Personal Paperthin Hymn Stationary Stationery (The Symphony of) Blasé A Day Late The Runaways Time & Confusion The Feel Good Drag Audrey, Start the Revolution! A Heavy-Hearted Work of Staggering Genius Dance, Dance Christa Päffgen Encore: The Resistance High Stakes Impossible Godspeed COPELAND SETLIST Hold Nothing Back No One Really Wins Choose the One Who Loves You More Pin Your Wings Sleep Kite Don't Slow Down Love Is a Fast Song You Have My Attention You Love to Sing THE DANGEROUS SUMMER SETLIST Gravity F**k Them All No One's Gonna Need You More The Permanent Rain Coming Home Where I Want to Be Way Down ANBERLIN TOUR DATES Mar. 27 Chicago, IL House of Blues Mar. 28 St. Louis, MO Delmar Hall Mar. 29 Milwaukee, WI The Rave / Eagles Club Mar. 30 Detroit, MI The Majestic Theatre Mar. 31 Columbus, OH The Athenaeum Theatre Apr. 2 Charlotte, NC Neighborhood Theatre Apr. 3 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade Apr. 4 St Petersburg, FL Jannus Live Apr. 5 Fort Lauderdale, FL Revolution Live Apr. 6 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues Jun. 4 Porto Alegre, Brazil Araújo Vianna Auditorium Jun. 6 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Fundição Progresso Jun. 7 São Paulo, Brazil Audio Jun. 8 São Paulo, Brazil Audio Jun. 20 Kansas City, KS Not Just A "Phase" Fest Oct. 4 Princeton, AL Furnace Fest 2025 Jan. 22 Downtown Miami, FL E.N.D. Cruise Miami Read More Anberlin From my balcony seat, Anberlin's set was lit incredibly dark, mostly in dark reds and blues. Photographing them was difficult due to lighting, and singer Stephen Christian …

Two retro celebrations and a new beginning--

Two Florida alt-rock groups known best for their output during the early 00’s, Anberlin (from Winter Haven FL) and Copeland (from nearby Lakeland FL) have taken to the road together to collectively turn the wayback machine to 2005 to celebrate twenty years of their respective landmark albums, and the tour made a stop in midtown Kansas City at the Madrid Theatre.

Anberlin celebrates two decades of their breakthrough album, “Never Take Friendship Personal”, while Copeland celebrates their own 2005 release, “In Motion”, but for one of the bands, it marks a new beginning as well. Anberlin formed back in 2002, but it’s been just since late 2023 when vocalist Stephen Christian announced he was on indefinite hiatus from touring, and Memphis May Fire vocalist Matty Mullins would be stepping into the role.

 

But to get things started on this three-band bill, Maryland band The Dangerous Summer would kick things off, (taking over from the previously announced Madina Lake). Their newest full-length is 2024’s “Gravity” (via the Italian label Rude Records) and the band is on this short run before heading to the UK in July for shows.

The band’s punk-pop set was short but fiery, with vocalist AJ Perdomo saying how appreciative they were to be on the bill and to have made friends with the other band members. The band’s had its drama and breakups over the years (who wouldn’t, being initially signed when they were high school seniors) but there’s seems to be a renewed focus, and the newer music has been received well.

 

Next up was Copeland, who’s middle slot left exactly enough time to play the ten tracks on their second full-length, “In Motion” from 2005. The band’s sound is more atmospheric and layered than straight-ahead, and singer Aaron Marsh shifted between guitar and piano effortlessly. Marsh mentioned the MySpace era the album dates from, and the friendship between both bands, that began when everyone was teenagers.

The emo power pop band has had its share of some drama as well, breaking up after a farewell tour in 2008, only to reform just over five years later. 2019’s “Blushing” is their latest studio full-length, their sixth overall and second since reuniting, but they also released the compilation, “Revolving Doors” in 2022 as well.

 

The musical mood changed after a set shift as an energized and intense Anberlin took to an initially darkened stage to close out the evening, beginning their headlining set with 2005’s “Never Take Friendship Personal” played in its entirety.

The band has a devoted fan base and seeing the familiar faces of guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, and drummer Nathan Young was counterbalanced by hearing the 2005 songs sung by Mullins, who managed to pull off walking that fine line of honoring the nostalgic past of the band, while loudly also guiding them into their new (and harder-sounding) future.

The band released “Nevertake” a few weeks ago, a studio re-recording with Mullins on vocals, that revisits the “Never Take Friendship Personal” album, so fans had a general idea of how the songs now sound, before the actual show. This follows up their “Vega” release, which compiled two earlier EPs with two songs that featured Mullins’ vocals.

Following the main set, a four-song encore ensued, and the night would end fittingly with 2007’s “Godspeed” and Mullins emoting Christian’s lyric from the song, “Godspeed to all you're after, is this a life left just to remember?”

A mix of a look to the past, and a glimpse into their still unfolding futures, Anberlin and Copeland proved to be as worthy and comfortable a musical combination as can be, for two FL bands that have known each other for decades.

And Anberlin fans get another chance to see the band live in June, as they’ve been announced as on the lineup of this year’s installment of the (Not Just a) Phase Fest on June 20^th at Legends Field.

All Photos below by JASON DOMINGUES

 

(click on any image to enlarge and see in full)

ANBERLIN at Madrid Theatre, Kansas City MO (2024-3-24)

ANBERLIN at Madrid Theatre, Kansas City MO (2024-3-24)

ANBERLIN at Madrid Theatre, Kansas City MO (2024-3-24)

COPELAND at Madrid Theatre, Kansas City MO (2024-3-24)

     COPELAND at Madrid Theatre, Kansas City MO (2024-3-24)

THE DANGEROUS SUMMER at Madrid Theatre, Kansas City MO (2024-3-24)

John C ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥X / twitter.com ♥ bsky.ap

Flashback: Paper Route at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (11 April 2009)

Read More Paper Route The last time we saw Paper Route, they opened for Copeland in 2009 at a really crowded all-ages show, and said “Paper Route are also from Nashville, Tennessee ... Copeland Florida's Copeland started off their set badly... Singer Aaron Marsh started singing the first song again on their second song. He realized this right away and pulled the song to a halt and made it an ...

This was a co-headlining show of Paper Route and Copeland (he closed out the show) at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on April 11, 2009.

>>>
Paper Route played with Copeland, This Providence, and Brooke Waggoner at Minneapolis' Varsity Theater last night. This is an all-ages show, which means it started early. Wow, like 5 o'clock early.

The turnout was really good, mostly underage kids.... so the three bartenders were really lonely. The young photographers were out in droves as well... capturing every movement made by Copeland. Seriously photographers, take it easy.

Anyway, of course I got there late, caught a bit of Nashville's Brooke Waggoner on stage with her women band of strings and cellos. Most of the songs toward the end was mostly Waggoner and her keyboard... I did end up downloading her free 2007 EP called Fresh Pair of Eyes if you sign up for her mailing list.

Seattle's This Providence (formerly known as Sunday Best) did their high energy rock set, I had a feeling I would like them when lead singer Dan Young did Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger" song during their brief soundcheck. They did a lot of songs from their new 2009 album Who Are You Now?, such as: "Sure as Hell", "Letdown", "That Girl's a Trick", "Keeping on Without You".

Florida's Copeland started off their set badly (sorry I'm not familiar with the band enough to tell you what song they started, but it was two keyboard-driven songs). Singer Aaron Marsh started singing the first song again on their second song. He realized this right away and pulled the song to a halt and made it an inside joke about time travel and ABC's "Lost" or something. I think he was really embarrassed about it and claimed that he was "really drunk". (I think he was kidding though).

Like Waggoner, Paper Route are also from Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of dueling vocals between J.T. Daly (keyboards) and Andy Smith (guitars). Although this sounds cool, it was kind of hard to hear their vocals for this show - perhaps it was the overpowering guitars and drumming or something.

Although I'm complaining, listening to their latest EP Are We All Forgotten (you can hear the entire EP on their official website), they are sort of going for that distorted vocals-kind of thing.

Already hailed by Filter, Daytrotter, and Paste, as a band to watch out for, they certainly must be excited to launch their second album Absence on April 28^th.

I ran into Greg (I've been running into a lot of local bloggers lately - it's weird because I never recognize anyone), who seems very excited about Absence and complains that no one is talking about the album. Well if you pre-order now you get one downloadable song, "Carousel" and a 7-minute documentary tomorrow (April 13^th). Plus buttons.

Paper Route at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (11 April 2009)

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

Eisley at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (12 Mar 2017)

Eisley Setlist Louder Than A Lion Smarter Sad Millstone Memories Drink the Water I Could Be There For You Shelter Song For The Birds Many Funerals You Are Mine Lost at Sea Defeatist I Wasn't Prepared The Night Comes Invasion If You're Wondering Ambulance Tour Dates 03/15-03/18/17 SXSW 03/20/17 Denver, CO Lost Lake Lounge 03/22/17 Portland, OR Star Theater 03/23/17 Seattle, WA Chop Suey 03/25/17 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill 03/27/17 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour 03/28/17 San Diego, CA House Of Blues 03/29/17 Anaheim, CA The Parish 03/30/17 Phoenix, AZ Valley Bar Read More Eisley We wrote about Eisley in 2007 (10 years ago): “...when I first heard a clip of "Sea King", I was hooked. I immediately stopped what I was doing and turned my attention to the tube and ... The Hotelier The Hotelier will be stopping by The Garage in Burnsville next Thursday, in support of their third studio album Goodness ...

Eisley made a stop at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on snowy Sunday, March 12th to promote their latest record I'm Only Dreaming (Equal Vision Records).

Kicking off the show was four-piece Backwards Dancer (Zack Shaw, Ryan Kelleher, Andy Underwood, and Sam Creager), playing songs like ‘I Wish I Could Have’ from their self-titled LP (Equal Vision Records / Rory Records).

After the intro song ‘Airy’, singer Zack Shaw (formerly of The Hotelier) said that they were stuck in traffic (no thanks to the snow) and ended up being late to their show. Shaw jokingly added, “so unprofessional!”, which got a laugh from the audience.

They actually sounded really good, playing loud hard rock/emo songs, despite repeatedly asking the sound guy to put the bass in their monitor.

Next was Nashville’s Civilian (not to be confused with the Japanese or UK band). Normally a duo of singer Ryan Alexander and bassist Dan Diaz, but for their live shows, they’ve added an extra guitarist and live drummer.

From my understanding, the Tooth & Nail band, having only formed in 2011, had never been to Minneapolis. However, singer Ryan Alexander said he had always wanted to come to the city, because about seven or eight years ago, he had first discovered local collective Doomtree (P.O.S and Sims, etc), and that tight-knit hip-hop scene really inspired him. He ended his speech, by jokingly saying he was solely responsible for the success of Doomtree.

Prior to playing their song ‘James Kent’, which is about the years that Alexander lived with seven homeless people, Alexander had a lot to say about how he felt he was a stranger in the city... but the idea that live music brought everyone in the room was celebrating music together. He said that no other event, such as a movie, had the same effect.

Tyler, Texas’ Eisley closed out the night. Currently, the real-life family band featuring the DuPree family: Sherri, Garron, Remington, plus their friend Elle Puckett (from sister duo Poema). The current lineup is a result of original core members Stacy and Chauntelle leaving the band and Weston decided the touring life was just not for him.

The last time we saw the band, it was in November 2015 and they were one of the support bands for Copeland. Since then, the band released I'm Only Dreaming on Equal Vision Records, and as expected, previewed some of those songs live: ‘Louder Than a Lion’, ‘A Song for the Birds’, ‘You Are Mine’, and ‘Defeatist’.

Sherri DuPree-Bemis (the hyphenated name is in reference to her husband Max Bemis frontman of Say Anything), after setting down her Rickenbacker guitar smiled and reflect on the fact that this was her first big purchase after they got signed. Ever since then, she’s had it and had many wonderful memories writing and playing songs on that old reliable guitar.

The band brought with their own lights, which is rarely seen at the small 7th Street Entry. With the setup, the soundboard person was able to set special customized light sequences and colors to their songs, making for a great visual experience. Plus, as a bonus, the bubble machine was used to good effect for their intro song ‘Louder Than A Lion’.

Sherri made sure that she was very thankful that fans showed up for the show, especially because we were hit with a snowstorm throughout that night. She confessed that, if she wasn’t working, that she probably would’ve have just stayed indoors.... telling us that she had her toddlers out in the snow for a minute and immediately made them go inside, where it’s warm. There’s probably a reason why they live in Texas.

Eisley is currently on tour. They are in Austin this week to play some shows at SXSW. I'm Only Dreaming is out now.

Backwards Dancer

Civilian

Eisley Selist

Eisley

Eisley

Eisley at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (12 Mar 2017)

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

Copeland, w/ Eisley and We Are The City at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (17 November 2015)

Copeland Setlist Have I Always Loved You? Disjointed I Can Make You Feel Young Again Erase Should You Return The Grey Man Chin Up Coffee Brightest When You Thought You'd Never Stand Out Sleep Chiromancer Eat, Sleep, Repeat The Day I Lost My Voice Hold Nothing Back When Paula Sparks You Have My Attention -- Encore -- Love Affair Aaron Marsh solo In Her Arms You Will Never Starve Eisley Setlist Currents Marvelous Things Invasion Blue Fish Drink The Water Smarter I Wasn't Prepared Mr. Moon Brightly Wound Shelter Read More Copeland Florida's Copeland started off their set badly... Singer Aaron Marsh started singing the first song again on their second song. He realized this right away and pulled the song to a halt and made it an ... Eisley The song is called. I first heard this song ["Sea King" by Eisley] on MTV's You Hear It First a couple of years ago.... when I first heard a clip of "Sea King", I was hooked. I immediately stopped ...

Copeland made a stop at the Varsity Theater on Tuesday night in support of their new album Ixora released on Tooth & Nail Records.

The last time I saw Copeland was about ten years back at the House of Bricks in my hometown of Des Moines, IA. These guys announced a final tour in 2008 and that was it... until they released Ixora in October of last year. Then boom, they were back at it touring consistently and playing to crowds bigger than they did back in the early 2000's.

Copeland's sound is relaxing and soothing. Aaron Marsh, vocalist, has a voice that just puts your heart at ease. Add the powerful piano lines, a string trio, and expressive drums, guitar, and bass, and you have an amazing live show.

Although the string trio was hidden towards the back corner of the stage, they seemed to really add something to the music. It added the depth and emotion that you got from Copeland's earlier releases. That's something I never got from their live shows years ago. Not that those were bad shows, but last night they were really able to express the emotion that their songs emit and the crowd was feeling.

Copeland played a great mix of new songs and songs that dated back to their debut release Beneath Medicine Tree which came out in 2003 on The Militia Group. It didn't matter what song these guys played, new or old, the crowd sang along to every word.

We Are The City

We Are The City was the opening band of the night. WATC are a trio from Vancouver, Canada who recently released their third full length album. This was their first U.S. tour and they are definitely turning heads on it.

WATC have a unique sound that seemed to catch the crowd off guard but kept them captivated. The sound is part pop, part weird prog rock, part indie, all talent. At some points during their songs, you really have no clue what's going to happen. It sounds like a train wreck but the most beautiful train wreck you have ever heard and then, right when you're ready for a massive explosion, they bring it back together and it sounds like a normal indie-pop song again.

Their newest album Above Club was released on Tooth & Nail Records on Friday, November 20th and was available for a "pay what you want" fee at the show.

Also opening the show was Eisley, an indie rock band from Texas consisting of four siblings and their cousin. Singer/ rhythm guitarist Sherri DuPree-Bemis is the wife of Max Bemis, frontman for the iconic pop-punk band Say Anything. Eisley has been releasing music and touring since 2005. In 2013, they released their newest album Currents on Equal Vision Records.

Remaining tour dates:

11/20/15 Billings, MT The Pub Station
11/21/15 Missoula, MT Stage 112
11/22/15 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
11/24/15 San Francisco, CA Great American
11/25/15 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
11/27/15 San Diego, CA The Irenic
11/28/15 Pomona, CA The Glass House
11/29/15 Tucson, AZ Club XS
12/01/15 Dallas, TX Trees
12/02/15 Austin, TX The Mohawk
12/03/15 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
12/04/15 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues
12/05/15 Atlanta, GA The Loft
12/06/15 Orlando, FL The Social

Copeland at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (17 November 2015)

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

Minneapolis: November 16 to November 18, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from November 16 to November 18, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Marianas Trench The pop band Marianas Trench will be in the USA for their "The Legends Continues tour" kicking off in Minneapolis' Varsity Theater on June 26th, with special fellow Cherrytree artist Ivy Levan set to open on all dates. ... Secret Someones New York based melodic alt-rockers Secret Someones will also open the show, please note opening time (7:30pm). They were previously in Minneapolis in September at the Triple Rock ...

MARIANAS TRENCH
at Varsity Theater
Monday, 11/16/2015, 6pm ($25)
varsitytheater.org

Multi-Platinum selling Canadian pop-rockers Marianas Trench is currently on the second leg of their "Hey You Guys!! Tour". The tour is in support of their latest Astoria, available now on Cherrytree / 604 Records / Interscope.

The Vancouver-based quartet's front man Josh Ramsay describes Astoria as a loose concept record based around the band's love of 1980s fantasy and adventure films (obviously their tour poster is a nod to 1985's The Goonies).

Opening up the show will be the mostly-girl band Secret Someones, in support their self-titled album (Cherrytree Records).

Tour dates:

11/11/15 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
11/13/15 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
11/14/15 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
11/16/15 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
11/17/15 Green Bay, WI Meyer Theatre
11/18/15 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
11/20/15 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
11/21/15 Rochester, NY Water Street Music Hall
11/22/15 Bethlehem, PA Musikfest Café
11/24/15 Lancaster, PA Chameleon Club
11/25/15 Montclair, NJ Wllmont Theatre
11/27/15 Clifton Park, NY Upstate Concert Hall
11/28/15 Niagara Falls, NY Rapids Theatre
01/13/16 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades
01/15/16 Los Angeles, CA The Troubadour
01/16/16 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
01/17/16 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theater
01/19/16 Dallas, TX House of Blues
01/20/16 Houston, TX House of Blues
01/22/16 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
01/23/16 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues
01/24/16 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution
01/26/16 Charleston, SC Music Farm
01/27/16 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore
01/29/16 Huntington, NY The Paramount
01/30/16 Portland, ME Asylum
01/31/16 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
02/02/16 Boston, MA House of Blues
02/04/16 Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore
02/05/16 Philadelphia, PA Theater of Living Arts
02/06/16 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small's Theatre
02/08/16 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
02/09/16 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
02/10/16 Chicago, IL House of Blues
02/12/16 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
02/13/16 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe
02/14/16 Grand Rapid, MI Orbit Room

Read More Copeland Florida's Copeland started off their set badly... Singer Aaron Marsh started singing the first song again on their second song. He realized this right away and pulled the song to a halt and made it an ... Eisley The song is called. I first heard this song ["Sea King" by Eisley] on MTV's You Hear It First a couple of years ago.... when I first heard a clip of "Sea King", I was hooked. I immediately stopped ...

COPELAND
at Varsity Theater
Tuesday, 11/17/2015, 7pm ($20)
varsitytheater.org

Copeland is headlining the Varsity Theater this coming Tuesday, November 17th. The band must really love the Varsity, as their last MN appearance was in March 2010 and again in April 2009 (prior to that date, they played the defunct Station 4 on Halloween, 31 October 2008). Copeland's latest album Ixora is available now on Tooth & Nail Records.

Opening will be fellow labelmates Eisley and We Are the City. The former Jason said was his first music love: "The song is called. I first heard this song ["Sea King" by Eisley] on MTV's You Hear It First a couple of years ago.... when I first heard a clip of "Sea King", I was hooked. I immediately stopped what I was doing and turned my attention to the tube and watched the segment on Eisley. I loved the fantasy, other-world sound of it and reminds me of fantasy books."

We Are the City is a little bit of everything wrapped into one great, catchy band. They are part pop, part prog, part technical and all around amazing. Some of their music has been compared to the early recordings of Coldplay with the piano-drive anthemic rock music. Their sophomore album, Violent, was the score to the film with the same name. They music has texture, positive lyrics and toe-tapping rhythms.

Tour dates:

11/12/15 Cambridge, MA The Sinclair
11/13/15 Pittsburgh, PA The Altar Bar
11/14/15 Pontiac, MI The Crofoot
11/15/15 Chicago, IL Metro / Smart Bar
11/17/15 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
11/18/15 Des Moines, IA Wooly's
11/20/15 Billings, MT The Pub Station
11/21/15 Missoula, MT Stage 112
11/22/15 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
11/24/15 San Francisco, CA Great American
11/25/15 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
11/27/15 San Diego, CA The Irenic
11/28/15 Pomona, CA The Glass House
11/29/15 Tucson, AZ Club XS
12/01/15 Dallas, TX Trees
12/02/15 Austin, TX The Mohawk
12/03/15 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
12/04/15 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues
12/05/15 Atlanta, GA The Loft
12/06/15 Orlando, FL The Social

Read More Molly Maher For the first night, they were supported by The Devil Makes Three and Molly Maher. For the second night, which I attended, Maher was displaced by A Night in a Box. ...

BOTTLE ROCKETS
at Turf Club
Wednesday, 11/18/2015, 7pm ($15)
turfclub.net

In support of their new album South Broadway Athletic Club (Bloodshot Records), St. Louis based Bottle Rockets (not to be confused with Wes Anderson's film Bottle Rockets) will be stopping by the Turf Club in St Paul next Wednesday, November 18th.

NPR Music recently announced the album and they wrote, "Since the mid-1990s, Bottle Rockets bard Brian Henneman and his shifting ensemble of compadres (drummer Mark Ortmann is a constant) have been crafting heartland epics within a rock 'n' roll framework, that spill beer and stir the heart on impact."

Guests Molly Maher and Erik Koskinen to open.

Tour dates:

11/12/15 Kansas City, MO Knuckleheads
11/13/15 Springfield, MO Patton Alley Pub
11/18/15 Saint Paul, MN Turf Club
11/19/15 Neenah, WI Cranky Pat's
11/20/15 Milwaukee, WI Shank Hall
11/21/15 Chicago, IL The Hideout
11/28/15 St. Louis, MO Off Broadway Nightclub
02/06/16 Shore Leave Showdown Southern-Outlaw

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

Paper Route, Brooke Waggoner, This Providence, and Copeland at the Varsity, Minneapolis (4/11/09)

Paper Route - American Clouds Paper Route Tour Dates 04/13/09 The Canopy Club -- with Copeland Urbana, Illinois 04/14/09 Chubby Rain - House of Tunes -- with Copeland Poplar Grove, Illinois 04/15/09 The Basement -- with Copeland Columbus, Ohio 04/16/09 Opera House -- with Copeland Toronto, Ontario 04/17/09 Purchase College - Visual Arts Field -- with The Cool Kids and more Purchase, New York 04/18/09 Mr. Smalls -- with Copeland Millvale, Pennsylvania 04/20/09 Southpaw -- with Copeland Brooklyn, New York 04/21/09 Crocodile Rock -- with Copeland Allentown, Pennsylvania 04/22/09 The Crazy Donkey -- with Copeland Farmingdale, New York 04/24/09 The Rock and Roll Hotel -- with Copeland Washington DC, Washington DC 04/25/09 The Brewery -- with Copeland Raleigh, North Carolina 04/26/09 The Jewish Mother -- with Copeland Virginia Beach, Virginia 04/28/09 Greene Street -- with Copeland Greensboro, NC 04/29/09 Free Bird Cafe -- with Copeland Jacksonville, Florida 05/02/09 Exit/In -- CD release Nashville, Tennessee

Paper Route played with Copeland, This Providence, and Brooke Waggoner at Minneapolis' Varsity Theater last night. This is an all-ages show, which means it started early. Wow, like 5 o'clock early.

The turnout was really good, mostly underage kids.... so the three bartenders were really lonely. The young photographers were out in droves as well... capturing every movement made by Copeland. Seriously photographers, take it easy.

Brooke Waggoner - I Am Mine

Anyway, of course I got there late, caught a bit of Nashville's Brooke Waggoner (official/myspace) on stage with her women band of strings and cellos. Most of the songs toward the end was mostly Waggoner and her keyboard... I did end up downloading her free 2007 EP called Fresh Pair of Eyes if you sign up for her mailing list.

Seattle's This Providence (official/myspace) (formerly known as Sunday Best) did their high energy rock set, I had a feeling I would like them when lead singer Dan Young did Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger" song during their brief soundcheck. They did a lot of songs from their new 2009 album Who Are You Now?, such as: "Sure as Hell", "Letdown", "That Girl's a Trick", "Keeping on Without You".

Florida's Copeland (official/myspace) started off their set badly (sorry I'm not familiar with the band enough to tell you what song they started, but it was two keyboard-driven songs). Singer Aaron Marsh started singing the first song again on their second song. He realized this right away and pulled the song to a halt and made it an inside joke about time travel and ABC's "Lost" or something. I think he was really embarrassed about it and claimed that he was "really drunk". (I think he was kidding though).

Paper Route at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (04/11/09)

Like Waggoner, Paper Route are also from Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of dueling vocals between J.T. Daly (keyboards) and Andy Smith (guitars). Although this sounds cool, it was kind of hard to hear their vocals for this show - perhaps it was the overpowering guitars and drumming or something.

Although I'm complaining, listening to their latest EP Are We All Forgotten (you can hear the entire EP on their official website ), they are sort of going for that distorted vocals-kind of thing.

Already hailed by Filter, Daytrotter, and Paste, as a band to watch out for, they certainly must be excited to launch their second album Absence on April 28^th. I ran into Greg (I've been running into a lot of local bloggers lately - it's weird because I never recognize anyone), who seems very excited about Absence and complains that no one is talking about the album. Well if you pre-order now you get one downloadable song, "Carousel" and a 7-minute documentary tomorrow (April 13^th). Plus buttons.

 04/12/2009 01:14:28 ♥ vu () ♥ paperrouteonline.com ♥ myspace.com/paperroute