W♥M

We♥KC- August 8-15, 2022 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence KS)

Read More Courtney Barnett Melbourne's Courtney Barnett was previously here earlier this year, which we caught in Chicago, but now she's back with a full expanded North American tour.…

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

These may be called the “dog days” of summer, but there are no “dogs” in this week’s group of great area shows. If anyone got into Saturday’s Glass Animals secret acoustic promo-only show at a KC distillery, consider yourself very lucky.

With the heat continuing, take precautions for any outdoor shows. Kansas surprised the nation with their recent vote on the state amendment question, and now it’s time to go out, sip a cold one, and support live music.

Here’s what’s happening in the Kansas City/Lawrence, KS metro August 8^th– 15^th

(Several artists are still requiring precautions for entry, so check with the venue and/or assume vaccination proof, might still be required)

Monday Aug 8

Here and There Festival featuring Courtney Barnett, Lucy Dacus and Quinn Christopherson, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $40.50-$60.50

‘Here And There’ is a concept partially born of Barnett’s love of curation. Barnett has owned a Melbourne-based label (Milk! Records) for a decade now and we’ve followed her ever since, even before her US successes. Most recent album is last November’s Things Take Time, Take Time.

For this first stop of the tour, Lucy Dacus joins up, who we saw flat on her back earlier this year in Lawrence, after slipping some discs in her back, but was determined to carry on with shows. 2021’s “Home Video” remains her latest full-length, but we’ve seen several new singles since.

Opening singer-songwriter Quinn Christopherson has set September 16 for the debut album release of Write Your Name in Pink.

Non-profit Sounds of Saving, have partnered on the tour, and their mission is to use the connection to music as a direct path to mental well being. The group on-site will include a representative from the local 988 call center, one mental health professional, and someone from Sounds of Saving.

Tim Heidecker (comedian), The Truman, $49.50

We’ve followed the eclectic comedian for years, both solo and as part of duo Tim and Eric, seeing them most recently in 2017. Newest album High School came out earlier this spring.

Thundercat, Grinders KC, $35-$75

On our radar for years, the aka Stephen Bruner is a bass-playing monster, as evidenced when he opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers in arenas years ago. Last studio release, It Is What It Is, won both GRAMMY and Libera Awards and he even appeared in couple episodes of the Disney+ series The Book of Boba Fett.

Red Fang, recordBar, $20

The Portland hard alternative four-piece band is back with 2021’s Arrows, and a tour which was delayed by the pandemic, but now back on course. Bell Witch & Aerial Ruin: Stygian Bough, which is a doom metal collaboration and Help slated to open. 

Tuesday Aug 9

Father John Misty w Suki Waterhouse, Arvest Bank at the Midland, $39.99-$59.99

WHM loves you, honeybear-- We’ve covered the aka Josh Tillman since well before he adopted his current stage name and the new record is Chloe and the Next 20^th Century, an ambitious fifth studio album under the FJM name, which he’s performed numerous times with a symphony orchestra.

We last caught him live, closing out the 2018 edition of Rock the Garden in Minneapolis.

Opening is Suki Waterhouse, the better half of actor Robert Pattinson and who dabbles in a little of everything- acting, modeling, and music, with newest singles being “Devil I Know” and “Wild Side”.

Anastasia (musical) at Starlight Theatre August 9-14, 2022

Inspired by the films, the transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an adventure to help her find home, love, and family.

Anastasia features a book by playwright Terrence McNally, new score by Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) based on original direction by Tony Award® winner Darko Tresnjak with choreography by Peggy Hickey and tour direction by Sarah Hartmann.

Imagine Dragons w Macklemore, Kings Elliot, T-Mobile Center, $45.50-$155

Indie rockers out on their summer leg of their Mercury Tour, in support of latest releases, Mercury Act I and Act II. We’ve seen the band live numerous times, from their humble beginnings in tiny clubs, to part of NFL Superbowl and MLB All-Star Game weekends and they always seem to bring the excitement live, as well as remind us of positive mental health.

Macklemore is currently rolling solo (without Ryan Lewis) but we saw the duo bring the house down ten years ago at the MN State Fair. Newest singles are “Next Year” w/Windsor and Ryan Lewis, and the new “Chant” with Tones and I.

Kings Elliot is a buzzworthy Swiss-born, London-based young new artist, who released EP Chaos in my Court late last year and a preorder is up for upcoming EP, Bored of the Circus with featured single, “Butterfly Pen.”

Murder by Death Lemonade Park, $32

Bloomington, IN indie rockers just released new album, Spell/Bound last week and we last saw them in 2016. Their electric cello sound gives a haunting goth edge to their sound and this Tour from the Crypt show also features Amigo the Devil and Samantha Crain, who we just caught live in May.

Ian Sweet / BNNY / Pure XTC, recordBar, $15

She’s aka Jillian Medford, an alternative singer-songwriter from LA and is out in support of 2021’s Show Me How You Disappear. We literally just caught this show, days ago in Minneapolis.Chicago’s BNNY has their debut album just out now.

Wednesday Aug 10

Sleigh Bells w N3PTUNE, The Truman. $30-$60

The Brooklyn noise pop duo is on the road supporting Texis, (with its current single “Justine Go Genesis” ) released at the end of last year and has been a band for almost fifteen years now. We caught them live in Fall 2016 when their last album signaled a bit of a sound change.

Black Pistol Fire with The Shooks, recordBar. $20

Quite simply one of the most incendiary live acts to currently grace a live stage, this Toronto via Austin TX duo mixes post punk rock with a Southern edge and is in support of last year’s Look Alive album. We caught them live in 2021 and in 2017 and were happily taken aback each time by their efforts. They’ve recently been dropping in a Childish Gambino and older Fleetwood Mac cover into their live sets.

(Updated: Lillie Mae has decided to bow out of the tour, instead working on a "secret project")

Ballyhoo! and Shwayze, Bottleneck. $20

The Maryland reggae pop/punk band are Warped Tour veterans and put out the Planet Sad Boi EP last year, with latest single, “The Front Porch”, out most recently. Alt hip-hop opener Schwayze (aka Aaron Smith) last released 2019’s Beach Boy album, so is likely due for new music.

Thursday Aug 11

Brett Young, Kansas City Live! $30-$70

The country pop singer’s latest album is last year’s Weekends Look a Little Different These Days, a happy result of the birth of his new daughter Presley, and the Orange County native also released a Christmas album last year. Live, he’s recently worked in a John Hiatt cover song among his own hits.

Friday Aug 12

Incubus with Sublime with Rome, Aquadolls, Azura Amphitheater. 

UPDATE: BONNER SPRINGS KS, MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO AND TINLEY PARK, IL SHOWS NOW POSTPONED

Michael Franti & Spearhead, Grinders KC, $35-$75

It’s always a “good day for a good day” when Michael Franti & Spearhead play, and their joyous vibe of feel-good, life-affirming music, is what everyone needs as we slowly move past the pandemic. We caught them live recently, last fall at an outdoor street party in Lawrence, and even performing as only a trio, everyone was thoroughly entertained and in appreciation of the return of live music.

The new release Follow Your Heart was released in June and reflects our shared struggle of the last couple years and encourages listening to your inner voice and being your authentic self.

Santa Fe Klan, Uptown Theater, $59.50-$85

Hip hop artist from Guanajuato, México, aka Ángel Quezada is out on his 15-stop Mar y Tierra Tour. With six albums under his name, he was a finalist of MIDEM´s “Talent Accelerator” and named The Latin Youth´s voice.

Drake White, Power and Light District, $20

We just caught the Alabama native live last month as part of the massive three-day Country Stampede at the Heartland in Topeka with an hour-long set on the second stage, and he returns to the area in support of his March full-length The Optimystic.

Goatwhore, Granada. $20

After sharing Spring stages with Gwar and Brujeria, the New Orleans black metal band headlines a night not for the faint of heart. Comments guitarist Sammy Duet, “We’re excited to be back on the road … Expect absolute debauchery and chaos, maniacs!”

Starcrawler, recordBar, $15

LA pop punk band has a brand-new album out, She Said, with latest single, “Stranded” and has been working in a frantic Ramones cover into current live sets. The Bad Ideas scheduled to open.

Saturday Aug 13

Decemberists with Brigid Mae Power, Grinders KC, $35-$99

Calling it the Arise from the Bunkers! Tour, count us as fans of the longtime Portland indie band, with the band celebrating over two decades. Singer-songwriter Colin Meloy also has a book coming this fall. Live, we caught them in a memorable show back in 2015 and more recently, they’ve been ending their main set with a cover of The Smiths’ “Ask.”

The Lumineers with Gregory Alan Isakov, T-Mobile Center. $49-$89

Out on their Brightside Tour, in support of fourth studio album of the same name, the core band is just a duo, Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites, though they bring a full band with them.

The Colorado indie folk group recorded a cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” as a bonus track for the new album and live their recent twenty-five song set includes a cover of Tom Petty’s “Walls.” We caught them as part of a stacked lineupp at Target Center in Minneapolis in 2017.

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Knuckleheads. $20

The Austin TX blues funk rock band always invites you to “come to my party” and this venue seems the ideal place to see them live. We caught them in the summer of 2014 at the Tour de Fat Beer and Bike Festival and previous to that, at First Avenue in Minneapolis the previous Autumn. In 2020, they released single, “Five Dollars.”

Sunday Aug 14

Melissa Etheridge, Liberty Hall, $69-$199

The pride of Leavenworth, KS returns to her home state for a relatively intimate show in support of One Way Out (on BMG Records). The album is composed of unreleased songs written in the late 80's and early 90's, but recorded recently with her original band, with two songs recorded live at the Roxy in LA in 2002. Expect all the previous hits played live as well. (Note: vaxx status is required)

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Uptown. $45-$249

It’s fabulous! RuPaul’s Drag Race World Tour returns with an all-new production for 2022 - an experiment gone wrong has sent the audience spiraling through time with no way of returning to the present. Join Kameron Michaels, Rose, Vanessa Vanjie, Yvie Oddly and finalists from the upcoming 14th Season on a journey through iconic periods of history in hopes of finding your way back to 2022.

Oliver Tree, Arvest Bank at the Midland, $29.50-$59.50

The Santa Cruz, CA singer-songwriter/rapper has his second studio release out, Cowboy Tears supposedly a final album which follows up 2020's Ugly Is Beautiful which reached #1 on Billboard's Rock chart. Recent single “I Hate You” is not on the new LP. JAWNY, Huddy slated to open.

Sleeping With Sirens with Don Broco, Point North and Garzi, The Truman. $32-$55

The Orlando post hardcore alt-rock group is out on a 24-date summer U.S. tour dubbed "Ctrl + Alt + Delete" with KC being the final show on the leg. Their most recent record, 2019's How It Feels to Be Lost, featured songs "Leave It All Behind" and "Agree to Disagree" and single "Bloody Knuckles," came out last year, though we’re interested to hear their version of The Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris”.

Monday Aug 15

take a day off

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

Minneapolis: August 13 to August 15

08/13 Fitz and the Tantrums and Andy Grammer with Maggie Rose at Palace Theatre Read More Fitz and the Tantrums We can confidently say we’ve seen Fitz and The Tantrums in all kinds of weather and over a hundred-degree temperature range. We first caught the LA soul/dance-pop band in early Feb 2011 in a small Minneapolis club while sub-zero temps swirled outside . … Andy Grammer It was a sold out all-ages show at the Andy Grammer and Alex & Sierra co-headlining tour at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on Sunday, March 29th. ...

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide

08/13/2022 Saturday

Fitz and the Tantrums and Andy Grammer
with Maggie Rose
at Palace Theatre
first-avenue.com

We just saw Fitz and the Tantrums at Grinders KC in June 2022, and described the show as, “Arms swayed back and forth during 2013’s “6AM” while clouds gathered above and the sky gradually grayed, providing relief from the heat, but also a precursor to oncoming weather changes. Singer Scaggs said that “I Need Help” from the newest record had meant even more to her during the pandemic, helping her to focus on her own mental health and hopefully showing people that they are not alone in any day-to-day struggles.”

Andy Grammer will be co-headlining the show. He is known for his chart-topping hits, like “Honey I’m Good” and “Keep Your Head Up.”

Maggie Rose to open.

Tour dates:

July 29, 2022 - Key West, FL - Key West Ampitheater
July 30, 2022 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live Orlando
July 31, 2022 - Tampa, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Hotel
August 2, 2022 - Cary, NC - Koka Booth Amphitheatre
August 3, 2022 - Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap
August 4, 2022 - New York, NY - Summerstage
August 6, 2022 - Boston, MA - Leader Bank Pavilion
August 9, 2022 - Selbyville, DE - The Freeman Arts Pavilion
August 11, 2022 - Interlochen, MI - Interlochen Center
August 12, 2022 - Aurora, IL - Riveredge Park
August 13, 2022 - Saint Paul, MN - Palace Theatre
August 14, 2022 - St. Louis, MO - Saint Louis Music Park
August 17, 2022 - Vail, CO - Gerald R. Ford Amphiteater
August 18, 2022 - Sandy, UT - Sandy Amphiteater
August 20, 2022 - Nampa, ID - Ford Idaho Center - Amphitheater
August 21, 2022 - Woodinville, WA - Chateau Ste. Michelle
August 22, 2022 - Bonner, MT - KettleHouse Ampitheater
August 23, 2022 - Forest Grove, OR - Grand Lodge
August 25, 2022 - Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery
August 26, 2022 - Rohnert Park, CA - Green Music Center
August 27, 2022 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre

08/14 Polyphia with Unprocessed and Death Tour at Fine Line Read More Polyphia The other two openers were awesome too. Polyphia wowed the audience with their instrumental songs. They were technical, amazing, and perfect. …

08/14/2022 Sunday

Polyphia
with Unprocessed and Death Tour
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

Genre-bending instrumental band Polyphia is on their first headlining tour … stopping by the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis on August 14th.

Unprocessed and Death Tour to open.

Tour dates:

7/28 Houston, TX House of Blues
7/29 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
7/30 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade (Heaven)
8/2 Charlotte, NC The Underground
8/3 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live!
8/4 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
8/5 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
8/6 New York, NY Irving Plaza
8/8 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
8/9 Montreal, QC Club Soda
8/10 Toronto, ON Opera House
8/11 Detroit, MI The Majestic
8/12 Chicago, IL Concord Music Hall
8/14 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line
8/15 Des Moines, IA Wooly's
8/16 Lawrence, KS The Granada Theatre
8/18 Denver, CO Gothic Theatre
8/19 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
8/20 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
8/22 Vancouver, BC Imperial
8/23 Portland, OR Hawthorne
8/24 Seattle, WA Neptune Theatre
8/26 San Francisco, CA The Regency Ballroom
8/27 Los Angeles, CA Fonda Theatre
8/28 Pomona, CA The Glasshouse
8/31 Phoenix, AZ Marquee Theatre
9/2 Fort Worth, TX Ridglea Theatre
9/3 Austin, TX Come and Take It Live

08/15 The Decemberists with Jake Xerxes Fussell at Surly Brewing Festival Field Read More The Decemberists Sure, their music is associated with hipsters and it's fair to assume singer Colin Meloy writes lyrics like he's from 1920, but The Decemberists are an unbelievably good band. …

08/15/2022 Monday

The Decemberists
with Jake Xerxes Fussell
at Surly Brewing Festival Field
first-avenue.com

The Decemberists are a great band. I once described their songs were all written by Colin Meloy in candle light and with a quill pen.

Decemberists at Northrop (24 March 2015)

I’ll never forget seeing The Decemberists in March 2015 and they played my favorite Decemberists song “The Mariner's Revenge Song”, complete with a giant cardboard whale. It was simply an unforgettable moment.

Jake Xerxes Fussell to open. We last mentioned that he opened up for Magnetic Fields in April 2022. Fussell’s fourth and latest album, Good and Green Again is out now via Paradise of Bachelors.

Tour dates:

Aug 3 Outdoor Bonner, MT, US KettleHouse Amphitheater
Aug 3 Outdoor Bonner, MT, US KettleHouse Amphitheater
Aug 4 Outdoor Redmond, WA, US Marymoor Park
Aug 6 Outdoor Troutdale, OR, US McMenamin's Historic Edgefield Manor
Aug 8 Saratoga, CA, US The Mountain Winery
Aug 9 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US The Wiltern
Aug 11 Salt Lake City, UT, US Gallivan Center
Aug 12 Denver, CO, US Mission Ballroom
Aug 13 Outdoor Kansas City, MO, US Grinders KC
Aug 15 Minneapolis, MN, US Surly Brewing
Aug 16 Chicago, IL, US The Chicago Theatre
Aug 17 Grand Rapids, MI, US Frederik Meijer Gardens
Aug 19 Toronto, ON, Canada Massey Hall
Aug 20 LaFayette, NY, US Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards
Aug 21 Boston, MA, US Roadrunner
Aug 23 New York (NYC), NY, US Capital One City Parks
Aug 24 Outdoor Washington, DC, US Filene Center at Wolf Trap
Aug 25 Philadelphia, PA, US The Met Philadelphia
Aug 27 Nashville, TN, US Ryman Auditorium
Aug 28 Atlanta, GA, US Tabernacle

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: April 5 to April 6, 2018

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from April 5 to April 6, 2018.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

The Decemberists World Tour Poster Read More The Decemberists Sure, their music is associated with hipsters and it's fair to assume singer Colin Meloy writes lyrics like he's from 1920, but The Decemberists are an unbelievably good band. …

THE DECEMBERISTS
+ Gaelynn Lea
Palace Theatre
Fri 04/06/2018 (7pm/$39.50)
Sat 04/07/2018 (7pm/$39.50)
palacestpaul.com

I’ll never forget seeing The Decemberists play in 2015 (their first tour after a hiatus) and they played my favorite Decemberists song “The Mariner's Revenge Song”, which I would have never thought could be played live for the fact that the song is over 10 minutes long. And at the end, they brought out a cardboard whale, and it was just a fun, unforgettable show.

The Decemberists’ new album I'll Be Your Girl is out now on Capitol Records.

NPR Music's 2016 Tiny Desk Contest winner Gaelynn Lea (from Duluth, MN) has been selected to open the two-night residency at the Palace Theatre in St Paul. The Decemberists are huge fan of this unique folk fiddler, so be sure to show up early to check out her music.

Gaelynn Lea’s tour dates:

04/4 @ Royal Room | Seattle, WA#
04/5 @ CBC Studios | Vancouver, BC^
04/6 @ Palace Theatre | St Paul, MN*
04/7 @ Palace Theatre | St Paul, MN*
04/13 @ Alamo Drafthouse | Denver, CO
04/14 @ Downtown Artery | Fort Collins, CO
04/16 @ Red Rooster Coffee | Aberdeen, SD

** Gaelynn Lea & Jenny Conlee (of The Decemberists)
# Gaelynn Lea & Arthur Anderson
^ Gaelynn Lea Performs for Kickstart Disability Arts & Culture
* Gaelynn Lea Opens for The Decemberists

Birds of Chicago: Love in Wartime Ed Schrader's Music Beat: Riddles John Maus: Screen Memories Margaret Glaspy Tour Poster Kasbo at Amsterdam Bar Poster Lo Moon Tour Poster Grayson DeWolfe at the Garage Poster Read More Ed Schrader's Music Beat Ed Schrader's Music Beat is a duo consisting of Ed Schrader and Devlin Rice. Currently on tour: 04/05 New York, NY @ 285 Kent 04/14 Baltimore, MD @ Floristree (album release party) … Lo Moon Opening for Muna will be Los Angeles’ Lo Moon (on their first American tour). The trio (ML. CB. SS.) has been heavily promoted by KROQ and NPR Music. … Margaret Glaspy One of the few artists we haven’t written about is Margaret Glaspy, touring in support of her debut album Emotions and Math (ATO Records). Be sure to show up early to check out Glaspy’s set. …

Other shows in the area:

BIRDS OF CHICAGO
Turf Club
Thu 04/05/2018 (7pm/$15)
turfclub.net

Chicago/Montreal’s roots band Birds Of Chicago (aka JT Nero and Allison Russell) will be stopping by the Turf Club in St Paul in support of their new album Love in Wartime (due out in May 4th via Signature Sounds).

Tour dates:

Apr 5 The Turf Club - St Paul, Mn
Apr 6 Back Room - Milwaukee, Wi
Apr 7 The Ark - Ann Arbor, Mi
Apr 8 Thalia Hall - Chicago, Il
Apr 12 South On Main - Little Rock, Ar

ED SCHRADER'S MUSIC BEAT
Kitty Cat Klub
Thu 04/05/2018 (9pm/FREE)
kittycatklub.net

Grab yourself a drink and enjoy a free show from Baltimore freak-fuzz duo Ed Schrader's Music Beat (Ed Schrader and Devlin Rice) at the Kitty Cat Klub this Thursday, in support of their new album Riddles (Carpark Records).

Tour Dates:

4/4 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Total Drag Records
4/5 - Minneapolis, MN @ Kitty Cat Klub
4/6 - Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
4/7 - Milwaukee, WI @ Quarters Rock N Roll Palace
4/8 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
4/8 - Detroit, MI @ Marble Bar
4/10 - Toronto, ON @ Baby G
4/11 - Winooski, VT @ Monkey House
4/12 - Providence, RI @ AS220
4/14 - Philadelphia, PA @ Everybody Hits
4/15 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right

JOHN MAUS
+ Devata Daun, C. Kostra
The Cedar Cultural Center
Thu 04/05/2018 (7pm/$16)
thecedar.org

In his first show in seven years, John Maus will be headlining the Cedar Cultural Center on Thursday, April 5th. Maus is known for his emotional, passionate live shows, as the Guardian newspaper wrote after seeing his one-man-karaoke show: “ head-bangs and gives vent to a succession of feral howls as he jack-knifes at the waist”.

Devata Daun (aka Nikki Pfeifer) and C. Kostra (aka Ryan Olcott) to open.

After this warm-up gig, he’ll be travelling to various music festivals from around the world:

04/05/2018 The Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN
04/15/2018 Coachella
04/22/2018 Coachella
05/04/2018 Red Bull Music Academy Festival
05/30/2018 Villette Sonique
06/01/2018 Primavera Sound
06/02/2018 This Is Not A Love Song
06/10/2018 Best Kept Secret Festival
08/17/2018 Pukkelpop Festival
08/18/2018 La Route Du Rock

MARGARET GLASPY
+ Buck Meek
7th Street Entry
Thu 04/05/2018 (7pm/$17)
first-avenue.com

Margaret Glaspy is back in town, headlining the 7th Street Entry this Thursday, in support of her new EP Born Yesterday (ATO Records). The EP is a bookend to Margaret’s lauded debut album Emotions and Math.

We caught Glaspy at Rock the Garden 2017 and wrote, “We liked what we heard and looking forward to hearing more from Glaspy’s forthcoming sophomore album.”

Margaret Glaspy Tour Dates:

Apr 02 - Bloomington, IN - The Bishop
04/03 - Evanston, IL - SPACE
04/04 - Milwaukee, WI - Back Room
04/05 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
04/06 - Iowa City, IA - Mission Creek Music Festival
05/11 - Pittsburgh, PA - Warhol Museum ^
05/12 - New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge *
05/13 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s *
05/15 - Toronto, ON - The Drake *
05/16 - Montreal, QC - L’Esco *
05/18 - Fall River, MA - Narrows Center *
05/19 - Northampton, MA - Parlor Room *
06/26 - Pasadena, CA - Arroyo Secco
09/14 - Portland, OR - Mission Theater ^
09/16 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door ^
09/19 - San Francisco, CA - Swedish American Hall ^

* = performing with Julian Lage
^ = Margaret Glaspy solo

KASBO
+ Baynk, Evan Giia
Amsterdam Bar and Hall
Fri 04/06/2018 (8pm/$13)
amsterdambarandhall.com

Swedish producer Kasbo (aka Carl Garsbo) is kicking off his headlining tour at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St Paul this Friday. His debut record Places We Don't Know is available now on Foreign Family Collective/Counter Records.

Tour dates:

04/6 - Amsterdam - Minneapolis, MN +
04/7 - Chop Shop - Chicago, IL +
04/8 - 04/9 - Phoenix Lights Music Festival
04/13 - Fox Theatre - Boulder, CO *
04/13 - 15 - Coachella - Indio, CA
04/19 - Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY +
04/20 - Sonia's - Boston, MA +
04/21 - Velvet Underground - Toronto, ON *
04/26 - Holocene - Portland, OR +
04/27 - Celebrities - Vancouver, BC +
04/28 - Neumos - Seattle, WA +
05/4 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA +
05/5 - Teragram - Los Angeles, CA +
05/9 - Red Hat Amphitheatre - Raleigh, NC ^
05/10 - Charlotte Metro e - Charlotte, NC^
05/11 - Iroquois Amphitheatre - Louisville, KY ^
05/16 - Daily's Palace - Jacksonville, FL ^
05/17 - CFE Arena - Orlando, FL ^
05/18 - Bayfront Park Miami - Miami, FL ^
05/19 - Hangout Music Festival - Gulf Shores, AL
06/14 - 06/17 - Firefly Music Festival - Dover, DE
06/21 - 06/25 - Electric Forest Music Festival
06/28 - 07/02 - Electric Forest Music Festival

* With BAYNK
+ With BAYNK & EVAN GIIA
^ Supporting ODESZA

LO MOON
+ Kraus
Turf Club
Fri 04/06/2018 (7pm/$10)
turfclub.net

For Lo Moon’s first tour, they’ll be stopping by the Turf Club on Friday. What may be interesting is that Kraus (aka Will Kraus), fresh off W♥M’s SXSW 2018 picks, will open the show.

North American Tour Dates:

04/02/18 - Montréal, QC @ L'escogriffe
04/03/18 - Toronto, ON @ Drake Hotel
04/05/18 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
04/06/18 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
04/08/18 - Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
04/10/18 - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
04/12/18 - Salt Lake City, UT @ State Room
04/14/18 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
04/15/18 - Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt
04/16/18 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
04/18/18 - San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar
05/01/18 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
05/02/18 - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
05/03/18 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room

GRAYSON DEWOLFE
+ Marina City, The Wldlfe, Savannah Brennan
The Garage
Fri 04/06/2018 (6:30pm/$12)
thegaragemn.com

The all-ages Grayson DeWolfe show to benefit the Second Harvest & One Heartland charity will be at the Garage this Friday.

As usual with the Garage shows, there are quite a few bands, including The Wldlfe from Indianapolis. Their new single “Real Ones” is out now and taken from their forthcoming summer 2018 release.

The Wldlfe tour dates:

4/3 - 416 Wabash - Indianapolis, IN
4/4 - Subterranean - Chicago, IL 4/6 - The Garage - Burnsville, MN
4/12 - Anderson University - Anderson, IN
4/13 - Rocketown - Nashville, TN
4/14 - Wheaton Academy - Wheaton, IL
4/15 - The Station - Joplin, MO
4/19 - The Ritz - Detroit, MI
4/20 - Mahall's - Lakewood, OH
4/28 - Speakertree Records - Lynchburg, VA

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

W♥M's Favorite 15 Shows of 2015

Read More 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 ... The Decemberists Sure, their music is associated with hipsters and it's fair to assume singer Colin Meloy writes lyrics like he's from 1920, but The Decemberists are an unbelievably good band. … Belle & Sebastian Our favorite Scottish band Belle & Sebastian is releasing Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance tomorrow, January 20th, via Matador Records, their first new record since 2010's Write About Love. ... Sam Smith Sam Smith has sold out Madison Square Garden in NYC and The Forum in Los Angeles in minutes, with a second show in Los Angeles being added on January 29, 2015. The month-long .... Big Star Big Star is releasing some singles on Record Store Day. This is to coincide with the release of the documentary of Big Star called "Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me", which you can check out the … Blur After the release of The Magic Whip (first album since Think Tank was released in 2003), this world tour sees Blur play Australia (including the Splendour in the Grass festival in Byron Bay) … Wizard World Minneapolis Wizard World Minneapolis officially began its pop culture weekend takeover last night, with a kickoff event held last night at the rotunda in the Mall of America. In addition to a trivia contest for … Violent Femmes Violent Femmes have announced details of their eagerly awaited new EP, HAPPY NEW YEAR. The four-track EP will be released April 18th, exclusively on 180 gram champagne clear vinyl … Go 96.3 We were really impressed with Go 96.3 FM's first Go Show #1 (featuring New Politics and Banks at Aria on Mar 2015). We were wondering how they can top that debut show … Festival Palomino We covered Trampled By Turtles' first ever Festival Palomino last year. It was such a great learning experience for us, and we had a great time... so much that it made it onto my top ten favorite shows from 2014 (out of … The 1975 Matt Healy, lead singer for Manchester UK band, The 1975, is a marked man. And this past weekend, he returned to the city where it all happened. … The Adicts The version Cristina loves is the Adicts' version. Song of the week is Adicts' "Falling in Love". ... FFS FFS - the unique collaboration between Franz Ferdinand and Sparks - have announced their first ever North American live dates. This once-in-a-lifetime tour .… Weezer Weezer's singer Rivers Cuomo brought out his dad, Frank Cuomo, and they play "Back to the Shack". One of the most touching things I have witness in my many years of watching Weezer shows. … Carole King Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is a musical on the life of songwriter Carole King, based on the biography written by Douglas McGrath. The musical has a residency at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis until the end of November. …

This year (2015), W♥M covered 346, which is an absolutely amazingly large number considering that we basically don't cover shows from December to February.

With so many shows, it's hard to just pick 15 shows to talk about... and I know there are a few that I feel bad about leaving off the list. I recommend looking over our list below and clicking on the shows you are most interested in reading and checking out for yourself.

With that said, here 15 favorite moments of 2015:

Sleater-Kinney at First Avenue
14 February 2015

This was my fourth time seeing Portland's Sleater-Kinney, and it was possibly my favorite. After "breaking up" in 2006, it was a bit of a surprise when they announced their reunion in October 2014 (with a new album No Cities to Love no less!). Of course, their entire 2015 North American show immediately sold out, but we were lucky enough to be there.... as were all the dedicated fans (who we haven't seen in quite a while).

We wrote, "I also wanted to mention that this wasn't just a SK reunion, but a reunion for all their fans. Personally speaking, I saw old friends I have not seen in nine years and it was all because SK came back to the music scene... so from the bottom of my heart, thank you Sleater-Kinney. "

The Decemberists at Northrop Auditorium
24 March 2015

Similar to Sleater-Kinney, beloved The Decemberists disappeared from the music scene in 2011. We caught singer Colin Meloy solo in 2013, and although he did play some Decemberists songs, it just didn't feel the same. When the opportunity to see them live, after they announced an unexpected new album What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, we jumped on board on the sold out show.

Their encore, with a giant whale, was a delight: "...then was a direct hit to the gullet, with their other folky mega-epic, the bouncy ‘The Mariner’s Revenge Song’ which stretched some twenty minutes. People were prompted to scream at a certain part ¾ of the way into the song, and the reaction was not unwarranted as a large cut-out profile of a whale ambled on stage to slowly eat each of the band members in a row, to the crowd’s shrieking delight."

Belle & Sebastian at Enmore Theatre and Rock the Garden
29 January 2015/20 June 2015

My all-time favorite post-Britpop is Scottish band Belle & Sebastian. Although the band experienced some difficulties with their label (basically Jeepster Records didn't think they can grow beyond their cult-like status) and losing a few key band members (including sweet songstress Isobel Campbell), the band seemed to be in top form on this 2015 tour. They first hit the Enmore Theatre in Sydney, Australia, and eventually made their way to Minneapolis at Rock the Garden.

Personally speaking, as a diehard fan, I felt it wasn't their strongest performance in Minneapolis. They've been gone for 9 years from the city, and their song choices weren't what I wanted or expected. Still, despite all that, their two song finales were unfortgettable: "The two closing tracks, ‘The Boy With the Arab Strap’ and ‘I Didn't See It Coming’ were absolutely unforgettable. Murdoch walked on the front barrier and asked if anyone wanted to dance and encourage fans to come on stage. About thirty fans jumped to the stage and just had an absolute blast singing and dancing... and, yes, taking plenty of selfies."

Sam Smith at Roy Wilkins Auditorium
24 January 2015

We were lucky enough to have caught Sam Smith right before his road to stardom: winning six Grammy Awards (in Feb 2015) - including Record of the Year and Song of the Year - and Brit Award winner for British Breakthrough Act and Global Success.

We wrote, "With his career just starting (though he mentioned he’s had a manager since age 12) and a strong chance that he walks away with several Grammys next weekend, Sam Smith’s local debut was worth the wait, with likely several more appearances in the years ahead, to come."

Wizard World Minneapolis
01-03 May 2015

The second annual Wizard World Minneapolis was a whole lot of fun. Unlike 2014's show, this year they had a few musical acts in conjunction to the comic book/geek fandom show: Critical Hit and our favorite Japanese Superhero band Peelander-Z. Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding, the Peelander-Z show was cut short.

As we reported, "After just 25 minutes, the venue cut off the band's instruments!! Everyone in the audience and the band looked incredibly puzzled by the shutdown. The fans were screaming "One more song! One more song!" and Pink replied, "If only we could, but they won't let us play!"

Barenaked Ladies and Violent Femmes at Treasure Island
12 June 2015

After Brian Ritchie sued singer Gordon Gano in 2007, The Violent Femmes broke up. It was only recently (2015) that they reformed, so we were more than happy to make that long drive to Treasure Island Casino in Red Wing, Minnesota, to see them. Embarrassingly enough, I thought this was my first time seeing VF, until I was reminded by a friend of mine that we had seen them in early 2000 at First Avenue. Suddenly, the memories flooded back! I will confess that I have a terrible memory.

Anyway, seeing VF was such fun! Everyone in the audience were singing to every word (expect for the two new songs), but I will also mention that I LOVE Colin Hay (from Men At Work) and he was definitely the highlight of the Barenaked Ladies' set. BNL aren't bad either, they were surprisingly a very entertaining band.

We wrote, "Say what you will about Canada's Barenaked Ladies, but they are a great live band. All those years touring, singer Ed Robertson has developed an amazing ability to randomly improvise some raps and songs. My personal favorite was the "Ring Ding Ding for Red Wing" rap, it's clear to me that they just actually thought of it while randomly shouting out rhymes."

Go 96.3 Shows
13 March 2015/07 August 2015/03-04 December 2015

We were quite impressed with Go 96.3's very first show at Aria in early March 2015 (featuring New Politics and Banks). They spared no expenses, and it showed! They would later go on to book Go Fest 2015 (featuring Cold War Kids and Matt & Kim on 07 August 2015) and Go Snow Show (featuring Metric and Silversun Pickups on 03-04 December 2015). In fact, all the Go Shows are nothing less than spectacular. We speculate that they are possibly just losing money (thanks to their affordable pricing of "$9.63" or FREE), but we also think that getting their brand name out is well worth it.

We wrote, "So, with little Snow outside, but plenty Show inside, consider the inaugural Go96.3 Snow Show a success with the hope that this becomes a bigger and better holiday tradition, for years ahead. "

Blur in Sydney, Los Angeles, and New York
25 July 2015/20 October 2015/23 October 2015

Legendary Britpopster Blur is finally back in Australia, playing their first gig in 18 years in the country. The whole gang is back (including Graham Coxon), and we love the band so much, we travelled to Los Angeles and New York for Blur's final two US tour. It's hinted heavily that this was the band's final U.S.A. appearance. A sad reminder that for this megastar band in England... that they never really broke America.

We wrote, "I'll just say the show was bittersweet. Albarn plans to spend next year working on the band that did break the States, Gorillaz, and he has enough side projects to distract him from the band he first started out in. This may be their last concert in the country they couldn't break."

FFS (Franz Ferdinand and Sparks) at First Avenue
09 October 2015

FFS is the special project of Franz Ferdinand and Sparks. The two bands recorded an album and as expected with these type of one album-only tour, they basically played the entire album. As an added bonus, selective songs from their respective catalog was also played, including the wildly popular FF's song "Take Me Out" (the entire audience was bouncing and singing along to this number).

Of all the places the band could have chosen to play, they surprisingly added Minneapolis to their limited first-ever US tour... and it was well worth it for fans who showed up to catch this unique performance.

As we reported, "Both bands collaborated to produce some of the most interesting pop songs on the FFS album. It's smart, it's catchy, it's fun, and it's uniquely FFS. While I do not think there will be a sequel in the future, this was, by far, the most interesting team-up we've seen in a while."

Big Star's Third at First Avenue
20 September 2015

This is one of our favorite 2015 shows: Big Star's Third. Every show they do is different, mainly because they have different guests. With all these great guests, you would think they can easily screw up, but they were all surprisingly well-rehearsed and seemed to know their material and what they had to work with.

We concluded, "This show was such a massive pleasure to watch. Between a stage loaded with talent and music loaded with emotion, it was hard to walk away from this and not be inspired and heartened. Big Star created some of the most beautiful and timeless music of all time, the soundtrack to our lives. Stamey, Stringfellow and every single person who contributed to Wednesday night’s performance brought that soundtrack to life. "

The 1975 at First Avenue
10 December 2015

This was our third time seeing The 1975, fifth time if you count their two promotional appearance at Cities 97 and the Mall of America... and we called it long ago: This band is going to be massive! Not only have they sold out every appearance in the Twin Cities, but ahead of their sophomore album, they've already announced a date at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. We think it's going to sell out, which very few bands have managed such a feat. We'll wait and see. If you need further proof that the band has made it - after we saw them at First Avenue, there were bootleg T-Shirt vendors!

As reported, "From the show’s early sell out, to the stage production, and the crowd’s intense reaction to every song, it was clear right away that the band has outgrown its club confines and is destined for bigger things (something we predicted when we first saw them too)."

Festival Palomino 2015
September 2015

We felt that the inaugural Festival Palomino last year was nothing short of perfect... however, the organizers (First Avenue and Trampled by Turtles) improved on perfection! We love the new setup and, based on these two successful shows, we're pretty sure they will be hard at work on a great 2016 Festival Palomino.

We praised, "If local festivals were racehorses, Festival Palomino is best in show. Again.

The Trampled by Turtles-curated festival, held again in the inside greens of the horse racetrack at Canterbury Park in the southwest suburb of Shakopee, triumphed once more in its sophomore year, as a prime example of a highly enjoyable, expertly-run day of music. "

Rev Horton Heat & The Adicts at First Avenue
24 September 2015

This was an odd-pairing, but we were really excited about UK's The Adicts' very first Minneapolis show. They were just super-duper entertaining. The band clearly has their live show down to a T, incorporating various fun stage props, various costume changes, and choreographic dance routines. The only down side to these shows is that they are practically the same routine every night, so if this is your second or third time seeing them, it'll get old fast... but personally speaking, since it was their first Minneapolis show: we loved it.

Worth the price of admission: "If anything, The Adicts is one of the most entertaining bands touring right now. I've never seen so many stage prop used on stage, from pounds of confetti (used in streamers, umbrellas, hats, etc.) to Chinese take-out cartons (used for "Chinese Takeaway"), playing cards (used for "Joker in the Pack") to light-up plastic glass (used during "Who Spilt My Beer?") to various costume changes (hats, gloves, shirts) to beach balls, to stuffed monkeys (thrown into the audience). Although this may seem gimmicky, you can't ignore that this was a first-rate production and worth the price of admission. "

Weezer at Burgerama IV and Basilica Block Party
29 March 2015/10 July 2015

We're big fans of Weezer since 1994. Admittedly, the band's outgrown us, but we still have a soft spot for the nerdy band. Seeing them at Burgerama IV in Santa Ana was a treat, but because Rivers' dad came on stage to sing "Back to the Shack" with the band. We caught them again locally at Basilica Block Party, and it's probably our favorite Basilica show in recent memory.

The fans loved it, "As soon as the first few chords of ‘Hash Pipe’ were played, the audience immediately recognized it and started screaming and singing. Other big hits blocks included ‘Surf Wax America’, followed by ‘Island in the Sun’ with personalized "Minneapolis" lyrics, and ‘Beverly Hills’ (which did gangbuster in California, but surprisingly did really well in Minnesota as well)."

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
25 November 2015

This one is still fresh in my mind, so it's one of my favorite music event I've attended. I can probably count on my hand the few plays and musicals I've attended (The King and I, Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, etc.), but watching Beautiful: The Carole King Musical was simply just magical. The seamless set changes, the constant costume changes (and one great "quick change" costumes), the great singing and music playing... they were just flawless! It probably helped that they act the same scene night after night for the last 200+ shows, but it was still pretty amazing to witness live. I have told people that it is like watching a movie, only it's completely live.

We concluded, "If you're a fan of live musical, you definitely will want to attend a show. It is a lot of fun, and the musical numbers will bring back a lot of wonderful memories."

Below are links to all 346 shows we covered in 2015:

Decemberists w/ Alvvays at Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis (24 March 2015)

The Decemberists Spring Tour 2015 Poster Decemberists Setlist intro The Singer Addresses His Audience Cavalry Captain Down by the Water Hank Eat your Oatmeal > Calamity Song On the Bus Mall The Wrong Year Make You Better The Island Los Angeles, I'm Yours Carolina Low A Bower Scene > Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga) The Rake's Song 16 Military Wives Dracula's Daughter O Valencia! -- Encore -- June Hymn The Mariner's Revenge Song Alvvays Setlist The Agency Group Next Of Kin Your Type Atop A Cake New Haircut Dives Adult Diversion Party Police Archie, Marry Me Tour Dates 03/30 – Massey Hall – Toronto, ON 03/31 – Benedum Center – Pittsburgh, PA 04/01 – UB Center For The Arts – Buffalo, NY 04/03 – House of Blues – Boston, MA 04/04 – House of Blues – Boston, MA 04/06 – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY 04/07 – Academy of Music – Philadelphia, PA 04/09 – The Fillmore Charlotte – Charlotte, NC 04/10 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA 04/11 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA 04/12 – Rhythm N’ Blooms Festival – Knoxville, TN 04/13 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN 04/29 – Mesa Performing Arts Center – Mesa, AZ 04/30 – North Park Theatre – San Diego, CA 05/01 – Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA 05/02 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA 05/22 – Les Schwab Amphitheatre – Bend, OR 05/24 – Big Sky Brewing Company – Missoula, MT 05/27 – Red Rocks – Denver, CO 05/29 – Sumtur Amphitheatre – Papillion, NE 05/30 – Peabody Opera House – St. Louis, MO 05/31 – The LC Pavilion – Columbus, OH 06/01 – nTelos Wireless Pavilion – Charlottesville, VA 06/03 – Red Hat Amphitheatre – Raleigh, NC 06/04 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD 06/05-06/07 – Governors Ball – New York, NY 07/10 – Edgefield – Troutdale, OR Read More The Decemberists Sure, their music is associated with hipsters and it's fair to assume singer Colin Meloy writes lyrics like he's from 1920, but The Decemberists are an unbelievably good band. … Alvvays Opening up the show will be Alvvays, who we recently caught at the Turf Club on December 2014 and reported, "Although the band only has one album, you couldn’t ask for better surf-pop sweetness." …

You have to respect a band that dresses nicely in vests, jackets, and ties to go work… only to be later eaten one-by-one on stage…!

What a terrible show, what a beautiful show from Portland’s The Decemberists, when they came to Minneapolis to play the sold-out and acoustically shiny Northrop Auditorium on the University of Minnesota campus—thankfully, the beautiful parts were very much so, and the couple terrible parts were very purposely meant to be that way.

Alvvays

Toronto indie-pop band Alvvays was on their first night as support act and had reason to feel the slightest bit awkward as singer Molly Rankin mentioned it being their first time playing to a seated audience.  The five-piece played most of their eponymous debut (out now on Polyvinyl) working in nine songs in just forty minutes.

Molly Rankin

During tuning for their song ‘Dives’, Rankin muttered to herself jokingly, "play 'Freebird', man."  If only she was aware that Decemberists' singer Colin Meloy is "famously" a self-ordained board member of “MACOF (Musician Against Calling Out Freebird)” as we found out at his last solo gig in town.

Alvvays managed to play all four released singles, ending with current radio hit, ‘Archie, Marry Me’, with guitarist Alec O'Hanley playing on Rankin's so-called "tiny girl guitar".

The Decemberists

Amidst a giant lighted backdrop very similar to the quilt-like pattern of the new album’s cover (What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World out now on Capitol Records), The Decemberists confidently strode out to the regal trumpet intro music before singer Meloy started gently with the hushed and folky ‘The Singer Addresses His Audience’ before it progressed into the expansive full band sound.

Reserved but joyous applause met the next song, ‘Calvary Captain’, causing Meloy to mention, “So, so, so very quiet... unnerving.” That quiet was quickly broken as everyone stood and clapped along for ‘Down by the Water’, from 2011’s The King is Dead.

A purposefully simple ditty called ‘Hank Eat Your Oatmeal’ was created as Meloy strummed at his kitchen table, trying to convince his young son to eat—that same song (as we also heard at Nov 2013 Meloy gig) would morph into ‘Calamity Song’, also from 2011 (much better song, though both are catchy).

New songs were a little limited with ‘The Wrong Year’ going back to back with single, ‘Make You Better’ before the band launched into their folk-prog epic, ‘The Island’, with standout performances from instrumentalist Chris Funk and accordionist/keys player, Jenny Conlee. Even background singers were top notch as Kelly Hogan and Nora O’Connor Kean (both artists in their own right) kept a steady hand on the vocal rudder.

Colin Meloy

Before ‘Los Angeles, I’m Yours’, Meloy reminisced about the band first jaunt into town, at the now-closed 400 Bar, and managing to pinch a picture of The Replacements’ Bob Stinson while there.  After an errant Applebee’s comment went the wrong way, Meloy righted himself by saying how much he enjoying the previous night’s dinner at the James Beard award-nominated, The Bachelor Farmer, which mostly redeemed him.

Stage lights went from all red for ‘Won’t Want for Love’ to all blue for crowd favorite, ‘The Rake’s Song’, with the latter song turning into an extended clap-a-long and ’16 Military Wives’ was a fun call-and-response contest between different parts of the venue.

“We’re going to play you the very worst song I’ve written in my entire life”, Meloy mentioned, before going into ‘Dracula’s Daughter’, to then stop to a hushed crowd, save someone from the upper balcony, shouting, “…sucks!”, which drew immediate laughter.

Setlist

The encore was first teased with the ready for springtime song, ‘June Hymn’, then was a direct hit to the gullet, with their other folky mega-epic, the bouncy ‘The Mariner’s Revenge Song’ which stretched some twenty minutes. People were prompted to scream at a certain part ¾ of the way into the song, and the reaction was not unwarranted as a large cut-out profile of a whale ambled on stage to slowly eat each of the band members in a row, to the crowd’s shrieking delight.

Luckily, as stage lights rose back up after the song, band members seemed unscathed and ready to carry on, in the next town.  So, what a terrible show,what a beautiful show -  the two half-baked songs purposely provided good comic relief and the audience was really treated to a nattily-dressed  band, returning as strong as ever, after a few year’s hiatus.

The Decemberists at Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis (24 March 2015)

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

Minneapolis: March 22 - March 24, 2015

Check out these shows in Minneapolis/St Paul from March 22 to March 24, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Tycho Tycho is back in Minneapolis this Tuesday, April 8th, in support of Awake, at a much bigger venue, First Avenue. Hopefully it's big enough to accommodate all of Tycho's fans. … Beacon Brooklyn's Beacon was a big buzz last night, having talked to a few fans that came out just to see them last night. This beats duo (Thomas Mullarney III and Jacob Gossett) just recently signed to Ghostly International …

TYCHO w/ Beacon
at First Avenue
Sunday 03/22/15, 7:30pm ($20)
first-avenue.com

We caught Tycho at the Varsity Theater in 2012, which, at the time, I was surprised that they've already been to Minneapolis five times at that point! Although the band was previously in Minneapolis in April (with Gems), they like the city enough to come back next week, March 22nd, in support of their latest album Awake, which frontman Scott Hansen said, "This is, in many ways, the first true Tycho record."

Opening up for Tycho will be Brooklyn's Beacon (Thomas Mullarney and Jacob Gossett). We caught the duo in 2012 and noted that they had a huge buzz when they recently signed to the Ghostly International label.

Tycho's tour dates:

03/15 | Eugene, OR | McDonald Theater
03/17 | Vancouver, BC | Commodore Ballroom
03/18 | Seattle, WA | Showbox SoDo
03/19 | Boise, ID | Knitting Factory
03/20 | Denver, CO | Ogden Theatre
03/21 | Lawrence, KS | Granada Theatre
03/22 | Minneapolis, MN | First Avenue
03/23 | Madison, WI | Majestic Theater
03/25 | St. Louis, MO | Ready Room
03/27 | Royal Oak, MI | Royal Oak Music
03/28 | Toronto, ON | Danforth Music Hall
03/29 | Indianapolis, IN | The Vogue
03/31 | Columbus, OH | Newport Music Hall
04/01 | Cleveland, OH | State Theatre #
04/02 | Pittsburgh, PA | Benedum Center #
04/03 | Raleigh, NC | Red Hat Amphitheater #
04/04 | Atlanta, GA | Chastain Park #
04/05 | Birmingham, AL | Workplay
04/06 | Nashville, TN | Grand Ole Opry #
04/08 | Oklahoma City, OK | Bricktown #
04/11 | Indio, CA | Coachella
04/18 | Indio, CA | Coachella
06/11-14 | Manchester, TN | Bonnaroo

% - w/ Christopher Willits # - w/ alt-J

Read More Maroon 5 Pop/rock band Maroon 5 recently announced their music video for their new single "Sugar" on vevo.com. The song is taken from their fifth studio album V (Interscope Records). "V", of course, is the Roman Numeral for "5". …

MAROON 5
at Xcel Energy Center
Monday 03/23/15, 6:30pm ($40-$140)
xcelenergycenter.com

We've already mentioned about Maroon 5's fifth studio album V (Interscope Records) earlier this January 2015. The band is currently on tour in support of that album... and will be stopping in at Saint Paul's Xcel Energy Center. Tickets are on the expensive side, typical of these large arena shows.

Support acts will be Canadian reggae fusion band Magic! and San Francisco's Rozzi Crane.

Tour dates:

03/14/15 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
03/16/15 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
03/18/15 Auburn Hills, MI Palace Of Auburn Hills
03/19/15 Chicago, IL United Center
03/21/15 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
03/23/15 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy
03/25/15 Saskatoon, SK SaskTel Centre
03/26/15 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
03/28/15 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
03/29/15 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
03/31/15 San Jose, CA SAP Center
04/01/15 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena
04/03/15 Inglewood, CA Forum
04/04/15 Inglewood, CA Forum

Read More The Decemberists Sure, their music is associated with hipsters and it's fair to assume singer Colin Meloy writes lyrics like he's from 1920, but The Decemberists are an unbelievably good band. … Alvvays “We’ve never played here before,” Alvvays lead singer and guitarist Molly Rankin said as the band took to the stage. After jokingly testing the crowd’s knowledge of Nova Scotia (where most members are originally from) …

THE DECEMBERISTS w/ Alvvays
at Northrop Auditorium
Tuesday 03/24/15, 7pm ($36 / Sold Out)
northrop.umn.edu

One of my favorite bands, The Decemberists will be in town at Northrop Auditorium next Tuesday. Naturally the band sold out most of their 2015 tour... truly it is both a 'terrible world' if you have not purchased tickets. We previously mentioned that the band is back with their seventh studio album, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World (out now on Capitol Records).

Opening up the show will be Alvvays, who we recently caught at the Turf Club on December 2014 and reported, "Although the band only has one album, you couldn’t ask for better surf-pop sweetness."

Tour dates:

03/21 – Keller Auditorium – Portland, OR
03/24 – Northrop Auditorium – Minneapolis, MN
03/25 – Riverside Theater – Milwaukee, WI
03/27 – Chicago Theatre – Chicago, IL
03/28 – Royal Oak Music Theatre – Royal Oak, MI
03/30 – Massey Hall – Toronto, ON
03/31 – Benedum Center – Pittsburgh, PA
04/01 – UB Center For The Arts – Buffalo, NY
04/03 – House of Blues – Boston, MA
04/04 – House of Blues – Boston, MA
04/06 – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY
04/07 – Academy of Music – Philadelphia, PA
04/09 – The Fillmore Charlotte – Charlotte, NC
04/10 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
04/11 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
04/12 – Rhythm N’ Blooms Festival – Knoxville, TN
04/13 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
04/29 – Mesa Performing Arts Center – Mesa, AZ
04/30 – North Park Theatre – San Diego, CA
05/01 – Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA
05/02 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
05/22 – Les Schwab Amphitheatre – Bend, OR
05/24 – Big Sky Brewing Company – Missoula, MT
05/27 – Red Rocks – Denver, CO
05/29 – Sumtur Amphitheatre – Papillion, NE
05/30 – Peabody Opera House – St. Louis, MO
05/31 – The LC Pavilion – Columbus, OH
06/01 – nTelos Wireless Pavilion – Charlottesville, VA
06/03 – Red Hat Amphitheatre – Raleigh, NC
06/04 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD
06/05-07 – Governors Ball – New York, NY
07/10 – Edgefield – Troutdale, OR

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

Minneapolis: December 10 - December 12, 2014

Here are some shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul from December 10 to December 12, 2014.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Skinny Puppy In an effort to unite instead of isolate, The Alliance of Sound plans on bringing the different flavors of electronic music together for an unforgettable tour. …

ALLIANCE OF SOUND
at Mill City Nights
Wednesday 12/10/14, 8pm ($30)
millcitynights.com

Some of the biggest metal/industrial/electronic bands Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, VNV Nation, and Haujobb have joined forces to "unite instead of isolate."

All these bands formed in the 80s or 90s (I remember these Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly way back in my radio DJ days in 1993-1995), with the exception of Los Angeles duo Youth Code... who must be over the moon to be playing with these legends.

The Alliance of Sound tour:

Nov. 28 – The Sound Academy (Toronto, ON)
Nov 29 – Metropolis (Montreal, QC)
Nov. 30 – House of Blues (Boston, MA)
Dec. 2 – Best Buy Theater (NYC)
Dec. 3 – Trocadero Theatre (Philadelphia, PA)
Dec. 5 – Jannus Landing (Tampa, FL)
Dec. 6 – Buckhead Theatre (Atlanta, GA)
Dec. 8 – The Pageant (St. Louis, MO)
Dec. 9 – The Vic Theatre (Chicago, IL)
Dec. 10 – Mill City Nights (Minneapolis, MN)
Dec. 12 – Ogden Theatre (Denver, CO)
Dec. 13 – The Complex (SLC)
Dec. 15 – Showbox SODO (Seattle, WA)
Dec. 16 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre (Vancouver, BC)
Dec. 17 – Roseland Theater (Portland, OR)
Dec. 19 – Regency Ballroom (San Francisco, CA)
Dec. 20 – The Fox Theater (Pomona, CA)

Read More Alvvays Alvvays are two women, three men, a crate of C-86 tapes and a love of jingle-jangle. Molly Rankin and Kerri MacLellan grew up as next-door neighbours in Cape Breton, lifting fiddles and folk-songs. …

ALVVAYS w/ Sun Club
at Turf Club
Thursday 12/11/14, 7:30pm ($12)
turfclub.net

There must be something delightful in the drinking water up in Canada, ‘cause Toronto keeps sending Minneapolis music fans some choice indie-pop bands to enjoy. Having just hosted fantastic power-pop giants Sloan, St. Paul’s Turf Club will be welcoming another great Toronto band on December 11th: Alvvays, whose influences, ranging from Teenage Fanclub to Belle & Sebastian, certainly left a mark on their bright, reverb-soaked sound.

Childhood friends Molly Rankin and Kerri MacLellan formed Alvvays in 2012 with Alec O'Hanley Brian Murphy, and Phil MacIsaac rounding out the lineup. They did some touring with bands like The Pains of Being Pure At Heart before releasing their full-length self-titled debut in July. The album features members of Holy F*ck and was recorded at Chad VanGaalen’s home studio (dubbed “Yoko Eno Studio”) in Calgary.

Fans of Frankie Rose and Best Coast will be pleased by the album’s shimmering lo-fi melodies. But even folks who aren’t keen on this kind of starry-eyed groove still have to check out the soaring wedding-bell-blues single “Marry Me, Archie.” Hell, Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) covered the song at a solo gig in Seattle last Saturday.

Opening for Alvvays are Sun Club, a band influenced by the likes of the Beach Boys and Animal Collective. Their debut EP is out now on Goodnight Records.

Tour dates (* indicates with The Decemberists)

11/28/14 Los Angeles, CA Echo 11/29/14 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop 12/01/14 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge 12/02/14 Seattle, WA Barboza 12/03/14 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret 12/05/14 Edmonton, AB The Starlite Room 12/06/14 Calgary, AB The Gateway at SAIT 12/09/14 Saskatoon, SK Amigos Cantina 12/10/14 Winnipeg, MB Park Theatre Cafe 12/11/14 Saint Paul, MN Turf Club 12/12/14 Iowa City, IA Blue Moose Tap House 12/13/14 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom 12/18/14 Montreal, QC La Sala Rossa 12/19/14 Kingston, ON The Grad Club 12/20/14 Toronto, ON Opera House 01/16/15 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon 01/17/15 Chicago, IL Various Venues 01/21/15 Manchester The Deaf Institute 01/22/15 Leeds Brudenell Social Club 01/23/15 Newcastle upon Tyne Think Tank? 01/26/15 Nottingham Bodega Social Club 01/27/15 Birmingham Hare & Hounds 01/28/15 London Scala 01/30/15 Oxford O2 Academy Oxford

01/31/15 Bristol, United Kingdom Thekla 02/02/15 Antwerp, Belgium Muziekcentrum Trix 02/03/15 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso 02/05/15 Oslo, Norway John Dee 02/06/15 Stockholm, Sweden Debaser Strand 02/07/15 Copenhagen, Denmark Beta 02/09/15 Hamburg, Germany Molotow 02/10/15 Berlin, Germany Kantine Am Berghain 02/12/15 Vienna, Austria B72 02/13/15 Milan, Italy Lo-Fi 02/14/15 Zurich, Switzerland Bogen F 03/24/15 - Minneapolis, MN @ Northrop * 03/25/15 - Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside* 03/27/15 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre* 03/28/15 - Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak* 03/30/15 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall* 03/31/15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Benedum Center* 04/01/15 - Buffalo, NY @ UB Center For the Arts* 04/03/15 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues* 04/04/15 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues* 04/06/15 - New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre* 04/07/15 - Philadelphia, PA @ Academy of Music* 04/09/15 - Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore Charlotte* 04/10/15 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle* 04/11/15 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle*

Read More Blitzen Trapper Blitzen Trapper, these guys rock. Call it alt country or southern rock, either way they know what they are doing and they do it well. Great tunes, three part harmonies …

BLITZEN TRAPPER
at Fine Line Music Cafe
Friday 12/12/14, 7pm ($25)
finelinemusic.com

The last time I saw Blitzen Trapper it was in 2007, although other people caught them in 2009 and at SXSW 2012.

The Portland-based band will be playing a one-off show to benefit the Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.

Details below:

89.3 The Current and McTerry Music Presents

A Benefit Show Featuring

Blitzen Trapper

For Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

w/Special Guests

Farewell Milwaukee
Bigtree Bonsai
And
Old Desert Road

Doors 7:00
Music 8:00

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

Portland

Read More The Decemberists What's also pretty cool about the episode is that the Decemberists briefly appeared as themselves! It's exciting because the Decemberists took a "multi-year hiatus" after their The King is Dead …

THE DECEMBERISTS
decemberists.com

Sure, their music is associated with hipsters and it's fair to assume singer Colin Meloy writes lyrics like he's from 1920, but The Decemberists are an unbelievably good band.

They recently announced their seventh studio album, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World to be released on January 20, 2015 on Capitol Records. UK fans will be able to get the album the day before via Rough Trade Records. This is an important album because we personally thought they broke up, especially by that dreaded "hiatus" status that hung over the band after their exhausting tour for 2011 album The King Is Dead...

With the new 2015 album and UK tour announced, expect Meloy to sing to a full electric backing band, and not acoustic 'campfire' versions of their songs (which was what we got when we saw Meloy solo last year).

The Decemberists – European Tour Dates

February 11 Dublin, Ireland Vicar Street
February 13 Glasgow, UK O2 Academy Glasgow
February 14 Leeds, UK O2 Academy Leeds
February 16 Bristol, UK O2 Academy Bristol
February 17 Manchester, UK Manchester Academy
February 18 Birmingham, UK The Institute
February 20 Brighton, UK Brighton Dome Concert
February 21 London, UK O2 Academy Brixton
February 23 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso
February 24 Brussels, Belgium AB
February 25 Nijmegen, Netherlands Doornroosje
February 26 Berlin, Germany Astra Kulturhaus
February 28 Zürich, Switzerland Kaufleuten
March 1 Milan, Italy Magazzini Generali

Read More Mecca Normal Mecca Normal opened with “Art Was Great Leveler”, a love song about relationships and class. They’re one of my all time favorite bands because … Mirah Mirah was sick at her show at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis on Friday, May 16.... but as they say in 'showbiz', the show must go on. …

MECCA NORMAL
meccanormal.wordpress.com

Vancouver-based Mecca Normal duo (Jean Smith and David Lester) just wrapped up their Eastern US dates in support of their latest album Empathy for the Evil (produced by Kramer), which came out last month on M'lady's Records (from Portland, Oregon).

During the tour they were interviewed and performed on Democracy Now in New York.

Excerpt from the article:

Earlier this year, the 2014 Biennial at the Whitney Museum of American Art featured an exhibit dedicated to Ritscher’s life. The pioneering Vancouver-based musical act Mecca Normal took part in the exhibit. In 1998, Mecca Normal recorded and released a song titled "Malachi." The cover of that record was included in the Whitney exhibit. Also included was a poster about Malachi designed by David Lester.

The Malachi exhibit is now headed to Chicago, where it will open later this month at the Audible Gallery at Experimental Sound Studio.

Jean Smith and David Lester of Mecca Normal recently joined us to talk about their work and to perform two songs, "Malachi" and "Anguish/Misogyny."

Mecca Normal have one last date at the Media Club in Vancouver with Mirah. Mirah actually lived in Portland for a number of years, and you may recall after seeing Mirah in 2010, was one of the best shows I've seen ... but unfortunately she got sick during her 2014 show.

Read More Tender Loving Empire Tender Loving Empire Records just signed their first non-Portland band: The Family Crest. The Family Crest is based out of San Francisco …

MUSEE MECANIQUE
museemecanique.net

Portland-based Musée Mécanique recently released From Shores of Sleep (an album "twenty years in the making"*) via Tender Loving Empire, and they're currently on tour in support of the new record.

Tour Dates:

11/05 New York, NY @ Cake Shop
11/07 Biddeford, ME @ Hogfarm Studios
11/08 Burlington, VT @ Skinny Pancake
11/11 Nashville, TN @ The Basement
11/13 Fort Worth, TX @ Live Oak
11/15 Marfa, TX @ El Cosmico
11/16 Silver City, NM @ house show
11/17 Phoenix, AZ @ Trunk Space
11/18 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
11/19 Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg
11/20 Carmel, CA @ Barmel
11/22 San Francisco, CA @ Hotel Utah

* Songwriters Micah Rabwin and Sean Ogilvie met in their 9th grade English class and have been making music together ever since.

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

Colin Meloy with Eleanor Friedberger at the Woman's Club, Minneapolis (11/13/13)

Colin Meloy Setlist The Singer Addresses His Audience July, July! Hank, Eat Your Oatmeal Calamity Song The Soldiering Life Oceanside Do You Remember Walter? June Hymn Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga) Engine Driver On the Bus Mall Philomena Lake Song January Hymn Skyway The Apology Song Bandit Queen Encore: The Crane Wife 1 & 2 The Crane Wife 3 Eleanor Friedberger Setlist I'll Never Be Happy Again Other Boys Tomorrow Tomorrow My Own World Evergreen I Am the Past When I Knew Echo or Encore Singing Time Stare at the Sun My Mistakes Tour Dates 01/16/14 Los Angeles, CA Fonda 01/17/14 San Francisco, CA Fillmore 01/21/14 Portland, OR McMenamins 01/22/14 Seattle, WA The Neptune Read More Colin Meloy Colin Meloy, as you probably know, is the lead singer of the much-beloved The Decemberists. The band is currently on a break, but in the meantime, you can catch … Eleanor Friedberger We like The Fiery Furnaces' Eleanor Friedberger, having caught her in Minneapolis a few times (in June and in September). She's returning here on the last date of the Colin Meloy …

Colin Meloy and Eleanor Friedberger just finished their little two-week Fall 2013 tour at the Woman's Club in Minneapolis last night. The tour was really a great match, as both musicians are generally known for their heady lyrics and little storytelling songs.

ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER

Eleanor Friedberger, in her artsy video gamey/Egyptian dress, started her set with the rather depressing song, "I'll Never Be Happy Again". The song is about meeting someone so perfect that afterward, she'll never be happy again. That song, as well as the majority on her set, was taken from her latest album Personal Record, out now on Merge Records.

Friedberger is noticeably by herself, the last two times we saw her in Minneapolis, since June, she is usually accompanied by a full backing band. Still, despite the absent of her band, Friedberger seem incredibly comfortably sitting and playing her electric guitar for us.

Highlight from her set was a The Fiery Furnaces song, "Evergreen", which was unexpected since it's not from Personal Record. I also thought "Echo or Encore" was also good, although, based on its lyrics, could have been the finale ("I adore you as before, your echo or your encore"). Instead, the last song was "My Mistakes", which she played over a sax pre-recording.

Colin Meloy described his solo shows as a campfire shows. Eight years ago, he decided he was going to release these themed cover EPs, starting with Morrissey. His latest cover EP is devoted to The Kinks, although, surprisingly only one Kinks cover was done for last night's show ("Do You Remember Walter?").

Photo of Setlist

As you can see from the setlist, the majority of the songs are the Decemberists songs, which is just perfect for fans in the audience. Meloy knows his audience well, often egging fans to finish singing the songs for him.

A few new songs, possibly for a future Decemberists album, included the intro song, "The Singer Addresses His Audience", "Philomena" and "Lake Song".

Meloy must benefit from hearing someone call out "Free Bird" every night, because without a beat, he answered, "Are you trying to troll me, sir?" He then stated that he's a board member of the MACOF, the Musician Against Calling Out Freebird.

There was a surprising moment when Meloy started playing The Replacements' "Skyway". Clearly he wanted to play that song for Minneapolis, but based on the loose play style, he may have not had the time to rehearse. Still, it sounded pretty dang good for an unrehearsed effort.

Also, worth noting for any Morrissey fans, is that the "Apology Song" was not about Morrissey (the line in the song, "I'm really sorry Steven, but your bicycle's been stolen" was often speculated about Steven Patrick Morrissey and his "punctured bicycle"), but about a stolen red Schwinn bicycle. The song was actually never meant to be recorded, according to Meloy on stage.

Anyway, at the end of the campfire journey, Meloy asked his audience to imagine floating into space and landing in New Mexico and hearing a cow herder singing "Bandit Queen" and doing a terrible whistling effort.

Encore was an epic rendition of all three parts of "The Crane Wife".

With the final night of the tour, Colin Meloy will be returning home to his "farm", while Eleanor Friedberger will be playing a number of East Coast shows in December (Great Scott in Massachusetts, Port City Music Hall in Maine, and The Space in Connecticut.)

Colin Meloy at the Woman's Club, Minneapolis (11/13/13)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ colinmeloy.com ♥ eleanorfriedberger.com

Eleanor Friedberger/Colin Meloy and Juliana Hatfield/Matthew Caw

Read More Eleanor Friedberger Fiery Furnaces’ indie-pop from Eleanor Friedberger, and a much-anticipated appearance from legendary musician/poet/author Patti Smith with eldest son, Jackson. … The Decemberists What's also pretty cool about the episode is that the Decemberists briefly appeared as themselves! It's exciting because the Decemberists took a "multi-year hiatus" …

ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER/COLIN MELOY
eleanorfriedberger.com/colinmeloy.com

We like The Fiery Furnaces' Eleanor Friedberger, having caught her in Minneapolis a few times (in June and in September). She's returning here on the last date of the Colin Meloy support tour.

Colin Meloy, as you probably know, is the lead singer of the much-beloved The Decemberists. The band is currently on a break, but in the meantime, you can catch Meloy on his various project.

His latest cover lover EP is called Colin Meloy Sings The Kinks, which is part of his series of bands and musicians that has shaped Meloy's life... including, of course, Morrissey, Shirley Collins and Sam Cooke. I believe many of these physical CDs can only be purchased at his live shows.

As for Friedberger, expect her to sing some of her novelette songs from her Personal Record, co-written by Wesley Stace (aka John Wesley Harding). I caught Stace recently, and he actually does a song from Personal Record ("When I Knew"), so it tells me he's quite proud of his collaboration with Friedberger on that album.

Colin Meloy and Eleanor Friedberger tour dates:

11.04.2013 Somerville, MA Somerville Theatre
11.05.2013 Washington, DC Lincoln Theatre
11.06.2013 Durham, NC Carolina Theatre
11.08.2013 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
11.09.2013 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall
11.11.2013 Chicago, IL Park West
11.12.2013 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre
11.13.2013 Minneapolis, MN The Woman's Club

Read More Juliana Hatfield If you stay for the "Bonus Round", it's all Baxendale. Plus randomly: Juliana Hatfield in 1995! I found this used ticket stub to Hatfield at The Fillmore, in San Francisco on June 23rd, 1995. . … Nada Surf As for Nada Surf, as I have previously mentioned, they are one of our favorite bands. I was surprise to see how tight the band was, you can tell they've been doing live shows for a long time. On tour with them was one of the guys …

MINOR ALPS
facebook.com

Minor Alps, otherwise known as Juliana Hatfield and Matthew Caws (of Nada Surf) just released their debut album, Get There via Barsuk Records.

I don't think either Juliana or Matthew requires introductions, but in case you didn't know: we like both musicians.

As long as I can remember, Hatfield started her music career with the Blake Babies. When they broke up, she had a massive hit with "My Sister" in her newly reformed band Juliana Hatfield Three (which I caught them in 1995 at the height of their popularity).

A few years ago, we caught Juliana Hatfield and Evan Dando (The Lemonheads) in Toronto, Canada at NXNE. I can tell you that she looked and sounded great!

And who doesn't love Nada Surf? We caught the band last year when they were touring in support of The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy. The band was super tight, and you can tell they've been playing and operating as a band for a long time.

The duo will be out touring in support of Get There, can't wait for them to get here in Minneapolis.

11/08 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theater
11/09 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
11/11 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
11/12 - Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
11/14 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
11/16 - Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center
11/17 - Chicago, IL - Schubas
11/19 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
11/20 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
11/22 - Philadelphia, PA - World Café Live
11/23 - Boston, MA - Sinclair

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com