W♥M

It's the little things in life

Read More Small Black Small Black is back on tour, and stopping by St Paul's Turf Club next Saturday, April 5th. The band will likely play tracks from their latest Limits Of Desire and upcoming EP Real People …

SMALL BLACK
small-black.com

Chillwave pioneers Small Black will be back on tour this August 2021. All USA dates are supported by Korine.

The tour is in support of their new album Cheap Dreams , which came out in April 2021.

We previously caught Small Black in November 2015 and wrote, “we've seen the band before and said they sounded like 80s dance keyboard. Some people have described the band as chillwave, but I really don't agree with that term. They aren't calm or "chill", particularly when they start up the fog and strobe lights... making for a fun dance party.”

Small Black 2021 Tour Dates:

08/05 - COLUMBUS, OH @ Ace of Spade
08/06 - CHICAGO, IL @ Lincoln Hall
08/07 - MINNEAPOLIS, MN @ 7th Street Entry
08/10 - DENVER, CO @ Marquis
08/11 - SALT LAKE CITY, UT @ Urban Lounge
08/13 - PORTLAND, OR @ Doug Fir
08/17 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA @ The Independent
08/20 - LOS ANGELES, CA @ Echoplex
08/21 - SAN DIEGO, CA @ The Casbah
08/22 - PHOENIX, AZ @ Valley Bar
08/25 - AUSTIN, TX @ Antone's
08/26 - DALLAS, TX @ Tulips
08/28 - NASHVILLE, TN @ High Watt
08/29 - ATLANTA, GA @ Masquerade
09/01 - WASHINGTON, DC @ Union Stage
09/08 - PHILADELPHIA, PA @ Foundry
09/09 - BOSTON, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
09/11 - BROOKLYN, NY @ Elsewhere

Read More Little Dragon The last time we saw Sweden’s Little Dragon was in May 2015 and we said, “I'm happy to report that Little Dragon is all grown up. Since we last saw the Swedish band in November 2009 …

LITTLE DRAGON
little-dragon.net

Sweden’s Little Dragon will be releasing New Me, Same Us Remix EP on August 6, via Ninja Tune. The release features remixes from Ela Minus, Octo Octa, Midland, Andrés, Lil Silva, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Poté, FKJ and Little Dragon themselves (on “The Other Lover”).

We caught the band in May 2015 and noted, “With the larger stage of First Avenue's mainroom, the band had custom diamond light setup with a massive backdrop image. Musically, the band is doing more dance club, even tribal, sound. This music appeal to a new larger legion of club music ... only a little more diverse with various ethnic groups. This newfound fanbase may have been steadily building throughout the years, but it probably didn't hurt that Little Dragon's Nabuma Rubberband got nominated for a Grammy for best Dance/Electronic album of the year (2014).”

Track listing

1 Hold On (Ela Minus Remix)
2 Rush (Lil Silva Remix)
3 Another Lover (Octo Octa's River Flow Mix)
4 Hold On (Georgia Anne Muldrow Remix)
5 Rush (Midland Remix)
6 Hold On (Andrés Remix)
7 The Other Lover (Little Dragon Vocal Celebration Mix)
8 Water (FKJ Remix)
9 Hold On (Poté Remix)

Read More Michael Kiwanuka UPDATE: The entire USA Michael Kiwanuka tour has been cancelled. Stay tuned for details. Michael Kiwanuka Live: 11/30, Webster Hall, New York, NY …

SMALL AXE
bbc.co.uk

Director Steve McQueen (not that Steve McQueen) teamed up with Motown Records UK for the official soundtrack to the five-film anthology Small Axe.

McQueen personally curated curated all the songs on the The Small Axe Official Soundtrack, which featured an original score by award-winning composer Mica Levi.

Other tracks will include a rendition of “To Be Young, Gifted And Black” by Michael Kiwanuka and a rework of Janet Kay’s classic “Silly Games” by Tiana Major9.

Tracklisting

1. Mica Levi – Protest
2. Toots & The Maytals – Pressure Drop
3. Prince Far I – Throw Away Your Gun
4. Linton Kwesi Johnson – New Crass Massahkah
5. Sheyi Cole – Uprising
6. Marvin Gaye – Got To Give It Up
7. Tiana Major9 – Silly Games
8. Rochenda Sandall – Dread Beat An' Blood
9. Mica Levi – Old Bailey
10. Michael Kiwanuka – To Be Young, Gifted And Black
11. Imagination – So Good, So Right
12. Junior English – After Tonight
13. Mica Levi – In God You Must Trust
14. Shaun Parkes – Inglan Is A Bitch
15. Janet Kay – Silly Games (Lovers Rock Edit)
16. King Tubby, Augustus Pablo & The Aggrovators – More Warning

THE TINY MEAT GANG tmgpod.com The Tiny Meat Gang Podcast announced “TMG Live In Space”', a special upcoming live episode presented by the premium digital live platform Moment House. Hosted by comedians Cody Ko and Noel Miller, they highlight the funnier side of pop culture, social media, and the growing technological landscape. The hour-long show will go live Thursday, July 29th at 5:00PM PT / 8:00PM ET. Tickets are available in person or on VOD.

MINI TREES minitreesband.com Los Angeles based Lexi Vega’s solo musical project Mini Trees announced that she will be releasing a debut album on Run For Cover Records. The yet-to-be titled album is set to release this fall. To celebrate the news, Mini Trees released the new single “Spring”. Mini Trees will be appearing at The Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles, on September 30, 2021.

LITTLE SIMZ littlesimz.com British rapper/singer Little Simz will be releasing Sometimes I Might Be Introvert in September 2021. Little Simz talked about one of her songs from the new album, “I Love You, I Hate You,” and said that it was a difficult song… because it was about her absent father. In the end, she concludes, “I’m not forgiving for you, man, I’m forgiving for me.”

LIL BABY facebook.com American rapper Lil Baby will embark on a nationwide tour with Lil Durk performing hits off their recent collaborative album, The Voice of the Heroes (which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart). The fall tour will kick off September 1st in Mansfield, MA, and will end October 15 in West Palm Beach, FL. See his website for full listing

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Minneapolis: June 6 to June 7, 2018

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from June 6 to June 7, 2018.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Little Dragon: Best Friend Read More Little Dragon Swedish band Little Dragon's fourth album Nabuma Rubberband (Loma Vista Recordings) album has been nominated for a Grammy in the Best Dance / Electronic Album category for 2015. ...

LITTLE DRAGON
+ Lenka Paris
First Avenue
Wed 06/06/2018 (7pm/$28)
first-avenue.com

The last time we saw Sweden’s Little Dragon was in May 2015 and we said, “I'm happy to report that Little Dragon is all grown up. Since we last saw the Swedish band in November 2009 (six years ago), the band has grown in terms of sound, stage, and fanbase. With the larger stage of First Avenue's mainroom, the band had custom diamond light setup with a massive backdrop image. Musically, the band is doing more dance club, even tribal, sound. This music appeal to a new larger legion of club music ... only a little more diverse with various ethnic groups.”

Little Dragon new song “Best Friends” (available on limited 12”) is out now.

DJ Lenka Paris to open.

Tour dates:

06/01 Upstream Music Festival 2018
06/02 Knitting Factory, Boise, ID, US
06/04 Slowdown, Omaha, NE, US
06/06 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, US
06/07 Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL, US
06/08 Majestic Theatre, Madison, WI, US
06/09 Deluxe, Indianapolis, IN, US
06/11 Voodoo Lounge, North Kansas City, MO, US
06/12 Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO, US
06/14 Ogden Amphitheater, Ogden, UT, US
06/16 Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA, US
06/17 Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA, US
06/18 Marty's On Newport, Tustin, CA, US
06/20 The Republik, Honolulu, HI, US

Caroline Rose 2018 Poster Bad Wolves / From Ashes To New 2018 Poster Michael McDermott 2018 Poster Cold Cave 2018 Poster Read More Caroline Rose Opening up the show was Caroline Rose, a self-described Americana band, but I would throw them in the country category as well. They were actually more excited to be playing … Bad Wolves New York rock band Bad Wolves said Dolores O’Riordan was set to record her vocals for their cover “Zombie”, but upon hearing the tragic news, the band decided to release their version of “Zombie” in her memory. … From Ashes to New Special guests From Ashes to New will open the show. Tour dates: 03/09/15 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts 03/10/15 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall 03/11/15 New York, NY Gramercy Theatre …

Other shows in the area:

CAROLINE ROSE
+ Cardioid
7th Street Entry
Wed 06/06/2018 (7:30pm/$10/Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

Americana musician Caroline Rose is on her very first headlining tour with her album Loner (New West). We previously caught Rose with Lord Huron in June 2016 and said, “Rose is joined on stage by Pat Melvin on bass, Brett Lanier on pedal steel, and Dan Davine on drums. Notably gone is the upright bass! Now that Rose’s national debut album I Will Not Be Afraid is out, the 26-year-old songwriter looked even more confident about playing to a large audience. Rose confessed that she wasn’t quite comfortable playing so early (7:30pm), after they finished playing their first song ‘When You Go’.”

Los Angeles’ Cardioid (Lizzy Ellison and Riley Geare) to open. This upcoming show at the 7th Street Entry is sold out.

Caroline Rose Tour Dates:

05/30 – Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage
06/01 – Nelsonville, OH @ Nelsonville Music Festival
06/02 – Toledo, OH @ Maple and Main Festival
06/04 – Davenport, IA @ Redstone Room
06/06 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
06/07 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge
06/08 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
06/09 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
06/12 - Seattle, WA @ The Sunset
06/13 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
06/15 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
06/16 – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge
06/21 - Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Jr.

BAD WOLVES/FROM ASHES TO NEW
+ Diamante
Varsity Theater
Wed 06/06/2018 (5:30pm/$20)
varsitytheater.com

The co-headlining Bad Wolves and From Ashes To New show will be heading to the Varsity Theater on Wednesday, June 6th.

Tour dates:

06/06 – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
06/07 – Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL
06/08 – The Machine Shop – Flint, MI
06/09 – Piere’s – Fort Wayne, IN
06/11 – The Basement – Columbus, OH
06/12 – The Westcott Theater – Syracuse, NY
06/13 – Aura – Portland, ME
06/16 – Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
06/18 – Chameleon Club – Lancaster, PA
06/19 – Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY
06/20 – Albany - Upstate Concert Club
06/22 – Norva – Norfolk, VA

MICHAEL MCDERMOTT
The Warming House
Wed 06/06/2018 (7:30pm/$18)
facebook.com

Chicago-based singer-songwriter Michael McDermott will be playing the “listening room” stage of The Warming House in Minneapolis. McDermott’s album Out From Under Set is out now.

Michael McDermott’s Tour Dates:

06/06 The Warming House Minneapolis, MN
06/08 Shank Hall Milwaukee, WI
06/09 Marquette Waterfront Festival Madison, WI
06/24 The Ark Ann Arbor, MI
07/14 Roscoe Village BurgerFest Chicago, IL
07/18 Pearl Street Warehouse Washington, DC
07/19 The Loft at City Winery New York, NY
07/20 Log House Concerts Westport, MA
07/21 Music and Arts Festival Templeton, MA

COLD CAVE
+ Choir Boy, Black Marble
Turf Club
Thu 06/07/2018 (7:30pm/$15)
turfclub.net

Philadelphia and New York City’s Cold Cave will be headlining the Turf Club on Thursday. The group will be releasing a 10” picture disc of You & Me & Infinity to coincide their upcoming tour:

05/30 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
06/01 Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
06/02 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
06/04 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
06/05 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
06/07 Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club
06/08 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
06/09 Detroit, MI @ El Club
06/11 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
06/12 Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
06/13 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
06/14 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
06/15 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
06/16 Washington, DC @ Black Cat
06/17 Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
06/19 Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
06/20 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Little Dragon, w/ Sango at First Avenue, Minneapolis (28 May 2015)

poster Little Dragon Setlist Killing Me Little Man Pretty Girls Cat Rider Summertearz Constant / Brush / Wink My Step Shuffle A Dream Blinking Pigs Only One Klapp Klapp -- Encore -- Nightlight / Turn Left Ritual Union Twice Tour Dates 5/29/15 - Concord Music Hall - Chicago, IL 5/30/15 - The Crofoot - Pontiac, MI 5/31/15 - Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON 6/01/15 - Virgin Mobile Corona - Montreal, QC 6/03/15 - House of Blues - Boston, MA* 6/06/15 - Governor's Ball - New York, NY *Co-headling with ODESZA Read More Little Dragon Swedish band Little Dragon's fourth album Nabuma Rubberband (Loma Vista Recordings) album has been nominated for a Grammy in the Best Dance / Electronic Album category for 2015. ...

Sweden's Little Dragon is currently on tour in support of Nabuma Rubberband, stopping by First Avenue in Minneapolis last night, May 28th.

Sango

Warming up the show was Sango, from Los Angeles' Soulection records. When he mentioned it was his first time in Minneapolis, the audience gave him a loud welcome of howls and claps.

His hour-long DJ set consisted of warping music sounds with breaks and beats, mashing up with underground and popular hip hop songs. Some of the mashups included snippets of Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody" and Nas' "You Owe Me".

Before Sango left the stage, he decided to do his so-called "Have you heard this lately?" section: playing Lauryn Hill's vocals to Kanye West's "All Falls Down", but cutting the chorus off and letting the audience sing the missing portion.

Finally, he decided to let the audience choose red or blue pills. When blue was shouted back from the front, he started playing his "Blue" song... but then cutting it off with "Nah!" and playing "Red" instead (which had more of a disco beat).

Ten minutes before Little Dragon taking the stage, two full songs were played before their arrival. Slowly the band entered the stage, one by one, with singer Yukimi Nagano coming on last - wearing an over-the-top furry dress and ballet outfit. After the initial shock, the fans quickly forgot the fancy dress and just danced away to all the songs.

I'm happy to report that Little Dragon is all grown up. Since we last saw the Swedish band in November 2009 (six years ago), the band has grown in terms of sound, stage, and fanbase.

With the larger stage of First Avenue's mainroom, the band had custom diamond light setup with a massive backdrop image. Musically, the band is doing more dance club, even tribal, sound. This music appeal to a new larger legion of club music ... only a little more diverse with various ethnic groups.

This newfound fanbase may have been steadily building throughout the years, but it probably didn't hurt that Little Dragon's Nabuma Rubberband got nominated for a Grammy for best Dance/Electronic album of the year (2014).

As you can see from their setlist, the first section featured a chunk of their latest Nabuma Rubberband ("Killing Me", "Pretty Girls", "Cat Rider" and set closer "Klapp Klapp"), while the latter half of their set featured a good mix of their three previous records Little Dragon (2007), Machine Dreams (2009), and Ritual Union (2011)

Nagano spent most of the time in front dancing and singing with her tambourine, however near the end of their set, she spent it pounding on the drums in the back for "Only One" and "Klapp Klapp".

The three song encore included a medley of "Nightlight" + "Turn Left", with "Ritual Union" and closing song "Twice".

Seeing big smiles on the band's faces, I am pretty confident that they will be returning back to Minneapolis... hopefully soon (and not in the winter).

Little Dragon's Nabuma Rubberband is out now on Because Records.

Little Dragon at First Avenue, Minneapolis (28 May 2015)

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

Minneapolis: May 26 - May 28, 2015

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area for May 26 to May 28, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Surfer Blood: 1000 Palms Joyful Noise Recordings Read More Surfer Blood Next up was co-headliner Surfer Blood, who, if you recall, the last time they were in Minneapolis, singer John Pitts said it was their "seventh time". From my understanding, I thought he said it was Surfer Blood's first …

SURFER BLOOD
at 7th Street Entry
Tuesday 05/26/15, 7:30pm ($15/18+)
first-avenue.com

One of the best live band Surfer Blood will be returning to Minneapolis for the 1000th time (in truth, probably their ninth time) in support of the band's third album 1000 Palms, out now on Joyful Noise. If you've never seen the band, do yourself a favor and check these guys out. They are one of the hardest working touring band I know.

Canadian Alex Calder set to open the show.

Tour dates:

5/19: Indianapolis, IN @ Joyful Noise Recordings
5/20: Lansing, MI @ The Loft
5/21: Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
5/22: Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
5/23: Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
5/24: Madison, WI @ The Frequency
5/26: Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
5/27: Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room
5/28: St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
5/29: Cincinnati, OH @ Fountain Square
5/30: Nashville, TN @ Exit In
6/8: San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
6/10: Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
6/11: Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile Cafe
6/12: Vancouver, BC @ Venue Nightclub
6/13: Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett
6/15: Provo, UT @ Velour Live Music Gallery
6/16: Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Lounge
6/19: Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
6/20: San Diego, CA @ The Irenic
6/25: Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
6/26: Charlotte, NC @ Fountain Plaza
6/27: Athens, GA @ Georgia Theater
7/11: Columbus, OH @ Seventh Son Brewing Co.
7/17: Rehoboth Beach, DE @ Dogfish Head
7/18: Frederick, MD @ Flying Dog Brewery

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. ...

LAWNCHAIR RECORDS COMPILATION
at Turf Club
Wednesday 05/27/15, 7:30pm ($5/21+)
turfclub.net

My brother's favorite local band Frankie Teardrop will be headlining the Lawnchair Records Compilation Tape Release, along with Donx, Stereo Confession, Ripper (not the metal band), Nancy's Raygun, and DJ Teenage Strangler.

Cassette is on sale for an unholy price of $6.66.

Track listing:

1. DONX - Cab to the the Liquor Store
2. Stereo Confession - Sick
3. Narco States - Soma Holiday
4. Slushy - Did You Let Your Hair Grow Long
5. Teenage Strangler - Desert Power
6. Jonny and the Cowabungas - Drunk On Wine
7. Nancy's Raygun - Sulfur
8. Ripper - Abstract Attraction 01:32
9. TJ Sicilia - For Eye to I Will Fall 02:51
10. d. english - Girl Like a Q-Tip 02:44
11. Boys Age - World After Havoc Night 03:04
12. Emotional - Learn 2 Love 02:56
13. Love Cop - Night on Earth
14. Frankie Teardrop - Diet
15. Smiles - These Games
16. Henry James Patterson - Windbreaker
17. El Greco Explosive - Habits
18. Chalk - Haunted House
19. Connor Nolan - The Branches

Read More Little Dragon Swedish band Little Dragon's fourth album Nabuma Rubberband (Loma Vista Recordings) album has been nominated for a Grammy in the Best Dance / Electronic Album category for 2015. ...

LITTLE DRAGON
at First Avenue
Thursday 05/28/15, 7:30pm ($25/18+)
first-avenue.com

We're pretty excited to see that Sweden's Little Dragon will be back in town (their last appearance was at the 400 Bar in 2009). The band recently got a Grammy nomination for best Dance/Electronic album of the year and currently on tour for their latest Nabuma Rubberband (which we previously mentioned earlier in February 2015).

Michigan based producer Sango, currently signed to Los Angeles Soulection records, set to open the Minneapolis show.

Tour dates:

5/19/15 - The Catalyst - Santa Cruz, CA
5/21/15 - Roseland Theater - Portland, OR
5/22/15 - Sasquatch Festival - George, WA
5/23/15 - Malkin Bowl - Vancouver, BC
5/25/15 - The Starlite Room - Edmonton, AB
5/26/15 - Flames Central - Calgary, AB
5/28/15 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
5/29/15 - Concord Music Hall - Chicago, IL
5/30/15 - The Crofoot - Pontiac, MI
5/31/15 - Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON
6/01/15 - Virgin Mobile Corona - Montreal, QC
6/03/15 - House of Blues - Boston, MA*
6/06/15 - Governor's Ball - New York, NY

*Co-headling with ODESZA

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

Grammy 2015

The 57th Grammy Awards will be held on February 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. You can tune in on CBS next Sunday to catch the live broadcast.

Read More Tourist "It's proper cold here in Minneapolis," declared Will Phillips. Spoken like a true tourist from London, Phillips, also known as Tourist, mentioned how he was in Los Angeles the previous night and The 7th ...

TOURIST
touristmusic.tumblr.com

I actually never really know who's nominated for a Grammy year after year.... I know it's a big honor (especially if you end up winning).

All I know is that the big bet this year is around rising artist Sam Smith. His song "Stay With Me" was nominated for for the Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. Did you know that the song was co-written by William Phillips (aka Tourist)? That's not all, the big controversy was that (recently) Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne are now listed as co-writers because of the song's similarities to Petty's song "I Won't Back Down".

I am told that Phillips will be attending the Grammys in Los Angeles on February 8th. And before his debut album comes out, Tourist is scheduled to play live at Coachella (April 2015) and Wild Life Festival, this Spring 2015. Also, just announced, his first London show of 2015 is this March 12th.

Anyway, I hope the song wins.

PS, You might remember that we went out to see Tourist at 7th Street in 2013. He was touring in support of his then-forthcoming Patterns EP (Method Records).

Read More Little Dragon Little Dragon just kicked off their U.S. tour last night, April 10th. The band is back in America because of Coachella, so they've decided to do a mini-tour. We've seen the band before, we like what we saw. ...

LITTLE DRAGON
little-dragon.net

Swedish band Little Dragon's fourth album Nabuma Rubberband (Loma Vista Recordings) album has been nominated for a Grammy in the Best Dance / Electronic Album category for 2015.

It's been a long time, but we last saw them live in 2009 and I don't think they've returned back to the Twin Cities since then.

I described their live show as "very martial and yoga-like", with tough boxing stances. They certainly seem comfortable on stage, and it shows.

If I were to describe their sound, I would say it's urban. If you like Gorillaz, you might like Little Dragon.

Anyway, with Nabuma Rubberband, the record is described as more experimental, with nods to Prince and Janet Jackson, as singer Yukimi Nagano described, "When you put some of Janet's really slow stuff on you feel like you're floating. That feeling really influenced me and maybe that's why there are quite a lot of slow jams on the record. In the past we've been a bit self-conscious about making slow jams after 'Twice'. Then we wanted to make dance music which we did with Machine Dreams and then Ritual Union still had a dance vibe, but with this album it wasn't about that. The intention was about whatever we felt strongly about."

Nabuma Rubberband is competing against Aphex Twin, Deadmau5, Röyksopp & Robyn, and Mat Zo... so it's going to be a close call.

Read More Grammy Clearly the big winner of the night was Adele, winning six Grammys: Album of the Year (21), Best Pop Record (21), Best Short Form Music Video ("Rolling ...

GRAMMY IN THE SCHOOLS
grammyintheschools.com

Jared Cassedy of Windham High School in Windham, N.H., is the the recipient of the second annual Music Educator Award presented by The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation.

Cassedy will be accepting the award at the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony, and will receive a $10,000 honorarium.

"Words cannot describe how amazing this honor is," said Cassedy. "This award is not only recognition of the truly talented students and supportive community I get to work with every day, but it's also a representation of the fundamental significance of music and the arts in our schools. As a tribute to the thousands of outstanding music educators everywhere, I cannot thank The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Foundation enough for helping us to advocate for and to celebrate the importance of music education across the nation."

You can read more about the award and winner at grammyintheschools.com

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

Little Tours

Tunnel Vision Capitol Records Read More Terraplane Sun I've previously mentioned Terraplane Sun before, stating that they were a five-piece blues rock band from California. The band recently released a new song …

Read more Little Bands and Little Small Tiny Things.

LITTLE DAYLIGHT
littledaylight.com

After recently opening for Charli XCX, Bastille and The Neighbourhood, Little Daylight will be releasing a debut album on Capitol Records. In the meantime, you can grab their EP called Tunnel Vision, which is out now.

Little Daylight will be at the Triple Rock this Saturday 04/12. Other bands on the on the bill are Flagship and Terraplane Sun.

Tour dates:

04/10/14 Louisville, KY Mercury Ballroom
04/11/14 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
04/12/14 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock Social Club
04/14/14 Denver, CO Marquis Theater
04/15/14 Salt Lake City, UT Shred Shed
04/17/14 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
04/18/14 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
04/21/14 San Francisco, CA The Independent
04/23/14 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
04/24/14 San Diego, CA Club 5th Avenue

Nabuma Rubberband Loma Vista Recordings Read More Little Dragon We like Little Dragon, covered them a few times here. Haven't heard much from the band lately, it's probably because the USA isn't their main focus right now. …

LITTLE DRAGON
little-dragon.net

Little Dragon just kicked off their U.S. tour last night, April 10th. The band is back in America because of Coachella, so they've decided to do a mini-tour. We've seen the band before, we like what we saw.

Little Dragon's latest release is Nabuma Rubberband and it is coming out May 13, 2014, via Loma Vista Recordings.

Tour dates:

04/13/14 - Coachella 2014 - Indio, CA
04/16/14 - Pappy & Harriet's - Joshua Tree, CA
04/20/14 - Coachella 2014 - Indio, CA
05/10/14 - Toronto, ON - Canadian Music Week
06/07/14 - South Side Music Hall - Dallas, TX
06/08/14 - Fitzgerald's - Houston, TX
06/10/14 - Republic - New Orleans, LA
06/11/14 - The Orpheum - Tampa, FL
06/12/14 - Grand Central - Miami, FL
06/14/14 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA
06/15/14 - Bonnaroo - Manchester, TN
06/17/14 - Music Farm - Charleston, SC
06/18/14 - The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
06/20/14 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY

Pocketknife Harvest Records Read More News: Mr Little Jeans Mr Little Jeans' hit single, "Good Mistake" gets the remix treatment from Dutch visual and musical artist Young & Sick. Following up the release of her debut LP, Mr Little Jeans will be heading on a US tour with SOHN next month, dates below. …

MR LITTLE JEANS
mrlittlejeans.com

Mr Little Jeans, otherwise known as Monica Birkenes, has a new album called Pocketknife, out now on Harvest Records.

She will be heading out on tour with SOHN in May, in the meantime, she'll be appearing at the Red Bull Sound Select on April 24th.

Tour dates with SOHN:

05/07/14 - Washington DC / Rock & Roll Hotel
05/08/14 - Philadelphia PA / Johnny Brenda's
05/09/14 - New York NY / Bowery Ballroom
05/10/14 - Brooklyn NY / Rough Trade
05/12/14 - Boston / The Sinclair
05/13/14 - Montreal Canada / Il Motore
05/14/14 - Toronto Canada / Horseshoe Tavern
05/15/14 - Pontiac MI / Crofoot Ballroom
05/16/14 - Chicago / Bottom Lounge
05/17/14 - Minneapolis / First Avenue
05/20/14 - Vancouver Canada / Fortune Sound Club
05/21/14 - Seattle WA / The Crocodile
05/22/14 - Portland OR / Holocene
05/24/14 - San Francisco / The Independent
05/25/14 - San Diego CA / Casbah

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

Lizards and Snakes

This is part 12 of the When Animals Attack! series.

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CROCODILES
killkillkillcrocodiles.blogspot.com

Crocodiles are a noise pop band from San Diego. I've read that they're influenced by Jesus and Mary Chain, so I can see why Amy would love this band (hopefully if things work out, she'll be covering the band at 7th Street in Minneapolis this June 22nd*).

Crocodiles' third album, Endless Flowers, came out June 5th via Frenchkiss Records. The album was recorded in Berlin, and features the band's full five-piece lineup (I mean who wouldn't want to be part of a fun travel to Germany for recording music!)

The band is currently in the middle of their Summer tour to promote Endless Flowers, expect to see all five band members: singer/guitarist Brandon Welchez, guitarist Charles Rowell, keyboardist Robin Eisenberg, bassist Marco Gonzalez, and drummer Anna Schulte.

Tour dates below:

06/13 San Diego, CA House Of Blues* 06/15 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium* 06/16 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre* 06/17 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre* 06/18 Seattle, WA Showbox At The Market* 06/19 Vancouver, BC Malkin Bowl @Stanley Park* 06/22 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry# 06/23 Chicago, IL Reggie’s Rock Club# 06/24 Detroit, MI Magic Bag# 06/25 Toledo, OH Mickey Finn’s# 06/26 Pittsburgh, PA Brillobox# 06/27 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell’s#

07/13 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s 07/14 New York, NY Village Voice 4knots Festival 07/15 Baltimore, MD Ottobar 07/16 Chapel Hill, NC Cat’s Cradle 07/18 Orlando, FL The Social 07/19 Palm Beach, FL Respectable Street 07/20 Miami, FL The Vagabond 07/21 Tampa, FL New World Brewery 07/22 Atlanta, GA Masquerade (Purgatory Stage) 07/24 Morgantown, WV 123 Pleasant Street * supporting The Temper Trap # Devin supports

* Incidentally, the Minneapolis show marks the band's shift to headliner.

FANG ISLAND
fangisland.com

Brooklyn's Fang Island got their name from a fictitious island, briefly mentioned in an Onion headline about Donald Rumsfeld's secret lair.

Recently, Fang Island premiere another song, "Sisterly", from their forthcoming new album, Major, at Pitchfork.

Singer/guitarist Jason Bartell had this to say about their music:

One of our core ideas has always been that our songs would be all of your favorite parts of the song that other bands make you wait 8 minutes to get to. We wanted to be the band that's nothing but your favorite hooks back to back.

Look for Major to be available on various music formats on July 24th, via Sargent House Records. Or you can pick up a copy at one of their live show:

07/20 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom 07/21 Philadelphia, PA @ Morgan's Pier 07/22 Washington DC @ U Street Music Hall 07/23 Columbus, OH @ The Basement 07/25 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop 07/26 Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot - Pike Room 07/27 Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen 07/28 Chicago, IL @ Wicker Park Music Festival 07/29 St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway 07/30 Kansas City, MO @ Czar Bar * 08/01 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge * 08/03 Boise, ID @ Neurolux * 08/04 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre * 08/05 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile * 08/07 San Francisco, CA @ Great American * 08/10 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour * 08/11 San Diego, CA @ TBA *

08/12 Phoenix, AZ @ The Rhythm Room * 08/13 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress * 08/14 Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad * 08/16 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada 08/17 - 08/18 Texas @ TBA 08/19 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live - Studio 08/20 New Orleans, LA @ Parish at House of Blues 08/21 Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree 08/22 Gainesville, FL @ Double Down Live 08/23 St. Petersburg, FL @ The Local 662 08/24 Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits 08/25 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade 08/26 Asheville, NC @ Asheville Music Hall 08/28 Raleigh, NC @ Kings 08/29 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter 08/30 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * w/ Zechs Marquise

UPDATE:

DINOSAUR JR
www.dinosaurjr.com

Yes, I know, Dinosaur Jr broke up in the late 90's. Then about five years ago, the band got back together and produced their album, Beyond. Since then, J Mascis did some solo stuff, created another band called Sweet Apple, but last year, I noticed he came back to his Dinosaur Jr project with a constant touring schedule.

The band announced that they have a new album, I Bet On Sky, coming out in September on [PIAS] Records. The album marks the band's 10th LP since their original debut, Dinosaur, in 1985.

Tour Dates:

06/22/12 Chicago, IL: Subterranean 06/23/12 Chicago, IL: Green Music Festival 07/06/12 Des Moines, IA: 80/35 Music Festival 08/25/12 St. Louis, MO: LouFest 2012 09/24/12 Toronto, ON: Lee's Palace 09/25/12 Toronto, ON: Lee's Palace 09/26/12 Toronto, ON: Lee's Palace 09/27/12 Detroit, MI: St. Andrew's Hall 09/28/12 Cincinnati, OH: MidPoint Music Festival 09/29/12 Champaign, IL: Pygmalion Festival 10/01/12 Nashville, TN: Mercy Lounge 10/02/12 Atlanta, GA: Variety Playhouse 10/03/12 New Orleans, LA: Tipitina's 10/04/12 Austin, TX: Mohawk 10/05/12 Houston, TX: Fitzgerald's 10/06/12 Dallas, TX: The Prophet Bar

10/08/12 Flagstaff, AZ: Orpheum Theater 10/09/12 Santa Ana, CA: The Observatory 10/10/12 San Francisco, CA: The Fillmore 10/11/12 Eugene, OR, WOW Hall 10/12/12 Seattle, WA: Neptune Theatre 10/14/12 Salt Lake City, UT: Urban Lounge 10/15/12 Denver, CO: Bluebird Theater 10/17/12 Omaha, NE: The Waiting Room 10/18/12 Minneapolis, MN: Cabooze 10/19/12 Madison, WI: Majestic Theatre 10/20/12 Grand Rapids, MI: The Orbit Room 10/22/12 Bloomington, IN: The Bluebird 10/23/12 Cleveland, OH: Beachland Ballroom 10/24/12 Millvale, PA: Mr. Smalls Theatre 10/25/12 Washington, DC: Black Cat 10/26/12 Charlottesville, VA: Jefferson Theater 10/27/12 Philadelphia, PA: Union Transfer

BRIEFLY:

LITTLE DRAGON little-dragon.net We like Little Dragon, covered them a few times here. Haven't heard much from the band lately, it's probably because the USA isn't their main focus right now. The last thing I got about the band was that in their live performance at Le Baron Chinatown in May 2012, they unveiled a new song called "Sunshine". You can watch the session at Youtube, courtesy of ENCORE! Sessions, made possible by creative collaborator ABSOLUT and produced by </FORWAR:D>.

LAST DINOSAURS myspace.com Last Dinosaurs are from Brisbane, Australia. They recently announced their video for "Andy", which you can watch via Youtube. The song comes from their debut album, In A Million Years, which came out in March in Australia… but was never officially released in the States. The band is currently playing in London (13 Jun: Breakout Club Night, 16 Jun: Lovebox Festival) and will be returning to Australia to play Splendour In The Grass.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Little Dragon at the 400 Bar, Minneapolis (11/13/09)

Little Dragon - Swimming Little Dragon Tour Dates 11/14/09 Double Door Chicago, IL 11/16/09 Al’s Bar Lexington, KY 11/17/09 Cliff Bells Detroit 11/18/09 Wrongbar Toronto, ON 11/19/09 ll Motore Montreal 11/20/09 Westcott Theater Syracuse, NY 11/21/09 LPR NY, New York 11/22/09 Liv Nightclub Washington DC 11/23/09 Magnus Music LLC Charlottesville 11/24/09 Milestone Charlotte, NC 11/25/09 Local 506 Carrboro, NC 11/27/09 BottleTree Birmingham, AL 11/28/09 Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, LA 11/29/09 House Of Blues Dallas, TX 11/30/09 Emos Jr Austin, TX 12/02/09 Rhythm Room Phoenix 12/03/09 Casbah San Diego, CA 12/04/09 El Rey LA, CA 12/07/09 Rythm Factory London 12/08/09 HiFi Club Leeds 12/09/09 Jam Brighton 12/17/09 Palác Akropolis Prague Read More Little Dragon http://weheartmus... Among the music she's listening to, she highly recommended Little Dragon. When I found out that s...

Such a nice night for mid-November at the 400 Bar. Athletes in Slacks (myspace) warmed up the crowd with their laidback loungey harmonizing sound that only two keyboarders and a guitarist can produce. The band claims all their songs are about love, except later on their hour-long set, they introduced a song about hating two guys from New York. They did finish strong with a cover of INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart", and that's what really matter.

The first time I heard about Swedish band Little Dragon, was in January. Ceji was really into them. Since we generally like Swedish bands here, I did try and keep up with their whereabouts. As it turns out, they're in the middle of their tour through the US to promote their sophomore album, Machine Dreams. Although the band's been here already, they confessed last night that this was their first time in Minneapolis.

Little Dragon-Recommendation

They didn't do Ceji's favorite "Recommendation" song, but I though hands-down their best song played was "After The Rain", complete with an amazing ending.

From what I heard from their live set, their new songs seems to drifts from the R&B and Jazz influence to more electro and beats. I think the combination works well for them, especially since I like their big beats/electronica sound.

Little Dragon

So one thing I should point out is that singer Yukimi Nagano's dance moves looks very martial and yoga-like. She's often doing this tough smirk and her fists in boxing stance. It's as if she's saying, "bring it on". The way she dances and handles herself, she seems like she was born to be an entertainer.

I've been to a lot of shows lately, and I can tell you that this was one of the best shows yet. They're heading their way to the East Coast, so definitely check them out. If they're not heading through your city, you should check out Machine Dreams, out now on Peacefrog Records.

 11/14/2009 03:52:14 ♥ vu () ♥ little-dragon.se ♥ myspace.com/yourlittledragon

 

W♥M Updates (January 2009)

Little Dragon-Recommendation Little Dragon Read More What's On The Horizon For 2009? (Musically Speaking) http://www.bloghe... Other new records to look forward to: Bruce Springsteen's Working on a Dream, Morrissey's Year of... Gulf Coast Bands » Why Your Band Should Use Twitter http://www.gulfco... Twitter is a micro blogging social networking site that allows you to write what is deemed as “tw...

For those wondering if I'd died and/or retired: no.  Just been relaxing and enjoying the days off with the various two-day Holidays we've been experiencing. I've been writing everyday for two years now and I guess it's taken some tolls on me. Part of my strategy for this year, 2009, is that I will be doing less reviews and probably more towards per my request, as I really cannot handle the overwhelming music submissions.

The weekly podcast will probably be less-than-weekly because of my schedule. I'm hoping to have on old friends in future shows, particularly Ryan who is still missing in action (although I did catch up with him recently when he was home for the holidays). Also, having said not-so-weekly, I did just wrapped up a recording session with Ceji. The podcast will be out this Sunday, but if you're already subscribed, you may get it in your feed sooner.

Among the music she's listening to, she highly recommended Little Dragon. When I found out that singer Yukimi Nagano was Swedish/Japanese, I immediately thought of Maia Hirasawa. Kudos for the bicycle bell on Little Dragon's song "Recommendation".

Also, just a quick shout-outs to some links/mention of W♥M in the blogs: KPerfetto thinks we're one of the places to discover new music. Yay!

We're also getting a ton of Twitter requests, thanks to Ariel and recently a post from Gulf Coast Bands:

As you can see, Twitter is a very powerful tool if taken advantage of and used correctly. It is in my opinion, that every band and musician should have a twitter for their fans to follow. It’s free and the possibilities are endless on who can spread the word about your work. Check out some links below to other people using twitter.

Music Bloggers & Podcasters & Zines
twitter.com/weheartmusic

I've been trying to follow you back. However, if you're over abusing your twitterness (like posting 30 messages in 30 minutes, you are so removed). I'm also not convince about twitter, right now that 140-character limit is ridiculous and if you follow over 20 people, it's completely and utterly useless.

So, I was snooping around the Facebook, I still don't really use the service so it was a shock to me that we have 76 fans - shocked that 76 people accidentally clicked on the 'become a fan' button. Anyway, I think you may have to be an admin to view the breakdowns, but between women vs men - the girls are winning with 62%. Our demographic is the sweetspot of 25-34 year olds (which I will be leaving this age group very soon as I'm a very old man).

We now see about 50/50 digital submissions vs physical CD/mailouts. At the rate it's going, I would hazard digital distribution will be more than 75% by the year's end. Which I'm fine with, but I still ♥ old compact discs.

Other trends I've started to notice is that more people I know are starting to drop their cable bills in favor of just watching television via the internet. I think this is great news, considering that I've been doing this for a while and dropping over-the-air altogether last year.

One service that I've been testing out is Playon. The program is still very beta, I've experiences freeze-ups and "data corruption". When you're watching a serial television show, that's upsetting as it's not like you can skip to the next episode. It's also cool to be able to watching hulu or netflix via my ps3, but it's lame that I have to have a computer to stream the media. I may think about purchasing something like a Roku box if/when it is able to stream hulu and other media sources.

So that's about it for now. Hope 2008 was good for you, and here's to 2009.

Links: www.weheartmusic.com podcast.weheartmusic.com news.weheartmusic.com