W♥M (Archive)

Special Moments Memories Collection: Wall Art Reproduction Encadree are perfect for framing comic books

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 …

I love comic books, and for a time, I thought about framing some of my books for display. Unfortunately, because of the odd shape of comics (6.63" x 10.24"), you basically need to order a custom frame. I have inquired about custom frames before, and the quote I got back (with “Museum-quality glass” and acid-free matt) would cost about $80.

Earlier this week, I discovered these 7x11 Special Moments Memories Collection: Wall Art Reproduction Encadrée prints at Dollar Tree for $1 each. This size is nearly perfect for comics, the width is just about right, but the height is slightly taller than modern sized comics. It’s hardly noticeable, though.

I know it’s not meant for comics, but if I were head of the Special Moments people, I would recycle these frames and market it to comic collectors. Maybe upgrade the backing to a firmer acid-free cardboard or “comic book styling” frames. Charge about $5 to $10, and I can guarantee you can sell them.

Anyway, I bought 15 prints, and one of them was defective. At $1 each, I’m not going to complain... but just inspect your frames when you make your purchase. I pulled out some comics I thought is worth something or have a special meaning for me. Some are autographed, some I just like the cover artwork. It was kind of fun to go through some of my comic boxes.

Some tips when you put your comics in:

Use brand new bag and board, you don’t want to put your comics in naked.

Use standard sized books; double-size or monster anniversary books don’t fit in too well.

Flip the art print to show the plain white back to blend with the comic book backing board.

If the metal hanger on the back is horizontal, you can move it to vertical by removing the tape behind the cardboard.

I didn’t really care what the frames looked like, but if you have a preference, there seems to be four types of frames: Black, Gold, Gold with Bumps, and Brown with Gold Bumps.

If you don't live near a Dollar Tree store, their website sells these frame size (7x11) by the case - 24 frames for $24 - via dollartree.com. You might not have 24 comics you want to frame, but at that price, it’s still cheaper than one $80 custom frame.

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

The Posies at Turf Club, St. Paul (26 June 2018)

Posies at Turf Club Poster Setlist Dream All Day Love Letter Boxes Throwaway Any Other Way I Am the Cosmos (Chris Bell cover) Please Return It Golden Blunders Precious Moments You're the Beautiful One Suddenly Mary Licenses to Hide The Glitter Prize with Terra Lightfoot Ontario Flavor of the Month Burn & Shine Solar Sister -- Encore -- These Important Years (Hüsker Dü cover) Green Eyes (Hüsker Dü cover) Makes No Sense at All (Hüsker Dü cover) Sorry Somehow (Hüsker Dü cover) Grant Hart with Greg Norton Flood of Sunshine with Terra Lightfoot Tour Dates 06/29/2018 Kansas City, MO The Riot Room 06/30/2018 Denver, CO Levitt Pavilion 07/01/2018 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room 07/06/2018 Bellingham, WA Wild Buffalo House Of Music 07/07/2018 Seattle, WA The Neptune 08/31/2018 Into The Great Wide Open 09/01/2018 Zomerpop Festiva 09/29/2018 Barcelona, Spain Upload 09/30/2018 Zaragoza, Spain La Lata de Bombillas 10/01/2018 Cordoba, Spain Hangar 10/02/2018 Cadiz, Spain Aulario La Bomba 10/03/2018 Granada, Spain Lemon Rock Bar & Hostel 10/04/2018 Valencia, Spain 16 Toneladas Rock Club 10/05/2018 Madrid, Spain Caracol 10/06/2018 Pontevedra, Spain Teatro Principal 10/07/2018 Gipuzkoa, Spain San Agustin Kultur Gunea 10/09/2018 Paris, France La Maroquinerie 10/10/2018 Utrecht, NL Tivoli De Helling 10/11/2018 Groningen, NL Vera 10/12/2018 Heerlen, NL De Nieuwe Nor 10/13/2018 Alkmaar, NL Victorie 10/14/2018 Hengelo, NL Metropool 10/16/2018 Dusseldorf, Germany Zakk 10/17/2018 Kortrijk, Belgium Wilde Western 10/18/2018 Mechelen, Belgium Cultuurcentrum Mechelen 10/19/2018 London, UK The Garage 10/20/2018 Leeds, UK Brudenell Social Club 10/21/2018 Glasgow, UK King Tut's Wah Wah Hut 10/23/2018 Manchester, UK The Deaf Institute 10/25/2018 Bremen, Germany Tower Musikclub 10/26/2018 Hamburg, Germany Hakken 10/27/2018 Berlin, Germany Kantine Am Berghain 10/29/2018 Helsinki, Finland Savoy Theatre 10/31/2018 Larvik, Norway Sanden Kafe 11/01/2018 Stavanger, Norway Folken 11/02/2018 Bergen, Norway Club Madam Felle 11/03/2018 Trondheim, Norway Teaterhuset Avant Garden 11/04/2018 Oslo, Norway John Dee 11/06/2018 Goteborg, Sweden Pusterviksbaren 11/07/2018 Stockholm, Sweden Fasching 11/08/2018 Malmo, Sweden Inkonst Read More The Posies You might know Ken Stringfellow from The Posies (we all remember "I Can Dream All Day" song) and the re-formed Big Star. Speaking of moons & stars, his latest album is called Danzig in the Moonlight, and it's … Terra Lightfoot Guitarist-vocalist Terra Lightfoot is ending her North American show at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis this Tuesday (she’ll be continuing the rest of her tour in her native Canada). … Porcupine Everybody’s favorite riot punk band Babes in Toyland is headlining First Avenue’s mainroom. Porcupine and Bruise Violet to open. 8pm, $20. … DJ Jake Rudh This is billed as a Transmission (aka DJ Jake Rudh) / BNLX release show, but music fans may want to take note that at nearly midnight, The Ocean Blue is scheduled to appear. …

“By the power of Grayskull, I declare this concert awesome!” – Ken Stringfellow of The Posies at the show’s end. 

A loon-calling contest, Tequila Terra, and a special Hüsker Dü encore were all part of a very memorable 30^th anniversary performance from Bellingham, WA band The Posies, playing to a crowded Turf Club in St. Paul. 

As doors opened, local DJ Jake Rudh played a series of associated power-pop records, both visually on the screen lowered from above the stage, as well as in audio form between acts, to keep the crowd in a power-pop mood. 

Hamilton, ONT singer-songwriter Terra Lightfoot was first up, with band and well-traveled SG guitar named “Veronica” in tow, in support of last fall’s New Mistakes (Sonic Unyon / Sony Music).  Lightfoot (no relation to fellow Canuck Gordon) has a rootsy blues sound, and guitar work that is confident and often roaring with swagger. With stomping songs like ‘Paradise’, this is a storm from the great white north worth catching the next time through. 

The word was that MN/WI alternate rock trio Porcupine lobbied to be on the bill, and with good reason as the kind of no-holds-barred, unapologetic rock played by Casey Virock (guitars/vocals), Ian Prince (drums), and Greg Norton (bass) fit ideally into the evening’s playlist. 

Though somewhat new to most, the band has been around (in some form) for over a decade, spinning out of Virock’s former band, Space Bike, and is currently finishing a follow up to 2015’s Carrier Wave EP. The most common description of their sound seems to be Swervedriver meets QOTSA which has some germ of truth, but their forty-minute set, more showed a sound and stage presence, all their own. 

Virock’s skills on guitar are formidable, as is Prince on the drum kit, but the welcome presence was newest member and former Hüsker Dü bassist Norton, still jumping about and stalking the stage, adding extra punch to older songs like 2009’s ‘Dead Mint Club’ and 2011’s ‘Rooftops’ while newer songs like 2015’s ‘Connecting the Dots’ (recorded and mixed by Steve Albini) show the further evolution of the trio’s ‘90’s inspired sound. 

Virock even confessed to his car just getting broken into, with everything stolen except his amp and tucked away guitars, but that the crowd reception helped turn the frown of an otherwise unlucky day, into something positive. 

After a brief break and simple but appropriate set décor added (a tall, cylindrical image of a cake beater, a number 23 table marker) to help set the mood, the 1992-94 lineup of The Posies took to the stage for a two-hour plus headlining set. In addition to mainstay songwriter/guitar/vocalists Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, bassist Dave Fox and drummer Mike Musburger are completing the lineup on this special 30^th Anniversary Tour.

The band has come through locally a few times in the last several years, mostly in the form of pop-up/secret shows held in such local places as a former fire station and a church; but this time, brought the full (and loud) firepower as well as a youthful exuberance, fearlessly starting with their biggest commercial hit, 1993’s ‘Dream All Day’.

“Oh, yeah, this is pretty neat!” Stringfellow began, eyeing the anticipatory crowd, saying there was plenty to play, so the band wasted little time getting started.  The humorous back and forth “punny repartee” between the two bandleaders started early on, always keeping things light between selections from their three-decade power-pop library. 

Stringfellow declared the 30^th anniversary to be the tequila one diving into 1990’s ‘Any Other Way’ with a tray of said drinks arriving just after a melodic ‘You’re the Beautiful One’ (written by Ken about Jon and at a point when he thought the band might be over).  Vocal harmonies lifted 1990’s ‘Suddenly Mary’ to higher heights, with Fox and Musburger holding down the rhythm like they hadn’t been away a quarter-century. 

Lightfoot returned to the stage, baring another round of liquid refreshment, prompting Stringfellow to mention a few upper Midwest notable items, including the loon, prevalent in Minnesota as well as in Canada (enough to be on their dollar coin) which resulted in the pair doing their best bird calls, with Lightfoot staying put to help out on 2010’s polka-worthy ‘Licenses to Hide’ and driving ‘The Glitter Prize’. 

Momentum swelled with a frantic ‘Flavor of the Month’, the rhythm-propelled ‘Burn & Shine’ (featuring some blistering guitar), and the main set-ending ‘Solar Sister’ (dedicated to two longtime, locally-based fans in attendance). 

The encore began unceremoniously, with the band returning and taking up positions, then with Porcupine bassist Norton emerging to temporarily take the place of Fox. All tuned up before going into an awe-inspiring mini-set of four Hüsker Dü cover songs starting with 1987’s ‘These Important Years’ and its lyric, “it’s never happening to you”- but this magical collaboration was, in fact, actually happening, right before our eyes, ears, and smiling faces - “Posie Dü - dreams do come true!” Stringfellow exulted after.

“This song was our way to say thank you” Stringfellow explained about their own ‘Grant Hart’, also telling a story how Hart obtained his phone number and would talk to him daily for an hour or two, before suddenly ending things and never being heard from again. “This is so meta!” Stringfellow remarked, looking over at Norton as the song chugged in high gear throughout. 

As Norton waved goodbye, Fox rejoined the lineup with Lightfoot also returning for a savage, show-ending ‘Flood of Sunshine’, (the oldest Posies song that has its origins with Stringfellow’s old high school band) with Stringfellow on keys and Auer and Lightfoot dueling furiously on guitars, enough so that both shed several strings in the process.

The real flood of sunshine for the crowd was to see this seminal ‘90s band return with more enthusiasm and vigor than many bands half their age, and treating the audience to a one-of-a-kind musical journey capped by an unforgettable encore.  Add to that, the band’s three seminal albums will be expanded and re-issued by year’s end, via a PledgeMusic campaign and you have all the ingredients to once again dream all day, along with The Posies.

(click on any photo below to enlarge and see full image)

Porcupine

Porcupine

Terra Lightfoot

Terra Lightfoot

Terra Lightfoot

Setlist

Jon Auer

Ken Stringfellow

Posies

The Posies, with Greg Norton

The Posies at Turf Club, St. Paul (26 June 2018)

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

Minneapolis: July 1 to July 4, 2018

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on July 1 to July 4, 2018.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Janelle Monáe 2018 Poster Read More Janelle Monae For most attendees, this was their first opportunity to hear new tracks by the likes of Fratellis, Mazzy Star, Janelle Monae w/ Prince, Rudimental, and Bastille. … St. Beauty Atlanta duo St. Beauty (Alexe Belle and Isis Valentino) recently appeared on On the Rundown with Robin Thede to perform “Colors” in NYC’s flower district as part of The Rundown’s pop-up concert series. …

JANELLE MONÁE
+ St. Beauty
State Theatre
Tue 07/03/2018 (7:30pm/$53.50)
hennepintheatretrust.org

Everyone I know is really excited about having American singer, songwriter, rapper, and actress Janelle Monáe in town this July 3rd at the State Theatre in Minneapolis. Maybe this might be because she hasn’t been in Minneapolis since appearing with Bruno Mars in 2011.

Monáe’s third album, Dirty Computer, is out now on Wondaland Arts Society / Bad Boy Records / Atlantic Records.

St. Beauty to open.

Tour dates:

Jun 26 Phoenix, AZ Comerica Theater
Jun 28 Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theatre
Jun 30 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
Jul 01 Denver, CO The Paramount Theatre
Jul 03 Minneapolis, MN State Theatre
Jul 05 Chicago, IL The Chicago Theatre
July 06 Milwaukee, WI* Summerfest*
Jul 07 Grand Rapids, MI 20 Monroe Live
Jul 09 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre Detroit
Jul 10 Cincinnati, OH Taft Theatre
Jul 11 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Jul 13 Nashville, TN+ Ryman Auditorium+
Jul 14 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre
Jul 16 Toronto, ON Rebel
Jul 18 New York, NY Hulu Theater
Jul 20 Washington, DC* The Anthem*
Jul 21 Boston, MA Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
Jul 23 Raleigh, NC The Ritz
Jul 24 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore Charlotte
Jul 26 Tampa, FL Jannus Live
Jul 27 Miami, FL The Fillmore Miami
Jul 28 Orlando, FL House of Blues Orlando
Aug 04 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle

Harry Styles 2018 Poster Peking Duk 2018 Poster Gobbinjr 2018 Poster Read More One Direction One Direction became Cosmopolitan's first all male cover in its 40 year history. Some may jokingly suggest there aren't any "men" on the cover. ..…

Other shows in the area:

HARRY STYLES
+ Kacey Musgraves
Xcel Energy Center
Sun 07/01/2018 (7pm/$39.50)
xcelenergycenter.com

There’s no doubt that former One Direction singer, Harry Styles is more popular than ever since the group broke up. Due to overwhelming demand, the majority of this tour had been upgraded to add more seats and tickets.

Styles is touring in support of his self-titled 2017 album, which featured the platinum hits “Sign of the Times” (no relationship to the Prince song) and “Kiwi”.

Tour dates:

6/27/2018 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6/30/2018 Chicago, IL United Center
7/1/2018 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
7/3/2018 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
7/6/2018 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
7/7/2018 Seattle, WA Key Arena
7/9/2018 Sacramento, CA Golden 1
7/11/2018 San Jose, CA SAP Center
7/13/2018 Los Angeles, CA The Forum
7/14/2018 Los Angeles, CA The Forum

PEKING DUK
+ *repeat repeat
7th Street Entry
Mon 07/02/2018 (7:30pm/$15)
first-avenue.com

Australia’s duo Peking Duk will be headlining the 7th Street Entry this Monday, July 2nd. Their single “Fire” was the second most added track to Australian radio, streaming nearly 1 million times and broke into the Australian Spotify Top 50.

*repeat repeat to open.

Tour dates:

June 28: Stubbs Indoors, Austin TX
June 30: Venue, Vancouver BC
July 02: 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis MN
July 05: Brighton Music Hall, Boston MA
July 06: Le Ministère, Montreal QC
July 07: Velvet Underground, Toronto ON
July 12: Commonwealth, Calgary AB
July 14: Crocodile, Seattle WA

GOBBINJR
Kitty Cat Klub
Wed 07/04/2018 (7pm/Free?)
kittycatklub.net

Gobbinjr (stylized as gobbinjr) will be playing the Kitty Cat Klub in Minneapolis on July 4th, Independence Day.

6/28 - Columbus, OH @ Middle Earth
6/29 - Cincinnati, OH @ The Hub
6/30 - Champaign, IL @ Blips and Chitz
7/1 - St. Louis, MO @ The Shrub
7/2 - Iowa City, IA @ Gabe's
7/3 - Omaha, NE @ O'Leavers
7/4 - Minneapolis, MN @ Kitty Cat Klub
7/5 - Madison, WI @ Communication
7/6 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
7/7 - Detroit, MI @ Trixie's Bar
7/8 - Cleveland, OH @ Mahall's
7/9 - Pittsburgh, PA @ The Bloom Effect
7/10 - Flemington, NJ @ Flemington DIY

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

R.I.P. Joe Jackson (The Jackson 5)

Read More The Jackson Five The Jackson Five's "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" is quite cute. I believe they only released one Christmas album (in 1970), but the album's.… ....

Joe Jackson, the patriarch of the Jackson family (not to be confused with English songwriter Joe Jackson), has died at the age of 89, according to tmz.com.

Joe Jackson was the mastermind behind The Jackson 5, launching them to a music career... but not without an iron fist. Although his abusive parenting style does not look good on Joe, he said that his style kept made his kids successful, particularly the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and his sister Janet Jackson.

Joe Jackson was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2014.

Below are more deaths for the month of June - for the full death list: Musicians who died in 2018.

June (47)

[27 Jun 2018] Joe Jackson (American band manager for Jackson 5), 89, pancreatic cancer

[26 Jun 2018] Fedor Frešo (Slovak rock and jazz bassist), 71, heart failure

[26 Jun 2018] Bo Nilsson (Swedish composer), 81

[24 Jun 2018] Xiomara Alfaro (Cuban opera singer), 88

[24 Jun 2018] George Cameron (American musician for The Left Banke),70, cancer

[23 Jun 2018] Violeta Rivas (Argentine singer and actress), 80

[22 Jun 2018] Geoffrey Oryema (Ugandan musician), 65

[22 Jun 2018] Vinnie Paul (American drummer for Pantera),54

[20 Jun 2018] David Bianco (American record producer, engineer and mixer for Tom Petty, Teenage Fanclub),63, stroke

[20 Jun 2018] Hacer Tülü (Turkish singer), 40, shot

[19 Jun 2018] Efrén Echeverría (Paraguayan musician, composer, and record collector), 86

[19 Jun 2018] Ángel Medardo Luzuriaga (Ecuadorian Andean cumbia musician), 82

[19 Jun 2018] Bansi Quinteros (Spanish keyboardist for GMS), 41, blood cancer

[19 Jun 2018] Lowrell Simon (American soul singer-songwriter), 75

[18 Jun 2018] Barry McDaniel (American opera singer), 87

[18 Jun 2018] Billy Sammeth (American talent manager for Dolly Parton and Cher), 66, pancreatic cancer

[18 Jun 2018] Jimmy Wopo (American rapper), 21, murdered

[18 Jun 2018] XXXTentacion (American rapper), 20, murdered

[17 Jun 2018] Rebecca Parris (American jazz singer), 66

[15 Jun 2018] Matt Murphy (American guitarist for The Blues Brothers), 88

[15 Jun 2018] Nick Knox (American drummer for The Cramps), 60

[15 Jun 2018] Enoch zu Guttenberg (German conductor), 71

[13 Jun 2018] D. J. Fontana (American Hall of Fame rock drummer for Elvis Presley), 87

[12 Jun 2018] Jarosław Kozidrak (Polish guitarist, keyboardist and composer), 63

[12 Jun 2018] Jon Hiseman (English drummer for Colosseum), 73, brain cancer

[12 Jun 2018] Wayne Dockery (American jazz double bassist), 76

[12 Jun 2018] Helena Dunicz-Niwińska (Polish violinist, translator and author), 102

[11 Jun 2018] Maria Butaciu (Romanian folk singer), 78

[11 Jun 2018] Bonaldo Giaiotti (Italian operatic bass), 85

[11 Jun 2018] Yvette Horner (French accordionist), 95

[10 Jun 2018] Neal E. Boyd (American singer for America's Got Talent), 42, heart and kidney failure and liver disease

[10 Jun 2018] Ras Kimono (Nigerian reggae musician), 60

[09 Jun 2018] Lorraine Gordon (American jazz club owner for Village Vanguard), 95, stroke

[08 Jun 2018] Danny Kirwan (British Hall of Fame guitarist for Fleetwood Mac), 68

[08 Jun 2018] Gino Santercole (Italian singer and songwriter), 77, heart attack

[07 Jun 2018] Stefan Weber (Austrian singer), 71

[06 Jun 2018] Jimmy Gonzalez (American Tejano singer for Mazz), 67, diabetes

[06 Jun 2018] Teddy Johnson (English singer for Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson), 97

[06 Jun 2018] Ralph Santolla (American metal guitarist for Deicide), 51, heart attack

[05 Jun 2018] Brian Browne (Canadian jazz pianist), 81, lung and tracheal cancer

[04 Jun 2018] Norman Edge (American jazz musician), 84

[04 Jun 2018] Jalal Mansur Nuriddin (American singer-songwriter for The Last Poets), 73, cancer

[04 Jun 2018] Marc Ogeret (French singer), 86

[03 Jun 2018] Robert Brylewski (Polish singer-songwriter for Armia), 57

[03 Jun 2018] Clarence Fountain (American gospel musician for The Blind Boys of Alabama), 88, diabetes

[01 Jun 2018] Eddy Clearwater (American blues singer and guitarist), 83, heart failure

[01 Jun 2018] Sinan Sakić (Serbian turbo-folk singer),61

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

Minneapolis: June 29 to June 30, 2018

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from June 29 to June 30, 2018.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Matthew Sweet 2018 Poster Read More Matthew Sweet Anyway, currently, Matthew Sweet is back with a new album, after a six-year hiatus, called Tomorrow Forever (Honeycomb Hideout, through Sony’s RED Distribution). The new 17-song album will be …

MATTHEW SWEET
+ LowRay
Turf Club
Fri 06/29/2018 (8pm/$30)
turfclub.net

The truth is, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Anime-loving singer/songwriter Matthew Sweet since I heard his breakout hit single “Girlfriend.” Sweet was my very first concert in 1991, at the Cadillac Club (long defunct) in Fresno, California. I was still in high school and still love and know all of the lyrics from Sweet’s albums and EPs pre-Son of Altered Beast.

Sweet is back in town in support of his 13th studio album Tomorrow’s Daughter (the follow-up to Tomorrow Forever), available via Honeycomb Hideout and MRI/Sony.

LowRay (Dan Fowlds and James Irving) to open.

Tour dates:

6/19: Dewey Beach, DE at Bottle & Cork
6/20: New York, NY at Le Poisson Rouge
6/21: Philadelphia, PA at World Cafe Live
6/22: Cleveland, OH at Beachland Ballroom
6/23: Ann Arbor, MI at The Ark
6/24: Indianapolis, IN at Hi-Fi
6/27: Des Moines, IA at Wooly's
6/28: Milwaukee, WI at Summerfest
6/29: Minneapolis, MN at Turf Club
6/30: Lincoln, NE at the Bourbon Theater
7/10: Kansas City, MO at Knuckleheads
7/11: Bloomington, IL at Castle Theatre
7/12: Evanston, IL at SPACE
7/13: Chicago, IL at Square Roots Festival
7/14: St. Louis, MO at Delmar Hall
7/15: Nashville, TN at City Winery

Go Fest 2018 Poster Post Animal at 7th Street Poster Grizzly Bear/Spoon at Surley Poster Read More Spoon Daniel’s voice and guitar work moved from elegance to fierceness almost on a coin-flip, and the songs on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga received the most enthusiastic response. .... Grizzly Bear Grizzly Bear will be headlining the Palace Theatre in St Paul on December 1st. Their latest album Painted Ruins is out now on RCA Records. Serpentwithfeet to open. ....

Other shows in the area:

GO FEST
feat. L.I.F.T., Awolnation, The Neighbourhood, Lovelytheband
Cabooze Plaza
Fri 06/29/2018 (4pm/$44.96)
cabooze.com

The latest Go Fest will be taking place at the Cabooze Plaza on Friday, June 29th. This year’s line features L.I.F.T., Awolnation, The Neighbourhood and Lovelytheband... all popular, hot bands.

Awolnation tour dates:

June 21 Hampton Beach Casino Hampton Beach, NH
June 22 The Strand Providence, RI
June 23 Innsbrook After Hours Richmond, VA
June 24 Bogart’s Cincinnati, OH
June 27 The Pageant St. Louis, MO
June 28 Brady Theater Tulsa, OK
June 29 Cabooze Outdoor Plaza Minneapolis, MN
June 30 Hollywood Casino Amp Tinley Park, IL
July 21 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion The Woodlands, TX
July 22 Merriweather Post Pavillion Columbia, MD
July 27 Providence Medical Ctr Amp Bonner Springs, KS

POST ANIMAL
+ Slow Pulp
7th Street Entry
Sat 06/30/2018 (8pm/$13)
first-avenue.com

Chicago six-piece psychedelic rock Post Animal is playing the 7th Street Entry on Saturday, June 30th.

Slow Pulp to open.

Tour dates:

06/21 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge %
06/22 - Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret %
06/23 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza %
06/25 - Boise, ID @ Garden City Projects %
06/26 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court %
06/28 - Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Lounge %
06/29 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown Front Room %
06/30 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry %
08/03 - Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08/04 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
09/21 - 09/23 - Dane, WI @ Prism Music & Arts Festival

% w/ Slow Pulp

GRIZZLY BEAR / SPOON
Surly Brewery
Sat 06/30/2018 (4:30pm/$41/Sold Out)
surlybrewing.com

It’s the hottest ticket in town: Spoon and Grizzly Bear is playing Surly Festival Field this Saturday.

Grizzly Bear’s latest Painted Ruins is available now via RCA Records. The album has earned widespread praise from the New York Times, NPR Music and GQ, who commended the band’s “strikingly gorgeous music and harmonies”, while Esquire called the record “Their most mature album yet.”

We caught Spoon in Sep 2017 and said, “Following a break, rolling fog crept in under dim mono-chromatic lighting (with occasional strobe lights) and five louvered panels behind a set of scalloped curtains, to set the stage for Spoon’s hundred-minute headlining set. An extended instrumental intro for the opening ‘Do I Have to Talk You Into It’ brought the band members up one by one in the near darkness, making it look like they were performing from inside the mothership from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

Note: the grounds are open at 4:30pm, so show up early to check out Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith.

Grizzly Bear/Spoon Tour dates:

6/20 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY
6/22 Stage AE - Outdoors Pittsburgh, PA
6/25 PNC Pavilion Cincinnati, OH
6/26 Live on 9th Street Columbia, MO
6/30 Surly Brewery Minneapolis, MN

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

Minneapolis: June 26 to June 28, 2018

The Posies 2018 Poster Read More The Posies You might know Ken Stringfellow from The Posies (we all remember "I Can Dream All Day" song) and the re-formed Big Star. Speaking of moons & stars, his latest album is called Danzig in the Moonlight, and it's … Terra Lightfoot Guitarist-vocalist Terra Lightfoot is ending her North American show at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis this Tuesday (she’ll be continuing the rest of her tour in her native Canada). …

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from June 26 to June 28, 2018.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

THE POSIES
+ Porcupine, Terra Lightfoot, and DJ Jake Rudh (Transmission)
Turf Club
Tue 06/26/2018 (7pm/$20)
turfclub.net

The Posies are celebrating their 30th Anniversary as a band. To celebrate this special occasion, Omnivore Recordings will be reissuing three classic albums by the Posies. Each of these titles (Fosting on the Beater, Amazing Disgrace, and Dear 23) comes as a 2-CD set featuring the original album remastered from original master tapes, plus almost all previously unissued bonus tracks, and on vinyl as a 2-LP set of the original album — mastered at 45 rpm.

The last time we saw the band, it was in May 2016 at a secret location (Patrick’s Cabaret), and we said, “In existence since 1986, The Posies had quite a catalog to draw from for their two-hour set, with core members Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow joined on drums by Frankie Siragusa for their first outing since the recent deaths of former members Darius Minwalla and Joe Skyward.”

Porcupine, Terra Lightfoot, and DJ Jake Rudh (from Transmission) to open. This should be a jam-packed night.

Tour dates:

June 21 Kalamazoo, MI Bell's Eccentric Cafe
June 22 Detroit, MI The Magic Bag
June 23 Chicago, IL Park West
June 24 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
June 25 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville Mews
June 26 St. Paul, MN Turf Club
June 28 Milwaukee, WI Summerfest
June 30 Denver, CO Levitt Pavilion
July 1 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room
July 6 Bellingham, WA Wild Buffalo
July 7 Seattle, WA Neptune Theatre

The Body 2018 Poster Sunflower Bean 2018 Poster Tracyanne & Danny 2018 Poster Ruby Boots / Jade Jackson at 7th Street Poster Read More The Body American sludge metal duo The Body (Lee Buford and Chip King) will be at the 7th Street Entry on June 6th in Minneapolis, touring in support of their latest ‘grossest pop album’ No One .... Sunflower Bean In celebration of their debut album Human Ceremony (Fat Possum), Sunflower Bean (Jacob Faber, Julia Cumming, and Nick Kivlen) is currently on tour - headlining the 7th Street Entry this Tuesday, April 5th. ..… Camera Obscura Camera Obscura is back with a new album, Desire Lines, out now on 4AD Records. The Scottish band is in America at the moment: …

Other shows in the area:

THE BODY
+ False, Lingua Ignota
Turf Club
Wed 06/27/2018 (7:30pm/$12)
turfclub.net

Metal band The Body will be headlining the Turf Club on Wednesday. Show up early to check out False and Lingua Ignota (aka Kristin Hayter).

Lingua Ignota’s Tour Dates:

06/22 - Calgary, AB @ The Palomino
06/25 - Winnipeg, MB @ The Good Will Social Club
06/26 - Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
06/27 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
06/28 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Cactus Club
06/29 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
06/30 - Detroit, MI @ Deluxx
07/01 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Lodge
07/03 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
07/04 - Montreal, QC @ La Vitrola
07/05 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott
07/07 - Brooklyn, NY @ St. Vitus
07/10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
07/11 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat Backstage
07/12 - Richmond, VA @ Gallery 5
07/13 - Durham, NC @ The Pinhook

SUNFLOWER BEAN
+ Public Access TV
7th Street Entry
Wed 06/27/2018 (7pm/$14)
first-avenue.com

Be sure to check out New York trio Sunflower Bean at the 7th Street Entry on Wednesday, before they head out on tour with Interpol! The trio’s sophomore album Twentytwo in Blue is out now on Mom + Pop.

We caught the band in Oct 2016 and said, “... we’ve been loving them for a while. Let me tell you about their first Minnesota appearance, opening for DIIV in 2015: everyone who showed up early fell in love with the band. I was there to witness as newfound fans were taking selfies with the band.”

Tour dates:

6/19 - Vancouver, BC @ The Fox Cabaret
6/20 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
6/23 - Denver, CO @ Westword Music Showcase
6/25 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb
6/26 - Kansas City, MO @ recordBar
6/27 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
6/29 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
6/30 - Indianapolis, IN @ Hoosier Dome
7/1 - Nashville, TN @ 3rd and Lindsley
7/12 - Ann Arbor, MI @ WQKL Ann Arbor
7/28 - Camden, NJ @ XPoNential Music Festival
8/4-5 - Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
8/11 - New York, New York @ East River Park
8/25 - Reading Festival @ Reading, Berkshire, UK
8/26 - Leeds Festival @ Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
8/27 - Hull Library @ Hull, UK

TRACYANNE & DANNY
+ Lomelda
Turf Club
Thu 06/28/2018 (7:30pm/$20)
turfclub.net

Tracyanne & Danny is headlining the Turf Club on Thursday, June 28th. You might not know the name, but they are Tracyanne Campbell from Camera Obscura and Danny Coughlan from Crybaby.

Lomelda to open.

Tour dates:

Jun 19 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall
Jun 21 Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
Jun 22 Montreal, QC – Le Ministère
Jun 23 Toronto, ON – The Great Hall
Jun 24 Detroit, MI – El Club
Jun 25 Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe
Jun 27 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
Jun 28 St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
Sept 1 Electric Fields Festival, UK

RUBY BOOTS / JADE JACKSON
7th Street Entry
Thu 06/28/2018 (7:30pm/$10)
first-avenue.com

Australian-born/Nashville-based artist Ruby Boots and Jade Jackson will be co-headlining the 7th Street Entry on Thursday.

Ruby Boots’ tour dates:

6/26 St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
6/28 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Entry
6/29 Davenport, IA - Raccoon Motel
7/1 Yorkville, IL - Law Office Pub
7/3 Rockford, IL - Anderson Japanese Gardens
7/26 Bozeman, MT - Live from the Divide
7/28 Red Ants Pants Music Festival
8/24 Highwood, IL - 210 Live

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

Minneapolis: June 24 to June 25, 2018

Sloan 2018 Poster Read More Sloan Canadian power-pop veterans Sloan have returned to our musical shores with an ambitious new double album, Commonwealth, due out September 9th on Yep Roc - and these guys ...

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from June 24 to June 25, 2018.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

SLOAN
Turf Club
Sun 06/24/2018 (7pm/$20)
turfclub.net

Canadian indie-rock royalty Sloan will be headlining the Turf Club on Sunday. The group’s 12th studio album is appropriately titled Sloan 12, available now via Murderecords/Yep Roc Records.

We saw the band in Oct 2014 and wrote, “It only makes sense that my first show at the revamped Turf would be an evening with one of my favorite bands, Toronto’s finest, those mighty kings of sublime harmony: SLOAN. To my delight, there was no opening act, only Sloan themselves, rocking out for nearly 3 hours (with a short break in between sets, of course) and generously doling out gems from their back catalogue like they were giving out Halloween candy early. A good portion of the set was also dedicated to their new album Commonwealth and, uh, spoiler alert, those songs sounded f*cking amazing. New tracks can be a little tricky to play for the hit-hungry masses, but the chosen Commonwealth cuts were pretty much a slam dunk with this Friday night crowd.”

No opening bands listed, but with Sloan’s large catalog of albums, playing a double set is no problem for the band.

Tour dates:

Jun 19 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
Jun 20 Detroit, MI St. Andrew’s Hall
Jun 22 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill Duck Room
Jun 23 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
Jun 24 Saint Paul, MN Turf Club
Jun 27 Timmins, ON Stars and Thunder Festival

The Sidekicks at Garage Poster Ana Egge 2018 Poster Dua Lipa at Armory Poster Bodega 2018 Poster Chromeo at First Ave Poster Circuit Des Yeux 2018 Poster Read More Chromeo Is Myspace back?... Details below: Chromeo and Questlove TriBeCa Grand Hotel, New York Sat 10/20 - Doors 10:00PM/Show 11 .... Circuit des Yeux Guests Circuit des Yeux (aka Haley Fohr) and Steve Palmer (no relations to Amanda Palmer). Tour dates: 09/24 - Montreal, QC @ Rialto Theatre 09/25 - Toronto, ON @ The Drake Hotel ....

Other shows in the area:

THE SIDEKICKS
+ The Spirit Of The Beehive, A Better Hand
The Garage
Sun 06/24/2018 (5pm/$10)
thegaragemn.com

The Sidekicks will be stopping by the Garage in Burnsville in support of their new album Happiness Hours (Epitaph Records).

NOTE: This all-ages event ends at 9pm, so show up early.

Tour dates:

Jun 24 Minneapolis, MN - The Garage
Jun 25 Omaha, NE - O’Leavers
Jun 26 Denver, CO - Globe Hall
Jun 28 Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
Jun 29 Boise, ID - TBD
Jun 30 Portland, OR - Tonic Lounge
Jul 01 Seattle, WA - The Funhouse
Jul 03 San Francisco, CA - Cafe DuNord
Jul 05 Los Angeles, CA - The Hi Hat
Jul 06 Phoenix, AZ - Rebel Lounge
Jul 07 Albuquerque, NM - Midnight Lounge
Jul 09 Kansas City, MO - Riot Room
Jul 10 Nashville, TN - The High Watt

ANA EGGE
+ Brianna Lane
The Warming House
Sun 06/24/2018 (7:30pm/$15)
thewarminghouse.net

Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Ana Egge is touring in support of her new album White Tiger (StorySound Records).

Tour Dates:

06/24 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Warming House
06/28 - New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall
07/12 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Owl
07/18 - Cambridge, MA @ Atwood's Tavern
07/19 - Oneonta, NY @ B-Side
07/20 - Portland, ME @ St. Lawrence Arts Center
07/21 - Cambridge, NY @ Argyle Brewery
08/01 - Saranac Lake, NY @ Berkeley Green
08/02 - Toronto, ON @ Rivoli
09/20 - Cambridge, MA @ Club Passim
09/28 - Hayward, WI @ Park Theater
10/25 - London, UK @ Green Note

DUA LIPA
+ Clairo
Armory
Sun 06/24/2018 (6pm/$32)
armorymn.com

Warner Bros. Recording artist Dua Lipa is burning white hot after appearing on SNL and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She’ll be stopping by the Armory in Minneapolis on Sunday in support of her self-debut record.

Tour dates:

June 24th The Armory Minneapolis, MN
June 26th Fillmore Auditorium Denver, CO
June 28th The Chelsea Ballroom – Cosmopolitan
June 29th Open Air Theatre San Diego, CA
June 30th Bill Graham Civic Auditorium San Francisco, CA
July 2nd WaMu Theater Seattle, WA
July 27th Panorama New York, NY
July 30th RBC Echo Beach Toronto, ON

CHROMEO
+ Pomo
First Avenue
Mon 06/25/2018 (7:30pm/$33.50)
first-avenue.com

Montreal funk legends Chromeo will be headlining First Avenue on Monday. Their fifth studio LP Head Over Heels is available now on Big Beat/Atlantic Records. The show is sold out.

Tour dates:

June 23 Rothbury, MI Electric Forest
June 25 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
June 26 Kansas City, MO CrossroadsKC
June 28 Morrison, CO Red Rocks
June 30 Rothbury, MI Electric Forest
July 3 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall
July 4 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall
July 5 Quebec City Festival D’Ete
July 7 Ottawa, ON Ottawa Blues Fest
July 20 Byron Bay, Australia Splendour in the Grass
July 21 Melbourne, Australia Max Watt's House of Music
July 22 Sydney, Australia The Metro Theatre

BODEGA
+ Products, The Florists
Turf Club
Mon 06/25/2018 (7pm/$10)
finelinemusic.com

Bodega’s Endless Scroll will be out July 6th on What’s Your Rupture? If you can’t wait to hear the new songs, come to their upcoming Turf Club show and I’m sure you’ll hear those songs live.

Tour dates:

June 21 - Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
June 22 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
June 23 - Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot
June 24 - Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
June 25 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
June 26 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Cactus Club
June 27 - Columbus, OH @ Used Kids Records
June 28 - Athens, OH @ The Union
June 29 - Washington, DC @ DC9
June 30 - Philadelphia, PA @ Everybody Hits

CIRCUIT DES YEUX
+ Marisa Anderson
7th Street Entry
Mon 06/25/2018 (7pm/$12)
first-avenue.com

Circuit Des Yeux is the experimental folk project from Haley Fohr. Fohr will be stopping by the 7th Street Entry on Monday.

Tour dates:

6/23/18 Reverberation Vinyl Bloomington IL
6/24/18 Rozz Tox Rock Island IL
6/25/18 7th Street Entry Minneapolis MN
7/21/18 Pitchfork Music Festival Chicago IL

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

R.I.P. Vinnie Paul (Pantera)

Read More Pantera They would later return for the encore to play Pantera and another classical. ....

Pantera founding member Vinnie Paul is dead. The influential metal band was nominated for Grammys in 1995 and 2001 and their record Far Beyond Driven went to #1 in 1994.

It’s tragically sad, because Vinnie Paul’s brother, Dimebag (also in Pantera), was shot and killed during a Damageplan concert in 2004.

E7LG issued this statement about Vinnie Paul’s passing:

Vinnie Paul Abbott wasn’t just a drummer, he was an iconic fixture in the metal and hard rock community, a pioneer, and an absolute legend. He was a self taught drummer who went on to win many awards for his impeccable skills throughout his career.

A founding member of Pantera, DamagePlan and his current band HellYeah, Vinnie was a vital force for bands and millions of fans worldwide.  Whether fans were turning their volume to 11 or headbanging their hearts out at live shows, Vinnie was an inspiration.

His most recent release, Hellyeah’s UNDEN!ABLE contained three hit singles, thanks to support from Sirius XM’s Octane.  “All of us at Octane are so broken hearted to hear of the passing of our brother Vinnie Paul. We sent love to his family, band members and fans.  You will be missed. Thinking of you reunited and rockin’ with Dime… Rest in Peace, Vinnie Paul Abbott”, Octane released in a statement.

Today, the world not only lost a legend, but also a genuine human being who lived to put a smile on the faces of everyone he met. May he be reunited with his brother as we all strive to continue his legacy.

Eleven Seven Music is heartbroken. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, bandmates, friends, and fans through this difficult time.

Below are more deaths for the month of June - for the full death list: Musicians who died in 2018.

June (41)

[22 Jun 2018] Geoffrey Oryema (Ugandan musician), 65

[22 Jun 2018] Vinnie Paul (American drummer for Pantera),54

[20 Jun 2018] David Bianco (American record producer, engineer and mixer for Tom Petty, Teenage Fanclub),63, stroke

[20 Jun 2018] Hacer Tülü (Turkish singer), 40, shot

[19 Jun 2018] Efrén Echeverría (Paraguayan musician, composer, and record collector), 86

[19 Jun 2018] Ángel Medardo Luzuriaga (Ecuadorian Andean cumbia musician), 82

[19 Jun 2018] Bansi Quinteros (Spanish keyboardist for GMS), 41, blood cancer

[19 Jun 2018] Lowrell Simon (American soul singer-songwriter), 75

[18 Jun 2018] Barry McDaniel (American opera singer), 87

[18 Jun 2018] Billy Sammeth (American talent manager for Dolly Parton and Cher), 66, pancreatic cancer

[18 Jun 2018] Jimmy Wopo (American rapper), 21, murdered

[18 Jun 2018] XXXTentacion (American rapper), 20, murdered

[17 Jun 2018] Rebecca Parris (American jazz singer), 66

[15 Jun 2018] Matt Murphy (American guitarist for The Blues Brothers), 88

[15 Jun 2018] Nick Knox (American drummer for The Cramps), 60

[15 Jun 2018] Enoch zu Guttenberg (German conductor), 71

[13 Jun 2018] D. J. Fontana (American Hall of Fame rock drummer for Elvis Presley), 87

[12 Jun 2018] Jarosław Kozidrak (Polish guitarist, keyboardist and composer), 63

[12 Jun 2018] Jon Hiseman (English drummer for Colosseum), 73, brain cancer

[12 Jun 2018] Wayne Dockery (American jazz double bassist), 76

[12 Jun 2018] Helena Dunicz-Niwińska (Polish violinist, translator and author), 102

[11 Jun 2018] Maria Butaciu (Romanian folk singer), 78

[11 Jun 2018] Bonaldo Giaiotti (Italian operatic bass), 85

[11 Jun 2018] Yvette Horner (French accordionist), 95

[10 Jun 2018] Neal E. Boyd (American singer for America's Got Talent), 42, heart and kidney failure and liver disease

[10 Jun 2018] Ras Kimono (Nigerian reggae musician), 60

[09 Jun 2018] Lorraine Gordon (American jazz club owner for Village Vanguard), 95, stroke

[08 Jun 2018] Danny Kirwan (British Hall of Fame guitarist for Fleetwood Mac), 68

[08 Jun 2018] Gino Santercole (Italian singer and songwriter), 77, heart attack

[07 Jun 2018] Stefan Weber (Austrian singer), 71

[06 Jun 2018] Jimmy Gonzalez (American Tejano singer for Mazz), 67, diabetes

[06 Jun 2018] Teddy Johnson (English singer for Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson), 97

[06 Jun 2018] Ralph Santolla (American metal guitarist for Deicide), 51, heart attack

[05 Jun 2018] Brian Browne (Canadian jazz pianist), 81, lung and tracheal cancer

[04 Jun 2018] Norman Edge (American jazz musician), 84

[04 Jun 2018] Jalal Mansur Nuriddin (American singer-songwriter for The Last Poets), 73, cancer

[04 Jun 2018] Marc Ogeret (French singer), 86

[03 Jun 2018] Robert Brylewski (Polish singer-songwriter for Armia), 57

[03 Jun 2018] Clarence Fountain (American gospel musician for The Blind Boys of Alabama), 88, diabetes

[01 Jun 2018] Eddy Clearwater (American blues singer and guitarist), 83, heart failure

[01 Jun 2018] Sinan Sakić (Serbian turbo-folk singer),61

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

Quiet Slang at 7th St Entry, Minneapolis (15 June 2018)

Quiet Slang at 7th Street Poster Quiet Slang Setlist Noisy Heaven Filthy Luck Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas Future Mixtape for the Art Kids Too Late to Die Young Spin the Dial Thirteen (Big Star cover) Young Hearts Dirty Cigarettes Throwaways Warpaint -- Encore -- Unsatisfied (The Replacements cover) Atom Bomb Kids We Are Nothing Trashcan Charm (new song) American Girls and French Kisses Punk or Lust Sadly Beautiful (aborted, The Replacements cover) Ride the Wild Haze Wind Beneath My Wings (aborted Bette Midler cover) I Got You Babe (Sonny and Cher cover) Tour Dates 06/21 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza 06/22 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret 06/23 – Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar 06/25 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord 06/26 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge 06/27 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room 06/29 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar 06/30 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar 07/02 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda 07/03 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada 07/05 – Nashville, TN @ The High Watt 07/06 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl 07/07 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle 07/08 – Richmond, VA @ Chilton House Read More Quiet Slang Quiet Slang is the new project from James Alex (aka Beach Slang). Quiet Slang’s debut album Everything Matters But No One Is Listening is available now on Polyvinyl Record Co. ....

While it was mostly the opposite of the noisy heaven that fans have come to expect, no one at all left unsatisfied—

Philadelphia’s James Alex, leader of indie-punk rock band Beach Slang brought his newest musical project, Quiet Slang which re-interprets many of his previous songs in a baroque-pop version set alongside cello and piano arrangements, to a feverishly loyal crowd in his favorite city to play, at the 7^th Street Entry in Minneapolis. 

Opening the evening was a short set from fellow Philadelphian and guitarist/singer Abi Reimold, whose 2016 release, Wriggling (Sad Cactus Records) touches on themes of depression, anxiety, and gender roles in her own intimate and self-therapeutic songs. 

Influenced by the minimalism of Radiohead and the vocal style and content of Lana Del Rey. Stereogum declared her an artist to watch when the album was released, and she seems fearless in letting the listener in on her emotions, and musically isn’t afraid to start deceivingly delicately, only to build to a combustible crescendo, so continues to be an artist to keep an eye on. 

“I have a cummerbund on” James Alex said, emerging from backstage for Quiet Slang’s eighty-five minute headlining set, which was a tale of two halves.  In addition to the wardrobe, the alt-rock Alex sported a smart dark jacket, bow tie, and ruffled shirt to complete things and the stage was decorated with a Magnetic Fields-like mélange of wrapped floral vines and cotton cloud-like shapes, behind him and along a counter console that tour manager/background vocalist Charlie Lowe helmed. 

The first half of the performance was an eleven-song performance of songs re-interpreted as elegant baroque chamber-pop (beginning with the 2015 Beach Slang song, ‘Noisy Heaven’), with the encore lasting almost as long, but instead featuring Alex mostly solo, with guitar. 

“We're gonna be a couple of drunk hippies, doing theater on this tour... thank you for letting us get away with it” Alex said before continuing with 2014’s self-deprecating ‘Filthy Luck’.  Stopping to look at his appearance, Alex said “I look like Tony Bennett” admitting, “we’re maturing irresponsibly on this tour”.

Musically, the first half was laser-precise, because (for better or worse) the cello and piano portions were all on tape, with Alex singing over them, which made for great listening though slightly less visually for anyone hoping to see live musicians.

Alex’s admiration for the city, its artists, and the venue are already well known and the singer is not afraid to emote how grateful and happy he was to be playing here again. “I love Minneapolis!” he beamed and “it feels like a church” (about the venue) with “the only reason I write songs is because they were a band” about The Replacements, a major influence on his sound- “we’ll never not come here”. 

Another musical influence, Big Star, was honored with his classical version of their song ‘Thirteen’ and he admitted his own ‘Throwaways’ was the “the low-fi, low rent version of Born to Run” though it comes off as more of a stands-on-its-own musical cousin, than just simple imitation.  Of the black and white video of ballerinas practicing showing behind him, sort of a Degas pastel come to life, Alex  endearingly said “My daughter's a dancer so I made a ballet film, so I can think of her every night”. 

After a lush ‘Warpaint’ to end the main set, Alex re-emerged for the encore with guitar in hand, announcing “there's no way I was going to play the Entry and not play a Replacements song” before his emotional version of the ‘Mats ‘Unsatisfied’.

After playing 2016’s ‘Atom Bomb’ from a shouted-out request, Alex briefly riffed on a couple T-Rex songs, saying he’s been listening to them almost exclusively after a fan in her mid-60’s recommended it, and saying he looked like a young Marc Bolan.  

The new ‘Trashcan Charm’ was played, a preview of the upcoming new Beach Slang album (due next year) with the crowd and Alex all getting a laugh out of the lyric, “my face ain’t much but it pays the bills” and also noting an early show reviewer referred to he and Lowe as “the Sonny and Cher of punk rock”.

“I've waited my whole life to play here- I mean that and you came out and made it better than I thought it could be…  Minneapolis, we can't love you more than we do!” Alex said, summing up his gleeful feelings before getting Lowe back on stage for a closing Sonny and Cher duet, to end the show positively, and also perhaps to prove that critic’s point. 

“We can be quiet and loud at the same time” Alex said mid-set and Quiet Slang’s performance did just that – much more quiet musically than his regular band (but to mostly great effect), and amp-ing things up a bit with the extended encore and the numerous die-hard fans in attendance, all singing along and answering each song with loud applause.

(click on any photo below to enlarge and see full image)

Abi Reimold

Quiet Slang

Quiet Slang

Quiet Slang

Quiet Slang (Charlie Lowe)

Quiet Slang at 7th St Entry, Minneapolis (15 June 2018)

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

R.I.P. XXXTentacion and Jimmy Wopo

Read More Jimmy Wopo Jimmy Wopo - Back Against the Wall [Explicit] Release Date: October 11, 2017 Label: TSO Music Group / Muney Lane Muzik Copyright: ℗© 2017 TSO Music Group / Muney Lane Muzik ....

Something really weird happened on the same day (June 18th), two young rappers XXXTentacion and Jimmy Wopo (aged 20 and 21 respectively) were shot and killed.

We don’t really follow rap, but by all accounts XXXTentacion was a rising rapper who knew his lifestyle would lead to death. In an recent TMZ interview, he said that he wouldn’t hire bodyguards because when it’s his time to leave, it’s his time. Just prior to his death, he had a positive message of hope... as if he knew he was going to be killed.

With his death, his two albums 17 and ? skyrocketed to #1 on the sales charts.

As for Jimmy Wopo, he is affiliated with fellow Pittsburgh based rapper, Wiz Khalifa. Wopo was found shot in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Below are more deaths for the month of June - for the full death list: Musicians who died in 2018.

June (37)

[19 Jun 2018] Efrén Echeverría (Paraguayan musician, composer, and record collector), 86

[19 Jun 2018] Ángel Medardo Luzuriaga (Ecuadorian Andean cumbia musician), 82

[19 Jun 2018] Bansi Quinteros (Spanish keyboardist for GMS), 41, blood cancer

[19 Jun 2018] Lowrell Simon (American soul singer-songwriter), 75

[18 Jun 2018] Barry McDaniel (American opera singer), 87

[18 Jun 2018] Billy Sammeth (American talent manager for Dolly Parton and Cher), 66, pancreatic cancer

[18 Jun 2018] Jimmy Wopo (American rapper), 21, murdered

[18 Jun 2018] XXXTentacion (American rapper), 20, murdered

[17 Jun 2018] Rebecca Parris (American jazz singer), 66

[15 Jun 2018] Matt Murphy (American guitarist for The Blues Brothers), 88

[15 Jun 2018] Nick Knox (American drummer for The Cramps), 60

[15 Jun 2018] Enoch zu Guttenberg (German conductor), 71

[13 Jun 2018] D. J. Fontana (American Hall of Fame rock drummer for Elvis Presley), 87

[12 Jun 2018] Jarosław Kozidrak (Polish guitarist, keyboardist and composer), 63

[12 Jun 2018] Jon Hiseman (English drummer for Colosseum), 73, brain cancer

[12 Jun 2018] Wayne Dockery (American jazz double bassist), 76

[12 Jun 2018] Helena Dunicz-Niwińska (Polish violinist, translator and author), 102

[11 Jun 2018] Maria Butaciu (Romanian folk singer), 78

[11 Jun 2018] Bonaldo Giaiotti (Italian operatic bass), 85

[11 Jun 2018] Yvette Horner (French accordionist), 95

[10 Jun 2018] Neal E. Boyd (American singer for America's Got Talent), 42, heart and kidney failure and liver disease

[10 Jun 2018] Ras Kimono (Nigerian reggae musician), 60

[09 Jun 2018] Lorraine Gordon (American jazz club owner for Village Vanguard), 95, stroke

[08 Jun 2018] Danny Kirwan (British Hall of Fame guitarist for Fleetwood Mac), 68

[08 Jun 2018] Gino Santercole (Italian singer and songwriter), 77, heart attack

[07 Jun 2018] Stefan Weber (Austrian singer), 71

[06 Jun 2018] Jimmy Gonzalez (American Tejano singer for Mazz), 67, diabetes

[06 Jun 2018] Teddy Johnson (English singer for Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson), 97

[06 Jun 2018] Ralph Santolla (American metal guitarist for Deicide), 51, heart attack

[05 Jun 2018] Brian Browne (Canadian jazz pianist), 81, lung and tracheal cancer

[04 Jun 2018] Norman Edge (American jazz musician), 84

[04 Jun 2018] Jalal Mansur Nuriddin (American singer-songwriter for The Last Poets), 73, cancer

[04 Jun 2018] Marc Ogeret (French singer), 86

[03 Jun 2018] Robert Brylewski (Polish singer-songwriter for Armia), 57

[03 Jun 2018] Clarence Fountain (American gospel musician for The Blind Boys of Alabama), 88, diabetes

[01 Jun 2018] Eddy Clearwater (American blues singer and guitarist), 83, heart failure

[01 Jun 2018] Sinan Sakić (Serbian turbo-folk singer),61

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