W♥M

Minneapolis: January 15 to January 19, 2019

Drama 2018 Tour Read More Drama Opening the show was Chicago-based duo Drama (not to be confused with UK’s Drama, punk band Drama, Norwegian pop rock Drama, or New Jersey’s Dramarama). The R&B/dance group …

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from January 15 to January 19, 2019.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

DRAMA
+ Manchita, Nick Jordan
7th Street Entry
Sat 01/19/2019 (8pm/$12)
first-avenue.com

R&B duo Drama (Na'el Shehade and Via Rosa) blew us away when we caught them opening for Jain last year. We’re excited to see that the The Chicago-based duo will be headlining their show at the 7th Street Entry on Friday

Locals Manchita (formerly of Grrrl Prty) and Nick Jordan to open.

Tour dates:

01/19 7th St Entry Minneapolis, MN
01/23 Aisle 5 Atlanta, GA
01/24 Gasa Gasa New Orleans, LA
01/25 White Oak Music Hall Houston, TX
01/26 Mohawk Austin, TX
01/27 Three Links - Deep Ellum, TX
01/30 club congress Tucson, AZ
01/30 Club Congress Tucson, AZ
01/31 Valley Bar Phoenix, AZ
02/01 Constellation Room Santa Ana, CA
02/08 Barboza Seattle, WA
02/09 Wonder Ballroom Portland, OR
02/10 Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, BC, Canada

Other shows in the area:

Laura Gibson 2018 Tour Drake Bell at Cabooze King Princess at First Avenue King Princess at First Avenue Read More Laura Gibson It's been five years since we last wrote about Laura Gibson, but I'm glad that she's back in our life. I saw her play at 7th Street Entry on Monday night, to a smattering of fans and families. … Tuomo & Markus The three-band evening began with a crisp set from Tuomo & Markus, a new project described as Nordic Americana from Finnish soul/jazz artist Tuomo Prättälä and singer/songwriter Markus Nordenstreng of The Latebirds. …

LAURA GIBSON
+ Stelth Ulvang
7th Street Entry
Tue 01/15/2019 (7pm/$12)
first-avenue.com

Singer/songwriter Laura Gibson will be at the 7th Street Entry on January 15th. Her last album Empire Builder was a “a triumph” according to Uncut Magazine. I can relate, as the first time I heard “La Grande”, I fell in love with Gibson’s ghostly tale in March 2012. She writes great songs.

Show up early to check out Stelth Ulvang, the multi-instrumentalist currently playing with The Lumineers and Dovekins.

Tour dates:

01/10 The Olympic Venue Boise, ID
01/11 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT
01/13 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO
01/15 7th St Entry Minneapolis, MN
01/16 Hideout Inn Chicago, IL
01/17 The Mill Iowa City, IA
01/18 Back Room Milwaukee, WI
01/19 Odeon Louisville Louisville, KY
01/22 The EARL Atlanta, GA
01/24 Cactus Cafe Austin, TX
01/25 Double Wide Dallas, TX
01/26 Shoeshine Charley's Houston, TX
02/12 The Van Buren Phoenix, AZ
02/13 Grand Ole BBQ El Cajon, CA
02/26 Whelan's Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
02/27 Soup Kitchen Manchester, England

DRAKE BELL
Cabooze Outdoor Plaza
Wed 01/16/2019 (6pm/$20)
cabooze.com

Teenage heartthrob Drake Bell of Nickelodeon's hit series “Drake & Josh”, is bringing his music and comedy to the Cabooze on Wednesday, January 16th, 2019.

Tour dates:

01/16/2019 Cabooze Outdoor Plaza Minneapolis, MN
01/19/2019 Blue Moose Tap House Iowa City, IA
01/20/2019 Bourbon Theatre Lincoln, NE
01/24/2019 Chop Suey Seattle, WA
02/20/2019 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, OH

KING PRINCESS
+ Banoffee
First Avenue
Thu 01/17/2019 (6pm/$20)
first-avenue.com

One of the hottest music act today, King Princess, is stopping by First Avenue on Thursday, January 17th. The show is sold out. It all started with her breakout smash hit song “1950” and now with the new track “Pussy Is God” (on Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records).

Show up early to check out Melbourne-born, LA-based multidisciplinary artist Banoffee.

Tour dates:

01/17 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
01/18 Metro Chicago, IL
01/20 Danforth Music Hall Toronto, ON
01/21 Corona Theatre Montreal, QC
01/23 Warsaw Brooklyn, NY
01/24 Irving Plaza New York, NY
01/25 Royale Boston, MA
01/27 9:30 Club Washington, DC
01/28 TLA Philadelphia, PA
01/30 Terminal West Atlanta, GA
01/31 EXIT/IN Nashville, TN
02/02 Granada Theater Dallas, TX
02/03 Emos Austin, TX
02/06 Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ
02/08 The Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, CA

TUOMO & MARKUS
Cedar Cultural Center
Fri 01/18/2019 (7pm/$20)
thecedar.org

We caught Tuomo & Markus with the Jayhawks in Dec 2018 and said, “The three-band evening began with a crisp set from Tuomo & Markus, a new project described as Nordic Americana from Finnish soul/jazz artist Tuomo Prättälä and singer/songwriter Markus Nordenstreng of The Latebirds. Performing as just a duo, the pair returns as a proper six-piece, in just a few weeks, in support of debut album Dead Circles, to headline the Cedar Cultural Center on January 18.”

Well January is here, so expect the duo to headline the Cedar this Friday, January 18th.

Tour dates:

01/13 Mercury Lounge New York, NY
01/17 Martyrs' Chicago, IL
01/18 The Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN

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

Minneapolis: December 23 to December 31, 2018

Soul Asylum at First Ave Read More Soul Asylum Yeah we knew the tiny 7th Street Entry could not contain all the fans for Soul Asylum, or as we kid that it's just the Dave Pirner band.... Both dates at 7th Street Entry …

We are closing out the year with these shows in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from December 23 to December 31, 2018.

Please note: December 24th is Christmas Eve, and December 25th is Christmas.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

SOUL ASYLUM
+ The 4onthefloor, Loki’s Folly
First Avenue
Fri 12/28/2018 (7:30pm/$30)
first-avenue.com

Yep, local favorite Soul Asylum (aka Dave Pirner) is headlining First Avenue on their holiday show. We’ve seen Pirner before, and he’s always fun and animated. Expect to hear the hits, “Runaway Train” and “Somebody to Shove.”

Local bands The 4onthefloor (Gabe Douglas and friends), Loki’s Folly (underage sisters according to Pirner), and DJ Set from 7 Inches Of Lori B (Lori Barbero from Babes in Toyland) to open.

Details from Soul Asylum:

We're back at First Avenue & 7th St Entry on Friday, December 28 w/ 4 On The Floor and Loki's Folly (presented by The Current) Tickets available here: t.co/gYCAYtGKNF !!!

Other shows in the area:

Deck the Ave Jayhawks at First Ave Candid Kid at 7th Street The Big Wu at Fine Line GBV 2018 Tour Transmission at First Ave Read More Run Westy Run I am grouping these three shows together because Run Westy Run and Iffy are related. RWR (featuring Daniel, Kirk, Kraig, and Kyle) were never quite as popular as their local peers …

SOPHIA ERIS / DJ ADVANCE
First Avenue
Sun 12/23/2018 (9pm/$10)
first-avenue.com

Celebrate Christmas this year with DJ Sophia Eris and DJ Advance (aka Vance K. McCain).

If Eris’ name sounds familiar, that’s because she used to be in Grrrl Prty. Since Grrrl Prty broke up at Rock the Garden 2016, she’s been busy touring and working on her debut solo record with producer Lazerbeak. So maybe expect Lazerbeak and her co-hort DJ Shannon Blowtorch to show up at this Christmas party.

CHRISTMAS EVE
Mon 12/24/2018



RUN WESTY RUN
+ Sapphire
7th Street Entry
Tue 12/25/2018 (7pm/$20)
first-avenue.com



RUN WESTY RUN
+ Sapphire
Turf Club
Wed 12/26/2018 (7pm/$20)
turfclub.net

The annual Run Westy Run (Kraig Johnson and his brothers Kirk and Kyle) Christmas show is once again here. We started noticing that the group came back to the music industry around December 2015. Anyway, this time, they’re playing at the Turf Club with Sapphire (Ava Levy and Lily Govrik) to open.

For the Christmas show (Tue 12/25/2018), that show will take place at the 7th St Entry.

CANDID KID
+ Go For Retro
7th St Entry
Thu 12/27/2018 (7pm/$8)
first-avenue.com

If you’ve never seen Candid Kid (Benjamin Muller, Tanner Uselmann, Cooper Doten, Reese Kling) live, here is your last chance: This is the Candid Kid’s final show.

Go For Retro to open. According to the original post, Wingman was also listed to open, but as of this writing, the band is not listed on the venue’s website. I guess their Wingman bailed out on them.

Details:

Candid Kid (Final Show) in the 7th St Entry

Doors @ 7pm
Music starts @ 8pm

Lineup:
Go For Retro
Wingman
Candid Kid

General Admission: $8.00 advance / $10.00 day of show
18+ | ID Required

BIG WU
+ Mikel Wright And The Wrongs
The Fine Line
Sat 12/29/2018 (7:30pm/$17)
finelinemusic.com

Join Northfield, MN’s The Big Wu (Chris Castino, Terry VanDeWalker, Mark Joseph, Al Oikari, and Padre Pienbique) at their album release for We Are Young We Are Old show will be at the Fine Line Music Café on December 29th.

Mikel Wright And The Wrongs to open.

Upcoming Events

DEC 29
The Big Wu Album Release Show Fine Line
Minneapolis, MN

DEC 31
Wu Years Eve Dec 31st
Wyndham Garden Fitchburg
Fitchburg, WI

GUIDED BY VOICES
First Avenue
Sun 12/30/2018 (7pm/$30)
first-avenue.com

We just reviewed the Guided By Voices book, Closer You Are: The Story of Robert Pollard and Guided By Voices, and briefly mentioned that the group will be in Minneapolis on December 30th.

No opening band listed, because, let’s face it, two hours will not be enough for GBV.

Details

12/30 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
12/31 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge

TRANSMISSION
feat. DJ Jake Rudh
First Avenue
Mon 12/31/2018 (7pm/$15)
first-avenue.com

Celebrate New Year with a New Year Eve party over the Transmission (aka DJ Jake Rudh) at First Avenue.

The theme promises “80s Prom”.

The super early-bird sale price of $10 is long gone, but you can still get in for $15 (price will go up closer to the date).

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

Rock the Garden at Boom Island, Minneapolis (18 June 2016)

Flaming Lips Setlist Race for the Prize Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1 The Gold In the Mountain of Our Madness Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung Happy Birthday (Mildred J. Hill cover) What Is the Light? The Observer Waitin' for a Superman Space Oddity (David Bowie cover) The W.A.N.D. Do You Realize?? Poliça Setlist Violent Games Wedding Lime Habit Dark Star Vegas Summer Please Lately Spilling Lines Great Regret Dream Go Lose You Shaved Women (Crass cover) Amongster M Ward Setlist I Get Ideas (Julio César Sanders cover) Time Won't Wait Confession Whole Lotta Losin' (Monsters of Folk song) Primitive Girl Poison Cup Magic Trick Almost Grown (Chuck Berry cover) Little Baby Rave On! (Sonny West cover) Chinese Translation Never Had Nobody Like You Rollercoaster To Go Home (Daniel Johnston cover) Bean Vine Blues #2 (John Fahey cover) Hippo Campus Setlist Souls Close to Gold Opportunistic Baseball (new song) Suicide Saturday Dollar Bill Tuesday (new song) Little Grace Conviction (new song) Bashful Creatures South Violet Nathaniel Rateliff Setlist I Need Never Get Old Look It Here The Intro / Howling at Nothing I've Been Failing Shake Out On the Weekend Wasting Time I Did It Trying So Hard Not to Know S.O.B. Grrrl Prty Setlist Grrrl Anthem Clank Clank / Poppin' Top Floor Ashes / Goooo Higher Ground Easy Easy Jada Nightwatch Can I Live Wegula Bugg'n Plague Vendor Setlist Anchor to Ankles / 747 ISUA Fire to Emotion Ox Blood Got It Bad No Bounty Jezebel Chopper More Photos Plague Vendor Grrrl Prty Nathaniel Rateliff Hippo Campus M Ward Poliça Chance the Rapper Flaming Lips Read More Rock the Garden The second Rock the Garden music festival on Sunday saw a seemingly bigger crowd, particularly near the front of the stage. … The Flaming Lips I think this was my first time seeing The Flaming Lips, but I could be wrong. Seems odd that this was "a very special Early Evening performance", since the band's psychedelic/space rock seems to work better at night … Chance the Rapper Chance the Rapper’s last appearance in Minneapolis was at the Myth in Oct 2015, so this guy knows how to work the crowd. … Poliça Minneapolis hometown favorites Poliça were just deemed “America’s Portishead” in Rolling Stone's review of the band’s sophomore album, Shulamith (Mom+Pop Records), but they’re so much more than that..… M. Ward I'll have to say that seeing Zooey, standing next to Matthew Ward, that she's a very small person. Ward rarely sings, he's mostly doing that "guitar god" thing .… Hippo Campus The crowd at the music stage began swelling very early on, as local favorites Hippo Campus played first, with a spirited 40 min. set that included new single, ‘South’ (EP out Oct 2 on Grand Jury Records) .… Nathaniel Rateliff I think Nathaniel Rateliff and his band The Night Sweats have finally made it. It's hard to believe that we've been writing about him since 2013.... Grrrl Prty The party started with Grrrl Prty presents Tawst, which were two DJs, Shannon Blowtorch and Sophia Eris, from Grrrl Prty. The two kept the floor moving, as they live mix (and sometime Eris … Plague Vendor We’re excited to check out Plague Vendor, a band from Southern California. Typically, bands signed to Epitaph (Bad Religion’s record label) is of the punk variety, so expect …

While there was no actual garden this year (the result of The Walker Art Center’s year-long outdoor renovations) this year’s annual Rock the Garden festival held at Boom Island near downtown Minneapolis, still provided more than its share of rocking.

The event is a co-share of The Walker Art Center and local public radio station 89.3 The Current and brings together a diverse and sometimes eclectic lineup of acts – with its temporary relocation to the island, another 4,000 people filled the sold-out crowd, and the festival was held on a single day with eight local and national acts playing two stages located on each end of the grounds.

Fans

Much of the “rocking” was done many of the 14,000 fans quickly moving from one of the island to the other, as the music was scheduled consecutively so that as one stage finished, the other stage would begin again.

The afternoon proved to be sweltering with lines at each of the water stations and security trying in the most innovative ways (swinging cold towels, turning bottles of water into mini-sprinklers) to keep the crowds cool.

Plague Vendor

Plague Vendor

West Hollywood’s Plague Vendor (singer Brandon Blaine, drummer Luke Perine, bassist Michael Perez, and guitarist Jay Rogers) was probably the loudest and hardcore band on the Rock the Garden bill. The explosive punk band made the most of their 30-min set, playing some tracks from their sophomore album Bloodsweat (Epitaph Records), including intro song ‘Anchor to Ankles’ (medley with ‘747’), followed by ‘ISUA’.

Taking advantage of large crowd, singer Brandon Blaine body surfed near the end of their set, which made it look like this wasn’t their first rodeo. Ripping off his shirt at the end of ‘Jezebel’, Blaine asked if they can squeeze in another song. “Four Minutes? Can we make this?”... suddenly the chords to ‘Chopper’ started to play and the band finished their set on time.

GRRRL PRTY

Grrrl Prty

Local hip hop act Grrrl Prty played their last ever show at this year’s Rock the Garden. They ended their career on a high note, playing in front of thousands of fans, which is always how the group wanted to go out.

Starting their set with ‘Grrrl Anthem’, we have the three rappers Lizzo, Sophia Eris, and Manchita, trading vocals and rotating their center spotlight, over the music handled by DJ Shannon Blowtorch. They played all their favorites from their two EPs Bionik and Grrrl Prt Tnght, including ‘Clank Clank’, ‘Poppin'’, ‘Top Floor’, ‘Goooo’, ‘Can I Live’. Early single ‘Wegula’ was saved near the end of their set.

Grrrl Prty simply delivered their performance of a lifetime, without any technical difficulties or goofs. Based on all their bright smiles and perfect chemistry, you know that these girls will eventually reform... but for now, Grrrl Prty is no more, and it’s bittersweet.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Nathaniel Rateliff

Missouri’s Nathaniel Rateliff and his band The Night Sweats (bassist Joseph Pope III, keyboards Mark Shusterman, drummer Patrick Meese, guitarist Luke Mossman, saxophonist Andy Wild, and trumpeter Wesley Watkins) were, strangely enough, the only soulful, funky, and R&B band on the bill.

As you know, the group was white hot with their radio hit song ‘S.O.B.’, taken from their debut self-titled 2015 Stax Records album, and with the “overnight success”, sold out the Turf Club and, more recently, as co-headliner at the sold-out Northrop Auditorium show with Lord Huron (31 May 2016). The truth is, we’ve always known this band was amazing, having seen them (with only a handful of people) and raving about them a year before they finally broke through to mainstream radio and television.

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats’ set was similar to the Northrop show, but dropping off a few songs to fit in their 30-min allotted time. As with any typical Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats shows, they were all about business, rarely talking between songs.

With new, unrecorded songs ‘The Intro’ and ‘I Did It’ making it on their regular live sets, we’re hoping that the band will be working on a sophomore album this year.

Hippo Campus

Hippo Campus

A highlight of the late afternoon was the fifty-minute set by the hottest local band of the moment, Hippo Campus, who wowed the many in the crowd who were there to see them play a danceable mix of familiar and some yet-to-be-released songs.

“Whoah, it is amazing to be home right now!” said singer Jake Luppen, surveying the massive crowd after a bouncy ‘Close to Gold’. A trio of new songs were played, ‘Baseball’, ‘Tuesday’ and ‘Conviction’, evidence of the work they’ve been doing on their first full-length (on Grand Jury Records), due out next year.

“This has been incredible…genuinely amazing!” Luppen gushed before the closing ‘Violet’ and the latest chapter for a still up-and-coming band that started playing to fourteen people, and were now playing to over 14,000.

M Ward

M Ward

Portland’s M. Ward (Matthew Ward) was up next, with a full backing band consisting of Scott McCaughey (from The Young Fresh Fellows!), Mike Coykendall, and Adam Selzer (from Norfolk & Western).

While M. Ward just released his eighth solo studio album More Rain on Merge Records, he is probably best known for being in She & Him (with actress/singer Zooey Deschanel) and the supergroup Monsters of Folk (with My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst & Mike Mogis). Of course, early on his set, Ward dropped his Monsters of Folk song, ‘Whole Lotta Losin'’.

It’s been a few years since Ward was last in Minneapolis, but you can tell he loves the city, previously calling it “a city of dreams” and before playing ‘Magic Trick’, he said it was “another day in paradise.”

New songs from More Rain, including the title track, ‘Little Baby’, and ‘Confession’ sounded very upbeat with the multilayered guitars. Hopefully this will mean that M. Ward will be returning to the Twin Cities for a future tour, especially since it’s rare to see She & Him (their last appearance in Minneapolis was in 2010) and Monsters of Folk (their last Minneapolis show was in 2009).

Poliça

Poliça

Another local band-made good, Poliça, brought heavy beats, singer Channy Leaneagh’s layered vocals, and trademark dual drummers, to their passionate fifty-minute early evening set.

In support of the new United Crushers (on Mom+Pop Music), the band played a mix from all three of their studio albums and included a late set, appropriately angry cover of Crass’ ‘Shaved Women’.

Getting somewhat serious five songs in, Leaneagh dedicated the new album’s opener, ‘Summer Please’ to where she lives, calling out “a couple factories on this river pumping lead into the lungs and brains of the children of North Minneapolis”.

Even Leaneagh was feeling the effects of the hot sun beating down, “I’m too pale to be out here without a hat – who let the vampire out?” remarking, before a said hat, was eventually produced.  The 1979 Crass cover was particularly jarring, played late with its strongly anarcho-feminist lyrics seethed by Leaneagh, and dark pulsing beats.

Calming down slightly, for the closing ‘Amongster’, the song was an appropriate ending choice, with its lyrics about parting and natural images juxtaposed with a dark vein.

Chance the Rapper

Chance the Rapper

With a discography of no albums to his name (three official mixtapes and seven singles though), the biggest draw of the day was undoubtedly Chicago’s Chance the Rapper, who had throngs of people jamming the second stage for his fifty-five minute set.

Smiling and entering to the intro music of Lil’ Yachty’s ‘Minnesota’, he had the sweaty crowd in the palm of his hand from the opening ‘Everybody’s Something’, forward.

Latest mixtape Coloring Book debuted at Number 8 on the Billboard 200, and due to a recent rule change involving streaming, became the first album to ever chart as a result of strictly such. “I had no idea it would be this fun” he beamed and “I might just do a tour just in Minneapolis” he later said, impressed with the crowd that seemed to know every word.

‘No Problem’ (from Coloring Book) burned with crowd chanting and hands in the air, ‘Sunday Candy’ featuring Donnie Trumpet/Social Experiment had everyone swaying collectively, and the closing reflective ‘Angels’ with its lyric “City so great” could have easily described Minneapolis based on the fervent reception he and the band received.

The Flaming Lips

Ending the evening with its usual surreal, like-you-stepped-into-your-own-surprise-party set, Oklahoma’s The Flaming Lips began its 75 min. set with singer Wayne Coyne waxing poetic about playing some its first shows ever in 1984 at the 7^Th Street Entry in town, as a few technical issues were ironed out.

Wayne Coyne on Chewbacca

Once going, the band opened with ‘Race for the Prize’ complete with confetti everywhere, balloons bouncing over the crowd, and strange costumed dancers onstage.  ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1’ was next, followed by a giant, taped together balloon  that said “F*#k Yeah Minneapolis” getting flung into the crowd, then Coyne in his duct-taped pants donning a lighted cape then climbing to sing on the shoulders of a bulky Chewbacca.

A nine-year old named Matt in the front row had ‘Happy Birthday’ sung to him (…though it really wasn’t his birthday) and though ‘Pompeii am Götterdämmerung’ is usually dedicated to our ”fellow cosmic warriors”, they’ve been playing it lately amid purple lighting in the honor of Prince.

‘Waiting for Superman’ led into their David Bowie cover of ‘Space Oddity’, complete with Coyne crowdsurfing as the boy in the bubble in his transparent inflatable hamster ball.

Emerging from that, ‘The W.A.N.D.’ brought the show’s tempo up again before the band ended their set and the festival evening, with its tender ‘Do You Realize?’ , expounding on how he understood that some people had come to the show just to “escape from their profound sadness”.

Seeing the smiles on so many faces, Coyne called it a “perfect night to be optimistic” and even after eight hours in the heat and sun, no one else thought otherwise.

The Flaming Lips at Rock the Garden, Boom Island (18 June 2016)

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

Photos: Rock the Garden 2016

Read More Rock the Garden The second Rock the Garden music festival on Sunday saw a seemingly bigger crowd, particularly near the front of the stage. … The Flaming Lips I think this was my first time seeing The Flaming Lips, but I could be wrong. Seems odd that this was "a very special Early Evening performance", since the band's psychedelic/space rock seems to work better at night … Chance the Rapper Chance the Rapper is headlining the Myth. Metro Boomin, D.R.A.M, and Towkio to open (6:30pm/$39.95). …

The annual Rock the Garden took place at Boom Island on Saturday, June 18th, in Minneapolis. The sold-out event was historic a few ways: this was the first Rock the Garden festival to be held outside of the garden outside the Walker Art Center, and also would go down as the last Grrrl Prty show. Plus, because of the size of the location, they were able to set up two stages for the 14,000 music fans that turned up at the sunny event.

As we also previously mentioned, Wayne Coyne from The Flaming Lips made a guest appearance at the Graveface Road Show at the Turf Club that evening!

More details later, this post is just for photos and some information.

Rock the Garden 2016 Set Times

Stage 1: 3p GRRRL PRTY 4:30p Hippo Campus 6:30p Poliça 8:45p The Flaming Lips

Stage 2: 2:30p Plague Vendor 3:45p N. Rateliff & Night Sweats 5:30p M. Ward 7:30p Chance The Rapper

Flaming Lips Setlist

Race for the Prize Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1 The Gold In the Mountain of Our Madness Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung Happy Birthday (Mildred J. Hill cover) What Is the Light? The Observer Waitin' for a Superman Space Oddity (David Bowie cover) The W.A.N.D. Do You Realize??

Photo Gallery:

Audience	Bike Park	Plague Vendor	Plague Vendor	Plague Vendor
Grrrl Prty	Grrrl Prty	Grrrl Prty	Nathaniel Rateliff	Nathaniel Rateliff

Nathaniel Rateliff & Night Sweats at Rock the Garden, Boom Island (18 June 2016)

Nathaniel Rateliff	Hippo Campus	Hippo Campus	Hippo Campus	M Ward
M Ward	M Ward	M Ward	Poliça	Poliça

Poliça at Rock the Garden, Boom Island (18 June 2016)

Poliça	Poliça	Chance the Rapper	Chance the Rapper	Chance the Rapper
Flaming Lips	Flaming Lips	Flaming Lips	Flaming Lips	Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips at Rock the Garden, Boom Island (18 June 2016)

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

Minneapolis: June 18, 2016

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on June 18, 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More The Flaming Lips I think this was my first time seeing The Flaming Lips, but I could be wrong. Seems odd that this was "a very special Early Evening performance", since the band's psychedelic/space rock seems to work better at night … Chance the Rapper Chance the Rapper is headlining the Myth. Metro Boomin, D.R.A.M, and Towkio to open (6:30pm/$39.95). … Poliça Minneapolis hometown favorites Poliça were just deemed “America’s Portishead” in Rolling Stone's review of the band’s sophomore album, Shulamith (Mom+Pop Records), but they’re so much more than that..… M. Ward I'll have to say that seeing Zooey, standing next to Matthew Ward, that she's a very small person. Ward rarely sings, he's mostly doing that "guitar god" thing .… Hippo Campus The crowd at the music stage began swelling very early on, as local favorites Hippo Campus played first, with a spirited 40 min. set that included new single, ‘South’ (EP out Oct 2 on Grand Jury Records) .… Nathaniel Rateliff I think Nathaniel Rateliff and his band The Night Sweats have finally made it. It's hard to believe that we've been writing about him since 2013.... Grrrl Prty The party started with Grrrl Prty presents Tawst, which were two DJs, Shannon Blowtorch and Sophia Eris, from Grrrl Prty. The two kept the floor moving, as they live mix (and sometime Eris …

ROCK THE GARDEN
at Boom Island Park
Saturday, 06/18/16, 1pm ($64)
walkerart.org

It’s all about Rock the Garden this Saturday. Although it is more like Rock the “Island”, since this year’s music festival is taking place on Boom Island Park (no thanks to the construction taking place at the Walker Art Center).

Rock the Garden 2016 Set Times

Stage 1: 3p GRRRL PRTY 4:30p Hippo Campus 6:30p Poliça 8:45p The Flaming Lips

Stage 2: 2:30p Plague Vendor 3:45p N. Rateliff & Night Sweats 5:30p M. Ward 7:30p Chance The Rapper

We’re excited to check out Plague Vendor, a band from Southern California. Typically, bands signed to Epitaph (Bad Religion’s record label) is of the punk variety, so expect short bursts of energy from these guys to kickstart the show.

Local hip hop Grrrl Prty announced that RTG will be the band’s last show as a band (as announced on their Facebook). Certainly not a surprise, considering that their key famous member Lizzo is enjoying a successful solo career and may be off touring too often to do any Grrrl Prty projects or gigs.

We just saw Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats at Northrop Auditorium on May 31, 2016, but they are a welcome addition to the show.

Local favorites Hippo Campus will likely draw in a lot of teen girls - as we witness at their Chipotle Cultivate Festival last year.

We haven’t seen M. Ward since his appearance with Zooey Deschanel as She & Him in 2010. Unfortunately, since Deschanel is busy with the successful New Girl, her She & Him project is far and in-between. It’ll be good to catch up with M. Ward, who recently released his eighth studio album More Rain (Merge Records and Bella Union).

Another local favorite Poliça is also on the bill. We got a preview of the entire new album United Crushers in February 2016, before anyone else heard it... so we’re very excited to hear those songs again.

Chance the Rapper’s last appearance in Minneapolis was at the Myth in Oct 2015, so this guy knows how to work the crowd.

The Flaming Lips has gone a long, long way since we last saw the band in 2000. Fun fact: I once saw a Flaming Lips documentary and as part of the Q&A with the director, he called singer Wayne Coyne on speaker phone and it turned out that he was sleeping (at 6pm!)

You can still get tickets via etix.com.

Read More Eagulls This ain’t no Hotel California… Eagulls (NOT 'The Eagles') are a rising post-punk/garage rock band from Leeds, England that charges headlong with a discontented ... Gloss I’m very in love with this brand new band named Gloss. They are a 5 piece band from Minneapolis, MN. Their music can be described as Dream-pop, shoe-gaze, and jangle-pop. ...

EAGULLS
at Triple Rock Social Club
Saturday, 06/18/16, 8pm ($13/$15)
triplerocksocialclub.com

Still vibrating from the rightful buzz of their last record (2014’s self-titled), post-punk quintet Eagulls will be trekking across these United States in just a few weeks in support of their brand new LP Ullages. The album, which was released in May on Partisian, has been warmly received with some music outlets calling it one of the best records of the year so far - and I agree wholeheartedly. Ullages is the band’s response to the rollercoaster ride that was the last two years for them, being a working band struggling with the feverish popularity that their debut drew and the harsh realities of life in their hometown of Leeds. It’s powerful, dark and gorgeous. Listen to my favorite track “My Life in Rewind” and just TRY to resist the goosebumps. See the band at the Triple Rock Social Club on Saturday, June 18th and prepare to get blown away.

Gloss and Pale Spectre to open.

Upcoming Tour Dates

6/10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
6/11 - Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
6/13 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
6/14 - Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room
6/15 - Columbus, OH @ The Basement
6/16 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
6/17 - Davenport, IA @ Daytrotter
6/18 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
6/20 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
6/21 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
6/24 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teregram Ballroom
6/25 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
10/7-10/9 - Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits

Read More The Casket Girls The Savannah trio, The Casket Girls will be releasing their debut album, Sleepwalking, on November 6, 2012, via Graveface Records. … Dott Dott are from Galway, Ireland, led by songwriter Anna McCarthy (vocals/guitar) with Laura Finnegan (bass/vocals) Miriam Donohue (guitar/vocals) and Tony Higgins (drums). …

THE CASKET GIRLS
STARDEATH AND WHITE DWARFS
at Turf Club
Saturday, 06/18/16, 9pm ($10)
turfclub.net

This special Graveface Records Roadshow is taking place this Saturday, June 18th. The show will feature Oklahoma City’s Stardeath and White Dwarfs and Savannah’s Casket Girls.

Ireland’s Dott is listed as opener.

Casket Girls Tour Dates

06.08 - Savannah, GA @ Southern Pine
06.09 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn +
06.10 - Raleigh, NC @ Slim’s +
06.11 - Washington DC @ Songbyrd +
06.12 - New York City, NY @ Mercury Lounge +
06.13 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott + %
06.14 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Boot & Saddle +
06.15 - Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe +
06.16 - Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub ^
06.17 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean ^ $
06.18 - St Paul, MN @ Turf Club ^
06.21 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza *
06.22 - Portland, OR @ White Eagle *
06.24 - San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge *
06.25 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place *
06.26 - Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater *
06.27 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge
06.29 - Austin, TX @ The Sidewinder +
06.30 - Dallas, TX @ Three Links +
07.01 - Norman, OK @ The Opolis +

+ w/ Hospital Ships
% w/ TW Walsh
^ w/ Dott
* w/ Night School
$ w/ Maritime

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

Lizzo at First Avenue, Minneapolis (06 February 2016)

Lizzo Setlist Ain't I Betcha Ride Humanize Bother Me B.G.S.W. The Fade 1 Deep The Realest En Love Grrrl Prty Set GRRRL Anthem Night Watch Poppin’ My Skin Jang a Lang -- Encore -- Happy Birthday To You with Har Mar Superstar Let 'Em Say with Caroline Smith Batches and Cookies with Sophia Eris Faded Tour Dates Feb 13 - MojaMoja Brunch - Los Angeles, CA Feb 17 - Daytrotter Downs - Davenport, IA Feb 18 - Subterranean - Chicago, IL ^ Feb 19 - Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI ^ Feb 20 - Turner Hall Ballroom - Milwaukee, WI ^ May 20 - 22 - Hangout Music - Gulf Shores, AL May 27- 29 - Boston Calling Music - Boston, MA Jun 09 - 12 - Bonnaroo - Manchester, TN ^ w/ Cavanaugh Read More Lizzo We’re very proud of local Lizzo making it “big” outside of Minneapolis. The grrrl recently premiered her single/music video for "Humanize" Video on the Guardian. Her album Big GRRRL ...

Lizzo is not a small girl. Her tagline is "Big GRRRL, Small World". She has curves and isn't afraid to show them off as she proved last night when she came out in a leotard type outfit with a jacket on top. She didn't care that her legs would jiggle as she danced. She made fun of people staring at her butt multiple times. She was beautiful and she was doing it, jiggle and all. To see someone get on stage in front of a sold out First Avenue show (about 1,500 people) and flaunt what they have even though it's not the standard, that's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

Lizzo's music is just as, if not more, beautiful than she is. She can get down and dirty with the best rappers in the scene. She can spit words like fire when she needs to and you can still understand every single word. She can spout off these lines while completely commanding the crowd and moving all over the stage. Then there are times when Lizzo's voice gets so soulful that you get those goosebumps creeping up your arms and down your neck. Regardless of what style Lizzo is singing, she does it flawlessly every time.

Grrrl Prty

In the middle of the set, an impromptu Grrrl Prty set took place. I have seen Grrl Prty before and they always bring the house down. Okay, maybe these things weren't too surprising, they were actually quite predictable because of who Lizzo is and the crowd she runs with but, it was still super exciting and fun.

The night was full of surprises. Local legends Har Mar Superstar and Caroline Smith ended up joining Lizzo on stage towards the end of her set. It happened to be Har Mar's birthday so, of course, we had to sing happy birthday to the legend. Caroline Smith did a great collaboration with Lizzo for the song “Let ‘Em Say” and seeing them perform it live was a dream come true.

DJ Sophia Eris

The crowd was electric from the beginning of DJ Sophia Eris' opening set (she is a member of Grrrl Prty and Lizzo's DJ) to the very end of Lizzo's set.

Lizzo played her new album Big Grrrl Small World from front to back and ended with her hit song, and my favorite song of hers, “Faded”. It didn't matter if it was a fast rap song that she was playing or if it was a soulful ballad. She had the crowd in the palm of her hand, right where they belonged.

The whole professionalism of the show was off the charts. I remember the first couple of times I saw Lizzo. It wasn't bad, she was always great, but last night seemed completely different. It's crazy to see an artist grow so much within such a short period of time. Her show was put together. Every movement has a purpose and every word, whether in a song or in between songs, was said (or sung) with conviction. Lizzo's dancers never missed a step and she never missed a note.

Lizzo seemed truly humbled by the sold out crowd. She fought back tears of joy as she thanked the crowd from the bottom of her heart. Every word she said was just as genuine as every lyric she sang.

Last night was a great night to celebrate a truly amazing woman. Lizzo is a force to be reckoned with and stands for something that I can completely get behind-- keeping it real.

Lizzo at First Avenue, Minneapolis (06 February 2016)

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

Minneapolis: February 6, 2016

Read More Lizzo Lizzo, The Grrrl Prty hip-hopper considered Rock the Garden a “some day” gig and was honored to open the event. We last saw her showing her impressive soul chops ...

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on February 6, 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

LIZZO
featuring DJ Sophia Eris
at First Avenue
Saturday, 02/06/16, 8pm ($20)
first-avenue.com

We’re very proud of local Lizzo making it “big” outside of Minneapolis. The grrrl recently premiered her single/music video for "Humanize" Video on the Guardian. Her album Big GRRRL Small World is out now on BGSW.

DJ Sophia Eris is listed to open. If the name sounds familiar, she’s with Grrrl Prty. Although only Eris is listed, in typical homecoming shows like this, expect an all-star guest appearance by other Grrrl, including DJ Shannon Blowtorch, etc.

Tour dates:

Feb 06 - First Avenue - Minneapolis
Feb 13 - MojaMoja Brunch - Los Angeles, CA
Feb 17 - Daytrotter Downs - Davenport, IA
Feb 18 - Subterranean - Chicago, IL ^
Feb 19 - Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI ^
Feb 20 - Turner Hall Ballroom - Milwaukee, WI ^
May 20 - 22 - Hangout Music - Gulf Shores, AL
May 27- 29 - Boston Calling Music - Boston, MA
Jun 09 - 12 - Bonnaroo - Manchester, TN

^ w/ Cavanaugh

Read More Wet I'll be honest, I'm not fond of the name Wet (not to be confused with hard rockers W.E.T.), the same uneasy feeling I get when I hear Moist or Pubes... which I'm sure are all …

WET
with Kelsey Lu
at 7th Street Entry
Saturday, 02/06/16, 8pm ($13/$15/Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

I’ve previously confessed to not liking the name Wet (not to be confused with hard rockers W.E.T.), but obviously that didn’t matter because the band has practically sold out their entire US tour.

The trio was previously in Minneapolis at the 7th Street Entry in 2014, after supporting Sohn, but the 2016 tour is officially their first headlining tour.

Look for their debut album Don’t You in stores today (January 29th) via Columbia Records.

Wet's new single "All The Ways" premiered on Apple Music's Beats 1 'World First' with Zane Lowe and can be streamed now on Apple Music, Spotify and Vevo.

Cellist, now singer/songwriter, Kelsey Lu to open the show.

Tour dates:

1/29 - Rough Trade - Brooklyn, NY
1/30 - Boot & Saddle - Philadelphia, PA
2/01 - The Sinclair - Cambridge, MA
2/02 - Le Ritz PDB - Montreal, QC
2/03 - The Drake Hotel - Toronto, ON
2/05 - Schubas Tavern - Chicago, IL
2/06 - 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, MN
2/09 - Barboza - Seattle, WA
2/10 - Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver, BC
2/12 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR
2/14 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA
2/15 - The Lyric - Los Angeles, CA
2/16 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA
5/16-5/19 - Firefly Music Festival - Dover, DE

Read More Caspian Caspian's performance on Thursday night at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis was one that affirmed the group's stance within the instrumental rock world as a force … O'Brother O Brother, where are thou? Why, they’re on tour, opening along with Big Business, for The Sword. An Atlanta-based five-piece …

CASPIAN
with O'Brother
at Triple Rock Social Club
Saturday, 02/06/16, 8pm ($15)
triplerocksocialclub.com

The last time we saw Caspian, it was in 2012 at the Varsity Theater. The band has returned, this time playing at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis next Saturday, February 6th, touring in support of their latest Dust and Disquiet (Triple Crown Record).

The New York Times wrote that the new album “...builds patient, immersive, epic builds that would fit perfectly on a Christopher Nolan soundtrack; the band's eventual furious, vengeful climaxes are more exhilarating than any Inception button.”

Atlanta’s O’Brother, who we previously caught in 2014 and 2013, will open the show. Their currently-untitled forthcoming album is coming out this year, but they’ve previewed “Bloodlines” on their website.

Although Defeater is listed on this current 2016 tour, the band will join them starting February 8th. Fear not, the band was previously in town on September 2015.

Tour dates:

2/03/16 – Cleveland, Oh @ Grog Shop*
2/05/16 – Dekalb, Il @ The House Café*
2/06/16 – Minneapolis, Mn – @ Triple Rock*
2/08/16 – Grand Rapids, Mi @ Pyramid Scheme
2/09/16 – Pittsburgh, Pa @ Cattivo*
2/10/16 – Rochester, Ny @ Montage Music Hall
2/11/16 – Burlington, Vt @ Higher Ground
2/12/16 – Portland, Me @ Port City Music Hall
2/13/16 – Pawtucket, Ri @ The Met

*Without Defeater

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

Minneapolis: December 9 to December 11, 2015

Read More J Fernandez I am told that J Fernandez is opening. Fernandez's upcoming new LP Many Levels of Laughter is coming out June 9th on Joyful Noise. The album was inspired by real things in his life …

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from December 9 to December 11, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

J FERNANDEZ
at 7th Street Entry
Wednesday, 12/09/15, 7:30pm ($8/$10)
first-avenue.com

Illinois, by the way of Arkansas, J Fernandez (real name: Justin Fernandez) will be stopping by the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis next week (December 9th) in support of his debut album Many Levels of Laughter (Joyful Noise).

J Fernandez was previously in town with Unknown Mortal Orchestra in June 2015.

Local guests The Awful Truth (aka Brent Colbert) and Panther Ray to open.

Tour dates:

12/09/15 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
12/10/15 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
12/11/15 Kansas City, MO The Record Bar
12/12/15 Denver, CO Lost Lake
12/13/15 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
12/14/15 Boise, ID Neurolux
12/15/15 Seattle, WA Columbia City Theatre
12/16/15 Portland, OR Bunk Bar
12/17/15 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill
12/18/15 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater
12/19/15 Phoenix, AZ Valley Bar
12/21/15 Austin, TX The Mohawk
12/22/15 Dallas, TX Double Wide

Read More The 1975 Matt Healy, lead singer for Manchester UK band, The 1975, is a marked man. And this past weekend, he returned to the city where it all happened. …

THE 1975
at First Avenue
Thursday, 12/10/15, 6pm ($30 / Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

One of the most successful recent alt-rock act The 1975 is returning to Minneapolis next Thursday, December 10th. Of course, as with all their previous Minneapolis appearances, the show is sold out. If you missed out on tickets... not to worry, they've already announced 2016 dates (at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in May 2016). Get the tickets now, as it is very likely the St Paul venue will sell out quickly.

Show up early to check out Birmingham's Swim Deep. Their album Mothers is out now on Chess Club / RCA Victor.

U.S.A. tour dates:

12/03/15 Boston, MA House Of Blues Boston
12/04/15 New York, NY Terminal 5
12/05/15 Philadelphia, PA Fillmore
12/07/15 Columbus, OH The LC Pavilion
12/08/15 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre
12/10/15 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
12/11/15 Night The Buzz Stole Christmas
12/13/15 KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas
12/14/15 Tempe, AZ The Marquee
12/15/15 San Diego, CA Observatory North Park
12/16/15 Los Angeles, CA Club Nokia
12/17/15 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
12/19/15 Portland, OR Roseland Theater
12/20/15 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
04/18/16 Los Angeles, CA Shrine Expo Hall
04/23/16 Las Vegas, NV Chelsea
04/26/16 Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer Concert
04/27/16 Vancouver, BC UBC Thunderbird Arena
04/28/16 Seattle, WA WaMu Theater
05/02/16 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
05/03/16 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
05/04/16 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
05/05/16 Austin, TX Austin360 Amphitheater
05/07/16 Woodlands, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell
05/08/16 New Orleans, LA Champions Square
05/10/16 Saint Augustine, FL St. Augustine Amph
05/11/16 Miami, FL Bayfront Park Amphitheater
05/17/16 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
05/18/16 Lowell, MA Tsongas Center
05/20/16 Toronto, ON Echo Beach
05/21/16 Rochester, MI Meadow Brook Hall
05/22/16 Columbus, OH The LC Pavilion
05/24/16 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
05/25/16 Saint Paul, MN Roy Wilkins Aud

Read More P.O.S. They only played two songs during the pop up show but for the second song they brought Stef (better known as local rapper and Doomtree member P.O.S.) up to sing about orange juice called "Shake It Well." The song ... Grrrl Prty The party started with Grrrl Prty presents Tawst, which were two DJs, Shannon Blowtorch and Sophia Eris, from Grrrl Prty. The two kept the floor moving, as they live mix (and sometime Eris …

P.O.S
at First Avenue
Friday, 12/11/15, 8pm ($16)
first-avenue.com

The Mixed Blood Majority's Insane World album release show is taking place this Friday, December 11th. Mixed Blood Majority is Crescent Moon (of Kill The Vultures) and Joe Horton (of No Bird Sing) and producer Lazerbeak (of Doomtree). I got a sneak peak of the album on their Bandcamp and have to say, these guys will be bringing the house down on Friday night. The new album is exactly what is to be expected from such legendary musicians and then some. The collective recently just wrapped up a tour with Doomtree.

Co-founder of Doomtree, P.O.S. (aka Stefon Alexander) and Grrrl Prty also on the bill. I have seen both acts numerous times and it's always an amazing time full of good times and great music.

Details:

Friday, December 11th at First Avenue
P.O.S. / Mixed Blood Majority / GRRRL PRTY

Mixed Blood Majority 'Insane World' Album Release

Tickets on sale NOW.

Signup for the Doomtree newsletter to a special presale at doomtree.net/newsletter.

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

Sleater-Kinney w/ Lizzo at First Avenue, Minneapolis (14 Feb 2015)

Sleater-Kinney Setlist Price Tag Oh! Fangless Start Together What's Mine Is Yours Ironclad No Anthems Get Up Youth Decay No Cities to Love A New Wave One Beat Surface Envy Words and Guitar Bury Our Friends Good Things Entertain Jumpers -- Encore -- Gimme Love Little Babies Call the Doctor Modern Girl One More Hour Lizzo Setlist W.E.R.K., Pt. II Paris Hot Dish Pop a Cherry (new song) Bus Passes and Happy Meals Batches & Cookies Faded Brown Skin (new song) Tour Dates 02/15/15 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre 02/17/15 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre 02/22/15 Boston, MA House Of Blues Boston 02/24/15 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 02/25/15 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 02/26/15 New York, NY Terminal 5 02/27/15 New York, NY Terminal 5 02/28/15 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer 03/01/15 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE 03/02/15 Toronto, ON Sound Academy Read More Sleater-Kinney What are you doing on V-Day? If you're a Sleater-Kinney fan, you'll be at this sold out show. According to my bad memories and physical ticket stubs, I've seen Sleater-Kinney at least three times, and have expressed sadness ... Lizzo It was a typical grrrl prty with Lizzo and Caroline Smith at First Avenue last night, as they unite to celebrate women power. …

Sleater-Kinney are currently touring in support of No Cities to Love, stopping in at Minneapolis' First Avenue on Valentine's Day, February 14th.

What a special night, not only was the show complete sold out, but for one night only, making their only appearance on this No Cities to Love tour, were Grrrl Prty presents Tawst. As you know Lizzo is from here and her ex-band and friends Grrrl Prty were still in town... that it shouldn't surprise anyone at this special DJ/dance intro. Their DJ set included a variety of Riot Grrrl anthems, such as The Runaways' "Cherry Bomb", Le Tigre's "Deceptacon", Bikini Kill's "Rebel Girl", Gossip's "Standing In The Way Of Control", among others. They played to the audience, who knew all the songs.

Lizzo (with Grrrl Prty)

Lizzo stepped on stage a little after 9pm in seamless transition to her set. With the help of drummer Ryan McMahon and Sophia Eris, she played for about 40 minutes - including a couple of "new song alerts". The new songs, as noted by Lizzo, are much more personal to her, especially when hearing her sing how you can't wash away her brown skin (with the entire First Avenue audience holding up their cellphone's camera light).

That wasn't all, for "Batches & Cookies", a special appearance by Babes in Toyland's drummer Lori Barbero, who flew in from Los Angeles at Babe's reunion show to be in Minneapolis for last night, was on stage to toss out cookies to the crowd.

Just prior to Sleater-Kinney taking the stage, Jade, DJ from The Current, came on stage to thanked us for attending and to remind us that the Current was sponsoring the show.

Setlist

As expected, SK mostly played songs from their latest record, No Cities to Love (Sub Pop). I've seen SK three other times (2000, 2002, and 2005) and they've always played First Avenue. This fact was mentioned by Carrie Brownstein who said, "Perhaps it's true that we never place a place as much as First Ave..." then quickly followed by "Don't quote me on that though!" She could be right, including a cancelled date and last night's date, SK booked First Avenue at least 6 times.

Of all the cities to love, Minneapolis held a special place in SK's hearts. As Brownstein mentioned how proud she was that First Avenue was celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, she also mentioned how she'll missed David Carr (originally from Minnesota) since he recently passed away, right before the band started to play the title track "No Cities to Love" to their album.

With the very minor exception of a guitar difficulty right before "Ironclad", the guitar tech fixed it right away by swapping out for backup guitar... otherwise the band were in tip-top shape. Both Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein, who traded lead vocals, sounded really good. For this tour, the band also featured touring guitarist Katie Harkin, who also did some additional percussions when needed.

The encore started with Tucker coming on stage to announce that Planned Parenthood were at all their shows. They started on their epic five-song encore with "Gimme Love" featuring a rare guitar-less Tucker... touring guitarist Harkin took over the bass.

I also wanted to mention that this wasn't just a SK reunion, but a reunion for all their fans. Personally speaking, I saw old friends I have not seen in nine years and it was all because SK came back to the music scene... so from the bottom of my heart, thank you Sleater-Kinney.

Sleater-Kinney's No Cities to Love album is out now on Sub Pop.

Sleater-Kinney at First Avenue, Minneapolis (14 Feb 2015)

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

Minneapolis: A December Bonus

Read More Grrrl Prty The party started with Grrrl Prty presents Tawst, which were two DJs, Shannon Blowtorch and Sophia Eris, from Grrrl Prty. The two kept the floor moving, as they live mix (and sometime Eris …

I know I've already submitted our guide for the month of December... but sometime there are last minute booking or late announcements.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

MINA MOORE/THE MAYTAGS/SOPHIA ERIS
at 7th Street Entry
Tuesday 12/16/14, 7:30pm ($7)
first-avenue.com

Over at the 7th Street Entry, singer Mina Moore (aka Yasmina Moore-Foster) is billed has headliner, or at least co-headliner. Moore is also in a band called Dear Data, who I always think of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

I also think of the Maytag repairman when I first read about Des Moines' The Maytags. Like Chicago's Twin Peaks or Glasgow's Belle & Sebastian, I sometime wonder if they will eventually get sued (in the case of B&S, they actually got permission from Belle et Sébastien author Cécile Aubry, to avoid the likelihood of lawsuit).

The Maytags were originally a 9-piece band called The Sunday Silos, but currently a stripped-down version as The Maytags. Their new EP Nova release party is taking place December 12th at Wooly's in Des Moines, Iowa.

Also listed is Sophia Eris, who we previously saw under the banner Grrrl Prty presents Tawst, at Caroline Smith/Lizzo's sold out show in September 2014. Based on my previous experience with her live set, expect a DJ-style with live singing on top of the tracks.

Read More Ancient Mariner Local band, by the way of Denver, Ancient Mariner started the evening off. The trio (Gabriel Jorgensen, Connor Davison, and Dan Stewart) played tracks from their In Solitude EP, but throwing in some new material, like "Brother" …

COMMUNION CLUB NIGHT
at Turf Club
Tuesday 12/16/14, 7pm ($8)
turfclub.net

Last month (November) was the first time the Communion Club Nights moved from the Varsity Theater, in Minneapolis, to the Turf Club, in St Paul. I am assuming the move may be permanent, as this December, the Communion show is back at the St Paul venue.

I have mentioned this before, but the show is already affordable, and you know you are supporting up and coming artists (many of them have gone on to be bigger stars...) Plus, I'm not sure if this will be a permanent fixture, but at least for this holiday, a portion of the proceeds of the show will sponsor Kulture Klub, an organization that brings together homeless youth and artists.

For December, the lineup will be:

BeastHead
Ancient Mariner
Savannah Smith

Unlike previous Communion shows, this special holiday show will feature all local bands: Savannah Smith, I had to miss on account of being billed at the same time as Halloween, Alaska at Rock the Vine 3 (2012). Ancient Mariner is a solo project started by Gabriel Jorgensen in 2011... and a band that I caught when he toured with Bishop Allen earlier in September 2014. Closing out the bill will be Beasthead, a four-piece electronic indie rock band who formed in 2013. Beasthead previously appeared with Canadian band Royal Canoe last month.

Read More Dosh & Ghostband Local electronic beatmakers Dosh and Ghostband opened with a pulsing, throbbing 45 min. DJ set that set the mood for some, and perplexed others. The duo …

DOSH & FRIENDS
at Cedar Cultural Center
Saturday 12/13/14, 7pm ($10)
thecedar.org

Billed as "Dosh and friends 7th Annual Cedar show (ft. Jeremy Ylvisaker) with Jel and Ghostband" this is the annual Dosh holiday show.

We previously saw Dosh (with Ghostband) at My Brightest Diamond show earlier in November 2014, which John mentioned that they previewed some new songs: "The duo, Martin Dosh and Jon Davis, were previewing new material from the upcoming Def Kith EP (out Dec 2 on AntiCon Records), twirled knobs and jumped about in near darkness in front of the seated crowd, as the deep bass rumbled the walls of the old converted theater."

Detail of the show:

Dosh and friends 7th Annual Cedar show (ft. Jeremy Ylvisaker) with Jel and Ghostband

• Dosh
• Jeremy Ylvisaker
• Mike Lewis
• Ghostband
• Jel (Anticon)

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