W♥M

Rocktober in KC - Kansas City / Lawrence / Topeka - October 1-16, 2021

10/01: Avett Brothers at Azura   10/07: St Vincent at Grinders KC   10/07: Buddy Guy at Knuckleheads   10/08: Nation of Language at recordBar   Read More Nation of Language Brooklyn-based synth trio Nation of Language (singer/guitarist Ian Devaney, keyboardist Aidan Noell and bassist Michael Sue-Poi) recently released their single and video for “This Fractured Mind.” The single is from the ...

Read more Rocktober and Kansas City Music Guide.

Rocktober is upon us! 

What is usually the busiest time of the year for live shows, still is so, despite the continuing health restrictions and general lack of foreign acts coming over. 

It actually started getting busy in early September as more things open, and expect a wealth of choices through mid-November. 

Please continue to check venue sites and socials for their latest, as a few shows have canceled and many have moved locations– St. Vincent preferred an outdoor show, and the Granada Theater in Lawrence has had continuing maintenance and supply delays. 

Here’s what’s happening in the area for the first half of October

(a few recommended shows are highlighted below):

Friday October 1

The Avett Brothers, Azura Amphitheater. $44.50-$69.50

Slaughter with La Guns, Ameristar. $27-$140

Chase Atlantic, Moved to Liberty Hall Lawrence, $22.50/$25.

Sunday October 3

Machine Gun Kelly w JXDN and carolesdaughter, Azura Amphitheater. $68-$237

Casting Crowns w Matthew West, Stormont-Vail Event Center- Topeka $17-$97.

Tuesday October 5

Toadies w. Reverend Horton Heat, Frankie & The Witch Fingers,  Knuckleheads. $25-$30

Deep Sea Diver, RecordBar. $15

Badflower with Dead Poet Society and Teenage Wrist, Moved to The Bottleneck. $22

Rival Sons w/Reignwolf, Jameson Burt, The Truman. $29.50-$60

Ben Folds with Kansas City Symphony, Oct. 5-6, Kauffman Center. $50-$150

Wednesday October 6
Pitbull with Iggy Azalea, Starlight. $39.95-$149.95

Thursday October 7

City Morgue, Granada Theater- Lawrence. $20

Marc Rebillet, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $23-$33

Michael W. Smith, Folly. $25-$75

St. Vincent,  Moved to Grinders KC. $35-$75

We probably first saw aka Annie Clark when she was a member of Polyphonic Spree but things have dramatically evolved in the years since as she has skirted the art-pop fringe, and constantly re-invented herself in Bowie-like fashion.  The latest release is Daddy’s Home (on Loma Vista) which has a 70’s NYC vibe and was co-produced by Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff. 

Clark’s latest band includes the likes of Jason (Jellyfish, Beck, etc) Falkner so the music is in very good hands (note the venue change).

Buddy Guy, Knuckleheads, $62.50

The 85-year young guitar legend.  Nothing else can be said, and despite the hefty door charge, is always worth seeing play his trademark polka-dot guitar and you’re damn right he’s still got the blues. 

Friday October 8

He$H with Bommer and Zia, Granada. $15-$25

Jason Aldean with Hardy and Lainey Wilson, T-Mobile Center. $50-$325

Jelly Roll,  Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $25-$30

Nikki Glaser, Uptown. $39.75

Nation of Language, recordBar, $12.

10/09: Japanese Breakfast at Liberty Hall   10/13: Gojira at Midland KC   10/14: Madison Cunningham at Bottleneck   10/15: Steel Panther at Truman   10/16: Alice Cooper at Stormount   10/16: Andrea Bocelli at T-Mobile   Read More Japanese Breakfast Korean musician Japanese Breakfast (stagename for Michelle Zauner) headlined the mainroom at First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on September 19th, 2021, as part of her tour for Jubilee ...

Saturday October 9

Japanese Breakfast with Luna Li, Moved to Liberty Hall. $25

We remain longtime fans of aka Michelle Zauner, having previously seen her open for : Mitski at 7th Street in July 2016, Porches at 7th Street in Sep 2016, Slowdive at Palace Theatre in May 2017 and then finally headlining at Triple Rock in Oct 2017.  Vu just caught the band in Minneapolis here and the tour continues in support of the aptly-named new album, Jubilee (on Dead Oceans). Despite the pandemic, Zauner is probably having the most successful year to date with a best-selling book out as well. (Note the venue change)

Karrin Allyson, Folly. $20-$55

Marc Anthony,  T-Mobile Center. $64-$184

Primus with Black Mountain, GrindersKC. $37.50-$97

Sunday October 10

Beach Fossils and Wild Nothing with Hannah Jadagu, Granada. $25

Michigander w/ Kat King, RecordBar. $13
Carbon Leaf, Uptown Theater. $20

Monday October 11
Local H w Radkey, Record Bar  $15

Tuesday October 12

Rod Wave, Uptown.(Sold Out)

Erykah Badu,  Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $39.50-$170

Wednesday October 13

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness w/Zac Clark, The Truman. $35-$70

Gojira w/ Knocked Loose , Alien Weaponry, Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland. $25-$50.

The French heavy metallers returnwith new album Fortitude (on Roadrunner Records) and became its best-selling album in the US on its first week and Louder Sound declaring it their best album.  Make sure to show up early for Knocked Loose, a Kentucky hardcore punk band whose latest, 2019’s A Different Shade of Blue (on Pure Noise) was a Top5 of the year choice for Revolver Magazine. 

Flipturn, Riot Room. $15
Tim O’Brien with Jan Fabricius, 1900 Building. $15-$25.

Thursday October 14

Madison Cunningham w/ S.G. Goodman, Bottleneck Lawrence, $18-$20.

The California singer/songwriter has a new EP, Wednesday (on Verve Forecast) in which she covers Tom Waits, Radiohead, John Mayer and The Beatles, and we caught her early on, opening in 2018. The folk-pop artist has a new single, “Broken Harvest” and deserves a listen.

The Front Bottoms, Granada Lawrence. $28

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Prairie Band Casino Mayetta, $30.

Friday October 15
Steel Panther, The Truman, $27.50-$55.

Hair metal will never die, an always entertaining foray into the glory days of the 80’s Sunset Strip era. Although longtime bassist Lexxi Foxx to form a new band, seasoned vocalist Michael Starr and guitarist Satchel, have been in the band more than twenty years.  Latest album from 2019 was called (what else but) Heavy Metal Rules.

Vicki Lawrence and Mama, Ameristar. $40-$145

Legends of Hip Hop feat. Juvenile, Mystikal, Scarface, 8Ball&MJG, Bun B, DJ Quik, Municipal Auditorium

David Ramirez, Matt Costa, Riot Room.

Saturday October 16

Alice Cooper w Ace Frehley, Stormont-Vail Event Center- Topeka, $25-90.

The legendary master of shock rock returns, along with the guitarist known for “Shock Me”.  Alice Cooper released Detroit Stories (on earMusic) earlier this year, named for the city that launched his band’s initial success and was recorded with Motor City musicians to bring a new freshness to a classic sound. We were lucky to see opener Ace Frehley when he played with Gene Simmons for the first time in sixteen years and expect a healthy number of Kiss songs as well as solo favorites. 

Andrea Bocelli, T-Mobile Center. $80-$1,500

One of the musical highlights of the pandemic was the Italian tenor performing on Easter Sunday, in an empty Milan cathedral. His latest album is last year’s Believe (on Sugar Music/Decca) which includes his version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” but hearing his angelic voice live won’t come cheap, with tickets topping in four-figures. 

Pokey LaFarge, Knuckleheads. $29.50

Preacher Lawson, Oct. 16, Ameristar. $20-$35

Liily, Riot Room.  

Alina Baraz, Oct. 16, Uptown - Cancelled

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

We♥Kansas City! - WeHeartMusic coverage extending to Kansas City area

Post Malone at Sprint Center Queensryche 2020 Tour Lyle Lovett at Uptown Theater Joseph at Madrid King Princess at Truman Read More Post Malone The Paradox, along with Pretty Lights (Live), Gucci Mane, Post Malone, and Ganja White Night. "We have produced the largest EDM NYE event in Minnesota since 2010," says producer Alex Heiligman, … Queensrÿche Queensrÿche is touring in support of their album The Verdict (Century Media Records). The record is available in a variety of limited and exclusive editions, including clear, red transparent, petrol green, red smoke vinyl, etc. … Lyle Lovett Lyle Lovett is still definitely large. The Texas-based singer, composer and actor has released 14 albums to date and has appeared in even more TV series and movies than that. … Joseph Portland's Joseph are three sisters, Natalie, Allison, and Meegan. They harmonize as only very close family members can achieve. Songs on their set included tracks from Native Dreamer Kin, which came out early in March 2014. … King Princess One of the hottest music acts today, King Princess, is stopping by First Avenue on Thursday, January 17th. The show is sold out. It all started with her breakout smash hit song “1950” and now with the new track “Pussy Is God” (on Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records) …

With the advent of a new year and new decade and the Kansas City Chiefs on the cusp of a first Super Bowl appearance in fifty years, WeHeartMusic is pleased to announce our event coverage is extending several hours south of our Minneapolis HQ, to now include Kansas City (Kansas and Missouri), nearby Bonner Springs, Lawrence, KS, and even the occasional show in Topeka, KS!

Look for the Kansas City Bureau Office to keep you in the loop on concerts and pop culture happenings in the area, alongside everything else you loyal readers have tuned into, since we began our invasion of the interwebs way back in 2007.

We already began our KC area coverage with an entertaining and intimate show from Ultravox singer, Midge Ure and are looking forward to much more to come!

Here’s what’s happening in the area for the first half of February (a few recommended shows are highlighted):

 Sat 02/01/2020

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band/ Squirrel Nut Zippers at Kauffman Center

The Phantastics at The Riot Room

YBN Cordae at Granada Theater

Trippie Redd at The Midland

Sun 02/02/2020

Mortiis at The Riot Room

Tue 02/04/2020

Struggle Jennings at The Riot Room

Wed 02/05/2020

POST MALONE

+ Swae Lee, Tyla Yaweh

Sprint Center- KC (8pm, $53.50-$503.50)

Thu 02/06/2020

Miranda Lambert at Sprint Center

Joe Nichols at Prairie Band Casino & Resort

Fri 02/07/2020

Lorrie Morgan + Mark Wills at Ameristar Kansas City

Jill Scott At The Midland

Nascar Aloe at Granada Theater

Dylan LeBlanc at The Riot Room

Sat 02/08/2020

Lyle Lovett at Uptown Theater

Miniature Tigers at The Riot Room

Illiterate Light at recordBar

QUEENSRYCHE

+ John 5 and Eve to Adam

Knckleheads Saloon– KC (Doors: 7:30pm, $35.00 - $60.00)

LYLE LOVETT acoustic

Uptown Theater- KC (7pm, $45-207)

Sun 02/09/2020

Dr. Dog at The Truman

Mon 02/10/2020

Riff Raff at The Riot Room

Tue 02/11/2020

Trixie Mattel at The Truman

JOSEPH

+ Deep Sea Diver

Madrid Theatre- KC (Doors: 7:00 PM, $22GA, $35table, $99VIP)

Wed 02/12/2020

The New Pornographers at The Truman

G Herbo at Granada Theater

Thu 02/13/2020

Elliot Moss at Uptown Theater

Spag Heddy at Granada Theater

Roddy Ricch at Uptown Theater

Excision at Silverstein Arena

Fri 02/14/2020

Dustin Lynch at The Midland

Jimmy Webb at Knuckleheads

Shwayze at The Riot Room

Albert Castiglia at Knuckleheads

KING PRINCESS

The Truman- KC (Doors: 7pm, $27.50 - $30.00, sold out)

IRATION

+ BALLYHOO!, Iya Terra, The Ries Brothers

Granada Theater- Lawrence (Doors: 6pm, $25adv/$30 DOS, $119 VIP)

Sat 02/15/2020

Jameson Rodgers at Kanza Hall

Dirty Honey at The Riot Room

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

Minneapolis: February 17, 2017

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on February 17, 2017. It’s a busy night!

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Game Of Thrones Game Of Thrones: Season 2 soundtrack is coming out June 19th, via Varèse Sarabande. UPDATE: A couple of inquiries about downloading the song, you can look to The National's official Twitter. .…

GAME OF THRONES LIVE CONCERT
at Xcel Energy Center
Friday, 02/17/17, 7pm ($39.50)
xcelenergycenter.com

Winter is coming! ... well we’re actually in the middle of winter.

As you know, we’re actually big fans of Game of Thrones, and we absolutely love the icon theme song and the show’s soundtrack. Now you can experience it live with Game Of Thrones Live Concert Experience, featuring composer and conductor Ramin Djawadi, is coming to Minnesota this Friday.

Tour dates:

02/15/17 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
02/17/17 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
02/19/17 Chicago, IL United Center
02/20/17 Auburn Hills, MI Palace Of Auburn
02/22/17 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
02/23/17 Buffalo, NY KeyBank Center
02/25/17 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
02/26/17 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
03/01/17 Washington, DC Verizon Center
03/03/17 Montreal, QC Various Venues
03/03/17 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
03/04/17 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
03/06/17 Boston, MA TD Garden
03/07/17 New York, NY Madison Square
03/09/17 Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center
03/11/17 Sunrise, FL BB&T Center
03/12/17 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
03/14/17 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
03/16/17 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
03/17/17 Houston, TX Toyota Center
03/19/17 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
03/21/17 Salt Lake City, UT Maverik Center
03/23/17 Inglewood, CA Forum
03/25/17 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
03/26/17 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena
03/29/17 San Jose, CA SAP Center At San Jose
03/31/17 Seattle, WA KeyArena At Seattle Center
04/01/17 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
04/02/17 Portland, OR Moda Center

Read More Muna Be sure to show up early to check out Muna and Dilly Dally. We caught the latter in April 2016 and it turned out to be one of the most memorable shows we saw this year. .…

MUNA
at Turf Club
Friday, 02/17/17, 8pm ($15)
turfclub.net

Muna (who was last seen in Rocktober 2016 with Grouplove), is back in Minnesota... this time rocking the Turf Club in St Paul.

The all-girls trio (singer/production Katie Gavin, guitarist/synth Naomi McPherson, and guitarist Josette Maskin) made their television debut last November with “Loudspeaker” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

This is the band’s first-ever headlining tour to support About U, so catch them now while they’re under the radar. They’ve already sold out several major cities, so they have already built a good fanbase.

Opening for Muna will be Los Angeles’ Lo Moon (on their first American tour). The trio (ML. CB. SS.) has been heavily promoted by KROQ and NPR Music.

Tour dates:

2/13 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT
2/14 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO
2/16 The Record Bar Kansas City, MO
2/17 Turf Club St. Paul, MN
2/18 Subterranean Chicago, IL
2/20 The Drake Hotel Toronto, ON
2/22 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
2/24 Brighton Music Hall Boston, MA
2/25 Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, PA
2/26 DC9 Washington, DC
6/3 Governors Ball New York, NY
6/15-18 Firefly Music Festival Dover, DE

Read More Austra Toronto-based artist Austra (featuring main singer/songwriter Katie Stelmanis) will be making a stop in Minneapolis on September 1st at the Triple Rock Social Club. .…

AUSTRA
at Triple Rock Social Club
Friday, 02/17/17, 8pm ($16)
triplerocksocialclub.com

Austra is back in town, touring in support of her new album Future Politics.

Future Politics is described as a collection of “urgent, disciplined anthems for dance floors and headphones alike”, is probably no way inspired by the recent Donald Trump presidency.... unless the record is dark and scary.

The Range (aka James Hinton) to open. He previously opened up for Phantogram in October 2016.

Tour dates:

February 13 | Holocene | Portland, OR *
February 14 | The Crocodile | Seattle, WA *
February 17 | Triple Rock | Minneapolis, MN *
February 18 | Thalia Hall | Chicago, IL *
February 19 | Magic Stick | Detroit, MI *
March 4 | Paradiso | Amsterdam, Netherlands
March 6 | Uebel & Gefährlich | Hamburg
March 7 | NIEBO | Warsaw, Poland
March 8 | Astra | Berlin, Germany
March 9 | Muffatwerk | Munich, Germany
March 10 | Conne Island | Leipzig, Germany
March 11 | Posthof | Linz, Austria
March 12 | WUK | Vienna, Austria
March 15 | Biko Club | Milan, Italy
March 16 | Les Docks | Lausanne, Switzerland
March 17 | Dampfzentrale | Bern, Switzerland
March 18 | Gloria Theater | Cologne, Germany
March 21 | Patterns | Brighton, UK
March 22 | Village Underground | London, UK
March 23 | Summerhall | Edinburgh, UK
March 24 | Deaf Institute | Manchester, UK
March 25 | The Button Factory | Dublin, Ireland

# w/ Ela Minus
* w/ The Range

Read More Colony House Here are some quick Colony House facts: #1 most played and downloaded single on SiriusXM Alt Nation, #3 Billboard Heatseekers Charts, and #7 on iTunes Alternative Rock Charts. …

COLONY HOUSE
at 7th Street Entry
Friday, 02/17/17, 7:30pm ($14 / Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

With the release of Colony House’s second album Only the Lonely is out on Descendant/RCA Records, the Nashville-based indie pop/rock band is doing a massive tour (over 35 dates) schedule this year.

Deep Sea Diver to open.

Colony House Headline Tour 2017

2/15 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill
2/16 Milwaukee, WI The Rave Bar
2/17 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
2/18 Madison, WI The Frequency
2/19 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
2/21 Grand Rapids, MI The Stache
2/22 Pittsburgh, PA The Club
2/23 Columbus, OH The Basement
2/24 Detroit, MI The Shelter
2/25 Toronto, OH Horseshoe Tavern
2/27 Cambridge, MA The Sinclair
2/28 Albany, NY Jupiter Hall
3/1 Philadelphia, PA The Foundry
3/2 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
3/4 Washington, D.C. U Street Music Hall
3/5 Charlottesville, VA The Southern
3/6 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
3/7 Charlotte, NC The Underground
3/9 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
3/11 Birmingham, AL Saturn
3/12 New Orleans, LA Parish
3/14 Waco, TX Common Grounds
3/19 Houston, TX House of Blues
3/20 Dallas, TX Club Dada
3/23 Phoenix, AZ Valley Bar
3/24 San Diego, CA House of Blues
3/25 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
3/27 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
3/28 San Francisco, CA The Chapel
3/30 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
3/31 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
4/1 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
4/4 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court Gallery
4/7 Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep
4/8 Kansas City, MO The Riot Room
4/9 Tulsa, OK The Vanguard
4/11 Fayetteville, AR George’s Majestic Lounge
4/12 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone
4/13 Chattanooga, TN Revelry Room
4/14 Atlanta, GA Vinyl

Read More Lily & Madeleine When it manifests itself, it doesn't require elaborate arguments or proofs; you can't debate someone into apprehending it. It's apparent and all it requires is appreciation, or perhaps even love. Such are the songs of Lily & Madeleine. …

LILY & MADELEINE
at Bryant Lake Bowl
Friday, 02/17/17, 7pm ($16)
bryantlakebowl.com

After a successful UK run with Dawes in November, the Indianapolis-based sister duo Lily & Madeleine is doing a midwest tour before they hit their European tour with Joshua Radin.

With the release their video for ‘Westfield’, the video was picked up by NPR’s All Songs TV. The song is taken from their latest album Keep It Together... which is available on 180 Gram vinyl with a download card, as well as CD and digital release.

Lily & Madeleine On Tour:

02/15 – Evanston, IL @ Space
02/16 – Milwaukee, WI @ Colectivo Coffee
02/17 – Minneapolis, MN @ Bryant Lake Bowl
02/18 – Davenport, IA @ The Village Theater
02/19 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway Nightclub
02/22 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House Revival
02/23 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
02/24 – Naperville, IL @ North Central College
02/25 – Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe

Read More Born Of Osiris Tomorrow We Die Alive is a great album for those who love heavy music! Born Of Osiris is a band that never disappoints, and everything you love about them is present …

Other shows in the area:

02/17/17 Minnesota folk singer/songwriter Rachael Kilgour recently won the grand prize of “NewSong Music Performance and Songwriting Competition” and the 2015 Telluride Troubadour contest. She’s playing a quiet house show at The Flats at Cedar Grove in Eagan on this night (and somewhere in Minneapolis the next night)... will likely be playing tracks from her new forthcoming record, Rabbit in the Road.

02/17/17 There is a crazy metal fest over at the Cabooze on this date. Headlined by Born Of Osiris, with Volumes , Oceans Ate Alaska, Within The Ruins, and Fire From The Gods.

02/17/17 Cole Swindell is playing the Treasure Island Resort & Casino.

02/17/17 Jauz is headlining Skyway Theatre.

02/17/17-02/18/17 I don’t normally go out in the winter, but this show Shen Yun Performing Arts at Orpheum Theatre came highly recommended by one of my favorite artist George Perez. Perez recently attended the dancing show in Florida, and he raved it about it. He called this show, “the greatest live art show”. From one artist to another.

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

Radiation City / Deep Sea Diver at 7th St, Minneapolis (11 Mar 2016)

Tour Dates 03/19 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios 04/20 Hamburg (DE), Aalhaus 04/21 Berlin (DE), Kantine am Berghain 04/22 Leipzig (DE), Baustelle 04/23 Schorndorf (DE), Manufaktur 04/25 Munich (DE), Café Muffathalle 04/27 Duedingen (CH), Bad Bonn 04/28 Heidelberg (DE), Karlstorbahnhof 04/29 Namur (BE), Belvedere 04/30 Brighton (UK), Green Door Store 05/02 Glasgow (UK), The Hug & Pint 05/04 London (UK), The Victoria 05/05 Paris (FR), Espace B 05/06 Duisburg (DE), Grammatikoff 05/07 Groningen (NL), Vera Read More Radiation City Radiation City (or as we like to call them “Rad City”) is back in town this Friday, March 11th, in support of their Polyvinyl album Synesthetica. We previously caught the dreampop band in 2013 and wrote, “Highlight of their set is a cover … Deep Sea Diver Seattle band Deep Sea Diver recently announced their brand new Holiday EP called It's Christmas Time... featuring three traditional Christmas carols and one original song "It's Christmas Time (and I am still alive)". …

Portland, Oregon’s Radiation City recently played the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on March 11th, in support of their third album Synesthetica (Polyvinyl Records).

Deep Sea Diver

Seattle-based Deep Sea Diver opened up the show. The indiepop band were touring in support of their sophomore album Secrets (High Beam). Although the album was only released last month (Feb 19th), there were fans who knew and were singing along to the newer songs. In fact, you get the feeling that the band had a close relationship with their fans, knowing/remembering their names, etc. For example, “NWO” was dedicated to “Dave” in the audience.

Deep Sea Diver started their set about 20 minutes late, but not of their own accord. Singer/bandleader Jessica Dobson confessed that they were actually buying time for the headliner as they were running late to the venue.

The Minneapolis show was the first of several show cancellations because Dobson got sick with a bad case of bronchitis. She was still a little under the weather, but you couldn’t tell by her bright smile at seeing “adoring young people” at last Friday’s show.

When asked where they got their name from, Dobson said it was actually one of the first songs she wrote. She decided to keep Deep Sea Diver as a band name... and changed the song to its new title, “New Caves.”

They ended their set with “You Go Running” from their debut album History Speaks. The song was clearly a fan-favorite, as it got the biggest cheer of the night.

Here’s a little not-so-secret about Radiation City: the band almost, nearly broke up. The band started as simply Cameron Spies and Elisabeth “Lizzy” Ellison in 2010. They were the core of the group, and, naturally was engaged to get married. However, they both agreed to call off the wedding (originally meant for 2014), it nearly dissolved the band!

Instead of disappearing, the band came back with a renewal of their original sound with Synesthetica ... their first record with Polyvinyl Records. The new record seemed to emphasized on pop songs of the 60’s.

Originally Radiation City was supposed to take the stage at 9:30pm, it was moved to 10pm... but by 10:20pm, I was told by the venue’s staff that the band just arrived. By 10:30pm, the band was still in a middle of a rather long soundcheck.

The band mentioned that they were just recently at Daytrotter in Iowa ... however the show was cancelled because Deep Sea Diver and Future Jobs were both sick.

The Deep Sea Diver and Radiation City tour ends tonight at the Biltmore in Vancouver, Canada. Radiation City’s Synesthetica is out now on Polyvinyl.

Radiation City at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (11 March 2016)

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

Minneapolis: March 10 to March 11, 2016

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from March 10 to March 11, 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More F**k Buttons With a twinkling intro giving way to deep electric humming, F**k Buttons opens their album, “Street Horrrsing” as a dreamy, drone-y fairly pleasant headache. The screeching lyrics behind “Ribs Out”, the second track, complement nicely …

BLANCK MASS
with KPT
at 7th Street Entry
Thursday, 03/10/16, 8pm ($15)
first-avenue.com

British electronic noisemaker Blanck Mass (aka Benjamin John Power of F**k Buttons) will be in town on Thursday, March 10th; touring in support of Dumb Flesh, which came out May 2015. I like the name, it’s like Black and Blank together... and certainly a media-friendly band name. Let’s face it, publications are not going to print offensive names like F Button.

Opening will be Minneapolis’ KPT (pronounced “kept” not “kaput”).

Tour dates:

03/06/16 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's
03/07/16 Brooklyn, NY Baby's All Right
03/08/16 Washington, DC DC9
03/10/16 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
03/11/16 Levitation
03/13/16 Festival Nrmal
03/17/16 SXSW
03/18/16 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop
03/19/16 Los Angeles, CA House Concert

Read More Lake Street Dive Lake Street Dive and The Lone Bellow to open the show. Tour dates: 07/09 - Calgary, AB - Republik & 07/10 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room & 07/12 - Winnipeg, MB - Winnipeg Folk Festival 07/14 - Minneapolis, MN - Cabooze Plaz … The Suffers And if you’re taking a convertible down to the Gulf Coast, from Galveston to Muscle Shoals, an ideal soundtrack would be the ‘70s-inspired rock and soul sound of The Suffers, who brought along that feeling with them, in a joyful sixty minute …

LAKE STREET DIVE
with The Suffers
at First Avenue
Thursday, 03/10/16, 7pm ($25/Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

Boston’s Lake Street Dive (named after Minneapolis’ dive bars!) sold out their appearance in trumpeter/guitarist McDuck Olson’s hometown at First Avenue in Minneapolis.

Lake Street Dive’s Nonesuch Records debut album, Side Pony, is out now.

Opening will be The Suffers, who we previously caught in June 2015, and noted, “Singer Kam Franklin is parts Tina Turner/Britney Howard/Chaka Khan/Aretha Franklin, with a gospel power to vocally reach down and deliver their meld of rock, jazz, soul, Caribbean and Latin influences.”

Thankfully, the First Avenue mainstage will be plenty of room for the 10-piece ensemble (unlike their 7th Street Entry appearance).

Tour Dates:

3.10 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue*
3.11 Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre*
3.12 Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre^
3.14 Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues*
3.15 Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall*
3.16 Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Theatre*
3.18 Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore*
3.19 Richmond, VA @ The National*
3.21 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club*
3.22 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club^
3.23 Boston, MA @ House of Blues*
3.25 New York, NY @ The Beacon Theatre*
3.26 Portland, ME @ The State Theatre*
5.27 Shelburne, VT @ Ben & Jerry's Concerts on the Green
5.28 Cooperstown, NY @ Brewery Ommegang %
5.29 Portland, ME @ Thompson's Point
6.3 Black Mountain, NC @ Pisgah Brewing Co.
6.10 Raleigh, NC @ North Carolina Museum of Art
6.11 Charlottesville, VA @ Telos Wireless
6.25 Austin, TX @ Stubb's Outdoor
8.5 St. Charles, IA @ Hinterland
8.6 St. Charles, IA @ Hinterland
8.19 Morrisson, CO @ Red Rocks #
8.27 Florence, MA @ Amourasaurus II
8.28 Florence, MA @ Amourasaurus II
10.7 Boston, MA @ Wang Theatre
10.8 New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall

* with The Suffers
^ with Margaret Glaspy
% with Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
# with Grace Potter

Read More Radiation City Radiation City is currently on tour in support of Animals In The Median, out now on Tender Loving Empire. The dreampop band stopped by the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis last night as part of their tour. … Deep Sea Diver Seattle band Deep Sea Diver recently announced their brand new Holiday EP called It's Christmas Time... featuring featuring three traditional Christmas carols and one original song "It's Christmas Time (and I am still alive)". …

RADIATION CITY
with Deep Sea Diver
at 7th St Entry
Friday, 03/11/16, 7pm ($10/$12)
first-avenue.com

Radiation City (or as we like to call them “Rad City”) is back in town this Friday, March 11th, in support of their Polyvinyl album Synesthetica. We previously caught the dreampop band in 2013 and wrote, “Highlight of their set is a cover of the Beatles' "Happiness is a Warm Gun". I didn't recognize it until the obvious title was sung, so they really made the song their own.”

Seattle’s Deep Sea Diver to open... we previously mentioned that they had a Holiday EP called It's Christmas Time.

Tour Dates:

03/06/16 Toronto, ON Drake Hotel / Underground
03/07/16 Detroit, MI Marble
03/08/16 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
03/09/16 Chicago, IL Subterranean
03/11/16 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
03/12/16 Fargo, ND The Aquarium
03/14/16 Missoula, MT Stage 112
03/15/16 Spokane, WA The Bartlett
03/16/16 Seattle, WA Neumos
03/17/16 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
03/19/16 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
03/26/16 "Treefort Music Fest"
04/20/16 Hamburg, Germany Aalhaus
04/21/16 Berlin, Germany Kantine Am Berghain
04/22/16 Leipzig, Germany Baustelle Schauspiel
04/23/16 Schorndorf, Germany Manufaktur
04/25/16 Munich, Germany Cafe Muffathalle
04/27/16 Dudingen, Switzerland Bad Bonn
04/28/16 Heidelberg, Germany Karlstorbahnhof
04/29/16 Namur, Belgium Belvedere
04/30/16 Brighton, United Kingdom Green Door Store
05/02/16 Glasgow, United Kingdom The Hug & Pint
05/04/16 London, United Kingdom The Dalston Victoria
05/05/16 Paris, France Espace B
05/06/16 Duisburg, Germany Grammatikoff
05/07/16 Groningen, Netherlands Vera

Read More Lily & Madeleine When it manifests itself, it doesn't require elaborate arguments or proofs; you can't debate someone into apprehending it. It's apparent and all it requires is appreciation, or perhaps even love. Such are the songs of Lily & Madeleine. …

LILY & MADELEIN
at Icehouse
Friday, 03/11/16, 10:30pm ($16)
icehousempls.com

Keep It Together is the new LP from Lily & Madeleine, via New West Records. The harmonizing sister-duo will be at the Icehouse in Minneapolis to support the album. Since the restaurant has a standard business hours, the actual show won’t start until 11pm (with doors opening at 10:30pm), so it’s a rather late show. Since most people aren’t working on Saturday, it won’t be an issue, hopefully.

Tour Dates:

03/10—Madison, WI—The Frequency
03/11—Minneapolis, MN—Icehouse
03/12—Chicago, IL—Lincoln Hall
03/13—St. Louis, MO—Off Broadway
03/24—Louisville—The New Vintage
03/25—Nashville, TN—The High Watt
03/26—Atlanta, GA—Eddie’s Attic
05/10—Los Angeles, CA—The Troubadour
05/11—San Francisco, CA—Swedish American
05/13—Portland, OR—Doug Fir Lounge
05/14—Seattle, WA—Ballard Homestead
05/15—Spokane, WA—The Bartlett
05/18—Denver, CO—Lost Lake Lounge

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

Christmas 2015: A Very Indie Christmas

Like previous years, I will be compiling some 2015 Christmas songs and Xmas-related news for you to enjoy! Today's theme is "Indie".

Read more Christmas.

Fruit Bats If you are looking for a laid back collection of summer tracks then I suggest you look no further than The Ruminant Band by the Fruit Bats. … Lisa Loeb Yes, i called Lisa Loeb to sing on my version of the Damned tune because i wanted her to sing the word "NASTY", with which she's not often associated. … Reverend Horton Heat The so-called "godfather of modern rockabilly and psychobilly" Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath's latest album Rev (their 11th album!) came out last year on Victory Records. … Rogue Wave You know, I have often mistaken this California band for Minneapolis' own Rogue Valley. Rogue Wave is basically Zach Rogue (vocals, guitar) with Patrick Spurgeon (drummer) … 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". .…

AMAZON
amazon.com/indiefortheholidays

Amazon semi-recently announced their new Christmas/holiday music collection called Indie for the Holidays, available for purchase and free streaming using their Prime Music service. Prime is their 2-day shipping service, but with some streaming of some selective films, television and music.

Unlike previous compilations we've seen in the past, many of these songs are newly-written for this compilation... including some new holiday songs from YACHT, Rogue Wave, Lisa Loeb, Langhorne Slim, Tuxedo, Ivan & Alyosha, The LeeVees & Matisyahu, A Silent Film, Sondre Lerche & Jherek Bischoff and many more.

Steve Boom, VP of Digital Music for Amazon, had this to say, "We always want to deliver something special to our customers and Indie for the Holidays is the next great way we’re connecting customers with not only new, original holiday music but with amazing artists and bands that they may not have discovered yet. We’re excited to follow last year’s popular All Is Bright holiday collection with songs from some of today’s best indie artists for customers to enjoy throughout the season."

With 27 tracks, there's a lot of holiday cheers to go around... below is a listing of the newly-written songs:

A Silent Film—“Christmas at Our House”

ARCHIS—“Winter Time”

Bhi Bhiman—“Who’s Up There?”

Esmé Patterson—“If I”

Family of the Year—“NYE”

Fruit Bats—“Christmas with You”

Ivan & Alyosha—“Being Home For Christmas”

James Apollo—“Go Trim Another Tree”

Kill Hannah—“This Is Our December”

Lisa Loeb—“Champagne (I’m Ready)”

Moon Taxi—“It’s Only Christmas”

Oscar—“It’s Christmas Again”

Reverend Horton Heat—“Donuts in the Snow”

Robert Pollard (of Guided by Voices) —“What Begins on New Year’s Day”

Rogue Wave—“Christmastime”

Sondre Lerche & Jherek Bischoff—“Surviving Christmas”

The LeeVees & Matisyahu—“Outside of December”

Turin Brakes—“New Year’s Day”

Tuxedo—“Holiday Love”

YACHT—“Christmas Alone”

Read More Radiation City Radiation City is currently on tour in support of Animals In The Median, out now on Tender Loving Empire. The dreampop band stopped by the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis last night as part of their tour. …

DEEP SEA DIVER
thedeepseadiver.com

Seattle band Deep Sea Diver recently announced their brand new Holiday EP called It's Christmas Time... featuring featuring three traditional Christmas carols and one original song "It's Christmas Time (and I am still alive)".

The band also recently announced its new album, Secrets, available in February 2016, along with a full US tour with Radiation City.

Tour dates:

12/08 Seattle, WA @ Deck The Hall Ball - Key Arena #
02/16 San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop *
02/17 LA, CA @ Echo *
02/19 San Diego, CA @ Casbah *
02/21 El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow *
02/23 San Antonio, TX @ Limelight *
02/24 Dallas, TX @ Three Links *
02/25 Austin, TX @ Sidewinder *
02/27 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl *
02/29 Washington, DC @ DC9 *
03/01 Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle *
03/03 Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade *
03/04 Boston, MA @ Great Scott *
03/05 Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo *
03/06 Toronto, ON @ The Drake Hotel *
03/08 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland *
03/09 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean *
03/11 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry *
03/12 Fargo, ND @ Aquarium *
03/14 Missoula, MT @ Stage 112 *
03/16 Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
03/17 Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore *

# = w/ Death Cab For Cutie, Alabama Shakes
* = w/ Radiation City

Read More Kidding Around I know, I thought they broke up (they did in 2005!), but the kids are back. I guess you can't keep them down. The Get Up Kids' new album is called There Are Rules and they have recently toured with …

KIDS
thebandkids.com

Fort Lauderdale's Kids (not to be confused with Belgium's The Kids or Japan's The Kiddie or that mid-90s film Kids) is an eclectic folk-influenced indie-rock band. The band is pleased to announced that they've teamed up with Relevant Magazine for a Christmas Compilation album titled A Very RELEVANT Christmas. Part One is available now for streaming on relevantmagazine.com.

Regarding their song, "In The Bleak Midwinter," Kids singer Joshua Diaz noted that he wanted to bring the feeling of old Claymation films (Rudolf, and Davey and Goliath) in his song.

A Very RELEVANT Christmas (Volume 5) track listing:

1. Sugar and the Hi-Lows, "Jingle Bells" (3:44)
2. Ellie Holcomb, "Christmas For You And Me" (3:4)
3. Citizen Shade, "Go Tell It On The Mountain" (3:12)
4. Evan Wickham, "End Of Exile" (3:7)
5. Hoyle, "Long Winters" (4:3)
6. Ben & Nolle, "Angels We Have Heard On High" (2:29)
7. Citizens & Saints, "Come And Stand Amazed" (3:7)
8. Kings Kaleidoscope, "O Come All Ye Faithful" (3:4)
9. Fleurie, "Wake Up (O Night Divine)" (3:42)
10. Kids, "The Bleak Midwinter" (3:19)
11. The Modern Post, "What Child Is This (feat. Dustin Kensrue)" (3:19)
12. The Brilliance, "Christ The Lord Is Born" (3:7)

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