W♥M (Archive)

La Roux, w/ Midnight Magic at First Ave, Minneapolis (29 Sep 2014)

La Roux Tour Poster Midnight Magic Tour Poster Setlist Let Me Down Gently Fascination Kiss and Not Tell In For The Kill Quicksand Sexotheque Cruel Sexuality I'm Not Your Toy Tropical Chancer Uptight Downtown Colorless Color Silent Partner -- Encore -- Tigerlily Bulletproof US Tour Dates 10/01/2014 Chicago, IL Concord Music Hall 10/02/2014 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall 10/04/2014 New York, NY Terminal 5 * All dates with Midnight Magic Read More La Roux We tend to really love British bands. We've had our eye on London's La Roux (featuring singer Elly Jackson and record producer Ben Langmaid) ... Midnight Magic Opening up for La Roux is Midnight Magic, a "cosmic disco" band from New York, featuring music vets Morgan Wiley and W. Andrew Raposo, and vocalist Tiffany Roth. ...

London dance/pop band La Roux (currently lead by Elly Jackson) is currently touring in support of her latest album Trouble in Paradise, stopping by the historic First Avenue in Minneapolis, last night, September 29th.

New York's disco band Midnight Magic started the show, playing a solid 40 min set consisting of their 2013 album Midnight Creepers (which probably is a compilation of some EPs, Walking the Midnight Streets and What The Eyes Can't See).

Disco music is still pretty big in Europe (why you think they call it Eurodisco?), particularly in Germany and Italy - so I would think Midnight Magic's main market is probably in those countries. The other thing you should know is that Midnight Magic is normally a much larger band, a 9-piece ensemble, but for this tour, the band is a 4-piece... which is probably a blessing since the space they were given on stage was restricted. What is missing is the horns/brass section of their band, which gave the band a more funk and soul sound to their already jerky disco rhythm... at least based on their various YouTube live videos I watched for research.

Midnight Magic

So, let's start with their show - they kicked off their 'a little dance party' set with "Heat", but instead of slowing down to a stop, singer Tiffany Roth said, "Let's just keep going - like a soundtrack," and the band started "Drop Me A Line" without a break. The 'soundtrack' kept going until Roth's nose started bothering her. She kept twitching and palming her nose, but eventually addressed it, "I don't have a cocaine problem! Just an itchy nose."

You can Roth is pretty comfortable on stage, the way she interacted with the crowd. She tried to get people dancing, but realized it was early, "I know it's like 5pm..." (joke), then someone shouted out to play "Drop Me A Line", and she immediately quipped back, "We already did that one, what did you just get here?"

They ended their set with a blockbuster of disco train, "Beam Me Up", "Electric Shock", and "Push". For the latter song, she asked if Prince was in the house (note: we get that a lot, regarding Prince, whenever national bands play First Avenue). The band naturally freaked out, knowing that they were in the same venue where Prince filmed Purple Rain in 1984. Also I should mention that Roth belted out a loud "PUSH!" scream in the middle of the song that felt like she was giving a painful birth! The audience gave a loud cheer in support of that amazing note... and such a good song to end their set.

La Roux

Just a little background for those not familiar with synthpop/dance London band La Roux (pronounced as "la roo"). The band started as a duo, Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid. They won a Grammy Award for singles, "In For the Kill" and "Bulletproof", but while working on that difficult sophomore album, there was, as they say, trouble in paradise... Only as recently as of May 2014 did they make it official that Langmaid was no longer in La Roux, and that Elly is now the sole member. While it's not disclosed why the two split, it is probably just creative differences (and probably money).

A couple of key things on this Minneapolis show, for "Quicksand", Elly noted that critics compared this song to Prince, which she considered it a compliment so she dedicated the song to him. Maybe it's the way the band played it, but it does have a hint of "When Doves Cry" in the song...

The other thing is after "Cruel Sexuality", Elly stopped to announced, "We're going to play a song that is not on the setlist." And then proceeded to sing "Happy Birthday" to William on drums.

Of course, La Roux saved the two biggest hit for their encore, "Tigerlily" and "Bulletproof". For the latter, there was actually no need for Elly to sing, as the audience could have sung the whole song by themselves. Elly knew this and often would just stop and hear the audience singing back.

La Roux and Midnight Magic will be wrapping up their tour in early October... so if you live in Chicago, Detroit, and New York, you still have a chance to dance the night away.

La Roux at First Avenue, Minneapolis (29 Sep 2014)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Lykke Li at First Avenue, Minneapolis (28 Sep 2014)

Photo Gallery Mapei Mapei - Hey Hey LP Lykke Li Setlist Lykke Li Setlist I Never Learn Sadness Is A Blessing Just Like A Dream No Rest For The Wicked Jerome Dance, Dance, Dance Little Bit Sleeping Alone I'm On Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover) Gunshot I Follow Rivers Never Gonna Love Again Youth Knows No Pain Send It Up (Kanye West cover) Get Some -- Encore -- Du Är Den Ende (Lill Lindfors cover) Heart Of Steel Mapei Setlist Second 2 None Change Don't Wait Step Up Believe Prototype (OutKast cover) Come On Baby Tour Dates 09/30/14 Toronto, ON @ Kool Hausv 10/01/14 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer 10/03/14 Boston, MA @ House of Blues 10/04/14 New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall 10/06/14 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club 10/08/14 Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle 10/09/14 Orlando, FL @ House of Blues 10/10/14-10/12/14 III Points Festival Read More Lykke Li What a great way to start the week: with Sweden's Lykke Li! Lykke Li is out touring in support of her latest album I Never Learn, out now on Atlantic Records/LL Recordings. ...

Swedish pop singer/songwriter Lykke Li is back in the United States, touring in support of her latest album I Never Learn (LL Recordings/Atlantic Records), stopping by a very full room at First Avenue in Minneapolis, last night.

Mapei

Opening up the show was Lykke Li's idol, fellow Swedish singer Mapei. Mapei was actually born in Rhode Island, but at the age of ten, she moved to Stockholm with her Swedish stepfather. She would then grow up with one foot in America and one foot in Sweden... and eventually met up with Lykke Li. Obviously the two became really good friends, and for this tour, Lykke Li personally requested Mapei to tour with her.

Mapei's very brief set included some tracks from her debut album Hey Hey (Downtown Records), which was released last Tuesday, September 23rd, but also throwing in a cover of OutKast's "Prototype".

My favorite song from her set was "Believe", with a very infectious chorus: "Baby, when your back is against the wall, and you thought you lost it all..."

Dance Dance Dance

When we got a copy of Lykke Li's Little Bit EP in 2008, she was already getting buzz in America when she toured with two other strong Swedish women, El Perro Del Mar and Anna Ternheim. What drew me to Lykke Li was her amazing track, "I'm Good, I'm Gone", which I'm sad to report she did not play on this current tour. That's to be expected, she's now on her third album I Never Learn, so promoting the new material made sense.

The black drapes and cloud of fog and near-darkness lighting created this moody atmosphere. Obviously, Lykke Li is a creature of the stage wanted to create this mysterious theater of dance, body language, costumes, and, of course, music.

Majority of the set included a lot of new songs from I Never Learn (including the title track, "Just Like A Dream", "No Rest For The Wicked", "Sleeping Alone", "Gunshot", "Never Gonna Love Again", and encore "Heart Of Steel").

The older tracks from her debut Youth Novel got the biggest response from the audience... Especially hearing the first few bars of "Little Bit" got the crowd roaring with cheer. Familiar songs like "Dance, Dance, Dance" were reworked live, like the song had evolved over time.

My favorite was the Bruce Springsteen cover "I'm On Fire", even though the music didn't queue up as soon as Lykke Li announced, "I don't know about you, but I'm on fire..." Her version is, of course, a little slower and with a hint of sadness.

Speaking of sadness, there were a few tracks from 2011's Wounded Rhymes, which was probably written at a low time for Lykke Li. She confessed on stage that the album was a "real bummer," but she recognize that we all need to feel down at some point.

For the encore, Lykke Li gave us a treat with a Swedish song "Du Är Den Ende", because Minneapolis was "the best audience so far!"

I found out later that the origin of the song is based in a standard Spanish song called "Romance Anónimo" (Anonymous Romance), but re-written with lyrics as "Du Är Den Ende" (translated to English as "You are the only one") by sixties/seventies Swedish singer Lill Lindfors.

The second song on the encore was "Heart Of Steel", followed by an outro song of The Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down".

Lykke Li's album I Never Learn is out now on LL Recordings/Atlantic Records. It's good to have the Swedish singer back in the states, check out the rest of her tour with Mapei.

Lykke Li at First Avenue, Minneapolis (28 Sep 2014)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Bishop Allen at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (28 Sep 2014)

Setlist Start Again Bread Crumbs Rain Oklahoma Busted Heart Click Click Click Click Like Castanets Why I Had To Go No Show Charm School Rooftop Brawl Good Talk Middle Management -- Encore -- Butterfly Nets Read More Bishop Allen Bishop Allen are currently on tour in support of their latest album Lights Out, out now on Dead Oceans, a sister label to Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar. ...

Bishop Allen is currently on tour in support of their latest album Lights Out, stopping by Minneapolis' 7th Street Entry last night.

Ancient Mariner

Local band, by the way of Denver, Ancient Mariner started the evening off. The trio (Gabriel Jorgensen, Connor Davison, and Dan Stewart) played tracks from their In Solitude EP, but throwing in some new material, like "Brother". The band seem really happy to have been invited to play for Bishop Allen.

New York's Bishop Allen are essentially the friendship and musical collaborator between Justin Rice and Christian Rudder. After Grrr... was released in 2009, the band disappeared and only recently resurfaced for their new album Lights Out (Dead Ocean), which came out earlier this year.

So naturally, the band's been playing some rather old material from their previous albums, including the title track from Charm School, "Click, Click, Click, Click" from The Broken String , "Oklahoma" from Grrr..., etc.

Making up the rest of their set were new tracks from Lights Out. Based on hearing the new songs live, it's like Bishop Allen never left and continued to write these incredibly upbeat and catchy songs.

Singer Justin Rice mentioned how they had such a long drive to Minneapolis and how vibrant downtown was on a Sunday, to his eyes. Then he looked up and saw the skyway and thought, "Yeah, there's the winter thing." Let's just say I'm glad they aren't touring in the winter here...

Darbie Rice

For their encore, they had a rare vocals from keyboardist Darbie Rice, who softly sang us out to "Butterfly Nets".

Bishop Allen's first new album in over five years, Lights Out is out now on Dead Oceans, a sister label to Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar. Check out the band on these remaining tour dates:

10/02/14 Seattle, WA Lo-Fi
10/03/14 Spokane, WA The Bartlett
10/04/14 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
10/05/14 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop
10/07/14 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater
10/08/14 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
10/10/14 Denver, CO Hi-Dive
10/14/14 Hamden, CT The Ballroom

Bishop Allen at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (28 Sep 2014)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Frankie Teardrop at Dead Media - Cassette Store Day (27 Sep 2014)

Read More Cassette Store Day Obviously, the whole CSD was inspired by the success of Record Store Day, but I do not believe the two are associated in anyway. The CSD movement started in the UK last year with only about 28 record shops selling about 50 … …

The second annual Cassette Store Day just took place last night, Saturday, September 27th, and by all reports, it was a success. I think by next year, you can see attendance (and events) doubling as Cassette Store Day gain awareness... much like how Record Store Day or Free Comic Book Day started off small, but steadily grew over time.

Dead Media Cassette Store Day 2014 event detail:

Cassette Store Day @ d e A D ^^ e d i a
Dead Media
3330 E. 25th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55406

Live music:
2pm - Frankie Teardrop
3pm - Frances Gumm
4pm - So Big

Frankie Teardrop wants to shred at your house, tour dates:

09/28 Milwaukee, WI @ Circle A
09/30 Chicago, IL @ Bric A Brac Records (early)
09/30 Chicago, IL @ Mutiny Chicago (late)
10/01 Iowa City, IA @ Gabe's Iowa City (downstairs)
10/02 Fairfield, IA @ The Arbor Bar
10/03 Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
10/04 Omaha, NE @ Middle Haus
10/05 Columbia, MO @ Cafe Berlin

Frankie Teardrop performing "No More Drugs" at Dead Media - Cassette Store Day (27 Sep 2014) film by Jimi

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Sondre Lerche at Bowery Ballroom, New York (23 Sep 2014)

Setlist After the Excorcism Bad Law Crickets You Know So Well Go Right Ahead No One’s Gonna Come My Hands are Shaking Sleep on Needles At a Loss for Words Sentimentalist Lucifer Private Caller Two Way Monologue Legends -- Encore -- Lucky Guy Modern Nature Read More Sondre Lerche Sondre Lerche is a Norwegian singer/songwriter who is always experimenting with his sound, in particular his Heartbeat Radio album … TEEN Brooklyn-based TEEN followed Jenkins. The indie rock band formed in 2012 is composed of lead Kristina "Teeny" Lieberson, her two sisters Lizzy and Katherine, and friend Jane …

Sondre Lerche kicked off his tour Tuesday night at the Bowery Ballroom promoting his new album, Please, released the same day. Playing to a full house of devoted fans, Lerche “was feeling it, friends,” according to a Facebook post the next day.

TEEN

Opening for Lerche was Brooklyn-based band, TEEN. With their electronic, alternative rock music, the harmonies from all four members blended in smoothly and strongly. Their semi-repetitious sequences in each song give off a slight trance-like vibe. Though it seemed like most of the audience came to see Lerche, TEEN definitely was able to hold the majority of the crowd’s attention.

Sondre Lerche

The last time I saw Sondre Lerche was in 2009 and he was solo. This tour, he is joined by drummer David Heilman and bassist Chris Holm, though occasionally going solo for songs like “My Hands Are Shaking.” Joining for a few songs were members of TEEN and violinist Tim Fain, or as Lerche calls him, “T-Fain,” better than T-Pain.

The crowd seemed to be quite enthusiastic, which Lerche most definitely fed off of and gave the audience several opportunities to sing along. Combining both older songs like “Sleep on Needles,” and “Two Way Monologue” with new songs from the just-released album like “Bad Law” (music video) and “Legends” (music video), the crowd got to revel in the oldies and enjoy the experiencing the new material live.

Aside from the great musicianship, Lerche’s banter on stage kept the crowd entertained. After telling the audience how great they were, he side noted with “I’m not trying to seduce you,” but later on, somehow managed to unbutton his shirt (though quickly rebuttoned it). His genuine excitement for his new album and to be on tour again was palpable and contagious.

Catch him on tour in the US, Europe, and/or Asia.

USA Dates
Sep 30 House of Blues Cleveland, OH
Oct 01 Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH
Oct 03 Backstage Bar Las Vegas, NV
Oct 04 Musical Instrument Museum Phoenix, AZ
Oct 05 5th Avenue Side Stage San Diego, CA
Oct 08 Troubadour Los Angeles, CA
Oct 09 The Independent San Francisco, CA
Oct 11 Doug Fir Portland, OR
Oct 12 Nectar Lounge Seattle, WA
Oct 15 Bluebird Theatre Denver, CO
Oct 16 Vega Lincoln, NE
Oct 17 Turf Club St Paul, MN
Oct 18 Lincoln Hall Chicago, IL
Oct 19 Magic Stick Detroit Lakes, MN
Oct 20 Altar Bar Pittsburgh, PA

Sondre Lerche at Bowery Ballroom, New York (23 Sep 2014)

justina ♥ weheartmusic.com

Lizzo and Caroline Smith at First Avenue, Minneapolis (27 Sep 2014)

Photo Gallery Lizzo and Caroline Smith Lizzo and Caroline Smith Lizzo and Caroline Smith Setlist Setlist Let 'Em Say All That I Know Is (I'm Your Baby) Push It Batches & Cookies Buy Me Something Tanktop ;;; W.E.R.K Pt. II Hot Dish Lizzie Borden Half About Go Kind of Man Bloodstyle Bloodlines F**** A***** Grrrl Anthem Bus Passes and Happy Meals Wut U Mean Walking Off The One Thing Magazine Child of Moving Faded -- Encore -- Run the World Read More Lizzo Lizzo, The Grrrl Prty hip-hopper considered Rock the Garden a “some day” gig and was honored to open the event. We last saw her showing her impressive soul chops ... Caroline Smith Beginning the evening on the good foot was Minneapolis-based singer Caroline Smith, whose freshly released new album, Half About Being a Woman (United Interests) ...

It was a typical grrrl prty with Lizzo and Caroline Smith at First Avenue last night, as they unite to celebrate women power.

Co-sponsored by The Women's Foundation of Minnesota, 89.3 The Current, and Radio K, Saturday's show was quickly sold out, so they stepped in and added another show on Friday. Unlike the Friday show, Saturday's show started much later than originally scheduled (Lizzo & Caroline set time were listed at 9:15pm, but in fact they started after 10pm).

Grrrl Prty presents Tawst

The party started with Grrrl Prty presents Tawst, which were two DJs, Shannon Blowtorch and Sophia Eris, from Grrrl Prty. The two kept the floor moving, as they live mix (and sometime Eris would sing over) their favorite dance hits, from Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" to Mystikal's "Shake ya Ass" to Lauryn Hill's "Doo-Wop (That Thing)" ... but they seem to have a thing for House of Pain, as they used "Jump" in the beginning and near the end of their nearly hour-long set.

The Caroline Smith and Lizzo tag team is interesting, only because they are from two different music genre: Lizzo in the alternative hip hop and DJ scene with bands like The Chalice and Grrrl Prty, while Smith was originally from the folk/Americana scene, then pivot to more of a neo-soul sound. The extra long show proved that the two music genre can co-exist, and, yes, can seamlessly flow from one performer to another.

With that said, the two stormed out strong with their new single, "Let 'Em Say", and then Smith faded in the background as Lizzo took charge of her songs and vice versa on Smiths-lead songs. The way the two wrote the setlist, each singer had their moment in the spotlight and it made for a nice flow.

The only thing consistent was that the band, The Good Night Sleeps (complete with soul backup singers and a live DJ/keys), remained on stage throughout the two hour set (!) and playing backup music to all the songs live - except for the rare exception of being 'kick off the stage' after "F**** A*****" and then leaving the stage and returning for the encore.

Interestingly enough, Lizzo covered Salt-n-Pepa's song "Push It", however it sounded much different live, so different that I wouldn't even call it a cover (the key rift was not played and it was stripped down to just the "Oooh baby baby" part with some of the rap part). The other Lizzo highlight was her ability to play a flute as the intro to "Bloodline".

Not a surprise, but Grrrl Prty joined Lizzo and Smith on stage for a couple of songs, and of course, during the encore.... however when Lizzo and Caroline Smith (and the rest of Grrrl Prty) took off their clothes and started dancing in their underwear on stage after "Magazine", that was an interesting surprise! Sorry fellas, I didn't snap any pictures out of respect for the ladies; you just had to be there.

Who knows when the next Lizzo and Caroline Smith show will be, with Lizzo heading out on tour to the UK, but the next time these two get together - you should be there for the grrrl prty. Lizzo and Caroline's single "Let 'Em Say" is out now and proceeds benefits the Women's Foundation of Minnesota.

Lizzo and Caroline Smith, with Grrrl Prty, at First Avenue, Minneapolis (27 Sep 2014)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Blake Mills at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St Paul (26 Sep 2014)

Setlist If I'm Unworthy Hey Lover I'll Never Do You Wrong (Joe Tex cover) Cry to Laugh It'll All Work Out Three Weeks In Havana Gold Coast Sinkin with Fiona Apple It's Only Make Believe (Conway Twitty cover) Don't Tell Our Friends About Me Seven Half Asleep Under the Underground Before It Fell Women Know -- Encore -- Tomorrow Night (Horace Heidt / Lonnie Johnson cover) Tour Dates 09/27 Evanston, IL Space 09/28 Chicago IL Mayne Stage 09/30* Cambridge MA The Sinclair 10/01* New York NY (Le) Poisson Rouge 10/06* Washington DC The Hamilton 10/08* Brooklyn NY Rough Trade 10/09* Philadelphia PA World Cafe Live 10/13 London UK Bush Hall 10/15 Paris FR Le Zebre De Belleville – PARIS 11 * with yMusic Read More Blake Mills As the tour title suggest, this was an "anything goes" type of show from Apple and Mills. Even as they took pride in suggesting that they have absolutely no idea what they were going to do on stage, they seem to be well-rehearsed …

Touring in support of his latest album, Heigh Ho (Record Collection/Verve Records), Blake Mills stopped in at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St Paul, last night, September 26th ... with a surprise guest!

Let's get the house in order first, there was no warmup band, but Blake Mills played more than an hour set with a full backing band (Tyler on keys, Stuart on percussions, Sebastian on bass, and Rob on violin*). Also note that was a seated show, and the audience was highly respectful and quiet, making it an ideal new music 'listening party'. The band was really tight and alert, often able to adapt and improvise at a moment's notice to keep up with Mills' sometime off-the-road style of playing. For example, "Seven", as Mills explained, was played differently every night.

The biggest surprise of the night was when Mills announced his special guest, Fiona Apple to join him on stage! There were no indications on the original show announcement, but on retrospect, I suppose if you kept up closely on Mills' whereabouts, all the clues were there. Apple and Mills previously toured together under the "Anything We Want" title last year, so it was nice to see the two together again. Apple and Mills were in really good spirit and the chemistry was just amazing to witness.

For her section, Apple sang on three songs, a Conway Twitty cover song "It's Only Make Believe", followed by "Don't Tell Our Friends About Me" and "Seven". All three songs were also played live previously at the O'Shaughnessy in St Paul last year, so these songs were long in the making before they landed as duets on Mills' Heigh Ho record.

It's probably not worth mentioning, but they seem to have some kind of feedback issue with Apple's mic. It wasn't noticeable during the loud music part, but it was certainly a distraction at quieter moments between songs.

Blake Mills Setlist

I like comparing my notes to the intended setlist, because sometime they may play alternate/secondary songs. In Mills' case, he sometime substitute "History of My Life" with "Three Weeks In Havana" (but for last night, they played 'Havana'). Also note that they did not play "Curable Disease", but it was listed on the encore.

Besides the Apple's appearance, the highlight of the set has to be "Gold Coast Sinkin". The story behind this was pretty funny. Since the song that everyone gravitated to ("Don't Tell Our Friends About Me") was not a commercially viable song, with its usage of the f-word in the lyrics. Mills, for creative integrity, also refused to edit or re-record a radio version... so the record label decided to try and push "Gold Coast Sinkin'" as the single. Despite how Mills felt about this "long and slow" song, hearing it live, it sounded like it could be the "smash summer hit of 2015."

Blake Mills is currently on tour in support of his new album Heigh Ho, which came out last week on Record Collection/Verve Records. If you missed the "Anything We Want" tour last year, this is your second chance to see Blake Mills and Fiona Apple again.

* I am pretty sure the violinist' name is Rob Moose, who also play in Bon Iver, as indicated by his custom logo duffle bag.

Blake Mills, with guest Fiona Apple, at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St Paul (26 Sep 2014)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Morrissey Cover Lovers: Reintroducing Morrissey, Smiths Songbook on Cassette, and Little Cinema's Adventure

Read More Morrissey Also, Morrissey announced that he was dropped by his record label, Harvest Records... then within weeks, his latest album, World Peace is None of Your Business, was quickly removed from all digital outlets, …

MORRISSEY
true-to-you.net

Introducing Morrissey was originally released in 1995 on VHS, but thanks to Rhino Entertainment, they have gone back and digitally remastered the film for the modern age. As I recall, Introducing Morrissey was the second live film, but it was much superior to Live in Dallas, which only had two cameras!

I had no idea, but apparently the VHS was only available as a limited collector's item... and yes, of course, I own this, along with Live in Dallas and Hulmerist, and The Malady Lingers On.

As much as I like old things and old technology, I am deeply looking forward to seeing the film for the first time in clean, clear video and audio.

Introducing Morrissey full tracklisting:

1. Billy Budd
2. Have-A-Go Merchant
3. Spring-Heeled Jim
4. You're The One For Me, Fatty
5. The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
6. Whatever Happens, I Love You
7. We'll Let You Know
8. Jack The Ripper
9. Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself
10. The National Front Disco
11. Moon River
12. Hold On To Your Friends
13. Boxers
14. Now My Heart Is Full
15. Speedway

Rhino Entertainment's Introducing Morrissey came out September 9, 2014. Check out this clip of "Jack the Ripper" on youtube.com

Read More Cassette Store Day Obviously, the whole CSD was inspired by the success of Record Store Day, but I do not believe the two are associated in anyway. The CSD movement started in the UK last year with only about 28 record shops selling about 50 …

THE SMITHS SONGBOOK
facebook.com

As if you didn't need to be reminded, but the second annual Cassette Store Day is taking place tomorrow, September 27th.

Among the 300+ releases, there is this Smiths cover cassette called Allen & Dennis Callaci Sing/Aaron Alcala Plays The Smiths Songbook (Shrimper Records). The Callaci are two-third of a band called Refrigerator and Alcala previously recorded with Refrigerator... why not just re-titled it Refrigerator on The Smiths?

The cover artwork is a drawing of the Smiths' Rank live album, featuring star Alexandra Bastedo.

Details of the release:

Recorded over 3 evenings this summer, this 2014 Shrimper cassette store day release features 9 Smiths songs reinterpreted by Allen & Dennis Callaci (Refrigerator) with Aaron Alcala (previous recordings w/ Refrigerator & Adam Lipman) on guitar/piano. All songs were recorded live with the brothers harmonizing onto one mic offering dramatic reinterpretations of some classics & some slightly obscure songs in the Smiths canon.

The cassette is a limited edition of 200 hand numbered copies w/ cover art by Dennis Callaci. Tapes hand dubbed and hand labeled. Light In The Attic is the exclusive distributor of this release.

Track List:

1. Unloveable
2. Stop Me If You Think That You’ve Heard This One Before
3. This Night Has Opened My Eyes
4. Bigmouth Strikes Again
5. I Know It’s Over
6. Golden Lights
7. The Death of a Disco Dancer
8. I Won’t Share You

Read More the Lucksmiths Fans who are just discovering the Lucksmiths, good news for you, there is a 'greatest hits' double disc compilation called Cartography For Beginners out now. ……

LITTLE CINEMA
littlecinema.bandcamp.com

Check out this promotional picture of Little Cinema, featuring singer/songwriter Tyler Womack in a yellow Smiths T-Shirt. It's also a nod to films and movies, given his band name.

A little trivia, but the Richard Davalos image was from the film East of Eden (1955) and was later used on The Smiths' ... Best I (US Cover) in 1992. Image was handpicked by Morrissey, and according to Jo Slee's excellent Peepholism book, she writes:

In return for the customary creative control offered him by Sire Records in the US, Morrissey agreed to design all three sleeves, including the video compilation [VHS]. The UK versions, including the three singles re-releases ('This Charming Man', 'How Soon Is Now?' and 'There is a Light that Never Goes Out'), were designed by WEA UK without Morrissey's involvement. Warners had originally planned to use the title Paint a Vulgar Picture Vols I and II, but dropped it in favor of Morrissey's simpler "...Best".

The press release described Little Cinema as "a long-distance musical affair between Tyler Womack and Shawn Jones." It later compared their music with all the cool indie bands you know and love (including our personal favorite the Lucksmiths):

The record takes cues from early-oughts indie pop mainstays like the Lucksmiths, Beulah and Saturday Looks Good to Me. Meanwhile, the lyrics and storytelling hearken back to early Belle & Sebastian, or mid-career Mountain Goats. “Diving Board” is a bouncy love song intermixed with a story of breaking-and-entering and swimming in the nude. “Chinese Tobacco” presents a rough, one-taken travelogue that would make John Darnielle smile. Meanwhile, “When You Think of Me” swings with a Morrissey strut, as a self-aggrandizing eulogy for one still living.

It might be worth checking out, if you're a fan of those bands... Little Cinema's Adventure album comes out October 14, 2014.

Little Cinema photo by Eliot Black

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Elephant Revival at the Cedar, Minneapolis (25 Sep 2014)

Elephant Revival Setlist Gold and Silver Shining We'll Carry On Wake's Only Daughter Tam Lin Set (Instrumental) Remembering a Beginning Birds and Stars Down To The Sea The Pasture (Instrumental) Rogue River Grace of a Woman Stolen Ancient Sea (Instrumental) (Unknown) Currach These Changing Skies The Obvious Ring Around The Moon -- Encore -- Spinning Go On A' Part Lowest Pair Setlist Oh Susanna Danville Say Darling Minnesota Magpies At Sunset By Then (new song) Living Is Dying Pear Tree Wolves (new song) Rosie (Kendl Winter & The Summer Gold song) Tour Dates 09/26/14 Boats And Bluegrass 09/27/14 Maximum Ames Music Festival 09/28/14 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre 10/17/14 Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music 10/18/14 Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music 10/23/14 Oakland, CA Fox Theater 10/24/14 Los Angeles, CA The Fonda 10/30/14 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern 10/31/14 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater 11/01/14 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater 11/02/14 Eugene, OR WOW Hall 11/07/14 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater 11/08/14 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater 01/06/15-01/11/15 Jam Cruise Read More Elephant Revival Colorado's Elephant Revival will be stopping by the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis on Thursday, to play tracks from their latest album These Changing Skies. …

There's no denying it, bluegrass/Americana music is huge in Minnesota, as demonstrated by the recent Trample by Turtles' Festival Palomino that took place over last weekend. Elephant Revival and the Lowest Pair are currently heading down to "Boats & Bluegrass Festival" and "Maximum Ames Music Festival" in late September, but before stopped all that, they were in town at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis last night, September 25th.

The Lowest Pair

As previously mentioned, The Lowest Pair are a folk duo, Kendl Winter and Palmer T. Lee. Both were already accomplished musicians, with Kendl Winter (the self-described "Jewish girl from Arkansas"), notably had already released several albums under Olympia's K Records.

At the very last minute, the two made some major changes to their setlist, resulting in them spending a few minutes on stage tuning both their banjos.

Some of their songs used old familiar public domain songs - for example "Oh Susanna" with a bluegrass twist and "Hush, Little Baby" lyrics were incorporated into "Say Darling".

Lowest Pair Setlist

As you can see from their setlist, there were a few tracks from their debut album 36¢ ("Oh Susanna", "Living Is Dying", "Pear Tree", and "Magpies At Sunset"). Making up the rest of their set were a couple of new songs, including my highlight of the show, "Wolves". Winter explained that, "This song sounds really good if you all howl." And immediately, everyone in the room were making wolf/dog noises.

They ended their set with a Kendl Winter song, "Rosie", which Lee said that he once wish he was named after a flower...

Elephant Revival

Hearing all these Elephant Revival songs live, I can tell you that the band is obsessed with nature: the moon, the river / ocean / water, the mountains, the trees, birds, etc. The other thing about this five-piece band, is that they really have three singers: Daniel Rodriguez (who also plays guitar and bass), Bonnie Paine (who also plays washboard, djembe, and musical-saw) and Sage T. Cook (who also plays banjo and mandolin). They alternate on singing duties, based on the way they wrote the setlist. Making up the rest of the band are upright bassist Dango Rose and fiddler Bridget Law.

The band kept the audience dancing throughout their set. Many of the instrumentals were clearly favorites among the crowd, including "The Pasture" which was dedicated to an Amy (for her birthday) in the audience.

During "Stolen", they asked for someone specific (someone from Trampled By Turtles) in the audience to join them on stage, but clearly he wasn't at the show or preoccupied. Rodriguez said, "Well it worked last time!", then noted, "maybe that was the problem..." (that he learned his lesson).

When the band announced "Ring Around the Moon" as their last song, someone shouted "No freakin' way, you're not leaving tonight!" while some girl shouted, "I wasn't ready!" Affectionately, the band came back to play three additional songs for the encore, "Spinning", "Go On", and "A' Part."

I think it's clear that there are strong support for bluegrass / Americana / folk music in the Midwest, and other bands in the genre should take notice and plan their next tour in the area. And you can tell that Lowest Pair and Elephant Revival will definitely come back to Minneapolis as soon as they can. As they said on stage, the bluegrass community in Minneapolis is exceptional... and they are all jealous of what we have here.

Elephant Revival at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (25 Sep 2014)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Royal Blood at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (19 Sept 2014)

Photo Gallery Meg Myers Tour Poster Meg Myers Royal Blood Royal Blood drummer Ben Thatcher Setlist Hole Come On Over You Can Be So Cruel Figure It Out Little Monster Better Strangers Blood Hands Ten Tonne Skeleton Loose Change -- Encore -- Out of the Black Royal Blood Tour Dates 09/26/14 Tucson, AZ The Rock 09/27/14 San Diego, CA Humphrey's Concerts 09/29/14 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour 09/30/14 San Francisco, CA The Masonic 10/02/14 Garden City, ID Revolution Concert 10/03/14 Spokane, WA INB Performing Arts Center 10/05/14 Calgary, AB MacEwan Conference 10/06/14 Edmonton, AB Shaw Conference Centre 10/07/14 Saskatoon, SK TCU Place 10/09/14 Winnipeg, MB Burton Cummings 10/11/14 Minneapolis, MN The State Theatre 10/12/14 Madison, WI Orpheum Theater 10/14/14 Toronto, ON Lee's Palace 10/16/14 New York, NY Webster Hall Read More Royal Blood Royal Blood – TONIGHT at Mill City Nights AND opening for The Pixies Oct 11 at State Theatre …

Forget those every-so-often cries that “rock is dead”…

Rock in fact, is alive and kicking, full of lifeblood, and is maybe best personified in two lads from Worthing, UK …whose blood runs royally.

Royal Blood: Mike Kerr

Royal Blood, a new duo comprised of Mike Kerr on lead vocals/bass guitar and Ben Thatcher on drums recently played Mill City Nights in Minneapolis, and showed the attending crowd, what the immediate future of Rock, has in store.

On the heels of a successful EP, Out of the Black (Warner Bros/Black Mammoth), the duo has just released their self-titled debut full-length to great acclaim, including a nomination for the fabled Mercury Music Prize in the UK.

Kerr uses pedals, reverb, and effects to make his bass often sound like a lead guitar, and drummer Thatcher hits the skins and keeps the underlying rhythm, like his life depended on it.

Meg Myers

Los Angeles-based Tennessee native Meg Myers played a brief opening set, in support of her second EP, Make a Shadow (Atlantic Records), overcoming some initial technical issues. Myers and her 4pc band (which included a cellist, and herself on bass) had an roughness about them, that could also be dark and delicate. This was coupled with her sometimes painful lyrics on songs like ‘Go’ and ‘Desire’, with the latter finding Myers yelling into the mic, “how do you want me”. Closing song, ‘Heart Heart Head’ was heavy with cello and Myers’ vocals were somewhat evocative of Evanescence’s Amy Lee, on the song.

With only one album to their credit (+one EP), their self-titled debut (on Warner/WEA), Royal Blood played a short but powerful 45min. set that covered most of the full album’s songs.

The band was already exuding a confident attitude before they even took the stage, as Jay-Z’s ’99 Problems’ was blasted on the speakers as the band’s intro music. Opener ‘Hole’ from their EP, was a mid-tempo number, full of crunchy blues/rock riffs and dynamic drumming from Thatcher. Kerr’s bass playing style makes him somewhat reminiscent of Josh Homme (the Them Crooked Vultures version, more than QOTSA) and Thatcher usually looked all business on the skins.

Little was said between songs, the duo instead letting the music do most of the talking, with ‘You Can Be So Cruel’ revved up enough to spur swaying in the crowd and a small mosh pit to emerge at floor center. The band’s music has a distinct dichotomy of sounding both raw and technically tight and precise, a quality truly unique among newish harder rock bands.

Royal Blood Setlist

Before ‘Little Monster’, Kerr teased the crowd saying he heard the city didn’t like to party, and for them to prove him wrong, which of course, incited the already worked-up audience. Their sound, like other successful duos (White Stripes, Black Keys) is much bigger than the two on stage, and the show seemed to go by very quickly, with the band exiting at the 39 min. mark, only to re-emerge with the evening’s crunchiest and throbbing number, as an encore – ‘Out of the Black’.

Building towards a climatic cacophony of sound to end the evening, the band bowed triumphantly and departed, with the audience so clearly still wanting to hear more. Though it wouldn’t happen this night, there is related good news—Royal Blood hits the road again soon, as openers for The Pixies, including a local stop at The Orpheum Theatre on Sat. October 11^th- mark your calendars, as that’s the day Rock comes back to town.

Royal Blood at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (19 Sept 2014)

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic