W♥M (Archive)

Minneapolis Music Guide: May 4 - May 10, 2014

Read More Pagan Metal Like Metal Retardation, the Pagan Metal DVD begins with a disclaimer that if you don't appreciate this film, then you are "too gay". What are you twelve? …

Here is a guide of some Minneapolis (and Saint Paul) live shows and events taking place next week: May 4 - May 10.

SUNDAY, MAY 4
SKYWAY THEATER
Paganfest V

Paganfest V is here in North America. If you're into folk/pagan metal, this is the perfect tour for you. The genre is actually popular enough to warrant a straight to DVD documentary (which spotlight some bands in this very specific genre).

Lineup for Paganfest V includes: Korpiklaani, Turisas, Chthonic, Varg, and Winterhymn.

The main headliner is Korpiklaani, a six-piece folk metal band from Finland, formerly known as Shaman.

Tour dates:

05/01/14 - Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
05/02/14 - Columbus, OH @ Alrosa Villa
05/03/14 - Joliet, IL @ Mojoe's
05/04/14 - Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theater
05/05/14 - Winnipeg, MB @ Zoo Cabaret
05/07/14 - Calgary, AB @ The Republik
05/08/14 - Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
05/09/14 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
05/10/14 - Portland, OR @ Toxic Lounge
05/11/14 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
05/12/14 - Ramona, CA @ Ramona Mainstage
05/13/14 - West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
05/15/14 - Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
05/16/14 - Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room
05/17/14 - Detroit, MI @ Harpo's
05/18/14 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium

Read More Mark Lanegan Mark Lanegan isn't stopping in Minneapolis, but that doesn't mean Emily isn't going to see him on this brief 8-U.S. date for his latest album Imitations (release September 17th). .… Chelsea Wolfe Chelsea Wolfe, in all her glory and doom, performed at The Cedar Cultural Center on Monday September 22. She is touring in support of her very recently released album Pain is Beauty, her fourth official release.…

TUESDAY, MAY 6
ROY WILKINS AUDITORIUM
Queens Of The Stone Age w/ Chelsea Wolfe

W♥M's Emily has been a massive Queens of the Stone Age for a long time, thanks to their collaboration with Mark Lanegan. I don't know if Lanegan is currently on tour with the California band, but they are popular enough to book the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, which is much, much larger than Minneapolis' First Avenue.

Queens are currently on tour for their sixth studio album ...Like Clockwork, out now on Matador Records.

Opening up for Queens will be Chelsea Wolfe, she's currently enjoying touring with Queens of the Stone Age and, later on, with Eels. Wolfe's latest album is Pain is Beauty, out now on Sargent House.

Tour dates:

05/05/14 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
05/06/14 Saint Paul, MN The Roy Wilkins Auditorium
05/07/14 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre
05/09/14 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
05/10/14 Pointfest
05/11/14 LAZERfest
05/13/14 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
05/14/14 Tulsa, OK Brady Theater
05/16/14 Hangout Beach, Music & Arts Fest.
05/25/14 Sasquatch! Music Festival
05/29/14 Primavera Sound
05/30/14 Rock In Rio
06/01/14 Montpellier, France Le Zenith Sud
06/02/14 Rock In Idro
06/03/14 Rock In Roma
06/05/14 Caribana Festival
06/06/14 Rock am Ring
06/07/14 Rock Im Park
06/09/14 Ljubljana, Slovenia Krizanke Auditorium
06/11/14 Novi Sad, Montenegro Petrovaradinska
06/13/14 Orange Warsaw Festival
06/15/14 Northside Festival
07/05/14 Oshawa, ON General Motors Centre
07/06/14 London, ON Budweiser Gardens
07/08/14 RBC Bluesfest
07/09/14 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
07/10/14 Festival D'ete de Quebec
07/12/14 Bangor, ME Cross Insurance Center
07/13/14 Albany, NY Palace Theatre
07/16/14 Port Chester, NY The Capitol Theatre
07/20/14 Philadelphia, PA Skyline Stage
08/06/14 Oya Festival
08/09/14 Zofingen, Switzerland Heitere Platz

Lions Nettwerk Records Read More Ben Sollee Once upon a time the Cedar Cultural Center had an early bedtime and a comfortable elastic waistband. It was a place where white liberal Ravi Shankar fans could gather to sip tea, discuss local politics, and crazily tap …

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7
CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER
William Fitzsimmons w/ Ben Sollee

Singer/songwriter William Fitzsimmons is currently out on tour in support of his recently released LP Lions (out now on Nettwerk Records). Ben Sollee is listed as opener.

Tour dates:

05/03/14 Milwaukee, WI Shank Hall
05/04/14 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre
05/06/14 Iowa City, IA The Englert Theatre
05/07/14 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center
05/08/14 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
05/10/14 Denver, CO Daniels Hall
05/11/14 Boulder, CO Etown Hall
05/13/14 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room
05/15/14 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
05/16/14 Bellingham, WA Wild Buffalo
05/17/14 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
05/18/14 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
05/19/14 Eugene, OR WOW Hall
05/21/14 Sacramento, CA Harlow's Night Club
05/22/14 San Francisco, CA The Independent
05/23/14 Los Angeles, CA Largo
05/24/14 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
05/25/14 Pomona, CA Glass House
05/27/14 Las Vegas, NV Vinyl @ Hard Rock Hotel
05/28/14 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
05/30/14 Dallas, TX Kessler Theater
05/31/14 Austin, TX Parish
06/01/14 Houston, TX Eleanor Tinsley Park
06/05/14 St. Louis, MO Gramophone
06/06/14 Chicago, IL Old Town School
06/07/14 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
06/08/14 Toronto, ON Virgin Mobile Mod Club
06/09/14 Buffalo, NY Buffalo Iron Works
06/11/14 Quebec City, QC Le Cercle
06/12/14 Montreal, QC Cafe Campus
06/13/14 Burlington, VT Signal Kitchen
06/14/14 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall
06/15/14 Cambridge, MA The Sinclair

Bicycles and Canoes

Read More Bombay Bicycle Club Bombay Bicycle Club just announced the release of their fourth album in five years, So Long, See You Tomorrow, coming out February 4, 2014 via Vagrant Records. Of course, the band will be heading out on tour …

English indie four-piece means it when they say, “So Long, See You Tomorrow”.

London’s Bombay Bicycle Club is back on the road, in support of this latest and fourth album (on Island Records) with Manitoba’s Royal Canoe in tow, as tour support. The quartet started as more straight-ahead indie-folk, but on the last couple releases, has introduced more of a worldbeat sound to their oeuvre, with the latest album inspired by singer Jack Steadman’s travels in Holland, Turkey, and India.

With album singles, “Carry Me”, “Feel” and “Luna” already making waves in their native UK and Europe, the band hopes to replicate that success on this side of the pond.

Six-piece Canadian band Royal Canoe opens with their avant-pop hybrid of a spectrum of sounds. Their latest, last year’s Today We’re Believers (Roll Call/Nevado Records) was Juno nominated for Best Alternative Album and singles “Bathtubs” and “Birthday” already have surreal videos available, that defy description and just need to be seen.

Bombay Bicycle Club Tour Dates

Apr 29 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater (18+)
Apr 30 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues (17+)
May 01 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
May 03 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
May 04 – Montreal, QC @ Corona
May 06 – Boston, MA @ Royale (18+)
May 07 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
May 08 – New York City, NY @ Webster Hall (18+)
May 12 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Cats Cradle
May 13 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West (18+)
May 14 – Nashville, TN @ Exit / In (18+)
May 17 – Dallas, TX @ Granada (14+)
May 18 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
May 19 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Ingrid Michaelson at Mall of America, Rotunda (25 April 2014) concert review

Setlist Home Soldier Be Okay Girls Chase Boys The Way I Am Maybe/Everybody Afterlife Tour Dates 04/28/14 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre 04/29/14 Magna, UT Great Saltair 05/01/14 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre 05/02/14 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom 05/03/14 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 05/05/14 Oakland, CA Fox Theater 05/07/14 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern 05/09/14 San Diego, CA Humphrey's 05/10/14 Las Vegas, NV House Of Blues 05/13/14 Dallas, TX House Of Blues 05/14/14 Austin, TX Stubb's Bar-B-Q 05/15/14 Houston, TX House Of Blues 05/16/14 Gulf Shores, AL Gulf Shores Public Beach 05/18/14 Saint Petersburg, FL State Theatre 05/19/14 Orlando, FL The Beacham 05/20/14 Atlanta, GA Center Stage Theater 05/21/14 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium 05/23/14 Washington, DC Lincoln Theatre 05/24/14 Washington, DC Lincoln Theatre 05/25/14 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE 05/27/14 Clifton Park, NY Upstate Concert Hall 05/29/14 New York, NY Terminal 5 05/30/14 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory 05/31/14 Norfolk, VA NorVa 06/02/14 Boston, MA House Of Blues Boston 06/03/14 Boston, MA House Of Blues Boston 07/11/14 Minneapolis, MN Basilica Block Party Read More Ingrid Michaelson Ingrid Michaelson is a singer-songwriter from New York (Staten Island to be exact, which is where I'm from and previously Brooklyn) and plays mainly around the NYC area. She currently has two albums and her songs…

Fresh from a radio in-studio session and ahead of her sold out weekend show at Minneapolis’ First Avenue, indie-pop singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and band found themselves amongst rollercoasters and Spongebob Squarepants.

Lights Out Cabin 24/Mom+Pop

Currently on tour promoting her sixth album, Lights Out (Cabin 24 Records/Mom+Pop), Michaelson converted the shopping throng of onlookers at the Mall of America with a half-hour set of infectious songs, both old and new.

Michaelson began her mini-set with a new song she’s opening her full shows with as well; ‘Home’ with its opening lyric, “Even in the harshest of winter I feel so warm, when the marks climb up the wall I still feel small, this is my home”, something Minnesotans could relate to after a long and brutal winter.

Joking about staring into Spongebob’s “googly eyes” as she sang and reminiscing about riding the rollercoasters while here a few years back, Michaelson moved forward with ‘Soldier’, from previous album, Everybody.

Hits followed for the rest of the short set, starting with ‘Be Okay’ and new single, ‘Girls Chase Boys’, which has made a splash with its homage-in-reverse tribute to Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” music video. The song that first put her on the map, the clap-a-long friendly “The Way I Am” was next, a sweet short song that seemed to be swallowed a little by the cavernous Rotunda stage area.

The Rotunda

In terms of sound, it’s not close to musically ideal; there is echoing and bouncing everywhere, while the music and vocals compete with shopper conversations, people riding in the adjacent amusement park and noise hollowing up and down the massive five floors. But, the Rotunda does provide maximum visual exposure, as people were encamped in front of the stage as well as along the railings on all levels to watch.

Ingrid Michaelson

After a brief mashup of songs ‘Maybe and ‘Everybody’, Michaelson ended the set with new song and album closer, ‘Afterlife’, with lyrics that could speak as her credo: “We are going to live tonight, like there's no tomorrow, ‘cause we are the afterlife”, mentioning before starting that she’d probably never play this kind of space again, and remarking how it somehow reminded her of “The Matrix”.

With now six albums under her belt, adding playing the most famous mall in the country to her resume, and recently announced to return to town as a headliner for July’s Basilica Block Party, Michaelson can afford to keep dreaming big as the Megamall itself.

Ingrid Michaelson at Mall of America, Rotunda (25 April 2014)

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com

New Horror Television Shows: Penny Dreadful and Salem

Penny Dreadful Poster Read More Television The pilot does an incredible job of setting the tone and style of the show. This was a police procedural crime drama with two parallel storylines: Detective Bosch on trial for the murder of an alleged serial …

I am a big horror fan, so I'm pretty excited to check out new horror television show. I'm looking forward to the Friday the 13th Television Series (not to be confused with the 80s program about hunting cursed objects). You can get all the details on deadline.com.

In the meantime, these two brand new horror television shows (Penny Dreadful and Salem) are looking good to me.

Let's tally what's good: The Walking Dead, Hannibal, American Horror Story, and Supernatural (although it's more like a comedy recently). What's not good: Grimm, Dracula, and Sleepy Hollow.

PENNY DREADFUL
sho.com

I've just seen the pilot episode for Penny Dreadful, due to air on May 11th, on Showtime (US) and Sky Atlantic (UK).

The pilot does show off some action, but overall, in typical pilots, only serves as an introduction to the various key characters and a direction on where the series is heading. While that doesn't sound that appealing, I am excited to see the rest of this series.

The main character is Ethan Chandler (played by Josh Hartnett) as a gunfighter. He's recruited by Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) and Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton) to fight some old Egyptian evil. While the characters are trying to solve the mystery with Victor Frankenstein's help, you do see all these hints of what is to come: from Jack the Ripper to obviously Frankenstein's Monster.

If this show is done right, it may appeal to fans of Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen or just plain horror fans in general. Again, this looks like a great show, looking forward to watching more.

Salem

SALEM
wgnamerica.com

WGN America just aired their second episode of Salem. The series is loosely based on the Salem Witch trials in the 17th century, and suggests that the witches were actually behind the trials.

Especially after the American Horror Story: Coven series on witches, I have to say that I'm on the whole (witch) board. There's a lot to like here: a period piece, showcasing a lot of women, and horror elements. Although, for the latter, it's more supernatural than what I would like (we're talking a lot of magic and frogs). I think they can downplay the supernatural demons stuff and keep it in the real world.

The story is about John Alden (Shane West), who went off to war and was a prisoner for a period of time. He returned to Salem to discover his love Mary Sibley (Janet Montgomery) is now married to another man. Unbeknownst to Alden, she actually became a witch in his absent.

So far, I'm fine with the show. It's still developing, but I have to confess, it is hard to rally with the witches (who are the baddies) as opposed to the witches on Coven. Instead, the hero Alden, does very little on his influence and action in Salem. Sure, it's still early days, but at the moment, the show is focused too much on the evil witches and you wonder why we would root for them or care if they live or die?

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

I Break Horses at Triple Rock, Minneapolis (26 April 2014)

I Break Horses American Tour 2014 Poster Setlist Medicine Brush You Burn Ascension Denial Load Your Eyes Hearts Berceuse Faith -- Encore -- Winter Beats Tour Dates 04/29/14 Seattle, WA The Crocodile 04/30/14 Portland, OR Holocene 05/02/14 San Francisco, CA The Independent 05/03/14 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater Read More I Break Horses The good news is that I Break Horses will be back in Minneapolis this Saturday, April 26th, at The Triple Rock Social Club. The band will likely play tracks from their new second album Chiaroscuro, out now. …

Sweden's I Break Horses are currently touring the U.S. in support of their latest release Chiaroscuro. The dreampop band stopped by Minneapolis' Triple Rock Social Club last night, April 26th.

Forsthays

Starting off the show, sharply at 9pm, with "Catching Lightning", was local duo Forsthays. Although the band is in Minneapolis, they started off as a band in Berlin in 2012. Their music was assisted by a computer with programming and beats and Robar playing the bass, while Dominique, with his father's hat, sings and insists that you can trust a man in suspenders. Musically, they're influenced by Marvin Gaye and Billy Ocean, just to give you an idea of what they sound like.

Rival Consoles

With very little setup, Ryan Lee (otherwise performing as Rival Consoles) came on stage and basically played an hour set of EDM/dance/techno music. The scene was also in complete darkness with just a disco ball lighting the floor. After his set ended, he came back to the stage to remove his keyboard and laptop and was humbled by his newfound fans requesting an encore.

I Break Horses came on stage a little later than their original set time. After hearing some Swedish chatter from the crowd, singer Maria Lindén was surprised, "It's crazy that there are Swedes in the audience!"

Setlist

As you can see from their setlist, they had wanted to play much longer, however, after "Berceuse" was played, they confessed that they could not get their synthesizer to work. The next song on their set ("Weigh True Words"), the synth was crucial to the song, so while the sound tech was trying to fix it, they had a few fans from the audience "tell jokes" on stage. Since they never got it to work, the band decided to just end their set with "Faith".

With the late running time, the sound problem, they decided to also end their show with just one song for encore, instead of the intended two.

Hopefully, I Break Horses got their equipment problem sorted out, as they still have some remaining U.S. tour dates left. I Break Hores' latest album Chiaroscuro is out now on PIAS America/Bella Union.

I Break Horses at Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis (26 April 2014)

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

Lydia Loveless at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (24 April 2014)

Loveless/Lovelys at 7th Street Show Poster Lydia Loveless Setlist To Love Somebody All I Know Chris Issak Wine Lips Really Wanna See You Can't Change Me Falling Out of Love With You Somewhere Else The Water Head Verlaine Shot Rimbaud Come Over Mile High Boy Crazy Read More The Sudden Lovelys I saw The Sudden Lovelys a few years ago. I believe the husband/wife duo is from "Nordeast Minneapolis". The duo is heading out on a Spring 2013 tour …

Lydia Loveless stopped by the 7th Street in Minneapolis last night, April 24th, as part of her tour in support of Somewhere Else, out now on Bloodshot Records. Turnout to this 7th Street Entry show was incredibly good; if it didn't sell out, it sure felt like it.

Opening up the show were two locals, Tanbark (a folk duo consisting of Chloe Nelson and James Jannicelli) and The Sudden Lovelys (a duo consisting of Daniel and Paige Ferraro from 'Nordeast Minneapolis').

The Sudden Lovelys

Since we last saw The Sudden Lovelys in 2011, outside of Paige's massive glasses, the band's music and banter remained unchanged. Which is a good thing, because I do enjoy their boy/girl vocals and the weird shift in their music (they dubbed this as "aggressive folk").

Highlight of their set was a fan request for "Waxwing Birds", which, without protest, The Sudden Lovelys launched into the song. Other highlight was a cover of John Prine's "In Spite Of Ourselves."

As for Lydia Loveless, just a little background on her, for those unfamiliar with her work. She previously played bass in a new wave band called Carson Drew (father of Nancy Drew). When the band broke up seven years ago, she went solo. Her latest work, Somewhere Else, is her fourth studio album.

When Loveless took the stage to an eager crowded room, her sleeve got caught on the mic stand. Instead of pretending it didn't happen, she owned up to it and said it was her fault, "I was trying to be like all Stevie Nicks with my witchy outfit..." And speaking of the crowd, Loveless did make the comment that her audience was "about [her] age".

As for her music, it is like country and honky tonk, and listening to her songs, I can tell that they all are stories about her life (or someone she knows). If that sounds like your cup of tea, check out Lovless at a live show:

04/25/14 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern
04/26/14 Urbana, IL Rose Bowl Tavern
04/27/14 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern
05/23/14 Lexington, KY Willie's Locally Known
05/24/14 Knoxville, TN The Bowery
05/27/14 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's
05/28/14 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks
05/29/14 Atlanta, GA Terminal West
05/30/14 Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle
05/31/14 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
06/02/14 Cambridge, MA The Sinclair
06/03/14 New York, NY Webster Hall
06/04/14 Millvale, PA Mr. Small's Theatre
06/05/14 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
06/06/14 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
06/07/14 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue
06/13/14 Chattanooga, TN Miller Plaza
06/14/14 Cincinnati, OH Coney Island Amph
07/11/14 Cincinnati, OH Sawyer Point
08/15/14 Buffalo, NY Sportsmens Tavern
08/16/14 Roxbury, NY Roxbury Arts Center
08/22/14 Manhattan, KS Aggie Central Station
08/23/14 Rock Island, IL Rock Island Brewing
08/31/14 Cookeville, TN Muddy Roots Festival

Trivia: the song "To Love Somebody" and "Really Wanna See You" were inspired by Minneapolis' The Replacements - which Loveless proudly was reading an oversized 'mats book that she had on stage.

Lydia Loveless at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (24 April 2014)

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

Temples at First Avenue, Minneapolis (24 April 2014)

Temples at First Avenue Show Poster Temples Setlist Colours to Life Prisms Sun Structures A Question Isn't Answered Ankh Move With the Season Keep in the Dark Sand Dance -- Encore -- Mesmerise Shelter Song Drowners Setlist You've Got It All Wrong Ways to Phrase a Rejection Luv, Hold Me Down Watch You Change Pure Pleasure Well, People Will Talk Unzip Your Harrington A Button on Your Blouse Let Me Finish Long Hair Shell Across the Tongue Bar Chat R.I.P Bad Times Two Harbors Setlist There Is Love Be Forever Come Around Fall To Pieces You Might Be Right Be On Your Way You Pulled The Rug Out Momentum See You Down The Road Just Carry On Tour Dates 04/25/14 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon 04/26/14 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall 04/27/14 Detroit, MI Magic Stick 04/28/14 Columbus, OH A & R Music Bar 04/30/14 St. Louis, MO Firebird 05/01/14 Kansas City, MO Record Bar 05/02/14 Dallas, TX Dada Dallas 05/03/14 Austin, TX Carson Creek Ranch 05/08/14 Brisbane, Australia Zoo 05/09/14 Sydney, Australia Metro Theatre 05/10/14 Richmond, Australia Corner Hotel 05/28/14 Barcelona, Spain Parc del Forum 06/05/14 Paris, France Le Bataclan 06/08/14 London Victoria Park 06/13/14 Aarhus, Denmark Adalan 06/14/14 Aarhus, Denmark Adalan 07/06/14 Montreux, Switzerland Montreux Jazz Lab 07/10/14 Lisbon, Portugal Passeio Maritimo 08/01/14 Chicago, IL Grant Park 08/02/14 Toronto, ON Lee's Palace 08/16/14 Saint Malo, France Various Venues 08/22/14 Reading Richfield Avenue 08/23/14 Leeds Bramham Park Read More Temples Temples got massive buzz from their semi-recent appearance at SXSW earlier this March. Now the band is making their way across the country in support of their debut album Sun Structures …

Along their way to Minneapolis, Temples have been building huge buzz appearing at Great Escape 2013 and (recently) SXSW 2014. With all that excitement for the band, they sold out the Turf Club presale tickets so they quickly upgraded to the main room at First Avenue.

Two Harbors

Opening up the show was local Two Harbors, unveiling tracks from their latest album The Natural Order of Things (out in May on Susstones Records). Singer Chris Pavlich is dressed accordingly, in 60-ish mod fashion, wearing his influence on his sleeve as they say.

Two Harbors Setlist photo: Two Harbors

As you can see from their setlist, with the exception of their 2011 single "You Pulled The Rug Out", all the tracks were taken from The Natural Order of Things.

If you missed them this time around, the band will likely play The Natural Order of Things on their upcoming show at the Cause Spirits and Soundbar on May 16th.

Drowners

The only thing I knew about Drowners coming into this show was that I thought they took their name from Suede's debut single, "The Drowners". As soon as they exploded on stage with "How the f*** are you Minneapolis?," I knew I would like them.

Drowners Setlist

Take a look at their setlist, which appears to be carved from their dinner (a pizza box) with unique artwork and stickers. You can just tell that the band does not take themselves too seriously and having a good time on the road.

The band seemingly are opposite of Temples, where they stretch out their songs, Drowners just quickly hit you with a one-two punch with their music.

The other thing to note is that although their singer, Matthew Hitt, is from Wales, they are actually from New York, currently signed to Frenchkiss Records.

Temples: James Edward Bagshaw

After Temples took the stage in complete darkness and completing their first song, "Colours to Life", singer James Edward Bagshaw seemed really pleased at the turnout, saying, "Still can't believe there's so many of you out there... So thank you!" He would later add during "Move With the Season" how he's still in disbelief, "Can't believe we sold more tickets here than in Liverpool. We should move here!"

Temples Setlist

Take one look at the Northamptonshire band's setlist, it didn't seem like they played that many tracks, however every one of their songs are extended live, adding ever changing soundscape, in typical psychedelic fashion.

Although I can see the late-Beatles comparison from critics and fans, it seems to me that their influence originally is from Eastern Indian music (which, incidentally, the Beatles was also heavily influenced on The Beatles (The White Album)), particularly with usages of the name temples/worship and the Elephant god Ganesha. Some of their guitar work, playing live, sounds as if they they were trying to reproduce the distinctive sitar sound.

After playing over an hour, they came back with their two biggest 'hit' songs, "Mesmerise" and "Shelter Song", on their encore, complete with extra long, extended, epic outros... leaving the audience wanting more and more. Unfortunately, the house music started playing and the lights came out, indicating that the show was over.

Temples are currently on tour in support of Sun Structures, out now on Fat Possum. Be sure to show up early to catch Drowners; although the two band's music do not match, I enjoyed them both.

Temples at First Avenue, Minneapolis (24 April 2014)

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

Rock the Garden 2014: Spotlight on Valerie June and Spoon

Rock the Garden 2014 photo credit: thecurrent.org Read More Rock the Garden We had the best time at this year's Rock the Garden 2013, so we're very excited to announce that next year's Rock the Garden will extend over two dates: June 21st and 22nd! … Spoon My friend, Robin, told me that Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was the "best album of the year". That was in 2007. Of course, with a recommendation like that …

Minneapolis’ annual summer music festival Rock the Garden used to be a single Saturday in June, featuring four to five bands as well as tons of local food and drink vendors to satisfy hungry concertgoers. This year the Walker Arts Center-organized event will be stretching luxuriously over an entire weekend, June 21st and 22nd. Since 2008, 89.3 The Current has been sponsoring Rock the Garden and unveiling the line-up each year on air has become a highly anticipated thing for many music fans. It’s hard to be disappointed with the great and varied roster they’ve got planned for 2014...

Kicking off Rock the Garden Sunday afternoon will be Dan Auerbach-approved singer / songwriter Valerie June, who has been mesmerizing people with her vibrant, soulful brand of folk blues music since she was a teenager.

Pushin' Against A Stone Sunday Best

The Tennessee-bred musician started out as half of duo Bella Sun, singing with her then-husband. Her style evolved post-Bella Sun as something she has described as “organic moonshine roots music,” a groove-heavy combination of Appalachian folk, blues and gospel. After playing around Memphis, recording with Old Crow Medicine Show and Meshell Ndegeocello and releasing three self-released records, June moved to Brooklyn. It was there that she was introduced to Black Key’s singer and guitarist, Auerbach, who produced her fourth record Pushin’ Against the Stone. Since then, June has been on the receiving end of some severe praise by everyone from Mojo to Rolling Stone. Recently, June rocked the Cedar Cultural Center in August AND December.

Transference Merge Records

Headlining that evening will be none other than Spoon, the Austin, Texas quartet made up of singer/guitarist Britt Daniel, Jim Eno on drums, bassist Rob Pope and guitarist/keyboardist Eric Harvey. Spoon has long been hailed an indie-rock institution, releasing a string of excellent, critically acclaimed albums over the past decade starting with 2001’s Girls Can Tell and ending with 2010’s Transference.

Marrying the fuzzy beauty of the Pixies and the careful pop darkness of the Fall, Spoon create the kind of angular hooks that will make your head spin and your body move. Spoon has been on hiatus up until recently as Daniel has been making beautiful music with side project Divine Fits, featuring members of New Bomb Turks and Wolf Parade. Lately, the band has been teasing fans with pictures of the recording process on Instagram, so it seems like the band will be releasing their eighth studio album this year. Hopefully, they’ll debut a new song or two amidst the shower of rock gems they’re sure to unleash on fans that night.

Rock the Garden 2014 schedule is as follows:

Saturday, June 21 3:00 pm – Gates open 3:45 – 4:15 pm– TBA 4:30 – 5:25 pm – Jeremy Messersmith 5:55 – 6:50 pm – Best Coast 7:20 – 8:20 pm – Matt and Kim 8:50 – 10 pm – De La Soul 10 pm – Music ends 10:30 pm – Gates close

Sunday, June 22 3:00 pm – Gates open 3:45 – 4:15 pm Valerie June 4:30 – 5:20 pm – Kurt Vile and the Violators 5:50 – 6:45 pm – Dessa 7:15 – 8:15 pm – Guided by Voices 8:45 – 10 pm – Spoon 10 pm – Music ends 10:30 pm – Gates close

emily () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Minneapolis Music Guide: April 27 - May 3, 2014

Read More Natural Animal Nashville's Natural Child are back with a brand new album called Dancin' With Wolves. The album is coming out February 25th, 2014 on Burger Records, but you can catch their preview single …

Here is a guide of some Minneapolis (and St Paul) shows next week: April 27 - May 3.

SUNDAY, APRIL 27: TURF CLUB
The Black Lips w/ Natural Child

Natural Child are currently on tour with Atlanta's The Black Lips.

It's probably likely that the Nashville band will be testing out some of their tracks from their latest album, Dancin' With Wolves (out now on Burger Records).

Tour dates:

04/24/14 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick *
04/25/14 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom *
04/26/14 Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium *
04/27/14 St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club *
04/28/14 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room *
04/29/14 St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird *
04/30/14 Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room *
05/01/14 Dallas, TX City Tavern
05/02/14 Austin, TX Hotel Vegas
05/03/14 New Orleans, LA @ Siberia *
05/24/14 Birmingham, AL Good People Brewing
07/16/14 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios

* w/ Black Lips

Read More Kottonmouth Kings You know what 4/20 is don't you? Is it any wonder why pot-day is so close to earth-day? In "celebration" is The Green Album …

MONDAY, APRIL 28: 7TH STREET ENTRY
Buds and Suds Tour

Devin the Dude and co-headliner Berner, along with Cool Nutz and Potluck, are currently touring on their "Buds and Suds" Tour.

Expect some gangsta raps and songs celebrating marijuana (buds) and other green things (dollar bills).

Tour dates:

April 25 Louisville, KY Vernon Club
April 26 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
April 27 Chicago, IL Subterranean
April 28 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
April 30 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
May 2 Fort Collins, CO Hodi's Half Note
May 3 Denver, CO Roxy
May 5 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
May 7 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
May 8 Vancouver, BC Fortune
May 9 Portland, OR Peter's Room
May 10 Eugene, OR WOW Hall
May 11 Garberville, CA Toph's House
May 13 San Francisco, CA Slim's
May 15 Sacramento, CA Ace Of Spades
May 16 Santa Barbara, CA Velvet Jones
May 17 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy
May 19 Santa Ana, CA Observatory
May 20 Scottssdale, AZ Pub Rock
May 21 Tucson, AZ Club Congress
May 22 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad

Read More Peelander-Z Peelander-Z just announced their full nationwide tour for Metalander-Z. We previously saw them tour last year, and I noted that they didn't play that many songs from the album. I guess that was just the preview…

TUESDAY, APRIL 29: 7TH STREET ENTRY
Peelander-Z w/ Downtown Brown and Koo Koo Kanga Roo

Way too many shows on this date. I would love to see Lisa Marie Presley at the Dakota (she's doing a residency, but I can't afford to see her) (UPDATE 4/29/14: Lisa Marie Presley canceled her entire tour due to health reasons.) or the Pains of Being Pure at Heart at the Triple Rock Social Club or Bombay Bicycle Club at the Varsity .... but the show I've already been assigned to is Peelander-Z at the 7th Street Entry. I've seen the band many, many, many times, but they are always fun and it never gets old.

Tour dates:

04/24/14 Missoula, MT The Palace
04/25/14 Bozeman, MT Zebra Cocktail Lounge
04/26/14 Billings, MT The Railyard
04/28/14 Fargo, ND The Aquarium
04/29/14 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
05/01/14 Chicago, IL Reggies Rock Club
05/02/14 Pontiac, MI Pike Room
05/03/14 Toledo, OH Frankie's Inner-City
05/04/14 Newport, KY Southgate House
05/05/14 Cleveland, OH Beachland Tavern
05/06/14 Columbus, OH Rumba Cafe
05/07/14 Pittsburgh, PA The Altar Bar
05/08/14 Richmond, VA Strange Matter
05/09/14 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
05/10/14 Wilmington, DE Mojo 13
05/14/14 Providence, RI Fete Lounge
05/15/14 Boston, MA Church
05/16/14 New Haven, CT Cafe Nine
05/17/14 Brooklyn, NY The Glasslands Gallery
06/21/14 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Theatre

Eels: The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett

Tour Dates 05/14 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom 05/16 Austin, TX Paramount Theater* 05/17 Houston, TX House of Blues* 05/19 Dallas, TX Strauss Square* 05/21 Denver, CO Gothic Theater* 05/23 St. Louis, MO Sheldon* 05/24 Chicago, IL Vic Theater* 05/25 St. Paul, MN Fitzgerald Theater* 05/27 Toronto, ON Winter Garden* 05/28 Montreal, QC Virgin Mobile Corona* 05/29 Boston, MA Berklee Performance* 05/30 Philadelphia, PA Keswick Theatre* 05/31 Washington, DC Lincoln Theater* 06/01 New York, NY Apollo Theater* 06/03 Detroit, MI Royal Oak* 06/04 Madison, WI Barrymore Theater* 06/07 Seattle, WA Moore Theater* 06/08 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater* 06/10 San Francisco, CA Palace of Fine Arts* 06/11 Los Angeles, CA Orpheum Theater* 06/15 Oxford, UK New Theatre 06/16 Manchester, UK Bridgewater Hall 06/17 Glasgow, UK Academy 06/18 Cambridge, UK Corn Exchange 06/19 Bexhill, UK De La Warr Pavillion 06/21 Linz, Austria Posthof 06/22 Vienna, Austria Konzerthaus 06/24 Berlin, Germany Tempodrome 06/25 Amsterdam Het Koninklijk 06/26 Amsterdam Het Koninklijk 06/27 Rottendam Concertgebouw De Doelen 06/28 Eindhoven Naked Song Festival 06/30 London, UK Royal Albert Hall 07/01 Dublin, Ireland Olympia 07/02 Dublin, Ireland Olympia 07/04 Werchter Festival 07/05 Groningen Stadsschouwburg 07/06 Montreux Montreux Jazz Festival 07/07 Zurick, Switzerland Kongress Haus 07/08 Luxembourg Grand Theatre 07/10 Paris, France Days Off Festival 07/11 Toulouse, France Bikini 07/12 Barcelona, Spain Teatre Grec 07/14 Madrid, Spain Circo Price 07/17 Florence, Italy Teartro Romano di Fiesole 07/18 Milan, Italy Auditorium di Milano 07/20 Antwerp, Belgium Rivierenhof 07/21 Antwerp, Belgium Rivierenhof 07/22 Hamburg Laeiszhalle 07/24 London Barbican 07/25 Bristol Colston Hall 07/26 Gateshead Sage * Chelsea Wolfe opening Read More Eels Prolific, emotionally intense songwriter Mark Oliver Everett (or E to fans and the music world) has recorded a new Eels record called Wonderful, Glorious and is taking those songs on the road …

Today marks the release of the Eels’ album The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett. This is the band’s 11th full length record in 18 years, since first hitting the alternative music scene with 1996’s Beautiful Freak.

A prolific and inventive musician, Everett has garnered a large following of fans and critics as well as fellow musicians with his simple, compassionate approach to songwriting. Everett’s songs are, indeed, spectacular to behold; lovingly-rendered audio gems that take the shape of gentle acoustic numbers and surprisingly wooly freak-outs. And in the tradition of great story songwriters, Everett has spent his career exploring his life and mining the human soul, uncovering pain and beauty and creating some of the most stunning tales in contemporary music.

The newest album sees Everett in a vulnerable state. As he recounts on the Eels website, the band started recording the album prior to the release of 2013’s Wonderful, Glorious. But the process proved to be too intense and so it was temporarily put on hold. Recently, the band reconvened to complete it. "I listened to what we had done, and it made me uncomfortable… but not uncomfortable enough," Everett says regarding early cuts of the album. "I decided to scrub over half of the songs and write new ones that would make me feel even more uneasy. If I'm not uncomfortable, it's not real enough. I needed to dig a little deeper."

Clearly, this conscious effort to give the songs a more uneasy feel was successful. Tales’ is very stripped down sounding, utilizing only a handful of carefully selected instruments to fill out each song. The focus is truly on Everett’s sleepy rasp as his deeply personal words. “When I was young, I had a dream/I would be held in high esteem/I thought I’d end up with gentlemen/distinguished, respected, refined,” Everett sings on “Gentlemen’s Choice” invoking the tormented barroom croak of Tom Waits.” The life that I’ve led is better unsaid/the world has no use for my kind.” He gets darker on “Dead Reckoning” muttering in resigned tones, “I can’t change you/I can’t change anyone,” while a bassoon echoes ominously in the background.

Ultimately, despite the bleak emotional corridors Everett takes us through, there are small, sacred glimmers of light throughout the record. Amidst chiming guitars on “Answers,” he reveals that “living lost is not the way to go from here on out.” On the album closer, the gorgeous piano and horn-driven “Where I’m Going,” he soulfully declares, “I’ve got a good feeling about where I’m going.” Turns out, Everett is an optimist, if a reluctant one.

Can one make peace with a past filled with careless mistakes in under 50 minutes? Everett can. In fact, Mark Oliver Everett can be confronted with any real world problem and work through it with a guitar and a glockenspiel. That’s what makes him such an inspiring and beloved songwriter; he’s honest about his struggles and that makes him so accessible. To me, Everett’s songs are like psychic life-rafts or a protective pendant you wear around your neck. He can string together a few glorious notes and everything is suddenly okay again.

Be sure to catch Eels on tour starting next month in Austin, TX. The band will be playing the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul on May 25th. And if you haven’t read it yet, pick up Everett’s heartbreaking and funny 2008 memoir Things The Grandchildren Should Know.

emily () ♥ weheartmusic.com