W♥M (Archive)

Game On: Humble Bundle, Special Olympics, and OlliOlli2

Read More Video Game I am loving the RPG game Pillars of Eternity, which just came out yesterday. Since I'm a big fan of Black Isle's Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate, I felt right at home with Pillars. …

HUMBLE BUNDLE
humblebundle.com

I already own at least five of these games (on discs and digital), but I couldn't resist paying the average price to get these games again. When I donated, they gave me a breakdown of how much money was made for charity (over $2 million dollars as of this writing) and who the top donators were - someone donated $500.

Dragon Age™: Origins

Peggle™

Dead Space™ 2

Medal Of Honor Allied Assault™ War Chest

Command & Conquer™ Generals + Zero Hour

Plants Vs. Zombies™ Garden Warfare

Dragon Age™ II

Bejeweled™ 3

Mass Effect™ 2

SimCity 2000™ Special Edition

Wing Commander 3™: Heart Of The Tiger

Wing Commander™ IV: The Price Of Freedom

Ultima VII The Complete Edition

Even if you're not into PC gaming, you can't ignore what a good deal this is. The Humble Bundle Origin #2 Bundle ends in five days.

Read More Avril Lavigne I've previously mentioned Avril Lavigne a few times on W♥M, and really, she doesn't need any introduction. The first thing about Avril's version is her opening line …

AVRIL LAVIGNE
avrillavigne.com

The 'complicated' Avril Lavigne's latest single "Fly" will benefit Special Olympics. The song was made available on iTunes 100 days (99 as of this writing) before the start of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games and will feature Avril Lavigne and Special Olympics athletes from around the world. You can download it now via itunes.com.

"This song means a lot to me personally," says Lavigne. "It is inspired by the many young people I’ve met throughout my work with my Foundation. They pursue their dreams no matter what obstacles they face."

Additional details about "Fly":

Lavigne co-wrote “Fly” with her husband Chad Kroeger and David Hodges. The track was produced by Avril Lavigne and Chris Baseford, mixed by Chris Lord-Alge at Mix LA with assistance from Keith Armstrong and Nik Karpen, with additional engineering from Andrew Schubert and Adam Chagnon, engineered by Chris Baseford, and mastered by Ted Jensen. Special thanks to Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. The track also features violin by Slovakian sensation Filip Jančík, who is known for melding rock and pop with classical violin.

Read More Soundtrack 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. …

OLLIOLLI2
roll7.co.uk

I actually own OlliOlli2 on the PlayStation 4, thanks to my membership to their PlayStation Plus subscription. To be honest, I have not actually launched the game, but I did download it because it was free for me.

Anyway, South London's Roll7 recently announced their official release of OlliOlli2 Original Soundtrack on digital stores worldwide. The OlliOlli2 OST is now available on over 200 digital stores including popular outlets iTunes and Amazon.

“With OlliOlli2 we wanted to focus on the music that we all share an interest in,” notes Simon Bennett, OlliOlli2’s producer “Independent Dance Music, glitchy, jazzy, chilled out... the sort of music that DJ Lefto in Belgium, Giles Peterson or Benji B, or more recently people like Soulection Radio in the States would play.”

Tracklisting:

1. Louis Futon - Shoulda Known (Ganz Remix)
2. Bobby Tank - Undone Submerse - Truth
3. Kelpe – Puds (Morgan Hislop Remix)
4. Monk' – “L”
5. Headlights - Troy Gunner
6. Kyle Cook / Parkinson White - Sapphire
7. StarRo - Lust
8. Ital Tek - Universal Decay
9. Ital Tek - Shinra
10. Falty DL - Korben Dallas
11. Sweatson Klank - Always You
12. Tobacco - Tape Eater

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

Communion, feat. Hey Rosetta! at Turf Club, St Paul (21 April 2015)

poster Hey Rosetta! Setlist Gold Teeth Yer Spring What Arrows Soft Offering (For the Oft Suffering) Young Glass Alcatraz Cathedral Bells Harriet Red Heart Welcome Bandages Communion Club Night Residency - May 2015 May 5 - Rockwood Music Hall, New York May 6 - Milkboy, Philadelphia May 13 - Zanzabar, Louisville May 14 - High Watt, Nashville May 17 - Tank Room, Kansas City May 19 - Turf Club, St Paul May 21 - Schubas, Chicago May 22, Codfish Hollow Barn, Maquoketa Read More Hey Rosetta! It's that time of the month again! That's right, the Communion Club Night is taking place on Tuesday, April 21st. This month will feature Canadian band Hey Rosetta!, they previously opened up for Stars last November 2014. …

This was my third time seeing the Canadian seven-piece indie rock/pop band Hey Rosetta!, who is currently headlining the Communion Club Night national series. The band stopped by the Turf Club in St Paul, Minnesota, last night, April 21st, in support of their latest album Second Sight.

This was also our sixth time we've covered Communion and what is the same is The Current's radio DJ Jade is still MCing/announcing bands. What's changed is the location, from the Varsity Theater in Dinky Town/Minneapolis, to the Turf Club in St Paul. Also noticeably missing are the little shops... this is now just a live concert event.

Opening up the show was local Going to the Sun, promoting their self-titled debut album. I am told the album had singer/songwriter David Young playing all the instruments... but for the live show, he had a full band.

Kevin Garrett

Also on the bill was Brooklyn's Kevin Garrett; he's joined by Sean Mullins on drums and Jeremy McDonald on keys/etc. Garrett's set included some very sensitive/personal original songs, including crowd favorites "Coloring" and "Control". He ended his set with a Sam Cooke cover, "You Send Me".

Hey Rosetta!'s singer Tim Baker was recovering from a vocal loss, who was unable to speak for the past two days, was forced to canceled a few dates on their tour. Luckily his voice came back, but a little patchy, as the band resumed the tour at the Turf Club. You can tell he wasn't feeling 100%, but the band is always fun and remained upbeat, particularly toward the end of their blockbuster set.

I've mentioned it before, but this band is large. There are seven band members, Baker on vocals, guitars, and sometime keys, Josh Ward on bass, Adam Hogan on lead guitar, Romesh Thavanathan on cello and guitars, Phil Maloney on drums, Kinley Dowling on violin and glockenspiel, and Mara Pellerin on trumpets, keys, French horn. Most of the band members are versatile enough to be able to switch instruments when the songs called for it.

Hey Rosetta! Setlist

As you can see from the setlist, about half their set were devoted to their latest album Second Sight, which came out in Canada in 2014 via Sonic Records, but the USA just got the album earlier this year. The was pretty close to their November 2014 appearance with Stars.

Highlight of their set was for "Red Heart", which got a great introduction from Tim Baker: "This song is about coming a little closer to the stage [immediately fans swarmed to the front]. This song is about shaking your butt!"

They ended their set with "Bandages" and there was no encores (all of the Communion shows we've covered never had encores).

Remaining Communion dates with Hey Rosetta!:

04/23 Chicago, IL Schubas
04/24 Rock Island, IL Rozz-Tox†‡

Hey Rosetta! at Turf Club, St Paul (21 April 2015)

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

Spirits of '15

Read More Spoon Starting with new songs from their upcoming They Want My Soul (out August 5 on Loma Vista/Republic), the audience was among the first to hear many of the new and yet-to-be-released songs live …

SWEET SPIRIT
sweetspiritatx.com

Austin's Sweet Spirit is currently on tour in support of their new self-titled EP (Nine Mile Records), available now on bandcamp.com.

Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Heartless Bastards) will produce their first record, due in summer 2015 on Nine Mile Records. Look for the band to open up for Spoon this May.

US Tour starts today (April 21):

Apr. 21 - Kansas, MO @ miniBar
Apr. 23 - Madison, WI @ Mickey's Tavern
Apr. 24 - Minneapolis, MN @ Sh** Biscuit
Apr. 25 - Chicago, IL @ The Burlington
Apr. 26 - Hamtramck, MI @ New Dodge Lounge
Apr. 27 - Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog
Apr. 28 - New Brunswick, NJ @ Court Tavern
Apr. 29 - New York, NY @ Cake Shop
Apr. 30 - Brooklyn, NY @ Don Pedro's
May 01 - Chapel Hill, NC @ The Cave
May 02 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
May 04 - Athens, GA @ Flicker Theatre and Bar
May 06 - Lafayette, LA @ Artmosphere
May 07 - Houston, TX @ Continental Club
May 10 - Austin, TX @ Red 7
May 17 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom*
May 18 - Kansas City, MO @ Midland*
May 19 - Fargo, ND @ Fargo Theatre*
May 21 - Missoula, MT @ Wilma Theater*
May 24 - Vancouver, BC @ Malkin Bowl*
May 25 - Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory*
May 29 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater*
May 30 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern*
Jun. 01 - San Diego, CA @ North Park Theatre*
Jun. 02 - San Diego, CA @ North Park Theatre*

* - with Spoon

Read More Luxley Opening up for BBC will be Milo Greene (who previously opened up for Stars) and Luxley, a new band from New Orleans. …

LUXLEY
luxleymusic.com

New Orlean's Luxley is MD/PHD student Ryan Gray, who took a break from his medical program to write and record his first EP Spirit with producer Ayad Al-Adhamy (formerly of Passion Pit, currently in Team Spirit) and engineer / mixer Justin Gerrish (Vampire Weekend, The Strokes).

After the EP was released, Luxley went on tour with Bombay Bicycle Club and Milo Greene (stopping by Minneapolis last October).

Next week, April 28, 2015, Luxley compiled his Spirit Remix EP called You Are The Spirit, featuring remixes from several popular bands, including Youngblood Hawke and Tropics.

Tracklisting: Luxley - You Are The Spirit EP:

01. Spirit (Youngblood Hawke Remix)
02. Spirit (B. Lewis Remix)
03. Spirit (Paperwhite Remix)
04. Spirit (Sailors Remix)
05. Spirit (Femme Fantasm Remix)
06. Spirit (Great Good Fine Ok Remix)
07. Spirit (Tropics Remix)

SPIRIT PLATE
facebook.com/spiritplate

New York's Spirit Plate recently unveiled their video for "Broken Prose" from their self-titled debut album, which came out last month (March 3rd). You can watch it on YouTube.

What is a "Spirit Plate" you may ask? It is a Native American tradition of offering plates of food outside their doors for the spirits (when they are eating dinner).

Tracklisting for Spirit Plate (Campers’ Rule Records):

1. Broken Prose
2. Hole In Your Heart
3. Unemployed
4. Why, Why, Why, Why
5. Under the Night Sky
6. Through the Dark, Through the Rain
7. For Tomorrow
8. In the Heart of It
9. Try & Try to Be

Formats: Cassette tape w/ free digital download + full digital release on all major online retailers

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

They Might Be Giants at First Avenue, Minneapolis (18 April 2015)

Photo Gallery TMBG's Electric Fetus Setlist at Electric Fetus Setlist at First Ave Autographed Drum head TMBG's First Avenue Setlist Set 1 The Mesopotamians Music Jail, Pt. 1 & 2 Can't Keep Johnny Down Number Three Dead Bills, Bills, Bills (Destiny’s Child cover) When Will You Die ☎ Mama TMBG Erase Man, It's So Loud In Here Why Does the Sun Shine? (Tom Glazer cover) Good to Be Alive 32 Footsteps The Famous Polka Dr. Worm Set 2 Minneapolis (aka First Avenue Stage) Cyclops Rock The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) Underwater Woman Istanbul (not Constantinople) (The Four Lads cover) With The Dark Call You Mom Authenticity Trip Answer James K. Polk They'll Need a Crane Let Me Tell You About My Operation Ana Ng -- Encore --                Mammal Older Birdhouse in Your Soul -- Encore 2 --                Robot Parade TMBG's Electric Fetus Setlist Doctor Worm Erase Older Number Three The Famous Polka I Can Help the Next in Line Madam, I Challenge You To A Duel Istanbul (not Constantinople) (The Four Lads cover) Tour Dates 04/19 Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre 04/21 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom 04/22 Albany, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall 04/23 Boston, MA @ House of Blues 04/24 Washington DC @ 9:30 Club 04/25 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts 04/26 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall 05/01 Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent 05/02 Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues 05/03 San Diego, CA @ Belly Up 05/05 Salt Lake City, UT @ Depot 05/06 Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory 05/07 Seattle, WA @ Neptune 05/08 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater 05/09 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore 05/10 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore 05/13 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater 05/14 Austin, TX @ Stubb's 05/15 Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom 05/16 St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant 05/17 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall 05/31 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Read More They Might Be Giants The thing about They Might Be Giants is that they understand their fans. They get it; they know people don't automatically rush out to get the latest album, so they didn't bombard us with playing all 25 brand new tracks

"Hang on, hang on tight" (the audio was used in their theme song "They Might Be Giants" from Flood) started the introduction to this "not for the kids" They Might Be Giants sold out First Avenue show in Minneapolis on Saturday night, April 18th.

at Electric Fetus

Earlier in the day, TMBG stopped by Electric Fetus store for a free 30 minute in-store set and autograph session for Record Store Day 2015. John Flansburgh and John Linnell were joined by Marty Beller on drums and Danny Weinkauf on bass (guitarist Dan Miller was absent). I've been two hours earlier, and what I can tell you is that just prior to TMBG taking the tiny stage, the entire music store was filled up people. This was one of the fullest Electric Fetus in-store I've ever seen, even the store noted that "it's one for the record books." Seeing so many people, the announcer had to warn us that the building is quite old and that, please for the love of god, "please don't jump!"

They Might Be Giants played some new material, taken from their forthcoming Glean album ("Erase", "I Can Help The Next In Line", and "Madam, I Challenge You To A Duel"). Although the album is not officially released, they brought some to sell for their autographed session after the show. The nice thing about them is that they will stay and sign everything.

My favorite songs from their Electric Fetus set were "Doctor Worm" (from Nickelodeon's KaBlam! show) and "Number Three" (from their first album). Everyone seemed to love the set closer "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)", with plenty of balloons flying up in the air. Although that song is not an TMBG original, no one can disagree when I say that the band took "Istanbul" and made it their own, so in some small way it's as much TMBG's song as The Four Lads.

Just to explain about TMBG's latest Glean album coming this week (April 21st), I can tell you that they are songs that were featured on their 2015 rebooted Dial-A-Song service. Starting in January, the band decided to undertake an ambitious project: make available a new song every Monday at midnight. The first fifteen songs were collected into Glean, and I'm assuming in about three months from now, we're going to see another collection from Idlewild Records. We've seen this sort of thing before, from Jonathan Coulton's "Thing A Week" to Ash's "A to Z" project, and what I can say is that it's a mix bag. Sometime there are shiny gems, but with too many songs in a short time, sometime it is just too overwhelming.

Full disclosure, I'm a big TMBG, at least pre-No! and ABCs/1,2,3s. I got into TMBG during Flood, that "brand new album from 1990." I tracked down their two previous releases (self-titled debut album and Lincoln) and spent many hours studying its lyrics. I immediately got Apollo 18 when it was released, and steadily bought all of their albums, including Miscellaneous T, on release date after that. Of course when the children albums were introduced, I realized TMBG had outgrown me (that's a strange way of putting it), and their new "simple" music were just not meant for me. On retrospect, the two Johns were looking at the children albums as part of the long game... meaning that by now, those kids are now devoted fans.

In 2009, with Join Us, the duo returned to their more experimental/alternative origins, and I'm happy to say that I'm back on the TMBG train. When I saw them at the sold out show at First Avenue in 2013, it was seriously one of the best shows I've ever seen. The setlist was just amazing, plenty of old songs and just handful of new songs (from Nanobots).

Having said all that, if you love TMBG, this is the tour you must see. There are no opening bands, so it's the full TMBG-monty. You get two full sets from them and a double encore (which they did last year as well), totaling slightly over two hours of TMBG goodness. I'm telling you from a fans' perspective, you get your money's worth.

The First Avenue show on Saturday was billed as "An Evening With They Might Be Giants" and had a restriction of 18+. So, yes, there were some salty language... and yes, they encouraged us to buy these "tiny alcoholic particle" drinks at the bar in the back. After "Can't Keep Johnny Down", the two Johns started talking about how much they love Minneapolis, because they've been to "All kind of sh** cities. Most of them blow." Flansburgh didn't want to drop any cities name, but Linnell coughed up "Vancouver". Apparently they don't have a big fanbase in Vancouver, and lead them to describe They Might Be Giants as the equivalent to The Bare Naked Ladies of the USA.

There was also a telephone skit, where "Mama TMBG" would call the Dial-A-Song operator and talked about their vacation (from Vancouver) and referencing 80s movie "Midnight Run", but mixing it up with 70s movie "Midnight Express" (they would later add to this joke with "Midnight Oil"). That was a lot of fun, it's a shame that they didn't do more skits like that (or the puppet show from last year's concert).

The band mixed in those new Dial-A-Song songs, including their new single "Answer", which they said they were going to play on Conan O'Brien this week.

After the 20 minute intermission, the band came back for the second set, starting with their "Minneapolis", aka the "First Avenue Stage" song, which they wrote for the digital-only Venue album. According to Linnell, the song was, in fact, about them fighting each other, right before taking command of the "First Avenue Stage".

"Istanbul (not Constantinople)" got a weird psychedelic version, keeping the song fresh. They play the song every night, so it would make sense the change it up every time.

They didn't do "We're the Replacements", which would have been a nice tribute to the Minneapolis band, but they did do one of my favorite early songs, "They'll Need a Crane" along with set closer "Ana Ng".

The encore(s) started with "Mammals", which got a nice singalong from the front. I've always had a problem with that line, "koala bears and hogs", because koalas are marsupials.

This was followed by "Older" from the Malcolm in the Middle soundtrack (wish it was "Boss of Me" instead...), and ending with their most popular song, "Birdhouse in Your Soul".

After leaving the stage, the band came back again for second encore, "Robot Parade"... only extending it with personalized lyrics like "thank you for being here."

Again, like I said, if you love They Might Be Giants, this tour is basically for the fans. I'm happy to see that the band is more popular than ever, selling out most of their US shows. No surprise to anyone, but Vancouver is not listed as a stop on this 2015 tour.

They Might Be Giants at First Avenue, Minneapolis (18 April 2015)

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

Minneapolis: April 28 - April 30, 2015

We're closing out the month of April with these show picks taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul from April 28 to April 30, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Delta Rae Speaking of six-piece, the six-piece rock band Delta Rae, from Durham, NC, is currently on tour supporting The Chasing Twisters EP, which Rolling Stone deemed as "heroic" and called the band as … Greg Holden The evening opened with a solid 40 minutes from Scottish folk singer-songwriter Greg Holden, who now lives in New York, with his sometimes somber, yet very self-effacing songs …

DELTA RAE w/ Greg Holden
at First Avenue
Tuesday 04/28/15, 7pm ($25)
first-avenue.com

Family band Delta Rae (featuring three siblings Ian, Eric, and Brittany) will be back in Minneapolis next Tuesday, April 28th. The band will be promoting their latest album After It All on legendary record label Sire Records.

Opening for Delta Rae will be special guest Greg Holden, who just released his major label debut album called Chase the Sun (Warner Bros.). You may remember him at the A Great Big World show in June 2014 or the Boy show in October 2013.

Holden will be touring with Delta Rae until Raleigh on May 9th, but don't worry, he'll be back on tour with Ingrid Michaelson in June.

Delta Rae tour dates:

04/19/15 Atlanta, GA Centennial Olympic Park
04/21/15 Toronto, ON Rivoli
04/23/15 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music
04/24/15 Chicago, IL Metro / Smart Bar
04/25/15 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre
04/28/15 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
04/30/15 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe
05/01/15 Nashville, TN City Winery Nashville
05/07/15 Charlotte, NC Neighborhood Theatre
05/09/15 Raleigh, NC The Ritz
05/12/15 London, United Kingdom Barfly
05/16/15 The Great Escape Festival
05/20/15 Amsterdam, Kleine Zaal
06/07/15 Norfolk Harborfest
06/11/15 Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle
06/13/15 Charleston, SC Music Farm
06/15/15 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Theatre
06/16/15 Jackson, MS Duling Hall
06/18/15 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's
06/19/15 Austin, TX Emo's
06/20/15 Dallas, TX The Kessler Theater
06/22/15 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks
06/23/15 Mobile, AL Soul Kitchen
06/25/15 Tampa, FL The Orpheum
06/26/15 Fort Lauderdale, FL Parker Playhouse
06/27/15 Orlando, FL The Social
06/30/15 Nags Head, NC Kelly's
07/25/15 XPoNential Music Festival
09/18/15 Kaaboo

Read More Passenger We caught Passenger (aka /Passenger.) at a tiny, tiny venue called the Hollow, inside the Local bar, in Minneapolis in 2008. Now the man behind Passenger, Mike Rosenberg, is back with his …

STU LARSEN & NATSURI KURAI
at the Loring
Wednesday 04/29/15, 9pm ($12)
varsitytheater.org

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, right next to the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, next Wednesday, April 29th.

He is bringing friend and collaborator Natsuki Kurai, the two will likely play tracks from their 2013 EP Stu Larsen & Natsuki Kurai.

Larsen's latest is Vagabond, out now via Nettwerk.

Tour dates:

04/20/15 Vancouver, BC Media Club
04/21/15 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
04/23/15 Oakland, CA Leo's
04/24/15 Hollywood, CA Hotel Cafe
04/25/15 San Diego, CA House Of Blues
04/27/15 Denver, CO Lost Lake
04/29/15 Minneapolis, MN Loring Pasta Bar
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

PS, after the show, you can head over to the Varsity Theater for a free entry into Transmission.

Read More Sick of Sarah The majority of the crowd was there to see Sick of Sarah, they've built up quite a fan following. You can see that this isn't their first rodeo, the band is tight and singer Abisha dance moves have been perfected from all their tours. … Strange Relations I must note that I caught about half of the set of the opening band Strange Relations. They're a band from Minneapolis consisting of drums, bass and guitar. The drummer sang over her complicated/awesome …

SICK OF SARAH
at Turf Club
Thursday 04/30/15, 8pm ($10)
turfclub.net

Minneapolis punk rock all-girls band Sick of Sarah is currently on a national tour, but will be playing a hometown gig next Thursday, April 30th at the Turf Club in St Paul. The band will likely be playing tracks from their upcoming EP Anthem, set for release on June 30, 2015.

Opening up for this show will be Detroit's George Morris and Minneapolis' Strange Relations.

Sick of Sarah tour dates:

Apr 19 PA's Lounge, Somerville, MA
Apr 20 The Low Beat, Albany, NY
Apr 22 The Hard Rock Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
Apr 23 The Foundry, Lakewood, OH
Apr 24 The Pike Room, Pontiac, MI
Apr 25 Rumba Cafe, Columbus, OH
Apr 27 Drinkery OTR, Cincinnati, OH
Apr 28 Radio Radio, Indianapolis, IN
Apr 29 The Fizz, Chicago, IL
Apr 30 The Turf Club, St. Paul, MN
May 1 Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines, IA
May 3 The Sidewinder, Denver, CO
May 5 Kilby Court, Salt Lake City, UT
May 6 Neurolux, Boise, ID
May 7 El Corazon, Seattle, WA
May 9 Ash Street Saloon, Portland, OR
May 11 Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA
May 12 The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA
May 20 Three Links, Dallas, TX
May 21 The Mohawk, Austin, TX

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

Record Store Day at Electric Fetus, Minneapolis (18 April 2015)

Rubert Angeleyes Setlist Delicate Guy Crying For Who I Could Be Out of My Control Painters Mixing Paint When I Fell in Love I Don't Believe in Love When the Sangria Dies The King of Dentistry Jealousy Yummy Candy Rawk Blank Read More Record Store Day This is like Christmas Day at your local independent Record Store for serious (mostly vinyl) collectors. This seventh annual celebration has grown larger every year, with hundreds of exclusive and limited … Dosh & Ghostband Local electronic beatmakers Dosh and Ghostband opened with a pulsing, throbbing 45 min. DJ set that set the mood for some, and perplexed others. …

It was a beautiful perfect day for Record Store Day. While hardcore collects drove around town tracking down that elusive 7" or camping before stores open... I am more of a casual record store day hunter. If I see something cool, I'll pick it up... I figure all the good stuff are sold out before 10am anyway, so if you are serious about finding that key vinyl, I suggest you get to the stores before it opens.

Anyway, I got to the Electric Fetus store around 2pm to hopefully get my hands on some exclusive RSD 7", before getting a good spot to see They Might Be Giants. I've noted in the past that seeing an instore (for a popular band) is near impossible and not a great experience. I often wish they would hold these things in the parking lot, where they can pack in more fans and let music shoppers maneuver around without issues; particularly for the recent CHVRCHS and Lights appearances.

Dosh and Ghostband

Anyway, we caught electronic beatmakers Dosh and Ghostband as they mixed their beeps and bops with little or no breaks for their 30 minute set. The two are usually looking down at their controls, meanwhile dancing hard when not having to turn a dial. The announcer noted this and would later add that if you hire them for a show, that "Dancing is included."

There were also random last-minute performances (note: originally not scheduled), but they kept shoppers entertained when they waited for the next band. After Dosh & Ghostband, Prairie Fire Lady Choir showed up. They were a large group of women, all dressed in red, and sang choir version of popular and traditional songs.

The other group that entertained waiting fans were Brass Messengers, who we saw in 2012 with Fanfare Ciocarlia, did a conga line of upbeat songs.

Local garagey/60s surf Rupert Angeleyes had a really good turnout... including an overzealous dancing fan in the front of the stage. Normally, no one would mind dancers... but he was bleeding all over! When the Electric Fetus staffs tried to ask him to leave, he was resistive, saying "Leave me alone, I'm just groovin', man!" After a second attempt proved fruitless, three staffers were called in to physically remove the fan from the store. I didn't follow the excitement, but I saw police lights outside the store, which I'm assuming was meant for the bleeder. That was the highlight of the show.

Anyway, as you can see from Rupert Angeleyes' setlist, they basically played their entire Young Sunset album in their allotted 30 minute set ("Delicate Guy", "Crying For Who I Could Be", "Out of My Control", "Painters Mixing Paint", "When I Fell in Love", "I Don't Believe in Love", "The King of Dentistry", "Jealousy").

Realizing that they had "seven more minutes... seems only like yesterday", the band decided to quickly add "Yummy Candy" (not listed on their setlist).

Since the Record Store Day celebration was great for business, I'm hoping more stores would do these day shows to draw in more music fans. See you guys on Cassette Store Day.

NOTE: The They Might Be Giants instore performance will be included in the First Avenue sold out show review later today or Monday. We are working on it, so expect the usual: photos, setlists, tour dates, and extended notes. Just briefly, the First Ave show was "adults only" and had them play two full sets with a double encore. Double encore all the way!

Rupert Angeleyes at Electric Fetus, Minneapolis (18 April 2015)

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

José González w/ Ólöf Arnalds at the Cedar, Minneapolis (16 Apr 15)

photo credit: @thecedar José González Setlist Afterglow Stories We Build, Stories We Tell Killing for Love Hand on Your Heart (Kylie Minogue cover) Every Age Always (Junip song) With the Ink of a Ghost Solo Set Crosses Hints Heartbeats What Will Home (Barbarossa cover) This Is How We Walk on the Moon (Arthur Russell cover) Teardrop (Massive Attack cover) Down the Line Cycling Trivialities -- Encore -- I'll Be Your Mirror (Velvet Underground cover) with Ólöf Arnalds Let It Carry You Leaf Off / The Cave Read More José González It's official, José González entire North American tour is sold out*. This is Gonzales' first solo tour dates since 2008 (we previously saw him with Junip in 2011 and 2013), so fans … Ólöf Arnalds Sondre Lerche on "Blossom", Channy Leaneagh on "Counting", and Ólöf Arnalds on "The Nest". As pointed out by Arnalds, drummer Greg Saunier, from Deerhoof, was the odd-man out …

Indie folk singer-songwriter and guitarist José González is currently on a sold-out US tour, stopping by the Cedar Cultural Center for a two night residency (April 16 and April 17). González has a new album Vestiges & Claws (Mute); his first album in seven years. We caught the Swedish/Spanish singer on Thursday night.

Ólöf Arnalds

Opening up the show was Icelandic singer/songwriter Ólöf Arnalds, who we previously saw in 2013 with Jherek Bischoff. I've also previously mentioned was the singer of múm and cousin to neo-classical composer Ólafur Arnalds.

Ólöf, alone on stage with her acoustic guitar, sang some new songs from her latest Palme (One Little Indian), including "Turtledove" to an extremely quiet and polite Cedar Cultural Center audience. Her one cover in her 30-min set was "Caetano Veloso" by Brazilian singer Maria Bethânia.

Sweden's José González took the stage with a full touring band and backlit stage lighting.

Setlist

José González's set can be broken down in three parts: the first section featuring mostly songs from the latest album Vestiges & Claws ("Afterglow", "Stories We Build, Stories We Tell", "Every Age", "With The Ink Of A Ghost"), but throwing in some older songs and a Kylie Minogue cover ("Hand on Your Heart") and one Junip song (González's band).

In the middle of the set, the band took a break and left González on stage to play a solo set of his solo debut album Veneer: "Crosses", "Hints", and "Heartbeats".

The third and last part of his set was fun. González basically played one new song, three covers (Barbarossa, Arthur Russell, and an odd choice of Massive Attack), and ending with two songs from his previous solo album In Our Nature ("Down the Line" and "Cycling Trivialities").

Ólöf Arnalds with José González

For the encore, they invited Ólöf Arnalds on stage with the full band and they played "I'll Be Your Mirror", the Velvet Underground (with Nico) cover song. It is a very faithful cover, you can tell right away that they got the notes just right. The rest of the encore were two songs from the new album ("Let It Carry You" and "Leaf Off / The Cave")

NOTE: Although "Let It Carry You" was listed as the fourth song in the set, it was not played early... instead, they saved it for the encore.

Gonzalez's remaining sold out US tour dates:

04/20 - Englewood - Gothic Theatre
04/21 – Boulder, CO – E Town
04/22 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
04/24 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
04/25 – Vancouver, BC – Imperial
04/27 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
04/28 - San Francisco, CA – Bimbo’s 365 Club
04/29 - Los Angeles - The Regent
04/30 - Los Angeles – The Regent

José González at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (16 April 2015)

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Twin Shadow w/ Erik Hassle at First Ave, Minneapolis (13 Apr 2015)

Setlist Five Seconds Old Love/New Love Castles in the Snow I'm Ready Eclipse Golden Light Turn Me Up Flatliners Run My Heart / No Ordinary Love (Sade cover) To The Top -- Encore -- Slow Watch Me Go Read More Twin Shadow Los Angeles-based George Lewis Jr., or better known by his stage name Twin Shadow, has been around since 2010 with his debut album Forget. …

Los Angeles' Twin Shadow (aka George Lewis Jr.) stopped by First Avenue in Minneapolis last Monday, April 13rd, in support of his latest album Eclipse (Warner Bros. Records). The event was broadcast live, courtesy of Yahoo/Live Nation.

Erik Hassle photo courtesy of Amy

Opening up was Swedish pop singer/songwriter Erik Hassle, just following his sold out tour with New Zealanders' Broods (who we just saw in Minneapolis in March 2015). Currently signed to RCA Records, the crooner latest single "No Words" is quickly becoming this the Summer single according to Time Magazine.

Twin Shadow's "Eclipse Tour", with support from Movement, was meant to play Minneapolis in September 2014, when they had to postponed the event to last week. It may have been a better choice, given that the city is now experiencing some much needed warmth and sunshine.

So what has Lewis Jr. been up to? From my understanding, he took the months off to carefully plan this current tour, getting all his ducks in a row and strategizing key appearances (including his recently Tumblr SXSW appearance; see photo).

As you can see from the setlist, this was indeed the "Eclipse Tour", with the majority of tracks from his latest Eclipse album, including the title track and fan favorite "To The Top" (which he performed on Conan O'Brien in June 2014). The newer songs are more approachable to the masses, which is a departure from his two previous indie releases (Forget and Confess).

While it's been noted that Eclipse had very few guitars, as you can see from the live stream and photography, Twin Shadow, with a full band, still had plenty of guitars to go around.

Remaining tour dates:

04/19 Belly Up Aspen, CO+
04/21 Urban Lounge Salt Lake, UT+
04/23 Neumos Seattle, WA+
04/24 Imperial Vancouver, BC+
04/25 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR+
04/27 Knitting Factory Reno, NV+
04/29 Regency Ballroom San Francisco, CA+
04/30 The Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, CA+

+ with Erik Hassle

Twin Shadows' Eclipse album is out now on Warner Bros. Records.

Twin Shadow at First Avenue, Minneapolis (13 April 2015) photo courtesy of Amy

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Minneapolis: April 25 - April 27, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul from April 25 to April 27, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Neko Case Neko Case has a new album The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, which came out September 3rd on ANTI-, and her First Avenue …

NEKO CASE
at Fitzgerald Theater
Saturday 04/25/15, 8pm ($48)
fitzgeraldtheater.publicradio.org

American singer/songwriter Neko Case (who was recently in town with The New Ponographers in November 2014) is back in the Twin Cities promoting her Grammy-nominated album The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You. Be on the lookout for her upcoming album City Swans, set for release this August 18th.

Opening up the show will be Los Angeles, by the way of Rio de Janeiro, Rodrigo Amarante (who was previously in town two weeks ago at Bryant Lake Bowl on April 4th), promoting his first solo record Cavalo (out now on Easy Sound).

Neko Case tour dates:

04/18/15 Portland, OR Revolution Hall
04/20/15 Spokane, WA Bing Crosby Theater
04/21/15 Missoula, MT Wilma Theatre
04/22/15 Bozeman, MT Emerson Center
04/24/15 Saint Paul, MN Fitzgerald Theater
04/25/15 Saint Paul, MN Fitzgerald Theater
06/12/15 Northside Festival
06/13/15 Three Rivers Arts Festival
06/14/15 Wilmington, DE Grand Opera House
06/15/15 Washington, DC Lincoln Theatre
06/18/15 Charlottesville, VA Paramount Theater
06/19/15 Raleigh, NC North Carolina Museum Of Art
06/20/15 Clearwater Festival
09/04/15 Saratoga, CA The Mountain Winery

Read More Dar Williams Dar Williams, not only sing and play music, but she's also quite the storyteller. Each of her twelve songs that she played the night of October 30th at the Dowling Studio (inside the Gutherie Theater) … 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
at the Cedar Cultural Center
Sunday 04/26/15, 7pm ($31)
thecedar.org

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 stories from Williams.

Dar Williams is promoting her latest studio album Emerald, which featured Jill Sobule, Richard Thompson, The Milk Carton Kids, Jim Lauderdale, and more.

Lucy Wainwright Roche is set to open the show. We previously mentioned that her father is Loudon Wainwright III and brother is Rufus Wainwright. Roche will later tour with The Weepies in June/July 2015.

Dar Williams tour dates:

04/26/15 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center
05/02/15 Cleveland, OH Music Box Supper Club
05/09/15 Nashville, TN City Winery Nashville
05/15/15 Albany, NY The Egg
06/11/15 New York, NY City Winery NYC
06/12/15 New York, NY City Winery NYC
06/13/15 New York, NY City Winery NYC
06/14/15 Buttermilk Jamboree
06/28/15 Leesburg, VA Tally Ho Theatre
09/17/15 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
09/18/15 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark

Read More Social Distortion Do you know what's funny? Social D was one of the first bands I saw when I was living in Fresno, California. They were huge back then just coming off their big hit single "Bad Luck". …

ALKALINE TRIO
at Triple Rock Social Club
Monday 04/27/15, 7:30pm ($29/Sold Out)
triplerocksocialclub.com

Punk band Alkaline Trio has a four night, sold out, residency at the Triple Rock Social Club, starting Monday April 27.

Each night, they have a different opening band, and each night the band will play two albums in full. I am assuming they will also be playing tracks from their latest ninth studio album From Here To Infirmary.

Details of the Triple Rock shows:

Mon 4/27 Alkaline Trio with The Bombay Sweets

Tue 4/28 Alkaline Trio with Empires

Wed 4/29 Alkaline Trio with HIDE

Thu 4/30 Alkaline Trio with Pet Symmetry

Alkaline Trio tour dates:

04/22-04/25 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
04/27-04/30 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock
05/02-05/05 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop
05/07-05/10 Phila, PA Theatre Of Living Arts
05/13-05/16 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall
05/19-05/22 Orlando, FL The Social
05/30-06/02 San Francisco, CA Slim's
06/04-06/07 Santa Ana, CA Observatory
06/27/15 Birmingham O2 Academy
06/28/15 Birmingham O2 Academy
06/30/15 Newcastle O2 Academy
07/03/15 Leeds O2 Academy
07/04/15 London O2 Academy
07/05/15 London O2 Academy
07/07/15 Glasgow ABC1
07/08/15 Bristol O2 Academy
07/09/15 Liverpool O2 Academy

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Record Store Day: 18 April 2015

Read More Record Store Day This is like Christmas Day at your local independent Record Store for serious (mostly vinyl) collectors. This seventh annual celebration has grown larger every year, with hundreds of exclusive and limited …

We've been observing Record Store Day since 2008 and it's always exciting to see people celebrating music. RSD is so popular that it inspired Cassette Store Day, which takes place in September.

Anyway, there are quite a few RSD events taking place in the Minneapolis area on Saturday, but I'll likely be over at Electric Fetus most of the day, before heading out to First Avenue to see They Might Be Giants. Since the headlining show is sold out, your next best option is to arrive before 3pm to see TMBG at Electric Fetus. I may be bringing a CD album cover to have John & John sign it (hopefully they'll have time for autographs).

Details of Electric Fetus's Record Store Day event:

10:30 a.m. - DJ Jake Rudh of Transmission
Noon - BNLX
1 p.m. - Greg Grease
2 p.m. - Dosh/Ghostband
3 p.m. - Rupert Angeleyes
4 p.m. - They Might Be Giants
5 p.m. - Erik Koskinen & Frankie Lee

There are way too many Record Store Day exclusives... but the one 7" vinyl I'm hoping to buy tomorrow (today) is Johnny Marr's "I Feel You" (Depeche Mode cover). The B-Side is a live version of The Smiths' classic "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want".

Also worth noting is if you like physical CDs, a limited number of BNLX's new album Good Light will be made available at Electric Fetus. If you miss this, no worries, there will be a full blown international release of the album (CDs, vinyl, digital outlets) later in 2015.

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