W♥M

Run Westy Run at Turf Club, St Paul (03 Mar 2023)

Mood Swings Setlist Photo of Setlist Hooked Stir It Up Finest Line Crush Rocket (new song) Simple Things Knocked Down Nothing New Honey Generation Y Read More Run Westy Run I am grouping these three shows together because Run Westy Run and Iffy are related. RWR (featuring Daniel, Kirk, Kraig, and Kyle) were never quite as popular as their local peers … Mood Swings So tonight, The Mood Swings will be at the Sauce, at their CD-releasing party. As with previous Susstones showmania, they are cheap ($5, man!) and features a ton of bands (Two Harbors, First Communion Afterparty, …

Twin City music scene veterans Run Westy Run just had their sold-out album release concert for Beyond Reason (Cardinal Drive Records), on Friday night, at the Turf Club in St Paul.

This is their first studio album since 1990’s Green Cat Island, so it’s a big deal to finally get some new RWR songs. The band has a big local fanbase, a few of them were outside the venue begging attendees if they had extra tickets.

To be perfectly honest, I was rather excited to see The Mood Swings. The band, featuring Ashley Ackerson and Sallie Watson, had not released anything new since 2009’s Recessionista. While the band would play on and off gigs, it seemed like they are fairly inactive since 2009.

During the Mood Swings’ hiatus, Ashley would spend more time in her side project BNLX, with her husband, Ed Ackerson (of Polara) - that’s why you saw BNLX albums (the album with their dog on the cover) at the Mood Swing’s merchandise table.

BNLX (20 Mar 2010)

We caught BNLX’s very first concert at Sauce in Oct 2010, which we described, “Despite being just two persons (Ed and Ashley), BNLX had a lot of gear to setup. We're talking a few giant VOX amps and "crazy disco" lights, a Dyno-Fog 2 smoke machine, and a computer that served as backing music and drums. Surprisingly for their "first ever" gig, they seem to have it altogether. They played all their songs from their EP #1, plus a few new one. I don't remember most of them, but one of those songs was "Just Got Paid", which sounds promising.”

Sadly, when Ed passed away in Oct 2019, and I felt that pretty much ended BNLX as a band.

In July 2021, the Mood Swings announced that they are back, their first gig, post-hiatus was for a birthday concert in celebration of the late Ed Ackerson. We haven’t seen the Mood Sings since May 2008, so it’s really cool to see them playing new songs on Friday’s show. One of the new Mood Swings’ song was called “Rocket”, which was played in the middle of their set. Ashley said that the new song will be available in July 2023, as part of a series of 7 inch singles. I’m sure we’ll hear more about it closer to the date.

Before their set finale, “Generation Y”, Ashley introduced the band, with Mark Wade (from The Melismatics) on bass and Mike Reiter on drums.

By the time Run Westy Run took the stage, the Turf Club’s dancefloor was packed.

For those who didn’t know, RWR formed in mid-80s, and pretty soon joined the massive growing Minneapolis music explosion of the 80s and 90s: The Replacements, Husker Du, Soul Asylum, The Jayhawks, and many others. RWR never quite hit the mainstream, but for those into the local Minnesota music scene, they had their fans and supporters.

The three brothers, Kirk, Kyle, and Kraig Johnson - along with Terry Fisher and Bob Joslyn, signed to SST Records and released their self-titled debut album and the follow-up Hardly Not Even, both in 1988. At the height of their popularity, with the release of Green Cat Island, the band joined Soul Asylum on their 1990 national tour.

Run Westy Run quietly called it quits around 1995, although they never officially announced that they broke up. Then, after about twenty years, the band announced they were back with a holiday show at First Avenue in 2013. Kyle Johnson died in 2014, so perhaps the band-get-together was in honor Kyle. Anyway, since then, the holiday shows have become an annual event for the Westies.

Seeing the band on stage, for their Beyond Reason album show, especially the swagger and smile on singer Kirk Johnson, you can tell that the band loves playing live. They look like they are having a fantastic time. They act like they were rock gods, and the screaming fans treated them like they were rock gods…

As expected, the band played mostly new songs from Beyond Reason, including their lead singles, “Milkyway’s Mainframe” and “Christy Casino”. Many of these songs were written decades ago, but now collected and re-worked for the new album. Based on hearing them talk about these RWR songs, they have much more… so perhaps we’ll see another album in the not so far distant future.

Their three-song encore included some of fan favorite’s songs, including the final song, “Cockroach Park”.

While the band never became as famous as Soul Asylum or The Replacements… The band never gave up. In a recent interview with the Star Tribune, guitarist Kraig Johnson, explained, “Even though we never really had our big break back then or whatever, I still had a hell of a time. And that’s why I'm doing this now: It’s so fun.”

Mood Swings

Mood Swings

Mood Swings

Mood Swings

Run Westy Run

Run Westy Run

Run Westy Run

Run Westy Run at Turf Club, St Paul (03 Mar 2023)

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

The Maccabees at Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis (18 June 2015)

The Maccabees Setlist Wall of Arms Feel to Follow Young Lions Love You Better Kamakura Latchmere Precious Time Can You Give It Marks to Prove It Spit It Out X-Ray No Kind Words Pelican Something Like Happiness Two Harbors Setlist There Is Love Come Around Fall To Pieces Seen Enough Be On Your Way Be Forever Momentum See You Down The Road Just Carry On Read More The Maccabees The Maccabees' latest Marks To Prove It will be out on July 31st via Fiction. The band is currently on tour on the Mumford & Sons' Gentlemen of the Road travelling festival. On their days off, they've booked some smaller … Two Harbors Opening the Mill City Nights gig was the local go-to Brit Rock-influenced band, Two Harbors, who have a new release called The Natural Order of Things (on Susstones Records). …

Taking a detour from their support tour with Mumford & Sons, The Maccabees found themselves at the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis on Thursday evening.

Two Harbors

Local Two Harbors opened up the show, earlier than advertised. The Brit Rock-influenced band was last seen with Embrace and Starsailor last week.

With the exception of "You Might Be Right", the band played almost every song from their album The Natural Order of Things (Susstones Records) on their 30-min set.

As we have previously said, this band take the best of Oasis, but leaving out the unwanted sibling rivalries. If this sounds like your cup of tea, you can see the band for free at the Stone Arch Bridge Festival tonight. See the schedule here.

London's The Maccabees first burst on the scene with their Colour It In in 2007. The album had enough buzz that we did end up driving to Chicago to see the band on their first US tour with the Noisettes.

Now currently promoting their forthcoming album Marks to Prove It (set for release this July 31st on Fiction), the band is proving that they still have the explosive rock sound, particularly on the title track, that made us love them in the first place.

The Maccabees had a full band (singer/guitarist Orlando Weeks, guitarists Hugo White and Felix White, bassist Rupert Jarvis, and drummer Sam Doyle), but also featuring a new tour band member Rebekah Raa (from Rainer) on keyboard. Her contribution seems to be present on the newer songs.

Setlist

As you can see from their setlist, the first part of their show featured older songs to help remind us of the The Maccabees' sound. The first of their new songs, "Kamakura", singer Orlando Weeks talked about their backdrop of Marks to Prove It's cover artwork. He explained that for many years, they had passed by Faraday Memorial, on Elephant & Castle roundabout, and never really thought much of it. During the recording of the new record, it just occurred to them just how beautiful and striking the landmark was. Weeks encouraged us to pay close attention to our everyday surround and hopefully not overlooked all the beauty in our world.

Since the album is not officially out yet, only a few tracks were previewed for us, including the title track, "Spit It Out", and set closer "Something Like Happiness". The latter, Weeks mentioned will be their next single. Based on hearing the live song, it's a good choice.

The Maccabees' final US stop will be at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Their Tahlia Hall show (last night) had been cancelled due to the local promoters' inability to build a stage ... However, not all was lost, fans who bought advance tickets could use it to gain entrance to the Mumford and Sons show at Cricket Hill. The Tahlia Hall show has been re-scheduled for Tuesday October 20th.

Look for The Maccabees' Marks to Prove It on July 31st via Fiction.

The Maccabees at Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis (18 June 2015)

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

Stoned

Read More Stevie Nicks Also, the funniest thing is that witch Misty Day is a massive Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac fan, because, according to Day, Stevie Nicks is a White Witch. So whenever you saw the Nicks-inspired 70s look of Day …

ANGUS & JULIA STONE
angusandjuliastone.com

The Herald Sun compared Angus & Julia Stone as Neil Young and Stevie Nicks. So if you are fan of those musicians, you definitely will want to check out this Australian brother/sister duo, who recently released their self-titled LP (Angus & Julia Stone) on August 1st via American Recordings. The Rick Rubin produced full-length was #1 in France, New Zealand, Switzerland and Australia... and their entire North American tour is SOLD OUT. Now, that's impressive.

If you were lucky enough to have tickets, these are the North American tour dates:

10/06 - House of Blues - San Diego, CA
10/07 - The Regent - Los Angeles, CA
10/08 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA
10/10 - Vogue Theatre - Vancouver, BC
10/11 - Aladdin Theater - Portland, OR
10/12 - Neumos - Seattle, WA
10/14 - Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT
10/15 - Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO
10/17 - Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI
10/18 - Cedar Cultural Center - Minneapolis, MN
10/19 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
10/21 - Opera House - Toronto, ON
10/22 - Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre - Montreal, QC
10/23 - The Sinclair - Cambridge, MA
10/25 - Sixth & I Historic Synagogue - Washington, DC
10/27 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
10/28 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
10/29 - Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA

Read More The Rolling Stones As previously mentioned last year, the Rolling Stones are back at 50 with their GRRR! greatest hits compilation and some very selective shows. The band are 'rolling' out more tour dates in 2013 …

THE ROLLING STONES
rollingstones.com

Although most people associate The Rolling Stones as mainly Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, in the early days, it was really Brian Jones who was the band leader. A little trivia, but Jones was the person who came up with the band name, The Rolling Stones, on the fly via a phone call to Jazz News, based on Muddy Waters (on a track called "Rollin' Stone").

There is a new book by Paul Trynka called Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones, and that trivia, as well as other secrets are unveiled in this forthcoming biography. The book goes on sale October 13, 2014, on Viking Press.

Here are just some of the juicy new revelations in Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones:

• For the first time, Trynka reveals Jones’s troubled early life, including the cover-up of his sister’s death. He also reveals the existence of a previously unknown child, given up for adoption while Jones was still in his teens.
• Today, Keith Richards explains his entire guitar style is based on the distinctive Open G tuning, which he claims he learned in 1968. Trynka reveals how Keith actually learned the tuning from Brian Jones—who then used it on early Stones records!
• Brian Jones rewrites the musician’s early life, and details how he’d racked up over 100 gigs, at a time when his fellow Stones were still playing in their front rooms.
• “Brian was killed by the establishment.” Trynka reveals how the British police were determined to break the most controversial Stone, and attempted to bust him on at least seven occasions.
• The doomed love affair of Jones and Anita Pallenberg has been much discussed. Trynka reveals how the accepted version of how they met is completely wrong, and that Anita had been pursuing Brian for months, before finally catching her quarry.
• “You write these songs and give the name over as if Mick Jagger has done it!” With the aid of new witnesses, Trynka uncovers Jones’s contributions to Stones songwriting, and reveals the existence of previously unknown Jones songs, rejected by Brian’s enemy and Stones manager, Andrew Oldham.
• “The Stones surrounded themselves with horrible people.” Some of the Stones’ interband feuds are well-known—but Trynka reveals the sexual one-upmanship started right back at the band’s genesis, in 1962.
• Trynka rewrites the story of Brian’s breakdown—and how police persecution led him to rely on prescription drugs, which ruined his musical abilities.
• Conspiracy theories around Brian’s death have circulated for years: Brian Jones uncovers the fictitious witnesses and made-up quotes that underlie many of them.
• Throughout, with over 130 new interviews, Brian Jones busts countless myths, and sheds new light on many key moments of rock’n’roll history: the night Brian jammed with Bob Dylan, as New York was plunged into darkness; the time Brian ventured out to the mountains of Morocco, to make what was in effect the first World Music recording; and Brian’s friendship with so-called rivals like Hendrix, The Beatles and The Animals.

For more information on the book, check out the author's website, www.trynka.com.

Read More Stone Jack Jones Nashville's Stone Jack Jones recently shared his new video for his lead single "State I'm In" with Stereogum. Look for Stone Jack Jones' third full-length album, Ancestor, on March 4th, 2014 …

STONE JACK JONES
stonejackjones.com

We previously mentioned that Stone Jack Jones was going to release their album Ancestor... now that the album is out, the band announced a Fall 2014 in support of the album. See tour dates below.

Stone Jack Jones tour dates:

10/10/14 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH #
10/11/14 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL #
10/13/14 - Triple Rock - Minneapolis, MN #
10/14/14 - Mill - Iowa City, IA #
10/15/14 - Demo - St Louis, MO #
10/16/14 - Auntie Mae's Parlor - Manhattan, KS #
10/17/14 - Zoo Bar - Lincoln, NE #
10/18/14 - Moe's Original - Denver, CO #
10/20/14 - Neurolux - Boise, ID #
10/22/14 - Tractor - Seattle, WA #
10/23/14 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR #
10/24/14 - Sam Bond's Garage - Eugene, OR #
10/25/14 - Depot - Arcata, CA #
10/27/14 - Crepe Place - Santa Cruz, CA #
10/28/14 - Brick & Mortar - San Francisco, CA #
10/29/14 - Leo's - Oakland, CA #
10/30/14 - Hotel Café - Los Angeles, CA
11/01/14 - Bunkhouse - Las Vegas
11/10/14 - Exit / In - Nashville, TN #
11/12/14 - North Star Bar - Philadelphia, PA
11/13/14 - DC9 - Washington, DC #
11/14/14 - The Bell House - Brooklyn, NY &

# w/ O'Death
& w/ O'Death and Death Vessel

ALLEN STONE
allenstone.com

Perhaps falling under the affectionately (maybe?), silly (definitely) sub-genre known as PBR&B, Seattle-based musician Allen Stone has the soulful voice with a hippie touch.

Written on the homepage of Stone’s website, he says, “Basically my job is to throw a party for people every night when we’re on tour.” Even without seeing him live, listeners can easily agree just by listening to Stone’s music. Songs like “Sleep,” “Celebrate Tonight,” and “Say So,” from 2011 his self-released, self-titled album are soulful not just in the sense of musical genre, but truly full of spirit and energy that is tangible. That being said, Allen Stone should still be experienced live to be fully appreciated.

Soon to be on tour, Stone has a VIP bundle package available for superfans that includes: The Radius Preview EP with songs from his new album to be released later this year, a meet-and-greet with Stone while listening to the new album, and a Q&A session. For more info or to buy a VIP bundle, go to: allenstone.tix.musictoday.com.

Tour dates:

09/23 House of Blues San Diego San Diego, CA 09/25 Mayan Theater* Los Angeles, CA 09/27 Bunkhouse Saloon Las Vegas, NV 09/28 Summer Ends Music Festival Tempe, AZ 09/30 Granada Theater Dallas, TX 10/01 Emo’s Austin, TX 10/03 Westobou Festival Augusta, GA 10/04 Center Stage* Atlanta, GA 10/05 3rd & Lindsley Nashville, TN 10/07 9:30 Club Washington, DC 10/09 Terminal 5 New York, NY 10/11 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA 10/12 House of Blues* Boston, MA

10/14 Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, Canada 10/16 Vic Theatre Chicago, IL 10/17 The Vogue* Indianapolis, IN 10/18 The Ready Room St. Louis, MO 10/19 Fine Line Music Café Minneapolis, MN 10/21 Wheeler Opera House Aspen, CO 10/22 Gothic Theatre Englewood, CO 10/24 Knitting Factory Concert House Spokane, WA 10/25 Roseland Theatre Portland, OR 10/26 Vogue Theatre Vancouver, Canada *With Bad Rabbits

STEREO CONFESSION
stereoconfession.com

Susstones Records recently announced that they've added Minneapolis' Stereo Confession to their roster.

The high school garage-punk band is described as:

Stereo Confession have been rapidly rising through the local indie rock ranks over the last months, scoring a series of high-profile support slots at local venues and securing crucial 89.3 and Radio K support for their recent self-released singles “Video Games” and “Hang Ten.” Their debut album No Coast, produced by Ed Ackerson at Flowers Studio in Minneapolis, contains both these tracks plus 8 more awesome surf/shred/doom/skree/garage/punk tracks in the band’s inimitable style. Although 4/5 of the band isn’t even 18 yet, they’re already writing tunes and rocking at a level far beyond what most bands ever dream of.

No Coast will be out Oct. 14 via Susstones/The Orchard. The record release show is on Oct. 12th at the 7th St. Entry, in Minneapolis.

BRIMSTONES BLONDES
facebook.com/brimstoneblondes

New York surf punk band Brimstone Blondes has a debut album called Age of Consent (Admirable Traits Records).

According to their Bandcamp, these are the songs that inspired their album:

Listening to R. Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)" drunk and alone on a frigid Saturday night, the horrors of rural Pennsylvania, Dirty Mind by Prince, the Coalition for a Smoke-Free City, the Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero, Xavier: Renegade Angel, and Bangerz by Miley Cyrus.

Can't tell if they are serious or not.

Band lineup:

Matthew Danger Lippman - lead vocals, guitar, keyboard, organ, sampler, drums
Alex Mersinger - bass, backing vocals
Joey Rambell - drums, shakers, backing vocals
Jacob Cohen - violin, guitar, backing vocals

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES
awalkamongthetombstones.net

Varèse Sarabande Records will release A Walk Among the Tombstones - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally on September 16th and on CD September 23, 2014. The soundtrack features an original score composed by Carlos Rafael Rivera. The movie, directed by Scott Frank (The Lookout) will open in theaters on September 19th.

Here is the synopsis:

Based on Lawrence Block’s bestselling series of mystery novels, A Walk Among the Tombstones stars Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder, an ex-NYPD cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator operating just outside the law. When Scudder reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who kidnapped and then brutally murdered his wife, the PI learns that this is not the first time these men have committed this sort of twisted crime... nor will it be the last. Blurring the lines between right and wrong, Scudder races to track the deviants through the backstreets of New York City before they kill again.

vu + justina ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com

BNLXFest 2012

Read More BNLX If you want to pick up your copy, head over to one of their BNLXFest happening on November 16 and 17. I believe both dates are at the Cause in Minneapolis. …

BNLX are at it again, this time with their first full length LP, which is currently available for purchase at the Susstones website. You can also purchase it on their bandcamp. To celebrate their rowdy LP they are hosting BLNXFest at the Cause Spirits and Soundbar, LynLake, Minneapolis. Friday 11/16 & Saturday 11/17. Doors at 9:00 PM for both shows.

The days have the following bands performing:

On Friday the 16th: International Karate BNLX Two Harbors Blue Sky Blackout Fury Things

On the 17th: Pink Mink BNLX Me and My Arrow Wiping Out Thousands Gloss

It’s a good showcase of the fuzzed out rockers we got n the twin cities; old and new alike.

Fury Things and Gloss are relatively new. Fury Things has an EP out at the moment and you can check it out at their Bandcamp and download it for whatever price you decide. It’s some good shoegaze-y garage rock. They are the special guests for Friday the 16th show.

Following suit is super brand new Gloss. They released their first single October 11th, 2012. You can catch it on their Bandcamp. It is also for “Name your own price” sale that has become popular with up and coming bands. Gloss can be described as shoegaze or dream pop. Their new single kicks ass and is one of my favorite songs at the moment. I’m very excited to see them perform it live. They have been featured on the local show and they were Current "Song of the Day" last Friday the 9th.

If you haven’t bought the new BNLX yet, you can listen to it at their Bandcamp. They do have past EP’s that they put out throughout the years. Here is a good sample of those EPs:

MP3: BNLX - Do Without

MP3: BNLX - Frogger (Laissez les bon temps rouler)

MP3: BNLX - Blue and Gold

MP3: BNLX - When Doves Cry

Should be a good night, full of energy and good vibes. So come out and support some good local music.

oscar ♥ bnlx2day.com

Minneapolis

You remember That Dog's song, "Minneapolis"? I love it. Anyway, here are some local Minneapolis/St Paul albums. Sorry for the short reviews. I know you will understand that I have a lot of music to shift through.

Arron Dean: Minneapolis ARRON DEAN arrondean.com Arron Dean is from Minneapolis, by the way of South Africa. His biography reads like a patchwork of things: raised in a farming area near Johannesburg, playing jazz in Boston, living the punk-rock lifestyle in New York, and now settled down in the tundra that is Minnesota. I did listen to his debut album, MPLS, I can tell that clearly the city (Minneapolis) is at the center of his album. Songs like "St. Paul On Mississippi", "Buffalo, South Dakota", and, of course, "Minneapolis" paints the picture of the midwest. I can relate to the stories of staying out late, feeling cold, kissing on the mouth, wishing you weren't here, and beautiful lakes and rivers. MPLS is a sweet little acoustic album that's written from the heart, about the heart of America. Nice for a quiet afternoon to chill with your tea. FREE: The song "Minneapolis" is available as a free download from arrondean.com.		Blue Sky Blackout: The Universe Is Expanding BLUE SKY BLACKOUT blueskyblackout.com Maybe it's the name of their EP, entitled John Hughes, but I do sense a bit of an 80s vibe in this rock band. Blue Sky Blackout is a project from songwriter/guitarist Jon Hunt with Christian Erickson on vocals, guitarists Brandon Dalida (from Mercurial Rage) and Mykl Westbrooks, drummer Marc Iwanin, and bassist Tim Ritter (from Bella Koshka). A very large band right? That's no surprise, because I have seen the band live before and I wrote "this was a full band, three guitarists and one bassist". Do you need three guitarists? I guess Blue Sky Blackout does. Of the six songs on the EP, I thought "Figurehead" and "The Great Divide" were the best of the bunch. Their chosen song of choice, available as a free download on susstones.com, is for "The Universe Is Expanding". The song is upbeat so it's a natural choice for a song pick, but I just thought the lyrics sounded like it was copied from a science book: "the universe is expanding at an alarming rate".
Claps: Fold CLAPS myspace.com/clapsUS They actually never submitted any music for review, but I did liked what I saw a few days ago that I bought their two EPs, No Party and New Science at the show. Formed only two years ago, Claps is a trio from St Paul. What's interesting about them is that only two members actually play synthesizers or bass, while the lead concentrate on the lyrics and dance moves. On the two EPs, I thought their studio recording sounded excellently produced, making them sound more new wave pop than anything else. I do think of New Romantic every now and then when I hear their songs. The downside: the remixes. Not. a. fan.		GHOST TOWN OF THE WEST facebook.com/ghosttownsofthewest You know what's cool is that I was shopping at Down in the Valley the other day and saw the Ghost Towns of the West EP displayed. I've already mentioned the band a few times, but to refresh your memories, this Ed Ackerson-produced EP is out now on Chase Bliss Records. The band consists of Dan Crowe (Guitars), Andy Dwyer (Bass), Joel Korte (Guitars), Ryan Jansen (Saxophone, Keyboard), and Calahash (Drums). The three guitarists and bassists all sings, depending on the song. It's hard to write about this EP, without referring and remembering the songs sung live. I hear "Pilot's License" and it reminds me of singer Joel Korte talking about getting a license. My favorite songs are the "Soulweaver" and "That Cold Wind", which uses a bit of saxophones.

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