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One OK Rock at Fillmore, Minneapolis (09 Oct 2022)

One OK Rock Setlist Save Yourself Wonder Let Me Let You Go Renegades Neon Vandalize Stand Out Fit In Wasted Nights -- Encore -- Always Coming Back American Girls You Me at Six Setlist Loverboy Straight to My Head Bite My Tongue No Future? Yeah Right What's It Like Deep Cuts Give Take on the World SUCKAPUNCH Beautiful Way Fame On Fire Setlist Welcome To The Chaos Her Eyes Emo Sh** Rotting Away Ketamine Plastic Heart Numb (Linkin Park cover) HEADSPACE Read More One OK Rock Japanese band One OK Rock will be headlining the Fillmore in Minneapolis this October 9th. The Fueled by Ramen band’s latest single “Let Me Let You Go” is a precursor to their new album Luxury Disease … You Me At Six According to the poster, You Me At Six and Fame on Fire to open. Tour dates: 09/19/2022 Austin, TX - Emo’s 09/20/2022 Houston, TX 09/21/2022 Dallas, TX - House of Blues … Fame on Fire The Ohio electronic/prog metal band has been around a decade now, out on their Horizons Tour from the album of the same name. The tour starts in KC with support from Red, Fame on Fire, and Smash into …

Japan’s One OK Rock is currently on tour in support of their new album Luxury Disease (Fueled by Ramen), selling out the Fillmore in Minneapolis on October 9th.

Fillmore Marquee

Opening the show was Florida’s Fame on Fire (Bryan Kuznitz - vocals, Blake Saul - guitar, Paul Spirou - bass, Alex Roman - drums). The band was originally a covers band, who gained fame when they covered Adele’s “Hello”. So it made sense that they covered Linkin Park’s “Numb”…. and based on audience feedback, this was the most popular song on their set.

They ended their brief 30-min set with “HEADSPACE”, which required audience’s participation by shouting back, “I’m okay!”

You Me At Six Setlist

Next up was English rock band You Me At Six, featuring lead singer Josh Franceschi, guitarists Max Helyer and Chris Miller, bassist Matt Barnes and drummer Daniel Flint. The band first hit success in 2008 with the release of their debut album Take Off Your Colours, which had the singles “Finders Keepers” and “Kiss and Tell”. By 2014, their fourth album, Cavalier Youth, landed at #1 on the UK charts.

Line for One OK Rock

The waiting line for the sold-out, all-ages show for One OK Rock was one of the longest line I’ve seen in a while. The line stretched around the block. This has to do with the strict security at the Fillmore venue, which requires you to remove all metal objects when you pass through the metal detectors. This includes removing your hat, watch, and belt, which is uncommon for many venues in the area.

Vuart: One OK Rock

I was inspired to do a quick doodle for one of my favorite ‘kick in your face’ photo that I took at the show. As you can see, the band has a lot of energy and really fun to watch.

>>>
10/09/2022 Sunday

One OK Rock
with You Me At Six and Fame on Fire
at Fillmore
livenation.com

Japanese band One OK Rock will be headlining the Fillmore in Minneapolis this October 9th. The Fueled by Ramen band’s latest single “Let Me Let You Go” is a precursor to their new album Luxury Disease (which arrives September 9th).

According to the poster, You Me At Six and Fame on Fire to open.

Tour dates:

09/19/2022 Austin, TX - Emo’s
09/20/2022 Houston, TX
09/21/2022 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
09/23/2022 Orlando, FL - House of Blues
09/24/2022 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle*
09/25/2022 Charlotte, NC - The Underground
09/27/2022 Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall
09/28/2022 Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
09/30/2022 New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
10/01/2022 Boston, MA - House of Blues
10/02/2022 Montreal, QC - Club Soda
10/04/2022 Toronto, ON - Rebel
10/05/2022 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore*
10/07/2022 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
10/08/2022 Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
10/09/2022 Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore
10/11/2022 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
10/12/2022 Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
10/14/2022 Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
10/15/2022 Vancouver, BC - Harbour Event Centre
10/16/2022 Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
10/19/2022 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
10/20/2022 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium

Fame on Fire

Fame on Fire

Fame on Fire

Fame on Fire

You Me At Six

You Me At Six

You Me At Six

You Me At Six

One OK Rock

One OK Rock

One OK Rock

One OK Rock

One OK Rock at Fillmore, Minneapolis (09 Oct 2022)

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

Remakes and Reboots

Read More Zatoichi The Zatoichi series ran 26 movies (1962-1982) and a television series ran for five years (1974-1979). Twenty years later, Takeshi "Beat" Kitano reinvented Zatoichi with his version of the character. ....

DEFIANT (2022)
douban.com

Defiant (目中无人), aka Blind Sword, a 2022 Chinese movie, is clearly a rip off of Zatoichi. You know me, I love Zatoichi, I own all of Toho’s films on DVD and Bluray (thanks to the Criterion boxset), and even owning the television series and later stories: Zatoichi (2003), Ichi (Zatoichi’s blind daughter!), and Zatoichi: The Last (the final film in the official Zatoichi series).

Of course, the new Chinese film isn’t the first to copy Zatoichi, in America, we had Blind Fury in 1989, about a blind Vietnam Vet with a cane sword and in Italy, we had Blindman, a Spaghetti Western about a blind gunman.

Defiant is about a blind master swordsman and ex-military general. It has all the traits of Zatoichi, for example you find him in a gambling den at the start of the film. Of course, he has the advantage, despite being blind. Then you have the goons at the establishment trying to rob the blind gambler of his money - big mistake!

The whole thing really felt like a Chinese version of a Zatoichi movie. The only difference is that instead of a pretense of a bumbling blind masseur, the Defiant character is a blind bounty hunter by day. And he seems sure of himself, walking around, with his horse, like a normal person.

I think the writer/director of the film counted on their audience to not know Zatoichi, so when Defiant reveals the swords in the cane, it was no surprise to me… but I bet everyone in China thought that was a really cool reveal.

Defiant has some cool fight scenes, especially the big throw-down finale, but it also has some typical, cheesy moments (any scenes with the young bride).

There’s nothing wrong with Defiant, especially if you know it’s a Chinese version of Zatoichi, but I wish it would do a little more to set it apart from the source material. For example, a few years ago, South Korea released The Swordsman, about the country’s best swordsman, who became blind. No one could accuse the film of copying Zatoichi, as the South Korean film is very different than a typical Zatoichi adventure.

My other complaint about Defiant is that the main character is so sure of himself, so confident in his Kung Fu abilities, that, you, as an audience, never thought he could be in any real danger. Even during the scenes with him being hit with arrows… I never thought he could die. With the original Zatoichi, he let others thinks his blindness is a disadvantage… so he plays the bumbling idiot. It’s only in a real fight does Zatoichi shows his true deadly sword skills… and by that time, it’s too late for the villains.

Maybe it is unfair to compare Defiant to Zatoichi, but given how much material the Chinese film stole from the source, I think it’s fair game to criticize it a little.

Read More Stephen King Anyone captivated by the latest Stephen King adaptation to hit the screen, Lisey’s Story (currently streaming on Apple TV+) will undoubtedly notice the soundtrack music and second single ....

FIRESTARTER (2022)
firestartermovie.com

Like Carrie and Pet Sematary, no one asked for a remake of Firestarter… yet, here we are, with the 2022 horror film, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King.

I actually like and enjoy the original 1984 film starring a young Drew Barrymore, so I was highly skeptical that this new version could be better than the first film. The main problem is that it was produced by one of the worst writer/producer, Akiva Goldsman. Goldsman is responsible for the terrible Batman & Robin, and he’s also responsible for ruining Star Trek. Yes, I used to be a massive Star Trek fan, but the modern Trek stuff is absolutely terrible.

Anyway, due to the pandemic, Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Pictures put Firestarter on hold until Universal Pictures finally released it in May 2022, simultaneously in theaters and on Peacock.

Naturally, the film received negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes, shows only 10% of critics’ reviews were positive.

I think the worst part of the movie are the villains. The new person in charge of the government tracking down Charlie the Firestarter is now played by a woman. While women can be as evil as men, I didn’t understand why it was necessary to make the original white man into a black woman? The bounty hunter is now played by an American Indian named Michael Greyeyes (the original 1984 film featured an assassin named John Rainbird).

Perhaps you’re not meant to “hate” the villains, but, to me, to make the film effective, you have to make the villains evil, so you don’t feel bad when they are nuked by Charlie.

Read More Liam Neeson Based on Lawrence Block’s bestselling series of mystery novels, A Walk Among the Tombstones stars Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder, an ex-NYPD cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator operating just outside the law. ....

MEMORY (2022)
memorymov.com

Liam Neeson plays a hitman with a heart of gold in Memory. The hitman, suffering from early stages of Alzheimer, decides to make things right after declining a contract to kill a young girl. The 2022 film is based the Belgian film The Alzheimer Case.

Maybe it is because it is based on the film (turned novel De Zaak Alzheimer by Jef Geeraerts), but I did not like any of the characters in the film (except, of course, the incredibly smart hitman). Guy Pearce plays a really dumb detective/policeman, Monica Bellucci plays a wealthy mother, covering up her son’s crimes.

What I do love about Memory is just how amazing Liam Neeson is on screen. Even though the actor is in his 70s, he was still an action star, to me. For example, his brutal, brutal fight scene with the hitman in the parking lot is just so gritty and real. I really did believe Neeson could destroy a man with his bare hands.

As amazing as Neeson is, he really couldn’t save the movie. The story is predictable, and all the other characters, such as the cops, are portrayed as idiots and not well written.

As a big Neeson fan, I really hope this is not his last film, as his career will end on a bad note.

I’ll just say that Memory is a forgettable film.

Read more Movies and Television.

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

Japanese Breakfast at First Avenue, Minneapolis (11 July 2022)

Japanese Breakfast Setlist Paprika Be Sweet Kokomo, IN Tactics Road Head Savage Good Boy Heft Boyish (Little Big League cover) The Body Is a Blade Glider Posing in Bondage Machinist Slide Tackle Everybody Wants to Love You -- Encore -- Posing for Cars Diving Woman Read More Japanese Breakfast Korean musician Japanese Breakfast (stagename for Michelle Zauner) headlined the mainroom at First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on September 19th, 2021, as part of her tour ... Linda Lindas I was actually excited to see that The Linda Lindas will open the show. If I were to guess, the band is named after the Japanese film, Linda, Linda, Linda, which I wrote about in May 2007. .…

The Japanese Breakfast show at First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on July 11th, had sold out… leaving many fans asking for spare tickets and showing at the venue to try and hopefully buy some limited released tickets.

This show was one of the first official shows of the 5th annual Independent Venue Week, a nationwide program to spotlight over 400 venues, in all 50 states and DC. Naturally, all the First Avenue venues (including 7th Street, Fine Line, Turf Club, Palace Theatre) are on the Independent Venue list… so if you go see a show at any of their venues, you’re supporting locally owned and run businesses. Other venues in the Minnesota area, independently run are Elision Playhouse, Granada Theater, The Fitzgerald Theater, and The Parkway Theater.

Anyway, very excited to burst on stage were The Linda Lindas, their first show in Minneapolis.

Just to clarify, Kristin Kontrol (formerly of Dum Dum Girls) is not a member of The Linda Lindas. Kristin Kontrol did assembled the group for Girlschool LA in 2018…. but the actual band members are: Sisters Mila de la Garza (drummer, 11) and Lucia de la Garza (guitar, 14), cousin Eloise Wong (bass, 13), and family friend Bela Salazar (guitar, 17). For a young (literally teenagers), new band, they sure had plenty of songs under their belt, as they played a rock/punk fun 43-min set on the first night of the tour.

So, as I suspected, the band was inspired by the Japanese film, Linda, Linda, Linda, with their theme song “Linda Linda” (Blue Hearts).

If you caught the Japanese Breakfast show at First Avenue in September, it’s almost the same show, down to the Little Big League song, “Boyish”, and same encore songs (“Posing for Cars” and “Diving Woman”). Most of the changes in the new song were to drop songs like “In Heaven” and “The Woman That Loves You”, and adding new songs - mostly on the second half of the set: “The Body Is a Blade” to “Slide Tackle”.

Still, for the audience, they were still very excited to see Japanese Breakfast again, and always big cheers whenever the gong is used (“Paprika”).

Remaining tour dates:

7/12 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown *
7/14 - Bloomington, IL @ Castle Theatre *
7/15 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant *
7/16 - Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
7/17 - Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Brewery *
7/19 - Toronto, ON @ HISTORY
7/20 - Montreal, QC @ Theatre Corona
7/21 - Portland, ME @ Thompson’s Point
7/23 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Dell Music Center ^
7/26 - Honolulu, HI @ The Republik
7/31 - Niigata, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival
8/12-14 - Seattle, WA @ Day In Day Out Festival
8/26 - Stanford, CA @ Here And There
8/28 - Longon, EN @ All Points East Festival
9/2 - Nelsonville, OH @ Nelsonville Music Festival
9/3 - Denver, CO @ Here And There
9/15 - Louisville, KY @ Bourbon & Beyond
10/4 - Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
10/6 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl ~
10/7 - Portland, OR @ Theater of the Clouds #
10/8-9 - Austin, TX @ ACL Festival
10/20 - Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory
10/21 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
10/22 - Glasgow, Scotland @ Old Fruitmarket
10/24 - Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
10/25 - London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town
10/26 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
10/27 - Berlin, DE @ Gretchen
11/6 - São Paulo, BR @ Primavera Sound São Paulo
11/10 - Santiago, CL @ Primavera en la Ciudad @ Blondie
11/12 - Santiago, CL @ Primavera Sound Santiago
11/13 - Buenos Aires, AR @ Primera Sound Buenos Aires

* w/ The Linda Lindas
^ w/ Yo La Tengo & Cate Le Bon
~ w/ Yeah Yeah Yeahs
# w/ Florence + The Machine

Linda Lindas

Linda Lindas

Linda Lindas (Lucia de la Garza)

Linda Lindas (Bela Salazar)

Japanese Breakfast

Japanese Breakfast

Japanese Breakfast

Japanese Breakfast at First Avenue, Minneapolis (11 July 2022)

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

Flashback: Shonen Knife at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (21 Oct 2009)

Setlist Konnichiwa Banana Chips Super Group A Map Master Barnacle Johnny, Johnny, Johnny I Wanna Eat Choco Bars BBQ Party Ramones Forever Devil House Twist Barbie Riding on the Rocket Giant Kitty Pyramid Power -- Encore -- Sushi Bar Song Top of the World (Carpenters cover) Read More Shonen Knife It was an all-girls night out as Japanese trio Shonen Knife (guitarist Naoko Yamano, bassist Atsuko Yamano, and drummer Risa) headlined the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis on October 2nd. Red Pens I liked Red Pens a lot, for a guitar and drum band, they were pretty loud and infectious. Guitarist/singer Howard Hamilton must collect guitars or something, as he had carefully tuned and setup at least three guitars for their 9-song set

Just to give you a little context, Shonen Knife basically broke up in 2005 when bassist Michie Nakatani drummer Mana “China” Nishiura died in a car crash in New Jersey… You didn’t hear much from the band since then… So I was really happy to see that the group returned in 2009 with a new album Super Group and tour. As I mentioned, singer/band leader Naoko Yamano basically decided to take a backseat and let Ritsuko Taneda take charge on a few songs. Taneda did fine, as she previously cut her teeth in J-Pop group Denki Candy.

>>>
Let's get one thing straight: Shonen Knife is still adorable, they still try and sound like the Japanese Ramones band, and, yes, they still love singing and eating food. Shonen Knife is all that at the 7th Street Entry last night, October 21^st.

Opening up for them was Red Pens, who I previously saw (and loved) with Those Darlins. Laura Bennett is in shorts with ringed tube socks (it's funny but I don't think they make socks with those rings anymore), Howard Hamilton is still a rock god in his blue button shirt. Their setlist was about the same from the last time I saw them, except they did "Cave Something" early on, like the second song.

Shonen Knife came on stage shortly after 11pm, dressed in their "Power Rangers"-type costumes, looking very uniformed. They were holding up their Shonen Knife/Osaka hand towels in the air, as if we had no idea who's on stage. It wasn't until midway did I realized that they were actually sort of advertising that they had "Shonen Knife/Osaka" merchandise for sale. It seemed to go hand-in-hand with their official sweat wristbands.

From my memory, they did only a handful of songs from their new album, Super Group, including the title track, "Super Group". The other songs I recognized from the new album were, "Pyramid Power" (this was done near the end) and "BBQ Party" (which sounded fantastic live).

After three new songs, singer Naoko Yamano, said eagerly that "Now for some classic Shonen Knife!!", launching into such classics like "Banana Chips", "Ramones Forever", and, of course, the best song, "Riding the Rocket".

Interestingly enough, there was one song, "Johnny, Johnny, Johnny", that Ritsuko Taneda took over singing for the band. The song is actually quite old, from their 1994 album, Rock Animals.

Setlist photo courtesy of Mats Sexton

For encores, they did "Sushi Bar Song" and "Top of the World" (their popular Carpenters cover). Sadly, I was hoping for "Tomato Head", "Daydream Believer" (Monkees) or even "Brown Mushrooms"... but hey, I'm perfectly happy with the Rocket song.

After the show, they did a meet & greet, signing autographs. I got my old 712 album and bought a few singles for them to sign. One of the Shonen Knife single was a Christmas song, with lyrics by Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), which I'm looking forward to putting on my iPod.

If they're coming through your town, go see and meet them! Their new album is called Super Group, out on Good Charmamel Records.

Shonen Knife at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (21 Oct 2009) photo by Vu

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

Riot Grrrl 2019

Read More Bikini Kill I misspoke on the show saying that Kill Rock Star was releasing the 20th anniversary single - it is being released by Bikini Kill Records. This is a brand new label that was formed in 2012. …

Read more Riot Grrrls.

BIKINI KILL
bikinikill.com

As you know, we’re big fans of 90s Riot Grrrl music, so we were very excited to see that the legendary group that started it all, Bikini Kill will be reuniting to play a few shows for 2019. It’s been over 20 years, it’s probably about time.

Bikini Kill is the most influential band when it comes to grrrl punk music.

The reunited BK will feature the iconic lineup of the Rebel Girl herself, Kathleen Hanna on vocals, with Tobi Vail on drums, and Kathi Wilcox on bass. For these upcoming live shows, Erica Dawn Lyle will be playing guitars.

Assuming these California and New York dates are successful, expect the band to return to Olympia or Washington... but we’ll see.

Bikini Kill Reunite:

April 25: Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
May 31: Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
June 1: New York, NY @ Terminal 5

Read More Bratmobile Jen Smith from Bratmobile inspired the name "riot grrrl". The short-lived band reformed in the 2000 with Ladies, Women and Girls and I finally got to see the band live! When they first started in 1993 .…

BRATMOBILE
killrockstars.com

Girl Germs is a five-episode podcast miniseries, talking about the recording and release of riot grrrl band Bratmobile’s album Pottymouth.... perfect timing for the re-release of Vinyl Me, Please’s 25th Anniversary of Pottymouth (limited to 1,000 copies only).

Kill Rock Stars president Portia Sabin interviews key players in the scene to look back at how an underground feminist punk movement set off a global music revolution. Get the podcast at hyperurl.co/girlgerms (various links).

Featuring:

• Allison Wolfe (Bratmobile, Cold Cold Hearts, Sex Stains)
• Erin Smith (Bratmobile, Cold Cold Hearts)
• Molly Neuman (Bratmobile, The PeeChees, The Frumpies)
• Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney, Heavens to Betsy, Filthy Friends)
• Katie Alice Greer (Priests)
• Daniele Daniele (Priests)
• Rachel Aggs (Shopping, Trash Kit, Sacred Paws)
• Marissa Paternoster (Screaming Females)
• Slim Moon (founder, Kill Rock Stars)
• Tim Green (Nation of Ulysses)
• Evelyn McDonnell (music journalist)
• Tae Won Yu (Kicking Giant)

Read More Shonen Knife Material from the band’s earliest releases to the edgier sound of today's Shonen Knife. Shonen Knife’s latest album Adventure is available now on Good Charamel Records. ... …

OTOBOKE BEAVER
otobokebeaver.bandcamp.com

Kyoto’s Otoboke Beaver (おとぼけビ～バ～), a four-piece all-girls punk/rock band (singer/guitarist Accorinrin, guitarist Yoyoyoshie, bassist Hirochan, and drummer Kahokiss), reminds me a bit of Shonen Knife and girl-gang riot grrrl punk.

Currently, the band is getting a lot of attention in the UK, touring in support of their new upcoming album Itekoma Hits (Damnably Records). The record comes out April 26, 2019.

GOLDEN WEEK UK TOUR 2019
w/ Say Sue Me & Drinking Boys and Girls Choir

04/29 Manchester - The Deaf Institute
04/30 Leicester - The Musician Pub
05/01 Bristol - The Fleece Bristol
05/02 London - Scala
05/03 Leeds - Brudenell Social Club
05/04 Glasgow - CCA Glasgow

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

Guitar Wolf at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St Paul (01 Sep 2016)

poster Tour Dates 09/03/16 Chicago, IL Beat Kitchen 09/04/16 Pontiac, MI Pike Room 09/06/16 Toronto, ON Legendary Horseshoe 09/07/16 Montreal Petit Campus 09/08/16 Providence Fete Music Hall 09/09/16 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's 09/10/16 Brooklyn, NY Baby's All Right 09/12/16 Baltimore Ottobar 09/13/16 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop 09/14/16 Pittsburgh, PA Hard Rock Cafe 09/15/16 Columbus, OH Ace Of Cups 09/16/16 Nashville, TN Exit / In 09/17/16 Memphis The Hi Tone 10/06/16 France Paris Petit Bain 10/07/16 UK London The Dome 10/08/16 Utrecht DB's 10/09/16 Haarlem Patroonat 10/11/16 Germany Hamburg Hafenklan 10/13/16 Norway Oslo Pokalen 10/14/16 Sweden Stockholm Vieille maison 10/17/16 Germany Berlin Wild At Heart 10/18/16 Germany Essen Freak Show 10/19/16 Germany Stuttgart Goldmarks 10/20/16 Austria Vienna Arena 10/21/16 Germany Würzburg Immerhin 10/22/16 Suisse Lausanne Salle 10/23/16 France Valence Mistral Palace 10/25/16 Italy Bologna Freak Out 10/26/16 Italy Torino Blah Blah 10/28/16 France Montpellier Secrete Place 10/29/16 Spain Valencia Funtastic Funkadelic Read More Guitar Wolf Our favorite noisy, coolest Japanese rock ‘n roll band Guitar Wolf will be returning to Minnesota next Thursday, September 1st at Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St Paul. Guitar Wolf’s 12th studio album T-Rex From a Tiny Space Yojouhan .… Hans Condor According to the poster, special guest Hans Condor will open the show. Condor is from Nashville, Tennessee, and he’ll be bringing his band: bassist Erik Holcombe, drummer Ryan “Best in the Biz” Sweeney, and guitarist Chazz Kaster. .…

Japanese trio Guitar Wolf (ギターウルフ) recently headlined the Amsterdam Bar & Hall, in St Paul, on Thursday night (September 1st), promoting their new album T-Rex From a Tiny Space Yojouhan.

Busey

Opening up the show was local trio Busey (singer / guitarist Daniel Berndt, drummer Ryan Keyes, and bassist Ryan Wasleske), a band named after actor Gary Busey. They were a surprise appearance because they were not listed on the Leo Presents bill anywhere... but when we spoke to the band later, they said that they were confirmed since June, right around the time when the show was announced. Although Busey sounded metal, it is clear that they were actually big fans of Guitar Wolf, and it shows in their gratitude when they were booked to play with the Japanese band.

Songs on Busey’s brief 30-min set were in this order, ‘Good Boy’, ‘Basic Needs’ (a preview song from their forthcoming album), ‘Greg’s Friend’, ‘We Don’t Have That’, ‘Gank’ and set closer ‘No Other Reptiles Allowed’.

Hans Condor

Nashville’s Hans Condor was up next with one of the most energetic live rock & roll set we’ve seen. The trio featured Charles “Chazz” Kaster as the raging main singer / guitarist (and apparently the “Birthday Boy” on Thursday night) with dreadlock Erik Holcombe on bass, and Ryan “Best in the Biz” Sweeney on drums.

Midway in their set, Kaster invited fans to come on stage. When a few enthusiastic fans took them up on the offer, Kaster asked, “Is that all I got?” After the song was played, one fan attempted to leave the stage (but was denied!). The fans continued to dance on stage afterwards.

Near the end, their show went a little chaotic, with Kaster throwing his guitar to a fan in the audience and then started a one-man mosh pit in the front.

Hans Condor did impress us, and we can only imagine how insane their show might be if they were playing a massive music festival.

Guitar Wolf, the self-proclaimed coolest band in the world, took the stage to several Ramones songs. It’s obvious that the rockabilly-looking band was inspired by the American punk rock band. In fact, with other outro songs used (Chuck Berry’s ‘Johnny B. Goode’, Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’, and The Runaways’ ‘Cherry Bomb’), the band is truly in love with American music.

Having Minneapolis / St Paul on Guitar Wolf’s regular tour itinerary since 2012 is a small blessing, because, as far as I know, Guitar Wolf’s prior appearance was with the Cramps in November 1997.

Joining singer / guitarist Seiji on stage was Bass Wolf U.G. (who has been with the band since the passing of the original Bass Wolf Billy in 2002) and original Drum Wolf Toru. The trio showed up in Tyrannosaurus Rex masks, in keeping with the theme of their new album T-Rex From a Tiny Space Yojouhan. After some T-Rex claw poses, Seiji opened up a can of beer and drank through the mask. After the drink, the show can really begin.

The masks weren’t the only props used, before ‘Ninja Season’, Seiji would wear a straw hat and then later in the song, he would bring out a fire wallet. It still doesn’t really live up to the more dangerous flaming microphone (as seen in the film Wild Zero), but it was still fun to see.

Midway in their set, Guitar Wolf covered Eddie Cochran’s ‘Summertime Blues’, but adding their Japanese lyrics and take to the song. When we later talk to singer Seiji and mentioned that Cochran was born in Minnesota (but later moved to California), Seiji seemed excited and surprised, “Ooh!?”

Near the end of their show, Seiji would often theatrically pull fans on stage to hand over his guitar. In an overdramatic fashion, he would empower the fan to play music. During this time, it freed Seiji’s hands to sing with the microphone stand up in their air, or gave him the option to body surf!

Also, it would seem that Guitar Wolf’s catchphrase “Rock and Roll” may be one of the few English words the audience understood. There was somewhat of a language barrier, first with Seiji asking a fan (with earplugs), if his ears were okay. Then at the end, when Seiji tried to explain that he lived by a lake in Nagasaki. When he asked for a lake name here, someone in the audience said “Lake Calhoun”, which Seiji could not understand. He would still dedicate the last song to the lake.

In a typical Guitar Wolf show, the real fun is actually during the encore. After the second encore, he got fans to do the human pyramid (which was also done during their 2013 show at the Turf Club). For the true faithful fan who stuck around after the double encore, they were treated with a third and final encore.

Overall, an entertaining and unforgettable show.

Guitar Wolf

Guitar Wolf

Guitar Wolf

Guitar Wolf: U.G.

Building the human pyramid

Guitar Wolf at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St Paul (01 September 2016)

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

Minneapolis: December 1 to December 3, 2015

Read More Keep Shelly In Athens As for Keep Shelly in Athens, they are a chillwave duo (RΠЯ and Sarah P) from Athens. I thought their name was funky, considering that there's no Shelly in the band, but apparently they were named after the city Kypseli …

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from December 1 to December 3, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS
at 7th Street Entry
Tuesday, 12/01/2015, 7pm ($8/$10)
first-avenue.com

Keep Shelly In Athens is back in Minneapolis this December 1st, supporting their second album Now I'm Ready (Friends of Friends). We previously caught the Greek band in October 2013 with Chad Valley, and described them as sounding like Portishead, but minus the trip-hop.

Since we last saw the band, Sarah P. stepped down as singer, and producer RΠЯ announced in 2014 that Myrtha will be taking her place. Their upcoming appearance will feature the new singer.

Chicago's one-man-band/DJ Different Sleep to open. Different Sleep recently remixed Keep Shelly in Athen's "Benighted".

Tour dates:

11/27/15 - Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
11/28/15 - Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
11/29/15 - Springfield, MO @ Outland Ballroom
11/30/15 - Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
12/01/15 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
12/02/15 - Madison, WI @ Frequency
12/03/15 - Chicago, IL @ Schuba's
12/04/15 - Toronto @ Drake Hotel
12/05/15 - Montreal @ Fairmount

All dates w/ Different Sleep

Read More G Herbo Ballin Like I'm Kobe [Explicit] G Herbo Release Date: October 2, 2015 Label: Cinematic Copyright: (C) 2015 Machine Entertainment Group / 150 Dream Team / Cinematic Music Group …

G HERBO
at Triple Rock Social Club
Wednesday, 12/02/2015, 7pm ($15/$55 VIP)
triplerocksocialclub.com

Chicago's G Herbo, formerly known as Lil Herb, will be stopping by the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis on December 2nd, as part of his "The #BLINK Tour", featuring his buddies Zuse, MobSquad Nard, $KINNY, and JonRay.

Recently G Herbo released his highly anticipated mixtape, Ballin Like I'm Kobe (Cinematic Music Group/150 Dream Team), and also collaborated with Chicago rapper Lil Bibby for their song "Get 2 Bussin".

Tour dates:

12/02/15 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock Social Club
12/03/15 Madison, WI Frequency
12/04/15 La Crosse, WI Concordia Ballroom
12/05/15 Chicago, IL Subterranean
12/06/15 St. Louis, MO Fubar
12/12/15 Buffalo, NY Waiting Room
12/13/15 Cambridge, MA Naga
12/14/15 Washington, DC Black Cat

All dates with Zuse, MobSquad Nard, $KINNY, and JonRay

Read More Boredoms Ticket stub to Boredoms at First Avenue, Minneapolis (06/20/1999) One of the first shows, was Boredoms at First Avenue on June 20th, 1999. I honestly don't remember who opened up for them …

OOIOO
at William and Nadine McGuire Theater
Thursday, 12/03/2015, 7pm ($16/$20)
walkerart.org

Japanese noise fans, be sure to catch experimental tribal noise collective OOIOO next Thursday at the Walker Art Center. As you know, we are big fans of Boredoms, and co-founder and drummer Yoshimi P-We is band leader for OOIOO.

We have been following Boredoms and other Japanese bands and we can confirm that it's very rare to see Japanese bands on U.S. soil... so you'll want to be there next Thursday at the William and Nadine McGuire Theater.

Show up early to catch a special set by Minnesota-based Javanese musician Joko Sutrisno and his Sumunar Gamelan Ensemble.

How the Walker Art Center described the show:

Catch a rare US appearance by the enigmatic Japanese avant-tribal-noise-pop collective OOIOO (oh-oh-eye-oh-oh). Under the intrepid leadership of Yoshimi P-We (cofounder of Japanese band Boredoms and the inspiration behind the Flaming Lips’s album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots) the group has subverted expectations and warped perceptions of what constitutes pop and experimental music since the mid-1990s. Simply put, “It’s rugged, inspired, original music” (New York Times). OOIOO perform their Minnesota debut on Thursday, December 3, 8 pm in the William and Nadine McGuire Theater.

The concert opens with a special set by Minnesota-based Javanese musician Joko Sutrisno and his Sumunar Gamelan Ensemble.

Tickets to OOIOO are $20 ($16) available at walkerart.org/tickets or by calling 612.375.7600

Read More Go 96.3 We were really impressed with Go 96.3 FM's first Go Show #1 (featuring New Politics and Banks at Aria on Mar 2015). We were wondering how they can top that debut show … Silversun Pickups Having spent many times stopping in Minneapolis at smaller venues, like the 7th Street Entry, Silversun Pickups' Brian Aubert was amazed at the massive crowd for Rock the Garden, that he said, "This is a big deal!" … Death Cab for Cutie Anyroad, before we get to Death Cab for Cutie, I have to explain that I've seen the band before in 2001 at the 7th Street Entry for $5. People who live in Minnesota know that the 7th Street is a tiny venue. … Metric I've seen Metric twice (four times if you count Emily Haines solo or Broken Social Scene), so you know I love this little Canadian band. Their Rock the Garden's set was very similar to their …

GO96.3'S SNOW SHOW '15
at Northrop Auditorium
12/03 - 12/04/2015, 7pm ($19.63/$47.50)
northrop.umn.edu

Wow, Go 96.3 continued to book some of the best shows in town, and all for such an affordable price. They often book these shows, undercharging them, all in an effort to promote brand awareness of the new radio station. I think it's working, as every time they book a show, we are talking about it... and this upcoming double-night "Go96's Snow Show '15" is no exception.

Black Friday deal: for a limited time 11/25 to 11/27, you can get $10 off if you enter "YELP" at checkout.

For the first night:

Night 1 - Thu, Dec 3
Silversun Pickups
Metric
The Wombats
Melanie Martinez

For the second night:

Night 2 - Fri, Dec 4
Death Cab for Cutie
Best Coast
Panic is Perfect

Of course, we've covered most of these bands at one point or another. Here is a breakdown of recent W♥M coverage: Silversun Pickups at Rock the Garden 2013, Metric at Xcel Energy (June 2015), Wombat at Varsity Theater (May 2015), Death Cab for Cutie at Roy Wilkins (April 2009), Best Coast at First Ave (June 2015), and Panic is Perfect at Triple Rock (Oct 2015).

The only artist we haven't seen is Melanie Martinez, who previously headlined Mill City Nights Sep 2015 for her "Cry Baby Tour".

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

Shonen Knife ⚡ CJ Ramone at Amsterdam Bar, St Paul (10 June 2015)

Shonen Knife Setlist Konnichiwa A Map Master Sushi Bar Twist Barbie Anime Phenomenon (アニメ) E.S.P. Banana Chips Psychedelic Life Cycling Is Fun I Am A Cat Golden Years Of Rock And Roll Bad Luck Song Black Crow Green Tea Explosion Riding on the Rocket Dance To The Rock -- Encore -- Buttercup (I'm A Super Girl) CJ Ramone Setlist Understand Me? One More Chance Judy Is A Punk Wont Stop Swinging What We Gonna Do Now Pitstop Rockaway Beach Aloha Oe Three Angels I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend Glad To See You Go Last Chance To Dance Sheena Is A Punk Rocker Do You Wanna Dance Blitzkrieg Bop R.A.M.O.N.E.S (Motörhead cover) L'Assassins Setlist Get Off the Road Backseat Bomp Stop Lovin' Me Watch Out Creep Dirty Feelings Tonight Blood On The Sheets Batteries Kill Kill Be My Dog Lovin' On The Run Skunk (Answer The Phone) Want You Liar Nobody Can Do It Read More Shonen Knife I love Shonen Knife. The Osaka band announced their new album Overdrive to come out April 16th, 2014, via Good Charamel Records (for North America). The American market will get a yellow cover version, while the UK … CJ Ramone I love We're pretty excited to find out that CJ Ramone (the Ramones bassist from 1989 to 1996) is coming to the Twin Cities this June 10th in support of his latest Last Chance to Dance … L'Assassins Opening up was L'Assassins, an-all-girl rock/punk-ish band who has a thing for black leather and faux leopard print. They played a lot of tracks, some from their recent 2013 album …

The CJ Ramone and Shonen Knife tour just came through the Twin Cities last Wednesday, June 10th, at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St Paul.

L'Assassins

Opening up the show was local all-girls surf/garage band L'Assassins, using the Amsterdam drum kit, played a mix of tracks from their three EPs, including their recent Kill Kill Kill! Bang Bang Bang!, featuring the title track.

What's actually more interesting is that they announced they were playing on the same bill as The Pandoras (an all-girls band that broke up in 1990 and now featuring Muffs singer Kim Shattuck), taking place July 25 at Turf Club. We're big Muffs fan, so it might be worth it to check out the show.

CJ Ramone

I would say that the terrific turn out (a good mix of very young 14 year olds to very old middle age punkers) to Wednesday's show was incredibly good. About half the audience was there for CJ Ramone, but in addition many of them were also crossover fans. While some people may think this just merely a The Ramones cover band, I have to disagree and as one of the few surviving Ramones band member, you have to give him a free pass. Many of the younger fans in the crowd have never had a chance to see the legendary band, so seeing CJ Ramone perform some of these classic songs, it was the next best thing.

As you can see from his setlist, the first half of the set was devoted to original CJ Ramone materials and the second half of the set was a tribute to the Ramones. Obviously, the second half of the set was a blast to hear... especially with their dedicated painter, also bopping and painting along by the front of the stage.

Some interesting notes about CJ's set, apparently in the 12 years that he played with the band, they never once play love songs (CJ said that was because all their love songs were written by Joey about Johnny's wife). Now that he can play whatever song he wanted, he chose to play "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend".

Highlight of their set was "Blitzkrieg Bop", which instantly got everyone moshing and slam dancing to the tune.

This is a great double bill for Shonen Knife, who sometime play as Ramones tribute band The Osaka Ramones. It's been a while since we as saw the band in 2009, but it would seem that they've reunited with original bassist Atsuko Yamano... who is temporary replacing Ritsuko Taneda on her maternity leave. This was a unique opportunity for non-Los Angeles fans to see Atsuko performing on bass for the first time in nearly a decade.

Setlist

As you can see from their setlist, it was written in Japanese, making it a challenge to decipher what they played. I believe this is their correct set, based on my notes and with a help of friend.

Interestingly enough, only a few tracks from their latest Overdrive were played... and only in a block near the end of their set. The new songs were all inspired by 70s hard rock, according to singer Naoko Yamano.

In typical Shonen Knife fashion, the band is often doing synchronized guitar poses and often flashing the peace sign.

This is an excellent band pairing, check out the continuing tour, which is taking place tonight in Nashville.

Shonen Knife's latest Overdrive is out now on Good Charamel. CJ Ramone's Last Chance to Dance is also out now on Fat Wreck Chords.

CJ⚡SK tour dates:

06/13/15 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
06/14/15 Atlanta, GA HELL at The Masquerade
06/16/15 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
06/17/15 Louisville, KY The New Vintage
06/18/15 Cincinnati, OH The Woodward Theater
06/19/15 Baltimore, MD The Metro Gallery
06/20/15 Long Branch, NJ Brighton Bar
06/21/15 Philadelphia, PA Black Box in Underground Arts
06/22/15 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge
06/23/15 Hamden, CT The Space Ballroom
06/24/15 Cambridge, MA Middle East Downstairs

Shonen Knife at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St Paul (10 June 2015)

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

Official Wizard World After Party, feat. Peelander-Z at Pourhouse, Minneapolis (02 May 2015)

Peelander-Z Setlist Intro So Many Mike Mad Tiger Read More Peelander-Z Superhero Japanese punk band Peelander-Z is currently on tour in support of their latest album, Metalander-Z, stopping by the Turf Club in St Paul last night, September 19th. …

What the heck happened to the Peelander-Z's Official Wizard World Minneapolis After Party show at the Pourhouse last night??!!!???

After just 25 minutes, the venue cut off the band's instruments!! Everyone in the audience and the band looked incredibly puzzled by the shutdown. The fans were screaming "One more song! One more song!" and Pink replied, "If only we could, but they won't let us play!"

I couldn't get an answer why the show was canceled at 11:15pm. The only thing I can think of is that they had another event scheduled at 11:30pm and needed to push everyone out.

For new fans in attendance, what they got was just a small, small taste of the mad world of pots & pans, exercising and limbo/jump rope and just two songs: "So Many Mike" and "Mad Tiger". I'm really bummed out that they didn't get to experience a real Peelander-Z show. This was my eighth time seeing the band live and it was the most disappointed show because of the unexpected truncated show. I felt really bad for anyone that paid a cover charge to see them last night and only got about 20 minutes worth of a show.

Peelander-Z are (always) on tour:

03 May 2015 Lyric Room Green Bay, WI
05 May 2015 Southgate House Newport, KY
06 May 2015 The Concourse Knoxville, TN
07 May 2015 The Earl East Atlanta, GA
08 May 2015 Orpheum Tampa, FL
10 May 2015 High Dive Gainesville, FL
12 May 2015 Snug Harbor Charlotte, NC
13 May 2015 Strange Matter Richmond, VA
16 May 2015 Knitting Factory Brooklyn, NY, US

Be sure to check back at W♥M to read our continuing coverage of Wizard World Minneapolis at weheartmusic.com. In the meantime, whatever photos we've processed, we have uploaded in the Wizard World Minneapolis 2015 Photo Gallery.

Peelander-Z at the Pourhouse, Minneapolis (02 May 2015)

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

Japanesey: Peelander-Z, Shonen Knife, and the Clover

With the recent Cibo Matto Tour Announcement, here are a few other Japanese bands.

Also, read more Turning Japanese, Turning Japanese 2, Better in Japan, W♥M118: Big in Japan, Asian Invasion II: Japan, and Japan: Guitar Wolf, Otonana Trio, and Yoshiki.

Read More Peelander-Z Superhero Japanese punk band Peelander-Z is currently on tour in support of their latest album, Metalander-Z, stopping by the Turf Club in St Paul last night, September 19th. …

PEELANDER-Z
peelander-z.com

Peelander-Z just announced their full nationwide tour for Metalander-Z. We previously saw them tour last year, and I noted that they didn't play that many songs from the album. I guess that was just the preview, I'm going to expect to hear more Metalander-Z on this upcoming show, because I have to tell you: their new album is good (if you like hair metal)!

We have been covering Peelander-Z since 2009 and we've seen them a million times. One thing is always a constant at their shows: fans have fun, dancing and singing and interacting with Peelander-Z. If you have never been to a show, you really need to check them out.

Peelander-Z On Tour:

03/08 Club One Savannah Stopover Festival
03/18 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's Upstairs
03/19 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
03/20 Birmingham, AL @ The Bottletree Cafe
03/21 Athens, GA @ 40 Watt
03/22 Knoxville, TN @ The Bowery
03/24 Atlanta, GA @ The Drunken Unicorn
03/25 Chattanooga, TN @ JJ's Bohemia
03/28 St. Louis, MO @ The Demo
03/29 Springfield, MO @ Outland Ballroom
03/30 Tulsa, OK @ Mercury Lounge
04/01 Norman, OK @ Opolis
04/03 Lincoln, NE @ Knickerbockers
04/05 Kansas City, MO @ Middle Of The Map Fest
04/09 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
04/15 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
04/16 West Hollywood, CA @ The Roxy Theatre
04/17 San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge
04/19 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre Lounge
04/21 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
04/22 Boise, ID @ Neurolux
04/26 Billings, MT @ Railyard
04/29 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
05/01 Chicago, IL @ Reggie's Rock Club
05/03 Toledo, OH @ Frankies
05/08 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
05/14 Providence, RI @ Fete Music

Overdrive Good Charamel Records Read More Shonen Knife Let's get one thing straight: Shonen Knife is still adorable, they still try and sound like the Japanese Ramones band, and, yes, they still love singing and eating food. Shonen Knife is all that at the 7th Street Entry …

SHONEN KNIFE
shonenknife.net

I love Shonen Knife. The Osaka band announced their new album Overdrive to come out April 16th, 2014, via Good Charamel Records (for North America). The American market will get a yellow cover version, while the UK and Japan will get Green and Blue covers, respectively. The new album is said to be influenced by 70s rock.

Expect the all-girl trio to 'ride the rocket' to America sometime this year, after they play Europe and Japan, of course:

04/30/14 Ruby Lounge Manchester, UK
05/01/14 Brudenell Social Club Leeds, UK
05/03/14 Handmade Festival Leicester
05/06/14 Whelans Dublin, Ireland
05/07/14 Dolans Limerick, Ireland
05/08/14 Crane Lane Theatre Cork, Ireland
05/09/14 Cathedral Quarter Festival Ireland
05/10/14 CCA Glasgow, UK
05/11/14 Electric Circus Edinburgh
05/12/14 Cluny Newcastle, Australia
05/14/14 Fleece Bristol
05/15/14 Clwb Ifor Bach Cardiff
05/16/14 Sticky Mikes Frog Bar Brighton
05/17/14 Craufurd Arms Milton Keynes, UK
05/18/14 Dingwalls London, UK

The Clovers 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 …

THE CLOVER
facebook.com/theclover.beatles

It's been Beatlesmania again this whole week in February, as Americans celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles in America. I have previously mentioned, I didn't understand why this was "a thing". I've backtracked a little now: the Beatles experience in America is unique to our country and 50 years ago was indeed an important landmark in American music.

If you have nothing going on tonight (February 8th), head over to the Cake Shop in New York at midnight to catch The Clover, an all-girl band that exclusively just cover The Beatles' music. The Japanese band recently just played Freddy's Bar in NY as part of the Beatles celebration.

Details at cake-shop.com.

LATTER: 12:00am: THE CLOVER
[ALL-FEMALE JAPANESE BEATLES COVER BAND]

$4, 12am-2am, 21+ (please bring your ID!)

NOTE: As Lara previously mentioned, the Cake Shop is a tiny, tiny venue. She showed up to a show for CMJ and couldn't get in because it was easily at full capacity with fifty people.... So show up early.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com