W♥M (Archive)

Registered Historical Facts: Uncut and Smiths Convention 2015

Read more The Smiths/Morrissey: Registered Historical Facts.

Read More Uncut Magazine Uncut Magazine must really love David Bowie. This is the second CD they put together featuring cover songs of some of Bowie's greatest songs. The first Bowie cover collection (Starman: Rare and Exclusive Version of 18 Classic David Bowie Songs) were from their March ...

UNCUT MAGAZINE
uncut.co.uk

Since Select Magazine went away in 2000, Uncut Magazine took over as my favorite music magazine. In their latest issue, which came out in the stores in the UK this week (January 27th), they featured the 30th Anniversary of Meat is Murder with a The Smiths cover. I haven't seen it in the stores here, but typically we're slower to get imported magazines.

If you're impatient, you can get the magazine in its digital form for $3.99, but personally I would pay a little more to get the print edition (with free CD).

Details from uncut.co.uk:

The Smiths, The War On Drugs, Kraftwerk and Bob Dylan all feature in the new issue of Uncut, dated March 2015.

Morrissey is on the front cover, and inside we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Meat Is Murder with an in-depth, inside look at the making of the record.

With help from band members, close associates and contemporaries - even Neil Kinnock - we learn about awkward moments in Little Chefs, car races with OMD and the use of sausages as an offensive weapon... "We were unmanageable!"

Adam Granduciel discusses The War On Drugs' 2014, a rollercoaster of a year which saw their third album, Lost In The Dream, achieve huge acclaim. The frontman even looks forward to the band’s next album, and finally talks at length about the little matter of Mark Kozelek...

Elsewhere, Kraftwerk members and associates tell the full story of Autobahn, a record that changed the world’s idea of Germany and revolutionised electronic music.

Bob Dylan's Shadows In The Night, a collection of Frank Sinatra covers, gets the full Uncut analysis in our reviews section, while we also look at Sinatra’s dealings with rock, a genre he once called "brutal, ugly, degenerate, vicious..."

Also in the issue, Allan Jones pays tribute to the late Joe Cocker, we examine Tim Buckley's overlooked final years, and put your questions to the master of soundtracks, Ennio Morricone, who discusses Sergio Leone, Quentin Tarantino and Morrissey.

Steve Cropper takes us through 10 of the greatest songs he played on and co-wrote - from Stax cuts from Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and Booker T & The MG's, to later work with John Lennon, Big Star, Neil Young and the Blues Brothers - while Phosphorescent's Matthew Houck reveals eight records that have soundtracked his life.

Tim Burgess recalls The Charlatans' storied career in our 'album by album' piece this month, while Devo describe the inspirations behind their gleefully warped classic, Jocko Homo – from witnessing the tragic Kent State shootings to jamming with David Bowie in Cologne…

This month's 40-page reviews section includes Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Emmylou Harris, Slowdive, Father John Misty, The Pretty Things, The Pop Group, The Unthanks and more, while the Instant Karma section at the front of the magazine features Clive Langer, Man and Blake Mills, among others.

Read More The Sons & Heirs If you didn't know, New York-based the Sons & Heirs are a Smiths cover band, the name is taken from one of the Smiths' most well-known song, "How Soon Is Now?" ("I am the son and the heir, of a shyness that is criminally vulgar"). From my understanding, they do not play ... Sweet and Tender Hooligans I've seen The Sweet and Tender Hooligans at The Smiths convention in 1997... which is a long time ago. If I have time, maybe I'll dig out some artifacts from that time period to do a little flashback article. ...

SMITHS/MORRISSEY CONVENTION
musicconventions.com

Autographs: Mike and Andy (1997) and Johnny Marr (2013)

Fun fact: I attended the very first The Smiths Convention in 1997. The guests of honor at the first convention were Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce and musical guests Sweet & Tender Hooligans.

Obviously, I haven't attended a Smiths/Morrissey convention since then, but does anyone care that Richard Blade is the guest of honor for the 2015 Convention? Why not Johnny Rogan or David T or Miriam from Altadena or Jo Slee or Stephen Street?

I know that that Blade interviewed Morrissey "at KROQ" in 1991 (the music session was released as an EP), but I'm not sure if I want to put down $30 at the door to meet him.

Anyway, The Smiths/Morrissey 2015 Convention will take place at the Avalon in Hollywood on Sunday, April 26, 2015. If you're going this year, let me know how it turned out.

Additional details:

Located at the Historic Hollywood & Vine Intersection... Across the street from The Capitol Records Building-!!

The 19th Annual Smiths/Morrissey Convention will take place @ The Beautiful AVALON in HOLLYWOOD Ca....6pm-2am....ALL AGES-!

Hosted by RICHARD BLADE and featuring Live Music Tributes to The SMITHS and MORRISSEY, Cool Collectibles, Rare Videos, Contests, Prizes, Guest DJ's... and of course Dancing All NIGHT LONG-!

This Year, Our Special Musical Guests will be:

The Sons & Heirs (A Tribute to The Smiths & Morrissey) from New York City... &

This Charming Band from San Francisco....Gonna be a Fun Night---Thank You--!

More Details TBA Soon-!

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

Like a Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone #1227 (29 Jan 2015) Read More Rolling Stone Hitting newsstand this week is Rolling Stone #1200 (cover date of January 16th), featuring a rather lengthy story about how The Beatles took over America as the biggest band in the country in 1964. The article, written by Mikal Gilmore ...

I don't have a Rolling Stone subscription anymore, but I did randomly pick up the latest issue, featuring Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac. You can actually read some of the interview online.

Excerpt:

Rock goddess Stevie Nicks – maker of myths, wearer of shawls – appears solo on the cover of Rolling Stone for the first time since 1981 in our new issue, hitting stands Friday. The intimate, 7,000-word cover feature by senior writer Brian Hiatt digs deep into Nicks' life and career, from the endless drama of her relationship with Lindsey Buckingham (backstage at a Fleetwood Mac show in December, he bangs on Nicks' wall to get her to turn her music down) to her decades-long band-crush on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ("Had Tom Petty called me up one day and said, ‘If you want to leave Fleetwood Mac to be in the Heartbreakers, there's a place for you,' I might well have done it. Anytime! Today!")

In other Rolling Stone news, all five decades of archived Rolling Stone magazines are available on Google Play Newsstand... FOR FREE.

Description:

For the first time ever, Rolling Stone has opened up their vast archive of award-winning music, political and cultural reporting — dating back five decades, to their 1967 launch — online for free. In collaboration with Google Play, articles by notable writers including Hunter S. Thompson, Cameron Crowe and Matt Taibbi are now available to read on Android and iOS phones and tablets via the Google Play Newsstand, Google's news reader app optimized for phones and tablets. Additionally, Rolling Stone's daily coverage of music, politics, movies, TV, sports and culture is available on the Play Newsstand.

If you don't have an Android or iOS device, you can actually access the content via Rolling Stone's CoverWall, via rollingstone.com/coverwall. Before you get too excited about this (at least on CoverWall as I have not tested this on my iPad), not all the articles are available for access. Some issues only have one or two articles (and not necessary the main cover article). Still, it is kind of fun to take a look at old magazine covers.

If the cover reflects America's music and pop culture, then I'll have to apologize for the year 2010 for all the sex covers!

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

Constantine: A Whole World Out There

Hellblazer #7 (July 1988) art by Dave McKean Read More Constantine After a rather long winter break, Constantine is back on air. If you recall, the show ended on cliffhanger, with Constantine shot and left for dead. .…

NBC's Constantine is based on the DC/Vertigo comics Hellblazer. The show regularly airs on NBC on Fridays at 8pm. The comic was also the basis of the Warner Brothers movie Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves as the chain smoker.

While they got some things right (making the character back to a Blond Englishman), they are also restricted by NBC's television policies - one of which is the character cannot be shown smoking on screen... However, for the first time I can remember, at the 22-minute mark, John Constantine is seen with a cigarette in his mouth (with smoke). We've seen Constantine holding cigarettes, and technically he's not "smoking" ... but it so blatant! It is as if the show runners are saying, they don't care about the non-smoking ban that NBC opposes.

Warning: Contains spoilers.

Constantine Episode 11: A Whole World Out There (30 Jan 2015)

Ritchie Simpson art by John Ridgeway

Computer hacker Ritchie Simpson is back on Constantine. John Constantine came to Simpson to report that their friend Gary Lester was dead (the show that was based on Hellblazer #1). Somehow, John found himself investigating some students who used an out of body ritual.

In the other world, you find out that Jacob Shaw was murdering all the students that crossed over. When you die in that world, you die in the real world. He's already killed a few kids, so it's up to John and Ritchie to go to that other world and rescue Lily. The show's conclusion was the typical mind/willpower to triumphant over the psychopath Shaw...

In the comic books, Simpson was actually a sort of hippy who practiced "Quantum Magic" (in the show they refer to this as "Data Mining") and went into the computer dimension, with Constantine watching over his body. Unfortunately, Simpson's real body was destroyed and Simpson was actually trapped in the computer world. As you can see from the Dave McKean cover, it sort of illustrated what happened. His story could have suffered a similar fate - should he have chosen to stay in that dream-like world - but obviously that did not happen. I'd actually would like to see more of Simpson in future shows, after all he's one of the rare so-called Newcastle crew member.

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

Minneapolis: February 13 - February 15, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul from February 13 to February 15, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More All Them Witches Nashville's All Them Witches took their name from Roman Polanski's 1968 Rosemary's Baby and released their debut Our Mother Electricity in 2012. They quickly follow up with Lightning At The Door ... The Well Austin-based power trio The Well will be releasing their debut album Samsara this September 23, 2014, via RidingEasy Records. Check out the new track "Mortal Bones" ...

ALL THEM WITCHES w/ The Well
at 7th Street Entry
Friday 02/13/15, 8pm ($8)
first-avenue.com

Nashville-based All Them Witches are back in the Twin Cities, this time at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, on spooky Friday the 13th! We previously mentioned that they took their name from Roman Polanski's 1968 Rosemary's Baby and their latest Lightning At The Door was recorded in a matter of days.

The last time All Them Witches were here in Minneapolis, they triple rocked at the Triple Rock with Windhand and Jex Thoth... this time, Austin's The Well (not to be confused with Norwegian six-piece band also called The Well) set to open the show. We previously mentioned that The Well trio (singer/guitarist Ian Graham, bassist Lisa Alley, and drummer Jason Sullivan) had an album called Samsara.

Also Minnesota's Hotel San Sebastian set to open the show.

Tour dates:

02/05/15 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
02/06/15 Cambridge, MA Middle East
02/07/15 Ithaca, NY The Haunt
02/08/15 Rochester, NY The Bug Jar
02/10/15 Pontiac, MI Pike Room
02/11/15 Indianapolis, IN Hi-Fi
02/12/15 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
02/13/15 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
02/14/15 Milwaukee, WI Cactus Club
02/15/15 Rock Island, IL Rozz Tox
04/06/15 Phuzz Fest

Read More Sleater-Kinney Sleater-Kinney are selling out their 2015 shows... Which is fine, as I've seen the band many times and unfortunately they are playing the winter time. Read more details about the new Sub Pop album ... Lizzo It was a typical grrrl prty with Lizzo and Caroline Smith at First Avenue last night, as they unite to celebrate women power. …

SLEATER-KINNEY w/ Lizzo
at First Avenue
Saturday 02/14/15, 8pm ($30/Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

What are you doing on V-Day? If you're a Sleater-Kinney fan, you'll be at this sold out show. According to my bad memories and physical ticket stubs, I've seen Sleater-Kinney at least three times, and have expressed sadness that the trio broke up in 2006. Nothing made us happier to hear that they've returned last year, and obviously the W♥M crew was looking forward to this Sleater-Kinney show since the 2015 tour date announcement.

Also, if you follow news.weheartmusic.com, we already announced that local artist Lizzo is on a national tour with SK. We are very proud of this, as she's been empowering women to voice their thoughts, but breaking across music genre and newfound fans! There are only a handful of local Minneapolis bands that can say the same thing. Very excited to see her name listed on the bill.

Tour dates:

02/08/15 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
02/09/15 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
02/10/15 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
02/12/15 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
02/13/15 Omaha, NE Slowdown
02/14/15 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
02/15/15 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre
02/17/15 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre
02/22/15 Boston, MA House Of Blues Boston
02/24/15 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
02/25/15 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
02/26/15 New York, NY Terminal 5
02/27/15 New York, NY Terminal 5
02/28/15 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
03/01/15 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
03/02/15 Toronto, ON Sound Academy

Read More Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate return to North America on the heels of a triumphant debut in 2014. After the release of their acclaimed album Faya by Cumbancha Discovery and a successful tour in the summer of 2014 ....

JOE DRISCOLL & SEKOU KOUYATE
at Cedar Cultural Center
Sunday 02/15/15, 7pm ($18)
thecedar.org

There's something compelling about seeing two different people from two different worlds teaming up together (for example Habib Koite and Eric Bibb; Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal). Guinea's Sekou Kouyate, known in France as the "Jimi Hendrix of the kora", with Bristol-based Joe Driscoll, whom Cee-Lo Green labelled "the gangsta with an iron lung", are currently making music together... and currently in America supporting their latest Faya album.

Kouyate best described their collaboration as simply that he doesn't speak English and Driscoll doesn't speak French, but somehow they understand each other.

See them live at the Cedar on February 15th at the Cedar.

Tour dates:

Jan 29 Johnny D's Somerville, MA
Jan 30 ArtsRiot! Burlington, VT
Feb 01 Joe's Pub New York, NY
Feb 02 Falcon Marlboro, NY
Feb 05 Ballatou Montreal, Canada
Feb 06 The Haunt Ithaca, NY
Feb 07 The Lost Horizon Syracuse, NY
Feb 08 Lula Lounge Toronto, Canada
Feb 09 University of Guelph Guelph, Canada
Feb 12 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
Feb 13 Grounds For Thought Bowling Green, OH
Feb 14 Leglon Arts Cedar Rapids, IA
Feb 15 The Cedar Minneapolis, MN
Feb 16 Mayne Stage Chicago, IL

Minneapolis: February 10 - February 12, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul from February 10 to February 12, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Gwen Stefani I'd say it wasn't until No Doubt came up to the mainstream that U.S. audiences began paying more attention to that sound (not just ska, but dancehall, and a little bit of dub), but then, Gwen Stefani seems to be ... Powder So, after looking at Lowe's wiki entry, I didn't realize that she was quite the star-f-er: affairs with Gavin Rossdale (Bush) and Jude Law. She even has a child with Gavin! ...

BUSH
at Myth
Tuesday 02/10/15, 6:30pm ($35)
mythlive.com/event/bush

British rockers Bush are back on tour to promote their sixth studio Man on the Run (Zuma Rock/BMG). The record marks the band's second studio album to be recorded under its current incarnation (Gavin Rossdale, Robin Goodridge, Chris Traynor, Corey Britz), which reformed in 2010 after an eight-year hiatus.... fueled by 20th Anniversary of their 6x multi-platinum debut record Sixteen Stone.

Theory Of A Deadman and Stars In Stereo set to open.

Tour dates:

01/30/15 San Francisco, CA The Masonic
01/31/15 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
02/02/15 Riverside, CA Riverside Municipal
02/03/15 Tempe, AZ The Marquee
02/05/15 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
02/07/15 Kansas City, MO Arvest Bank Theatre
02/08/15 Cedar Rapids, IA Paramount Theatre
02/10/15 Saint Paul, MN Myth
02/11/15 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
02/14/15 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre
02/15/15 Columbus, OH The LC Pavilion
02/17/15 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
02/18/15 Toronto, ON Sound Academy
02/20/15 Wallingford, CT Oakdale Theatre
02/21/15 Lewiston, ME Androscoggin Bank
02/23/15 Boston, MA House Of Blues
02/24/15 New York, NY Best Buy Theater
02/27/15 Rochester, NY Main Street Armory
02/28/15 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
03/01/15 Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre
03/03/15 Silver Spring, MD Fillmore
03/04/15 Raleigh, NC The Ritz
03/06/15 North Myrtle Beach, SC House Of Blues
03/08/15 Memphis, TN Minglewood Hall
03/10/15 Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom
03/11/15 Dallas, TX South Side Ballroom
03/13/15 Houston, TX Bayou Music Center
03/14/15 San Antonio, TX Majestic Theatre
05/02/15 Carolina Rebellion

Read More G. Love & Special Sauce G. Love and Special Sauce's show packed and ended their set with the popular "Cold Beverages" song. By this time, I was ready for bed... Matt Costa Matt Costa just played the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis last night, April 4th, as part of the promotion for his latest self-titled album, out now on Bushfire Records.…

G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE
at First Avenue
Wednesday 02/11/15, 7pm ($25)
first-avenue.com

I absolutely loved Matt Costa's 2013 self-titled album. The album was recorded and produced by Belle & Sebastian fame Tony Doogan, and you can hear hints of pop rock sound in the record. Well I love it, even if the sound may be a slight departure from what he's normally known for.

Costa is currently opening up for all the US shows with G. Love & Special Sauce. We caught the band at 80/35 Festival in 2009 and noted that he ended his set with their most popular song "Cold Beverages".

G. Love's new record is called Sugar and it came out April 2014 via Brushfire Records/Universal.

Tour dates:

01/30/15 Seattle, WA Showbox
01/31/15 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
02/02/15 Missoula, MT Top Hat
02/04/15 Jackson Hole, WY Pink Garter
02/05/15 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
02/06/15 Park City, UT Park City Live
02/07/15 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater
02/08/15 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
02/11/15 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
02/12/15 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre
02/13/15 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
02/14/15 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
02/15/15 Robinsonville, MS Bluesville
03/04/15 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
03/05/15 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues
03/06/15 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
03/07/15 Boston, MA House Of Blues
03/11/15 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
03/12/15 New York, NY Irving Plaza
03/18/15 Norfolk, VA NorVa
03/19/15 Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theatre
03/20/15 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
03/21/15 Charlotte, NC Fillmore Charlotte
03/22/15 Charleston, SC Music Farm
03/25/15 Jacksonville, FL Freebird Live
03/26/15 Fort Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
03/28/15 Saint Petersburg, FL Jannus Live

Read More John Cougar Mellencamp I was also surprise to hear "I Need a Lover", a John Cougar Mellencamp song! Her take on it emphasized more on her aggressive girl vocals. ....

JOHN MELLENCAMP
at Northrop Auditorium
Thursday 02/12/15, 7:30pm ($42.50+)
northrop.umn.edu

I know he's dropped the 'Cougar' part of his name, but John Mellencamp will forever be known to me as John Cougar Mellencamp. I guess I read that he never liked the 'cougar' name because it made him sound like he's a hillbilly... but that name 'hurts so good'!

Anyway, the last I heard from his 'camp', was that his latest album Plain Spoken was released September 23, 2014.... his 22nd LP and his first for Republic Records.

Carlene Carter set to open his live shows.

Tour dates:

01/30/15 Columbus, OH Mershon Auditorium
01/31/15 Cleveland, OH Connor Palace
02/03/15 Bloomington, IN Indiana University
02/04/15 Bloomington, IN Indiana University
02/05/15 Los Angeles, CA Wilshire Ebell Theatre
02/06/15 Los Angeles Convention Center
02/09/15 Green Bay, WI Weidner Center
02/11/15 Minneapolis, MN Northrop Auditorium
02/12/15 Minneapolis, MN Northrop Auditorium
02/14/15 Kansas City, MO Arvest Bank Theatre
02/15/15 Des Moines Civic Center
02/17/15 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
02/18/15 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
03/05/15 San Antonio, TX The Tobin Center
03/07/15 Dallas, TX McFarlin Memorial Aud
03/08/15 Austin, TX Bass Concert Hall
03/10/15 New Orleans, LA Saenger Theatre
03/12/15 Birmingham, AL Concert Hall At The BJCC
03/13/15 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
03/15/15 Jacksonville, FL Moran Theater
03/17/15 Fort Lauderdale, FL Broward Center
03/19/15 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
03/20/15 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
03/22/15 Orlando, FL Dr. Phillips Center
03/24/15 Columbia, SC Township Auditorium
03/26/15 North Charleston Perf. Arts Center
03/27/15 Charlotte, NC Ovens Auditorium
03/29/15 Norfolk, VA Chrysler Hall
03/31/15 Durham, NC DPAC
04/15/15 Boston, MA Wang Theatre
04/16/15 Providence Perf. Arts Ctr.
04/18/15 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Theatre

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

Belle and Sebastian at Enmore Theatre, Sydney (29 Jan 2015)

Setlist Nobody's Empire The Party Line Women's Realm Dog on Wheels If She Wants Me Like Dylan in the Movies Perfect Couples The Stars of Track and Field The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner The Power of Three Electronic Renaissance Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie A Summer Wasting The Boy with the Arab Strap Legal Man Me and the Major -- Encore -- Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying courtesy of setlist.fm Read More Belle & Sebastian I've seen Belle & Sebastian twice, but have never made the commitment to tracking them down for autographs. That's got to be tough, as you know the group is large (currently: Stuart Murdoch, Stevie Jackson ...

Sally just saw Belle and Sebastian at Enmore Theatre in Sydney, Australia, as part of their four appearances courtesy of Laneway Presents* and Penny Drop.

Range Anxiety Merge Records

According to the poster artwork, Melbourne's Twerps were openers to all the Australian Laneway Presents/Penny Drop dates. The last news I heard from Twerps was that their new album is called Range Anxiety, which came out this week (January 27, 2015) via Merge Records. Look for Twerps in the United States, touring around SXSW 2015.

As a special side show, B&S are also set to play at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney this Saturday, January 31st, which Sally is also attending. You can hear all the upcoming plan on our Party Line.

Looking over their setlist, there were about four songs from Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance (two of them played at the beginning), but the rest were older songs - which is fine, as I'm sure most fans aren't that familiar with the new songs.

Tour dates:

01/31 Taronga Zoo, Sydney
02/01 Palais Theatre, Melbourne
02/03 Astor Theatre, Perth
02/12 AX Club, Seoul, Korea
02/16 Hostess Club Taipei @ Legacy
02/21 Hostess Club Weekender, Studio Coast
03/30 House Of Blues, Boston, MA
04/01 Massey Hall, Toronto, ONT
04/02 Royal Oak Music Theater, MI
04/03 Riviera, Chicago, IL
04/04 Madison, WI Overture Hall
04/07 Seattle, WA Paramount Ballroom
04/08 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre
04/09 Portland, OR Roseland
04/11 Coachella Valley Music
04/12 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre
04/14 Davis, CA Mondavi Center
04/17 San Diego, CA North Park
04/18 Indio, CA Coachella Valley Music
05/03 St. David's, Cardiff, Wales
05/04 Colston Hall, Bristol
05/05 Guildhall, Portsmouth
05/07 Corn Exchange, Cambridge
05/08 Open, Norwich, England
05/10 Symphony Hall, Birmingham
05/11 Westminster Central Hall, London
05/14 Albert Hall, Manchester
05/16 City Hall, Newcastle
05/18 Opera House, Buxton
05/19 City Hall, Leeds
05/22 Hydro Arena, Glasgow
05/24 Sound City, Liverpool, England
06/09 Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre
06/10 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
06/11 Washington, DC - Echostage
06/14 Columbus, OH LC - Pavilion
06/17 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
06/18 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
07/02-07/04 ATP Iceland, Keflavik, Iceland

* Not to be confused with the St Jerome's Laneway Festival.

Belle and Sebastian at Enmore Theatre, Sydney (29 Jan 2015) photo by Sally

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

Louper

Read More Low Low came on stage as ZZ Top, complete fuzzy guitars and horseshoe moustache on drummer Mimi Parker. The band Duluth band have been busy playing support dates for Slowdive .... Sebadoh That's right, Sebadoh's first LP in 14 years, Defend Yourself, is out now on Joyful Noise Recordings. This band formed in 1986, for a time in the 90s, along with Pavement and Guided by Voices ....

LOU BARLOW
loobiecore.com

We’re not even out of January yet and Alan Sparhawk is already having a great and productive year! Not only is Low, the simmering Duluth-based indie-rock band he co-fronts with wife Mimi Parker and bassist Steve Garrington, recording a new record and in the midst of a short jaunt around eastern Europe, but there are a slew of other excellent Sparhawk projects to be seen and heard in the next few months. Raucous blues band the Black-Eyed Snakes wrapped up 2014 with two spectacular gigs in December (one at the Icehouse and one supporting Kid Dakota at the Turf Club) and there is word of a possible new album while The Murder of Crows, a collaboration between Sparhawk and fellow Duluth musician Gaelynn Lea, is scheduled to open for His Name is Alive on their 25th anniversary tour at the Entry in April.

On February 13th at the Turf Club in St Paul, Minnesota, Sparhawk will join guitarist Rich Mattson, drummer Glen Mattson and bass player Dale Kallman for one of the finest Neil Young tribute acts around, Tired Eyes. What started as a lark one cold January in 2013 at a Duluth bar has become an annual thing, with the guys taking it to the Twin Cities a few times now (including last October at the Indeed Brewery’s Hullabaloo). I’ve heard that this is a really fun show and a must for any die-hard Neil fan - if they’re taking requests, I’m gonna throw mine in right away: Guys, play “World on a String” or “Lookout Joe”! Or hell, anything from Tonight’s the Night! Or “When You Dance” and “Don’t Let it Bring You Down” and “Cripple Creek Ferry”! Or “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere”! Or “Cinnamon Girl”!! There are just too many great songs!

Tired Eyes will be playing with none other than the gentle king of lo-fi himself, Lou Barlow, performing a rare solo show. Barlow has been keeping busy the last few years with Sebadoh, having released anniversary editions of classic albums like Bubble and Scrape and Bakesale and recording a brand new album, the well-received Defend Yourself, their first in 14 years.  Recently, Sebadoh wrapped up a tour of North America (they were at the Entry in September) and Europe. And although Dinosaur Jr hasn’t released new music since 2012’s I Bet on Sky, Barlow joined the band as they headlined New York City’s 4Knots Music Festival in July, playing with great acts like Those Darlins and Nude Beach. For podcast listeners and fans interested in learning more about Barlow, comedian Marc Maron had him as a guest on his podcast early last year and it’s definitely worth a listen (check it out at wtfpod.com).

Folks, forget the chocolates and flowers; consider this gig an early Valentines gift to yourself.

Read More Looper Looper was B&S' bassist Stuart David and his wife, Karn, long before that science fiction movie. They released their penpal "Impossible Things" song on Sub Pop, which I own on 7". ... Belle & Sebastian I've seen Belle & Sebastian twice, but have never made the commitment to tracking them down for autographs. That's got to be tough, as you know the group is large (currently: Stuart Murdoch, Stevie Jackson ...

LOOPER
looperama.co.uk

One of my favorite bands Looper is back. I've seen the band twice, and the first time I bought all their CDs that they had for sale at the merch table.... but they went away. As you may know, after Looper made over half a million pounds off of their breakthrough lo-fi hit "Mondo '77", they basically just retired from music! You can read all about this bbc.co.uk, where he's quoted, "The four of us have been able to live on this song for the last five years." Look, I don't blame them, I'd probably go offline and live in the countryside too.

Hear "Mondo '77":



Anyway, the brand new album called Offgrid: Offline, and it's coming out on April 14th, 2015, via Mute Records. If you have half a million lying around, the new record will be included in a nice five-CD boxset called These Things.

Offgrid: Offline Track listing:

1. Intro (Down The Lane)
2. What If…?
3. Waiting For Trains
4. Oh, Skinny Legs
5. Offgrid:Offline
6. Farfisa Song
7. I'm A Photograph
8. Images Of The Shipwreck
9. The Lucky Bird
10. Outro (TipToe Home)

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

Game On: Music Of League, Dungeon of the Endless, and War Games

Read More Dragon Age Remember our Game of the Year 2014 Dragon Age: Inquisition? Fans of the game may recall various tavern songs in the game - well now is your chance to enjoy them for free! …

MUSIC OF LEAGUE VOL 1
leagueoflegends.com

Not to be outdone by the free Dragon Age Inquisition Tavern Songs, League of Legends is also offering a free full album download at on their official website for a limited time. Unlike my complaint about the Tavern Songs, this Music of League Vol 1 comes with album artwork.

If you're not familiar with this game, it is one of the most popular free-to-play game. I've only briefly tested out the game and didn't exactly like it (I'm not an online gamer)... but I'm alone in my opinion, as it is a very popular online game. Especially when teams can win millions of dollars in competitive game play.

The album is released today (01/28/2015) and retails for $8.99 on Amazon. So grab the FREE download now before it expires:

• Download: leagueoflegends.com

Tracklisting:

1. Demacia Rising
2. Tidecaller
3. Tiny Masterpiece Of Evil
4. The Curse Of The Sad Mummy
5. Quinn And Valor
6. Braum
7. Tales Of The Rift
8. Lulu And Shaco's Quirky Encounter
9. Freljord
10. Rise Of The Ascended
11. Daylight's End
12. Challengers
13. Get Jinxed
14. Super Galaxy Rumble
15. Reborn

Read More Games Well if you're in the same boat and want a game that is meatier, you need to check out Dragon Age: Inquisition. …

DUNGEON OF THE ENDLESS
amplitude-studios.com

There's two settings to the single player mode on this game: easy and really easy. It's probably just me, but I feel the game's setting is really hard and impossible.

You start off with two survivors from a space ship. Your mission is to bring a crystal to an elevator that you must discover. Once you pick up the crystal, there will be an endless wave of monsters attacking you - so it's really important you get to the elevator as soon as you can.

There are twelve floors, and obviously the area are larger and more difficult the further you go up. I had to play it on really easy just so I can make it to level 12 and unlock different game modes. If you don't find the game challenging enough, there are even unwinnable modules you can play against. Personally, I like to win, so I'll be avoiding that version of the game....

My strategy for the game is explore all the rooms (so I can maximize my resources) and then putting turrets on the path to the exit point. If you can afford it, try and upgrade your turrets and level up your characters. I almost never buy any armor or weapons from vendors, and usually travel together in my group of four.

What I like about the game is the randomness and exploration aspect of it. However, as you progresses to the later levels (with monsters being increasingly tougher), it feels like the game discourages you from exploring.

The game also has one progressive save slot, which means you can't save and restart to try different strategies if you fail.

What I would like to see is increasing the number of characters in your group. Maybe you can be fair about it, with every two floors allowing for +1 extra character. I don't mind the permadeath, just allow me access to more characters in my group.

The game encourages you to keep replaying the game to unlock different characters, but since it's random, it's actually much harder to do. I don't want a cakewalk, but at the same time, I don't like punishing difficult/frustrating game. I can't really recommend this game to casual players, however if this sounds like your kind of bag, the game was released Oct 27, 2014 on Steam for $12.99.

WAR GAMES
wargamesmusic.com

Massachusetts' War Games will be releasing Holding Patterns, due this March 10th, 2015. Their CD album release party will be taking place March 6th at The Met in Pawtucket, Rhode Island... before they set sail to the UK:

03/10 Yardbirds - Grimsby
03/11 The Leopard - Doncaster
03/12 Labour Club - Northampton
03/14 Good Ship - Kilburn
03/15The New Cross Inn - London
03/16 Sticky Mikes - Brighton
03/19 Milo's Bar - Leeds
03/21The Fiddler's Elbow - Camden
03/22 Brighton - Venue TBA
03/23 Underground - Stoke on Trent
03/24 South Sea Live - Sheffield

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

J dot

Read More J Roddy Walston Tennessee rockers J Roddy Walston & the Business are currently touring around Austin City Limits, stopping by Minneapolis' Fine Line Music Café last night, September 15th. …

J. RODDY WALSTON & THE BUSINESS
jroddywalstonandthebusiness.com

The first time I saw J. Roddy Walston and the Business, they had a very brief opening set for The Lumineers at Target Center in 2013, and they blew me away. The frenetic piano playing and showmanship made me a fan of J. Roddy Walston.

Since 2013, we've been following this band, catching them with Cage the Elephant in May 2014 and as headliner in September 2014, but unfortunately missed them in 2015 due to sold out The Current's 10th Anniversary concert at First Avenue.

Look for J. Roddy Walston & The Business to make their Austin City Limits debut this January 31st!

Tour Dates:

03/05 - Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theater
03/06 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
03/07 - Lansing, MI - The Loft
03/13 - Charlotte, NC - Amos' Southend
03/14 - Columbia, SC - St. Pat's at 5 Points
03/19 - Charlottesville, VA - The Jefferson
03/20 - Washington D.C. - 9:30 Club
03/25 - Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theater
03/26 - Chattanooga, TN - Track 29
03/27 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
03/28 - City Park at The Festival Grounds
04/24 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva
05/14 - Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbits
05/15-05/17 - Hangout Festival
06/05-06/07 - Governor's Ball

J. BALVIN
jbalvinelnegocio.com

Billboard Latin Music 2015 Conference & Awards recently announced that Columbian reggaeton singer J. Balvin will be joining them in Miami on April 27-30 for the "The New Latin Urban Movement" panel.

J. Balvin's latest, La Familia B Sides is the companion album to his third studio album La Familia, out now on Capitol Latin/EMI.

Tour Dates:

01/27/15 El Paso, TX UTEP Don Haskins Center
01/28/15 El Paso, TX UTEP Don Haskins Center
01/29/15 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center
01/31/15 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events
02/05/15 Corpus Christi, TX American Bank Center
02/06/15 Lubbock, TX United Supermarkets
02/07/15 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
02/12/15 Bakersfield, CA Rabobank Arena
02/13/15 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
02/14/15 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
02/17/15 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
02/20/15 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
02/21/15 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
03/06/15 San Juan, PR Coliseo de Puerto Rico

J. TEX & THE VOLUNTEERS
jtex.dk

Trio J. Tex and the Volunteers' fifth album Old Ways vs New Days is coming out Friday, January 30th, 2015. I guess it is all part of the 'new days' since album releases usually traditionally fall on a Monday (for the UK) or Tuesday (for the US).

I believe J. Tex may actually be American... but currently spends his days in both Sweden and Denmark playing Americana blues and country music.

Track listing:

01. This Old Banjo
02. Chocolate Jesus
03. As Wide As The Moon
04. Treading Water
05. This Old Blues
06. Night Train
07. Ship Coming In
08. April Fools Day
09. Clear Sky
10. Swedish Winter

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

Sam Smith w/ George Ezra at Roy Wilkins, St. Paul (24 Jan 2015)

Sam Smith Setlist Life Support Together Leave Your Lover I'm Not the Only One I've Told You Now Nirvana Like I Can Restart Good Thing (acoustic) Lay Me Down (acoustic) My Funny Valentine (Hal McIntyre & His Orchestra cover) La La La (orig. done w/Naughty Boy) Money on My Mind / Finally (CeCe Peniston cover) -- Encore -- Latch (orig. done w/Disclosure) Make It To Me Stay With Me George Ezra Setlist Cassie O Blame It On Me Listen to the Man Get Lonely With Me Barcelona Budapest Did You Hear the Rain Tour Dates 01/29/15 Inglewood, CA Forum 01/30/15 Inglewood, CA Forum 01/31/15 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Aud 02/02/15 Seattle, WA KeyArena 02/04/15 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena 02/25/15 London The O2 03/01/15 Brussels, Belgium Forest National 03/02/15 Amsterdam Heineken Music Hall 03/04/15 Munich, Germany Zenith 03/05/15 Cologne, Germany Palladium 03/07/15 Frankfurt Jahrhunderthalle Frankfurt 03/09/15 Milan, Italy Alcatraz 03/10/15 Zurich, Switzerland X-TRA 03/16/15 Glasgow O2 Academy 03/17/15 Glasgow O2 Academy 03/19/15 Manchester O2 Apollo 03/20/15 Manchester O2 Apollo 03/22/15 Wolverhampton Civic Hall 03/23/15 Wolverhampton Civic Hall 03/25/15 London O2 Academy Brixton 03/26/15 London O2 Academy Brixton 03/27/15 London O2 Academy Brixton 04/22/15 Auckland Vector Arena 04/23/15 Auckland Vector Arena 04/25/15 Brisbane Brisbane Riverstage 04/27/15 Moore Park Hordern Pavilion 04/28/15 Moore Park Hordern Pavilion 04/30/15 Melbourne Margaret Court Arena 05/01/15 Hindmarsh Adelaide Entertainment 05/04/15 Mt. Claremont HBF Stadium 05/16/15 Rock In Rio USA 06/17/15 Paris, France Olympia 06/18/15 Paris, France Olympia Read More Sam Smith Sam Smith has sold out Madison Square Garden in NYC and The Forum in Los Angeles in minutes, with a second show in Los Angeles being added on January 29, 2015. The month-long .... George Ezra Opening act George Ezra is quickly positioning himself as one of the success stories of 2015. The Hertford, England 21-year old ....

Common name, most distinctively uncommon voice.

Amidst the literal plethora of things going on in downtown St. Paul (Winter Carnival, street parade, Red Bull Crashed Ice, The Opera, a cat show, state hockey tournament, and more) that brought over 200,000 people to a one square mile area; a golden voice, a veritable canary in a coal mine, shone through everything to leave a lasting impact on the 5,000 or so that saw Sam Smith at a sold-out Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

George Ezra

The evening started on a high note, with bass-baritone voiced fellow UK up-and-comer George Ezra and band playing seven songs in a brief 30 min. opening set.  The 21 yr. old guided his three-piece band playing selections from his debut LP, Wanted on Voyage (Columbia/Sony Records) which makes its U.S. debut (after being out in the UK and Europe since last June) today in record shops.

The lanky Ezra has a big, bluesy voice and lyrics that belie his young age, and sounds almost American, as his stated folk influences have been Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly and Howlin’ Wolf among others.  Lead single, ‘Budapest’ received the predictably strongest response, but initial UK single and set opener ‘Cassie O’ and the closing ‘Did You Hear the Rain’ (folky with electronic loops) also had toes tapping and heads nodding.

Those that didn’t get a chance, or want to experience more George Ezra, can tune into Conan this Thursday night and get tickets for his upcoming headlining club tour, which makes a local stop at the Varsity Theater on March 31^st.

A week after headlining NYC’s Madison Square Garden, Sam Smith made his long overdue local debut (a March 2014 showcase set at the Dakota last year for a few radio and retail tastemakers notwithstanding) with a grandiose entrance that set the stage for a polished and entertaining 77 min. set from the Londoner and band.

Sam Smith

Lights dimmed and the crowd screamed as a heavy gray curtain dropped to reveal yet another, more translucent curtain with caricatures of Smith’s right and left profiles and behind it, and Smith himself appearing then descending slowly from a center platform.

Smith’s five-piece band (including a cellist) and trio of background singers were, like Smith, dressed in all black, with only the white collar of Smith’s shirt making him stand out more.  The musicians were each on varying platform levels behind Smith and framed by a half moon pattern of stage lights to highlight the band.

The crowd of mostly females and couples, screamed at Smith’s dramatic entrance and first song, the aching ‘Life Support’, with Smith’s vocals wisely up front in the mix to cut through the cavernous and often dubious acoustics of the aging auditorium.  Smith definitely knew where he was, name-checking “St. Paul” numerous times which delighted the fans every time he mentioned it.

Smith’s debut album, In the Lonely Hour (Capitol Records), climbed to #2 in the U.S. and garnered six Grammy nominations, something he thanked the local fans for and mentioned his concerts were a celebration of, singing all but one track from the album.

With a “sing with me”, he launched early into single, ‘I’m Not the Only One’, which had the crowds in the seated sections swaying to his falsetto chorus.  Like Adele, heartbreak has served him well lyrically, though he described the album as “not sad” and more about simply being himself.

An stripped down mini-set midway through, proved to be one of the night’s highlights, starting with only Smith and keyboardist Reuben James playing “the most personal song” on the album, ‘Good Thing’, then into ‘Lay Me Down’ and slightly ramping up with a cover of classic, ‘My Funny Valentine’.

“Who knows this song?” Smith asked, as the vocal loop from he and Naughty Boy’s single, ‘La La La’ was cued up, to great reaction.  A mashup of single, ‘Money on my Mind’ and Cece Peniston’s 90’s club hit ‘Finally’, ended the main set with an exclamation.

Maybe most surprising was the first song of the encore, a slowed-tempo version of the song that initially put Smith on the map, ‘Latch’, with elegant piano and cello parts reinterpreting the Disclosure electronic beats and loops of the more frantic recorded version.

Another Disclosure collaboration, ‘Make it to Me’ was next, a “love letter” song Smith performed sitting with his background singers like street corner quartet, that brought out its hopeful lyrics even further.

Saved for last was Smith’s biggest song to date, the infectious ‘Stay With Me’, that only after the St. Paul show was decided by a court that it sounded to similar to a Tom Petty song, and had Smith relinquishing songwriting credits and a 12.5% stake in the publishing—not that any of that detracts from ache and soul the song conveys.

With his career just starting (though he mentioned he’s had a manager since age 12) and a strong chance that he walks away with several Grammys next weekend, Sam Smith’s local debut was worth the wait, with likely several more appearances in the years ahead, to come.

Sam Smith at Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul (24 Jan 2015)

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