W♥M (Archive)

Megadeth: That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires (Blu-Ray)

Details Title: Megadeth: That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires Appearances: Megadeth, Dave Mustaine, Glen Drover, James LoMenzo, Shawn Drover Director: Michael Sarna Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Widescreen Region: Region 1 (USA and Canada) Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1 Studio: Image Entertainment Blu-ray Release Date: July 12, 2011 Run Time: 95 minutes Setlist: 1. Blackmail the Universe / 2. Set the World Afire / 3. Wake the Dead / 4. In My Darkest Hour / 5. She Wolf / 6. Reckoning Day / 7. A Tout Le Monde / 8. Hangar 18 & Return of Hangar 18 / 9. I'll Be There / 10. Tornado of Souls / 11. Trust / 12. Something That I'm Not / 13. Kick the Chair / 14. Coming Home / 15. Symphony of Destruction / 16. Peace Sells / 17. Holy Wars Retail Price: $19.98 (Bluray) Number of discs: 1

The not-so-secret secret in the music industry is that metal is huge. No, it's massive. But what is truly amazing is its popularity isn't from the help of commercial radio, but rather it's all underground and word-of-mouth promotion. So who better and more well-known than Megadeth, one of the "Rushmore" of Thrash Metal (this exclusive group includes the obvious Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, etc), to get a new Blu-Ray release of Megadeth: That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires.

The background to this concert film is that it was originally filmed live at Obras Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 9, 2005. As shown on the movie, there were a gazillion people in the audience. Clearly, the metal fans of Argentina, have been waiting in massive anticipation for this band to finally play live. They love it, they're singing along to every. Single. Song! Look at them mosh, look at them killing themselves to get a glimpse of the band. Megadeth, in 2005, was at the top of their game, as shown on this show.

What's nice here is that you also got some brief candid "backstage" of the band talking, playing acoustics in a park with fans, and doing promos prior to the show. The video and, especially the audio, is pretty awful in these segments, but you can't blame the source material that the film maker had to work with.

Highlight of the show was loud numbers like "Blackmail the Universe", "Wake the Dead", "Symphony of Destruction" and "I'll Be There". The latter is a particular special song for that night, because the original song (appearing on 1999's Risk) was inspired by the devotion of an Argentine fan. Subsequently Megadeth only performed "I'll Be There" in Argentina and Chile, so for true 'Deth heads, the CD, DVD, or Bluray is a must in your collection.

While the actual concert content is good, there are no special features (I'm not counting an alternative "audio mix" of "Symphony of Destruction" as a feature, which incidentally will play only in 480i). The other bad news is that because the cameras used were acceptable for the time period (in 2005), it is not shot in true high definition. Images looks soft and not as crisp and clear as some true HD films I've seen and I'm pretty sure this is just a direct transfer from the original 2007 DVD release, but with the image scaled up to 1080 (interlaced). Still, given between a DVD and Blu-Ray, BD is the way to go, it's like night and day.

I'll recommend this release, if you don't already own the DVD, go with the Blu-Ray, which was released July 12th, via Image Entertainment. If you're looking to upgrade from your DVD, this is a hard sell... Still retails for $19.98, which means you can probably get it discounted online.

Dave Mustaine from Megadeth: That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires

vu () ♥ megadeth.com

Khaira Arby and Delicate Steve at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (7/13/11)

Tour Dates 07/15/11 Grass Valley, CA - WorldFest 07/16/11 SF, CA - Grand Ballroom 07/20/11 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo 07/22/11 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress 07/24/11 Denver, CO - Underground 07/27/11 Co Springs, CO - Armstrong Quad Read More Khaira Arby Khaira Arby and Her Band is from Mali (West Africa), and have just received Mali's highest musical honor, 2011 Tamani D'Or Award. Khaira Arby and Her Band has been wowing audiences with their appearances at SXSW.

The Cedar Cultural Center is really the only venue in its class that constantly promote and encourage World Music and make it affordable for everyday people. This year's West Africa West Bank concert series has been pretty amazing so far, with acts like Tinariwen having just came through town. From the looks of things, Khaira Arby will be the last West Africa West Bank band until September, when we see Vieux Farka Touré (Sep 11) and Ballaké Sissoko (Sep 20).

Delicate Steve Setlist Delicate Steve

Opening band for Khaira Arby was Delicate Steve, who I couldn't wrap my head around an all-instrumental spacey surf band playing with this Africana-rock sound of Khaira Arby and Her Band. But as I watch Steve and his band play, I realized that Steve's music fits perfectly with Arby's band.

During one of Delicate Steve's songs (maybe "Z Expression"?), he had Arby's band come on stage to help play the song. Steve would later return the favor by coming on stage for Khaira Arby on three songs.

Please refer to the setlist if you were curious what was played.

Khaira Arby and Her Band came on stage dressed in traditional loose-fitting Mali garb with head covering. Even before Arby came on stage, the sound check was pretty awesome, so everyone knew we were in for a treat.

So, the first thing that hits you when Khaira Arby sings is that she has an amazing voice. It's loud and it's powerful. Singing style, for some reason, I found it to sound very similar to Indian (East Asia), but sung in French and Bambara.

The instruments played were the traditional guitars, bass, and drums, except that they also had a calabash on stage. A calabash is actually a fruit that, when hollowed out and dried, are used as drinking canteens (as seen in old Chinese movies) or used as a percussion instrument. The one on stage was cut in half, with a microphone under the dome, and it produces a loud thumping sound or click-a-dee sound when tapped with sticks.

They ended their set with an extra long song that introduces everyone on stage. You can tell the band was already wrapping things up and ready to call it a night, but the audience was asking for one more song. So Arby indulged us with one last song.

Khaira Arby's latest album is called Timbuktu Tarab, and is out now. She is wrapping up her tour on the West coast this week.

Khaira Arby at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (07/13/11)

vu () ♥ myspace.com/khairaarby ♥ delicatesteve.com

Going for Gold V

This is the fifth Going for Gold series.

>>>
HAMMOCKS AND HONEY
www.hammocksandhoney.com

From the looks of things, this Melbourne-based electro duo, Prudence "Prue" Rees-Lee and Alex Nosek, are Hammocks and Honey. Not sure which is the hammock and which is the honey.

What makes H&H interesting (and why they're here) is that they have a very limited 250 solid gold 12" vinyl called Spellbinder that was released last November 2010. I half-imagine postage is a killer no thanks to its weight in gold.

All kidding aside, they're back with a Spellbinder Remixes album, which, what else, remixes of their songs by different DJs. The EP is FREE, the note I have is that it'll be available on Thursday, July 14th, but I just went to bandcamp.com, and the EP is available to download now. It's free check it out, and if you like what you heard, they are doing some dates in Australia and New Zealand:

07/16/11 The Empress, Melbourne
08/04/11 Bar Open, Melbourne
08/25/11 Kings Cross Hotel Sydney
09/10/11 Grace Darling, Melbourne
10/14/11 Mighty Mighty, Wellington NZ
10/21/11 TABAC, Auckland NZ

GOLDROOM
goldroomtunes.com

Speaking of remixes...

Goldroom is basically Josh Legg, based out of Los Angeles. He is also in a synthpop band called NightWaves. With only three original songs (Morgan's Bay, City Girls, and Nights In Nantes), he seems more comfortable remixing other people and putting together his own themed mixtapes.

Recently he released a remix of Penguin Prison's song "Fair Warning". You can hear the effort on a popular hour mixtape at Aeroplane's June 2011 mix, but for those with only minutes to spare, I suggest you just listen to it by itself at Soundcloud, or better yet, download his free track, "Morgan's Bay".

The Sundelles: Gold

THE SUNDELLES
sundelles.com

Speaking of Los Angeles...

The Sundelles are originally from California, but they've moved to Brooklyn, New York, which they described as "loneliness of the East Coast". The band, lead by Sam Sundos, came up with their name as a nod to Phil Spector girl groups of the 60s (The Ronettes, The Crystals).

They have a couple of releases, Death Youth 7" (which looks like a perfect Coke commercial on the cover artwork) and their debut album, Georgia Swan, both in 2010.

The free track they've given to us is "Gold", which is the first track off Georgia Swan. It sounds very Beach Boys-ey.

GOLDEST EGG
goldestegg.com

There's a few recent announcements from Goldest Egg, first off is Arc In Round's II EP is out now. It's a free download, however you can pay whatever you like at bandcamp.com.

You can catch the band on tour:

7/13 - Lee's Palace, Toronto, ON *
7/14 - Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH *
7/15 - Russian Recording, Bloomington, IN *
7/16 - Subterranean, Chicago, IL *
8/26 - Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA
9/23 - Allentown Brewworks, Allentown, PA

* with Kurt Vile and the Violators, Woods

Second is Rotter and Friends' 9th collection for Spring/Summer 2011 is available now at rotterandfriends.com.

I know it's clothing, but this collection was inspired by a few music icons, including the disappearance of Jim Sullivan and his album, UFO, and a tribute to Christine Mcvie (from Fleetwood Mac).

Also is available a limited re-pressing of their "Thanks Neil (Young)" T-Shirts.

They are all on the more expensive side, but who said good fashion was cheap ?

GOLD PANDA
www.iamgoldpanda.com

Just quickly, I wanted to mention that Gold Panda has a free song, "MPB" at his website. The song isn't even from an upcoming release or part of his Lucky Shiner album. The song was announced along with a series of massive festivals (including Glasto and Latitude).

If you can't get enough, you can stream his Marriage EP at soundcloud. Details of the EP:

The "Marriage" single comes packaged with three very different remixes: UK producer Star Slinger cuts the track into a frantic halftime beat and drenches it in ecstatic synth pads; Los Angeles bedroom auteur Baths bakes the track into a honey-dripped analog confection, adding warm rhodes and wisps of his own falsetto vocals; and UK artist Forest Swords strips away everything but the melody, offering a slow-moving tribal rite—all gently plucked acoustic guitars, reverb’d drums, and eerily chanted vocals. "Marriage" will be available on March 1st digitally and as a limited 12" for Record Store Day on April 16th.

I've previously mentioned that I liked Gold Panda's album, it's easy to see why NPR called Gold Panda "best new electronic music".

07/14/11 Dour Festival, Belgium 07/15/11 Melt Festival, Berlin 07/17/11 Latitude Festival, Suffolk, UK 07/22/11 Croatia Atlantis Festival, Spit 07/23/11 Rome Festival, Italy 08/05/11 Bungalowdorf Olganitz Nacht Digital 08/13/11 Cannes, Pantiero Festival 08/14/11 Hamburg Dockville Festival 10/05/11 Bristol Thekla 10/06/11 London, KOKO		10/07/11 Leeds Brudenell Social Club 10/08/11 Glasgow King Tuts 10/24/11 Los Angeles, CA Echoplex 10/25/11 San Francisco, CA Independent 10/26/11 Seattle WA Crocodile 10/27/11 Ann Arbor, IL Blind Pig 10/28/11 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle 10/29/11 New York, Good Units 10/30/11 Asheville, NC Moog Festival

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

Silver Swans – Secrets EP

Read More Secret Swans This band, Silver Swans, took their name from Wonder Woman's villain. The original Silver Swan (Helen Alexandros) got her sonic powers from the Greek Gods...

Some music is best experienced at night, sheathed in the pungent scent of spontaneity and Acqua di Gio. San Francisco duo Silver Swans makes “bedtime” music for grownups. Grownups with nocturnal habits and loosely-defined bedtimes, that is. Listening to Secrets is a passage to the streets of New York or Berlin—bustling meccas for urban explorers just looking to get their groove on.

Like a steady heartbeat, Secrets pumps life into an often static genre by way of minimal production and cool-as-ice vocals (courtesy of song mistress Ann Yu). Still a highly stylized piece of pop art, the album will probably appeal to a mainstream audience moreso than its conceptual fellows. The opening track of Secrets, “Best Friend in Love,” sets the mood, which is cool, by the way; coy, even. Yu’s voice is a strategic blend of seductive and saccharine. She may very well shatter your heart into a million pieces, but you’ll never decry her actions “bitchy.” Because, as she puts it, “I never meant to hurt you.” The strongest track on Secrets is also the longest, clocking in at just over five minutes. “Meet Me Somewhere Nice” begins like an unsteady lullaby—the child’s play instrumentation and Yu’s wispy vocals create the kind of creepy twee a Polanski fan might appreciate; then, at the 1:30 mark a beat kicks in and ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE (in electro-pop vernacular ‘hell’ roughly translates as ‘hand claps’).The result is a dance song perfect for those of us that have trouble finding the rhythm and generally prefer swaying solo.

If you’re wondering about the band’s namesake, obviously you are neither nerd nor virgin (maybe). ‘Silver Swans refers to a group of villains in the Wonder Woman comic series. These nefarious fowl possess the ability to create a “swan song” sound wave capable of destroying land (and presumably the people that inhabit said land). But never fear, Silver Swans—the band—are emphatically non-evil and do not wish to destroy land and people! It is a curious choice, however, choosing an act of violence to symbolize a creative act of beauty. Rather than dwell on the psychology behind their fandom, let’s simply call them nerds, push them off the jungle gym and be done with it.*

One final note: Yu sings in Korean on the last track “Secrets (Bimil)”, of what, I don’t know. It could be lost Biblical scripture, it could be her grocery list. I only mention this as a novelty not a criticism. Truthfully, with this brand of music what she sings is less important than how she sings.

Secrets is Silver Swans’ debut EP. A full-length album is forthcoming, tentatively scheduled before the end of the year. For more information on the band or to purchase a copy of the EP, visit their Facebook page.

* In all honesty, though, Wonder Woman is not the nerdiest comic series to follow. If Silver Swans were truly hardcore geeks they’d call themselves Doctor Doom, amiright?

lara () ♥ facebook.com/silverswans

News: Autumn Tours 2011

MARGARET CHO
margaretcho.com

I saw Margaret Cho last year, she's funny, but it's not a show for kids.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that starting today, her Grammy-nominated album, Cho Dependent, can be had for as low as $1. This promotion is great if you haven't already got the album. And if you already own the CD, no problem, the digital download also includes two extra unreleased tracks.

Portion (20%) of this download goes to Immediate Justice, a charity for young women and queer folks of color. So be generous, if you've got the cash. If you're the #1 top donor, you get to appear in Cho's upcoming music video for "Asian Adjacent", filming in Los Angeles on July 24th. Second prize is a set of steak knives. Just kidding, you get a Cho Dependent package (tote bag, CHO HO tank top, posters, and an autographed LP). If 500 people donate, we all get "Sexting", an unreleased song from Drag Queen Sherry Vine featuring Margaret Cho. Make it happen.

Cho is doing some dates below:

07/16/11 San Diego, CA San Diego Pride Festival 08/03/11 - 08/05/11 Edinburgh Assembly Rooms 08/06/11 - 08/29/11 Edinburgh Assembly Rooms 09/02/11 Sydney Sydney Opera House AU 09/05/11 Brisbane The Tivoli Theatre AU 09/06/11 Melbourne Forum Theatre AU 10/13/11 London Leicester Square Theatre UK		10/14/11 London Leicester Square Theatre UK 10/15/11 London Leicester Square Theatre UK 10/16/11 Brighton Dome Concert Hall – Brighton 10/17/11 London Leicester Square Theatre UK 10/18/11 London Leicester Square Theatre UK 10/23/11 Glasgow The Stand Comedy Club UK 10/24/11 Glasgow The Stand Comedy Club

BEADY EYE
www.beadyeyemusic.com

It's inevitable, Beady Eye will conquer America this Fall 2011.

Lots of buzz, this post-Oasis band, lead by Liam Gallagher will play some key dates in America, hot off their debut album, Different Gear, Still Speeding. As I have previously warned/mentioned, you have to see this band this early in the stage of their career, otherwise you'll always kick yourself for not seeing them when they were starting out.

I know they're not even coming here until November and December, but you may want to buy tickets now before they sell out. Tickets goes on sale July 15th (Friday), with the exception of San Francisco - that goes on sale July 17th.

November 29 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
November 30 Seattle, WA @ Showbox Market
December 2 San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
December 3 Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
December 5 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
December 6 Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave Ballroom
December 8 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
December 9 New York, NY @ Terminal 5

M83
ilovem83.com

French electro-shoegaze band, M83, aka Anthony Gonzalez, will be touring the US this year. It's been over two years since his last live performance, so people are eagerly awaiting to see him.

General ticket sales are available to purchase today (July 12th), however, if you were a fan, you had early access as early as July 6th. Hopefully, when he comes around Minneapolis, we'll cover him.

Oct. 15 – Mexico City – Corona Capital Festival
Oct. 28 – Washington DC – Black Cat
Oct. 29 – Raleigh, NC – Kings Barcade
Oct. 30 – Asheville, NC – Moog Fest
Oct. 31 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
Nov. 2 – Orlando, FL – The Social
Nov. 4 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
Nov. 5 – Austin, TX – Fun Fun Fun Fest
Nov. 7 – Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom
Nov. 9 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
Nov. 10 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
Nov. 11 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
Nov. 12 – Vancouver, BC – Venue
Nov. 13 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
Nov. 16 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
Nov. 17 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
Nov. 18 – Toronto, ON – Lees Palace
Nov. 19 – Montreal, QC – La TuLipe
Nov. 20 – Boston, MA – Paradise
Nov. 22 – New York, NY – Webster Hall

MARNIE STERN
myspace.com/marniestern1

I wanted to see Marnie Stern's famed "tapping" guitar style (which some people is calling her "Greatest Female Guitarists Of All Time"), but unfortunately, I was out of town when she was here in Minneapolis. She's still on tour, so here are the dates:

09/21 - Hamden, CT @ The Space
09/23 - Toronto, ON @ Wrong Bar*
09/24 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean*
09/25 - Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog*
09/27 - Washington, DC @ The Red Palace*
09/28 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church*
09/29 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg*
09/30 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Upstairs*
10/02 - Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater
10/06 - Sydney, Australia @ Tone
10/07 - Melbourne, Australia @ Northcote Social Club
10/08 - Perth, Australia @ The Bakery
12/07 - London, UK @ XOYO
12/09 - Minehead, UK @ ATP Nightmare Before Christmas+

* w/ No Joy
+ w/ Les Savy Fav, Archers of Loaf, No Age, The Dodos

THAO WITH THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN
thaomusic.com

Speaking of Kill Rock Stars, I missed Thao & Mirah the last time they were here too. This was not my fault, BOBBY's van broke down and Led to Sea had failed me.

It's fine, I've seen them a few times, I still love them. The Get Down Stay Down is returning with Thao this September, minus Mirah:

09/20 - New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
09/21 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
09/22 - Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theater
09/23 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
09/24 - Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theater
09/25 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Ukie Club
09/26 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
09/27 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
10/03 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Calvin College Fine Arts Center
10/06 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
10/07 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theater
10/09 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
10/10 - Denver, CO @ Gothic Theater
10/18 - Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
10/19 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
10/20 - Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore Ballroom

THE VACCINES
thevaccines.co.uk

I saw these guys open up for Arctic Monkeys, I have to say "A Lack Of Understanding" sounded great live. I also mentioned that their most energetic song was called "Nørgaard", which the video just debut July 7th via vevo.com. The video features a sexy active Danish girl Amanda Nørgaard playing tennis, skating, bicycling, and bowling.

9/8 Seattle, WA Crocodile Café
9/9 Vancouver, BC Venue
9/10 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
9/13 Los Angeles, CA Music Box
9/14 San Diego, CA The Casbah
9/18 Austin, TX ACL
9/21 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
9/22 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
9/24 Philadelphia, PA Popped Festival
9/25 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
9/27 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
9/28 Montreal, QC Corona
9/30 New York, NY Webster Hall
10/1 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg

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

The Get Up Kids at Triple Rock, Minneapolis (07/10/11)

Tour Dates 07/14/11 Outland Ballroom Springfield, MO+ 07/15/11 Firebird St Louis, MO+ 07/16/11 Historic Southgate House Newport, KY+ 07/17/11 Exit/In Nashville, TN+ 07/30/11 Fuji Rock Festival Niigata, Japan 08/01/11 Taipei, Taiwan 08/05/11 Hi Fi Brisbane, Australia 08/06/11 Metro Sydney, Australia 08/07/11 Billboard The Venue Melbourne, Australia 08/09/11 Fowlers Live Adelaide Australia 08/11/11 Powerstation Auckland, New Zealand 08/13/11 Satellite Los Angeles, CA 08/14/11 Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown, CA 09/10/11 Wells Street Festival Chicago, IL 09/21/11 007 Prague, Czech Republic 09/22/11 Luxor Cologne, Germany 09/23/11 Reeperbahn Festival Hamburg, Germany 09/23/11 Batschkapp Frankfurt, Germany

The Get Up Kids haven't been around for a few years, but they are NOT forgotten, as evident by the nice turnout for the band on a hot Sunday evening at the Triple Rock Social Club. And you know what that means: three bands for triple the rock.

Major Crimes The Globes

I thought the first band, Major Crimes, sounded great. They were tight, was especially impressed with the drums. As it turns out, this trio went under the name Brian Bonz and the Major Crimes (Bonz is the drummer), but what's interesting is that Bonz is not doing the vocals on stage. Instead, singing duties were left to the guitarist and bassist.

The Globes were up next. I thought their debut Barsuk album, Future Self, was well produced, and I was glad to see they carry their spacey progressive rock sound live. As expected, they did a lot of songs from their album, complete with strange neck playing of the guitars, cowbells, and weird loops and guitar pedals.

For those who aren't familiar with The Get Up Kids, they were maybe unfairly grouped together with the emo scene of the 90s. This scene includes such hot acts like Dashboard Confessional, Thursday, Jimmy Eat World, and Saves the Day. While the band hated this tag, I believe it also help boost their rise in popularity.

What I liked about their setlist (see photograph), is that they get it right: they'll sandwich new songs between old favorites, like "Woodson", etc. You can always tell which one were the old songs as everyone is singing along.

Jim Suptic told this story about how they were at Summerfest and they had started a massive "USA" chant. Hilariously the "USA" chants was repeated throughout the show.

When the last song, "Walking on a Wire", was done, the crowd went into the usual "USA" chant for the traditional encore. The true irony is that they opened up their encore with a cover of UK's Blur song "Girls and Boys". This is quite an interesting cover choice for the band, and as much as I enjoyed the cover, the song was lost on its younger audience who has probably never heard of the song and/or could care less.

The other three encore songs included two Get Up Kids favorites "Don't Hate Me" and "Ten Minutes", and between those two songs was another cover: The Replacements' "Beer For Breakfast". The 'Mats was clearly a song choice chosen for the Minneapolis show. Outro song was Lou Reed's "Perfect Day". I don't know if the outro song was a request by the band, but it seems quite fitting for this show.

The Get Up Kids' fifth studio album, There Are Rules, was released in January. Go see them on tour to welcome them back.

The Get Up Kids at Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis (07/10/11)

vu () ♥ www.thegetupkids.com

Mountain Man at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (07/10/11)

Mountain Man: Come All Yee Tour Dates 07/11/11 Milwaukee WI @ Cactus Club 07/12/11 Chicago IL @ Schubas 07/13/11 Lawrence KS @ The Bottleneck* 07/15/11 Santa Fe NM @ Brewing Co Patio* 07/16/11 Denver CO @ Larimer Lounge 07/17/11 Aspen CO @ Belly Up 07/18/11 Telluride CO @ Sheridan Opera House* 07/21/11 St Louis MO @ Off Broadway 07/23/11 Indianapolis IN @ Radio Radio 07/24/11 Pittsburgh PA @ Club Café 07/25/11 Philadelphia PA @ First Unitarian 07/26/11 Arlington VA @ IOTA Club and Café 07/28/11 New York NY @ Mercury Lounge+ 07/29/11 Hudson NY @ Club Helsinki+ 07/30/11 Northampton MA @ Iron Horse+ 07/31/11 Newport RI @ Newport Folk Festival * w/ Blind Pilot + w/ BOBBY

Mountain Man's free show at the Cedar Cultural Center last night, July 10th, in Minneapolis, was a big success, with the patio filling up quickly in anticipation of their appearance. I sat next to three girls who drove all the way from Omaha, Nebraska, just to see them, to give you an idea of their fans' dedication. 

They did a double set, with a 15 minute break at 8pm. The first half was a little more improv and goofy. Starting off with some harmonizing and "Honeybee" and constantly asking each other what song to do next.

They really hit their stride when they came back with the second set.  The second had a more acoustic guitar focus, rather than straight harmonizing and a cappella style singing. 

The second set included a few covers, including a Tom Waits' "Green Grass" and the DeZurik Sisters' "I Left Her Standing There" (complete with chicken yodeling). They even threw in another "Animal Tracks" (which they did in the first set), for the late comers. 

For the finale, they did a song version of a Hopi prayer, "Now I Walk in Beauty". At first it was sung slowly so everyone can clearly hear the simple lyrics, but then the song was broken into three section of the crowd singing at different time. I'm sure I messed up a few times, but it sounded great anyway. 

Mountain Man is currently on tour. They have recently released Live at the Wiltern on audio and video on July 5th, exclusively via iTunes. 

Mountain Man at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (07/10/11)

vu () ♥ facebook.com/mountainmansquint

B.B. King: Live

Details Title: B.B. King: Live Appearances: B.B. King, with special guests Terrence Howard, Solange, Richie Sambora, and band Charlie Dennis, Tony Coleman, Reggie Richards, Ernest Vatrease Director: Joe Thomas Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen Region: Region 1 (USA and Canada) Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Studio: Image Entertainment DVD and Blu-ray Release Date: July 12, 2011 Run Time: 54 minutes Setlist: Everyday I Have the Blues, See That My Grave Is Kept Clean, How Many More Years, Downhearted, I Need You So, I Got Some Help I Don’t Need, Thrill is Gone, Nobody Loves Me But My Mother, Let the Good Times Roll, Thrill is Gone, When The Saints Go Marching In, Key to the Highway Retail Price: $14.98 (DVD)/$17.97 (BD) Number of discs: 1

Blues Boy King (B.B. King) is one of the world's most recognized musician, both for this work in the blues and his amazing guitar playing skills. He has a way of making his guitar, named Lucille, talk back on his songs. It is not a mystery that Rolling Stones named B.B. King #3 on their The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, right under Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman (of the Allman Brothers). By that list, it should also make King the greatest living guitarist of all time.

At age 85, you would expect B.B. King to have long retired, but that's not the case. The older he gets, the more passionate he is about performing and singing the blues. And just this year alone, he's scheduled to appear in Germany, Czechoslovakia, Italy, France, and Spain, so he's in high demand all over the world.

Image Entertainment is proud to release B.B. King: Live, out this Tuesday, July 12th, showcasing the living legend's skills. Unfortunately, the program is pretty vanilla, with no special features or interviews or subtitles. However, the price of this release is quite reasonable, retailing for about $15 (DVD) and $18 (BD) but you can get it discounted online ($13 for Bluray).

The concert originally aired on PBS's "Soundstage" series in January 2009. This television series does a great job on very tight closeups on the performers and is professionally produced. Director Joe Thomas does an excellent job spotlighting the best view and making sense of it all for you and you're never bored with a static shot of the band.

What's interesting to note on the DVD release is that "Key To the Highway" is omitted from the original broadcast, instead you have to access the song from the "Song List" menu. I believe this was done for pacing purposes, because "Key To the Highway" really brought the set down a few notches.

All the special guests (Terrence Howard, Solange, Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi), they all showed up for the final foot-stomper, "When The Saints Go Marching In", making the song a special highlight. Although a truly special number, I personally thought Terrence Howard and B.B.'s version of "I Need You So" was the best, mostly because they turned this song into something completely different and fun with their improvisations.

B.B. King: Live will be out on DVD and Blu-ray on July 12th via Image Entertainment.

B.B. King with Solange on B.B. King: Live

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Sick of Sarah at 400 Bar, Minneapolis (07/08/11)

Tour Dates 07/12/11 Darien Lakes - Darien Center, NY 07/13/11 Comcast Center - Mansfield, MA 07/14/11 Toyota Pavilion - Scranton, PA 07/15/11 Flats - Mississauga, ON 07/16/11 Parc Jean Drapeau - Montreal 07/17/11 Comcast Theatre - Hartford, CT 07/19/11 Marcus Amph - Milwaukee, WI 07/20/11 Blossom Music - Cleveland, OH 07/21/11 Susquehanna - Camden, NJ 07/22/11 1st Niagara Pavilion - Pittsburgh, PA 07/23/11 Nassau - Long Island, NY 07/24/11 Monmouth Park - Oceanport, NJ 07/26/11 Merriweather - Columbia, MD 07/27/11 Verizon Wireless - Virginia Beach, VA 07/28/11 Verizon Wireless - Charlotte, NC 08/18/11 Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY 08/19/11 Maxwell's - Hoboken, NJ 08/20/11 M Room - Philadelphia, PA

I underestimated how long it would take to bicycle down to the 400 Bar and ended up really late - Fuzzy Machete had just finished their set and walking off the stage. It was guitarist Tara's birthday and all, so I am personally embarrassed that I couldn't pedal as fast as I used to. I did manage to later squeeze in some insights about their "new" drummer, Chayci. Apparently it's their old drummer. And also settled my differences with Scott Bakula with singer Krissandra.

Fuzzy Machete is playing at AniMinneapolis today (July 9th). They'll love them there, with all the stuff about Star Trek and nerdy songs. You have been warned.

Hunter Valentine Julie Puppets

The turn out for this show was pretty amazing, it was mostly women, but there were actually a good portion of men too.

Hunter Valentine started off their set with "Jimmy Dean" with the catchy chorus of "and when you walk away/you walk away with my feelings". I'm not that familiar with their songs, but I'm pretty sure they did "Scarface", and also, I think a cover of The Shirelles' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow".

As predicted, Julie Puppets didn't really fit in on the bill, as evident by the crowd having gone away. To their credit, it is a tough act to follow Sick of Sarah. Singer Russ Staiger said on stage that they haven't played in over a year, but they seem to have to have it together from their "69 times playing the 400 Bar" (joke) (see comment below). Their set includes a full band for the first three song, then a solo three-song set, and then closing out with the full band.

The majority of the crowd was there to see Sick of Sarah, they've built up quite a fan following. You can see that this isn't their first rodeo, the band is tight and singer Abisha dance moves have been perfected from all their tours.

Sick of Sarah started off their set with their single, "Kick Back", which sounded great, but "Bittersweet" was clearly the crowd's favorite. It was a short set, and fans were demanding an encore. Always leave them wanting more.

Sick of Sarah is about to embark on the Warped Tour 2011, which should be pretty amazing, but I must admit, it's better to see them in a more intimate setting like the 400 Bar.

Sick of Sarah at 400 Bar, Minneapolis (07/08/11)

PS, as noted on their setlist, they also held a "Tattoo" raffle.

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Saturday, 09 July 2011 at 12:22 PM
Tara Davis writes:

Hey, Tara from Fuzzy Machete here. Sorry you missed us this time, but I'm sure we'll see you again. I know this city is notorious starting shows later than posted, but with five bands on the bill, we ran a pretty tight ship an every single band started right on the dot of the announced start times.

One quick correction: Russ was actually NOT joking when he announced that it was his band's 69th appearance at the 400 Bar. It was. The Julie Puppets have been on a long hiatus, but used to be really active in the Minneapolis scene a couple years ago. They did a lot of double-bills with Sick of Sarah, and also headlined some pretty exciting shows on their own. This was their "comeback" show with a new drummer but otherwise their same line-up. As you could tell from the sight of me bouncing up and down near the front of the stage, I'm a huge fan.

Guide to July 2011

Apologies to non-Minnesotans, I'm sure you're sick of hearing about how our government basically shut down last week (with 23,000 state workers laid off!) and none of our state parks and rest areas are open to visitors!

Here are things happening in the Twin Cities:

400 BAR
400bar.blogspot.com
When: Friday, July 8, 2011 and July 22, 2011
Price: $8 Advance/$10 Door

I'm going to at the 400 Bar tonight, to see a bunch of girl bands. You know that I do like my riot grrrls, so here's a preview and background on each band.

Jettison Juliet looks tough. Their influences include The Donnas and Motion City Soundtrack. All I know about them is their drummer, Amy, used to be in Fuzzy Machete, who are pretty dorky, singing songs about Star Trek (in particular Scott Bakula) and zombies and bunnies.

Having just survived NXNE, I can tell you that the city has a lot of different ethnics food offering: Korean, Indian, Japanese, Greek, Chinese, Italian, etc. So, Torontonians, Hunter Valentine, must be eating well. I've seen them before, they have great stage presence.

Sick of Sarah who also just survived Canada last May, got their name from singer Abisha Uhl's ex-roommate, Sarah. They are heading out on a national tour next week.

It looks like the odd band out is Julie Puppets, the only all-dudes band on the bill. It looks like they've been around since 2001, but have maybe reformed recently?

Oh, I was also on the 400 Bar's website, I see that The Blow is coming back to Minneapolis, on July 22nd. We like the Blow, so I'll try and see if I can make it to that show.

BASILICA BLOCK PARTY 2011
basilicablockparty.org
When: July 8, 2011 to July 9, 2011
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, White Light Riot, Usonia, Zoo Animal, Ray LaMontagne and The Pariah Dogs, Amos Lee, Gomez, Stuart D'Rozario, Drive-By Truckers, Citizen Cope, 4onthefloor, The Pines, Hunting Club and The Arms Akimbo.

Not much to add, except there's quite a few bands that we've previously covered here, including Citizen Cope, The Jayhawks, Amos Lee, Gomez, 4onthefloor, etc.

UPDATE: Dan sent in a photo from 7/8/11.

The Jayhawks at Basilica Block Party, Minneapolis (07/08/11)

HIGHLAND FEST 2011
highlandfest.com
When: 7/15/11 to 7/17/11
Price: FREE

This three-day festival is organized and promoted by the Highland Business Association, who said that they draw in about 60,000 and 65,000 visitors each year. I believe most people turn out because there are massive fireworks each night, plus, it's free.

The bands on two stages are typical of an event like this, mostly bands I've never heard of. I believe to see the bands might cost you money, Sell Out Stereo (Friday), Rocket Club (Saturday), and Power of 10 (Sunday).

Band of interests, I was told to look out for Maudlin, a power pop/rock trio, who just recently opened up for Urge Overkill (which regrettably I was not in town when they stopped by, but they are one of those 90s bands that will be forever remembered for that Neil Diamond cover). Maudlin is set to go on at 3pm. Since the show actually costs money, I'm told it's $30 in advance, and I haven't really heard of the other bands, I'll likely not attend this one.

LAKEFRONT JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL 2011
lakefrontjazz.com
When: Saturday 7/16/11
Price: $5 advance/$10 at door

Not exactly in the Twin Cities area, this Jazz & Blues festival takes place in Prior Lake, Minnesota, which is about a half an hour drive south.

Haven't heard of any of the bands on the lineup, but the price is right ($5).

Buddy Guy
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
Lamont Cranston Band
Tim Mahoney
Jessy J
Steve Oliver

BASTILLE DAY BLOCK PARTY 2011
bastilledayblockparty.com
When: Sunday, July 17, 2011
Price: FREE

This will be my third time seeing Bastille Day. This year, the lineup includes our favorites Solid Gold and Rogue Valley:

Clementown
Brass Messengers
The Evening Rig
National Bird
Pink Mink
Tony Sandler
Rogue Valley
Faux Jean
Solid Gold

Event is from 2pm to 10pm, each band plays a brief set, with various street entertainers when bands are setting up.

BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL MINNEAPOLIS 2011
bicyclefilmfestival.com
When: 7/21/11 to 7/24/11
Price: FREE (Thursday and various activities)/$8 per movie program/$27 for full pass

Bicycle Film Festival, aka BFF, is taking place this late July. UPDATE: You can buy individual programs each for $8 + $1.43 fee, which includes one movie ticket (with the exception of Thursday, which is free). All other activities are free.

If you've got a thing for bicycles and movies and beers see below:

THURSDAY JULY 21
Group Ride To M.I.A. Bike Night | Gold Medal Park
M.I.A. Bike Night M.I.A. | 2400 3rd Ave. South
MPLS BIKE LOVE NIGHT RIDE | M.I.A.

FRIDAY JULY 22
Bike Happy Hour
Bike Movies St. Anthony Main | 115 SE Main St.
After Party Red Stag | 509 1st. Ave. NE

SATURDAY JULY 23
Bike Brunch
Bike Scavenger Hunt Gold Medal Park
Bike Movies St. Anthony Main | 115 SE Main St.
After Party One On One | 117 Washington Ave. North

SUNDAY JULY 24
BFF & MPLS Bike Love Picnic

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