W♥M (Archive)

Minneapolis: December 16 - December 18, 2014

Here are some shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul from December 16 to December 18, 2014.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Inanimate existence California technical death metal behemoths, INANIMATE EXISTENCE, will kick off a three-week bought of US live assaults next week supporting Richmond bongblasters, Cannabis Corpse. …

CANNABIS CORPES
at Triple Rock Social Club
Tuesday 12/16/14, 8pm ($12)
triplerocksocialclub.com

Richmond's Cannabis Corpse, along with Mammoth Grinder and Inanimate Existence will be stopping by Minneapolis' Triple Rock Social Club.

Originally Minneapolis wasn't on their initial schedule, but they added just in time...

Tour dates:

11/28/2014 Ziggy's - Wilmington, NC
11/29/2014 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA
11/30/2014 Siberia - New Orleans, LA
12/02/2014 Club Dada - Dallas, TX
12/03/2014 Red 7 - Austin, TX
12/04/2014 Limelight - San Antonio, TX
12/06/2014 Club Red - Phoenix, AZ
12/07/2014 Soda Bar - San Diego, CA
12/08/2014 Echoplex - Los Angeles, CA
12/09/2014 Strummers - Fresno, CA
12/10/2014 The Metro - Oakland, CA
12/11/2014 The Garage - Ventura, CA
12/12/2014 Cheyenne Saloon - Las Vegas, NV
12/13/2014 The Core - Salt Lake City, UT
12/14/2014 Marquis Theater - Denver, CO
12/16/2014 Triple Rock, Minneapolis, MN
12/17/2014 Cobra Lounge - Chicago, IL
12/18/2014 Ace Of Cups - Columbus, OH
12/19/2014 Saint Vitus - Brooklyn, NY
12/20/2014 The Broadberry - Richmond, VA

Read More Soul Asylum Soul Asylum has a new album called Delayed Reaction, coming out July 17th, 2012, via 429 Records. They are doing some random shows this year …

SOUL ASYLUM
at 7th Street Entry
Wednesday 12/17/14, 7:30pm ($20) - Sold Out
first-avenue.com

We've already discuss this at the latest podcast, and, yeah we knew the tiny 7th Street Entry could not contain all the fans for Soul Asylum, or as we kid that it's just the Dave Pirner band....

Both dates at 7th Street Entry (12/17 and 12/18) are sold out, and if you really wanted to see them - you may have to drive to St Cloud at the Red Carpet Nightclub (assuming that the upcoming show is also not sold out).

It's not listed on their website, yet, but some ticketing information are on ticketfly.com. The St Cloud show is a late show - doors at 9pm and opener The Odd Fathers starts at 10:30pm. 21+ and over and $20 will get you in the door.

Tour dates:

12/17 7th Street Entry Minneapolis 7:30 PM
12/18 7th Street Entry Minneapolis 7:30 PM
12/19 Red Carpet Nightclub, St Cloud 9pm

Read More Sonny Knight & The Lakers And, “Knight Time” proved to be the right time, as local retro-soul band Sonny Knight and the Lakers closed out the annual In Cahoots- Red Stag Block Party in Northeast Minneapolis yesterday. …

SONNY KNIGHT & THE LAKERS
at Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
Thursday 12/18/14, 7pm ($20)
dakotacooks.com

You may recall that we covered Sonny Knight & The Lakers at the Red Stag Block Party earlier in August 2014.

John described the show as a dancing and religious experience, "The pace slowed a bit for ballad ‘When you’re Gone’ then quickly picked up again with ‘Caveman’, the imbibed crowd trying to keep up with Knight’s instructions on the dance, then the band returned for an earthy version of Sixto Rodriguez’ ‘Sugarman’ and lead single, from the album, ‘Hey Girl’, which had MC Tann and others dancing on stage, after which she declared, “that was a religious experience as far as I’m concerned!”."

Sonny Knight will be play at the Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant this December 18th through December 19th.

Detail of the residency below:

Dec 18 - 7pm Dakota Jazz Club
Dec 18 - 9pm Dakota Jazz Club
Dec 19 - 7pm Dakota Jazz Club
Dec 19 - 9pm Dakota Jazz Club

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

Constantine: Hellblazer Comparison part 2

art by Dave McKean Read More Comic Books Of all the comic book-related television shows that I follow, I'm most excited about Constantine. I know the source material very well, having own nearly all the 300 issues run of Hellblazer .…

Sorry, still very excited about Constantine television series. Since the show started, I've been inspired to go back to the source material and started re-reading Hellblazer, starting with #1 and I'm currently on the Warren Ellis run. My favorite writer on the series is hands down Garth Ennis, who brought such a fresh perspective on the character... plus exploring the raw violence and horrific world of John Constantine... and even building and expanding on Jamie Delano's stories (hello, demon blood!).

The unfortunate thing is that I don't think NBC will be renewing the series to Season 2... in fact, as of this writing, I believe there is no current production unless they hear from NBC to continue the series (they only wrapped up 13 episodes so far). Show runner Daniel Cerone is already on a campaign to save Constantine via his twitter page, urging fans to vote and watch the series.

I would rather have a toned down Constantine series with lack of smoking and set in America (not London) than nothing at all... so despite my minor complaints about the show, I hope it continues.

You can read the first Hellblazer comparison here.

Here is a breakdown of Hellblazer comics compared to television.

Warning: Contains spoilers.

Episode 4: A Feast of Friends

This episode is basically a re-telling of Hellblazer #1-2, written by Jamie Delano with art by John Ridgeway.

Gary Lester art by John Ridgeway

Mnemoth art by John Ridgeway

John Constantine's early friend, Gary Lester (now drug addict) is introduced. As explained in the show, Lester is an old friend and admirer of John Constantine. Everything is pretty faithful to the comic book, except for some minor changes, obviously to make it work for the television show, Zed Martin is written into the story to hear Lester's explanation about the 'Newcastle' incident (which we heard a little about in the pilot). In the comic book, John hypnotized Lester and he drew a picture of the markings on the boy with the demon.

The demon that Lester expelled was called Mnemoth, a hunger demon. Like the comic book, he saved a boy and trapped the demon in a bottle... unfortunately the demon got loose and has killed several people in London.

In the comic, Constantine goes to Africa to get more information on the origin of the demon and found an unnamed Shaman. He tells Constantine how to stop the demon (require a human sacrifice). Since they adapted the episode faithfully, I think this is the best episode so far. I hope they adapt more comics in the future.

Episode 5: Danse Vaudou

The Spectre art by Scott Hampton

Papa Midnite and Cedella art by Steve Dillon

Comic book fans will know that Jim Corrigan is, or will become, The Spectre, the spirit of vengeance. We are introduced to Corrigan as a police detective, flashing his badge, while peeing in an alley. Corrigan does not really appear in Hellblazer, but he does appear with Constantine (and the Trenchcoat Brigade) in the Books of Magic series that Neil Gaiman wrote a few years ago that introduced us to Harry Potter, I mean Timothy Hunter. It does make sense to include Corrigan in the Constantine timeline... but I would think we would rather see the Phantom Stranger, Dr Occult, Mister E ('Mystery') or Etrigan the Demon before we saw Corrigan! Still, can't complain about this nod to the comic book fans.

Papa Midnite returns, this time at his native New Orleans in the heart of VooDoo magic territory. What is new here is the appearance of Papa Midnite's sister Cedella skull. Constantine made reference that Midnite killed his sister, and the real backstory is that Midnite's skull was the source of his power. He had murdered his sister and prevented her from going to the afterlife... instead he bound her spirit to become a spy for him. She'll whisper what she hears from hell and gave Midnite and edge over his enemies. I hope we revisit this storyline later on.

Chas Martin is given more to do with this new episode... but I don't like how they seem to have given him supernatural powers, or least some sort of protection spell. In the comic book, he's just a regular cab driver and Constantine's friend, not a demon hunter.

Episode 6: Rage of Caliban

The Nightmaster art by Charles Vess

This episode has no connection to the comic book... however the possessed child in this episode reminded me of the "Critical Mass" storyline in Hellblazer, especially with the hair cut. Like previous episodes, this one reinforce the ground rules of magic - particularly knowing the name of the demon/spirit in order to command it.

Probably not connected to the comic book - but Nora is a prostitute that John laid with waiting for the Family Man. In the TV show, she is seen as simply a one-night stand, and will unlike reappear again in the series.

I don't recall any Paralegal (unnamed character by Amy Parrish) in the comic book, but on occasion there is a policeman (Detective Watford) who sometime brings Constantine cases to work on. I hope this could be a reoccurring thing, instead of relying solely on the bloody map and Zed (who does not actually appear in this episode).

The Sword of Night, the sword that compels its holder to tell the truth, makes an appearance here. Its owner, The Nightmaster, like the Spectre, appeared in the Books of Magic series.

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

Minneapolis: December 13 - December 15, 2014

Here are some shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul from December 13 to December 15, 2014.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Amy Grant It's hard to believe that six-time GRAMMY winner Amy Grant is releasing her first record in 10 years called How Mercy Looks From Here on May 14, 2013. …

MICHAEL W SMITH w/ Amy Grant
at Target Center
Saturday 12/13/14, 7pm ($32)
targetcenter.com

If you listened to our latest podcast, Vu demonstrated that he is actually a closet Amy Grant fan.

Grant and Michael W Smith will be performing Christmas songs from his The Spirit of Christmas holiday album (released September 30th) with a full symphony orchestra at the Target Center on Saturday, December 13th, as part of his "Spirit of Christmas Tour".

This should be a very special night because Amy Grant is only appearing at only a few dates with Smith (co-bill in Dallas, Minneapolis and Atlanta only), before heading back to her residency at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Michael W Smith tour dates:

11/30/14 Anaheim, CA City National Grove 12/01/14 Modesto, CA Mary Stuart Rogers 12/04/14 Nashville, TN Schermerhorn 12/05/14 Birmingham, AL Leslie S. Wright 12/06/14 Richmond, VA Altria Theater 12/11/14 Wichita, KS Hartman Arena 12/12/14 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center 12/13/14 Minneapolis, MN Target Center 12/15/14 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre 12/18/14 Spokane, WA INB Performing 12/19/14 Tualatin, OR Rolling Hills Community

12/20/14 Redmond, WA Overlake Christian Church 12/21/14 Abbotsford, BC Abbotsford Centre 02/12/15 Middleburg Heights, OH Grace Church 03/05/15 Lakeland, FL Lakeland Center 03/06/15 Bremen, GA Mill Town Music Hall 03/26/15 Westbury, NY NYCB Theatre 03/27/15 Lancaster, PA American Music Theatre 06/12/15 Pasadena, CA Pasadena Civic Aud 08/10/15 Nashville, TN Nashville Music City 08/11/15 Nashville, TN Nashville Music City 09/05/15 Marietta, GA Jim Miller Park 09/25/15 Shipshewana, IN Blue Gate

Read More Marcia Ball Also, as tradition goes, we stopped by the Leinie Lodge Bandshell to catch a little set from Texas-born, Louisiana-based Marcia Ball playing some old time rock and blues on her keyboard. …

MARCIA BALL
at Dakota Jazz Club
Sunday 12/14/14, 7pm ($35)/9pm ($30)
dakotacooks.com

We caught Louisiana's Marcia Ball earlier this year at the Minnesota State Fair to hear her play some rock and blues. At the time I mentioned that she had a new album coming out called Tattooed Lady & The Alligator Man (Alligator Records). The album is out now and she's doing a national tour in support of it... stopping by Minneapolis' Dakota Jazz Club on Sunday, December 14th.

Marcia Ball is playing two sets: 7pm ($35) and 9pm ($30).

Tour dates:

12/05/14 Boca Raton, FL The Funky Biscuit
12/06/14 Bradenton Blues Festival
12/14/14 Minneapolis, MN Dakota Jazz Club
12/21/14 Armadillo Christmas Bazaar
01/02/15 San Antonio, TX The Aztec Theater
01/03/15 The Woodlands, TX Dosey Doe
01/10/15-01/17/15 Delbert McClinton Sandy
01/24/15 New Harmony, IN Murphy Auditorium
02/05/15 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
02/06/15 Eugene, OR The Jaqua Concert Hall
02/14/15 Park City, UT Eccles Center
04/11/15 Temple, TX Azalee Marshall Cultural
06/27/15 Northwoods Blues Festival
07/12/15 North Atlantic Blues Festival

Read More Romantica I've seen Romantica a few times, but this time, they had help from Black Audience's singer Jayanthi Kyle. They played an Americana/heartland type music, and singer Ben Kyle mentioned that these songs …

JON DEE GRAHAM
at Turf Club
Monday 12/15/14, 7pm ($8)
turfclub.net

Austin's Jon Dee Graham will be stopping by St Paul at the Turf Club this December 14th. Graham was named the Austin Musician of the Year at SXSW in 2006.

Opening up the Minneapolis show will be Austin's Mike June and Romantica's singer Ben Kyle.

Tour dates:

12/05- House Concert-sold out, Kansas City, MO
12/06- Knuckleheads, Kansas City, MO
12/07- The Fire Room, Osage Beach, MO
12/08- Zoo Bar, Lincoln, NE
12/09- The Mill, Iowa City, IA
12/10 – The Depot, Shenandoah, IA
12/11- Eronel, Dubuque, IA
12/12- The Washington, Burlington, IA
12/13- Kiki’s House of Righteous, Madison, WI
12/15- Turf Club, St. Paul, MN
12/16 – FitzGerald’s, Chicago, IL
12/17 – Castle Theatre, Bloomington, IL
12/18- Auntie Mae’s, Manhattan, KS
12/19- Blue Door, Oklahoma City, OK
12/20 Strange Brew Legacies Christmas Show

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

Destiny

Read More Games Activision's Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is possibly the best, most realistic-looking game I've ever played. …

If you have a PS4, you can try out Bungie's Destiny now. I have been playing it this week, and I have to say, this game is not for me. First of all, I don't know why the game is online only - this could easily be a solo offline game.

In fact: I could not play the game as of this writing because it is the holiday and for some reason, our internet have been spotty today. Take into account that sometime the PlayStation Network (god forbid) is also down for maintenance.... meaning that even if I purchased the game, I still need to be online to play it. I just don't want a game to tell me when I can, or cannot, play a game.

In Destiny, you play as one of three Guardian classes: Titan, Hunter, and Warlock. I believe the armors are locked to each class, so you can't wear Titan gears if you're playing a Hunter, etc.

The online component to the game feels like a hindrance, at least to me. For example, any time I wanted to visit the safe area to purchase guns and armors, it takes so long to get there. Maybe I'm impatient, but in an offline game, I'll go into town and there's no lag or excessive loading time.

The world (from what I've experienced) is very clean and it's a little boring. The few missions I've played are the same (go here, kill that) and seems to be designed to complete in 2-5 minutes. Short bursts and so far, I'm not loving it. All the players that the game team me up are way over powered... and also they (and myself included) have no interest in communicating with them (I don't have a headset or a PS camera/mic compatible with the PS4).

There is a new expansion for Destiny called The Dark Below, which is coming out December 2014 and addressed the "non story" that many fans are complaining about in the game. Personally, I think they should just include The Dark Below in the regular game.

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

Minneapolis: December 10 - December 12, 2014

Here are some shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul from December 10 to December 12, 2014.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Skinny Puppy In an effort to unite instead of isolate, The Alliance of Sound plans on bringing the different flavors of electronic music together for an unforgettable tour. …

ALLIANCE OF SOUND
at Mill City Nights
Wednesday 12/10/14, 8pm ($30)
millcitynights.com

Some of the biggest metal/industrial/electronic bands Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, VNV Nation, and Haujobb have joined forces to "unite instead of isolate."

All these bands formed in the 80s or 90s (I remember these Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly way back in my radio DJ days in 1993-1995), with the exception of Los Angeles duo Youth Code... who must be over the moon to be playing with these legends.

The Alliance of Sound tour:

Nov. 28 – The Sound Academy (Toronto, ON)
Nov 29 – Metropolis (Montreal, QC)
Nov. 30 – House of Blues (Boston, MA)
Dec. 2 – Best Buy Theater (NYC)
Dec. 3 – Trocadero Theatre (Philadelphia, PA)
Dec. 5 – Jannus Landing (Tampa, FL)
Dec. 6 – Buckhead Theatre (Atlanta, GA)
Dec. 8 – The Pageant (St. Louis, MO)
Dec. 9 – The Vic Theatre (Chicago, IL)
Dec. 10 – Mill City Nights (Minneapolis, MN)
Dec. 12 – Ogden Theatre (Denver, CO)
Dec. 13 – The Complex (SLC)
Dec. 15 – Showbox SODO (Seattle, WA)
Dec. 16 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre (Vancouver, BC)
Dec. 17 – Roseland Theater (Portland, OR)
Dec. 19 – Regency Ballroom (San Francisco, CA)
Dec. 20 – The Fox Theater (Pomona, CA)

Read More Alvvays Alvvays are two women, three men, a crate of C-86 tapes and a love of jingle-jangle. Molly Rankin and Kerri MacLellan grew up as next-door neighbours in Cape Breton, lifting fiddles and folk-songs. …

ALVVAYS w/ Sun Club
at Turf Club
Thursday 12/11/14, 7:30pm ($12)
turfclub.net

There must be something delightful in the drinking water up in Canada, ‘cause Toronto keeps sending Minneapolis music fans some choice indie-pop bands to enjoy. Having just hosted fantastic power-pop giants Sloan, St. Paul’s Turf Club will be welcoming another great Toronto band on December 11th: Alvvays, whose influences, ranging from Teenage Fanclub to Belle & Sebastian, certainly left a mark on their bright, reverb-soaked sound.

Childhood friends Molly Rankin and Kerri MacLellan formed Alvvays in 2012 with Alec O'Hanley Brian Murphy, and Phil MacIsaac rounding out the lineup. They did some touring with bands like The Pains of Being Pure At Heart before releasing their full-length self-titled debut in July. The album features members of Holy F*ck and was recorded at Chad VanGaalen’s home studio (dubbed “Yoko Eno Studio”) in Calgary.

Fans of Frankie Rose and Best Coast will be pleased by the album’s shimmering lo-fi melodies. But even folks who aren’t keen on this kind of starry-eyed groove still have to check out the soaring wedding-bell-blues single “Marry Me, Archie.” Hell, Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) covered the song at a solo gig in Seattle last Saturday.

Opening for Alvvays are Sun Club, a band influenced by the likes of the Beach Boys and Animal Collective. Their debut EP is out now on Goodnight Records.

Tour dates (* indicates with The Decemberists)

11/28/14 Los Angeles, CA Echo 11/29/14 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop 12/01/14 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge 12/02/14 Seattle, WA Barboza 12/03/14 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret 12/05/14 Edmonton, AB The Starlite Room 12/06/14 Calgary, AB The Gateway at SAIT 12/09/14 Saskatoon, SK Amigos Cantina 12/10/14 Winnipeg, MB Park Theatre Cafe 12/11/14 Saint Paul, MN Turf Club 12/12/14 Iowa City, IA Blue Moose Tap House 12/13/14 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom 12/18/14 Montreal, QC La Sala Rossa 12/19/14 Kingston, ON The Grad Club 12/20/14 Toronto, ON Opera House 01/16/15 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon 01/17/15 Chicago, IL Various Venues 01/21/15 Manchester The Deaf Institute 01/22/15 Leeds Brudenell Social Club 01/23/15 Newcastle upon Tyne Think Tank? 01/26/15 Nottingham Bodega Social Club 01/27/15 Birmingham Hare & Hounds 01/28/15 London Scala 01/30/15 Oxford O2 Academy Oxford

01/31/15 Bristol, United Kingdom Thekla 02/02/15 Antwerp, Belgium Muziekcentrum Trix 02/03/15 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso 02/05/15 Oslo, Norway John Dee 02/06/15 Stockholm, Sweden Debaser Strand 02/07/15 Copenhagen, Denmark Beta 02/09/15 Hamburg, Germany Molotow 02/10/15 Berlin, Germany Kantine Am Berghain 02/12/15 Vienna, Austria B72 02/13/15 Milan, Italy Lo-Fi 02/14/15 Zurich, Switzerland Bogen F 03/24/15 - Minneapolis, MN @ Northrop * 03/25/15 - Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside* 03/27/15 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre* 03/28/15 - Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak* 03/30/15 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall* 03/31/15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Benedum Center* 04/01/15 - Buffalo, NY @ UB Center For the Arts* 04/03/15 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues* 04/04/15 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues* 04/06/15 - New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre* 04/07/15 - Philadelphia, PA @ Academy of Music* 04/09/15 - Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore Charlotte* 04/10/15 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle* 04/11/15 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle*

Read More Blitzen Trapper Blitzen Trapper, these guys rock. Call it alt country or southern rock, either way they know what they are doing and they do it well. Great tunes, three part harmonies …

BLITZEN TRAPPER
at Fine Line Music Cafe
Friday 12/12/14, 7pm ($25)
finelinemusic.com

The last time I saw Blitzen Trapper it was in 2007, although other people caught them in 2009 and at SXSW 2012.

The Portland-based band will be playing a one-off show to benefit the Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.

Details below:

89.3 The Current and McTerry Music Presents

A Benefit Show Featuring

Blitzen Trapper

For Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

w/Special Guests

Farewell Milwaukee
Bigtree Bonsai
And
Old Desert Road

Doors 7:00
Music 8:00

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

Black Friday 2014

Read More Black Friday It's that time of the year again, Black Friday. Like last year, it's more like Black Thursday, as Kmart, Walmart and are opening their doors at 12am, 6pm, and 8pm, respectively. …

Hey, happy Thanksgiving. It is kind of funny how Black Friday have steadily creep up to Thursday as well (the trend started last year).

You know me, I love a good deal... every year around this time, I go out and scour the various retail stores, looking to get some discounts. Our motto is "you've got to spend money to save money!" Maybe it is just me, but looking at the advertisements for this year's Black Friday sales, there are not any really good deals.

Of the things I'm interested in:

Last year I bought a bunch of Universal Steelbook Bluray for $3.96 (they all came with digital codes). This year Walmart is selling the same Steelbooks, with some expanded titles, for $7.98 - doubling the price! Not worth the price of admission...

PlayStation 4 bundled with two free games for $400. Basically the same cost as a regular priced gaming console, only with two game titles (The Last of Us and Grand Theft Auto 5). The real deal is the Xbox One which sells for $329 with a game. However, some things to consider: (1) the machine is not as powerful and does not play games at 1080p native and (2) a re-designed smaller and improved version of the Xbone will probably be available next Black Friday.

Games sales are around $30-$35 for some old game titles. Again, not great prices.

The Amazon Phone is on sale for $199 unlocked, originally $499... a good deal, but if you've already own a smart phone, there's no need to rush out to get this. Also, there is version two of the Fire Phone just around the corner, so buyers beware.

The best deals I've seen are the 50-inch 1080p television sets - they are priced about $200 at Best Buy and Walmart. That is a great price, unfortunately I already own several 40-inch TVs! Still, despite the great price, good luck on actually being one of the very few that will get your hands on it. From past experiences, usually they have very limited stock of the television sets.

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

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 1

Read More The Hunger Games Film update: I just saw The Hunger Games: Catching Fire at the dollar theater. We saw this at the New Hope Cinema Grill, for about $12, you can get meal and a film, which isn't bad. …

I've only read the first Hunger Games book by Suzanne Collins, but wasn't compelled to follow up with further reading, so watching the new The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 1 movie came as a surprise to me as anyone who's ever seen the movie or read the book for the first time.

This is a review for the film, and I'll try and avoid spoilers and stick to things you already know about the series (assuming you already watched the first two films).

As the title indicate, this is only half the story. If you remember at the end of Hunger Games: Catching Fire, that there were some major reveals and ended with a cutoff fade to black, right in the middle of something major.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 1 picks up right after the second movie, so I suggest rewatching the Bluray to refresh your memory. The third movie introduced us to some new characters because of a certain new District. The characters were handled well - unlike the first movie which had a million characters (all the "tributes" in the Hunger Games).

Also, maybe it is just me, but I had trouble distinguishing between Katniss' boyfriend Gale and Sam. In the movie, there is less focus on the other Hunger Games tribute, but more on the military leaders.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 1 works like a war game, with moves and counter moves... and is somewhat slightly different than what the first two Hunger Games films were about.

Now for some minor complaints about the movie:

There is no possible way one arrow can take down two massive airplane bombers.

They have televisions in the bunkers and diner hall, yet everyone have to gather around for the rebel president's address (which sometime was only one line!) The same can be said to all the Districts - why do they all have to gather around town square to view President Snow on the television screen? They don't have email in the future?

If they really wanted us to get excited about the next film, they could have ended the film when President Snow said something like "Don't you think I don't know?" - that would have been a great cliffhanger.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Republic Records

I haven't heard the two Republic Records soundtracks, except for what I heard in the film. The pop soundtrack called The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), is curated by Lorde (who also provided "Yellow Flicker Beat" in the soundtrack twice as her original song and a "Kanye West Rework" version) and features Stromae, Pusha T, Q-Tip, Haim, CHVRCHES, Tove Lo, Charli XCX, Simon Le Bon, Major Lazer, Ariana Grande, Raury, and Grace Jones. The only time I can remember hearing the Lorde song is at the closing credits, so I think the pop songs were either subtly used in the film, or not at all. Which is fine, because hearing a radio hit song in this futuristic movie might take you out of the film.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt.1 (Original Motion Picture Score) Republic Records

The other soundtrack, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt.1 (Original Motion Picture Score), is for the more traditionalists, the (mostly) instrumental score of the film by James Newtown Howard. The standout track will likely be "The Hanging Tree", featuring vocals by star Jennifer Lawrence. If you've seen the new film, you know that Katniss starts singing this song with the mockingjays providing the background backbeat. I know that sounds incredibly cartoonish, but the way the movie shot it, it felt natural.

So what can I say? Of all the The Hunger Games films, I felt this one was the strongest ... but perhaps it would have been a much better movie if we got the resolution/payoff of part 2. I guess we'll just have to wait a year to find out how this trilogy ends.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt.1 is playing at all major theaters now.

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

And Ampersand

Read More Belle & Sebastian We've been very excited about news of the new Belle & Sebastian 2015 album for a while now, but the band recently made things official: It is called Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance …

BELLE & SEBASTIAN
belleandsebastian.com

We've seen these type of crowd-source music videos before, the latest is from Scottish band Belle & Sebastian for the "Nobody's Empire" video. I've criticized a few bands for doing this, mainly because I feel it's a cheap of them (I know the band can afford to produce a music video). But hey, who am I to say, as long as fans love doing this for their favorite bands... Full details of this at belleandsebastian.com.

They need the video clips by no later than Thursday 27th November so that we have time to edit them into the video.

Tour dates:

01/26/15 Auckland Laneway Festival, New Zealand
01/29/15 Sydney, Enmore Theatre
01/31/15 Australia, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
02/01/15 Melbourne, Palais Theatre
02/03/15 Australia, Perth, Astor Theatre,
02/10/15 Hong Kong, Asia World Arena
02/12/15 S.Korea, Seoul, AX Club
02/16/15 Hostess Club Taipei, Legacy, Taipei
02/21/15 Japan, Tokyo, Hostess Club
03/30/15 USA, Cambridge, House of Blues
04/01/15 Canada, Toronto, Massey Hall
04/02/15 USA, Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak
04/03/15 USA, Riviera, Chicago
05/03/15 UK, Cardiff, St David’s Hall
05/04/15 UK, Bristol, Colston Hall
05/07/15 UK, Cambridge, Corn Exchange
05/08/15 UK, Norwich, Open
05/10/15 UK, Birmingham, Symphony Hall
05/11/15 UK, Westminster, Central Hall
05/12/15 UK, Westminster, Central Hall
05/14/15 UK, Manchester, Albert Hall
05/15/15 UK, Manchester, Albert Hall
05/16/15 UK, Newcastle City Hall
05/18/15 UK, Buxton, Opera House
05/19/15 UK, Leeds, Town Hall
05/22/15 Glasgow Hydro Arena
05/24/15 UK, Sound City, Liverpool
06/10/15 New York, Radio City Music Hall
07/02/15 KEFLAVIK, ATP Iceland

Read More She & Him She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) just released a new EP called The Capitol Studios Session. The digital-only release features new version of four songs taken from their latest Volume 3 album. …

SHE & HIM
sheandhim.com

She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) have a new cover lover album Classics this December 3rd, on Columbia Records.

The entire album was recorded live and and accompanied by a 20-piece orchestra.

Track Listing

1. Stars Fell on Alabama
2. Oh No, Not My Baby
3. It’s Not for Me to Say
4. Stay Awhile
5. This Girl’s In Love With You
6. Time After Time
7. She
8. Teach Me Tonight
9. It’s Always You
10. Unchained Melody
11. I’ll Never Be Free
12. Would You Like to Take a Walk
13. We’ll Meet Again

Read More Gardens & Villa Gardens & Villa are back with Dunes, their second LP, which came out two weeks ago on Secretly Canadian. …

GARDENS & VILLA
gardensandvilla.com

Gardens & Villa recently shared a remix from multi-platinum, Grammy nominated producer N.O. Joe of "Domino" off of Gardens & Villa's Dunes, released earlier this year on Secretly Canadian.

N.O. Joe (I believe the "N.O." stands for New Orleans, because he is based out of Louisiana) has worked with everyone from Ice Cube to Lil Wayne, and is a multi-platinum Grammy Nominated producer.

The secret origin of this collaboration about when G&V randomly met with N.O. Joe at SXSW 2014 at a late-night tacos eatery. The two became friends and out of this, the remix of "Domino".

Hear it now:



Gardens & Villa will cap off their year with a headlining show at The Echoplex in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 13.

Read More Yoko Ono Smith speaks on the phone with John & Yoko, who are in their suite at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal for the second of their two Bed-Ins. Among other things, they discuss selling Peace as a commodity, the Activist … The Flaming Lips I think this was my first time seeing The Flaming Lips, but I could be wrong. Seems odd that this was "a very special Early Evening performance", since the band's psychedelic/space rock seems to work better at night … Jessica Hernandez Jessica Hernandez is a first-generation American, living in Detroit, Michigan. She lists her influences are Gogol Bordello and Tom Waits, both bands that we like on W♥M. …

YOKO ONO & THE FLAMING LIPS
yoko-ono.com

I know it's only November, but Christmas time is almost here.

Yoko Ono & The Flaming Lips have teamed up to record "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" for All Is Bright - The Exclusive Amazon Holiday Playlist.

The playlist features over 40 songs by artists such as the other ampersand artist Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, Ashley Monroe, Brandi Carlile, Liz Phair, Jessie Baylin, Lucinda Williams, PHOX and many more

All Is Bright is an exclusive newly-recorded holiday songs available for listening on Amazon's Prime Music service. This is the first-ever exclusive holiday playlist from Amazon is available for unlimited ad-free listening on Prime Music for Amazon Prime members at no additional cost to their membership. If you want to own the album, they are not sold as an album, instead they are variously priced (mostly $0.99 each). It can end up costing you over $30, so the value isn't quite there if you want to own it.

Newly-written holiday songs for All Is Bright:

Anna Nalick — “Till the End of the Year (Bye Buy By)”

Blondfire — “Christmas Lights”

Emi Meyer — “Everything this Christmas”

Jenn Bostic — “Light a Candle For You”

Julian Moon — “Best Christmas Ever”

Liz Phair — “Ho Ho Ho”

Ruby the RabbitFoot — “Under Any Limb”

Selena Garcia — “Hold-up Holidays”

Never heard before renditions of holiday classics for All Is Bright:

Amanda Palmer — “The Angel Gabriel” Ashley Monroe — “Tennessee Christmas” Beth Orton — “River” Brandi Carlile — “O Holy Night” Elastic Bond — “Winder Wonderland” Escort — “Last Christmas” Heartless Bastards — “White Christmas” Hero Fisher — “Pretty Paper” Houndmouth — “Blue Christmas” Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas — “I Want a Hippopotamus...” Jessie Baylin — “Purple Snowflakes” Jillian Edwards — “O Come, All Ye Faithful” Kat Parsons — “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” Kate Davis feat. Gabe Schnider — “Greensleeves” Kelly Hogan — “Blue Snowfall” Ladyhawke — “Merry Xmas Everyone” Laura Gibson — “A Wonderful Christmastime”

Lauren Shera — “(It’s Gonna Be a) Lonely Christmas” Little & Ashley — “Someday at Christmas” Lucinda Williams — “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” Mia Doi Todd — “The Cherry Tree Carol” Natalia Clavier — “My Favorite Things” Natalia Zukerman — “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve” No Sinner — “Baby Please Come Home” PHOX — “The Christmas Song” Ruby Jane Smith — “Make a Wish” Ruthie Foster — “Amazing Grace” Shaprece — “Carol of the Bells” Shelby Earl — “We Three Kings” Sinclair — “The Christmas” Tal Wilkenfeld — “All I Want for Christmas Is You” The Rosebuds — “Let it Snow” This Is The Kit — “It’s Christmas Time” Yoko Ono & Flaming Lips — “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”

Read More Sonny & the Sunsets I Need You Bad is a compilation curated by Sonny Smith (of Sonny & the Sunsets) documenting the current garage rock scene in the Bay area and beyond (not every band included here is from the Bay area & it's not 100% garage rock!). …

SONNY & THE SUNSETS
sonnysmith.com

San Francisco's Sonny & the Sunsets is back with Talent Night at the Ashram, set for February 17, 2015, on Polyvinyl Records.

You may remember that we reviewed Sonny & the Sunset's compilation/curated album I Need You Bad, which wrote was, mostly from California's "60's surf".

Talent Night at the Ashram will be available in all the usual formats (CD, digital, cassette, and vinyl). The 180g Vinyl will be limited edition of 500 exclusive to the Polyvinyl webstore on light blue (preorder now to guarantee a copy polyvinylrecords.com). There will also be an unlimited version on red vinyl.

Track List:

1. The Application
2. Cheap Extensions
3. The Secluded Estate
4. Talent Night at the Ashram
5. Alice Leaves for the Mountains
6. Happy Carrot Health Food Store
7. Blot Out the Sun
8. Baby Jokin
9. Icelene's Loss
10. Secret Plot

Read More Cracker Upcoming December Shows 12/01/14 Allah-Las and Tashaki Miyaki at Turf Club 12/04/14 Cracker at Varsity Theater …

HUGH BOB & THE HUSTLE
hughbobandthehustle.com

I believe Wisconsin's Hugh Bob & The Hustle (headed by 'North Country' singer/songwriter Hugh Robert Masterson) will be appearing with Cracker this December 4th at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. If you listened to our new podcast, you can clearly hear us singing to various Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven songs off the top of our heads.

Opening up the Minnesota show will be Hugh Bob & The Hustle, a band that's been compared to all the greats, including Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, etc.

Check out his song "Butternut":



When Masterson play live, he's joined by The Hustle, a band comprising of bassist Nicholas Stuart, keyboardist Bradley Kruse, guitarist Quinn Scharber, and drummer Justin Krol.

Hugh Bob & The Hustle's other show will be at The Frequency in Madison on December 5, 2014.

Read More Arrica Rose & the ...'s Arrica Rose & The ... is essentially Arrica Rose, she's backed up by her band The ...'s (The Dots Dots Dots), and I'll bet that her latest album, La La Lost, is in reference to being lost in her residence of Los Angeles. …

ARRICA ROSE & THE ...'S
arricarose.com

Remember Arrica Rose & the ...'s (The Dot Dot Dots)? They just released their latest album Wavefunction, out November 4th via pOprOck records.

The album was designed for vinyl, each side featuring a distinct mood. Rose explains, "We think of it as music for different occasions, a choose your own adventure kind of album." (Which incidentally, " Choose Your Own Adventure" one of the key creator R. A. Montgomery passed away November 9th).

Track List:

1. Song in Your Head
2. Love You Like That
3. Tiny Broken Boats
4. California On Repeat
5. Oh the Day (Then the Night)
6. In Dreams
7. Safety Pin
8. The Shallow End
9. Cut It Out
10. Where You've Been
11. (Oh the Day) Then the Night

BRIEFLY:

RAZOR & TIE razorandtie.com Record label Razor & Tie had a breakout year at rock radio in 2014 with hits from The Pretty Reckless ("Heaven Knows" finishes the year as the #1 song at Active and Mainstream Rock), All That Remains and Starset making the label the most successful indie in the format and the second strongest rock label, second only to Warner Brothers.

TOOTH & NAIL toothandnail.com Record label Tooth & Nail announced a new album from Copeland (who we saw in 2009) called Ixora.... his first album in six years. Also, they recently also signed Long Beach's Hearts Like Lions.

MILK & BONE milkandbone.mu Montreal's Milk & Bone recently signed with Bonsound with a single and music video called "New York". The electro-pop duo (Camille Poliquin and Laurence Lafond-Beaulne) will be releasing their debut album early spring 2015.

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD kinggizzardandthelizardwizard.com One of the most ridiculous band names, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are wrapping up their UK tour in support of their latest LP I'm In Your Mind Fuzz (released November 11th on Castle Face in the US and Heavenly in the UK). Remaining tour dates: Bodega Social Club, Nottingham (11/26) and Rough Trade East, London (12/01).

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

W♥M227: Reissues Reissues Reissues

W♥M227: Reissues Reissues... (46 mins) Read More Velvet Underground Velvet Underground singer and songwriter Lou Reed passed away yesterday (October 27th) at the age of 71. Having heard a cover version of "White Light/White Heat" by Those Darlins, the Velvet Underground were still fresh in mind .…

Vu and Emily on W♥M Podcast:

News:

YouTube Musickey is here. You can use it for free, but for $10 a month you get ad-free music listening. Although this sounds great (as we all know most young people uses YouTube to listen and make playlists), sometime the audio on YouTube are not the greatest.

Reissues (UMe's six discs sets!)

Smashing Pumpkins' Adore came out as a six-disc box set, totaling over 100 tracks, from Universal Music Enterprises; review here.

Tears for Fears's Song From the Big Chair is also getting a 6-disc Super Deluxe Box Set; out now on Universal Music Enterprise. To help celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Song From the Big Chair, Spotify will host Tears For Fears' first-ever LIVE Spotify Landmark Session! You can listen to it here.

Velvet Underground's self-titled is also getting a 6-disc box set called 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition; out 11/24 on Polydor/Universal Music Enterprise.

Reissues (Vinyls!)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds reissued their entire back catalogue on vinyl

Gene reissued their entire back catalogue on vinyl in 2013 (for UK only)

Belle & Sebastian reissued their entire back catalogue on vinyl via Matador Records.

The Afghan Whigs reissued Gentlemen at 21 21 years later on vinyl

Rare November shows

11/01 Mary Lambert at Fine Line Music Cafe 11/04 Blonde Redhead at Varsity Theater 11/12 New Pornographers at First Ave 11/13 Judah & the Lion at 7th Street 11/13 James Vincent McMorrow at First Ave 11/14 FKA twigs at Fine Line Music Cafe 11/14 Interpol at First Avenue

11/15 Peter Hook and the Light at Fine Line 11/16 Amanda Palmer at the Cedar 11/17 Julian Casablancas at First Ave 11/17 My Brightest Diamond at Cedar 11/19 Stars at First Avenue 11/20 Better Than Ezra at Varsity Theater 11/24 Death From Above 1979 at First Avenue

Upcoming December Shows

12/01/14 Allah-Las and Tashaki Miyaki at Turf Club

12/04/14 Cracker at Varsity Theater

12/11/14 Alvvays at the Turf Club

12/17/14 Soul Asylum at 7th Street (Sold Out)

12/18/14 Soul Asylum at 7th Street (Sold Out)

The Velvet Underground – 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition Polydor/UMe

More details about Polydor/Universal Music Enterprise (UMe)'s release of The Velvet Underground – 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition below. I have a digital copy for review, so hopefully, it will be done soon-ish. Just quickly looking over the tracks, many of these tracks already exists in one form or another on their previously two albums, so a lot of familiar songs.

The 65-track, 6-CD package is housed in a case-bound book and features several different mixes including the remastered stereo mix by MGM house engineer Luis Pastor “Val” Valentin, a set of 1969 recordings, many of which were previously unreleased, from the Record Plant in New York City that were supposed to be the band’s fourth album, several of which ended up on Loaded and Reed’s first two solo releases, and unreleased live recordings from The Matrix in 1969.

The remastered Valentin stereo mix of The Velvet Underground will also be made available as both a single-disc CD, and as part of the two-CD Deluxe Edition version with a 12-track audio bonus disc featuring the best of Live At The Matrix, taped on November 26 & 27, 1969. Digital versions of both the single disc “Valentin mix” and the six-CD, Super Deluxe Edition will also be available through other digital partners including MFiT and HD Audio formats.

BONUS:

Big massive snowstorm at Peter Hook's show... Vu loves New Order.

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

Subscription Options
Subscribe on iTunes
Subscribe via RSS
Add to Google
Add to Yahoo
____
Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

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

Death From Above 1979 w/ Biblical at First Avenue (24 Nov 2014)

DFA79 Setlist Turn It Out Right On, Frankenstein! Virgins Cheap Talk You're a Woman, I'm a Machine Go Home, Get Down White Is Red Trainwreck 1979 Crystal Ball Going Steady Nothing Left Gemini Little Girl Government Trash Always On -- Encore -- Losing Friends Romantic Rights The Physical World Tour Dates 11/25 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre 11/26 Detroit, MI Crofoot 11/28 New York, NY Terminal 5 11/29 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer 12/01 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 12/02 Boston, MA House of Blues All dates with Biblical Read More Death from Above 1979 Originally called Death from Above, the band was forced to change their name to Death From Above 1979 due to legal dispute with dance music label Death From Above (DFA) Records. … Biblical Toronto-based Biblical will be opening up the show. The psychedelic rock is touring in support of their debut full-length, Monsoon Season, released earlier this year via New Damage Records (Ken Mode, USA Out Of Vietnam). …

"Who was here at 7th Street? That was a long time ago...." asked drummer/singer Sebastien Grainger from Death From Above 1979, referring to their first time in the city on November 7th, 2004. A few fans shouted back "400 Bar!" (their last appearance April 12th, 2005), so there were definitely a few hardcore fans in the crowd at First Avenue last night, November 24th.

Biblical

Opening up the show was Toronto's Biblical, who played only about four tracks from Monsoon Season (New Damage Records). To clarify, there were only four breaks (which indicate stop and start of new songs). Every track they played were long and epic jams... and in total they rocked out to about 40 minutes on stage.

The band started with the very loud/metal-ish track "Second Sight", a song about not looking back on the dead. Plenty of thrashing on stage, and between songs were pre-recorded audio rip from old public domain movie.

Singer/bassist Nick Sewell asked if everyone was excited to see DFA? When a lackluster response was heard, Sewell jokingly said, "I know it's a Monday night, but you get a C minus." And with that, they continued with the jams.

Death From Above 1979 are a Canadian duo, with Sebastien Grainger doing all the lead vocals (and talking) and Jesse F. Keeler handles the guitars and occasional keyboard. The interesting thing to note is that the two actually wanted to break up in 2004, but decided to continue with their planned tour scheduled in 2005 because there were so many people that relied on them to make a living. So they carried on until they made official that DFA was no longer a band. So after nine years of various solo material as Grainger, Mountain, and MSTRKRFT, the two reunited as DFA in 2011.

Setlist

Taking the stage to piercing guitar noise and with a giant lighted DFA heads/elephant nose, the duo let First Avenue know that they have arrived.

As you can see from the setlist, every song from the latest album The Physical World, including "Right On, Frankenstein!" and "Trainwreck 1979", was played. Rounding out the rest of their set were tracks from their debut You're a Woman, I'm a Machine and some odds and ends.

Usually when bands play their entire new album, it tells me that they are very excited about the new material and wanted the audience to hear them live. From what I've heard live, the new songs are very aggressive, and it's not uncommon for people to slam dance and body surf to their songs.

The highlight of the show for me was during their encore... prior to the band coming back on stage, there were thunderous chants for "DFA! DFA!" by the audience.

After "Romantic Rights", Grainger pointed to a guy in the audience and said, "You! You're a piece of sh***!" He was referring to a couple of guys picking on some kid by taking away his hat. When they left the kid alone, Grainger added, "We're all together here, we're all having a fun time."

Grainger then added water to his drum kit and they briefly play out to "The Physical World."

Death from Above 1979 and Biblical are currently on a US tour, their next stop is Chicago, tonight.

Death From Above 1979 at First Avenue, Minneapolis (24 Nov 2014)

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