W♥M

We♥KC- October 17-23, 2022 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence KS)

Read More Mumford & Sons After a brief health-related delay that caused them to miss Bonnaroo, UK band Mumford and Sons has resumed their summer arena/amphitheatre Tour, to great reviews and sold-out shows. …

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Fall leaves, pumpkin spice, and a continued Rocktober! Temps may have cooled, but the music is still hot, so get out and see a show while the weather still permits.

Here’s what’s happening in the Kansas City/Lawrence, KS metro October 17th-23rd.

(Several artists are still requiring precautions for entry, so check with the venue and/or assume vaccination proof, might still be required)

Monday Oct 17

Illuminati Hotties, Oct 17, recordBar,$20

Illuminati Hotties have announced a fall tour, running through North America in October and November. The cleverly named LA indie punk band led by Sarah Tudzin had a new album Let Me Do One More, released just over a year ago, but has also since released some non-album songs. Enumclaw and Olivia Barton slated to open.

Tuesday Oct 18

Marcus Mumford with The A’s, Midland. $29.50-$79.50

The Mumford & Sons front man hits the road in support of his debut solo album ‘(Self-Titled)’, which was out on September 16 (via Island Records), with lead single, “Cannibal’. Produced by Blake Mills, the record features Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo and Monica Martin and he was one of the featured performers of last weekend’s Hulu stream of Austin City Limits Festival.

Live, he plays 3-4 Mumford & Sons favorites as well as a few New Basement Tapes songs (a Dylan-related project he participated in), including “Kansas City”, which should be a treat to hear locally.

Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath and Daughter of Swords’ Alexandra Sauser-Monnig are both members of Mountain Man and they’ve now come together for a new band called the A’s. Their debut album, Fruit, is out via Psychic Hotline and features covers of folk songs, lullabies, ballads, and more.

Turnstile w JpegMafia, Snail Mail, Uptown, $35-$99.50

Now on their Love Connection Tour, Turnstile still has fans talking about their previous local appearances this Spring supporting latest album, Glow On. The new shows feature support from fellow Baltimore-ans Snail Mail and Jpegmafia.

Turnstile had previously wrapped up a North American tour where every show on that tour sold out way ahead of time and with a solid triple-bill, have graduated to bigger venues. We caught Snail Mail headlining earlier this year and the show looks to be some joyous organized chaos, a celebration of Baltimore area bands, and a chance to experience acclaimed new music from three different genres.

Wednesday Oct 19

Kurt Vile w Julia Shapiro, Liberty Hall, $36-$45

Philadelphia-based rocker is touring on his new album, "(watch my moves)," bringing his backing band The Violators along for a round of 2022 dates. He’s worked in a Silver Jews cover into the setlist of recent shows and we caught him back in May in Minneapolis. Special guest is Julia Shapiro of Chastity Belt.

St. Lucia, The Truman, $27.50-$55

The new album, Utopia I EP just arrived on October 7, with lead single “touch” released ahead of that for this electro-pop band led by Jean-Philip Grobler, a South African based in Germany. (with his wife, and they even had a son during the pandemic).

“In a way, this is my personal rebellion against the darkness of the world,” states Jean-Philip. “From the beginning, the name St. Lucia came from me making escapist music. In South Africa, there’s a place called St. Lucia, and it’s similar to the island in the Caribbean because it’s where you escape. It’s utopia. There are many ideas of utopia, whether it means virus-free or a virtual tech utopia. It’s easy to feel depressed these days, so I’m trying to bring something joyous to the world.”

In This Moment w/ Nothing More, Sleep Token, Cherry Bombs, The Midland. $29.50-$49.50

Since coming to life in 2005, gold-selling hard rock provocateurs In This Moment have presided over a diehard fan base under the watch of a similar “mother” figure front woman Maria Brink- joined by co-founder and lead guitarist Chris Howorth, bassist Travis Johnson, guitarist Randy Weitzel, and Kent Dimmel.

Alternative Press claimed, “Maria Brink is the Lady Gaga of the metal world” and went on to add, “Ritual (their 2017 album) flourishes as the metal love child of art-pop, gospel, Morrissey and Johnny Cash that the world didn’t know it needed until now.” Newest album, Mother [Atlantic/Roadrunner] is a 14-track opus featuring lead single “The In-Between”. Arrive early for the numerous support acts on this full evening of new rock.

Trash Taste, Folly. $45-$145

The Trash Taste Boys- Joey, Garnt, and Connor arrive on stage as they talk, rant, and discuss about everything and anything. Aka Gigguk, The Anime Man, and CdawgVA, they’ve built up a healthy following on YouTube and Twitch channels as well as with their podcast.

Thursday Oct 20

Swan Lake: World Ballet Series, Folly Theater, $35-$105

A part of the World Ballet Series, Swan Lake will be performed live by a multinational cast of 50 professional ballet dancers. See the Dance of the Little Swans, count the 32 fouettés performed by the Odile and immerse yourself in Tchaikovsky’s musical score. The production features detailed, hand-painted sets as well as over 150 radiant costumes.

Friday Oct 21

Sister Hazel w Spin Doctors, Oct 21, Ameristar Casino, $45-60

A rewind back to the indie 90s show, Spin Doctors have more than 12 million albums sold and a Grammy nomination while Sister Hazel is known for topping the charts in the late 90’s with hit “All for You,” and other hits.

Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and Hanover Big Band, Oct. 21, Yardley Hall. $15-$49

Founded in 2003, KCJO is one of the nation’s preeminent big bands, performing classic and original repertoire in a variety of settings. In 2013, Clint Ashlock was named Artistic Director and conductor and the KCJO supports music education, also hosting masterclasses conducted by their visiting artists, in addition to school programming.

The Hanover Big Band incorporates all styles of big band jazz. The soloistic freedom of the arrangements showcases the charisma and excellence of their musicians. Their repertoire includes Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Woody Herman, as well as contemporary compositions (They play KC Bier biergarten Oct 17 and Knuckleheads Oct 18 as well) and watch the two entities join forces in a fun competition here.

Real Talk Comedy Tour featuring DeRay Davis, B. Simone, Rickey Smiley, more, Cable Dahmer Arena- Independence. $63.50-$183.50

Urban comedy’s best comedy voices join together for a night of laughs.

Miyavi, Knuckleheads, $25-$100

The Japanese guitarist is gaining recognition around the world for his unconventional style of playing the guitar—not with a pick, but with his fingers and his “slap style”. We’re fans of innovative guitar playing, as evidenced when we saw three prominent fingerstyle players at a show earlier this summer. Newest album is last fall’s Imaginary and the show is recommended for any guitar aficionados.

Pecos & The Rooftops, Uptown. $19-$40

A close knit group of friends from Texas that came together while in college in Lubbock. The country rock band is Pecos Hurley (Vocals/Acoustic Guitar), Brandon Jones (Rhythm Guitar), Zack Foster (Lead Guitar), Kalen Davis (Bass), and Garrett Peltier (Drums).
 Their latest EP, “Red Eye” was out in early 2020, but new music is promised soon, so hope to hear a preview.

Saturday Oct 22

California Honeydrops, Knuckleheads, $27

The Bay Area blues, R&B and funk band celebrate their 14th year together with the release of their latest studio effort, “Soft Spot” just released on October 7. The LP follows the release of their cover album, Covers From The Cave, two live albums, and a first double-album.

Led by vocalist / multi-instrumentalist Lech Wierzynski, their diverse musical influences include R&B, funk, Southern soul, Delta blues, and New Orleans second-line, expect an energetic dance party vibe. Special guest Scott Pemberton.

Highly Suspect, The Midland, $29.50-$39.50

On their Midnight Demon Club Tour, we caught the Brooklyn rockers last month on the first show of the tour, thrilled to be playing live again in shows initially scheduled for Spring 2020. The multi-GRAMMY® Award-nominated and gold-certified band - Johnny Stevens [vocals, guitar], Ryan Meyer [drums, vocals], Rich Meyer [bass, vocals], Matt Kofos [guitar] and Mark Schwartz [synths] have a new record, The Midnight Demon Club, on Roadrunner/FRSKT and even worked in a QOTSA cover into the set we caught live. Tiger Club to open.

“A New World: Intimate music from ‘Final Fantasy” Folly. $46-$80

From the team that brought you Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY, the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE: Orchestra World Tour, NieR: Orchestra Concert, and more, AWR Music Productions is presents a new program of music to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of FINAL FANTASY. Under the direction of Eric Roth, the New World Players chamber ensemble perform exclusive arrangements from throughout the FINAL FANTASY series in the personal style of this outstanding musical production.

Napoleon Dynamite Film Screening/Conversation, Yardley Hall $25+

A fan-favorite film screening, audience Q&A and moderated discussion by Lonita Cook, film critic at KCTV-5 with Jon Heder, Jon Gries and Efren Ramirez. The evening promises to be a celebration of the comedy classic that made Napoleon Dynamite, LaFawnduh and Pedro household names. Jon Heder (Napoleon), Efren Ramirez (Pedro) and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) have plenty of behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes. VIP packages available.

The Sponges with N2N, Aura. $20

Electronica EDM act comprised of Nik Eaton and Ryan Slepin with new singles, “Shake It” mixing heavy bass and electro blips, and “Volume” feat. Griz.

Grupo Firme,T-Mobile Center,CANCELED

Sunday Oct 23

Dead Poet Society, Bottleneck- Lawrence,$17-$20

LA via Boston alt/indie band is out on their The Tour That Never Ends with support from their label mates BRKN LOVE, in between supporting Highly Suspect for their fall headline run. A deluxe edition of their latest record “-!-“was just released, featuring extra acoustic and live tracks.

john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Rocktober: October 22

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide

10/22 Marcus Mumford with The A's at Palace Theatre Read More Mumford & Sons After a brief health-related delay that caused them to miss Bonnaroo, UK band Mumford and Sons has resumed their Summer arena/amphitheatre Tour, to great reviews and sold out shows. …

10/22/2022 Saturday

Marcus Mumford
with The A's
at Palace Theatre
first-avenue.com

Remember Mumford & Sons? The band’s founder Marcus Mumford is on tour in support of his debut solo self-titled album. The record was released on Capitol Records, and was produced by Blake Mills (Alabama Shakes, Laura Marling).

The Marcus Mumford tour kicks off Monday, September 19, with a sold-out show at the Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO… and will stop in at the Palace Theatre this October 22nd.

The A's to open.

Tour Dates

9/19 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
9/20 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
9/21 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
9/24 Las Vegas, NV iHeartRadio Music Festival
9/26 Seattle, WA The Paramount Theatre
9/27 Portland, OR Keller Auditorium
9/30 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
10/1 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
10/4 Ventura, CA Majestic Ventura Theatre
10/6 El Cajon, CA The Magnolia
10/7 Phoenix, AZ The Van Buren
10/9 Austin, TX ACL Fest
10/10 Houston, TX White Oak Music Hall
10/11 Dallas, TX Majestic Theatre
10/14 New Orleans, LA Orpheum Theater
10/16 Austin, TX ACL Fest
10/17 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom
10/18 Kansas City, MO Midland Theatre
10/20 Milwaukee, WI The Pabst Theater
10/21 Madison, WI The Sylvee
10/22 Saint Paul, MN Palace Theatre
10/24 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
10/25 Detroit, MI The Fillmore Detroit
10/26 Louisville, KY Brown Theatre
10/28 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
10/29 Atlanta, GA The Eastern
10/30 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
11/1 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
11/2 Washington, DC The Anthem
11/3 Philadelphia, PA Met Philadelphia
11/5 Portland, ME State Theater
11/7 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
11/8 Boston, MA Wang Theatre – Boch Center
11/10 Toronto, ON Massey Hall

10/22 Judah & the Lion with The National Parks at First Avenue Read More Judah & the Lion Nashville’s Judah & The Lion will be headlining the Palace Theatre on Halloween, October 31st. The group’s “Let Go” song was recently chosen as ESPN’s New College Football Anthem for 2019-20 Season, which is quite a big deal…. …

10/22/2022 Saturday

Judah & the Lion
with The National Parks
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Judah & the Lion is touring in support of Revival (Cletus the Van Records / Virgin Music).

We just the band on Sep 2022 and wrote, “Judah and the Lion are going through a Revival-- Not just the title of their fourth studio album (released in June on Cletus the Van Records), but professionally (with the departure of co-founding member Nate Zuercher at the end of last year) and personally as well, and through all the introspection the pandemic allowed us. The core lineup is down to the duo of Judah Akers and Brian Macdonald and their renewed musical outlook is one of hope, happiness, and an innocence that the band began with, a decade ago.”

The National Parks (not to be confused with The National) to open.

Tour Dates

Sept 20 @ House of Blues in Dallas, TX^
Sept 21 @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, TX^
Sept 23 @ Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, OK^
Sept 24 @ The Factory in Chesterfield, MO^
Oct. 4 @ Avondale Brewing Co. in Birmingham, AL+
Oct 5 @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall in Louisville, KY+
Oct 7 @ Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta, GA+
Oct 8 @ The Ritz in Raleigh, NC+
Oct 9 @ The Fillmore in Charlotte, NC+
Oct 11 @ Webster Hall in New York, NY+
Oct 13 @ The Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD+
Oct 14 @ House of Blues in Boston, MA
Oct 15 @ Club XL Live in Harrisburg, PA+
Oct 16 @ The Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA+
Oct 18 @ House of Blues in Cleveland, OH+
Oct 20 @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre in Indianapolis, IN+
Oct 21 @ The Riviera Theater in Chicago, IL+
Oct 22 @ First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN+
Nov. 18-20 @ Wonderfront Festival in San Diego, CA

^Smallpools
+The National Parks

10/22 Voxtrot with Yellow Ostrich at Fine Line Read More Voxtrot Three years ago Voxtrot released two incredibly well-received EPs, Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives and Raised By Wolves and immediately garnered a cult-like fanbase. On the adolescent anthem, “Soft and Warm,” …

10/22/2022 Saturday

Voxtrot
with Yellow Ostrich
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

Here’s a blast from the past: Voxtrot. When we first started W♥M, 15 years ago, Voxtrot was one of the first band we saw in June 2007: “The Voxtrot show was alright, they seem to be having a lot of fun on stage. I was told that the last time they were here (on a Monday), that there was only maybe 12 people there. This time, they have a pretty packed venue, which made them really happy.”

It looks like the band is back, touring to promote Cut from the Stone: Rarities & B-Sides. Already Austin and Los Angeles shows have sold out. It’s not a surprise, as they still have many fans, and, of course, we remember the band!

Yellow Ostrich to open.

Voxtrot Tour Dates

September 17 - New York NY @ Webster Hall
September 18 - Washington DC @ Black Cat
September 23 - San Francisco CA @ The Independent
September 24 - Los Angeles CA @ The Regent
September 25 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex
October 21 - Chicago IL @ Thalia Hall
October 22 - Minneapolis MN @ Fine Line
November 11 - Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
November 12 - Austin TX @ The Mohawk

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

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

Thrown to the Wolves

Read more Big Bad Wolf, Wolf Attack!, Wolfpack, Wolf Pack, Hungry Like a Wolf, Songs About Werewolves, and When Animals Attack.

Read More Mumford & Sons After a brief health-related delay that caused them to miss Bonnaroo, UK band Mumford and Sons has resumed their Summer arena/amphitheatre Tour, to great reviews and sold out shows. …

MUMFORD & SONS
mumfordandsons.com

"The Wolf" is the new single from Mumford & Sons' third album Wilder Mind. The album came out last week, May 4th via Gentlemen of the Road / Glassnote Records. Produced in London by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, HAIM, Florence & The Machine), and recorded at AIR Studios in London, Wilder Mind features twelve new tracks written collaboratively by the band in London, Texas, and at Aaron Dessner's (The National) garage studios in Brooklyn.

The band is also happy to announce that they will be on tour in support of the new record.

Tour starts in June 2015:

06/02 - Brooklyn, NY @ Coney Island
06/06 - Seaside Heights, NJ @ Gentlemen...
06/08 - Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center
06/10 - Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post
06/11 - Raleigh, NC @ Walnut Creek
06/13 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
06/15 - Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON @ Commons
06/16 - Clarkson, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theater
06/17 - Chicago, IL @ Montrose Beach & Park
06/20 - Waverly, IA @ Gentlemen of the Road
08/07 - San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands
08/09 - Squamish, BC @ Squamish Music
08/11 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
08/12 - Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome
08/15 - Walla Walla, WA @ Gentlemen of the Road
08/22 - Salida, CO @ Gentlemen of the Road

AURORA
facebook.com

Norwegian Aurora Aksnes, otherwise known simply as Aurora, just released her debut EP Running With The Wolves last week, May 4th via Decca Records.

The 18 year-old will be doing a limited number of USA dates in support of the new EP.

Tour dates:

05/15 Great Escape, Brighton
05/27 Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade
05/28 New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall
06/02 Los Angeles, CA - Bootleg Bar
06/05 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
06/11 Ace Hotel, London
08/07 Wilderness Festival

THE BALLROOM THIEVES
ballroomthieves.com

A Wolf in the Doorway is the new album from Boston's The Ballroom Thieves. The band is stopping by Minneapolis' Bryant-Lake Bowl tomorrow, Wednesday, May 13th. The venue is very, very small.

Tour dates:

May 13 Bryant Lake Bowl Theatre, Minneapolis, MN
May 14 Vox Concerts Mount Calvary, WI
May 15 The Miramar Theatre Milwaukee, WI
May 16 frequency Madison, WI
May 17 Seven Steps Up Spring Lake, MI
May 19 The Ark Ann Arbor, MI
May 21 Iron Horse Northampton, MA
May 22 Boston Calling Boston, MA
May 23 Boston Calling Boston, MA
May 24 Boston Calling Boston, MA
Jun 13 Harmonium Music Festival Strafford, NH
Jun 18 Mohegan Sun Wolf Den Uncasville, CT
Jun 23 Hudson Square New York, NY
Jun 25 Beachland Tavern Cleveland, OH
Jun 26 Madison Live Covington, KY
Jul 3 Port Hunter Edgartown, MA
Jul 5 Totoket Valley Park Northford, CT
Jul 30 Thursday Music on Main Victor, ID
Aug 2 Blues, Brews and BBQ's Huntsville, UT
Sep 18 FreshGrass Festival North Adams, MA
Sep 19 FreshGrass Festival North Adams, MA
Sep 20 FreshGrass Festival North Adams, MA

OSCAR AND THE WOLF
facebook.com

Belgian electro pop band Oscar and the Wolf (lead by Max Colombie) will be releasing a new track called "Undress" on May 25th, via PIAS (Play It Again Sam).

With over two million Spotify plays and a over a million Youtube views in credit with their previous single "Strange Entity", expect the same success with the new "Undress" single.

Oscar and the Wolf is on tour:

May 15th – Brighton – The Great Escape Festival
May 22nd - Manchester - Dot To Dot Festival
May 23rd - Bristol - Dot To Dot Festival
May 24th - Nottingham - Dot To Dot Festival
May 26th - London – Hoxton Bar And Grill

GLOCKABELLE
glockabelle.com

New York's Glockabelle has a new EP called Wolf BBQ, set for release next week, May 19th.

The thing with Glockabelle (aka Annabelle Cazes) is that she plays "a lyre-shaped glockenspiel with eight thimbles and two pocket calculator Casios."

Wolf BBQ EP is described as "a collection of mostly unreleased tracks. The result is a collection of equally playful and technically complex tracks filled with surf and punk tendencies, all brought together with her intricate synths and controlled madness."

Glockabelle will be playing with Kaki King next week:

May 21, 2015 - Rough Trade - Brooklyn, NY

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

Mumford and Sons and the Vaccines

Read More Mumford and Sons The quarter has developed their own genre with their own sound transcends. The band brings fervent energy, blistering banjo and acoustic guitar tunes. The real-life Begbies ask for more drinks whenever the band plays live.…

MUMFORD AND SONS
mumfordandsons.com

After a brief health-related delay that caused them to miss Bonnaroo, UK band Mumford and Sons has resumed their Summer arena/amphitheatre Tour, to great reviews and sold out shows. The London band, formed in 2007, rode the wave of alternative folk artists and has shot up in popularity in recent years, headlining major international festivals and in support of their latest release, Babel (Island/Glassnote), which won Album of the Year at February’s Grammy Awards.

The All English Tour also brings along London alt-country trio Bear’s Den and West London indie-rock buzz band The Vaccines, as support openers. The tour commenced again this week in Toronto and their Sept. 4th date in St. Paul is highly anticipated, as the Twin Cities market was one of the first to embrace the band, starting with its opening set at the tiny and now-defunct 400 Bar in 2008.

Expect a bombastic show and maybe a surprise cover song or two during their encore—tickets have long been sold out and were difficult to obtain all along, as the band employed an online invitation system, in hopes of thwarting possible ticket scalping.

THE FULL ENGLISH TOUR
9/02 - Klipsch Music Center - Noblesville, IN
9/03 - Marcus Amphitheater - Milwaukee, WI
9/04 - Xcel Energy Center - Saint Paul, MN
9/09 – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre – Pelham, AL
9/10 - Centennial Olympic Park - Atlanta, GA
9/11 - Charter Amphitheatre - Simpsonville, SC

RESCHEDULED DATES
9/16 - New Orleans LA @ Mardi Gras World
9/17 - Woodlands TX @ Cynthia Woods Pavilion
9/18 - Dallas TX @ GEXA Energy Pavilion
9/20 - Bonner Springs KS @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre

Read More The Vaccines Much has happened in the world of the Vaccines since they were last in Minneapolis, nearly two years ago opening for the Arctic Monkeys at First Avenue. Their wildly hyped, but well-received debut 2011’s What Did You Expect.…

THE VACCINES
thevaccines.co.uk

Opening up for Mumford and Sons on a number of dates are The Vaccines. The band recently released a new EP called Melody Calling, which came out two weeks ago (August 13th).

I have been listening to the EP and I can tell you that the band is maturing as a band. Their new EP is a more melodic, almost a gentler, softer sound to the band. Are you worry that this is a new 'serious' Vaccines? No worries, they have that one fun, "Do You Want a Man". Hear the remix of "Do You Want a Man" via Soundcloud. Try not to sing along to the catchy chorus: "Do you wanna a man? I could be your man."



The Vaccines on tour:

09/02 Noblesville, TN Klipsch Music Center*
09/03 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheatre*
09/04 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center*
09/07 Guthrie, OK Cottonwood Flats *
09/09 Pelham, AL Oak Mountain Amph*
09/10 Atlanta, GA Centennial Olympic Park*
09/11 Simpsonville, SC Charter Amphitheatre*
09/13 Orlando, FL Social (headline show)
09/14 St. Augustine, FL Francis Field *
09/21 San Diego, CA Casbah (headline show)
09/22 Los Angeles, CA Mayan Theatre (headline show)
09/23 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom (headline show)
09/28 Chicago, IL UIC Pavilion **
09/29 Ypsilanti, MI EMU Convocation Center **
10/01 Boston, MA Agganis Arena **
10/02 Brooklyn, NY Barclay’s **
10/03 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion **

*supporting Mumford and Sons
** supporting Phoenix

vu + john () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Varsity Theater: Noah and the Whale, the 1975, Yellowcard, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., and Communion

For those not living in Minneapolis, the Varsity Theater is possibly my favorite music venue because of its beautiful setup, amazing lights, and friendly staff. My only complaint is that concerts aren't held on the weekend (that's because the weekends are usually booked with wedding receptions or private events). So below are some upcoming Varsity Theater shows:

Read More Noah and the Whale Playing the last of three Sunday residencies in May at the Palace Theatre, Charlie Fink and company went out with a bang by bringing out the famous voice of Anna Calvi to the stage …

NOAH AND THE WHALE
noahandthewhale.com

Did you see our review of Noah And The Whale in London earlier this year? That show looked fancy, it was accompanied with a short "Heart of Nowhere" film, which I don't know if the band will be displaying that film on their upcoming tour in the U.S.

Anyway, the band is returning to the U.S. in support of their latest album Heart of Nowhere, out in states on September 24th via Caroline Records.

Noah And The Whale On Tour
Sep 27 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
Sep 28 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
Sep 29 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Oct 01 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Oct 02 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
Oct 03 - Los Angeles, CA @ Avalon
Oct 06 - Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
Oct 08 - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre
Oct 09 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
Oct 10 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
Oct 12 - Austin, TX @ ACL Official After Show
Oct 13 - Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
Oct 15 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Oct 16 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Oct 17 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
Oct 19 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Theatre
Oct 21 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues
Oct 22 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza

Read More The 1975 Manchester's The 1975 is heading out on the road for their new EP, Music For Cars (out March 4th on Dirty Hit). Expect the band to return to the studios after the US tour to finalize a debut album…

THE 1975
the1975.com

Since we last saw the 1975, they are gearing up for their debut self-titled album, coming out September 3rd on Interscope Records. Leading up to the album is their new single "Sex", which you can stream on Soundcloud.

The Manchester band will be touring the U.S. this October, so we'll be sure to cover their appearance in Minneapolis' Varsity Theater (since we generally really like U.K. bands).

Touring schedule below:

08/23 – Reading / Leeds
08/24 – Reading / Leeds
09/01 – Electric Picnic Festival – Ireland
09/08 – Bestival
09/14 – Shrewsbury Fields Forever – Shresbury
09/15 – Academy – Newcastle
09/16 – Hmv Institute – Birmingham
09/17 – Abc – Glasgow
09/18 – Rockcity – Nottingham
09/20 – Shepherds Bush Empire – London
09/21 – Ritz – Manchester
09/22 – Sugarmill – Stoke
09/23 – Leeds University – Leeds
09/24 – Academy – Oxford
09/25 – Waterfront – Norwich
09/26 – Academy – Bristol
09/28 –Concorde – Brighton
09/30 – Academy – Dublin Ireland
10/01 – Mandella Hall – Belfast
10/05 - Short Mountain Distillery – Woodbury, TN
10/08 – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA
10/09 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
10/10 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
10/11 – Black Cat – Washington, DC
10/12 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
10/13 – The Mod Club - Toronto, Canada
10/15 – A&R Music Bar – Columbus, OH
10/17 – The Midland By Amc – Kansas City, MO
10/18 – Firebird – St. Louis, MO
10/19 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
10/20 – The Rave Bar – Milwaukee, WI
10/21 – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
10/23 – Marquis Theatre – Denver, CO
10/24 – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT
10/26 – Neumos – Seattle, WA
10/27 – Venue – Vancouver, Canada
10/28 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
10/30 – Independent – San Francisco, CA
11/01 – Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
11/03 – Belly Up Tavern – Solana Beach, CA
11/04 – Club Congress – Tucson, AZ
11/07 – El Sol – Madrid, Spain
11/08 – Razzmatazz (Club Show) – Barcelona, Spain
11/10 - La Maroquinerie – Paris, France
11/11 – Melkweg – Amsterdam, Netherlands
11/12 – Botanique/Orangerie – Brussels, Belgium
11/14 – Luxor – Cologne, Germany
11/15 – Zoom – Frankfurt, Germany
11/18 – Bi Nuu – Berlin, Germany
11/19 – Uebel & Gefährlich – Hamburg, Germany
11/21 – Loppen – Copenhagen, Denmark
11/22 – Debaser Strand – Stockholm, Sweden
11/23 – Parkteatret – Oslo, Norway
11/26 – Hydrozagadka – Warsaw, Poland
11/27 – The Rock Café – Prague, Czech Republic
11/28 – Fluc – Vienna, Austria

Read More Yellowcard This isn't an live album release, who knows, maybe one day it will be packaged as such… but Axs.tv is broadcasting Yellowcard concert live at The Paramount Theater in New York on January 12th (this Saturday).…

YELLOWCARD
yellowcardrock.com

It's been ten years since Yellowcard's best known album Ocean Avenue was released, and to honor the occasion, the band is releasing Ocean Avenue Acoustic. In their own words, "We hope that we did justice to the original songs which brought so many of us together. We hope you are somewhere with the windows down screaming your lungs out as you sing along to these new renditions. Thanks for carrying us through the last decade of our lives. Here's to a decade more."

Not sure if this upcoming tour will be all acoustic (like their acoustic tour in 2008), but you can find out this October:

Oct 08 House of Blues - Anaheim, CA
Oct 09 Slim'sSan Francisco, CA
Oct 10 Knitting Factory Concert House - Reno, NV
Oct 12 Burns Arena - St George, UT
Oct 13 The Complex - Salt Lake City, UT
Oct 15 The Black Sheep - Colorado Springs, CO
Oct 17 People's Court - Des Moines, IA
Oct 18 Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN
Oct 20 Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI
Oct 21 The Rave - Milwaukee, WI
Oct 22 House of Blues - Chicago, IL
Oct 23 St. Andrews Hall - Detroit, MI
Oct 25 House of Blues - Cleveland - Cleveland, OH
Oct 26 Town BallroomBuffalo, NY
Oct 27 Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, ON
Oct 29 Webster Theatre - Hartford, CT
Oct 30 Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA
Nov 01 Stone Pony - Asbury Park, NJ
Nov 02 Irving Plaza - New York, NY
Nov 03 Theatre of the Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
Nov 05 Amos Southend - Charlotte, NC
Nov 07 Rocketown - Nashville, TN
Nov 08 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
Nov 09 House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
Nov 11 Emo's - Austin, TX
Nov 12 House of Blues - Houston, TX
Nov 13 House of Blues - Dallas, TX
Nov 15 The Marquee - Phoenix, AZ
Nov 16 Hard Rock Cafe - Las Vegas, NV
Nov 18 House of Blues - Los Angeles, CA

Read More Atlas Genius I got a little preview of the Atlas Genius live act on Sunday (06/02 at the Aloft Hotel in Minneapolis), when the band held an acoustic set, which also meant that I got a preview of their audience. Both Sunday and last night .…

DALE EARNHARDT JR JR
daleearnhardtjrjr.com

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. (aka Detroit duo of Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott) recently just dropped a GoldenboyZ Remix of "If You Didn't See Me (Then You Weren't On The Dancefloor)" on Soundcloud. Be sure to check out their new album The Speed of Things, coming out October 8th on Warner Bros. Record.

Most of these dates below are under the "Ones to Watch" tour, with Atlas Genius!

08/24 The LC Pavillion/Summerfest-Columbus, OH
08/31 WARMfest- Indianapolis, IN
09/24 Bogart's- Cincinnati, OH*
09/25 Pabst Theater- Milwaukee, WI*
09/26 Varsity Theater- Minneapolis, MN*
09/28 High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI
09/29 Mojo's - Columbia, MO
10/01 House of Blues- Chicago, IL*
10/02 House of Blues- Cleveland, OH*
10/04 Danforth Music Hall- Toronto, ON*
10/05 Cabaret Mile-End - Montreal, Canada
10/06 Port City - Portland, ME
10/08 House of Blues- Boston, MA*
10/10 Irving Plaza- New York, NY*
10/11 Irving Plaza- New York, NY*
10/12 Theatre of the Living Arts- Philadelphia, PA*
10/13 The Fillmore/Silver Spring- Silver Spring, MD*
11/01 House of Blues- Anaheim, CA*
11/06 The Wiltern- Los Angeles, CA*
11/07 The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
11/09 Crystal Ballroom- Portland, OR*
11/10 Venue- Vancouver, BC*
11/11 Neptune Theatre- Seattle, WA*

*"Ones to Watch" Tour w/ Atlas Genius

Read More Michael Kiwanuka The retro-soul sounds of Ugandan-born Englishman Michael Kiwanuka performing at the afterparty in First Avenue’s Mainroom proved to be the perfect nightcap to a music-filled Saturday in Minneapolis. …

COMMUNION
communionmusic.com

Communion is a club night, formed in London in 2006 by musicians Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons), Kevin Jones (Bear’s Den), and producer Ian Grimble (Manic Street Preachers, Travis, Beautiful South). Apparently this is no long stationary - as they are taking the club throughout various cities in the month of October. This new 2013 show will feature Rubblebucket, Roadkill Ghost Choir, Willy Mason, 4 On the Floor, Australian duo Yacht Club DJs and lots more. Just to give you an idea, bands like Michael Kiwanuka, Daughter, Gotye, and Ben Howard, have all emerged from Communion, so it's definitely worth watching these upcoming bands.

What's cool is that students and radio patrons will be given a discount on tickets… more details on their website.

COMMUNION PRESENTS TOUR DATES
October 1 New York, NY Rockwood Music Hall
October 2 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s
October 3 Washington, DC Black Cat
October 8 Bloomington, IN Bluebird Theater
October 9 Louisville, KY Zanzibar
October 10 Nashville, TN High Watt
October 15 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
October 16 Madison, WI Frequency
October 17 Rock Island, IL Daytrotter

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Refreshing Sounds for 2013

2013 is expected to be a big year for music. Music lovers have high expectations from top musical artists and bands. However, you may not be terribly familiar with the ones that have recently burst onto the music scene and have made a name for themselves with their unique and meaningful sounds.

Here’s a list of the unique sounding artists to watch out for in 2013:

1. Foster the People Foster the People made a name for themselves with the release of the super catchy Pumped Up Kicks. They’ve created their own ‘Foster the People’ sound, something that you can listen to for hours while relaxing on the sofa. The best part about the music is that it makes you want to dance at the same time. The lead singer Mark Foster has a unique voice, a mixture of high pitch chorus and lower note verses. His voice blends with the other two members, making them a pleasure to listen to. The Indie band has plans to release a new album this year.  Their engrossing sound will attract new listeners.

2. The Head and the Heart Seattle’s the Head and the Heart brings a twist to the usual indie-folk music. The band has 6 members that play Americana, indie-rock, pop and a variety of other sounds. Sometimes, they play all the music within a single song. It was a surprise when 10,000 copies sold of their debut album Sub Pop, mostly on word of mouth. They stick to the old block harmonies playing the same chords, but they have hundred different ways to do so.

3. Imagine Dragons The Indie Alternative Rock band from Las Vegas topped iTunes chart with ‘Night Visions’ in 2012, beating all the pop sensations that people are familiar with seeing on the top of the list. Their dubstep pop music captures attention from a variety of genres. The magical, pulsating pop beat will make you want to press the repeat button again. They also have formulaic ingredients to make a radio friendly tune. Imagine Dragons tickets are high in demand for their upcoming concerts in U.S and U.K. Imagine Dragons' tour schedule:

02/08/13 Tempe, AZ The Marquee 02/09/13 Las Vegas, NV The Joint 02/11/13 Dallas, TX House Of Blues 02/12/13 Houston, TX House Of Blues 02/14/13 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle 02/15/13 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues 02/16/13 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel 02/18/13 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory 02/22/13 Silver Spring, MD Fillmore Silver 02/23/13 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 02/25/13 Boston, MA House Of Blues 02/27/13 Toronto, ON Sound Academy 02/28/13 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room 03/01/13 Detroit, MI The Fillmore Detroit 03/02/13 Milwaukee, WI The Rave 03/04/13 Chicago, IL House Of Blues 03/05/13 Chicago, IL House Of Blues 03/06/13 St. Louis, MO The Pageant 03/09/13 Winnipeg, MB Garrick Centre 03/11/13 Edmonton, AB Starlite Room 03/12/13 Calgary, AB MacEwan Conference 03/14/13 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom 03/15/13 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 03/16/13 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre

03/18/13 San Diego, CA House Of Blues 03/19/13 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues 03/20/13 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern 03/22/13 Salt Lake City, UT Complex 03/23/13 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium 04/02/13 Bristol, UK O2 Academy Bristol 04/04/13 Liverpool, UK O2 Academy 04/06/13 Glasgow, UK Garage 04/08/13 Manchester, UK Club Academy 04/09/13 Birmingham, UK Library Theatre 04/11/13 London, UK HMV Forum 04/13/13 Amsterdam, Netherlands Melkweg 04/15/13 Stockholm, Sweden Debaser Slussen 04/16/13 Oslo, Norway BLA 04/18/13 Copenhagen, Denmark VEGA 04/19/13 Hamburg, Germany Grosse Freiheit 36 04/20/13 Cologne, Germany Live Music Hall 04/22/13 Berlin, Germany Astra 04/24/13 Prague, Czech Republic The Roxy 04/26/13 Vienna, Austria FLEX 04/29/13 Frankfurt, Germany Gibson Club 04/30/13 Munich, Germany Muffathalle 05/02/13 Brussels, Belgium Ancienne Belgique 05/03/13 Paris, France Le Bataclan

4. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros The band gets inspiration from Southern Californian communities of the 60’s and 70’s. Their first album sold over 315,000 copies and was on number 1 for 69 straight weeks on iTunes. Their high-pitched synths and driving bass line adds an extra charm to their music. A focal point of their music is the soulful vocals, with a touch of southern rock guitar and piano. They’re planning to release their third album this year.

5. Mumford and Sons The quarter has developed their own genre with their own sound transcends. The band brings fervent energy, blistering banjo and acoustic guitar tunes. The real-life Begbies ask for more drinks whenever the band plays live, evoking melancholy but still inspiring hope. The band is currently leading BRIT award nominations and has an upcoming tour in February. USA dates: 02/05/13 Boston, MA TD Garden 02/06/13 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center 02/08/13 Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles Convention Center 02/12/13 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center 02/13/13 Fairfax, VA Patriot Center 02/14/13 Fairfax, VA Patriot Center 02/16/13 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center 02/17/13 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center

Watch out for these bands in 2013, you’ll be in for a surprise.

rebecca ♥ weheartmusic.com

W♥M166: Winter Shows

W♥M166 (38 mins)

Brody came on W♥M Radio to talk list some Winter shows. Incidentally, I don't go to shows in the Winter, so I'm not attending most of these shows (I don't even have their tour itinerary): The Maccabees, The Cribs, Kasabian, Phoenix (France), Palma Violets, Kooks, Peace, Xx, Kaiser Chiefs (lost a guitarist). The only show I'm attending is The Faint, which is happening tomorrow at First Avenue (December 13th).

Shows Brody wants to go to: Andrew Bird (12/17 at State Theatre), Of Monsters and Men (12/18 at First Ave), Steel Panther (12/20 at Mill City Nights). … And even more bands on tour, too numerous to mention (Vaccines, Drop Kick Murphy, Muse, Django Django, Alt-J, Ben Howard, The Staves, Mumford and Sons, Peggy Sue).

News discussed: Adele hit Diamond Certification with her 25+ million record sold of 21. Psy's "Gangnam Style" became the #1 video on YouTube. It was so popular, it was covered by Glee, you can read all about that here.

Stars just announced their The North North American tour, you can see all the tour dates and read all about it here on W♥M. Song of the show is "Calendar Girl", from their Set Yourself on Fire 2004 album.

BONUS: Eels are heading out on tour, plus new album Wonderful, Glorious.

02/14 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory 02/15 Los Angeles, CA The Fonda Theatre 02/16 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore 02/18 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater 02/19 Seattle, WA Showbox Theater 02/22 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue 02/23 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre 02/24 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall 02/25 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre 02/26 Montreal, QC Theatre Corona 02/27 Boston, MA Paradise 03/01 New York, NY Webster Hall 03/02 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live 03/03 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 03/04 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle 03/05 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse 03/07 Dallas, TX Granada Theater 03/08 Houston, TX Warehouse Live Ballroom 03/14 Belfast, Ireland Limelight 03/15 Dublin, Ireland Olympia 03/17 Manchester, UK Academy 03/18 Glasgow, UK O2 Academy

03/19 Leeds, UK O2 Academy 03/21 London, UK O2 Academy 03/23 Bournemouth, UK O2 Academy 03/25 Brighton, UK Dome 03/26 Norwich, UK UEA 03/27 Nottingham, UK Rock City 03/29 Bristol, UK O2 Academy 03/30 Birmingham, UK O2 Academy 04/01 Amsterdam, Holland Paradiso 04/06 Copenhagen, Denmark Grey Hall 04/07 Hamburg, Germany Grosse Freiheit 04/08 Berlin, Germany Astra 04/10 Belgium, Brussels Cirque Royal 04/12 Caen, France Le Cargo 04/14 Salzburg, Austria Republic 04/15 Fribourg, Switzerland Frison 04/16 Zurich, Switzerland Volkshaus 04/18 Milan, Italy Alcatraz 04/19 Graz, Austria Orpheum 04/20 Linz, Austria Posthof 04/21 Vienna, Austria Gasometer 04/22 Munich, Germany Muffathalle 04/24 Paris, France Trianon

Also, Trust and Morrissey.

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

Subscription Options
Subscribe on iTunes
Subscribe via RSS
Add to Google
Add to Yahoo
____
Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

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

Ampersand

Read More Mumford and Sons Now we are sitting outside the LBJ museum on a beautiful night waiting for Mumford and Sons. There must be 10,000 people inside. Overall really good shows and they have been able to make the jump from small to large crowds…

MUMFORD & SONS
mumfordandsons.com

Live from the Artists Den is filming a secret Mumford and Sons show in Los Angeles. You can win tickets via artistsden.com/mumfordandsonsad. Show is Sunday, November 11th. Doors at 6:30, music at 7:30pm.

Mumford and Sons are currently on tour in support of Babel, which just came out last September on Glass Note Records.

10/31/12 Gold Coast - Convention & Expo Centre 11/02/12 Auckland - Vector Arena 11/04/12 Wellington - Wellington Town Hall 11/05/12 Wellington - Wellington Town Hall 11/06/12 Christchurch - CBS Canterbury Arena 11/10/12 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl 11/12/12 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl 11/21/12 Torquay - Princess Theatre 11/22/12 Portsmouth - Portsmouth Guildhall 11/23/12 Ipswich - Ipswich Regent Theatre

11/25/12 Dundee - Caird Hall 11/26/12 Carlisle - Sands Centre Carlisle 11/27/12 Llandudno - Venue Cymru 12/04/12 Newcastle upon Tyne - Metro Radio 12/05/12 Glasgow - S.E.C.C. 12/07/12 Birmingham - LG Arena 12/10/12 Manchester - Manchester Arena 12/11/12 London - O2 - London 12/13/12 Cardiff - Motorpoint Arena Cardiff 12/15/12 Belfast - Odyssey Arena 12/16/12 Dublin - O2 Dublin

Read More Toro Y Moi It's hard to believe that Chazwick Bundick, aka Toro Y Moi (Toro and I), only has two albums under his belt. It seems last year, the dude was blowing up all over the world…

TORO Y MOI
toroymoi.blogspot.com

If you took basic high school Spanish, you can probably guess it stands for "Bull & I", but wouldn't it be more correct to say "Toro y yo"?

Anyway, Toro Y Moi (aka Chazwick Bundick) moved their listening party due to Hurricane Sandy hitting the east coast. The new dates are now listed at at art galleries in Brooklyn Nov. 9-11 and San Francisco on Nov. 16-18. Toro Y Moi's third LP, Anything In Return is due out January 22nd on Carpark Records.

The listening parties are free and open to the public and will feature 13 original drawings from Chaz Bundick. Each paired with a corresponding song from the album that fans can listen to via Incase headphones.

Listen to "So Many Details", via Soundcloud:

Tour dates below:

11-09−11/11 - Brooklyn, NY - Project Parlor # 11-16−11/18 - SF, CA - Public Works# 1-30 - Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent Ballroom + 1-31 - El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls *+ 2-01 - Dallas, TX - Trees * 2-02 - Austin, TX - Emo's East *+ 2-04 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald's *+ 2-05 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks *+ 2-06 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade *+ 2-08 - Carrboro, NC - Cats Cradle *+ 2-09 - Richmond, VA - The National * 2-10 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *+ 2-11 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer *+ 2-13 - New York, NY - Webster Hall *+ 2-15 - Boston, MA - Paradise *+

2-16 - Montreal, QC - Club Soda *+ 2-17 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace * 2-19 - Chicago, IL - Metro ^+ 2-20 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Cafe ^+ 2-21 - Lawrence, KS - The Granada Theatre ^ 2-23 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater ^+ 2-24 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge ^+ 2-26 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret ^+ 2-27 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile ^+ 2-28 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom ^+ 3-03 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre ^+ # Album Listening Events w/ RBMA * w/ Wild Belle ^ w/ Sinkane, + w/ Dog Bite

DURAN DURAN
duranduran.com

John Taylor's memoir, IN THE PLEASURE GROOVE: Love, Death & Duran Duran hit number 6 on the Hardcover Nonfiction list for the week of November 4th. This is John Taylor's first book.

American Songwriter wrote, "Fiercely honest about his shortcomings, passionately engaged with his family, and deeply devoted to his craft, Taylor shares with us in this affecting memoir the most important lesson he's learned: 'performing is such an inside job; I learned to approach every gig as the most important gig I will ever play…it's a fantastic formula.'"

He's doing a signing today in Chicago:

10/30- Chicago, IL @ City Winery Chicago (Book Signing, Interview and Audience Q&A)

IN THE PLEASURE GROOVE: Love, Death & Duran Duran came out October 16th via Dutton Publishing and retails for $27.95. This will be the perfect gift for the Duran Duran fan.

ANNIE & THE BEEKEPPERS
annieandthebeekeepers.com

Annie & The Beekeepers recently premiered the video for their track, "An Island," on Relix (which funny enough, features Mumford & Sons on its latest cover.)

Relix mentioned that this a "quartet who build on Americana/folk traditions."

Annie Lynch and her beekeepers are going on tour this November in support of their My Bonneville album, which came late August.

Nov 29 Firehouse 13 Providence, RI
Nov 30 91.9 fm WUMB Live @ Noon Boston, MA
Nov 30 Radio Bean Burlington, VT
Dec 01 Cafe 939 Boston, MA
Dec 02 Sumner Knight Chapel Keene, NH

JIMBO MATHUS & THE TRI-STATE COALITION
jimbomathus.com

Jimbo Mathus & the Tri-State Coalition just premiered their video for "In the Garden" video on American Songwriter. You can hear the song via Soundcloud:

The song is from their album, White Buffalo, coming out January 22nd, 2013 via Fat Possum Records.

Mathus and his band, the Tri-State Coalition, are currently on tour:

11/07 Oxford, Ms - Snackbar
11/09 Oxford, Ms - The Library, 5 Pm
11/09 Oxford, Ms - Proud Larry's, 9 Pm
12/21 Little Rock, Ar - Rev Room*
12/22 Memphis, Tn - Minglewood Hall*

* with Lucero

THE AMPERSANDS
theampersands.com

The Ampersands just released This Is Your Adventure Too album today, October 30th. The Ampersands are from New York and Rhode Island and its two main members are Aaron McQuade and Jim Pace. On the record, they had some help from mixer Jamie Hill, drummer Corrine Gonzales, and producer Bryce Goggin. I am assuming when they play live, they have session musicians or friends on drums, etc.

The record is described as a garage-pop record, but they prefer it as "living-room-pop record." You stream the entire album on their dedicated album website: thisisyouradventuretoo.com.

Listen to "Try This":

JENNY & TYLER
jennyandtyler.com

Jenny & Tyler are a husband-wife duo, currently based out of Nashville, Tennessee. The "soul-grass" (soul/bluegrass) songwriters recently announced they are on tour in support of Sara Groves & Bebo Norman.

Tour dates below:

Nov 04 Timonium, MD*
Nov 08 Central City, NE*
Nov 09 Calvary Community Church - St Cloud, MN*
Nov 10 Calvary White Bear - St Paul, MN*
Nov 11 Henderson High Schoo - Le Sueur, MN*
Nov 14 Mississippi State University Starkville, MS
Nov 15 Mississippi College Clinton, MS
Nov 29 Wild Goose Creative Columbus, OH
Nov 30 The 509 Huntington, IN
Dec 01 University of IL - Champaign, IL
Dec 02 Southpointe Church Indianapolis, IN
Dec 07 House show Greensboro, NC
Dec 09 Eddie's Attic Atlanta, GA
Dec 11 House Show Fredericksburg, VA
Dec 13 Ebenezer's Coffee Washington, DC
Dec 14 Burlap And Bean Newtown Square, PA
Dec 16 Benefit Show Wilmington, DE
Dec 20 The Barn Kunkletown, PA

* Supporting Sara Groves & Bebo Norman

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

Site Update (May 2011)

Assassins of Kings

I am sick. I don't know how it happened, but it's not fun coughing and wheezing. I did manage to do two podcast recording, with Sally and Cristina, which will likely be edited for this week and next week's show.

I also picked up The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, at Walmart, which came with a lot of bonus items like a DVD and Soundtrack (all at the normal cost of a game product). They are on the right track, I definitely feel like you get more value out of it, when this is the 'standard' version of the game. There is a collector's version, which is way too expensive for my blood ($129).

Unfortunately, the game is plagued with problems. Activation was a nightmare (finally got it to work eventually), downloading bonus content wasn't working (it kept saying the code was bad, when in fact, it was the correct code - eventually this worked out), and the game does not work on my Nvidia 7800 SLI. I understand that this card is old, but I can run modern games on it just fine at 1280x720 (which I'm OK with). But seriously, they need to fix some of these bugs... but I don't think they will because their minimal support is Nvidia 8800 card, just a generation above mine. So, right now, it's not recommended if you have an older card.

Since I can't really play it until they patch it, or if Nvidia update their drivers, I might actually go back to the first Witcher game, which I never finished.

The bonus soundtrack is composed by Adam Skorupa & Krzysztof Wierzynkiewicz, and it's what you expect for a gaming soundtrack. The DVD is in Polish, so be prepared to read a lot of subtitles.

I got the latest Spin Magazine in the mail today and it's pretty sweet that they are offering not one, but two, free albums this month. Like I've previously mentioned, it's free for all US residents. You can grab them at spin.com/itunes (expires June 30^th) and spin.com/itunes-lolla (expires Aug 31^st), what a good deal! Especially for Sleater-Kinney and Isobell Campbell.

While you're enjoying the free music, you can consider subscribing the magazine. For one year, it's $9.95. I do recommend the print version, you get more content for the buck, and I've always been a fan of glossy magazines vs digital ones.

Not to say that the iPad digital version doesn't have a lot going for it, but it just seems like the iPad version is more or less about pictures and very, very few words. The only advantage you have on the digital Spin Magazine is that you can stream the month's soundtrack, and "breaking" news is constantly flowing. I actually turned off auto-renewal for the Spin digital magazine, but I am definitely keeping my print subscription.

That's not all, for late April and this month (May), you can purchase a 2-disc special Spin Magazine "Must-Hear Music" edition, available only at Target stores. For the price of the magazine $4.99, you get two 16-track bonus CDs, featuring Mumford & Sons (they are on the current cover), and The Strokes (they were on last month's cover).

The full CD track listings are:

Disc 1 1. Two Door Cinema Club - What You Know 2. Matt & Kim - Block After Block 3. Saigon - Bring Me Down 4. Royal Bangs - Grass Helmet 5. Innerpartysystem - American Trash 6. A Day To Remember - Better Off This Way 7. Funeral Party - Finale 8. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Monkeys Are Coming 9. Baroness - Swollen & Halo 10. Kopek - Cocaine Chest Pains 11. Trampled By Turtles - Wait So Long 12. Meat Puppets - Damn Thing 13. Juke Kartel - Bullet Wearing Trademark Clothes 14.Bear Hands - Crime Pays 15.Foster the People - Helena Beat 16.Go Radio - Any Other Heart		Disc 2 1.Cage The Elephant - Shake me Down 2.She Wants Revenge - Must Be The One 3. Peter Bjorn & John - Breaker Breaker 4. Red - Feed The Machine 5.Emmure - Solar Flare Homicide 6. Flogging Molly - Don't Shut 'Em Down 7.Old 97's - The Grand Theatre 8. Aiden - Hysteria 9.Royal Bangs - Fireball 10.AWOLNATION - Sail 11.OTEP - Fists Fall 12.Steve Earle - Waitin' On The Sky 13.No Justice - 2nd Avenue 14.Acrylics - Nightwatch 15.Computer Magic - Running 16.New Politics - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

Update: Here is a picture of the Spin Target Edition next to my iPad with the Spin digital issue. As you can the see the Target Edition is a smaller print, you can find the issue at the music/CD area, not magazine area.

Lastly, The Hype Machine (hypem.com) is a very popular blog music indexer. We were lucky enough to have been featured on their iPhone Application. As a result, we're getting a ton of mobile traffic, and suddenly the song we posted by Scattered Trees climbed up the Hype Machine's Twitter Chart. I think by the time you read this, it would've dropped off the charts, but here's a screen capture (see picture).

Details of the application below:

>>>
Hundreds of Stations Included

• LATEST: freshest music posted from music blogs
• POPULAR: a collection of the most popular music on blogs
• RADIO SHOW: monthly highlights of music + bloggers
• GENRE STATIONS: latest music from blogs filtered by genre
• BLOG DIRECTORY: featuring every blog from our directory
• MY MIX: a mix of music from blogs you watch
• MY FRIENDS: what your social music circle is loving

Gorgeous Playing Experience
Enjoy artwork and the ability to read each blog post behind the music directly within the app. Includes every blog in our Music Blog Directory as its own radio station. Don't know where to start? Browse music by genres like acoustic, british, dance, electro, experimental, indie pop, psychedelic, shoegaze and more.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com

♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Bears

I have a show around seven tonight, so I am spending some quality time writing this article for you. It's been a while since I wrote the last Lions, Tigers, and Bears article, this time we have enough to fulfill a few articles! Keep them coming.

To keep it interesting, these are just the "bears" bands. We'll get to Tigers and Lions next week.

PANDA BEAR
myspace.com/pandabear

You might know Noah Lennox, aka Panda Bear, as one of the founding member of Animal Collective. Animal Collective was the Pitchfork-type band of 2007, somehow they've just really exploded. Since the last Animal Collective album was released in 2009 (Merriweather Post Pavilion), fans are more than happy to get Panda Bear's Tomboy, which was released a few Tuesday ago, April 12^th on Paw Tracks Records.

There are several things about Tomboy that makes it worth your while if you're into this sort of experimental layers of sound music. First of all the CD packaging is really cool, it's like a fold-out envelope. I don't know if it's a standard Paw Tracks package, but it's very cool nevertheless. Second, all formats, excluding digital, comes with a free download of the album, plus a live recording of Panda Bear's Live at Governor's Island. It's an extra bonus for fans, especially lazy fans that can't be bothered to rip their own CD.

I did get a chance to listen to the album, but not the live recording, and I thought "Slow Motion" and "Alsatian Darn" were the best of the eleven tracks, despite that they want you to like "Last Night At the Jetty". My least favorite is "Drone", which kind of goes on and on with one or two notes. You can argue that it's all about space and structure and the irony of the title "Drone", but at the end of the day, I still don't like it.

I have mentioned before that I'm not a fan of pots and pans bands, so I'm probably not the best person to review Panda Bear. It's pretty amazing that the whole album was made by basically one guy, and I'll bet he's equally amazing live.

GOLD-BEARS
myspace.com/thegoldbears

Gold-Bears are from Atlanta, Georgia, and they've just signed to one of our favorite record label, Slumberland Records.

Their debut LP is called Are You Falling In Love? and will be out on May 17^th, but you can preview the tracks on Soundcloud.

I did quickly listen to "Record Store", which sounds very indiepop, very catchy and fun and happy. Makes you want to sing along to the "bah bah bah" and do handclaps.

Yep, they're doing some tour dates:

05/14 Atlanta, GA 529
05/15 Durham, NC The Layabout
05/16 Washington, DC Velvet Lounge
05/17 Brooklyn, NY Fireproof
05/18 Somerville, MA PA's Lounge
05/19 New York, NY Cake Shop / NYC Pop Fest
05/20 Philadelphia, PA TBA
05/21 Richmond, VA Steady Sounds In-Store

BEAR IN HEAVEN
www.bearinheaven.com

This band's name reminds me of Carebears and their home in the clouds, Care-a-lot.

Bear in Heaven recently premiered their track "Lovesick Teenagers" (Lindstrøm Remix) on Stereogum. The track comes from the Bear In Heaven/Lindstrøm split 12", released on April 16^th, 2011, via Record Store Day. It's limited to 1,000 copies and comes in a full-color die-cut jacket featuring artwork by Snasen.

Also, Bear in Heaven, announced that they are pleased to be part of Benefit for the Recovery in Japan compilation album, featuring their track "The Days We Have". 100% of the proceed goes to the recovery and relief effort of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

More details and information on this project, head over to Civic Force and FB: Benefit for the Recovery in Japan

BOY & BEAR
myspace.com/boyandbearmusic

This band came to my attention when they announced that they were heading back to the US to play at SXSW. If you missed SXSW like I did, you can actually get a special iTunes Live EP. Hear the song on Nylon Magazine.

The band comes from Sally's town, Sydney, Australia, and I'm kind of surprise she hadn't written anything about them before. They are really good. In fact, they were just recently on Triple J's Hottest 100 acts of 2010 - and you could've easily won a copy of Volume 18 and hear their track "Fall At Your Feet".

I did listen to the streaming song and it's pretty catchy. Not a fan of the random audience "woot" and cheers, but then it wouldn't be a live track, now would it ?

If you're already on the Mumford & Sons bandwagon, you might as well ride with Boy & Bear.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com

♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic