Read More
|
We are big fans of Rock the Garden, the annual Minneapolis music festival by the Walker Art and 89.3 The Current. In my opinion, this is, far and away, their best lineup yet!
Highlight will be my favorite band Belle & Sebastian to headline June 20th (which we previously predicted), while Babes In Toyland's first announced local hometown gig on June 21st. Personally, my group of friends are really excited about Babes' return... especially because we attended their last ever gig in 2000.
The 'odd band out' on the bill is Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, who saw in 2012. We were interested in the band because Kuti's father, Fela Kuti, pioneered Afrobeat... and his son with Fela's band Egypt 80 continues his father's legacy in music, human rights, and political issues.
Rock the Garden sells out every year, so do yourself a favor and grab tickets ASAP. Rock the Garden 2015 Tickets will go on sale to Walker Art Center and The Current/Minnesota Public Radio members at 11am, Thursday, March 12 (Tomorrow!). Remaining tickets will go on sale to the public at 11 am, Tuesday, March 17.
I will be previewing all the bands for June 21st in a later article. Below you will find details about all the bands listed for Saturday, June 20th.
SATURDAY, JUNE 20
Highlight will be my favorite band Belle & Sebastian to headline June 20th (which we previously predicted), while Babes In Toyland's first announced local hometown gig on June 21st. Personally, my group of friends are really excited about Babes' return... especially because we attended their last ever gig in 2000.
The 'odd band out' on the bill is Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, who saw in 2012. We were interested in the band because Kuti's father, Fela Kuti, pioneered Afrobeat... and his son with Fela's band Egypt 80 continues his father's legacy in music, human rights, and political issues.
Rock the Garden sells out every year, so do yourself a favor and grab tickets ASAP. Rock the Garden 2015 Tickets will go on sale to Walker Art Center and The Current/Minnesota Public Radio members at 11am, Thursday, March 12 (Tomorrow!). Remaining tickets will go on sale to the public at 11 am, Tuesday, March 17.
I will be previewing all the bands for June 21st in a later article. Below you will find details about all the bands listed for Saturday, June 20th.
SATURDAY, JUNE 20
thestand4rd
I've never heard of this this Minnesota-based, who seemed to have only formed late last year, featuring Corbin “Spooky” Black, Allan Kingdom, Psymun and Bobby Raps. Thanks to their incredible debut performance in New York City, DJ Khaled and Kanye West are calling themselves fans of thestand4rd. Curious about their music? You can check out their self-titled album on Soundcloud, where you will find a link to download the album for free. | |
Lucius
We've seen Lucius every time they roll into town, including their first Minnesota appearance in 2013, where I wrote, "Turnout to the Lucius show was terrific, for a Thursday night. It tells me that the next time the New York band come back around, that they're going to play a bigger venue, especially if they continue with their catchy 60s girl-group songs. " The last I heard from the Brooklyn-based quintet was that they were re-releasing their debut album as Wildewoman Deluxe Edition. |
|
Courtney Barnett
Angela is a big Courtney Barnett fan, describing her as, "if Liz Phair were Australian and liked to sing about things like masturbating to help yourself fall to sleep because it’s cheaper than Temazepam or going to hipster parties." We were lucky enough to catch Barnett in Chicago (18 Feb 2014) and the sold out show in Minneapolis (24 Jun 2014). Barnett's latest release Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit is coming out March 24th via Mom+Pop Music. |
|
Conor Oberst
If you don't know who Conor Oberst, you must be living under a rock. The first time I heard of him, it was under his stagename/band, Bright Eyes, and his song "Lover I Don't Have to Love" is one of my favorite songs. We caught Oberst live in June 2014, and mentioned, "Conor Oberst along with Dawes, then took the stage for his two-hour set, which varied from Night One, but also opened with the first two songs which start his new album, ‘Time Forgot’ and ‘Zigzagging Toward the Light’ before he reached back into his Bright Eyes catalogue for ‘We Are Nowhere and It’s Now’ (“this one’s about purgatory”, Oberst would say)...". Oberst's debut album for Nonesuch Records is called Upside Down Mountain, and it's coming out this May 2015. |
|
Belle & Sebastian
You know I love Belle & Sebastian... I've seen them every time they play in Minneapolis - see ticket scans. It'll be 9 years since their last Minnesota appearance, so let's just say I'm really excited to see the Scottish band again. B&S' latest album Girls in Peacetime Wants to Dance is out now on Matador Records, so expect to hear a few tracks from the new album... plus, of course old fan favorites like "Dog on Wheels" and "Me and the Major" (as evident by their setlist from Sydney (29 Jan 2015) and Los Angeles (07 Oct 2014)). |