W♥M

The Shouting Matches - Bachelor Farmer ‘Kräftskiva’ - Minneapolis (08/03/13) live review

Poster Setlist Avery Hill Heaven Knows Gallup, NM Crazy Mama Mother, When? Three Dollar Bill New Theme On My Way I'll Be True Seven Sisters Bear I Need A Change Milkman Read More Bon Iver Bon Iver is a Grammy award-winning American indie folk band founded in 2007 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. The band also includes Michael Noyce, Sean Carey, Colin Stetson and Matthew McCaughan amongst others. .…

Eating crayfish, drinking aquavit, and an evening of music outside on a balmy weekend night…mmm, summer in the Twin Cities.

Local restaurant The Bachelor Farmer hosted its second annual ‘Kräftskiva’ block party – a Swedish word roughly translated as crayfish party- on a breezy but perfect night at the end of a cordoned-off downtown block, to a full and happy crowd, many adorned in provided yellow party hats.

After sets by locals Joey Ryan & The Inks and The Cloak Ox, the not-so-well-kept-secret headliner was revealed the morning-of-the-show: The Shouting Matches consisting of Justin Vernon (Bon Iver- vocals/guitar), Phil Cook (Megafaun- bass/organ) and Brian Moen (Peter Wolf Crier- drums), who played a crunchy, purposely imprecise hour-long set on the heels of their headlining gig at First Avenue on Friday night..

Although formed in nearby Eau Claire, WI in 2006, the band has mostly remained dormant in its 7-year existence, playing only a few shows including this year’s Coachella and a three-date MN/WI short tour. The band’s sound is the ‘anti-Bon Iver’ with Vernon abandoning the falsetto that is the signature of that band, for a growling baritone set to a minimalist blues/roots bar band sound.

The music and the band’s approach is unassuming, even though its vocalist won the 2012 New Artist Grammy, and the songs allowed each of the band members to stretch comfortably out into extended instrumentals and layered jams within the overall context.

photo of setlist

Opening with ‘Avery Hill’, then immediately into ‘Heaven Knows’, a heavy track featuring Cook on harmonica, the threesome wasted no time in showcasing the tracks from its recently released album Grownass Man (Middle West Records). One of the early highlights was ‘Gallup, NM’ with a Vernon extended guitar break tinged with Cook’s organ dabbling. A cover of recently-deceased JJ Cale’s ‘Crazy Mama’ followed, even more confirming their blues-rock bar band sound, and something that would not be out of place on an early Black Keys album.

Lighting was minimal as the band started at dusk, but as night fell, was only framed by a few lamps positioned on stage. The crowd was typical for an outdoor festival – half-drunk, boisterous, and socializing; so not a surprise, but unfortunate that more didn’t pay attention to what came off as a relaxed band- not sounding at all like their previous groups, and just enjoying the art of simply playing together for the fun of it.

The Shouting Matches at Kräftskiva, Minneapolis (08/03/13)

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ boniver.org

Locally

Read More Local Natives I've only recently discovered Local Natives via Fleet Foxes radio library on last.fm, which is, if you aren't already familiar with last.fm, an online record keeper of what you play on your iTunes .…

LOCAL NATIVES
thelocalnatives.com

The last time we covered Local Natives was at the sold out the 400 Bar, which Dolly said she was "totally crushing on them and their music."

With Local Natives' appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (February 5) to promote their new album, Hummingbird, it's no surprise that they've been selling out most of their shows, from Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles to New York's Bowery Ballroom to Toronto's Opera House to Washington DC's 9:30 Club to Minneapolis' First Avenue (this Saturday, March 23rd).

Local Natives are currently at SXSW, and today (Friday March 15th) they are at the Fitz in Houston.

3/16/2013 Dallas, TX @ South Side Music Hall
3/18/2013 Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
3/19/2013 Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
3/21/2013 Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
3/22/2013 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Ballroom
3/23/2013 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
3/25/2013 Covington, KY @ Madison Theatre
3/26/2013 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
3/28/2013 Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
3/29/2013 Montreal, QC @ Le National
3/30/2013 Boston, MA @ House of Blues
4/1/2013 Providence, RI @ Fete
4/4/2013 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
4/5/2013 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
4/6/2013 Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
4/9/2013 Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
4/23/2013 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
4/25/2013 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
4/26/2013 Seattle, WA @ Neptune
4/27/2013 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Theatre
4/29/2013 Seattle, WA @ Neptune
6/7-6/9/2013 New York, NY @ Governor’s Ball

Speaking of locals, here are some "local" bands.

LOW
chairkickers.com

We've written about Low before, they're from Duluth. I've seen them at First Avenue before, and from what I can remember, I believe the singer pulled out a chair and sat and play the whole time (this encouraged the audience to sit on the dancefloor as well).

Well, Low will be playing at the Fitzgerald Theatre in Saint Paul this March 23rd (Saturday), and this historic theater has seats - so you are welcomed to sit down. Low's music isn't necessary for dancing, so there shouldn't be a problem of people standing in front of you - unless there are standing ovations. The St Paul show will also feature members from Trample by Turtles, so it should be an unforgettable evening.

Look for Low's new album, The Invisible Way, on March 19th via Sup Pop Records.

Low officially posted their 2013 tour dates last Monday, details below:

03/16 – The Great Hall – Toronto, ON+ 03/20 – Society for Ethical – New York, NY* 03/22- Metro – Chicago, IL+ 03/23- Fitzgerald Theatre – St. Paul, MN 03/29 – Larimer Lounge – Denver, CO% 03/30 – Velour – Provo, UT% 04/02 – Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA% 04/03 – Great American – San Francisco, CA% 04/05 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR% 04/06 – The Crocodile – Seattle, WA% 04/24 – Glee Club – Birmingham, UK& 04/25 – Central Methodist Hall – Manchester& 04/26 – The Sage Gateshead – Gateshead& 04/27 – Classic Grand – Glasgow, UK& 04/29 – Trinity – Bristol, UK& 04/30 – Barbican – London, UK& 05/02 – Loppen – Copenhagen, DK 05/03 – Debaser – Stockholm, SE 05/04 – Bla – Oslo, NO

05/07 – La Maroquinerie – Paris, FR 05/08 – Botanique – Brussels, BE 05/09 – Paradiso De Duif – Amsterdam, NL 05/10 – Zoom – Frankfurt, DE 05/11 – Teatro Antoniano – Bologna, IT 05/13 – Casino de la Alianca – Barcelona, ES 05/14 – Teatro La Rambleta – Valencia, ES 05/15 – Teatro de las Esquina – Zaragoza, ES 05/16 – Joy Eslara – Madrid, ES 05/17 – Lava – Valladolid, ES 05/18 – Atabal – Biarritz, FR +Autumn Owls open *The Wordless Music Series, ACME String Quartet opens +WXRT presents, Geoff Farina opens + an interview with Mark Wheat %Thalia Zedek opens &HEBRONIX opens (Daniel Blumberg from YUCK)

HAR MAR SUPERSTAR
harmarsuperstar.com

I don't really know where Har Mar Superstar (aka Sean Tillmann) is these days, possibly New York, certainly not in Minneapolis. But he's from here... and sometime you can spot him in the city because he has friends and family here. For instance, I spotted him at Father John Misty at the Fine Line last year.

Anyway, Har Mar has a new album called Bye Bye 17, to be out April 23rd on Cult Records. You can grab a few song at cultrecords.com.

His tour kicks off this Sunday:

March 17 San Diego, CA The Casbah
March 19 Santa Ana, CA Constellation Room
March 21 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Bar
March 22 Oakland, CA New Parish
March 24 Portland, OR Lola’s
March 25 Seattle, WA El Corazon
March 28 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock
March 29 Madison, WI Frequency
March 30 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
April 1 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
April 3 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s
April 4 Boston, MA TT The Bears
April 5 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell’s

JOEY RYAN & THE INKS
joeyryanandtheinks.com

I randomly saw Joey Ryan & The Inks a few years ago at a bicycle-thing.

The band is about about to release their [pause] EP. The CD release party will take place on pot day, 04/20, at the Cedar Cultural Center. The show will feature Farewell Milwaukee and sponsored by 89.3 The Current.

As a bonus, the first 150 fans through the door will receive a physical copy of [pause.].

[pause.] EP Release Event
Sponsored by 89.3 The Current
When: 7pm, Saturday, 20 April 2013
How Much: $12 pre-sale, $15 at the door
Notes: All Ages, first 150 fans through the door receive a physical copy of [pause.]

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

Bicycle Film Festival - Minneapolis (07/21/11)

The Bicycle Film Festival (BFF) just kicked off last night, July 21st, with a nice ride from Gold Medal Park to the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA). I could not attend the bike ride, but I did manage to show up at the MIA to see some films and hear some music.

Bike Park Labour of Love Breaking Away

The event was extremely well organized, with lots of volunteers. The turn out was really big, lots of families and young bicyclists from around the city. As you can see from the bike valet parking, it's packed!

Live music was provided by a rock pop group called Joey Ryan and the Inks, who did a double set. I only saw their first set, before their break, but the highlight from that, was a cover of the Beatles' "Do You Want to Know a Secret". Singer Ryan dedicated the song to his mother, only to realized that it's love song. Freudian slip.

I went inside the MIA building to see the first BFF film, a documentary called "Labour of Love" about Canadian Caroline van den Bulk as she competes in the hardest endurance race in the world: Race Across America (RAAM). This is an unforgiving 3,000 mile bike race that starts on the West Coast (Oceanside, CA) and finished on the East Coast (Annapolis, MD). Oh, and it has to be done in 12 or fewer days. There are also check points, so if you do not hit those locations at a certain time, you are disqualified from the race. That means very little sleep and constant bicycling. Unlike other bike races, I'm looking at you, Tour de France, this is a solo rider race, meaning no teams to do that wind-breaking cheat. It is a very difficult race. I honestly don't know why anyone would put themselves through the torture!

From my own personal experience of biking a long 30 miles, I can really relate to Caroline's struggles when she was complaining about crotch and legs and back pains. Of course, that's her complaining after 2,000 miles vs me complaining after two miles...

Anyway, glad I caught the show, I left the theater because there were a lot of people (more than the theater could fit) waiting outside for the next program.

Caught the end of Joey Ryan's second set and then ended up in the park near MIA to see "Breaking Away". This is a 1979 film about a group of "Cutters" friends struggling against college jocks.

Most of the film centered around Dave, who was inspired by Italian bicyclists. It would later end with a "Little 500" race between the Cutters vs the Jocks to the finish. Pretty gripping and inspiring.

Anyway, check out for event listing and dates in your local cities at bicyclefilmfestival.com. As for Minneapolis, the BFF continues until July 24th. Details of the next two days below:

FRIDAY JULY 22 ST. ANTHONY MAIN THEATRE 115 SE Main St. 5:00 - BIKE HAPPY HOUR (Aster Cafe) 7:00 - Program 3//RACING TOWARDS RED HOOK 9:00 - Program 4//SUNCHASERS 10:00 - BFF AFTER PARTY (RED STAG)		SATURDAY JULY 23 ST. ANTHONY MAIN THEATRE 115 SE Main St. 12:00 - BIKE SCAVENGER HUNT (Gold Medal Park) 5:00 - Program 5//WITH OUR OWN TWO WHEELS 7:00 - Program 6//FUN BIKE SHORTS 9:00 - Program 7//URBAN BIKE SHORTS 10:00 - BFF AFTER PARTY (ONE ON ONE BIKE SHOP)

Joey Ryan and the Inks

vu () ♥ bicyclefilmfestival.com

Ages and Kids

AGESANDAGES
agesandages.com

AgesandAges' debut album is called Alright You Restless on Knitting Factory Records. They are currently on tour to promote it, and tomorrow will be in town with K Records' Lake. They are playing the 7^th Street Entry, and what I want to know is: is there enough room for all seven band members to be on stage??!!?? 7^th has a tiny, tiny stage. The whole venue is a size of an extra large closet.

The band's songwriter and founder, Tim Perry, described his songs as "I thought of these songs like folk hymnals, sung by a 'congregation' who is affirming and reaffirming their own collective vision: that life is better here under the radar. I think of it kind of like propaganda rock. They will never understand you. But we understand each other."

Below is what's left of their tour dates:

Mon 05/09/11 Cactus Club, Milwaukee WI *
Tue 05/10/11 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis MN *
Fri 05/13/11 Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver BC *
Sat 05/14/11 Northern, Olympia WA *
Sun 05/15/11 The Tractor Tavern, Seattle WA *
Fri 08/05/11 Pickathon, Portland OR

* with Lake

Milk Carton Kids: As It Must Be

MILK CARTON KIDS
www.themilkcartonkids.com

The Milk Carton Kids is a duo: Kenneth Pattengale & Joey Ryan. They are described as minimalist, so I am assuming it's acoustic and lyrical. They are coming here to my favorite venue, The Varsity Theater on May 16^th with Joe Purdy (who was the first W♥M freebies).

Their recently released album is called Retrospect, a live album, just released March 15^th. However, if you look at the cover artwork, it is intentionally released under the name "Kenneth Pattengale & Joey Ryan". The first official release of The Milk Carton Kids will be called Prologue, to be released sometime in 2011.

According to both artists' website (kennethpattengale.com and joeyryan.net), you can download Retrospect for free. I did download it, but have not had a chance to check it out.

Looking at both musicians' website, they sure have a pretty impressive discography between them.

May 9 – Neurolux - Boise, ID May 10 – State Room – Salt Lake City, UT May 12 – Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO May 14 – Bottleneck – Lawrence, KS May 15 – Vaudeville Mews – Des Moines, IA May 16 – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN May 17 – Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI May 18 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL May 19 – Off Broadway – St. Louis, MO June 8 – Mercy Lounge – Nashville, TN June 9 – WorkPlay – Birmingham, AL June 10 – The Loft – Atlanta, GA June 11 – Grey Edge – Asheville, NC June 12 – Cat’s Cradle – Carborro, NC		June 14 – Ram’s Head – Annapolis, MD June 15 – World Cafe Live – Philadelphia, PA June 16 – Highline Ballroom – New York City, NY June 17 – Stage One – Fairfield, CT June 20 – Iron Horse – Northampton, MA June 21 – Brighton Music Hall – Allston, MA June 22 – Narrows Center – Fall River, MA June 23 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT June 25 – Petit Campus – Montreal, QC June 26 - Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ONT June 27 – Rex Theater – Pittsburg, PA June 28 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH June 30 – Westscott Theater – Syracuse, NY On tour with Joe Purdy

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com