W♥M

The Gaslight Anthem at the Midland (9/23) and the Fillmore (9/24)

Gaslight Anthem Setlists The Midland, Kansas City (09/23)     Intro: “Silent All These Years” by Tori Amos Kansas City (09/23) Have Mercy Old White Lincoln Boomboxes and Dictionaries Handwritten Get Hurt High Lonesome Drive Wooderson Underneath the Ground Miles Davis and the Cool The Patient Ferris Wheel Halloween Stay Vicious Great Expectations National Anthem 45 The '59 Sound Outro: “Heaven on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle Fillmore, Minneapolis (09/24) Minneapolis (09/24) Have Mercy Old White Lincoln Boomboxes and Dictionaries Handwritten Get Hurt High Lonesome The Queen of Lower Chelsea Blue Dahlia Underneath the Ground Miles Davis and the Cool Chloe Dancer (Mother Love Bone cover) State of Love and Trust (Pearl Jam cover) Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts Halloween Stay Vicious American Slang Great Expectations National Anthem 45 The '59 Sound Tigers Jaw Setlists Body Language Hesitation Old Clothes Plane vs Tank vs Submarine Can't Wait Forever Warn Me Hum I Won't Care How You Remember Me June Cat's Cradle Commit Guardian Anniversary Tour Dates 09/26 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre † 09/27 - McKees Rocks, PA - Roxian Theatre † 09/28 - Rooftop at Pier 17, New York, NY 09/30 - Niagara Falls, NY - The Rapids Theatre ^ 10/01 - Toronto, ONT - RBC Echo Beach ^ 10/02 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit ^ 10/04 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway ^ 10/05 - Washington, DC - The Anthem ^ 10/07 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met Philadelphia ^ 10/08 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center ^ † w/ special guest Tigers Jaw ^ w/ special guest Jeff Rosenstock Read More The Gaslight Anthem New Jersey's The Gaslight Anthem is currently on tour in support of their latest album Get Hurt, out now on Island Records. You may recall that when we talked to Matt Pinfield in 2012, he is quoted to say that the punk rock band's song "45" was .…

The Gaslight Anthem are on their reunion tour, stopping by The Midland Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, and the Fillmore in Minneapolis, Minnesota. W♥M recaps the two concerts.

Gaslight Anthem at The Midland, Kansas City MO (09/23/2022)

Scranton, PA alt rockers Tigers Jaw have been opening on this leg, with a forty-five-minute set, with cuts drawn from their six full-length albums, the most recent being last year’s I Won’t Care How You’ll Remember Me (on Hopeless Records) with a new EP, Old Clothes, due out October 28^th, with the title track serving as the lead single.  

The group benefits from having co-lead singers in guitarist Ben Walsh (who sang most of the set’s first-half songs) and keyboardist Brianna Collins who stepped away from her stack to sing most of the later set songs, notably on 2017’s “June” and last year’s “Commit” with Collins singing, “An eclipse only shines from a distance, you can't make sense of a world you're not in.”

===

Fans had been left wondering, and checking social media all day, as New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem were scheduled to play The Midland in Kansas City as part of their reunion tour, their first since a 2015 hiatus (and not counting some brief 2018 dates), but singer-songwriter Brian Fallon had lost his voice at their Salt Lake City show, forcing a cancellation in Denver, and three subsequent days of rest for this, their potential first show back.  

The good news was that Fallon’s voice (though still raspy on the edges) had returned, and helped propel their ninety-minute set, with the band leader as verbose and talkative as always, despite the setback.  The set would start gently, with an almost whispered first verse of 2014’s “Get Hurt”, but quickly ramp up from there.  

“Last time you were pissed at me, now it’s Denver!” Fallon emoted after a couple songs in, saying he felt he got maybe too much rest mostly sleeping for the last three days, so seemed to be making up for it, by engaging audience members in conversation and espousing whatever was on his mind.

Other Fallon-speak topics covered included The Walking Dead/ Norman Reedus hair, Aaron Judge / NY Yankees, The Strokes, the NFL, Brooklyn/Jay-Z, The National, KC BBQ, Freebird, diabetes, and many others.  

“Get Hurt” was even dedicated to Fallon’s time in Colorado, referring to his bed rest and the show cancellation.  2008’s “High Lonesome” cribs a Counting Crows lyric and it was with 2007’s “Wooderson”, that Fallon called an audible and the band began to start veering from the printed setlist.  “The Patient Ferris Wheel” was played via a fan request, and another fan had made an elaborate, lighted sign to request the song, “Halloween” which Fallon noticed right before the band was to play it anyway.

The encore-less set would end with the one-two punch of 2012’s “45” whose “see you on the flipside” lyrics Fallon dedicated to openers Tigers Jaw, who are on the last dates of this leg, and an extended version of the band’s biggest radio hit “The ‘59 Sound” with Fallon asking in verse, “Did you hear your favorite song, one last time?”  From the crowd’s loud reaction all night, it’s safe to say they did.  

===

Gaslight Anthem at The Fillmore, Minneapolis, MN (09/24/2022)

By the start of the third song the lead singer of The Gaslight Anthem, Brian Fallon, had a perplexed look as he gazed down to the set list at his feet.  Fallon has a nimble, fluid-thinking mind and he thought out loud why he would have picked the third song as the third song.  He blamed it on his throat which was at 30% and felt like it was dragged to hell by the devil, himself.  He then went onto an extemporaneous jag that touched on not smoking pot, watching the Walking Dead in his hotel room, props to the crowd and venue, shout-outs to The Replacements and the underrated Soul Asylum and how it is agreed upon that everyone in the venue hates Tom Brady.  At least that’s what I caught.  Oh yeah, also no refunds for the rasp in his voice.

Tigers Jaw opened up the evening with two lead vocals: Ben Walsh also playing the rhythm guitar and Brianna Collins playing the keyboard.  Based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the band is fronting the first half of the tour and it was nice to see co-lead vocals, especially Collins airy voice and keyboard accents lofting above the guitar-driven chords of the rest of the band

Tigers Jaw played “Old Clothes” a new EP to be released October 28^th, then followed with “Plane vs Tank vs Submarine” from their debut album from 2008 which gathered big applause from the sold out crowd that showed up early.  “Hum” had a nice distortion transition into “I Won’t Care How You Remember Me.” They finished strong with “Commit”, “Guardian” and “Anniversary” with lyrics which seem fitting for the ailing lead singer of the next band:

I'm doing alright, I'll give it a try anyway

Kansas City Setlist “Minneapolis” Setlist

Fallon finally figured it out by the seventh song.  The little “huh” that bugged him when he looked at the set list earlier was actually the set list from the previous show in Kansas City.  Fallon then grabbed his smart phone and consulted with members of the band.  He wanted to let the audience know that even though blame would not be assigned, nobody currently on the stage made the mistake and whoever did was buying everyone dinner the next night. 

And while Fallon and the band launched into “The Queen of Lower Chelsea” a stagehand scurried about with the updated list. 

After “Miles Davis and the Cool” and a brief, subtle cover of Mother Love Bone’s “Chloe Dancer”, it was full, wide-open rock starting with “Stay Vicious” and “American Slang” and ending with the triumphant couplet of “45” and “The 59 Sound”. 

Fallon told the crowd they were going right up to the curfew, and they weren’t going to waste any time with an encore.  He wasn’t a fan of encores.  He said that only a few bands should practice them.  He mentioned Metallica and The Beastie Boys. 

For a man with 30% of a voice he sure provided a lot of opinions, the kind of sage rock wisdom that told a fan who shouted for Paul Westerberg’s “Dyslexic Heart”: “No”.

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

Tigers Jaw (09/23- Kansas City MO)

Tigers Jaw (9/23)

Tigers Jaw (9/23)

Tigers Jaw (9/23)

Gaslight Anthem (09/23- Kansas City MO)

Gaslight Anthem (9/23)

Gaslight Anthem (9/23)

Gaslight Anthem (9/23)

Gaslight Anthem (09/23- Kansas City, MO)

Gaslight Anthem (9/23)

Gaslight Anthem (9/23)

Gaslight Anthem (9/23)

Gaslight Anthem (9/23)

The Gaslight Anthem at The Midland, Kansas City MO (23 Sep 2022)

Tigers Jaw (09/24)

Tigers Jaw (09/24)

Tigers Jaw (09/24)

Gaslight Anthem (9/24)

Gaslight Anthem (9/24)

Gaslight Anthem (9/24)

The Gaslight Anthem at The Fillmore, Minneapolis MN (24 Sep 2022)

dave + john ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Record Store Day 2021 Drop 2 - Sat. July 17

Read More Record Store Day The annual Record Store Day is tomorrow (Saturday, April 16th). Here are some events taking place in the Minneapolis area .…

In another positive sign of returning normalcy, Record Store Day returns this Saturday to your favorite neighborhood independent record store, with the final of two “drops” of exclusive and rare releases.

Planned in the midst of the global pandemic, thisbest day of the year for music collectors is to be wisely split into two dates this year, making the most sense fiscally and socially responsible, while also giving production plants a chance to meet customer demands.

In addition to Saturday July 17, June 12 also served as a RSD release day and there are likely some limited releases left over from that day at your favorite indie store.

Titles available are all listed on the official RSD website but availability will vary depending on the store and their ability to receive what they pre-ordered. Additionally, rules and social protocols will likely be taking place, from mask wearing, to limiting quantities, browsing time and in-store capacity, so check with the preferred establishment of your choice.

In Minneapolis/St. Paul, Electric Fetus will be handing out early line numbers and selling out of their back garage, while Down in the Valley features grab bags and giveaways and will be partnering with Broken Clock Brewing for an exclusive lime-tinged beer.

In Kansas City, Josey Records completes their first RSD at their new location (just a block from the old one), Mills Record Co. will be handing out early wish lists to fill out then have their staff shop for you, while Love Garden in Lawrence will randomize the lining up order with a lottery system.

Each year, the event also selects a celebrity Record Store Day Ambassador and this year, it is musician/ comedian/ actor/ writer/ late- night- talk- show- bandleader Fred Armisen (who also releases a new EP as part of the July 17 drop).

“I've been completely lost in records for most of my life”,Armisen said, “They have defined the way I see the world and how I remember different years in the past. As I moved to different cities throughout my life, I never stopped collecting records. That also goes for CDs.”

Though the releases are primarily on vinyl, there are a few on CD, as well as on another “thought-dead” format, the cassette.  With 162 titles coming this Saturday, there are far too many to mention, but here are a few highlights:

(click any image to enlarge)

The Monkees Missing Links Volumes 1, 2 and 3 LP each limited to 2000	Aretha Franklin Oh Me Oh My: Aretha Live in Philly 1972 2 x LP limited to 5050	Amy Winehouse Remixes 2xLP limited to 13000	Waterboys How Long Will I Love You (2021 Remix) 12” Vinyl limited to 3000
The Cure Wild Mood Swings 2 x LP Picture Disc limited to 8000	Ramones Live in Sydney, Australia, July 8, 1980 LP limited to 6000	Bob Dylan Jokerman / I And I Remixes 12" Vinyl  limited to 7000	Ultravox Vienna (Steven Wilson Remix) 2xLP limited 2500 / 2xCD limited to 1500
The Clash If Music Could Talk 2 x LP  limited to 3600	Cat Stevens / Yusuf Songs From Harold & Maude LP limited to 8000	Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Déjà vu Alternates LP limited to 10000	Rolling Stones Hot Rocks (50th Anniversary Edition) LP limited to 7200
Karen O & Willie Nelson Under Pressure 7" Vinyl limited to 2500	Allman Brothers Band The Final Note  2 x LP limited to 9000	Pearl Jam Alive Cassette limited to 6300 / LP limited to 18500	Foo Fighters (as The Dee Gees) Hail Satin LP limited to 12000

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

R.I.P. Shawn Smith (Brad) and Les Reed

Tom Jones: It's Not Unusual Read More Pearl Jam Here's a band that needs no press or introduction - Pearl Jam. It's been a very long time since they were in town, but since they were already headlining Austin City Limits .…

It’s been a while since we mentioned a musician death. Although there are many deaths, there just didn’t seem to be any big names for the month of April.

If you’re a Pearl Jam fan, you might be sad to hear that American singer, songwriter and musician Shawn Smith of the supergroup Brad had passed away at the age of 53 to a torn aorta.

Personally speaking, the biggest name on the April death list, so far, is Les Reed, who co-wrote (with Gordon Mills) the song “It’s Not Unusual”. The song was originally offered to Sandie Shaw (one of Morrissey’s idols), but she turned down the song.

Of course, the song became a massive hit for then-unknown singer Welsh singer Tom Jones. Listening to the song, it did kind of have that nice Decca sound that was big in the mid-60s.

For the full death list head over to Musicians who died in 2019.

April (44)

[24 Apr 2019] Dick Rivers (French rock and roll singer for Les Chats Sauvages), 74, cancer

[24 Apr 2019] Pedro de Saint Germain (Brazilian singer), 69

[23 Apr 2019] Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick (American soprano singer and presenter), 35

[22 Apr 2019] Jim Dunbar (American radio program director for KGO), 89

[22 Apr 2019] Dave Samuels (American percussionist for Spyro Gyra), 70

[21 Apr 2019] Yasmim Gabrielle (Brazilian singer), 17, suicide

[21 Apr 2019] Atli Heimir Sveinsson (Icelandic composer), 80

[20 Apr 2019] Amar Pal (Indian folk singer), 96, heart attack

[20 Apr 2019] Wu Yili (Chinese-Singaporean pianist), 88

[19 Apr 2019] Martin Böttcher (German composer, arranger and conductor), 91

[19 Apr 2019] MC Sapão (Brazilian singer), 40, pneumonia

[17 Apr 2019] Frederick Hemke (American saxophonist), 83

[16 Apr 2019] Jörg Demus (Austrian pianist), 90

[16 Apr 2019] Kent Harris (American songwriter and record producer), 88, cancer

[15 Apr 2019] Les Reed (English songwriter), 83

[15 Apr 2019] Joe Terry (American rock and roll singer for Danny & the Juniors), 78

[14 Apr 2019] Rakhal Chandra Mohanty (Indian music director and singer), 86

[13 Apr 2019] Paul Raymond (English keyboardist and guitarist for Plastic Penny), 73, heart attack

[13 Apr 2019] Hubert Wayaffe (French radio personality and disc jockey), 81

[12 Apr 2019] Dina (Portuguese singer), 62, pulmonary fibrosis

[12 Apr 2019] Johnny Hutchinson (English rock and roll drummer for The Big Three), 78

[12 Apr 2019] Gary Stewart (American music executive and archivist for Rhino Records), 62

[11 Apr 2019] Mus Mulyadi (Indonesian singer), 73

[11 Apr 2019] Ivan Ponomarenko (Ukrainian opera singer), 73

[10 Apr 2019] Earl Thomas Conley (American country music singer-songwriter), 77, cerebral atrophy

[10 Apr 2019] Greg Haymes, aka Sarge Blotto (American singer of Blotto)

[09 Apr 2019] Paul Severs (Belgian singer), 70

[07 Apr 2019] Gino Stefani (Italian jazz musician, musicologist and semiologist), 89

[06 Apr 2019] Jim Glaser (American country music artist), 82, heart attack

[05 Apr 2019] Ib Glindemann (Danish jazz composer and bandleader), 84

[05 Apr 2019] Pastor López (Venezuelan singer-songwriter), 74, stroke

[05 Apr 2019] Samuel Pilafian (American tuba player), 69, colon cancer

[05 Apr 2019] Shawn Smith (American singer, songwriter and musician for Brad), 53, torn aorta

[05 Apr 2019] Davey Williams (American avant-garde guitarist for Curlew), 66, cancer

[05 Apr 2019] Wowaka (Japanese Vocaloid producer and vocalist), 31, heart failure

[04 Apr 2019] Alberto Cortez (Argentine singer and songwriter), 79, gastric haemorrhage

[04 Apr 2019] Marilyn Mason (American concert organist), 93

[04 Apr 2019] Tiger Merritt (American singer and guitarist for Morning Teleportation), 31

[03 Apr 2019] Einar Iversen (Norwegian jazz pianist and composer), 88

[03 Apr 2019] Maurice Pon (French lyricist), 97

[02 Apr 2019] Rick Elias (American musician for A Ragamuffin Band), 64, brain cancer

[02 Apr 2019] Kim English (American house and gospel singer-songwriter), 48, kidney failure

[01 Apr 2019] Caravelli (French conductor and composer for And Satan Calls the Turns), 88

[01 Apr 2019] Armando Vega Gil (Mexican writer, composer, and bassist for Botellita de Jerez), 64, suicide

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

Emily's 2014 Best Of Lists

Read More Kelis W♥M 2014 Album of the Year Nomination: Kelis' Food, a concept about food. W♥M 2014 Album of the Year Nomination: Suzanne Vega's Tales From the Realm of the Queen of Pantacles …

Emily's 2014 Best Of Lists

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1) Kelis, Food
2) the Afghan Whigs, Do To The Beast
3) Sloan, Commonwealth
4) the Pack AD, Do Not Engage
5) Beverly, Careers

SONGS OF THE YEAR

1) Future Islands, "Seasons (Waiting on You)"
2) Lana Del Rey, "West Coast"
3) Sharon Van Etten, "Taking Chances"
4) Eels, "Parallels"
5) Mark Lanegan, "Floor of the Ocean"

*Special mention:

- Big Freedia, "Explode"
- Old 97s, "Longer Than You've. Been Alive"
- Spoon "Rent I Pay"

SHOWS OF THE YEAR

1) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at the State Theater
2) the Replacements at Midway Stadium
3) Sloan at the Turf Club
4) the Afghan Whigs at First Avenue
5) Eels (and Steve Perry) at the Fitzgerald Theater
6) Mark Lanegan at the Bottom Lounge
7) Pearl Jam at the Xcel Energy Center

New Elvis Perkins and Sleater-Kinney next year! Here we go 2015!

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

Rocktober: October 19, 2014

Read More Smallpools Indie pop band, Smallpools, hasn't been around very long, forming earlier this year, but they are already making big waves. The band opened with one of their singles, Mason Jar, before going on to play .... Magic Man Coming off from touring with Walk the Moon, Boston band Magic Man plays three shows for this year’s CMJ Music Marathon: October 17 .…

Here are shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul on October 19, 2014.

SMALLPOOLS, MAGIC MAN with Waters
at Varsity Theater
Sunday 10/19/14, 7pm
$15/$17: varsitytheater.org

Los Angeles' Smallpools will be on their Live Nation “Ones To Watch” tour, which kicks off at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis this Sunday (October 19).

The other headliner, Magic Man was a clear favorite from Justina, who saw them at CMJ 2013.

San Francisco's Waters are last band on the bill, they have a new record It All Might Be OK, which recently came out October 14th.

Tour dates:

10/16 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
10/19 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater *
10/21 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall *
10/22 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall *
10/24 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House *
10/25 – Montreal, QC @ Cabaret Mile-End *
10/26 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club *
10/28 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg *
10/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts *
10/30 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza *
10/31 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *
11/02 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West *
11/04 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In *
11/06 – Chicago, IL @ HOB Chicago *
11/07 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Lounge *
11/08 – Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe *
11/10 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre *
11/12 – Houston, TX @ HOB ^
11/13 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s ^
11/14 – Dallas, TX @ HOB Dallas ^
11/16 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom ^
11/17 – Anaheim, CA @ HOB Anaheim ^
11/18 – San Diego, CA @ HOB San Diego ^
11/19 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre ^
11/20 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent ^
11/23 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom ^
11/24 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre ^
11/25 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue ^

* w/ Magic Man and Waters
^ w/ Magic Man and Panama Wedding

Read More The Airborne Toxic Event The Airborne Toxic Event are a bit of an enigma. Blasting out of the gate to national attention in late 2007/early 2008 with the breakout single ‘Sometime Around Midnight’ .…

AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT w/ In the Valley Below
at First Avenue
Sunday 10/19/14, 7pm
$19/$22: first-avenue.com

The Airborne Toxic Event is back in Minneapolis this Sunday... along with Los Angeles synth-pop band In the Valley Below, who will be playing tracks from their album The Belt. Personally, I think In the Valley Below should tour with Death From Above 1979 (who is stopping by Minneapolis on November 24).

As for Airborne Toxic Event, apparently members from that group and The Duke Spirit also have a project called The Bulls - their debut single "Come Unwound" is out now.

Tour dates:

Oct 15 Liberty Hall Lawrence, KS*
Oct 17 Eagles Ballroom Milwaukee, WI*
Oct 18 The Vic Chicago, IL*
Oct 19 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN*
Oct 24 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC*
Oct 25 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR*
Oct 26 Showbox at the Market Seattle, WA*
Oct 28 Ace of Spades Sacramento, CA*
Nov 03 The Depot Salt Lake City, UT*
Nov 05 Belly Up Aspen, CO*
Nov 06 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO*

*with In The Valley Below

Read More Pearl Jam Like Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam decides to create their own music festival, in celebration of their twenty years together as a band. The line up consists of Eddie Vedder's hand-picked artists, including The Strokes .…

PEARL JAM
at Xcel Energy
Sunday 10/19/14, 7:30pm
$69.50: xcelenergycenter.com

Here's a band that needs no press or introduction - Pearl Jam. It's been a very long time since they were in town, but since they were already headlining Austin City Limits, they decided to add 10 additional shows to their schedule in October.

And yes, the show is sold out.

Fans who can't attend, the consolation prize is PJ are usually good about making their live shows available on CD.

Tour dates:

10/16/14 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena
10/17/14 Moline, IL I Wireless Center
10/19/14 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
10/20/14 Milwaukee, WI BMO Harris Bradley Center
10/22/14 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
10/25/14 Bridge School Benefit
0/26/14 Bridge School Benefit

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

RNDM: Acts

Tour Dates 11/02 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg 11/03 Washington, D.C. The Black Cat 11/04 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer 11/07 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club 11/08 New York, NY The Bowery Ballroom 11/09 Montreal, QC Théâtre Corona 11/10 Ottawa, ON Algonquin Theater 11/11 Toronto, ON Lee's Place 11/13 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall 11/14 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom 11/15 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue 11/16 Lawrence, KS The Bottleneck 11/18 Boulder, CO The Fox Theatre 11/21 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour 11/23 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall 11/25 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge 11/26 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret 11/27 Seattle, WA Showbox at the Market Read More Pearl Jam Like Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam decides to create their own music festival, in celebration of their twenty years together as a band…

The term “supergroup” in the world of music can be a very dangerous thing. What starts as an innocent collaboration between musicians can snowball into a bloated vanity project where there are too many egos in the kitchen. (I’m thinking recent groups like Velvet Revolver or, worse, Chickenfoot.) All one can hope for when encountering a band made up of players from other, often times more successful acts is that they use this new platform to explore and expand their sound, to utilize their new bandmates and create something different and unexpected. Or at least make music that doesn’t suck.

RNDM (pronounced simply “random”) features songwriter/artist Joseph Arthur, Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, and drummer Richard Stuverud, who has performed with the Fastbacks and War Babies, and could be considered a supergroup simply because of the big names therein. But “supergroup” is just too flaky a word to be applied to these three creative, seasoned musicians. Their partnership began when the three men met at a gig over ten years ago; Ament and Stuverud were playing together in a band called Three Fish and Arthur opened for them. Arthur stayed in touch with Ament over the years and was even invited to play at Pearl Jam’s exclusive 20th anniversary concert in Alpine Valley, WI over Labor Day weekend last year.

The group’s debut “Acts” gets released on Monkeywrench Records October 30th. At first blush, the album has a fairly straightforward rock sound, absent of the loop pedals and spoken word that Arthur seems to favor on a lot of his solo recordings. Many of the tracks are upbeat and almost anthemic and actually reminds me quite a lot of those late-80s, early 90s Jeff Lynne-produced Tom Petty records. The insanely catchy “The Disappearing Ones” and some wilder tracks like “Look Out!” and “Throw You To the Pack” keep this record from getting too meandering. I really enjoyed the falsetto vocal harmonies and hand claps that snuck out from behind choruses like on the stand-out tracks “Hollow Girl” (my favorite) and “Williamsburg.” Arthur, himself, sounds relaxed; his strong, versatile voice fitting in comfortably with Ament’s clean, driving bass-lines and Stuverud’s solid, no-frills drumming.

The band starts their 18-date North American tour next month, even making a stop at the 7th Street Entry on November 15th! I (along with many others, probably) am really curious to see Jeff Ament perform original material outside his usual Pearl Jam stuff, something I’m sure he relishes seeing as how monolithic the 90s-era veterans have become. And I had the distinct pleasure of watching Joseph Arthur play a wonderful set (and paint onstage!) at the PJ20 event last year, so there is really no doubt that the RNDM show will be a unique and exciting one.

emily () ♥ rndmband.com

The Cavaliers

Link The Dynamics http://weheartmus... The Dynamics are a soul and Motown band from Detroit, Michigan, from the late 60s to 70s. 38 year... Footnotes [1] Wikipedia [2] Billboard, Pearl Jam's best single to date

I've quietly surpassed my 300th post on W♥M (since January), so my goal of one post per day is going along quite nicely considering that we have two more months to go until 2008.

Anyway, I wanted to write about this band after I did my review for The Dynamics (see link), but I really don't know much about this band...

Perhaps someone with knowledge can tell me about The Cavaliers, because I'm only guessing that this was the group before J Frank Wilson joined the band as J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers.^[1] I came to this conclusion because both bands were called "Cavaliers" and both released their music on the RCA label.

The reason why I am not 100% sure, is because the later Cavaliers is more Buddy-Holly-Rock music vs the Soul style of the original Cavaliers.

J Frank Wilson's big hit is "Last Kiss", was a cover song of Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders (originally released in 1962). Cochran's original version was not a huge hit, so he went back and re-recorded the song with a different publisher. His second recording didn't make much dent in the charts either... but somehow the song ended up on Frank Wilson's doorstep.

Wilson's version was a massive hit in 1964 (it climbed the Top 40 charts to #2).

Years later, the same song also was a massive hit for Pearl Jam, who covered it for the No Boundaries benefit album. The song climbed to #2 on the Billboard Charts.^[2]

J. Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers - Last Kiss

The Cavaliers - Hold On To My Baby

The Cavaliers - Dance Little Girl

Pearl Jam - Last Kiss

10/20/2007 01:16:38 vu my♥posts vu@weheartmusic.com wikipedia.org