W♥M

Minneapolis: September 1 to September 3

09/01 Neko Case with Disq at First Avenue Read More Neko Case Neko Case has a new album The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, which came out September 3rd on ANTI-, and her First Avenue …

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide

09/01/2022 Thursday

Neko Case
with Disq
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Producer and songwriter Neko Case is on tour in support of a digital-only career retrospective album Wild Creatures. Yes, it’s a greatest hits album, but there’s also a new song, “Oh, Shadowless”, as a special bonus in the release.

Case will stop by First Avenue’s mainroom on September 1, 2022.

Disq to open.

Tour dates:

08/28 - Brooklyn Bowl - Nashville, TN ~~
8/29 - Bijou Theatre - Knoxville, TN ~~
09/01 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN ~~
09/02 - Pabst Theatre - Milwaukee, WI ~~
09/03 - Out of Space @ Temperance Beer Co. - Evanston, IL ^^
09/04 - Nelsonville Music Festival - Nelsonville, OH
09/06 - White Eagle Hall - Jersey City, NJ ##
09/07 - Emerson Colonial Theatre - Boston, MA ##
09/08 - Brooklyn Steel - Brooklyn, NY ##
09/09 – Filene Center at Wolf Trap - Vienna, VA ++
09/10 - Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA ##
09/12 - Orange Peel - Asheville, NC ##
09/13 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA ##
9/16 - Alaska Center for the Performing Arts - Anchorage, AK
9/17 - Hering Auditorium - Fairbanks, AK

She & Him ++
Disq ~~
Courtney Marie Andrews ^^
Sean Rowe ##

09/02 The King Khan & BBQ Show with Miranda and The Beat at Fine Line Read More King Khan & BBQ So, if you need to catch up on The King Khan & BBQ Show, they are an interesting modern band with minimalistic setup and plays a weird mixture of 50s doo-wop …

09/02/2022 Friday

The King Khan & BBQ Show
with Miranda and The Beat
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

The King Khan & BBQ Show is returning to the Minneapolis area, at the Fine Line Music Café this Sep 2nd.

We’ve seen “Brown James Brown” King Khan solo and Mark Sultan (BBQ) solo, but together, they’re a unique rock force. The last time we saw the duo together was in Nov 2009, at the Triple Rock Social Club and described them as “The King Khan & BBQ Show, they are an interesting modern band with minimalistic setup and plays a weird mixture of 50s doo-wop and Surf music. They've got a ton of fans, who lined up hours before the show.”

Miranda and The Beat to open.

Tour dates:

Sept 2 : Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
Sept 3 : Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
Sept 4 : Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
Sept 6 : Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
Sept 7 : Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
Sept 9 : Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
Sept 10 : Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Made
Sept 11 : Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
Sept 13 : TBA
Sept 14 : Washington, DC - Black Cat
Sept 16 : Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle
Sept 17 : Atlanta, GA - The Earl
Sept 18 : Chapel Hill, NC - Cat's Cradle
Sept 19 : Savannah, GA - El Rocko Lounge
Sept 21 : Nashville, TN - Basement East
Sept 22 : Memphis, TN - Gonerfest
Sept 23 : New Orleans, LA - Poor Boys
Sept 25 : Austin, TX - Hotel Vegas
Sept 26 : Fort Worth, TX - Tulips
Sept 28 : Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
Sept 30 : Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
Oct 1 : Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
Oct 2 : San Diego, CA - Casbah
Oct 4 : Pomona, CA - Glass House
Oct 5 : San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
Oct 7 : Portland, OR - Dante's
Oct 8 : Seattle, WA - Clockout Lounge
Oct 9 : Seattle, WA - Clockout Lounge
Oct 11 : Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre

09/02 Elder with Belzebong and Dreadnought at Turf Club Read More Elder Capturing Elder's expanding dynamic and ongoing progression, The Gold & Silver Sessions is an experimental LP of ranging psychedelic jams that captures their expressive and nuanced development …

09/02/2022 Friday

Elder
with Belzebong and Dreadnought
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Metal/progressive rock band Elder will be headlining the Turf Club in St Paul on September 2nd, in support of their new album Omens.

Belzebong and Dreadnought to open.

Tour dates:

Aug 10 Orlando, FL, US Will's Pub
Aug 12 Houston, TX, US White Oak Music Hall - Upstairs
Aug 14 Fort Worth, TX, US Tulips FTW
Aug 16 Albuquerque, NM, US Sister
Aug 17 Phoenix, AZ, US The Rebel Lounge
Aug 18 Outdoor Las Vegas, NV, US PSYCHO SWIM
Aug 22 Boise, ID, US Neurolux Lounge
Aug 23 Portland, OR, US Dante's
Aug 24 Seattle, WA, US Substation
Aug 27 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US Don Quixote
Aug 28 San Diego, CA, US Brick By Brick
Aug 31 Denver, CO, US Hi-Dive
Sep 2 St. Paul, MN, US Turf Club
Sep 3 Chicago, IL, US Reggie's Rock Club
Sep 4 Hamtramck, MI, US The Sanctuary
Sep 5 Toronto, ON, Canada Velvet Underground
Sep 7 Québec, QC, Canada L'Anti Bar & Spectacles
Sep 8 Portland, ME, US Geno's Rock Club
Sep 10 Cambridge, MA, US The Middle East - Downstairs
Sep 22 Berlin, Germany SO36
Sep 23 Leipzig, Germany UT Connewitz
Sep 24 Prague, Czech Republic Futurum Music Bar
Sep 25 Warsaw, Poland Proxima
Sep 26 Vienna, Austria Arena Wien - Grosse Halle
Sep 27 Budapest, Hungary Dürer Kert
Sep 28 Ljubljana, Slovenia Orto
Sep 30 Munich, Germany Hansa 39, Feierwerk
Sep 30 Pratteln, Switzerland Up In Smoke
Oct 2 Mezzago, Italy Bloom
Oct 3 Grenoble, France L'Ampérage
Oct 6 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain AMFest
Oct 7 Porto, Portugal Amplifest
Oct 9 Madrid, Spain Okkult Session 3
Oct 11 Toulouse, France Le Rex
Oct 12 Montpellier, France Rockstore
Oct 13 Nantes, France LE FERRAILLEUR
Oct 14 Paris, France Petit Bain
Oct 16 Tilburg, Netherlands 013
Oct 18 Aarhus, Denmark VoxHall
Oct 19 Oslo, Norway Parkteatret Scene
Oct 20 Drammen, Norway Union Scene
Oct 21 Stavanger, Norway Folken
Oct 22 Bergen, Norway Kulturhuset i Bergen
Oct 25 Johanneshov, Sweden Slaktkyrkan
Oct 26 Gothenburg, Sweden Pustervik
Oct 28 Copenhagen, Denmark Pumpehuset
Oct 29 Hamburg, Germany Gruenspan
Oct 31 Dortmund, Germany Junkyard
Nov 2 Brighton, UK Chalk
Nov 3 Bristol, UK The Fleece

09/02 - 09/03 First Avenue Goes to the Fair Read More Cindy Lawson Vocalist Cindy Lawson of local ‘80s indie-rock band The Clams was brought up mid-set, to sing along on a couple songs mid-set, with Stringfellow trying his best to comically make pun wordplays in his . …

09/02/2022 Friday
09/03/2022 Saturday

First Avenue Goes to the Fair
at Schell’s Stage at Schilling Amphitheater
first-avenue.com

First Avenue is headling to the “Great Minnesota Get-Together”, the Minnesota State Fair on Sept 2 to Sept 3rd. The venue will take over Schell’s Stage at Schilling Amphitheater and will showcase a variety of local musicians.

The house band, Al Church and The Congregation will likely play music between set changes.

Friday:

• Colin Bracewell
• Meghan Kreidler (of Kiss the Tiger)
• Ness Nite
• Obi Original
• The Alarmists

with house band Al Church and The Congregation

Saturday:

• Cindy Lawson
• Mae Simpson
• Molly Brandt
• Ricki Monique
• Thomas Abban

with house band Al Church and The Congregation

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

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

Local Natives at First Avenue, Minneapolis (01 Aug 2022)

Local Natives Setlist Megaton Mile I Saw You Close Your Eyes Coins Ceilings Desert Snow Past Lives Wide Eyes Sun Hands You & I Statues in the Garden (Arras) Heavy Feet Airplanes Dark Days Who Knows, Who Cares -- Encore --                Hourglass When Am I Gonna Lose You Jordana Setlist Pressure Point To the Ground Play Fair Better in the Dark Summer's Over Sweet to Dream Go Slow I Mean That Catch My Drift Why Read More Local Natives Earlier this October, Local Natives were out on tour in support of their sophomore album Hummingbird. If you love what you heard, you'd be happy to know that they've just …

It’s been three years since Local Natives went out on tour… and they seemed so happy to be standing on stage, at First Avenue’s mainroom on Monday night. The group announced they were making up for lost time, and rocked and danced as hard as they’re able.

Opening the show was Jordana… who we just saw just short of two months ago at the 7th Street Entry. The two sets were nearly identical, but leaving out the Strokes covers as she had a limited opening set time.

Comparing the two shows, Jordana seemed much more excited to play in front of a much larger audience. She is a real fan of Local Natives, so it’s an honor for her to play with them. And she’s made plenty of newfound fans, who would sometime shout out, “you’re awesome!” as she played on stage.

As with her previous appearance, Jordana is joined on stage by guitarist/sometime keys Hayden, guitarist Sagiv Rosenstock, drummer Blake, and a bendible Gumby toy sitting on the mic stand. God, she loves that thing.

As for Local Natives, it’s good to see the band back in action again. We haven’t seen the band in over 20 years (opening up for Suckers in May 2010), so it’s been a long time.

Since that debut album Gorilla Manor, the group released Hummingbird, Sunlit Youth, and Violet Street… the latter in 2019 on Loma Vista records. Their set is handpicking some of their favorite songs from those albums and putting it on their setlist.

Their encore song started with their new single, “Hourglass”, which the band described as exploring “the difficulty when feeling divided and isolated from some of the people we love most while knowing the time we have with them is finite, and contains some of our favorite LN lyrics. This music got us through really difficult times and reminded us how much joy we get out of playing music together. We couldn’t be more excited to share these songs and play them live on our first tour in 3 years.”

Local Natives continues their tour:

08-03 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theatre %
08-04 - Ogden, UT - Ogden Twilight %
08-09 - Los Angeles, CA - YouTube Theatre %
08-12 - Denver, CO - Ogden %
08-14 - Oklahoma City, OK - Jones Assembly %
08-15 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues %
08-16 - Austin, TX - ACL Live %
08-18 - Nashville, TN - The Ryman %
08-19 - Birmingham, AL - Iron City %
08-20 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theatre %
08-22 - Wilmington, NC - Greenfield Lake Amp %
08-23 - Washington, DC - Anthem %
08-24 - Philadelphia, PA - Fillmore %
08-27 - Boston, MA - House of Blues %

% w/ Jordana

Jordana

Jordana

Jordana

Jordana

Local Natives

Local Natives

Local Natives

Local Natives at First Avenue, Minneapolis (01 Aug 2022)

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

Japanese Breakfast at First Avenue, Minneapolis (11 July 2022)

Japanese Breakfast Setlist Paprika Be Sweet Kokomo, IN Tactics Road Head Savage Good Boy Heft Boyish (Little Big League cover) The Body Is a Blade Glider Posing in Bondage Machinist Slide Tackle Everybody Wants to Love You -- Encore -- Posing for Cars Diving Woman 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 ... Linda Lindas I was actually excited to see that The Linda Lindas will open the show. If I were to guess, the band is named after the Japanese film, Linda, Linda, Linda, which I wrote about in May 2007. .…

The Japanese Breakfast show at First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on July 11th, had sold out… leaving many fans asking for spare tickets and showing at the venue to try and hopefully buy some limited released tickets.

This show was one of the first official shows of the 5th annual Independent Venue Week, a nationwide program to spotlight over 400 venues, in all 50 states and DC. Naturally, all the First Avenue venues (including 7th Street, Fine Line, Turf Club, Palace Theatre) are on the Independent Venue list… so if you go see a show at any of their venues, you’re supporting locally owned and run businesses. Other venues in the Minnesota area, independently run are Elision Playhouse, Granada Theater, The Fitzgerald Theater, and The Parkway Theater.

Anyway, very excited to burst on stage were The Linda Lindas, their first show in Minneapolis.

Just to clarify, Kristin Kontrol (formerly of Dum Dum Girls) is not a member of The Linda Lindas. Kristin Kontrol did assembled the group for Girlschool LA in 2018…. but the actual band members are: Sisters Mila de la Garza (drummer, 11) and Lucia de la Garza (guitar, 14), cousin Eloise Wong (bass, 13), and family friend Bela Salazar (guitar, 17). For a young (literally teenagers), new band, they sure had plenty of songs under their belt, as they played a rock/punk fun 43-min set on the first night of the tour.

So, as I suspected, the band was inspired by the Japanese film, Linda, Linda, Linda, with their theme song “Linda Linda” (Blue Hearts).

If you caught the Japanese Breakfast show at First Avenue in September, it’s almost the same show, down to the Little Big League song, “Boyish”, and same encore songs (“Posing for Cars” and “Diving Woman”). Most of the changes in the new song were to drop songs like “In Heaven” and “The Woman That Loves You”, and adding new songs - mostly on the second half of the set: “The Body Is a Blade” to “Slide Tackle”.

Still, for the audience, they were still very excited to see Japanese Breakfast again, and always big cheers whenever the gong is used (“Paprika”).

Remaining tour dates:

7/12 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown *
7/14 - Bloomington, IL @ Castle Theatre *
7/15 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant *
7/16 - Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
7/17 - Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Brewery *
7/19 - Toronto, ON @ HISTORY
7/20 - Montreal, QC @ Theatre Corona
7/21 - Portland, ME @ Thompson’s Point
7/23 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Dell Music Center ^
7/26 - Honolulu, HI @ The Republik
7/31 - Niigata, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival
8/12-14 - Seattle, WA @ Day In Day Out Festival
8/26 - Stanford, CA @ Here And There
8/28 - Longon, EN @ All Points East Festival
9/2 - Nelsonville, OH @ Nelsonville Music Festival
9/3 - Denver, CO @ Here And There
9/15 - Louisville, KY @ Bourbon & Beyond
10/4 - Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
10/6 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl ~
10/7 - Portland, OR @ Theater of the Clouds #
10/8-9 - Austin, TX @ ACL Festival
10/20 - Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory
10/21 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
10/22 - Glasgow, Scotland @ Old Fruitmarket
10/24 - Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
10/25 - London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town
10/26 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
10/27 - Berlin, DE @ Gretchen
11/6 - São Paulo, BR @ Primavera Sound São Paulo
11/10 - Santiago, CL @ Primavera en la Ciudad @ Blondie
11/12 - Santiago, CL @ Primavera Sound Santiago
11/13 - Buenos Aires, AR @ Primera Sound Buenos Aires

* w/ The Linda Lindas
^ w/ Yo La Tengo & Cate Le Bon
~ w/ Yeah Yeah Yeahs
# w/ Florence + The Machine

Linda Lindas

Linda Lindas

Linda Lindas (Lucia de la Garza)

Linda Lindas (Bela Salazar)

Japanese Breakfast

Japanese Breakfast

Japanese Breakfast

Japanese Breakfast at First Avenue, Minneapolis (11 July 2022)

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

Prince Rogers Nelson Way - street dedication, Minneapolis (2022-06-07)

Read More Prince There is a Prince Celebration kicking off Thursday evening, June 2nd, and continues to Saturday at Paisley Park. There’ll be Q&A with artists who worked closely with Prince, including his former wife and NPG dancer Mayte Garcia ...

Though Prince eventually stopped celebrating birthdays (as part of his religious beliefs in later years), the city of Minneapolis did anyway-

On Tuesday, June 7^th (the date on what would have been his 64^th birthday), at 12:07pm (Prince liked and used the number “7” throughout his career), a formal press conference was held in downtown Minneapolis to officially dedicate the block near the fabled First Avenue club, as Prince Rogers Nelson Way. 

The commemoration is the latest jewel in the city’s “Crown our Prince” project, following last week’s unveiling of Miami artist’s Heiro Veiga’s massive mural adorning the nearby Ramp A city parking structure. 

Sharon Smith-Akinsanya, CEO of the Rae Mackenzie Group and Joan (“of Art”) Vorderbruggen, a former Hennepin Theater Trust executive began this effort some seven years ago. Fully supported by the city, Mayor Jacob Frey also gave remarks as well as Steve Cramer, President / CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council, Ward 7 Council Member Lisa Goodman, City Council President Andrea Jenkins, and LLondell McMillan, Prince Legacy’s music attorney and owner of The Source, accompanied by family members Brianna Nelson and John Nelson, Jr.

After the brief speeches, Smith-Akinsanya and Vorderbruggen led the procession across the street and both jointly pulled the ropes on the purple fabric covering, to formally reveal the commemorative street sign and reveal Prince Rogers Nelson Way to all- a new and celebratory sign ‘o the times. 

Sharon Smith-Akinsanya

Joan Vorderbruggen

Jacob Frey

L Londell McMillan and Nelson family

Prince Rogers Nelson Way Unveiled

Andrea Jenkins

Steve Cramer

Lisa Goodman

Crowd at unveiling

Prince Rogers Nelson Way street sign (2022-06-07)

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Kurt Vile and the Violators at First Avenue, Minneapolis (25 May 2022)

Kurt Vile Setlist Palace of OKV in Reverse Loading Zones Punks in the Beerlight (Silver Jews cover) Bassackwards * Hey Like a Child Check Baby * Runner Ups * Flyin (Like a Fast Train) Say the Word Wakin on a Pretty Day * Pretty Pimpin * Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone) Hunchback * -- Encore -- Like Exploding Stones Cool Water * Kurt Vile song Read More Kurt Vile Kurt Vile and the Violators- Though he looks like he could be guitarist for Megadeth, there is a subtle power to former War on Drugs member Kurt Vile. He and his Violators ...

Philadelphia psychedelic band Kurt Vile and the Violators is currently on tour in support of their new album (watch my moves), out on Verve Records. The band stopped in at First Avenue in Minneapolis on Wednesday night, May 25.

Opening the show was Natural Information Society (not to be confused with late 80s dance/techno group Information Society). Natural Information Society is a music ensemble, led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joshua Abrams, based out of Chicago. The group only had one song on their setlist, “descension (Out of Our Constrictions)”, which, when played live, is a 40 minute continuous song. The song has a very drone-like sound and just goes on and on.

As the group finished their song, Abrams mentioned how we have to remember the anniversary of George Floyd’s death.

Kurt Vile at Rock the Garden 2014

We first saw Kurt Vile at Rock the Garden in June 2014 and described the former War on Drugs guitarist: “Vile himself plays with an almost introverted style, often staring down at his own guitar, long hair shielding any glimpse of his face.”

As with our previous assessments, Vile would prefer not to be in the spotlight… instead letting his band and the music they play speaks for itself.

Walking on the stage to supergroup The Highwaymen’s cover of “Highwayman”, the band launched into “Palace of OKV in Reverse”, taken from Vile & the Violator’s new album (watch my moves). The rest of the set featured a lot of Kurt Vile’s solo material.

The encore included two more songs from (watch my moves): the first single “Like Exploding Stones” and “Cool Water”.

Remaining Tour Dates:

Thu. May 26 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
Fri. May 27 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Sat. May 28 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Sun. May 29 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Wed. June 1 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Thu. June 2 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Fri. June 3 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Sat. June 4 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer

Natural Information Society s

Natural Information Society

Kurt Vile

Kurt Vile and the Violators

Kurt Vile and the Violators at First Avenue, Minneapolis (25 May 2022)

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

The Mountain Goats at First Avenue, Minneapolis (20 May 2022)

Mountain Goats Setlist Aulon Raid Minnesota Choked Out Younger Pez Dorado Cotton Tidal Wave John Darnielle Solo There Will Be No Divorce Song for My Stepfather Mourn Not The Dead (Ralph Chaplin cover) Wolf Count The Diaz Brothers Shelved Rain in Soho Southwood Plantation Road Broom People Getting Into Knives Heel Turn 2 -- Encore -- Let Me Bathe in Demonic Light The Mess Inside Palmcorder Yajna This Year No Children Read More The Mountain Goats It is well known that John Darnielle, the force behind the Mountain Goats, likes heavy metal music. It comes up in interviews often, and hearing him speak …

Beloved The Mountain Goats (John Darnielle, Jon Wurster, Peter Hughes and Matt Douglas) headlined First Avenue’s mainroom on Friday night.

Will Sheff opened the show… He is the singer/songwriter of Okkervil River, who we saw in Nov 2013. Obviously comparing Sheff’s full band vs his solo live show is unfair, but, yes, Sheff’s solo shows is a little quieter. Still, Sheff managed to play Okkervil River using pre-recorded backing tracks and his guitar, and to good effect.

We did previously described Okkervil River’s songs as “depressing”: “Their songs, based on their lyrics and banter on stage, is quite depressing. We're talking mostly death (shooting someone in the head), and hanging (suicide). With all this dark subject, it's easy to see why they've chosen to cover Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love", a nice tribute to the musician who recently passed away. I suspect the song only made it into the set since last Sunday, but it sure sounded well-rehearsed.”

Another ‘depressing’ song made it onto his setlist, “Famous Tracheotomies.” This song, as Sheff described it, was when he was young, he almost died during this surgery. Obviously, he didn’t die, but would go on to write a song about other celebrities who had underwent tracheostomy operations.

>>>
The Mountain Goats
with Will Sheff
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

The Mountain Goats (John Darnielle, Jon Wurster, Peter Hughes and Matt Douglas) will be returning to First Avenue this May 20th. Since the pandemic, the Mountain Goats have released three albums, so they are excited to play those songs live for us… plus, of course, all their classic hits from before the pandemic.

We saw the Goats in at Fletcher Opera Theater, Raleigh in Sept 2012 and said, “The Mountain Goats played two sets to a hushed crowd at the Fletcher Opera Theater on Friday, the second night of the Hopscotch Music Festival. The first set was a showcase of heavy metal songs, Darnielle solo in the spotlight on a large piano.”

Will Sheff to open.

Tour Dates:

Apr 30, 2022 The Observatory Santa Ana, CA
May 2, 2022 Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach, CA
May 3, 2022 Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ
May 5, 2022 The Warfield Theatre San Francisco, CA
May 6, 2022 Fremont Theater San Luis Obispo, CA
May 8, 2022 The Showbox Seattle, WA
May 9, 2022 Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
May 10, 2022 Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
May 11, 2022 Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
May 12, 2022 Midtown Ballroom Bend, OR
May 14, 2022 The Depot Salt Lake City, UT
May 15, 2022 Washington's Fort Collins, CO
May 17, 2022 Thalia Hall Chicago, IL
May 18, 2022 Thalia Hall Chicago, IL
May 19, 2022 Thalia Hall Chicago, IL
May 20, 2022 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
May 21, 2022 The Sylvee Madison, WI
Jun 25, 2022 That Music Fest Durham, NC
Jul 9, 2022 Music Farm Charleston, SC
Jul 10, 2022 Intuition Ale Works Jacksonville, FL
Jul 11, 2022 Palladium Theater St. Petersburg, FL
Jul 12, 2022 The Moon Tallahassee, FL
Jul 14, 2022 Minglewood Hall Memphis, TN
Jul 15, 2022 Off Broadway St. Louis, MO
Jul 16, 2022 Wooly's Des Moines, IA
Jul 17, 2022 Wave Wichita, KS
Nov 10, 2022 WUK Foyer (WUK) Vienna, Austria
Nov 11, 2022 Columbia Theater Berlin, Germany
Nov 12, 2022 Paradiso Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nov 14, 2022 De Roma Antwerp, Belgium
Nov 16, 2022 Roundhouse London
Nov 17, 2022 Manchester Cathedral Manchester
Nov 18, 2022 Vicar Street Dublin, Ireland

Will Sheff

Will Sheff

The Mountain Goats

The Mountain Goats

The Mountain Goats at First Avenue, Minneapolis (20 May 2022)

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

Oh Wonder at First Avenue, Minneapolis (18 May 2022)

Oh Wonder Setlist Better Now Without You I Wish I Never Met You Heavy Rollercoaster Baby Happy Magnificent Body Gold / White Blood / Shark / Plans Livewire Technicolour Beat F**k It I Love You Ultralife Landslide 22 Break Dinner Lose It -- Encore -- All We Do Drive Hallelujah Tour Dates May 20 2022 // Ogden Theatre // Denver, CO May 21 2022 // The Depot // Salt Lake City, UT May 23 2022 // Showbox Sodo // Seattle, WA May 24 2022 // Vogue Theater // Vancouver, BC May 25 2022 // Roseland Theater // Portland, OR May 28 2022 // Fox Theater // Oakland, CA May 29 2022 // House Of Blues // Anaheim, CA May 31 2022 // The Wiltern // Los Angeles, CA Read More Oh Wonder London-based alt-pop Oh Wonder is headlining First Avenue’s mainroom next Friday, June 3rd. The duo (Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West) has already sold out ....

London duo Oh Wonder (Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West) is currently tour in support of their forthcoming album, 22 Make (set for release on July 22nd on Republic Records), stopping by First Avenue on Wednesday, May 18th.

Swedish singer/songwriter Winona Oak opened the show. The singer kicked off her career with a collaboration with What So Not for “Beautiful” in early 2018. The song is highly praised and won them Best Independent Dance/Electronica/Club single at the AIR Independent Music Awards a year later. Her next big hit came another collaboration, this time with The Chainsmokers for “Hope”. Oak was riding high, until the pandemic hit the world.

After a few years, it would seem that Winona Oak is ready to take the music world again with her forthcoming debut album Island of the Sun, set for release in June 2022 on Atlantic Records.

We got a sneak preview of the album, hearing some of these new songs for the first time, including “Jojo” to “Piano in the Sky”… which sounds like a great electronic pop song.

Before Winona played “Jojo”, she told us, “This is a song I wrote for myself.” To better understand what she meant, Jojo is actually Winona’s nickname… so she literally wrote a song for herself.

Of course, she did play “Hope”, which is, perhaps her best-known song.

She ended her brief set with “He Don’t Love Me”, which is one of her earliest single… but reworked a little for Island of the Sun. The song is a bit depressing, it’s about falling in love with someone, but they clearly don’t love her back… it’s set to thumping beats.

Winona Oak’s debut album, Island of the Sun, will be out on June 10, 2022, via Atlantic Records.

We last saw Oh Wonder in June 2016, and we have to say, it’s good to see the familiar giant “OW” custom backlight. Even their setup is very familiar, with Anthony West playing guitars and keys on stage left, while Josephine Vander Gucht wanders around or behind the keyboard.

The album, 22 Break, told the story of how lonely and sad they were, and wanted to break up… only to come back stronger, in 22 Make, as evident in their not-radio-friendly song “F*** It, I Love You”.

Despite some sad, lonely songs, their set was full of love and hope. You can hear it in their songs, you can see it in their performance.

22 Break is available now. The follow-up companion album 22 Make will be out July 22, 2022, via Republic Records.

The band continues their US tour.

Winona Oak

Winona Oak

Winona Oak

Oh Wonder

Oh Wonder at First Avenue, Minneapolis (18 May 2022)

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

Cut Copy at First Avenue, Minneapolis (12 May 2022)

Cut Copy Setlist Standing in the Middle of the Field Feel the Love Take Me Over Cold Water Out There on the Ice Let Me Show You Love Love Is All We Share Like Breaking Glass Corner of the Sky Stars Last Me a Lifetime Lights and Music Saturdays Sun God Need You Now -- Encore -- Running in the Grass Hearts on Fire Suzanne Kraft Setlist Wildlife Red Flag Sometimes On Our Hands If I Die (Languis cover) Peace Screenwriter Attenuate Waiting Read More Cut Copy This is just a quick post to get a photo and touring information online for Australian synth-pop / dance / indietronica four-piece Cut Copy online. Stay tuned for a full review of their First Avenue …

Australian synth band Cut Copy (aka Cut/Copy) headlined First Avenue on May 12th, in support of their sixth album Freeze, Melt.

Suzanne Kraft, stage name for Los Angeles based dublab DJ Diego Herrea, opened the show.

Herrea mentioned that this was their first time in Minneapolis and played almost everything from their shoegazing album About You. They played a new song called “Sometimes”, which was not recorded yet.

By the time Cut Copy came on stage, the dancefloor was filled up. As if their fans came out of nowhere! This was a young, party crowd, out looking for a good time - and Cut Copy certainly delivered.

The intro song, “Standing in the Middle of the Field” had a slow build, first unveiling drummer Mitchell Scott, followed by singer/keyboardist Dan Whitford, and eventually guitarist Tim Hoey and bassist Ben Browning. Their stage setup prominently featured three keyboards (and an additional machine stage left) … so we all knew we'd hear some synth rock.

If you didn’t know, the band had massive success with their sophomore album In Ghost Colours, with break through singles like “Lights & Music” and “Hearts on Fire” (which were featured on their current set). They even saved their best-known song as the finale for their encore.

That year, 2008, was perhaps their finest hour, touring the world, even stopping by Minneapolis in 2008: “Cut/Copy are doing great on their tour throughout the US (selling out at most popular venues, adding additional dates due to demand), before making a triumph return to their hometown of Melbourne, Australia, to two, count 'em two, sold-out shows at the Forum. I was pretty impressed with their manufactured/pre-recorded 80s-techno new wave style beats, and they worked the very packed room of young hipsters and college frat boys to a frenzy with their demands of "dance, jump!"

As with the new tour, they were obligated to play a few songs from the new album Freeze, Melt, including new single “Cold Water” and “Love Is All We Share”. If the new songs sounded slightly different from previous Cut Copy’s more dancier, party songs, it is because the record was written from the perspective of band leader Dan Whitford having relocated to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2019.

Cut Copy’s latest album Freeze, Melt is out now on Cutters Records and The Orchard.

Remaining tour dates:

May 17 - Seattle - The Showbox
May 18 - Portland - Roseland Theater
May 19 - Oakland - Fox Theater
May 21 - Pasadena, CA - Just Like Heaven Festival
June 25 Magaluf, Spain - Mallorca Live Festival
Oct 24 - Dublin, IE - Whelan's
Oct 25 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club
Oct 26 & 27 - London - Fabric
Oct 29 - Amsterdam - Melkweg
Oct 30 - Paris - La Machine du Moulin Rouge
Nov 1 - Barcelona - Sala Apolo
Nov 2 - Cabañas De La Sagra, Spain - Sala Moon
Nov 3 - Madrid - La Riviera
Nov 4 - Lisbon - Coliseu dos Recreios

Suzanne Kraft

Suzanne Kraft

Cut Copy

Cut Copy

Cut Copy

Cut Copy at First Avenue, Minneapolis (12 May 2022)

 

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

Ashe at First Avenue, Minneapolis (08 May 2022)

Ashe Setlist Me Without You I'm Fine Kansas / Someone to Lose Save Myself Not Mad Anymore Love Is Not Enough Taylor When I'm Older Another Man's Jeans Somebody to Love (Queen cover) Hope You're Not Happy Angry Woman Always Till Forever Falls Apart Moral of the Story Read More Ashe Los Angelese-based singer/songwriter Ashe (aka Ashlyn Rae) is headlining First Avenue on May 8th. Her debut album Ashlyn is out now on Mom + Pop Music. ...

Los Angelese-based singer/songwriter Ashe (aka Ashlyn Rae) just headlined First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on Mother’s Day, May 8th.

Birmingham-born, Nashville-based band The Brook & The Bluff opened the show. The band started as a duo of Alec Bolton & Joseph Settine, but when they play live, they also add John Canada & Fred Lankford. They also had a live keyboard player, but was not named.

The group previously played next door, at the 7th Street Entry, earlier in January 25, 2022, which they admitted First Avenue was much, much larger (with ten times the capacity).

They played songs from their debut album, First Place.

Ashe’s main audience are teenage girls, and they overtook First Avenue’s dancefloor… singing along to all her songs. This is a group of pop music fans, as prior to Ashe’s appearance, the DJ played to the crowd: Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me”, One Direction’s “Steal My Girl”, and ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”… each song were met with singing from the crowd.

Ashe didn’t seem to mind, she seemed pleased and encourage the audience to finish some of her songs.

She mentioned that when she was booking the 2022 tour, she said of all the cities, Minneapolis was the one she was most looking forward to playing. Since it was Mother’s Day, she first asked to hear from all the mothers in the audience (who were probably chaperoning their daughter to the show). Ashe was determined to make this night a very special night for the fans (and their mothers).

Of course, Ashe played all the hit singles, including the new one, “Me Without You”, and saving her best-known song, “Moral of the Story” for her set finale… going out on a satisfying big bang.

Ashe’s debut album Ashlyn is out now on Mom + Pop Music. Her latest single, “Another Man’s Jeans” is also available now.

Remaining tour dates:

May 11 - Denver, CO - Summit
May 12 - Denver, CO - Summit

The Brook & The Bluff

The Brook & The Bluff

The Brook & The Bluff

Ashe

Ashe

Ashe at First Avenue, Minneapolis (08 May 2022)

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

Fontaines D.C. at First Ave (May 7, 2022)

Setlist In ár gCroíthe go deo A Lucid Dream Hurricane Laughter Sha Sha Sha Roman Holiday I Don't Belong Chequeless Reckless Televised Mind Nabokov You Said Too Real How Cold Love Is I Love You A Hero's Death -- Encore -- Skinty Fia Boys in the Better Land Jackie Down the Line Read More Fontaines D.C. The last twelve months have seen Fontaines D.C. release four hotly received double A-side singles, all of which were named as singles of the week by Rough Trade, and garnered early support from the likes ...

Fontaines D.C., in town, promoting their third album Skinty Fia, were welcomed by packed, revel-filled crowd.  Irish bands are always well attended in the Twin Cities, but there was almost a pre-show electric vibe, as if two years of waiting was soon to come to an end.  

But first was the opening act, Just Mustard, also Irish, a five member band from Dundalk, playing a seven-song set with a propulsive drum/bass beat and droning guitars laying a wall of distortion for the lead singer,  Katie Ball, to blithely sing with an airy breeze above the wailing howl.  It was bracing and sweet, all at once.  

Then Fontaines D.C. took the stage, the lead singer and emotional leader, Grian Chatten, grabbed the microphone stand and kept spiking it like he was planting a flag, perhaps setting the tone for the rest of his band mates:   Carlos O’Connell on lead guitar, Conor Curly on rhythm guitar, Conor Deegan III on bass and Tom Coll on drums.  

From the beginning the crowd was ready to join in, mouthing the lyrics to the first song “In ár gCroíthe go deo.” 

A punk strain can be found in the DNA of their songs.  There were echoes of The Ramones in “Sha Sha Sha.”  “Hurricane Laughter” gleefully launched with one hard beat and note and the crowd and gladly joined in by singing the refrain.  

Although, Fontaines D.C. paid homage to The Pogues “A Pair of Brown Eyes” with their video “Too Real”, don’t look for traditional Irish music with this band.  Their progenitors are more along the lines of Sonic Youth and The Pixies.  They are looking to bend the rules as well as reference those who came before.  

Even their name references a character in the original Godfather movie: Johnny Fontane, a character loosely based on Frank Sinatra and his attempts to break into the film industry.  (The D.C. references the group’s musical Dublin home.)

Whether a horse played into Fontaines DC current unbridled success, an ancient deer is referenced in the title of their third album.  The Irish term Skinty Fia roughly translates into “The damnation of the deer.”  Coll’s great aunt who only spoke the Irish tongue would spew the Irish Oath when an Irish Oath was needed and the band thought it made perfect sense as an album title. 

A love of poetry is what brought this band together when they met at college and it’s the lyrics where this band really sets itself apart.  Not very many bands are going to reference literary giants like James Joyce and Vladimir Nabokov or create such effusively depressing lyrics found in “Roman Holiday” and “Jackie Down the Line”, songs which brought the crowd surging towards the stage.  

And in their lies the soul of their Irish roots or as Chatten best explained the contradiction to Lizzie Manno in a Paste interview:

We’re from the Liberties. [Dublin neighborhood] It’s relatively rough, but it’s not as bad as it used to be. It’s kind of at the edge of the gentrification strip. It’s been surrounded by a dying culture that’s really potent inspiration. There’s a harshness as well. There’s drug use. At the same time, everybody’s so friendly. It’s a combination of friendliness and harshness that’s really inspiring.

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