W♥M (Archive)

Stu Larsen & Natsuki Kurai at the Loring, Minneapolis (29 Apr 2015)

Stu Larsen & Natsuki Kurai Setlist Cocoon Paper Sails Far Away From Here Ferry To Dublin To & Fro Some Kind Of Gypsy The Mile (with Matt Sanders) King Street Thirteen Sad Farewells San Francisco This Train -- Encore -- Seaforth McKenzie Matt Sanders Setlist Hold on Tight Morning Mountain View Starlight Come Pick Me Up (Ryan Adams cover) Come Back Home Wait for Me Carolina Tour Dates 04/30/15 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern 05/01/15 Columbus, OH Rumba Cafe 05/02/15 Toronto, ON Rivoli 05/04/15 Montreal, QC Petit Campus 05/05/15 New York, NY The Studio 05/06/15 Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live 05/07/15 Washington, DC U Street Music Hall 05/09/15 Charlotte, NC Evening Muse 05/10/15 Decatur, GA Eddie's Attic Read More Stu Larsen Folk singer Stu Larsen, who is related to Passenger, via his song "Let Her Go" (and previously also opened up for them on their last tour in August 2014), is coming to Minneapolis at the Loring Pasta Bar …

Australian Stu Larsen with Japanese Natsuki Kurai just stopped by the Loring Pasta Bar in Minneapolis, in support of Larsen's latest Vagabond (Nettwerk). This is the second time we've covered a show at the restaurant, and as usual, the Loring has such a nice intimate café setting, but with a lovely décor.

Matt Sanders

Warming up the show was folk singer Matt Sanders from Johnson City, Tennessee. Sanders played some tracks from his debut Summer EP, including "Come Back Home" and "Wait for Me Carolina". The rest of his brief 30-minute set were made up of working demo songs and a Ryan Adams cover, "Come Pick Me Up".

Like many folk singer/songwriter, Sanders is inspired by things around his life. For example, "Starlight" was about his niece's friend Piper who passed away at a young age and forced Sanders to think about life's fragility, its unpredictable nature, and how unfair sometime the universe can be. It's relatable, having had a close friend of mine passed away before her time.

Stu Larsen & Natsuki Kurai

The secret origin of how Stu Larsen met Natsuki Kurai was that Larsen was at a concert in Tokyo. Larsen couldn't recall the band, couldn't recall the singer, couldn't recall anything from that night... the only thing he could focus on was the amazing harmonica player, throughout the whole show. After the concert, Larsen had to meet Kurai. He immediately asked Kurai to play for him at his upcoming concert. Larsen jokingly said Kurai probably misunderstood him and just agreed. Kurai confessed he only spoke "1% English" at the time. So at Larsen's show, Kurai played improvised and learning the songs without any soundcheck or practice.

Larsen is not wrong about Kurai. The way Kurai handles the harmonica is just incredible. He can be as subtle as a distance wind in the hills or as thunderous as a roaring freight train. The harmonica was only to embellish the acoustic guitars and vocals of Stu Larsen's songs.

Typical of singer/songwriters, Stu Larsen had stories about many of his songs. Sometime it's as obvious as the time he took a ferry from England to Ireland (entitled "Ferry to Dublin") or how some people are just buying "stuff they don't need" (as in "King Street").

Highlight of the show was when they asked Matt Sanders to come back on stage to help them play out to "The Mile". Just watching them fight over the custom wind chime instrument (made of "a potato masher and car keys"), you can tell they've been doing this for the other shows. With wide smiles all around, they are having a great time, doing what they love.

For the encore, Larsen and Kurai switched instrument for "Seaforth McKenzie". Not only was Kurai a talent on the harmonica, apparently he can also play guitar quite well. For this song, Kurai took lead vocals for the second half of the song.

It should also be noted that this was also a very special tour for Natsuki Kurai, who had always dreamed of visiting America. I sense that Stu Larsen, as a friend and collaborator, wanted to make his friend's dream come true and decided to organize this tour for Kurai. In any case, both Larsen and Kurai were very humble to do this for a living and always positive to meet their fans as they drive through the USA.

Stu Larsen's Vagabond is out now via Nettwerk. You can also pick up the Stu Larsen & Natsuki Kurai EP. The majority of the EP was recorded in Cairns, Australia, with one track, "San Francisco", recorded in Yokohama, Japan.

Stu Larsen (with Natsuki Kurai and Matt Sanders) at the Loring Pasta Bar, Minneapolis (29 April 2015)

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

His Name is Alive at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (15 Apr 2015)

Setlist The Torso The Examination See You in a Minute Last Night Maybe Again After I Leave U Where Knock is Open Wide The Bees Country Girl This World is Not My Home The Treehouse for Earth’s Children Space Bird The Dirt Eaters Get Your Curse As We Could Ever Fossil Cornfield -- Encore -- Elvis Hitler instrumental cover Slow Quiet Jimi Hendrix Groove (?) As We Could Ever Read More His Name Is Alive It is hard to believe that Michigan's His Name Is Alive has been around for over 25 years. The experimental rock, sometime psychedelic and sometime shoegaze band started releasing self-made cassettes …

The Detroit area has always had a great history of guitar rock heroes—

--from Fred “Sonic” Smith and Wayne Kramer of the MC5, to The Stooges, to Jack White and the Motor City Madman himself, Ted Nugent.  You can add Warren Defever and His Name is Alive to that list.

The prolific Livonia, MI native is the mainstay of the band and proved his guitar might, with an appearance recently at the 7^th Street Entry in Minneapolis.  Those that only associate the band with the 1990’s releases on 4AD Records were, I’m sure, surprised that the label’s trademarked ethereal and dreamy sounds were supplanted by raw guitar riffs and more straight-ahead rock by Defever and co. as they played a 90 min. set on their next-to-last date of their 25^th anniversary tour.

The Murder of Crows

The evening began with a low-key and low-fi performance by The Murder of Crows, a project featuring Low’s Alan Sparhawk (guitar, vocals) and Gaelynn Lea (violin, vocals) promoting their first EP, Imperfecta, which the wheelchair-bound Lea says refers to her genetic disability, Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

Lea often took the lead, with souldful child-like vocals and elegant violin playing, which she perched upright, similar to a small cello, and Sparhawk strummed along seated, manipulating the guitar and loop pedals.  Songs like the reflective ‘Let It Go’ couldn’t help but feel somewhat sad, similar in tone to Low’s own “slowcore” method of minimalistically taking its time for the song to find its way.  A stirring instrumental mid-set of Nirvana’s ‘Heart Shaped Box’ sounded more urgent while keeping its dark edge intact.

Warren Defever

After a brief break, the members of His Name is Alive took to the stage, amid a dreamy trance-like intro before a booming bass drum took them into ‘The Torso’ from 1993’s Mouth by Mouth album.  In addition to Defever, the other members (Andrea Morici - vocals, bass synth, mellotron: Dusty Jones – guitar/bass, talkbox; J Rowe – drums) took to the challenge of playing 25 yrs of music in stride, with Morici referring to lyrics on her music stand as a reminder.

The new 13 min. ‘The Examination’ was next, giving the crowd a proper introduction to their newest release, Tecuciztecatl (London London Records), with Morici (previously of Tranzistors, Sonapanic, and briefly Sparklehorse) staking a confident claim to vocally own these songs as her own.  Selections jumped around again, from 2002’s ‘Last Night’ to 2006’s ‘Maybe Again After I Leave U’, back to 1993’s ‘Where Knock is Open Wide’, making this 25^th anniversary show truly a broad brush of the band’s career.

Defever, sporting a Swan Song logo t-shirt finally spoke, off-mike and over a half hour into their 90 min set, introducing the band and claiming he read that Minneapolis has a high Aztec population (?!), in reference to the new album’s title.

Most songs started somewhat quiet and dreamy, only to explode with Defever’s shredding and a shaking rhythm section amp-ing the songs up tenfold in intensity.  Jones moved between bass and guitar (sometimes within the same song) to help lead the sonic attack, that took no quarter (yep, a Zep reference there).

His Name is Alive's Setlist

The performance even became participatory, as Defever handed out numerous tambourines for the audience to use on his cue, which all gleefully did.  1993’s ‘Cornfield’ told of Defever’s days as a kid, picking corn in rural Ontario, which built itself into a fuzzy wall of sound, to end the main set.

People whooped and yelled and the borrowed tambourines shook until the band returned for the encore, starting with a fast instrumental from Defever’s former psychobilly band, Elvis Hitler.   An ode to Jimi Hendrix followed, to then end the evening with a delicate number deemed the first song Defever ever wrote, ‘As We Could Ever’ from their 1990 debut.

Twenty five years of catalog songs left the band plenty to choose from, and His Name is Alive made the most of it, playing songs from all facets of their career.  At its heart, Defever proved that the notable relationship of Detroit-area musicians and the guitar, continues to flourish.

His Name is Alive at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (15 Apr 2015)

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

With a rebel yell: Moore, More, Moog

Read More Thurston Moore Chelsea Light Moving, the post-Sonic Youth band from Thurston Moore, came by the Triple Rock Social Club last Wednesday to showcase their brand new self-titled debut album from Matador ...

THE THURSTON MOORE BAND
thurstonmoore.com

When I saw Chelsea Light Moving (ex-Sonic Youth Thurston Moore's band) at the Triple Rock in 2013, I asked why they didn't just call themselves the Thurston Moore band? Maybe they took my advice, because Thurston Moore's band is called The Thurston Moore Band.

The band recently had an extensive European summer tour, and will be doing a number of North American dates (see details below) with Chain & the Gang, in support of Thurston Moore's album The Best Day (Matador Records).

2015 North American Tour

Jul-31-Aug-02 Osheaga Music & Arts Festival
Aug-01 Burlington, VT Arts Riot*
Aug-02 Boston, MA The Sinclair*
Aug-05 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer*
Aug-06 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom*
Aug-07 Washington, DC Black Cat*

* with Chain & the Gang

Although Minneapolis is not listed (yet), I'm hoping they'll be in town for 'Rocktober'.

Read More Asian Dub Foundation The band members looks like of Asian/Indian descent, much like the hip-hop Asian Dub Foundation (which incidentally have a new album out). ...

ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION
asiandubfoundation.com

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but in the 90s, one of my Toronto penpal friend of mine recommended Asian Dub Foundation to me - based on our similar music tastes. I got around to picking up their then-latest album Rafi's Revenge in 1998, and quickly realized it was just way too political for me. It wasn't for me, but I would love to see them live; hearing their anger and rage in their music, it would make for an explosive show.

The English band is back with Adrian Sherwood in control with More Signal More Noise (the follow-up to The Signal And The Noise), set for release July 10th, 2015, via Believe Recordings.

Apparently the new record is a return to their original sound, with guitarist and founding member, Steve Chandra Savale, commenting, "I think we sound more alive here than on our previous records. We’re uniting stuff that are not often united, radical creativity with a raw primitivism, the primitive experimentalism of the best leftfield rock’n’roll, the best dirty, up-front bass music."

The band will be playing live to George Lucas' THX1138, details below:

Live: THX1138/ Asian Dub Foundation – Barbican Hall, Friday 19th June. The band perform an original live score to George Lucas's 1971 dystopian directorial debut at The Barbican Centre London on 19th June. Previously commissioned by and premiered at last year’s Celebrate Brooklyn event, this is the UK premiere.

Read More Moog However, I felt like you should hear one of their ethereal/shoegazey song with the Pink Floyd-inspired title of "Dark Side of the Moog". The guitar hooks on this song is pretty awesome ...

MOOG MUSIC
moogmusic.com

Today (April 29th), Moog Music, the North Carolina company that manufactures the famous Moog synthesizers, announces the release of 3 Impressions, produced and composed by M. Geddes Gengras.

You can listen to the three-song EP (entitled "I", "II", and "III") over at soundcloud.com.

The announcement of Gengras' EP coincides with Moog Music's announcement of the discontinuation of two Moogerfooger analog effects pedals used in the recording: the MF-105M MIDI MuRF (est. 2009) and the MF-107 Freq Box (est. 2007).... so if you are a fan of those pedals, buy them now.

More on Moog Music:

Moog Music is the leading producer of analog synthesizers in the world. The company and its customers carry on the legacy of its founder, electronic musical instrument pioneer, Dr. Bob Moog. All of Moog’s instruments are hand built in its factory on the edge of downtown Asheville, NC.

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

Minneapolis: May 5 - May 7, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area for May 5 to May 7, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Wolf Alice London-based four-piece Wolf Alice will release their debut album My Love Is Cool on June 23rd via Dirty Hit / RCA Records. They actually did not include the cover artwork, but they did preview a track ... Made Violent Song of the Show: Made Violent's "Wasted Days" BONUS: Musicless "Dancing in the Street" and Ed Sheeran. ...

WOLF ALICE w/ Made Violent
at Turf Club
Tuesday 05/05/15, 7:30pm ($12)
turfclub.net

We're pretty excited to see that London's Wolf Alice will finally be in St Paul, Minnesota, this Tuesday, May 5th. The band (singer Ellie Rowsell, guitarist Joff, drummer Joel, and bassist Theo) is out supporting their debut album My Love Is Cool (to be released on June 23rd via Dirty Hit/RCA Records.)

Set to open the show is SXSW's picks/favorites Made Violent. The trio (Joseph White, Justin Acee, and Rob Romano) is promoting their self-titled EP, available now.

Wolf Alice tour dates:

04/28/15 Boston, MA @ Great Scott
05/01/15 Columbus, OH @ Basement
05/03/15 St. Louis, MO @ The Demo
05/05/15 St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
05/06/15 Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
05/07/15 Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Lounge
05/08/15 Salt Lake City, UT @ X96 Big Ass Show
05/11/15 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
05/12/15 Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Café
05/14/15 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
05/16/15 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
05/18/15 Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy
05/19/15 Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
05/22/15 Austin, TX @ Holy Mountain
05/23/15 Dallas, TX @ Dada
06/12/15 Warsaw, Poland @ Orange Festival
06/13/15 Aarhus, Denmark @ Northside Festival
06/18/15 New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
06/21/15 Best Kept Secret Festival
06/26/15 Glastonbury Festival
07/4/15 Calling Festival
07/12/15 T in the Park
07/18/15 Latitude Festival
07/19/15 Longitude Festival
07/26/15 Splendour In The Grass
08/2/15 Radio 104.5 Summer Block Series
08/15/15 Summer Sonic
08/26/15 Openair Festival
08/28/15 Rock En Seine
08/28/15 – 08/30/15 Reading & Leeds Festival, UK
09/12/15 Berlin, Germany @ Lollapalooza

Read More Lady Lamb the Beekeeper Opening for Typhoon were the new-wave sounding Wild Ones and, to my delight, the also-quite-amazing Lady Lamb the Beekeeper (the musical alias of Aly Spaltro). Looking a bit like the Olsen ... Luke Rathborne I read that Luke Rathborne's debut album, After Dark, was released sometime in 2007, but I couldn't find anything about the product, under music, on his website. I guess what's important to him right now ...

LADY LAMB THE BEEKEEPER
at 7th Street Entry
Tuesday 05/05/15, 7:30pm ($11)
first-avenue.com

We last saw Lady Lamb the Beekeeper (aka Aly Spaltro) in Chicago in April 2014, which Angela described her as "looking a bit like the Olsen twins’ hip indie cousin."

Spaltro is touring in support of her latest After, out now on Mom+Pops.

Luke Rathborne will open the show. I wrote about his debut double EPs Dog Years and I Can Be One in 2011, describing it as "little stories" and "descriptive lyrics".

Tour dates:

04/28/15 Vancouver, BC Electric Owl
04/29/15 Seattle, WA Barboza
04/30/15 Boise, ID Neurolux
05/01/15 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
05/02/15 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
05/04/15 Omaha, NE Slowdown
05/05/15 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
05/06/15 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern
05/08/15 Ferndale, MI The Loving Touch
05/09/15 Toronto, ON The Garrison
05/11/15 Montreal, QC Divan Orange
05/12/15 Hamden, CT The Space
05/13/15 Portsmouth, NH Press Room
05/16/15 Belfast, ME American Legion
06/05/15 Boston, MA House Of Blues
08/23/15 Musicfest NW

Read More The Wombats The difficult sophomore album from the Wombats is done. It's called This Modern Glitch and it's being released on April 26th via Bright Antenna/ILG/Warners records. ...

THE WOMBATS
at Varsity Theater
Wednesday 05/06/15, 6:30pm ($18)
varsitytheater.org

We've been writing about Liverpool's The Wombats since their third single, "Backfire at the Disco" in 2007. So, yes, we have a soft spot for these guys, as their music and lyrics have demonstrated: they are really fun guys.

The good news is that with their third album Glitterbug just recently released (April 13, 2015), the band is back in the USA on tour. They are stopping by the Varsity Theater on May 6th.

Tour dates:

04/28/15 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
04/30/15 Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
05/01/15 Albany, NY @ The Hollow Bar
05/02/15 Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall
05/04/15 Columbus, OH @ The A7R Music Bar
05/05/15 Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe at Old National
05/06/15 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
05/08/15 Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre
05/09/15 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
05/12/15 Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
05/13/15 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
05/15/15 Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
05/16/15 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
05/18/15 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
05/19/15 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile

Read More The Waterboys It was more than appropriate to see a whole and full moon in the Autumn sky driving into St. Paul Saturday night for a sold-out performance by Irish rockers, The Waterboys. …

THE WATERBOYS
at First Avenue
Thursday 05/07/15, 7pm ($30)
first-avenue.com

UK/Ireland's The Waterboys will be back in the Minneapolis are next Thursday, May 7th, in support of their latest album Modern Blues.

Texas/California's The BlueBonnets all girl blues rock band will open the show.

The Waterboys' USA tour dates:

04/28/15 Boston, MA The Wilbur
04/29/15 Boston, MA The Wilbur
05/01/15 Montreal, QC Virgin Mobile
05/02/15 Toronto, ON Winter Garden Theatre
05/03/15 Ottawa, ON Bronson Centre
05/05/15 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom
05/06/15 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
05/07/15 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
05/13/15 Los Angeles, CA The Fonda
05/15/15 San Diego, CA Humphrey's Concerts
05/16/15 Ventura, CA Majestic Ventura Theater
05/17/15 Sacramento, CA Ace Of Spades
05/18/15 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
05/20/15 Victoria, BC University Of Victoria
05/21/15 Seattle, WA The Showbox
05/22/15 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
05/24/15 Arvada, CO Arvada Center

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

Dar Williams at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (26 April 2015)

Dar Williams Setlist Something to Get Through Here Tonight Emerald Spring Street I Have Been Around The World (Kat Goldman cover) Slippery Slope Weight of the World Buzzer After All Mad River FM Radio New York is a Harbor Mercy Of The Fallen -- Encore -- Iowa (with Lucy Wainwright Roche) Lucy Wainwright Roche Setlist Take What You're Given Seek And Hide The Baby Tree ( Jefferson Starship / Paul Kantner cover) Modern Apples Hungry Heart (Bruce Springsteen cover) Open Season There's a Last Time for Everything Tour Dates 4/30 20th Century Theatre ­ Cincinnati, OH 5/01 Bell’s Back Room ­ Kalamazoo, MI 5/02 Music Box Supper Club ­ Cleveland, OH 5/03 Mountain Stage @ Culture Center 5/05 The Southern ­ Charlottesville, VA 5/06 The Grey Eagle ­ Asheville, NC 5/07 The Arts Center ­ Carrboro, NC 5/08 Eddie’s Attic ­ Atlanta, GA 5/09 City Winery ­ Nashville, TN 5/14 Infinity Hall Hartford ­ Hartford, CT 5/15 Swyer Theatre ­ Albany, NY 5/16 First Parish Church ­ Cambridge, MA 5/17 Daryl’s House ­ Pawling, NY Read More Dar Williams The last time we saw folk singer Dar Williams, it was at the Gutherie Theater in 2010, so it's been a long time since we saw her. As we previously mentioned, Williams was a great storyteller, so expect to hear some funny … Lucy Wainwright Roche If the name Lucy Wainwright Roche sounds familiar, that's because her father is Grammy Award-winner Loudon Wainwright III and brother is Rufus Wainwright. …

Dar Williams' Emerald tour just kicked off on Saturday in Chicago's Thalia Hall, so the band was still getting familiar with the new songs and setlist for their "second ever" Emerald show at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis last night, April 26th.

Lucy Wainwright Roche

This was the first night of the Lucy Wainwright Roche and Dar Williams teamup, which Dar and Lucy would later disclosed that they knew each other when Lucy was 14 or so. Lucy also talked about her famous music-family surname (Wainwright), jokingly said, "another one of those..." She also warned us that we may hear other Wainwrights, and given the talent that runs in the family, it won't be long before we hear more from Francis Valentine or Arcangelo (?) in the near future.

Lucy's show was pretty funny, it was about 80% music and 20% chat. After "Seek and Hide", she asked if anyone in the audience had any questions. Someone asked her how Church was that morning. Apparently she sang at the Rochester Church that morning. Then someone else asked her about her dog. Hearing her answer her questions, you quickly realize that she has a very personal relationship with her fans. As if they are very close friends or extended family.

My favorite moment on Lucy's set was her introduction to the Bruce Springsteen cover, "Hungry Heart". She said she was in Eastern Europe on tour, and they absolutely hated her. One night, no one was participating. Then one guy said she should talk about basketball. So she mentioned basketball and suddenly the Latvians perked up and started interacting with her. It was such a riot that she changed the Springsteen chorus to "everyone's got a basketball" instead of "hungry heart". With that said, there was a big audience-participation sing-along for the cover.

Dar Williams

Dar Williams came on around 8:30 and was joined by Josh Kaler (guitar/steel guitar/drummer) and Bryn Roberts (keys). Since it was just the second night the Pledge-funded Emerald, Dar warned us that they were still getting used to the new material. Seeing how the trio handled themselves, I got the feeling that they have been doing this for a long time and was no stranger to changes and improvising when needed.

In typical Dar Williams show, she had stories about all of her songs. These songs were all true stories... and, of course, very few of them are about love - which Dar admitted confessed that she is not a fan of love songs, "It's just about two people, right?" She doesn't find them interesting, instead focusing on trying empower women around the world... even asking herself, "What would Taylor Swift do?" when confronted by younger girls who only love popular music from Rihanna, Beyonce, or Swift.

Dar William's Setlist

Right before the title track "Emerald", Dar tells us her first show in the area was at St Paul's Ginko Café. She even knew the date, April 18, 1994. She realized that she needed a toiletry bag and that she was a bad traveler. It's hard to believe that after 21 years, she was still doing this touring/making music thing, thanks to her dedicated fanbase and support from local Minnesota Music Coalition and KFAI Radio.

Speaking of radio, her introduction to "FM Radio", she said that the song's co-writer was Jill Sobule (who is famous for "I Kissed a Girl"). Jill joined Dar on stage the previous night to sing that song on stage. The song was so new that Jill had a fan hold up the lyrics while they sang.

I can go on about all the stories she told, but you really need to attend a Dar Williams to get the full effect. Let's just say that you'll learn more and more about Dar Williams the more you see her.

For the encore, Lucy Wainwright Roche joined Dar Williams on stage to sing "Iowa". For a brief moment, I thought Dar would stay on to sing fan-favorite "When I Was a Boy", since she eluded to it earlier when she talked about Sobule... but the band just decided to step off the stage. On retrospect, that was probably a good decision since it might have been hard to follow up after "Iowa".

Dar Williams' Emerald album is out May 5th. Dar and Lucy are on tour together, at least for a "string of dates". Please refer to your local venue.

Dar Williams (with Lucy Wainwright Roche) at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (26 April 2015)

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

Minneapolis: May 2 - May 4, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area for May 2 to May 4, 2015. We are really busy this first week in May... In addition to covering Free Comic Book Day (May 2nd), we'll be covering Wizard World Minneapolis from May 1st to May 3rd. If I'm not dead by Star Wars Day (May the Fourth), we'll post the reviews that week.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Speedy Ortiz After sharing a stream of it a week early via NPR's First Listen, Speedy Ortiz has released their brand new album Foil Deer today via Carpark Records. Its release comes in conjunction with the band ...

SPEEDY ORTIZ
at 7th St Entry
Saturday 05/02/15, 7pm ($12)
first-avenue.com

It'll be a regular Popfest over at the 7th Street Entry on Saturday, May 2nd, with headliner Speedy Ortiz and special guests, Krill, Two Inch Astronaut, and Bitter Canon.

Speedy Ortiz just recently released their new album Foil Deer on Tuesday, April 21st, via Carpark Records.

Find out why Pitchfork is calling Massachusetts' Speedy Ortiz "one of the sharper indie rock bands in recent memory."

Tour dates:

4/26/15 ­ Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's *&
4/28/15 ­ Pittsburgh, PA @ Cattivo *!
4/29/15 ­ Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop *!
4/30/15 ­ Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle *!
5/1/15 ­ Madison, WI @ The Frequency *!
5/2/15 ­ Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry *!
5/3/15 ­ Iowa City, IA @ Gabe's Oasis *!
5/4/15 ­ Champaign, IL @ Highdive *!
5/6/15 ­ Washington, DC @ Black Cat *!
5/7/15 ­ Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter *
5/8/15 ­ Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle ­ Back Room *
5/9/15 ­ Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival
5/11/15 ­ Tampa, FL @ The Crowbar *
5/13/15 ­ New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa *
5/14/15 ­ Houston, TX @ Walter's Downtown $
5/15/15 ­ Austin, TX @ Red 7 $
5/16/15 ­ Dallas, TX @ Club Dada $
5/21/15 ­ Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo $
5/22/15 ­ Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room $
5/23/15 ­ Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium $
5/25/15 ­ Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios $%
5/26/15 ­ Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt $
5/27/15 ­ Seattle, WA @ Barboza $
5/29/15 ­ Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court $^
5/30/15 ­ Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge $^
5/31/15 ­ Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room $^
6/1/15 ­ Columbia, MO @ Rose Music Hall $^
6/2/15 ­ St. Louis, MO @ Firebird $^
6/4/15 ­ Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory $^
6/5/15 ­ Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern $^
6/6/15 ­ Montreal, QC @ Bar Le "Ritz" P.D.B. $^
7/17/15 ­ Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival

* w/ KRILL
&w/ Mitski
! w/ Two Inch Astronaut
$ w/ Alex G
% w/ Broken Water
^ w/ Palehound

Read More R. Ring What's the deal with Kelley Deal (* see comment below)? She's teaming up with Ampline's Mike Montgomery to start a new band called R. Ring. ... Prissy Clerks I'm pretty certain if you went to see a local Minneapolis concert this year, chances are you probably saw Prissy Clerks. I've previously mentioned them before, ...

R. RING
at 7th St Entry
Sunday 05/03/15, 8pm ($10)
first-avenue.com

Kelley Deal (The Breeders) & Mike Montgomery (Ampline) are R. Ring. We wrote about them in 2012 and I honestly had not heard from the duo for a long time. In fact, it was almost by accident, while I was putting together the show previews for the first week of May, that I ran across this odd date for Sunday, May 3rd.

R. Ring recently released a split 7" with Protomartyr. The release is available digitally, but vinyl fans will have to wait until mid-June.

UPDATE: They are now listing two openers: Wowsville (ex-members of Prissy Clerks) and Daisy Chains.

Tour dates:

4/30 - Dayton, OH - Canal Public House
5/01 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
5/02 - Madison, WI - Frequency
5/03 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
5/04 - Fargo, ND - The Aquarium
5/05 - Billings, MT - Pub Station
5/06 - Spokane, WA - The Bartlett
5/07 - Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern
5/10 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
5/11 - San Francisco, CA - Elbo Room
5/12 - Los Angeles, CA - Satellite
5/14 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
5/15 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive
5/16 - Omaha, NE - O'leavers
5/17 - Lawrence, KS - Replay Lounge
5/18 - Columbia, MO - Cafe Berlin
5/19 - Louisville, KY - The New Vintage

Read More Peelander-Z Superhero Japanese punk band Peelander-Z is currently on tour in support of their latest album, Metalander-Z, stopping by the Turf Club in St Paul last night, September 19th. …

DAIKAIJU
at Turf Club
Monday 05/04/15, 8pm ($7)
turfclub.net

Alabama's Daikaiju looks like a lot of fun. The Japanese kabuki/super-hero thing reminds me of Peelander-Z, so they are in very good company, as far as looks goes. Cristina and I have said this about Peelander-Z and other bands with low-entrance cover fees, even if it's not your cup of music tea, you'll probably have a lot of fun.

Local band Rykygnyzyr and Narco States set to open the show St Paul show at the Turf Club.

Daikaiju's tour dates:

04.25 - The Shakedown - Bellingham, WA
04.27 - Secret Show - Bellingham, WA
04.28 - The Hop - Spokane, WA
04.29 - The Filling Station - Bozeman, MT
04.30 - Railyard Ale House - Billings, MT
05.01 - Side B - Bismarck, ND
05.02 - Ojata Records - Grand Forks, ND
05.03 - TBA
05.04 - Turf Club - Saint Paul, MN
05.05 - Gabe's Iowa City - Iowa City, IA
05.06 - TBA
05.07 - Tonic Tavern - Milwaukee, WI
05.08 - High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI
05.09 - Broken World Records - Winona, MT
05.10 - Kryptonite - Rockford, IL
05.11 - 05.19 - TBA
05.20 - Canal Street Tavern - Dayton, OH
05.21 - TBA
05.22 - Horrible Fest - Now That's Class
05.23 - Horrible Fest - Now That's Class
05.24 - Royal Oaks - Youngstown, OH

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

Minneapolis: May 1, 2015

There are just too many good shows taking place this May 1st, 2015, in the Minneapolis/St Paul area. I've broken down some of the good ones.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Hurray For The Riff Raff Hurray For The Riff Raff just released their latest, Small Town Heroes, on ATO. Really good Cajun Sound. I saw them at the Mojo BBQ, two or three years ago and have always been impressed. ...

HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF
at Cedar Cultural Center
Friday 05/01/15, 7pm ($15/Sold Out)
thecedar.org

We caught Alynda Lee Segarra (aka Hurray for the Riff Raff) at Shakopee in 2014 and described her show as:

Segarra filled out her songs with a four-piece band, which included a fiddle and upright bass to accompany her own banjo playing. Highlights included one of the first songs she’d written on banjo, ‘Here It Comes’, ‘End of the Line’ which featured Segarra on harmonica, and ‘Little Black Star’, from her previous album, that became a crowd clap and sing-a-long.

Canadian country singer and visual artist Daniel Romano set to open this sold out Minneapolis show.

Tour dates:

04/25/15 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall Of Williamsburg
04/28/15 Detroit, MI Shelter
04/29/15 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
04/30/15 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
05/01/15 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center
05/03/15 St. Louis, MO Sheldon Concert Hall
05/04/15 Tulsa, OK The Vanguard
05/05/15 Little Rock, AR South On Main
05/28/15 Memphis, TN Levitt Shell
05/29/15 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall
05/30/15 Nelsonville Music Festival
05/31/15 Nelsonville Music Festival
06/02/15 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
06/03/15 Buffalo, NY Ninth Ward At Babeville
06/04/15 Burlington, VT Signal Kitchen
06/06/15 Providence, RI Columbus Theater
06/07/15 Mountain Jam Festival
06/09/15 Three Rivers Arts Festival
06/10/15 Annapolis, MD Rams Head On Stage
06/12/15 Friday Cheers
06/14/15 Bonnaroo Music
06/19/15 Bayou Boogaloo
06/26/15 Big Barrel Country Music Festival
08/08/15 Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival

Read More The Turbo Fruits The Turbo Fruits/Bad Cop Split 7" came out on Jeffery Drag Records last week, July 31st. The vinyl will be limited to 300 clear vinyl, as well as a super limited 100 copies on clear/lavender vinyl ... Eternal Summers Starting the Splatter show was Eternal Summers, a lo-fi/garage rock band from Virginia. The trio, lead by singer/guitarist Nicole Yun ...

TURBO FRUITS w/ Eternal Summers
at Fallout Art Center
Friday 05/01/15 ($??)
facebook.com/falloutminneapolis

I've never been to the Fallout Art Center before, but in addition to art displays, they host live concerts as well. Nashville's Turbo Fruits will be stopping by the art center to showoff tracks from their latest album No Control. Spin described the album as "a solid 11-track collection of crisp, hook-filled garage-pop songs about love, drugs, death and other rock’n’roll..." The album came out this week, April 20th on all formats... and for the pre-orders, a very special 4/20 surprise: rolling papers.

Come to the Fallout Art Center this Friday to discovery why The Black Keys' Patrick Carney called "one of my favorite bands from Nashville."

We previously saw Eternal Summers in St Paul with We Are Scientists and Surfer Blood and as headliner in Minneapolis in 2013. The lo-fi trio's new album is called Gold And Stone, and it's coming out June 2nd on Kanine Records.

UPDATE: The Turbo Fruits/Eternal Summers show will also be at the 7th Street Entry at 11pm! Additional details over at first-avenue.com.

Tour dates:

Apr 25 - Brick & Mortar - San Francisco, CA *
Apr 28 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR *
Apr 29 - Sunset Tavern - Seattle, WA *
May 1 - Fallout Art Center - Minneapolis, MN *
May 1 - 7th Street Entry (11pm) - Minneapolis, MN *
May 2 - Cactus Club - Milwaukee, WI *
May 3 - Double Door - Chicago, IL *
May 4 - Huma Room @ Hop Cat - Detroit, MI *
May 5 – Rumba Cafe – Columbus, OH
May 6 - Happy Dog - Cleveland, OH
May 7 - Smiling Moose - Pittsburgh, PA *
May 9 - Bill’s Bar (Radio BDC) - Boston, MA ^
May 10 - Rock & Roll Hotel - Washington, DC ^
May 11 – Music Hall – Brooklyn, NY ^
May 12 – Nanola – Malta, NY
May 14 - Boot & Saddle - Philadelphia, PA ^
May 15 – The Saint – Asbury Park, NJ ^
May 16 - Lizard Lounge - Lancaster, PA ^
June 20 - Happenin’ Fest - Birmingham, AL

* with Eternal Summers
^ with Surfer Blood

Read More Wizard World Don't forget that the second annual Wizard World Comic Con Minneapolis will be taking place May 1st and May 2nd (which is also Free Comic Book Day) and May 3rd. We had a fantastic time last year at the …

WIZARD WORLD MINNEAPOLIS
at Minneapolis Convention Center
Friday 05/01/15 ($35/$75 for three days)
wizardworld.com

We are very excited to cover Wizard World Minneapolis again, now in its second year at Minneapolis Convention Center, in Minneapolis.

The first show is this Friday and continues to Sunday. If you buy your tickets in advance, it's $75 for all three days, otherwise there is an extra $10 charge if you buy it at the door.

This year's big attraction are Star Trek/Dredd's Karl Urban (Sat & Sun), X-Files' Gillian Anderson (Sat & Sun), Harry Potter's James & Oliver Phelps (Sat & Sun), WWE's The Bella Twins (Sat).

For the complete Friday event listing, head over to wizardworld.com.

These are just the ones I'll likely attend (although I always end up shopping in the salesfloor most of the time):

Friday, May 1st
4:30–5:15PM Beyond the SHIELD, a conversation about Marvel's Agent of SHIELD (ROOM M100B)
Adam Wells and Mitra Nelson lead an in-depth conversation on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season two...

5:00–5:45PM Midnight Movies: Birth, Death And Afterlife (ROOM M100E)
Minneapolis-based filmmaker Dwayne Robinson moderates a panel discussion revealing the history and lore of midnight movies, including their fade into obscurity during the 90's and their ongoing resurgence in unexpected places. Panelists will include our friend Theresa Purcell of Trash Film Debauchery.

5:30-6:15PM Spotlight On Batman Beyond’s And Superman’s Dan Jurgens (ROOM M100B)
We saw Dan Jurgens' talk last year, this guy is simply amazing. He's drawn every major Marvel or DC character. Moderated by artist Gordon Purcell.

6:30-7:15PM How To Write Comics with Chris Claremont, Larry Hama, Michael Avon Oeming and Renee Witterstaetter (ROOM M100B)
These guys wrote some of my favorite Uncanny X-Men (Chris Claremont) and G.I. Joe (Larry Hama) stories. Also with "Powers" hot on the PlayStation network, it might be interesting to see what artist Michael Avon Oeming has to say.

There's also a costume event that I will likely check out... Also although it's listed in conjunction with Wizard World, the Kevin Smith Q&A session is a separate paid event at the State Theatre. I do not believe Kevin Smith will appear at the Minneapolis Convention Center, so this evening show is a must see for any fans of Clerks and Comic Book Men.

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

Kaiser Chiefs at Regency Center, San Francisco (24 April 2015)

Setlist The Angry Mob Ruffians on Parade Everything Is Average Nowadays Everyday I Love You Less and Less My Life Modern Way Na Na Na Na Naa Never Miss a Beat Little Shocks Ruby I Predict a Riot Pinball Wizard (The Who Cover) Coming Home -- Encore -- Misery Company Oh My God Read More Kaiser Chiefs It had been a long seven years since their last appearance in Minneapolis (the band skipped us in 2012), but Leeds, UK band Kaiser Chiefs re-stormed the city and stage for an animated, back-to-glory performance in First Avenue’s … Priory Portland's Priory is currently on tour with The Kooks. The duo (Brandon Rush and Kyle Sears) met in a flophouse in Portland... and the two had a hit with "Weekend" (Warner Bros.) ...

Of the 100+ shows I got to see in 2014, Kaiser Chiefs were one of the few top moments for me. In fact, #2; just behind Slowdive.

Setlist photo: Sus

Kaiser Chiefs is back in North America ... kicking off their tour on April 20th at Distrikt in Victoria, British Columbia. Sus caught the British band last night, April 24th at The Regency Center (The Grand Ballroom) in San Francisco and grabbed the setlist. Priory, who we previously caught with The Kooks in 2014, opened up the show.

Sus writes:

This band (Kaiser Chiefs) is still my happy place ten years and beyond. Employment has been one of the few albums in the last couple of decades that I listen to every song on. I made Barrie buy it on our first date at Mod Lang Records in Berkeley. Setlist says "Seattle", but I'll take it. Every song a gem and we got to hear "Falling Awake". Lucky Ricky Wilson's voice hung in there.

KC's Wiltern Los Angeles show will be live streamed tonight, if you want to tune in around 10pm at screen.yahoo.com.

Kaiser Chiefs tour dates:

04/25/15 Los Angeles, CA Wiltern
04/26/15 San Diego, CA House Of Blues
04/28/15 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
04/30/15 Austin, TX Stubb's Bar-B-Q
05/01/15 Dallas, TX Trees
05/02/15 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
05/03/15 Beale Street Music Festival
05/05/15 Lawrence, KS Liberty Hall
05/06/15 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
05/08/15 Shaky Knees Music Festival
05/09/15 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
05/10/15 Richmond, VA The National
05/12/15 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live!
05/13/15 New York, NY Irving Plaza
05/15/15 Boston, MA House Of Blues
05/16/15 Montreal, QC Corona Theatre
05/17/15 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
05/25/15 Sunderland, Stadium of Light
05/30/15 Dublin, Slane Castle
06/25/15 Barclaycard British Summer Time
06/26/15 Barclaycard British Summer Time
07/10/15 Warwick, Warwick Castle
07/16/15 Nordfjordied, Malakoff Festival
07/18/15 FIB Benicassim
07/31/15 Newmarket, Racecourse
08/01/15 Camp Bestival Lulworth Castle
08/02/15 Kendal, Kendal Calling
08/05/15 Antwerp, Lokerse Festival
08/06/15 Esher, Sandown Park
08/07/15 Merseyside, Haydock Park
08/08/15 Inverness, Tartan Heart Festival

Kaiser Chiefs at Regency Center, San Francisco (24 April 2015) photo courtesy of Sus

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

American Candy Tour at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (23 Apr 2015)

poster The Maine Setlist Miles Away Run Growing Up Inside Of You Misery My Hair My Heroine Same Suit, Different Tie Like We Did (Windows Down) English Girls Into Your Arms (solo) (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones cover) Love & Drugs American Candy Let's Eat Grandma Right Girl Tour Dates 04/24 HOB in Chicago, IL 04/25 Bottom Lounge in Chicago, IL 04/26 The Crofoot in Pontiac, MI 04/27 Newport Music Hall in Columbus, OH 04/28 HOB in Cleveland, OH 04/30 Altar Bar in Pittsburgh, PA 05/01 The Waiting Room in Buffalo, OH 05/02 Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, ON 05/03 The Lost Horizon in Syracuse, NY 05/05 HOB in Boston, MA 05/07 Best Buy Theatre in New York, NY 05/09 Electric Factory in Philadelphia, PA 05/09 FYE (in-store) in Philadelphia, PA 05/10 9:30 Club in Washington, DC 05/12 Cannery Ballroom in Nashville, TN 05/13 The Masquerade in Atlanta, GA 05/14 Freebird Live in Jacksonville Beach, FL 05/15 State Theatre in St. Petersburg, FL 05/16 The Beacham in Orlando, FL 05/16 Park Ave CDs (in-store) in Orlando, FL 05/19 Club Dada in Dallas, TX 05/20 Kapone's in San Antonio, TX Read More The Maine Tempe's The Maine is touring for their fifth album American Candy (8123 Records). The album racked up 15K in sales first week out and made several strong entries into the Billboard Charts. … The Technicolors The evening began with a tight 40 min. set from Phoenix-based The Technicolors, in support of their latest release, Listener (Elevation/Tallest Man Records). The four-piece (Brennan Smiley- singer, Mikey …

The 8123's American Candy Spring 2015 Tour, featuring The Maine, Real Friends, Knuckle Puck and the Technicolors, just came through Minneapolis' Varsity Theater last night, Thursday, April 23rd. With raw energy, emotion, Alt-Press sound, and a youthful, eager audience, the concert program felt very much like a mini-Warped Tour. All the bands had about a brief 30 minute set, with the exception of the Maine, as a headliner, went slightly over an hour without an encore.

The Technicolors

Phoenix rock band The Technicolors started off the event, playing tracks from their latest EP Ultraviolet Disguise (8123 Records), such as "Feels Like Trouble" (dedicated to a fan who gave singer Brennan Smiley a rose), however, I thought the highlight from their set was a Tal Bachman cover "She's So High".

You may remember the band when they were on tour with The Psychedelic Furs for their album Listener (Elevation/Tallest Man Records). They did a couple of tracks from that album, including their set finale "Hollywood", featuring guest Maine guitarist Jared Monaco Kennedy Brock storming the stage to jam out with the group.

Knuckle Puck

Chicago's Knuckle Puck was up next, and surprisingly had a big Minneapolis fanbase. Singer Joe Taylor seemed to enjoy shouting and encouraging their fans to slam dance, mosh, and body surf... which the audience was more than happy to obliged.

They did both their songs ("Gold Rush" and "Fences") from their Split EP from last year, and ended their set with "No Good" from their 2013 EP The Weight That You Buried.

Real Friends

The other Chicago band Real Friends also had a strong Minneapolis fanbase. Right off the bat, the band raved about The Varsity Theater's bathroom (which won America's Best Bathroom 2013 Award), describing it as something from Bilbo Baggins' home.

During "Loose Ends", Knuckle Puck's Joe Taylor showed up to help sing, which tells me that these two Chicago bands are probably close friends.

Real Friends played a few tracks from latest Maybe This Place Is the Same and We're Just Changing, including "Summer". They ended their set with "Late Nights in My Car", taken from their 2013 EP Put Yourself Back Together.

The Maine's Setlist

The biggest draw of the night was, of course, Arizona's The Maine, on tour for their fifth studio album American Candy. Dedicated fans knew all the lyrics and would often sing along to their biggest hits, like "My Heroine" and set closer "Right Girl". Unlike the rowdy Knuckle Puck slam dancing, The Maine's fans were more reserved... but no less just as passionate for their favorite band.

As you can see from the setlist, about half their set were dedicated to American Candy, including the title track, "Miles Away", "My Hair", "Same Suit, Different Tie", and "English Girls". Rounding out the rest of their set were a good mix of Pioneer (2011), Black & White (2010), and Forever Halloween (2013)... but also throwing in a Rolling Stones cover, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction".

During the acoustic solo version of "Into Your Arms", singer John O'Callaghan exclaimed, "I pooped twice", referring to America's Best Bathroom. He also took some questions from the audience, but it sounded like a one-way conversation since no one could hear the questions (hint for future Q&A: repeat the question for the audience's sake).

For the title track, "American Candy", the Maines' lights turned red, white, and blue, which was a nice addition to the song. Also, the band did "Let's Eat Grandma" quick intro before their biggest hit, "Right Girl" (which got confetti blown from above).

If you like one of these bands on the American Candy Spring 2015 Tour, chances are, you'll crossover to the other bands as well.

The Maine at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (23 April 2015)

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

Q&A: Elvis Perkins

Tour Dates 04/23 Club Café Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 04/24 Bishop Bloomington, Indiana 04/25 Space Evanston, Illinois 04/26 Minneapolis, MN - Icehouse 04/29 Old Rock House St. Louis, Missouri 04/30 City Winery Nashville, Tennessee 05/01 Workplay Theatre Birmingham, Alabama 05/02 Eddie’s Attic Decatur, Georgia 05/05 Dallas, TX - Sons of Hermann Hall 05/06 Parish Austin, Texas 05/09 Phoenix, AZ - Musical Instrument Museum 05/11 Irenic San Diego, California 05/13 Masonic Lodge At Hollywood Forever 05/16 The Chapel San Francisco, California 05/18 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, Oregon 05/19 Triple Door Seattle, Washington Read More Elvis Perkins Looking forward to 2015 Elvis Perkins will have a new 2015 and possibly a national tour.…

Singer/songwriter Elvis Perkins will be at the Icehouse in Minneapolis this Sunday, April 26th, in support of his third full-length album I Aubade.

Perkins was kind enough to answer these questions for W♥M:

1.What was your mindset as you were creating I Aubade? The sound is very loose-feeling and dream-like.

I faced a completely empty canvas in making the record and approached it with completely open a mind. My previous recordings being markedly influenced by other minds I was inclined to produce a document which would more directly reflect my own sense of song and sound. Because I didn’t work with a producer or a band the ‘arraignments’ crept into existence in piecemeal-pellmell experimental fashion, which might in part explain the looseness and dreaminess you perceive in the thing.

2. The lyrics on your records are always intriguing and multi-faceted. (I especially love Now Or Never Loves: “Now finally the bride of the Primrose parade/ on the float Monsanto sprayed/ steps beyond the poisoned moats of her petticoats/ O loves I have led you astray”) Did the words come before the music for this album or did they happen simultaneously?

Typically for me neither the words nor the music simply come first, or finish first for that matter. It’s a hobbling together towards some reasonably acceptable sense of completion and it’s often difficult to remember the exact moment of conception. For Now or Never I think its main chords and refrain sort of came about spontaneously and then it was months of figuring out how to pull it off both musically and lyrically.

3. In the years following your last official release 2009’s Doomsday EP I heard you were writing a novel. Do you have any plans to release a book still?

I don’t know which man, woman or child decided to declare on Wikipedia that I was at work on a novel. Or who planted the idea in their head if it wasn’t their own fabrication. In reality, and to the best of my knowledge, I haven’t yet begun writing a book. I consider the notion from time to time so perhaps our e-ncyclopedia contributor picked it up out of the ether.

4. Your Twitter feed suggests you are as passionate about social change and protecting the environment as you are about music. How does your activism inform your songwriting?

I feel it’s the duty of each one of us to keep the others from falling asleep at the wheel.

It’s clear from the shape of things on planet Earth that the human being needs reminding of its delicate position in space, the limits of its resources, the honor and privilege that is terrestrial stewardship etc. I feel it’s the duty of each one of us to keep the others from falling asleep at the wheel. In Now or Never a series of humans wake from their various states of unconsciousness and go on to try and wake others.

5. I saw that you were a guest guitar player during an impromptu jam with Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift. What were the circumstances surrounding that performance?

That was at the Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary afterparty and in the midst of it Dan Aykroyd, who is an old friend, appeared on the stage to whip up a band. He cast a broad net for players, with Sir Paul’s and my own name among those called. So I went up to aid Dan in his mission to bring live music to the moment. At the start of the set it was a 4 piece: Paul, his drummer, Abe Laboriel Jr, Dan and myself. I had no idea I’d be on any stage that night so it was quite the trip. No one came for the white Les Paul I'd found up there, and I wasn't about to walk out on the mission, so I ended up being on stage the whole time and playing with, among others, McCartney, The Blues Brothers, Swift, Grande, Cyrus, Fallon, Bolton, Costello, Debbie Harry, Bill Murray, The B-52’s and Prince.

6. Did leaving your former label XL Recordings for your own label MIR give you the freedom to really follow your muse?

When I made I Aubade I was without a label, without management and the Dearland gentlemen were making there own music, as Diamond Doves and individually (Keep your ears out for forthcoming records from KINSEY and Wyndham). While I felt total creative freedom with XL, my guess is the time that it took me to make this record wouldn’t have been possible in that scenario. Not being bound to anyone and having no one expecting anything from me certainly facilitated my wandering into the wilderness and staying as long as I saw fit.

Elvis Perkins' I Aubade LP is out now on MIR Records. See Perkins live, in person, at the Icehouse in Minneapolis this Sunday, April 26th. Duluth's Toby Thomas Churchill set to open the show; additional details at first-avenue.com.

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