W♥M (Archive)

Valerie June w/ Oh Pep! at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (22 Feb 2017)

Valerie June Setlist drum solo intro / Man Done Wrong The Hour Love You Once Made Two Hearts Shakedown Tennessee Time Slip Slide on By With You If You Love and Let Go Goodnight Irene Twined & Twisted And If Workin' Woman Blues -- Encore -- Somebody to Love Astral Plane Got Soul Oh Pep! Setlist Wanting Bushwick Trouble Now Crazy Feels The Race Tea, Milk & Honey Seven Babies Doctor Doctor Tour Dates 02/28/17 Austin, TX Paramount Theatre 03/01/17 Houston, TX The Heights Theater 03/02/17 New Orleans, LA Republic NOLA 03/03/17 Birmingham, AL Saturn 03/04/17 Atlanta, GA The Loft 03/05/17 Charleston, SC Charleston Music Hall 03/06/17 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel 03/07/17 Durham, NC Carolina Theatre 03/09/17 Washington, DC Sixth & I Historic 03/10/17 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Theatre 03/11/17 New York, NY Town Hall 03/16/17 Spicewood, TX Luck, Texas Ranch 05/05/17 Zurich, Switzerland Kaufleuten 06/01/17 Vancouver, BC Fox Cabaret 06/02/17 Seattle, WA The Crocodile 06/03/17 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater 06/05/17 San Francisco, CA Great American 06/07/17 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre 06/08/17 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern 06/16/17 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark Read More Valerie June Valerie June Skies grayed, thunder rumbled, and a light rain fell as Memphis-based singer-songwriter Valerie June took the stage to open Day Two, in support of her acclaimed .... Oh Pep! Australian duo Oh Pep! (Olivia Hally and Pepita Emerichs) will be headlining the Cedar Cultural Center next Tuesday, July 12th, in support of their debut album Stadium Cake (out now on Dualtone). ....

The argument could be made that the show was so hot, it set off the alarms—

Ahead of upcoming album, The Order of Time (due March 10 on Concord Music Group) Memphis singer-songwriter Valerie June took to the stage at a sold-out Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. 

The evening began with a playful and sublime forty-minute set from Melbourne, Australia folk duo, Oh Pep! (aka Pepita Emmerichs and Olivia Hally) who released their debut, Stadium Cake last June on Dualtone Records.

Their blend of harmonic pop (with Hally on guitar and Emmerichs alternating between mandolin, bouzouki and violin) has proved irresistible and is recommended for fans of Indigo Girls and First Aid Kit, with a tender and relaxed sound to their music, the new album recorded in Nova Scotia.

‘Bushwick’, the new album’s opener, was a described as their crack at a rap song, ‘Trouble Now’ was about a turbulent couple that end up in jail yet still get married, and they quipped “here’s another sad song” as ‘Crazy Feels was introduced.  “What are you feelings toward math rock”” they asked “….hmmm, mostly indifference”, they noted, chuckling before going into the older ‘Seven Babies’.

Final song off the set was the album’s lead single, ‘Doctor Doctor’ (not to be confused with the UFO or Thompson Twins songs of the same name), which Emmerichs admitted Hally wrote and she didn’t initially like, but came around once the single was released, “I take it back” she confessed, asking the audience to sing along with the "I know what I want and it's not what I need" mantra chorus. 

With lighted stars hung from the microphones, the headlining set began as no other—with a short jazz drum solo. The rest of the band would soon take to the stage, alongside the musical melting pot that is Valerie June, dressed in a sequined fire engine red gown for a seventy-two minute set that blended blues, bluegrass, soul, country and Appalachian folk. 

The new album was clearly the focus, with nine of the twelve tracks played, including the opening, ‘Man Done Wrong’.  The reedy voiced singer conversed immediately with the crowd after the opening song, talking about her 91 year-old grandmother falling before playing ‘The Hour’, the lyric “I was on my way back home, my heart was like a stone” also helping name her previous album.

The new ‘Two Hearts’ was sparse and hollowed, June’s twangy voice accompanied mostly by just an organ, while ‘Shakedown’ was a juke joint toe-tapper, full of sass and swing as June tousled her Medusa-like dreads with each head bob. 

After a few opening songs played amongst a dry ice fog, the new ‘Tennessee Time’ found itself with a beeping accompaniment as the venue’s smoke alarms decided to go off mid-song.  We’ve seen this before here (it’s clear they are too sensitive for any act's stage fog) but in most cases, the alarms are turned off quickly. Unfortunately and despite the volunteer staff’s valiant efforts, the distracting beeping continued (somewhat later muffled) through the rest of the main set. 

June and band, ever the consummate professionals, soldiered on, with the crowd showing extra appreciation in the form of applause which easily rose over the repetitive sound.  June would muse on the day’s news that additional planets had been discovered outside the solar system, possibly life-sustainable, saying “I thought, I wonder if that’s where I’m from…I get to come here for a little while” as the audience laughed along. 

The new ‘With You’ came to her in a dream she said, part of a mini-set of June playing solo, which also included the standard, ‘Goodnight Irene’ and previous album’s ‘Twined & Twisted’. ‘Workin’ Woman Blues’, sung “for the ladies in the room” closed the main set with its funky bass line, taking the alarm noise thankfully out finally as well. 

After hoots and cheers, the band re-emerged for a three song encore, and June sporting stylish sunglasses and beginning with the laid back ‘Somebody to Love’.  New tracks ‘Astral Plane’ and ‘Got Soul’ closed the night (the latter evolving into a stomping instrumental jam), with June briefly explaining her means of inspiration and getting to share that inspiration with audiences. 

They say where’s there’s smoke, there’s fire, and though the smoke alarms may have been going off, the fire on this night, was the music coming from Valerie June and band.

Oh Pep

Oh Pep

Setlist

Valerie June

Valerie June

Valerie June at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (22 Feb 2017)

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

Blizzard World Minneapolis ComiCon at MTS School Gymnasium, Minneapolis (25 Feb 2017)

Read More Comic Books I really hate the title Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I can understand it, it tells us that Batman will be fighting Superman... and somehow it involves the Justice … Wizard World Minneapolis It is pretty much all-Wizard World all weekend! W♥M will be bringing you extensive coverage of the three-day event - plus the traditional kick-off free event … MCBA When the 26th annual SpringCon ended over the previous weekend and the dust settled, it became the largest attended in the group’s history and ended the so-called .... Crypticon Although nothing to do with music, I thought I'd report on my recent attendance at Crypticon 2008 today (November 15th). Although a pleasant experience with the Q&A with various guests ....

The third Blizzard World Minneapolis ComiCon just took place on Saturday at MTS School Gymnasium (near Target on Lake Street in Minneapolis).

First of all, I think the name is bad. When I first saw the name, I originally mistaken this convention for BlizzCon, the popular video game convention held by Blizzard Entertainment. Instead, I realized that this Minneapolis comic book convention is organized by Bjorn Brosdahl, former owner of High-Class Comics in St Paul.

Thanks to its affordable admission price of $4 (free if you turn up in costume or $1 off if you brought in a flyer from your local comic book store), it was cheap enough that comic fans did turn up to check out the show out of curiosity.

The Minnesota Transitions Schools’ gym open space is perfect for setting up dealer tables and held about 25 tables, give or take. Unfortunately, the MTS gym is actually much smaller than a typical full basketball court, so it only took us about a minute to walk around the area on our first pass to survey our surroundings.

The convention advertised “Hundreds of Golden Age comics at this event!”, which I do not believe this to be true. I saw very, very few 1930 to 1950 comics - and if they did have a copy, the prices were usually pretty outrageous.

Based on the small area, lack of major dealers (that we typically see at FallCon/SpringCon or Wizard World Minneapolis), no comic panels/discussions, and weird random locations like a high school gym... we probably won’t be attending Blizzard World 4 next year. Something like this, I felt should free or entry donations.

NOTE: Early birds who showed up early got a free Walking Dead comic (the 25 cent issue #163). It was so new that I’m actually not caught up to this latest issue yet (I buy the collected compendium, and that is only up to #144).

Blizzard World Minneapolis ComiCon at MTS School Gymnasium, Minneapolis (25 Feb 2017)

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

Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience at Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul (20 Feb 2017)

Tour Dates 02/25/17 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena 02/26/17 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center 03/01/17 Washington, DC Verizon Center 03/03/17 Montreal, QC Bell Centre 03/04/17 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre 03/06/17 Boston, MA TD Garden 03/07/17 New York, NY Madison Square Garden 03/09/17 Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center 03/11/17 Sunrise, FL BB&T Center 03/12/17 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena 03/14/17 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena 03/16/17 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center 03/17/17 Houston, TX Toyota Center 03/19/17 Denver, CO Pepsi Center 03/23/17 Inglewood, CA Forum 03/25/17 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden 03/26/17 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort 03/29/17 San Jose, CA SAP Center 03/31/17 Seattle, WA KeyArena 04/01/17 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena 04/02/17 Portland, OR Moda Center Read More Game Of Thrones Game Of Thrones: Season 2 soundtrack is coming out June 19th, via Varèse Sarabande. UPDATE: A couple of inquiries about downloading the song, you can look to The National's official Twitter. .…

Winter is already here… it’s Music that is Coming --

The Seven Kingdoms come to life in a way like no other as the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience kicked off its all-arena twenty-four city North American tour at the Xcel Energy Center in St . Paul. 

Headed by score composer Ramin Djawadi who leads an eighty-piece orchestra and choir (with locals from the Twin Cities community and McNally Smith College of Music helping out), the two-set concert was one of the most immersive audio/visual experiences for any cinematic property. 

Based on the HBO series adapted from author George R.R. Martin’s books, the world of Westeros was seen in all its glory through giant center and movable satellite octagonal three-layered telescoping screens, with special 3D designs rising from the stage floor as the orchestra performed musical score highlights from the series' six seasons on a 360-degree stage at the center of the arena.

The large stage was divided into three main parts with runways connecting each- the main stage (called King's Landing) featured Djawadi as conductor with the orchestra and choir, while the opposite end (Winterfell stage) was mostly for choir and also solo performances. In between those stages was a center with four smaller stages often filled with roving instrumentalists (some playing exotic instruments), with each named after different locations from the world of Game of Thrones.

Djawadi's previous credits include his Grammy-nominated score for 2008’s Iron Man as well as Pacific Rim, Clash Of The Titans and Warcraft and he recently worked on HBO’s Westworld, with bits from that score heard during the countdown to the main show starting. 

The first hour-long set started with an exclamation as soundbites were heard through the speakers and a dry ice fog filled the stage, as the iron throne rose slowly to take its place near the center.  Key moments between well-known characters, done mostly chronologically from the TV series, were shown on screens as the orchestra played. 

Early in the show, a violinist memorably ascended a dais on the Winterfell stage as a translucent sheet fell around her, and the encircling video screens above bloomed with images of branches from inside a Weirwood tree as red leaves fell around her as she played.

Everything in the production was perfectly timed as their combining video clips and dialogue would interlace with the music being performed, with sometimes the video muted and only the audio heard. With the pageantry of the roaming musicians, size of the massive orchestra, special effects, and clips played on the screens, it was often a challenge trying to take all of it in at once, in the very best of ways. 

The crowd that filled the arena’s lower bowl was varied—from younger die-hard fans of the show (some in costume) to older couples perhaps interested in the orchestral music, to everything in-between.  The audience was mostly quiet and respectful; not as much as a pure classical concert, but more so than at a typical arena show. 

‘The Rains of Castamere’ from season three (with Djawadi on hammered dulcimer) was particularly gripping, due to the nature of the scenes, with the music further enhancing it.  Scenes from the show would often seem completely refreshed, watching them presented in this massive format with the live orchestra providing the soundtrack. 

After a twenty minute intermission, the second seventy-minute set began, the story picking up from the halfway point of the series, highlighted by the Battle of Castle Black which takes place in season four.   With a song about the North, a virtual snowstorm took place, both on-screen as well as in the arena as blowers sent the white flakes into the air. 

A soloist came out in a tan dress to sing the song that plays during Cersei’s walk in ‘Mother’s Mercy’ as the crowd echoed what was on screen; chanting “Shame! Shame! Shame!” and soon after, ‘The Battle at Hardhome’ would transition directly into ‘Hold the Door’.

A highlight of the second set was undoubtedly ‘Light of the Seven’, bringing to life when Cersei blows up the Sept of Baelor in the series, with Djawadi on the far stage playing a rising and transforming piano as fire spurted from the stage and screens (with lighting turning it green for the wildfire bits) and the heat easily felt from my seat, halfway up the lower level. 

After covering the moments from the show’s six seasons, the orchestra, conductor, and roving musicians, took their bows to a standing ovation, with Djawadi looking especially happy and relieved that it went so well.

“Every flight begins with a fall” Martin writes in the books, but the only miscues this opening night were a couple minor pixels out on one of the octagonal screens and an overly loud hydraulic rising and lowering on the Winterfell stage. 

Things took a merry and whimsical turn at the end, with an encore-like performance of ‘The Bear and the Maiden Fair’, with Djawadi strolling about with guitar with other musicians playfully singing, "All black and brown, and covered with hair.”

Spoiler’s Notes- there is no reference to the series’ season seven, set to debut on HBO later this summer, as Djawadi has been so busy with other scores and this show, that he has not yet started work on the new score. 

And, if you are not completely caught up on watching the show (like myself), a lot of the key scenes are shown, and the encore doubles as an In Memoriam segment on-screen, showing all the main characters lost along the way. 

That said, Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience was an exhilarating and immersive experience; crucial for any die-hard fans of the show, for anyone that enjoys soundtrack music performed live, and even for the casual fan, as this provides a completely new perspective on the series. 

“The brightest flame casts the darkest shadow” Martin writes in the books- in this case, the live concert can deliver both, in a way you’ve never seen before.

Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience at Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul (20 Feb 2017)

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

Tove Lo w/ Phoebe Ryan at First Avenue, Minneapolis (15 Feb 2017)

Tove Lo Setlist Intro (Fairy Dust) True Disaster Lady Wood Influence Moments The Way That I Am Not On Drugs Thousand Miles Vibes Got Love Talking Body Imaginary Friend Intermission (Fire Fade) Keep It Simple WTF Love Is Flashes Cool Girl -- Encore -- What I Want for the Night (Bitches) Habits (Stay High) Phoebe Ryan Setlist Mine We Won't Ignition / Do You... (Mashup) (R. Kelly/Miguel covers) Ring Be Real All We Know Dark Side Tour Dates 02/22/17 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom 02/24/17 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 03/02/17 Stockholm, Sweden Münchenbryggeriet 03/03/17 Goteborg, Sweden Pusterviksbaren 03/04/17 Copenhagen, Denmark VEGA 03/06/17 Berlin, Germany Astra Kulturhaus 03/08/17 Amsterdam, Netherlands Melkweg 03/10/17 Cologne, Germany Live Music Hall 03/12/17 Antwerp, Belgium Muziekcentrum Trix 03/13/17 Paris, France La Cigale 03/15/17 Manchester, O2 03/17/17 London, O2 03/25/17 Lollapalooza Brazil 03/31/17 Lollapalooza Argentina 04/01/17 Lollapalooza Chile 04/16/17 Coachella 04/23/17 Coachella 06/02/17 New York, NY Governors Ball 06/08/17 Bonnaroo 06/22/17 Odense, Denmark Tusindarsskoven 07/02/17 London, UK Hyde Park 08/18/17 Hasselt, Belgium Kempische Steenweg 09/23/17 Seattle, WA CenturyLink Field 09/26/17 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place 09/29/17 Vancouver, BC BC Place 10/02/17 Portland, OR Moda Center 10/04/17 Santa Clara, CA Levi's Stadium 10/08/17 San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium Read More Tove Lo Swedish singer Tove Lo is headlining First Avenue. She won "Artist of the Year" and "Song of the Year" (for "Habits (Stay High)") at the Swedish Grammis earlier this year. Her latest album … Phoebe Ryan Indie “bad-girl” pop artist Phoebe Ryan will co-headline the the 7th Street Entry this Sunday, July 10th. Her latest single “Boyz N Poizn” recently came out to rave reviews, and with the fun …

It was a sold-out night for the cool girls of every kind—

Stockholm dance-pop singer-songwriter Tove Lo made a triumphant return to First Avenue’s Mainroom, in support of Lady Wood (Island Records), her second full-length release, with a booty-shaking, provocative, and literally revealing performance in front of an all-ages crowd. 

Emerald-haired indie-pop newcomer Phoebe Ryan opened the evening with a fun and lighthearted short set, mostly culled from her 2015 debut EP, Mine (Columbia Records) with new album expected in 2017.  Comparable to Brooklyn’s Oh, Honey and Melanie Martinez (both of which she has written songs for), she kicked things off with the title track from the EP, before telling a story of her high school ex-boyfriend getting engaged the day before… to someone else. 

With that, she next went into ‘We Won’t’, a collaboration done originally with Jaymes Young and its lyric “we won’t, so just don’t”, obviously fresh in her mind from hearing the news.  Quickly shaking it off, she and her three bandmates next went into her R. Kelly/Miguel mashup that has become a YouTube sensation with the new ‘Be Real’ and collaboration with The Chainsmokers, ‘All We Know’ following. 

Despite the bad, she still sees the good, as on latest single ‘Dark Side’ singing, “At your worst, you’re the best”- that curious lyrical dichotomy whetting appetites for her full-length to come.

In front of a black backdrop with an enlarged and stylized “o” from her album cover (on the bass drumhead too) and amidst some forty vertical lights that would flicker in different colors and impressively flash like falling rain, Tove Lo took to the stage wearing a cinched up Beatles t-shirt and in tight yellow zippered racing pants, adorned with album’s title on the back cheeks and the album’s two chapters, Fairy Dust and Fire Fade, down each leg. 

Like many Swedish dance pop acts, her three-person band included two on percussion with a keyboardist rounding out the group.  Fairy Dust refers to the emotional curve of anticipation and euphoria, marked by slower jams, and how she opened with ‘True Disaster’ and the album’s title track. 

Reaching back to 2014’s platinum Queen of the Clouds, fans responded to the anthemic ‘Moments’ and the unapologetic ‘The Way I Am’, with its lyric, “I have been told I am the problem, and the problem’s my honesty”, which succinctly sums up her often brutally direct lyrics, often peppered with profanities to help get the point across. 

“It’s SO good to be back here!” she paused, remembering the sold-out show here from her last tour, continuing the good feelings with ‘Vibes’, a song written on a sailboat off the coast in Nicaragua. “We’re gonna talk some ‘Bodies’!” she announced, getting a roar from the crowd, who also sang along with the hit’s chorus.  True to form, at the bridge of the song and near the front of the crowd, she quickly flashed the crowd, her statement of female empowerment regarding the song. 

A solo and spare ‘Imaginary Friend’ was a set highlight, with Lo alone on piano, reminiscent of her earliest days when she performed without any accompaniment.

The instrumental break of ‘Fire Fade’ took us into the second half of the show, marking a subsequent feeling of self-awareness after the initial Fairy Dust, and leading with the exposed tone of ‘Keep it Simple’.  The new album’s closer, ‘WTF Love Is’ was a classic, confident example of Lo stating exactly what she wants.   

‘Flashes’ about “trying to figure out what’s real or not” led into the new album’s lead single, ‘Cool Girl’ about inviting an open relationship and was actually inspired by the lead character in the film ‘Gone Girl’. 

The encore began with ‘What I Want for the Night’, a relative rarity as it appears only on the short Lady Wood promo film and is a straight-ahead account of her expectations, and also what she thinks of certain other girls. 

Biggest hit, the 5x platinum in the U.S. hit, ‘Habits’ closed the evening, the crowd more than happy to sing the chorus over the band, gleeful to hear Lo’s biggest breakthrough as an exclamation point on her eighty-minute set.  Cool girls and everyone else, swooned to Tove Lo, empowered in her confidence and the ability to say what’s exactly on her mind.

Phoebe Ryan

Phoebe Ryan

Tove Lo

Tove Lo

Tove Lo

Tove Lo at First Avenue, Minneapolis (15 Feb 2017)

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

GO Show fest. K.Flay and Paper Route at Fine Line Music Café, Minneapolis (13 Feb 2017)

K.Flay Setlist Everyone I Know Sunburn Can't Sleep Dreamers Hollywood Forever Black Wave Wishing It Was You The Cops Get It Right You Felt Right High Enough It's Strange (Louis the Child cover) FML Blood in the Cup -- Encore -- President Make Me Fade Paper Route Setlist Love Letters Writing on the Wall Pretend Are We All Forgotten Balconies Untitled Gutter Mona Lisa Chariots Daye Jack Setlist Raw Easy Deep End Save my Soul Hands Up Falling for You(?) Finish Line Tour Dates 02/20/17 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre 02/21/17 Atlanta, GA Hell 02/23/17 Norfolk, VA The NorVa 02/27/17 New York, NY The Bowery Ballroom 03/02/17 Buffalo, NY The Waiting Room 03/03/17 Ottawa, ON National Arts Centre 03/04/17 Montreal High Lights Festival 03/06/17 Oshawa, ON Oshawa Music Hall 03/07/17 Waterloo, ON Maxwell's Music House 03/09/17 Hamilton, ON Hamilton Place 03/10/17 London, ON London Music Hall 03/11/17 Toronto, ON Massey Hall 03/14/17 Winnipeg, MB Burton Cummings Theatre 03/15/17 Saskatoon, SK O'Brians Event Centre 03/16/17 Edmonton, AB Shaw Conference Centre 03/17/17 Grande Prairie, AB Better Than Fred's 03/18/17 Red Deer, AB Bo's Bar & Grill 03/20/17 Calgary, AB Southern Alberta Jubilee 03/21/17 Nelson, BC Spirit Bar 03/22/17 Kelowna, BC Kelowna Community Theatre 03/24/17 Victoria, BC Save On Foods 03/25/17 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom 03/26/17 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom 04/05/17 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre 05/20/17 WKQX Piqniq Read More K.Flay After a short set by hip-hop songstress K. Flay (who we previously saw at a Go 96.3 show and was still promoting last year’s Life as a Dog (Bummer Picnic Records), this co-headlining bill ... Paper Route The last time we saw Paper Route, they opened for Copeland in 2009 at a really crowded all-ages show, and said “Paper Route are also from Nashville, Tennessee ...

Though there was love in the air at this pre-Valentine’s Day radio station concert, it was mostly noise (the good kind) that filled a sold-out Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis as the latest installment of local alternative station GO 96.3’s GO Show starring K.Flay took place.

The eclectic three-act bill started with Atlanta-by-way-of-Africa young rapper Daye Jack opened with a short set, and whose newest release, Surf the Web (Warner Brothers), came out last fall. The experimental Nigerian-born MC was armed only with a sampling beat box and bravely moved from end to end on the small stage, illustrating the weekday job grind on ‘Easy’ and taking more of a R&B/old school hip-hop vibe on the catchy ‘Deep End’. 

‘Hands Up’ has become even more relevant with all the inner city violence reports, the album version done with Run the Jewels’ Killer Mike while his ending ‘Finish Line’ found the rapper in a higher pitch, sounding in tone a bit like NWA’s Eazy-E. 

In a turnabout in sound, Nashville indie-rock band Paper Route was next, with a forty-minute set of anthemic, spanning songs that started with dim lighting, dry ice, and a backing tape of choir singing. The seasoned band has been around since 2004, but has made waves again, with last fall’s Real Emotions (Kemosabe Records) full-length and a recent appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers. 

The group (JT Daly; Chad Howat; Nick Aranda) is relatively small in size, but sounds much bigger due to their dexterity with multiple instruments and synths, and opened with the new ‘Writing on the Wall’, with singer Daly often moving vocally into a falsetto.  Remembering Valentine’s Day was near, ‘Are We All Forgotten’ was prefaced to be a song about “love and loss” and Daly said “this one goes out to all the lovers for a touching ‘Untitled’.

‘Balconies’ (the song they performed on TV) featured a sharp guitar solo incising through a wash of atmospheric synths and before their closing ‘Chariots’, Daly confessed they needed to return more often as it had only been their 2^nd or 3^rd time in town and offered a final Valentine’s Day message- “all you lovers have a great day tomorrow …all the heartbroken people, have an even better one”.

Fitting that Valentine’s eve brought in the Crush Me Tour, with Kristine Meredith Flaherty a.k.a. K.Flay having the alt-rock versatility of a Swiss army knife, in promotion of her upcoming 2^nd full-length, Every Where Is Some Where (Night Street / Interscope Records) due out April 7^th. The Chicago area native can sound hard and industrial, rap like M.I.A. or twenty one pilots, or just plain strap on a guitar and rock out, depending on the song. 

Sporting the bulky red “Immigrants Welcome” sweatshirt she recently wore on Conan, Flay opened with the bass heavy ‘Everyone I Know’ with ‘Sunburn’ next, which found her rapping against a piercing beat and rise-and-fall rhythm.  Ahead of ‘Can’t Sleep’, she mentioned that Minnesota was one of her “favorite places to play” and she is a station favorite as she opened their very first GO Show, just over a year ago. 

Following a brooding ‘Hollywood Forever’, Flay stopped to thank the audience for coming back out, as she had played this same venue the night after the elections in November, calling the explosive ‘Black Wave’ as the song encapsulating how she was feeling that night as she previously mentioned the song deals with “facing something immense and menacing and choosing not to cower, but to rise up”.

 ‘Wishing it was You’ was dedicated to Jane Fonda, who she saw at a recent LA Womens’ March, the new guitar-driven ‘High Enough’ had a sinister Pixies edge to it, and then the vibe turned more electronic as she covered Louis the Child’s ‘It’s Strange’, a collaboration she did with the Chicago future bass duo. 

The crowd rose up for the main set ending ‘FML’ with its manic lyric, “I need to stop, I been doing too much, I been running too fast, I been testing my luck” and lead single from the new album, ‘Blood in the Cut’ with Flay pleading on the chorus, “…I need noise” with the crowd singing along with the “na, na, na” bridge.

The encore started with the new ‘President’, a slow burner which again speaks to the state of the world and ended with the dark but pounding ‘Make Me Fade’ with the crowd clapping along and singing the chorus as gently as Flay sang it to them. 

Love may have been the air due to the impending holiday, but as proven by K.Flay’s genre-expanding seventy-minute set, noise- “the buzz of a sub” and “the crack of a whip” was what the crowd really came to hear. 

Miles the DJ	Daye Jack	Daye Jack	Paper Route	Paper Route
Paper Route	K.Flay	K.Flay	K.Flay	K.Flay

K.Flay at Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis (13 Feb 2017)

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

Minneapolis: March 1 to March 3, 2017

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from March 1 to March 3, 2017.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More The Radio Dept. From Sweden and our favorite Swedish label, Labrador comes The Radio Dept.'s David EP, released sometime in late June. …

THE RADIO DEPT.
at Triple Rock Social Club
Friday 03/03/17, 8pm ($15)
triplerocksocialclub.com

Sweden’s The Radio Dept. is back in the USA. They’ll be playing the Triple Rock Social Club on Friday. The duo (Johan Duncanson and Martin Carlberg) is touring in support of Running Out Of Love, available now on our favorite Swedish label Labrador Records.

Brooklyn’s Germans (Julia Kwamya) will open.

Tour dates:

Feb 22 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Feb 23 - Mexico City, MX @ Sala Corona
Feb 24 - Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda
Feb 25 - San Francisco, CA @ Independent
Feb 27 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Feb 28 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
Mar 1 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Mar 3 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
Mar 4 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Mar 5 - Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club
Mar 6 - Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Fairmount
Mar 7 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Mar 8 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Mar 9 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Read More Lake Street Dive Boston’s Lake Street Dive (named after Minneapolis’ dive bars!) sold out their appearance in trumpeter/guitarist McDuck Olson’s hometown at First Avenue in Minneapolis. …

LAKE STREET DIVE
at First Avenue
03/03/17-03/04/17, 8pm ($25)
first-avenue.com

Lake Street Dive (named after Minneapolis’ Lake Street dive bar area) is back with Side Pony (Nonesuch Records). The popular band was invited to play at the White House and sold out 42 shows in 2016. With high ticket demands, the band (and venue) decided to play a two-night residency at First Avenue.

Opening special guest is singer/songwriter Joey Dosik.

Tour dates:

Feb 21 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg *
Feb 23 Baltimore, MD - Joseph Meyerhoff
Feb 24 Millvale, PA - Mr. Small's Theatre *
Feb 25 Boone, NC - Schaefer Center *
Feb 27 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse *
Feb 28 Lexington, KY - Manchester Music Hall *
Mar 1 Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theater *
Mar 3 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue *
Mar 4 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue *
Mar 5 Des Moines, IA - Wooly's *
Mar 7 Omaha, NE - Slowdown *
Mar 9 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre *
Mar 10 Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater *
Mar 11 Laramie, WY - Gryphon Theatre *
Mar 13 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory *
Mar 14 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom *
Mar 15 Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre *
Mar 17 Stateline, NV - Montbleu Resort Casino *
Mar 18 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater *
Mar 19 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up *
Mar 21 Los Angeles, CA - The Theatre *

* w/ special guest Joey Dosik

Read More Los Campesinos Wow, it's been four years since we last heard from Los Campesinos!, at least in the USA. Since 2010, the band released two full lengths, Hello Sadness (2011) and No Blues (2013). … AJR Indie pop brother trio, AJR (Adam, Ryan, and Jack), will be joining this “Hell No” tour. AJR is certain ‘ready’, after their smash hit ‘I’m Ready’ hitting US Certified Platinum. …

Other shows in the area:

03/01/17 Los Campesinos is back in the USA! The last time we saw this six/seven piece band was in 2010, so it’s actually pretty rare to see this Welsh band. They’ll be trying to fit on stage at the Triple Rock Social Club this Wednesday. Crying to open.

03/02/17 AJR to headline The Garage in Burnsville on Thursday. We previously mentioned that they opened up for Ingrid Michaelson in October 2016.

03/02/17 Zoso - The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience is playing Studio B at the Skyway Theatre.

03/02/17 Dakota Jazz Club is hosting a The Lowest Pair show on Thursday.

03/02/17 Police singer Sting is playing the Myth. I consider this a “small” venue for this legendary singer, so I’m assuming it is sold out (without even checking). Joe Sumner and The Last Bandoleros to open.

03/02/17 Death By Unga Bunga is headlining 7th Street Entry. I haven’t confirmed it, but I believe their name a punchline to a bad joke. Do you choose death or Unga Bunga?

03/03/17 Music producer Illenium (Denver based Nick Miller) is touring in support of his new single ‘Fractures ft. Nevve’ (Seeking Blue and Kasaya Records). Illenium is stopping by Skyway Theatre on Friday, with opener Said The Sky.

03/03/17 Australian band Sticky Fingers is headlining the 7th Street Entry. They were supposed to actually play the venue in October 2016, but they had to cancel and reschedule the show to Friday, March 3rd.

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

R.I.P. Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown)

Read More James Brown The Godfather of Soul, James Brown's "Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto" from the holiday album A Soulful Christmas (1968). …

Questlove broke the news, via his instagram, that “The Funky Funkiest Drummer Of All Time” Clyde Stubblefield has died. Stubblefield’s wife, Jody Hannon, confirmed the drummer's death to Rolling Stone, citing the cause of death to be kidney failure.

Stubblefield is best known for being James Brown’s drummer.. their song ‘Funky Drummer’ is among the world’s most sampled musical segments - thanks to Stubblefield incredible rhythm pattern. Everyone from Public Enemy to Run-D.M.C. to LL Cool J to Beastie Boys to Prince has sampled this song’s drumming.

Below are more deaths for the month of February - for the full death list: Musicians who died in 2017.

February (31)

[18 Feb 2017] Clyde Stubblefield (American drummer for James Brown), 73, kidney failure

[17 Feb 2017] Peter Skellern (English singer-songwriter), 69, brain cancer

[16 Feb 2017] Pericoma Okoye (Nigerian singer), ?

[16 Feb 2017] Maurice Vander (French jazz pianist and composer), 87

[15 Feb 2017] E-Dubble (American rap artist), 34, infection

[15 Feb 2017] dinnerwithjohn, aka JohnWalt (Chicago rapper), 24, stabbed to death

[15 Feb 2017] Stuart McLean (Canadian radio broadcaster for The Vinyl Cafe), 68, melanoma

[15 Feb 2017] Tibério Gaspar (Brazilian musician and composer), 73

[13 Feb 2017] Trish Doan (Canadian musician for Kittie), 31

[13 Feb 2017] Carol Lloyd (Australian rock singer), 68, interstitial lung disease

[12 Feb 2017] Damian (British pop singer), 52, cancer

[12 Feb 2017] Robert Fisher (American singer and songwriter for Willard Grant Conspiracy), 59, cancer

[12 Feb 2017] Giusto Pio (Italian musician and songwriter), 91

[12 Feb 2017] Krystyna Sienkiewicz (Polish actress and singer), 81

[12 Feb 2017] Al Jarreau (American Jazz musician), 76, exhaustion

[11 Feb 2017] Jarmila Šuláková (Czech folk singer), 87

[11 Feb 2017] Walter "Junie" Morrison (keyboards in Funkadelic and the Ohio Players), 62, not given

[08 Feb 2017] Rina Matsuno (Japanese pop singer for Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku), 18

[08 Feb 2017] José Luis Pérez de Arteaga (Spanish music critic, musicologist and journalist), 66

[07 Feb 2017] Svend Asmussen (Danish jazz violinist), 100

[07 Feb 2017] Loukianos Kilaidonis (Greek singer-songwriter), 73, respiratory infection

[06 Feb 2017] Ritchie Yorke (Australian music journalist), 73, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

[05 Feb 2017] David Axelrod (American Jazz musician), 83

[05 Feb 2017] Sonny Geraci (American musician for The Outsiders and Climax), 69

[05 Feb 2017] Howard Philpott (British broadcaster for BBC Radio 4), 63, cancer

[04 Feb 2017] Gervase de Peyer (British clarinetist), 90

[04 Feb 2017] Jeff Graham (British radio presenter for Radio Luxembourg and Capital Radio)

[04 Feb 2017] Steve Lang (Canadian musician for April Wine), 67

[04 Feb 2017] Noel Simms (Jamaican reggae musician), 82, lung cancer

[03 Feb 2017] Robert Dahlqvist (Swedish rock musician for The Hellacopters and Dundertåget), 40

[03 Feb 2017] Martin Gotthard Schneider (German theologian and musician), 86

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

Minneapolis: February 23 to February 28, 2017

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from February 23 to February 28, 2017.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Julian Lage Following his Grammy-nominated 2009 debut Sounding Point, virtuoso guitarist Julian Lage returns with the evocative and finely wrought Gladwell - the second effort by his offbeat .…

JULIAN LAGE & CHRIS ELDRIDGE
at Hopkins Center
Saturday, 02/25/17, 7pm ($27)
hopkinsartscenter.com

Once again, Julian Lage (renowned jazz guitarist from the supergroup Punch Brothers) and Chris Eldridge will team up to produce a new record called Mount Royal - coming out February 24th on Free Dirt Records.

The duo is often described as “sophisticated” and “intelligent”, so expect plenty of lyrics, storytelling songs, and catchy “old time fiddle” songs.

Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge Tour Dates:

02/21 - Columbia, MO @ Rose Music Hall
02/22 - St Louis, MO @ Old Rock House
02/24 - Madison, WI @ The Frequency
02/25 - Hopkins, MN @ Hopkins Center
02/26 - Chicago, IL @ Old Town School
02/27 - Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
03/01 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
03/02 - Nashville, TN @ Station Inn
03/03 - Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
03/04 - Fredericksburg, VA @ Fredericksburg Fest
03/05 - Vienna, VA @ Jammin' Java
03/07 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Café
03/08 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
03/09 - New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2
03/10 - New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2*
03/17 - Cambridge, MA @ Sanders Theatre*
03/18 - Brownfield, ME @ Stone Mountain Arts Center*
03/19 - Burlington, VT @ First Unitarian Church*
03/22 - Fairfield, CT @ Stage One*
03/23 - Turners Falls, MA @ Shea Theatre*
03/23 – 03/26 - Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears Festival*
03/24 - Albany, NY @ Massry Center for the Arts*
03/25 - Rocky Mount, VA @ Harvester *
03/27 - Lexington, KY @ Wood Songs Old Time*
03/28 - Cincinnati, OH @ The Ballroom at
04/06 - Savannah, GA @ Charles H. Morris Ctr
04/13 - Waimea, HI @ Kahilu Theatre
04/14 - Kahului, HI @ Maui Arts & Cultural Ctr
04/15 - Honolulu, HI @ Hawaii Theatre
04/18 - Seattle, WA @Neptune Theatre
04/19 - Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
04/21 - Santa Cruz, CA @ Kuumbwa Jazz Ctr
04/22 - Berkeley, CA @ Freight & Salvage
04/23 - Davis, CA @ Jackson Hall
04/25 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Campbell Hall
04/26 - Malibu, CA @ Smothers Theatre
04/27 - La Jolla, CA @ Ballroom, Price Center

*w/ Aoife O’Donovan

Read More The Japanese House I love The Japanese House. Their music is so pleasant and always brings me to a very happy place. I would describe it as cool, synth music with a surf/water vibe. I recommend all of the Japanese House EPs. ....

THE JAPANESE HOUSE
at Triple Rock Social Club
Monday, 02/27/17, 8pm ($15)
triplerocksocialclub.com

British singer Amber Bain, billed as The Japanese House is touring the U.S.A. (heading to SXSW 2017), in support of her third EP Swim Against The Tide. She is getting great buzz for being on the longlist for the BBC Sound of 2017, so catch her now to see what she’s all about.

Later on this year, she’ll be supporting The 1975 on their UK arena tour.

Blaise Moore will open.

Tour dates:

02/21 - A&R Music Bar - Columbus, OH
02/22 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
02/23 - Pike Room - Pontiac, MI
02/24 - Park Theatre - Holland, MI
02/25 - Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
02/27 - Triple Rock - Minneapolis, MN
02/28 - Riot Room - Kansas City, MO
03/01 - Lost Lake Lounge - Denver, CO
03/02 - 03/05 - Okeechobee Festival
03/05 - Holocene - Portland, OR
03/06 - The Crocodile- Seattle, WA
03/08 - The Chapel - San Francisco, CA
03/10 - Teragram Ballroom - Los Angeles, CA
03/15-03/19 - SXSW 2017
03/20 - Exit In - Nashville, TN
03/21 - Aisle 5 - Atlanta, GA
03/22 - Cat’s Cradle Back Room - Carrboro, NC
03/24 - Rock & Roll Hotel - Washington, DC
03/25 - The Foundry - Philadelphia, PA
03/26 - The Sinclair - Boston, MA
03/28 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY

Read More Electric Guest Vinyl LP pressing. 2012 Danger Mouse-produced album from L.A.-based Indie duo Asa Taccone and Matthew Compton-collectively known as Electric Guest. .... Nine Pound Shadow Melody Nine Pound Shadow Original Release Date: November 13, 2015 Release Date: November 13, 2015 Label: 30th Century Records/Columbia ....

ELECTRIC GUEST
at Triple Rock Social Club
Tuesday, 02/28/17, 8pm ($12)
triplerocksocialclub.com

L.A., by the way of Berkeley, duo Electric Guest (Asa Taccone and Matthew Compton) is headlining the Triple Rock this Tuesday.

Show up early to check out the Bay Area’s newest up-and-coming duo Nine Pound Shadow (brothers Brendain and Christopher Langlois), currently signed to Danger Mouse’s latest signing to 30th Century Records.

Nine Pound Shadow tour dates:

2/21 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
2/23 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
2/24 Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
2/26 Denver, CO @ Bluebird
2/27 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
2/28 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
3/01 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall

* all dates supporting Electric Guest

Read More Thundercat Thundercat Look, I love the ThunderCats cartoon (I own all the DVDs)... so I'm always hesitant when a band named themselves after something I love. To be fair, the Arctic Cat … LVL UP Brooklyn's LVL UP will be stopping by, transitioning their tour with Big Ups (07/24) and Upset (07/29). The group have a new Three Songs 7", set for release on August 1st via Run For Cover/Double Double Whammy. ...

Other shows in the area:

02/23/17 Too Close To Touch will be headlining The Garage in Burnsville. Waterparks and Creeper to open.

02/23/17 Orlando, Florida's You Blew It! touring in support of Abendrot (Big Scary Monster), stopping by the 7th Street Entry this Thursday. All Get Out and Free Throw to open.

02/24/17 Black Atlass’ first-ever tour will stop by 7th Street Entry on Friday, in support of Haunted Paradise record. Overwerk to open.

02/24/17 Electronic rock band Savoy (not to be confused with Savoy Motel) will be headlining First Avenue’s mainroom on February 24th in support of their EP Tomorrow Today pt. 1. This is the follow-up to their #1 Hype Machine single ‘1000 Years’ and their #3 on iTunes Dance charts. Puppet and Blanda to open.

02/24/17 Grammy-winning bassist & singer Thundercat (not to be confused with the cartoon ThunderCats) is touring in support of his new album Drunk. The sold is show at the Fine Line Music Café, and as of this writing, no opening band is listed.

02/24/17 Electronic/DJ act Borgeous will be headlining Skyway Theatre.

02/25/17 Known for their incredible live shows, funk band Lettuce will be headlining First Avenue’s mainroom this Saturday. The Russ Liquid Test will open.

02/25/17 Lil Wayne is headlining Target Center.

02/26/17-02/27/17 Belgrade-born guitarist Ana Popovic will be playing the Dakota Jazz Club on Sunday and Monday. Her latest album is Trilogy, which is a three volume featuring f twenty-three blues, jazz, and funk tunes.

02/27/17 Lvl Up (Level Up) and Palm will be playing the 7th Street Entry on Monday.

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

Boyz II Men at Mall of America, Bloomington, MN (11 Feb 2017)

Setlist On Bended Knee Water Runs Dry I'll Make Love to You End of the Road Motownphilly Tour Dates 03/03/17 Waterloo, NY Del Lago Resort & Casino 05/12/17 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center 05/13/17 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena 05/16/17 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena 05/17/17 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena 05/19/17 New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center 05/20/17 Houston, TX Toyota Center 05/21/17 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center 05/23/17 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center 05/24/17 Tulsa, OK BOK Center 05/26/17 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort 05/28/17 Las Vegas, NV T-Mobile Arena 05/31/17 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center 06/01/17 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena 06/02/17 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl 06/03/17 Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center 06/04/17 San Jose, CA SAP Center At San Jose 06/06/17 Portland, OR Moda Center 06/07/17 Seattle, WA KeyArena At Seattle Center 06/10/17 Denver, CO Pepsi Center 06/11/17 Omaha, NE CenturyLink Center Omaha 06/12/17 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center 06/14/17 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center 06/15/17 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena 06/16/17 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena 06/17/17 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center 06/18/17 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life 06/20/17 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre 06/21/17 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre 06/23/17 Buffalo, NY KeyBank Center 06/24/17 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center 06/25/17 Washington, DC Verizon Center 06/27/17 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center 06/29/17 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace 06/30/17 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena 07/01/17 Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena 07/02/17 Newark, NJ Prudential Center 07/05/17 Allentown, PA PPL Center 07/06/17 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena 07/07/17 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans 07/08/17 Boston, MA Fenway Park 07/09/17 Albany, NY Times Union Center 07/11/17 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena 07/13/17 Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center 07/14/17 Duluth, GA Infinite Energy Center 07/15/17 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena 07/16/17 Hollywood, FL Hard Rock Live Read More Boyz II Men the crowd would get to hearing the missing New Edition member this tour), before ending with two of his best known songs written / produced for Michael Bivins’ own protégés, Boyz II Men. ...

Motown… Philly… Mall of America Rotunda?!

Ahead of their sold out evening performance singing alongside the Minnesota Orchestra, Boyz II Men made an afternoon stop at the Mall of America’s main rotunda, for a short concert appearance to kick off the mall’s twenty-fifth birthday celebrations. 

The trio (Nathan Morris; Shawn Stockman; Wanya Morris) made the crowd “feel like it’s 1992” all over again, as this somewhat impromptu pop up show, was only announced at 9am on the same day, but the mall’s floors and multi-leveled balconies were still full of fans and onlookers. 

Harmonizing to backing tapes, the casually dressed threesome had hands swaying in the air from the opening, ‘On Bended Knee’.  Before proceeding, the group recalled their time in the area, having recorded that song with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis at their Flyte Tyme Studios, when the producing pair was still calling Minneapolis home.  “We spent a lot of time in this mall... shopping!” Stockman confessed. 

After getting the crowd to snap along with ‘Water Runs Dry’, the 1994 chart-topping ‘I’ll Make Love to You’ was next, written by Babyface and still had women in the crowd swooning as the trio handed out long stem roses to the lucky few. “Your standing here to watch us sing, is still the biggest compliment”, Stockmen said, acknowledging that musical tastes and the times, can change quickly. 

Their voices still in good form, the crowd ended up singing most of the end choruses of ‘End of the Road’, though that wasn’t quite the end as Stockmen announced, “We can’t leave you without dancing”. Tempo picked up and the group launched into their breakout single, ‘Motownphilly’, busting out a few signature moves as colored streamers rained from the ceiling near the end of the song. 

As the beats continued, Boyz II Men left the stage, people still screaming for more.  And the feeling of “partying like it’s 1992” can continue this summer as the group joins New Kids on the Block and Paula Abdul for an arena tour, including a June 14 stop at Xcel Energy Center, dubbed The Total Package Tour. 

Boyz II Men at Mall of America rotunda, Bloomington, MN (11 Feb 2017)

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

Minneapolis: February 18 to February 22, 2017

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from February 18 to February 22, 2017.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More William Singe Hotline Bling William Singe Original Release Date: October 2, 2015 Release Date: October 2, 2015 Label: Over Media Copyright: 2015 Over Media .… Alex Aiono Killer Alex Aiono Release Date: February 16, 2015 Label: Apt. 203 Records Copyright: 2015 Alex Aiono Music .…

WILLIAM SINGE
at Skyway Theatre
Sunday, 02/19/17, 7pm ($25)
skywaytheatre.com

New-signed RCA recording artist William Singe will be headlining the Skyway Theatre this Sunday. Singe has a massive online fanbase, over 3 million Facebook followers and 250+ million YouTube views. Forbes called Singe as one of the “5 R&B Artists to Look Out For in 2017.”

Opening will be one of the fastest rising YouTube star, Alex Aiono. In addition to his massive Spotify and YouTube views, the Los Angeles-based Aiono artist also hosts two Radio Disney shows and will co-host the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards.

Tour dates:

Feb 18 Chicago. IL The Riv
Feb 19 Minneapolis, MN Skyway
Feb 22 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre
Feb 23 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
Feb 24 Seattle, WA Showbox
Feb 26 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades
Feb 27 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst
Feb 28 San Francisco, CA The Warfield
Mar 1 San Francisco, CA The Warfield
Mar 3 Los Angeles, CA The Novo
Mar 4 Los Angeles, CA The Novo
Mar 5 Las Vegas, NV Brooklyn Bowl
Mar 8 Denver, CO Gothic Theatre
Mar 10 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
Mar 12 Dallas, TX South Side Music Hall
Mar 13 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom
Mar 15 Columbia, MO The Blue Note
Mar 16 Lawrence, KS Granada Theatre
Mar 19 Louisville, KY Mercury Ballroom
Mar 20 Nashville, TN Marathon Music Works
Mar 21 New Orleans, LA Joy Theater
Mar 23 Tampa, FL Ritz Ybor
Mar 24 Ft. Lauderdale Revolution
Mar 26 Orlando, FL Plaza
Mar 27 Atlanta, GA Buckhead Theatre
Mar 29 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Mar 30 Washington, DC The 9:30 Club
Apr 1 Toronto, ON The Phoenix
Apr 2 Toronto, ON The Phoenix
Apr 4 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory OC
Apr 5 San Diego, CA The Obsevatory SD
Apr 7 Honolulu, HI The Republik
Apr 8 Honolulu, HI The Republik
Apr 9 Kahului, HI Castle Theater

Read More Valerie June Valerie June Skies grayed, thunder rumbled, and a light rain fell as Memphis-based singer-songwriter Valerie June took the stage to open Day Two, in support of her acclaimed .... Oh Pep! Australian duo Oh Pep! (Olivia Hally and Pepita Emerichs) will be headlining the Cedar Cultural Center next Tuesday, July 12th, in support of their debut album Stadium Cake (out now on Dualtone). ....

VALERIE JUNE
at Cedar Cultural Center
Wednesday, 02/22/17, 7pm ( $20 / Sold Out)
thecedar.org

Valerie June is headlining the Cedar Cultural Center this Wednesday ... we previously saw her at Rock the Garden 2014 and described her as, “With Medusa-like hair and banjo-plucking skills, she declared, “We’re going to send the rain away” and did so, appropriately during ‘Rain Dance.’ Blues classic ‘Rollin and Tumblin’ was segued into her own ‘Workin’ Woman Blues’ and the gospel-flavored ‘This World’ ended the set, perfectly setting the table for the day ahead.”

Australian duo Oh Pep! (the “oh” stands for Olivia Hally and the “pep” is for Pepita Emmerichs) will open. The last time we saw Liv and Pep in July 2016, they were very talkative about how they met and how wonderful their friendship and musical partnership has evolved: “Part of the fun of their show is how much Liv and Pepi like to tell their stories. They had met in at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in 2009 as they had shared a passionate love for music (in the case of Liv: secretly country music fan). By the time they had talked on the phone, which, oddly, Liv took down notes, they had become BFF (best friends forever).”

Tour dates:

02/17/17 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone Cafe
02/18/17 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill's
02/20/17 Chicago, IL Park West
02/21/17 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom
02/22/17 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center
02/24/17 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
02/25/17 Kansas City, MO Knuckleheads
02/27/17 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
02/28/17 Austin, TX Paramount Theatre
03/01/17 Houston, TX Heights Theater
03/02/17 New Orleans, LA Republic NOLA
03/03/17 Birmingham, AL Saturn
03/04/17 Atlanta, GA The Loft
03/05/17 Charleston, SC Charleston Music Hall
03/06/17 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
03/07/17 Durham, NC Carolina Theatre
03/09/17 Washington, DC Sixth & I Historic
03/10/17 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Theatre
03/11/17 New York, NY Town Hall
06/01/17 Vancouver, BC Fox Cabaret
06/02/17 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
06/03/17 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
06/05/17 San Francisco, CA Great American Music
06/07/17 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
06/08/17 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
06/16/17 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark

Read More Mykki Blanco Mykki Blanco's debut mixtape, Cosmic Angel: The Illuminati Prince/ss is out now and you can grab it on their website. This "acid punk rapper" Mykki Blanco is also kicking …

Other shows in the area:

02/18/17 Mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile is finishing his “Live Broadcasts of A Prairie Home Companion” tour on Saturday in St Paul’s Fitzgerald Theater. Aoife O'Donovan and Sarah Jarosz to join h im.

02/19/17 Liverpool’s Banners is playing the 7th Street Entry on Sunday. Tor Miller to open.

02/20/17 Mykki Blanco is headlining the 7th Street Entry. We haven’t written about Blanco since 2012, so it’s been a while.

02/21/17 Austin’s Whitney Rose will be at 7th Street Entry this Tuesday. She is touring in support of her new EP South Texas Suite.

02/22/17 Punk/pop Partybaby trio will be headlining the 7th Street Entry on Wednesday - on their way to SXSW, of course! Potty Mouth to open.

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