W♥M (Archive)

Fanfare Ciocarlia at the Cedar, Minneapolis (09/26/12)

Read More Fanfare Ciocarlia Romania's Fanfare Ciocarlia is heading out on a brief-eight city North American tour this year. The New York Gypsy Festival founder Mehmet Dede best summed up…

What an excellent way to send Romania's Fanfare Ciocarlia home, as they play their last North American date to a packed house at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis last night, September 26th.

Brass Messengers

Kicking it all off was local big brass band, Brass Messengers. They were a really large band, and the crowd loved dancing to the big sound. Their most interesting song was a cover of Black Sabbath's "The Wizard," which was played shortly before their congo-style march into the audience to close out their set.

Speaking of large band, Fanfare Ciocarlia was even larger. They all wore the same red shirts, with the exception of two band members in black. I wondered about that, maybe they didn't have clean outfits… it was, after all, a long stint touring the country, with Minneapolis on their last stop.

After three songs in, with everyone still dancing in front, Fanfare Ciocarlia's band leader said, "Let's start the party," in his Romanian accent. True enough, they got the party started.

As you can see from the setlist, they had a lot of material to work with: from "Ciocarlia Si Suite" and "Lume, Lume" from 2000's Radio Pascani to "Caravan" 2005's Gili Garabdi to the cover of "Born to Be Wild" from 2007's Queens & Kings.

Most of their songs have no lyrics, so there won't be any language barrier. If you want to have a good time dancing, Fanfare Ciocarlia is a great band to experience live.

Fanfare Ciocarlia at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (09/26/12)

vu () ♥ asphalt-tango.de/fanfare ♥ brassmessengers.com

W♥M149: Mark Mallman Interview

W♥M149 (24 mins)

Mark Mallman is the guest on W♥M Radio.

Things we talked about:

• Breaking news: Moon River singer, Andy Williams died last night, September 25th, at the age of 84. At the height of his popularity, he was doing the Andy Williams Show from 1962-1971 and was married to French actress/model Claudine Longet (who had a career as a pop singer, but it ended untimely when she allegedly murdered her boyfriend Olympic skier Vladimir Sabich.)
• Mallman's other bands, The Odds and Ruby Isle. Discussion about Ruby Isle's cover album Appetite for Destruction, which was never officially released due to legal issues.
• Mallman's "Marathon" series, which started as a joke but now has become part of what Mark Mallman is known for. The Marathon evolved to a live broadcast from New York to Los Angeles.
• Double Silhouette is the new Mark Mallman album; coming out October 9th.
• Song of the show is Mallman's "The Man With Music Instead of Blood," taken from the forthcoming Double Silhouette.

W♥M Radio is available on iTunes, please subscribe!

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

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Nightlife

NIGHT MOVES
nightmovesmpls.com

Night Moves is a band based out of Minneapolis. They are getting a lot of buzz for landing on the cover of the Star Tribune as well as awarded "Best New Band" by City Pages.

In October, the band will be heading out on tour with Lord Huron, who we previously mentioned as "a very strong visual approach alongside these stories and wayfaring sounds."

Lord Huron's album Lonesome Dreams will be out October 9th, with Night Moves' Colored Emotions to hit stores October 16 via Domino Records. Night Moves' record release party will be at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis with Lord Huron.

Dates with (*) indicates with Lord Huron.

09/29 Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre 10/02 Denton, TX - Dan's Silverleaf* 10/03 Austin, TX - Stubb's Jr* 10/05 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn* 10/06 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506* 10/07 Washington, DC - Black Cat Backstage* 10/08 Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie* 10/09 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge* 10/11 Allston, MA - Great Scott* 10/12 Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands Gallery* 10/13 Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place*

10/15 Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern* 10/16 Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry* 10/18 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge* 10/19 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court* 10/20 Boise, ID - Neurolux* 10/21 Seattle, WA - Barboza* 10/22 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge* 10/24 San Francisco, CA - The Independent 10/25 Los Angeles, CA – The Satellite 10/26 San Diego, CA – Soda Bar 10/27 Phoenix, AZ – Sail Inn*

KATE MILLER-HEIDKE
www.katemillerheidke.com

I've been aware of Australian singer/songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke since 2008, and I'm happy to see her on tour in support of Nightflight.

Nightflight came out earlier this Summer from SonyMusic Indepdent Network (aka SIN), and critics are calling her voice as "most gloriously elastic vocal chords in contemporary music."

Plus, the best news yet, she's currently on tour with Ben Folds Five!

09/25/12 Houston, TX Bayou Music Center
09/27/12 Council Bluffs, IA Stir Cove At Harrahs
09/28/12 Kansas City, MO Starlight
09/29/12 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre
09/30/12 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
10/2/12 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
10/3/12 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre
10/5/12 Buffalo, NY Kleinhan's Music Hall
10/7/12 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theatre
10/9/12 Port Chester, NY The Capitol Theatre
10/13/12 Boston, MA House Of Blues
10/15/12 Toronto, Ontorio Kool Haus

LIGHTS ALL NIGHT
lightsallnight.com

Lights All Night is a New Years Eve music festival, taking place this year at Fair Park in Dallas on December 29th to 31st. They've already signed a bunch of popular electronic DJs, including Tiësto, Avicii, Bassnectar, Calvin Harris, etc. More acts listed below, with more being added.

With first tier tickets sold out and things are looking positive on the pre-sell, they are hoping to expand to the Australian market. Look for Lights All Night to take place in Australia in 2013.

Here's Lights All Night Dallas lineup so far:

3LAU, 12th Planet, Abakus, Adventure Club, Alesso, Alvin Risk, Archnemesis, At Dawn We Rage, A-Trak, Avicii, Axwell, Bassnectar, Bingo Players, Break Science, Calvin Harris, Cookie Monsta, Crizzly, Diplo, Doorly, Feed Me, Figure, Flux Pavilion, Funtcase, Gareth Emery, Ghostland Observatory, Griz, Keys N Krates, LA Riots, Madeon, Markus Schulz, Minnesota, Mord Fustang, Nero DJ Set, Nervo, Nobody Beats the Drum, Play N Skills, Popeska, Rhythm Monks, Sander Van Doorn, Supervision, Tiësto, Tommy Trash, White Panda, Zedd, Zeds Dead

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Three of a Kind

Read More Green Day Other punk-ish bands in the 20+ year club includes Green Day (who just announced three albums!), Bad Religion (these guys are legendary, I love Greg Graffin - the smartest man in punk)…

GREEN DAY
greenday.com

Green Day's ¡Uno!, the first in the trilogy of albums, hits stores today (September 25th) via Reprise Records. Be on the lookout* for ¡Dos! on November 13, 2012, and ¡Tré! on January 15, 2013. The latter album is named after drummer Tré Cool.

Yes, the album is out now, but it seems like all the news is about singer Billie Joe Armstrong. He was hospitalized in Italy and the band cancelled the weekend dates as a result. Although it came back as "severe case of dehydration," we kind of all knew it was drugs-related. Then there was the breakdown on stage when Armstrong walked off stage after smashing his guitar and you found out later that "Billie Joe is seeking treatment for substance abuse."

After reading about these various incidents, I would suspect that this might be the last hurrah for Green Day. In my personal opinion, I do not think Green Day will tour again, so if you are a massive fan, you need to see them this year.

Green Day's first leg of their ¡UNO!, ¡DOS!, ¡TRÉ! TOUR will begin in November.

11/26/12 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre 11/27/12 Kennewick, WA Toyota Center 11/29/12 Salem, OR Salem Armory Auditorium 12/01/12 Sacramento, CA Memorial Auditorium 12/02/12 Reno, NV Grand Sierra Resort 12/04/12 Santa Cruz, CA Santa Cruz Civic Aud 12/10/12 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre 01/07/13 Green Bay, WI Resch Arena 01/08/13 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena 01/10/13 Wilkes Barre, PA Mohegan Sun Arena 01/11/13 State College, PA Bryce Jordan Center 01/13/13 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena 01/14/13 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center 01/16/13 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center

01/18/13 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena 01/19/13 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena 01/21/13 Fairfax, VA Patriot Center 01/22/13 Philadelphia, PA Liacourias Center 01/24/13 Providence, RI Dunkin Donuts Center 01/25/13 Portland, ME Cumberland Civic Center 01/27/13 Quebec City, QC Colisee Pepsi Arena 01/29/13 Toronto, ONT Air Canada Centre 01/30/13 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center 02/01/13 Moline, IL I Wireless Center 02/02/13 Madison, WI Alliant Energy Center 02/04/13 Omaha, NE CenturyLink Arena 02/06/13 Broomfield, CO 1STBANK Center 02/08/13 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena

* This is a punny reference to Green Day's first record deal on Lookout! Records in 1989.

Read More The Devil Makes Three I saw these guys, The Devil Makes Three, last year, I was rather surprised by the turn-out (they sure have loads of fans).

DEVIL MAKES THREE
thedevilmakesthree.com

I see a lot of shows, and one of the stand-out performances was seeing Devil Makes Three at the Triple Rock last year. They blew me away with their sold-out bluegrass/punk/country show.

Like most successful touring band, the trio is back in Minneapolis this Saturday at the Cabooze. If you want to have a good time, seeing them at the outdoor venue will be a great introduction to the band. Plus, plenty of room for you to dance…

If you were planning on catching Devil Makes Three in November, Jonny "Corndawg" Fritz will be opening. Jonny will be touring as a duo with his longtime band member, Nashville-based fiddle player Josh Hedley, who'll also be helping out on vocals. His tour is in support of I'm Not Ready to Be a Daddy and Down On the Bikini Line.

Apparently his nickname, "Corndawg" might be going away for his future endeavors. He might be called "Johnny Fritz and the In-Laws" in the future.

09/25/2012 Mr. Small's Theatre Millvale, PA 09/26/2012 The Ark Ann Arbor, MI 09/27/2012 20th Century Theatre Cincinnati, OH 09/28/2012 Lincoln Hall Chicago, IL 09/29/2012 The Cabooze Minneapolis, MN 10/02/2012 Blue Moose Iowa City, IA 10/03/2012 The Bottleneck Lawrence, KS 10/04/2012 The Waiting Room Omaha, NE 10/05/2012 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO 10/06/2012 Bluebird Theater Denver, CO 10/10/2012 George's Majestic Fayetteville, AR 10/11/2012 Cain's 2nd Stage Tulsa, Oklahoma 10/13/2012 The Parish Austin, TX 10/14/2012 Austin City Limits Music Festival, TX 10/27/2012 Communion in Redwoods Big Sur, CA 10/30/2012 Belly Up Tavern* Solana Beach, CA 10/31/2012 Orpheum Theatre+ Flagstaff, AZ 11/01/2012 Club Congress Tucson, AZ

11/02/2012 House of Blues* West Hollywood, CA 11/03/2012 The Catalyst* Santa Cruz, CA 11/04/2012 Fillmore+ San Francisco, CA 11/07/2012 Senator Theatre+ Chico, CA 11/08/2012 Historic Ashland Armory+ Ashla/OR 11/09/2012 Crystal Ballroom+ Portla/OR 11/10/2012 Showbox at The Market+ Seattle, WA 11/11/2012 McDonald Theatre+ McDonald Theatre 11/14/2012 A Club+ Spokane, WA 11/15/2012 The Wilma Theatre+ Missoula, MT 11/16/2012 Visual Arts Collective+ Garden City, ID 11/17/2012 The Depot+ Salt Lake City, UT 12/27/2012 Higher Ground Burlington, VT 12/29/2012 State Theater Portla/ME 12/30/2012 The Met Providence, RI 12/31/2012 Theatre of the Living Arts Phila, PA * with Sean & Zander, and Jonny Fritz Corndawg + with Jonny Fritz Corndawg

Read More Dirty Three An upcoming performance by Australia’s renowned instrumental rock band Dirty Three should have music fans frothing at the mouth with excitement.

DIRTY THREE
anchorandhope.com

Just a reminder that Dirty Three is in the middle of their North American tour! It's been three years since they were last in America, so don't miss them.

The new tour in support of Toward The Low Sun*, the band's first album in over seven years. Emily is covering their appearance in Minneapolis.

Tue. Sept. 25 - Detroit, MI @ Trinosophes (1464 Gratiot)
Wed. Sept. 26 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Thu. Sept. 27 - Iowa City, IA @ Gabe's Oasis
Fri. Sept. 28 - Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
Mon. Oct. 1 - Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore Cabaret
Tue. Oct. 2 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Wed. Oct. 3 - Portland, OR @ The Mission Theater
Thu. Oct. 4 - Portland, OR @ The Mission Theater
Sat. Oct. 6 - San Francisco, CA @ Hardly Strictly Festival
Mon. Oct. 8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater

* Check out "Rising Below" via Drag City.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Ben There, Done That

Alternate title: Around the Ben's.

BEN HOWARD
benhowardmusic.co.uk

Ben Howard's album Every Kingdom was recently nominated for a Mercury Prize award. He's currently on tour in the US in support of the album. The buzz is pretty amazing, he's sold out his appearance at the beautiful Varsity Theater in Minneapolis.

September 24 - Toronto, ONT - The Sound Academy
September 26 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theater
September 27 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater
September 29 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
September 30 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
October 2 - Seattle, WA - The Neptune
October 3 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
October 4 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
October 6 - Hollywood, CA - The Fonda Theatre
October 7 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
October 9 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
October 12-14 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits

BEN TAYLOR
bentaylormusic.com

You remember Ben Taylor? He previously went under the more former Benjamin Taylor, the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon.

It's been a good few years since I last wrote about him, but just recently Taylor premiered his first official music video for "Oh Brother" on Rollingstone.com.

He's also doing a ton of tour dates in support of his 2012 album, Listening:

September 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room
September 25 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up Aspen
September 26 –Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
September 28 – Council Bluffs, IA – Harrah’s
October 1 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark*
October 2 – Evanston, IL – Space*
October 3 – Warrendale, PA – Jergels Live*
October 4 – State College, PA – State Theatre*
October 5 – Natick, MA – The Center For Arts in Natick*
October 6 – Rockland, ME – The Strand Theatre*
October 7 – South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground - Showcase Room*
October 8 – New York, NY – TBA*
October 9 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head On Stage*
October 10 – Vienna, VA – Barns of Wolf Trap*
October 12 – Virginia Beach, VA – The Jewish Mother*
October 13 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern
October 14 – Roanoke, VA – Kirk Avenue Music
October 15 – Lexington, KY – Woodsongs Radio Show
October 16 – Louisville, KY – Headliners
October 17 – Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley
October 18 – Knoxville, TN – The Square Room
October 19 – Decatur, GA – Eddie's Attic
October 20 – Charlotte, NC – The Evening Muse
October 21– Morgantown, WV – West Virginia University - Mountain Stage
October 23 – Wilmington, NC – The Soapbox Laundrolounge
September 29 - Madison, WI - What'd You Know Radio Program
October 24 - Carrboro, NC - The Art's Center
October 25 - Columbia, SC - Tin Roof
October 26 - Charleston, SC - TBA

* Grace Weber opening

BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH
benjaminfrancisleftwich.com

Check out Benjamin Francis Leftwich's cover of M83's "Midnight City":



Leftwich also announced his massive 50+ tour dates. When does he ever have time to record new music? Well, according to Leftwich, expect new material later this year.

"It's great to be back in the studio," said Leftwhich, "I've been on tour for the last year so it's nice to be making new music again. I'm really proud of the new songs and I'm looking forward to sharing them with people. I'm in a really good creative headspace at the moment and feel like my song writing has developed whilst I've been on tour and experienced new people, places and things."

10/01 - BRIGHTON - Concorde 2 10/02 - BOURNEMOUTH - Old Fire Station 10/03 - EXETER - The Phoenix 10/04 - FALMOUTH - Princess Pavilion 10/05 - SWANSEA - Sin City 10/06 - BRISTOL - O2 Academy 10/08 - OXFORD - Town Hall 10/09 - NEWCASTLE - Northumbria Uni 10/10 - EDINBURGH - Pleasance Theatre 10/11 - ABERDEEN - Lemon Tree 10/12 - INVERNESS - Ironworks 10/13 - GLASGOW - Oran Mor 10/15 - LEEDS - Varieties 10/16 - SHEFFIELD - Plug 10/17 - BIRMINGHAM - Irish Centre 10/18 - CAMBRIDGE - Junction 10/19 - NORWICH - Waterfront 10/20 - NOTTINGHAM - Rescue Rooms 10/22 - CARLISLE - Brickyard 10/23 - LIVERPOOL - Stanley Theatre 10/24 - LONDON - KOKO 10/25 - MANCHESTER - HMV Ritz 10/26 - STOKE - Sugar Mill 10/27 - YORK - The Duchess 10/29 - WREXHAM - Central Station 10/31 - GALWAY (Ireland) - Roisin Dubh 11/01 - CORK (Ireland) - Cyprus Avenue 11/02 - DUBLIN (Ireland) - Whelan's 11/03 - BELFAST (Ireland) - The Limelight 11/08 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill

11/09 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Bar 11/10 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar 11/12 – Eugene, OR @ Cozmic 11/13 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge 11/15 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern 11/16 – Vancouver, BC @ Media Club 11/17 – Kelowna, BC @ The Habitat 11/18 – Canmore, AB @The Communitea 11/21 – Calgary, AB @ Palomino 11/22 – Edmonton, AB @ Brixx 11/23 – Regina, SK @ The Exchange 11/24 – Winnipeg, MB @ Park Theatre 11/26 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry 11/28 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas 11/29 – Indianapolis, IN @ (venue TBD) 11/30 – Louisville, KY @ Uncle Slaytons 12/02 – Nashville, TN @ 3rd n Linsly 12/03 – Columbus, OH @ The Rumba Café 12/05 – Lansing, MI @ Mac Bar 12/06 – Toronto, ON @ Rivoli 12/07 – Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus 12/08 – Albany, NY @ Jacks Place 12/09 – Boston, MA @ Club 939 Berkeley 12/12 – New York, NY @ Studio @ Webster hall 12/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live 12/14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe 12/15 – Washington, DC @ BlackCat 12/16 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern 12/18 – Raleigh, NC @ The Pour House 12/19 – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl

BRIEFLY:

BEN LEE ben-lee.com When I was a DJ at KFSR 90.7 FM, my friend and music director introduced me to this Australian band called the Noise Addicts. At the time, singer Ben Lee was fourteen years old, but we knew he had talents. Anyway, Ben Lee is now the subject to Visit Films' "Ben Lee: Catch My Disease" documentary, directed by Amiel Courtin-Wilson. The film is coming out to DVD and digital release on November 6th, 2012. Expect to see the documentary to cover his ex-girlfriend Claire Danes and hipsters Jason Schwartzman and Zooey Deschanel, etc.

BEN MASON benmason.com.au Speaking of Australia, Ben Mason is from Melbourne (or as the locals calls it, "Melbs.") Mason's Acapulco Volume 2 -PDX can currently be streamed and purchased at his website. If you were wondering about the title, which is not a reference to the Mexican restaurants; it is a misspelling of a capella, and, yes, the songs are done in that style. In Volume 2, Mason covered The Shins, Laura Gibson, Fruit Bats, Sean Flinn, Shelley Short, and Arch Cape.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Running Up That Hill

Read More Ty Segall It looks like he's back, this time, teaming up with White Fence (who we previously written about). Ty Segall & White Fence is basically Segall and Tim Presley...

TY SEGALL
ty-segall.com

Ty Segall is the busiest man alive. Not only is the guy in a few bands (Ty Segall & White Fence and Ty Segall Band), but he's always on tour. He just recently added about thirty new dates to his ever expanding tour, including one of the headliners for Le Guess Who? Festival taking place in Holland from November 4th to December 2nd.

If live music isn't your thing, he has a couple of releases coming up, including Twins, coming out October 9th on Drag City. You can check out the video for his latest single, "The Hill", on Youtube.

Ty Segall's cover of the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" is also being featured on Universal Music's release of the 45th Anniversary of The Velvet Underground & Nico tribute album. Other artists on the album include Thee Oh Sees (a band that Ty is currently on tour with) and White Fence (a band that Ty previously worked with.)

Here's the latest tour schedule (dates with * indicates with Thee Oh Sees):

09/25 - Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom* 09/26 - Toronto, ON @ The Hoxton* 09/27 - Detroit, MI @ PJ's Lager House 09/28 - Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium 09/29 - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon* 09/30 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club* 10/14 - San Francisco, CA @ Treasure Island 11/07 - London, UK @ The Garage 11/08 - Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institut 11/09 - Glasgow, UK @ Art School 11/10 - Athens, GR @ An Club 11/12 - Lyon, FR @ Clacson 11/13 - Amiens, FR @ La Lune des Pirates 11/14 - Rennes, FR @ L'Antipote 11/15 - Rouen, FR @ Le 106 11/16 - Metz, FR @ Les Trinitaires 11/17 - Besancon, FR @ La Rodia 11/18 - Bourg en Bresse, FR @ La Tannerie

11/19 - Milano, IT @ Low File 11/20 - Lausanne, CH @ Le Romandie 11/21 - Nïmes, FR @ La Paloma 11/22 - San Sebastian, ES @ Gazteszena 11/23 - La Roche Sur Yon, FR @ Le Fuzz'Yon 11/24 - Paris, FR @ BB Mix Fest 11/26 - Luxembourg City, LU @ Exit 07 11/27 - Kortrijk, BE @ DE Kreun 11/28 - Groningen, NL @ Vera Club 11/29 - Leipzig, DE @ UT Connewitz 11/30 - Brussels, BE @ Atelier 210 12/01 - Koln, DE @ Mini Fest 12/02 - Utrecht, NL @ Guess Who Festival 12/11 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos 12/12 - Vancouver, BC @ Waldorf 12/13 - Portland, OR @ Star Theater 12/15 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey

NAS & LAURYN HILL
nasirjones.com and www.lauryn-hill.com

Nas & Ms Lauryn Hill just announced their "Life Is Good/Black Rage" tour. The name of their tour is taken from Nas's album Life Is Good and Hill's forthcoming single, "Black Rage."

Dates as follows (plus additional Nas solo shows):

10/06/12 Columbia, MD Merriwea/12 er Post Pavilion*
10/20/12 Phoenix, AZ Arizona State Fairgrounds*
10/26/12 Asheville, NC MOOG Festival*
10/27/12 Nashville, TN Riverfront Park*
10/28/12 New Orleans, LA Voodoo Festival*
10/29/12 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom
10/31/12 Houston, TX Bayou Music Center
11/02/12 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
11/03/12 Norfolk, VA NorVa /12 eatre*
11/04/12 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
11/07/12 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
11/09/12 Rochester, NY Main Street Armory*
11/11/12 Boston, MA House of Blues
11/14/12 Chicago, IL Congress /12 eatre
11/16/12 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
11/17/12 Magna, UT Salt Air
11/19/12 Oakland, CA Fox Oakland /12 eater
12/31/12 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall*

* Nas only

THE BABIES
thebabiesband.tumblr.com

The Babies will give birth to their second album called Our House On The Hill on November 13th, 2012, via Woodsist Records. Congratulation to the Babies, you can check out "Moonlight Mile" on Soundcloud.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Deerhoof at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (09/23/12)

Tour Dates 09-24 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room * 09-25 Denver, CO The Hi Dive * 09-27 Garden City, ID Visual Arts Collective* 09-28 Seattle, WA The Vera Project * 09-29 Portland, OR Branx * 09-30 Arcata, CA The Depot* 10-01 San Francisco, CA Slim's* 10-02 Los Angeles, CA The Echoplex* 11-03 Dallas, TX Prophet Bar =? 11-04 Austin, TX Fun Fun Fun Fest 11-05 Houston, TX Walter's =? 11-06 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon =? 11-07 Mobile, AL Alabama Music Box =? 11-08 Tallahassee, FL Club Downunder =? 11-09 Orlando, FL Accidental Music Festival 11-10 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club =? 11-12 Richmond, VA The National =? 11-13 Baltimore, MD Ottobar =? * with Buke And Gase = w/Liam Finn ? with Formica Man Read More Deerhoof Yes, this is another one of those popular animal-named bands. With their latest album, Breakup Song, to be released September 4th via Polyvinyl Records

Deerhoof came by Mill City Nights in Minneapolis last night, September 23rd.

Starting off the show was Bloodnstuff, displacing Mirel Wagner, who canceled her entire North American tour. I couldn't find a reason behind the cancelation, but usually when these things involving international artists (Wagner's Finnish), it is work visa or passport-related.

Bloodnstuff sounded great, they're a drum and guitar duo and they play loud metal/punk rock. Although their music scene is not my thing, I wouldn't be surprised to hear about them later doing bigger and better things.

Buke and Gase

New York's Buke and Gase seemed happy to play, especially Arone (who plays the "buke", baritone/ukulele), because her mother was in the audience. Aron (who plays the "gase", the guitar/bass) was relatively in the background, at least vocally.

I'm assuming they did songs from their latest EP, Function Falls, which just came out September 11th. But I know for sure they did not do their cover version of New Order's "Blue Monday." You can hear on wired.com.

Trivia: So, here are some fun facts about Arone, as told by her mother. I hope they're not too embarrassing, it's all music-related: Arone used to work at the 400 Bar as "the bouncer" (joke), she also recruited bands for Lilith Fair, and, most importantly, was previously in a Minneapolis band called Desiderata. The band name came from a title of a poem.

Buke and Gase is currently on tour with Deerhoof, until October 5th, where they continue on touring their separate ways.

It's hard to believe that Deerhoof has been around for eighteen years. Although their music changed and evolved over time, due to adding and losing band members, the current Deerhoof is pretty experimental, almost improvisation, psychedelic, and downright weird sometime.

It was hard for me to hear the vocals from Satomi Matsuzaki, but it didn't really matter, because it sounded like they were written to flow with the music. Some nonsensical lyrics, and I kid you not, sounded like this: "Bangabanga bangabanga, China! Bangabanga bangabanga, bamboo!" Certainly the dancing young crowd didn't mind the lyrics, they were loving it.

Deerhoof is currently on tour in support of their latest album, Breakup Song, out now via Polyvinyl Records.

Deerhoof at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (09/23/12)

vu () ♥ deerhoof.net ♥ bukeandgase.com ♥ soundcloud.com/bloodnstuff

Canadians Effortlessly Steal Hearts, Minds of Audience Members

Tour Dates 10/10/12 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's 10/11/12 Washington, DC Black Cat 10/12/12 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle 10/15/12 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall Of Williamsburg 10/16/12 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall 10/19/12 Buffalo, NY The Tralf Music Hall Read More Sloan Hitting the 400 Bar on September 21st is Canadian power-pop quartet Sloan, a band that has stayed mostly under the radar in the States despite churning out a catalogue of fantastic and catchy songs over the years.

The boys of Sloan kindly stopped by the 400 Bar Friday evening and charmed a small, but excited collection of fans, new and old. The guitars were huge, the stage was hot and the lyrics were echoed by the crowd the whole night through, making it one of the most enjoyable gigs I’ve been to this year. Having been frustrated by the Jesus and Mary Chain’s mediocre set Tuesday night (9/18) at First Avenue, I was looking forward to seeing a band that were relaxed and rehearsed, absent of cadillac-sized ego (I’m looking at you, William Reid) and actually having a good time playing their songs. Sloan did not let me down, in fact they practically turned me into a frothing superfan.

The band started out with Twice Removed in its entirety, a real treat for longtime fans of the album (myself included). This being my first time watching the band, I was surprised at who sang what song. All the members share singing duties with my favorites being sung by lead shredder Patrick (“Loosens” and “I Can Feel It”) and bassist Chris Murphy (“Worried Now” and “Deeper Than Beauty”). Even drummer Andrew Scott came out from his kit to play two songs (“People of the Sky” and “Before I Do”) while Chris comfortably took his spot behind the skins. Guitarist Jay Ferguson did not disappoint either, taking over vocals for “I Hate My Generation” and “Snowsuit Sound.” Chris quipped early on that they weren’t doing much talking because they wanted it to sound seamless, and there’s no talking in between songs on the record!

After a short break, Sloan took the stage for their second set. The Twice Removed part of the show was definitely a great success, but I feel like the band really came alive on this half, busting through classic stompers like “Who Taught You to Live Like That?” (2006’s Never Hear the End of It) and “The Good in Everyone” (from 1996’s One Chord to Another) and infectious ditties like “Shadow of Love” and “She’s Slowing Down Again” off their latest record Double Cross. When hips and heads weren’t shaking, the crowd eagerly participated in the various “ba-ba-ba” sing-alongs and arcing hand claps. The band wrapped up with a one-two sugar punch to the gut including Patrick-fronted “Losing California” (1999’s Between the Bridges) and ended righteously with their first big hit “Underwhelmed” from 1992’s Smeared.

It’s no small feat for a band to weather twenty years of touring and recording on top of running an independent label (Murderecords). The quality of the music and the enthusiasm exuded while playing those songs live speak volumes about just how this band has existed and continues to exist. In short, Sloan sounds as fresh and exciting as they did years ago. Their music only gets better with age.

Sloan at 400 Bar, Minneapolis (09/21/12) photo by Lori Jean Richards

emily () ♥ www.sloanmusic.com

Alt-J (∆) at Triple Rock, Minneapolis (09/22/12)

Tour Dates 09/25/12 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 09/26/12 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre 09/29/12 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater 09/30/12 Santa Ana, CA Constellation Room 10/01/12 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore 10/04/12 Las Vegas, NV Boulevard Pool 10/08/12 St. Louis, MO The Pageant 10/09/12 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom 10/11/12 Houston, TX House Of Blues 10/12/12 Helotes, TX Josabi's 10/13/12 Dallas, TX House Of Blues 10/14/12 Austin, TX Zilker Park 10/14/12 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues 10/27/12 Manchester Royal Northern College 10/28/12 Leeds The Cockpit 10/30/12 Norwich Waterfront 10/31/12 Birmingham O2 Academy 11/02/12 Oxford O2 Academy Oxford 11/03/12 Bristol Trinity Centre 11/05/12 London Electric Ballroom 11/08/12 Paris, France La Boule Noire 11/10/12 Lorient, France L'Espace Cosmao Read More Alt-J UK art rockers, alt-J are certainly no strangers to the awkward task of assigning context to obscure subjects. The quartet met at Leeds University in 2007…

With the announcement of An Awesome Wave, the debut album from Alt-J (∆), to be one of the shortlist for the Mercury Prize, Alt-J is getting a lot of attention. That's certainly the case at last night's sold-out show at the Triple Rock in Minneapolis, as Alt-J played to their adoring fans.

JBM

Starting off the show was JBM (aka Jesse Marchant), a Canadian singer/songwriter who expressed gratefulness to have been on the brief tour through the United States (last night was their last stop on their tour).

I got the sense that JBM's music was very personal to him, as he closed his eyes and sang out his heart. Just look at his lyrics for "Moonwatcher", as he paints this vivid picture: "The wind blew down through the cracks of the home and the frozen sides of it creaked. One day I'd of liked to see you come. Stay the night and fill me warm with your sunlight…"

He mostly played guitar, but switch to the keyboard for two songs, including "Thames" and his last song on the set.

Although JBM's storytelling songs sounded nothing like Alt-J's more upbeat music, the audience didn't seem to mind one bit.

As for Alt-J, I felt their music had a very Caribbean breeze to their music, especially with the percussion on some of their tracks, but people are saying they're more "avant pop", which translate to art-rock. Whatever they're classified as, their fans knew all their songs and it often turned into a sing-along show. Although their album just came out September 18th, I got the feeling that fans were already privy to An Awesome Wave well before the official release date.

If you look at their setlist, they did their entire debut album, An Awesome Wave, live. The live set is very similar to their track listing (minus the various interludes) from the album: "Intro", "Interlude 1" (aka "She She She"), "Tessellate", "Something Good", "Dissolve Me" "Ms", "Fitzpleasure", "Matilda", "Breezeblocks", "Bloodflood", "Hand-Made" and "Taro."

There was no encore, which didn't surprise me because they've played every song known to them. Yet, the audience was still clamoring for more Alt-J, even when the Triple Rock started playing their closing out songs over the speakers.

Alt-J is currently on tour in North America, in support of An Awesome Wave, which is out now on Canvasback Music. Catch the wave now to see the band at smaller/intimate venues, rather than paying for the price later when they really blow up.

Alt-J at Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis (09/22/12)

vu () ♥ altjband.com ♥ jbm-music.com

Beach House at Tipitina's, New Orleans

In the midst of a random southern road trip with my sister, I got the pleasure of catching Beach House at Tipitina’s in New Orleans. I hadn’t seen the duo since 2010 when they toured with Vampire Weekend, so I was ecstatic to see how they had blossomed since their original success of ‘Teen Dream’. In no way did they disappoint. With Victoria Legrand’s haunting, ethereal vocals and Alex Scally’s wicked guitar riffs, this was a show to make any indie-loving fan feel like they were in a blissful trance.

One thing about Beach House that stands out above the rest is their mysterious stage performance. Victoria belts out her exquisite lyrics from under her infamous locks of hair, always keeping the crowd wondering what she will pull out of her hat next. The synthesizers give the overall mood a light and airy feel, with unrequited love and longing being the end result as “Wishes” wrapped up the set before the encore. “Always out of the way/we keep these promises.” A promise, no doubt, that this band will keep bringing us uplifting melodic tunes we can dance to for years to come.

Side Notes: Beach House, with support Dustin Wong, at Tipitina's in New Orleans, Louisiana, on September 18th, 2012, was sold out.

Beach House is in the middle of their "Frightened Eyes" 2012 Tour, in support of their latest album, Bloom, out now from Subpop Records.

09/24 Rialto Theater, Tucson, AZ 09/25 Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA 09/26 Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA 09/28 Fox Theater (OAK), Oakland, CA 09/29 McDonald Theatre, Eugene, OR 09/30 Roseland Theater, Portland, OR 10/01 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada 10/03 Showbox (@ the Market), Seattle, WA 10/04 Showbox (@ the Market), Seattle, WA 10/05 Egyptian Theater, Boise, ID 10/07 Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO 10/08 Slowdown, Omaha, NE 10/09 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 10/10 Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, WI 10/11 Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL 10/13 Koolhaus, Toronto, Canada 10/14 Club Soda, Montreal, Canada 10/15 Wilbur Theater, Boston, MA 10/16 Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA 10/17 930 Club, Washington, DC

10/26 Mandela Hall, Belfast, United Kingdom 10/27 Cork Opera House, Cork, Ireland 10/28 Vicar Street, Dublin, Ireland 10/29 Arches, Glasgow, United Kingdom 10/30 Leeds University - Stylus, Leeds, UK 10/31 Ritz, Manchester, United Kingdom 11/02 Roundhouse, London, United Kingdom 11/03 Anson Rooms, Bristol, United Kingdom 11/05 Kampnagel K2, Hamburg, Germany 11/06 Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark 11/07 Berns, Stockholm, Sweden 11/08 Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway 11/10 Astra , Berlin, Germany 11/12 Meet Factory , Prague, Czech Republic 11/13 Flex, Vienna, Austria 11/14 Feierwerk, Munich, Germany 11/16 Gloria Theater, Cologne, Germany 11/17 Les Docks, Lausanne, Switzerland 11/18 AB Main Hall , Brussels, Belgium 11/19 Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands

jess ♥ beachhousebaltimore.com