W♥M

SXSW 2023

Read More SXSW SXSW 2015 is taking place March 17–22, 2015. We love this time of the year, as many bands heading down to Austin will likely stop in Minneapolis before or after the event. ....

What a year, once again! This was my 12th SXSW in the last 16 years, and I'll be honest I thought it was going to be a down year post-Covid…. But far from a dull year, Austin was alive and well with loads of great new artists from all over the world in very tiny intimate settings.

To future SXSW attendees it’s still always good to have a nice daily list of shows you want to see and the locations to map out a schedule. All the venues are centrally located near downtown and the transportation options with walking, scooters, bikes, and Lyfts make life easy getting around the music festival.

Anyone that is buying a $1,000 music badge is out of their mind (that isn’t getting it free through label/company etc.). The collection of free day parties all over the city is endless, all you had to do was RSVP to a few, but most of them were free without it. And as far as the nightly showcases paying for $10-20 covers is the way to go.

The first night I saw 15 bands at three venues and paid $30 in covers. The second stage locations were extremely convenient when making decisions on who to catch.

Now for the music enrichment of new music with the top 10 lists.

Top 10 performances at SXSW

1. Orions Belte @ International day stage (Khruangbin/Delicate Steve fans)
2. The Garrys @ Swan Dive and Lazarus Brewery (caught them twice) (Unreal surf rock)
3. Lemonade Shoelace @ Cedar Street Courtyard and Laz (killer psychedelic band from Belfast / Tame Impala-esque)
4. Heavy Heavy @ Parish (killer Ed Sharpe/Nathaniel Rateliff sound) (every song gets better love the male/female vocals)
5. Red Rum Club at Lazarus Brewery
6. Been Stellar @ Swan Dive (Creek and the Cave)… Ben Stellar showed up at this party (Tokyo Police Club sound)
7. The Goa Express @ Swan Dive (killer Britrock)
8. Silverbacks @ Lazarus Brewery (great Irish band reminds me of The Rakes/Art Brut)
9. Kiwi Jr. @ Lazarus Brewery (Strokes vibes)
10. Lounge Society @ Chess Club
    
    --
    Honorable Mention: Sports Team @ Mohawk

Top 10 Artists missed @ SXSW Thee Sacred Souls Fennac (killer DJ) Vanille Balthvs Fonteyn Iguana Death Cult

Good Looks Wild Child Jockstrap Girl Scout -- Honorable mention: Circa Waves, Philline Sonny, Zella Day, Julianna Rolino, Salarymen, Vox Rea

Best Venues at SXSW Lazarus Brewery Mohwak Swan Dive

Can't wait for next year!!!! Rock On!

P.S. Favorite moment at SXSW was hanging out with Ben Romans Hopcraft (former lead singer of Childhood), who I interviewed for W♥M eight years ago at Great Escape Festival in Brighton, England. Crazy small world, we ran into each other at the Lounge Society show at Chess Club. Some of the members of The Nude Party were there as well, who have a sold out show at Turf Club coming up.

Ben has a new band he plays drums and sings for called Miss Tiny. Check them out on Spotify.

Silverbacks at Lazarus Brewery

Lemonade Shoelace Thao at High Noon (15 Mar 2023) Heavy Heavy at the Parish (16 Mar 2023) Red Rum Club Lounge Society at Chess Club (16 Mar 2023)

Lemonade Shoelace at Cedar Street Courtyard, Austin (16 Mar 2023)

brody ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Courtney Barnett / Lucy Dacus / Quinn Christopherson - Here and There Festival, Kansas City (2022-08-08)

COURTNEY BARNETT SETLIST Rae Street Sunfair Sundown Avant Gardener Need a Little Time Nameless, Faceless Small Poppies Turning Green Here's the Thing Sunday Roast Depreston Walkin' on Eggshells Elevator Operator If I Don't Hear from You Tonight History Eraser Pedestrian at Best Write a List of Things to Look Forward To Oh the Night (with Quinn Christopherson) Before You Gotta Go LUCY DACUS SETLIST Triple Dog Dare First Time Addictions Hot & Heavy Christine VBS Partner in Crime Brando Thumbs I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore Kissing Lessons Believe (Cher cover) Night Shift QUINN CHRISTOPHERSON SETLIST Bubblegum Celine Evelene Loaded Gun 2005 I Don’t Like Who I Am (?) HERE AND THERE FESTIVAL TOUR DATES AUG 09 st. louis, mo the factory AUG 10 cleveland, oh the agora AUG 12 harrisburg, pa harrisburg university at xl live AUG 13 north adams, ma mass moca AUG 14 syracuse, ny beak & skiff apple orchards AUG 16 chicago, il salt shed AUG 20 portland, or edgefield AUG 21 redmond, wa marymoor park AUG 26 stanford, ca frost amphitheater at stanford AUG 28 san diego, ca humphrey’s concerts by the bay AUG 31 dallas, tx the factory in deep ellum SEP 01 austin, tx acl live at the moody theater SEP 03 denver, co mission ballroom

“I got lost somewhere between Here And There, I’m not sure what the town was called” – Courtney Barnett “Scotty Says” (2012 song)

As indie singer-songwriter-guitarist Courtney Barnett first started playing shows, she drove long distances through the Australian countryside, passing through numerous small towns before arriving at the next bigger city. She would later realize that these towns were filled with community, experience, and stories.

That journeying instinct has culminated in her organizing and curating the Here and There Festival, a 15-stop show with a rotating lineup of almost two dozen total artists, that would begin in Kansas City at The Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland.

Barnett has also owned a label (Milk! Records) for a decade so she also has curated a limited cassette/digital compilation in conjunction with the tour, to raise money for organizations supporting reproductive justice, with all profits going towards the National Network of Abortion Funds and Advocates For Youth. Pre-order it here.

Additionally, non-profit Sounds of Saving are tour partners- their mission uses the connection to music as a direct path to mental well-being. The group on-site also highlighted the recent implementation of the 988 number to a network of suicide/crisis lifeline call centers. Pride Haven were also on-site at the Kansas City show – SAVE, Inc.’s overnight shelter who offer a welcoming environment for transition-aged 18-24 youth, facing homelessness.

The music began with rising Anchorage singer-songwriter Quinn Christopherson, whose debut full-length, Write Your Name in Pink will be released September 16 for a half-hour set, accompanied by only his guitarist and beginning with the title track from his I Am Bubblegum EP. “My family has been telling stories forever, and this is how I tell mine”, Christopherson explained after the new “Celine”, a touching song about his mother.

Christopherson was verbally pleased to be playing indoors again after numerous outdoor shows and “2005”, which included several throwback references (17 years ago?!, kinda made us feel old!) and pined for a simpler time. “I do like who I am today” Christopherson admitted after their final number, “...it’s an old song”.

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As the analog home movies began rolling on-screen, we knew it was time for an hour-long set from singer/songwriter Lucy Dacus, who we caught headlining in Lawrence back in February.

We were just happy to see Dacus upright and recovered, as she spent several shows singing and playing on her back, after slipping some discs but still determined to carry on performing.

We first caught Dacus live in Spring 2018 and have proudly watched her grow into a performer of more confidence and watched her fan base grow exponentially as well. 2021’s “Home Video” remains her latest full-length (and a VHS graphic rolled on-screen between songs), with a few new singles released since.

The same band as previous accompanied her, including secret weapon, guitarist Jacob Blizard and though things started more solemn with 2021’s “Triple Dog Dare”, tempo would soon pick up.

Though the set was an abridged version of her headlining set in February, it still sounded fresh and relevant, especially to the loyal fans that hang on her every word, with numerous traveling from around the country to see this opening date. The crowd responded well early to 2018’s “Addictions” which offers the great conflicting lyric, “You've got a sense of adventure and a penchant for comfort that keeps you at home”.

“This is what a theater should look like” Dacus said, looking around, also remembering a very early date at the venue opening for Houndmouth. “Did anyone here go to vacation bible school?” she asked before launching into “VBS” as a crowd roar went up, “Predictable…!” she quipped.

Recent two-minute single, “Kissing Lessons” (which Dacus described as “a little gay song”) was played as the video played behind the band, then the group launched into a slowed and atmospheric version of Cher’s “Believe”, stripping away all the dance beats and auto-tune vocals, leaving the longing of the song’s lyrics exposed. The still-powerful 2018 song “Night Shift” would end the set, with many singing along to the heartbreaking but empowered lyrics.

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As colleague Vu has noted previous, we’ve had Melbourne native Courtney Barnett on our radar for a decade, first praising her debut two EPs in 2013. We saw her in Chicago in February 2014 (sold out), Varsity Theater in June 2014 (Sold Out), Rock the Garden in June 2015, Desert Daze in October 2017, Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile in October 2017 (Sold Out), Surly Brewing Festival in July 2018 and Rock the Garden 2019, so ahem, we have some history.

Her latest full-length is last November’s Things Take Time, Take Time (on Mom+Pop) and she began her eighty-minute headlining set with the first two songs from the new record, “Rae Street” and “Sunfair Sundown” before elevating things with her breakout single, 2015’s “Avant Gardener”.

Only accompanied by bassist Bones Sloane and drummer Dave Mudie, the sound was still big with Barnett not saying very much between songs (as usual, so no mention of fellow Australian Olivia Newton-John, who died earlier that day).

Her stream of consciousness style lyrics and irrefutable guitar skills made for a mesmerizing performance in mostly minimal lighting. 2021’s “Turning Green” turned things slightly funkier, with Barnett even singing as she played cowbell then “Here’s the Thing” had her confessing, “I'm not afraid of heights, maybe I'm just scared of falling.”

“Any real estate agents here? This song’s for you...it’s a happy song” she remarked before 2015’s “Depreston” and she described the new “If I Don't Hear from You Tonight” as “a love sing” asking if anyone in the crowd was on a first date.

The end of the main set would really ramp up with an energetic “Pedestrian at Best” and the forward-chugging “Write a List of The Things to Look Forward To”, followed by a two-song encore beginning with the Dylan-esque “Oh the Night”, the new album’s closing track, where Barnett harmonized with Christopherson, who came back on stage to lend a vocal hand.

The show ended ideally with road song “Before You Gotta Go” and Barnett assuring the crowd “you’re always on my mind” and the feeling seemed to be mutual with so many singing along.

With a touring festival that promotes both wandering and inclusion, those themes might seem like polar opposites, but in fact, end up being very closely related. And based on the first tour stop and the roster of so many musically interesting artists, The Here and There Festival seems like a show worth getting lost in.

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QUINN CHRISTOPHERSON

QUINN CHRISTOPHERSON

LUCY DACUS SETLIST

QUINN CHRISTOPHERSON

PRIDE HAVEN BOOTH

SOUND OF SAVING BOOTH

LUCY DACUS

JACOB BLIZARD

LUCY DACUS

LUCY DACUS

DOMINIC ANGELELLA

COURTNEY BARNETT SETLIST

COURTNEY BARNETT

COURTNEY BARNETT

COURTNEY BARNETT

DAVE MUDIE

BONES SLOANE

COURTNEY BARNETT

COURTNEY BARNETT

 

john c (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Regrettes at Innovation Festival, Crown Center, Kansas City MO (2022-08-06)

The Regrettes Setlist Dress Up Monday Rosy Nowhere Smile (Lily Allen cover) Pumpkin Barely on My Mind La Di Da California Friends Seashore Show Me You Want Me The Regrettes Tour Dates Aug 8 – Marquis Theater – Denver, CO Aug 11 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA Aug 12 – The Observatory North Park – San Diego, CA Aug 13 – The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA Aug 16 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR Aug 17– Fortune Sound Club – Vancouver, BC Aug 18 – Neptune Theatre – Seattle, WA Aug 20 – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA Sep 22–- Sep 25 –Firefly Music Festival – Dover, DE Read More Riot Grrrls Jen Smith from Bratmobile inspired the name "riot grrrl". The short-lived band reformed in the 2000 with Ladies, Women and Girls and I finally got to see the band live! When they first started in 1993…

Regrettes (but no regrets) braving the heat for a day of Beats, Beers and Biologics,

Los Angeles buzzing band The Regrettes was one of the showcase musical performers at the inaugural Innovation Festival, held at Crown Center in Kansas City. Organized by BioKansas, the festival is a regional convergence of music and innovation, featuring scientific conferences, as well as highlighting area innovation and music entertainment, to help promote the city as a potential hub of technology, science, and forward-thinking development.

The beats were supplied by numerous artists, as the organizers were forced to slightly pivot after original headliner The Black Pumas were forced to cancel several weeks of shows with short notice. As a result, the festival’s general admission became free, and crowds descended on the outdoor grounds despite the triple-digit heat index.

Other acts included the co-headlining The Greeting Committee, and alternative rock artists Argonaut & Wasp, Dreamgirl, The Freedom Affair, MellowPhobia, The Cavves, Whitehall, and Caroline Blu.

Beer was highlighted as paid excursions highlighted the bioscience of regional breweries and celebration of the fermentation industry with special flights of their offerings. And biologics were highlighted in the form of conferences, on-stage interviews, and the region’s strategic plan to build the nation’s most equitable hub for biologics.

As for The Regrettes, the alt/garage pop/punk group (Lydia Night– vocals, guitar; Genessa Gariano– lead guitar, keys; Brooke Dickson – bass, keys; Drew Thomsen – drums) is out in support of their third full-length, Further Joy (on Warner Bros) and latest single, “Barely on my Mind”, though to the loyal fans sweating things out under the pavilion tent that had little air circulation, they were all that was on their mind.

The far-too-short 40 min. set had one goal in mind- “to dance any pain away” and singer Night sang “yeah, we know, you want to let go” in 2019’s “Dress Up” as she encouraged forming a mosh pit, despite the high heat. Saturday next became “Monday” and things got “Rosy”, in songs from the most recent album.

The new “Nowhere” starts with “You can't live at all, unless you can live fully (now)” and that’s the credo that the band encourages, full of confidence and on-stage swagger, despite their young ages. Night jumped off stage to high-five fans from end-to-end and sing closer into the crowd for their straightforwardly authentic cover of Lily Allen’s “Smile”.

For the very melodic “La Di Da”, Night had everyone crouch on the ground, then jumping and exploding once the final chorus kicked in. Lack of time would soon only leave the band with enough time for two songs (see the setlist pic for the intended songs), so after a quick on-stage meeting, the band decided to carry on with an older favorite, 2017’s “Seashore” before which, she encouraged any very young people cover their ears for the chorus, to avoid hearing a profane word (though the whole audience was singing it anyway).

The set ended with the final track of the latest record, “Show Me That You Want Me” and left a cheering crowd begging for more. Their sound shift to more of an indie-pop sound and the overall positive themes of Further Joy, have been both embraced by the older fans and attracted so many newer fans (as evidenced by the KC turnout), so expect bigger stages and a bigger fan base as they break out further.

Looks like The Regrettes are here to stay.

THE REGRETTES

THE REGRETTES

THE REGRETTES

THE REGRETTES

THE REGRETTES

THE REGRETTES

THE REGRETTES

The Regrettes at Innovation Festival in Kansas City, MO (08 Aug 2022)

John C (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Country Stampede at the Heartland (SATURDAY) at Heartland Park, Topeka, KS (2022-07-16)

KID ROCK SETLIST intro music: Bad Mother F*cker/Don't Stop Believin' Devil Without a Cause You Never Met a Motherf*cker Quite Like Me American Bad Ass Cocky All Summer Long First Kiss Cowboy Wasting Time Bad Reputation Picture (duet with Kat Perkins) medley: 3 Sheets to the Wind (What's My Name) / DJ scratching / Your Love (The Outfield cover) / blues guitar solo / Cat Scratch Fever (Ted Nugent cover) / Superstition (Stevie Wonder cover) Rock n Roll Jesus Only God Knows Why Born Free We the People Bawitdaba outro music: Never Enough BIG AND RICH SETLIST Rollin' (The Ballad of Big & Rich) Comin' to Your City Wild West Show Look at You Lost in This Moment 8th of November God Bless America I Won't Back Down (Tom Petty cover) I Play Chicken with the Train (Cowboy Troy song) medley - Make Me Wanna (Thomas Rhett cover) > Cake by the Ocean (DNCE cover) > Tubthumping (Chumbawumba cover) > Livin’ in America (James Brown cover) > Hit Me with Your Best Shot (Pat Benetar cover) > American Pie (Don McLean cover) Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) > medley: Life in the Fast Lane (Eagles snippet) > Back in Black (AC/DC snippet) > Country Girl (Luke Bryan snippet) > Baby Got Back (Sir Mix-a-Lot cover) > Give It Away (Red Hot Chili Peppers snippet) > Uptown Funk (Bruno Mars snippet) > Jump Around (House of Pain snippet) Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) reprise CHRIS LANE SETLIST (opening music- Bright Lights – The Weeknd cover) Fix Take Back Home Girl (song w/Tori Kelly) Let Me Love You Tequila on a Boat (w/Dustin Lynch song) medley snippets – Where the Party At? (Jagged Edge cover) > This is How We Do It (Montell Jordan cover) > Party Up (DMX cover) > Friends in Low Places (Garth Brooks cover) Broken Windshield View Big, Big Plans Dancin’ in the Moonlight (King Harvest cover, w/Lauren Alaina song) For Her Small Town on It (sung with brother Cory, w/Scotty McCreery song) ‘90’s medley - Shoulda Been a Cowboy (Toby Keith cover) >Watermelon Crawl (Tracy Byrd cover) > Boot Scootin’ Boogie (Brooks and Dunn cover) >Chattahootchee (Alan Jackson cover) > Dust on the Bottle (David Lee Murphy cover) > Check Yes or No (George Strait cover) > Ride Wit’ Me (Nelly cover) I Don't Know About You RUNAWAY JUNE SETLIST Lipstick Forgot About That Broken Hearts (live debut) Wild Hearts (Keith Urban cover) Wild West Fast as You (Dwight Yoakam cover) Trouble with This Town Girls Medley - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper cover) / I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Whitney Houston cover) / American Girl (Tom Petty cover) T-Shirt Magic Man (Heart cover) snippet intro/ You’re No Good (Dee Dee Warwick / Linda Ronstadt cover) Nothing Like You (live debut) Fine Wine (new song) The Devil Went Down to Georgia (The Charlie Daniels Band cover) My Own Drinks DRAKE WHITE SETLIST American Thunder Pawn Shop Rings and Double Wide Dreams Hard to Handle (Otis Redding /Black Crowes cover) It Feels Good Hurts the Healing / I Won't Back Down (Tom Petty cover) Power of a Woman Makin' Me Look Good Again Mix 'Em with Whiskey Story Heartbeat > Use Somebody (Kings of Leon cover) Livin' the Dream Alive (Pearl Jam cover) 50 Years Too Late > A Country Boy Can Survive (Hank Williams Jr. cover)

Country Stampede at the Heartland is an outdoor music festival featuring country music stars, camping, and more in Topeka, Kansas at Heartland Motorsports Park, held annually since 1996. Due to flooding concerns, the event moved from Manhattan, KS to its current location in 2019.

Our coverage of Thursday can be found here:

Our coverage of Friday can be found here:

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The festival’s final day began under the threat of storms, moved back to extreme sunny heat, then returned to very brief rain, before the night would end. Musically, things were a bit diverse as well, going from more traditional country to full-on rock/rap.

Alabama native and singer-songwriter Drake White opened the afternoon with an hour-long set on the second stage, in support of March full-length The Optimystic , in part inspired by not only the collective health lockdown, but the stroke he suffered on stage a year prior. He and band The Big Fire played originals as well as working in a few covers, including an appropriate one from Pearl Jam.

Trio Runaway June has just completed recording new music and this stop gave the opportunity to hear some of the new songs, including two played live for the first time ever. A girl-centric cover medley got the females dancing, new vocalist/guitarist Stevie Woodward showed off her skills on the harmonica as well, and their version of a Charlie Daniels Band classic, found fiddle-playing (and Opry Live host) Natalie Stovall defying gravity as she arched back playing in hyper speed.

North Carolina’s Chris Lane was the first act on the main stage and engaged the audience more directly than anyone over the weekend, stopping his set to pit the left side vs. right side in terms of crowd noise, played two long medleys of familiar sing-along hits, and even jumped off the runway to race into the crowd for high-fives and hugs. Lane’s band includes his twin brother Cory on drums, who both sang on their hit, “Small Town on It”.

As usual, Big and Rich featuring Cowboy Troy brought the party along with them, on their Peace, Love, & Happy Tour, drawing from over two decades of hits, as well as working in some familiar covers. We last caught them in an intimate acoustic promo performance in 2015 at a downtown Minneapolis club. 

A tradition at all their shows, the band brought up several military veterans on stage to have a drink and toast from their makeshift bar, with Runaway June members pouring the shots, and the band had good fun, goading their Italian guitarist into playing a few classic rock riffs.

The always controversial Kid Rock would close the festival, with a hardworking, mostly music-does-the-talking ninety-minute set that both brought the rain, and then swiftly chased it away. The new album is his twelfth studio release, Bad Reputation on his own Top Dog Records and the set was a no-holds barred in-your-face rock/rap/country extravaganza.

As with most shows, we saw the musical dexterity of aka Bob Ritchie, as he played sax, blues guitar, drums, and also did some turntable scratching.

For the ballad hit, “Picture”, band member and The Voice alumnus Kat Perkins (who we’re familiar with from our Twin Cities base) helped sing it as a duet, and we were surprised to connect how much his 1998 hit, “Cowboy” sounds so similar to many contemporary Country songs.

The encore began with a taped intro from our 45^th President, which then segued into his lyrically incendiary “We the People” and the show ended with “Bawitdaba”, a twenty-five-year-old classic that still packs a massive sonic punch.

Note that Professional Photography was Not Allowed by Kid Rock’s management. (His name was not allowed to be mentioned on-stage in the intro either, so go figure...)

Country Stampede is set to return in July 2023, with scheduled headliners: Thursday- Hardy  Friday- Lee Brice  Saturday: Cory Johnson.

KID ROCK TOUR DATES

JULY 22 NORTH DAKOTA STATE FAIR Minot, ND

JULY 27 CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS RODEO Cheyenne, WY

AUG 02 MISSISSIPPI VALLEY FAIR Davenport, IA

AUG 05 BLOSSOM MUSIC CENTER Cuyahoga Falls, OH

AUG 06 THE PAVILION AT STAR LAKE Burgettstown, PA

AUG 12 RUOFF MUSIC CENTER Nobelsville, IN

AUG 17 RIVERBEND MUSIC CENTER Cincinnati, OH

AUG 19 HOLLYWOOD CASINO AMPHITHEATRE Tinley Park, IL

AUG 20 HOLLYWOOD CASINO AMPHITHEATRE Maryland Heights, MO

AUG 24 XFINITY CENTER Mansfield, MA

AUG 26 JIFFY LUBE LIVE Bristow, VA

AUG 27 PNC BANK ARTS CENTER Holmdel, NJ

SEPT 3 SOARING EAGLE CASINO & RESORT Mount Pleasant, MI

SEPT 4 SOARING EAGLE RESORT & CASINO Mount Pleasant, MI

SEPT 16 PINE KNOB MUSIC THEATRE Clarkston, MI

SEPT 17 PINE KNOB MUSIC THEATRE Clarkston, MI

SEPT 30 TOYOTA AMPHITHEATRE Wheatland, CA

OCT 1 GLEN HELEN AMPHITHEATER San Bernardino, CA

OCT 7 NUGGET EVENT CENTER Reno-Sparks, NV

OCT 8 LAUGHLIN EVENT CENTER Laughlin, NV

BIG AND RICH TOUR DATES

23 Jul West Union, IA Fayette County Fair

04 Aug Deadwood, SD Outlaw Square

05 Aug Grandstand Rifle, CO Garfield County Fair

06 Aug Woodstock, IL McHenry County Fair

11 Aug West Fargo, ND Lights Amphitheater

12 Aug Hinckley, MN Hinckley Amphitheater

19 Aug Lynden, WA Northwest Washington Fair

20 Aug Longview, WA Cowlitz County Fairgrounds

30 Aug Syracuse, NY Chevy Court Concerts

02 Sep Reno, NV Atlantis Hotel Casino

16 Sep Sioux City, IA Tyson Events Center

17 Sep Fort Dodge, IA Central Plaza

 

CHRIS LANE TOUR DATES

JUL 21 - JUL 23 Country Jam Eau Claire, WI

JUL 28 Waterside District Norfolk, VA

JUL 29 Power Plant Live! Baltimore, MD

AUG 5 Seward County Fair Seward, NE

AUG 10 Jenks Club Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

AUG 11 Cape Cod Melody Tent Barnstable, MA

AUG 12 Bold Point Park East Providence, RI

AUG 13 R10 Venue Long Creek, NB

AUG 14 Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom Hampton Beach, NH

SEP 10 Waterfront Park San Diego, CA

SEP 16 Central Park Plaza Valparaiso, IN

SEP 17 Splash into Country – Rise Up McHenry, IL

OCT 1 AvidXchange Music Factory Charlotte, NC

OCT 8 The Big Red Barn Retreat Columbia, SC

OCT 14 Boots In The Park Bakersfield, CA

OCT 15 Boots In The Park Santa Clarita, CA

DEC 1 Canadian Tire Centre Ottawa, Canada

DEC 2 Centre Bell Montreal, QC

DEC 3 Budweiser Gardens London, ON

DEC 4 Scotiabank Arena Toronto, ON

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DRAKE WHITE

DRAKE WHITE

DRAKE WHITE

DRAKE WHITE

RUNAWAY JUNE

RUNAWAY JUNE

RUNAWAY JUNE

RUNAWAY JUNE

RUNAWAY JUNE

CHRIS LANE

CHRIS LANE

CHRIS LANE

CHRIS LANE

BIG AND RICH

BIG AND RICH

BIG AND RICH

BIG AND RICH

BIG AND RICH

BIG AND RICH

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Country Stampede at the Heartland (FRIDAY) at Heartland Park, Topeka, KS (2022-07-15)

JAKE OWEN SETLIST Best Thing Since Backroads The One That Got Away Days of Gold Homemade American Country Love Song Up There, Down Here Beachin' Down to the Honkytonk Alone with You East Bound and Down (Jerry Reed cover) Yee Haw Eight Second Ride Anywhere With You I Was Jack (You Were Diane) encore: Made for You Barefoot Blue Jean Night LOCASH SETLIST Things We Love (new song) One Big Country Song In the Woods I Know Somebody You Gonna Fly (Keith Urban song) Ring on Every Finger Sleep with You I Want It That Way (Backstreet Boys cover) Sippin' Sunsets Pour Some Sugar on Me (Def Leppard cover)> Truck Yeah (Tim McGraw song) Chillionaire medley - Dust on the Bottle (David Lee Murphy cover)> Pickup Man (Joe Diffie cover)> Your Love (The Outfield cover)> Summer of '69 (Bryan Adams cover)> Stacy's Mom (Fountains of Wayne cover) I Love this Life Don't Stop Believin' (Journey cover)   CRAIG MORGAN SETLIST Sticks Redneck Yacht Club I Got You This Ain't Nothin' Little Bit of Life That What I Love About Sunday Love Remembers This Ol' Boy I'll Be Your Soldier (Gavin DeGraw cover) Almost Home How You Make a Man (new song) Wake Up Loving You / Hey Jude (Beatles cover snippet) More Trucks than Cars International Harvester Bonfire   IAN MUNSICK SETLIST Coming Home to You Humble When I Come Home to You Neon Bright Side Solo More than Me (new song) Long Live Cowgirls (w/ Cody Johnson song) Cowboy Killer / band intros I Want You Back (Jackson 5 cover) Long Haul I See Country Me Against the Mountain Dreams (Fleetwood Mac cover) Horses are Faster

Country Stampede at the Heartland is an outdoor music festival featuring country music stars, camping, and more in Topeka, Kansas at Heartland Motorsports Park, held annually since 1996. Due to flooding concerns, the event moved to its current location from Manhattan, KS in 2019.

Our coverage of Thursday can be found here:

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The heat index remained in the triple-digits for Day 2, but a warm breeze helped temper things somewhat. The action on stage and plentiful food and beverage options kept the party in the heartland going

Lubbock, TX modern traditionalist Randall King opened the day in support of his album, Shot Glass and may be one of those names to watch and can say you saw him when.

Wyoming native Ian Munsick would follow, with a spirited and solid set and confident stage demeanor, making him a name to remember. He peppered in a couple of covers- The Jackson 5 song showed off his falsetto and ability to hold a high note, and the Fleetwood Mac cover of “Dreams” was laid back and easy going.

Craig Morgan showed off what it means to have longevity and be a still-relevant veteran of the industry. Always led by faith, family, and country, he mentioned his upcoming memoir due out in September and gave the crowd a live preview of his upcoming single to country radio, his first in five years.

The Maryland/Indiana duo Locash (stylized as LOCASH) dutifully got the crowd in more of a festive spirit, in support of their latest EP, Woods & Water, out at the end of last year. In addition to their own hits like “I Love this Life”, there was a jukebox medley which took a half-dozen familiar covers, to get the crowd dancing.

Florida native Jake Owen closed the night, in support of latest full-length, Greetings from... Jake, his first on the Big Loud label, after leaving RCA. Newer songs like “Down to the Honkytonk” and the Mellencamp-sampled, “I Was Jack (You Were Diane)” fit in well alongside older classics like “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” and his first breakout single, “Yee Haw”.

JAKE OWEN TOUR DATES

Jul 21 KEGS Canalside Jordan, NY

Jul 22 Faster Horses Brooklyn, MI

Jul 23 Citizens Banks Park Philadelphia, PA

Jul 24 Stone Pony Summer Stage Asbury Park, NJ

Jul 31 Watershed Festival George, WA

Aug 12 The Fruit Yard Modesto, CA

Aug 13 Tailgate Fest Fontana, CA

Aug 14 Vina Robles Amphitheatre Paso Robles, CA

Aug 20 Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas

Aug 24 Bash on the Bay Put-in-Bay, OH

Aug 26 The Mill Terre Haute, IN

Aug 27 Country in the Burg Cedarburg, WI

Sep 1 Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater Decatur, IL

Sep 2 Stage AE Pittsburgh, PA

Sep 3 Long Island Community Hospital Amph Farmingville, NY

Sep 4 Leader Bank Pavilion Boston, MA

Sep 15 Freeman Arts Pavilion Selbyville, DE

Sep 16 After Hours Concerts Doswell, VA

Sep 17 Annapolis City Dock Annapolis, MD

Sep 22 Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom Hampton Beach, NH

Sep 23 Bold Point Park East Providence, RI

Sep 29 Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre Youngstown, OH

Sep 30 The Amp at Dant Crossing Gethsemane, KY

Oct 1 City of Buford Fall Concert Buford, GA

Oct 13 Rosemont Theater Rosemont, IL

Oct 14 Family Arena St. Charles, MO

Oct 15 West Plains Civic Center West Plains, MO

Oct 20 Mayo Clinic Health Center Mankato, MN

Oct 21 Viaero Event Center Kearney, NE

Oct 22 Bridge View Center Ottumwa, IA

Nov 3 Maverik Center West Valley, UT

Nov 4 Budweiser Events Center Loveland, CO

Nov 5 United Wireless Arena Dodge City, KS

Nov 10 Sports Center Owensboro, KY

Nov 12 The Caverns Pelham, TN

LOCASH TOUR DATES

JJUL 16 SeaWorld Concert Series San Diego, CA
JUL 22 Mattoon Bagelfest Mattoon, IL
JUL 23 Fayette County Fairgrounds West Union, IA
JUL 24 Grand Ole Opry House Nashville, TN
JUL 29 THE FESTIVAL AT SANDPOINT @ MEMORIAL FIELD Sandpoint, ID
JUL 30 Rivers Run Event Center Arlington, WA
JUL 31 Watershed Festival Quincy, WA
AUG 8 Shade Valley Camp Resort Sturgis, SD
AUG 13 Rock the Box 2 Orange Park, FL
AUG 20 BLVD PUB AND GRUB Sterling, IL
AUG 28 The Long Road Festival Lutterworth, UK
SEP 9 Osage Casino Tulsa, OK
SEP 10 Songs4Soldiers Benefit Concert Columbia, IL
SEP 24 North Georgia State Fair Marietta, GA
OCT 25 Country Fest Cancun Riviera Maya, Mexico

(click on any image to enlarge and see in full)

IAN MUNSICK

IAN MUNSICK

IAN MUNSICK

IAN MUNSICK

CRAIG MORGAN

CRAIG MORGAN

CRAIG MORGAN

CRAIG MORGAN

CRAIG MORGAN

LOCASH

LOCASH

LOCASH

LOCASH

JAKE OWEN

JAKE OWEN

JAKE OWEN

JAKE OWEN

JAKE OWEN

JAKE OWEN

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Country Stampede at the Heartland (THURSDAY) at Heartland Park, Topeka, KS (2022-07-14)

WALKER HAYES SETLIST Drinking Songs Country Stuff Beautiful Delorean Dollar Store You Broke Up with Me Don't Let Her U Gurl 90's Country Craig Halloween Break the Internet Black Sheep Y'all Life Mind Candy (on setlist, but not played) AA Fancy Like PARMALEE SETLIST Already Callin' You Mine I'll Take the Chevy Greatest Hits (Parmalee / FITZ song) Mr. Brightside (The Killers cover) Close Your Eyes for This Better with You Only You Musta Had a Good Time Yeah! (Usher cover) Stay (The Kid Leroi / Justin Bieber cover) Truth Hurts (Lizzo cover) For You Just the Way Dust on the Bottle (David Lee Murphy cover) Drops of Jupiter (Train cover) Happy Birthday Take My Name Carolina JERROD NEIMANN SETLIST I Got This A Little More Love (song with Lee Brice) What Do You Want One More Drinkin' Song Country Girl Style (new song) Good Ride Cowboy (Garth Brooks song) Old Glory Yellow Brick Road Feelin' It's All Good in the Woods (new song) lap steel solo Family Tradition (Hank Williams Jr. cover) band intro/solos Lover, Lover Donkey Drink to That All Night Why Don't We Get Drunk (Jimmy Buffett cover) Mountain Music (Alabama cover) LILY ROSE SETLIST Know My Way Around Remind Me of You I Go Back (Kenny Chesney cover) Green Light I'd Be You Every Last One Breakin’ In Somebody Like You (Keith Urban cover) I Don’t Smoke Stronger Than I Am Better Than That Villain

Country Stampede at the Heartland is an outdoor music festival featuring country music stars, camping, and more in Topeka, Kansas at Heartland Motorsports Park, held annually since 1996. Due to flooding concerns, the event moved to its current location from Manhattan, KS in 2019.

===

For its first full day, the heat index was in the triple-digits, but fans were still enthusiastic and eager for live music and the collective social gathering that a festival is.

Georgia native Lily Rose opened the afternoon with her blend of vulnerable lyrics and R&B leanings, highlighted by a Keith Urban cover and her breakout hit, “Villian”.

Kansas native Jerrod Neimann returned to his home state, a veteran of the festival having seen the first five as a fan and playing a previous 7 or 8 times. “Yellow Brick Road” was sung in honor of his home state, the country rap of “Donkey” returned to his setlist, and Hank Jr., Jimmy Buffett and Alabama covers ended his set.

North Carolina favorites Parmalee played their many radio hits along with a bevy of covers- Usher, Lizzo, The Killers, The Kid Leroi and Train versions were peppered in, along with a quick “Happy Birthday” to two separate fans up front.

A smart booking over a year in advance brought Mobile, AL native Walker Hayes in, to close the evening.

The biggest country song of 2021 and early 2022 was his viral TikTok dance smash, “Fancy Like” before which he revealed he received an Applebee’s Gold Card to always eat at the chain for free, and also brought out a little extra younger help to do the “Oreo Shake” with.

New single, “Y’all Life” had just dropped earlier that day and is already climbing the charts.

WALKER HAYES TOUR DATES

JUL 15 Adams County Fairfest Hastings, NE

JUL 16 Cedar County Fair Hartington, NE

JUL 29 Edgar County Fair Paris, IL

JUL 30 Lucas County Agricultural Society Maumee, OH

AUG 3 Cattaraugus County Fair Little Valley, NY

AUG 4 Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater Farmingville, NY

AUG 5 Citi Summer Concert LIVE on the TODAY Plaza New York, NY

AUG 6 Brandon Amphitheater Brandon, MS

AUG 13 Franklin County Fair Malone, NY

AUG 14 Westville Music Bowl New Haven, CT

AUG 20 State Fair of West Virginia Lewisburg, WV

AUG 24 Appalachian Fair Gray, TN

AUG 26 Central States Fairgrounds Rapid City, SD

AUG 27 Colorado State Fair Pueblo, CO

SEP 29 Glad You're Here Tour Johnstown, PA

SEP 30 Glad You're Here Tour Binghamton, NY

OCT 1 Glad You're Here Tour Huntington, WV

OCT 7 Glad You're Here Tour Reading, PA

OCT 8 Glad You're Here Tour Worcester, MA

OCT 13 Glad You're Here Tour Saginaw, MI

OCT 14 Glad You're Here Tour Corbin, KY

OCT 15 Glad You're Here Tour Youngstown, OH

OCT 21 Glad You're Here Tour Cedar Rapids, IA

OCT 22 Glad You're Here Tour Sioux Falls, SD

OCT 29 Country Kicks Cancer Orlando, FL

NOV Glad You're Here Tour Bakersfield, CA

NOV 7 Glad You're Here Tour Los Angeles, CA

NOV 10 Glad You're Here Tour Spokane, WA

NOV 11 Glad You're Here Tour Portland, OR

NOV 12 Glad You're Here Tour Everett, WA

 

PARMALEE TOUR DATES

Jul 16 Red River Valley Fair West Fargo, ND

Jul 23 Barnstable County Fairgrounds Falmouth, MA

Jul 24 Stone Pony Asbury Park, NJ

Jul 26 31st Street Park - Oceanfront Virginia Beach, VA

Jul 30 Jake Jam 2022 El Reno, OK

Aug 5 Scotts Bluff County Fair Mitchell, NE

Aug 6 Broken Arrow Wilderness Fullerton, NE

Aug 13 Thayer County Fair Deshler, NE

Aug 20 Brown County Fairgrounds Aberdeen, SD

Sep 2 Harley Davidson Hometown Rally Milwaukee, WI

Sep 3 Westville Lions Club Westville, IL

Sep 4 Plymouth Motor Speedway Plymouth, IN

Sep 9 Marion Popcorn Festival Marion, OH

Sep 10 White Marsh Volunteer Fire Co White Marsh, MD

Sep 16 Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KS

Sep 29 Cambria County War Memorial Johnstown, PA

Sep 30 Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena Binghamton, NY

Oct 1 Mountain Health Arena Huntington, WV

Oct 7 Santander Arena Reading, PA

Oct 8 DCU Center Worcester, MA

Oct 13 Dow Event Center Saginaw, MI

Oct 14 The Corbin Arena Corbin, KY

Oct 15 Covelli Centre Youngstown, OH

Oct 16 Discovery Park Sacramento, CA

Oct 21 Alliant Energy PowerHouse Cedar Rapids, IA

Oct 22 Denny Sanford Premier Center Sioux Falls, SD

Nov 5 Mechanics Bank Arena Bakersfield, CA

Nov 7 Greek Theatre Los Angeles, CA

Nov 10 Spokane Arena Spokane, WA

Nov 11 Theater Of The Clouds Portland, OR

Nov 12 Angel Of The Winds Arena Everett, WA

 

(click on any image to enlarge and see in full)

 

LILY ROSE

LILY ROSE

LILY ROSE

LILY ROSE

JERROD NIEMANN

JERROD NIEMANN

JERROD NIEMANN

JERROD NIEMANN

JERROD NIEMANN

PARMALEE

PARMALEE

PARMALEE

PARMALEE

WALKER HAYES

WALKER HAYES

WALKER HAYES

WALKER HAYES

WALKER HAYES

WALKER HAYES

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Desert Daze Celebrates 10 Years of Art & Music

Read More Desert Daze Desert Daze is quite often referred to as the greatest festival ever, and in all my years of music festivals (and believe me, there have been many) I have to concur that this one undoubtably tops the .... Tame Impala Tame Impala is touring the U.S. again in support of their album, Lonerism. Kevin and crew have definitely crafted a piece of art. Loud, incredibly groovy. ... Iggy Pop Iggy Pop, 60’s The Stooges frontman and who some would call the Godfather of Punk, came out in all his shirtless glory and opened up with (I mean of course) I Wanna Be Your Dog, spitting bottled water and ... King Gizzard Butterfly 3000 is the new album from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The album is said to be the typical synthesisers and sequencers, loops and weird noises that makes a Gizzard record. … Chicano Batman Chicano Batman to open. The cape crusader was last seen at SXSW with their new song “Black Lipstick”, featuring back up vocals by Saudia Yasmein. … The Marias The Marias (The Marías) is returning to the Minneapolis area this July 27, at the Fine Line Music Café. The group was previously in town in November 2018 as part of the Live Nation’s … Sky Ferreira We've been following Sky Ferreira since 2010, and finally, this year I got a chance to see her in person. She didn't play any old songs, which, as I've interpreted it was she was moving on from her early music, and "growing up". … Jpegmafia Los Angeles-based rapper and producer Jpegmafia (stylized as JPEGMAFIA) will be headlining a US and UK tour in support of his new album EP2! in the next two years. … Mild High Club Mild High Club is the home for the musical output of Alexander Brettin, a jazz-schooled musician transplanted from the Midwest to Los Angeles. Premiered originally … Kikagaku Moyo Japanese psychedelic band Kikagaku Moyo (Japanese spelling 幾何学模様) sold out the Turf Club in St Paul on November 22nd, 2019. Opening up the show was Tokyo’s Minami Deutsch (南ドイツ). …

DESERT DAZE
desertdaze.org

Southern California’s music festival Desert Daze is celebrating their tenth anniversary this September 30 to October 2, 2022, in Lake Perris, California. Festival weekend passes, parking and camping passes is available to purchase now. For the first time this year, Desert Daze has also partnered with FUSE to help concertgoers put together hotel packages in a variety of budgets.

We’ve been covering the festival since 2017, describing the festival as “And just like that, it was over just as quickly as it had begun. I left feeling elated and exhausted, and as I made my way back to the day parking lot, I smiled in satisfaction knowing that the soles of my boots were caked with the magical moon dust of the desert.”

The lineup is available now, and already everybody is talking about how this is headliner Iggy Pop’s only U.S. show this year. We saw Pop at Desert Daze 2017 and wrote, “Iggy Pop, 60’s The Stooges frontman and who some would call the Godfather of Punk, came out in all his shirtless glory and opened up with (I mean of course) I Wanna Be Your Dog, spitting bottled water and flipping off the crowd and cameras. He was bold and delightful in his punk charm, right into Gimme Danger and The Passenger, then more Stooges’ classics like 1969. It’s sincerely hard to believe this man is in his 70’s. He had more energy than most of the bands combined, and I felt happy that I got to see him in that setting before…I mean who even knows anymore what can happen to these legends. Somewhere somebody must have kicked Iggy around some…and he’s kicking back.”

DESERT DAZE 2022 LINEUP

TAME IMPALA performing Lonerism * IGGY POP * KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD

Chicano Batman * The Marias * Sky Ferreira * Badbadnotgood * Jpegmafia * Mild High Club * Kikagaku Moyo * Men I Trust * Cortex * Fuzz * Pond * Perfume Genius * Aldous Harding * Sleaford Mods * Dakhabrakha * Boy Pablo * Cymande * Shannon And The Clams * Duster * Viagra Boys * Reggie Watts * Inner Wave * Los Retros * Nation Of Language * Nilufer Yanya * Show Me The Body * Babe Rainbow * Psychedelic Porn Crumpets * The Armed * Lady Wray * Daniel Rossen Of Grizzly Bear * Black Country, New Road * Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 * Mariachi Reyna De Los Angeles * The Space Lady * Gum (Dj Set) * L.A. Witch * Automatic * Surfbort * Small Black * Mildlife * Surprise Chef * John Carroll Kirby * Buck Meek * Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul * Strawberry Guy * Vanishing Twin * Sloppy Jane * Soul Glo * The Paranoyds * Panther Modern * Jjuujjuu * Zo * Slift * Brainstory * Imarhan * Working Men's Club * Snapped Ankles * Molly Lewis * L'eclair * Elkka * Noura Mint Seymali * Divide & Dissolve * Al Lover * Chulita Vinyl Club * Heads Are Heavy

THE SANCTUARY

Curated by Cristopher Cichocki

Nosaj Thing (DJ Set) * Clipping. * Telefon Tel Aviv (DJ Set) * Silent Servant * Kid 606 * Cristopher Cichocki (Circular Dimensions Immersive Sound Installation)

TALKS + SCREENINGS

Hamilton's Pharmacopeia Screening + Hamilton Morris Q&A,

Mysticism In The Music Industry With Micki Pellerano,

Tarik Barri Av Workshop - Explorations With Videosync, And More TBA

VISUAL ARTISTS

Tarik Barri * Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show * Slim Reaper * Astral Violet * Feverdream Interactive * Billgazer * Warped Visions * Zachary Rodell

THE OUTER SPACE

Modular Soundbath & Yoga Each Morning * Frankie & The Witch Fingers * Levitation Room * Mauskovic Dance Band * Acid Dad * Vinyl Williams * Grave Flowers Bongo Band * Leah Senior * Radiojed * Closing Ceremonies w/ Jjuujjuu & Friends

THURSDAY NIGHT WELCOMING COMMITTEE

Meatbodies * Shannon Lay * Hooveriii * Quitapenas * Baptizm * Hott Mt - ‘Escape To Witch Mountain’ W/ The Bob Baker Marionettes

LARGE SCALE ART INSTALLATIONS

Non Plus Ultra * Brad Hansen * Bez Martinen * And More

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

Rock the Garden 2022 (Garden Stage)

Low Setlist White Horses I Can Wait Days Like These More The Price You Pay (It Must Be Wearing Off) No Comprende Plastic Cup Canada Read More Rock the Garden As usual, the Rock the Garden did a great job organizing the music festival. Although the original scheduled was delayed about 30 minutes, because of the weather... once the music started, they did an amazing job … Low Low’s Christmas show is taking place at First Avenue on Saturday. All proceeds will benefit Second Harvest Heartland. Low adds, “Despite the commerce involved, we hope you will consider .... Divide and Dissolve Divide and Dissolve, the Melbourne, Australia duo of T//R and S//N (Takiaya Reed –guitar/sax; Sylvie Nehill- drums) who asked for quiet as they began, then Reed went into a verbal diatribe decrying worldwide white ....

One of the best music festival around, Rock the Garden returned after a two year absent due to the pandemic.

The festival is broken up on two stages, the main stage and the Garden Stage… which, this year was curated by Low’s Alan Sparhawk.

It made sense that Sparhawk asked Divide and Dissolve to play RTG this year… having supported Low on their tour earlier this year. The Australia duo of T//R and S//N (Takiaya Reed –guitar/sax; Sylvie Nehill- drums) drove 18 hours to play Minneapolis. As we wrote in 2018, the duo often talk between their songs about abusive police power, worldwide white supremacy, seeking to empower black and indigenous people. They reminded us that the land we are on belongs to the Dakota people and that we should give it back.

Next up as Dâm-Funk (stylized as DāM-FunK), American producer from Pasadena, California. He is mostly by himself with his laptop, playing some funky tunes and live-mixing.

DāM-FunK is currently signed with Stones Throw Records.

After an introduction for “Blow” by Diane Miller from The Current’s Local Show, Duluth’s Low (Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker) took the stage… with new bassist Liz Draper. Former bassist, Zak Sally was also spotted in the audience.

Low at First Ave (05/18/2001)

Low has been around for a long time, well before I first saw them in May 2001: “…Low came on stage with a chair. Singer Alan Sparhawk sat down and played some acoustic numbers, which inspired about twenty or so people in front to also sit down in the center. The whole thing had, if you'll excuse the pun, low energy.”

Luckily, they weren’t as slowcore as I remembered, they were actually a little upbeat at this year’s RTG performance.

In fact, their latest album Hey What, which came out last year on Sub Pop, was produced by BJ Burton (who previously did wonders for Bon Iver, Charli XCX and Lizzo). Hey What was nominated for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical category at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

Divide and Dissolve

Divide and Dissolve

Dām Funk

Diane Miller

Dām Funk

Low

Low

Low

Low at Rock the Garden, Walker Art (11 June 2022)

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

Rock the Garden 2022 (Main Stage)

Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats Setlist The Future Failing (Fast) Look It Here I'm On Your Side You Worry Me Baby I Lost My Way, (But I'm Going Home) I'll Be Damned Baby I Got Your Number So Put Out Wasting Time A Little Honey Love Me Till I'm Gone Face Down in the Moment Babe I Know Oh, I Hey Mama Survivor Coolin' Out Intro I Need Never Get Old -- Encore -- Out on the Weekend S.O.B. Love Don't Sleater-Kinney Setlist High in the Grass All Hands on the Bad One Bury Our Friends Worry With You Surface Envy Can I Go On Jumpers Price Tag Shadow Town No Cities to Love The Fox A New Wave Reach Out Modern Girl Dig Me Out Entertain beabadoobee Setlist Worth It Together Care Talk He Gets Me So High Coffee Sorry She Plays Bass See You Soon Back to Mars Last Day on Earth Cologne Read More Rock the Garden As usual, the Rock the Garden did a great job organizing the music festival. Although the original scheduled was delayed about 30 minutes, because of the weather... once the music started, they did an amazing job … Nathaniel Rateliff I think Nathaniel Rateliff and his band The Night Sweats have finally made it. It's hard to believe that we've been writing about him since 2013.... Sleater-Kinney What are you doing on V-Day? If you're a Sleater-Kinney fan, you'll be at this sold out show. According to my bad memories and physical ticket stubs, I've seen Sleater-Kinney at least three times, and have expressed sadness ... Beabadoobee Beabadoobee with Christian Leave, BlackStarKids The Truman. $20-$25 aka Beatrice Laus, this Filipino/British breakout bedroom-pop artist put out a new EP, Our Extended .... Bombino Internationally acclaimed musician Bombino will be stopping by the Cedar Cultural Center on Saturday, October 8th. The Tuareg guitarist and singer-songwriter from Niger will be playing some tracks ...

After a long two year absent, Rock the Garden returned to the Walker Art Sculpture Garden on a beautiful Saturday, June 11th.

The show is big, featuring seven bands on two stages, so the review will be broken up into two parts, the Main Stage and the Garden Stage.

Gates opened at 1pm, and first band on the main stage was Niger’s internationally acclaimed Tuareg guitarist and singer/songwriter Bombino (Omara Moctar). The hot weather of Minneapolis’ afternoon reminded the band of their home country, Niger.

They played their distinctive guitar-driven songs, driving the audience to stand up and started dancing.

Bombino’s latest is a live album Live In Amsterdam, which came out in 2020 via Partisan.

Next up on the main stage was Filipino-British singer-songwriter, Beabadoobee, stylized as beabadoobee, playing some tunes from her debut album Fake It Flowers. Beabadoobee just played the Governors Ball in New York City, after wrapping up her current run opening for Halsey’s Love and Power U.S. arena tour.

Beabadoobee is the only band W♥M haven’t seen, so we were very excited for their appearance at Rock the Garden. You see, there’s a lot of buzz for Beabadoobee, who won the Radar Award at the 2020 NME Awards, as well nominated for the Rising Star Award at the 2020 Brit Awards, nominated as breakthrough act for 2020 in the annual Sound of 2020.

It’s easy to see why Taylor Swift and Harry Styles have already mentioned how much they like Beabadoobee. They have a very 90s rock ‘n roll sound, and they played it loud and hard. So hard that the drum shield fell over during their performance.

Beabadoobee’s forthcoming album Beatopia, will be out July 15 on Dirty Hit.

Sleater-Kinney was the co-headliner of Rock the Garden. The Olympia group is touring in support of their tenth studio album, Path of Wellness.

Sleater-Kinney at First Avenue (10/15/1998) photo: Alison

We’ve been following this Riot Grrrl band since the mid-90s, having enjoying bands such as Bikini Kill, Team Dresch, and Bratmobile. We’ve seen SK since 1998, and was sad to learn that their original drummer Janet Weiss left the band. We recently saw Weiss in Quasi in April 2022 and noted, “Weiss is famous for being founding member of Sleater-Kinney, but have played with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, as well as part of Wild Flag.”

Currently Sleater-Kinney is Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), but for touring, they added Vincent Lirocchi on drums, Fabi Reyna on additional guitar, and Galen Clark on keys.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats closed out Rock the Garden 2022.

Nathaniel Rateliff at the Bluebird Theater, Denver (04/25/13) photo: Kira

We are still very proud of covering Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats very first appearance at Bluebird Theater in Denver (Apr 2013): “Nathaniel Rateliff, debuted his new musical endeavor last Thursday at the Bluebird Theater accompanied by soul outfit, The Night Sweats…. The Night Sweats, a seven-piece ensemble (drums, keys, bass, guitar, trumpet, and alto & bass sax), took the stage first decked out in full suits. In classic soul style, they began to play and sway in an introductory number as Rateliff sauntered onto the stage. Hearing Rateliff’s traditionally gentle and alluring vocals morph into that of a bellowing soul god with “Trying so Hard Not to Know” the night immediately shifted from exciting to epic. Channeling the dance moves of James Brown, Rateliff spastically skittered across the stage bringing a soul revival to the Denver theater.”

Who knew that show in 2013 would eventually spawn into one of the most popular band around? Now with their third studio album, The Future, on Stax Records, the band is more popular than ever.

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats tour dates:

June 21—St. Augustine, FL—The St. Augustine Amphitheatre
June 22—Charleston, SC—Credit One Stadium
June 28—Lewiston, NY—Artpark
June 29—Lafayette, NY—Beak and Skiff
July 1—Asbury Park, NJ—Stone Pony Summer Stage
July 3—Gilford, NH—Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
July 29—Winnipeg, MB—Burton Cummings Theater
July 30—Regina, SK—Conexus Arts Center
July 31—Saskatoon, SK—Coors Event Centre
August 2—Calgary, AB—Grey Eagle Events Centre
August 9—Vancouver, BC—PNE Amphitheater
August 10—Redmond, WA—Marymoor
August 11—Troutdal, OR—Edgefield
August 13—Berkeley, CA—The Greek Theatre
August 14—Los Angeles, CA—Hollywood Bowl
August 18—Phoenix, AZ—Arizona Federal Theatre
August 23—Denver, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 24—Denver, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre
September 13—Boston, MA—Leader Bank Pavilion
September 15—New York, NY—Radio City Music Hall
September 21—Washington, DC—The Anthem
September 23—Wilmington, NC—Live Oak Bank Pavilion

Bombino

Bombino

Beabadoobee

Beabadoobee

Beabadoobee

Philip Bither (Walker Art Center's Senior Curator of Performing Arts) and Jade (The Current music director)

Sleater-Kinney

Sleater-Kinney

Sleater-Kinney

Rock the Garden audience

Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats

Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats

Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats at Rock the Garden, Walker Art (11 June 2022)

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

Minneapolis: This Week (06/12/2022)

Hello, Minnesotans. As you know, I post the W♥M Minneapolis preview calendar a month in advance. Things may have changed, and/or I just wanted to remind you about the shows that we will be covering this week. I hope to see you at one of these shows.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide

06/07 Tune-Yards with Anjimile at Fine Line Read More Tune-Yards Musically and visually, it was a delightful to witness: colorful war paint, ukulele, pots, pans, and coke bottles, great beats, and funky dancing ... with lots of loops.... Anjimile 2. Twain - How Many Times 3. Anjimile - Coyote Creek 4. Tasha - Are You Out There 5. Stef Chura - Good Time ....

06/07/2022 Tuesday

Doors Open 7PM, Show Starts 8PM ($31/$33)

UPDATE: Venue change to Fine Line Music Cafe (from First Avenue)

Tune-Yards
with Anjimile
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

It’s been many years since we last saw or heard from Tune-Yards. We last saw her in Mar 2018 and said, “The stage was set with dramatic lighting framing the back end of the stage and a curved center frame with gauzed curtains that would accentuate the shadows of tUnE-yArDs as the three-piece took to the stage for their seventy-seven minute headlining set beginning with ‘Home’. “I always feel on holy ground” Garbus posted on social media just prior to playing the historic venue.”

Tune-Yards’ latest album Sketchy came out in 2021, via 4AD.

Anjimile to open.

Tour Dates:

Jun 1 St Louis, MO, US Delmar Hall
Jun 3 Bloomington, IN, US Bluebird
Jun 4 Chicago, IL, US Do Division Saturday
Jun 7 Minneapolis, MN, US First Avenue
Jun 11 Pittsburgh, PA, US Mr Smalls Theater
Jun 13 Cambridge, MA, US The Sinclair
Jun 15 Brooklyn, NY, US Brooklyn Steel
Jun 16 Washington, DC, US 9:30 Club
Jun 18 Philadelphia, PA, US Union Transfer
Aug 23 Manchester, UK Gorilla

06/09 Mess Esque with GOLD MINEFIELD at 7th St Entry Read More Mess Esque Australian duo Mess Esque (Mick Turner and Helen Franzmann), are on tour in support of their self-titled debut album (via Drag City). The tour will stop by Minneapolis at 7th Street on June 9th. … Zak Sally Zak Sally, local artist (and former bassist for Low and Enemymine), discussed the new book with Daniel Clowes. It wasn’t really so much about the actual book, but more like a casual conversation of how he first met Clowes …

06/09/2022 Thursday

Doors Open 7PM, Show Starts 8PM ($15)

Update: Gold Minefield is a new project from Duluth-native musician/comic artist Zak Sally (The Hand; formerly of Low, Enemymine)

Mess Esque
with GOLD MINEFIELD
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Australian duo Mess Esque (Mick Turner and Helen Franzmann), are on tour in support of their self-titled debut album (via Drag City). The tour will stop by Minneapolis at 7th Street on June 9th.

If the name Mick Turner is familiar, he’s previously from Dirty Three, who we saw in Sep 2012 and said he was stoic: “Flamboyant and energetic [Warren Ellis], along with somber-faced Jim White on drums and stoic Mick Turner on guitar, gave the crowd the sonic feast, songs that stretched and swelled with emotion and with every kick of Ellis’ pointed shoe. Ellis indeed provided humor and dramatics to the show; dressed in what one audience member concluded was an LSD-inspired shirt (Ellis insists the tie-dyed purple and turquoise shirt, buttoned down Tom Jones-style, was the result of throwing up Kool-Aid), the violinist drilled the bow into his instrument, causing stringy bits to rub off and into his considerable salt-and-pepper beard.”

GOLD MINEFIELD to open.

Tour dates:

5/24/22 The Moroccan Lounge Los Angeles CA
5/27/22– 5/28/22 Solid Sound Festival North Adams MA
5/27/22 The Middle East Boston MA
5/29/22 SPACE Portland, ME
5/31/22 Baby's All Right Brooklyn NY
6/1/22 PhilaMOCA Philadelphia PA
6/2/22 Pie Shop Washington DC
6/3/22 Club Cafe Pittsburgh PA
6/4/22 Beachland Tavern Cleveland OH
6/6/22 Zanzabar Louisville KY
6/7/22 Hi-Fi Indianapolis IN
6/9/22 7th Street Entry Minneapolis MN
6/10/22 The Back Room at Colectivo Milwaukee WI
6/11/22 The Hideout Chicago IL*
6/13/22 Bottom of the Hill San Francisco CA

*w/ AZITA

06/09 Syd with Destin Conrad at Varsity Theater Read More The Internet Meanwhile, The Internet (featuring Odd Future member Syd and Matt Martians) comes to the Triple Rock Social Club, fresh off their SXSW appearances. I couldn't find any information regarding a new album.…

06/09/2022 Thursday

Doors at 7pm, show at 8pm ($15)

Syd
with Destin Conrad
at Varsity Theater
livenation.com

Singer/songwriter, producer Syd, formerly known as Syd Tha Kyd, is headlining the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on June 9th.

You know, I’ve complained about how The Internet is such a common name that it’s hard to find them on the ... er… internet. Now that Syd dropped “That Kyd”, it’s hard to find her online as well…. Anyway, we saw The Internet in Oct 2018 and wrote, “There were no encores, but based on hearing the entire audience singing along, I think they ended on a really high, positive note. Currently, The Internet is enjoying their time hanging out with Gorillaz.... where they are playing in front of thousands of fans every night. After this Gorillaz tour, expect The Internet to sell out even more headlining gigs.”

Destin Conrad to open.

Tour dates:

Jun 2 Boston, MA, US Royale Boston
Jun 3 Philadelphia, PA, US Theatre of Living Arts (TLA)
Jun 5 Detroit, MI, US St. Andrew's Hall
Jun 6 Cleveland, OH, US Agora Theatre & Ballroom
Jun 9 Minneapolis, MN, US Varsity Theater
Jun 11 Outdoor Los Angeles (LA), CA, US LA Pride In The Park
Jun 14 Seattle, WA, US Showbox at the Market
Jun 15 Portland, OR, US Wonder Ballroom
Jun 17 Washington, DC, US SOMETHING IN THE WATER
Jun 22 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US The Novo

06/10 Jordana with Harry Teardrop at 7th St Entry Read More Jordana Twenty-one year old artist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jordana is touring in support of her new album Face The Wall. She’ll tour with Wallows in May, then with New York’s …

06/10/2022 Friday

Doors Open 6PM, Show Starts 7PM ($13/$15)

Jordana
with Harry Teardrop
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Twenty-one year old artist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jordana is touring in support of her new album Face The Wall. She’ll tour with Wallows in May, then with New York’s Harry Teardrop (no relations to local Frankie Teardrop), and eventually with Remi Wolf.

Face The Wall will be out on May 20th via Grand Jury. The title, as Jordana explains it, “The album title has a few meanings to me. Mostly, it's about not giving up. The wall can be anything in your way. The album is a sort of reminder to myself that I have to face those things, and I can't take the easy route and turn around.”

Tour Dates:

05-15 - Austin, TX - Stubb’s Waller Creek Ampitheatre ^
05-16 - Austin, TX - Stubb’s Waller Creek Ampitheatre ^
05-17 - Dallas, TX - The Factory in Deep Ellum ^
05-18 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall ^
05-20 - Atlanta, GA - Coca-Cola Roxy ^
05-21 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle ^
05-23 - Orlando, FL - The Orlando Ampitheater ^
05-24 - Miami, FL - The Fillmore ^
05-26 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live ^
05-27 - St Augustine, FL - The Saint Augustine ^
05-28 - Columbia, SC - The Senate ^
05-29 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore ^
06-02 - Washington, DC - Songbyrd *
06-03 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s *
06-04 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby’s All Right *
06-05 - Cambridge, MA - The Middle East *
06-07 - Toronto, ON - Drake Underground *
06-09 - Chicago, IL - Schubas *
06-10 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry *
06-13 - Portland, OR - Holocene *
06-14 - Seattle, WA - Barboza *
06-16 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop *
06-17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Moroccan Lounge *
06-18 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room *
09-22-25 - Dover Heights, DE - Firefly
10-04 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel #
10-06 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl #
10-07 - Richmond, VA - The National #
10-09 - Boston, MA - Roadrunner #
10-11 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 #
10-12 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 #
10-15 - Toronto, ON - Danforth #
10-16 - Toronto, ON - Danforth #

^ w/Wallows
* w/Harry Teardrop
# w/Remi Wolf

06/11 Rock the Garden 2022 Read More Rock the Garden As usual, the Rock the Garden did a great job organizing the music festival. Although the original scheduled was delayed about 30 minutes, because of the weather... once the music started, they did an amazing job … Nathaniel Rateliff I think Nathaniel Rateliff and his band The Night Sweats have finally made it. It's hard to believe that we've been writing about him since 2013.... Sleater-Kinney What are you doing on V-Day? If you're a Sleater-Kinney fan, you'll be at this sold out show. According to my bad memories and physical ticket stubs, I've seen Sleater-Kinney at least three times, and have expressed sadness ... Low Low’s Christmas show is taking place at First Avenue on Saturday. All proceeds will benefit Second Harvest Heartland. Low adds, “Despite the commerce involved, we hope you will consider .... Beabadoobee Beabadoobee with Christian Leave, BlackStarKids The Truman. $20-$25 aka Beatrice Laus, this Filipino/British breakout bedroom-pop artist put out a new EP, Our Extended .... Divide and Dissolve Divide and Dissolve, the Melbourne, Australia duo of T//R and S//N (Takiaya Reed –guitar/sax; Sylvie Nehill- drums) who asked for quiet as they began, then Reed went into a verbal diatribe decrying worldwide white ....

06/11/2022 Saturday

June 11 is the big day for Rock the Garden! We cannot wait. For those attending, here is their policy for COVID-19: “We all want to do our part to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our community and keep our patrons, staff and artists safe. In accordance with Minnesota guidelines, while we will not require proof of vaccination or enforce a mask mandate, we encourage guests to exercise good judgment to keep this year’s event fun and safe. We reserve the right to update our guidelines at any time as determined by government agencies, artists, or the promoter. In that case, we will notify guests and participants on how to comply with safety requirements.”

Rock the Garden
at Walker Art Sculpture Garden
rockthegardenfestival.com

Saturday, June 11, is the big Rock the Garden show. We’ve previously written about the 2022 line, see details below… but here’s something new: we’ve previously seen Australian duo Divide and Dissolve in Feb 2018, as opener for local favorite Polica:

Outside of an angry punk band or two, no band in recent memory has started so polarizing before ever playing a note, than Divide and Dissolve, the Melbourne, Australia duo of T//R and S//N (Takiaya Reed –guitar/sax; Sylvie Nehill- drums) who asked for quiet as they began, then Reed went into a verbal diatribe decrying worldwide white supremacy, seeking to empower black and indigenous people, and reminding the mostly white audience, that this was not their land.

Similar statements were given before each song played, with the expected crowd response ranging from a smattering of applause to cat calls and insults- but inciting seems to be part of their purpose, so in that regard, it worked. Musically, they play a heavy, low tempo, skeletal doom rock blend meant to incite as much as their statements, with latest self-release being last week’s Abomination.

>>>
We’re so happy to see the return of Rock the Garden at the iconic Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

As with previous events, there are two stages, food trucks, beer tents, and great music.

This year, they are bringing co-headliners Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Sleater-Kinney… both excellent bands.

I don’t want to brag, but we were first to report Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats at the band’s first appearance at Bluebird Theater in Denver (Apr 2013): “Nathaniel Rateliff, debuted his new musical endeavor last Thursday at the Bluebird Theater accompanied by soul outfit, The Night Sweats.” The band went on to sign to Stax Records for their self-titled debut album in 2015.

Incidentally, if you ever see a Nathaniel Rateliff’s solo show (which we did in in April 2014), his music and performance is very different than a Night Sweats show. And trivia, but Rateliff previously appeared at Rock the Garden in 2016.

As for Sleater-Kinney, I’ve been seeing the band live since 2000 … with the last one in Feb 2015 after they re-united for a tour. That show was somewhat bitter-sweat, as it would be the last time we would see them with original drummer Janet Weiss (who we just saw in Quasi in Apr 2022).

Gates open at 1pm, music starts at 2:30pm.

Lineup:

• Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (co-headliner)
• Sleater-Kinney (co-headliner)
• LOW
• beabadoobee
• DāM-FunK
• Bombino
• Divide and Dissolve

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

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