W♥M: Saint Motel

04/15/2025

Minneapolis: May 12 to May 13, 2025

02/14/2020

We♥KC - February 16-29, 2020 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence, KS)

Poppy at Liberty Hall

We Were Promised Jetpacks 2020 Tour

Tennis at Madrid Theatre

Destroyer at Granada

Soul Asylum at Madrid Theatre

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Poppy

If it wasn’t winter, this is the show I would be happy to show up. It’s Poppy. That weird internet girl. The show is sold out. Poppy’s new album I Disagree is out now on Sumerian Records. …

Mid-February and the midwest finds itself in the dog days of winter. While Minnesota remains in the deep permafrost, the Kansas City area (still exhaling from the Chiefs Super Bowl win and subsequent massive parade) is in a weather pattern that is anything but predictable-- 72 and sunny on Super Sunday, then single-digit overnight lows soon after, then back to close to 60- wash, rinse, repeat.

There’s still plenty of reasons to go indoors and check out some live music as evidenced by the list of who’s coming to Kansas City / Lawrence, Kansas in the next couple weeks, plus it’s a Leap Year, so there’s one extra day to enjoy the month!

Here’s what’s happening in the area for the last half of February (a few recommended shows are highlighted):

Sun 02/16/2020

Mon 02/17/2020

Poppy at Liberty Hall – (8pm, $25+; Rescheduled from 2/16)- the social media maven and purposely difficult to pigeon-hole artist comes to Lawrence as part of a short solo tour, in-between bigger dates supporting Deftones. Taking influences from J-pop/K-pop, reggae and electro, she can be both alien and addictive, but mostly mesmerizing in concert. Arrive early to catch Vowws too.

Stone Temple Pilots at Uptown Theater – (POSTPONED due to singer Jeff Gutt’s back surgery)

MC Lars at The Riot Room

Tue 02/18/2020

Mattiel at The Riot Room

Matoma at Granada Theater

Wed 02/19/2020

Eric Johnson at Madrid Theatre

Chris Thile at Lied Center

Electric Guest at Granada Theater

Thu 02/20/2020

Nghtmre At The Midland

Michael Angelo Batio at The Riot Room

Rapsody at Granada Theater

Fri 02/21/2020

We Were Promised Jetpacks at recordBar (7p doors, $20)– We’ve been fans of one of Scotland’s best for over ten years and the quartet has took only a momentary breath before returning with a back-to- basics approach that also looks forward with the earned collective maturity from its four founding members, and whose live show is always memorable. With support from Slaughter Beach, Dog.

Peekaboo at The Truman

Ross The Boss at The Riot Room

Sat 02/22/2020

Ross The Boss at The Riot Room

William Clark Green at Granada Theater

Golf Clap at Aura

Sun 02/23/2020

Dashboard Confessional + The Get Up Kids at The Truman (7p doors, $35) Emo makes a strong comeback as Chris Carrabba celebrates twenty years of his seminal, sing-a-long project and the bill is sweetened by Kansas City’s own Get Up Kids as support, themselves a major Midwest band in mid-90s emo.

Flatfoot 56 at The Riot Room

Kathy Mattea at Lied Center

Mon 02/24/2020

Falling In Reverse at The Truman

Another Lost Year at The Riot Room

Tue 02/25/2020

Christopher Paul Stelling at Minibar

Saint Motel at The Truman

Tue 02/25/2020

Tennis at Madrid Theatre (8p, $25+) Kansas City gets the privilege of being the opening date of the Swimmer Tour, with their fifth album released this Valentine’s Day, and this low-fi synth duo has steadily been building a solid fanbase. Be sure to come early as Austin, TX singer-songwriter Molly Burch opens in support.

Thu 02/27/2020

Cowboy Mouth at Knuckleheads

Starship feat Mickey Thomas at Prairie Band Casino & Resort

Fri 02/28/2020

Destroyer at Granada Theater (8p doors, $20/$22) Have We Met? That’s not only the name of Dan Bejar’s and co’s new record, but a sort-of invitation to catch them live in concert as well, if you haven’t. Though it’s 2020, the new album is self-described as a Y2K album intertwined with poetic and abstract compositions and eccentric lyrical content… consider us intrigued. Arriving early is mandatory as The Fiery Furnaces’ Eleanor Friedberger opens as support.

Soul Asylum + Local H at Madrid Theatre (7p doors, $28.50+) Minneapolis travels south as the Dave Pirner-fronted classic alt-rock band stops in town on their Dead Letter Tour, which also happens to be the name of their current single. The pride of Zion, IL, Local H provides support, determined to get everyone bound for the floor once more. Berwanger to open.

Lunasa at recordBar

Sat 02/29/2020

Dweezil Zappa at The Truman

Durand Jones and the Indications at The Bottleneck, Lawrence (7p doors, $15) We've caught this rising neo-soul group the last two years and watched them organically grow into more seasoned live performers. The good thing is this is an all-ages show, so everyone can swoon and groove to their original sounds, as well as maybe a well chosen cover or two. Kaina to open.

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

Posted at 10:59 PM in Chris Thile, Christopher Paul Stelling, Cowboy Mouth, Dashboard Confessional, Destroyer, Dweezil Zappa, Electric Guest, Eric Johnson, Falling in Reverse, Golf Clap, John, Kansas City, Kathy Mattea, Lawrence, Local H, Matoma, Mattiel, MC Lars, Michael Angelo Batio, Poppy, Rapsody, Ross The Boss, Saint Motel, Soul Asylum, Starship, Stone Temple Pilots, Tennis, The Get Up Kids, Vowws, We Were Promised Jetpacks | Permalink | Comments (0)

03/07/2017

Minneapolis: March 12 to March 14, 2017

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from March 12 to March 14, 2017.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

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Phantogram

This Sunday's show is sold out, marking Phantogram's triumphant return to Minneapolis, in support of their new album Voices. …

PHANTOGRAM
at Palace Theatre
Sunday 03/12/17, 7pm (Sold Out)
palacestpaul.com

The first non-Minnesota band the play the newly opened Palace Theatre in St Paul will be Phantogram. We got a sneak peek at the venue in Dec 2016 and wrote, “Booked and operated by a collaboration of First Avenue and Jam Productions, the venue expects to host around fifty events annually, and will be used during the day by nearby McNally Smith College of Music as a learning tool for students to know box office, staging, and venue operations.”

Given that the Palace is nearly double the size of First Avenue, it would make sense that bands that consistently selling out First Avenue would turn to the Palace. With all the hype of the new venue, Phantogram also sold out the Sunday show.

Phantogram will also be bringing shoegaze alternative The Veldt on tour with them for a brief six-exclusive U.S. Mid West cities before the duo departs for their European tour. Expect Phantogram to return their appearances at Coachella.

Tour Dates:

March 11: Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
March 12: St Paul, MN – Palace Theatre
March 13: Madison, WI – Orpheum Theatre
March 14: Urbana, IL – Canopy Club
March 16: Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
March 17: Atlanta GA – The Tabernacle

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Eisley

The song is called. I first heard this song ["Sea King" by Eisley] on MTV's You Hear It First a couple of years ago.... when I first heard a clip of "Sea King", I was hooked. I immediately stopped ...

EISLEY
at 7th Street Entry
Sunday 03/12/17, 7pm ($15)
first-avenue.com

We wrote about Eisley in 2007 (10 years ago): “...when I first heard a clip of "Sea King", I was hooked. I immediately stopped what I was doing and turned my attention to the tube and watched the segment on Eisley. I loved the fantasy, other-world sound of it and reminds me of fantasy books.”

The family band is back in town, this time headlining the 7th Street Entry in support of their latest album I'm Only Dreaming (Equal Vision Records).

Civilian and Backwards Dancer to open.

Tour dates:

03/08/17 Columbus, OH The Basement
03/09/17 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop
03/10/17 Detroit, MI Shelter
03/11/17 Chicago, IL Subterranean
03/12/17 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
03/13/17 Indianapolis, IN The Hi Fi
03/15/17 SXSW
03/20/17 Denver, CO Lost Lake Lounge
03/22/17 Portland, OR Star Theater
03/23/17 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
03/25/17 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill
03/27/17 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
03/28/17 San Diego, CA House Of Blues
03/29/17 Anaheim, CA The Parish
03/30/17 Phoenix, AZ Valley Bar

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Allah-Las

Los Angeles garage-rock quartet Allah-Las will be bringing the California sunshine to the miserable ice-covered streets of St. Paul December 1st when they make a stop at the Turf Club. …

ALLAH-LAS
at Triple Rock Social Club
Tuesday 03/14/17, 8pm ($15)
triplerocksocialclub.com

Los Angeles garage-rock quartet Allah-Las (Singer Pedrum Siadatian on lead guitar, Miles Michaud on rhythm guitar, Matthew Correia on drums, and Spencer Dunham on bass) will be back in town at the Triple Rock Social Club next Tuesday. Their new album Calico Review is available now.

Australia’s The Babe Rainbow will be guest on most of Allah-Las’ North American tour.

Tour dates:

March 11—Marfa, TX—Marfa Myths
March 13—Kansas City, OK—Record Bar*
March 14—Minneapolis, MN—Triple Rock *
March 15—Milwaukee, WI—Turner Hall Ballroom*
March 16—Chicago, IL—Thalia Hall*
March 17—Cleveland, OH—Beachland Ballroom*
March 18—Detroit, MI—El Club*
March 20—Toronto, ON—The Mod Club*
March 21—Montreal, QC—Rialto Theater*
March 22—Philadelphia, PA—Union Transfer*
March 24—New York—Webster Hall*
March 25—Boston, MA—Brighton Music Hall*
March 27—Washington, DC—9:30 Club*
March 29—Athens, GA—Georgia Theatre*
March 30—Asheville, NC—The Grey Eagle*
March 31—Atlanta, GA—Terminal West*
April 1—New Orleans, LA—One Eyed Jacks*
April 3—Houston, TX—Walter’s*
April 4—Austin, TX—The Mohawk*
April 7—Denver, CO—Gothic Theatre*
April 8—Salt Lake City, UT—Metro Music Hall*
April 16 —Indio, CA—Coachella
April 23—Indio, CA—Coachella

* with The Babe Rainbow

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Nikki Lane

Country singer/songwriter Nikki Lane is back in Minneapolis at the Turf Club this Sunday. The venue was an upgrade from the Fine Line Music Café, which was done to accommodate all …

Other shows in the area:

03/12/2017 Lancaster’s Carousel Kings will be headlining The Garage in Burnsville, in support of Charm City. Abandoned By Bears and Bad Case Of Big Mouth to open.

03/12/2017 The Griswolds returns to town at Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis.

03/12/2017 Local favorites Hippo Campus is headlining a sold-out show at First Avenue.

03/12/2017 Panic! At The Disco is headlining Xcel Energy Center, bringing with them Misterwives and Saint Motel .

03/13/2017 Texas’ Power Trip will be stopping by the Triple Rock Social Club, touring in support of their new sophomore Nightmare Logic (Southern Lord). Iron Reagan to open.

03/14/2017 Nashville’s Nikki Lane will be at Turf Club in St Paul with Brent Cobb. Lane’s new album Highway Queen is out now on New West Records. The show is sold out. Why do I start singing “Penny Lane” whenever I see the name Nikki Lane?

03/14/2017 Jesca Hoop (not Jessica Hoop) will be at the Cedar Cultural Center next Tuesday. Her latest album Memories Are Now is out now. Lowland Hum will open.

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

Posted at 04:33 AM in Allah-Las, Backwards Dancer, Brent Cobb, Carousel Kings, Civilian, Eisley, Hippo Campus, Iron Reagan, Jesca Hoop, Lowland Hum, Minneapolis, Minneapolis Music Guide, Misterwives, Nikki Lane, Panic! At the Disco, Phantogram, Power Trip, Saint Motel, The Babe Rainbow, The Griswolds, The Veldt, Vu | Permalink | Comments (0)

10/19/2016

Saint Motel at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (13 October 2016)

Saint Motel Setlist

Local Long Distance Relationship (LA2NY)
Cold Cold Man
Feed Me Now
Getaway
You Can Be You
Butch
Benny Goodman
For Elise
Puzzle Pieces
Sweet Talk
Move

-- Encore --
My Type
Destroyer
Born Again

Weathers Setlist

Trouble
Rain Falls Down
I Don't Wanna Know
Cheated
Sucker for Your Love
Happy Pills
American Dream

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Saint Motel

Touring on their way to Coachella 2015 (and I'm assuming they'll likely play SXSW 2015 as well), Saint Motel will be stopping by Minneapolis' 7th Street Entry on Saturday, January 31st. You may recall that we caught them ...

Jr. Jr.

Detroit duo Jr Jr (Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott) - formerly known as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Minneapolis trio Denny (Alex, Jack, and Sully). …

Weathers

Weathers (singer/rhythm guitarist Cameron Boyer, guitarist Cameron Olsen, bassist Brennen Bates, and drummer Cole Carson) also on the bill. The Los Angeles-based …

The special Ones To Watch 2016 tour, featuring Saint Motel, Jr Jr, and Weathers, stopped by the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis last Thursday, October 13th.

Weathers

Opening the show was Los Angeles’ Weathers with a brief 30-minute set. The indie-pop band currently only has two songs available for purchase (‘Happy Pills’ and ‘I Don't Wanna Know’), which, of course, they played to the crowd.

The rest of the titles on their setlist, which I’ve compiled, may or may not be the actual title once they release them. The four-piece (singer/rhythm guitar Cameron Boyer, guitarist Cameron Olsen, drummer Cole Carson, and bassist Brennen Bates) generally seemed pleased to be on this “Ones To Watch” tour. Based on how the young band handled the crowd and especially if they land another hit (‘Happy Pills’ was the number one added song on Alternative Radio), expect the band to be on everyone’s hit list next year. Very glad to have caught the band when they are just developing.

Jr Jr

Jr Jr was up next. The band was previously known as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., and the duo (Joshua Epstein & Daniel Zott) wasted no time storming the stage at exactly 8:30pm.

The band was dressed in all gold glittery outfits, and they explained that, like the Golden Girls, they were less intimated and trying to promote fun. With that said, they medley in a cover of The Temptations’ ‘My Girl’... a fitting song, as the band is actually from old school “Motor Town” Detroit (Motown).

The band was actually between albums, so they tested some new material for us for the rest of the set. One of the songs actually existed as a demo, but when someone broke into their tour van and stole their computer with the demos, they had to re-write and re-work those songs.

Near the end of their set, they realized they had enough time to play two more songs... so they asked the audience to help them pick the next songs. Someone shouted ‘Gone’, which they immediately replied, “Of course we’re going to play ‘Gone’!”

They eventually heard ‘Simple Girl’, which is an older song. After ‘Simple Girl’, of course, of course, of course, ‘Gone’ closed out their set.

When we first saw Saint Motel ( A/J Jackson, Aaron Sharp, Greg Erwin, and Dak Lerdamornpong) opened up for Arctic Monkeys in 2014, they blew us away: “Like I said, Saint Motel has a lot of potential, and the band is taking advantage of all the sold out Arctic Monkeys shows to play their very best on stage.”

The L.A.-based band seemed thrilled to be back in town, especially for singer A/J, as we have previously mentioned, was his hometown. A lot has changed since A/J was last in town, but the city was still as friendly and welcomingly as ever... as fans welcome the band with open hearts.

The band mostly stuck to their new, forthcoming album saintmotelevision (set for release October 21st via Elektra Records), but did play some old favorites from their 2012 debut Voyeur, including ‘Feed Me Now’ and ‘Benny Goodman’.

Remaining Tour Dates

10/19 Boston, MA Royale
10/20 Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club
10/21 New York, NY Webster Hall
10/22 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
10/24 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s
10/25 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
10/27 Charlotte, NC The Underground

Saint Motel at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (13 October 2016)

vu (

) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Posted at 10:03 AM in Jr Jr, Minneapolis, Ones To Watch, Saint Motel, Varsity Theater, Weathers | Permalink | Comments (0)

10/07/2016

Minneapolis: October 13, 2016

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on October 13, 2016.

NOTE: The two big shows on this date will be the Prince Tribute Concert (featuring Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan) at Xcel Energy Center and Sia at Target Center. We typically are not invited to this big shows (and photo access is very restrictive - they sometime just kick you out of the show after three songs, so it’s not really worth covering these shows).

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

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Saint Motel

Jr. Jr.

Detroit duo Jr Jr (Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott) - formerly known as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Minneapolis trio Denny (Alex, Jack, and Sully). …

SAINT MOTEL
at Varsity Theater
Thursday, 10/13/16, 6:30pm ($24.50/$27)
varsitytheater.org

The first time we saw Saint Motel in 2014, they blew us away: “I had low expectations, but by the first song, they had already won me over with their brass / dance / pop / Caribbean / jazzy sound. It seemed like the band took the best elements of various music genre and made it their own. The six-man team (including a saxophonist and trumpeter) was full of fun and energy.”

Saint Motel’s upcoming saintmotelevision will be out October 21, 2016, via Elektra Records.

Jr. Jr. (Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott) - formerly known as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. to open. The Detroit duo’s latest remixed album Still Going: The ‘Gone’ Remixes is out now.

Weathers (singer/rhythm guitarist Cameron Boyer, guitarist Cameron Olsen, bassist Brennen Bates, and drummer Cole Carson) also on the bill. The Los Angeles-based band’s latest single ‘Happy Pills’ was the #1 added on Alternative Radio - marking the highest total adds this decade for a new artist!

Tour Dates

10/7 San Antonio, TX Paper Tiger
10/10 St. Louis, MO Delmar Hall
10/11 Lawrence, KS Granada Theater
10/13 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
10/14 Milwaukee, WI The Rave II
10/16 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe
10/17 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
10/19 Boston, MA Royale
10/20 Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club
10/21 New York, NY Webster Hall
10/22 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
10/24 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s
10/25 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
10/27 Charlotte, NC The Underground

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The Head And The Heart

Seattle's The Head and the Heart just stopped by First Avenue, in Minneapolis, as part of their national tour in support of Let's Be Still. The album was released last week, October 15th ...

THE HEAD AND THE HEART
at Northrop Auditorium
Thursday, 10/13/16, 6:30pm ($39.50+)
northrop.umn.edu

One of the most popular bands right now is The Head and the Heart. They are currently on tour in support of their new album Signs of Light, which landed at #1 on the AAA and #7 on Alternative charts when it was first released.

The last time we caught this band, they drew in the biggest crowd at Festival Palomino in 2014: “Seattle favorites, The Head and the Heart, who had maybe the biggest overall sound of the festival acts. Led by co-vocalists Josiah Johnson, Charity Rose Thielen, and Jonathan Russell, the band’s 50 min. set leaned heavily on last year’s Let’s Be Still (Sub Pop Records) and the damp crowd showed why Minneapolis is one of the band’s best markets.”

With every online ticket purchased for The Head and the Heart Fall Signs of Light tour, you'll receive a choice of either a standard physical or standard digital copy of their new album, Signs of Light. You will receive instructions via email on how to redeem your album shortly after ticket purchase. For any tickets purchased after the release date, you will receive instructions via email 7-10 days after purchase.

Declan McKenna to open.

The Head and The Heart US Tour Dates

10/07/16 - Greek Theatre - Los Angeles, CA +
10/08/16 - Greek Theatre - Berkeley, CA +
10/09/16 - McDonald Theatre - Eugene, OR *
10/10/16 - INB Performing Arts Center - Spokane, WA *
10/13/16 - Northrop Auditorium - Minneapolis, MN *
10/14/16 - Aragon Ballroom - Chicago, IL *
10/15/16 - Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN *
10/16/16 - Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN *
10/18/16 - The Orpheum Theatre - Boston, MA *
10/20/16 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY *
10/21/16 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY *
10/22/16 - DAR - Washington, DC *
10/23/16 - The Fillmore - Philadelphia, PA *
10/24/16 - The Ritz - Raleigh, NC *
10/26/16 - The Civic - New Orleans, LA *
10/27/16 - White Oak Music Hall - Houston, TX *
10/28/16 - Stubb's Waller Creek - Austin, TX *
10/29/16 - Stubb's Waller Creek - Austin, TX *
10/30/16 - South Side Ballroom - Dallas, TX *
11/02/16 - New Eccles Theater - Salt Lake City, UT *
11/04/16 - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall - Portland, OR *
11/05/16 - Paramount Theatre - Seattle, WA *
11/06/16 - Paramount Theatre - Seattle, WA *
11/07/16 - Paramount Theatre - Seattle, WA
11/09/16 - Morrison Center - Boise, ID

The Tallest Man on Earth +
Declan McKenna *
Hurray for the Riff Raff -

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Quintron

I'll always remember when I saw Quintron and Miss Pussycat at the Triple Rock in 2010. I had no idea there would be a puppet show - right in the middle of a regular concert. ...

Larry Wish

Also on this bill will be local Larry Wish & His Guys (who previously opened up for Twerps. Shopping's tour dates: Oct. 18 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre ...

QUINTRON & MISS PUSSYCAT
at Turf Club
Thursday, 10/13/16, 7:30pm ($14)
turfclub.net

Our favorite puppeteer & psychedelic soul band Quintron and Miss Pussycat will once again be back in Minnesota this Thursday, October 13th.

In Quintron news, he’s recently built his “Weather Warlock”, a smart instrument that will play drone-like music based on the weather. Expect to see this in action on this upcoming tour!

Larry Wish & His Guys to open.

Tour Dates

Oct 7 – Memphis, TN – Hi-Tone Café
Oct 8 – St. Louis, MO – Firebird
Oct 9 – Kansas City, MO – Record Bar
Oct 10 – Omaha, NE – Reverb Lounge
Oct 11 – Iowa City, IA – The Mill
Oct 13 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
Oct 14 – Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club
Oct 15 – Chicago, IL – The Hideout
Oct 16 – Detroit, MI – UFO Factory
Oct 18 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern
Oct 19 – Rochester, NY – The Bug Jar
Oct 20 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East
Oct 31 – New York, NY – Baby’s All Right
Nov 3 – Baltimore, MD – The Metro Gallery
Nov 5 – Richmond, VA – Strange Matter
Nov 9 – Durham, NC – The Pinhook
Nov 10 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
Nov 11 – Mobile, AL – Merry Widow
Nov 12 – New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jack’s
Dec 30 - St. Louis, MO – The Firebird
Dec 31 – Memphis, TN – The Hi-Tone Café

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

Posted at 10:37 AM in Chaka Khan, Declan McKenna, Jr Jr, Larry Wish, Minneapolis, Minneapolis Music Guide, Miss Pussycat, Prince, Quintron, Saint Motel, Sia, Stevie Wonder, The Head and the Heart, Vu, Weathers | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/12/2015

V-Day 2015

You know the old saying, don't get VD on V-Day. February 14th is Valentine's Day, here are some bands in the mood for love.

Read more Valentine's Day.

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Lights

Canada's acclaimed pop multi-instrumentalist Lights has debuted a nostalgic new video for 'Running With the Boys.' The track is taken from her latest album, Little Machines, which is nominated for 'Pop Album of the Year' ...

X Ambassadors

For X Ambassadors, an unshakable sense of brotherhood has long shaped the sound and spirit of the band. Growing up in small-town upstate New York, frontman Sam Harris, his brother Casey, and childhood friend Noah Feldshuh ...

Saint Motel

LIGHTS
iamlights.com

Canada's Lights (aka Valerie Poxleitner) is kicking off her national US tour at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis this Valentine's Day (Saturday) with support from X Ambassadors. If it wasn't for the fact that I've already committed to Sleater-Kinney and Lizzo this same night, I'd definitely be checking out this geek girl pop multi-instrumentalist (she's into comic books!)

The Little Machines tour will take her to Coachella 2015, which Ryan Seacrest included Lights in his '10 Artists You Must See at Coachella,' saying "Lights has a knack for creating celestial beats by combining alternative rock and contemporary synth-pop."

With a couple of Juno Awards (sort of like Australia's ARIA Awards or USA's American Music Awards) and Gold records under her belt (and not to mention a recently sold out European tour), she's amassed a dedicated 'Lights Army' over the years (1.3 million Facebook fans, over half a million Twitter fans), including self-professed fans Miley Cyrus, John Mayer, and K'Naan among others.

Lights upcoming tour dates:

02/13 Kansas City, MO Arvest Bank Theatre
02/14 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
02/15 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
02/17 Iowa City, IA Blue Moose Tap House
02/18 St. Louis, MO Ready Room
02/20 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
02/21 Austin, TX Emo's
02/22 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
02/24 Orlando, FL Beacham Theater
02/25 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
02/27 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
02/28 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
03/01 Nashville, TN Rocketown
03/02 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore Charlotte
03/04 Norfolk, VA The NorVa
03/05 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small's Theatre
03/06 Columbus, OH Skully's Music Diner
03/07 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe at Old National Centre
03/09 Cleveland, OH House of Blues - Cleveland
03/10 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection
04/11 Indio, CA Coachella Week 1
04/14 Phoenix, AZ Marquee Theatre*
04/15 San Diego, CA The Irenic*
04/16 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades*
04/18 Indio, CA Coachella Week 2

All dates with special guest X Ambassadors with the exception of (*) with Saint Motel. Full tour dates and additional information over at news.weheartmusic.com.

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Meiko

Singer/songwriter Meiko's second night in her Fall/Winter 2014 tour took place at the Loring Pasta Bar in Minneapolis, last night, September 21, 2014. If you were a little worried about how the Loring Pasta Bar would host live music, fear not! ...

MEIKO
meikomusic.com

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Meiko's five-track EP Lovers & Fighters came out this week (February 10th). You can officially stream the EP over at meikomusic.com.

Hear the first track, "Raincoat Song":

We love her and have seen her live at SXSW 2009, 7th Street Entry in 2012, and most recently Loring Pasta Bar in 2014... she's always fun and entertaining live.

Also, if you have some CDs for her to sign, she's usually accessible after her show. Very approachable and always friendly.

You can spend V-Day with Meiko this February 14 at Hotel CafÃ©.

Tour dates:

Feb 14 Hotel Cafe Hollywood, CA
Mar 03 Stubb's Austin, TX *
Mar 05 Dosey Doe Music Cafe Houston, TX *
Mar 06 Poor David's Pub Dallas, TX*
Mar 28 Safety Harbor Singer-Songwriter Festival

* with Lex Land

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Hayden

Hayden, the Canadian singer / songwriter / grunge-rocker (yes he is eclectic) played at the Triple Rock Social Club (with fellow Canadian opener Lou Cannon) in Minneapolis last Sunday night in ...

HAYDEN
wasteyourdaysaway.com

Leading up to Valentine's Day, Hayden shared the title track, "Hey Love", from the forthcoming Arts & Crafts release, Hey Love, over at Soundcloud.

Hey Love comes out March 24, 2015 on Arts & Crafts.

Tour dates:

02/18/15 Halifax, NS Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
02/19/15 Fredericton, NB Fredericton Playhouse
02/20/15 Quebec City, QC Imperial Du Quebec
02/21/15 Montreal High Lights Festival
02/21/15 Montreal, QC Virgin Mobile Corona
02/24/15 Kingston, ON Grand Theatre
02/26/15 London, ON London Music Hall
02/27/15 Ottawa, ON National Arts Centre
02/28/15 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
03/01/15 Guelph, ON River Run Centre
03/05/15 Winnipeg, MB Garrick Centre
03/06/15 Saskatoon, SK O'Brian's Event
03/07/15 Regina, SK Darke Hall
03/09/15 Banff, AB Eric Harvie Theatre
03/10/15 Calgary, AB Jack Singer Concert Hall
03/11/15 Edmonton, AB Winspear Centre
03/13/15 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre
03/14/15 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre

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Paws

The co-headliner is Paws, a Glasgow-based punk band signed to FatCat Records. The trio's latest album is Youth Culture Forever, which came out earlier this year. ...

FUZZKILL RECORDS
fuzzkillrecords.bandcamp.com

You know I'm a cover lover, so here is a new Valentine's Day compilation by Fuzzkill Records called Under the Covers, featuring love song covers by some Scottish (and some Manchester bands). The compilation will be released on limited cassette tapes on February 14th, with all profits going to the Greater Maryhill Foodbank and CLAN Cancer Support.

Track listing:

The Bellybuttons - Anna (Go To Him) (Arthur Alexander)
FROTH - Happy Together (The Turtles)
SHARPTOOTH - Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)(The Shangri-Las)
Catholic Action - Somebody Made For Me (Emitt Rhodes)
PAWS - Sea Of Love (Phil Phillips)
Secret Motorbikes - Alison (Elvis Costello)
Pinact - Sparky's Dream (Teenage Fanclub)
Twin Mirrors - For Your Love (The Yardbirds)
Poor Things - I Will (The Beatles)
The Pooches - You're The One For Me (Jonathan Richman)
Bite - I Feel Love (Donna Summer)
The Sh**hawks - She's Like The Wind (Patrick Swayze)
Tuff Love - Lovely Day (Bill Withers)
Faiides - Just Like Honey (The Jesus and Mary Chain)
Fruit Tones - Tears On My Pillow (Little Anthony and the Imperials)
Elara Caluna - O, Willow Waly (Georges Auric)

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Elle King

Elle King is currently in the studio working on her debut album for RCA Records, but you can catch her at various shows next week ...

ELLE KING
elleking.com

Often compared to Janis Joplin, singer/songwriter/banjoist Elle King will be releasing her debut album Love Stuff next week, February 17th... just missing out on Valentine's Day. The Love Stuff album featured her new single, "Ex's & Oh's", which you can hear it live on The Today Show next Tuesday.

Here's what they said about the single:

"Ex's & Oh's" was #1 Most Added at AAA radio upon release and has received tremendous praise: Billboard raves â€œMix Duffy's vocals, the Black Keys' urgent rhythms and a hook and tempo that recalls P!nk's "So What," and you have Elle King's catchy and clever RCA debut.â€

She's set to play at Hangout Music Festival 2015 in Alabama.

Love Stuff Track listing:

Where The Devil Donâ€™t Go
Exâ€™s & Ohâ€™s
Under the Influence
Last Damn Night
Kocaine Karolina
Song of Sorrow
Americaâ€™s Sweetheart
I Told You I Was Mean
Ainâ€™t Gonna Drown
Jackson
Make You Smile
See You Again

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

Posted at 11:00 PM in Elle King, Hayden, Lights, Meiko, Saint Motel, Vu, X Ambassadors | Permalink | Comments (0)

01/18/2015

Minneapolis: January 29 - January 31, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul from January 29 to January 31, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

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Extreme

Extreme II: Pornograffitti (A Funked Up Fairy Tale) first came out on A&M Records in August 1990, the follow-up to the band’s 1989 debut. The album is considered, according to the newly penned liner notes ...

EXTREME
at Mill City Nights
Thursday 01/29/15, 8pm ($49.95)
millcitynights.com

"More Than Words" by Extreme was the #1 song of 1991 Summer. I can distinctively remember so many of my school classmates (especially the girls) were into these guys.

Like many bands from the 90s, Extreme is back, this time touring in support of their 25th anniversary of their most popular album Pornograffitti (which featured "More Than Words"). The rock band will be performing the entire album front to back, plus a few other surprises.

I have seen some of these album tours before, they can be somewhat challenging to the performers because they have to change various instruments (or have a dedicated pre-tuner) when they switch songs.

If you can't make it to a show, the band recently announced Extreme II: Pornograffitti (A Funked Up Fairy Tale) will be re-issued as a deluxe edition. You know, I love my Deluxe Editions, so this album is on my radar. Extreme II: Pornograffitti (A Funked Up Fairy Tale) will be out this January 20th and will contain the full second album, plus rare mixes and b-sides (re-mastered from the original tapes).

Since it's 25 years later, don't expect slow burning cigarette lighters at their shows, but instead, a lot of camera phone lights slowly waving in the air...

Pornograffitti tour dates:

01/18/15 Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance Theatre
01/20/15 Englewood, NJ Bergen Performing Arts Ctr.
01/21/15 Boston, MA House Of Blues Boston
01/22/15 Jim Thorpe, PA Penn's Peak
01/24/15 Westbury, NY The Space At Westbury
01/25/15 Baltimore, MD Baltimore Soundstage
01/27/15 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
01/28/15 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
01/29/15 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
01/31/15 Battle Creek, MI FireKeepers Casino

design by Sonny Kay

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Low

Low came on stage as ZZ Top, complete fuzzy guitars and horseshoe moustache on drummer Mimi Parker. The band Duluth band have been busy playing support dates for Slowdive on this current tour ....

BNLX

Minneapolis’ own BNLX took the stage at NYC’s Pianos Thursday night, playing a 45-minute set for a small, but engaging audience. The backroom of Pianos where the band played is of …

Flavor Crystals

Flavor Crystals were up next, they played hard psych rock in poor lighting. Very little lyrics, but lots of high energy guitar playing with emphasis on psych and kraut rock. …

DRONE NOT DRONES
at Cedar Cultural Center
Friday 01/30/15, 6pm ($20)
thecedar.org

A list of who's who in Minneapolis will be at this Drone Not Drones charity show, to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. The unified 28-hour "song" will feature everyone from Alan Sparhawk (of Low), Brokeback (ft. members of Tortoise & The Sea and Cake), Drone Man Winter (ft. members of Trampled By Turtles & Dead Man Winter), Food Pyramid, P.O.S. (drone set), BNLX, Moss Folk, Paul Metzger, Dosh, Invisible Boy (Poliça, Vampire Hands), Flavor Crystals, Chatham Rise, Jet Legs (Hammerhead, Seawhores, The Cows) and more.

Tentative schedule (subject and likely to change!):

07:00p: International Novelty Gamelan
07:30p: Jesse Petersen
08:00p: Food Pyramid
08:45p: BNLX
09:15p: Flavor Crystals + BNLX
09:30p: Flavor Crystals
10:00p: Drone Man Winter
10:45p: Alan Sparhawk (of Low)
11:30p: Michael Lewis
12:15p: Pagoda ov Thunderboldt
01:00a: Jet Legs
01:30a: Chatham Rise
02:00a: Old Moon
02:30a: Dead Gurus
03:00a: Dosh
03:30a: Comb Boats
04:00a: Transitional Species
04:45a: Andy Nuebauer
05:30a: Ghostband
06:00a: Aklo, Brainscratch, Cyclomite
06:30a: Pandemonium Defender
07:00a: Nightingale #3
07:30a: Paul Metzger (sunrise)
08:00a: John Zuma Saint-Pelvyn
08:30a: HOLDING HANDS / MQ-1
09:00a: Jeremy Ylvisaker
09:30a: TYTE JEFF
10:00a: Finger Pressure
10:30a: Sativa Flats
11:00a: Ventures Cover Band
11:30a: DKO
12:00n: DT Phone Drone
12:30p: Drone Strike Mike & the Bates Bombers
01:00p: Sagitta Gone
01:30p: Les Trembleurs
02:00p: The ---- (unconfirmed)
02:30p: (ALANS)
03:00p: Roy Orb, D.MT.
03:30p: 555
04:00p: Solar Pawn
04:30p: Tim Kaiser
05:00p: P.O.S
05:30p: Robot Rickshaw (drone robots)
06:00p: Noise Quean Ant
06:30p: StoLyette
07:00p: Invisible Boy
07:30p: Paris 1919
08:15p: Makr
08:45p: American Cream
09:30p: Brokeback
10:15p: Moss Folk

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Saint Motel

Opening up for the Arctic Monkeys was Saint Motel. I had low expectations, but by the first song, they had already won me over with their brass / dance / pop / Caribbean / jazzy sound. …

Moth & the Flame

On their brief set, TMTF played tracks from their debut 2011 album and also some tracks from their Ampersand (&) EP, including "Sorry" and "Wishing Well". ....

SAINT MOTEL
at 7th Street Entry
Saturday 01/31/15, 8pm ($10)
first-avenue.com

Touring on their way to Coachella 2015 (and I'm assuming they'll likely play SXSW 2015 as well), Saint Motel will be stopping by Minneapolis' 7th Street Entry on Saturday, January 31st.

You may recall that we caught them with Arctic Monkeys last year and was blown away by their performance.

Saint Motel's latest release is My Type EP, which came out mid-August last year via Parlophone UK.

Jess' favorite band in the world The Moth And The Flame will open the show. We've been writing about TMATF since 2012, but finally got a chance to see them in person last year (their first time in Minneapolis).

Tour dates:

01/22/15 Scottsdale, AZ Pub Rock
01/23/15 El Paso, TX Lowbrow Palace
01/24/15 Austin, TX Stubb's Bar-B-Q
01/25/15 Dallas, TX Three Links Event Center
01/27/15 St. Louis, MO The Demo
01/30/15 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern
01/31/15 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
02/03/15 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
02/04/15 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
02/07/15 San Francisco, CA The Chapel
03/06/15 Amsterdam Kleine Zaal At Paradiso
04/12/15 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
04/19/15 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival

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

Posted at 11:54 AM in BNLX, Coachella, Drone Not Drones, Extreme, Flavor Crystals, Low, Minneapolis, Minneapolis Music Guide, Saint Motel, SXSW, The Moth and The Flame, Vu | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/15/2014

Arctic Monkeys at First Avenue, Minneapolis (02/14/14)

poster

Setlist

Do I Wanna Know?

Brianstorm

Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair

Snap Out of It

Pretty Visitors

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor

Fireside

Knee Socks

Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?

Arabella

Dancing Shoes

Old Yellow Bricks

Crying Lightning

Do Me a Favour

I Wanna Be Yours

Fluorescent Adolescent

505

-- Encore --

Cornerstone

One for the Road

R U Mine?

Tour Dates

02/15/14 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
05/02/14 Auckland, New Zealand Vector Arena
05/03/14 Wellington, New Zealand TSB Bank Arena
05/06/14 Darling Harbour, Aus Qantas Credit
05/07/14 Boondall, Aus Brisbane Entertainment
05/09/14 Melbourne, Aus Rod Laver Arena
5/10/14 Hindmarsh, Aus Adelaide Entertainment
05/13/14 Perth, Aus Perth Arena
05/23/14 London, UK Finsbury Park
05/24/14 London, UK Finsbury Park
06/06/14 Bremen, Germany Pier 2
06/07/14 Berlin, Germany Spandau Zitadelle
07/04/14 Rock Werchter Festival
07/10/14 Optimus Alive! Festival
07/12/14 Dublin, Ireland Marlay Park
07/19/14 Festival Les Vieilles Charrues

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Arctic Monkeys

With Arctic Monkeys coming back to Minneapolis on Valentine's Day (Friday, Feb 14), in support of their latest album AM, I thought I'd write a little note about the band in this special Flashback article.…

"It's f***ing Friday, and you're with the Arctic Monkeys in Minneapolis!" shouted Arctic Monkeys' singer Alex Turner, to a very sold out First Avenue. Clearly the British band has outgrown the historic venue, but they keep coming back, time and time again.

Saint Motel

Opening up for the Arctic Monkeys was Saint Motel. I had low expectations, but by the first song, they had already won me over with their brass / dance / pop / Caribbean / jazzy sound. It seemed like the band took the best elements of various music genre and made it their own. The six-man team (including a saxophonist and trumpeter) was full of fun and energy.

Singer A/J Jackson confessed that he is from Minneapolis, so he seem excited to be back in the city. Jackson does his best to keep the banter between the songs to a minimum, since they had a limited opener time slot. Most of the talking is to introduce the song title and, also, sometime comment on Minneapolis' brutal cold, "It's cold outside, but it's warm in here!"

Flying in the air

From my notes, the band kicked off their set with "Honest Feedback", followed by "Feed Me Now", "Benny Goodman", "Daydream / Wetdream / Nightmare", "My Type", "Puzzle Pieces", and the set finale "Stories" (most of their set is taken from their 2012 album Voyeur).

Like I said, Saint Motel has a lot of potential, and the band is taking advantage of all the sold out Arctic Monkeys shows to play their very best on stage.

Arctic Monkeys

As for Arctic Monkeys, they are currently on tour in support of their latest album AM (out now on Domino Records). The new album was hailed by critics as one of 2013's very best albums, including NME's Best Album of 2013, Q Magazine's #1 Album of the Year, Mojo's #4 on Top 50 Albums, and W♥M Brody calling AM #2 on his Top 10 List. AM, with "R U Mine?", "Do I Wanna Know?", "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?", "One for the Road" and "Arabella", would prove to be Arctic Monkey's most successful album to date.

Photo of Setlist

With that said, a good portion of their setlist was dedicated to AM. AM served as a sandwich of some beginning songs, a healthy 'meat' middle, and with "One for the Road" and "R U Mine?" finishing off with the encore.

You can tell right away, which songs were the audience's favorites by the dancing and singing ("I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor", and a string of classics "I Wanna Be Yours"/"Fluorescent Adolescent"/"505").

Arctic Monkeys

Since I've seen Arctic Monkeys every time they play First Avenue, I should let you know the differences between all the shows. The first time I saw them, in 2007, I felt it wasn't terribly exciting to watch. I noted that their performance was similar to Oasis' style. The same "didn't do much on stage" carried on their 2009 appearance. However, by 2011, I noted in my review that Turner has grown up, "whether it's jumping on the drum stands, or talking a little more between songs."

Hair Apparent

2007	2009
2011	2014

With the latest 2014 appearance, Turner has really come into his own. The guy is more confident than ever, and it shows in his hand gestures, his poses, his dance moves. Turner still doesn't speak that much between songs, although the random dedications ("for the girls") can be heard.

I think my favorite moment was at the encore, Turner substituted "Tracy Island" to "Minneapolis", on the first line of "R.U. Mine?" That got a huge roar in my section of the audience. I love that kind of change that only a live performance can bring.... of course, I also imagine the band change that line to every city they play at! It's still very fun to witness though.

Now for something completely irrelevant: Alex Turner's various haircuts throughout the years. Currently, Turner is sporting a sort of 50s look, which goes incredibly well with his dress shirt and leather jacket. Isn't it fun to him grow over the years?

Arctic Monkeys are currently on a very successful tour in support of their much beloved latest album, AM. If you've never seen the band, do yourself a favor and get your tickets early before they sell out.