Apr 11 -- Pittsburgh, PA -- Altar Bar
Apr 12 -- Toronto, ONT -- Hard Luck
Apr 13 -- Montreal, QBE -- Foufounes Electriques
Apr 14 -- Allston, MA -- Brighton Music Hall
Apr 15 -- New York, NY -- Gramercy Theatre
Apr 16 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Voltage Lounge
Apr 18 -- Baltimore, MD -- Baltimore Sound Stage
Apr 19 -- Richmond, VA -- The Canal Club
Apr 20 -- Greensboro, NC -- Greene Street Club
Apr 21 -- Atlanta, GA -- The Masquerade
Apr 22 -- Jacksonville, FL -- 1904 Music Hall
Apr 23 -- Tampa, FL -- Orpheum
Apr 24 -- Orlando, FL -- Backbooth
Apr 26 -- Houston, TX -- Scout Bar
Apr 27 -- San Antonio, TX -- Korova
Apr 29 -- St. Louis, MO -- Fubar
Apr 30 -- Indianapolis, IN -- Emerson Theater
May 01 -- Detroit, MI -- Saint Andrew’s Hall
One of the opener, The Contortionist, is a band unlike many others. They are metal but they aren't metal. The type of metal these guys play is a kick to the face if you aren't ready for it. I was ready for it but my jaw still
..…
sleepmakeswaves new album in today already walks tomorrow will be out this April 8, 2014, on Monotreme Records. Please note this album was originally released in 2012 by another record label.
…
I saw my boys in By The Thousands play the First Avenue mainroom. This is the same venue I saw Social Distortion play. The same stage that I saw Sage Francis play on. And there were my boys.
....
A great number of fans came out Tuesday night at the Cabooze in Minneapolis to support metal music from all of the world.
sleepmakeswaves
I'm sure the sleepmakeswaves guys from Australia definitely felt far away from home but the camaraderie and feeling of family that flowed through the crowd was immeasurable and I hope all of the bands, even though they were thousands of miles away from home, felt a little bit more at home.
Sleepmakeswaves was mesmerizing to watch. Their set was entirely instrumental and the crowd stood silent other than clapping in-between songs. This Australian post rock band has been around for years and put out three full length albums along with a couple of EP's but this was their first time in the United States. They are currently touring in support of their newest release Love of Cartography. Although their set was short (about forty minutes) they were able to play a couple of new songs along with a handful of old songs.
Monuments
Monuments was one of the many support bands on the bill last night. Monuments is a British progressive metal band that definitely has a following here in the Twin Cities. Listening to the crowd in-between sets, it was easy to tell that majority of the crowd was most excited for this group. Typically, they have a singer but due to personal issues, Chris Barretto (their singer) was unable to make it on this tour. As they always say, the show must go on and Monuments went ahead without Chris.
The crowd loved seeing Monuments play an instrumental set. The band members easily compensated for the lack of vocals with their pure energy and amazing music. They focused on playing songs from their newest release The Amanuensis (2014, Century Media Records) but I also noticed a few tracks from Gnosis (2012, Century Media Records). This was my first time seeing Monuments and if that's how great they sound without their singer, I can only imagine how great they are with Chris on stage alongside of them.
Entheos was another touring band on this bill. This band features ex-members of The Faceless/ Animals as Leaders/ and Animosity so it goes without saying that the music sounded great and the crowd was too stunned to really do much other than stand there and watch/ listen to the music. This female fronted band just released The Infinite Nothing but unfortunately, they were already out of stock of it last night. This release is available on Spotify, iTunes, and almost any other platform you could think of.
Mithya
Opening the show were locals Mithya and By The Thousands. Mithya was great even though they were only allowed twenty minutes on stage. They have a vocalist with one of the biggest voices I have heard in the local metal scene for a while now. By The Thousands performed with new singer, Hondo Torres, last night and proved that even with their recent lineup change, they are going nowhere and will continue to be a staple in the Twin Cities metal scene.
Headlining the night was The Contortionist from Indianapolis, Indiana. This band seems to always be touring and must love Minnesota because they were just here back in November. Last night was a great display of how much talent this band has. Singer Michael Lessard is amazing to watch as he does amazing vocal effects on his own throughout their sets. If that isn't exciting enough, watching Joey Baca on drums is sure to get you excited.
The Contortionist's music is a mix of a little bit of everything. There are times where you can definitely here the ambient influence of Brian Eno but within a split second, you hear the influence of metal great such as Meshuggah and Between the Buried and Me. Regardless of what influence you heard at whatever moment, these guys had the crowd stunned and stuck where they were. The crowd barely moved as they were completely enamored of this talented band.
The Contortionist at the Cabooze, Minneapolis (05 April 2016)
Manchester's Everything Everything is currently on tour for the second album, Arc (out now on RCA Victor), the follow-up to their debut Geffen Records' Man Alive. If record label switching is your thing, you'd be happy to know
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THE JOY FORMIDABLE
at First Avenue
Tuesday, 04/05/16, 7pm ($20) first-avenue.com
We were pretty thrilled to get see The Joy Formidable last year for $3 (as a promotional gig for Red Bull’s Sound Select Series). Now that the new album Hitch is out now, the Welsh trio will be headlining the much bigger venue First Avenue this Tuesday, April 5th.
We’re also pretty excited to see that Manchester’s Everything Everything has been added to this US tour. We previously mentioned them in 2013 and was blown away that they sold out their entire UK tour.
Everything Everything’s third album Get To Heaven is out now on RCA Records.
Live Dates:
04/02/16 Seattle, WA @ Neumo's
04/05/16 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
04/06/16 Chicago, IL @ Double Door
04/07/16 Iowa City, IA @ Mission Creek Festival
04/08/16 Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
04/09/16 Columbus, OH @ Express Live
04/10/16 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Small's Theater
04/12/16 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
04/13/16 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
04/14/16 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
04/15/16 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
04/16/16 Spring, TX @ 94.5 Buzzfest
04/19/16 Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn
04/20/16 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack's
04/21/16 Pensacola, FL @ Club Vinyl
04/22/16 Orlando, FL @ The Social
04/23/16 Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
04/25/16 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
04/26/16 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
04/28/16 St. Petersburg, FL @ The Theater
04/29/16 West Palm Beach, FL @ SunFest
04/30/16 Dallas, TX @ EDGEFEST
05/01/16Memphis, TN @ Beale Street Music Festival
05/27/16 Napa, CA @ BottleRock Napa Valley
07/28/16 Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
07/29/16 Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
07/30/16 Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
One of the opener, The Contortionist, is a band unlike many others. They are metal but they aren't metal. The type of metal these guys play is a kick to the face if you aren't ready for it. I was ready for it but my jaw still
..…
sleepmakeswaves new album in today already walks tomorrow will be out this April 8, 2014, on Monotreme Records. Please note this album was originally released in 2012 by another record label.
…
I saw my boys in By The Thousands play the First Avenue mainroom. This is the same venue I saw Social Distortion play. The same stage that I saw Sage Francis play on. And there were my boys.
....
THE CONTORTIONIST
with Monuments
at Cabooze
Tuesday, 04/05/16, 6pm ($15) cabooze.com
Australian post-rock group sleepmakeswaves will be making their first trek into the United States in support of their new album Love of Cartography. This instrumental quartet is one of the most dynamic groups in the instrumental post-rock/prog scene right now and to have them come to the U.S. is a treat. They combine a little bit of everything. There's hints of beautiful piano arpeggios mixed with their signature screaming guitar lines.
The Contortionist and Monuments are headlining this tour. For the Minnesota date, local favorites By the Thousands and Mithya will be opening the show. This is sure to be a night of all kinds of post-rock metal music from all over the world.
sleepmakeswaves Tour Dates
Apr 02 -- Englewood, CO -- Gothic Theatre
Apr 03 -- Merriam, KS -- Aftershock
Apr 05 -- Minneapolis, MN -- Cabooze
Apr 06 -- Chicago, IL -- Subterranean
Apr 07 -- Grand Rapids, MI -- Stache
Apr 11 -- Pittsburgh, PA -- Altar Bar
Apr 12 -- Toronto, ONT -- Hard Luck
Apr 13 -- Montreal, QBE -- Foufounes Electriques
Apr 14 -- Allston, MA -- Brighton Music Hall
Apr 15 -- New York, NY -- Gramercy Theatre
Apr 16 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Voltage Lounge
Apr 18 -- Baltimore, MD -- Baltimore Sound Stage
Apr 19 -- Richmond, VA -- The Canal Club
Apr 20 -- Greensboro, NC -- Greene Street Club
Apr 21 -- Atlanta, GA -- The Masquerade
Apr 22 -- Jacksonville, FL -- 1904 Music Hall
Apr 23 -- Tampa, FL -- Orpheum
Apr 24 -- Orlando, FL -- Backbooth
Apr 26 -- Houston, TX -- Scout Bar
Apr 27 -- San Antonio, TX -- Korova
Apr 29 -- St. Louis, MO -- Fubar
Apr 30 -- Indianapolis, IN -- Emerson Theater
May 01 -- Detroit, MI -- Saint Andrew’s Hall
All dates w/ The Contortionist, Monuments & Entheos
Sunflower Bean opened up the show, a little later than advertised because of technical difficulties. There was a good turnout for the opener, but obviously the venue was not entirely filled until
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Opening up the show was Brilliant Beast, featuring siblings Hannah and Jordan (who was apparently a massive Morrissey fan). They recently released a split EP with fellow Minneapolis band Fury Things,
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SUNFLOWER BEAN
with Weaves
at 7th Street Entry
Tuesday, 04/05/16, 7:30pm ($8/$10) first-avenue.com
In celebration of their debut album Human Ceremony (Fat Possum), Sunflower Bean (Jacob Faber, Julia Cumming, and Nick Kivlen) is currently on tour - headlining the 7th Street Entry this Tuesday, April 5th. You might recall that we caught the trio on their first Minnesota appearance in Oct 2015 and was blown away by their songs.
Opening will be Toronto’s Weaves (not Waves) recently signed with Kanine and Memphis Industries, and will be releasing the band's album in conjunction with Buzz Records on June 17th.
Also on the bill is local band Brilliant Beast, who we caught in July 2015.
North American Tour Dates
4/1/16 Nampa, ID @ Flying M
4/2/16 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
4/3/16 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
4/5/16 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
4/6/16 Madison, WI @ The Frequency
4/7/16 Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
4/8/16 Columbus, OH @ Rumba Café
4/9/16 Pittsburg, PA @ The Smiling Moose
4/14/16 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
4/15-16/16 Winston-Salem, NC @ Phuzz Phest
4/20/16 Stony Brook, NY @ Stony Brook University
5/5/16 Brooklyn, NY @ The Grid
5/17/16 Lancaster, PA @ Lizard Lounge
6/11/16 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
So you like Beck and was thinking about picking up Odelay (1996). Well don't! Wait until January 29, 2008, because there's a Deluxe 2-disc version coming out. More details on our press page …
We all know Beck, the dude needs no introduction. I first saw him on MTV's 120 Minutes and he looked like some kid with his guitar back then.... When MTV started playing "Loser", we knew that song would be a massive hit for him.
Anyway, I have actually seen Beck live at Coachella in 1999. Unfortunately, by the nature of these large music festival, he looked like a tiny figure on stage and it was just not a good experience for me. I would love to see him in a more intimate venue, but alas those days are long gone.
Beck's new album Morning Phase came out this week (Tuesday, February 25th), and already critics like NPR is calling it basically Sea Change part two.
You can currently hear the "Waking Light" on npr.org.
Beck is returning to Coachella this year.
04/13/14 Coachella
04/20/14 Coachella
04/26/14 KDGE 102.1 EdgeFest
07/18/14 Pitchfork Music Festival
09/04/14 Bestival
When asked where the name "Karnivool" came from, guitarist Drew said:
That's one question I can never answer very well, as the name Karnivool was around …
sleepmakeswaves (all lowercase) will be heading out on tour in Europe this April and May.
Maybe I'm just a very judgmental person, but whenever I see weird punctuations / capitalizations / poorly misspelled words, I just think the band is very young. Of course, this is coming from someone who uses ♥ as a verb....
Anyway, this Australian quartet debut in 2008 and by 2011 was nominated an ARIA Award for their debut album And So We Destroyed Everything.
sleepmakeswaves new album in today already walks tomorrow will be out this April 8, 2014, on Monotreme Records. Please note this album was originally released in 2012 by another record label.
Tour dates:
04/17 Belgium Hasselt - Muziek O Droom
04/18 Switzerland Bulle - Ebulition
04/19 Belgium Zottegem - Dunk! Festival
04/20 Switzerland Geneva - Graviere
04/22 Spain Barcelona - Razzmatazz
04/23 Spain Madrid - Moby Dick
04/24 France La Coopérative de mai
04/26 France Dunkerque - 4 Ecluses
04/27 Germany Karlsruhe - Jubez
04/30 Sweden Gothenburg - Fangelsets
05/01 Sweden Orebro - Slöjdgatan
05/05 Poland Wroclaw - Klub Hydrozagadka
05/06 Hungary Budapest - Durer Kert
05/07 Czech Republic Praha - NoD Theater
05/08 Germany Stuttgart - Juha West
05/09 Germany Hannover - Cafe Glocksee
05/10 UK London - Beyond the Redshift Festival
"This is our seventh time in Minneapolis," stated singer John Pitts from Surfer Blood, making their stop at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis last night, Sunday, October 13th. …
Speaking of lowercase, wake up is a four piece rock band from Lake Worth, Florida.
Their debut 7", 'Forever Home', is said to be a three song collection (a fourth song, "Again", is available but only as a digital bonus track) with homage and styling of 90s rock, but without the whole 'grunge revival' thing.
The songs are said to be more in tuned with Stephen Malkumus (Pavement) or Doug Martsch (Built to Spill). So... slacker rock it is...
The 7" is coming out March 11, 2014.
Tour Dates with Surfer Blood:
02.25 - The Space - Hamden, CT
02.26 - Iron Horse - Northampton, MA
02.27 - The Saint - Asbury Park, NJ
02.28 - Baby's All Right - Brooklyn, NY
03.01 - Glasslands - Brooklyn, NY
03.02 - The Southern - Charlottesville, VA
03.03 - Camel - Richmond, VA
03.04 - Blind Tiger - Greensboro, NC
03.05 - Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville, FL
Brooklyn-based producer Francis Harris released his new album Minutes of Sleep this week (February 25th).
To support the new album, Francis will be playing some dates, particularly San Diego, and Brooklyn.
Francis Harris tour dates:
02/27/2014 TBD San Diego California
02/28/2014 Panther Room/Output Brooklyn
03/01/2014 TBD Boston Massachusetts
04/05/2014 Warung Beach Club Brazil
04/11/2014 Cuenca Ecuador
04/12/2014 Quito, Eccuador
04/17/2014 Zurich
04/18/2014 TBD Belgrade, Serbia
04/21/2014 TBD London, UK
About Last Night is the upcoming album from Sleeper Agent. The album is set for release March 25th on RCA Records/Mom + Pop. You can preview their track "Waves" over at YouTube.
This Kentucky's current lineup is Alex Kandel (vocals), Tony Smith (guitar, vocals), Justin Wilson (drums), Lee Williams (bass), Scott Gardner (keys), and Josh Martin (guitar).
Sleeper Agent's next appearance will be at Shaky Knees Music Festival on May 9th, 2014.
Sleepers Work (otherwise known as Bill Flynn) has a debut album called No Turn Before The Shoreline coming out March 11, 2014, on Primary Records.
No Turn Before The Shoreline was a work of art through a period of six months. Flynn explained the time passage, "I would just grab a sound, start pitching it, pulling it, looping it, messing with the attack and release. I found the specific moments I liked, and then moved on to grabbing the next layer in the same way."
The Persian Leaps are not from Persia, but from St Paul (Minneapolis' Twin City), Minnesota. The band described themselves as noise pop and they seem to be fairly new.
They first sent me "Sleepless" from their debut EP Praise Elephants (which missed my Elephants article because they didn't put 'elephants' in their subject header). Thankfully, they put 'Sleepless' in their email.
Live dates:
Apr 03 Kitty Cat Klub
Minneapolis, MN
Apr 18 Hexagon Bar
Minneapolis, MN
May 30 Cause Spirits & Soundbar
Minneapolis, MN
Herr Styler is a band from Paris, France. Their latest work is Happiness Was a Light Sleeper, which is an EP (three tracks, totaling 19 minutes) released earlier this month (February 3rd) on La Belle Records.
Already France's "Les Inrockuptibles" put the band on their 12 "Acts to Watch in 2014" article.
Slow No Wake is the musical project of multi-instrumentalist Adam Theron-Lee Rensch. Rensch started his music career as a guitarist in a local metal band when he was 16. His musical exploration lead him to discovering classical, folk, 60s pop, and jazz.... among his biggest influence are Spiritualized, Can, Built to Spill, and Mazzy Star.
Rensch wrote over 100 songs in ten years, but never considered to release them: "I never thought about pursuing music seriously. I just made music because I enjoyed it. Then all of sudden people were contacting me, asking me if I had an album they could buy."
Last December, he took nine songs about "love, mortality, and time" and put it together on his self-titled album Slow No Wake on GoldFlakePaint.
Sleep Thieves is a trio (Sorcha Brennan, Wayne Fahy, and Keith Byrne) from Dublin, Ireland.
The synthy band's second single "City of Hearts", just came out this week (February 25) on via Minty Fresh.
The Rian Trench mixed track is describe as "haunting, dreamy, cinematic vocals".
"City of Hearts" is taken from their upcoming album You Want The Night, due out this Spring.
Misun (pronounced 'me sun') is a four-piece band from Los Angeles. If you were wondering about their name, it's taken from the singer's name Misun Mojcik.
The band is self-described their sound as 'aquawave', a form of traditional pop, but with 60s rock & roll and a dash of hip hop and dance.
The band's latest release is a 7" single called "Sleep", which came out last week (February 18th) on B3SCI Records.
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