W♥M

Minneapolis Music Guide: February 18 - February 23, 2014

Here is a guide of some Minneapolis shows this week: February 18-23.

Wig Out at Jagbags Matador Records Read More Pavement One of my very first real concerts I went to was Pavement at the Cadillac Club in Fresno, California, on 09/16/1994. I sure wish I had the ticket stub or flyer, but I distinctively remember this show because Pavement's drummer Bob …

FEBRUARY 18: CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, w/ Tyvek

Stephen Malkmus (former Pavement singer) and his band, the Jicks, will be stopping by the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis in support of his latest album Wig Out at Jagbags. Tyvek is listed as opener for this show, as well as Madison, before Disappears displaces the band in Chicago.

02/18/14 Minneapolis | Cedar Cultural Center
02/19/14 Madison | High Noon Saloon
02/20/14 Chicago | Lincoln Hall
02/21/14 Ferndale, MI | The Loving Touch
02/22/14 Toronto | Lee’s Palace
02/23/14 Montreal | Cafe Campus
02/25/14 Boston | Paradise
02/26/14 NYC | Bowery
02/27/14 Brooklyn | Music Hall of Williamsburg
02/28/14 Washington DC | Black Cat
03/01/14 Philadelphia | Theatre of Living Arts
03/03/14 Carrboro | Cat’s Cradle
03/04/14 Atlanta | Terminal West
03/05/14 Birmingham | Bottletree
03/06/14 New Orleans | Parish @ HOB
03/07/14 Houston | Fitzgerald’s Upstairs
03/09/14 Dallas | Granada
03/15/14 Portland | Star Theater
03/27/14 San Francisco | Slim’s
03/28/14 Los Angeles | El Rey
03/29/14 San Diego | Casbah
03/30/14 Pioneertown, CA | Pappy and Harriet’s
04/01/14 Phoenix | Crescent Ballroom
04/02/14 Las Vegas | Beauty Bar
04/03/14 Salt Lake City | Urban Lounge
04/05/14 Missoula | Top Hat
04/07/14 Calgary | Republik
04/08/14 Edmonton | Starlite Room
04/10/14 Vancouver | Rickshaw Theatre
04/11/14 Victoria | Lucky Bar
04/12/14 Seattle | Neptune

Communion: February 2014 Poster Read More Communion 89.3 The Current personality/evening MC (as well as resident DJ between acts) Jade teased before introducing Jackson, MS by-way-of Nashville band The Weeks for this month’s installment of Communion, a monthly series …

FEBRUARY 18: VARSITY THEATER
Communion MN - February 2014

Communion, the live music promotions team and tastemaker indie label, continues their monthly music series and residency at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis with its February lineup this Tuesday.

Started in London in 2006 as an informal group getting together to play music (which included Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons Manic Street Preachers/Travis producer Ian Grimble), Communion has launched a new platform for developing, emerging and established bands to tour, as well as showcases noteworthy local artists.

Forty Bells Hearts and Plugs

Charleston, SC new indie-rock band Brave Baby tops the bill, in support of their debut, Forty Bells (Hearts & Plugs) with a sound some have described as a happier, Youngblood Hawke-esque Arcade Fire.

Nashville-based folk, soul, blues, pop husband/wife duo Johnnyswim has been getting the most buzz of the lineup, currently all over VH-1 and in support of their latest EP, Heart Beats (Big Picnic Records).

Locals Actual Wolf (aka Eric Pollard) and Sombear (aka Brad Hale, drummer for Now, Now) round out this very full night of music in Minneapolis.

Communion schedule:

Feb 18 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
Feb 19 Frequency Madison, WI
Feb 20 Ribco Rock Island, IL
Mar 04 Rockwood Music Hall New York, NY
Mar 05 Gypsy Sally's Washington, DC
Mar 06 Underground Arts Philadelphia, PA
Mar 11 The Bluebird Bloomington, IN
Mar 12 Zanzabar Louisville, KY
Mar 13 Mercy Lounge / The High Watt Nashville, TN
Mar 18 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
Mar 19 Frequency Madison, WI
Mar 20 Ribco Rock Island, IL

Read More Incan Abraham Incan Abraham are in the middle of a mini-tour of Southern California, and naturally they started at the Echo in their hometown of Los Angeles before heading out to San Diego and the OC with back to back shows.…

FEBRUARY 19: 7TH STREET ENTRY
Incan Abraham w/ Van Stee

Los Angeles' Incan Abraham is currently on tour, building buzz for their forthcoming album Tolerance (scheduled for April 8th on White Iris Records). In the meantime, the band previewed "Concorde" single for you to hear on Soundcloud.

Jess, who saw them last year, wrote, "For those unfamiliar with [Incan Abraham], their sound could be categorized with the likes of Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear and High Highs... music that goes hand in hand with the strive to be an enlightened being. "

Incan Abraham will be stopping by the 7th Street Entry on Wednesday. Local band Van Stee (consisting of Charlie Van Stee and Josh Kaplan from the disbanded The CVS Trio) is set to open the show. You may recall we previously mentioned their debut album We Are, released last year on Humans Win! Records.

Incan Abraham Tour Dates:

02/18 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
02/19 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
02/20 Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
02/22 Toronto, ON @ Drake Hotel
02/23 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl
02/24 Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
02/26 Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
02/27 New York, NY @ HiFi
03/03 Raleigh, NC @ Slim’s
03/05 Charleston, SC @ Tin Roof
03/06 Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover Festival
03/08 03/16 Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/20 Phoenix, AZ @ The Western

Lucius 2014 Tour Poster Read More Lucius Lucius just stopped by the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis as part of their tour in support of their debut album Wildewoman, out now on Mom + Pop Music. .…

FEBRUARY 20: CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER
Lucius w/ You Won't

NYC-based quintet Lucius is currently riding the crest of a pretty big wave.

After wowing the Minneapolis crowd with an October show at the 7th St. Entry, the band returns to the bigger Cedar Cultural Center this week, supporting their bouncy debut, Wildewoman (Mom + Pop Music).

Co-founders/lead vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig dress, look, and sing in unison, backed by three multi-instrumentalists.

Expect a healthy dose of infectious, dance-inducing pop songs and a good excuse to shake your hips to warm up on a chilly winter night. Time Magazine dubbed them “a band to watch” and hopefully you took note, as the Minneapolis date is long sold out.

Boston-based duo You Won’t, open the show with their own blend of melodic, theatric folk, supporting their debut, Skeptic Goodbye (Old Flame Records).

Tour dates:

02/19: Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
02/20: Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
02/21: Appleton, WI @ Esch Studio
02/22: Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
04/05: Brussels, BE @ Botanique (Rotonde)
04/08: Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso (upstairs)
04/13: Utretcht, NL @ Festival Tweetakt
04/16: London, UK @ Oslo
04/18: Manchester, UK @ Night & Day Café
04/19: Dublin, IE @ The Workmans Club
04/20: Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
06/05: Hunter Mountain, NY @ Mountain Jam
06/06: Randall’s Island, NY @ Governors Ball
06/21: Dover, DE @ Firefly Festival

Together Pangea band photo Read More Together Pangea Together Pangea (or rather their preferred spelling of together PANGEA) is currently on tour in support of Badillac, out now on Harvest Records. Singer/songwriter William Keegan started recording .…

FEBRUARY 21: 7TH STREET ENTRY
Together Pangea w/ Mozes And The Firstborn

We actually wrote about the tagteam of Together Pangea and Mozes and the Firstborn yesterday, so I won't spend too much time re-introducing them.

What I didn't mention was that the Minneapolis show will feature a third local act, Frankie Teardrop, who likes to "make rock and roll jams." Teardrop doesn't take himself seriously and promote bad reviews like, "comically terrible" or "what a joke". Sounds like it's going to be fun. Teardrop will likely play tracks from his latest Tough Guy album (which came out last October).

Together Pangea tour dates:

02/18 - Toronto, ON @ The Drake
02/19 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
02/20 - Madison, WI @ The Frequency
02/21 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
02/22 - Kansas City, KS @ Record Bar
02/24 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
02/25 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
02/26 - Boise, ID @ Flying M Coffee
02/27 - Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar
03/02 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
03/05 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill

Aer 10 Spot Read More Kosha Dillz Kosha Dillz (real name: Rami Even-Esh) was next. Although he was allocated a thirty-minute set (as were all the openers), he did not jump straight into his set. Instead, he had a listening .…

FEBRUARY 22: FINE LINE MUSIC CAFE
Aer w/ RDGLDGRN and NeW bEAt FUNd

Boston's Aer released their self-titled sophomore album last month and landed at #6 on the iTunes Album Chart. The duo kicked off their " Word of Mouth Tour" on January 31st and continues to Minneapolis this February 22nd at the Fine Line Music Café.

Aer North American Tour Dates:

02/18 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
02/19 Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall
02/20 Chicago, IL @ Metro
02/21 Madison, WI @ Majestic
02/22 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
02/23 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
02/25 Denver, CO @ Gothic
02/26 Salt Lake City, UT @ Complex
02/28 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
03/01 Portland, OR @ Peter’s Room
03/02 Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
03/05 Santa Cruz, CA @ Catalyst Atrium
03/06 San Francisco, CA @ Slims
03/07 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
03/08 San Diego, CA @ SoMa
03/09 Tempe, AZ @ Club Red
03/10 Albuquerque, NM @ Lauchpad
03/12-03/13 Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/14 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
03/15 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
03/16 Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory
03/18 Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco
03/19 Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
03/20 Charlotte, NC @ Visualite Theatre
03/21 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts
03/22 Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore

Live at the Cactus Rodriguez & Jacobs Read More Carrie Rodriguez Carrie Rodriguez's last date on a very long National tour for her latest album, Give Me All You Got was at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis last night, April 14th. .…

FEBRUARY 23: CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER
Carrie Rodriguez w/ Frankie Lee

Since no one I know can afford the Paul Simon and Sting concert at Xcel Energy Center, how about checking out Carrie Rodriguez at the Cedar Cultural Center this Sunday instead?

We caught Rodriguez last year at the same venue, and noted that Romantica's Luke Jacobs was there to help her sing and play... as it turns out, the two of them have a new live album called Live at the Cactus.

Expect Rodriguez and Jacobs to play some country-ish folk tunes. Opening up is local alt-country Frankie Lee, not to be confused with the 70s bluesman of the same name.

02/18/14 Cedar Rapids, IA CSPS
02/19/14 Evanston, IL SPACE
02/20/14 Milwaukee, WI Shank Hall
02/21/14 Rockford, IL Severson Dells Nature
02/23/14 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural
03/07/14 Conroe, TX Dosey Doe Coffee House
03/12/14 Oklahoma City, OK The Blue Door
03/14/14 Denver, CO Soiled Dove Underground
03/16/14 Jackson, WY Center For The Arts
03/21/14 Bellingham, WA Green Frog Cafe
03/23/14 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
03/24/14 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
03/25/14 Eugene, OR House Concert
03/30/14 Berkeley, CA Freight & Salvage
04/19/14 Lewisville, TX Medical Center

vu + john () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Basilica Block Party 2013

About The Basilica Block Party began in 1995 as a fundraiser to help pay for the structural restoration of The Basilica of Saint Mary. Today, proceeds from the rockin’ and rollin’ are directed through The Basilica Landmark to fund the continued renovation of The Basilica and its campus. This year more than $2 million will be invested in the historic church and campus buildings. These critical investments preserve and protect our landmark today and help to avoid the huge costs of emergency repairs tomorrow. Praise the loud! Read More Basilica Block Party Price: Expensive ($80 for both nights) A few W♥M people are going to be there, this year looks like an all-star lineup: Including David Gray, The Jayhawks, Lissie, Scars, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Fitz and The Tantrums, G. Love & Special Sauce…

Basilica Block Party is an annual music festival taking place in Minneapolis' Basilica of Saint Mary. This year, the event will be place on July 12 and 13th.

Although the festival is expensive, I believe it sells well, if not sells out, every year thanks to promotions from Cities 97 Radio. Proceeds from the event go to the restoration of the Basilica.

Like previous years, the lineup consists of popular national bands, mixed in with local bands. Below are some bands you may want to check out if you're attending this year.

ZZ WARD
zzward.com

Remember ZZ Ward? We were meant to cover her sold-out Minneapolis appearance, but through no fault of our own, we were unable to cover the show. She's actually doing a ton of tour dates, too numerous to mention in this article.

MAYER HAWTHORNE
stonesthrow.com

We saw the Detroit soul singer a few years ago. What is he up to lately? He has a new album called Where Does This Door Go, coming out in a few weeks (July 16, 2013) via Universal Republic. If you can't catch him at Basilica, Hawthorne will be back at the Myth in Minnesota on July 22nd.

FATHER JOHN MISTY
fatherjohnmisty.com

I caught Father John Misty last year and noted how different this new "act" from J. Tillman was. Lara described J. Tillman's show as [his] soothing voice contributed to the sleepy ambience. It's good that Tillman decided to re-invent himself; otherwise, I'm not entirely sure I would've enjoyed a quiet folky beard music. Father John Misty's latest album Fear Fun was released last year on the ever popular Sub Pop Records.

MATCHBOX TWENTY
matchboxtwenty.com

If you grew up in the mid to late 90s, chances are you were a Matchbox Twenty fan. The Florida band scored a massive hit with their debut Yourself or Someone Like You and their follow-up Mad Season album. Then, like that, the band was gone (or as some people put it, "on hiatus"). About four years ago, I got word that the band was come back together, and it eventually happened in 2010. Their fourth studio album North was released late last year.

Here is the full lineup:

07/12/13

Sun Country Stage Grace Potter & … (9:00-10:30) Father John Misty (7:30-8:30) Mayer Hawthorne (6:00-7:00)

Jefferson Bus Lines Stage Matt Nathanson (8:45-10:15) ZZ Ward (7:25-8:25) Family Of The Year (6:20-7:05) Churchill (5:15-6:00)

Vita.MN Stage Actual Wolf (7:00-7:45) Cactus Blossoms (6:00-6:45) Southwire (5:00-5:45)

07/13/13

Sun Country Stage Matchbox Twenty (8:30-10:30) Goo Goo Dolls (6:50-8:00) Kate Earl (6:00-6:30)

Jefferson Bus Lines Stage Raphael Saadiq (9:00-10:15) Walk The Moon (7:30-8:30) Cloud Cult (5:45-7:00)

Vita.MN Stage On An On (7:00-7:45) Van Stee (6:00-6:45) Bomba De Luz (5:00-5:45)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ basilicablockparty.org

Rock the Garden

Read More Metric As singer Emily Haines said on stage, it's hard to believe that Metric's been around for about 15 years. As the band grow, so have their audience. .…

ROCK THE GARDEN 2013
walkerart.org

Rock The Garden is an annual music festival organized by Walker Art Center and The Current 89.3. As far as I can tell, the popular music festival usually sells out as soon as it is announced to the public because the tickets are first offered to Walker and NPR members.

As usual, whoever the curator is for Rock The Garden does an excellent job in picking the bands. We've previously covered all those bands on the lineup for 2013, which is taking place Saturday, June 15, 2013.

Rock the Garden 2013 Schedule

3:00 pm – Gates open
3:45 – 4:15 pm – Dan Deacon
4:30 – 5:15 pm – Low
5:45 – 6:45 pm – Bob Mould Band
7:15 – 8:15 pm – Silversun Pickups
8:45 – 10 pm – Metric
10:00 pm – Music ends
10:30 pm – Gates close

Here are some news update on each of these bands (since it may have been a while since we wrote about them).

Dan Deacon will be back in the U.S. this summer to tour with Animal Collective. You can catch his interactive video called "Konono Ripoff No 1" over at dandeacon.com/konono.

Low is touring overseas at the moment, there a few dates with Mike Doughty in June, and their new music video "Just Make It Stop" can be seen on youtube.

As usual, Bob Mould is on tour, although no longer for the Copper Blue (Sugar) anniversary tour. He's just announced some new August dates here.

We actually haven't been keeping up with Silversun Pickups, since we covered them three years ago in Australia. The Los Angeles band just showed off their video for "Simmer" at the Onion's A/V Club.

I love Metric, having already seen them a few times in Minneapolis. I'm glad to see the Canadian band is headliner this year. If you can't get enough of singer Emily Haines, she's just joined FLEET4HEARme, a project where proceeds of jewelry design collaborations go towards building a retrofitted recording studio in an orphanage with the organization HearMe. You can check out her designs at Fleet’s website.

Read More Rock the Vine Rock the Vine is a music/wine tasting music festival in Stillwater, Minnesota. This is the third year hosted by the non-profit Rock the Cause organization. …

ROCK THE VINE 4
irockthecause.org

Also, don't forget a week before Rock the Garden is Rock the Vine.

We covered Rock the Vine last year, so I can tell you it's a pretty easy ride to Saint Croix Vineyards in Stillwater (just east of St Paul).

This year's Rock the Vine will take place on Saturday June 8, 2013. Depending on how much you paid for your admission ticket, they all include free bottled water and parking. Paying extra will get you handcrafted beer and wine! Unfortunately, this event is 21+ due to the alcohol.

This year's lineup:

Mark Mallman
Roster McCabe
Actual Wolf
The Melismatics
Van Stee
Fathom Lane
Savannah Smith
Hounds of Finn

I have to say that the free bottled water (including "Vitamin" drinks) is pretty awesome.

The event is organized by Rock the Cause, a nonprofit Minnesota company. Their whole goal is to help finance organizations like Free Arts Minnesota, Minnesota AIDS Project, Open Arms of Minnesota, etc.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Minneapolis: Brother Ali, Van Stee, Sudden Lovelys, and Ike Reilly

Read More Brother Ali This year, we have my favorite Red Pens playing at 7pm and it looks like Brother Ali is the headliner at 9pm. Here's the full schedule from ..…

Read more Minneapolis.

BROTHER ALI
brotherali.com

Brother Ali and Syrian-American rapper/activist Omar Offendum will be appearing at Augsburg college on Saturday, March 9, in Minneapolis. Not only will they be performing music (with a live band), but will also be doing a "TED-style talk" presentation and a Q&A, as part of the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum.

Check out the blog post for more details:

On Saturday, March 9 at 8:00 pm, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum will hold a special evening of presentations and performances exploring the dynamics of peace and hip hop. Held at Augsburg College’s Kennedy Center, the evening will begin with interactive presentations from internationally known hip hop artist Brother Ali and Syrian-American rapper/activist Omar Offendum, each of which will feature a TED-style talk and a mini musical set with a live band. The evening concludes with a moderated panel discussion and audience Q&A. This year’s event builds on the success and buzz of last year’s “Ethics and Hip Hop” event with rapper, singer, and writer Dessa, which drew a sold-out crowd. Tickets are $15.00 and space is limited, so reserve your seats online today!

VAN STEE
facebook.com/vansteeband

Minneapolis' Van Stee (named after singer/guitarist Charlie Van Stee) is releasing their debut album, We Are, this March 2nd, 2013, via Humans Win! Records. The record features a who's who of local established musicians: Halloween Alaska's Jacob Hanson, Rogue Valley's Joey Kantor, Alpha Centauri's Lance W Conrad, Minneapolis Dub Ensemble's Andy Mark, and The CVS Trio's Josh Kaplan.

"We Are" and "Color In The Paper Planes", songs from the debut album is on rotation at the local 89.3 The Current.



Yes, there will be a CD-Release party on March 2nd at the Icehouse in Minneapolis.

THE SUDDEN LOVELYS
thesuddenlovelys.com

I saw The Sudden Lovelys a few years ago. I believe the husband/wife duo is from "Nordeast Minneapolis".

The duo is heading out on a Spring 2013 tour:

03/08 Minneapolis, MN - Aster Cafe
03/09 Spring Valley, MN - Four Daughters Vineyard
03/15 - Omaha, NE - Side Door Lounge
03/17 - Denver, CO - Denver Beer Co
03/20 - Santa Fem NM - Cowgirl BBQ
03/23 - Arivaca, AZ - La Gitana Cantina
03/27 - Boulder City, NV - Milo's Inn
03/28 - Boulder City - Boulder Dam Brew
03/29 - San Diego, CA - Tin Can
04/05 - Paso Robles, CA - Paso Brewing Co
04/07 - San Francisco, CA - 50 Mason Social

THE IKE REILLY ASSASSINATION
www.ikereilly.net

Illinois' Ike Reilly started releasing music under his name since the 90s. Then ten years ago, they changed it to The Ike Reilly Assassination (IRA for short).

According to their press release, they will be releasing a new record in 2013, but in the meantime the band is planning on doing a series of residencies in Chicago and Minneapolis. Full details of dates and venues below:

03/02 - 7th St Entry – Minneapolis, MN
03/03 – Schuba’s – Chicago, IL
03/16 – Turf Club - Minneapolis, MN
03/17 – Schuba’s – Chicago, IL
04/13 – Turf Club – Minneapolis, MN
04/14 – Schuba’s – Chicago, IL
04/27 – Icehouse – Minneapolis, MN (solo show)
04/28 – Schuba’s – Chicago, IL
05/11 – Turf Club – Minneapolis, MN
05/12 – Schuba’s – Chicago, IL
05/25 – 7th St Entry – Minneapolis, MN
05/26 – Schuba’s – Chicago, IL

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