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Dread Crew of Oddwood at Nether Bar, Minneapolis (25 Aug 2016)

Tour Dates 08/27/16 - 08/28/16 Bristol Renaissance Faire 09/02/16 Chicago, IL Livewire Lounge 09/03/16 - 09/05/16 Bristol Renaissance Faire 09/06/16 Pittsburgh, PA The Smiling Moose 09/07/16 Baltimore, MD The Sidebar 09/08/16 Somerville, MA PA’s Lounge 09/10/16 - 09/11/16 New York Renaissance Faire 09/12/16 Quebec, QC L’anti Bar & Spectacles 09/13/16 Montréal, QC Katacombes 09/14/16 Toronto, ON Coalition 09/15/16 Ottawa, ON House of Targ 09/16/16 Brooklyn, NY Black Bear Bar 09/17/16 - 09/18/16 Renaissance Faire 09/19/16 Raleigh, NC The Maywood 09/20/16 Winter Park, FL The Haven 09/21/16 Ybor City, FL Orpheum 09/23/16 Dallas, TX Trees 09/24/16 Austin, TX Dirty Dog 09/27/16 Tempe, AZ Yucca Taproom 09/30/16 San Diego, CA The Merrow Read More Dread Crew of Oddwood Heavy Mahogany Dread Crew of Oddwood Not Disney pirates... Bawdy, rude, violent and funny; it is the essence of pirates. I can't help but smile listening to some songs. …

The Dread Crew of Oddwood brought their "heavy mahogany" brand of pirate metal to the Nether Bar in Minneapolis on Thursday night.

Don't laugh, pirate metal is a serious thing and The Dread Crew of Oddwood are the best in the business (if you ask me!).

The phrase "heavy mahogany" was coined by the band to be the style of music they play. As the singer explained to the crowd, it's like heavy metal, only wood, because pirates. Regardless of what you want to call the music of The Dread Crew of Oddwood, it's fun and different and more than worth your time to check out.

Pirate metal looks and sounds exactly like what you're picturing in your head right now. It's a bunch of grown-ass men dressed up as pirates, drinking out of wooden mugs, and singing jigs while swaying back and forth. The crowd is also exactly what you're thinking, a bunch of grown-ass people dressed up as pirates, drinking far too much, and dancing their butts off. It may sound juvenile and straight up stupid, but when you're at a show like the one I went to last night, you can't help but get wrapped up in the whole thing.

There are actually a bunch of pirate metal bands out there... enough to make a whole tour out of them last year which was called "Piratefest". That's how I got thrown into this fantasy world. I had no clue what pirate metal meant but I went to that tour featuring Alestorm, The Dread Crew of Oddwood, Swashbuckle, and a few other bands and completely fell in love with the scene.

The thing that sets The Dread Crew of Oddwood apart from majority of the other pirate metal bands I've seen is the fact that they only use traditional instruments instead of modern day electric guitars and basses. Many of the bands in this genre use keyboards to emulate the traditional sound but these guys are the real deal... accordion and all.

The crowd smiled as they watched Captain Wolfbeard O'Brady (yes, that is his name) headbang whilst playing the accordion. It was wacky, it was insane, and it was perfect. Boatswain Deckard Cordwain, who was on mandolin, had a hard time staying on the stage and often found himself dancing in the moshpit turned jig-dancing-pit. Bassist Smithy Crow seemed to have ants in his pants and couldn't stand still to save his life. He swayed back and forth and at times, held his upright bass like it was an electric guitar.

The Dread Crew Of Oddwood is not a new band. They have four studio albums out and a couple hilarious music videos. They self-released Lawful Evil (a reference to Dungeons & Dragons game rules) earlier this year and seemed to play many songs off of the new album but they did not neglect their other releases along with a handful of covers (none of which they played all the way through). They ended their all to short set with a beautiful rendition of a portion of George Michael's Careless Whisper. Just take a second to imagine what that would sound like when played on mandolin, accordion, and everything else.

The show only lasted an hour due to The Dread Crew of Oddwood being the sole band on the bill but the crowd seemed more than okay with that and lingered after the show for a couple more rounds and a bit of socializing with the pirates.

There was no hint to any future tour dates or upcoming releases but I highly suggest checking out the Dead Crew of Oddwood if you are a fan of things such as the movies Hook & The Pirate of the Carribean, eye patches, and peglegs!

The Dread Crew of Oddwood at Nether Bar, Minneapolis (25 August 2016)

langen ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ‚ô• facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

The Smith Street Band at Nether Bar, Minneapolis (10 April 2016)

Read More The Smith Street Band The Smith Street Band is a rock band from Australia (not to be confused with Bruce Springsteen's The E Street Band). They have been around for a couple years at this point but for some reason they were never on my radar. ... Hard Girls Opening up the show was San Jose's Hard Girls. The trio (Morgan, Mike, and Max) played some punk rock songs from their latest A Thousand Surfaces (Asian Man Records) ... and in typical punk songs, many ... Koo Koo Kanga Roo Koo Koo Kanga Roo was, as usual, a riot. I don't think I've ever been to a show with so many children, but it's perfect for the music of Koo Koo Kanga Roo. Helping them dance were two helpers, one dressed ...

Melbourne’s The Smith Street Band (formerly Wil Wagner and the Smith Street Band) recently stopped by the Nether Bar (inside Mill City Nights) in Minneapolis last Sunday, April 10th.

Koo Koo Kanga Roo

As soon as the show started, I knew I was in for a great night. Koo Koo Kanga Roo is a local rap duo that typically plays at elementary schools. Yes, you read that right. They have songs geared towards young kids but for some reason, they have this strange older following. That following is for good reason because these guys are, straight up, one of the most fun live bands I have ever seen. I have seen these guys before and fall in love a little bit more every single time.

As I said, their songs are geared towards very young kids but when you put it in a bar setting with the alcohol flowing, it becomes much more entertaining. Their songs are about things like peanut butter & jelly sandwiches with no crust, unicorns, and everyone's favorite, their song about pooping. They are such a weird band to have open a punk rock show but, when you start to think about it, they are the perfect band to open up a show like last night's show.

They get you moving and get you excited to be out at a concert. They aren't afraid to get up in your face and get you involved in their show. There was one point where they were singing their song about unibrows and then ended up in the crowd rubbing everyone's (including mine) invisible unibrow. It was awkward, being a person that hates having eyes on me, I could feel my face turn bright red as he rubbing my "unibrow" but I felt more than comfortable. The way these guys can make you dance even if you hate dancing is something that is hard to explain. You can't help but have fun during their sets.

Like I said, they were a weird choice as an opening band for last night but they had befriended headlining act The Smith Street Band on a previous tour and I truly think that is the best way to land an opening spot on a bill. It doesn't matter if all of the music is the same for an entire bill, what matters is that everyone has fun during all of the bands and that is exactly what happened last night. I spotted members of all of the other bands out doing Koo Koo Kangaroo's version of the hokey pokey with the rest of the crowd. Everyone's face was beaming and everyone was laughing.

Hard Girls

Signals Midwest

All of the other bands sounded amazing last night. Both Hard Girls and Signals Midwest have earned a spot on my daily playlist due to absolutely killing it last night. The former band previously opened up for Say Anything in July 2015 and we described their songs as “punk songs, many of these tracks were short bursts of energy.”

The crowd was small but the energy they had was not. The show was held in the basement of Mill City Nights which is a huge venue but the basement is literally just a brick room with one of the smallest stages in the Twin Cities but all of the bands and crowd made the most of it. It was steamy, smelly, and sweaty... everything you could want in a Sunday night rock show.

The headliner of the night was The Smith Street Band all the way from Australia. I am a huge fan of these guys because I find their lyrics relatable, their music fun, and come on, who doesn't love an Australian accent coming out of some really cute guys?! I have seen them once before but that was opening for The Front Bottoms and, although I really enjoyed them, I was too focused on the fact that The Front Bottoms were about to take the stage.

Last night I was able to give The Smith Street Band the attention they deserved and I truly enjoyed their set for what it was. It was fast and dirty. The sound was punk rock but with the feeling of indie rock. Everyone in the crowd was loving it and the modest crowd quickly turned into some resemblance of a mosh pit only with more dancing and less shirtless, angry men than I'm used to.

Singer Will Wagner seemed to tear up when thanking the crowd. He went on to explain how amazing it is to go to all of these new cities and meet all of these people. This was The Smith Street Band's first headlining U.S. tour which they were more than deserving of. It almost seemed as if Will was completely overwhelmed with the support they have been getting on this tour. What was important is that every single person in that venue stopped what they were doing when the bands were on stage. The merch tables were flooding between bands and after the show with people wanting to support these amazing bands. People cared and that's what the music scene is all about.

The Smith Street Band at Nether Bar, Minneapolis (10 April 2016)

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

The Royal Concept w/ Parade of Lights at Nether Bar, Minneapolis (22 Nov 2015)

Royal Concept Setlist Goldrushed D-D-Dance Fashion Shut the World Smile World on Fire Gimme Twice On Our Way -- Encore -- Cabin Down Below Parade of Lights Setlist Just Give It Up The Island Burn Feeling Electric Silver and Gold We're the Kids Golden Tour Dates 12/10/15 Goteborg, Sweden Pusterviksbaren 12/18/15 Orebro, Sweden Satin 12/19/15 Halmstad, Sweden Kajskjulet 12/26/15 Stockholm, Sweden Debaser Medis Read More The Royal Concept The Royal Concept is returning to Minneapolis tomorrow, November 22nd, at the Nether Bar (inside Mill City Nights). The Swedish bandwas previously in town at the Triple Rock Social Club in December 2013 .… Parade of Lights Los Angeles/Las Vegas alt-electro band Parade of Lights got the evening started with a buoyant set of fresh songs, culled from their two EPs the latest called Golden, was just released on .…

It was a four-act night of indie and electronic rock… and a little hide ‘n seek to try to find the bands too.

Minneapolis’ The Nether Bar, one of the smallest venues in the metro to host nationally touring bands, was the location on this night, where most of the bands happened to play in near-to-complete darkness.

Calvin Heights

Opening the evening was St. Paul’s own Calvin Heights, a four-piece indie rock quartet who clearly didn’t get the memo and played in relatively normal lighting (though it all looks a little dank in this underbelly of bigger club Mill City Nights).

The foursome  Brett Carey (Guitar/Vocals/Keys) ;  Caleb Anderson (Bass/Guitar/Vocals) ;  Ben McKeown (Drums) ; and Luke Arend (Keys) released their 2nd EP Tall Tales of the Confident Man this August and songs like ‘Dennis’ and ‘Lovely Melodies’ have a dreamy, sparse, and wandering quality similar in some ways to Bon Iver (they even have a song called ‘Eau Claire’ too) that proves being lost in the woods is not necessarily a bad thing.

Tribe Society

Washington Heights, NY band Tribe Society was next, getting the “no stagelights” message down pat by playing in complete darkness, save a pair of lighted vertical poles at the back of their stage that resembled lightsabers (the force awakens early!) and playing a sound layered with more toppings than a slice of NYC pizza.

Vocalist Gavin McDevitt seemed more hip-hop leaning, bass/guitar player Rory Given more hard and heavy, and flutist Seth Hachen adding some classic rock to the mix- flute + rock band makes people think Jethro Tull, but consider them Tull’s malcontent East Coast club-kid nephew instead.  Springboarding from recent release, Stoner and Kings (Island Records), expect a continuous tracked mixtape next, with both originals and cover versions.

Parade of Lights

LA/Vegas electro-rock quartet Parade of Lights followed with an all-too-brief 25min set of catchy radio-friendly songs, mostly culled from initial full-length Feeling Electric (Astralwerks) which came out in June.  The band enjoyed massive licensing success for single ‘Golden’ which was featured everywhere from the Olympics to the Golden Globes, but is still trying to make that bigger break where the band becomes as recognizable as their popular song.

Singer Ryan Daly’s hair has even turned golden since we last saw them, with keys/synth player Michelle Ashley bringing plenty of enthusiasm while bass player Randy Schulte and drummer Anthony Improgo ably held up the back end. For whatever reason, this band that plays bright, sunny electro, was lit as dimly as London’s Underground during the blitz, making for a strange dichotomy that seemed counter to their music, though the songs themselves, remain irresistible.

Closing band The Royal Concept had a built-in advantage in playing here- the Stockholm, Sweden four-piece has already culled a sizeable local following, no doubt helped by the fact that Minneapolis boasts a large number of people of Swedish and Scandinavian descent.  Lighting was more pronounced with some strobing, though it still allowed the band to hide in dark spots at times.

Their hour-long set took mostly from 2014’s Goldrushed (avail only as an import here) as well as a couple songs from the new Smile EP (Lava Music/ Republic Records).  “We haven’t played a smaller stage in over three years” singer David Larson mentioned as Filip Bekic- gtr, Frans Povel-drums and a touring bassist all smiled, keeping their heads down from hitting the overhead pipes.

‘Shut the World’ was written as the band was trapped during Hurricane Sandy in Pittsburgh was revealed to be one of Larson’s favorites to play and the EP title track, ‘Smile’ was a cheeky response to numerous online fan comments that the band never smiles in their press photos.

‘World on Fire’ featured heavy vocoder vocals while ‘Gimme Twice’ sounded right out of Phoenix’s catalog.  ‘On Our Way’ and the single song requested encore ‘Cabin Down Below’ brought back the vocoder and Larson’s surprise that the crowd knew and even requested a song never even officially released in this country.

And like a cabin down below, the Nether Bar proved to be a dark and somewhat cramped venue, but the music of four very different but effervescent bands, helped bring a light to where there was none.

The Royal Concept at Nether Bar, Minneapolis (22 Nov 2015)

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

New Love Tour, feat. Mal Blum and Winter at the Nether Bar, Minneapolis (28 October 2015)

Mal Blum Setlist Side I'm On Better Go Robert Frost San Cristobal Split, Splitting Reality TV Baltimore New Year's Eve Cool Party Winter Setlist Pretender Alligator Head Flower Tattoo High All The Things You Do Nothing Read More Allison Weiss Allison Weiss will be stopping by The Nether Bar at Mill City Nights. We previously saw her headlined in 2013. … Mal Blum New York's Mal Blum is one of the openers, currently on tour for their latest studio album You Look A Lot Like Me (Don Giovanni Records). The record was produced by Screaming Females' Marissa … Winter Los Angeles-based dream pop/shoegaze band Winter, they are touring in support of their debut LP earlier this year on Lolipop Records, with all-new single on Burger Records. … Kid In The Attic Finally Kid In The Attic (not to be confused with Kids in the Hall) will squeeze in.... Usually when I see that four bands are on the bill (at a regular show), the first band comes on …

The New Love Tour, featuring headliner Allison Weiss, just came through town last Wednesday, October 28th, at the Nether Bar (inside Mill City Nights).

Unfortunately, due to conflicting concert schedules (it's Rocktober!), we were unable to provide coverage for Weiss.

Kid In The Attic

However, we are happy to report of the three openers, starting with Kid In The Attic (aka Maia Macdonald). Fans who showed up early were respectful and saw down in front, leaving a good view for people in the back.

KITA played a few tracks from their latest Qué Lástima, which came out earlier this Summer via Rhyme and Reason Records. She ended her set with what I thought I heard as "Minefield Daughter".

Winter

Up next was Los Angeles-based Winter (not to be confused with UK's Winter or UK brother/duo Winter). The misfortunate thing about this band is their name, which is a common word and is confusing with various existing Winter bands (also the Winterlings, Winter Braves, Winter Sounds, Jacky Winter, Wintersleep, etc.)

This dream pop/shoegaze group is led by singer/guitarist Samira Winter, along with guitarist Matt Hogan, bassist David Yorr, and drummer Garren Orr.

The first thing Winter did was encouraged everyone at the show to stand up. Their 30-min set featured songs about relationship, addiction (to love), drugs, tattoos, "typical" teenagers, and, of course, the California sun (which was missing on this slushy snow night).

The band is really young, and I got the feeling that the band just graduated from high school. Their song, which they wrote as "High" on their setlist, was all about being an outcast (and trying to blend in) in high school.

Setlist

The last band we saw was Mal Blum, from New York City. The trio (featuring singer/guitarist Mal Blum, bassist Audrey and drummer Steph Barker) actually wrote more songs on their setlist than time allowed to play (especially because all the bands started a little late). With five albums to choose from, you can see why they had a problem choosing songs. They only chose a few from their latest You Look A Lot Like Me (Don Giovanni Records), with the obvious two singles "Better Go" and "Robert Frost".

The band was having a lot of fun goofing off on stage... even though Mal Blum's music is pretty depressing. They had some issues, with Mal Blum constantly complaining about being shocked by her microphone. Headliner Allison Weiss even tried to give some advice with no luck. Eventually, Mal switched mics with Audrey, to no results. In the end, I think someone needs to give Mal Blum a pair of good anti-static shoes for Christmas.

Once again, apology to Allison Weiss. You can read about her last appearance in Minneapolis in 2013, which Emily wrote, "Allison Weiss was very engaging throughout her set, asking the audience, “Does anyone in here like to feel?” and making humorous comments about the television show “The OC” and the mocking glare of the venue’s glowing restroom sign. Weiss played a collection of earnest pop originals before dropping a pretty great cover of Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away.”"

Remaining tour date:

10/31/15 Columbus, OH Double Happiness 11/02/15 Toronto, ON Drake Hotel 11/03/15 Montreal, QC Bar le Ritz PDB 11/04/15 Somerville, MA Cuisine En Locale 11/05/15 Hamden, CT The Space 11/06/15 Philadelphia, PA Voltage Lounge 11/08/15 New York, NY The Mercury Lounge 11/09/15 Washington, DC Black Cat 11/10/15 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506

11/12/15 Atlanta, GA Purgatory 11/13/15 Jacksonville, FL Burro Bar 11/14/15 Tampa, FL Epic Problem 11/16/15 Houston, TX Warehouse Live 11/17/15 San Antonio, TX The Korova 11/19/15 Lubbock, TX Jake's Sports Café 11/21/15 Phoenix, AZ Rebel Lounge 11/22/15 San Diego, CA The Casbah 11/24/15 Los Angeles, CA Echo

Mal Blum at the Nether Bar, Minneapolis (28 October 2015)

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

Ash at Nether Bar, Minneapolis (30 Sept 2015)

Ash Setlist Evel Knievel Cocoon Jack Names the Planets A Life Less Ordinary Go! Fight! Win! Goldfinger Free Kung Fu Let's Ride Evil Eye Oh Yeah Orpheus Arcadia Shining Light Machinery Girl From Mars -- Encore -- Burn Baby Burn Tour Dates 10/06/15 Portland, OR McMenamins Lola's 10/08/15 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop 10/09/15 Filter Magazine's Culture Collide 10/10/15 San Diego, CA Music Box 11/16/15 Amsterdam, Netherlands Melkweg 11/17/15 Cologne, Germany Bürgerhaus Stollwerck 11/19/15 Stockholm, Sweden Debaser Strand 11/20/15 Oslo, Norway John Dee 11/21/15 Copenhagen Pumpehuset Club 11/23/15 Hamburg, Germany Grunspan 11/24/15 Berlin, Germany Columbiaclub 11/26/15 Munich, Germany Backstage 11/27/15 Bologna, Italy Covo Club 11/28/15 Vienna, Austria FLEX 11/29/15 Zurich, Switzerland Plaza 12/01/15 Paris, France Petit Bain 12/02/15 Bristol Bristol Bierkeller 12/03/15 London O2 Shepherds Bush 12/04/15 Newcastle Riverside 12/05/15 Newcastle Riverside 12/06/15 Glasgow ABC1 12/08/15 Manchester The Ritz 12/09/15 Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall 12/10/15 Sheffield The Leadmill 12/12/15 Norwich Waterfront 12/13/15 Brighton Concorde 2 12/14/15 Cardiff Plas Nightclub 12/15/15 Dublin Olympia Theatre 12/17/15 Galway Roisin Dubh 12/18/15 Cork Cyprus Avenue 12/19/15 Limerick Dolans Warehouse 12/20/15 Belfast Belfast Empire Music Read More Ash We love Ash. We've been following the Irish band for a long time now, and a few years ago, they famously said they would "never" release an album. Instead the trio concentrated on just recording singles … Maudlin Green Room Music Source is sponsoring two shows at The Loring Theater in Minneapolis. John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light - 9:00pm Maudlin - 8:00pm …

Veteran Northern Irish band Ash did something they said they wouldn’t do again—

… and we’re all the better for it.

With their last major project, The A- Z Series, the band released 26 singles at the rate of one every two weeks, and at the same time said they would not release any more full albums.  Flash forward a couple years and Kablammo! a new album has surfaced.

Not just a sound effect, that’s the title of the album that was first crowdfunded on PledgeMusic, then released physically on earMusic. Ash bassist Mark Hamilton seemed happy to be back to doing albums, saying the resurgence of vinyl and people streaming more than just a song, has helped return their faith to the long-playing format.  As a result, the band has embarked on another US/UK tour, reclaiming old fans and gaining new ones along the way.

Maudlin Setlist

Local trio Maudlin opened the evening, in what was a sort of re-emergence for them as well.  The band has been around for the better part of a decade, with husband/wife team David and Priscilla Priebe taking a little time away to expand the family, and now joined by drummer Whelan Keen on a Donovan tribute single and new release of their own, scheduled for 2016.

Maudlin

The band play a familiar yet ear-worthy blend of guitar-fronted indie rock, with vocals traded between both Priebes on songs like ‘Block by Block’, ‘Six/Eight’, and set closer, ‘Stacy Dahl’.

Tim Wheeler

Ash took to the stage for their 65 min set in true kablammo style, opening big and loud with ‘Evel Knievel’ and ‘Cocoon’, both being songs from the new album with singer Tim Wheeler’s Flying V guitar turned to 11.  The wayback machine then dialed back to 1994 for ‘Jack Names the Planets’ and 1997’s title track to the film ‘A Life Less Ordinary’- hard to believe it’s been over two decades since the band (Tim Wheeler – lead vocals, guitar, ; Mark Hamilton – bass; Rick McMurray- drums) first started.

“The next one is from an album in 1996… confusing called 1977” Wheeler said, intro-ing ‘Goldfinger’, one of 18 of their singles that went Top 40 in the UK charts.  Their “incredible light show” was debuted during 1996’s ‘Kung Fu’, a cheeky comment on the low budget effects that the intimate venue could best provide.

Ash Setlist

In terms of a live show, the band still has the energy shown those two decades ago, and the new album helps capture that live element, on record.  A guitar change later, the new ‘Machinery’ brought soaring riffs and licks then set closer, ‘Girl from Mars’ had most in the crowd pogo-ing in place.

Encore ‘Burn Baby Burn’ effectively drowned out the three-band hard rock show going on elsewhere in the club and the band was generous enough to stick around after, to meet and greet the loyal fan base.  So, a toast and welcome back to Ash- to their return of making albums again, to their noisy-good live shows, and for being the good guys to get to know, that they are.

Ash at Nether Bar, Minneapolis (30 Sept 2015)

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com

Freezepop at the Nether Bar, Minneapolis (18 July 2015)

Freezepop Setlist Bike Thief Magnetic Natural Causes (request) Phantoms (new song) Manipulate Freezepop Forever Tender Lies テニスのボーイフレンド (Tennis Boyfriend) Science Genius Girl Plastic Stars Harebrained Scheme Get Ready 2 Rokk Stakeout -- Encore -- Doppelganger Special Effects Less Talk More Rokk Super Sprode (request) Jem Theme (Jem and the Holograms cover) Read More Freezepop I'm pretty excited to let you know that Boston's Freezepop will be doing a very small three-show Midwest tour this week - starting on Thursday .…

"Get ready 2 rokk..."

Synthpop Freezepop just ended their mini-Midwest tour at the Nether Bar (at Mill City Nights) in Minneapolis last night, July 18th.

The Electric Witch

DJ SLT kept music in the synthpop genre going after doors opened and between band sets, starting with duo Duck Duck Punch (Bryan & Trent) and followed by The Electric Witch (featuring singer Mary Bue in a mask). I had a hard time working out the songs for TEW, but I suspect many of those songs were taken from their latest We See the Shapes (Xero Music).

Dance Assault

Next was Dance Assault, lead by singer/synths Carson in cool shades with the help of drummer Kenneth and guitarist Jay. The trio played about six songs, mostly taken from their debut album Into the Light, including "Feel It", "Keep Me Sane", and "The Power".

Boston's Freezepop (Liz, Sean, Robert, and Marie) was a lot of fun. You can just tell right away when they were doing their soundchecks, playfully keying in the first few notes of Prince's "1999" (as you do when you are in his hometown), Van Halen's "Jump" and The Smurfs Theme Song.

Also, if there was one thing you can take away from their show last night, it was that they never forgot to thank their fans. Can you believe it's been fifteen years since their debut album Freezepop Forever originally came out?

I suspect when they were putting together their setlist, that they had so many requests for songs from their debut album, that they decided to put them all together in a block. It became a running joke, with Sean Drinkwater kept introducing those songs as "Let's go back in time from our first album Freezepop Forever..." or "This is all the way back from our first album Freezepop Forever..." or "We're going to do something from our first album..." This is good to hear, as some bands are sometime embarrassed and tend to not play any old songs (Metric, Camera Obscura to name a few bands that came to mind).

There was one early request from a Brian who asked them to play "Natural Causes", followed by a new song called "Phantoms", which required audience participation of singing back the word "phantoms".

Freezepop

Singer Liz messed up on "テニスのボーイフレンド (Tennis Boyfriend)" and requested a 'do over'. According to their banter, they also messed up (on a different song) in Chicago.

The rest of the show went on without any problems, even though their set changed from night to night and sometime had to play songs they haven't rehearsed in a while.

Setlist

After the fake 'going back stage' (they were still on stage) and hearing the "Encore" chants, they came back to play a few more tracks. Based on all the singing, the biggest hit of the night was clearly "Less Talk More Rokk"... with its lyrics, "the music is loud/the kids are so young/all over the world/they wanna have fun... just give us more rokk", serving as their anthem.

I thought that was the end of the show, especially when Robert "Bananas" started taking a photo of the audience, fans were shouting requests like "Super Sprode" .... which lead them to do an impromptu version of the song (well.... only after Brian found the correct beats/backing tracks on his laptop of course). During the chorus, fans threw on underwear on stage!

That wasn't the end of it, they ended their entire show with the "Jem Theme" song, encouraging fans to sing along.

I got the feeling that the band have a close relationship to their fans, knowing their names and more than happy to play requests... and it's that kind of personal interaction that creates a strong and loyal fanbase.

Freezepop at the Nether Bar, Minneapolis (18 July 2015)

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

The Bots w/ Picturebooks at Nether Bar, Minneapolis (15 Sept 2014)

The Picturebooks Setlist PCH Diamond Hide Woman (Tears of Gold) Learn It the Hard Way Hail These Words E.L.I.Z.A.B.E.T.H. Fever (Madonna cover) All of My Life The Rabbit and the Wolf Your Kisses Burn Like Fire The Bots North American Tour Dates 09/20 Riotfest - Denver, CO 09/21 Smell - Los Angeles, CA 09/22 Casbah - San Diego, CA 09/27 Shindig Festival - Baltimore, MD 09/28 Union Transfer - Phila, PA* 09/29 Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY* 10/06 Sinclair, Cambridge, MA* 10/08 Garrison, Toronto, ON* 10/10 Double Door, Chicago, IL* 10/11 Turf Club, St. Paul, MN* 11/06 Billys Ice, New Braunfels, TX 11/08 Foundry, Dallas, TX 11/09 Fun Fun Fun Fest - Austin, TX * with Augustines Read More The Bots We previously mentioned that The Bots were two brothers, Mikaiah Lei (lead vocal, guitar, bass) and Anaiah Lei (drums & percussions, backing vocal), and noted that they were really young … The Picturebooks The Picturebooks, described as a new band, the blues-rock duo (Fynn & Philipp). Noisey recently debuted the band’s video for "Your Kisses Burn Like Fire" and said it makes you want to buy a motorcycle and disappear into …

Some say the future will be ruled by ‘bots, …

Though that may be a little tech-cynical and too far off, the future of modern alt-rock does belong to bands like The Bots, a teenage brotherly duo, who stopped by Mill City Nights’ Nether Bar for a show earlier in the week. 

The Picturebooks

Opening the evening was another duo, originally hailing from Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia Germany, called The Picturebooks. Guitarist/vocalist Finn Grabke along with drummer Philipp Mirtschink looked like they just rode in on motorcycles, playing with no abandon and hair flying everywhere.

The pair is out in support of its upcoming Imaginary Horse (out Oct 7 on Riding Easy Records) and plays a swampy, somewhat dark blend of retroist feedback-heavy blues/rock that recalls bands like Wolfmother, that also shows some Southern California influence, where the band has spent a lot of recent time.  Grabke’s father, Claus, is a known former skateboarder, producer, and musician, and his son continues with a similar journey.

The Picturebooks Setlist

During their abbreviated opening set, it seemed like Mirtschink was determined to break his drum heads with loud pounding on songs like ‘E.L.I.Z.A.B.E.T.H.’, ‘The Rabbit and the Wolf’ and lead album single, ‘Your Kisses Burn Like Fire’, while Grabke wailed and reverb’d the blues. There was nothing gentle about their set, but it was forceful enough to pay attention to what happens with the band next.

Mikaiah Lei

Like the openers, guitar/drum duo The Bots have an affinity for skateparks, noise rock, and putting unbridled energy into their live performance.  While most of us spent our teen years just hanging out, playing video games, and causing trouble, brothers Mikaiah (guitar/vocals) and Anaiah Lei (drums),now 18 and 15, have been on tour the last several years, playing almost every high profile festival in Europe, Japan, and the U.S., beginning with the Warped Tour in 2011.

Their debut full-length, Pink Palms (FADER Label) is due October 14^th, and the pair is on the road early in support of it, mixing adolescent garage punk, with more traditional blues and rock (a la White Stripes/Black Keys with a nod to early Nirvana and Pixies).

Their 47 min. set began with guitar feedback over sound effects and an ‘80s electronic drum sound, before it quickly morphed into something more primal and punk in nature.  ‘Ethopia’, their second song in, roared with a sludgy guitar riff, while the elder Lee’s melodic vocals kept the song from sounding darker than its lyrics.

Before feedback started the song ‘Blinded’, guitarist Lee searched the stage, realizing he had forgotten his setlist, though was able to carry on from memory.  Moving to keyboards mid-set, the tempo slowed briefly, with heavy keyboard bass and 80’s-esque rhythms dominating the song, ‘Dinosaurs’.

The Bots

‘Side Effects’ followed, a song about doing/selling drugs had reflective and somber lyrics that belied the young ages of the duo.  The biggest response of the night was predictably for ‘All I Really Want’, a single from the upcoming full-length and the track that’s getting current airplay locally.

Like similar young trio Unlocking the Truth who are poised as the next generation of metal, The Bots seem seasoned despite their young age, and a positive sign of future alternative rock to come.

The Bots at the Nether Bar, Minneapolis (15 Sept 2014)

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

Miniature Tigers at the Nether Bar, Minneapolis (23 Jul 2014)

Miniature Tigers Setlist Swimming Pool Blues Sadistic Kisses The Wolf Oblivious Female Doctor Gold Skull Dream Girl Cleopatra I Can't Stop Like or Like Like Bullfighter Jacket Used To Be The Sh** Cannibal Queen The Griswolds Setlist 16 Years Right On Track The Courtship of Summer Preasley Beware the Dog If You Wanna Stay Be Impressive Mississippi Heart of a Lion Finish Ticket Setlist In The Summer Doctor Catch You On My Way Out When You Were Young (The Killers cover) Pockets Bring The Rain Young Rising Sons Setlist Red & Gold King of the World Turnin' Simple Life (new song) High Read More Miniature Tigers From Phoenix, Arizona, is this delightful indie rock band called Miniature Tigers. Fans of Weezer, will love this band. Charlie Brand, the singer, … … The Griswolds Australia's The Griswolds were recently chosen as one of nine other artists on Spotify's Emerge campaign, which began Tuesday. Past winners includes now-established bands such as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis … Finish Ticket Finish Ticket on tour this Summer with Miniature Tigers. Remaining Tour dates: July 24 – Jackpot Music Hall – Lawrence, KS … Young Rising Sons New Jersey alt band Young Rising Sons release their debut 4-song EP today on "Dirty Canvas/Interscope Records". The EP contains the current single “High” which went viral on social media in a digital storm …

Indie alternative band Miniature Tigers are currently in the middle of their "Cruel Runnings Tour", stopping by Mill City Night's Nether Bar in Minneapolis last night, July 23rd.

Young Rising Sons

Opening up, earlier than set time listed, was Young Rising Sons, the first of four bands. Originally this Red Bank, New Jersey, band was not even listed on bill, so it was actually quite a surprise to see them play. They had a fairly brief five-song set, which lasted less than 25 minutes. All these bands at the show would do really well at Warped Tour, but probably more enjoyable as this was definitely a more intimate experience.

Young Rising Sons basically played their entire self-titled EP, with the exception of "Simple Life." Singer Steve Patrick (off topic: Morrissey's name is Steven Patrick) explained that the song was only written a few weeks ago!

Finish Ticket

San Francisco's Finish Ticket was up next. Admittedly, when I heard their name announced, I thought they were called Finnish Ticket. You know, from Finland.

Finish Ticket's set consisted of their debut album Tears You Apart, except they threw in a cover of The Killers' song "When You Were Young."

The Griswolds

Australia's The Griswolds took the stage just prior to 10 o'clock to some very excited fans who rushed to the front of the stage to cheer and champion their new favorite band. This shouldn't surprise anyone, the band was recently chosen by Spotify's Emerge campaign, so the music is reaching to a younger audience.

Christopher Whitehall

All of the songs from Heart of a Lion EP were really well received, including the title track as closer, "Mississippi," and "The Courtship of Summer Preasley." For the latter song, singer Christopher Whitehall introduced the song as "This one's an old one." Funny, because that EP was only released last year.

Although the audience were dancing and singing along to "Beware the Dog," one of their preceding single from Be Impressive (coming out August 26th via Wind-Up Records), I was mostly impressed by their song "Mississippi," which had a great shift in song style in the middle of the song. It should also be noted that the grand Mississippi River divides our two twin cities, Minneapolis and St Paul.

Charlie Brand

It's been a long time since Miniature Tigers were in Minneapolis, even singer Charlie Brand confessed that he wasn't actually sure people were going to show up. But he was wrong, truly dedicated fans were waiting in anticipation, despite the fact that Hennepin Avenue was blocked off due to Life Time Fitness's "Torchlight 5K" parade.

Sure, it's been a long time, but fans still remember fondly of Miniature Tigers, singing along to the more well-known songs, particularly with "Female Doctor," "Used To Be The Sh**", and " Cannibal Queen."

Highlight of their set included "Dream Girl," which was dedicated to Zoey in the audience, because it was her birthday. However, the biggest hit of the night was their finale, "Cannibal Queen," which featured a stage invasion from big fans and also members of Finish Ticket and The Griswolds. It was kind of surprising to see so many people on the non-existent stage.

There was no need for an encore, because it'll be really hard to top that satisfying ending.

Miniature Tigers' latest release Cruel Runnings came out last month and is available via Yebo Music.

Remaining tour dates:

07.24 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Music Hall*
07.25 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown Jr*
07.26 - Underground Music Showcase*
07.27 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court*
07.29 - Seattle, WA - The Vera Project*
07.30 - Portland, OR - Holocene*
07.31 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop*
08.01 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo*
08.02 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar*
08.03 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom*
08.05 - San Antonio, TX - The Korova*
08.06 - Austin, TX - Stubbs Jr*
08.07 - Houston, TX - Fitzgeralds*
08.08 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jack's*
08.09 - Atlanta, GA - Purgatory*
08.10 - Orlando, FL - The Social*
08.12 - Ybor City, FL - Crowbar*
08.13 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle*
08.14 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery*
08.15 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer*
08.16 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl*
08.17 - Allston, MA - Brighton Music Hall*

* with The Griswolds

Miniature Tigers at the Nether Bar, Minneapolis (23 Jul 2014)

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

Stay Reckless Tour featuring Austin Lucas, PJ Bond, Allison Weiss and Trapper Schoepp at The Nether Bar, Minneapolis (12/01/13)

Poster Stay Reckless Tour 12/03 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern 12/04 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick Lounge 12/05 - Toronto @ Horsehoe Tavern 12/06 - Montreal @ Il Motore 12/07 - Providence, RI @ Fete 12/08 - Boston, MA @ Middle East Up 12/10 - Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory 12/11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Milkboy 12/12 - Vienna, VA @ Jammin Java 12/13 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose 12/14 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern * with Austin Lucas, Allison Weiss and PJ Bond Read More Austin Lucas Are you feeling unhinged? Unruly? Perhaps a little reckless? Then stop by Mill City Night’s cozy Nether Bar on December 1st for the Stay Reckless tour featuring …

Stay Reckless Tour featuring Austin Lucas, PJ Bond, Allison Weiss and Trapper Schoepp
The Nether Bar 12/01/13

Sunday night at the Nether Bar, the cozy lower level of downtown Minneapolis’ Mill City Nights, was an evening brimming with personal songs and spirited performances and you couldn’t have asked for a better roster of performers.

TRAPPER SCHOEPP

Milwaukeean Trapper Schoepp started things off with a fantastic cover of the classic Jimmie Rodgers’ tune “T for Texas” before moving into acoustic versions of his band’s raucous barroom jams. Schoepp’s impressive story-driven songwriting was on full display as stripped down songs like “Tracks” and “Pins and Needles” (from the Shades’ 2012 album Run, Engine, Run) revealed a lonely ache: “When you feel like you know everyone you meet / And you’re walking up and down the same old street / When the salt starts to lose its taste / You better find yourself in another place.”

Trapper & Tanner

Schoepp is an easy-going performer, offering anecdotes about his songs (like the one he wrote about a roller coaster in Green Bay, WI that was once owned by Elvis). He’s also not afraid to share the spotlight; his brother Tanner joined him on stage, harmonizing on family epics “Run, Engine, Run” and “The Ballad of Olof Johnson” and the exquisite set closer, Hank Williams’ “Lost Highway.”

PJ BOND

Up next was nomadic singer/songwriter PJ Bond, who began his set with a pleasant track about it being “okay to call off work on a sunny day,” something I fully support. Bond has a strong, versatile Ryan Adams-esque voice that could sound mournful on songs like “In a Bad Way” or simply soar like on the upbeat “Stop Being Bad.” Despite the darker content in some of his lyrics (an unfaithful girlfriend getting pregnant, the self-destructive nature of alcoholism and the trials of living on the road) Bond chatted good-naturedly with the crowd, recalling stories from his tenure in multiple bands over the years. Having learned about his history and hearing about his travels in song, Bond very much reminds me of Jonah Matranga, former lead singer of 90s hard rock band Far. Like Bond, Matranga, after the dissolution of his band, spent several years on the road playing acoustic solo shows for fans in living rooms and basements. And, like Schoepp before him, Bond had no problem bringing family into the fold; one of his final numbers was a song his brother Brian had written.

ALLISON WEISS

By the time Allison Weiss took to the stage with her band (a keyboardist and bassist), many more people filtered into the Nether Bar’s modest space. Weiss was very engaging throughout her set, asking the audience, “Does anyone in here like to feel?” and making humorous comments about the television show “The OC” and the mocking glare of the venue’s glowing restroom sign. Weiss played a collection of earnest pop originals before dropping a pretty great cover of Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away.”

“This is a rock and roll show,” headliner Austin Lucas declared as he summoned folks to abandon their seats and tables for a sweet spot at the front of the stage. Part country bombast, part sweaty punk rock, Lucas and his band added a burst of excitement into the club. Lucas, himself, has a magnetic stage presence; he clearly owned the crowd with his passionate vocals and guitar prowess. Admittedly, I was surprised when I saw Lucas get onstage with a full band (I thought the whole show would be acoustic), but far from disappointed. It seemed like the evening was sort of building to this moment; the slow-burn of two excellent acoustic sets from Schoepp and Bond early on to the fuller sound of Weiss and her band to the climax of loud guitars, pounding drums and Lucas’ lilting southern drawl.

Austin Lucas at the Nether Bar, Minneapolis (12/01/13)

emily () ♥ austinlucasmusic.com ♥ pjbondmusic.tumblr.com ♥ trapperschoepp.com ♥ allisonw.com

Vintage Trouble at the Nether Bar, Minneapolis - March 9, 2013

intro (Hound Dog by Big Mama Thornton) High Times (They Are Coming) Blues Hand Me Down Still And Always Will Nancy Lee Total Strangers You Better Believe It Before the Tear Drops Run Like the River You Saved Me Jezzebella Not Alright By Me Love With Me Pelvis Pusher Nobody Told Me band intros Strike Your Light (Right On Me) Encore: Run Outta You Vintage Trouble Set List Leogun Set List Read More Vintage Trouble After a very successful opening stint for The Who, LA-based Soul/Rock band Vintage Trouble heads out on an upcoming headlining tour of their own.…

Vintage Trouble w/ Leogun @ The Nether Bar
Minneapolis, MN - March 9, 2013

         A cold and rainy night outside was in stark contrast to the hot and crowded basement bar of Mill City Nights, where LA-based buzz band Vintage Trouble and openers Leogun, each shook the rafters inside the sold-out tiny club.

LEOGUN

         Leogun, a UK power rock/blues three piece got the night started with a literal bang, plowing through seven songs in just over 30 minutes. The band name apparently refers to a half-man/half-lion beast and guitarist/vocalist Tommy Smith and bassist Matt Johnson certainly looked the part; shoulder-length curly hair flailing with each chord struck while drummer Mike Lloyd kept time in back. Clearly influenced by the past but with a sound their own, the band has appeal to fans of Humble Pie, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Queens of the Stone Age and anything in-between.

         After a short break, the four well-dressed members of Vintage Trouble maneuvered through the crowd (as it's too small at The Nether for any off-stage Green Room), entering to Big Mama Thornton's version of 'Hound Dog', then blazing through an often incendiary set that was just short of two hours. While the band's sound is anchored in old soul/rock (think Redding, Pickett, Ike Turner, Hendrix), it plays with an updated grit to to form an audio amalgam that is both retro and modern.

         Beginning with the One/Two punch of 'Hard Times (They are Coming)' and 'Blues Hand Me Down', the crowd was immediately in a frenzy; asked all evening to call-and-respond, clap along, move front to back, and generally become a part of the show.

         Vocalist/frontman Ty Taylor has come a long way from his Rockstar:INXS days, morphing into a mesmerizing and charismatic showman that spins, juts, and shakes in a way that would make James Brown proud. Drummer Richard Danielson and bassist Rick Barrio Dill more than ably held down the bottom end, while band 'secret weapon', guitarist Nalle Colt (looking like a dapper Viggo Mortenson) impressed with roaring riffs and stretched out solos.

         As much as the songs detonate on 'The Bomb Shelter Sessions" LP, live and in concert is truly the way to experience this band, who clearly encourages and feeds off the hot-house/hootenanny feel of a small, packed room. The downside of their buzz is that they likely won't play this small a room in town again anytime soon, but do remain more than worthy of seeing live, no matter how large or small the venue.

Vintage Trouble at the Nether Bar, Minneapolis (03/09/13)

john ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ vintagetrouble.com ♥ leogunband.com