W♥M

Minneapolis: April 16 to April 17

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

04/16 Daisy The Great with Olive Klug at 7th St Entry Read More Daisy the Great Openers Daisy the Great are actually a Brooklyn-based duo, fronted by Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker who made waves last fall when they teamed with AJR on the song, “Record Player”, a re-worked version of their own 2017 folk-pop song. …

04/16/2023 Sunday

Daisy The Great
with Olive Klug
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Brooklyn’s indie pop band Daisy the Great (Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker) will be headlining the 7th Street Entry on April 16. The group recently recently shared a new version of “Tell Me Have You Been Dancing” remixed by and featuring vocals from indie pop artist Claud.

“We were so happy to have Claud remix our song. We love Claud, and it was such an honor to have their voice and their production on this song. The original is off of our latest album All You Need Is Time, and it's about missing someone that you’ve loved. Claud layered a lot of the vocals and created some beautiful canons that really bring out the way your thoughts swirl when you never really stop thinking about someone that you had to let go of.”

Tour Dates

04/12 – Allston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
04/14 – Columbus, OH – The Basement
04/15 – Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen
04/16 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St. Entry
04/18 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
04/19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
04/21 – Portland, OR – Holocene
04/22 – Seattle, WA – Barboza
04/25 – San Francisco, CA – Café Du Nord
04/28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
04/29 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues San Diego
05/02 – Dallas, TX – Dada Dallas
05/03 – Austin, TX – Antone’s
05/05 – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
05/06 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Festival*
05/07 – Nashville, TN – The End
05/10 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
05/11 – Washington, DC – Songbyrd Music House
05/12 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
05/28 – Pittsburgh, PA – WonderWorks Music Festival*

*without Olive Klug

04/16 Goose at Palace Theatre Read More Goose Connecticut rockers Goose is continuing their tour in 2022. You can catch them live this upcoming Feb 9 at First Avenue in Minneapolis. …

04/16/2023 Sunday

Goose
at Palace Theatre
first-avenue.com

Connecticut-based rock quintet Goose has added additional headline dates to their summer schedule … the group returns to the Minnesota state at the Palace Theatre this April 16th.

In support of building a safer and more supportive music industry through access to quality mental health care providers, Goose will donate $1 from each tour ticket to Backline, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that connects music industry professionals and their families with mental health and wellness resources.

Tour dates:

03/02-03/05 – Okeechobee, FL – Okeechobee Music †
03/08 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
03/09 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
03/10 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
03/11 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
03/12- Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
03/23 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner
03/24 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met
03/25 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met
03/26 – Cleveland, OH – Agora
03/31 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
04/01 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
04/02 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Co.
04/13 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee
04/14 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
04/15 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
04/16 – St. Paul, MN – Palace Theatre
04/18 – Bozeman, MT – The Elm
04/19 – Bozeman, MT – The Elm
04/21 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
04/22 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
04/23 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
04/25 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre
04/27 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
04/28 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
04/29 – San Diego, CA – CalCoast Credit Union
05/02 – New Orleans, LA – Daze Between New Orleans †
05/03 – New Orleans, LA – Daze Between New Orleans †
05/26-05/28 – Chillicothe, IL – Summer Camp Music Festival †
06/04 – Lexington, KY – Railbird Music Festival †
06/22-06/25 – Rothbury, MI – Electric Forest †
06/27 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live!
06/29-07/02 – Scranton, PA – Peach Music Festival †
06/29-07/01 - Garrettsville, OH – Resonance Music and Arts Festival †
07/03 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage
07/04 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage
07/07 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
07/26-07/30 – Floyd, VA – FloydFest †

† Festival Appearance

04/16 The Nude Party with Breanna Barbara at Turf Club Read More Nude Party The Nude Party is headlining the 7th Street Entry on Monday, August 5th. Their debut album came out on New West Records in 2018 to critical acclaim. Rolling Stone compared them to Velvet Underground. …

04/16/2023 Saturday

The Nude Party
with Breanna Barbara
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

North Carolina’s six-piece band The Nude Party (Austin Brose, Alec Castillo, Shaun Couture, Patton Magee, Don Merrill and Conor Mikita) will be headlining the Turf Club in St Paul on April 16th, 2023. The band is touring in support of Rides On (New West Records).

Five of their songs were featured on Netflix’s hit series Outer Banks, including the brand new song “Sold Out of Love.”

Breanna Barbara to open.

Tour dates:

March 13-19 Austin, TX - SXSW Music Festival
Apr 12 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern=
Apr 14 - Indianapolis, IN - HI-FI=
Apr 15 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall=
Apr 16 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club=
Apr 18 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater=
Apr 19 - Salt Lake City, UT - The State Room=*
Apr 21 - Seattle, WA - Neumos=
Apr 22 - Vancouver, BC - The Wise Hall=
Apr 23 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge=
Apr 25 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent=
Apr 27 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour=
Apr 28 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room=
Apr 29 - San Diego, CA - Casbah=
May 1 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar=
May 4 - Austin, TX - Antone's Nightclub#
May 5 - Houston, TX - The Secret Group*
May 6 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada*
May 8 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East*
May 9 - Newport, KY - The Southgate House Revival*
May 11 - Greer, SC - SpringSkunk Music Fest
May 12 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre*
May 13 - Catonsville, MD - Sun Scape Live Festival
May 19 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 20 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
May 27 - East Meredith, NY - West Kortright Centre
Aug 26-27 - St. Louis, MO - Evolution Festival
2 Jun - Euston, UK - Red Rooster Fest
3 Jun - London, UK - Oslo
4 Jun - Brighton, UK - Green Door Store
6 Jun - Antwerp, BE - Trix
7 Jun - Hamburg, DE - Turmzimmer
8 Jun - Copenhagen, DK - VEGA
9 Jun - Oslo, NO - Loaded Festival
10 Jun - Gothenburg, SE - Woody West
12 Jun - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain
13 Jun - Cologne, DE - Helios 37
14 Jun - Amsterdam, NL - Tolhuistuin
15 Jun - Lille, FR - La Bulle Café
16 Jun - Paris, FR - Point Ephemere
17 Jun - Vitoria, ES - Azkena Rock Festival

= with Breanna Barbara
* with Fonteyn
# with Cactus Lee, Hippie Scum, Fonteyn

 

04/17 Covet with Scarypoolparty and altopalo at Amsterdam Bar & Hall Read More Covet San Jose-based instrumental trio Covet is one of the opener... playing in support of their debut album effloresce. The band features guitar wizard Yvette Young, who came to internet fame for her unique finger tapping technique. …

04/17/2023 Monday

Covet
with Scarypoolparty and altopalo
at Amsterdam Bar & Hall
first-avenue.com

San Francisco’s Covet (Yvette Young, Brandon Dove, and Jessica Burdeaux) is on tour in support of their third album Catharsis (Triple Crown Records).

Tour dates:

April 7 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
April 8 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
April 9 Seattle, WA Neumos
April 11 Salt Lake City, UT Soundwell
April 13 Denver, CO Meow Wolf
April 14 Lawrence, KS The Bottleneck
April 15 St. Louis, MO Delmar Hall
April 17 St. Paul, MN Amsterdam Music Hall
April 18 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
April 20 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
April 21 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
April 22 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace
April 23 Montreal, QC Café Campus
April 25 Pittsburgh, PA Thunderbird Music Hall
April 26 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Bowl
April 27 Boston, MA Royale
April 28 Philadelphia, PA Brooklyn Bowl
April 29 Vienna, VA Jammin’ Java
May 1 Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle
May 2 Nashville, TN Brooklyn Bowl
May 3 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
May 5 Dallas, TX Studio at The Factory
May 6 Austin, TX Scoot Inn
May 8 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
May 10 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
May 11 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up
May 12 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ 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

SXSW 2023: Thao at High Noon, Austin (15 Mar 2023)

Read More SXSW SXSW 2015 is taking place March 17‚Äì22, 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. .... Thao We kind of lost track of Thao & the Get Down Stay Down since the pandemic happened… but you know we’ve always been supportive of Thao Nguyen ever since we heard about her in January 2008 …

It’s that time of the year again: SXSW in Austin, Texas. This time of the year, we all benefit from all the bands in Austin, because many of them will be heading to our local venues after SXSW. It looks like things are back to normal, coming off of a terrible two-year pandemic.

Brody is currently at the Paste Magazine / Ilegal Mezcal showcase at High Noon, just east of downtown Austin. Bands are playing 30-min sets, both indoor and outdoor stages.

Currently Thao is setting up her set.

Thao (27 Oct 2013)

We last saw Thao & the Get Down Stay Down in Oct 2013 and said, “This truncated set featured a lot of new songs, taken from her latest release We the Common, including "Holy Roller" and "Every Body". The new material, as I discovered it hearing it live, is more aggressive than her folk songs from her previous two albums. Although the set was shorter, Thao display her talent for all things strings: jumping from guitar to acoustic to banjo to steel guitar. It was fun to watch the transitions.”

Here is the Paste / Ilegal Showcase schedule:

March 15 12:00pm – Devon Gilfillian 12:40pm – Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness 1:20pm – Barrie 2:00pm – Kate Davis 2:40pm – Michigander 3:20pm – Trials of Cato 4:00pm – Thao 4:40pm – Miss Grit 5:20pm – SUSU 6:00pm – Alaska Reid 6:30pm – Brian Sella (of The Front Bottoms)

March 16 12:00pm – Medium Build 12:40pm – Annie Blackman 1:20pm – John Roseboro 2:00pm – William Prince 2:40pm – Dream Wife 3:20pm – Overcoats 4:00pm – Bonny Doon 4:40pm – Sunny War 5:20pm – The Bad Ends 6:00pm – Esther Rose 6:30pm – Sarah Shook & the Disarmers

March 17 12:00pm – CM Talkington with Renee Zellweger 12:40pm – Sadurn 1:20pm – Far Caspian 2:00pm – Fruit Bats 2:40pm – Why Bonnie 3:20pm – Darling West 4:00pm – Cheekface 4:40pm – Eshu Tune (Hannibal Buress) 5:20pm – Death Valley Girls 5:55pm – McKinley Dixon 6:30pm – Ron Gallo

Thao at SXSW, Austin (15 Mar 2023)

brody x vuwest (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Minneapolis: April 1 to April 3

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide and SXSW.

04/01 King Tuff with Tchotchke at Turf Club Read More King Tuff King Tuff (aka Kyle Thomas) will be back in town at the Turf Club on Saturday, May 26th. We previously caught him in April 2015 and said, “While I felt King Tuff's music was different from Father John Misty, they …

04/01/2023 Saturday

King Tuff
with Tchotchke
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Kyle Thomas, or known by his stagename, King Tuff, is touring in support of his sixth studio album Smalltown Stardust (Sub Pop).

Thomas described Smalltown Stardust as “an album about love and nature and youth.” But not all the songs were written by him, as with “How I Love”, the song was written by Sasami: “Sasami wrote this song for me way back in 2018, but it didn’t really come together until we started demoing in 2020. This is the type of song I’ve wanted to do for years, but maybe never had the confidence to achieve. I’ve always hid behind loud guitars, but here I’m exposed, and I love how open and empty it is, yet so comfortable too. I wanted to show another side of myself through this record, and I think this song is the perfect example of that.”

Tchotchke to open.

Tour Dates

March 1 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
March 3 Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
March 4 San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
March 6 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
March 7 Vancouver, BC @ The Wise
March 8 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
March 10 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
March 11 Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
March 15 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
March 17 Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
March 18 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
March 19 Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
March 21 Washington, DC @ DC9
March 22 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
March 23 Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
March 24 Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Hall
March 25 Brattleboro, VT @ The Stone Church
March 28 Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB
March 29 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
March 31 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
April 1 Minneapolis, MN @ The Turf Club
April 3 Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
April 5 Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
April 6 Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge
April 7 Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet's

04/01 Enumclaw with Nitefire and Interlay at 7th St Entry Read More Enumclaw I recommend showing up a little early to check out the opening bands Frankie Rose and Enumclaw. We saw Frankie Rose in Oct 2013 and said, “Brooklyn-based Frankie Rose opened the evening with a brief but ...

04/01/2023 Saturday

Enumclaw
with Nitefire and Interlay
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Tacoma rock band Enumclaw will be headlining the 7th Street Entry on April 1st, in support of their debut album Save the Baby (Luminelle Recordings). Like many of these bands touring around this time, they are planning their tour around SXSW.

We previously recommended showing up early to catch Enumclaw in Nov 2021.

Nitefire and Interlay to open.

Tour dates:

03/09 - San Fransisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
03/10 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
03/11- Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
03/12 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
03/14-17 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/20 - Nashville, TN - The Blue Room
03/21 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
03/23 - Washington, DC @ DC9
03/24 - Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA
03/25 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere - Zone One
03/26 - Somerville, MA @ The Rockwell
03/28 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
03/29 - Detroit, MI @ The Magic Bag
03/30 - Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
03/31 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas
04/01 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
04/02 - Davenport, IA @ Racoon Hotel
04/04 - Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
04/05 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
04/07 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
04/08 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
05/12 - Manchester, UK @ YES
05/13 - Leeds, UK @ In Colour Festival
05/14 - Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast
05/15 - Birmingham, UK @ Hare & Hounds
05/17 - Paris, France @ Supersonic
05/18 - Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique Witloof Bar
05/19 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ London Calling
05/20 - Haldern, Germany @ Haldern Pop Bar
05/21 - Berlin, Germany @ Badehaus
05/23 - London, UK @ Moth Club
05/24 - Bristol, UK @ Crofters Rights
05/24 - Southampton, UK @ Heartbreakers
05/26 - Oxford, UK @ The Jericho Tavern
05/27 - London, UK @ Wideawake Festival
05/29 - Barcelona, Spain @Primavera a la Ciutat

04/02 Chiiild with Isaia Huron at 7th St Entry Read More Chiiild Montreal-based Chiiild has spent years honing a unique blend of pop, R&B, soul and jazz behind closed doors. Chiiild uses music to tell stories about diversity, ask questions about humanity …

04/02/2023 Sunday

Chiiild
with Isaia Huron
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Multi-talented and genre-bending artist Chiiild is touring in support of Better Luck in the Next Life via Avant Garden/4th & Broadway (Def Jam Recordings, Inc.)

Like many independent bands, they are tour because of SXSW (now that it’s back in full swing). With that said, many of these bands often end up in Minneapolis/St Paul as bonus or side shows.

Chiiild will headline the 7th Street Entry on April 2, 2023.

Isaia Huron to open.

Tour dates:

March 2, 2023 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
March 3, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy
March 4, 2023 – Phoenix, AZ – M3F Festival
March 7, 2023 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
March 8, 2023 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
March 11, 2023 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
March 12, 2023 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
March 13-18, 2023 – Austin, TX – SXSW
March 19, 2023 – New Orleans, LA – Paris
March 21, 2023 – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5
March 22, 2023 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East
March 24, 2023 – Washington, D.C. – Union Stage
March 25, 2023 – New York, NY – The Bowery Ballroom
March 27, 2023 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
March 29, 2023 – Montreal, QC – Virgin Mobile
March 30, 2023 – Toronto, ON – The Axis Club
April 1, 2023 – Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
April 2, 2023 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
April 6, 2023 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
April 7, 2023 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood Theatre
April 8, 2023 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
April 11, 2023 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent

04/03 Coco & Clair Clair with grandma at Amsterdam Bar & Hall Read More Coco & Clair Clair Coco & Clair Clair knew from the moment they met that they were meant to make music together. Similarly, listeners are immediately drawn to the Atlanta-bred duo through their clever …

04/03/2023 Monday

Coco & Clair Clair
with grandma
at Amsterdam Bar & Hall
first-avenue.com

Atlanta-bred duo Coco & Clair Clair is on tour in support of their debut album SEXY. The album’s title actually doesn’t describe their music, as they explained, “It's impactful, but it's a really silly word… And then, none of the songs are actually that sexy.”

The duo is fairly new, having met through mutual friends on Twitter in 2014. “We really rely on the other person,” Clair Clair says. “We'll both go write our verses, and then we share them with each other and let the other person edit them. Everything is very much both of our brains combined, which we couldn't do with someone who wasn’t a very good friend because it's such a vulnerable process.”

Grandma (not to be confused with Let’s Eat Grandma) to open.

Tour dates:

2/21 - Berlin, DE @ Maschinenhaus
2/23 - Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
2/24 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique
2/25 - Paris, FR @ La Boule Noire
2/27 - Manchester, UK @ The Deaf Institute
2/28 - London, UK @ Omeara
3/14-17 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
3/18 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
3/19 - Dallas, TX @ HOB - Cambridge Room
3/22 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
3/23 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
3/25 - Oakland, CA @ New Parish
3/28 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
3/29 - Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club
3/31 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell
4/1 - Denver, CO @ Cervantes' Other Side
4/3 - St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall
4/4 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
4/6 - Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
4/8 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
4/9 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
4/12 - Washington, D.C. @ Union Stage
4/13 - Carborro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
4/15 - Nashville, TN @ Exit/In

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

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

Grin and Bear It

Cocaine Bear (2023) Read More Grizzly Bear Grizzly Bear will be headlining the Palace Theatre in St Paul on December 1st. Their latest album Painted Ruins is out now on RCA Records. Serpentwithfeet to open. ....

Read more When Animals Attack.

Cocaine Bear (2023)
cocainebear.movie

What a weird weekend… we’re getting two horror movies based on bears this week.

The first is Cocaine Bear, loosely based on true events.

In 1985, a plane carrying bags of cocaine went down in the woods and an American black bear ingested the drugs. That’s basically the setup for this film. Based on the trailer, it looks like the bear goes on a rampage and murders everyone it sees, while high on cocaine.

This looks more like an unintentional comedy. It could be the next Snakes on a Plane film.

Apparently, this is Ray Liotta’s final performance, before his death in 2022.

Cocaine Bear is scheduled to be released in the United States on February 24, 2023, by Universal Pictures.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)

The second horror bear movie is Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey.

Thanks to Winnie the Pooh going into the public domain, low-budget filmmaker Rhys Frake-Waterfield jumped on the opportunity to transformed Winnie into a murdering bear in Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey. The 2023 British independent slasher film follows Pooh and Piglet on a bloodthirsty murderous rampage on a grown up Christopher Robin. It’s definitely not a Disney movie.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey will get a United States release on February 15, 2023, and will be in theaters in the UK on March 10, 2023.

Black Bear Kiss

Black Bear Kiss
blackbearkiss.com

Voted best band at the Shropshire Music Awards in 2022, Black Bear Kiss announced their debut self-titled album to be out March 3, 2023.

The upbeat four-piece band from the Midlands formed in 2016, inspired by bands like Foals and Royal Blood.

Their self-titled debut record was years in the making, complicated by the death of their guitarist Rob Jones.

“We are so pleased to share this with everyone”, says singer Chris Leech, “many years of blood, sweat and tears have gone into making this record. We’ve been through so much as a band and to come through everything with this album, shows what we are about.”

The Black Bear Kiss album launch party is set Mar 03, 2023 at The Station, Cannock town centre on the bus station. They are playing tonight (Friday, 17th February) at The Salopian, Shrewsbury in Shrewsbury. Opening support will come from Aaron W Evans, Sig and the Firepilots and “some very special guests!”

The Bear and The Bison

The Bear and The Bison
thebearandthebison.com

Appalachian country and roots rock band The Bear and The Bison’ self-titled debut album came out February 13, 2023.

The band is led by singer-songwriter Mark W. Lennon (Home of the Wheel and Down the Mountain), who said, “I wanted to record some of the songs we had written back in California, so they didn’t get lost. Straightforward snapshot country tunes like ‘Train, Train’ and ‘Misery’… There wasn’t really an agenda, just recording at our own pace, when we could.”

The album features Dean Vivirito (Who Can Sleep) on vocals, Harmony Griffin (Uncle Ben’s Remedy, Leroy Townes) on guitars, Patrick Jackson (Folkfaces) on standup bass, Jim Whitford on lap and pedal steel, Jacob Brockway on pedal steel, Charlie Coughlin (The Brothers Blue) on fiddle, Michael Russeck on piano and Mark Lennon on vocals, guitars, banjo, bass, and percussion.

The Bear & The Bison will be available across all digital platforms February 13, 2023.

mui zyu: Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century

Mui Zyu
muizyu.com

Hong Kong British stirring dream-pop artist mui zyu (Eva Liu of indie-rock band Dama Scout) released her single, “Sore Bear” recently… the single taken from her debut LP Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century, set for release February 24th, 2023 via Father/Daughter Records.

“Sore Bear” is about, “a moment of calm where the protagonist has finally overcome their battles, but accepts there will be more to come. It is about being comfortable with confrontation but also having the autonomy to choose when / if to confront. It’s about protecting yourself with love and accepting that with love there will be loss.”

You can listen to “Sore Bear” on YouTube.

If you are heading out to SXSW 2023, mui zyu will be performing at the event.

Live Dates

March 1 - London, UK @ Servant Jazz Quarters
March 13-18 - Austin, TX @ SXSW

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

Best of the Fest: NXNE, Rock the Garden, Newport Jazz Festival

Read More NXNE Eighties nostalgia was in full swing last night at the NXNE showcase at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto, Canada, as Men Without Hats and Devo were on the same bill. What an excellent pairing, if I do say so myself. …

Read more Music Festival

NXNE
Toronto, Canada
June 14-19, 2022
www.nxne.com

NXNE (North by North East) is returning this Summer. Honestly speaking, this is one of my favorite music festival. What started off as a knock off of SXSW, NXNE has become its own thing. The major differences is that it’s in Canada and venues are a little spread out (somewhat like New York’s CMJ festival).

When we went to NXNE in 2011, we saw Evan Dando, Juliana Hatfield, Art Brut (what an incredible show!), Cults, Kevin Seconds, Washington, Brian Wilson (he didn’t play), Peelander-Z, Ty Segall (we were stuck on a boat with him), Men Without Hats, Devo, and Stars (sort of saw them from a very far distance).

Of course, that was in 2011, before the pandemic. I’m just speculating, but based on their 2022 title, “North By Northeast Music Festival Puts Focus Into The Clubs”, it would appear that the festival organizers are going to focus on smaller clubs and smaller bands (which I personally think is the right move). The festival still promises six days of music, featuring over 300 bands! And the BEST PART, it’s only $20. That’s unheard of for a major music festival.

Speaking about the low price, NXNE Founder and President Michael Hollett said, “That’s actually cheaper than when it first started (in 1995). Especially given the pummelling the live music scene has taken over the last two years, we committed to removing financial barriers to NXNE to best connect artists with audiences; even for artists, it’s free to submit and they get paid to play.”

As of this writing, since it’s still early days, no bands have been announced. A preview of the roster is coming on May 4th (next week).

Read More Rock the Garden As usual, the Rock the Garden did a great job organizing the music festival. Although the original scheduled was delayed about 30 minutes, because of the weather... once the music started, they did an amazing job … Nathaniel Rateliff I think Nathaniel Rateliff and his band The Night Sweats have finally made it. It's hard to believe that we've been writing about him since 2013.... Sleater-Kinney What are you doing on V-Day? If you're a Sleater-Kinney fan, you'll be at this sold out show. According to my bad memories and physical ticket stubs, I've seen Sleater-Kinney at least three times, and have expressed sadness ... Low Low’s Christmas show is taking place at First Avenue on Saturday. All proceeds will benefit Second Harvest Heartland. Low adds, “Despite the commerce involved, we hope you will consider .... Beabadoobee Beabadoobee with Christian Leave, BlackStarKids The Truman. $20-$25 aka Beatrice Laus, this Filipino/British breakout bedroom-pop artist put out a new EP, Our Extended ....

Rock the Garden
Minneapolis, Minnesota
June 11, 2022
rockthegardenfestival.com

We’re so happy to see the return of Rock the Garden at the iconic Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

As with previous events, there are two stages, food trucks, beer tents, and great music.

This year, they are bringing co-headliners Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Sleater-Kinney… both excellent bands.

I don’t want to brag, but we were first to report Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats at the band’s first appearance at Bluebird Theater in Denver (Apr 2013): “Nathaniel Rateliff, debuted his new musical endeavor last Thursday at the Bluebird Theater accompanied by soul outfit, The Night Sweats.” The band went on to sign to Stax Records for their self-titled debut album in 2015.

Incidentally, if you ever see a Nathaniel Rateliff’s solo show (which we did in in April 2014), his music and performance is very different than a Night Sweats show. And trivia, but Rateliff previously appeared at Rock the Garden in 2016.

As for Sleater-Kinney, I’ve been seeing the band live since 2000 … with the last one in Feb 2015 after they re-united for a tour. That show was somewhat bitter-sweat, as it would be the last time we would see them with original drummer Janet Weiss (who we just saw in Quasi in Apr 2022).

Gates open at 1pm, music starts at 2:30pm.

Lineup:

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (co-headliner)

Sleater-Kinney (co-headliner)

LOW

beabadoobee

DāM-FunK

Bombino

Divide and Dissolve

Read More Newport Jazz Festival George Wein, who set the standard for what outdoor music gatherings would become with his leadership of the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals from the 1950s into the 21st century, died Monday at his home …

Newport Jazz Festival
Newport, Rhode Island
July 29 - 31, 2022
newportfestivals.org

The Newport Jazz Festival returns to the historic Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island, on July 29-31.

This year is somewhat special as it’s going to be a nice tribute to the Newport Jazz and Newport Folk Festival Founder George Wein, who died in Sept 2021.

Line-up announced so far, features Norah Jones, Esperanza Spalding and many others.

Line-up:

Norah Jones, Esperanza Spalding,The Fearless Flyers, Angelique Kidjo’s Remain In Light, Terence Blanchard, PJ Morton, The Ron Carter Quartet, BADBADNOTGOOD, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Lettuce, Cory Wong, Sons of Kemet, Nubya Garcia, Jazzmeia Horn, Nate Smith + KINFOLK, Jason Moran & The Bandwagon, Benevento/Russo Duo Acoustic, Nicholas Payton Trio, Maria Schneider Orchestra, Makaya McCraven, Yussef Dayes, Antonio Sanchez & Bad Hombre, Mononeon, Shabaka Hutchings, Vijay Iyer Trio, The Baylor Project, The Soul Rebels, Sampa The Great, Celisse, Emmet Cohen Trio, The Nth Power, Theon Cross, Thana Alexa: Ona, Lady Blackbird, Tuba Skinny, Samara Joy, Melanie Charles, Giveton Gelin, Holly Bowling, Laufey, and more artists to be announced.

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

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

International Women's Day 2022

Read more Girls Girls Girls and Minneapolis Music Guide

04/09 JoJo with Tanerélle at First Avenue Read More JoJo Singer/songwriter JoJo is headlining the Fine Line Music Café on Friday. Jojo writes, “You have no idea how excited I am to sing these songs live for the very first time Leaks. Covers. & Mixtapes. This tour is especially for everyone who rocked ...

04/09/2022 Saturday

JoJo
with Tanerélle
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, and actress JoJo returns to Minneapolis this April 9th, 2022, at First Avenue’s mainroom.

JoJo’s latest album Trying Not to Think About It is out now.

Tanerélle to open.

Tour dates:

Mar 8 Tucson, AZ, US Rialto Theatre
Mar 10 Austin, TX, US Scoot Inn
Mar 12 Dallas, TX, US Studio at the Factory
Mar 13 Houston, TX, US House of Blues - Houston
Mar 15 Atlanta, GA, US Variety Playhouse
Mar 17 Nashville, TN, US Cannery Ballroom
Mar 19 Carrboro, NC, US Cat's Cradle
Mar 21 Silver Spring, MD, US The Fillmore
Mar 22 Philadelphia, PA, US Union Transfer
Mar 24 New Haven, CT, US Toad's Place
Mar 26 New York (NYC), NY, US Terminal 5
Mar 29 Boston, MA, US Roadrunner
Apr 1 Cleveland, OH, US House of Blues Cleveland
Apr 2 Cincinnati, OH, US
Bogart's Apr 4 Detroit, MI, US St. Andrew's Hall
Apr 5 Chicago, IL, US The Vic Theatre
Apr 8 Milwaukee, WI, US The Rave-Eagles Club
Apr 9 Minneapolis, MN, US First Avenue
Apr 13 Toronto, ON, Canada The Danforth Music Hall
Apr 14 Montreal, QC, Canada Théâtre Corona
Apr 16 Ottawa, ON, Canada Bronson Centre
May 3 London, UK The Roundhouse
May 6 Dublin, Ireland The Academy
May 9 Manchester, UK O2 Ritz Manchester
May 10 Glasgow, UK The Garage
May 12 Brighton, UK Brighton Concorde 2
May 13 Birmingham, UK O2 Institute Birmingham
May 15 Paris, France Alhambra
May 16 Cologne, Germany Luxor
May 18 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso
May 21 Vienna, Austria Grelle Forelle
May 23 Milan, Italy Santeria Toscana 31
May 25 Berlin, Germany Lido
May 27 Copenhagen, Denmark DR Koncerthuset
May 28 Oslo, Norway Parkteatret Scene
May 28 Oslo, Norway Parkteatret
May 30 Stockholm, Sweden Fryshuset

03/25 Anna Meredith with Holland Andrews at Parkway Theater Read More Anna Meredith Celebrated UK composer and electronic artist, Anna Meredith is playing Aria in Minneapolis, as part of the unique Walker Art’s Liquid Music series. If you don’t live near Minneapolis, her next stop will be at the Weitz Center for ...

03/25/2022 Friday

Anna Meredith
with Holland Andrews
at Parkway Theater
theparkwaytheater.com

One of the most innovative voices in British music (according to Pitchfork), Anna Meredith will be returning to North America this 2022, in support of her albums FIBS and Bumps Per Minute.

Talking about her latest album, Bumps Per Minute: 18 Studies for Dodgems, Meredith says “I approached writing these 18 tracks like little exercises, making identities that are bold, playful and characterful but without beats, percussion or any acoustic elements and relying on my skills to create melodic and harmonic based energy… they’re also less about musical development than my orchestral work or material in my studio albums, these tracks are only themselves and unapologetically so, and that freed me up to unleash some pretty bonkers ideas, knowing it’s about these bold switches - like a sort of musical Whacky Races…”

Holland Andrews to open.

Anna Meredith Tour Dates

Thu. March 17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
Sat. March 19 - San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
Mon. March 21 - Portland, OR @ Holocene
Tue. March 22 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
Wed. March 23 - Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret
Fri. March 25 - Minneapolis, MN @ Parkway Theater
Sat. March 26 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Sun. March 27 - Toronto, ON @ Longboat Hall
Mon. March 28 - Montreal, QC @ L’Astral
Wed. March 30 - New York, NY @ Elsewhere
Sat. April 2 - Bentonville, AR @ The Momentary

03/31 Cassadee Pope with DOUBLECAMP at Turf Club Read More Cassadee Pope Cassadee Pope to open. Tour dates: 01/23/16 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE 01/28/16 Cleveland, OH Connor Palace 01/29/16 Cincinnati, OH Aronoff Center 01/30/16 Nashville, TN Walk Of Fame Park ...

03/31/2022 Thursday

Cassadee Pope
with DOUBLECAMP
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

The Voice winner and country singer Cassadee Pope is headlining the Turf Club this March 31, in support of her latest Thrive which came out in October via Awake Music.

DOUBLECAMP to open.

Tour dates:

Mar 18 Baltimore, MD, US Baltimore Soundstage
Mar 20 Cambridge, MA, US The Sinclair Music Hall
Mar 22 New York (NYC), NY, US Gramercy Theatre
Mar 23 Ardmore, PA, US The Ardmore Music Hall
Mar 26 Pontiac, MI, US The Crofoot Ballroom
Mar 27 Columbus, OH, US A&R Music Bar
Mar 29 St Louis, MO, US Old Rock House
Mar 30 Chicago, IL, US Lincoln Hall
Mar 31 St. Paul, MN, US Turf Club
Apr 1 Milwaukee, WI, US The Rave-Eagles Club
Apr 28 Atlanta, GA, US Terminal West
Apr 29 Charlotte, NC, US The Underground - Fillmore Charlotte Apr 29 Atlanta, GA, US Terminal West
May 19 Temecula, CA, US Unknown venue
May 26 Franklin, TN, US The Factory at Franklin
May 26 Franklin, TN, US Unknown venue
Aug 26 Lutterworth, UK The Long Road Festival - Stanford Hall
Aug 26 Lutterworth, UK The Long Road Festival
Nov 8 San Pedro, CA, US Emo's Not Dead Cruise

04/06 Pillow Queens with Deanna Petcoff at Turf Club

04/06/2022 Wednesday

Pillow Queens
with Deanna Petcoff
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Dublin’s Pillow Queens will be playing some shows at SXSW… and while they’re here, they’re doing a little tour. One of their stops will be at the Turf Club in St Paul, on April 6th. Pillow Queens’ album Leave The Light On is due out April 1st on Royal Mountain Records.

Deanna Petcoff to open.

Tour dates:

March 9th - Kilkenny, Ireland @ Set Theatre
March 10th - Galway, Ireland @ Roisin Dubh
March 11th - Dublin, Ireland @ Button Factory
March 12th - Dublin, Ireland @ Button Factory
March 14th - SXSW
March 15th - SXSW
March 16th - SXSW
March 17th - SXSW
March 18th - SXSW
March 19th - SXSW
March 23rd – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
March 24th – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge
March 25th – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel SF
March 27th – Seattle, WA @ Clock-out Lounge
March 29th – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall
March 30th – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
April 1st – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
April 2nd – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
April 4th – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown Jr.
April 6th – Saint Paul, MN @ Turf Club
April 7th – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
April 9th – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
April 11th – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
April 12th – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
April 14th – New York, NY @ The Mercury Lounge
April 15th – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

03/29 Lido Pimienta with Combo Chimbita at Turf Club

03/29/2022 Tuesday

Lido Pimienta
with Combo Chimbita
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Colombian Canadian musician Lido Pimienta will play the Turf Club in St Paul on Mar 29th. Her album La Papessa won the $50,000 2017 Polaris Music Prize and features traditional indigenous and Afro-Colombian musical styles with synthpop and electronic music.

Show up early to check out Combo Chimbita. Their new album IRÉ is out now on ANTI- Records.

Tour dates:

3/29 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
3/30 – Chicago, IL – The Empty Bottle
4/1 – Lakewood, OH – Mahall’s
4/2 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live
4/5 – Washington DC – Songbyrd
4/7 – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere
4/8 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
4/9 – Northampton, MA – Bombyx Center

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

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

Parker Millsap at Turf Club, St Paul (2021-09-21)

Tour Dates 9/23 - St Louis, MO at Off Broadway 9/24 - Louisville, KY at Headliner's 9/29 - Cincinnati, OH at Memorial Hall 9/30 - Columbus, OH at Rumba Cafe 10/01 - Pittsburgh, PA at Thunderbird Cafe 10/02 - Cleveland, OH at Beachland Ballroom 10/03 - Ferndale, MI at Magic Bag 10/04 - Toronto, ONT at Great Hall 10/06 - Burlington, VT at Higher Ground 10/07- Cambridge, MA at The Sinclair 10/08 - Holyoke, MA at Gateway Arts Center 10/09 - New York, NY at Bowery Ballroom 10/10 - Albany, NY at Lark Hall 10/12 - Philadelphia, PA at WXPN 10/13 - Washington, DC at Union Stage 10/14 - Carrboro, NC at Cat's Cradle 10/15 - Asheville, NC at The Masonic Temple 10/16 - Nashville, TN at Basement East 11/11 - Springfield, MO at Springfield Brewing Company 11/12 - Wichita, KS at WAVE 11/13 - McAlester, OK at Dancing Rabbit Festival 11/15 - Tomball, TX at Main Street Crossing 11/16 - San Antonio at Sam's Burger Joint 11/17 - Austin, TX at 3TEN Center 11/19 - Dallas, TX at Granada Theate 11/20 - Oklahoma City, OK at Douglass Auditorium Read More Parker Millsap Parker Millsap is "an Oklahoma native brought up in the Pentecostal church" with a self-titled album that came out February 4, 2014 via Okrahoma Records/Thirty Tigers. … H.C. McEntire Had not heard of Heather McEntire before. She was suggested by one of those 'you might like this too' apps. Love this album, no bad tracks, it's Americana country/folk, 'When You Come For Me' my favourite on it. …

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Parker Millsap returned to the Turf Club, in St Paul, on September 21st, 2021, nearing the start of his new tour for his latest album Be Here Instead.

Opening the show was H.C. McEntire (Heather McEntire), a country/folk-ish singer, formerly of Mount Moriah. H.C. played several singles, including “Time, On Fire” and “High Rise”, before testing out some new songs that were not recorded yet (and they’re still working it out).

H.C. had a Spinal Tap moment, thanking Milwaukee. Fellow band mates quickly corrected her, “we’re in St Paul!”

After an embarrassing pause, H.C. started emphasizing “Saaaaint Paaaul” whenever she mentioned the city.

We first saw Parker Millsap at SXSW in Mar 2014, and described him as “an Oklahoma native brought up in the Pentecostal church … with lots of songs about religion. Old time feel and a great version of "You Gotta Move", a Rev Gary Davis song covered by the Rolling Stones on Sticky Fingers.”

A lot have changed with the fifth album Be Here Instead, which marked a stylistic shift from folk / old time music to more experimenting with pedal effects and drums focused. This may have something to do with his departure from writing all his songs with his guitar and notebook, to asking his live band to work with him. The album was also produced by legendary John Agnello (Kurt Vile, Sonic Youth, Waxahatchee), who helped brought in Nashville singer Erin Rae, for Millsap’s song “The Real Thing”, making it the #1 song on the Americana charts.

Millsap started his set with “Hands Up”, followed by “It Was You”, getting the audience to put their hands up and dancing in excitement.

The turn out for the Turf Club show was terrific, most fans were fans from word of mouth or hearing his songs on radio stations, such as NPR.

Parker Millsap’s Be Here Instead is out now on Okrahoma Records.

H.C. McEntire

H.C. McEntire

H.C. McEntire

Parker Millsap

Parker Millsap

Parker Millsap at Turf Club, St Paul (2021-09-21)

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

Site Update: Coronavirus

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. ....

As you are aware, the world is under a lockdown and practicing social distancing, because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

In all my years of covering music and writing previews, I've never seen anything like this before. It started in early March 2020, when I started noticing touring bands were cancelling their appearances. I wasn't that unusual to see bands bowing out of a tour, but there was high rate of it, within the short time line. Then we heard SXSW 2020 was cancelled on March 6th (their first-time cancellation ever), I knew we were in dire straits.

A week later, around March 15th, literally all bars and restaurants dining areas were asked to close (with exceptions to carry out dining). In a few short days, some stores and banking institutions were limiting their access to machine or internet or drive-through only.

I haven't personally been downtown to see the evidence of empty streets and closed shops - but I've seen the news footage, and it's a sad, sad sight.

Could life ever be sane again? We are hoping life will go back to normal next month, on April 15th, but if there are still deaths from COVID-19, the self-quarantine may go well into the Summer.

When things get back to normal, we will resume the concert previews and concert photos.

In the meantime, enjoy this old photo of a happier time with FFS.

 

FFS at First Avenue, Minneapolis (09 October 2015)

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

Minneapolis: March 16 to March 20, 2020

Olivia O'Brien at Fine Line Read More Olivia O'Brien + Olivia O'Brien Minneapolis Music Hall Fri 11/10/2017 (7:30pm/$22.50) Pop duo Jack & Jack announce their new single “Beg,” out on September 22nd via Island Records. … Hey Violet Los Angeles’ Hey Violet is back with a new track called “Close My Eyes”, available on Hi or Hey/Capitol Records. “‘Close My Eyes’ is essentially about living in a fantasy land …

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from March 16 to March 20, 2020.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

OLIVIA O’BRIEN
+ Hey Violet
Fine Line Music Cafe
Fri 03/20/2020 (6:30pm/$22/Sold Out)
finelinemusic.com

Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Olivia O’Brien sold out the Fine Line Music Café this Friday, March 20, thanks to her 1 billion plus streams of her music. Her 25-city headlining tour will be called “It Was A Sad f**king Tour”, playing tracks The Results Of My Poor Judgement and It Was A Sad F**King Summer (both available on Island Records).

Show up early to check out trio Hey Violet (Rena and Nia Lovelis, with Casey Moreta). The group had a massive hit with “Guys My Age”, from their album From The Outside.

Tour dates

03/10 Charlotte, NC Amos' Southend
03/12 Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore
03/13 Boston, MA Royale
03/14 New York, NY Webster Hall
03/15 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
03/17 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
03/18 Detroit, MI The Majestic
03/19 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
03/20 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Cafe
03/22 Denver, CO Gothic Theatre
03/23 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
03/25 Vancouver, BC The Imperial
03/27 Seattle, WA The Showbox
03/28 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
04/12 Indio, CA Coachella
04/19 Indio, CA Coachella

Other shows in the area:

Allen Stone at First Ave Leslie Odom Jr at Fine Line Gaelic Storm at Fitzgerald SXSW MN Showcase Twin Cities Pride at Fine Line Palehound at 7th Street Read More Gaelic Storm Gaelic Storm’s Patrick Murphy joked, as he and band played a brief early set today at the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis. The Celtic band is in town for a proper show ... Palehound Boston-based Palehound (aka Ellen Kempner) opened the show. BIG THIEF + Palehound First Avenue ...

ALLEN STONE
+ Samm Henshaw
First Avenue
Mon 03/16/2020 (7pm/$29.50)
first-avenue.com

Allen Stone is back in Minneapolis… he’ll be playing First Avenue this Monday, March 16. We last saw Stone in Dec 2018 and said, “With large pastel paper flowers adorning the stage and jumping out excitedly in a pink suit and sneakers, Allen Stone began his ninety-five minute set with the blue-eyed (err, make that brown-eyed) soul gem of ‘Brown Eyed Lover’, which led directly into the clap-along groove of ‘The Weekend’.”

Tour dates:

03/14/2020 Vic Theatre Chicago, IL
03/16/2020 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
03/18/2020 The Truman Kansas City, MO
03/20/2020 Summit Denver, CO
03/23/2020 Knitting Factory Concert House Spokane, WA
03/25/2020 The Showbox Seattle, WA
03/26/2020 The Showbox Seattle, WA
03/27/2020 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC
03/28/2020 McMenamins Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
03/30/2020 Ace Of Spades Sacramento, CA
04/01/2020 Warfield Theatre San Francisco, CA
04/03/2020 The Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, CA
04/11/2020 "Bluesfest" (Byron Bay, AUS)
04/12/2020 "Bluesfest" (Byron Bay, AUS)
07/19/2020 Louisville Waterfront Park

LESLIE ODOM, JR.
+ Victoria Canal
Fine Line Music Cafe
Tue 03/17/2020 (6pm/$25/Sold Out)
finelinemusic.com

Grammy and Tony Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, author and actor Leslie Odom, Jr. is touring in support of his album Mr (S-Curve Records / BMG). The show is sold out.

Tour dates:

March 8, 2020 Las Vegas, NV House of Blue
March 12, 2020 San Francisco, CA August Hall
March 14, 2020 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
March 15, 2020 Seattle, WA Neptune Theater
March 17, 2020 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Cage
March 18, 2020 Chicago, IL House of Blues
March 20, 2020 Detroit, MI El Club
March 22, 2020 Toronto, Ontario The Mod Club Theatre
March 23, 2020 Montreal, Quebec L’Astral
March 27, 2020 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall
March 28, 2020 Mashantucket, CT Foxwoods Resort Casino
March 29, 2020 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
March 31, 2020 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
April 1, 2020 Washington, DC The 9:30 Club
April 3, 2020 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse

GAELIC STORM
+ Rince na Chroi Irish Dancers
The Fitzgerald Theater
Tue 03/17/2020 (6:30pm/$41)
thefitzgeraldtheater.com

Celebrate St Patrick’s Day with Gaelic Storm this March 17th at the Fitzgerald Theater. We first saw this Irish band in Aug 2016 and wrote, “Celtic favorites Gaelic Storm then got the holiday started right with their stirring Irish songs that invite dancing, and yes, drinking. The Boathouse is the sixth album released on the band’s own label, Lost Again Records, and is thematically, a seafaring set of traditional based songs. An instrumental started the 30 minute set on the right foot, with fiddle, tin whistle, and bagpipes getting the green-garbed crowd in the proper spirit. “Raised on Black and Tans” had Guinness pints in the air as newest member, fiddle player Kiana Weber, put bow to violin with a focused passion”

Tour dates:

Mar 12 Detroit, MI, US St. Andrew's Hall Detroit
Mar 13 Chicago, IL, US House of Blues
Mar 14 Chicago, IL, US House of Blues
Mar 15 Milwaukee, WI, US Pabst Theater
Mar 17 St. Paul, MN, US Fitzgerald Theater
Mar 18 Green Bay, WI, US Meyer Theatre
Mar 19 Oshkosh, WI, US Grand Opera House
Mar 20 Madison, WI, US Barrymore Theatre
Mar 21 Iowa City, IA, US Englert Theatre
Mar 23 Eau Claire, WI, US

MN SXSW Showcase
+ feat The Bad Man, MMYYKK
+ Humbird, Andy Cook
Fine Line Music Cafe
Wed 03/18/2020 (7pm/FREE)
finelinemusic.com

It’s a bummer that SXSW 2020 was cancelled. All the Minnesota bands that were travelling down to Texas to play, they’ve decided to put together a FREE MN SXSW Showcase show this March 18th.

Bands on the bill:

The Bad Man

MMYYKK

Humbird

Andy Cook

TC PRIDE BATTLE OF THE BANDS
+ feat Blacc Phoenix,
+ Floodwater Angel
Fine Line Music Café
Thu 03/19/2020 (7pm/$10)
finelinemusic.com

Twin Cities Pride is putting together a “Battle of the Bands” contest this March 19th at the Fine Line Music Café.

Featuring:

Blacc Phoenix

Floodwater Angel

Hot Pink Hangover

Timisarocker

PALEHOUND
+ Adult Mom
7th St Entry
Fri 03/20/2020 (7pm/$13)
first-avenue.com

Boston-based powerhouse trio Palehound is back on tour in support of their album Black Friday.

Show up early to check out Adult Mom.

Tour dates:

3/18: Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
3/20: Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
3/21: Chicago, IL @ Schubas
3/22: Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
3/24: Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
3/25: Montreal, QC @ Bar le Ritz
3/26: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
3/27: Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
3/28: Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
4/09: Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
4/10: Burlington, VT @ ArtsRiot
4/11: Portland, ME @ Space

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