W♥M (Archive)

Music Festivals: V Festival, Sturgis Buffalo Chip, and Treasure Island Music Festival

V FESTIVAL
vfestival.com

The 18th annual V Festival, sponsored by Virgin Media, recently announced new acts they've added to their lineup. This year will take place August 17 & 18 at Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire.

Headliners are Beyonce and Kings of Leon (who I had no idea was bigger than Stereophonics, The Script, Emeli Sandé, Calvin Harris, or Beady Eye?)

Other acts listed:

Jessie J, Two Door Cinema Club, The Vaccines, Basement Jaxx, Olly Murs, Paloma Faith, Jesse Ware, James, Rita Ora, The Courteeners, FUN., Labrinth, Ellie Goulding, Rudimental, James Arthur, Little Mix, Laura Mvula, Steve Angello, The Saturdays, Katy B, Mark Owen, Conor Maynard, Mcfly, Everything Everything, 5ive, Jamie Cullum, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Monsta, James Skelly, Misha B, Lewis Wa Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Misha B, Hoffmaestro, Sam Smith, A*M*E, Goldie Lookin Chain, The Skints, Lucy Spraggan, Nell Bryden, Ed Drewett, Diana Vickers, Moya, John Newman, Exit Calm, Silouette, Monsta, James Skelly & The Intenders, Lewis Watson, and many more

Tickets are on sale now.

STURGIS BUFFALO CHIP
buffalochip.com

CMT® Partners with Sturgis Buffalo Chip® will be bringing the annual motorcycle music festival to television with CMT BIKE WEEK, which premieres the week of August 18. Filmed at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip’s two weeklong event in Sturgis, South Dakota, CMT BIKE WEEK will give its viewers a look into the music, culture and camaraderie that make up the popular festival.

The 9-day music event (July 29 through August 11) will feature Queensrÿche, The Cult, Buckcherry, Pop Evil, ZZ Top, Halestorm, Kid Rock, Doobie Brothers, Toby Keith, Tesla, Rob Zombie, Mastodon, Machine Head, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Brantley Gilbert, Sublime with Rome, Fuel, Lit, and Alien Ant Farm with more to be announced soon. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Quiet Riot - they are listed as appearing on August 4th at 10:30pm.

TREASURE ISLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL
treasureislandfestival.com

Lots of great bands on this lineup for San Francisco's Treasure Island Music Festival, taking place October 19-20, 2013. The music festival is produced by Noise Pop and Another Planet Entertainment and is in their sixth year.

I don't know if this is the case anymore, but typically the festival is divided into two days of music. The first usually have more electronic/hip-hop artists, while the second is geared towards rock and indie fans. I looked over this year's lineup, and they are all good in my book.

You can grab the 2-day early bird tickets for $130, which went on sale today (UPDATE: and like that, it's sold out). Only regular prices are now available.

Lineup:

Atoms for Peace, Beck, Animal Collective, Major Lazer, James Blake, Little Dragon, Sleigh Bells, Phantogram, STRFKR, Holy Ghost!, Japandroids, Tricky, Real Estate, Disclosure, Lord Huron, DJ Falcon, Haim, Palma Violets, Poolside, Adult., Cayucas, Robert DeLong, IO Echo, Giraffage, Deep Sea Diver, Antwon

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Girls and Men

Read More Caveman Caveman graced the Troubadour in LA on Thursday night, accompanied by Pure Bathing Culture. Their latest album Coco Beware dropped in 2011 and was re-released after being picked up by Fat Possum records early 2012. …

CAVEMAN
cavemantheband.com

Caveman's first release "Coco Beware" reached my ears in early 2012 and I knew from that point on that they'd not only be a personal favorite of mine, but affect other people similarly. I got the chance to see them a month or so after hearing it and their live show did not disappoint. I caught them at the Urban Lounge in Salt Lake City, UT and I was maybe only one of 20 others at the show. Despite the disappointing attendance, their live show solidified my enthusiasm about them and their unique sound.

Since that show, they have released a new album that is titled simply "Caveman". It continues with their mellow, melodic and pretty brand of indie rock that never gets old to my ears. It seems to perfectly pick up where "Coco Beware" left off and boost them on their upward trajectory into fame. The album has had only positive reviews and you can experience their songs live at the Fine Line Music Cafe on June 29, in support of the popular band Rogue Wave.

The show is 18+ and tickets are $16 in advance/$18 day of. You can purchase them here.

Catch them on the rest of their tour in the midwest and east coast:

6/13 – Akron, OH @ Musica 6/14 – Champaign, IL @ Highdive 6/15 - St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House* 6/16 - Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio* 6/18 – Charlotte, VA @ Southern# 6/19 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat* 6/20 - Cambridge, MA @ the Sinclair * 6/21 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall* 6/22 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom*

6/23 - Millvale, PA @ Mr. Small's Theatre * 6/25 - Toronto, ON @ the Mod Club * 6/26 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre * 6/27 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall * 6/28 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall * 6/29 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line* 7/01 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon 7/02 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme 9/27 – Cincinnati, OH @ Midpoint Music Fest 9/28 – Champaign, IL @ Pygmalion Music Fest

* w/ Rogue Wave, # co-headline w/ Night Beds

MAN OR ASTRO-MAN?
astroman.com

Man or Astro-Man? I really love that name, even though it sounds dumb. I've seen the band name in the 90s but haven't seen it around for a while. That's probably because their last album, a tour-only album called A Spectrum of Finite Scale was twelve years ago. The Alabama surf band is back with Defcon 5...4...3...2...1 (coming out on June 18, 2013, on Communicating Vessels/Chunklet) and will be heading out on tour in support of it.

06/13 St. Paul MN- Turf Club
06/14 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
06/15 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
06/16 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
06/17 Toronto, ON - Lee's Place
06/18 Ithaca NY - The Haunt
06/19 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
06/20 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
06/21 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
06/22 Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
06/23 Washington, DC - Black Cat

CHRISTOPHER OWENS
christopherowensonline.com

I have been a huge fan of Christopher Owens' previously fronted band, Girls, since they broke out in public acclaim in 2008. I was really bummed a year ago when I learned they broke up, but hopeful when he announced he was going to be writing songs on his own. Fast forward six months with the release of Owens' "Lysandre". His sound shifted completely from Girls, which tended to lean more towards edgy, surfy 70s style rock. "Lysandre" has a more polished sound overall, including more subdued vocals from Owens' and the addition of horn instruments, etc. Overall, it seems to suit his shift to solo songwriting and I am excited to see him perform his new songs at Icehouse in Minneapolis on June 11th.

Christopher Owens is touring in support of "Lysandre", a collection of songs about a lover he met while on tour with Girls in 2008. The songs are heartfelt and evocative; really showcasing his ability to write personal lyrics without them coming off as cheap or silly. He will perform the songs solo on an acoustic guitar, and I imagine the night will be quite intimate.

Tickets for the show are $15 (both in advance and day of) and the show starts at 10 pm. You'll want to get tickets ahead of time, as space at Icehouse can be a bit limited. Find tickets here.

Other tour dates in June as listed:

June 7th — Salt Lake City, UT The State Room
June 8th — Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre
June 11th — Minneapolis, MN Icehouse
June 12th — Chicago, IL Hideout
June 15th — New York, NY The Slipper Room
June 16th — New York, NY The Slipper Room
June 19th — Atlanta, GA The Earl
June 20th — Nashville, TN High Watt
June 21st — Oxford, MS Lamar Lounge
June 23rd — Austin, TX Cactus Cafe

CAYUCAS
facebook.com/Cayucas‎

"East Coast Girl" is the new song and video from Cayucas, previously known as Oregon Bike Trails. The video premiered today (05/30) on NYLON.

"East Coast Girl" video directed by Steven Andrew Garcia, talks about the music and his work, "Cayucas have a dynamic that just works. Zach's a great songwriter and their talent really shines through on the new album. We all took a road trip to San Luis Obispo, stayed at a hotel together, and worked out one shot at a time."

The song is taken from Cayucas' debut album, Bigfoot, which came out last month on Secretly Canadian. All of the critics thinks it's a great "summer" soundtrack, for example: AllMusic praised it as "a soundtrack to shared memories of summer," FILTER called it "should be added to your playlist of summer hits immediately," and The Guardian said, "endless summer pop." Who can argue with that?

You can check out the pop melodies for yourself when you see them on tour - chances are they are stopping by your city.

06/06/13 San Diego, CA - Casbah^ 06/07/13 Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room 06/08/13 Los Angeles, CA - Jubilee Music Fest 06/09/13 Santa Barbara, CA - Muddy Waters^ 06/12/13 San Luis Obispo, CA - SLO Brew^ 06/13/13 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop^ 06/15/13 Davis, CA - Sophia's Thai^ 06/17/13 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios^ 06/18/13 Vancouver, Canada - Biltmore Cabaret^ 06/19/13 Seattle, WA - Barboza^ 06/21/13 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court 06/22/13 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge^ 06/24/13 Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room^ 06/25/13 Omaha, NE - Waiting Room^ 06/27/13 Madison, WI - East Side Club^ 06/28/13 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry^ 06/29/13 Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern^ 06/30/13 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick Lounge^ 07/01/13 Toronto, Canada - The Drake^ 07/02/13 Montreal, Canada - Il Motore^ 07/03/13 Allston, MA - Great Scott^ 07/05/13 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge^ 07/06/13 Montauk, NY - The Surf Lodge 07/07/13 Washington, DC - DC9* 07/09/13 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade* 07/11/13 New Orleans, LA - Circle Bar*

07/10/13 Birmingham, AL - Bottletree* 07/12/13 Houston, TX - Mango's* 07/13/13 Austin, TX - Red 7* 07/14/13 Dallas, TX - Three Links* 07/17/13 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballrom 08/09/13 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern w/ Foals 08/31/13 Stradbelly, Ireland - Electric Picnic 09/01/13 Salisbury, UK - End of the RoadBR> 09/03/13 London, UK - 100 Club 09/04/13 Nijmegen, Netherlands - Merleyn 09/06/13 Cologne, Germany - Gebaeude 9 09/07/13 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Rotown 09/10/13 Manchester, UK - Deaf Institute 09/11/13 Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club 09/13/13 Paris, France - Point Ephemere 09/17/13 Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega - Ideal Bar 09/18/13 Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik 09/20/13 Helsinki, Finland - Kuudes Linja 09/21/13 Stockholm, Sweden - Strand 09/22/13 Oslo, Norway - John Dee 09/25/13 Berlin, Germany - Prince Charles 09/26/13 Hamburg, Germany - Reeperbahn Fest 10/19-20/13 San Francisco, CA - Treasure Island ^ = w/ JBM * = w/ Brazos

laurie + vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

$$$!!!... (Ke$ha, Chk Chk Chk, and ...Trail of Dead)

Read More Ke$ha It's hard to escape the clutches of Kesha, and although I've heard/seen her around, I never bothered to find out what she's all about. The last time I saw her, she was with Jarvis Cocker at the 2010 NME award and Jarvis actually mistakenly called …

KE$HA
www.keshasparty.com

Oh, god, I don't even know why I love Ke$ha. The first time I heard "Tik Tok" from her debut album Animal, I had to stop and ask "who IS THIS?". After investigating/hearing more of her music, I thought her music was very good for a popstar.

Recently Ke$ha took over MTV to premiere her latest single, "Crazy Kids", featuring will.i.am as well as the season finale of her hit docu-series, "Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life". I don't have MTV, but I'm sure it lives up to her crazy/hectic lifestyle. You can watch the video online at kesha.mtv.tv.

Also, Ke$ha just kicked off a co-headlining North American Summer Tour with Pitbull. The tour is in support of her new album, Warrior, which came out late November of last year on Kemosabe, RCA. Although it just came out, there's talk of a new upcoming album for 2013 called Lipsha (which I am assuming will be titled "Lip$ha"?), because it will be a collaboration with The Flaming Lips and Kesha (get it? Lips-Sha?)

Anyway, all current tour tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.com.

05/31/13 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center 06/01/13 Wantagh, NY Nikon At Jones 06/02/13 Burgettstown, PA First Niagara 06/04/13 Montreal, QC Bell Centre 06/05/13 Toronto, ON Molson Canadian Amp 06/07/13 Auburn Hills, MI Palace Of Auburn Hills 06/09/13 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amph 06/11/13 Englewood, CO Fiddler's Green 06/14/13 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amph 06/15/13 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden 06/16/13 Chula Vista, CA Sleep Train Amph 06/18/13 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl 06/20/13 Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amph 06/22/13 Woodlands, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell

06/23/13 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion 06/24/13 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center 06/28/13 Tampa, FL MidFlorida 07/05/13 Rock Werchter Festival 07/12/13 Wireless Festival 07/13/13 T In The Park 07/15/13 London, UK O2 Academy Brixton 07/21/13 Vodafone Istanbul Calling 08/09/13 Cleveland, OH Jacobs Pavilion At Nautica 08/10/13 Bethlehem Musikfest 08/12/13 Vienna, VA Filene Center At Wolf Trap 08/14/13 Raleigh, NC Red Hat Amphitheatre 08/15/13 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable 08/17/13 Illinois State Fair 08/19/13 Saint Paul, MN Myth

Tour Dates 06/01 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre 06/03 Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar 06/04 Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club 06/07 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café 06/08 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge * 06/09 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick 06/10 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern 06/11 Montreal, QC @ Le Belmont 06/12 Burlington, VT @ Signal Kitchen 06/13 Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall 06/14 Hamden, CT @ Spaceland Ballroom 06/15 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer 08/25 Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Fest 08/31 Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Read More !!! !!!: “…Pronounced 'Chk Chk Chk' or any three repetitive sounds” (from Official Website). I pronounce it ‘… … …,’ which is the sound of rolling eyes. …

!!!
chkchkchk.net

I've seen !!! (chk chk chk) a handful of times, ranging from the 2001-2004 time period. Those years I was all about the resurgence of electro dance music. I have always been a fan of disco, and the dance music coming out then was about as close to the disco sound as I could imagine. I admit !!! (chk chk chk) has fallen off my radar since around 2004, even knowing they have released several albums since then.

Seeing they were touring through here ignited that old spark of my love for disco-y dance music, so I started seeking out their new songs to see if they lived up to my expectations. The first one I listened to "One Boy/One Girl" had me hooked from the very beginning. It's so infectiously danceable and fun that I know their upcoming show at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis on Friday, June 7 is going to be a blast. Their stage presence is so energetic and infectious that those who usually don't dance will have no choice but to join in.

Also of note, there is a contest to be able to join them on stage to sing backup vocals and dance around to the song "One Boy/One Girl". If you're interested, here is a link to the music and lyrics. Send either a Youtube video or mp3 of you singing along to singwithchk[a]gmail.com.

!!! (chk chk chk) is touring in support of their brand new album Thr!!!er, which you'll be able to pick up a copy at the Fine Line Music Cafe. If you're not in Minneapolis, they also are appearing on the west coast, midwest and east coast. Check sidebar for the additional dates.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 day of and can be found here.

Read More …Trail of Dead Vu brought to my attention (and a quick perusal of the entire Internet confirmed his claim) that the band originally called themselves…(sigh)…The Clouds That Fondle Jagged Crags and Raging Storms Conspire and … …

…AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD
trailofdead.com

The world's most annoying band name (…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead) just announced their Summer US headlining dates.

Personally, I thought … Trail of Dead was, well, dead? It's been a long time since I heard from the band, and recently, with the new LVMRKS band (featuring former bassist Neil Busch), I thought they were gone for good.

Not so. Apparently with the help of Pledge Music, the band will be releasing Tao Of The Dead Part III EP, with a pending release date of September 24th, 2013. No artwork is given, so the artwork I'm using here is from their previous album, Lost Songs.

Tour to kick off this July with Ume:

07/10 - Spaceland Ballroom - New Haven, CT
07/11 - Metro Gallery - Baltimore, MD
07/12 – Rex Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA
07/13 - Ace Of Cups - Columbus, OH
07/15 – Firebird - St. Louis, MO
07/16 - Record Bar - Kansas City, KS
07/18 - Double Door - Chicago, IL
07/19 - Cactus Club - Milwaukee, WI
07/20 - Pitchfork Festival - Chicago, IL
07/21 - Pike Room - Detroit, MI
07/22 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
07/23 - Maxwell's - Hoboken, NJ
07/26 - Welcome To The Village – Leeuwarden, Holland
07/27 – Boomtown Festival – Gent, Belgium
07/29 - Conrad Sohm – Dornbirn, Austria
07/30 - Rote Fabrik – Zurich, Switzerland
08/02 - FSW (Visions Party) – Dortmund, Germany
08/03 - Stoner Rock Festival – Bad Bentheim, Germany
08/08 - Schlachthof – Wiesbaden, Germany
08/09 - Taubertal Festival – Rothenburg, Germany
08/10 - Manufaktur – Schorndorf, Germany
08/11 - Open Flair – Eschwege, Germany

laurie + vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

London Calling: Placebo, Suede, Barbarossa, and Chapel Club

Read More Placebo I saw them twice that year, one has a headliner at 7th Street on April 1st, and again when they were supporting Placebo at First Avenue on May 2nd, 2001. .…

PLACEBO
placeboworld.co.uk

Placebo is back for their seventh studio albumLoud Like Love, coming out September 17th, 2013, via Universal Music. This coincide with their World tour (stay tuned for a tour announcement for the USA), which is kicking off in Poland.

The highly anticipated album will come in a variety of fan packages, including a 3D Lenticular Super Deluxe Box Set and Limited Edition Deluxe Digipack version.

EUROPEAN TOUR DATES - AUTUMN 2013

11/12/13 Torwar, Warsaw - Poland
11/13/13 Lucerna Music Bar, Prague - Czech Rep
11/15/13 Arena Leipzig, Leipzig – Germany
11/16/13 Lanxess Arena, Cologne – Germany
11/18/13 Hallenstadion Arena, Zurich – Switzerland
11/19/13 Olympiahalle, Munich – Germany
11/21/13 Stadthalle, Vienna – Austria
11/23/13 Unipol Arena, Bologna – Italy
11/24/13 Geneva Arena, Geneva – Switzerland
11/27/13 Festhalle, Frankfurt – Germany
11/28/13 O2 Arena Berlin, Berlin - Germany
11/30/13 Falconer Salen, Copenhagen – Denmark
12/01/13 Stora Arenan, Stockholm – Sweden
12/03/13 Sentrum Scene, Oslo – Norway
12/05/13 O2 World, Hamburg - Germany
12/07/13 Sportpalais, Antwerp – Belgium
12/08/13 Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam – Holland
12/10/13 Bercy, Paris – France
12/12/13 O2 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham
12/13/13 O2 Academy Glasgow, Glasgow
12/14/13 O2 Apollo, Manchester
12/16/13 O2 Academy Brixton, London

Read More Suede This is the true story of the cheesiest, starf***er rock event I've ever witness -- Suede at the San Francisco Fillmore (05 March 1995). I had a nice chat with bassist Mat Osman before soundcheck. .…

SUEDE
suede.co.uk

I'm sorry, but I will never refer to Suede as "The London Suede", which they are known in the U.S. It's nice to see that the band is doing well with their release of Bloodsports, out earlier in March 2013 on their own label.

As far as I know, many of Suede's UK shows have been selling out, so get your tickets early.

06/27/13 Copenhagen Tivoli Gardens Denmark
07/05-07/06 Barcelona Cruilla Barcelona Spain
08/03/13 Incheon Pentaport Festiva
08/23/13 London Kenwood House
08/24/13 Belfast Belsonic @ Custom House
10/07/13 Nagoya Diamond Hall Japan
10/09/13 Osaka Hatch Japan
10/10/13 Tokyo AX Japan
10/11/13 Tokyo AX Japan
10/22/13 Southampton, UK Southampton Guildhall
10/23/13 Southend-On-Sea, UK Cliffs Pavilion
10/24/13 Bristol, UK O2 Academy Bristol
10/26/13 Leeds, UK O2 Academy Leeds
10/27/13 Glasgow, UK Barrowland
10/28/13 Dublin, Ireland Olympia Theatre
10/30/13 Manchester, UK Manchester Academy
10/31/13 Birmingham, UK O2 Academy
11/01/13 Brussels Ancienne Belgique Belgium
11/02/13 Luxembourg den Atelier Luxembourg
11/04/13 Toulouse Bikini France
11/07/13 Lisbon Coliseum Portugal
11/08/13 Porto Coliseum Portugal
11/09/13 Madrid Riviera Spain
11/11/13 Festival Les Inrocks France
11/12/13 Lyon Transbordeu France
11/14/13 Bologna Estragon Italy
11/15/13 Vienna Gasometer Austria
11/16/13 Prague Lucerna Hall Czech Republic
11/18/13 Berlin Huxleys Germany
11/19/13 Munich Tonhalle Germany
11/21/13 Cologne E-Werk Germany
11/22/13 Rolling Stone Weekender Germany
11/23/13 Amsterdam Paradiso

Read More Barbarossa Barbarossa, aka London-based James Mathé, announced that he's just signed with Memphis Industries. His single, "The Load", will be coming out on April 8, 2013. .…

BARBAROSSA
barbarossamusic.com‎

Speaking of blood and London… Barbarossa (aka James Mathé) just kicked off their tour with Sweden's Junip last night in support of Bloodlines! In honor of the tour, Barbarossa released a Junip cover song, "Line of Fire", which you can hear now:



Tour dates below:

05/30 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour *#
05/31 Santa Cruz, CA - Rio Theatre *#
06/01 San Francisco, CA - Bimbos 365 Club *#
06/02 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge *#
06/03 Bellingham, WA - Wild Buffalo *
06/04 Vancouver, BC - The Rio Theatre *#
06/05 Seattle, WA - Neumos *#
06/08 Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center *
06/09 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall *
06/10 Toronto, ON - The Great Hall *
06/12 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall *^
06/13 New York, NY - Highline Ballroom *^
06/15 Washington DC - 9:30 Club *^
06/16 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer *^
06/20 New York, NY Mercury Lounge $
06/21 Brooklyn, NY Littlefield

* = w/ Junip
# = w/ ON AN ON
^ = w/ Quadron
$ = w/ Pacific Air

Read More Chapel Club I've already prepped you on Chapel Club's last night in the USA before heading back to the UK. And they went out with a bang, quite happy to see a huge audience attendance .…

CHAPEL CLUB
chapelclub.com

Surely you remember Chapel Club? We reported on the band's Minneapolis appearance.

The London five-piece is back with a new record called Good Together, coming out June 3rd. You can stream the entire album over at their website.

Check out one of their tracks, "Sleep Alone", now:



Yes, there will be touring….

06/03/13 Birmingham Temple
06/04/13 Glasgow Art School
06/05/13 Leeds Cockpit 2
06/06/13 Brighton The Haunt
06/11/13 London Cargo

Also, if you're doing the UK festivals this year, the band will also appear at Reading and Leeds.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Mind the Gap: Stereophonics, Train, I Like Trains, Wampire, and Hollis Brown

Read More Stereophonics I've seen Stereophonics a few times in Minneapolis, as the band ready for their UK tour, singer/songwriter Kelly Jones opened up to The Daily Mail about the passing of ex-drummer Stuart Cable. …

STEREOPHONICS
stereophonics.com

I'm not kidding when I say we are big fans of Stereophonics here at W♥M, personally I've seen the band a few times: their co-headlining tour with The Charlatans on 04/04/2000, an acoustic show at the 400 Bar on 02/14/2001, and the Fine Line Music Café on 11/30/2003. Their last show in Minneapolis was in 2005, which I did not attend, but that's still nearly a decade that the band's been absent here! So it's my pleasure to announced that Stereophonics will be returning to the U.S. in support of their eighth studio album called Graffiti on a Train (Stylus Records). The album was previously mentioned here, which, at the time of the writing, the album was just released in the UK. The album has done well, quickly hitting Gold status and on its way to Platinum!

Stereophonics 2013 North American Tour Dates:

September 19 Philadelphia - Union Transfer
September 20 Boston - House of Blues
September 21 New York - Terminal 5
September 22 Washington DC - 9.30 Club
September 24 Montreal - Corona Theatre
September 25 Toronto - Danforth Music Hall
September 27 Detroit - St Andrews Hall
September 28 Chicago - Vic Theatre
September 29 Minneapolis - First Ave
October 1 Denver - Bluebird Theatre
October 4 Seattle - Showbox
October 5 Vancouver - Commodore
October 6 Portland - Wonder Ballroom
October 8 San Francisco - Fillmore
October 10 Los Angeles - Henry Fonda
October 13 Mexico City - Corona Festival

TRAIN
trainline.com

Remember Train? The San Francisco band blew up with hit singles like "Meet Virginia" and "Hey, Soul Sister"? Well the band was on tour for most of 2012 with Mat Kearney for their sixth studio album California 37 (out now via Columbia Records).

It would seem that the band has another hit on their hands with "Drive By", reaching #10 on Billboard's Hot 100! Check them out on tour:

06/27/13 San Diego County Fair
07/11/13 Virginia Beach, VA Farm Bureau
07/12/13 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
07/13/13 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake
07/14/13 Toronto, ON Molson Canadian Amph
07/17/13 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
07/18/13 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
07/19/13 Noblesville, IN Klipsch Music Center
07/20/13 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
07/21/13 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amph
07/23/13 Wantagh, NY Nikon At Jones Beach
07/24/13 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
07/26/13 MixTape Festival
07/27/13 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
07/28/13 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
07/30/13 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amph
07/31/13 Atlanta, GA Aaron's Amphitheatre
08/02/13 Woodlands, TX Cynthia Woods
08/03/13 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion
08/04/13 Austin, TX Austin360 Amphitheater
08/06/13 Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheatre
08/07/13 Phoenix, AZ Desert Sky Pavilion
08/09/13 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amph
08/10/13 Wheatland, CA Sleep Train Amph
08/11/13 San Francisco, CA America's Cup Pavilion
08/13/13 Ridgefield, WA Sleep Country Amphitheater
08/14/13 Auburn, WA White River Amphitheatre
08/16/13 Iowa State Fair
08/31/13 Jazz Aspen Snowmass"
09/01/13 Canfield Fair

I LIKE TRAINS
iliketrains.co.uk

I previously mentioned I Like Trains before. The Leeds band just wrapped up their tour in support of The Shallows with Post War Glamour Girls.

A few years ago, I Like Trains created their label is called ILR (I Like Records), more information on ilikerecords.com

Releases so far:

Cat No: ILR009
Post War Glamour Girls - Jazz Funerals (04/15/13)

Cat No: ILR008
I LIKE TRAINS - Beacons (10/15/12)

Cat No: ILR007
I LIKE TRAINS - Mnemosyne (05/22/12 )

Cat No: ILR006
I LIKE TRAINS - The Shallows (05/07/12)

Cat No: ILR005
Stalking Horse - Waterhole (11/11)

Cat No: ILR004
I LIKE TRAINS - This Skin Full Of Bones (11/22/11)

Cat No: ILR003
I LIKE TRAINS - Sirens (07/11/11 )

Cat No: ILR002
I LIKE TRAINS - A Father’s Son (11/29/10)

Cat No: ILR001
I LIKE TRAINS - He Who Saw The Deep (10/25/10)

WAMPIRE
wampiremusic.com

Wampire's "Trains" is the latest single, taken from their album Curiosity (Polyvinyl Records). The strange Portland duo (?) is currently on tour with STRFKR and will be playing their first-ever UK date in London on June 18th.

06/04 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress *
06/05 Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent Ballroom *
06/06 Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad *
06/08 Denver, CO - Larimar Lounge
06/10 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge *
06/11 Reno, NV - Knitting Factory *
06/12 Fresno, CA - Fulton 55 *
06/13 Las Vegas, NV - Beauty Bar *
06/18 London UK Shacklewell Arms
06/20 Paris France - Espace B
06/21 Amsterdam Netherlands MC Theatre
07/03 Portland, OR - Holocene

* = w/ STRFKR

HOLLIS BROWN
hollisbrown.com

Hollis Brown is a classic pop/rock/Americana band from New York. Their debut album Ride On The Train is out now via Alive Records.

They wrapped up their national tour for the album last month, but that shouldn't stop you from checking out their music video for "Nightfall" on popmatters.com.

Don't like video? No problem, here's the audio:



Hollis Brown on tour:

06/19/13 Chicago, IL Ace Bar
06/27/13 Charlotte, NC U.S. National Whitewater
06/29/13 Beacon Riverfest
07/06/13 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom

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

Escaping from the Great Escape: Deap Vally and Parquet Courts

Brody and Jess were in Brighton, covering The Great Escape Music Festival earlier this month. Two of the NME Radar Showcase American bands are back in the U.S. on tour. I'm hoping to have both of these shows covered:

Read More NME Radar NME Radar - The Haunt - Saturday, May 18 Parquet Courts (22:00) Deap Vally (21:15) Highasakite (20:30) The Orwells (19:45) …

DEAP VALLY
deapvally.com

Los Angeles' Deap Vally will be appearing at all music festivals known to mankind this year. Not kidding, the rock duo (guitarist/singer Lindsey Troy and drummer Julie Edwards) will be appearing at Bonnaroo, Splendour In The Grass, Lollapalooza, Reading, Leeds, just to name a few! This is pretty great for a band with only one EP called Get Deap!

I'm personally not a fan of big festivals; I prefer the more intimate settings of a dive bar. Not problems for people like me either: the band will be doing a number of small venues with The Whigs next month.

05/31/13 Ozark, AR @ Mulberry Mountain
06/01/13 St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
06/02/13 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
06/04/13 St Paul, MN @ Turf Club
06/05/13 Kansas City, MO@ Riot Room
06/10/13 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
06/11/13 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
06/13/13 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
06/21/13 Southside Festival
06/22/13 Hurricane Festival
07/05/13 Les Eurockeennes de Belfort
07/12/13 Optimus Alive! Festival
07/26/13 Splendour In The Grass
08/02/13 Lollapalooza
08/09/13 Squamish Music Festival
08/23/13 Reading Festival
08/24/13 Leeds Festival
10/13/13 Corona Capital Festival

PARQUET COURTS
parquetcourts.wordpress.com

The loud punk-ish rock band Parquet Courts is currently on tour for their debut album, Light Up Gold, out now on What's Your Rupture? Records. The band has received a lot of praises from all the music places, including NME, Pitchfork, NPR and Spin.

Since the band is on tour, you can get a taste of their life on the road via Andy Capper's documentary "Light Up Gold Road Trip" on vice.com.

Hear "Stoned and Starving" now:



Go see them live to see what the buzz is about.

05/30 - Austin, TX @ Chaos in Tejas 05/31 - Austin, TX @ Chaos in Tejas 06/01 - Austin, TX @ Chaos in Tejas 06/02 - Marfa, TX @ El Cosmico 06/03 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room 06/04 - San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe 06/05 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo 06/07 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop 06/09 - Oakland, CA @ 1234-GO Records 06/10 - Davis, CA @ Davis 4th 06/12 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir 06/13 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos 06/14 - Vancouver, BC @ Electric Owl 06/15 - Victoria, BC @ Copper Owl 06/17 - Boise, ID @ Neurolux 06/18 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge 06/19 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge

06/20 - Omaha, NE @ Sweatshop 06/21 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock 06/22 - Madison, WI @ High Noon 06/23 - Bloomington, IN @ the Bishop 06/24 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups 06/25 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick 06/26 - Buffalo, NY @ Tralf Music Hall 06/29 - New York, NY @ South Street Seaport 07/13 - Boston, MA @ TT The Bears 07/14 - Portland, ME @ Space 538 07/15 - Burlington, VT @ Signal Kitchen 07/16 - Montreal, QC @ Il Motore 07/17 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern 07/20 - Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival 07/22 - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar 07/23 - Charlottesville, VA @ Twisted Branch 07/25 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar w/ Woods 08/02-08/04 - Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon

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

In the City

Read More NYC Popfest Too many bands and locations to mention, but all the details are here. Standout bands, it seems to me, to be Saturday Looks Good To Me for 5/18 and the "money bet" show is on 5/20 with White Town (for their one-hit "Your Woman"), The Ladybug Transistor…

NEW YORK CITY POPFEST 2013
nycpopfest.org

It's that time of the year again: the seventh annual New York City Popfest will be taking place this Thursday, May 30, 2013 at the tiny Cake Shop, and ends June 2, 2013 at Littlefield.

Check out all the bands on the 2013 lineup:

THURSDAY MAY 30 VENUE: CAKE SHOP Tickets: $10 Adv 7:00pm Doors 7:30pm Thee Ahs (Vancouver) 8:15pm Swiss Apls (PA) 9:00pm Grand Resort (NYC) 9:45pm Literature (PA) 10:30pm Zipper (SPAIN) 11:15pm The School (UK) FRIDAY MAY 31 VENUE: KNITTING FACTORY Tickets $15 Adv 7:00pm Doors 8:00pm The Very Most (ID) 9:00pm Cassolette (FL) 10:00pm Math & Physics Club (WA) 11:00pm The Monochrome Set (UK) SATURDAY, JUNE 1 VENUE: SPIKE HILL Ticket: Free (Daytime) 3:00pm Silkies (MA) 3:45pm Making Marks (NORWAY) 4:30pm The Smittens(VT) 5:15pm The Ballet (NYC)

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 VENUE: THE BELL HOUSE Tickets: $18 Adv 6:30pm Doors 7:00pm Azure Blue (SWEDEN) 7:45pm The Proctors (UK) 8:30pm The Hobbes Fanclub (UK) 9:15pm Flowers (UK) 10:00pm Tigercats (UK) 10:45pm The Bats (NEW ZEALAND) VENUE: PUBLIC ASSEMBLY Tickets: $10 Adv 7:00pm Doors 7:45pm Advaeta (NYC) 8:45pm Sua (NYC) 9:45pm Speedy Ortiz (MA) 11:00pm Ringo Deathstarr (TX) SUNDAY JUNE 2 VENUE: LITTLEFIELD Tickets: $15 Adv 3:00pm Doors 3:45pm Stratropics (CHICAGO) 4:30pm Ski Lodge (NYC) 5:15pm My Teenage Stride (NYC) 6:00pm The Orange Peels (CA) 6:45pm Alpaca Sports (SWEDEN) 7:30pm The Secret History (NYC) 8:15pm French Films (FINLAND) 9:00pm Wolfhounds (UK) 10:00pm Close Lobsters (UK)

Read More Tender Loving Empire Ignore that first paragraph, Church's album is called Song Force Crystal and it comes from my favorite silk-screening record label called Tender Loving Empire. I have mentioned before that I think their products are very attractive .…

RADIATION CITY
radiationcity.net

Dreampop band Radiation City is currently on tour in support of their sophomore album, Animals in the Median, out now on Tender Loving Empire.

Critics all agreed that Radiation City is, as NPR described them, "impossibly catchy."

The Portland-based band will be stopping by the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on June 20th.

05/28/13 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop
05/29/13 Los Angeles, CA The Satellite
05/30/13 San Diego, CA Soda Bar
06/03/13 Dallas, TX Bryan Street Tavern
06/04/13 Austin, TX The Mohawk
06/05/13 New Orleans, LA Circle Bar
06/06/13 Atlanta, GA The EARL
06/07/13 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre Rooftop
06/08/13 Durham, NC The Pinhook
06/10/13 Washington, DC Black Cat
06/11/13 Philadelphia, PA Milkboy
06/12/13 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
06/13/13 Brooklyn, NY Paper Box
06/15/13 Chicago, IL Taste Of Randolph Street
06/16/13 Cincinnati, OH Motr Pub
06/17/13 Nashville, TN House Concert
06/19/13 Milwaukee, WI Mad Planet
06/20/13 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
06/23/13 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
06/25/13 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
06/26/13 Boise, ID Neurolux
06/28/13 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
07/27/13 Seattle, WA Capitol Hill Block Party

IMAGINARY CITIES
imaginarycities.ca

Imaginary Cities' Fall of Romance just came out on Votiv Records. You can stream the entire album over at Paste Magazine.

Look for the Canadian band on tour:

May 28 /// Toronto, ON /// The Drake
May 29 /// New York, NY /// Subculture Arts
June 11 /// Ann Arbor, MI /// The Ark
June 14 /// Toronto, ON /// Mod Club
June 18 /// Washington, DC /// Black Cat
June 19 /// Philadelphia, PA /// Milk Boy
June 22 /// Dover, DE /// Firefly Music Fest
June 25 /// Chicago, IL /// Schubas Tavern
June 26 /// Minneapolis, MN /// 7th Street Entry
July 13 /// Ottawa, ON /// Ottawa Bluesfest
July 31 /// Toronto, ON /// Edgefest

CITY AND COLOUR
cityandcolour.ca

I was introduced to Canadian singer/songwriter City and the Colour (aka Dallas Green) at a concert when a girl was swooning over the tour poster. Apparently City and Colour has a new album called The Hurry and The Harm, to be released on June 4 via Dine Alone Records. The tour is obviously in support of the new record.

March 28 Dublin, Ireland O2 Dublin
March 29 Belfast, Ireland Odyssey Arena
March 31 Aberdeen . Aberdeen Exhibition
April 1 Glasgow . SECC
April 3 London O2 Arena
June 5 London Bush Hall
June 7 Paris, France Café De La Dance
June 9 Milan, Italy Magazzini Generali
June 10 Zurich, Switzerland Komplex 457
June 11 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Den Atelier
June 13 Brussels, Belgium Botanique-Orangerie
June 14 Amsterdam, Netherlands Melkweg
June 16 Essen, Germany Lichtburg Theater
June 17 Frankfurt, Germany Sankt Peter
June 19 Vienna, Austria Arena
June 22 Schessel, Germany Hurricane
June 23 Neuhausen Ob Eck, Germany Southside
June 27 Saskatchewan Jazz Festival
June 29 Commons at Butler’s Barracks
July 10 Winnipeg, MB Winnipeg Folk Festival
July 12 Vancouver, BC PNE Auditorium
July 13 Victoria, BC Rock the Shores
August 7-10 Tripple A Conference
August 18 Roots & Blues Festival
August 23 Leeds, U.K. Leeds Festival
August 24 Reading, U.K. Reading Festival

SURF CITY
surfcitykills.tumblr.com

New Zealand's Surf City has an upcoming sophomore album called We Knew It Was Not Going to Be Like This. The album name is as random as the overheard conversation at a crowded South Korean bar.

The album will be out August 20, 2013, on Fire Records.

Track listing:

1. It's A Common Lie
2. I Had The Starring Role
3. Song From A Short Lived TV Series
4. NYC
5. Claims Of A Galactic Medium
6. No Place To Go
7. I Want You
8. Oceanic Graphs Of The Wilderness
9. What Gets Me By

CHRISTOPHER PAUL STELLING
christopherpaulstelling.wordpress.com

False Cities is the new record by Christopher Paul Stelling. The album came out last week on Mecca Lecca Recording Co./Dollartone, and he's heading out on a tour this summer:

06/06 - The Living Room - New York, NY
06/07 - Tin Angel - Philadelphia, PA
06/11 - Cafe Nine - New Haven, CT
06/12 - Local 121 - Providence, RI
06/13 - The Oak & The Ax - Biddeford, ME
06/14 - Radio Bean - Burlington, VT
06/17 - Divan Orange - Montreal, QC
06/18 - Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, ONT
06/20 - Abilene Bar & Lounge - Rochester, NY
06/27 - Harvest Gallery Wine Bar - Dennis, MA
07/10 - Eddie's Attic - Decatur, GA
07/11 - The Bluebird Cafe - Nashville, TN
07/13 - Bunbury Music Festival - Cincinnati, OH
07/16 - Rozz Tox - Rock Island, IL
07/17 - Shitty Barn Sessions - Spring Green, WI
07/18 - Thursdays on First and Third - Rochester, MN
07/20 - The Ace Bar - Chicago, IL
07/21 - The Milwaukee Opry - Milwaukee, WI
07/23 - Rumba Cafe - Columbus, OH
07/25 - Newport Blues Cafe - Newport, RI
07/26 - Floyd Fest at Blue Bow Pavilion - Floyd, VA
07/27 - Floyd Fest at Blue Bow Pavilion - Floyd, VA
08/16 - BSP Lounge - Kingston, NY

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

If it's not Scottish, it's crap!

SCOTTISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR
sayaward.com

Did you vote for your Scottish Album of the Year (SAY)? You still have a chance. In just two days, a "shortlist" will be announced, so we'll see who cut it or not from the longlist of twenty albums:

Admiral Fallow's Tree Bursts in Snow	Auntie Flo's Future Rhythm Machine
Calvin Harris' 18 Months	Dam Mantle Brothers' Fowl
Django Django's self-titled	Duncan Chisholm's Affric
Emeli Sande Our Version of Events	Errors' Have Some Faith in Magic
Human Don't Be Angry's self-titled	Karine Polwart's Traces
Wiszniewski/Stevenson's New Focus	Lau Race's The Loser
Meursault's Something for the Weakened	Miaoux Miaoux's Light of the North
PAWS' Cokefloat	Paul Buchanan's Mid Air
Rm Hubbert's Thirteen Lost Found	Stanley Odd's Reject
Twilight Sad's No One Can Ever Know	The Unwinding's Hours Afterlives

Winner of the 2013 SAY Award will receive £20,000, the other nine runners-up will receive £1,000 each, plus other benefits. Either way, being on the shortlist has its perks.

Read More Franz Ferdinand For my second episode on favorite songs and breakdown, we take a look at Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand. Named after Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the band first break-out single is "Take Me Out", debuting #3 on the UK Charts. …

FRANZ FERDINAND
franzferdinand.co.uk

One of my favorite band, Franz Ferdinand will be making their return with Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, coming out August 27th, 2013, via Domino Records. The only thing I have is the track listing:

1. Right Action
2. Evil Eye
3. Love Illumination
4. Stand On The Horizon
5. Fresh Strawberries
6. Bullet
7. Treason! Animals.
8. The Universe Expanded
9. Brief Encounters
10. Goodbye Lovers & Friends

That was a bit of a surprise because we haven't heard much from the band since their stint with Edwyn Collins. Apparently after a string of hit shows at their California gigs last month, the four-piece decided to record the new record. Their previous effort, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, which was not, in fact, a live album, came out in 2009.

Hopefully, the band will tour the U.S. in support of the new album (but please do not come to Minneapolis in the Winter). In the meantime, the band is playing some music festivals in Europe:

08/09/13 Coke Live Music Festival - Krakow, Poland
08/17/13 Pukkelpop Festival - Hasselt, Belgium
08/23/13 Rock En Seine Festival - Paris, France
08/30/13 Zurich Open Air - Zurich, Switzerland

THE PASTELS
thepastels.org

Also back, are the Pastels! Surprisingly, the 30+ band is still around. Their album Slow Summits can be heard on Pitchfork Advance (out today May 28th on Domino Records).

The Pastels are also doing a rare U.S. appearance at Chickfactor 21 Festival at the Bell House in Brooklyn, New York on June 13th…. Wish I was in New York!

Tour dates:

06/01/13 Glasgow - CCA
06/13/13 Chickfactor 21 - Brooklyn, New York
07/27/13 Indietracks
08/16/13 The Green Man Festival
08/24/13 Doune the Rabbit Hole - Scotland

ALASDAIR ROBERTS
alasdairroberts.com

Scottish troubadour Alasdair Roberts (previously released music under the name 'Appendix Out') kicks off a North American tour in July, with Minneapolis on his list of stops. Given the highly collaborative nature of the vibrant Minneapolis music scene, locals should make a point of queuing up to see the man quoted as saying: "Collaboration is extremely important to me. I reiterate – extremely." With a tenor voice as smooth and clear and sweet as newly-harvested honey, flavored with a Scottish burr, Roberts will be sure to enchant his audience with the dark, blood-soaked ballads and traditional folk story-songs one might expect from one raised in the hamlet of Kilmahog, in central Scotland, where he first began strumming a guitar and making his voice do things that anyone—after hearing only a few bars—can tell it was meant to do. Don’t snooze and miss tickets for this one!

Alasdair Roberts' latest release, Wonder Working Stone, came out January 2013 via Drag City.

07/13: Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival
07/15: Chicago, IL @ Downtown Sound: New Music Monday Series
07/16: Toronto, ON @ The Drake Hotel
07/17: Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo
07/18: New Salem, MA @ 1794 Meetinghouse
07/19: Brooklyn, NY @ Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival
07/21: Lakewood, OH @ Mahall’s 20 Lanes
07/22: Kalamazoo, MI @ The 411 Club
07/23: Cedar Rapids, IA @ CSPS
07/24: Minneapolis, MN @ Icehouse
07/26: Calgary, AB @ Calgary Folk Music Festival
07/27: Calgary, AB @ Calgary Folk Music Festival
07/28: Calgary, AB @ Calgary Folk Music Festival
07/29: Winnipeg, MB @ West End Cultural Centre
07/31: Washington, DC @ Millennium Stage - Kennedy Center
08/01: New York, NY @ Joe’s Pub

doug + vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com

Davina and the Vagabonds at Memory Lanes Block Party, Minneapolis, May 26, 2013

Tour Dates 05/31/13 Middletown, NY Brians Backyard Bbq 06/02/13 Augusta, NJ Crawfish Festival 06/04/13 Dubois, PA Treasure Lake Ski Lodge 06/06/13 Lincoln, NE Zoo Bar 06/07/13 Omaha Summer Arts Festival 06/08/13 Rock Island, IL Gumbo Ya Ya Festival 06/10/13 Rochester, MN Harmony For Mayo 06/13/13 Milwaukee, WI Jazz In The Park 06/15/13 Chicago, IL Unititled 06/16/13 Gahanna, Oh Creekside Blues & Jazz 06/18/13 Champaign, IL Mike N Molly’s 06/19/13 Champaign, IL Mike N Molly’s 06/20/13 - 06/22/13 Elkhart Jazz Festival 06/27/13 Hutchinson, MN Crow River Winery 06/28/13 Minneapolis MN Famous Dave’s 06/29/13 Red Wing, MN Rolling River Music Festival 07/04/13 Davenport, IA Mississippi Valley Blues 07/07/13 Thunder Bay Thunderbay Blues Festival 07/10/13 Racine, WI Animal Cracker Jazz Series 07/11/13 Chanhassen MN School Ii Bistro 07/13/13 Gladstone, MI Rockin’ the Bay Music Fest 07/25/13 St.Joseph, MN College Of Saint Benedict 07/26/13 - 07/27/13 Minneapolis Dakota Jazz Club 07/31/13 St.Cloud MN Summertime By George 08/01/13 Woodbury, MN Woodbury Lakes Shopping 08/04/13 Durand, WI Blues On Chippewa Festival 08/08/13 Maple Grove, MN Summer Fair 08/09/13 St.Croix Falls, WI Music On The Overlook 08/16/13 Wausau, WI Big Bull Falls Blues Festival 08/1713 New London, MN New London Music Fest 08/22/13 Grand Rapids, MI Pyramid Scheme 08/24/13 St.Mary’s, Ohio Riverside Bluesfest 08/28/13 - 09/01/13 Sierre Sierre Blues Festival 09/05/13 - 09/07/13 Hell Norway Blues In Hell 09/09/13 Wolverhampton Robin 09/11/13 London The Half Moon 09/12/13 Newbury Arlington Arts Centre 09/13/13 Inverness, Uk One Touch Theatre 09/22/13 Monterey, CA Monterey Jazz Festival 10/05/13 Red Wing, MN Music In The Vines 11/09/13 Rochester, MN Kahler Grand Hotel Read More Memory Lanes Block Party On the second day of the 5th Annual Memory Lanes Block Party in Minneapolis, a tall skinny guy in a black-and-white checked tie and turquoise button-down shirt.…

On the 2^nd day of the Memory Lanes Block Party in Minneapolis, Davina and the Vagabonds lit a fire on the stage using a match called Ain’t That A Shame, by Fats Domino, and from that moment until the last piano key was struck, the audience danced like demons in the flames at the front of the stage. The audience comprised people of all ages, from pre-schoolers to septuagenarians, and it was damn near impossible, at any time throughout Davina’s set, to find in that crowd a single face that wasn’t smiling.

With a passion to match her blood red headscarf, Davina pounded those keys until you just had to pity them, belting out tunes with a voice that combined the showstopping brassiness of Ethel Merman with the raw intensity of Janis Joplin; only to prove capable, the very next minute, of channeling Aretha Franklin, delivering a smooth yet searing warning to her man that she’d rather drink Muddy Water than have another man she can’t trust.

Whichever past musical greats her performance may have called to mind, Davina was always 100% Davina Sowers, uncontainable force of textbook barrelhouse piano-playing and good time music defined by nothing if not variety. One minute you found yourself shimmying to music so richly redolent of Louisiana Dixieland jazz that you could almost taste the crawfish on your tongue, the next minute you were tappin’ your toes to Hank Williams’ Hey, Good Lookin’, and if that got you wondering what Davina was cookin’, you didn’t have long to wait before she hit you with a slow Etta James blues number, in which she insisted that I’d Rather Go Blind (than see her man walk away from her) – I don’t know how many octaves she climbed on her final note – I was too spellbound to try to figure it out.

DAVINA SOWERS

Davina’s supporting Vagabonds included trumpet, trombone, drummer, and upright bass, the latter of whom, in addition to deftly plucking and sawing the bass, supplied primary and accompanying vocals. One tasty highlight of the show featured Davina trading vocal licks with her trumpet and trombone players—she would deliver a few choice vocables (inarticulable for most humans), which one of the horn players would then attempt to mimic. During one such flourish, it was nearly impossible to tell the difference between her voice and the bleat of the trombone. But before you could give it any thought, Davina was off to another number, this time whipping out a bullhorn to get the song’s message across in a way that her voice alone could not (however hard that is to believe).

If you haven’t seen, heard or experienced Davina and the Vagabonds in person, keep a sharp eye out for your next opportunity. You’ll be glad you did.

To preview and purchase tunes from Davina and the Vagabonds’ latest album, Black Cloud, go to itunes.apple.com

Davina and the Vagabonds at Memory Lanes Block Party, Minneapolis (05/26/13)

doug ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ memorylanesblockparty.com ♥ davinaandthevagabonds.com

Crankshaft at Memory Lanes Block Party, Minneapolis, May 26, 2013

On the second day of the 5^th Annual Memory Lanes Block Party in Minneapolis, a tall skinny guy in a black-and-white checked tie and turquoise button-down shirt with matching Converse footwear took the stage and literally kicked off the musical festivities. I say "literally" because this dapper gent sat behind a kit consisting of a bass and snare drum, and for the next seventy minutes, his feet worked just as hard as the hands that wrung a good rock-a-boogie time out of his maroon-and-white 1964 Silvertone guitar.

For the uninitiated, this was Alex "CRANKSHAFT" Larson, the souped-up, one-man engine of boogie blues who does roughly 150 shows a year in and around the Twin Cities. Sometimes joined by a drummer and bass player, billed as the Gear Grinders, Crankshaft Larson currently makes his bed in Anoka County, where the hijinks of local schoolboys inspired his opening tune Neighbor Boys, a kazoo-embellished number already familiar enough to elicit the participation of many in the audience, who responded to the “neighbor boys” refrain of each chorus with a spirited yeee-hoooo! (An entertaining music video of this tune can be found here: vimeo.com)

I’ve seen Crankshaft perform three times in the past month and he is nothing if not consistent. While banging out songs with workmanlike deftness and efficiency, he nonetheless does so with a joyous enthusiasm that shimmies up your legs and gets them moving. Whether performing his own whimsical Eatin’ Chili, a snarling punk-a-billy cover of the Cramps’ What’s Inside a Girl?, or a slow blues that would do Robert Johnson proud, Crankshaft does it like he means it, and the audience responds like they know it. By the time he cranked out the rollicking title track of his newly released album, When the Sun Goes Down, whose key-shifting main riff evoked the Ventures, Crankshaft had people of all ages dancing at his feet. His set featured a number of tunes from this new album, one of which was clearly already a crowd favorite and would have been a nice selection for the soundtrack of the Farrelly brothers’ movie of the same name: Kingpin. Crankshaft finished his set with a tune, already a personal favorite of mine, whose title describes something I promise you won’t be doing if you attend one of Crankshaft’s performances: Barkin’ Up the Wrong Tree.

Crankshaft at Memory Lanes Block Party, Minneapolis (05/26/13)

doug ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ memorylanesblockparty.com ♥ crankshaftmusic.com