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Flashback: Space at the Roxy, Hollywood (05 Mar 1997) (Cancelled)

Read More Space Space was a short-lived band from Liverpool. The most interesting thing about the band is that singer, Tommy Scott sounds like he's trying to be Mexican. You can hear it in the way he rolls his "R"s. …

They had a whole segment on Liverpool’s Space in the four-hour Britpop documentary… and it made me think about this quirky little band. I love them. I know I went to see them play live in 1997… yet, I have very little, or no memory of seeing the band play. I remember going to Los Angeles with my friend Melinda to see Space. I remember going inside the venue. I remember thinking it wasn’t a very big venue, and that it was … club-ish. Still, why can’t I remember the band? It didn’t help that the band’s name is nearly impossible to find any information about Space in Los Angeles in 1997. Believe me, I’ve tried to look up any information to help me jog my memory.

Even in 2016, I admitted not remembering: “I think for their first US tour, we caught the band in Los Angeles in 1997 (?). It’s been a long time, but it was their first LA gig from what I can recall.”

Well, I asked my fellow Britpop friends if they remember the Space in Los Angeles show, and someone was also there (although we didn’t know each other back then). She told us that the Space show was cancelled at the last minute! It hit me like a ton of brick… it all suddenly all made sense: why I remember going to see Space, yet have absolutely no memory of the show.

You know that scene in Usual Suspect? That was my Keyser Söze moment. All the memories started flooding back. Now it made sense why we watched the music video to “Female of the Species” on the screen of the venue as a consolation prize, and why people started leaving the Roxy dance floor.

According to Wikipedia: “A tour of the US followed in mid-1997, which was less successful than many had hoped, with stories of homesickness and, in Murphy’s, case a severe nervous breakdown, as well as Scott losing his voice for two months.”

Space 2023 Tour

I still love the band, of course. Maybe, if they ever come back to the USA, I will be first in line to see them … now knowing that it would be for the first time.

Currently, the band is on their 25th Anniversary Tour.

The band writes:

It's a Pleasure to Announce our 25th Anniversary Tour and more - Spiders/Tin Planet/LYMTF/Sub RnR/50FT Kebab/GMYF/MFPMFP.

Our Website Is Being Edited As We Speak.
With Ticket Links
www.spacebanduk.co.uk

07/27 Longdon, App Fest 07/29 Bideford, Palladium Club 09/09 Huddersfield, The Parish 09/29 Oxford, O2 Academy2 09/30 Ashford, Revelation 10/06 Norwich, Norwich Arts Centre

10/07 Cambridge, Mash Cambridge 10/20 Newport (Isle of Wight), Strings Bar & Venue 10/28 Schwetzingen, Germany Alte Wollfabrik 11/10 Leicester, O2 Academy2 12/02 Hertford, Hertford Corn Exchange 12/08 Birkenhead, Future Yard

Space at The Roxy, Hollywood (05 Mar 1997) (Cancelled)

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Flashback: Hole at EdgeFest, Wisconsin (29 May 1999)

photo courtesy of deflepparduk.com Hole Setlist Violet Awful Pretty on the Inside Heaven Tonight Miss World Reasons to Be Beautiful Malibu Dying Celebrity Skin Read More Hole The main story that I'll be talking about is the Courtney Love vs the former Nirvana band members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic. I remember really hating Love (haha) after reading this article. …

I’ve told this story before, but I went to see Hole at EdgeFest 6 in Somerset, Wisconsin on May 29, 1999. This was a two-day event, with a price of $30 for both days. I’m almost certain I did not attend the second night, simply because of a disagreement between my friends that went to his music festival. I won’t go into details, but we spent money to rent a camp ground, but did not actually utilize it.

Anyway, as I previously mentioned in Nov 2015, the only thing I can remember from this show 23 years ago, was that singer Courtney Love kept flashing us her underwear. I know it’s intentional, but it’s funny what I do remember. I’ve drawn her from my memory below. What’s funny is that it looks nothing like her appearance at EdgeFest. Someone posted the entire 30-min set on YouTube - I’d forgotten she had butterfly wings on!

Lineup:

Hole Cake Staind Might Mighty Bostones Flipp Marvelous 3 Buckherry Local H My Friend Steve Econoline Crush The Offspring Mason Jennings Dropkick Murphys

Motörhead Def Leppard Nothingface The Flys Supercell Sponge Hatebreed Second Coming American Head Charge Grinspoon Bare Jr. Coup de Grace SoulMotor Moby

Update:

Andrew O adds, "This show was very memorable for Courtney Love complaining that she had an early time slot when she was supposed to be the headliner. She stopped many times while playing and was upset about how hot it was. The thing I remember most was when she climbed up the side scaffolding on the sides of the stage. She went way up, about 40-60 feet, and then climbed down in her short dress. She quit playing and blamed the heat. The Offspring were a highlight in the evening and the campgrounds kept going all night long."

Vuart: Hole

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Flashback: The Get Up Kids at Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis (2011-07-10)

Setlist Your Petty Pretty Things I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel Regent's Court Action & Action No Love Off the Wagon Overdue Shatter Your Lungs Red Letter Day Woodson Pararelevant Shorty Holy Roman Campfire Kansas Rememorable Don't Hate Me Walking on a Wire -- Encore -- Girls & Boys (Blur cover) Holiday Don't Hate Me Beer for Breakfast (The Replacements cover) Ten Minutes Read More The Get Up Kids As far as I know, The Get Up Kids doesn’t have a new album, but their breakout album Something To Write About got a “Deluxe” reissue recently. The band also appeared on Episode 3 of Vagrant Records: 25 Years on the Streets …

With The Get Up Kids playing the Turf Club in St Paul this coming October 03, 2021, let’s take a look back at the band 10 years ago, at the defunct Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis on July 10, 2011. They were just as popular now as they were a decade ago.

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The Get Up Kids haven't been around for a few years, but they are NOT forgotten, as evident by the nice turnout for the band on a hot Sunday evening at the Triple Rock Social Club. And you know what that means: three bands for triple the rock.

Major Crimes

I thought the first band, Major Crimes, sounded great. They were tight, was especially impressed with the drums. As it turns out, this trio went under the name Brian Bonz and the Major Crimes (Bonz is the drummer), but what's interesting is that Bonz is not doing the vocals on stage. Instead, singing duties were left to the guitarist and bassist.

The Globes

The Globes were up next. I thought their debut Barsuk album, Future Self, was well produced, and I was glad to see they carry their spacey progressive rock sound live. As expected, they did a lot of songs from their album, complete with strange neck playing of the guitars, cowbells, and weird loops and guitar pedals.

For those who aren't familiar with The Get Up Kids, they were maybe unfairly grouped together with the emo scene of the 90s. This scene includes such hot acts like Dashboard Confessional, Thursday, Jimmy Eat World, and Saves the Day. While the band hated this tag, I believe it also help boost their rise in popularity.

What I liked about their setlist, is that they get it right: they'll sandwich new songs between old favorites, like "Woodson", etc. You can always tell which one were the old songs as everyone is singing along.

Jim Suptic told this story about how they were at Summerfest and they had started a massive "USA" chant. Hilariously the "USA" chants was repeated throughout the show.

When the last song, "Walking on a Wire", was done, the crowd went into the usual "USA" chant for the traditional encore. The true irony is that they opened up their encore with a cover of UK's Blur song "Girls and Boys". This is quite an interesting cover choice for the band, and as much as I enjoyed the cover, the song was lost on its younger audience who has probably never heard of the song and/or could care less.

The other three encore songs included two Get Up Kids favorites "Don't Hate Me" and "Ten Minutes", and between those two songs was another cover: The Replacements' "Beer For Breakfast". The 'Mats was clearly a song choice chosen for the Minneapolis show. Outro song was Lou Reed's "Perfect Day". I don't know if the outro song was a request by the band, but it seems quite fitting for this show.

The Get Up Kids' fifth studio album, There Are Rules, was released in January. Go see them on tour to welcome them back.

The Get Up Kids at Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis (2011-07-10)

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Flashback: Sick of Sarah at 400 Bar, Minneapolis (2011-07-08)

Setlist Kick Back Kiss Me Simple Parts Overexposure Bittersweet Giving Up El Paso Blue Not Listening One Night Stand Auto Read More Sick of Sarah Minneapolis punk rock all-girls band Sick of Sarah is currently on a national tour, but will be playing a hometown gig next Thursday, April 30th at the Turf Club in St Paul. The band will likely be playing tracks from their upcoming EP Anthem … Julie Puppets As predicted, Julie Puppets didn't really fit in on the bill, as evident by the crowd having gone away. To their credit, it is a tough act to follow Sick of Sarah. Singer Russ Staiger … Hunter Valentine Hunter Valentine just wrapped up their all-girls tour with Girl in a Coma and Krissy Krissy and picking it right up with Cyndi Lauper… because you know these girls just want to have fun. … Fuzzy Machete Our friends Fuzzy Machete are celebrating their album release party for Number One Fan at the Cabooze this February 26th, 2015. ...

Like it or hate it, the 400 Bar was a great place for local bands to play. On this night in July, I ended up bicycling into the city. This night was kind of funny, a police officer on his loudspeaker told me to get lights if I’m biking at night. I actually didn’t expect it to get dark so early, but since then, I always pack a bike light when I head out.

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I underestimated how long it would take to bicycle down to the 400 Bar and ended up really late - Fuzzy Machete had just finished their set and walking off the stage. It was guitarist Tara's birthday and all, so I am personally embarrassed that I couldn't pedal as fast as I used to. I did manage to later squeeze in some insights about their "new" drummer, Chayci. Apparently it's their old drummer. And also settled my differences with Scott Bakula with singer Krissandra.

Fuzzy Machete is playing at AniMinneapolis today (July 9th). They'll love them there, with all the stuff about Star Trek and nerdy songs. You have been warned.

Hunter Valentine

The turn out for this show was pretty amazing, it was mostly women, but there were actually a good portion of men too.

Hunter Valentine started off their set with "Jimmy Dean" with the catchy chorus of "and when you walk away/you walk away with my feelings". I'm not that familiar with their songs, but I'm pretty sure they did "Scarface", and also, I think a cover of The Shirelles' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow".

Julie Puppets

As predicted, Julie Puppets didn't really fit in on the bill, as evident by the crowd having gone away. To their credit, it is a tough act to follow Sick of Sarah. Singer Russ Staiger said on stage that they haven't played in over a year, but they seem to have to have it together from their "69 times playing the 400 Bar" (joke) (see comment below). Their set includes a full band for the first three song, then a solo three-song set, and then closing out with the full band.

The majority of the crowd was there to see Sick of Sarah, they've built up quite a fan following. You can see that this isn't their first rodeo, the band is tight and singer Abisha dance moves have been perfected from all their tours.

Sick of Sarah started off their set with their single, "Kick Back", which sounded great, but "Bittersweet" was clearly the crowd's favorite. It was a short set, and fans were demanding an encore. Always leave them wanting more.

Sick of Sarah is about to embark on the Warped Tour 2011, which should be pretty amazing, but I must admit, it's better to see them in a more intimate setting like the 400 Bar.

PS, as noted on their setlist, they also held a "Tattoo" raffle.

Saturday, 09 July 2011 at 12:22 PM
Tara Davis writes:

Hey, Tara from Fuzzy Machete here. Sorry you missed us this time, but I'm sure we'll see you again. I know this city is notorious starting shows later than posted, but with five bands on the bill, we ran a pretty tight ship an every single band started right on the dot of the announced start times.

One quick correction: Russ was actually NOT joking when he announced that it was his band's 69th appearance at the 400 Bar. It was. The Julie Puppets have been on a long hiatus, but used to be really active in the Minneapolis scene a couple years ago. They did a lot of double-bills with Sick of Sarah, and also headlined some pretty exciting shows on their own. This was their "comeback" show with a new drummer but otherwise their same line-up. As you could tell from the sight of me bouncing up and down near the front of the stage, I'm a huge fan.

Sick of Sarah at 400 Bar, Minneapolis (2011-07-08)

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Flashback: J. Tillman at the Music Box Theatre, Minneapolis (2009-11-06)

Read More Father John Misty J. Tillman under his moniker Father John Misty will be back in Minneapolis this April 4th, in support of his latest Sub Pop album I Love You, Honeybear. …

Before he was Father John Misty, he was known as Josh Tillman, or rather by his billing stagename, J. Tillman. We caught J Tillman at the Music Box, which is an old converted theater in the Loring Park area.

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Despite his minor fame with unpopular, critically-ignored ------ Fleet Foxes, Josh Tillman has been active in the music scene since 2004.  This past September he released Year in the Kingdom, a 9-track odyssey through stoic mountain towns by way of moderate folk sensitivity.  Merely 28, Tillman evokes an image of timeless worldly servitude that befits his preferred musical genre but also confuses.  He acts the part in person—bearded, casually nondescript, a man of few words; yet once he hits that first note, it’s obvious there’s something judicious beneath the weathered layers.  For one, the quality of his voice is beautiful.  There is simply no masculine way to describe it.  The probability that Tillman drinks and indulges like a big boy is high, but you wouldn’t know by listening to him sing.  Perhaps the impressive facial shrub is actually a clever disguise, masking a sweet, even-tempered fellow who rescues kitties and bakes things for charity.  Doubtful, but my point being Tillman’s ambiguity—it’s equally believable that he wandered into town from the wide blue yonder as it is that he stumbled on stage from the local, artist-packed watering hole.

Year in the Kingdom remembers a simpler era that Tillman was not alive to experience.  Softer tracks cite 60s folk influences like Joni Mitchell, had Mitchell penned her songs in a humble log cabin, without basic comforts save for canned beans and a faithful canine companion.  The sparse “Age of Man” is a few twangs/few stringed instruments short of Americana territory, while “Though I Have Wronged You” reminds us that Tillman isn’t seriously concerned by FF comparisons.  At times matter-of-factly somber (“There is No Good in Me”), the album lulls its listeners into a false feeling of peace (albeit reflective, disquieting peace) that does not prepare the ears for the sheer force of Tillman’s live rocking.

J Tillman

Kingdom-the-album clashed awesomely with Friday night’s show at the Music Box Theatre in Minneapolis.  I now have a physical point of reference for the expression “it blew my mind,” as I’m pretty sure I lost a piece of my skull when Tillman blew my mind.  Similar to the structure of the studio tracks—gentle start, build-up, full instrumental progression—the show began as one would expect had they listened to Kingdom:  Tillman + band = traditional 3-dimensional engagement.  Then, maybe a third of the way into the set, all hell broke loose.  Cue roar of full instrumental capacity, skin-tingling whine of amped slide guitar, psychedelic transformation, and crazy apeshit thrashing.  On top of everything unholy, we, the audience, bore witness to grown men playing plastic recorders and finger cymbals. Surely I wasn’t the only one to lose some head mass by the end of the night.

Cerebral hemorrhage notwithstanding, strong tracks like “Though I Have Wronged You” sounded ridiculously swollen with intensity and deliberate flair.  Not showy, per se; rather, phrenic but perverted by foggy invention.  It was like walking into the Louvre for the first time—extraordinary but strangely unfocused, as if the senses were forced into overdrive.  Had I lapped a taste of Tillman’s sweat*, the experience would’ve been complete.  Unfortunately, there was no exchange of bodily fluids; there wasn’t even an encore (a mumbled “thanks” and the musicians made their hasty exit).  It didn’t matter.  How do you follow an act like yourself?

A few random thoughts without homes:  in high school, Tillman visited Crown, a conservative Christian college in St. Bonifacius, MN; Miracle Whip is the default condiment of Fargo, ND, this according to the band; Josh’s younger brother, Zach, opened the show and also played bass for the elder Tillman’s set.

J. Tillman is currently on tour in support of Year in the Kingdom.  Upcoming shows include stops in Chicago and New York.  For more information or to listen to select tracks, visit his Myspace. 

* I’m not a creeper, promise.

J. Tillman at the Music Box Theatre, Minneapolis (06 Nov 2009)

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Flashback: White Denim at 400 Bar, Minneapolis (2009-11-04)

Read More White Denim It’s hard to believe that the last time we saw White Denim, it was Nov 2009, nearly a decade ago. The Austin, Texas group is back, headlining the Turf Club this Thursday, September 13th. .… Brazos Brazos warmed up the crowd around nine. What I liked about them is that they have a lot of lyrics in their song. The highlight of their set is the Adrienne Rich poem turned into song. I didn't recall the title, but I'm sure it had "Africa" in the lyrics. .…

I still can’t believe that the 400 Bar is no longer around. Sure, it was a dive bar, sure it wasn’t the greatest venue in the world, but it had its moment. Seeing a show there was intimate, and you were always welcomed by the staff. Some of my very first shows were booked at the 400, and that’s a fact. So yeah, it’s hard to imagine that new, uprising bands will no longer play at the 400.

At that time, I had never heard of Brazos (aka Martin McNulty Crane), who opened the show. I can talk about them now, the Austin (now based in New York) band was touring, at the time, for their debut album Phosphorescent Blues.

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I arrived at the 400 Bar sometime after the doors opened, and the place was pretty dead. I thought there would only be a handful of people out that night, but thankfully as the night got longer, the place filled up.

Brazos

Brazos warmed up the crowd around nine. What I liked about them is that they have a lot of lyrics in their song. The highlight of their set is the Adrienne Rich poem turned into song. I didn't recall the title, but I'm sure it had "Africa" in the lyrics.

Personally, I thought the best song on their setlist is "Feeding Frenzy", featuring these lyrics "We're interlocking, we're interlocking. It's a bitter conflict, this staring contest."

In contrast to the lyrics-thing, White Denim are more like crazy pyschedelic, garagey, experimental rock 'n roll - with minimal lyrics. Whatever singer James Petralli spouted out, it didn't matter because you were so in awe of his amazing guitar-playing ability. You can just tell the guy is a rock god, the way his fingers frantically moved up and down the neck of the guitar.

I reckon these Austin lads don't care so much to slow down or stop, so all their songs are medleys - one song flow into the next, and pretty soon about six songs have passed before they have to take a breather.

If you like your music loud, loud, and loud, White Denim is the band for you. Be sure to bring earplugs.

White Denim's latest album is called Fits and is available now at their record label, Downtown Music, or amazon.

White Denim at 400 Bar, Minneapolis (04 Nov 2009)

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Flashback: The Grates at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (2009-11-03)

Setlist Trampoline Science Is Golden Earthquake Milk Eyes Rock Boys Aw Yeah Howl Carve Your Name Two Kinds of Right Inside Outside Feels Like Pain Burn Bridges 19-20-20 Read More The Grates The Grates came on with full energy with their often-intro song "Trampoline". Yes, Patience does do that weird rabbit hopping dance, as seen on their Til Death Do Us Party: Live At The Forum DVD. Patience is now a blonde . … Zoo Animal Next was Zoo Animal, a band that I've seen a few times. Mostly with just Holly Newsom by herself, so it's always nice to see her backed up with a full functioning band. … Story of the Sea The night started out in the social area of the Sound Gallery, while Story of the Sea getting set up in the next room of the loft style venue. …

Whatever happened to Brisbane’s The Grates? They were at the height of their popularity with Gravity Won’t Get You High (2006) and Teeth Lost, Hearts Won (2008)… both reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 10. They did a world tour, stopping by Minneapolis in November 2009… and then just quietly disappeared.

As it turned out, they finished recording their difficult third album Secret Rituals in 2011 with US musician Ben Marshall. He left the group in 2012, and The Grates took a hiatus … until 2014 with their fourth studio album Dream Team.

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Patience Hodgson, from The Grates, tells me for Halloween, she dressed up as a cowgirl. She went into a store and saw a guy working there, all decked out in a cowboy outfit. She complimented how great his costume was, only to realized that it was how he's normally dressed. That's Texas for you.

That's the kind of weird stories you hear from her, even on stage, they're referencing strange things like trying to hi-fi-ing the "fat guy with the beret" or asking if there were any vikings in the audience. But before I get to all those crazy details from the 7th Street Entry last night - opening up for them was Zoo Animal. I had seen singer Holly Newsom before, but as a soloist. This time, she's doing Zoo Animal songs, not just her solo material.

Holly made some jokes, like how 'grate' the Grates should be to noticing that They Might Be Giants were playing next door and how "we might be miniatures". Most of the audience that showed up early, I think showed up because of Zoo Animal and possibly Ice Palace.

Unfortunately, at the last minute, Ice Palace canceled (I am told the singer was sick), they were replaced by Story of the Sea. Bassist John admitted that they only had a five hours notice. Despite the feedback and false starts, I thought they held up pretty well all things considering.

I will say that they seem older, for the kind of crowd that was there last night. Their music sounds like classic progressive rock. I don't know any of their songs, but I did like the song that had something to do with eyes and being gone.

The Grates came on with full energy with their often-intro song "Trampoline". Yes, Patience does do that weird rabbit hopping dance, as seen on their Til Death Do Us Party: Live At The Forum DVD. Patience is now a blonde, dressed in a gymnastic outfit.... making her look even more child-like than ever. Which may sound quite weird to hear her talk about wanting a baby of her own (I thought to myself, well there's always cloning...)

Other things I learned from Patience: if you eat enough of your hair, you'll have to take a pill to poop out the hair. Hence "hair butt". Fist-bumping, she tells us is called "boning". She likes to climb onto things, or jump into the audience and singing... while using a twirling baton. Fun to watch, but they also require audience interaction.

I thought the highlight of their set was either "Howl" or "19-20-20". I'm not that familar with their new material, but I did recognize their single, "Burn Bridges", from the setlist.

If you are looking for a good time or see cuteness in action, check out Brisbane's export, The Grates touring through your area. They are quite approachable, so please have a friendly chat with them after the show. Their lastest album is called Teeth Lost, Hearts Won, which if you get it on vinyl, will come with a bonus CD. I might also suggest checking out their debut album, which four singles from that album made it onto Triple J Hottest 100. I'm sure Sally will keep us informed of the 2010's Hottest 100.

The Grates at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (03 Nov 2009)

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Flashback: Weezer at Hammerstein Ballroom, New York (31 Oct 2009)

Setlist Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes cover) (Instrumental) Hash Pipe Undone - The Sweater Song Troublemaker Surf Wax America I'm Your Daddy Perfect Situation Dope Nose (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To with Leighton Meester Say It Ain't So War Pigs (Black Sabbath cover) Why Bother? Tired of Sex My Name Is Jonas Can't Stop Partying (Rivers Cuomo song) Pork and Beans -- Encore -- Island in the Sun Beverly Hills -- Encore 2 -- Kids / Poker Face Buddy Holly Read More Weezer Weezer's singer Rivers Cuomo brought out his dad, Frank Cuomo, and they play "Back to the Shack". One of the most touching things I have witness in my many years of watching Weezer shows. …

Everybody knows that Rocktober ends on Halloween… and usually those Halloween shows are special. In the case of Weezer in New York, we had a special Gossip Girl appearance. Audience came dressed up, so watching the crowd is as fun as watching the band on stage.

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To fully grasp the emotional scope of this review, you should know three things:

1. My first kiss took place at a seventh grade Halloween party with some dude named Eugene. “El Scorcho” was playing in the background.

2. My first non-paste-eating boyfriend was my ninth grade algebra tutor, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Green Album-era Rivers, minus the braces.

3. In high school I was co-president of a dedicated Weezer fanclub called The Cuomosexuals. We mostly dissected Pinkerton lyrics, line by line.

Needless to say, this show (on Halloween, of all days) carried quite a bit of sentimental weight for me. Like most seasoned fans, I’ve pretty much abandoned all hope of Weezer ever releasing anything remotely listenable, yet I’m still willing to brave Ticketmaster fees just to hear “Tired of Sex” – even if that means sitting through gems like “We Are All on Drugs” and “Can’t Stop Partying.” In terms of band-fanbase relationships, Rivers is Sid Vicious, and we old-school fans are doped up, masochistic Nancy.

Matt & Kim photo by Konstantin Sergeyev

The show was at the sprawling Hammerstein Ballroom, an odd place to see the opening act: Matt & Kim. (Unnecessary Personal Fact #4: My friends and I saw Matt & Kim right after our senior prom. This night truly was high school redux.) I’ve seen them play in the backroom of a Texan bar and the bowels of a Brooklyn brewery, but this venue was by far the strangest. Despite this, they were as hyper as ever, dressed up as Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick and hurling candy and condoms into the audience. They won the crowd over by using “The Final Countdown” to segue into “Daylight.” Yes, they had t-shirt guns and giant inflatable spiders, and they were playing in a 1200-capacity ballroom – but there was no denying that this was the same band I saw after my senior prom.

Alas, if that was only the same case for Weezer. I should go ahead and say that I had a fucking amazing time. I was front row at a Weezer show, mere inches away from Rivers. This was the epitome of my high school fantasies. But something was amiss. This may have had something to do with the fact that they came out dressed like insects.

Yes, when Weezer took the stage, Brian was as a beetle, Pat was a praying mantis, Scott was something vague and sparkly, and Rivers –ever the Kiss fan—was a big, fuzzy purple spider. It was cheesy and nerdy, two of Weezer’s hallmarks, but what really brought it home was when Rivers stormed onto the stage, one of his many furry appendages got tangled in a microphone stand, causing him to stumble. All of this happened within the first few seconds of “Hash Pipe,” by the way.

Leighton Meester photo by Rachel Esterday

The theatrics were obviously a priority that night. Some of the stranger items of interest: Rivers brought out a ukulele with the sole intention of kicking its ass, Leighton Meester (a.k.a. Blair Waldorf of Gossip Girl fame) made a cameo to help sing some song off of Raditude, Rivers proved to be quite adept with a trampoline, Pat played Rivers’ guitar parts for most of the show, Scott sang “My Name Is Jonas” (blasphemy!), and they ended the first set with their infamous MGMT/Lady Gaga medley. Oh, and Rivers rapped Lil Wayne’s part on “Can’t Stop Partying.” Vanilla Ice would be proud.

As both an insufferable snob and helpless Weezer fan, I was torn. I went beavershit crazy during any song from the first two albums, but during anything post-2001, I’d turn to my friend and shrug, mouthing, Do you know this song? (Yeah, we’re assholes.) Soon I noticed that we were pretty much the only ones not creaming ourselves over a song like “Pork and Beans.” Weezer plays stadiums and ballrooms for a reason – and it’s because of this new breed of diehard fans who unconditionally love Rivers, regardless of his questionable facial hair and fondness for Snuggies. These are the people who close their eyes and sway to “Beverly Hills,” while restlessly checking their Blackberries during “Surf Wax America.” In short, these are Weezer’s true fans, whereas I represent their bitter ex who is stuck in the past with the emotional stretch marks to prove it.

They ended the show with “Buddy Holly,” which was good enough for me. My inner-seventh grader was dying to hear “El Scorcho,” but it went unplayed that night. I’m sure it was for the best, as it wouldn’t have been the same without Eugene.

Weezer at Hammerstein Ballroom, New York (31 Oct 2009) photo by Jason Neely

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Flashback: Afro-Punk at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (25 Oct 2009)

Read More Saul Williams CX Kidtonik & Tchaka Diallo basically warmed up the audience with two or three songs before Saul Williams joined them on stage with the rest of the touring band. For those who aren't familiar with Williams ....

This was one of the first shows that we wanted photographers at the shows we covered. Prior to this, we rarely post photos from the shows, we were more interested in documenting the shows through the written words. Just from my own personal experiences with photographers, I don’t like working with them. That’s not to say that they are all bad, but, personally speaking, I would rather get a report from a writer with poor phone photos than deal with demanding (and restrictive) photographers.

Anyway, the Afro-Punk tour kicked off at the Varsity Theater, so what we saw on stage had never been seen before… which included various costumes and face paints. Visually very cool and a great start of a tour.

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Inspired by the 2003 documentary "Afro-Punk", the website of the same name, Afropunk.com, brings together all kind of culture and lifestyle. That company is also behind a series of tour dates with headliner Saul Williams, with a special guests joining on and off tour (I did notice that one of the original black-in-rock Living Colour will be joining on for a few dates!)

Afro-Punk is necessary about punks, it seems to also inherited punk attributes, such as its attitude and DIY mentality. So what we all witness last night was basically a very interesting mix of music genre, art, and lifestyle, in one show. One thing for sure is that all the acts on the bill is high-energy and, you can tell, in love with music.

The whole tour is being sponsored by Converse shoes and Bud Light (which was a bit ironic since the majority of the audience seems to be underage the legal drinking age). Throughout the night, MC Tchaka Diall kept us entertained by throwing out T-Shirts and introductions.

Kicking it all off was Dearling Physique. Having already seen the band a few times already, I can already expect a funky outfit and even funkier dance moves. Well, in addition to those things, singer Dominique Davis also brought props on stage! Peacock feathers and a birdmask, that looks like it was from the imagination of Grant Morrison.

No Bird Sing seems to me to be from the same school as Atmosphere and Eyedea & Abilities. I thought they were very good, especially on their last song of the set, "Ars Poetica".

The most punkish sounding band on the bill was American Fangs. Lots of movement and high energy, definitely a great band to see live. Don't believe me? Check out their song "My 2 Richards" at Vimeo. Their debut EP is $5 at, which the touring people claimed is "your new favorite EP".

CX Kidtonik & Tchaka Diallo basically warmed up the audience with two or three songs before Saul Williams joined them on stage with the rest of the touring band. For those who aren't familiar with Williams, he started as a spoken word poet (which he also incorporate between his songs during the show). In 2001, he made his first cross over to the world of music, and since then have worked with Trent Reznor, KRS-One, De La Soul, among others.

Although there were some excellent songs played during his set, I'll have to say that the highlight for me was his rendition of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday", sort of appropriate for that Sunday evening. As for the encores, I believe the first one was "Surrender", followed by "a new song" and "Raised to be Lowered".

But just when you thought the show was over, CX and Diallo came on stage to do some improv music as the few audience that remain gathered around to see what they're doing.

Overall, a very eclectic mix of bands. If the Afro-punk tour is coming through your area, check them out. The least you can do is download FREE Afro-punk compilation at downloads.afropunk.com.

Below are photographs from Erik Hess, our latest addition to the W♥M family.

Dearling Physique Photo by Erik Hess

No Bird Sing Photo by Erik Hess

American Fangs Photo by Erik Hess

Saul Williams Photo by Erik Hess

Saul Williams at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (25 Oct 2009) photo by Vu

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

Flashback: Lucero at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (23 Oct 2009)

Read More Lucero Lucero kicked off their set with ‘Went Looking For Warren Zevon’s Los Angeles’ to an incredibly pleased dedicated, die-hard Lucero fans. Although the song is taken from their latest album All a Man Should Do ...

Once again, lovely to be back at The Varsity Theater to catch Lucero on their tour. Not much to add, except that I was blown away at how many Lucero fans there were. Many of them waited hours outside the venue (as you can see from the marquee photo).

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I've said this again and again, but of all the venues in Minneapolis that I've been to, The Varsity Theater is still the best venue in Minneapolis. It's Friday night and everyone was very excited and eager to see Lucero play. You have to keep in mind that these fans waiting outside the theater have seen Lucero before, if not multiple time.

At the last minute, I was informed that singer / songwriter Amy LaVere had canceled her appearance. So the set time was pushed back to 9:45pm at the earliest, but it seems forever waiting nearly two hours for the first band.

The "two man wrecking crew" Cedric Burnside & Lightnin' Malcolm came on with an introduction by Lucero bassis John Stubblefield, who would later join the duo for their finale song. I wasn't expecting Cedric & Malcolm to sound so swamp bluesy, most of their songs went well with the audience. The highlight for me was when they brought Lucero's saxophonist McKnight on stage near the end of their set.

Lucero

When Lucero took the stage, the crowd quadrupled, as they pushed forward to the front. There were a lot of very excited fans in the audience. They all knew their songs, singing along at the top of their lungs. With nine albums, the latest is 1372 Overton Park, they had a large pool of songs to choose from to play live.

I was a little taken back when I did hear singer Ben Nichols speak in this very Tennessean gruff accent. As if he's spent years drinking whiskey.

They kicked things off with a track off their new album, "Sounds of the City", after Nichols mutters something about wanting to start with the theme song to Simon & Simon.

Their songs comes off as sounding Americana, alt-country heartland music. There are also some hints of punk, if not evident by their years of tattoos then by the heavier songs.

While I can't claim to understand Lucero and their very obsessive fans, I'm sure this has to do with their extensive touring schedule and building up a massive fanbase all over the country. At one point in the show, a fan threw on stage one of his shoe. Everyone, including Nichols, was wondering why he did that. Nichols joked that he was going to just keep the one shoe.

As far as I'm concern, Lucero is a band that needs to be seen live. Their high energy and their fans interactions are infectious. 1372 Overton Park from major label, Universal Republic, is out now at all major music sellers, including amazon ($10).

Lucero at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (23 Oct 2009)

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