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Plains at First Ave (11/18/2022)

Setlist Summer Sun Problem With It Line of Sight Wind on Tin+ Can't Do Much* Bellafatima Last 2 on Earth Abilene Lilacs* Easy Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys (Waylon Jennings cover) Hunter+ No Record of Wrongs I Walked With You a Ways Hurricane -- Encore -- Amarillo Highway (Terry Allen cover) Right Back to It* Goodbye Earl (The Chicks cover) * Waxahatchee song + Jess Williamson song Read More Plains Plains is the new collaborative project from Jess Williamson and Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield. Their new album I Walked With You A Ways recently came out on ANTI- Records. ... Waxahatchee Waxahatchee is headlining the Triple Rock Social Club this Friday. The duo’s latest album Out in the Storm is available on Merge Records. Cayetana and Snail Mail will open. ...

The band Plains rolled into First Ave on the backend of their maiden tour and was greeted by a warm and receptive crowd where nary a cowboy hat could be found. Instead, winter coats and ski caps were the apparel as an unusual winter season settled in early.

MJ Lenderman and his band opened the evening sounding at times like younger relatives to Son Volt, but a little grungier and even more laid back. He started off with a slow dirge of a song that kept building in “No Mercy” and then moved onto the upbeat, almost danceable “TV Dinners” about a man at home all by himself on a Friday night definitely not dancing while heating up his pre-made meal.

Based in Ashville, NC and playing guitar for the band Wednesday, he is in town for the first time with his sophomore album Boat Songs.

His website has him in a cooler surrounded by cases of domestic beer. And although his songs mainly focus on sports, drinking and the pursuit of happiness, there is a tinge of soberness lurking with songs that are brief and observational and seem to get to the point with a few well-placed words.

It's plain to me to see
You have bought yourself a boat
Since the last time you and me spoke
Your laundry looks so clean
Soft threads hanging and relaxing in the wind
You'll feel so much better when you wear these clothes again

Plains is more of a duo and they are comprised of Katie Crutchfield who plays under the name Waxahatchee and Jess Williams. Both are established singers with indie labels that decided why not get together and play a bunch of country songs. If you listen to their debut album I Walked With You a Ways you would think they have been singing together since birth like musical twins, so similar but different enough to make their harmonization not too homogenous and prepackaged.

A full crowd gathered to watch this duo/country experiment and were rewarded “… with voices twining in distinctive harmonies – waltzy and twangy, earthy and diaphanous.” As described by Sarah Edwards of Indy Week.

Both Crutchfield (Birmingham, AL) and Williams (Dallas, TX) grew up with country music and they fully adopted the genre not only in sound but in apparel: Crutchfield wore black leather chaps along with a faded jean jacket (outlaw) and Williams had sparkly tassels attached and swaying from her black jeans and printed roses on her jacket with thorns lurking (Dolly Parton with a bite).

With only one album under their rhinestone belts Plains played their whole album with highlights like “Problem with It” and “Abilene”. In country the story is king or in this instance queen. There is directness in the lyrics not encumbered by orchestral swells or discordant chords, but a steady beat to keep the words coming. When you hear a good country song like “Abilene” you remember it long after it is heard.

An hour into the set Crutchfield told the crowd that they were going to play a country song, which produced a collective “Huh?” And then they launched into Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson’s “Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”, a song that Crutchfield and Williams would have listened to over and over when growing up where all seeds are planted.

MJ Lenderman

MJ Lenderman

MJ Lenderman

MJ Lenderman

MJ Lenderman

Setlist Plains Plains Plains Plains

Plains at First Avenue, Minneapolis (18 Nov 2022)

BONUS: Photos of Plains at Knuckleheads, Kansas City (11/19/2022), courtesy of Kimberly Carlson

Plains at Knuckleheads Poster MJ Lenderman at Knuckleheads (11/19/2022) MJ Lenderman at Knuckleheads (11/19/2022) Plains at Knuckleheads (11/19/2022) Plains at Knuckleheads (11/19/2022)

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Alex G at First Ave (11/01/2022)

Alex G Setlist S.D.O.S Runner Hope No Bitterness After Ur Gone Judge Ain’t It Easy Mission Kicker Brick Horse Blessing Immunity Early Morning Waiting After All Cross the Sea Gretel Miracles Forgive -- Encore -- Snot Advice Rules Mis Gnaw Change Tour Dates Nov 2 Chicago, IL, US Thalia Hall Nov 3 Chicago, IL, US Thalia Hall Nov 4 Detroit, MI, US Majestic Theatre Nov 5 Toronto, ON, Canada Danforth Music Hall Nov 6 Montreal, QC, Canada Théâtre Corona Nov 8 Boston, MA, US Paradise Rock Club Nov 9 Boston, MA, US Paradise Rock Club Nov 10 Brooklyn, NY, US Brooklyn Steel Nov 11 Brooklyn, NY, US Brooklyn Steel Nov 12 Brooklyn, NY, US Brooklyn Steel Nov 14 Boston, MA, US Paradise Rock Club Nov 16 Washington, DC, US 9:30 Club Nov 17 Washington, DC, US 9:30 Club Nov 18 Philadelphia, PA, US Union Transfer Nov 19 Philadelphia, PA, US Union Transfer Nov 20 Philadelphia, PA, US Union Transfer Read More (Sandy) Alex G Alex G (Alex Giannascoli - not to be confused with singer/songwriter Alex G) just released Beach Music... his seventh full-length album, and his first Domino release. He’s obviously not used to recording in a studio, saying, “I was … Hatchie Hatchie’s new album Giving the World Away is out now on Secretly Canadian. Caroline Loveglow to open. …

Alex G was in town with his band to promote his new album God Save the Animals. But first Hatchie aka Harriette Pilbeam opened the evening with an eight song set. Born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, she is promoting her sophomore album, Giving the World Away.

Two weeks on the road, Hatchie said she felt refreshed for she had the day off, which isn’t a typical routine for tours. Her rested voice had an ethereal quality with her airy sound lofting above the rich reverberations of the two guitars that accompanied her.

“Stay With Me” was a crowd favorite with a pulsating drum beat, rising synth chords that kept growing louder and louder into a crescendo.

Hatchie, a family nickname, lists her influences as the Cocteau Twins, The Sundays and Mazzy Star. When she launched into “The Rhythm” you could almost hear shades of an early Sinead O’Connor.

With her day off, Hatchie spent a portion of it in Dinkytown, which is located next to the sprawling University of Minnesota campus. She was so impressed with her breakfast, she joked about maybe applying at the university.

Alex G (Giannascoli) took the stage with his band: Sam Acchione on lead guitar, John Heywood on bass, and Tom Kelly on drums. Although not quite thirty he has already released nine albums. It probably helped that he started recording early at age of 11 when his parents gave him an Apple computer. Most of his early albums were self-released, but by the time of House of Sugar made Pitchforks Top 50 Albums in 2019, he had arrived.

Alex G has an eclectic range. Influenced by Elliot Smith and Built to Spill, he and his band demonstrated a high dynamic range, going from full pop and auto tune with “Immunity” to a haunted speed metal ride of “Brick.”

“After Ur Gone” was a crowd favorite as Alex G’s vocals and Acchione’s guitar went back and forth before Acchione took over with a wildly contained solo that earned a roar from the crowd. Acchione even thanked the crowd with a whammy bar lick at the end.

Another highlight was “Kicker”, which started with a slow, deliberate drum beat followed by a pizzicato guitar, low hum of the bass, all building into what can best be described as a musical ritual as the musicians turned and faced Kelly on drums to offer musical chords in some form of sacrifice, which had the crowd chanting Alex G’s name in the end.

Alex G is well known and highly regarded for being a singer/songwriter, meaning his lyrics tend to have a little more depth than the average pop song. He even tends to reference religious themes in his music, especially in “Blessing” when he sang: Every day/Is a blessing / As I walk / Through the mud / If I live / Like the fishes / I will rise / From the flood.

By the end of the show the full crowd wanted more and Alex G provided an extra-plus encore of 6 songs, the last one “Change” perhaps the best of the evening as he belted out the refrain: “I don’t like change” while Kelly slowed downed the beat and brought the band to a crawl, as if trying for a brief moment to hold back the inevitable.

Hatchie

Hatchie

Alex G Setlist

Alex G

Alex G at First Avenue, Minneapolis (01 Nov 2022)

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Sammy Rae and the Friends at First Avenue, Minneapolis (28 Oct 2022)

Sammy Rae Setlist Follow Me Like the Moon Talk It Up Whatever We Feel Denim Jacket Jackie Onassis Living Room Floor The Box For the Time Being Good Life Flesh & Bone Believe (Cher cover) If It All Goes South -- Encore -- Hotel California (Eagles cover) Kick It To Me Read More Sammy Rae & The Friends Sammy and "The Friends" are so talented... let's hope this album (The Good Life) and the new album Let's Throw A Party garner a much bigger following, and there's more music to come. ...

Brooklyn-based Sammy Rae headlined First Avenue’s mainroom in support of their new release If It All Goes South. She is joined by her band The Friends, billed as Sammy Rae & The Friends, which consists of Kellon Reese on alto saxophone, Max Zooi on tenor saxophone, James Quinlan on bass, Debbie Tjong on keys, Will Leet on guitarist and C-bass Chiriboga on drums.

Opening the show was Minnesota’s “Best New Band” of 2018 and 2019 Yam Haus, led by singer Lars Pruitt, guitarist Seth Blum, bassist Zach Beinlich, and drummer Jake Felstow.

The band’s debut album Stargazer was streamed over 3.5 million times, and earned them recognition for representing Minnesota in the American Song Contest contest for “Ready to Go”. The song their penultimate song on their, as Lars explained how they were doing well on the NBC contest, until the song got its butt kicked by Michael Bolton, who “destroyed” them.

Originally Rae, starting as a singer in New York at the age of 19, was a solo singer, influenced by gospel music and Bob Dylan. It wasn’t until 2021’s The Good Life and Let’s Throw a Party that The Friends joined as Sammy Rae and the Friends, did they really gain popularity being on Spotify’s “Discover Weekly” playlist. The band was originally set to tour in 2020, but due to the pandemic, they were forced rescheduled their tour Follow Me Like The Moon in 2021 and If It All Goes South in 2022.

As you can see, Sammy Rae and the Friends were in the Halloween spirit, as everyone was in costume as Scoobie Doo and the Scoobie gang. The band has a ton of fans, and they are certainly one of the funnest band around.

The band played all the hit songs, including “Follow Me Like The Moon” and “Good Life”. All the songs were treated like it’s a giant party, with the audience helping to sing and clap along to the song.

There were a couple of cover songs, including Cher’s “Believe” and The Eagles’ signature song, “Hotel California”.

Remaining Tour dates:

October 29th @ Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln, NE
October 31st @ Granada Theatre in Lawrence, KS
November 2nd @ Gothic Theatre in Denver, CO
November 3rd @ Commonwealth Room in Salt Lake City, UT
November 4th @ The Knitting Factory in Boise, ID
November 6th @ The Showbox in Seattle, WA
November 9th @ Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR
November 11th @ Regency in San Francisco, CA
November 12th @ Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, CA
November 13th @ Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, CA
November 15th @ House of Blues in San Diego, CA
November 16th @ Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas, NV
November 17th @ Marquee Theatre in Phoenix, AZ

Yam Haus

Yam Haus

Sammy Rae

Sammy Rae

Sammy Rae and the Friends at First Avenue, Minneapolis (28 Oct 2022)

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

Toadies at First Avenue, Minneapolis (07 Oct 2022)

10/07 Toadies and Reverend Horton Heat with Nashville Pussy at First Avenue Toadies Setlist Little Sin No Deliverance Closer to You Jigsaw Girl Long Time Rubberneck Set Mexican Hairless Mister Love Backslider Possum Kingdom Quitter Away I Come From the Water Tyler Happy Face Velvet I Burn -- Encore -- I Put a Spell on You (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cover) Charmer Push the Hand Rattler's Revival Reverend Horton Heat Setlist Liquor in the Front Set Big Sky Baddest of the Bad One Time for Me Five-O Ford In Your Wildest Dreams Yeah, Right Cruisin' for a Bruisin' I Could Get Used to It Liquor, Beer & Wine I Can't Surf Jezebel (Frankie Laine cover) Rockin' Dog -- 400 Bucks Ace of Spades (Motörhead cover) Read More Toadies Still rubberneckin’… After a successful two legs to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their defining album, Rubberneck; Fort Worth, TX band Toadies … 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. … Nashville Pussy Atlanta’s Nashville Pussy took to the stage (after a brief delay in starting with a between-acts bass monitor issue) in support of last year’s cheekily named Pleased to Eat You (on earMUSIC) …

The Toadies’s long-delayed 25th Anniversary of Rubberneck finally happened at First Avenue, in Minneapolis, last night, October 7th.

Not only was it the 25th Anniversary of Rubberneck, but it was also Reverend Horton Heat’s 25th Anniversary of Liquor in the Front… so the band also agreed to perform their entire album live too.

The special tour literally took two years in the making, as Toadies drummer Mark Reznicek explained, “This tour was originally slated to go out in 2020… Because of the effects of Covid, this is our third attempt at doing a tour celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Rubberneck. It’s been a long time coming, but the third time’s the charm as they say. It wasn’t ever an easy decision to postpone tours, but we felt it was the right thing to do to keep everyone (ourselves included) safe. And we’re really excited to finally be getting out there to play the album in its entirety for all our patient fans across the country.”

Rounding out the celebration was support from Atlanta’s Nashville Pussy, who kicked off the event, running at 100 miles an hour and never stopping. The cowpunk band is always fun to watch.

We last saw the band in May 2019, noting, “The band is led by husband-wife duo Blaine Cartwright and guitarist Ruyter Suys, along with new drummer Ben Thomas and bassist Bonnie Buitrago, whose hair was nearly as lion-maned as Suys. “Who wants some Pussy?” Cartwright asked after tuning up, beginning the set with 2005’s ‘Pussy Time’, in case anyone in the crowd didn’t realize what time it actually was. Suys and Buitrago were flowing masses of head banging hair and the band, realizing they were behind schedule, barely took a breath between the first several songs.”

Next up was Reverend Horton Heat (guitarist/singer Jim Heath, upright bassist Jimbo Wallace, drummer Jonathan Jeter), who played the entire Liquor in the Front album, with the exception of “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin (this ragtime piano song would be more like an outro to play in the background when you leave the stage).

Liquor in the Front was RHH’s first album under Sub Pop (who became a superstar label when they signed Nirvanna in 1988) and RHH’s song “In Your Wildest Dreams” appeared in various TV shows at that time period. When they played this song at First Avenue, everyone in the audience screamed back “cha cha cha!” as they closed out the song.

Jim Health, smiling and clearly happy, felt they had to re-do the ending of the song, to get everyone in the audience had to chance to say “cha cha cha!” again!

Reverend Horton Heat’s set was cut a little short, because there was someone passed out in the front. The band stopped playing and asked if the person was okay. After everything was given the okay to continue, Health said that this was their last song, which was a Motörhead cover of “Ace of Spades”.

The Toadies (singer/guitarist Vaden Todd Lewis, drummer Mark Reznicek, lead guitarist Clark Vogeler, and bassist Doni Blair) closed out the night. As expected, the band played the entire Rubberneck album… but before the album, they played some classic Toadies songs… and a new song called “Closer to You”, which they are hoping they can record it for the next album.

Rubberneck was (and is) The Toadies’ most important album, originally released in 1994 on Interscope Records and earning the band RIAA gold and platinum status. Their song, “Possum Kingdom”, as well as “Away” and “Tyler”, established the band on the global stage.

Unfortunately, during the performance of “Away”, someone in the audience threw a drink and hit singer Vaden Todd Lewis. First Avenue had to find and remove that person from the venue.

If there is one Toadies show to see, this Rubberneck anniversary tour is probably the best tour to see them live. Combine that with The Reverend Horton Heat and Nashville Pussy, it’s an unbeatable tour.

Remaining tour dates:

Oct. 8 - Milwaukee, WI - Rave II^
Oct. 9 - Chicago, IL - Metro^
Oct. 11 – Indianapolis, IN – HiFi^
Oct. 12 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak^
Oct. 13 - Cleveland, OH - House Of Blues^
Oct. 14 - Covington, KY - Madison Theater^
Oct. 15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Jergel's^
Oct. 16 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza^
Oct. 19 - Boston, MA - Paradise^
Oct 20 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall^
Oct. 21 - Asbury Park, NY - Stone Pony^
Oct. 22 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts^
Oct. 23 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore^
Oct. 25 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl^
Oct. 26 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theater^
Oct. 27 - Orlando, FL - House Of Blues
Oct. 28 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room^
Oct. 29 – St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live^
Oct. 31 – House of Blues - New Orleans, Drakulas

Nashville Pussy

Nashville Pussy

Nashville Pussy

Nashville Pussy

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton Heat

Toadies

Toadies

Toadies

Toadies at First Avenue, Minneapolis (07 Oct 2022)

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

Sigrid at First Avenue, Minneapolis (06 Oct 2022)

Setlist It Gets Dark Burning Bridges Risk of Getting Hurt Sucker Punch Mine Right Now Thank Me Later Dancer Head on Fire Dynamite Bad Life Mistake Like You A Driver Saved My Night High Five Plot Twist Don't Kill My Vibe Strangers -- Encore -- Grow Don't Feel Like Crying Mirror Read More Sigrid Norwegian sensation Sigrid’s first headlining tour for her debut album Sucker Punch is going strong… selling out the Fine Line Music Café this Monday, September 30th. . ...

Sigrid returns to Minneapolis, touring in support of her highly anticipated second album, How To Let Go (Island Records).

>>>
10/06/2022 Thursday

Sigrid
with Ber
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Sigrid is back on tour in support of her highly anticipated second album, How To Let Go (Island Records).

Sigrid (30 Sep 2019)

We caught Sigrid in Sep 2019 and wrote, “Sigrid was quite playful with her audience, as she jumped on stage to sing the title track from her debut album Sucker Punch (Island Records). Fans absolutely went crazy and singing along to her singles, and Sigrid encourage, often making funny faces and interacting with her fans.”

Ber to open.

Tour dates:

9/13 - San Diego, CA @ HOB Voodoo Room
9/14 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
9/16 - Austin, TX @ 3Ten ACL Live
9/17 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Upstairs
9/18 - Dallas, TX @ HOB Cambridge Room
9/20 - Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
9/21 - Nashville, TN @ The End
9/23 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage
9/24 - Philadelphia, PA @ Foundry
9/27 - Boston, MA @ Sinclair
9/28 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
9/30 - Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
10/1 - Ferndale, MI @ Loving Touch
10/3 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
10/4 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
10/7 - Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
10/8 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby
10/10 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
10/11 - Portland, OR @ Holocene
10/13 - San Francisco, CA @ Popscene
10/14 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
10/15 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
10/31 - Dublin, Ireland @ Whelan's
11/5 - Manchester, U.K. @ Deaf Institute
11/8 - London, U.K. @ Lafayette
11/9 - Paris, France @ Le Pop Up du Label
11/10 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg
11/12 - Colognes, Germany @ Helios37
11/13 - Hamburg, Germany @ Nochtspeicher
11/15 - Berlin, Germany @ Maschinenhaus
11/17 - Zurich, Switzerland @ Bogen F

Ber

Ber

Ber

Ber

Sigrid

Sigrid

Sigrid

Sigrid

Sigrid at First Avenue, Minneapolis (06 Oct 2022)

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

Amyl and The Sniffers at First Avenue, Minneapolis (29 Sep 2022)

Amyl and The Sniffers Setlist Balaclava Lover Boogie Freaks to the Front Don't Fence Me In Got You Snakes Westgate Capital Security Don't Need a C*** (Like You to Love Me) Shake Ya Starfire 500 Maggot Knifey Choices Guided by Angels GFY Cup Of Destiny Some Mutts (Can't Be Muzzled) Laughing Hertz Read More Amyl And The Sniffers Melbourne’s Amyl & the Sniffers just made their US television debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers earlier this week. The band played “Hertz” off of their sophomore album, Comfort To Me (ATO Records/Rough Trade) ...

Amyl and The Sniffers returned to the area, after a sold-out headlining tour four months ago. For those unlucky enough to get a ticket to the hottest show in town earlier in May 2022, you were in luck, Amyl and the Sniffers were playing their biggest venue yet, at First Avenue, on September 29th.

Opening the show was Iowa’s hottest threesome you’ll ever see, The Rumours. The band is clearly taking their influences from The Runaways, with KISS, and many hard rock bands. They’re sexy, a little dangerous, and seemingly having a lot of fun on stage.

Songs on their set included “Daddy's Fool” and a Nancy Sinatra cover “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'”.

Next up was Bob Vylan. The duo is singer Bobby and drummer Bobbie. They are from London (“but not that one in Ontario”), and after the release of their debut album We Live Here, the band was nominated for Best UK Breakthrough Artist. Their second album The Price of Life charted at #18 in the UK Album charts.

Before they started their set, they actually took a full few minutes to do meditation and stretching. It was a bit weird, like yoga with punk mustic against racism. They’ve experienced racism firsthand in England, and recently when they were touring in the South.

They were also very playful with the audience. When they were talking about the Underground in London, they asked the audience how they got around. One guy said he walked to work, and immediately Bobby jokingly publicly shamed him for lying. “You lie! No one walks in America!”

Songs on their set included “We Live Here” and “England's Ending”.

Setlist

Melbourne’s Amyl and The Sniffers has always been a fun band to watch. It was only a few months ago that we witness this at the Fine Line Music Café in May 2022 and wrote, “The Australian pub punk band fun to watch, as vocalist Amy Taylor ran and bounced across the stage, never stopping or slowing down. Rounding out the rest of the band are the always shirtless drummer Bryce Wilson, guitarist Dec Martens, and bassist Fergus Romer.”

With the larger venue, at First Avenue, it had a lot of space for Amyl to pace and run around the stage, that they couldn’t do before.

While many fans who were at the Fine Line show did show up for the First Avenue show, they did mention that it felt it was too soon for them to return. It was still a fun show, and regardless, if they return back in another four months, those same fans are going to line up in line to see them again.

Amyl and The Sniffers’ new album Comfort to Me is out now on B2B, Rough Trade, ATO Records.

Remaining tour dates:

10/1/22 - Ogden Theatre - Denver, CO
10/2/22 - The Depot - Salt Lake City, UT
10/4/22 - Knitting Factory - Boise, ID
10/5/22 - Sessions Music Hall - Eugene, OR
10/6/22 - Showbox Sodo - Seattle, WA
10/8/22 - Halloween Meltdown @ Mosswood Park - Oakland, CA
10/9/22 - Ohana Encore Weekend - Dana Point, CA

The Rumours

The Rumours

The Rumours

The Rumours

Bob Vylan

Bob Vylan

Bob Vylan

Bob Vylan

Amyl and The Sniffers

Amyl and The Sniffers

Amyl and The Sniffers

Amyl and The Sniffers at First Avenue, Minneapolis (29 Sep 2022)

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

Highly Suspect at First Avenue, Minneapolis (16 Sep 2022)

Highly Suspect Setlist The Sound Natural Born Killer Ice Cold Midnight Demon Club Bath Salts Canals Bloodfeather Wild Eyed Son F*** Me Up Claudeland The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret (Queens of the Stone Age cover) My Name Is Human Serotonia -- Encore -- Look Alive, Stay Alive Pink Lullabye Read More Highly Suspect Highly Suspect is not only kicking off their 2022 fall headlining tour in Minneapolis… but they are playing a two-night residency at First Avenue on Sep 16 and Sep 17. The band’s latest album, The Midnight Demon Club will be … Artikal Sound System Artikal Sound System to open. Tour dates: 9/16 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue 9/17 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue 9/19 - Green Bay, WI - EPIC Event Center 9/22 - Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life 2022* 9/23 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium …

Brooklyn’ Highly Suspect is pumped full of excitement to play the first show of the tour. Everyone in the band, including twin brothers bassist Rich and drummer Ryan Meyer, singer Johnny Stevens, and synths Matt Kofos are visibly happy and excited to be back on the road… it’s been a long time since they’ve been back in Minneapolis. The band was supposed to play First Avenue in April 2020 with Summer Cannibals, but due to the COVID pandemic, the band had to cancel those shows.

Opening the show was Artikal Sound System, starting playing their set much earlier than advertised. The venue lists music starts at 9pm, but the band was already playing 30 minutes earlier. It’s understandable, the South Florida band had a lot of music they wanted to play for us.

Most of the attention and spotlight seems to be centered around the tall singer Logan Rex, who hop around from stage left to stage right. This incarnation of the band is probably very different from the reggae duo, originally by guitarist Chris Montague and bassist Fabian Acuña. Currently the band features Montague, Acuña, Rex, with keys Christopher Cope and drummer Adam Kampf.

Artikal Sound System’s debut album is called Welcome to Florida.

After playing a round of European Festivals, including Lollapalooza in Paris, in July 2022, Highly Suspect took a break and gearing up for this September USA tour.

The last time we saw Highly Suspect, in Mar 2017 and wrote, “Brooklyn’s Highly Suspect (featuring twin brothers Rich on bass and Ryan Meyer on drums, and Johnny Stevens on vocals and guitar) just sold out First Avenue’s mainroom last Friday, March 31st. The trio is touring in support of their second studio album The Boy Who Died Wolf (300 Records).”

Highly Suspect’ latest The Midnight Demon Club is out now on Roadrunner/FRSKT.

Remaining tour dates:

9/17 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
9/19 - Green Bay, WI - EPIC Event Center
9/22 - Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life 2022*
9/23 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
9/24 - Maryland Heights, MO - Pointfest*
9/27 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater & Ballroom
9/30 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
10/1 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern
10/3 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
10/4 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
10/7 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
10/8 - Philadelphia, PA- Franklin Music Hall
10/10 - Niagara Falls, NY - The Rapids Theatre
10/13 - Chicago, IL - Radius
10/14 - Grand Rapids, MI - 20 Monroe Live
10/15 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
10/18 - Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom
10/20 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
10/22 - Kansas City, MO - Arvest Bank Theatre
10/23 - Tulsa, OK - Cains Ballroom
10/26 - Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live!
10/28 - Wichita, KS - The Cotillion
10/29 - Oklahoma City, OK - The Criterion
11/4 - Dallas, TX - The Factory at Deep Ellum
11/5 - Houston, TX - 713 Music Hall
9/15 - 9/30: with Artikal Sound System
10/4 - 10/18: with Dead Poet Society
10/20: with iann Dior, Spiritbox, and Destroy Boys
10/22 - 11/5: with Tiger Cub

* Festival Date

Artikal Sound System

Artikal Sound System

Artikal Sound System

Highly Suspect Setlist

Highly Suspect

Highly Suspect

Highly Suspect

Highly Suspect

Highly Suspect at First Avenue, Minneapolis (16 Sep 2022)

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

Chastity Brown at First Ave (08/20/2022)

08/20 Chastity Brown at First Avenue Read More Chastity Brown Chastity Brown played almost everything from her Back-Road Highways album, as you can see from the setlist. The band is joined on stage by Aby Wolf (for "Solely" and "Slow Time") and Hummingbirds (for "Say It" ...

Chastity Brown made a stop at First Ave on Saturday night to promote her latest album Sing to the Walls, an album that took four and a half years to make.  An album that spanned two continents (half recorded in Stockholm, Sweden and the rest in her hometown of Minneapolis, MN).  An album created in the middle of a pandemic and the murder of George Floyd.  And what culminated was a resolve not to give into the hopelessness.  “This album does not serve sorrow…” Brown wrote in her press release.  “What matters to me is my survival, it’s been necessary to try to embrace some joy.”

Opening the evening was Omar Abulkarim and his quartet with a lively set that pleasantly surprised a crowd that wasn’t use to seeing a traditional jazz quartet, especially on the stage of First Ave. 

Born in Minneapolis, MN, Abulkarim had a trumpet put in his hands at fourteen months by his father and fellow trumpeter.  He never put it down and he became a journeyman, playing for eleven years in New York before coming back to Minneapolis to be closer to family and work in the local jazz scene. 

Abulkarim and his band played a combination of original songs and ones from Miles Davis and Roy Hargrove.  They even snuck in the timeless jazz standard “Autumn Serenade” which Abulkarim played on flugelhorn.

Then a special treat:  Abulkarim invited his dad on stage.   Even at the age of 87, his father still has a warm tone that Abulkarim has incorporated into his own as well as adding other masters like Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard.  It was also special moment to see a father bask in a warm light of appreciation at seeing his son play in front of the receptive audience. 

Then Chastity Brown and her band took the stage with a far-off, sonic intro that built into “Wonderment.”

Four and half years is a long time and during the interlude Brown has worked on expanding her musical universe.  Already versed in the traditions of folk music, blues and Americana, the evening had a more soulful, danceable vibe with a driving percussion and electric guitars.  But there was also a cellist and violinist on stage to create an orchestral feel.  It seemed like an experiment of sorts, perhaps a collective of musicians working on something new, but through it all was Brown with a soothing, calming feel in her voice letting everyone know it will be all right.  

Brown devoted quite a bit of the evening to her new album with songs like “Boston”, “Like the Sun” and “Gertrude”.  At one point she even made a nod to Jimmy Hendrix with a heavy guitar charge at the end of “Golden”.  There was still the harmonica and the quiet piano solos, but after a pandemic and the social upheaval, Brown was pointed in a new direction and the audience was more than willing to join in on the journey.

Omar Abulkarim

Omar Abulkarim (and father)

Chastity Brown

Chastity Brown

Chastity Brown at First Avenue, Minneapolis (20 Aug 2022)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Peter Hook and the Light at First Avenue, Minneapolis (18 Aug 2022)

Peter Hook Setlist -- New Order --  Your Silent Face Age of Consent Everything's Gone Green Procession Blue Monday Temptation Unknown Pleasures Disorder Day of the Lords Candidate Insight New Dawn Fades She's Lost Control Shadowplay Wilderness Interzone I Remember Nothing Closer                Atrocity Exhibition Isolation Passover Colony A Means to an End Heart and Soul Twenty Four Hours The Eternal Decades -- Encore --  Atmosphere * Ceremony ^ Transmission * Love Will Tear Us Apart * ^ = New Order                * = Joy Division cover Read More Peter Hook Peter Hook’s last Minneapolis show at the Fine Line Music Café in November 2014 remained one of my favorite shows of that year. He played THREE sets (well technical two full sets and ...

Co-founder of Joy Division and New Order, bassist Peter Hook and his band The Light headlined First Avenue’s mainroom on August 18, 2022, to play Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures and Closer in its entirety.

For those who arrived early, you were treated to a DJ set from Jake Rudh, who named his radio program and dance night, Transmission in honor of Joy Division, so it’s only fitting that he’s at the show. It’s typical 70s/80s British bands, from post-punk to alternative rock, on the video screen.

At 8pm exactly, Peter Hook & the Light took the stage. They are on a tight schedule, as playing both Joy Division albums will clock in over two hours… and to make it worth your time, Hook and company played a selection of early New Order songs to help the audience (like “Age of Consent”, “Blue Monday” and “Temptation”) get excited about what’s to come.

The New Order set was about 40 minutes before a brief intermission. The band returned to play Unknown Pleasures. As expected, the band is very tight in play every song, in its original track listing order. Fans who knew and love the album from start to finish, eagerly anticipate the next song. There were no surprises, but that’s not what the fans came for.

Favorite songs were immediately cheered and sung to, and the whole thing felt like two plus hours of a double album listening party… and it’s amazing to see that everybody is on the same page.

It seemed Peter Hook is the only person interested in playing these Joy Division or early New Order songs, so if you want to experience these songs live, especially if you want to share your love with other fans, these Peter Hook shows are the only option. The band is really good, having to play the same set every night (with the exception of the random New Order songs that preceded the main Joy Division show).

So yeah, it’s a lovely celebration of all-things Joy Division. If you love Joy Division, go see Peter Hook on this 2022 tour. Remaining tour dates:

August 11 Danforth Music Hall Toronto, ONT
August 12 Danforth Music Hal Toronto, ONT
August 13 Club Soda Montreal, QC
August 15 Royal Oak Music Theatre Royal Oak, MI
August 16 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA
August 18 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
August 19 Metro Chicago
August 20 Metro Chicago
August 22 The Pabst Theatre Milwaukee, WI
August 23 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
August 25 The Fillmore Silver Spring Silver Spring, MD
August 26 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA
August 27 Terminal 5 New York, NY
August 29 The Van Buren Phoenix, AZ
August 30 Mohawk Austin, TX
August 31 Mohawk Austin, TX
September 2 House Of Blues Houston Houston, TX
September 3 House Of Blues Dallas Dallas, TX
September 5 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
September 6 Humphreys Concerts by the Bay San Diego, CA
September 8 The Theatre At Ace Hotel Los Angeles, CA
September 9 The Theatre At Ace Hotel Los Angeles, CA
September 10 The Warfield San Francisco, CA
September 12 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
September 13 The Showbox Seattle, WA
September 14 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC tour dates

Peter Hook and the Light at First Avenue, Minneapolis (18 Aug 2022)

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

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