W♥M (Archive)

Bastille Day Block Party 2010

Mayda Tour Dates 08/06/10 Summerfest Wisconsin State Fair 08/07/10 Lotte Hotel Seoul Seoul, Korea 08/08/10 Function Seoul, Korea 10/21/10 Cabooze Minneapolis Read More Bastille Day http://weheartmus... Fête Nationale or Bastille Day is the national holiday for French citizens every July 14th. It's...

I decided it was a fine day for bicycling, so I took a two and a half hour casual bike ride into uptown in Minneapolis (it's about thirteen miles to the Barbette Cafe from where I live). When I got to the Walker Art Museum, it was all uphills and I quietly cursed to myself as I'm huffing and puffing up the hill.

As soon as I got to the Bastille Day Block Party, Eyedea & Abilities (myspace) was already on stage, but I did not really watch the show since I was too busy trying to get drinks and food. I wasn't that familiar with his music, but it seems everyone near the stage knew all the lyrics and they were singing along. So he certainly has his fans.

This was my second year attending this block party, so as expected, Foxy Tann (official ♥ myspace) MC'ed the event. I thought I heard Mary Lucia was there, but she probably left well before I got there.

♥ Red Pens

Red Pens (myspace) was the next band up after Eyedea. It was definitely an older crowd. This was my fourth time seeing the duo live, and Howard and Laura didn't disappoint. Highlight from the show was their first song they wrote, I think it was called "Limitations", and I thought "Children and Their Kids" were excellent live.

Inbetween bands setting up their equipments, you were entertained by hip-hop dancers called B-Girl Be (official). They had a limited area as well as limited time to do their dancing. I'll bet that they probably are at their best when all three are dancing together, playing off each other's moves, but unfortunately the floor was only big enough for one at a time.

I read coming in that Mayda was a very small Korean woman. They weren't wrong. But despite her small frame, she certainly was a bit of a firecracker. She's definitely an entertainer, with her moves and outfits (which I suspect were made for children). My favorite clothing item from her was her gun hoister, which held her giant aviation sunglasses.

Highlight from their set was "Sylvia", which kind of reminds me of Prince, for some reason. I was really impressed overall, but I wasn't the only one. The audience was also really into it and demanded an encore. I've never seen bands given an encore, as these things are so very time-sensitive. Foxy came on to explain that city actually had put a noise ordinance in place, so they had to un-amped the bands by 8 O'Clock.

I was originally going to leave earlier to avoid biking in the dark (which incidentally gets dark at 9:30pm here), but I was glad and happy to have caught the entire Mayda set.

♥ Mayda

♥ B-Girl Be

 07/19/2010 21:30:00 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥podcast.weheartmusic.com 

Dignan

Dignan - Charlatan Dignan Tour Date 07/19/10 Freeburg legion* Freeburg, IL 07/20/10 Cicero's* St. Louis, Mo 07/21/10 Main Street Cafe* Kansas City, MS 07/22/10 The Slowdown* Omaha, NE 07/23/10 Cafe Berlin* Columbia, MS 07/24/10 Pond Party* Wichita, Kansas 08/18/10 Dans Silverleaf ^ Denton, Tx 08/19/10 Collective ^ Shreveport, La 08/21/10 Disc Go Round^ Corpus Christi, Tx 08/27/10 Galeria 409# Brownsville, Tx 08/28/10 The Ten Eleven# San Antonio, Tx 08/29/10 Mohawk# Austin, Tx 08/30/10 Common Grounds# Waco, Tx 08/31/10 Clicks# Tyler, Tx 09/01/10 George's Majestic# Fayettville, Ar 09/02/10 Jaunitas# Little Rock, Ar 09/03/10 Opolis# Norman, Ok 09/04/10 The Crystal Pistol* Tulsa, Ok 09/05/10 Hi- tone# Memphis, Tn 09/06/10 Main St. Bar & Grill# Tupelo, Ms 09/07/10 Old Town Tavern# Sheffield, Al 09/08/10 Engine Room# Tallahassee, Fl 09/09/10 Ecclesia# Newnan, Ga 09/10/10 Homemade Genius# 96, Sc 09/11/10 New Brookland Tavern# West Columbia, Sc 09/13/10 Rocc# Carmel, In 09/15/10 Rack & Roll# Riverview, Mi 09/16/10 Musica# Akron, Oh 09/17/10 Abbey Bar# Harrisburg, Pa 09/20/10 Snug Harborª Charlotte, Nc 09/21/10 Meatheadsª Greenville, Sc 09/23/10 Roofª Charleston, Sc 09/23/10 567 Cafe Macon, Ga 09/27/10 New World Brewery Tampa, Fl 09/28/10 New Life Center Sarasota, Fl 09/29/10 handlebar Pensecola, Fl 09/30/10 Alabama Music Box Mobile, Al 10/01/10 Star Bar Baton Rouge, La 10/02/10 Finnegans Wake Alexandria, La 10/03/10 Nightmare Dallas, Tx w/ The King and The Thief ^ w/ The young Maths # w/ Farewell Flight ª w/ Junior Astronomers Discography [2007] The Guest (EP) [2008] Tangled Woods (EP) [2009] Cheaters & Thieves Free Download

Dignan @ 400 Bar, Minneapolis 7.12.10

Cheaters & Thieves LP

�

Why is it that indie musicians from Texas never have Southern drawls?� Somebody should study this phenomenon with sociological parameters and get back to me ([email protected]).

Dignan hails from Texas, indeed, but naught a “ya’ll” was uttered during the band’s opening set at the 400 Bar on Sunday.� It’s no secret that Midwesterners adore region-specific accents, probably because of our own special relationship with the letter ‘O.’� Fascinatingly, something else exists that turns us on even more than vowel disfiguration:� lovely, arousing (yet, aesthetically chaste) male harmonization.� It’s true, we go gaga over in sync.

This time around, the harmonies under scrutiny belong to a quintet of Southern kids with only a shade of Fleet Foxes envy.� As I mentioned in my review of What Laura Says, the harmony bar has been set at Fleet Fox standards since early 2008; and within this canon, meticulously crafted songs are secondary to meticulous performances.� Any band hoping for similar success must pass the first test:� The Live Show.

If Dignan did not disappoint, they somewhat confused.� Cheaters & Thieves (the band’s full-length debut), is pretty on the ears, an exercise in haunting melodic discourse.� The album opens with the dark, chant-like “Fool”; from there it builds on vocal layers until about mid-way through “Pillars & Pews” when the emoting reaches dangerous, John Hughes levels, as Andy Pena’s voice (so vulnerable), threatens to crack on each note.� Think Arcade Fire meets breezy, summer love…that is, summer love, as remembered years down the road in a bleak, whiskey haze.� Each track is cool and intentional in its own way, often sounding positively wintery.� While the vocals blend seamlessly, don’t be fooled—lyrics like “don’t take this wrongly, I wish you would die“ (“What’s Done Is Done”) are candid enough to keep Cheaters out of pure folk territory.

On stage, however, something else was happening.� Stripped of studio sheen, Dignan never hesitated to crank up the volume, both literally and figuratively.� Recalling remnants of the album and watching the band perform was almost akin to hearing a bi-polar artist sing the blues, alternating between a kind of depressive embrace and crude, feverish energy.

A tad dramatic?� Perhaps, but Cheaters-the-album vs. Cheaters-the-live-show clearly received differing memos when it came to production style.� The former’s might’ve read “less is more” while the latter’s pushed for a “balls to the wall” approach.� The resulting Live Show lost some of the album’s quiet subtlety but gained veritable rock chops.� Is that a bad thing?� Well, as they say in the South, “different strokes…”

Dignan is Andy Pena (vocals/guitar), Devin Garcia (bass), David Palomo (aux instrumentals/vocals), and Heidi Plueger (keyboard/vocals).� The band is currently touring with Minneapolis’s the King and the Thief.� For a full list of dates, visit their Myspace or Facebook.� Cheaters & Thieves is available on iTunes and Amazon.

�07/19/2010 08:26:31�♥ lara () ♥ myspace.com/dignan ♥ @DignanMusic xx

Free in July: buffalos roaming in the reflection city.

It's warm and sunny, and like everyone else, we're out and about, so it's perfect that there's always something happening in the Summertime in Minneapolis.

For the month of July, the Cedar Cultural Center is having a series of free shows. They're staged outside in the patio, so with the noise ordinance, their free shows usually ends pretty early (which is actually not that uncommon for the NPR-ish venue).

I got a chance to catch the end of local band, Buffalo Moon (myspace) on July 15th. They had a girl singer (Karen Freire), who sounded a bit like shoegazing, but apparently was supposed to be bossa nova with synths.

And what are the chance that there was another local Buffalo band called Buffalo, Buffalo, Buffalo (myspace) was playing across the street that night at the Nomad World Pub?

You all know my theory about bands with repeating names, but simply put: it's catchy and easy to remember. That's why bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Tapes N Tapes and Duran Duran are so popular. I suspect Buffalo³ will do well with their name, even though there are a few other bands in the States that are also called Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo.

♥ Reflection City

But going back to free and July ... all Thursdays for the month at the Nomad Pub will feature Reflection City (myspace). They seem like a pretty retro rock band, and singer Erik seemingly over sensitive to the bass feedback from the oblivious bass player... but they all seem to have a good time anyway.

Wye Oak - Warning

Their next appearance are with Option 2 with Out of Bounds (7/22) and Prozac Rat with Kill Me Kare Bear with Trees In Training (7/29). By the way, The funny story I have about Reflection is that I sort of know the drummer Mat, who apparently was at the Wye Oak show last year.

As for the free shows for the Cedar, they include The Brass Kings with Purgatory Hill (West Bank Deep Blues Festival 7/22), Charlie Parr with Joe & Vicki Price (West Bank Deep Blues Festival 7/23), and Portland Cello Project (7/29). I'm mostly excited for PCP, and can't wait to hear them do Pantera again.

Finally, speaking of free, I will be making my way out again to Barbette Cafe's  Bastille Day Block Party (7/18 - Tomorrow!)

Red Pens - Hung Out

Red Pens

Stage Line Up:
2:00 Romantica
2:55 The Magnolias
3:45 Black Bondie
4:35 Chooglin
5:25 Eyedea & Abilities
6:25 Red Pens
7:15 Mayda
8:15 Brass Messengers

Street entertainment by Infiammati Fire Circus, North Star Roller Girls, Spot Spa Hula Hoop Contest, Familia Skateshop, and Anthem Heart.

I don't know if I'll be there for the whole day, but definitely for Red Pens (myspace) and Eyedea & Abilities (myspace), so say hi if you see me.

 07/17/2010 10:48:32 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥podcast.weheartmusic.com 

Operator Please + Tim & Jean + Chaingang - The Metro, Sydney, Saturday 26 June

Tim & Jean

Saturday night at The Metro and it was a surprisingly mature crowd for an all ages show featuring three young (i.e. teenage or thereabouts) Australian bands.  On the other hand, that might just have been the people who were there early, hoping to be home before the babysitter had to leave.  I’m sure that they missed their planned departure time, entranced as we all were by the main act.

Chaingang got the show off to a start with their energetic glam punk.  It was a little too obviously indebted to The Gossip (right down to some Beth Ditto trademarked vocal tics) and not especially varied, but some of the audience seemed to enjoy it.

Operator Please

Adding a more electronic flavour to proceedings was Perth’s Tim & Jean.  This duo may have only one song released to date (the Triple J Unearthed favourite “Come Around”), but they managed to pull off a full-length set of retro-styled electro.  With their expanded line-up (an additional synth-player and a live drummer), they blasted out delightfully irony-free tributes to the last 30 years of dance music.

While sometimes erring a little too much on the side of “sounding just like Passion Pit”, it’s hard to criticise them when they do it so well.  In fact, as my wife commented, they’re probably more enjoyable without the ear-scrapingly high vocals of Michael Angelakos.  All in all, it was hard not to dance and imagine how far they will go.

Operator Please

The big drawcard was headliners Operator Please, who have turned into a mightily impressive live act in a few short years.  Armed with a new album (Gloves) full of radio-ready danceable tunes, they showed a confidence and poise that many older bands lack.  If ever they were just a ping pong-loving novelty act, they certainly aren’t any more. 

Amandah Wilkinson’s voice was in fine form and her idiosyncratic hand gestures, impossible to quite describe in print, were a highlight.  They gave the audience a strong selection from the new album and a souped-up version of their first hit “Just A Song About Ping Pong”.  Also on the menu were some more guilty pleasures: a mash-up of Destiny’s Child’s “Lose My Breath” with No Doubt’s “Hella Good” and a cover of Salt ‘n’ Pepa’s “Push It”, featuring the two support acts and half a dozen friends of the band.  Both featured Wilkinson and violinist Taylor Henderson’s “ghetto dancing” – brilliant and pretty much in the style of suburban teenagers in their bedrooms.

Based on a show like this, Australian music has a promising future – even if it sounds a lot like the past.

Operator Please

http://www.operatorpleaseband.com/

http://www.myspace.com/operatorplease

Thanks to Dave Pullar for the review and photos by Nicole Pullar Photography (www.nicolepullar.com)

[email protected]

THE IMAGINE PROJECT – HERBIE HANCOCK

 

Imagine

Herbie Hancock;P!nk;Seal;India Arie;Jeff Beck;Konono No 1;Oumou Sangaré

In the liner notes Herbie Hancock apologizes to anyone he may have left out.  After listening to his latest album, The Imagine Project, I wonder who it might have been.  The purpose of the project “is an effort to show the power and beauty of global collaboration as a golden path to peace.”  How do you do that?  By inviting everybody to be on your album from Pink and Chaka Khan to John Legend and Seal.  Even my two favorite bands, Los Lobos and The Chieftains make an appearance, as well as international stars like Anoushka Shankar and Juanes. 

 

I have a lot of jazz albums and I’ve always been interested to see where they were recorded.  Most of were completed in less than a week with a few musicians in New Jersey studio.  This album is musical journey across multiple continents, each song with a new group of artists.  The title song, “Imagine” alone was recorded in London, Paris and Southern California with musicians as diverse as Jeff Beck and the group Konono No. 1.  Maybe that’s what happens on a global trip with a voyager as seasoned as Herbie Hancock.

 

At age 70, Hancock can lay claim to a long list of accomplishments from Grammys to Oscars.  My favorite nugget is his breakout hit, “Rockit” being voted #10 on VH1’s top 100 all time musical videos.  It was the song that first introduced me to Hancock, to jazz and the infinite possibilities of the music.

The Imagine Project is a collaboration of musicians remixing classic songs from artists like Gabriel, Marley and Dylan.  I feel any musician covering familiar territory should bring something new to the game.  Not only does Hancock bring something new, he breathes a fresh, lively spirit into the title song.  Where John Lennon’s voice was a lonely ballad filled with a forlorn daydreaming, Hancock’s reinterpretation flourishes into an orchestral, world beat jam.  Not only is “Imagine” a possibility, its happening. 

 

- Dave

New Xbox 360 S vs PS3 Fat

 

Distended Warranty -The Red Ring of Death

Distended Warranty

♥ Game On: Game Off

Ask anyone that's ever own an Xbox 360, and they'll tell you they've experienced the dreaded Red Ring of Death. In fact, they've probably had it several times in their console's life cycle.

And yes, I've had the RRD myself. Officially, they say it's 30%, but to everyone that's experienced it: it's 100%. Eventually, you're going to get it.

Anyway, when I heard that there is the New Xbox S version, with built-in wifi and large harddrive (250gb), I've decided it was time to upgrade. And maybe it's buyer's remorse, but I've somewhat regretted the purchase, especially when I got the Xbox Live "freezing" problem. Apparently this is an old bug, you can login into marketplace.xbox.com and clear out your current download - that should fix your freezing problem. Still, that was very, very, VERY annoying.

One good news is that Microsoft's new machine is incapable of getting the Red Ring (because there is no red lights), but the machine will shut itself down if it overheats. Which doesn't sound good. The machine does run really hot - put your hands over the vents after a few hours of gaming, I dare you!

I also own a PS3 "Fat", the original heavyweight (emphasis on heavy) next gen console, so I've decided to give you a side-by-side comparison between the two.

Compare	NEW XBOX 360 S						PLAYSTATION 3 (Fat)	WINNER
Name	Really? The console is called "new xbox". Terrible name.						Most commonly referred to as PS3, the original is called the Fat and their new model is called the PS3 Slim, which sounds sexier.	PS3
Looks	New is always sexy. It looks menacing too. Finger magnet though.						It looks like a grill. Although they updated PS3 to the Slim model, Xbox's shiny black is still cooler.	Xbox
Media	Plays DVD. And HD-DVD if you shell out another $179. USB sticks only (only recently)						Plays Bluray and DVD. SD cards, USB sticks, Fat32 external harddrive. Oh, yes, the Sony memory sticks.	PS3
File Support	Xbox will play JPEG, AVI and MPEG, but for some reason, it doesn't support certain formats ? Believe me: some files will play on the PS3, but not Xbox.						From personal experiences, some movies that plays on the PS3 do not play on Xbox.	PS3
Games	Exclusive titles like Gears of War, Halo, Alan Wake, and Fable makes this system a fan-favorite.						PS3's exclusive includes God of War, Resistance, Killzone, and Heavy Rain is pretty nice too.	Tie
Connection	Xbox's newer n is clearly the winner, but however, like most people, you're still probably using A or B on your home router, so it probably won't make much of a difference. It also has ethernet.						PS3's wifi is only "b" grade, but it connects just fine, but hardcore gamers would probably use ethernet anyway.	XBOX
Online	Xbox Live costs $50 a year to play online and to access Netflix and Facebook. The only saving grace of Xbox's free Silver account service is you can get all the seasons to The Guild for free. Otherwise a silver account is like a second citizen, you're treated like crap.						It's free on PS3. Value for value, I'd take free any day. Sorry Microcrap. Also, Playstation store includes MGM movies, which are not available on Xbox Marketplace. Hint: Sony owns MGM. ALSO: BIG WINNER: Netflix is free on PS3.	PS3
Controller	I like the weight and feel of the Xbox wireless controller... but it sometime has trouble connecting, especially if something is blocking it from the console. The elongated MS remote controller is nice and round, but that's about it.						I don't like the weight of the PS3 controller, but since it uses Bluetooth - you can aim it anywhere and it still just works. Also, the giant PS3 remote controller for watching Bluray works really well.	PS3
Forthcoming	Kinect looks cool, but we'll have to wait and see. Unfortunately, Xbox thinks DVD is the future. It's not. When massive games require more than 5 gigs of storage, it's not going to cut it anymore. Already Lost Planet 2 is not available on Xbox because of the limitation of DVDs.						PS3's Move looks lame. If you're looking at the future, you may want to bet on the PS3, they are bringing 3D in September and the future of movies is clearly on Bluray ... that is, until sometime better comes along.	PS3

I must sound like a PS3 fanboy, I'm not. I hate their Memory Sticks (it doesn't work on ANYTHING, well except for Sony products). I know this sounds like an advertisement for PS3, but that's just my honest opinion between the two consoles.

Personally, if you don't game, don't bother with these two - just get the Wii.

 07/09/2010 23:09:18 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥podcast.weheartmusic.com

The Deviot wrote: Sat, Jul 10, 2010 at 10:19 AM

The 360 Fail Rate is actually closer to 60% Which is why before going to EA Peter Moore instituted the 3yr RROD warranty.

The PS3 isn't flawless either. I have several friends that had the launch ones, who had to replace them because Sony didn't adequately provide cooling, and they too overheated, and crashed out.

The main problem (If you've ever taken one apart) with these consoles (Especially the 360) is that they used ALUMINUM heatsinks on their motherboards, when they should have used COPPER. Copper would displace the heat a lot more evenly. Which you need when you use a processor that draws a lot of current, and is going to be on for long periods of time.

I also know my local PnT store repairs the RROD, and essentially they replace the heatsink, CPU, and fans 9 times out of 10 on the mobo.

Personally I play mostly PC versions. They cost less, play better, look better, and 90% of the time land on Windows anyhow. I have yet to buy either HD console because of this fact, the fact that the HD twins seem to die on a constant basis (2 360's would get you an awesome PC. I rebuilt mine with a Quad Core, 4GB of DDR3, and a pretty nice Asus mobo for only $310 in January), and of course the fact that Live is another bill I could do without.

The cost of entry isn't high at all anymore (A decent branded oem that can play these games is between $400-$600), and you can use it for important work related things, social networking, blogging, hobbies, etc. etc.

 

That said I do have the Wii too. It also has a lot of great games that would indeed appeal to the Action or RPG gamer who is probably on their 73rd 360.

It's just a shame these games aren't covered the way everyone drools over big budget 360/pc/ps3 stuff.

No More Heroes, it's sequel, Madworld, House of the dead overkill, Ghost Squad, Sin And Punishment II, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Guilty Gear, The Conduit, Call of Duty World At War, Cod 4 Modern Reflex, Obviously almost anything by Nintendo. All great games. Even some of those "Casual" games (A total misnomer if you ask me) are an awful lot of freaking fun. I've enjoyed the Rock Bands, the lego one, Press Your Luck, Mario Sonic Olympics, and such.

It's just too bad Nintendo stopped caring what was put out by 3rd parties because there are a shitload of terrible rush job shovelware titles too. And I think the average person sees so many of those on the shelf they don't see the really awesome stuff. But seriously, it's a great system.

It isn't perfect though. There is ONE technical problem that happens with launch Wii's, and that is it develops this loud buzzing hum. I mean real loud. Crank the TV to drown it out loud. I looked a few things up on it, and there are a few theories about what causes it, but it doesn't seem to affect games. They all play fine. But it is annoying, and I may have to send the damned thing in.

 

Danzig at the Trocadero in Philadelphia 6/19/10

 

On June 19^th, my friend, Sarah, and I celebrated our beloved Glenn Danzig’s birthday a little early – with him!  She drove down from Rhode Island and whisked me away to Philadelphia to see our pretend boyfriend on tour.  Unfortunately, traffic and beautification delayed our arrival, so we missed both Gorgeous Frankenstein and Seventh Void.  Still, we made it just in time to stand around in sweaty darkness for a good twenty minutes before shadows and gloomy sounds alerted us to his arrival.  When the light came on, I admit that I squealed.  But, I wasn’t the only one.  Sarah, for her part, made sure to kill the 12-year-old girl in me by saying: “Whoa, he looks old.”  All I could see was bare-chested, video-Danzig.  Sort of.

 

 

 

Danzig - On A Wicked Night

Danzig

 

For about an hour and a half, the band expertly played songs from every Danzig album.  I believe that he introduced three new ones.  I can only remember Hammer of the Gods and On a Wicked Night, which were pretty good choices.  Twist of Cain, Her Black Wings, Thirteen, my super-favorite How the Gods Kill, and a blur of other songs ended in Mother.  At this point, Sarah and I gave up her comfort and my wussiness and walked through the now-sluggish, sausage fest of a pit to get to the front.  The encore consisted of the appropriate Dirty Black Summer and Am I Demon.  My hair was pulled, my glasses got foggy, sweat burned my eyes, and men’s awful muskiness enveloped both of us.  Why had I waited so long??!  (Maybe because guys aren’t always willing to give up their spot even if it means a soft, short, less smelly cushion.  So, why risk punches to the head?)

 

 

 

As I said, the band sounded great.  The only bit of oddness was Tommy Victor’s constant hand gesturing.  (Does he act like this when fronting Prong??)  Admittedly, motioning to the crowd so that they can be louder is not weird.  BUT, when he couples it with the He-Da-(Satanic)-Man-style pointing at Danzig, it becomes all sorts of distracting things.  (You got the job, dude.  Cut it out!)  Meanwhile, bassist Steve Zing was rocking his locks and intensely posing.  Drummer Johnny Kelly had a calm demeanor and huge, welcoming smile. And, Danzig… Oh my sweet, sweet Danzig kept swinging his mic, pulling out the devil horns, gnashing his teeth, congenially talking to the crowd, throwing lots of bottles of water to the dehydrated fans, and being his perfectly bohunk-y self.  All of this, he did while delivering near-record-quality vocals.  The man can definitely sing live. I’ve heard people knock his live performances, but he doesn’t disappoint.  At the end, he thanked us and wished us a safe return home.  Sarah thought that his politeness calls his evil into question.  I think that it’s evil with a smile.

 

 

Delayed by Summer Session, Cristina

W♥M085: Bonnaroo

��� W♥M085 [download (35min, 24mb)]

�

The Magic Numbers - Love Me Like You

Bonnaroo, the annual four-day music festival that started in 2001, continues strong into its tenth anniversary. Brody, man on the scene, reports back on all the details about the massive music festival.

One of my big misconception of the festival is that it's catered more to the bluegrass/Americana fans, but as Brody mentioned, the big draw was hip-hop with Jay-Z headlining, as well as a comedy and cinema, for those who are tired of the tried-and-true music-thing.

Overall, this tiny city of Manchester, Tennessee, might be regular stop for Brody going forward.

Me? I think nearly $300, even though it's for four days (with camping grounds included), it sounds a little too expensive for my blood. Instead, I've spent that money on a new Xbox "Slim".

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____
Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

�07/05/2010 15:55:42�♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥podcast.weheartmusic.com�

Thao and Mirah with The Most of All at the Cedar Cutural Center, Minneapolis (7/1/10)

Tour Dates 07/03/10 The Bottleneck Lawrence, KS* 07/05/10 Hi Dive Denver, CO* 07/07/10 Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, UT* 07/10/10 Mississippi Studios Portland, OR 07/17/10 Edgefield Troutdale, OR 07/18/10 Paramount Theatre Seattle, WA 07/19/10 Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, BC 07/20/10 Bing Crosby Theatre Spokane, WA 07/23/10 Verdi Club San Francisco, CA * with Mirah Read More Thao and the Get Down Stay Down http://weheartmus... There's a lot of buzz around this singer, Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down (seriously, jus...

Fellas, if you were wondering where all the women were on the night of July 1^st in Minneapolis, they were all at the Cedar Cultural Center to see Thao Nguyen and Mirah Zeitlyn.

Opening up for them were These United States (official / myspace), a band that I almost considered writing an article with The Presidents of the United States. They seem to have a love and history for Dinkytown in Minneapolis, as Jesse Elliott awkwardly deliver these stories between songs. One thing is for sure, they were certainly happy to be there that night as they've admitted that they've played some "sh** dive bars". Mirah and Thao and the Most of All, all joined These United States on stage to do a jamboree epic end song.

So, I'll try and quickly summarize Thao and Mirah for you, if you're not familiar with their music. To me, the two artist are somewhat different. I'll give you some examples, Mirah's work seems to be about nature and the Earth, while Thao's music are somewhat biographical, and lately, more fun/dancy. Even the two's singing style are different: Mirah is more melodic and quiet, while Thao's singing style is erratic. To hear them singing each other's songs, in an almost cover lover lovefest, it's so weird to me.

 

Thao Nguyen - Feet Asleep

Often the songs are done as duets, like on "Feet Asleep", which Mirah started, but Thao ended the song with the second stanza. I've never really thought the song needed another singer, but it really works live.

The highlight of their set, was definitely their finale, "Gone Are the Days", dubbed "the Disco song". This is just an amazing song, done live. Everyone, including These United States were on stage, singing, laughing, dancing, and having a great time.

♥ Thao and Mirah

♥ "Gone are all the Days"

Mirah - Gone Are All the Days (Disco Mix)

Mirah

I would also like to take this opportunity to mention that you can get this special disco mix of "Gone Are The Days", as well as five other remixes (Instrumental Mix, Doulgeris remix, Vox Only, Shawn Parke Remix, and Reduced Instrumental) as the first of K Records' very special Zip-Pak service. I've previously mentioned that it's $50, but you get about 50 EPs (this new service replaces the monthly singles club that were popular in the 90s).

If you're a Mirah collector, you'll want to pay attention to the two exclusive remixes, Shawn Parke (which, incidentally had a silent 45 seconds at the end) and Reduced Instrumental, which is only available as part of this massive 120mb download. Personally, I can't get enough of "Gone Are The Days" and each remix, with the exception of the instrumentals, does it correctly by not distracting from Mirah's beautiful vocals. I've heard too many remixes that gets it wrong by just putting techno beats and totally destroying the vocals. And as much as I like disco, I'll have to say that the Doulgeris remix is probably the best among the bunch.

Next week, July 8^th, the K Singles Zip-Pak will feature Electric Sunset, a band that I'm not familiar with, but I'm definitely going to check it out. And that's really the point of the K Singles club, for you to discover K's other bands.

 07/03/2010 17:17:44 ♥ vu () ♥ thaomusic.com ♥ myspace.com/cmonmirah