W♥M

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

Read More Guns N’ Roses John and Vu talked about the rumor of a Guns N' Roses song on a 2015 December podcast (being edited as of this writing), and it's semi-confirmed that both Gn'R and LCD Soundsystem will reform for Coachella Music Festival! … Van Halen For Van Halen songs such as ‘Poundcake’ and ‘Finish What Ya Started’, we were all reminded how much bassist Anthony’s harmonies added to those songs’ vocals (he even taking lead on several verses) ...

Read more Coming up roses and A rose by any other name....

GUNS N’ ROSES
GunsNRoses.com

Iconic rock legends Guns N’ Roses announced their rescheduled 2021 stadium & arena tour, courtesy of Live Nation.

This is really the tour to catch GNR, as it does contain the “classic” band lineup, featuring Axl Rose on vocals, Slash on guitars, Duff McKagan on bass, with live players guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and additional keyboardist Melissa Reese.

The massive tour will hit all major cities, including Los Angeles, Dallas, and Chicago.

Special guests Mammoth WVH (aka Wolfgang Van Halen) to open.

Guns N’ Roses 2021 Tour Dates:

Jul 31 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium*
Aug 03 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park
Aug 05 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
Aug 08 – Detroit, MI – Comerica Park
Aug 11 – Fargo, ND – FargoDome
Aug 13 – Missoula, MT – Washington-Grizzly Stadium
Aug 16 – Commerce City, CO – DICK'S Sporting Goods Park
Aug 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Banc of California Stadium
Aug 22 – Portland, OR – Moda Center*
Aug 25 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center at San Jose*
Aug 27 – Las Vegas, NV – Venue to be announced*
Aug 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Phoenix Suns Arena*
Sep 01 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center*
Sep 04 – Napa, CA – BottleRock Napa Valley^
Sep 08 – Indianapolis, IN – Lucas Oil Stadium
Sep 11 – Atlantic City, NJ – Etess Arena*
Sep 12 – Atlantic City, NJ – Etess Arena*
Sep 16 – Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field
Sep 18 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest
Sep 21 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center*
Sep 23 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center*
Sep 26 – Baltimore, MD – Royal Farms Arena*
Sep 29 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena*
Oct 02 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live Arena*
Oct 03 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live Arena*

Read More Esther Rose Nick Murphy Los Straightjackets Esther Rose First Avenue Fri 09/13/2019 (7pm/$25) English songwriter Nick Murphy produced some of Elvis Costello …

ESTHER ROSE
twitter.com/estherrose

How Many More Times is the title of the new Esther Rose covers album. Set for release July 16, 2021, via Father/Daughter Records.

Rose was previously in town on September 13, 2019, with Nick Lowe and Los Straightjackets.

Anyway, the idea behind this record is that each song was originally written by Rose, but re-interpreted by six different musicians, including Shamir and Stef Chura.

We got to quickly preview the EP, and we really like the “Songs Remain” remixed by Field Supervisor. There’s something really cool about country music with electronic beats.

If you already own Esther Rose’s How Many Times album, this cover lover EP is the perfect companion record.

Track listing

1. Shamir - Songs Remain
2. Twain - How Many Times
3. Anjimile - Coyote Creek
4. Tasha - Are You Out There
5. Stef Chura - Good Time
6. Field Supervisor - Songs Remain (Remix)

DAN ROSE danrosedk.com Danish indie artist Dan Rose, who has played everywhere from skate-punk club in Russia to a public school at the Iceland Airwaves festival, will be releasing a compilation My Heart Belongs With You on August 6, 2021. The EP will contain songs that are described as “short and cute songs.”

LILY ROSE lilyrosemusic.net “Promsing new talent” (Billboard) Lily Rose recently signed to Big Loud Records / Back Blocks Music and Republic Records and have released “Remind Me of You.” “This is actually my first song that I’ve ever released that I didn’t write,” shares Rose. “The second I heard the demo, I knew it was the perfect combination of swag and country- not to mention that it’s written by some lyrical geniuses, who I admire a ton. When someone asks, ‘what song are you most excited to play live?’ it’s at the top of my list, that’s for sure!”

APACHE ROSE facebook.com Moscow-based rockers Apache Rose (named after a 1947 American Western film) debut their album Attention! in January 2021. The group paid tribute to bands that inspired them, “We wanted to make an album like the ones we love, the one you could listen on repeat. Like Aerosmith's Rocks, Metallica's Kill'em All, Sex Pistols' Nevermind the Bollocks, Nirvana's Nevermind, Soundgarden's Superunknown, Stone Temple Pilots' Core, Arctic Monkeys' first album. We hope we succeeded.”

ROSEMARIE instagram.com Rising R&B singer Rosemarie (not to be confused with actress/singer Rose Marie or Irish singer/television star Rose-Marie) announced that she recently dropped her debut major label single called “Henny Talk” on July 2, 2021. The singer started out uploading cover songs on social media, before gaining the attention of Bird of Bird Vision Entertainment (Roddy Ricch) in 2017. The management team pave the way to signing with Interscope Records.

AMELIAROSE whoisameliarose.com New York’s 19-year-old singer-songwriter Ameliarose (stylized as ameliarose) will be releasing her debut EP this Summer 2021. In the meantime, she dropped the preceding single “Goliath” as a preview to the forthcoming EP.

NOVA ROSE bynovarose.com Montreal’s Nova Rose released Loved By EP last month. The theme and subject of the EP is about the important of mental health, saying that we have to help each other in times of need. The lead single “Loved By” is a chill summer bop featuring R&B/pop artist Josh Sahunta, produced by Joseph Pepe (Noah Davis, Vincent, Molly Moore) and Zack Burke (Mothica).

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

News: 90s news for 2016

Read More Natalie Cole "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" and this particular version was by the "king of soul" Sam Cooke... Natalie Cole - For Sentimental Reasons/Tenderly/Autumn Leaves (Medley) …

In case you missed it, here are some music-related news this week.

NATALIE COLE
nataliecole.com

Sure, we just compiled and published the 2015 death list in late December, but at early hours of New Year's Day, we found out that the "Unforgettable" singer Natalie Cole died on Thursday night (December 31st) at the age of 65 to ongoing health issues.

Like many of you who grew up in the 90s, we first heard of Natalie Cole when Elvis Presley's musical director Joe Guercio had this idea of remixing her father Nat King Cole into Natalie's cover "Unforgettable", creating a, simply put, an unforgettable duet. While some people criticized her for riding on the coattail of her father, you couldn't ignore that the duet won over fans and respect and remembrance for Nat King Cole. The duet went on to win three Grammy Awards in 1992 (Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance).

Her son, Robert Yancy, and sisters Timolin and Casey Cole issued this statement:

“Natalie fought a fierce, courageous battle, dying how she lived..with dignity, strength and honor. Our beloved mother and sister will be greatly missed and remain UNFORGETTABLE in our hearts forever.”

Read More Guns 'N Roses As expected, the former Guns N' Roses guitarist included several GNR classics throughout their set ("Nightrain", "You Could Be Mine", "Welcome to the Jungle", "Civil War", "Rocket Queen", "Sweet Child O' Mine" …

GUNS N' ROSES
gunsnroses.com

John and Vu talked about the rumor of a Guns N' Roses song on a 2015 December podcast (being edited as of this writing), and it's semi-confirmed that both Gn'R and LCD Soundsystem will reform for Coachella Music Festival!

After recently seeing Slash on his successful North American tour in Minneapolis, we didn't think he needed Axl Rose, but it would seem the two have kissed and made up.

As you know, Slash left Gn'R in 1996 (his last live performance with the band was in 1993) and never looked back.

Ray Waddell from Billboard is expecting a 25-date stadium tour, and that the band is asking for as much as $3 million per show (!) so tickets could cost as much as $275 per ticket.... making it for one of the most expensive tickets we've seen (discounting the after-market/scalper $10,000 tickets for Adele).

Will fans bear the expense? I think so, because you have to keep in mind that their debut album Appetite for Destruction is the biggest-selling debut in U.S. history, selling over 18 million records. In total, the album sold over 44.5 million units, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Of course, Rose or Slash have not confirmed anything at this moment.

Read More Sinéad O'Connor As you know, I'm a huge Sinéad O'Connor fan, having steadily followed her career since the late 80s (you can read more about my journey of discovery here). We recently covered her "American Kindness …

SINEAD O'CONNOR
sineadoconnor.com

I love Sinead O'Connor and I feel lately that she is crying for help. The first alarming thing we learned from her Facebook page (now deactivated!) is that she tried to commit suicide after a fight with her family in late November. Earlier in the year, O'Connor announced that she would stop performing "Nothing Compares 2 U" (no reasons given). She just didn't want fans going to her shows and being disappointed that she no longer performed her #1 hit song.

Then, about a week ago, she published a rather lengthy excerpt from a forthcoming biography (set for release in October 2016?). The story is about her second meeting with Prince (who wrote "Nothing Compares 2 U").

The story is really, really long, and since she deactivated her FB page, I can't really copy and paste the details for you to read, however, from my memory: a driver was sent to pick her up to drive to Prince's house. She described it as dark with no lights.... like Prince was a real life vampire. She was creeped out by the whole thing, and felt actual danger and even if she called the police, she didn't even know where she was.

She said Prince kept calling her "Shine-head" so she fired back at "Prance". It was clear from her writing that Prince was mad at her for recording his song without his involvement or blessing (?)... Possibly more reasons, but I must confess I skipped some paragraphs to get to the point.

At the end of it, she got into a "punch up" fight with Prince and he kicked her out of his home at 5 in the morning with no way of her to get back to her hotel.

I don't believe she made up the story, and if that happened, then you can understand why she does not want to sing "Nothing Compares 2 U"... However the incident happened in the 90s, so it felt a little late to finally bring up the reason why she doesn't sing the song. Perhaps people kept asking why she doesn't sing the song in 2015 and she finally decided to come clean.

As we reported in 2013, she did perform the famous song... but unenthusiastically:

And her biggest hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” is given a requisite, unenthusiastic performance (although the crowd greeted the song with immense enthusiasm despite the rather lackluster performance).

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

Slash, feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, w/ RavenEye at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (07 October 2015)

Slash Setlist You're a Lie Nightrain* Avalon Standing in the Sun Back from Cali Wicked Stone Ghost You Could Be Mine* Doctor Alibi Welcome to the Jungle* Beneath the Savage Sun Civil War* The Dissident Rocket Queen* Bent to Fly World on Fire Anastasia Sweet Child O' Mine* Slither (Velvet Revolver song) -- Encore -- Paradise City* * Guns N’ Roses songs RavenEye Setlist Get It Started Come With Me Oh My Love Hey Hey Yeah No Bodies Soul Breaking Out You Got It Read More Slash Legendary Guns N Roses guitarist Slash is headlining Mill City Nights next Wednesday, October 7th. The show has long sold out. ... RavenEye Show up early to check out British rock/blues trio RavenEye (singer/guitarist Oli Brown, bassist Aaron Spiers, and drummer Kev Hickman). After a massive successful tour in Europe, Slash extended his invitation ...

Legendary guitarist Slash, featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, recently played a sold out show at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis last Wednesday, October 7th.

RavenEye

This was RavenEye's first American show!

Looking at the photo of the trio (left to right: drummer Kev Hickman, singer/guitarist Oli Brown, and bassist Aaron Spiers) standing triumphantly before the incredibly packed venue, it said it all: the band is incredibly happy to be playing in the United States and the audience is showing signs of approval.

At times, their music, combined with Oli Brown's vocals, sounded like they were The Black Keys, which is a big bonus if you are a fan of blues rock/southern garage rock. They had a lot of energy during their 40-min set, having fun 'guitar battles' during "Breaking Out" to an epic drumming/jamming on their set closer "You Got It".

Almost all the songs from their debut Breaking Out EP, available via Rook Recordings, plus some extra unreleased songs.

Myles Kennedy & Slash

As for Slash, since the breakup/hiatus of the supergroup Velvet Revolver in 2008, he's released three solo albums, Slash (2010), Apocalyptic Love (2012), and the latest World on Fire (2014). The latter album was recorded with singer/guitarist Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge, and the rhythm section named The Conspirators (Brent Fitz and Todd Kerns). NOTE: Kerns, demonstrated that he is actually a great singer, in addition to providing the bass, as he took over lead vocals for "Doctor Alibi" and "Welcome to the Jungle" midway into their set.

The current US tour is actually an extension of their "World on Fire" tour, and talking to everyone at Mill City Nights, this was perhaps one of the smallest venue we would ever see Slash... and was no surprise that the show sold out in a matter of minutes.

As expected, the former Guns N' Roses guitarist included several GNR classics throughout their set ("Nightrain", "You Could Be Mine", "Welcome to the Jungle", "Civil War", "Rocket Queen", "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City").

Highlight of the show has to go to "Rocket Queen", when Slash played an extended epic guitar solo. What we mean is that this is the mother of guitar solos: it ran about 20 minutes. This guitar solo really served two things: (1) Slash is demonstrating why he is one of the greatest guitarists of our time, and (2) this is a nice 15 minute break for the rest of the band to go backstage and refresh themselves.

Fans who stuck around were rewarded with an amazing encore of "Paradise City". Singer Myles Kennedy knew didn't have to do much singing, instead letting the fans just singing/finishing the lyrics. Slash, for his part, did his signature move of holding and playing the guitar on his back. If that wasn't enough, two cannons blasted a ton of confetti into the audience ... for a very satisfying ending to the nearly two hour long set.

Remaining tour dates:

10/10/15 Edmonton, AB Northern Alberta Jubilee
10/12/15 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10/13/15 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
10/15/15 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
10/16/15 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
10/18/15 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
10/20/15 Chandler, AZ Wild Horse Pass Hotel
10/21/15 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
10/23/15 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Palladium
10/24/15 Temecula, CA Pechanga Resort & Casino
10/31/15 Voodoo Experience
11/19/15 Prague Mala Sportovni Hala
11/20/15 Lodz, Poland Atlas Arena

Slash, feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (07 October 2015)

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

Rocktober: October 7, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on October 7, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Guns 'N Roses 90s band reforming: Guns 'n Roses Rage Against the Machine My Bloody Valentine Garbage Afghan Whigs …

SLASH
at Mill City Nights
Wednesday, 10/07/2015, 8pm (Sold Out)
millcitynights.com

Legendary Guns N Roses guitarist Slash is headlining Mill City Nights next Wednesday, October 7th. The show has long sold out.

Show up early to check out British rock/blues trio RavenEye (singer/guitarist Oli Brown, bassist Aaron Spiers, and drummer Kev Hickman). After a massive successful tour in Europe, Slash extended his invitation for the UK band to rejoin him on his upcoming US tour.

RavenEye's self-titled debut EP has been riding high in the Amazon best sellers list, be sure to pick up a copy when you see them in person.

Tour dates:

10/02/15 Marksville, LA Paragon Casino Resort
10/04/15 Louder Than Life Festival
10/07/15 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
10/09/15 Calgary, AB Centre At Grey Eagle Casino
10/10/15 Edmonton, AB Northern Alberta Jubilee
10/12/15 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10/13/15 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
10/15/15 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
10/16/15 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
10/18/15 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
10/20/15 Chandler, AZ Wild Horse Pass Hotel
10/21/15 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
10/23/15 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Palladium
10/24/15 Temecula, CA Pechanga Resort & Casino
10/31/15 Voodoo Experience
11/19/15 Prague Mala Sportovni Hala
11/20/15 Lodz, Poland Atlas Arena

Read More Frank Turner Koo Koo Kanga Roo, the fun children music dance duo from Minneapolis will be heading out on tour in October with Frank Turner and The Smith Street Band. ...

FRANK TURNER
at Varsity Theater
Wednesday, 10/07/2015, 6:30pm (Sold Out)
varsitytheater.org

The always lovely Frank Turner and his band The Sleeping Souls will be in town Wednesday, October 7th at the Varsity Theater to promote his new album Positive Songs for Negative People (released August 7th via Xtra Mile Recordings/Polydor UK/Interscope).

Frank Turner is an English folk singer/songwriter who started as the vocalist of a post-hardcore band called Million Dead. His style has definitely calmed down but his talent just keeps on growing.

Frank Turner's music is perfect for right after a break-up. It's deep and depressing but bright and refreshing at the same time. So grab your lighters and gather up the pieces of your broken heart. Frank Turner is coming to make it all better!

Special guests Skinny Lister and Beans on Toast to open.

Don't have a ticket to the upcoming sold out show? No problem, you can meet & greet Turner at Electric Fetus on the same day at 6pm.

Tour dates:

10/02 Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore
10/03 Baltimore, MD Ram’s Head Live
10/04 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
10/06 Chicago, IL House of Blues
10/07 Minneapolis, MN The Varsity Theater
10/09 Denver, CO The Ogden Theatre
10/10 Boulder, CO The Boulder Theatre
10/12 Salt City City, UT Urban Lounge
10/13 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
10/15 Seattle, WA The Neptune
10/16 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
10/17 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
10/19 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades
10/20 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
10/22 Los Angeles, CA The Mayan
10/23 San Diego, CA House of Blues
10/24 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
10/25 Phoenix, AZ The Press Room
10/27 Austin, TX Emo’s
10/28 Dallas, TX House of Blues
10/29 Houston, TX House of Blues
10/30 New Orleans, LA Voodoo Music Festival

Read More Ezra Furman Last night's show opened with Ezra Furman. The crowd was sparse to begin with but trickled in throughout the night. Ezra's performance had a raw, garage band feeling to it. ...

EZRA FURMAN
at Turf Club
Wednesday, 10/07/2015, 7:30pm ($10)
turfclub.net

Ezra Furman's upcoming tour starts in Twin Cities (St Paul/Minneapolis), and guess what? He recently covered The Replacements "Androgynous".

The upcoming tour is in support of his latest album Perpetual Motion People out now on Bella Union.

Pitchfork wrote, "Perpetual Motion People can never sit right in its own skin, and that's largely where its charm comes from. Furman is the kind of singer who seems to have crammed so many ideas into his head he can hardly decide which ones should fly out of his mouth first. While he's deeply indebted to traditional sounds and familiar structures, he comes alive most when he's sewing fissures into the forms he knows so well."

We previously caught him in June 2013 and described as sound as "raw, garage".

Ezra Furman US Tour Dates:

10/07-St. Paul, MN- Turf Club
10/10-Toronto-Silver Dollar Room
10/11-Montreal-Casa Del Popolo
10/12- Portsmouth, NH- Press Room
10/13-Bridgeport,NY-BSP Kingston
10/14-New York, CMJ –Knitting Factory
12/01-Seattle,WA-Tractor Tavern
12/02-Portland,OR-Mississippi Studios
12/06-San Francisco,CA-Rickshaw Stop
12/08-San Diego,CA-The Casbah
12/09-Los Angeles,CA-The Echo

Read More Jenny & Tyler For Freedom - A Covers EP is the latest release from Jenny & Tyler. All proceeds from the sale of the EP will benefit organizations that fight human trafficking. They encourage you to share the EP …

VARIOUS
Wednesday, 10/07/2015

Once again, thanks to Rocktober, there are too many shows to write about.

We are not covering these shows below, but I thought they were important enough to mention:

Legendary Germany electronic group Kraftwerk will be at Northrop Auditorium (8pm/$59.50)

Jerusalem In My Heart at Bryan Lake Bowl (7:30pm/$12)

Shamir at 7th Street Entry (6pm/$15)

Lindi Ortega with Smooth Hound Smith will be at Cedar Cultural Center (7pm/$15)

You may recall we caught the singer in 2013 at Icehouse when she was touring in support of Tin Star (Last Gang Records).

Jenny & Tyler at Northwestern College (Naz Chapel) (6pm/$15)

Of this I'm not sure: where the venue is, as the college website does not list the show at all.

UPDATE: University of Northwestern - Naz Chapel (3003 Snelling Ave, St. Paul, MN 55113) ... with special guest Jillian Edwards.

The duo is on tour for their latest Of This I'm Sure album.

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

Minneapolis: July 26, 2015

Read More A Flock Of Seagulls Duran Duran - especially during the period from mid-1979 to mid-1983. Some other bands include (to some extent) Simple Minds, A Flock Of Seagulls, Kajagoogoo, Classix Nouveaux, Naked Eyes, and ABC. …

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on July 26, 2015... The theme seems to be $10 or less, what a deal!

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

THE GREAT MIDWEST RIBFEST
at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
Sunday, 07/26/2015, 11am (FREE)
mysticlake.com

The second annual Great Midwest Ribfest is taking place next week, starting Friday, July 24 and ending on Sunday, July 26.

The best part is that the organizers will be bringing in 80s New Romantics band A Flock of Seagulls on Sunday - for FREE.

Free music:

Friday, July 24
6 pm • Killer Hayseeds
8 pm • Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Saturday, July 25
1 pm • The R Factor
6 pm • Little Texas
8 pm • Joe Diffie

Sunday, July 26
1 pm • Brat Pack Radio
3:30 pm • A Flock of Seagulls

Read More Guns 'N Roses 90s band reforming: Guns 'n Roses Rage Against the Machine My Bloody Valentine Garbage Afghan Whigs …

BULLETBOYS/TRACII GUNS
at GB Leighton's Pickle Park
Sunday, 07/26/2015, 6pm ($10)
gbleightonspicklepark.com

This double-headline bill of BulletBoys (featuring lead vocalist Marq Torien) and Tracii Guns (who originally formed L.A. Guns) will be taking place at GB Leighton's Pickle Park in Fridley, Minnesota.

The funny thing about LA Guns is that they originally merged with Hollywood Rose ultimately forming the original Guns N' Roses. Of course, LA Guns would later reunite (without Tracii Guns), which lead to Guns forming The Tracii Guns Band in 2006, so officially there are two bands billing themselves as LA Guns (which would explain why there is another "LA Guns" band listed for Lakefront Music Festival).

Killer Bee set to open the show, look for their new album, The Eye in the Sky, due out later this year.

Local (but originally formed in Los Angeles in 2004) Tattooed Millionaires also on the bill.

Killer Bee's tour dates:

07.18 - Manchester, NH - Jewel Nightclub
07.19 - Narragansett, RI - Wheel House
07.21 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
07.22 - Toronto, ON - The Rock Pile
07.23 - Toledo, OH - Bar 145
07.24 - Westland, MI - The Token Lounge
07.25 - Bolingbrook, IL - Tailgater's
07.26 - Fridley, MN - GB Leighton's Pickle Park
07.29 - Merriam, KS - Aftershock
07.30 - Colorado Springs, CO - Peak 31
07.31 - Las Vegas, NV - TBA
08.01 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red

Read More Eleni Mandell I've seen Eleni Mandell twice for W♥M and she's always entertaining. I don't know if she has a full backing back on this upcoming tour, but I am going to guess it is just her solo. …

ELENI MANDELL
at Turf Club
Sunday, 07/26/2015, 7pm ($10)
turfclub.net

Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Eleni Mandell is currently on tour in support of her 10th studio album Dark Lights Up, out July 24 on Yep Roc Records.

We previously saw her at 7th Street in 2012 and Cedar Culture Center in 2009.

Singer/songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews to open the show.

Tour dates:

07/19 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT
07/21 - Lost Lake - Denver, CO
07/23 - Davey’s Uptown - Kansas City, MO
07/24 - Reverb - Omaha, NE
07/25 - Schuba’s - Chicago, IL
07/26 - Turf Club - Minneapolis, MN
07/28 - Shank Hall - Milwaukee, WI
07/29 - The Bishop - Bloomington, IN
08/02 - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
08/03 - Passim - Boston, MA
08/04 - World Café Live - Philadelphia, PA

Read More Happyness The trio just recently played NINE shows at SXSW, which is possibly the most shows I've seen a band can squeeze in at SXSW. Happyness will be joined by Danger Ron & The Spins ....

HAPPYNESS
at 7th Street Entry
Sunday, 07/26/2015, 7:30pm ($10)
first-avenue.com

South London trio Happyness will be back in the Twin Cities next Sunday, July 26th, in support of Weird Little Birthday (Moshi Moshi Records/Bar None Records). We previously caught the band in St Paul in April 2015.

I'm curious how the London band will react to playing in the same building as the icon venue First Avenue, from Prince's Purple Rain film.

Toronto based Michael Rault to open.

Tour dates:

07/18 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
07/19 – Asheville, NC – Tiger Mountain
07/20 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre Rooftop
07/21 – Atlanta, GA – 529
07/22 – Nashville, TN – The End
07/23 – Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups
07/24 – Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen
07/25 – Chicago, IL – Wicker Park Festival
07/26 – Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street
07/28 – Missoula, MT – Stage 112
07/29 – Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern
07/30 – Vancouver, BC – The Cobalt
07/31 – Happy Valley, OR – Pickathon
08/01 – Happy Valley, OR – Pickathon
08/04 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
08/05 – Reno, MN – Holland Project
08/07 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Crepe Place
08/09 – San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar
08/11 – Las Vegas, NV – Bunkhouse Saloon
08/12 – Costa Mesa, CA – Wayfarer
08/13 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar
08/14 – Santa Barbara, CA - Funzone

Read More Frankie Teardrop My brother's favorite local band Frankie Teardrop is also listed on the bill... so the chances of him being at this show is high. ...

FRANKIE TEARDROP w/ Lvl Up
at Triple Rock Social Club
Sunday, 07/26/2015, 6pm ($10)
triplerocksocialclub.com

My brother's favorite local Frankie Teardrop will be headlining this upcoming Triple Rock Social Club show on Sunday, July 26th.

Brooklyn's LVL UP will be stopping by, transitioning their tour with Big Ups (07/24) and Upset (07/29). The group have a new Three Songs 7", set for release on August 1st via Run For Cover/Double Double Whammy.

LVL UP's tour dates:

Jul 21 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto Project*
Jul 22 - Columbus, OH @ Ace Of Cups*
Jul 23 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Upper Room*
Jul 24 - Chicago, IL @ Sub T Lounge*
Jul 26 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Triple Rock
Jul 29 - Seattle, WA @ The Black Lodge#
Jul 30 - Portland, OR @ Analog#
Aug 1 - Berkley, CA @ 924 Gilman St&
Aug 2 - Los Angeles, CA @ Mayan Theater&
Aug 2 - Pomona, CA @ VLHS#
Aug 3 - Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory&
Aug 4 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom&
Aug 6 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk&
Aug 7 - Dallas, TX @ Trees&
Aug 8 - New Orleans, LA @ HOB
Aug 9 - Atlanta, GA @ The Wrecking Ball
Aug 10 - Orlando, FL @ The Beacham^
Aug 11 - Jacksonville, FL @ 1904 Music Hall^
Aug 12 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle^
Aug 13 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club^
Aug 14 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer^
Aug 16 - Boston, MA @ Royale^
Aug 17 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza^

* w/ Big Ups
# w/ Upset
& w/ Basement, Whirr, Better Off
^ w/ Basement, Adventures, Palehound

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

W♥M200: Anniversary

W♥M200 (49 mins) Read More The Beatles In case you haven't noticed, early next month mark The Beatles' 50th Anniversary in America. The two surviving Beatles members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, will likely 'come together' on David Letterman…

W♥M is celebrating our seventh anniversary this January 25th, 2014.

Coincidentally, we are also celebrating the 200th episode of W♥M Radio.

Our guests Vu, John, and Emily, discussed:

Beatles in America - the 50th anniversary

90s band reforming:

Guns 'n Roses

Rage Against the Machine

My Bloody Valentine

Garbage

Afghan Whigs

How music has changed throughout the years

Music Blogs

MP3

iPhone changing the state of live music

Memorable Shows

Vintage Trouble

Prince

Gene

Vinyl Revival

Cassettes Revival

Song of the show: Prince and The New Power Generation's "Seven"

Bonus: More Beatles rants

Speaking of anniversary, The Beatles' landmark 50th anniversary in America is taking place this year. Capitol Records, not content with milking music fans from the previous 50th Anniversary or various remastered reissues, is launching a massive Beatles in America campaign.

Rolling Stone #1200 (16 Jan 2014) Rolling Stone LLC

The Rolling Stone latest issue (January 16th, 2014) featured a cover and rather lengthy article on the Beatles in America. Their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show drew in over 73 million viewers on February 9th, and launched a very successful career of the band.

Itunes has a whole page on The Beatles, touting Beatles music on "iTunes Radio". You can buy their entire discography for a pittance of $120.

A lot of bands that I grew up in the early 90s are riding that nostalgia train, which I really don't have a problem with. I was lucky enough to have caught them the first time around, so seeing them in their current state, some twenty years later, I can really appreciate them now.

So I would say that since 2010, there this might be the decade of the 90s revival bands. Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Green Day, Eve 6, Garbage, Limp Bizkit, NIN, My Bloody Valentine, Pavement, Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Roses, Blur, oh so many bands to name, are all giving it a last hoorah. Some people are saying they sold-out or cashing in, but who cares? I love it, and I think it's great for both fans who caught them the first time around and those who were too young to have seen them.

Gene Reissue Flyer photo: facebook

Of course, some bands are not around anymore, bands like Gene (Mel capture this great moment from nearly 20 years ago) and Oasis, for example.

All of Gene's albums are being re-released in double disc deluxe CD edition on February 7th, 2014, via Demon Music Group. I may have mentioned that they were all on vinyl, but the fact is only Libertine is on vinyl since they own the legal rights to it. Also, unfortunately, if you live in the US, you have to import this, as their release rights only extends to the UK.

To celebrate, there is a listening party at Camden Barfly in London, February 6th, 2014. London, can you wait? Not for Martin Rossiter, apparently. His name is clearly not mentioned on the promotional flyer, indicating that Steve Lamacq will be doing a Q&A with the band.

200 is a lot of episodes. If you are interested in download some old episodes, head over to archive.org.

This is what the first ten episodes look like:

Show	Guests	Song of the Show	Duration
001 Reason is Treason	Vu	Kasabian - 'Reason is Treason'	07:51
002 Flowers from the Man Who Shot Your Cousin	Vu and Ryan	Flowers From the Man Who Shot Your Cousin - 'Lay Down Your Arms'	10:08
003 The Young Knives/Fancy Bastard	Vu and Ryan	The Young Knives - 'Weekends & Bleakdays (Hot Summer)'	19:11
004 Morrissey	Vu, Christina (Valley Girl), and Ryan	Colin Meloy - 'Everyday is Like Sunday'	16:39
005 Jill Barber and Mook is MIA	Vu and Ryan	Loons – 'The Way The Rain Drives In'	20:12
006 Jazzcast	Vu and Dave	Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach - 'A Little Max'	15:31
007 The Last Town Chorus, The Plastiscines, and the Coathangers	Vu and Ryan	The Plastiscines - '(Zazie Fait De La) Bicyclette'	10:23
008 Luciano Pavarotti	Vu and Christina (Valley Girl)	Luciano Pavarotti - 'Caruso'	08:00
009 We Heart Music's Diner	Vu	DNA/Suzanne Vega - 'Tom's Diner'	14:16
010 Trevor from Ariel Publicity	Vu and Trevor	Adam Von Baron - 'In My House'	17:17

NOTE: You can tell I was still trying to get the hang of recording audio for the podcast. I experimented with various audio recording software, but eventually picked Call Graph because it's free and it's reliable.

Go to Podcast Archive Page for more information.

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W♥M Radio is available on iTunes, please subscribe!

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

W♥M107: Cover Lover Special

W♥M107 (57min: archive )

Part of the Cover Lover series: this week is Cristina's choices.

This show is pretty epic. We planned on five cover songs and maybe 30 minutes of talk-time. Unfortunately, we derailed. As usual. We spent a lot of time talking about the Runaways. Well maybe it was mostly Cristina talking about the movie, since I haven't seen it. But it was good, the whole thing reminds me of The Fabulous Stains. Incidentally, we kept referring to the punk band as The Professionals, but, in fact, the band was called The Looters (which I have misheard as The Losers when I first saw the movie - which on retrospect, that is a better name).

Grace Jones' version of "She's Lost Control", changing the meaning of the song from the original Joy Division version.

Bimbo Jet's "El Bimbo", which is based on an obscure Afghan song, "Tanha Shudham Tanha" by Ahmad Zahir. According to Wikipedia, it is Paul Mauriat's version that appears on Police Academy.

"Falling in Love" is an old German song, and was covered by many bands, including: Kevin Ayers, The Beatles, Christina Aguilera (dance version), Nina Simone, and Claudine Longet. But the version Cristina loves is the Adicts' version.

Song of the week is Adicts' "Falling in Love".

"Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" is a classic punk song from The Buzzcocks. The cover version by Fine Young Cannibals is pretty awesome too. Mostly because Roland Gift brings his own element to it with his vocals.

Luna was a 90s dreampop band from New York, who was probably most famous for that revenge-song “Slash Your Tires” off their debut album, Lunapark. After several years and dropping off their major Warner Brothers label, they released The Days of Our Nights under an indie label. Obviously, the album didn’t do that well, but on the album, they closed out with Guns n Roses cover “Sweet Child o’ Mine”. What I generally like about covers is that they try something different, and what’s different here is Dean Wareham’s calm, sad, dreamy vocals over the screamy metal quality of Axl Rose. Other covers we mentioned was Sheryl Crow and Ruby Isle's version. You can read the Ruby Isle/Mark Mallman details and free download here.

Bonus material includes:
Vu remembers man/woman Jane Child. Upon listening to her nowadays, she reminds me of La Roux. No seriously.
The Fighter movie and The Heavy band, "How Do You Like Me Now?"
Richard Cheese's "Ice Ice Baby". Yeahhhh baby.

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on mypodcast.com

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Appetite for Destruction

Sweet Child O Mine (feat. Har Mar Superstar) Discography [2008] Night Shot [2010] Night Shot - The Remixes [2011] Appetite for Destruction (Unreleased) Read More Mark Mallman Known for years in Minneapolis as a solo artist with headline-grabbing stage antics (he once played a 52-hour marathon show, purportedly consisting of a single song written on some 600 pages of lyrics), vocalist/keyboardist Mark Mallman brings that same inhuman energy to his new project, Ruby Isle.

It's clear to me that Mark Mallman, and his band, Ruby Isle, love, love, love Guns 'N Roses' Appetite for Destruction. I mean, who didn't? I remember back in junior high school how that album rocked so hard, and friends declared the album as the greatest thing ever. So it was a bit of a heartbreak for everyone involved when it was announced last month that Ruby Isle's cover album, Appetite for Destruction, was removed from online music outlets and record stores.

It confused their record company, Kindercore Records, as much as it confused me.

Of course, this is the internet, you can't stop it. Friends of friends of enemies, well they all started sharing this album since you can't legally buy it.... let's face it, there's something really cool about it. Stick it to Axl Rose ! Speaking of sticking it, trivia, but did you know Axl Rose is an anagram for "oral sex"?

I did listen to Ruby Isle's Appetite for Destruction, and although I did not expect it to be an exact replica of the original, it did make me miss hearing GNR's album. As soon as I finished listening to all the tracks, I did put on the 1987 album and it sounds just as fresh as it did in the 90s when I first heard it. I'll say what Ruby Isle brought to the table is that they've decided to make it more synthy, less aggressive guitars and more pianos, if that makes sense.

Some of the more interesting Ruby Isle version is their version of "Mr Brownstone", which kind of sound like a dancey number (especially the robotic vocals). The dance thing plays like it's an addiction to brownies or something, instead of hardcore heroin. Also, the most popular song, "Sweet Child O Mine", has a guest appearance by Har Mar Superstar, which must be heard to be believed.

So let this be a lesson to bands wanting to do a cover lover album, perhaps get permission first before recording? But then again, he wouldn't be Mark Mallman, and that's why we think he's totally awesome and we love him.

Here are some tour dates for Mark Mallman:

3/11 - Upfront and Co. - Marquette, MI
3/12 - Upfront and Co. - Marquette, MI
3/15 - The Aquarium w/ELECTRIC SIX - Fargo, ND
3/19 - 7th St. Entry - ALL AGES - Mpls, MN
3/19 - 7th st. Entry - 21+ - Mpls, MN

Download Ruby Isle's Appetite for Destruction.

vu () ♥ kindercore.com ♥ markmallman.wordpress.com