W♥M (Archive)

Minneapolis: May 7 to May 9, 2019

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from May 7 to May 9, 2019.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Snow Patrol at First Ave Read More Snow Patrol From Glasgow, Scotland, is Snow Patrol. I first heard of them through Belle & Sebastian's UK record label, Jeepster Records. They left that label for their third album (which proved a massive hit for them) Final Straw. … We Are Scientists We Are Scientists took the stage quite late into the night, and Chris Cain and Keith Murray chatted with the audience frequently between songs. They had a booming rapport that reminded me …

SNOW PATROL
+ We Are Scientists, Ryan McMullan
First Avenue
Wed 05/08/2019 (7pm/$35/Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

We haven’t written about Glasgow’s Snow Patrol in over ten years, so we’re very excited to see that they’ve returned to the Minneapolis area… stopping by First Avenue on May 8th. Of course, being absent for so long, that the show is naturally sold out.

Expect them to play songs from their latest album Wildness (their first album in seven years!), but also some fan-favorites, such as “Run”.

That’s not all, they’re bringing We Are Scientists and Ryan McMullan on this tour. What a great lineup.

Tour dates:

April 29 /// Boston, MA /// Orpheum Theatre
April 30 /// New York, NY /// Terminal 5
May 3 /// Toronto, ON /// Danforth Music Hall
May 4 /// Detroit, MI /// Royal Oak Music Theatre
May 7 /// Chicago, IL /// Riviera Theatre
May 8 /// Minneapolis, MN /// First Avenue
May 10 /// Denver, CO /// Paramount Theatre
May 11 /// Salt Lake City, UT /// The Depot
May 13 /// Vancouver, BC /// Queen Elizabeth Theatre
May 14 /// Portland, OR /// Roseland Theatre
May 15 /// Seattle, WA /// Showbox SoDo
May 18 /// Las Vegas, NV /// The Joint @ Hard Rock
May 20 /// San Francisco, CA /// The Warfield
May 21 /// Los Angeles, CA /// The Wiltern
Dec 5 /// Newcastle, England /// Metro Radio Arena ^
Dec 7 /// Belfast, Northern Ireland /// The SSE Arena *
Dec 8 /// Belfast, Northern Ireland /// SSE Arena*
Dec 11 /// Dublin, Ireland /// 3Arena*
Jan 14 /// Amsterdam, Netherlands /// Ziggo Dome
Jan 15 /// Hamburg, Germany /// Barclaycard Arena
Jan 16 /// Berlin, Germany /// Velodrom
Jan 18 /// Munich, Germany /// Zenith
Jan 19 /// Zurich, Switzerland /// Samsung Hall
Jan 20 /// Oberhausen, Germany /// Konig Pilsner Arena
Jan 22 /// Brussels, Belgium /// Forest National
Jan 23 /// Paris, France /// Zenith
Jan 25 /// Birmingham, England /// Birmingham Arena %
Jan 26 /// London, England /// O2 Arena %
Jan 27 /// Bournemouth, England /// Bournemouth %
Jan 29 /// Leeds, England /// First Direct Arena %
Jan 30 /// Manchester, England /// Manchester Arena %
Jan 31 /// Glasgow, Scotland /// The SSE Hydro %
Feb 2 /// London, England /// Wembley Arena %
Feb 8 /// Frankfurt, Germany /// Jahrhunderhalle
Feb 9 /// Vienna, Austria /// Gasometer
Feb 11 /// Milan, Italy /// Fabrique
Feb 13 /// Barcelona, Spain /// Razzmatazz
Feb 14 /// Madrid, Spain /// La Riviera
Feb 16 /// Lisbon, Portugal /// Campo Pequeno

% Special Guests: Kodaline And Roe
^ Special Guests: Foy Vance And Roe
* Special Guests: Ryan Mcmullan And Sam Fender

Other shows in the area:

1975 2019 Tour Jake Miller at Fine Line Andy Black 2019 Tour My Brightest Diamond at Cedar Matthew Logan Vasquez at Icehouse Read More The 1975 The buzzing Manchester, UK foursome has been out on a short (and very sold out) tour of the U.S., previewing tracks from its second full-length, breathily titled I Like It When You Sleep … My Brightest Diamond Show up early to check out My Brightest Diamond (aka Shara Nova). The singer just dropped her new album A Million And One on November 23rd on Rhyme & Reason Records. She’s currently .…

THE 1975
+ Pale Waves
Armory
Tue 05/07/2019 (5:30pm/Sold out)
armorymn.com

The 1975 is back in the area, stopping by the Armory on May 7th.

Pale Waves to open.

Tour dates:

04/27/2019 Veterans Memorial Coliseum Portland, OR
04/29/2019 UCCU Center Orem, UT
04/30/2019 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Morrison, CO
05/02/2019 Toyota Music Factory Irving, TX
05/03/2019 Austin360 Amphitheater Austin, TX
05/06/2019 Providence Medical Bonner Springs, KS
05/07/2019 Armory Minneapolis, MN
05/08/2019 United Center Chicago, IL
05/14/2019 Express Live! Columbus, OH
05/15/2019 Ascend Amphitheater Nashville, TN
05/17/2019 Hangout Beach, Music
05/19/2019 Charlotte Metro Credit Charlotte, NC
05/30/2019 Agganis Arena Boston, MA
06/01/2019 Governors Ball Music Festival
06/07/2019 Rock am Ring
06/09/2019 Rock Im Park
06/28/2019 Rock Werchter Festival
06/29/2019 Lollapalooza Stockholm
07/04/2019 Open'er Festival
07/13/2019 Mad Cool Festival

JAKE MILLER
+ Just Seconds Apart, Logan Henderson
Fine Line Music Cafe
Tue 05/07/2019 (7pm/$20)
finelinemusic.com

Singer, songwriter, and producer Jake Miller will be headlining the Fine Line Music Café, in support of his new EP Based on a True Story (RED music). The 6-song EP, which is written and produced by Miller, debuted on 17 international New Music Friday playlists and skyrocketed to the Top 3 of iTunes’ Pop Albums Chart.

Want a more intimate setting with Miller? He’ll also be at the Mall of America the day before (May 6), likely playing a few songs, including the hit song, “Wait for You”.

Tour dates:

April 27 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club*
April 28 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza*
April 30 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall*
May 1 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Rex Theater*
May 3 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall*
May 4 - Detroit, MI - The Loving Touch*
May 5 - Chicago, IL - Chop Shop*
May 6 - Bloomington, MN - Mall of America
May 7 - Minneapolis, MN - The Fine Line Music Café*
May 11 - Tacoma, WA - Alma Mater*
May 12 - Portland, OR - The Hawthorne Theatre*
May 14 - Oakland, CA - The New Parish*
May 17 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre*

*Logan Henderson and Just Seconds Apart will support

ANDY BLACK
+ The Faim, Kulick
Varsity Theater
Wed 05/08/2019 (5:30pm/$28)
varsitytheater.com

Singer-songwriter Andy Black is touring in support of The Ghost of Ohio (Lava/Republic). The album debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Rock Album Chart.

The Faim and Kulick to open.

Tour dates:

Apr. 29: Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Smalls
Apr. 30: Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
May 01: New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
May 03: Worcester, MA - The Palladium
May 04: Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Lanes
May 06: Grand Rapids, MI - Elevation
May 07: Chicago, IL - Metro
May 08: Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater
May 10: Cleveland, OH - Phantasy Nightclub
May 11: Detroit, MI - The Majestic
May 13: Toronto, ON - The Opera House
May 15: Montreal, QC - L’Astral
May 16: Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
May 17: Virginia Beach, VA - Elevation 27

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND
+ Tunde Olaniran
Cedar Cultural Center
Wed 05/08/2019 (7:30pm/$18)
thecedar.org

My Brightest Diamond is back on tour for her new edgy album, A Million and One. Tunde Olaniran will open the show.

Tour dates:

5/8 @ Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, MN
5/9 @ Lincoln Hall in Chicago, IL
5/10 @ El Club in Detroit, MI
5/11 @ Velvet Underground in Toronto, ON
5/13 @ Café 393 in Boston, MA
5/14 @ Rough Trade in Brooklyn, NY
5/16 @ Rock N Roll Hotel in Washington, DC
5/17 @ Gallery 5 in Richmond, VA
5/19 @ Rhythm & Blooms Festival in Knoxville, TN
6/22 @ Up North Pride in Traverse City, MI

MATTHEW LOGAN VASQUEZ
+ Frances Cone
Icehouse
Thu 05/09/2019 (10pm/$16)
icehousempls.com

Delta Spirit’s Matthew Logan Vasquez is playing the Icehouse in Minneapolis on May 9th. As usual with these Icehouse shows, because it’s a regular business in the daytime, that the show don’t actually start until after 10pm when the restaurant business is closed.

Tour dates:

05/07 - Oklahoma City, OK - Tower Studio
05/08 - Davenport, IA - Raccoon Motel
05/09 - Minneapolis, MN - Icehouse
05/10 - Chicago, IL - Schubas
05/11 - Indianapolis, IN - HIFI
05/13 - Toronto, ON - The Monarch
05/15 - Boston, MA - Middle East
05/16 - Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade
05/17 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle
05/18 - Washington, DC - DC9
05/20 - Charleston, SC - The Royal American
05/21 - Decatur, GA - Eddie's Attic
05/22 - Nashville, TN - High Watt
05/24 - Dallas, TX - Kessler Theater
05/25 - Houston, TX - Heights Theater
06/20 - Costa Mesa, CA - The Wayfarer
06/21 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
06/22 - Los Angeles, CA - Moroccan
06/25 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
06/26 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
06/28 - Seattle, WA - The Sunset
06/29 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
07/01 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
07/02 - Denver, CO - Globe Hall
07/05 - Austin, TX - Scoot Inn

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

Minneapolis: May 4 to May 6, 2019

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from May 4 to May 6, 2019.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Tristen: Dream Within a Dream Read More Tristen Opening up the show was Tristen Gaspadarek, otherwise known simply as Tristen. I believe this was her second appearance in Minneapolis, according to her banter on stage. …

TRISTEN
+ Meg Kirsch
7th St Entry
Sun 05/05/2019 (7pm/$12)
first-avenue.com

Nashville pop savant Tristen is returning to the 7th Street Entry this Sunday, May 5th, in support of her latest 7” called Dream Within a Dream - available May 10 via Louisville's This Man Records.

We last saw her open for Robyn Hitchcock and wrote, “Hitchcock reached back several times to older Soft Boys songs as well as those done with The Venus 3, even working in a David Bowie-penned Mott the Hoople cover with opener, Tristen, as part of the three-song encore.”

Opening up the show will be Kenny G superfan Meg Kirsch.

Tour dates:

05/02 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
05/03 - Davenport, IA - Triple Crown Whiskey Bar
05/04 - Winona, MN - Mid West Music Fest
05/05 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
05/10 - Louisville, KY - Odeon Louisville
05/17 - Nashville, TN - Grimey's New and PreLoved Music
05/19 - Knoxville, TN - Rhythm N' Blooms Music Festival

Other shows in the area:

Cursive/Mewithoutyou at Fine Line PUP at Fine Line Iceage at Turf Club Seaway at the Garage Read More Cursive Cursive does it right, playing a good mix of old classics, along with some selected songs from their new album, I Am Gemini, at the 400 Bar, last night. … Pup Toronto’s Pup (stylized as PUP) is headlining the 7th Street Entry next Friday, June 3rd, in support of their sophomore album The Dream Is Over, available tomorrow, May 27, 2016, via SideOneDummy. .… Iceage The Copenhagen four-piece punk band Iceage stopped by Minneapolis' Triple Rock Social Club last night, April 7th, as part of their tour for You're Nothing, out now on Matador Records. …

CURSIVE / MEWITHOUTYOU
+ The Appleseed Cast
Fine Line Music Cafe
Sat 05/04/2019 (7pm/$25)
finelinemusic.com

The co-headlining tour of Cursive and Mewithoutyou will be stopping by the Fine Line Music Café on Star Wars day: May 4th.

Show up early to check out The Appleseed Cast.

Tour dates:

05/04/2019 Fine Line Music Cafe Minneapolis, MN
05/06/2019 Turner Hall Ballroom Milwaukee, WI
05/08/2019 Bottom Lounge Chicago, IL
05/09/2019 Magic Stick Detroit, MI
05/10/2019 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, OH
05/14/2019 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
05/15/2019 The Met Pawtucket, RI
05/16/2019 The Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
05/18/2019 Black Cat Washington, DC
05/24/2019 Codfish Hollow Barnstormers Maquoketa, IA

PUP
+ Ratboys, Casper Skulls
Fine Line Music Cafe
Sun 05/05/2019 (7pm/$18/Sold Out)
finelinemusic.com

Ontario’s Pup is headlining the Fine Line on Sunday, May 5th, hot on the heels of their new album Morbid Stuff (Little Dipper/Rise). The show is sold out.

Ratboys and Casper Skulls to open.

Tour dates:

4/29/19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
4/30/19 - Pittsburgh, PA @ REX Theater
5/1/19 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
5/3/19 - Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom
5/4/19 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
5/5/19 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
5/6/19 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
5/8/19 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
5/9/19 - Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
5/10/19 - Houston, TX @ Rockefeller's
5/11/19 - New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
5/13/19 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
5/14/19 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
5/15/19 - Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
5/17/19 - Washington, DC @ The Black Cat
5/18/19 - Boston, MA @ Royale
5/19/19 - Sainte-Therese, QC @ Santa Teresa Festival
5/21/19 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
5/22/19 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
5/23/19 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
6/7/19 - Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
6/8/19 - Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
6/19/19 - San Diego, CA @ The Irenic
6/20/19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
6/21/19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
6/22/19 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
6/24/19 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
6/25/19 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
6/27/19 - Boise, ID @ The Olympic
6/28/19 - Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
6/29/19 - Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
7/1/19 - Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
7/2/19 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
7/3/19 - Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory

ICEAGE
+ Nadah El Shazly
Turf Club
Mon 05/06/2019 (7:30pm/$15)
turfclub.net

Danish punk rock band Iceage will be playing the Turf Club this May 6th. We caught the band in April 2013 and said, “Singer Elias Bender Rønnenfelt looked very emotional - yet with a blank uncaring stare that reminded me of Ian Curtis. Their music wouldn't really fit neatly in a punk genre; they seem to have a little self-loathing to their lyrics and sound.”

Show up early to check out Nadah El Shazly.

Tour dates:

April 27 - Victoria, BC @ Distrikt
April 28 - Vancouver, BC @ The Astoria
April 30 - Calgary, AB @ Dicken’s Pub &
May 1 - Saskatoon, SK @ Amigo’s Cantina &
May 2 - Edmonton, AB @ Temple &
May 4 - Winnipeg, AB @ The Good Will Social Club &
May 5 - Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium &
May 6 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club &
May 7 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall &
June 23 – Amsterdam, NL @ NDSM
July 5 - Dumfries & Galloway, UK @ Electric Fields
June 7 - Sat. June 8 - DMZ Peace Train @ Seoul, KR
June 11 - WWW @ Shibuya, JP

SEAWAY
+ Young Culture, Free Throw, Heart Attack Man
The Garage
Mon 05/06/2019 (5:30pm/$15)
thecedar.org

Seaway will be headlining the Garage in Burnsville this Monday, May 6th. As usual, this all-ages venue (The Garage), the show starts at 5:30pm and will feature at least two or three opening/upstart bands: Young Culture, Free Throw, and Heart Attack Man.

Tour dates:

4/27 - Charlotte, NC @ Amos' Southend
4/28 - West Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
4/30 - Jacksonville, FL @ 1904 Music Hall
5/1 - Nashville, TN @ Exit / In
5/2 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
5/3 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Back Room
5/4 - Bloomington, IL @ Nightshop
5/5 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
5/6 - Burnsville, MN @ The Garage
5/8 - Grand Rapids, MI @ The Stache
5/9 - Indianapolis, IN @ Hoosier Dome
5/10 - Toledo, OH @ Frankies
5/11 - Lakewood, OH @ Mahall's

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

Minneapolis: May 1 to May 3, 2019

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from May 1 to May 3, 2019.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

The Japanese House at Fine Line Read More The Japanese House 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 ....

THE JAPANESE HOUSE
+ Art School Girlfriend
Fine Line Music Cafe
Wed 05/01/2019 (7pm/$18)
finelinemusic.com

The Japanese House (not to be confused with Japanese Breakfast) is coming back to the Minneapolis area, this time at the Fine Line Music Café on May 1st. We previously caught the Buckinghamshire singer at the now-defunct Triple Rock Social Club in Feb 2017 and said, “As previously mentioned, the band is really a stagename for solo artist Amber Bain, who released three EPs: Pools to Bathe In, Clean, and the latest Swim Against the Tide. Many of these tracks were produced by Bain and the 1975’s George Daniel.”

The Japanese House’s debut LP Good at Falling is out now on Dirty Hit/Interscope Records.

North Wales-born, London-based Art School Girlfriend (aka Polly Mackey) to open.

Tour dates:

4/29 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
4/30 - Milwaukee, WI - The Back Room
5/01 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
5/03 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room
5/04 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
5/05 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
5/07 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
5/08 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
5/09 - Vancouver, BC - Fortune Sound Club
5/11 - San Francisco, CA - August Hall
5/13 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda
5/14 - San Diego, CA - Voodoo Room
5/15 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
5/16 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace
5/18 - Austin, TX - The Parish
5/19 - Dallas, TX - Deep Ellum Art Co
5/20 - Houston, TX - Bronze Peacock
5/21 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa
5/23 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West
5/24 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
5/25 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
5/26 - Philadelphia, PA - The Foundry
5/27 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
5/29 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheater*
5/30 - Boston, MA - Agganis Arena*
5/31 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
6/01 - Montreal, QE - l'Astral
6/03 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage*

* w/ The 1975

Other shows in the area:

Delicate Steve at 7th Street Strand of Oaks at Turf Club Superorganism at First Ave Griffin House at the Cedar Skating Polly at 7th Street Entry Read More Delicate Steve Oh Delicate Steve, where do I start? These dudes know how to rock. The guitar band from New Jersey played with the crowd literally last night in New Orleans at the Circle Bar. The last song, the band brought the entire.… Skating Polly Grrrl rockers Skating Polly will be in town next Wednesday, March 30th. The duo (Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse) was previously in town in in 2014 with White Fang. …

DELICATE STEVE
+ The Muckers
7th St Entry
Wed 05/01/2019 (7pm/$15)
first-avenue.com

Instrumental band Delicate Steve is returning to the Minneapolis/St Paul area on May 1st, in support of their latest Till I Burn Up.

Show up early to check out The Muckers.

Tour dates:

4/27 – Toronto, ON – The Baby G
4/28 – Ferndale, MI – The Loving Touch
4/30 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
5/1 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
5/2 – Davenport, IA – The Raccoon Motel
5/3 – Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
5/4 – Grand Rapids, MI – Pyramid Scheme
5/8 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right
5/9 – Brooklyn, NY – Alphaville
5/10 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
5/11 – Washington DC – Songbyrd

STRAND OF OAKS
+ Apex Manor
Turf Club
Wed 05/01/2019 (7pm/$18)
turfclub.net

Strand of Oaks is back on tour… catch them at the Turf Club, with Apex Manor as opener, on May 1st.

Tour dates:

4/28 - The Bartlett - Spokane, WA
5/1 - Turf Club - Minneapolis, MN
5/2 - High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI
5/3 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
5/4 - The Hi-Fi - Indianapolis, IN
5/6 - Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH
5/7 - Club Cafe - Pittsburgh, PA
5/8 - Sinclair - Boston, MA
5/9 - Music Hall - Brooklyn, NY
5/10 - Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA
5/20 - Metropool - Hengelo, NL
5/21 - Blue Shell - Cologne, DE
5/23 - Loppen - Copenhagen, DK
5/24 - Privatclub - Berlin, DE
5/25 - TivoliVredenburg - Utrecht, NL
5/26 - TRIX - Antwerp, BELGIUM
5/27 - Omeara - London, UK
5/29 - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, UK
5/31 - Whelan's - Dublin, IE
6/29 - Rock Werchter - Werchter, BE
6/30 - Halfway Festival - Bialystok, PL
9/1 - Into the Great Wide Open - Vlieland, NL
9/11 - Zanzabar - Louisville, KY
9/14 - Globe Hall - Denver, CO
9/20 - Back Room at Collectivo - Milwaukee, WI

SUPERORGANISM
+ Simpson
First Avenue
Thu 05/02/2019 (7pm/$20)
first-avenue.com

London-based eight person collective Superorganism will be headlining First Avenue’s mainroom on May 2nd… a massive upgrade to their previous appearance at the 7th Street Entry.

Simpson (not to be confused with The Simpsons) to open.

Tour dates:

April 27-28 - Fort Worth, TX - Fortress Festival
April 30th - St. Louis, MO - Ready Room
May 1st - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
May 2nd - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
May 15th - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
May 17th - Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival
May 18th - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West
May 19th - Durham, NC - Motorco Music Hall
May 21st - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
May 22nd - Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall
May 23rd - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall
May 25th - Boston, MA - Boston Calling Festival

GRIFFIN HOUSE
Cedar Cultural Center
Thu 05/02/2019 (7:30pm/$22)
thecedar.org

Nashville’s folky guitarist and singer Griffin House will be stopping by the Cedar Cultural Center, in support of his forthcoming album Rising Star (due out June 28th).

Tour dates:

April 27 - Chautauqua Community House - Boulder, CO
May 2 - Cedar Cultural Center - Minneapolis, MN
May 3 - Wisconsin Singer Songwriter Series - Mequon WI
May 4 - Seven Steps Up - Spring Lake, MI
May 9 - The Break Room - Chesterfield, MO
May 10 - City Winery - Chicago, IL
May 11 - The Break Room - Chesterfield, MO
June 1 - The Locks at Sona - Philadelphia, PA*
June 2 - City Winery Washington DC - Washington, DC*
June 4 - City Winery NYC - New York City, NY*
June 5 - City Winery Boston - Boston, MA*
June 6 - The Katharine Hepburn Cultural - Old Saybrook, CT*
June 7 - The Listening Room - Syracuse, NY*
June 9 - The Ward at Babeville - Buffalo, NY*
June 12 - The Ballroom at Thirty One West - Newark, OH*
June 13 - Springfield Arts Festival - Springfield, OH
June 14 - 20 Front Street - Orion Charter Township, MI
June 15 - G.A.R. Hall - Penninsula, OH

*Imaginary Friend Tour w/ Brian Elmquist of The Lone Bellow

SKATING POLLY
+ Monsterwatch, Strange Relations
7th St Entry
Fri 05/03/2019 (7:30pm/$12)
first-avenue.com

Tacoma’s punk-rock sibling trio Skating Polly will be headlining the 7th Street Entry. Originally listed with Jo Passed… but it appears that local bands Monsterwatch and Strange Relations will open instead.

Tour dates:

4/27 @ Norman Music Festival in Norman, OK
4/30 @ The Record Bar in Kansas City, MO *
5/1 @ The Ready Room in St. Louis, MO *
5/2 @ Schuba’s in Chicago, IL *
5/3 @ 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, MN *
5/4 @ 1867 Bar in Lincoln, NE *
5/5 @ Streets in Denver, CO *
5/7 @ Jub Jub’s Thirst Parlor in Reno, NV
5/8 @ Ivy Room in Albany, CA
5/9 @ The Dip in Redding, CA
5/18 @ Bothell Block Party & Brew Fest in Bothell, WA

* w/ Jo Passed | # w/ Culture Abuse & The Interrupters

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

Priests at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (26 Apr 2019)

Priests 2019 Tour Priests Setlist Good Time Charlie JJ Youtube Sartre Not Perceived The Seduction of Kansas Nothing Feels Natural 68 Screen I'm Clean Pink White House Texas Instruments Control Freak Jesus Son Gurr Setlist Walnuss She Says Hollaback Girl (Gwen Stefani cover) / Rollerskate Middleton Mall Don't Go to School Free Moby Dick #1985 Klartraum Read More Priests Priests will headline the 7th Street Entry on Friday, April 26th, in support of their new album The Seduction of Kansas (Sister Polygon). .… Gurr Gurr (Laura Lee and Andreya Casablanca) will open. Tour Dates: 16 April 2019 The Hall, Elsewhere, Brooklyn, NY, US 22 April 2019 Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL, US … .…

Washington DC’s rock band Priests (not to be confused with the band The Priests) headlined the 7th Street Entry on Friday, April 26.

Opening up the show was German duo Gurr, featuring Andreya Casablanca and Laura Lee… both sharing vocal duties.

From my understanding of the German accent, I think they said that this was their first time in Minneapolis, and they were really excited to play such a historic venue. They wanted to do something special for this show, so Lee played the bass, while the bass player picked up the guitar. It’s clear that the Berlin-based group is just having a blast seeing America’s mid-West states. They seemed to really love Wisconsin, but was happy to “left the cheese behind.”

Highlight of their set, for me, was the great medley of Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” with their song “Rollerskate”, played early in their set.

At the end of their set, they asked the audience to come closer to the stage for Casablanca to do her stage surfing possible.

Gurr’s EP She Says, featuring the new single “Fake News”, is out now (April 2019).

Priests took the stage slightly after 10pm, featuring drummer Daniele Daniele, vocalist Katie Alice Greer, and guitarist G.L. Jaguar. For their 2019 tour, they’re also joined on stage by live bassist Alexandra Tyson. I’m glad I got a chance to finally see the group, having written about them since January 2017.

The show was kind of special, because it was Greer, who said that they were also in Minneapolis on April 27, 2018… so “Minneapolis is fast becoming my go-to place to celebrate my birthday.”

Greer also confessed that they were basically playing a lot of songs from their brand-new album The Seduction of Kansas (Sister Polygon Records) … but will be throwing in some old favorites as well (like “JJ”).

As you can see from their setlist, they basically played the entire album live, with the exception of two songs, “Ice Cream” and “Carol”.

Remaining tour dates:

04/27 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb
04/28 - Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
04/30 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
05/01 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
05/11 - Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape
05/12 - Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
05/13 - Manchester, UK @ YES (Pink Room)
05/14 - Glasgow, UK @ The Hug and Pint
05/15 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
05/16 - London, UK @ 100 Club
05/17 - Lille, FR @ Aeronef
05/18 - Paris, FR @ Supersonic
05/20 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique (Witloof Bar)
05/21 - Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn
05/22 - Munich, DE @ Import/Export
05/23 - Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik
05/24 - Heidelberg, DE @ Queer Festival
05/25 - Amsterdam, NL @ London Calling
05/27 - Aarhus DK @ Tape
05/28 - Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen
05/29 – Berlin, DE @ Kantine am Berghain
05/30 - Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklag (Goldener Salon)
05/01 - Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival
06/01 - Neustrelitz, DE @ Immergut Festival
06/15 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
06/16 - Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
06/17 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
06/18 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
06/20 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
06/21 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda
06/22 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
06/24 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister
06/25 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
06/26 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
06/27 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
06/29 - Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club
07/01 - Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
07/02 - Vancouver, BC @ The Bitmore
07/03 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
07/06 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
07/07 - Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
07/09 - Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
07/10 - St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway

Gurr

Gurr	Gurr	Gurr	Gurr
Priests Poster	Priests	Priests	Priests

Priests at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (26 Apr 2019)

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

Jon Anderson at Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul (20 April 2019)

Jon Anderson at Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul (20 April 2019) Jon Anderson Setlist Set 1     Intro: Ocean Song Owner of a Lonely Heart* Yours Is No Disgrace* Ramalama State of Independence^ Makes Me Happy I've Seen All Good People (Your Move / All Good People) America (Simon & Garfunkel cover) WDMCF Set 2 Flight of the Moorglade Sweet Dreams* To the Runner Long Distance Runaround* First Born Leaders 1000 Hands (Come Up) Starship Trooper / Solid Space* -- Encore -- Roundabout* * Yes song ^ Jon and Vangelis song Band Jon Anderson - Vocals/Guitar Michael Franklin - Keys Tim Franklin - Bass Tommy Calton - Guitar Rayford Griffin - Drums Steady Joseph - Percussion Jocelyn Hsu - Violin/Ukelele Joe Cosas - Keyboards/Trombone/Guitar Billy Meether - Saxophones/Flute/Clarinet Tour Dates 24 April 2019 Humphreys Concerts, San Diego, CA 26 April 2019 Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills, CA 27 April 2019 Cannery Casino , North Las Vegas, NV 30 April 2019 The Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ 06 May 2019 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN 08 May 2019 Capitol Theatre Clearwater, FL 10 May 2019 Dr Phillips Center, Orlando FL 11 May 2019 Beau Rivage Theatre, Biloxi, MS 12 May 2019 Kaboo Festival Arlington, TX 29 July 2019 Ocean City Music Pier, Ocean City, NJ 08 August 2019 Rocking the Riverfront Detroit, MI 29 August 2019 The Rose, Pasadena, CA 30 August 2019 Libbey Bowl, Ojai, CA 01 September 2019 The Canyon Montclair, Montclair, CA Read More Yes One of the most successful, influential progressive rock band in the world is Yes. In 1983, the band changed lineup (with Trevor Rabin) and concentrated mostly on more commercial and pop-oriented music. A second Yes band called Yes Featuring Jon Anderson …

Some albums takes days, weeks, or months to complete-- some take twenty-nine years…!

The latter was the case with former Yes vocalist Jon Anderson’s new solo record, 1000 Hands: Chapter One, begun as some between-album sessions in Big Bear, CA in 1990 with a former pre-Yes bandmate (and Yes’ Alan White and Chris Squire contributing), only to be shelved away in Anderson’s garage until a 2016 call from producer/keyboardist Michael Franklin re-awakened the project, who used those original tapes as the basis for a finished new album.

Anderson and band (including Franklin) brought some of the new songs to life, along with numerous classic songs, at a joyous and intimate show in St. Paul at the Fitzgerald Theater. The performance had no opener, and was split into two sets, with a brief intermission between, with the help of eight backing musicians in front of a video screen split into six long vertical sections that would show colors, patterns, and shapes as the songs progressed.

With a setlist that was one-third new album, one-third misc. solo, and one-third Yes songs, there was something for everyone, and the performance would also lean heavily on Anderson’s first solo album, with four tracks (including the intro music) from 1976’s Olias of Sunhillow played. The initial forty-five minute set immediately pricked up ears and eyes with 1983’s ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart’, the one and only song that would top the Billboard Hot 100 chart for Yes.

The classic ‘Yours is No Disgrace’ followed with the new ‘Ramalama’ sounding like late 80’s Yes with its ‘Leave It’ style acapella multi-layered harmonies beginning the song and continuing throughout. Similar to when we last saw Anderson with Jean-Luc Ponty, 1981’s ‘State of Independence’ had an elegant sheen about its revised arrangement, compliments of Franklin’s keys and violinist Jocelyn Hsu’s sweeping strings.

Spring was finally in the air outside, and reflected inside by Anderson’s sunny new ‘Makes Me Happy’ and a reggae-style version of ‘Your Move’ which led into a more familiar rock ‘All Good People’. ‘America’ has been a live Yes standard, with Anderson’s solo version having some swing and jazz elements injected, and he said announcing the intermission before the new ‘WDMCF ‘ that “We’ll have one more song, then we’ll lay down and have a cup of tea”.

The tea and twenty minutes away must have worked wonders because Anderson visibly seemed like he found a second wind and the vocals were even more emphatic and soaring, as the second set progressed. The band made their way to the front, surrounding Anderson initially as he re-visited Olias of Sunhillow, with ‘Flight of the Moorglade’ then went back to 1970 for Yes’ ‘Sweet Dreams’.

After a stirring ‘Long Distance Runaround’, Anderson confessed he never actually planned on singing the new ‘First Born Leaders’ live, but had a change of heart and asked the audience to forgive him as he needed a lyric sheet (and had keywords written on cue cards in front of him) in case he blanked on the song’s complex verse.

Before the new album’s title track, Anderson recalled the story of the lost tapes becoming the basis of the new record and the producer having to bake the thirty-year old reels, reactivating them to playback and be properly digitized. The Yes classic ‘Starship Trooper’ would end the main portion, with Anderson taking things full circle one final time, by adding part of Olias of Sunhillow’s ‘Solid Space’ onto the end, to finish the set.

Anderson’s wife Jane, who had been gleefully watching the show from up front disappeared before the encore, only to be seen (if you had the right vantage point) side stage as the musicians returned for the encore of Yes’ ‘Roundabout’. At the song’s instrumental break, Anderson dashed off stage to embrace his wife smiling, and swung her about in a brief lovely dance together behind the curtain, before he returned to the mic at just the precise second to finish the song.

The sound that would commence following would be more than1000 hands, all clapping and waving, with a standing ovation, as Anderson and band bowed, waved, and left the stage.

Anderson has hinted that he is open to a Yes reunion for their fiftieth anniversary, having already written eight prospective new songs for the occasion; but in the meantime, we have a fine new solo album, a lively tour, and Jon Anderson singing at his best level in years- bravo.

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

Jon Anderson at Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul (20 April 2019)

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

R.I.P. Shawn Smith (Brad) and Les Reed

Tom Jones: It's Not Unusual Read More Pearl Jam Here's a band that needs no press or introduction - Pearl Jam. It's been a very long time since they were in town, but since they were already headlining Austin City Limits .…

It’s been a while since we mentioned a musician death. Although there are many deaths, there just didn’t seem to be any big names for the month of April.

If you’re a Pearl Jam fan, you might be sad to hear that American singer, songwriter and musician Shawn Smith of the supergroup Brad had passed away at the age of 53 to a torn aorta.

Personally speaking, the biggest name on the April death list, so far, is Les Reed, who co-wrote (with Gordon Mills) the song “It’s Not Unusual”. The song was originally offered to Sandie Shaw (one of Morrissey’s idols), but she turned down the song.

Of course, the song became a massive hit for then-unknown singer Welsh singer Tom Jones. Listening to the song, it did kind of have that nice Decca sound that was big in the mid-60s.

For the full death list head over to Musicians who died in 2019.

April (44)

[24 Apr 2019] Dick Rivers (French rock and roll singer for Les Chats Sauvages), 74, cancer

[24 Apr 2019] Pedro de Saint Germain (Brazilian singer), 69

[23 Apr 2019] Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick (American soprano singer and presenter), 35

[22 Apr 2019] Jim Dunbar (American radio program director for KGO), 89

[22 Apr 2019] Dave Samuels (American percussionist for Spyro Gyra), 70

[21 Apr 2019] Yasmim Gabrielle (Brazilian singer), 17, suicide

[21 Apr 2019] Atli Heimir Sveinsson (Icelandic composer), 80

[20 Apr 2019] Amar Pal (Indian folk singer), 96, heart attack

[20 Apr 2019] Wu Yili (Chinese-Singaporean pianist), 88

[19 Apr 2019] Martin Böttcher (German composer, arranger and conductor), 91

[19 Apr 2019] MC Sapão (Brazilian singer), 40, pneumonia

[17 Apr 2019] Frederick Hemke (American saxophonist), 83

[16 Apr 2019] Jörg Demus (Austrian pianist), 90

[16 Apr 2019] Kent Harris (American songwriter and record producer), 88, cancer

[15 Apr 2019] Les Reed (English songwriter), 83

[15 Apr 2019] Joe Terry (American rock and roll singer for Danny & the Juniors), 78

[14 Apr 2019] Rakhal Chandra Mohanty (Indian music director and singer), 86

[13 Apr 2019] Paul Raymond (English keyboardist and guitarist for Plastic Penny), 73, heart attack

[13 Apr 2019] Hubert Wayaffe (French radio personality and disc jockey), 81

[12 Apr 2019] Dina (Portuguese singer), 62, pulmonary fibrosis

[12 Apr 2019] Johnny Hutchinson (English rock and roll drummer for The Big Three), 78

[12 Apr 2019] Gary Stewart (American music executive and archivist for Rhino Records), 62

[11 Apr 2019] Mus Mulyadi (Indonesian singer), 73

[11 Apr 2019] Ivan Ponomarenko (Ukrainian opera singer), 73

[10 Apr 2019] Earl Thomas Conley (American country music singer-songwriter), 77, cerebral atrophy

[10 Apr 2019] Greg Haymes, aka Sarge Blotto (American singer of Blotto)

[09 Apr 2019] Paul Severs (Belgian singer), 70

[07 Apr 2019] Gino Stefani (Italian jazz musician, musicologist and semiologist), 89

[06 Apr 2019] Jim Glaser (American country music artist), 82, heart attack

[05 Apr 2019] Ib Glindemann (Danish jazz composer and bandleader), 84

[05 Apr 2019] Pastor López (Venezuelan singer-songwriter), 74, stroke

[05 Apr 2019] Samuel Pilafian (American tuba player), 69, colon cancer

[05 Apr 2019] Shawn Smith (American singer, songwriter and musician for Brad), 53, torn aorta

[05 Apr 2019] Davey Williams (American avant-garde guitarist for Curlew), 66, cancer

[05 Apr 2019] Wowaka (Japanese Vocaloid producer and vocalist), 31, heart failure

[04 Apr 2019] Alberto Cortez (Argentine singer and songwriter), 79, gastric haemorrhage

[04 Apr 2019] Marilyn Mason (American concert organist), 93

[04 Apr 2019] Tiger Merritt (American singer and guitarist for Morning Teleportation), 31

[03 Apr 2019] Einar Iversen (Norwegian jazz pianist and composer), 88

[03 Apr 2019] Maurice Pon (French lyricist), 97

[02 Apr 2019] Rick Elias (American musician for A Ragamuffin Band), 64, brain cancer

[02 Apr 2019] Kim English (American house and gospel singer-songwriter), 48, kidney failure

[01 Apr 2019] Caravelli (French conductor and composer for And Satan Calls the Turns), 88

[01 Apr 2019] Armando Vega Gil (Mexican writer, composer, and bassist for Botellita de Jerez), 64, suicide

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

Wishbone Ash at Wilebski's Blues Saloon, St. Paul (17 April 2019)

Wishbone Ash at Wilebski's Blues Saloon Wishbone Ash Setlist Prelude Come in From the Rain Deep Blues Lifeline The King Will Come Warrior Throw Down the Sword Way Down South F.U.B.B. Standing in the Rain Jail Bait Phoenix -- Encore -- Blowin' Free Tour Dates 24 April 2019 Sportsmen's Tavern, Buffalo, NY 25 April 2019 Daryl's House Club, Pawling, NY 26 April 2019 Bull Run Restaurant, Shirley, MA 27 April 2019 Boulton Center Bay Shore, NY 28 April 2019 Sellersville Theater 1894, Sellersville, PA 30 April 2019 Tin Pan, Richmond, VA 01 May 2019 The Blue Note Grill, Durham, NC 02 May 2019 Rams Head On Stage, Annapolis, MD 03 May 2019 Mauch Chunk Opera House, Jim Thorpe, PA 04 May 2019 The Record Collector, Bordentown, NJ 30 May-02 June 2019 Rory Gallagher Festival Ballyshannon, Ireland 07 June 2019 Barnyard Theatre, Johannesburg, South Africa 08 June 2019 Barnyard Theatre, Krugersdorp, South Africa 09 June 2019 Barnyard Theatre, Kempton Park, South Africa 12 June 2019 Suncoast Casino, Durban, South Africa 14 June 2019 Barnyard Theatre, Cape Town, South Africa 28 June 2019 Nuit du Blues 2019, Carpentras, France 02–04 August 2019 Mt. Baker R&B Bellingham, WA 16-19 August 2019 Woodstock Forever Waffenrod, Germany 23-24 August 2019 Seaside Festival Spiez, Switzerland 23-24 August 2019 SummerDays Festival Arbon, Switzerland 12 October 2019 Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham by sea, UK 15 October 2019 Princess Theatre, Hunstanton, UK 16 October 2019 J2, Cambridge Junction, Cambridge, UK 17 October 2019 O2 Academy Islington, London, UK 18 October 2019 O2 Institute2 Birmingham, Digbeth, UK 19 October 2019 The Roses, Tewkesbury, UK 20 October 2019 Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare, UK 22 October 2019 Dorking Halls, Dorking, UK 23 October 2019 The Haymarket, Basingstoke, UK 24 October 2019 The Brook, Southampton, UK 25 October 2019 Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne, UK 26 October 2019 Cheese & Grain, Frome, UK 27 October 2019 Exeter Phoenix, Exeter, UK 29 October 2019 Swindon Arts Centre, Swindon, UK 30 October 2019 The Stables, Milton Keynes, UK 31 October 2019 The Flowerpot, Derby, UK 01 November 2019 The Met, Bury, UK 03 November 2019 Grand, Clitheroe, UK 05 November 2019 Bootleggers Music Bar, Kendal, UK 06 November 2019 Sage Gateshead, Gateshead, UK 07 November 2019 The Ferry, Glasgow, UK 08 November 2019 Old Fire Station, Carlisle, UK 09 November 2019 Jamhouse, Edinburgh, UK 10 November 2019 The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, UK 12 November 2019 ARC, Stockton-on-tees, UK 13 November 2019 The Welly 2, Hull, UK 14 November 2019 Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK 15 November 2019 Picture Drome, Holmfirth, UK 16 November 2019 The Y Theatre, Leicester, UK 23 February 2020 One World Theatre, Austin, TX Read More Wishbone Ash Originally scheduled at Famous Dave’s, this upcoming Wishbone Ash show has moved to Wilebski's Blues Saloon in St Paul. All Famous Dave’s tickets will be honored at the new venue. …

What does a band do to warm up for their 50^th Anniversary Tour? If you’re still road warriors like veteran classic band Wishbone Ash, you go on tour for their current 49^th anniversary- dubbed XLIX and stopping in St. Paul at Wilebski’s Blues Saloon, after the original venue booked abruptly discontinued live entertainment.

Opening act Kelly Peterson Trio (Ktrain) is maybe someone you may have not heard of locally, but have likely heard of one or more of his many area-based projects. In addition to playing lead and acoustic guitar, he plays piano and bass, teaches guitar, and is a member of hard rock/heavy metal bands Dare Force, Whole Lotta Zep, and Crossroader, and has previously played inThe Killawatts, Badditude, Regime, Rocking Horse, and White Raven- calling him a seasoned musician seems to be a complete understatement.

Knowing this was a blues-loving crowd, Peterson and band happily obliged, chugging through classics with relative ease, showing their playing fireworks without grandstanding or showboating, and closing out the brief set with a blistering, stretched-out incendiary cover of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)’.

Formed in London in 1969, prog/melodic blues legends Wishbone Ash and their signature twin-guitar assault (that influenced so many after them), remains a bit of a classic rock secret in the U.S., though that is not as much the case overseas. 

Over their (almost) five decades, they’ve released 24 studio recordings, eleven live albums, five live DVDs, and a rockumentary. Last Spring, The Vintage Years, a 30-disc box set was released (covering just the years 1970-1991) which includes the original albums, a trove of unreleased live shows, assortment of memorabilia, and even a 156-page coffee-table book.

Thin Lizzy, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Opeth are all direct musical descendants of the twin-guitar attack the Ash pioneered, and in addition to singer/guitarist Andy Powell (the sole original member), the yin to his guitar yang is newest member Mark Abrahams, who at just over two years in the band, plays with Powell as if it has been two decades. Longtime bassist Bob Skeat on bass and drummer Joe Crabtree complete the solid lineup.

Opening with 1976’s ‘Prelude’, the band then jumped to their next album, with ‘Come in from the Rain’, from 1977’s Front Page News. “Gonna give you a bit of blues” Powell said, before jumping decades ahead for 2014’s ‘Deep Blues’, his voice (though not originally their singer) still vibrant and melodic, looking slightly like a current-day Rob Halford, with bald head and white mustache and goatee, and wearing tinted glasses.

The set then turned more progressive as 1980’s ‘Lifeline’ led into a triptych of songs from 1973’s Argus, their most commercially successful and critically acclaimed record. Skeat’s steady bass line intro’d and held down the controversial ‘F.U.B.B.’ from 1974 and 1991’s ‘Standing in the Rain’ seemed like an appropriate song choice, as a light but steady downpour fell just outside.

Powell took time out to mention how much they still tour, noting the band travels some 30,000 miles per, which is roughly enough logged to circumnavigate the planet, and also plugged the merch booth at the back of the club, which offered the latest Roadworks CD, a series of exclusive live recordings available directly from the band themselves, Live in Sacramento recorded in 2018, being the most recent. “Not on Amazon, not on Spotify”, the savvy Powell noted.

It was back to the early ‘70s for the end of the main set, a time when radio wasn’t so segmented and formatted and played all genres, Powell said, for ‘Jail Bait’ (from their second album) and ‘Phoenix’, the epic ten-minute plus closing track from their 1970 debut, that was even more pronounced and impactful live, matured like a fine wine aged almost five decades.

For the encore, it was back to the classic Argus album for ‘Blowin’ Free’ with its hippie lyrics and Powell declaring in song, “In my dreams, everything was alright”. As the crowd applause and standing ovation rose to new volumes as the band bowed and left the stage, everything was more than just alright in St. Paul.

If forty-nine years celebrated looks like this for Wishbone Ash, buckle up then hunker down, for when they return for their fiftieth anniversary.

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

Kelly Peterson Trio

Kelly Peterson Trio

Kelly Peterson Trio

Wishbone Ash Setlist

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash at Wilebski's Blues Saloon, St. Paul (17 April 2019)

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

Aldous Harding w/ Yves Jarvis at Turf Club, St. Paul (15 April 2019)

Aldous Harding 2019 Tour Dates Aldous Harding Setlist Designer Zoo Eyes Treasure The Barrel Damn Weight of the Planets Heaven is Empty Pilot Blend -- Encore -- Right Down the Line (Gerry Rafferty cover) Old Peel Yves Jarvis Setlist sugar coated A Level Playing Field I Felt the Evening Come Through the Window Fruits of Disillusion That Don't Make It So Hard to Say Bye The Plight Comes Pigs at the Helm To Say That is Easy Nothing New Goodbye Reason, Goodbye Rhyme Into the Forefront Staying in Line Talking or Listening? Aldous Harding Tour Dates 22 APRIL Rickshaw Stop San Francisco, CA 24 APRIL Zebulon Los Angeles, CA 12 MAY Privatclub Berlin, Germany 14 MAY Botanique - Rotonde Brussels, Belgium 15 MAY Concorde 2 Brighton 16 MAY J2, Cambridge Junction Cambridge 17 MAY Brudenell Social Club Leeds 18 MAY Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow 19 MAY The Cluny 2 Newcastle Upon Tyne 21 MAY Manchester Gorilla Manchester 22 MAY EartH London 23 MAY Trinity Centre Bristol 25 MAY La Maroquinerie Paris, France 26 MAY Maison Folie Wazemmes Lille, France 28 MAY Stereolux - Salle Micro Nantes, France 29 MAY Rock School Barbey Bordeaux, France 29 MAY – SUN 2 JUNE Primavera Spain 30 MAY – 1 JUNE This Is Not A Love Song France 31 MAY – 2 JUNE Best Kept Secret Festival Hilvarenbeek, NL 6– 8 JUNE NOS Primavera Sound Porto, Portugal 29 JUNE – 6 JULY Roskilde Festival Roskilde, Denmark 7 JULY Cactusfestival 2019 Bruges, Belgium 12 JULY Iveagh Gardens Dublin, Ireland 13 JULY Barclaycard British Summer Time London 25–28 JULY Port Eliot Festival 2019 St Germans 2–4 AUGUST OFF Festival Katowice, Poland 15–18 AUGUST Green Man Festival Brecon Beacons 11 NOVEMBER AB Flex Brussels, Belgium 12 NOVEMBER La Cigale Paris, France 13 NOVEMBER La Laiterie Strasbourg, France 15 NOVEMBER Locomotiv Club Bologna, Italy 16 NOVEMBER Bogen F Zürich, Switzerland 18 NOVEMBER Feierwerk / Kranhalle Munich 19 NOVEMBER Artheater Cologne, Germany 20 NOVEMBER Heimathafen Neukölln Berlin 22 NOVEMBER Cosmopolite Oslo, Norway 23 NOVEMBER Fasching Stockholm, Sweden 26 NOVEMBER Knust Hamburg, Germany 29 NOVEMBER The Institute 2 Birmingham 30 NOVEMBER Manchester Academy 2 Manchester 1 DECEMBER Summerhall Edinburgh 4 DECEMBER Arts Club Liverpool Liverpool 5 DECEMBER Roundhouse London 6 DECEMBER The 1865 Southampton 7 DECEMBER O2 Academy Bristol Bristol Read More Aldous Harding New Zealand’s Aldous Harding was up next, playing sensitive acoustic songs from her self-titled album (Flying Nun Records). She’s joined by a keyboard player after Harding solo song ‘Swell Does the Skull’. ...

For New Zealand singer/songwriter Aldous Harding, it’s a brave new world--

Already buzzing with critics and selling out most of her upcoming shows, her third full-length is called Designer (4AD Records) and is due out April 26 with a busy spring and summer ahead, culminating in mid-July at London’s Hyde Park in front of 100,000+, but we managed to see her at the much more intimate Turf Club in St. Paul.

For Montreal-based Yves Jarvis, it is a new world as well-- having released The Same But By Different Means (ANTI- Records) under this name after being once known as Un Blonde (and his given name of Jean-Sebastian Audet) and finds some similarities (other than a simple name change and high afro) with pre-fame Prince.

Like the prolific Minneapolis artist, Jarvis is equally serious and has a preset internal standard of musical excellence about his output, has committed himself to insular composing of a complete song per day at one point, played the many different instruments (as well as did the cover art) on his record, and blends the elements of R&B/soul with more experimental sounds and genres.

With forest-like sounds, bird and insect chirping, and churning wind as backing ambiance resonating throughout his thirty-five minute opening set, Jarvis managed fourteen compositions in that brief time, most coming off as evolving musical sketches instead of finished drawings, creatively both asking and answering on multi levels of consciousness, and the product of the process of creation, rather than just the end result.

The St. Paul venue for this show can often be boisterous, filled with Pabst-swilling hipsters and area blue collar residents, which is why it was so surprising to hear complete silence as Aldous Harding took to the stage for her headlining sixty-five minute set. Before she entered, her band went up first, took their positions and just waited quiet and motionless, as the crowd came around to do the same.

After Harding’s 2017 release Party (produced by PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish) went on to critical acclaim and ended up winning the Taite Music Prize, expectations were high for the follow-up, done again with Parish over a couple week’s in the producer’s native Bristol and Wales.

Harding began with the upcoming album’s title track, set to a slow beat that Duluth’s Low would envy and vocals that could move from a higher-pitched young and innocent tone like early Kate Bush, to something deeper and smokier, like a Marianne Faithful or Nico, at a turn of a phrase.

She was still developing this vision when we first saw her in 2016, but has noticeably musically matured into a subtle and low-key force of nature. All but the first track of the new record were played live, though several of the songs like ‘Pilot’ were composed and debuted live on her last tour.

After the first few songs on guitar, Harding moved to piano for ‘Damn’, first exhaling frustratingly presumably about the tuning or specific setup. “Why must you drag all the hopes out of bed? I blame the seasons, we all have our reasons” Harding sings over a slow keyboard melody, mindful that the spaces and the sparseness, are as important as any notes played or lyrics sung.

A swoop of synth strings punctuated the end of a line on the gentle folk of ‘Weight of the Planets’ and the goth heaviness of ‘Heaven is Empty’ (that sounded similar in theme to Bowie’s ‘Black Star’) was simply composed traveling by train. Harding commits live to her performances, often staring wide-eyed or focused in place, sometimes with eyes rolled back as she delivers a key lyric.

“I'm ashamed of the quiet but I want to be silent, always practicing, still no grace” Harding sings on the introspective of ‘Pilot’, a somewhat sad existential self-conversation admitting faults and questioning her own fears and anxieties. 2016’s ‘Blend’ would end the main set, but the well-behaved crowd would not go quietly until an encore was answered, and the band returned for two more songs.

Changing from her handwritten setlist notes, ‘Elation’ was instead replaced by a slow-turning Gerry Rafferty cover of ‘Right Down the Line’, with Harding emoting in a high-key, like ‘Wuthering Heights’-era Kate Bush. “This is a new one- it’s not on Designer, it’s not anywhere” Harding said, then picking up a drumstick and black ceramic coffee cup to use as island-like tinking percussion for her most upbeat tempo song of the evening, ‘Old Peel’ which would close out things.

Two artists, both equally internally focused on bringing their musical visions to life, made for an entertaining and surprisingly subdued evening at an unlikely venue –the names Yves Jarvis and Aldous Harding may both now just be a whisper from a music-savvy connoisseur, but their own talents say that secret will grow louder and more known, as both enter their own brave new worlds.

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

Yves Jarvis	Yves Jarvis	Yves Jarvis	Setlist
Aldous Harding	Aldous Harding	Aldous Harding	Aldous Harding

Aldous Harding at Turf Club, St. Paul (15 April 2019)

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

Minneapolis: April 27 to April 30, 2019

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from April 27 to April 30, 2019.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Leon 2019 Tour Dates Read More LÉON Fresh from an appearance a few days before on The Late Late Show with James Cordon, Swedish singer LÉON found herself along the banks of Lake Minnetonka, for a promotional ... Morgan Saint Morgan Saint is known for her magnetic live show and striking visual presence and she recently released Alien (Epic Records) on October 5th. …

LÉON
+ Morgan Saint
Fine Line Music Cafe
Tue 04/30/2019 (7pm/$20)
finelinemusic.com

Swedish singer/songwriter Léon is back in Minneapolis. She’s bringing Morgan Saint on tour with her.

We caught Saint in October 2018, and wrote, “Morgan Saint’s set is full of very personal and heart felt song, as an example “Glass House” was introduced as, “this is my most personal song I’ve ever written.” The song is about being broken, and asking someone to understand. You get a sense that the person does not respond to the protagonist, even though the song is demanding love (“F**king love me now, love me now, love me now”).”

Tour dates:

4/23 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
4/24 New York, NY Irving Plaza
4/26 Montreal, QC Café Campus
4/27 Toronto, ON Mod Club Theatre
4/29 Chicago, IL House of Blues
4/30 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line
5/3 Denver, CO Summit
5/4 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
5/6 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
5/7 Vancouver, BC Imperial
5/8 Seattle, WA Neptune Theatre
5/10 San Francisco, CA August Hall
5/11 Anaheim, CA Pariah House of Blues
5/12 Los Angeles, CA Bellasco Theater
5/14 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
5/16 Austin, TX Antone’s Nightclub
5/17 Dallas, TX Cambridge House of Blues
5/18 Houston, TX Bronze Peacock House of Blues
5/20 Atlanta, GA Aisle 5
5/21 Nashville, TN The Basement East

Other shows in the area:

Goodnight Ritual at Day Block Brewing Company Bayonne at 7th Street Entry Lovelytheband 2019 Tour MURS at 7th Street Entry The Score 2019 Tour Drums at Turf Club Foals at First Ave Read More Bayonne Bayonne, the new moniker of Austin-based Roger Sellers, will be making a stop at the 7th Street Entry on Wednesday, January 27th. The artistic style .... The Score Los Angeles rock band The Score (Eddie Anthony and Edan Dover) is on their “The Only One” tour with Castlecomer. Tour Dates: … lovelytheband Indie Los Angeles band Lovelytheband (stylized as lovelytheband) is headlining the 7th Street Entry on Sunday, October 21. The show is sold out. … Murs DJ Foundation introduced Murs as he came on asking "whatupdawg?" While most people will probably list "I Used to Love H.E.R." or the Nate Dogg homage as their favorite of the night … The Drums The Drums are New York’s current triple F. Says who? Says your momma. The lads live in Brooklyn but claim 50s surf culture as the main source of inspiration. Summertime! is full of sunny ... Foals "Are you ready? Because you don't sound f****ing ready!," yelled Foals' singer Yannis Philippakis as he worked the crowd. Foals rocked hard at First Avenue in Minneapolis last night to a group of young British rock music fans. …

GOODNIGHT RITUAL
Late Night Fights, Via
Day Block Brewing Company
Sat 04/27/2019 (9:30pm/$10)
dayblockbrewing.com

Local band Goodnight Ritual is having their album Galore (their first album in 8 years) release show at the Day Block Brewing Company, in Minneapolis on Saturday, April 27th.

Late Night Fights and Via to open.

Additional details:

GOODNIGHT RITUAL - GALORE - Record Release Show:
Saturday, April 27th - 2019 @ Day Block Brewing Company - Mpls, MN - 9pm
Late Night Fights 9:30-10:15 - Via 10:45-11:30 - Goodnight Ritual 12:00-12:45

Dennis Asher - vocals / guitar
Jer Fink - guitar / vocals
Jake Robeck - bass / vocals
Lance Reed - drums / vocals

BAYONNE
+ Palm Daze
7th St Entry
Sat 04/27/2019 (8pm/$12)
first-avenue.com

Bayonne is currently touring in support of their sophomore album Drastic Measures. We saw Bayonne in April 2017 and mentioned, “Opening up the show was Austin’s Bayonne, the stagename for one-man-band Roger Sellers, with a brief 30-min set. Armed with headphones and using various loops and pre-recorded beats, combined with raw vocal performances and sometime live instruments, Bayonne was able to recreate some unique songs. Some of the songs sounded like what Thom Yorke (Radiohead) would create with his experiments.”

Tour dates:

4/21 - Allston, MA - Great Scott
4/22 - Montreal, QC - Le Ministère
4/23 - Toronto, ON - The Monarch Tavern
4/25 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups
4/26 - Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern
4/27 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
4/28 - Davenport, IA - The Raccoon Motel
4/30 - Denver, CO - Lost Lake Lounge
5/3 - Seattle, WA - Barboza
5/4 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
5/6 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
5/7 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
5/9 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
5/10 - Tucson, AZ - 191 Toole
5/30 - Austin, TX - Empire Control Room
8/1 - 8/4 - Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza
8/2 - 8/4 - Montreal, QC - Osheaga

LOVELYTHEBAND
+ Flora Cash, Jagwar Twin, OTW
Varsity Theater
Sun 04/28/2019 (6pm/$20)
varsitytheater.com

lovelytheband is headlining the all-ages show at the Varsity Theater on Sunday, April 28th.

Show up early to check out Flora Cash, Jagwar Twin, and OTW .

Tour dates:

04/23/2019 The Depot Salt Lake City, UT
04/24/2019 Lovelytheband Black Sheep Colorado Springs, CO
04/28/2019 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
05/01/2019 House Of Blues Chicago, IL
05/03/2019 House Of Blues Cleveland, OH
05/07/2019 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
05/08/2019 Baltimore Soundstage Baltimore, MD
05/11/2019 Cannery Ballroom Nashville, TN
05/15/2019 Scoot Inn Austin, TX
05/16/2019 House Of Blues Dallas, TX
05/18/2019 The Hangout Beach, Music & Arts Fest.
05/21/2019 The Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, CA
05/22/2019 August Hall San Francisco, CA
05/23/2019 Ace Of Spades Sacramento, CA
05/29/2019 House Of Blues Orlando, FL
06/20/2019 Stage AE Pittsburgh, PA
06/23/2019 Firefly Music Festival Dover, DE
06/28/2019 "Summerfest" Milwaukee, WI
06/29/2019 Golden Triangle Denver, CO

MURS
+ Locksmith, Cojo
7th Street Entry
Mon 04/29/2019 (7pm/$20)
first-avenue.com

Los Angeles rapper Murs is headlining the 7th Street Entry … and he’s bringing his friends Locksmith and Cojo as openers.

Tour dates:

04/23 Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, UT
04/24 Aggie Theatre Fort Collins, CO
04/25 The Black Sheep Colorado Springs, CO
04/26 Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, CO
04/28 Waiting Room Lounge Omaha, NE
04/29 7th St Entry Minneapolis, MN
05/2 Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub Cambridge, MA
05/3 Zone One New York, NY
05/4 Boot & Saddle Philadelphia, PA
05/5 Songbyrd Music House Washington
05/7 Cat's Cradle Carrboro, NC

THE SCORE
+ Lostboycrow, Overstreet
Amsterdam Bar & Hall
Tue 04/30/2019 (7pm/$15)
amsterdambarandhall.com

Critically acclaimed, LA based, New York rock band The Score (Eddie Anthony and Edan Dover) is back on the road for their The Pressure Tour.

Lostboycrow (solo musician) and Overstreet (band) will be opening at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St Paul on Tuesday, April 30th.

Tour dates:

April 27th Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
April 28th Denver, CO Marquis Theatre
April 30th St. Paul, MN Amsterdam Bar & Hall
May 2nd Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
May 3rd Cincinnati, OH Top Cats
May 4th Columbus, OH Skully's
May 5th Detroit, MI Shelter
May 7th Brooklyn, NY Knitting Factory
May 8th Washington, DC U Street
May 10th Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
May 11th Atlanta, GA The Loft
May 13th Austin, TX The Parish
May 14th Dallas, TX Deep Ellum
May 16th Phoenix, AZ Pub Rock
May 17th Los Angeles, CA The Troubadour

THE DRUMS
+ Tanukichan, DJ Jake Rudh
Turf Club
Tue 04/30/2019 (7:30pm/$18)
turfclub.net

The last time we saw The Drums, it was in 2014: “Riding in on a spectacular wave of beachy, bittersweet synth-pop, The Drums established a dedicated following with 2010’s self-titled and 2011’s Portamento; two records that practically sound like a greatest hits, each song better than the last. The band is currently touring behind their most recent release, Encyclopedia, and while there have been a few line-up changes since they were last in town, yesterday evening found them in fine form.”

So… it’s been many, many years since they were active… but we’re glad to see that they’re back. The Drums will play The Turf Club in St Paul on April 30th.

Oakland’s Tanukichan and local DJ Jake Rudh to open.

Tour Dates:

4/24/19 - Santa Ana, CA @ La Santa
4/26/19 - El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
4/27/19 - San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
4/29/19 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
4/30/19 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
5/01/19 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
5/02/19 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theater
5/03/19 - Ithaca, NY @ The Haunt
5/04/19 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
5/07/19 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
5/08/19 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes
5/09/19 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
5/10/19 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
5/11/19 - Washington, D.C. @ The Black Cat
5/13/19 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle

FOALS
+ Omni, Preoccupations
First Avenue
Tue 04/30/2019 (7pm/$33.50)
first-avenue.com

British rock band Foals will be headlining First Avenue’s mainroom on April 30th. The group released Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1 earlier, and promised a Part 2 is coming this Fall 2019.

Preoccupations and Omni to open the Minneapolis show.

Tour Dates:

April 22 /// Toronto, ON /// Rebel^
April 23 /// Columbus, OH /// Newport Music Hall
April 24 /// St. Louis, MO /// The Pageant^
April 26 /// Detroit, MI /// Saint Andrews Hall^
April 27 /// Chicago, IL /// Riviera Theatre^
April 28 /// Milwaukee, WI /// The Rave^
April 30 /// Minneapolis, MN /// First Avenue^
May 2 /// Kansas City, MO /// Midland Theatre+
May 5 /// Atlanta, GA /// Shaky Knees Festival 2019#
May 12 /// Brussels, Belgium /// Ancienne Belgique
May 13 /// Paris, France /// Bataclan
May 15 /// Lausanne, Switzerland /// Les Docks
May 16 /// Milan, Italy /// Fabrique
May 17 /// Luxembourg, Luxembourg /// Den Atelier
May 19 /// Amsterdam, Netherlands /// Paradiso
May 20 /// Berlin, Germany /// Huxleys

^ with Preoccupations & Omni

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

Billy Bragg at Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis (20 Apr 2019)

Billy Brag at Fine Line Setlist She's Got a New Spell The Price I Pay Happy Earth Day To You Dolphins Upfield Everywhere The Short Answer The Only One Little Time Bomb Must I Paint You a Picture? Sexuality The Space Race Is Over The Few I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night Brickbat Accident Waiting to Happen Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards -- Encore -- Tank Park Salute The Times They Are A-Changin' (Bob Dylan cover) from the album Workers Playtime from the album The Internationale from the album Don't Try This at Home from the album William Bloke Tour Dates 4/25 – 4/27 – Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL 9/19 – 9/21 – The Birchmere – Alexandria, VA 9/26 – 9/28 – The Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY 10/3 – 10/5 –The Sinclair – Boston, MA Read More Billy Bragg Modern day troubadour and activist Billy Bragg is well known in the music world for his passionate topical songwriting. In the vein of late heroes and colleagues like … .…

English protest singer Billy Bragg is in a middle of a very interesting “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back” tour… stopping by the Fine Line Music Café from April 18 to April 20. We caught Billy Bragg on his final night, at the very sold-out, very packed venue in downtown Minneapolis.

The idea behind this tour, is that Bragg would play a three-night residency show. The first night consisting of a “Current” song set (although I did peak at previous setlist, he does actually play what I considered some “old stuff” and some covers), and the second night would be songs from his first three albums (Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy, Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, and Talking with the Taxman about Poetry), and on the last night, he would play albums four to six (Workers Playtime , The Internationale, and Don't Try This at Home).

Although it was advertised as “songs from the second three albums”, the show, in fact, included many songs from the seventh album, William Bloke. I don’t think anyone minded, as it does mean that there seems to be less songs from the mostly political album The Internationale (also the lowest UK charting album among Bragg’s first seven albums).

If you’ve ever seen Billy Bragg in concert, you know that he has stories on every song he’s ever written. The show was about 40% music and 60% Bragg’s wisdom and stories. Many fans bought all three tickets, and, of course, Bragg recognized them from the previous two nights and would sometime joke about it, saying they really mistaken this show another Billy - Billie Ellish. Although to be honest, the much older audience had never ever heard of the neo-goth, chart-topping 17-year-old pop star.

Bragg mentioned on stage that the first two nights, he was serious and played things by the book. However, it would seem that on his final night, that he’s very loose and just riffing on various subjects. As expected, he had a lot to say about Donald Trump, but really refused to mention his name - only referring Trump as “HIM”. He thinks that there are more important (“bigger fish to fry”) than just concentrate on his idiocy.

Speaking of fish, outside of politics, Bragg is really actively into saving our Earth. At least, trying to do his small part by not using plastic bags or bottles. It occurred to him that perhaps it’s Earth Day, thinking 4/20 was the date. Some “smart Alec” said it was pot day, and someone else pointed out that it’s actually going to be on Monday (4/22). Still, that didn’t stop Bragg from doing an impromptu “Happy Earth Day To You”, sung to the composition of “Happy Birthday Day To You”.

Despite being just a guy and his guitar, Bragg definitely had his fans in the palm of his hands. There’s something to be said about the power of music bringing people together. He described it as “communion”, and you can’t replicate this feeling from sitting on your computer.

If you’re a Billy Bragg fan, you definitely will want to see him on this “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back”. It has a little something for everyone, whether you’re a modern Bragg fan, or were really into those very early Bragg songs. For diehard fans, you might want to get tickets for all three nights, as each night is a very different setlist and stories.

Billy Bragg at Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis (20 Apr 2019)

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