W♥M

St Paul Songwriter Rounds at the White Squirrel Bar (14 July 2024)

07/14 St Paul Songwriter Rounds at the White Squirrel Bar Lineup Samuel John Jeffrey Robert Larson Kaity Joan (of Joan of Profile) Dawson Sabah Kimyon FINICK Hosted By TJD Vuart Read More Samuel John Band Samuel John of the The Samuel John Band will be there. His band is actually having a Minnesota Goodbye EP release party at the 7th Street Entry on August 8, 2024. … Joan of Profile Joan of Profile closed out the stage. I am assuming the singer is named Joan and she’s from the land of Profile… They’re described as indie-pop, and I recognized their cover of The Cranberries’ “Linger.” … FINICK FINICK was there to play some songs from her debut album Where Could We Go? (2023). Despite her young age, she’s already put together a summer tour with an appearance at the Winnipeg …

The St. Paul Songwriter Rounds is a semi-weekly event held at the White Squirrel Bar, in St Paul. The showcase, hosted by TJD (Taylor), features four or five local singer/songwriters from the Twin Cities area. Each musician is asked a question and then they play a song of their choice. They do this four times (four rounds), so the whole thing is about two hours.

The Samuel John Band at 7th Street Entry (08 Aug 2024)

First is Samuel John, of the The Samuel John Band, who played “Enjoy the Show” as his first song. His fourth and last song is “Minnesota Goodbye”, which is taken from his upcoming EP. His full band (The Samuel John Band) will be holding the Minnesota Goodbye EP release party at the 7th Street Entry on August 8, 2024. Other bands on the Aug 8 shows are Aaron Simmons, Adam Brandt and Cole Diamond.

Up With Transcendent Fun: 20 Years of Chokecherry! at the Hook and Ladder (01 Aug 2024)

Next was Jeffrey Robert Larson, who just released his album Country & Western Songs For The Americas in February 2024. He sang songs about “Dropping a Quarter in the Jukebox” and “The Caretaker.” He said that he was previously in another band for 10 years, before falling out with the guitarist.

Jeffrey Robert Larson’s next appearance is at the Up With Transcendent Fun: 20 Years of Chokecherry! show at the Hook and Ladder Theater on August 1st, 2024.

Joan of Profile at Taste of Minnesota (07 July 2024)

Previously unannounced was Kaity Joan, of Joan of Profile. It would seem that she’s replacing Avery Seed, who dropped out. Kaity said she was influenced by Hanna Montana and her first song was “Losing Teeth”, and another song was called “Warhorse.” Her last song was called “Alaska”, which she hasn’t told the band about… so it was brand new.

We last saw Joan of Profile at the Taste of Minnesota: “Joan of Profile closed out the stage. I am assuming the singer is named Joan and she’s from the land of Profile… They’re described as indie-pop, and I recognized their cover of The Cranberries’ “Linger.” The band’s latest single is called “Flowers.””

Dawson Sabah Kimyon had some self-confessed “toxic” songs like “Dramatic” and “Submarine”. He seems to have gone through a lot, based on hearing his stories (he does lists in his profile that he has a “passion for musical storytelling”). At some point he “rocked so hard” that he broke a guitar string.

FINICK at Taste of Minnesota (06 July 2024)

FINICK rounds out the five. She had just gotten back from Winnipeg Folk Festival, in Canada, and then worked as Junior counselor at She Rock She Rock earlier in the day, before ending the day at the White Squirrel Bar.

We previously saw her at the Taste of Minnesota and said, “Finick was there to play some songs from her debut album Where Could We Go? (2023). Despite her young age, she’s already put together a summer tour with an appearance at the Winnipeg Folk Festival on July 12, the Elliott Smith Tribute show at White Squirrel on Aug 5 (Smith’s birthday is August 6), and then Waterworks Building on Aug 15.”

Of the four FINICK songs at the Songwriter Rounds, two were untitled at the moment. That would mean that she’s already busy writing new songs for an upcoming sophomore album. The two titled songs were “Sailor of Sea” and “Third Time’s the Charm.”

The next Songwriter Rounds is July 28, 2024, and features Rachael Guertin, Patrick Larkin, Sumanth Gopinath, Cassandra Johnson, and Megan Bee.

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St Paul Songwriter Rounds at the White Squirrel Bar (14 July 2024)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Kommuna Lux at the Tapestry Folkdance Center (07-12-2024)

07/12 Kommuna Lux at Tapestry Folkdance Center Tour Dates July 13 Viroqua, WI -Viroqua Music Festival * July 14 Galva, IL - LevittAMP Summer Concert Series * July 15 Coralville, IA - Unitarian Universalist church July 18 Stevens Point, WI - LevittAMP Summer Concert Series * July 19 Iola, WI - Iola Mills July 21 Green Bay, WI - LevittAMP Summer Concert Series * July 22 Chicago, IL - Promontory July 26: South Bend, IN - Merriman’s Playhouse July 27: Saline, MI - Acoustic Routes House Concert July 28: Columbus, OH - Natalie’s Grandview Music Hall July 30: Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom July 31: Pittsburgh, PA - Pittsburgh Winery August 1 and 2 Thomas, WV - The Purple Fiddle Aug 3 Columbia, MD - Abiding Savior Lutheran Church *Indicates free shows. Tickets for all other shows are available through the venue. Read More Kommuna Lux Ukrainian folk/Klezmer group Kommuna Lux is coming to Minneapolis this week at the Icehouse on July 11th and at the Tapestry Folkdance Center on July 12th. The group is led by its commander Oleg Vasyanovich. …

It wasn’t a normal music venue, not normal in the sense that the front desk was run by volunteers and a woman carrying a newborn said it was okay to go in when I said I was there to cover the show.

A sense of familiarity hummed throughout the expansive ballroom as people greeted each other like it was a family reunion.  More chairs were brought in to accommodate the crowd, a hodgepodge of chairs: folding, benches, even a few rocking chairs lined the back row. There must have been a late-minute surge of interest in the band promoting their country’s music and spirit.

Kommuna Lux is a Ukrainian band from the port city of Odesa. They can be described as a folk band in the same way the Pogues play Irish folk music.   They are Bagrat Tsurkan on vocals, Oleg Vasyanovych on accordion, Volodymyr Gitin on clarinet, Andrii Okhramovych on trumpet, Yaroslav Besh on trombone and Serhiy Poltorak on drums.

Their style of music is Klezmer and Gangsta Folk and their sound is lively, fun, playful and guaranteed to get a room full of people dancing.  In fact, by the second song some of the participants headed back to their chairs just to catch their breaths.

Kommuna Lux is on a second North American tour, not only as ambassadors of Odesa’s musical scene, but also to raise funds for the Rotary Club’s Hospital Beds for Kramatorsk, a city in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.

The Tapestry Folkdance Center in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis was the perfect place to see this band. During the week, the center hosts a variety of dance nights like English Country and Israeli folk dancing to Contra and Ballroom.

Circle Dancing (vuart)

The concert felt more like a celebration, as some in the crowd sat, some danced, while others caught up with friends they hadn’t seen in a while.  It felt like the room was only one cake away from turning into a wedding reception. 

For a moment, the energy at The Tapestry Folkdance Center was a microcosm of the band’s hometown of Odesa where in 2014 they started out as a pop-up band that would play on the streets and create a mob of revelers with their infectious music.  And for an hour and a half they kept the room dancing, finishing with “Hava Nagila'' which almost emptied the rocking chairs.  One elderly gentleman remained in his but kept tapping the armrest and his toes.

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Kommuna Lux at Tapestry Folkdance Center (12 July 2024)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Matt Nathanson w Stephen Kellogg at Madrid Theatre Kansas City, MO (2023-03-11) review

Matt Nathanson Poster MATT NATHANSON SETLIST Boston Accent Headphones (w/ AC/DC "Highway to Hell" riff) Way Way Back Run German Cars Matilda (Harry Styles cover) Used to Be (Evanescence "Wake Me Up" in Cookie Monster voice snippet) I Saw (w/end snippet of The Cure's "Pictures of You") Pretty the World Car Crash (w/ U2- “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” verse) Starfish and Coffee (Prince cover) The Boys of Summer (Don Henley cover) Faith / Faster / Kiss (George Michael snippet beginning / Prince cover to end) Sway Giants Come On Get Higher / You're the One That I Want (Grease soundtrack cover) Blush Never Tear Us Apart (INXS cover) Suspended STEPHEN KELLOGG SETLIST Milwaukee* High Highs, Low Lows It Goes Fast Love of My Life My Favorite Place*   To the Ones Who Need It Most See You Later, See You Soon*  (* = Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers song) MATT NATHANSON Tour Dates MAR 13 Washington's Fort Collins, CO MAR 15 Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ MAR 16 Garden Amphitheater Garden Grove, CA MAR 18 Ventura Music Hall Ventura, CA Read More Matt Nathanson Matt Nathanson has a sold-out show at Triple Rock Social Club. We caught the popular singer in 2008, which we wrote "As for Matt Nathanson, he seems really young and lively on stage. He really loves pop music … ...

Colin Firth’s and the cast of Buffy’s plucked eyebrows, Johnny Depp’s extreme level of handsomeness, and Don Henley’s “weird Hobbit ears” …!

Just a few of the topics of between-song conversations as Massachusetts singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson played to a joyful and appreciative crowd at the Madrid Theatre in midtown Kansas City.

The evening began with another verbose and talented singer-songwriter, Connecticut’s Stephen Kellogg, out in support of his latest full-length, Keep It Up, Kid, released late last year. Kellogg started his forty-five-minute set with “Milwaukee” a song originally composed with his former band, The Sixers, then moved on to a trio of tracks from his 2018 release, Objects in the Mirror, peppering in lighthearted stories about coaching pickleball, his four kids, and his wife jokingly inquiring about how soon he’d be back on the road again.

“It Goes Fast” was a touching song about the passage of time, “Love of my Life” was dedicated to anyone in the crowd on a date, and 2011’s “My Favorite Place” was a fan’s request about that location where you feel the most perfectly safe.

The new album’s “To the Ones That Need It Most” found the audience howling on Kellogg’s cue and another fan request, 2004’s “See You Later, See You Soon” ended up being the perfect closing number.

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Matt Nathanson is winding down the tour of his latest album (and one of his most personal), Boston Accent, celebrating things with this last leg of shows and a recent Lexington EP, bringing his arsenal of emotionally open folk-rock songs, and next-door charm and humor, into his hundred-minute headlining set.

The title track of the new record opened things, and with it, Nathanson opened himself up right away to the crowd, musically telling of his upbringing with he and his two band mates (Adam Popick and Aaron Tap) all “lit like angels by the Citgo sign” from an illuminated logo of that classic gas station brand in the back right of the stage set up.

After “Headphones”, Nathanson got candid about swearing in front of his pre-teen daughter and attempted a rough Springsteen-like “Happy Birthday: when a crowd member shouted it was their special day. Nathanson would reveal that doctors had put him on vocal rest when not on stage, and that he was forced to communicate through typing in texts to be read aloud (in variable pitches) by a ridiculous phone App.

The crowd did much of the singing on 2011’s “Run” and before launching into a Harry Styles cover from his new EP, revealed the one thing that he and his daughter had been connecting with- reruns of 21 Jump Street (and how good-looking Johnny Depp was in those episodes).

Nathanson’s printed setlists serve only as a general guide, and what he would actually sing would deviate as the crowd’s collective vibe would morph into driving how the show would progress.

“Kill the Lights” was err, killed, and after the crowd sing-along of “Used to Be”, Nathanson mentioned it being the 20^th anniversary of his album, Beneath These Fireworks, and in a somewhat associated way, described how more actors in those early 2000’s, (notably Colin Firth in Love, Actually and the entire cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer S1) seemed to noticeably pluck their eyebrows, along with how some of the music of the day sounded.

An impromptu “Car Crash” led into Nathanson into teaching the crowd the full lyrics to Prince’s “Starfish and Coffee” from the seminal Sign O’ the Times album. It’s been said that the music from your late teen years is the music that will stay with you for the rest of your life, and Nathanson proudly wears those late ‘80s influences on his sleeve, with his audience (many of a similar age) more than happy to help sing along with.

A Don Henley cover led into a hilarious comment or two about his ears (“they’re like Steven Tyler’s feet… but ears!”) and his love for Prince was repeated, ending his own “Faster” with a segue into the Purple One’s “Kiss”.

“Giants” was saved for later in the set, and while most artists wouldn’t tinker with their biggest charting hit, Nathanson was unafraid to segue a “Grease” movie song onto the back end of his “Come On Get Higher”.

The newer “Blush” was revealed to be a sequel to that radio hit- not one borne from continued desperation, but a come-to-terms love song about human connectivity and living in, and for, that unique moment that will never repeat itself again.

Sensing the crowd was still in the singing mood, an INXS cover kept spirits high, and the night would end on a positive note with his own “Suspended” and the audience singing to its chorus, “Sunshine, I’m beginning to like this.”

Stating this as a high compliment, Kansas City treats Matt Nathanson like one of their own- an old familiar friend that visits to sing some great songs, tell a few stories, and drop some familiar pop culture references while helping show everybody a good time, with a Boston accent or not.

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MATT NATHANSON

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

We♥KC! February 1-7, 2023 Upcoming concerts/shows (Kansas City / Lawrence, KS)

Read More Death Cab for Cutie before we get to Death Cab for Cutie, I have to explain that I've seen the band before in 2001 at the 7th Street Entry for $5. People who live in Minnesota know that the 7th Street is a tiny venue. …

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

February already?! And how ‘bout those...Chiefs!!

The chill of winter has hit (thankfully only 5” of snow this season) but there’s hot concerts inside to enjoy. In addition to the below, two massive Midland announcements yesterday for The Smile (Radiohead offshoot) and Sparks, are worthy alternative choices to huge Country pop shows held those same nights. Save those pennies, as Valentine’s is just around the corner too.

Let’s take look at the Kansas City/Lawrence KS metro musical happenings through the end of the month- February 1^st- 7th.

WEDNESDAY FEB 1

Folk Alliance international Conference, Feb 1-5, Westin Crown Center $150-$550

The Folk Alliance International Conference, presented by Folk Alliance International, is the world’s largest gathering of the folk music industry and community (crossing a diverse array of genres including Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Global Roots, Hip-Hop, Old-Time, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word, Traditional, Zydeco, and various fusions and always has hundreds of artists attending. The theme of the 2023 gathering is Facing the Future: Sustainability in Folk Music.  Some 148 or more artists, hailing from everywhere, are scheduled to be in attendance. 

One such featured artist is country-folk-leaning singer-songwriter Jaimee Harris, who will perform on February 3rd at 9:15p in Shawnee Mission, ahead of her forthcoming sophomore album Boomerang Town, with first single “Missing Someone” already out. 

Harris began cultivating the album back in 2016, when a shift in the political landscape had ushered in a new level of cultural polarization (as we all know).  For someone who grew up outside of Waco, TX, Harris believed the values instilled by her parents were not entirely in line with how people had now considered Christians in particular. So, she felt she had to re-evaluate things, and it was from the intersection of these social, personal, and political currents, that the album and its songs were born.

THURSDAY FEB 2

Hairspray (musical), Lied Center- Lawrence, $21-$60.

Broadway’s Tony Award-winning popular musical comedy is back on tour! Join teen Tracy Turnblad in 1960s Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and bigger hair) change the world?

Featuring the beloved score of hit songs including “Welcome to the 60s,” “Good Morning Baltimore” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” Hairspray is “fresh, winning and deliriously tuneful!” (The New York Times in this all-new touring production will reuniting the creative team led by director Jack O’Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell.

FRIDAY FEB 3

The Judds w Kelsea Ballerini, Martina McBride T-Mobile Center, $24.50-$394.50

Following the tragic passing of her mother, Wynonna Judd made the announcement that the duo’s intended outing – The Judds: The Final Tour will be continuing, thanks to the overwhelming love and support of fans. Wynonna, along with the help of many of her musical friends, including Kelsea Ballerini and Martina McBride on this stop, will celebrate a lifetime of timeless music and heart.

“I have never felt so overwhelmed by this much love and support!” says Wynonna. “The emotions that flow while listening to the different generations of fans sing back to me each night has been other-worldly. In my 39 years of performing, these shows have truly been some of my absolute favorite experiences ever and I look forward to making new memories with the fans and guest artists in 2023.”

Hairball, Ameristar Casino, $20+

Few do the hair band/heavy metal tribute better than this longtime act, now in its 23rd year of bringing blasts from the past. With their beginnings being first in the Minneapolis area, we’ve seen them over the years and their costumes/routines, and setlist of familiar jukebox songs, are all top-notch to make for a fun and very entertaining concert experience.

Destroy Lonely w/ Homixide Gang, lil 88, Granada- Lawrence, $37-$89.

Following the release of his latest project, NO STYLIST, the Atlanta rapper is embarking on a tour with label mate Homixide Gang, and lil 88 providing support. With a sonically ambitious project, a handful of viral singles under his belt and a legion of dedicated fans, the rapper's tour will be sure to impress.

Joe Pera, Uptown, $39-$49

On his Comedy In Ice: Winter Standup Tour 2023 Pera brings an all-new show. He’s a standup comedian, writer, and filmmaker originally from Buffalo, NY, best known for his current Adult Swim series, ‘Joe Pera Talks With You’, Season 3 of which, is now available to stream on HBO Max.

Marauda w Versa, Drinkurwater, The Truman, $15-$50

Hamish Prasad, professionally known as Marauda, is a Sydney-based EDM producer who has taken the world by storm with his provocative noise which summons a darkness within the souls of his listeners. “Through his relentless, punishing live sets he devours his followers into the wretchedness of depravity, hybrid soundscapes and malevolent force” says the press release...ummm, wow.

GUNNAR, Tin Roof, FREE!

Could be the next big thing! The 21-year-old up & comer is signed with star maker Scooter Braun and is out on tour this February. A social media sensation, he's amassed 22M global streams, 145K followers on IG, and 250K followers on TikTok. And recently released his single "They Didn't Tell Me, "a grunge/rock/pop number. Plus, Free!  

Grab those tix while you can!

Kansas City Symphony- Respect: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin, Feb 3, 4, 5, $40-$120

Featuring Gonzalo Farias, David T. Beals III Associate Conductor

She fought for civil and women’s rights. She won eighteen Grammy® Awards. She is the most charted female artist in history. She was the first female performer to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She was named the greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone. The story of Aretha Franklin is the story of America in the second half of the 20th century. “Respect: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin” celebrates the singer, the icon, the leader, the woman.

(DL Hughley, Feb 3, Kansas City Improv Comedy Club – moved to Sept)

SATURDAY FEB 4

Ott, Madrid Theatre, $25-$55

The UK-born producer of electronic, dub, ambient, trip hop, ethnic electronica, livetronica has worked with Sinéad O'Connor, Embrace, the Orb, and Brian Eno, and has achieved recognition since 2002 for his own psychedelic dub tracks with latest album being last year’s, Heads. And FYI, his stage name is a reference to ethnobotanist Jonathan Ott who coined the term "entheogen".

SUNDAY FEB 5

Small Glories, Feb 5, Polsky Theatre, $25+ ($5 students)

The roots duo of Cara Luft and J.D. Edwards are a musical partnership planted on the Canadian prairies, with hummable songs and a unique stage banter. Luft was an original member of harmony sweethearts The Wailin' Jennys and whose parents were folk singers influenced by the activist Pete Seeger.

Their sophomore album, Assiniboine & the Red, was released the summer of 2019 on Compass/Red House Records as a follow-up to the band’s debut album, 2016’s Wondrous Traveler.

MONDAY FEB 6

Death Cab for Cutie w Momma (re-scheduled date), The Midland, SOLD OUT

Touring in support of latest album, Asphalt Meadows, area fans have been anticipating this show since it was re-scheduled from last October.

Their tenth studio album (via Atlantic Records) was released to widespread acclaim last September. Produced by GRAMMY® Award-winner John Congleton (St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, Wallows). An acoustic version of the record, recorded in December, will drop in March.  

The band heads to Europe following, then returns later in the year for a special tour with The Postal Service reunion, meaning singer Ben Gibbard does double-duty nightly.

LA indie rockers Momma provide support, in support of new full-length, Household Name.

TUESDAY FEB 7

Bush w / Starcrawler, The Midland, $32.50-$69.50

The Gavin Rossdale-fronted group is touring in support of their latest album, The Art of Survival

“We’ll always love playing those big summer shows and the big stages, but we wanted to do some shows where we could get close to the diehard Bush fans again,” Rossdale said in a statement. “We’re excited for this run coming up.” LA band Starcrawler opens, in support of the new She Said.

My Fair Lady (musical), Feb 7-12, Kauffman Center, $56.50-$121.50

From Lincoln Center Theater (who brought The King & I and South Pacific), comes the Lerner & Loewe classic. Director Bartlett Sher’s production boasts classic songs as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain,” “Wouldn’t It Be Lovely” and “On the Street Where You Live,” it tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a professor determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.” Runs through Feb. 12th.  

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

Andy McKee w/ Calum Graham, Trevor Gordon Hall at TPAC, Topeka KS (2022-08-26) concert recap

SETLIST SET I Never Grow Old Journey of Love Africa (McKee solo, Toto cover) Ontic Blues (Hall solo) Phoenix Rising (Graham solo) Andy McKee solo This Beautiful Chaos (Hall solo) Lighthouse (Graham solo) High Strung (working title) That Old Familiar Pain SET II Tabula Rasa The Blue Hour Rylynn (McKee solo) Kalimbatar (Hall solo) Sympatheia (Graham solo) Blue Liquid For My Father Hunter's Moon ANDY MCKEE TOUR DATES AUG 29 McKee Mondays - FREE Online Live Stream SEP 16 Little Feat w Andy McKee Charlotte, NC SEP 17 AMERICANAFEST 2022 Nashville, TN SEP 18 w Calum Graham Birmingham, AL SEP 19 w Calum Graham Atlanta, GA SEP 20 w Calum Graham Ponte Vedra, FL SEP 22 w Calum Graham Tampa, FL SEP 23 w Calum Graham Ft Lauderdale, FL SEP 26 w Calum Graham Charleston, SC SEP 28 w Calum Graham Asheville, NC SEP 29 w Calum Graham Durham, NC SEP 30 w Calum Graham Richmond, VA OCT 2 w Calum Graham Vienna, VA NOV 29 Musikhuset Dexter Odense, Denmark NOV 30 Spillestedet BETA København, Denmark DEC 1 GERMANY 2022 Munich, Germany DEC 2 GERMANY 2022 Dresden, Germany DEC 3 GERMANY 2022 Cologne, Germany DEC 4 GERMANY 2022 Darmstadt, Germany DEC 6 GERMANY 2022 Hamburg, Germany DEC 7 GERMANY 2022 Essen, Germany DEC 8 GERMANY 2022 Berlin, Germany DEC 9 La Maroquinerie Paris, France DEC 11 Bush Hall London, UK DEC 12 MK11 Live Music Venue Milton Keynes, UK DEC 13 Band on the Wall Manchester, UK DEC 14 Oran Mor Glasgow, UK DEC 15 Academy 2 Dublin 1, Ireland

The Power of Three has long been a theme throughout history--

From the holy trinity, to the Romans’ Rule of Three, to the three-sided pyramids, and the spiritual significance of the triangle and valknut shapes.

In fingerstyle acoustic guitar playing, the power of three is embodied by musical craftsman Andy McKee, Calum Graham, and Trevor Gordon Hall, who joined together for the second annual Concert for a Child benefit performance at the Topeka Performing Arts Center.

The trio also held a Masterclass session that afternoon for aspiring guitarists and the evening culminated in the special concert which benefited both Capper Foundation's Pediatric Scholarship Assistance Fund and the Topeka Performing Arts Center itself.

Capper Foundation intends to use funds raised to continue their mission to help children with disabilities who are not or under-insured to receive pediatric therapy services. 75% of families served utilize the scholarship assistance fund to help cover costs of their child's services.

Topeka Performing Arts Center will support art education programs for all community youth and apply funds raised to their Sheffel Theater Clinic and Schooltime Theater Series as well as other Masterclasses, and the annual Gingerbread Homes For the Holidays.

Andy McKee is a Topeka native who has previously released six studio albums, two EPs, and one live record, with his newest release being a departure from his usual guitar work- Pulse is an EP with music primarily to help with relaxation, focus, and meditation.

Calum Graham is a native Canadian, born in B.C. and currently residing in Victoria, and who first trained classically before advancing with the fingerstyle technique. Latest full-length is his Sympatheia release, out earlier this year, and Graham was named as one of the Top 30 under 30 Guitarists by Acoustic Guitar Magazine.

Trevor Gordon Hall hails from Philadelphia, first beginning in local coffeehouses, then eventually developing his own unique “kalimbatar”, a variation of the African kalimba finger piano and his own folk guitar, which would help define his signature sound. Following up 2021’s The Other World on our Planet EP, is the new full-length, This Beautiful Chaos that reflects on his life changes and renewed outlook on life.

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Following an introduction and welcome from Capper Foundation’s Jarrod Guth, and TPAC’s Larry Gawronski and an introduction from young YT influencer Maxwell Guth, the concert got underway with the first of its two one-hour-long sets.

The trio opened all playing McKee’s 2010 instrumental, “Never Grow Old” and as the concert progressed, it was revealed that the Topeka crowd was truly seeing something special – three master craftsmen in musical harmony not only embellishing each other’s solo contributions, but the announcement that the three had also recorded an album together, for release/tour next year, and that this particular audience would be hearing many of these songs performed live together, for the very first time.

Following their take on Graham’s “Journey of Love”, the set shifted to a round-robin format, with each artist taking solo turns to perform two of their own songs, which McKee would begin with his acoustic version of Toto’s “Africa”. Hall next followed with “Ontic Blues” from his recent EP, and then Graham’s “Phoenix Rising”, he also mentioning his mother’s early support and even seeing McKee live with his parents, as a young teen.

Graham sang his final solo song, the touching “Lighthouse” (dedicated with the hope of better communicating with his sister) and the first set would end with their collective version of Hall’s 2011 track, “That Old Familiar Pain” as McKee picked up an electric guitar for the song, asking first if anyone had three AA batteries, as its transmitter was without power.

The second set begin with their combined version of Graham’s “Tabula Rasa” which was followed by Hall’s “The Blue Hour”, a song that must be on the upcoming album, as he mentioned they had considered filming a new music video for the song while in town.

Following McKee’s touching “Rylynn”, Hall showed off his kalimbatar, mentioning his latest version of the unique instrument had expanded to twenty-six keys (from just starting with a very few). “How am I going to follow that?!”, Graham quipped, also extolling the greatness of Kansas City BBQ burnt ends, before playing the title track to his latest album.

Graham and Hall nicely filled out McKee’s “Blue Liquid” from his Joyland release (anyone from Topeka would get the amusement park reference of the title). Graham’s “In Lak Ech” was skipped, but McKee waxed nostalgic before his heartfelt “For My Father”, also mentioning how great the new mixes of the trio’s version of the McKee song, were sounding.

The evening would end with another track originally from McKee’s Joyland release, “Hunter’s Moon”, with McKee teasing before the song, that he’d try his best to make the following year’s show even bigger and better (the first concert was held in summer 2021 with McKee solo on the beautiful grounds of the Zoo’s new Japanese garden).

A wonderful show for a wonderful cause- Concert for a Child had returned with McKee at the helm but bringing a couple of his fingerstyle acoustic guitar friends, to show what three artists at the forefront of their musical craft, can achieve together – the power of three was strong this night.

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

(l to r) TREVOR GORDON HALL, ANDY MCKEE, CALUM GRAHAM

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TPAC / CAPPER intro

MCKEE GRAHAM HALL TRIO

(l to r) TREVOR GORDON HALL, ANDY MCKEE, CALUM GRAHAM

TREVOR GORDON HALL

CALUM GRAHAM

ANDY MCKEE

TREVOR GORDON HALL

ANDY MCKEE

ANDY MCKEE

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

Anais Mitchell at Turf Club, St Paul (01 May 2022)

Anaïs Mitchell Setlist Real World Bright Star Brooklyn Bridge On Your Way (Felix Song) Flowers (Eurydice's Song) Wedding Song Coming Down Wilderland Young Man in America O My Star! The Words Revenant Backroads Little Big Girl -- Encore -- Out of Pawn Watershed Samantha Crain Setlist The River Bloomsday Songs in the Night Elk City Santa Fey An Echo Read More Anaïs Mitchell Anaïs Mitchell was put together to encourage voter engagement drive in conjunction with the League of Women Voters. The “Use Your Voice Tour 2016,” produced by Columbia Artists .... Samantha Crain Samantha Crain is a Choctaw Indian singer-songwriter from Shawnee, OK. She has self-produced recordings, but today marks her debut on Ramseur Records. The Confiscation …

Vermont singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell headlined the Turf Club in St Paul on May 1st.

Samantha Crain opened the show. We’ve been writing about Crain since July 2008, describing her music as, “The Confiscation EP is a remarkable 5-song "music novella" with each song telling a different story; from the press release, Crain says, "Every second, everybody is being fulfilled or robbed, and when that happens, there is a story. Everybody has a story and they are stories of redemption or they are stories of betrayal."”

Crain only played a few songs on her set… but between each song, she took her time tuning her one guitar. When she realized it was so quiet between her songs, she told us that she saw Jeff Tweedy from Wilco play solo. When he does, he has a semi-circle of various guitars, pre-tuned. On a Saturday night, Crain, when she’s feeling “frisky”, she would fantasize being in the center of that circle of guitars.

Before “Elk City” was played, she told us how the song came to be. She stopped in a diner and a local woman there told Crain the story of her life. At that time, Crain also trying to learn how to play “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” by Richard Thompson, but could never figure it out. “The guy has like 14 f***king fingers or something.” But what she did figure, she used to write “Elk City”.

A fan in the audience requested “Santa Fey”, which she happily played, right before her finale, “An Echo”.

Anaïs Mitchell is currently touring in support of her self-titled album… when she’s not jamming with Bonny Light Horseman (featuring Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, Josh Kaufman), of course. You see, the night before, she was rocking at First Avenue. Mitchell jokingly said she was doing a First Avenue tour around the city.

Mitchell’s full band features Josh Kaufman on guitars, JT Bates on drums, and Michael Lewis on bass… perhaps Eric D. Johnson was somewhere around, considering that the band is basically Bonny Light Horseman.

During the lock-down, Mitchell took the year off to learn to play piano… which she demonstrated for the song “Brooklyn Bridge”.

There was a long, heart-felt dedication to fellow musician Felix McTeigue for “On Your Own”. The two started playing music around the same time, and became friends. They would open for each other at shows, and the two had always meant to write a song together. It never happened, as McTeigue unexpected died in 2020.

In an interview, Mitchell gave us more insight, “We briefly had the same manager in our early ‘hustling days’ of trying to get a songwriter career going. I can picture us playing at the old Living Room on the lower east side, and me being one of five people in Felix’s audience, and vice versa. Felix was really fearless and present, he always had a guitar on his back, he was always writing something, he loved the act of just rushing headlong into writing, recording, not overthinking it. It’s a lesson I’ll return to for the rest of my life.”

Mitchell is one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People of 2020” and NPR calling her “one of the greatest songwriters of her generation” … find out why at one of her shows.

Anaïs Mitchell’s self-titled is available now on BMG.

Remaining tour dates:

5/04 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
5/05 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall
5/07 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
5/09 - Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Lodge
8/11 - Gothenburg, SE - Way Out West
8/13 - Rees, GER - Haldern Pop Festival
8/27 - Buckinghamshire, UK - Towersey Festival
8/29 - Cork, IE - St Luke’s
8/30 - Dublin, IE - Pepper Canister Church
8/31 - Liverpool, UK - Philharmonic Music Hall
9/01- Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club
9/01-9/04 Salisbury, UK - End of the Road Festival
9/04 - Birmingham, UK - Moseley Folk Festival
11/3 - Berlin, DE - Lido
11/4 - Hamburg, DE - Mojo
11/8 - Paris, FR - Les Etoiles
11/9 - Brussels, BE - Botanique
11/11 - Manchester, UK - YES
11/12 - Glasgow, UK - St. Luke’s
11/13 - Newcastle, UK - Newcastle University
11/14 - Bristol, UK - Fleece
11/15 - London, UK - KOKO

Samantha Crain

Setlist

Anaïs Mitchell

Anaïs Mitchell

Anaïs Mitchell

Anaïs Mitchell at Turf Club, St Paul (01 May 2022)

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Dar Williams at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (26 April 2015)

Dar Williams Setlist Something to Get Through Here Tonight Emerald Spring Street I Have Been Around The World (Kat Goldman cover) Slippery Slope Weight of the World Buzzer After All Mad River FM Radio New York is a Harbor Mercy Of The Fallen -- Encore -- Iowa (with Lucy Wainwright Roche) Lucy Wainwright Roche Setlist Take What You're Given Seek And Hide The Baby Tree ( Jefferson Starship / Paul Kantner cover) Modern Apples Hungry Heart (Bruce Springsteen cover) Open Season There's a Last Time for Everything Tour Dates 4/30 20th Century Theatre ­ Cincinnati, OH 5/01 Bell’s Back Room ­ Kalamazoo, MI 5/02 Music Box Supper Club ­ Cleveland, OH 5/03 Mountain Stage @ Culture Center 5/05 The Southern ­ Charlottesville, VA 5/06 The Grey Eagle ­ Asheville, NC 5/07 The Arts Center ­ Carrboro, NC 5/08 Eddie’s Attic ­ Atlanta, GA 5/09 City Winery ­ Nashville, TN 5/14 Infinity Hall Hartford ­ Hartford, CT 5/15 Swyer Theatre ­ Albany, NY 5/16 First Parish Church ­ Cambridge, MA 5/17 Daryl’s House ­ Pawling, NY Read More Dar Williams The last time we saw folk singer Dar Williams, it was at the Gutherie Theater in 2010, so it's been a long time since we saw her. As we previously mentioned, Williams was a great storyteller, so expect to hear some funny … Lucy Wainwright Roche If the name Lucy Wainwright Roche sounds familiar, that's because her father is Grammy Award-winner Loudon Wainwright III and brother is Rufus Wainwright. …

Dar Williams' Emerald tour just kicked off on Saturday in Chicago's Thalia Hall, so the band was still getting familiar with the new songs and setlist for their "second ever" Emerald show at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis last night, April 26th.

Lucy Wainwright Roche

This was the first night of the Lucy Wainwright Roche and Dar Williams teamup, which Dar and Lucy would later disclosed that they knew each other when Lucy was 14 or so. Lucy also talked about her famous music-family surname (Wainwright), jokingly said, "another one of those..." She also warned us that we may hear other Wainwrights, and given the talent that runs in the family, it won't be long before we hear more from Francis Valentine or Arcangelo (?) in the near future.

Lucy's show was pretty funny, it was about 80% music and 20% chat. After "Seek and Hide", she asked if anyone in the audience had any questions. Someone asked her how Church was that morning. Apparently she sang at the Rochester Church that morning. Then someone else asked her about her dog. Hearing her answer her questions, you quickly realize that she has a very personal relationship with her fans. As if they are very close friends or extended family.

My favorite moment on Lucy's set was her introduction to the Bruce Springsteen cover, "Hungry Heart". She said she was in Eastern Europe on tour, and they absolutely hated her. One night, no one was participating. Then one guy said she should talk about basketball. So she mentioned basketball and suddenly the Latvians perked up and started interacting with her. It was such a riot that she changed the Springsteen chorus to "everyone's got a basketball" instead of "hungry heart". With that said, there was a big audience-participation sing-along for the cover.

Dar Williams

Dar Williams came on around 8:30 and was joined by Josh Kaler (guitar/steel guitar/drummer) and Bryn Roberts (keys). Since it was just the second night the Pledge-funded Emerald, Dar warned us that they were still getting used to the new material. Seeing how the trio handled themselves, I got the feeling that they have been doing this for a long time and was no stranger to changes and improvising when needed.

In typical Dar Williams show, she had stories about all of her songs. These songs were all true stories... and, of course, very few of them are about love - which Dar admitted confessed that she is not a fan of love songs, "It's just about two people, right?" She doesn't find them interesting, instead focusing on trying empower women around the world... even asking herself, "What would Taylor Swift do?" when confronted by younger girls who only love popular music from Rihanna, Beyonce, or Swift.

Dar William's Setlist

Right before the title track "Emerald", Dar tells us her first show in the area was at St Paul's Ginko Café. She even knew the date, April 18, 1994. She realized that she needed a toiletry bag and that she was a bad traveler. It's hard to believe that after 21 years, she was still doing this touring/making music thing, thanks to her dedicated fanbase and support from local Minnesota Music Coalition and KFAI Radio.

Speaking of radio, her introduction to "FM Radio", she said that the song's co-writer was Jill Sobule (who is famous for "I Kissed a Girl"). Jill joined Dar on stage the previous night to sing that song on stage. The song was so new that Jill had a fan hold up the lyrics while they sang.

I can go on about all the stories she told, but you really need to attend a Dar Williams to get the full effect. Let's just say that you'll learn more and more about Dar Williams the more you see her.

For the encore, Lucy Wainwright Roche joined Dar Williams on stage to sing "Iowa". For a brief moment, I thought Dar would stay on to sing fan-favorite "When I Was a Boy", since she eluded to it earlier when she talked about Sobule... but the band just decided to step off the stage. On retrospect, that was probably a good decision since it might have been hard to follow up after "Iowa".

Dar Williams' Emerald album is out May 5th. Dar and Lucy are on tour together, at least for a "string of dates". Please refer to your local venue.

Dar Williams (with Lucy Wainwright Roche) at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (26 April 2015)

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For the Love of the Music: the Club 47 Folk Revival

For the Love of the Music: The Club 47 Folk Revival Ezzie FIlms Details This music-filled documentary explores the rich history of Club 47, the iconic Cambridge, Massachusetts folk-music mecca, from 1958-1968. Narrated by Peter Coyote, this fascinating story explores the magic that emerged when a small group of talented musicians came together in a tiny coffeehouse and altered the course of American music. From the 60s folk revival to the dawn of the "singer-songwriter era," the story is told through personal recollections by Club 47 performers, including Joan Baez, Taj Mahal, Judy Collins Tom Rush, Maria Muldaur, Geoff Muldaur, Jim Kweskin, Jackie Washington, Jim Rooney, Peter Rowan, and many more. "For the Love of the Music" also features previously unreleased audio recordings and photographs of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Eric Von Schmidt, inspiring new performances by many of Club 47's original stars, as well as fresh songs from today's young folk performers -- proving that folk music never stops evolving Starring: Scott Alarik, Taj Mahal, Joan Baez, Geoff Muldaur, Banana, Maria Muldaur, Joyce Chopra, Ellis Paul, Judy Collins, Jim Rooney, John Byrne, Cooke, Peter Rowan, Debbie Green, Tom Rush, Carolyn Hester, Betsy Siggins, Jim Kweskin, Bob Siggins, Everett Lilly, Jon Taplin, Everett Alan Lilly, Elijah Wald, Byron Linardos, and Jackie Washington Landrón And featuring performances by: Judy Collins, Hayley Reardon, Antje Duvekot, Jim Rooney, Meg Hutchinson, Peter Rowan, The Jim Kweskin, Jug Band, Tom Rush, Geoff Muldaur, Jackie Washington Landrón, and Ellis Paul With never-before released recordings of: Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Geoff Muldaur, Maria Muldaur, and Mel Lyman Read More Bob Dylan I attended a Bob Dylan tribute event last night at the Red Stag Supper Club, in Minneapolis. The event was also a listening party for Dylan's 33rd studio album …

I just saw a terrific documentary on Club 47 called For the Love of the Music: the Club 47 Folk Revival.

In any good documentary, there is usually a focus and it tries to show the viewing audience why the subject is important, and that's what For the Love of the Music: the Club 47 Folk Revival delivered.

Currently, the venue is called Club Passim and it's located in the Harvard Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts... however originally, in 1958 it was called Club 47, based on its address of 47 Mount Auburn Street. I wasn't familiar with this historic folk music venue, but having watched For the Love of the Music: the Club 47 Folk Revival, I had a full understanding of the important role the venue played in the great folk music revival of the 60s.

What the directors/producers (Todd Kwait and Rob Stegman) got right was tracking down the important people involved in Club 47, including Joyce Chopra (who co-founded Club 47) and Betsy Siggins (served as Executive Director for many years). Some key figures like Paula Kelley (co-founder) could not be tracked down and author Eric Von Schmidt (who documented the Cambridge folk scene with Jim Rooney in their book Baby, Let Me Follow You Down: The Illustrated Story of the Cambridge Folk Years) passed away in 2007.

The big moment in folk music (or as some people in the documentary called it, "old timey music") was when folk crossed over into mainstream. Artists like Bob Dylan and the Carpenters, etc., were finding themselves regularly in the charts, and in many ways thanks to Club 47 for booking these type of folk rock musicians. While similar artists like Suzanne Vega and Joni Mitchell were welcomed with open arms by the venue, the Lovin' Spoonful and Bruce Springsteen were not.

Anyway, in between the narrative by Peter Coyote and interviews with various folk singer/songwriters and music historians, were some great live footage of folk musicians. The music didn't go too long and used sparingly, except for the final section of the documentary which featured a full song "Stand Together" by Hayley Reardon, showcasing the 'next generation' of folk musicians.

Soundtrack Kingswood Records

If you have a passion for folk music, the new documentary For the Love of the Music: the Club 47 Folk Revival is a must-see for you... whether you are from that generation or this generation, it's worth understanding the significance of Club 47. The DVD (or Blu-Ray) came out May 13th, and also available is the companion soundtrack, featuring full audio tracks by Tom Rush, Jack Landrón, Peter Rowan, Red Heart The Ticker, Tripping Lily, and many others.

Joyce Chopra

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William Fitzsimmons at the Cedar, Minneapolis (07 May 2014)

Setlist Speak Centralia Beautiful Girl Josie's Song From You The Tide Pulls from the Moon Took Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (The Smiths cover) Bird of Winter Prey When You Were Young Just Not Each Other Fade and Then Return Fortune Blood/Chest Hold On Umbrella (Rihanna cover) Lions After Afterall You Broke My Heart -- Encore -- I Don't Feel It Anymore Passion Play Wildflowers (Tom Petty cover) Everything Has Changed If You Would Come Back Home Goodmorning Read More William Fitzsimmons Singer/songwriter William Fitzsimmons is currently out on tour in support of his recently released LP Lions (out now on Nettwerk Records). Ben Sollee is listed as opener.…

William Fitzsimmons admitted that the Cedar Cultural Center was quickly his most favorite place to play... then quickly throwing in a joke that this was his "third time in Cleveland."

While talking on stage, Fitzsimmons came to the realization that his speaking voice was quite different from his singing voice, which is "girlie" as he said. All of his songs are on the tender/gentle side... and yes, even dark and sad. That's an accomplishment, considering Fitzsimmons could even make Rihanna's pop song "Umbrella" listenable.

So, let's rewind a bit, singer/songwriter William Fitzsimmons just released Lions on Nettwerk Records, and in typical promotion, is currently out on tour. The Cedar Cultural Center is known for its acoustic and the venue is really one for sitting down and listening. Not so much for rowdy rock shows as Stephen Malkmus pointed out recently. For folk music fans, the Cedar is where it is at.

Setlist

Fitzsimmons is in a wonderful mood, despite the fact that all his songs are about breakup and love and lost and sadness and "boner jams" as he joked. After playing "Took", which is about his adoptive children, the band left the stage. Fitzsimmons then played The Smiths' classic song "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want."

As you can see from the printed setlist, Fitzsimmons has a tendency to go off the map, adding in various cover songs and extending his encore from the scheduled four to six songs. While no one in the audience was complaining or seemed to mind it, I personally think it went on a little too long (the whole Fitzsimmons set ran over two hours and ten minutes). For fans, especially the ones that requested the encore songs, that's all part of the fun of attending live shows.

William Fitzsimmons continues his Lions tour:

05/10/14 Denver, CO Daniels Hall
05/11/14 Boulder, CO Etown Hall
05/13/14 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room
05/15/14 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
05/16/14 Bellingham, WA Wild Buffalo
05/17/14 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
05/18/14 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
05/19/14 Eugene, OR WOW Hall
05/21/14 Sacramento, CA Harlow's Night Club
05/22/14 San Francisco, CA The Independent
05/23/14 Los Angeles, CA Largo
05/24/14 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
05/25/14 Pomona, CA Glass House
05/27/14 Las Vegas, NV Vinyl @ Hard Rock Hotel
05/28/14 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
05/30/14 Dallas, TX Kessler Theater
05/31/14 Austin, TX Parish
06/01/14 Houston, TX Eleanor Tinsley Park
06/05/14 St. Louis, MO Gramophone
06/06/14 Chicago, IL Old Town School
06/07/14 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
06/08/14 Toronto, ON Virgin Mobile Mod Club
06/09/14 Buffalo, NY Buffalo Iron Works
06/11/14 Quebec City, QC Le Cercle
06/12/14 Montreal, QC Cafe Campus
06/13/14 Burlington, VT Signal Kitchen
06/14/14 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall
06/15/14 Cambridge, MA The Sinclair

William Fitzsimmons at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (07 May 2014)

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The Head and the Heart at First Avenue, Minneapolis (10/27/13)

Tour Poster Setlist Read More The Head and the Heart Saturday we have The Head And The Heart at First Avenue in Minneapolis. They are so popular that they have been selling out all their shows across the country. In fact, they've even … Thao & the Get Down Stay Down San Francisco-based band Thao & The Get Down Stay Down got down with us at the Cedar Cultural Center on April 1st and we loved every moment of it. The band is currently … Quiet Life The Portland indie/Americana band is currently touring in support of their sophomore LP, Wild Pack. The digital and CD were released last week (October 15th), but look for the …

Seattle's The Head and the Heart just stopped by First Avenue, in Minneapolis, as part of their national tour in support of Let's Be Still. The album was released last week, October 15th, 2013, on Sup Pop.

QUIET LIFE

Opening up for this sold-out folk show were Quiet Life, from Portland. I got the impression that the band are close friends with The Head and the Heart and they were really grateful to be sharing the stage with the headliner.

The band had a very brief thirty minute set with about six songs, starting with "Devil's Kin", from their latest album Wild Pack, and ending with "Shaky Hands", which I think I heard was a new song, written about a friend's divorce. Highlight of their set was "Messin' Around", mostly thanks to the organ-playing and catchy (easy to remember) chorus.

THAO & THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN

Since we last saw Thao Nguyen, she was at the Cedar earlier in 2013. This truncated set featured a lot of new songs, taken from her latest release We the Common, including "Holy Roller" and "Every Body". The new material, as I discovered it hearing it live, is more aggressive than her folk songs from her previous two albums.

Although the set was shorter, Thao display her talent for all things strings: jumping from guitar to acoustic to banjo to steel guitar. It was fun to watch the transitions.

Prior to The Head and the Heart taking the stage, whoever was manning the music was playing nothing but Velvet Underground songs. It was a fitting tribute to Lou Reed, who passed away that day.

Then the intro music of "Springtime" was played on the speakers and suddenly The Head and the Heart launched into "Summertime", featuring Charity Thielen on lead vocals. You soon discovered that vocals were shared among the trinity of Charity, Josiah, and Jonathan. And, in fact, the three of them does a lot of tight harmony on many of their songs.

As you can see from their setlist, about half the songs are from their latest album Let's Be Still, including "Summertime", "Homecoming Heroes", "Shake", "Cruel", and "Josh McBride". You could always tell which songs were from the debut self-titled album because they usually had the audience singing along, in particular the set closer "Rivers and Roads".

Encore were "These Days Are Numbered" (featuring Charity solo), "Gone", and "Down in the Valley". After seeing how both the Head and the Heart shows sold out, singer Jonathan Russell just could not believe that all these fans came together. "You're all strangers in one room," Russell said, "It's crazy." You get the feeling that the band also agree that bringing people together, this is what they are about.

The Head and the Heart's latest album, Let's Be Still, is out now on Sub Pop Records. The band has been selling out all their double shows, so if you don't have a ticket now, you may be out of luck. Maybe you could grab a ticket early on the next tour?

Their remaining tour dates:

10.28.13 | Madison, WI | Orpheum Theater *+ 10.29.13 | Royal Oak, MI | Royal Oak Music*+ 10.31.13 | Toronto, ON | Danforth Music Hall *+ 11.01.13 | Boston, MA | The Royale * 11.02.13 | Boston, MA | The Royale * 11.04.13 | Washington, DC | 9:30 Club *+ 11.05.13 | New York, NY | Terminal 5 *+ 11.06.13 | New York, NY | Webster Hall *+ 11.08.13 | Philadelphia, PA | Union Transfer *+ 11.09.13 | Philadelphia, PA | Union Transfer *+ 11.10.13 | Raleigh, NC | Ritz *+ 11.12.13 | Atlanta, GA | The Buckhead *+ 11.13.13 | New Orleans, LA | Tipitina's *+ 11.14.13 | Houston, TX | Warehouse Live *+

11.15.13 | Dallas, TX | Southside Ballroom ^+ 11.16.13 | Austin, TX | Stubb's ^+ 11.17.13 | Austin, TX | Stubb's + 12.02.13 | Vancouver, Bc | Commodore Ballroom ^ 12.03.13 | Seattle, WA | Key Arena ! 12.05.13 | Oakland, CA | Fox Theatre^ 12.07.13 | Los Angeles, CA | The Wiltern ^ 12.10.13 | Los Angeles, CA| The Wiltern ^ 12.12.13 | Denver, CO | Ogden Theatre ^* 12.13.13 | Denver, CO | Ogden Theatre ^* 12.14.13 | Kansas City, MO | Midland Theater * = Thao & The Get Down Stay Down + = Quiet Life

The Head and the Heart at First Avenue, Minneapolis (10/27/13)

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