W♥M

Minneapolis: May 1 to May 3, 2018

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from May 1 to May 3, 2018.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

X Ambassadors at Mpls Music Hall Poster Read More X Ambassadors For X Ambassadors, an unshakable sense of brotherhood has long shaped the sound and spirit of the band. Growing up in small-town upstate New York, frontman Sam Harris ... Jacob Banks Opening the evening was a twenty-four year-old Birmingham UK (by way of Nigeria) singer/songwriter named Jacob Banks, whose music blends grooves and rhythms from ...

X AMBASSADORS
+ Jacob Banks, The Aces
Minneapolis Music Hall
Tue 05/01/2018 (7:30/$30.50)
musichallmpls.com

X Ambassadors is bringing their highly successful European Joyful tour to the U.S. this Spring/Summer. Earlier this year the Joyful tour hit a few select cities across America, including selling out shows at The Belasco Theater in Los Angeles and Brooklyn Steel in New York City.

We previously caught the trio in Aug 2015 and wrote, “Clouds started to thicken and the wind picked up as X Ambassadors took to the stage for their 40 min. set. The Ithaca, NY band actually has a local connection, as lead guitarist Noah Feldshuh spent most summers growing up, in nearby Prior Lake, and had many of his extended family in the audience.”

Jacob Banks and The Aces to open.

Please note that the show has moved to the Minneapolis Music Hall, originally booked at the Myth.

X Ambassadors Confirmed Tour Dates:

April 28 | The Fillmore | Detroit, MI
April 29 | The Rave | Milwaukee, WI
May 1 | Myth Live | St. Paul, MN
May 3 | Redrocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO
May 4 | The Depot | Salt Lake City, UT
May 6 | Showbox, SoDo | Seattle, WA
May 7 | Roseland Theater | Portland, OR
May 8 | Orpheum | Vancouver, BC
May 11 | House of Blues | Anaheim, CA
May 12 | Ventura Theater | Ventura, CA
May 13 | House of Blues | Las Vegas, NV
May 15 | The Van Buren | Phoenix, AZ
May 17 | House of Blues | Dallas, TX
May 18 | House of Blues | Houston, TX
May 19 | Stubb's BBQ | Austin, TX
June 7 | Filene Center at Wolf Trap | Vienna, VA
June 8 | Innsbrook After Hours | Richmond, VA
June 9 | Laurelive Festival | Cleveland, OH
June 11 | Higher Ground | Burlington, VT
June 12 | Higher Ground | Burlington, VT
June 13 | Chameleon Club | Lancaster, PA
June 15 | Stone Pony Summer Stage | Asbury, Park, NJ
June 16 | Thompson's Point | Portland, ME
July 14 | Knitting Factory | Spokane, WA
July 20 | Silver Legacy | Reno, NV
July 21 | Mondavi Concert Series | Oakville, CA

Jorja Smith 2018 Poster The Brevet at 7th Street Poster Jonathan Davis 2018 Poster Kevin Morby 2018 Poster Gel Set 2018 Poster Naked Giants 2018 Poster Read More Kevin Morby Former bassist for Woods and frontman of The Babies, Kevin Morby is back with his third solo album Singing Saw, out now on Dead Oceans Records. … Gel Set Claps, along with Gel Set, Reverance, Zina, and Spa Moans to play the Kitty Cat Klub on Sunday for free. Chicago’s Gel Set recently released Body Copy. … Fury Things “It was almost warm today,” joked Fury Things bassist Devon midway through their fuzz-laden set. “You can keep your jacket open just a little.” The band, made up of vocalist …

Other shows in the area:

JORJA SMITH
+ Ama Lou
Fine Line Music Cafe
Tue 05/01/2018 (7pm/Sold Out)
finelinemusic.com

Breakout star Jorja Smith will be stopping by the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis to support her debut album Lost & Found (The Orchard). The show is sold out.

Show up early to check out 19 year old London R&B artist Ama Lou in support of her debut EP DDD. Billboard is already impressed with her “dulcet, husky warble” vocals, suggesting that she has a wide vocal range.

Tour Dates

Tour dates:

April 27 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
April 28 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret *
May 1 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe *
May 2 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall *
May 4 - Detroit, MI @ El Club *
May 5 - Toronto, ON @ The Opera House *
May 6 - Toronto, ON @ The Opera House *
May 8 - Montreal, QC @ L'Astral *
May 9 - Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall *
May 11 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry *
May 12 - New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel *
May 13 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage *

*with Ama Lou

THE BREVET
+ Whosah, Yam Haus
7th Street Entry
Tue 05/01/2018 (7:30pm/$10)
first-avenue.com

The Brevet is back in town as headliner at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. Their second full-length American Novel (which compiles their three previously released EPs) is out now.

Tour dates:

April 27 - Kansas City, MO @ Cave Concert Series
April 28 - Lincoln, NE @ Rye Room
May 1 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
May 2- Madison, WI @ The Frequency
May 3- Indianapolis, IN @ The Rathskeller
May 4 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas
May 5 - Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
May 6 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
May 8 - Pittsbugh, PA @ The Funhouse
May 9 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live (Upstairs)
May 10- Boston, MA @ Middle East (Upstairs)
May 11 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
May 12 - Vienna, VA @ Jammin Java
May 15 - Charlotte, NC @ Evening Muse
May 16 - Nashville, TN @ High Watt
May 17 - Memphis, TN @ Lafayette's Music Room
May 18 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
May 19 - Houston, TX @ The Secret Group
May 20 - Austin, TX @ Stubbs (Indoors)
May 22 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
May 23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg
May 24 - San Diego, CA @ Voodoo Room
May 27 - Napa, CA @ BOTTLEROCK Festival

JONATHAN DAVIS
+ Palisades, Sleep Signals
Myth
Wed 05/02/2018 (6:30pm/$21.75)
mythlive.com

Black Labyrinth is the forthcoming debut solo record from Jonathan Davis (from Korn). The record is coming out May 25th on Sumerian Records, but you can preview some of those songs on this upcoming Davis headlining show at the Myth.

Tour dates:

May 1 Kansas City, KS The Truman *
May 2 St. Paul, MN Myth Live *
May 4 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
May 5 Detroit, MI Majestic Theater
May 6 Chicago, IL House of Blues *
May 8 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
May 9 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
May 11 Portland, ME Aura *
May 12 New York, NY Irving Plaza *
May 14 Orlando, FL Plaza Live *
May 15 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse *
May 17 Silver Springs, MD The Fillmore *
May 18 Boston, MA House of Blues *
May 19 Camden, NJ BB&T Pavilion

*with special guests Palisades supporting

KEVIN MORBY
+ Hand Habits
The Cedar Cultural Center
Wed 05/02/2018 (7pm/$15)
thecedar.org

Kevin Morby (formerly of Woods and The Babies) is back with his new album City Music (Dead Oceans). You can check out some of the new songs at his The Cedar Cultural Center show on Wednesday.

Meg Duffy, aka Hand Habits, to open.

Kevin Morby 2018 Tour Dates

04/28/18 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall *
04/30/18 Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon *
05/01/18 Milwaukee, WI - The Backroom *
05/02/18 Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center *
05/04/18 Iowa City, IA - The Mill *
05/05/18 Kansas City, MO - Record Bar *
05/31/18 - 6/03/18 Nelsonville, OH - Nelsonville Music
06/29/18 - 6/30/18 Waitsfield, VT - Friendly Gathering

* with Hand Habits

T.W.I.N.S.
+ Gel Set, Devata Daun, CGW
Kitty Cat Klub
Thu 05/03/2018 (7pm/$5)
kittycatklub.net

Atlanta-based producer, synth wunderkind T.W.I.N.S. (aka Matt Weiner) will be stopping by Kitty Cat Klub on Thursday, May 3rd, with Los Angeles’ Gel Set (aka Laura Callier). Twins’ That Which Is Not Said will be available May 4th via 2MR.

NAKED GIANTS
+ Fury Things, Loud Sun
Turf Club
Thu 05/03/2018 (7pm/$12)
turfclub.net

Seattle trio Naked Giants will play the Turf Club on May 3rd, in support of their debut album Sluff. The record was produced by Steve Fisk (Nirvana, Unwound, Soundgarden) and is the follow up to their 2016 R.I.P. EP.

Fury Things and Loud Sun to open.

Naked Giants On Tour:

May 5 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
May 10 - Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville
May 12 – Albany, NY @ Albany Tulip Festival
May 16 - Dublin, Ireland @ Olympia Theatre*
May 18 – Glasgow, UK @ O2 ABC*
May 19 – Liverpool, UK @ Invisible Wind Factory*
May 21 – Cambridge, UK @ Junction 2*
May 22 – Bristol, UK @ SWX*
May 23 – London, UK @ Roundhouse*
May 25 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique*
May 26 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo*
May 28 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso*
May 29 – Cologne, FR @ Kantine*
May 30 – Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefährlich*
May 31 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg*
July 13 – Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore Ballroom*
July 14 - Carnation, WA @ Timber! Outdoor
July 15 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom*
July 17 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore*
July 18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore*
July 22 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Bunkhouse Saloon*
July 23 – Tuscon, AZ @ 191 Toole*
July 24 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren*
July 27 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre*
July 28 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre*
July 30 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge*

*appearing with Car Seat Headrest

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

Photos: Basilica Block Party (08 July 2016)

Read More Basilica Block Party The 20th Anniversary of the Basilica Block Party is taking place on Friday (July 11) and Saturday (July 12). I have mentioned before that it's not a great place to see music (because of the talkers.... Death Cab for Cutie Anyroad, before we get to Death Cab for Cutie, I have to explain that I've seen the band before in 2001 at the 7th Street Entry for $5. People who live in Minnesota know that the 7th Street is a tiny venue. … Cold War Kids It's the big 10 year anniversary of local radio station The Current, and they've been selling out all their shows. I believe most, if not all, of their shows will be broadcasting live ....

The first night of the Basilica Block Party just took place on Friday (July 8th). I’m working on my notes and setlist, but in the meantime, here are some general information and photographs from the Friday night party.

>>>
BASILICA BLOCK PARTY
at Basilica St. Mary
Friday, 07/08/16, 5pm ($60)
Saturday, 07/09/16, 5pm ($60)
basilicablockparty.org

Once again, the incredibly popular Basilica Block Party is taking place this weekend, July 8th and 9th at the Basilica St. Mary in Minneapolis.

July 8: Great Clips Stage Matt Hires X Ambassadors American Authors Death Cab for Cutie PreferredOne Stage Andra Day Cold War Kids Gary Clark Jr. Star Tribune Stage Step Rockets Fort Wilson Riot Gospel Machine

July 9: Great Clips Stage Ron Pope Matt Nathanson Phillip Phillips The Fray PreferredOne Stage Craig Finn Milky Chance Ryan Adams and The Shining Star Tribune Stage Farewell Milwaukee Holidae Eric Mayson

Note: the Great Clips Stage will also feature DJ sets by THEbEATRASCAL & ACG [As The Tastemakers]

Andra Day	Cold War Kids	Gary Clark Jr.	Fort Wilson Riot	Gospel Machine
X Ambassadors	X Ambassadors	American Authors	American Authors	Death Cab For Cutie

Death Cab For Cutie at Basilica Block Party (08 July 2016)

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

Minneapolis: July 8, 2016

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on July 8, 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Basilica Block Party The 20th Anniversary of the Basilica Block Party is taking place on Friday (July 11) and Saturday (July 12). I have mentioned before that it's not a great place to see music (because of the talkers.... The Fray Denver's The Fray are back on tour in support of their fourth studio album Helios, out now on Epic Records. In addition to the latest album, expect the band … Death Cab for Cutie Anyroad, before we get to Death Cab for Cutie, I have to explain that I've seen the band before in 2001 at the 7th Street Entry for $5. People who live in Minnesota know that the 7th Street is a tiny venue. …

BASILICA BLOCK PARTY
at Basilica St. Mary
Friday, 07/08/16, 5pm ($60)
Saturday, 07/09/16, 5pm ($60)
basilicablockparty.org

Once again, the incredibly popular Basilica Block Party is taking place this weekend, July 8th and 9th at the Basilica St. Mary in Minneapolis.

We had a great time last year, covering all the bands (which is a feat in itself, because the three stages overlap in set times).

July 8: Great Clips Stage Matt Hires X Ambassadors American Authors Death Cab for Cutie PreferredOne Stage Andra Day Cold War Kids Gary Clark Jr. Star Tribune Stage Step Rockets Fort Wilson Riot Gospel Machine

July 9: Great Clips Stage Ron Pope Matt Nathanson Phillip Phillips The Fray PreferredOne Stage Craig Finn Milky Chance Ryan Adams and The Shining Star Tribune Stage Farewell Milwaukee Holidae Eric Mayson

Note: the Great Clips Stage will also feature DJ sets by THEbEATRASCAL & ACG [As The Tastemakers]

Read More Debo Band Debo Band is an 11-member group led by Ethiopian-American saxophonist Danny Mekonnen and fronted by charismatic vocalist Bruck Tesfaye. Since 2006, the band has toured Ethiopia twice …

DEBO BAND
at Cedar Cultural Center
Friday, 07/08/16, 7pm ($18/$20)
thecedar.org

Ethiopian funk-rock group Debo Band is currently on tour in support of their sophomore album Ere Gobez. The large group lists 11 band members, which typically means an arsenal of musical instruments, like violins and brass instruments.

The group, formed in 2006, is led by Ethiopian-American saxophonist Danny Mekonnen, but its singer is vocalist Bruck Tesfaye. The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and NPR, who placed the band’s debut album—produced by Thomas “Tommy T” Gobena of Gogol Bordello—on their “50 Favorite Albums Of 2012” list.

As of this writing, no opening band is listed.

Tour Dates:

07/06/16 Cleveland, OH, Transformer Station
07/08/16 Minneapolis, MN, Cedar Cultural Center
07/09/16 Chicago, IL, Square Roots Festival

Read More Frankie Lee The fifth birthday celebration of United States of Americana is taking place at the Turf Club in St Paul on Thursday, November 6th. The show features Israel Nash and local musician Frankie Lee (not the 70s blues musician). …

FRANKIE LEE
at Electric Fetus / Turf Club
Friday, 07/08/16, 7pm (Free)
Saturday, 07/09/16, 8pm ($15)
turfclub.net

Singer-songwriter Frankie Lee recently just wrapped up his tour with Esmé Patterson. He will be back in town, doing three Minnesota dates: In-store at Electric Fetus in Minneapolis on July 8th, headlining the Turf Club in St Paul on July 9th, and also at Red Herring Lounge in Duluth on July 14th.

With the Electric Fetus appearance, Lee will be playing a three or four songs from his third album American Dreamer (Loose/Thirty Tigers). Attendees who buys the album at the store will also receive a limited edition event poster (while supplies last). Frankie will sign copies of after his set.

No opening act listed for the Turf Club show.

Frankie Lee Tour Dates:

07/08 - Minneapolis, MN - Electric Fetus In-Store
07/09 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
07/14 - Duluth, MN - Red Herring Lounge
09/17 - Shakopee, MN - Festival Paolomino

More tour dates will be announced soon.

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

Minneapolis: April 4, 2016

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on April 4, 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Iggy Pop And if you're Grey Haired, you're probably here for Iggy Pop or Elvis Costello. Riot Fest continues to Dallas, Texas, on September 22nd. ... Noveller Noveller performed first on electric guitar, and played a 35 minute set. She was accompanied by Victoire on the opening song, and played solo after that. Though solo, it was hardly the sound of a single ...

IGGY POP
at Northrop Auditorium
Monday, 04/04/16, 7:3pm ($59-$105)
northrop.umn.edu

Legendary Iggy Pop is currently on his “Post Pop Depression” tour. The singer is known for fronting Rock and Roll Hall of Famer The Stooges, singing popular and cultural hits, such as "Search and Destroy" and "I Wanna Be Your Dog" (this song was extensively used for Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels).

Noveller will open the show. We previously caught the band in May 2015 and wrote, “Noveller performed first on electric guitar, and played a 35 minute set. She was accompanied by Victoire on the opening song, and played solo after that. Though solo, it was hardly the sound of a single guitar. Noveller used and created loops to build complex multi-layered songs. Her music was accompanied by images, mostly abstract, projected on a screen at the back of the stage.”

Tour dates:

03/31/16 San Francisco, CA SF Masonic
04/02/16 Denver, CO Ellie Caulkins Opera House
04/04/16 Minneapolis, MN Northrop Auditorium
04/06/16 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
04/07/16 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
04/09/16 Toronto, ON Sony Centre
04/11/16 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
04/12/16 New York, NY United Palace Theatre
04/15/16 Philadelphia, PA Academy Of Music
04/19/16 Miami Beach, FL Fillmore Miami Beach
04/28/16 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
05/04/16 Stockholm Cirkus
05/05/16 Copenhagen Falconer Hall
05/07/16 Berlin Tempodrom
05/08/16 Hamburg Mehr! Theater Am Grossmarkt
05/10/16 Amsterdam Heineken Music Hall
05/13/16 London Royal Albert Hall
05/15/16 Paris, France Grand Rex
05/28/16 Rockavaria
06/04/16 Rock In Vienna
06/17/16 Northside Festival
06/19/16 Rock The Ring
07/15/16 Super Bock Super Rock
08/12/16 Flow Festival
08/28/16 Rock En Seine Festival

Read More Yuck Friday: Here is Yuck at the Pitchfork Show. Great indie sound for most songs. They had to ruin it with a 5 min feedback frenzy. Always lose interest in that type of song. Been done too many times already. ... Big Thief Special guests Big Thief and The Counterfactuals to open the 7th Street Entry show. Here We Go Magic Tour Dates: ...

YUCK
at 7th Street Entry
Monday, 04/04/16, 7:30pm ($15)
first-avenue.com

London’s garage-pop outfit Yuck is back in the USA, this time promoting their third album Stranger Things (Mamé Records). We previously caught them at SXSW in 2011 and loved their sound (except we said ‘yuck’ to the ‘feedback frenzy’). What did you expect from a band that is inspired by Pavement, MBV, and Sonic Youth?

Brooklyn’s Big Thief to open. The band was previously in Minneapolis with Here We Go Magic last November 2015. Big Thief’s Masterpiece will be out May 27th, 2016, on Saddle Creek.

Tour dates:

Mar 30: The Crocodile, Seattle WA
Mar 31: Neurolux, Boise ID
Apr 02: Larimer Lounge, Denver CO
Apr 04: 7th St. Entry, Minneapolis MN
Apr 05: High Noon Saloon, Madison WI
Apr 06: The Empty Bottle, Chicago IL
Apr 07: The Loving Touch, Ferndale MI
Apr 09: Silver Dollar Room, Toronto ON
Apr 10: The Haunt, Ithaca NY
Apr 11: The Sinclair, Cambridge MA
Apr 12: Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY
Apr 14: The Space, New Haven CT
Apr 15: Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC
Apr 16: Phuzz Phest, Winston-Salem NC
May 12: Arts Centre, Norwich
May 13: Sneaky Petes, Edinburgh
May 14: Broadcast, Glasgow
May 15: Deaf Institute, Manchester
May 16: The Boileroom, Guildford
May 17: Oobleck, Birmingham
May 18: Sticky Mike's Frog Bar, Brighton
May 19: Exchange, Bristol
May 20: Bodega, Nottingham
May 21: Gold Sounds, Brudenell Social Club
May 22: Esquires, Bedford

Read More X Ambassadors The evening’s performance at downtown club Mill City Nights, started with an opening 45 min. set from New York alternative four-piece, X Ambassadors, who has had a recent EP out, The Reason … Savoir Adore I've previously mentioned that Savoir Adore is made up of two best friends, Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro. This Brooklyn band sound like dreampop/shoegazing, lots of guitars and effects. …

X AMBASSADORS
at Myth
Monday, 04/04/16, 6:30pm ($21)
mythlive.com

From rags to riches, X Ambassadors, went from club rejections to playing world stadium thanks to their perseverance, connections... and a great sound that landed their debut record on the top 10 album of the year.

The real secret? Singer Sam Harris simply put it as, “You work for the fans. That’s it.... Obviously the music has to come from a personal place … but at the end of the day, these fans are the ones that are doing everything for you.”

We caught the band early in February 2015 and August 2015 and wrote, “X Ambassadors took to the stage for their 40 min. set. The Ithaca, NY band actually has a local connection, as lead guitarist Noah Feldshuh spent most summers growing up, in nearby Prior Lake, and had many of his extended family in the audience.”

Supporting the band will be Seinabo Sey and Savoir Adore. We’ve seen the latter band several times, and wrote, “a so-called "fantasy pop" duo, consisting of Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro. Since the last time I saw the band, they've definitely refine their pop sound, with many of their new tracks containing very energetic catchy vocal melodies (particularly with "Bodies" and their set finale "Dreamers".)”

Tour dates:

03/30 Knitting Factory in Boise, ID ^
04/01 University of Wyoming WY ^
04/02 Ogden Theatre in Denver, CO ^
04/04 Myth in St. Paul, MN ^
04/05 Orpheum Theater in Madison, WI ^
04/06 HOB in Chicago, IL ^
04/08 University of Missouri, MO ^
04/09 Newport Music Hall in Columbus, OH ^
04/10 Egyptian Room in Indianapolis, IN ^
04/13 UCCU Center in Orem, UT
04/15 Mississippi Coast Coliseum
04/30 KDGE Edgefest in Frisco, TX
05/03 Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY
05/04 Fillmore in Detroit, MI *
05/08 HOB in Boston, MA *
05/10 State Theater in Portland, ME *
05/12 Echostage in Washington, DC *
05/13 Terminal 5 in New York, NY *
05/14 State Theater in Ithaca, NY *
05/20-22 Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, AL
05/29 BottleRock Music Festival in Napa Valley, CA
05/27-30 Sasquatch! In George, WA
06/11 LaureLive in Russell, OH
06/9-06/12 Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN
08/13 Ashley for the Arts in Arcadia, WI

^ w/ Seinabo Sey & Savoir Adore
* w/Robert Delong as main support

Read More Intronaut Also on the bill: Intronaut and Cloudkicker. Tour dates: 04/18/14 Edmonton, AB Pawn Shop Live 04/19/14 Calgary, AB Republik Nightclub 04/22/14 Billings, MT The Railyard … Scale the Summit Houston instrumental quartet Scale the Summit dazzled with a technically brilliant 45 min. of progressive jams, many culled from its 4th and latest effort, The Migration (Prosthetic Records) with guitarist Chris Letchford …

INTRONAUT
with The Ocean
at Skyway Theatre
Monday, 04/04/16, 5:30pm ($15)
skywaytheater.com

Los Angeles’ progressive metal band Intronaut (featuring former members of Anubis Rising, Exhumed, Uphill Battle, and Impaled) is currently on tour with Germany’s premier post-metal act The Ocean (a.k.a. The Ocean Collective). The Ocean recently released a split EP Transcendental with Japanese instrumental shoegaze band Mono

UPDATE: The Ocean is no longer on this tour.

Also on the bill North and Scale The Summit. We previously saw Scale the Summit in 2013 and wrote, “ Houston instrumental quartet Scale the Summit dazzled with a technically brilliant 45 min. of progressive jams, many culled from its 4th and latest effort, The Migration (Prosthetic Records) with guitarist Chris Letchford leaving mouths agape in the crowd as they watched the technique on his headless 7-string guitar. Fans of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Dream Theater should actively seek out the band’s revelatory releases.”

This special tour is presented by Metal Injection.

Tour dates:

3/30/2016 Middle East - Boston, MA
3/31/2016 Bar Le Ritz - Montreal, QC
4/01/2016 Lee's Palace - Toronto, ON
4/02/2016 Loving Touch - Detroit, MI
4/03/2016 Reggies Rock Club - Chicago, IL
4/04/2016 Skyway Theatre - Minneapolis, MN
4/05/2016 Goodwill - Winnipeg, MB
4/06/2016 Exchange - Regina, SK
4/07/2016 Skylite - Edmonton, AB
4/08/2016 Dickens - Calgary, AB
4/09/2016 Rickshaw Theatre - Vancouver, BC
4/11/2016 Crocodile - Seattle, WA
4/12/2016 Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR
4/13/2016 Bottom Of The Hill - San Francisco, CA

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

Minneapolis: November 4, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on November 4, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Shakey Graves Austin, TX’s Shakey Graves (aka Alejandro Rose-Garcia) immediately followed on the Stars stage, starting and ending his set as a solo artist, but accompanied by a full band, in-between. … Those Darlins We love Those Darlins. Currently the Nashville band will be releasing latest album Blur the Line this October 1st, and the band will be heading out on tour in support of the new record. .…

SHAKEY GRAVES
at First Ave
Wednesday, 11/04/2015, 7:30pm ($20)
first-avenue.com

We previously caught Shakey Graves (Alejandro Rose-Garcia) at this year's Festival Palomino. He recently took home the Emerging Artist Of The Year award at Americana Music Association's 14th Annual Honors & Awards. Shakey Graves gained over 20 million Spotify streams, thanks to his strong single "Dearly Departed" from his 2014 album And The War Came (Dualtone Music Group).

Opening up the show will be our favorite Those Darlins, the cow-punk/garage rock trio from Nashville. We have seen the band almost every time they come through town: Oct 2013, July 2013, July 2012, Apr 2011, Sep 2010, Apr 2010, Nov 2009, and July 2009.

Check out our interview with Jesse:

W♥M192 (11 mins)

Tour Dates:

11/01 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
11/02 Missoula, MT Top Hat
11/05 Chicago, IL Thalia Hall
11/06 Chicago IL Thalia Hall
11/09 Montreal, QC Virgin Mobile
11/11 New York, NY Terminal 5
11/12 Boston, MA Royale Nightclub Boston
11/13 Boston, MA Royale Nightclub Boston
11/14 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
11/15 Washington, DC 930 Club
11/16 Washington, DC 930 Club
11/18 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theater
11/19 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
11/20 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre
11/21 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
11/22 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
11/23 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Theatre
11/24 New Orleans, LA The Civic Theatre

Read More Small Black Small Black is back on tour, and stopping by St Paul's Turf Club next Saturday, April 5th. The band will likely play tracks from their latest Limits Of Desire and upcoming EP Real People … Painted Palms San Francisco's Painted Palms were not used to the snow here. After launching into "Falling Asleep", singer Reese Donohue confirmed it as much, "I think it's a little cold here." …

SMALL BLACK
at First Ave
Wednesday, 11/04/2015, 7:30pm ($10)
first-avenue.com

Small Black is back with their new album Best Blue (Jagjaguwar). This is the group's third LP, which is said to hit their sweet spot of smoky intersection of considered & vulnerable songwriting and loose, almost nonchalant ambience.

We previously saw the band (singer/keys Josh Hayden Kolenik, guitarist Ryan Heyner, bassist Juan Pieczanski and drummer Jeff Curtin) last year at the Turf Club and noted they were "80s-style keyboard riff and ultra dance-y beat."

Painted Palms will open the show. The last time we saw the duo (Reese Donohue and Christopher Prudhomme), it was in 2013 when they only had one EP and a single (so they played everything they've ever wrote). Of course, now they have two albums: their debut Forever and Horizons, both available on Polyvinyl.

Tour Dates:

11/02/15 Kansas City, MO Tank Room
11/03/15 Iowa City, IA The Mill
11/04/15 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street
11/06/15 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
11/07/15 Detroit, MI UFO Factory
11/08/15 Toronto, ON The Garrison
11/10/15 Montreal, QC La Sala Rossa
11/11/15 Burlington, VT Signal Kitchen
11/12/15 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall

Read More Vanessa Carlton As a hardcore nessaholic, I have awaited "Rabbits on the Run" for some time but was happy when she released a compilation album with a bunch of my most favorite songs! I'd ...

VANESSA CARLTON
at Cedar Cultural Center
Wednesday, 11/04/2015, 7pm ($25)
thecedar.org

Vanessa Carlton will be in town in support of her latest album Liberman (Dine Alone Records). The ten songs on the upcoming album reflect Vanessa's current state of mind since moving from NYC to Nashville, marrying husband John McCauley (Deer Tick) and having a baby girl.

Canadian singer/songwriter Joshua Hyslop to open the show.

Upcoming Tour Dates

Nov 01 Iowa City, IA @ The Englert Theatre
Nov 02 Green Bay, WI @ Meyer Theatre
Nov 04 Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
Nov 05 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
Nov 06 Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
Nov 07 St Louis, MO @ Duck Room
Nov 09 Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar
Nov 10 Chicago, IL @ City Winery
Nov 11 Evanston, IL @ SPACE
Nov 13 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Blind Pig
Nov 14 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
Nov 15 Cleveland, OH @ Music Box Supper Club
Nov 17 London, Ontario @ London Music Hall
Nov 18 Toronto, Ontario @ Mod Club
Nov 20 Montreal, Quebec @ Lion d'Or
Nov 21 Ottawa, Ontario @ Mavericks
Nov 23 Hamilton, Ontario @ Molson Canadian Studio
Nov 30 New York, NY @ City Winery
Dec 01 New York, NY @ City Winery
Dec 03 Troy, NY @ Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
Dec 04 Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
Dec 05 Portland, ME @ Asylum
Dec 07 Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Dec 08 Fairfield, CT @ StageOne
Dec 09 Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
Dec 11 Washington, DC @ The Howard Theatre
Dec 12 Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern
Dec 14 Durham, NC @ The Carolina Theatre
Dec 15 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Dec 16 Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay
Dec 17 Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
Dec 19 Asheville, NC @ New Mountain Theatre

Read More X Ambassadors For X Ambassadors, an unshakable sense of brotherhood has long shaped the sound and spirit of the band. Growing up in small-town upstate New York, frontman Sam Harris ... Skylar Grey For the 10th edition of Red White and Blue, this is a bonus color: Fifty Shades of Grey. ... 14. “I Know You” - Skylar Grey ... Kevin Garrett Also on the bill was Brooklyn's Kevin Garrett; he's joined by Sean Mullins on drums and Jeremy McDonald on keys/etc. Garrett's set included some very sensitive/personal ...

X AMBASSADORS
at First Ave
Wednesday, 11/04/2015, 7:30pm ($15/Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

The first time we saw X Ambassadors, they were the support act for Canadian singer Lights. At the time, we noted that they had family connection in the Twin Cities: "The band, who has producer connections to, and has opened for Imagine Dragons, has learned the art of audience participation well and had a built-in cheering section, as several members of guitarist Noah Feldshuh’s family were enthusiastically present on the main floor."

Their single "Jungle" (featured both Jay Z and Jamie N Commons) winning the Bronze Award at the 2015 CLIO Awards (for providing the soundtrack to the latest round of Jeep ads), and recently, their latest single "Renegades" is a hit in the charts (#19 at Pop Radio, #3 at Hot AC, #18 at Top 40, #3 at Alternative and #27 on the Hot 100).

Five-time GRAMMY-nominated singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Skylar Grey is listed to open. Her critically acclaimed album Don't Look Down (KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records) was produced by Eminem and Alex Da Kid.

Joining on this sold-out show will be Kevin Garrett, a musician that is on both MTV and Grammys' "artist-to-watch" list. Garrett's latest single "Refuse" previewed on Zane Lowe’s Beats One Apple Music Radio Show... taken from his Mellow Drama EP.

Tour Dates:

11/03 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
11/04 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
11/06 Des Moines, IA Wooly's
11/07 Kanas City, MO Arvest Bank Theater
11/09 Dallas, TX House of Blues
11/10 Dallas, TX House of Blues
11/11 Austin, TX Scoot In
11/13 Tucson, AZ The Rock
11/14 Los Angeles, CA Fonda Theater
11/15 San Diego, CA Observatory North Par

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com

Chipotle Cultivate Festival - Loring Park, Minneapolis (22 Aug 2015)

Atlas Genius Setlist Symptoms Stockholm If So A Perfect End Centred On You Back Seat The Stone Mill Molecules Trojans X Ambassadors Setlist Loveless Hang On Love Songs Drug Songs Unsteady Naked Gorgeous Renegades Jungle Anderson East Setlist Devil In Me Only You Quit You Lonely Keep the Fire Burning Stay With Me (The Faces cover) Find 'Em, Fool 'Em, and Forget 'Em Satisfy Me Read More Cultivate Festival We still can't believe the lineup to the Cultivate Festival 2015 show. Originally Misterwives was scheduled to appear, but they had to cancel their appearance. Not to worry, X Ambassadors .... Walk The Moon The latest song, "Shut Up And Dance" was the #1 song on Spotify charts... and it's a good indication of what's to come when they release their sophomore album on RCA Records later this year..… Atlas Genius The Australian band recently played the U.S. festival circuit (Lollapalooza, Outside Lands and Osheaga), and I can’t help but wonder whether the road is wearing on the boys. … X Ambassadors The evening’s performance at downtown club Mill City Nights, started with an opening 45 min. set from New York alternative four-piece, X Ambassadors, who has had a recent EP out, The Reason …

Mother Nature always wins—

We learned that again over the previous weekend as the Chipotle Cultivate Festival came to town for a day long adventure of food, ideas, and music.

Having just completed its fifth year, the one-day free festival  included cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs, live music, local food artisans, breweries, wineries, a special Chipotle festival menu, and other activities emphasizing fresh food made with sustainably raised ingredients.

Gavin Kaysen

Chef appearances included Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods), Gavin Kaysen (Spoon & Stable), and Richard Blais (Top Chef: All Stars), with DJ Christopher Golub spinning between the five scheduled musical acts.

In addition, there were a handful of interactive experiences focused on sustainable food – including issues surrounding GMOs, how to make guacamole, and the reality of processed foods, as well as a Kid’s Zone.  Surly Brewing teamed with the festival to create a Rhubarb Farmhouse Ale saison exclusively for the event as well.

Hippo Campus

The crowd at the music stage began swelling very early on, as local favorites Hippo Campus played first, with a spirited 40 min. set that included new single, ‘South’ (EP out Oct 2 on Grand Jury Records)as well as favorites from their debut EP, Bashful Creatures.

The St. Paul foursome with a peppy Vampire Weekend-esque indie-pop sound has a large area following and includes guitarist/ vocalist Jake Luppen, guitarist Nathan Stocker, bassist Zach Sutton and drummer Whistler Allen. “We’re gonna finish off with a classic”, Luppen cheekily said, ending with the title track from their initial EP, “…have a burrito for me”, Luppen added.

Anderson East

The southern soul of Anderson East was next, the Alabama native touring in support of his third and latest, Delilah (Low Country Sounds/Elektra). His slightly raspy voice echoed his Baptist upbringings, with East saying early on, “Did anyone bring their dancing shoes? ...you’re sure gonna need ‘em!”.

A crack band with organ and slide guitar backed the singer, even adding in a mid-set cover of The Faces’ ‘Stay with Me’, slightly slowed and less manic than the original, simmering with Southern spices.  Ending with ‘Satisfy Me’, East’s set clocked in at the same running time as his major label debut, a too-brief 32 min.

X Ambassadors

Clouds started to thicken and the wind picked up as X Ambassadors took to the stage for their 40 min. set.  The Ithaca, NY band actually has a local connection, as lead guitarist Noah Feldshuh spent most summers growing up, in nearby Prior Lake, and had many of his extended family in the audience.

The band’s debut full-length, VHS (KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records) is making waves, thanks to breakout second single, ‘Renegades’  (which has also been smartly placed in a Jeep commercial)and the crowd was on their side from the beginning drum beats of ‘Loveless’ feeding on charismatic front man Sam Harris’ eagerness to interact with the crowd.

Harris broke out his saxophone for the first time in the set on ‘Love Songs Drug Songs’, the crowd sang along to the chorus of ‘Unsteady’, and the band ended with ‘Jungle’, the album’s initial single done with Jamie N. Commons on record.

Atlas Genius

Flashes of lightning veined the nearby sky as Adelaide, Australia band Atlas Genius came out to their intro music of Etta James’ ‘At Last’.  The Aussie band has a new album, Inanimate Objects (Warner Bros Records), out just last week, and offered a preview of several of the new songs during their 40 min. set.

“This is beautiful”, singer/guitarist Keith Jeffery remarked after the first song, “Let’s pray to the gods of rock ‘n roll that we have no rain”.  ‘If So’ got the crowd clapping, while the crowd heeded Jeffrey’s request to “dance your pants off” on ‘Back Seat’, getting everyone to crouch down then jump up in tandem, saying “that was exactly right” as the song finished.

The first two songs from the new record followed, ‘The Stone Mill’ and current single, ‘Molecules’, with biggest applause reserved for their final song, ’Trojans’, which reached number 4 on the alternative charts.

With the sky darkening and rumbles overhead heard louder, the crowd (many of whom were mimicking Walk the Moon’s colorful face paint on their cheeks) soon received the bad news that a storm was fast approaching and the band would not be playing their headlining set.

A chorus of boos predictably rang out, but were hushed when the band themselves took to the stage to apologize to the audience, even ad-libbing in an acapella verse of ‘Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)’ to try and appease the crowd.

And with that, an orderly crowd exited the festival as dark skies loomed; happy to have had a free day of music, food, and fun, but less than enthused that Mother Nature managed to get the last word in.

Walk the Moon at Chipotle Cultivate Festival - Loring Park, Minneapolis (22 August 2015)

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com

Minneapolis: August 20 to August 22, 2015

Here are some concerts/events taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from August 20 to August 22, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Sister Sparrow I actually really wanted to see Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds last night (April 10th), but it was just not meant to be. Due to bad blizzard conditions in Colorado and Minnesota, Sister Sparrow ....

SISTER SPARROW & THE DIRTY BIRDS
at 7th Street Entry
Thursday, 08/20/2015, 7:30pm ($10)
first-avenue.com

The last time Sister Sparrow toured the Midwest, there was a blizzard that forced the 8-piece funk band to cancel their appearance in Minneapolis.

This time around, they were smart enough to book in August... so they'll be stopping in next week.

Mark Andrew to open the show.

Tour Dates:

Aug 11 State Room Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 14 Gentlemen Of The Road Walla Walla, WA
Aug 15 Ann Morrison Park Boise, ID
Aug 16 Blues, Brews and BBQ's Huntsville, UT
Aug 17 Myrna Loy Center Helena, MT
Aug 20 7th St Entry Minneapolis, MN
Aug 22 Summer Microbrew Traverse City, MI
Sep 03 The Bottleneck Lawrence, KS
Sep 05 Civic Center Park Fort Collins, CO
Sep 09 Belly Up Aspen Aspen, CO
Sep 10 Schmiggity's Steamboat Springs, CO
Sep 11 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO
Sep 12 City Park Denver, CO
Sep 15 HiFi Music Hall Eugene, OR
Sep 16 Mississippi Studios Portland, OR
Sep 17 Nectar Lounge Seattle, WA
Sep 23 Moe's Alley Santa Cruz, CA
Sep 25 The Roxy Theatre West Hollywood, CA
Sep 26 Golden Hill Park San Diego, CA

Read More Bora York Luckily, local dream-pop five-piece band Bora York jumped at the last-minute challenge, and opened the show with a short but satisfying set, in support of their latest, Dreaming Free ....

BORA YORK
at Varsity Theater
Friday, 08/21/2015, 7pm ($7)
varsitytheater.org

We previously saw husband-and-wife-fronted five-piece Bora York with Irish band Kodaline. The local band will be at the Varsity Theater next Friday, August 21st for their album release party for Secret Youth.

Their friendsVerskotzi and Graveyard Club to open the show.

What they wrote:

Bora York

Verskotzi

Graveyard Club

Varsity Theater
Friday, August 21
7pm doors | 8pm music
$8 | 18+

Tickets on sale Friday July 10, online and at Loring Pasta Bar, Electric Fetus, Down In The Valley.

Read More Rasputina They'll catch up with Rasputina in July. I suspect if conflicts and scheduling made me miss their NXNE appearance, I will likely see them in August at 7th Street. ....

RASPUTINA
at Turf Club
Saturday, 08/22/2015, 8pm ($15)
turfclub.net

All cello rock band Rasputina will be in town on Saturday, August 22nd, at the Turf Club, in support of their latest album Unknown.

Band directress Melora Creager had this to say about the new record, “Unknown is 14 new songs recorded alone in a dank basement studio. I quite liked it though, that dank basement studio. I didn't feel at all alone. Using only one microphone, the whole album poured out of me in just 3 weeks- writing, recording, the whole thing.”

Oddly enough Creager decided this is a CD-only release (no digital) because conceptually this album doesn't exist on the Internet.

Eliza Rickman and Jezebel Jones to open the show.

Tour dates:

Aug-19 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
Aug-20 Cleveland, OH @ Music Box
Aug-21 Chicago, IL @ Double Door
Aug-22 Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club
Aug-23 Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall

Read More Cultivate Festival How much would you pay to see Portugal. The Man, Grouplove, The Mowgli's, and Vintage Trouble together on one bill? How about FREE, courtesy of Chipotle. This is an unbelievable deal! ....

CULTIVATE FESTIVAL
at Loring Park
Saturday, 08/22/2015, 11am (FREE)
chipotlecultivate.com

We still can't believe the lineup to the Cultivate Festival 2015 show. Originally Misterwives was scheduled to appear, but they had to cancel their appearance. Not to worry, X Ambassadors stepped in to fill their slot. Just the headliner alone Walk the Moon is well worth it. Show up early for a good spot.

Lineup:

Walk The Moon

Atlas Genius

X Ambassadors

Anderson East

Hippo Campus

Chefs:

Andrew Zimmern

Richard Blais

Gavin Kaysen

Jim Christiansen

Erik Anderson

Jamie Malone

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com

Lights at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (14 Feb 2015)

Photo Gallery Lights Elect Fetus in-store poster X Ambassadors (close up) Lights (close up) Lights (setlist) Lights: Electric Fetus in-store Setlist Same Sea Running With the Boys Up We Go Muscle Memory Lights: Mill City Nights Setlist Muscle Memory Toes How We Do It My Boots Siberia Running with the Boys The Last Thing on Your Mind Portal Don't Go Home Without Me Speeding Flux and Flow Banner Timing Is Everything Same Sea -- Encore -- Up We Go Oil and Water Tour Dates 02/18 St. Louis, MO Ready Room^ 02/20 Dallas, TX Granada Theater^ 02/21 Austin, TX Emo's^ 02/22 Houston, TX Warehouse Live^ 02/24 Orlando, FL Beacham Theater^ 02/25 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room^ 02/27 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade^ 02/28 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle^ 03/01 Nashville, TN Rocketown^ 03/02 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore Charlotte^ 03/04 Norfolk, VA The NorVa^ 03/05 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small's Theatre^ 03/06 Columbus, OH Skully's Music Diner^ 03/07 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe ^ 03/09 Cleveland, OH House of Blues - Cleveland^ 03/10 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection^ 04/11 Indio, CA Coachella Week 1 04/14 Phoenix, AZ Marquee Theatre* 04/15 San Diego, CA The Irenic* 04/16 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades* 04/18 Indio, CA Coachella Week 2 04/20 Montreal, QC Bell Centre+ 04/21 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre+ 04/22 London, ON Budweiser Gardens+ 04/24 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre+ 04/25 Sudbury, ON Sudbury Arena+ 04/27 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre+ 04/29 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place+ 04/30 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome + ^ with X Ambassadors * with Saint Motel + with OneRepublic Read More Lights Canada's Lights (aka Valerie Poxleitner) is kicking off her national US tour at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis this Valentine's Day (Saturday) with support from X Ambassadors. ...

Valentine’s Day in Minneapolis was one of Love and Light… make that Lights.

The buzzworthy Toronto singer-songwriter was in town promoting her latest release, Little Machines (Warner Bros Records) with shows to receptive crowds both during the day, and at night.

Lights at The Electric Fetus

The afternoon show was a short acoustic set at local record store, The Electric Fetus, with only the singer (aka Valerie Poxleitner) and her guitarist Brodie Tavares playing stripped down versions of her usually electronic-heavy pop songs.  This gave the very full crowd a chance to hear the new songs in a completely different light; that drew more attention on the lyrical content and better showcased the range of Lights’ vocals.

The set began with a song never performed acoustically before, ‘Same Sea’ and was followed by a song about hanging around as a bit of a tomboy playing video games, called ‘Running With the Boys’.

‘Up We Go’ was a positive song she wrote without first believing the lyrics, only to have them lift her up during the creative process, and ended with ‘Muscle Memory’, which sounded completely different, stripped of all the synths of the recorded version.

X Ambassadors

The evening’s performance at downtown club Mill City Nights, started with an opening 45 min. set from New York alternative four-piece, X Ambassadors, who has had a recent EP out, The Reason (KIDinaKORNER, Interscope Records) and more recent single, ‘Jungle’ feat. Jamie N Commons and Jay-Z.

The band, who has producer connections to, and has opened for Imagine Dragons, has learned the art of audience participation well and had a built-in cheering section, as several members of guitarist Noah Feldshuh’s family were enthusiastically present on the main floor.

Brothers Sam and Casey Harris play well off each other, with keyboardist Casey’s hair flailing throughout the set and singer Sam sets himself as unique by playing keyboard loops, guitar, and alto sax, while vocally reaching falsetto heights several times.

Lights took to the stage for her 70 min. headlining set, dressed in black tank top and pants, with a red majorette jacket and was backed with her band, by a dazzling set of circular lights at the back of the stage.  Though aptly gathering of her own attention, previously touring with and having a similar synth pop sound to local artist Owl City, probably endeared her more to the mostly younger crowd and couples in attendance.

The new ‘Muscle Memory’, a mid-tempo’d heavy synth song got things started on the right foot, with ‘Toes’ from 2011’s Siberia, following to roars and whooping “I love you’s” from the young crowd.  “This song’s about winter time”, she said, launching into ‘My Boots’ and noting how obviously cold it was outside.

Lights

In the spirit of the day of love, Lights and guitarist Tavares took another acoustic turn mid-set for “one of the most honest love songs I’ve ever written”, the haunting ‘Don’t Go Home Without Me’. A playful and quickly aborted ‘Hakuna Matata’ cover led smoothly into the rhythmic anthem, ‘Timing is Everything’ and ‘Same Sea’ (the song she started the afternoon session with), closed the main set.

Two songs from the new album comprised the encore-  the poppy ‘Up We Go’ and a “song about science”, ‘Oil and Water’, which started somewhat slow paced for a final song, but gradually built itself into a set-ending crescendo.

As Lights smiled and waved goodbye to the Valentine’s crowd, no doubt her mind was one particular true love, her daughter Rocket Wild (you can’t make these rock star kid names up, folks), who would turn one the next day.

Lights at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (14 Feb 2015)

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

V-Day 2015

You know the old saying, don't get VD on V-Day. February 14th is Valentine's Day, here are some bands in the mood for love.

Read more Valentine's Day.

Read More Lights Canada's acclaimed pop multi-instrumentalist Lights has debuted a nostalgic new video for 'Running With the Boys.' The track is taken from her latest album, Little Machines, which is nominated for 'Pop Album of the Year' ... X Ambassadors For X Ambassadors, an unshakable sense of brotherhood has long shaped the sound and spirit of the band. Growing up in small-town upstate New York, frontman Sam Harris, his brother Casey, and childhood friend Noah Feldshuh ... Saint Motel Touring on their way to Coachella 2015 (and I'm assuming they'll likely play SXSW 2015 as well), Saint Motel will be stopping by Minneapolis' 7th Street Entry on Saturday, January 31st. You may recall that we caught them ...

LIGHTS
iamlights.com

Canada's Lights (aka Valerie Poxleitner) is kicking off her national US tour at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis this Valentine's Day (Saturday) with support from X Ambassadors. If it wasn't for the fact that I've already committed to Sleater-Kinney and Lizzo this same night, I'd definitely be checking out this geek girl pop multi-instrumentalist (she's into comic books!)

The Little Machines tour will take her to Coachella 2015, which Ryan Seacrest included Lights in his '10 Artists You Must See at Coachella,' saying "Lights has a knack for creating celestial beats by combining alternative rock and contemporary synth-pop."

With a couple of Juno Awards (sort of like Australia's ARIA Awards or USA's American Music Awards) and Gold records under her belt (and not to mention a recently sold out European tour), she's amassed a dedicated 'Lights Army' over the years (1.3 million Facebook fans, over half a million Twitter fans), including self-professed fans Miley Cyrus, John Mayer, and K'Naan among others.

Lights upcoming tour dates:

02/13 Kansas City, MO Arvest Bank Theatre
02/14 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
02/15 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
02/17 Iowa City, IA Blue Moose Tap House
02/18 St. Louis, MO Ready Room
02/20 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
02/21 Austin, TX Emo's
02/22 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
02/24 Orlando, FL Beacham Theater
02/25 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
02/27 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
02/28 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
03/01 Nashville, TN Rocketown
03/02 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore Charlotte
03/04 Norfolk, VA The NorVa
03/05 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small's Theatre
03/06 Columbus, OH Skully's Music Diner
03/07 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe at Old National Centre
03/09 Cleveland, OH House of Blues - Cleveland
03/10 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection
04/11 Indio, CA Coachella Week 1
04/14 Phoenix, AZ Marquee Theatre*
04/15 San Diego, CA The Irenic*
04/16 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades*
04/18 Indio, CA Coachella Week 2

All dates with special guest X Ambassadors with the exception of (*) with Saint Motel. Full tour dates and additional information over at news.weheartmusic.com.

Read More Meiko Singer/songwriter Meiko's second night in her Fall/Winter 2014 tour took place at the Loring Pasta Bar in Minneapolis, last night, September 21, 2014. If you were a little worried about how the Loring Pasta Bar would host live music, fear not! ...

MEIKO
meikomusic.com

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Meiko's five-track EP Lovers & Fighters came out this week (February 10th). You can officially stream the EP over at meikomusic.com.

Hear the first track, "Raincoat Song":



We love her and have seen her live at SXSW 2009, 7th Street Entry in 2012, and most recently Loring Pasta Bar in 2014... she's always fun and entertaining live.

Also, if you have some CDs for her to sign, she's usually accessible after her show. Very approachable and always friendly.

You can spend V-Day with Meiko this February 14 at Hotel Café.

Tour dates:

Feb 14 Hotel Cafe Hollywood, CA
Mar 03 Stubb's Austin, TX *
Mar 05 Dosey Doe Music Cafe Houston, TX *
Mar 06 Poor David's Pub Dallas, TX*
Mar 28 Safety Harbor Singer-Songwriter Festival

* with Lex Land

Read More Hayden Hayden, the Canadian singer / songwriter / grunge-rocker (yes he is eclectic) played at the Triple Rock Social Club (with fellow Canadian opener Lou Cannon) in Minneapolis last Sunday night in ...

HAYDEN
wasteyourdaysaway.com

Leading up to Valentine's Day, Hayden shared the title track, "Hey Love", from the forthcoming Arts & Crafts release, Hey Love, over at Soundcloud.



Hey Love comes out March 24, 2015 on Arts & Crafts.

Tour dates:

02/18/15 Halifax, NS Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
02/19/15 Fredericton, NB Fredericton Playhouse
02/20/15 Quebec City, QC Imperial Du Quebec
02/21/15 Montreal High Lights Festival
02/21/15 Montreal, QC Virgin Mobile Corona
02/24/15 Kingston, ON Grand Theatre
02/26/15 London, ON London Music Hall
02/27/15 Ottawa, ON National Arts Centre
02/28/15 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
03/01/15 Guelph, ON River Run Centre
03/05/15 Winnipeg, MB Garrick Centre
03/06/15 Saskatoon, SK O'Brian's Event
03/07/15 Regina, SK Darke Hall
03/09/15 Banff, AB Eric Harvie Theatre
03/10/15 Calgary, AB Jack Singer Concert Hall
03/11/15 Edmonton, AB Winspear Centre
03/13/15 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre
03/14/15 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre

Read More Paws The co-headliner is Paws, a Glasgow-based punk band signed to FatCat Records. The trio's latest album is Youth Culture Forever, which came out earlier this year. ...

FUZZKILL RECORDS
fuzzkillrecords.bandcamp.com

You know I'm a cover lover, so here is a new Valentine's Day compilation by Fuzzkill Records called Under the Covers, featuring love song covers by some Scottish (and some Manchester bands). The compilation will be released on limited cassette tapes on February 14th, with all profits going to the Greater Maryhill Foodbank and CLAN Cancer Support.

Track listing:

1. The Bellybuttons - Anna (Go To Him) (Arthur Alexander)
2. FROTH - Happy Together (The Turtles)
3. SHARPTOOTH - Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)(The Shangri-Las)
4. Catholic Action - Somebody Made For Me (Emitt Rhodes)
5. PAWS - Sea Of Love (Phil Phillips)
6. Secret Motorbikes - Alison (Elvis Costello)
7. Pinact - Sparky's Dream (Teenage Fanclub)
8. Twin Mirrors - For Your Love (The Yardbirds)
9. Poor Things - I Will (The Beatles)
10. The Pooches - You're The One For Me (Jonathan Richman)
11. Bite - I Feel Love (Donna Summer)
12. The Sh**hawks - She's Like The Wind (Patrick Swayze)
13. Tuff Love - Lovely Day (Bill Withers)
14. Faiides - Just Like Honey (The Jesus and Mary Chain)
15. Fruit Tones - Tears On My Pillow (Little Anthony and the Imperials)
16. Elara Caluna - O, Willow Waly (Georges Auric)

Read More Elle King Elle King is currently in the studio working on her debut album for RCA Records, but you can catch her at various shows next week ...

ELLE KING
elleking.com

Often compared to Janis Joplin, singer/songwriter/banjoist Elle King will be releasing her debut album Love Stuff next week, February 17th... just missing out on Valentine's Day. The Love Stuff album featured her new single, "Ex's & Oh's", which you can hear it live on The Today Show next Tuesday.

Here's what they said about the single:

"Ex's & Oh's" was #1 Most Added at AAA radio upon release and has received tremendous praise: Billboard raves “Mix Duffy's vocals, the Black Keys' urgent rhythms and a hook and tempo that recalls P!nk's "So What," and you have Elle King's catchy and clever RCA debut.”

She's set to play at Hangout Music Festival 2015 in Alabama.

Love Stuff Track listing:

1. Where The Devil Don’t Go
2. Ex’s & Oh’s
3. Under the Influence
4. Last Damn Night
5. Kocaine Karolina
6. Song of Sorrow
7. America’s Sweetheart
8. I Told You I Was Mean
9. Ain’t Gonna Drown
10. Jackson
11. Make You Smile
12. See You Again

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