W♥M

Vizio 65" 4K Smart TV

Vizio 65" 4K Smart TV 65" 4K Smart TV Details With vivid 4K picture quality complemented by Dolby Vision HDR, 4K models offer versatility and value with streaming-centric features like WiFi 6 and instant access to built-in apps. WiFi 6 Dual-Band 4K UHD Resolution Auto Low Latency Mode & VRR Dolby Vision HDR/HDR10+ Bluetooth Compatible DTS Virtual:X QuickFit™ Compatible Read More Technology I think I have my heart set on the Alienware AW3423DW 34" 2K WQHD Curved OLED Gaming Monitor. It is an ultrawide curved 2K screen (3440 x 1440), and has support for NVIDIA G-Synch at 175Hz …

We recently upgraded to a new Vizio 65” 4K Smart TV, as part of leftovers from a Black Friday campaign from Walmart. I’m very happy with the display for the price (less than $400).

It’s not a V-Series or an M-Series, this is just the base 65” Smart TV. I know Vizio strips out certain features in those other television line to bring the cost down, but whatever they took out (such as Freesync), I don’t really mind if I’m saving money. If you really need those features, you’ll have to pay more.

I haven’t purchased a new television in a long time. The last time I got a TV was when 2K was all the rage, and I got a 40-inch no-name brand. Of course, I never watch TV, so it was somewhat of a useless purchase for me. To be perfectly honest, the so-called 2K resolution of the television didn’t look good to me. Images looks too bright, and the blacks were terrible, and the details weren’t there.

Size and Resolution
The first thing about the Vizio television is the big size: 65 inches! It’s much better than the old 40-inch TV. Despite the large size, like all LCD screens, it’s not as heavy as you might think. I believe the whole thing is about 40 pounds.

While the resolution (3840 x 2160) looks great with no signs of uneven brightness that you find on very cheap displays. Image quality looks very good, sitting at a couch about 3 feet away, but when you look at the image very close up, you can see jaggedness. That’s because the DPI (dot per inch) is only 68 DPI at the large dimension.

Currently, the highest resolution consumers can buy are UHD discs, which I have been very slow on converting, simply because I didn’t really have a 4K television. You can also stream in 4K, but that requires very fast internet. The WiFi6 helps, but for the best steaming options, you need to use Ethernet, which the TV does not include (that is on the more expensive models).

Smart TV
With this Vizio “Smart TV”, it comes with its own computer built inside the television, running its own SmartCast OS. SmartCast offers all the streaming services, such as Netflix, Vudu (now Fandango), Amazon Prime, Apple TV, I Heart Radio, and, most importantly, YouTube. This has it all, and it’s not a bad interface. It’s not slow or ugly. This is amazing, if you do not own a Roku, an Apple TV, an Amazon Firestick, or Google TV… and even if you do own them, like I do, you might not want to even hook them up because it’s easier to just use Vizio’s system.

Signing into each streaming service you subscribe to was very easy. When you launch the app, like the Apple TV, you’re given a QR Code. When you scan it using your phone’s camera, you’re immediately logged in. I was streaming all my Apple television shows in no time.

My only complaint is that it took a long time to update all the apps, even using the fastest WiFi6, it felt like the Vizio television took over 15 minutes to update, restart, update, restart, etc.

Audio
The two 10-watt speakers, certified as DTS Virtual X, sounds fine to me, but if you’re an audio enthusiast, you’ll want to add in your own soundbar or custom audio setup. I think Vizio knows their shortcomings on audio, so the TV is “QuickFit” compatible. The QuickFit are standards with soundbars, designed to integrate with your TV. Eventually, I would like to upgrade the television’s audio, so I will sure to be looking for the QuickFit feature. If you prefer to use headphones, the television does offer built-in Bluetooth connectivity.

Remote
The remote control doesn’t have a numpad, instead it works like a directional d-pad, with some dedicated buttons. Like the convenient “Free TV” button, which brings up Vizio’s free tv service (it looks like Pluto TV). I do not think you can bind or change the buttons on the remote, so if you don’t use Sling, too bad that button isn’t going to change.

Anyway, Vizio prefers you to use your voice to direct the TV, but I find that it’s not good at interpreting what I want. For example, I wanted to watch the film DREDD, but all it gave me were films called “Dread”, not fuzzy search misspellings. When I asked for “Judge Dredd”, it gave me only the Sylvester Stallone film (which I did not want), and nothing else. So, the best way to get what I want is to just to type in a search bar.

Typing on the remote is unbearable, so you need to use the Vizio app… which also sometime sucks, because it sometimes just disconnects from the TV.

Summary
For the price, for the 4k resolution, for the large 65-inch display, for everything that the television offers (free programming), I am actually very happy with the Vizio television.

P.S. For whatever reason, my iTunes can’t connect to the Vizio TV’s Airdrop. So, it seems the best way is to sneakernet (by putting the movies on a USB thumbstick and using Vizio’s USB player).

Yours,

Weekend Gamer
[email protected]

Read more Weekend Gamer and Technology.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: Lenovo Legion Go

Lenovo Legion Go Lenovo Legion Go Specs Processor: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme with RDNA Graphics Operating System: Windows 11 Home Memory: 16GB 7500Mhz LPDDR5X Storage: 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2242 MicroSD card reader (supports up to 2TB) Display: 8.8″ QHD (2560 x 1600) IPS, 500 nits, 16:10 aspect ratio, 144Hz refresh rate, 97% DCI-P3, 10-point touchscreen, Gorilla® Glass Battery: 2-cell 49.2WHr Audio: 2 x 2W Speakers Headphone / mic combo 2x USB-C 4.0 (DisplayPort™ 1.4, Power Delivery 3.0) Wireless WiFi 6E* 802.11AX (2 x 2) Bluetooth Starting at Bluetooth® 5.1 Haptics: HD Haptics Gyro: 6-Axis IMU Controller base 65W Power Adapter Carrying Case Read More Lenovo Legion Go You know I’ve been interested in the Lenovo Legion Go since August 2023, and now, in November 2023, the Legion Go is out now. In my original writeup, I said that Lenovo is somewhat late to the game …

As you know, I am a huge Windows Handheld Gamer, you can credit Nintendo for popularizing the game-on-the-go with the original Nintendo Switch, starting in 2017. Since then, Valve got into the handheld with their Steam Deck, in 2022, which revolutionized PC gaming in your hands.

I’ve always wanted the Lenovo Legion Go, which launched in Nov 2023, but by that point, I was already invested in the ROG Ally, which arrived eight months earlier. I couldn’t really justify the $700 price tag on the Legion Go.

With Black Friday coming up, Lenovo is discounting their Legion Go devices, some said as much as $200 off. I bought my Legion Go at Target, who was selling it for $550… which is much cheaper than the crappy Steam Deck White Edition.

It was an impulse buy, I saw it for sale and I convinced myself that this is a birthday gift to myself. So I bought it.

So far, this is what I like about the Legion Go:

1. Comes with a protective carrying case
2. Has a top and bottom USB-C 4.0 ports
3. Built-in Kickstand!
4. Removeable controllers that can be used as a vertical mouse
5. 8.8 inch screen at 2560x1600 at 144Hz (the screen and resolution is the best of all my mobile devices – it is very clear and readable)
6. A dedicated button to quickly switch to different power profiles

What I don’t like about the Legion Go:

1. Controllers can easily fall off if you don’t snap it in correctly
2. It’s a very big and heavy device that I can’t see long hand-holding gaming sessions.
3. None of my existing docs will work with the Legion Go, so I have to buy an official dock
4. I don’t love the Vantage software (this is Lenovo’s version of the Armoury Crate).
5. You need at least a 65W power delivery to charge the device
6. Battery life isn’t great (but none of these devices have great battery life). You’re going to have to plug this in all the time.
7. The native vertical screen caused issues on some of my old games
8. Built-in speakers are the worst of my handhelds I own

I haven’t had the device long enough to give it a proper review, but based on my time with it, I can tell you that Lenovo’s controller approach is very different than the ROG Ally. The Ally has a switch between “Desktop Mode” and “Game Mode.” For example, the right-stick becomes the mouse cursor in Desktop Mode. In Game Mode, the right-stick becomes a movement.

Lenovo doesn’t have a switch option, so all their buttons and mapping are on the two removable controllers. If you need a mouse cursor, use the mousepad on the right controller. I am just not used to using the mousepad and I can tell you this is not how I want to play games that requires mouse and keyboard. For those games, I would need to play it on a hub with a mouse and keyboard attached.

To be fair, mouse and keyboard games aren’t usable for me on the Steam Deck either. I think the way the ROG Ally approach to the controller made better sense to me, especially because it keeps the controllers smaller and more manageable. Still, I know many people likes the mousepad on the controllers… I’m just not one of them.

Other than that, I’m pretty happy with my purchase. I think for $550 or less, this is a great price. If all the handheld devices costs around $500, I am going to recommend the Legion Go, simply because you get more value (carrying case, larger screen at higher resolution, kickstand, and the double USB-C!)

Eventually, down the line, I would like to upgrade the 512GB SSD to something much larger, like 2TB or more. My initial research shows that the system will overheat with larger capacity SSD, and that you need to clone the SSD since Lenovo doesn’t have a backup option (the ROG Ally allows you to re-download your Windows 11 using their server). It just seems like a lot of work to upgrade the internal storage, so, at least for now, I am leaving it as-is. Besides, between the ROG Ally, the Steam Deck, my ROG Strix laptop, my Microsoft Surface, my Legion Gaming PC …. one of these machines will have a game I want!

P.S., since this is just a Windows 11 PC, all your music apps, including iTunes and Spotify and whatever music you’re using, can run in the background as you play your games, even though most gamers will agree that the built-in speakers are “absolute garbage”. You can always install enhancing audio software that might fix the problem. You can always plug in (or Bluetooth) a headphone to really enjoy the audio.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer
[email protected]

Read more Weekend Gamer.

Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, Lenovo Legion Go, and the ROG Ally

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Shower Curtain at Cloudland Theater (01 Nov 2024)

01 Nov 2024 Shower Curtain at Cloudland Theater Shower Curtain Setlist wish u well you're like me interlude jaw clench take me home interlude benadryl man starpower bedbugs edgar Tour Dates Show Curtain 2024 Tour  11.02 - Chicago, IL - Schubas * 11.03 - Columbus, OH - Dirty Dungarees * 11.04 - Cincinnati, OH - DSGN CLLCTV 11.06 - Toronto, CA - Collective Arts 11.07 Pittsburgh, PA - Government Center 11.13 Queens, NY - TV Eye * with MX Lonely Vuart Read More Shower Curtain ‘words from a wishing well’ is the debut record from Shower Curtain, the New York quartet fronted by Brazilian-American artist Victoria Winter (vocals/guitar), alongside Ethan Williams (guitar/vocals), Sean Terrell .... Another Heaven Instead, local sludgegaze band Another Heaven was asked to open the show. They played doom/sludge music from Another Heaven III: The Sorrowful Cries of Birds with Singed Feathers. …

Brooklyn based Shower Curtain was in Minneapolis to play in support of their debut album words from a wishing well. They performed at Cloudland Theater with local openers Pew Pew (formerly Total Gaze) and Another Heaven.

Cloudland Theater is still a relatively new venue, as they have been open for just over a year. Located at 3533 E. Lake Street, it has an unassuming entrance, but don’t let that deter you. The inside of this intimate venue is well-designed, with stage and bar located near the street side entry and a solid, comfortable audience space. They are providing a real niche in the Twin Cities music scene, with a heavy emphasis on local music, sprinkled with national touring acts.

Pew Pew opened and hit the ground running with their jangly, driving sound. After the opening song helmed by the bassist, lead vocals were taken over by the guitarist for the guitarist for the remainder of the set. Solid musicianship from this trio was highlighted by a very good cover of The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog”. They also have a droll sense of humor, with the lead singer announcing at one point that the next song would be a Limp Bizkit cover, and letting it hang for a while before saying, “just kidding”. (The relief of the audience was palpable.)

Another Heaven followed with a darker (both musically and lyrically) sound. The Minneapolis based quartet hit heavy with dual guitars and vocals, driving a sludge / metal feel. They played a number of songs from their 2024 release See You Later. The band was very into the moment and their songs are coming from a deeply personal space that was apparent with a late song in the set called “Painkillers.”

Headliner Shower Curtain is categorized as shoegaze, and this is a perfect descriptor in the best possible way. The band has an excellent sound and could easily be fit into a set list with shoegaze legend Lush. Front woman Victoria Winter nails that mix of dreamy lyrical sound, while still breaking through the overlay of heavy guitars full of distortion and feedback. Starting strong with the lead single “wish u well” from their newly released debut (out just a few weeks ago), Shower Curtain played a pop sound within that 90’s indie feel. Winter also had nice stage presence, easily interacting with the audience, though in classic Upper Midwest fashion, the audience largely declined to take her up on the offer to get closer to the stage.

Although Winter is the natural center of this band, her fellow band mates take the whole sound up a notch. Guitarist and back up vocalist Ethan Williams helped drive things forward, while bassist Cody Hudgins and drummer Sean Terrell had a series of interactions with each other throughout the show that were fun to watch. Several interludes sprinkled in the set provided a nice change of pace at key moments. This was a tight 45-minute set and it’s clear that the band is still getting used to being the headliner. Near the end, the band discussed with each other whether they should add a song (and they ultimately did add “starpower”), but the moment where drummer Terrell almost surprised himself saying out loud “Oh, we’re the last band!” was a cute and touching moment of a band that is growing more comfortable and confident in itself.

Winter mentioned on stage this was their first time performing in Minnesota, but I also got a chance to talk to her before the start of the show. This is their first national tour, as they have previously focused on local touring in the northeast. Although they have had recent success in Spotify plays with the new album, she was unsure of how that would translate to people actually coming to shows. Though it’s been a little bit of a mix, overall she and the band have been pleasantly surprised by the positive interactions with fans wanting to talk with them and buy the merch (Winter designed the shirts, hoodies and bags). The full tour has been a great time for them, with a highlight show in Kansas City and a unique experience playing a funeral in Gadsden, Alabama (with band & friend “mood room”). With shows left in Chicago and Toronto, Shower Curtain hopes to continue building its fan base. With a successful show at Cloudland, hopefully the Twin Cities will get more opportunities to watch this exciting group.

Shower Curtain at Cloudland Theater (01 Nov 2024)

Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew Another Heaven Another Heaven Another Heaven Shower Curtain Shower Curtain Shower Curtain

thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Christmas 2023: Merry Little

Photo Credit: Will Heath/NBC Read More Billie Eilish Vevo has a long history of helping emerging artists break through to new and wider audiences… which included helping Billie Eilish and dodie in their early stage of their career. …

Billie Eilish
billieeilish.com

American singer/songwriter Billie Eilish recently teamed up with 8-time Grammy award winner Christian McBride to perform “What Was I Made For?” and the holiday classic “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” on Saturday Night Live. You can watch it on YouTube.

McBride said, “Playing on SNL was a total thrill. Billie Eilish has become one of my favorite people to work with, and her entire family are the kindest people. Also, seeing everyone in the SNL band - many of whom are my good friends - was like a family reunion.”

I’m embarrassed to say that, in 2019, I had never heard of Billie Eilish until I saw Billy Bragg, who jokingly suggested that the reason why his show sold out was because they mistaken him for Eilish: “Many fans bought all three tickets, and, of course, Bragg recognized them from the previous two nights and would sometime joke about it, saying they really mistaken this show another Billy - Billie Ellish. Although to be honest, the much older audience had never ever heard of the neo-goth, chart-topping 17-year-old pop star.”

Read More Gang Of Youths After two years since their debut record (Gang Of Youths), and relocating to London, England (as the band mentioned during the show), the actually have a full new album written, tentatively titled Go Farther In Lightness …

Gang of Youths
gangofyouths.com

London band, by the way of Australia, Gang of Youths has released their version of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”

The group announced, “We’re trying our best to make some new music, but in the meantime, have yourself a merry little Christmas.”

Gang of Youths (06 June 2017)

We saw Gang of Youths in June 2017 and said, “After touring with such bands like Vampire Weekend, Sky Ferreira, and Manchester Orchestra, Gang of Youths showed us why the band earned nothing less than five ARIA Award nominations (including “Best Rock Album”) on this current tour for support of their debut record The Positions. After two years since their debut record, and relocating to London, England (as the band mentioned during the show), the actually have a full new album written, tentatively titled Go Farther In Lightness…”

Read More Stax Records Stax Records, Craft Recordings, and Concord, has put together Stax Christmas, a new 12-track collection of holiday classics and originals from soul music’s biggest stars. The collection is available on vinyl, CD, and digital (including hi-res formats). …

Concord Records
concord.com

I was sent Concord Holiday Hits 2023 (digital) to listen. However, seeing as there are over 100 tracks compiled here, I do not believe you can actually buy this compilation. I’m going to assume Concord has compiled a Spotify playlist or something for the holiday under this Holiday Hits banner.

The new 2023 radio holiday intro by Steve Perry (from Journey) for “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” might be the perfect song to play, if you’re a DJ for a radio station.

Other new remastered (alternative mix) on this holiday playlist includes Otis Redding’s “Merry Christmas Baby”. This version is available to be purchased through Stax Christmas holiday compilation, which we wrote about a few weeks earlier.

If you’re wondering, yes, this compilation includes “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” by Allison Russell. This recording originally came out two years ago, but Russell is currently doing a headlining tour, as well as supporting Hozier from April to June 2024.

You might have heard that Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” recently overtook Mariah Carey for the number one Christmas song (in December 2023). Well, you can hear that version of the Johnny Marks song from Sierra Ferrell. The original song was recorded in 2020, and you can hear Ferrell’s version on YouTube.

Just off topic, by watching the YouTube video, you see that they advertise that Ferrell will be playing live at First Avenue in Minneapolis on April 26, 2024… which I will be definitely putting it on my calendar to follow up for the new year.

That’s just some of the artists on this 100+ compilation.

Matthew Ifield
matthewifield.com.au

Australia’s Matthew Ifield who has over 1 million TikTok followers, released his A Christmas Album album this year, via Capitol Records/EMI Music Australia. His lead single “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” can be streamed everywhere.

A Christmas Album includes classic covers of “Winter Wonderland” and “The Christmas Song.” Ifield explains why Christmas, “I love Christmas… I love being around my family… setting up Christmas lights around the house, putting up the tree. Christmas will always be around; that's why Christmas songs will always be around. Music will always be changing, but traditional Christmas songs will remain.”

Stelios Kerasidis
stelioskerasidis.com

Greek’s biggest actress, swimmer, pop star Katerina Stikoudi has teamed up with 11-year-old piano prodigy Stelios Kerasidis to release the timeless song, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”, originally first performed by iconic Judy Garland and then by legendary music figure Frank Sinatra .

The two-minute recording came out November 24, 2023, and you can listen it on a variety of streaming station, including Amazon Music.

Alex Hall
musicbyalexhall.com

Tennessee’s Alex Hall released a three-song holiday bundle from Monument Records. The songs features two traditional covers “Please Come Home for Christmas” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and one new original piece, “Reason To Believe.”

Hall adds, “I love classic Christmas songs, from Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’ to Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town.’ Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, so I decided to record some Christmas music of my own. I hope you love my take on a few of the classics, but it was important to me to write a Christmas song of my own. I have a two-year-old son, and seeing Christmas through his eyes has brought back so much of the magic we can lose as adults. I hope you enjoy untying the bow on these songs, and maybe they can become part of your own holiday tradition for years to come! Merry Christmas and happy holidays.”

carolesdaughter
carolesdaughter.net

Gold-certified alternative pop artist carolesdaughter (aka Thea Taylor) released “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” via Arista Records.

carolesdaughter shares that, “I’ve heard so many versions of this song, including the Carpenters take which is a personal and fan favorite. But I wanted to put a dark carolesdaughter spin on the classic.”

carolesdaughter released the critically acclaimed debut EP, please put me in a medically induced coma in 2022, and generating tens of millions of streams and boasting fan favorites such as “audrey,” followed by singles “xo i hope u die,” “sunshine & roses,” “nobody’s favorite person, not even my own.”

Karine Hannah
karinehannah.com

The Montreal-born and New York-based singer Karine Hannah released “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” for holiday 2023.

Karine Hannah started performing at the age of sixteen for a Canadian television show, which caught the eye of Celine Dion. The famous diva personally asked Karine to perform at her wedding.

Hannah previously signed with Cash Money Records, but since 2022, she’s on Heart Songs Music Group.

Read more Christmas.

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

Charlie Cunningham at 7th St Entry, Minneapolis (29 Oct 2023)

10/29 Charlie Cunningham with Ethan Tasch at 7th St Entry Charlie Cunningham Setlist Telling It Wrong Sink In Shame I Know Pathways An Opening Bite So It Seems Downpour Water Tower Headlights Don't Go Far Permanent Way Minimum You Sigh Ethan Tasch Setlist Holdup Mind of Its Own He’s Getting Away! Tetherball Slide's Getting Shorter Sky Song Come Onn Room Read More Charlie Cunningham Charlie Cunningham will play the 7th Street Entry on Monday, September 23rd. Show up early to check out Denver-based artist The Still Tide (aka Anna Morsett), touring in support of her new Between Skies EP …

UK singer/songwriter Charlie Cunningham headlined the 7th Street Entry on a quiet Sunday, October 29th. The singer’s third album, Frame, was released earlier this year.

Indie folk artist Ethan Tasch opened the show. The singer had over 22 million streams across his two EPs that he released since 2020, thanks to his hit single “Room” (which was promoted on Spotify’s editorial playlists like “Best Indie Songs”).

Since then, he’s got to work with artists like Felly, Remi Wolf, Wallice, Boyish, and Jeremy Zucker… and spent the majority of 2022 working with with producer Caleb Nelson (Mt Joy) for his debut album Got Him!.

When he’s not touring solo, he’s touring as Bea Miller’s band.

Coming on stage, Ethan Tasch had trouble picking his guitar strings, stating, “No one told me it was so cold in Minnesota.” He spelled it out that it was his first time in Minnesota, and told a joke about the state with the smallest soft drink (“Minnie soda”).

After “Sky Song”, to manipulate claps from the audience, he said, “This is my 11th show of my first ever tour.” Of course he got claps and cheers, and then he quickly joked, “I say that at all my shows.” Although he joked, we believe that it was his actual eleventh show.

Before he played his finale song, his biggest hit single, “Room,” he mentioned that he wrote and recorded the song in 2020, when there was no live music in the world. The song really was written and sung in his “Room.”

UK’s Charlie Cunningham had a similar assessment of Minnesota, “It’s chilly here, isn’t it?” He was warming up his hands and told us that his bands’ names were Ben, Liam, and Sam. Before the 7th Street Entry show, he said they went to a bar and he ordered a drink, not looking at the price. When he got the bill, he was shocked to see that he had to pay $46 for one drink! That’s the last time he drinks there.

He admitted that he doesn’t chat much between songs, because he felt the fans there was there to hear him play music.

Looking at his set, he mixed up songs between his three studio albums, Lines, Permanent Way, and the latest, Frame.

His best known songs are from his debut Lines. The record won Album of the Year Award at the Pop Awards in 2018. His best known song, “Minimum” was saved for the penultimate song. It was well-received, and setup for the tender, last song, “You Sigh.”

Charlie Cunningham’s latest album Frame is out now.

Remaining tour dates:

November 1 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
November 2 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
November 4 – Seattle, WA – Abbey Hall
November 5 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood Theatre
November 7 – Portland, OR – The Old Church
November 10 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
November 11 – Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge

Ethan Tasch Ethan Tasch

Charlie Cunningham

Charlie Cunningham Charlie Cunningham

Charlie Cunningham at 7th St Entry, Minneapolis (29 Oct 2023)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Techtober

iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera Details From dramatic framing flexibility to next-generation portraits, see what you can do with our most powerful iPhone camera system. The 48MP Main camera is more advanced than ever, capturing super‑high‑resolution photos with a new level of detail and color. You’ll see the improvements in your portraits. And now you no longer have to switch to Portrait mode. If your subject is a person, dog, or cat, iPhone automatically captures depth information. So you can choose to instantly see your photo as a portrait, with an artful blur effect. Or later in the Photos app. For iPhone 15 Pro Max, we designed a 5x Telephoto camera with the longest optical zoom of any iPhone ever to fit in our compact Pro camera system. Now you can take sharper close‑ups from farther away — like a phenomenal photo of your friend or a goal in your kid’s soccer match. 5x optical zoom with the 120 mm lens. Read More iPhone So in November 2021, I purchased the iPhone 13, and have been very happy with both the device and my ability to connect multiple devices. Speaking of hotspot, there is a 5 mbps cap when you tether. That’s still faster than my old DSL ....

iPhone 15 Pro Max
apple.com

You know I love my iPod (before it was replaced by the cellphone) and my iPad (own the original iPad and currently loving the new 11 inch iPad Pro), but I was never an iPhone guy. However, all that changed when I switched phone service to Visible… and because there were no restrictions on the iPhone, I decided to switch to the iPhone 10.

It worked so well with the iPhone, that I bought the new iPhone 13 in November 2021. Then I bought the iPhone 14 Plus in October 2022.

In keeping with tradition, I’ve upgraded to the new iPhone 15 Pro Max recently. I think after that hefty price tag, I am going to stop upgrading until they come out with some amazing new features.

Here are the new things in the iPhone 15 Pro:

USB-C: Finally! Thanks to the UK, Apple caved in and now their iPhones uses the universal serial bus. Now I can use the same cable that charges my iPad with my iPhone. I’m all for this new change. Also 20x faster file transfers.

Titanium: Lighter, harder, looks great. This is the same alloy that they make spacecraft out of. Lightest iPhone Pro models ever. Titanium is here to stay.

A17 Pro: Apple’s fastest chip yet, they claimed it’s 40% faster than the competition. In tests, it beats the Google’s Pixel 8, and the new iPhone can play a console game, like Resident Evil 4.

Action Button: This replaces the silent switch. You can change this to a physical camera button, so you can use your phone as a traditional camera.

Dynamic Island: A gimmick that was introduced in last year’s model, but it’s been improved thanks to the upgrade cameras.

Upgraded Camera: The new periscope has a 5x optical zoom.

I’m mostly interested in the telephoto lens in the new iPhone. According to Apple, the iPhone 15 Pro Max provides the longest optical zoom at the equivalent of 120mm. This is great for taking concert photos, or just take some “close up” photos in general.

In my own test, taking photos at the back of the venue, I found that the new 120mm camera on the iPhone is pretty impressive (considering that it’s on a tiny pocketable device). I know there’s less details on the iPhone camera, but no cellphone can beat a real camera. Still, the iPhone photo is still very usable.

Apple claims it’s their best camera ever, and from what I’ve seen, I’m a believer.

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Sony A7IV

Read More Google a Google home, as everything is built around the Google Home Hub application. If you don’t mind giving Google your information, you can use many of their services - for free. That’s the attractive thing, it’s mostly free. …

Nest Audio
google.com

I recently purchased the Google’s Nest Audio Speaker on clearance at Target. I didn’t have a need for the speaker, but seeing as it’s normally $100, I couldn’t pass it up for 50% off.

If you stream music and subscribed to audio services (such as Spotify or Google Music), I think this is a great speaker to have in your home. It sounds great, it fills the room. It’s a very capable speaker. It is just that I do not subscribe to any music services. I own all my music on CD that I ripped myself.

You can also use it as a Google Assistant, asking it all sorts of questions. If you have a Google Nest Hub or Lenovo’s Smart Display or Smart Frame … you do not need the Nest Speaker.

I’m currently using it as a Bluetooth Speaker (you need to enable this feature on your Google Home App), and it’s fine. There is a slight delay and audio sounds out of sync compared to the video… I’m sure there must be a way to fix the syncing issue.

I do somewhat regret buying it … because I don’t really have a use for the speaker. Perhaps I will evict it to the garage. Maybe if I need to stream music in the garage from my iPhone, it would fill the room.

When am I ever spending time in the garage for anything? I guess I can throw a party and move the Nest Audio to the party room. I do not know what to do with this speaker.

Read more Technology.

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

SXSW 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top 10 performances at SXSW

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

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

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

Best Venues at SXSW Lazarus Brewery Mohwak Swan Dive

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

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

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

Silverbacks at Lazarus Brewery

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

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

brody ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Visibile Update

Visible Mobile Unlimited everything, no hidden fees Get the unlimited data, messages and minutes you love without hidden fees raising your cost. 99% of the US population covered Visible is by Verizon, so all Visible’s benefits come with America’s most reliable 5G network. All the hotspot usage you can handle There are no data limits on your hotspot usage so feel free to stream wherever you are. 24/7 access to human assistance We don’t have stores, but we can still offer you access to our care team via chat, at any hour. Add a smartwatch for just $5/mo Bring your own Apple Watch, or buy one from us. Read More Visible I’ve been using internet-only telephone service called Visible for three months now… and I feel I’ve experienced all the pain and strain of using their service. The short story is that this is a very inexpensive mobile service . …

I’ve been on Visible since March 2021, and have zero complaints about the service. For the first year, I was still hesitant about switching over entirely (I still had my old phone as backup), but eventually Visible became my main phone.

In fact, when I was shopping for a permanent home internet solution, Visible temporarily became my home internet for a few months. I can tell you, it’s truly unlimited, I was burning about 500GB of data a month!

Anyway, now that we’re two years in Visible, they’re making some upgrades to their network. I’ve known the changes since September 2022. I’ll confess, I wasn’t looking forward to upgrading, because I knew that it meant a price increase, because they were removing the $15 discount called “Party Pay”.

On Valentine’s Day, Visible forced existing users to upgrade to one of their two services: their standard $30 line or a faster “plus” line for $45. I was happy to see that Visible did the right thing and kept my bill to my original $25 by giving existing members a “Value Member Discount.”

Switching and activating a new line, it was painless for me. I’m on an all e-Sim iPhone 14, so while it was creating a new 5G eSim EID number, I lost phone service for about 10 minutes.* I believe if you are on an older phone, Visible may have to mail you a physical SIM card insert and activate (this could take weeks to mail). Most modern phones, starting with iPhone XS (2018) and Google Pixel 4 (2019) have eSim support.

Visible Speed Test (14 Feb 2023)

I tested the 5G Visible Speed as soon as the new line was activated, and it shows about 90mbps download - however, I should point out that during congestion, Visible will slow your speed down. I’ve also read that watching Netflix and YouTube, Visible will slow your connection to SD video... but since I don’t stream videos on my phone so I basically don’t care. If you are going to be upset about SD video you can always pay $15 extra for their Plus service (which has “premium data”). I am not aware that Visible downgrade connection to Spotify or other music streaming services, so music should be fine through your phone.

Anyway, basically, all the limitations (like the 5mbps hotspot) on Visible’s old plan are present here. The only improvement is that, according to Visible, the new network is more reliable.

If you want to try out the service at $30 or $45, please use my referral code 3ng2nr, which basically pays for my phone bill for a month.

PS, there are some things you need to know: you need to know how to remove SIM cards or activating eSim, etc. If you don’t know what a SIM card is or how to get your EID number from your phone, I can’t recommend Visible to you. Visible has a bad reputation for terrible customer services - because it’s almost impossible to get help from them. You’re forced to use their app (it’s required), you’re forced to “chat” (no voice call), and there’s constantly a long wait list. But hey, if you can solve things yourself, Visible remains the best value in unlimited phone and internet. There is no other phone plan that compares to $30 for unlimited data/phone with no data cap.

* Note: I had to restart my phone and restart Visible’s app to get it to work a second time, so you might have to do the same thing if you are having trouble switching over to the new Visible phone line. Make sure you have the latest update and you’re required to be connected to WiFi when Visible is activating the new upgraded line.

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

Minneapolis: January 21 to January 24

01/21 Present Company with Products, Colin Bracewell and Parachutes at Turf Club Read More Present Company Minneapolis indie band Present Company is having their sophomore, self-titled album release party this September 9th at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. …

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

01/21/2023 Saturday

Present Company
with Products, Colin Bracewell and Parachutes
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

We previously mentioned the local indie band Present Company for their sophomore, self-titled album release party in Sep 2022: “Minneapolis indie band Present Company is having their sophomore, self-titled album release party this September 9th at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. The group was originally started by Christian Nelson and Eddie Chisham (songwriting, vocals, guitar, keys), but later joined by Seth Lemmon (bass) and Berin Joseph (drums).”

Spotify for Artist for Nov 2022 (Present Company)

The band recently (November) was filmed live, via PBS’ Backroads (to air in 2023), and it actually had spiked up interests in their music through their Spotify analytic. You can currently preview their song “Drive” on PBS’ website and social media posting. Congratulations to the band.

Show up early to check out: Products, Colin Bracewell and Parachutes.

01/23 Radio K SHORT CiRCUiT Residency feat. RIOTGRRRLDARKO, Devinci and Selah C at 7th St Entry Read More Radio K Local college radio station Radio K is putting together a series of shows in January 2023, describing these bookings as “A love letter to you and all the artists that have supported Radio K over the past years …

01/23/2023 Monday

Radio K SHORT CiRCUiT Residency
feat. RIOTGRRRLDARKO, Devinci and Selah C
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

01/23 The Cactus Blossoms Turf Club

Continuing their month-long residency at the Turf Club, Charlie Parr will headline on January 22, with Mike Gangloff and Adam Kiesling to open. Then, on January 23, The Cactus Blossoms will take over the Turf with Pit Stop. We previously already mentioned these shows in December 2022.

Meanwhile, in their third week of the 7th Street Entry Residency, Radio K SHORT CiRCUiT will feature:

RIOTGRRRLDARKO: Riotgrrrldarko is a 24-year-old self-announced Lady Rager. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Darko pushes boundaries bringing a fresh grunge and gritty sound with explicit lyrics to match.

Devinci: At 20, Devinci (Devin Barksdale) is a triple threat, working in Minneapolis as an artist/producer/engineer and current student at IPR.

Selah C: Selah Cheyenne Jacoway, also known as Selah C is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and political activist, Born in Decatur Georgia.

Radio K’s last Residency show will take place on January 30 with Blu Bone, Destiny Spike and XINA.

01/24 Ani DiFranco with Peter Mulvey and SistaStrings at First Avenue Read More Ani Difranco Politically conscious protest singer Ani DiFranco is headlining First Avenue. You can bet she’ll be rallying against Donald Trump. ...

01/24/2023 Tuesday

Ani DiFranco
with Peter Mulvey and SistaStrings
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Highly influential protest singer Ani DiFranco is making a return to First Avenue this January 24, 2023. Her previous First Avenue show, set for August 21, 2021 (as mentioned in July 2021) was canceled due to COVID concerns. DiFranco is making up for lost time with this January 2023 show… which actually kicks off her 2023 tour.

The feminist icon and Grammy winner is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of her seminal first live album, Living In Clip (Righteous Babe Records). In addition, you can get the 25th anniversary remastered edition of the landmark double album on this tour, as well as online through her website.

Also, look for DiFranco’s children book The Knowing, out March 7, 2023, via Penguin Kids.

Peter Mulvey and SistaStrings to open.

Tour dates:

01/24 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
01/25 Pabst Theater Milwaukee, WI
01/26 Embassy Theatre Fort Wayne, IN
01/27 City Opera House Traverse City, MI
01/28 Ann Arbor Folk Festival 2023 Ann Arbor, MI
03/15 Boulder Theater Boulder, CO
03/16 Boulder Theater Boulder, CO
03/18 Breckenridge Riverwalk Center Adm Breckenridge, CO
03/19 Washington’s FoCo Fort Collins, CO
03/21 Commonwealth Room Salt Lake City, UT
03/22-03/26 Treefort Music Fest 2023
03/22 The Elm Bozeman, MT
03/24 Wilma Theatre Missoula, MT

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

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

Minneapolis-Based

Read More Persian Leaps 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. …

The Persian Leaps
twitter.com/persianleaps

The name and idea of The Persian Leaps began as a phrase by singer/guitarist Drew Forsberg, who wrote and drew in his notebook during a college Greek Archaeology course. For years, he billed himself under that name, until he assembled his full band in 2012. We wrote about his debut EP Praise Elephants in Feb 2014… which NME described as “celestial guitar jangle.”

The band released their new EP Machines for Living in October.

If you were wondering about the title, Drew said, “The phrase ‘Machines for Living’ comes from the French architect Le Corbusier. He was a friend/contemporary of Walter Gropius (who started the Bauhaus movement in Germany) and once wrote “a house is a machine for living in,” which is even more true in this era of “smart homes”.”

After you read that, you can ask Alexa to play the new The Persian Leaps’ EP.

Track Listing:

1. Alright Alright
2. Maybe Time Will Let Me Forget
3. Lipreader Dyslexia
4. Beautiful Inside
5. The Nicest Way

Read More Luke LeBlanc One of the dates on their schedule will be at the Turf Club in St Paul on August 20, 2021. Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter Luke LeBlanc to open. Tour dates: 8/20- St. Paul, MN- Turf Club …

Luke LeBlanc
lukeleblanc.com

Fugue State is the new album from Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter Luke LeBlanc.

The new record is described as “a warm, organic merging of rootsy folk and pop – as it aims its melodic arrow on the current divisiveness, culturally and politically, in the United States. In the space of 11 songs, LeBlanc articulates what’s broken and searches for ways to fix it, or at least gives us advice on how to cope.”

The record was recorded at Real Phonic Studio in Cleveland, Minnesota from November 2021 through July 2022. Produced and engineered by Erik Koskinen, who also plays electric guitar, bass, banjo, and keyboards. The record also features John Cleve Richardson on keyboards and backing vocals; Ryan Young of Trampled by Turtles on violin; Eric Heywood (Ray Lamontagne) on pedal steel; Casey Frensz on saxophone; and Erin Bekkers on drums.

Track Listing:

1 Come Clean
2 Take Your Mind off It
3 Slide on Over
4 Anymore
5 Down Low
6 Still
7 Walking Days
8 When I Walk with You
9 Now
10 Soothes Me
11 Long Way to Go

Landon Conrath
landonconrath.com

Minneapolis indie-pop artist Landon Conrath will close out the year with a headline show at the 7th Street Entry on December 30.  We will be covering the show.

Spotify for Artist (Landon Conrath)

Since making his debut in 2020,  Conrath’s distinctive brand of hook-laden indie-pop has seen him become a viral sensation on Spotify and landing on influential playlists virtually overnight. The artist recently shared that his music was streamed over 12.5M times with 2.3M listeners/followers via the official Spotify analytic.

At the moment, they have not announced an opener for the show.

Tour dates:

12/30 // Minneapolis, MN // 7th Street Entry
1/12 // Madison, WI // High Noon Saloon
1/13 // Milwaukee, WI // The Back Room
1/14 // Chicago, IL // Beat Kitchen
3/23 // Ames, IA // The Maintenance Shop
3/24 // Lincoln, NE // The Bourbon
3/25 // Denver, CO // Lost Lake Lounge
3/28 // Great Falls, MT // The Newberry
3/30 // Seattle, WA // Madame Lou's
3/31 // Portland, OR // Mission Theater

Mayyadda
mayyadda.com

Minneapolis-based alternative R&B artist Mayyadda (may-YAH-duh) has released her Christmas EP Holiday Joint. The five-track project was crafted to encourage listeners to focus more on the spirit of the season rather than the sometimes-stressful commercial aspects that are typically associated with this time of year.

The all original R&B song “Holiday Joint” is the highlight of the EP, followed by traditional Christmas standards such as “Jingle Bells,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Sleigh Ride,” and “Silent Night.”

Mayyadda just wanted to bring happiness to everyone, as she explained, “I wanted to create a holiday project that my Grinchy self actually enjoyed.”

Tracklist

1. Holiday Joint
2. Jingle Bells
3. Winter Wonderland
4. Sleigh Ride
5. Silent Night

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

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