W♥M (Archive)

Minneapolis: March 1 to March 5, 2020

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from March 1 to March 5, 2020.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Wire at Fine Line Read More Wire In my review for Object 47, I said that they were "still amazing after all these years" and that they basically haven't changed their sound - which is a good thing. It looks like they have a new album called Red Bark Tree … 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. …

WIRE
+ Wire DJs, DJ Jake Rudh
Fine Line Music Cafe
Tue 03/03/2020 (7pm/$25)
finelinemusic.com

Legendary UK band Wire is on tour in support of their new album Mind Hive (pinkflag Records). If you were a fan of Elastica, you know that they basically stole all their best hooks from Wire (including “Line Up In Line”/“I Am The Fly” and “Connection”/“Three Girl Rhumba”).

Anyway, we were pretty excited to see Wire’s singer Colin Newman as part of his side project, Immersion, in July 2018, and wrote, “It’s hard to talk about Immersion without talking about how influential Wire is to the punk rock scene in the 1970s and 1980s. Wire, had always had a great fast-paced guitar-driven sound and great vocals from Colin Newman. The same can be said for Minimal Compact, the Israeli rock band often associated with the post-punk/indie rock sound… So if you were expecting that same art/punk/indie sound, you may be disappointed in Immersion, as they sound nothing like their predecessor.”

Opening is billed as Wire DJs (which is a rotating band members as DJ), plus local DJ Jake Rudh, from Transmission.

Tour dates

March 3 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
March 4 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
March 6 - Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
March 7 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
March 9 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage
March 10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
March 11 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
March 13 - Boston, MA @ Sinclair
March 14 - Ottawa, ON @ Bronson Centre
March 16 - Toronto, ON @ Great Hall
May 21 - London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall

Other shows in the area:

Ladysmith Black Mambazo at Fitzgerald Telefon Tel Aviv at 7th Street Sudan Archives at 7th Street Glass Animals at Fine Line Andy Shauf at Fine Line Read More Glass Animals The latest UK buzz band, Glass Animals, recently just sold out their show at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, last night, September 9th. … Sudan Archives The evening began with a beguiling , mesmerizing set from Brittney Parks aka Sudan Archives, a 23-year old Cincinnati native who deftly mixes electronic music and beats with West African rhythms, soundbites …

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO
Fitzgerald Theater
Sun 03/01/2020 (7pm/$29.50)
thefitzgeraldtheater.com

South Africa’s Five Time Grammy Award winners, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is bringing back their uplifting vocal harmonies, signature dance moves and charm back to America.

We previously mentioned the group, when one of its founder, Joseph Shabalala had died on February 11, 2020.

Tour dates:

03/01/2020 Fitzgerald Theater Saint Paul, MN
03/10/2020 Indiana University Auditorium Bloomington, IN
03/16/2020 Barns At Wolf Trap Vienna, VA
03/20/2020 Lobero Theatre Santa Barbara, CA
06/05/2020 New Theatre Oxford Oxford
06/06/2020 Alexandra Palace London
06/07/2020 Symphony Hall Birmingham
06/09/2020 Lighthouse Poole
06/10/2020 Grand Opera House York York
06/12/2020 Usher Hall Edinburgh
06/16/2020 Theatre Royal Brighton Brighton
06/18/2020 Richmond Theatre London
06/21/2020 Queen Elizabeth Hall London

TELEFON TEL AVIV
+ Steve Hauschildt
7th St Entry
Mon 03/02/2020 (7:30pm/$12)
first-avenue.com

Southern Gothic electronic entity Telefon Tel Aviv will be headlining the 7th Street Entry.

Chicago-based contemporary electronic musician Steve Hauschildt to open.

Tour dates:

03/02/2020 7th St Entry Minneapolis, MN
03/05/2020 Neumos Seattle, WA
03/06/2020 Holocene Portland, OR

SUDAN ARCHIVES
+ Cartel Madras
7th St Entry
Tue 03/03/2020 (7pm/$15/Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

Violinist, singer, songwriter and producer Sudan Archives is on tour in support of her debut album Athena (Stones Throw Records). The show is SOLD OUT. We last saw her in March 2018 and said, “The evening began with a beguiling , mesmerizing set from Brittney Parks aka Sudan Archives, a 23-year old Cincinnati native who deftly mixes electronic music and beats with West African rhythms, soundbites, digital looping, R&B, and her own self-taught violin skills, to create a memorable sound mix, in support of her self-titled debut EP (on Stones Throw Records).”

Show up early to check out Calgary-based hip-hop sensation Cartel Madras.

Tour dates:

February 28 - Santa Barbara, CA - SOhO Music Club
February 29 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
March 3 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
March 4 - Chicago, IL - Sleeping Village
March 5 - Detroit, MI - Deluxx Fluxx
March 6 - Toronto, ON - Long Boat Hall
March 7 - London, UK - BBC6 Music Festival
March 9 - Boston, MA - Great Scott
March 11 - Washington, DC - Union Stage
March 12 - New York, NY- Bowery Ballroom
March 13 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brendas
March 26 - Knoxville, TN - Big Ears Festival
May 8 - Cincinnati, OH - National Homecoming festival
June 4 - Barcelona, SP - Primavera Sound
June 7 - London, UK - Cross The Tracks
June 18 - Dover, DE - Firefly Music Festival
August 20 - Brecon, UK - Green Man Festival

GLASS ANIMALS
Fine Line Music Cafe
Wed 03/04/2020 (7pm/$35/Sold Out)
finelinemusic.com

UK’s Glass Animals is back on tour, in support of Déjà vu (Wolf Tone / Polydor). We are covering the show at Record Bar in Kansas City, MO.

The last time we saw the band in Sept 2017 (before band member Joe Seaward’s accident) and said, “Glass Animals was back in town, this time at the recently refurbished Palace Theatre in downtown St. Paul, still showing everyone how to be a human being, and continuing their string of sold-out area shows, something they’ve done every time they’ve played here, from the smallest clubs to now the bigger theaters. Unless you got a ticket early, you were likely on the outside, while the 2,800 inside were having the time of their lives.”

Tour dates:

26/02 Music Hall Of Williamsburg - Brookyln, NY
28/02 The Sinclair - Cambridge, MA
01/03 Mod Club Theatre - Toronto
03/03 Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
04/03 Fine Line Music Café – Minneapolis, MN
06/03 Record Bar – Kansas City, MO
11/03 The Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA
12/03 The Independent – San Francisco, CA
14/03 Neumos – Seattle, WA
15/03 Aladdin Theatre – Portland, OR
16/06 Red Rocks
17/06 Red Rocks

ANDY SHAUF
+ Molly Sarlé
Fine Line Music Cafe
Thu 03/05/2020 (7:30pm/$20)
finelinemusic.com

Andy Shauf is currently touring in support of his new album The Neon Skyline (Anti- Records). Shauf is bringing along Molly Sarlé, who is support until April 8th.

Tour dates:

Sat. Feb. 29 - Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room *
Mon. March 2 - Saskatoon, SK @ Broadway Theatre *
Tue. March 3 - Regina, SK @ The Exchange *
Wed. March 4 - Winnipeg, MB @ Park Theatre *
Thu. March 5 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Hall *
Fri. March 6 - Milwaukee, WI @ Colectivo *
Sat. March 7 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall *
Fri. March 13 - Lyon, FR @ Epicerie Moderne * Sat. March 14 - Bordeaux, FR @ Krakatoa *
Tue. March 17 - Birmingham, UK @ Hare and Hounds *
Wed. March 18 - Glasgow, UK @ Mono *
Thu. March 19 - Manchester, UK @ Gorilla *
Fri. March 20 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club *
Sat. March 21 - Bristol, UK @ Fiddlers *

*= w/ Molly Sarlé

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

We♥KC - March 1-15, 2020 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence, KS)

Opeth at Midland Lone Bellow 2020 Tour FItz and the Tantrums at Uptown Nektar Tour Glass Animals at recordBar Quireboys 2020 Tour Galactic 2020 Tour Caamp at Truman Read More Fitz and the Tantrums There’s really no doubt left– Fitz and the Tantrums are no longer a secret locally; rather, are firmly established as a party-starting, crowd-inducing good time band that everyone now has their eye on. …

March comes like a lion in the Kansas City / Lawrence, KS area, in terms of warm weather after a generally mild winter, and as far as live music, shows are startng to ramp up in frequency after the winter blahs period.

The month starts with the dark prog of Opeth, one of the best live Americana bands heads to Knuckleheads, prog legends Nektar make a rare appearance, legends themselves Blue Oyster Cult are still fearing the reaper, Glass Animals in a tiny venue (which sold out in seconds!), Spike and The Quireboys singing ‘7 o’ Clock’ in suburban Merriam, a Grateful Dead member at The Midland, and buzzing band Caamp hitting The Truman… and that’s only the first half of the month, with St. Pat’s and more shows to follow!

Here’s what’s happening in the area for the first half of March (a few recommended shows are highlighted below):

Sun 03/01/2020

Opeth at The Midland- (7p doors, $35-$40) – the Swedish influential prog-metal band who has thirty years and thirteen studio albums under their belt, returns with In Cauda Venenum (Latin for “venom in the tail”) for Nuclear Blast under their own imprint. Wall of Sound already gave the record a perfect 10, so the live show has high expectations.

George Thorogood & The Destroyers at Uptown Theater

"Baby Shark" Live at Silverstein Arena

Saintseneca at The Riot Room

Mon 03/02/2020

Lone Bellow w/ Early James at Knuckleheads- (7p doors, $28-$89)- one of our favorite live Americana acts is this Brooklyn trio that have a new record out called Half Moon Light, but look for a sweaty, full moon, full effort kind of performance. Arrive early...err, for Early James, an Alabama singer/songwriter who’s Sing for My Supper album was produced by Dan (Black Keys) Auerbach--’nuff said.

Tue 03/03/2020

Anderson East + Foy Vance at Madrid Theatre

(tour Cancelled due to Foy Vance health issues)

Susto at The Riot Room

Siberian State Symphony Orchestra at Lied Center

Wed 03/04/2020

Fitz And The Tantrums + Twin XL at Uptown Theater (8p, $29.50-$97) You can count on plenty of handclap with All The Feels watching this always-fun pop/soul band that STILL refuses to have any guitar on their records… they continue to do just fine without. LA trio Twin XL promises to show everyone How To Talk To Strangers as openers too.

Nektar at recordBar (7p doors, $25-$30)- now this is a rare sighting! A prog-rock classic UK band who formed in Germany in 1969 return with new album The Other Side. After over fifty years, there’s been plenty of lineup changes and ups and downs, but anyone curious to discover some of the roots of progressive owes themselves a commitment to pay homage ‘Do You Believe in Magic?’ - Yes we do!

Thu 03/05/2020

Y & T at VooDoo Lounge / Harrah's

Thor at recordBar

Cult of Luna w/Emma Ruth Rundle at Granada Theater

Colin Raye, Sammy Kershaw, Aaron Tippin at Prairie Band Casino & Resort

Fri 03/06/2020

Glass Animals at recordBar- (7p doors, long Sold Out)- We’ve seen this ever-buzzing UK psych-pop band a handful of previous times and the band has released a couple of recent singles (newest is ‘Your Love (Deja Vu)’) in anticipation of a new full-length, and is heading out to play smaller clubs, with all dates selling out in seconds! If you didn’t score a ticket, you’re probably weeping all gooey and hazey and looking from the outside in.

Blue Oyster Cult at Ameristar KC (8:30p, $35-$50)- the classic rockers still bring it live, with members Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma still at the helm and going through five decades of hits. If you’ve never seen live, then Go, Go Godzilla!

Vale Of Pnath at The Riot Room

Sat 03/07/2020

Patrick Sweany at The Riot Room

Hembree at recordBar

Justin Moore at + Tracy Lawrence at Uptown Theater

Murder By Death at Liberty Hall

Ramirez at Granada Theater

Sun 03/08/2020

The London Quireboys at Aftershock Bar & Grill (6p doors, $20-$25)- The Newcastle, UK band has been around since 1984?!? Since their international breakout in 1990, they’ve released some twenty-ish records (including last year’s Amazing Disgrace), with singer Spike still leading the charge. A full night including openers The Raskins, The Almighty Trouble Brothers & Working Class Criminals make it a good bang for your concert buck.

TobyMac at Sprint Center

Mon 03/09/2020

While She Sleeps at Aftershock Bar & Grill

Thu 03/12/2020

Young Dolph w/ Key Glock at Uptown Theater

Fri 03/13/2020

Galactic at Knuckleheads- (7p doors, $28-$38.50) the New Orleans funk, pop, and roll stalwarts will bring an extra bit of groove on this, their 25^th anniversary tour. Featuring Anjelika Jelly Joseph with Naughty Professor, it will be time to bring out your dancing shoes and have a mini-Mardi Gras.

Ryan Hurd at The Midland

Sat 03/14/2020

Bear Hands w/IronTom at Bottleneck, Lawrence- (7p doors, $18) - After thirteen+ years, the group returns with the timely and cleverly-named Fake Tunes LP, and is a kind of turning the page on a new chapter, so expect some renewed passion at their live shows.

Arrive early for Irontom, an LA-based guitar+electro group who splashed early on with music featured in a high-profile TV commercial, and has been entertaining live, ever since.  

Bob Weir at The Midland

Fruition at recordBar

Microwave w/ Weakened Friends at The Rino

Sun 03/15/2020

Caamp at The Truman- (7p doors, $29-59) Athens, OH friends Taylor Meier and Evan Westfall first broke out with single ‘Vagabond’and have returned with new album By and By, which continues their buzzing upward momentum. With Bendigo Fletcher.

Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears at Knuckleheads (7p doors, $20-$35) -Austin, TX comes up north for a unique combination of James Brown, Howlin’ Wolf, and numerous other influences and genres to create a potent sonic Texas chili all their own. He invites everyone in the words of their 2013 radio hit, to ‘Come to My Party’.

Ratboys at The Riot Room

 

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

We Were Promised Jetpacks at recordBar, Kansas City (21 Feb 2020)

We Were Promised Jetpacks at recordBar We Were Promised Jetpacks Setlist Human Error Repeating Patterns Someone Else's Problem Moving Clocks Run Slow Not Wanted Keeping Warm Safety in Numbers Boy in the Backseat Roll Up Your Sleeves Sore Thumb Quiet Little Voices Hanging In Pear Tree Slaughter Beach, Dog Setlist Building the Ark Shapes I Know Petersburg Heart Attack Anything Friend Song Acolyte Dogs One Down Politics of Grooming Phoenix Tour Dates Feb 25 Indianapolis, IN HI-FI Feb 26 Grand Rapids, MI The Pyramid Scheme Feb 27 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop Feb 28 Lancaster, PA Chameleon Club Feb 29 Jersey City, NJ White Eagle Hall Read More We Were Promised Jetpacks Scottish rock band We Were Promised Jetpacks is back in town with their fourth full-length album, The More I Sleep The Less I Dream. …

After eight years away, the fans brought anything but their quiet little voices--

One our favorite Scottish bands, We Were Promised Jetpacks descended on a crowded recordBar in downtown Kansas City, for their first area show since 2012, and fans both longtime and newfound, made sure to give them an enthusiastic welcome back.

The venue (since we forgot to give some background about it when we saw Midge Ure there recently) began in a midtown strip mall fifteen years ago, only to have landlords force them to find a new location at the end of 2015. Re-located within sight of the Sprint Center, its current downtown location holds 399, including a smallish side balcony, with good acoustics (closer to the bar means hearing more chatter), friendly vibe and staff, and resembles a smaller version of Minneapolis’ Fine Line Music Cafe.

Opening the evening was the curiously named Slaughter Beach, Dog, a Jake Ewald side project that sprung from the ashes of Philadelphia’s Modern Baseball, who are currently on an indefinite hiatus. After going it alone for two records, last August’s third full-length album Safe and Also No Fear (Lame-O Records/Big Scary Monsters) goes even farther into acoustic indie-folk and is the most different from his former band’s sound, though Ewald has now formed a band around himself, including MB bassist Ian Farmer and Superheaven drummer Zack Robbins.

Named after a small Delaware town Ewald passed when driving to his parent’s house, his low-key Dylan-esque music features lyrics that revel in the minutia of everyday life and celebrates the small victories of just getting through a common day, often told like a short story and reminiscent of some John K. (Weakerthans) Samson songwriting. “We’re having a good day” Ewald casually professed after the new, ‘Anything’- maybe musically an odd choice as opener for the sonically charged headliners, but SBG nevertheless won the crowd over as the forty-minute set progressed.

Lyrics were especially impactful on ‘Politics of Grooming’, which found Ewald admitting, “You wished that you would turn around and do what you're supposed to, but it's easier to blink and stare and stay”, and went back to 2017’s Birdie album to end the evening with ‘Phoenix’.

After a set change, We Were Promised Jetpacks began their eighty-minute headlining set… with an apology?! “We haven’t been to Kansas City since March 20, 2012, that’s our bad… it was all the bass player’s fault!” singer/guitarist Adam Thompson started, making of light of things, but also promising the best show possible, to make things worth the long wait.

Along with Thompson, childhood friends Sean Smith-bass and Darren Lackie- drums find themselves in their mid-thirties with seventeen years as a band together under their belt, and now recharged again with latest album, The More I Sleep The Less I Dream (Big Scary Monsters Records) created after the longest break of their career.

The other news is that the band has begun this new decade minus founding guitarist Michael Palmer, who departed last July, though the great news of fans of this whisper to a scream, wall of fuzz and volume sound, is that Frightened Rabbit guitarist Andy Monaghan has very ably joined on for the current tour.

Kicking things off with 2010’s ‘Human Error’, Thompson, in plain black t-shirt, immediately connected with the audience, stepping to the edge of the stage on both right and left sides to smile as he frantically strummed his guitar, flanked by Monaghan who mostly stayed in his corner and bassist Smith, sporting a Weakened Friends t-shirt to support their European opening band mates.

A dizzying Monaghan riff set ‘Repeating Patterns’ spinning and Thompson’s howling vocal range was on display for an emotionally wretched ‘Someone Else’s Problem’ with heads bobbing and some crowd pogo-ing during ‘Moving Clocks Run Slow’.

The slower ‘Not Wanted’ began with an echoed Monaghan strum but still managed to meticulously build up its sound profile and 2009’s ‘Keeping Warm’ was stretched out to over ten minutes, finding Thompson singing loudly with the mic down at mid-chest, compelling the crowd to clap along, and even getting drummer Lackie briefly on vocals, to the audience’s delight.

“This is a song we wrote when we were kids… I find this song boring… but every time you can play a place like this and see everyone singing along, it makes me feel brilliant!” Thompson admitted before one of the band’s earliest and biggest hits, ‘Quiet Little Voices’ which turned the small club into a Scottish drinking hall for six minutes as everyone chanted and cheered along.

‘Hanging In’ found Thompson vocally imploring, “Don’t Push me, don’t rush me” from the latest record and the encore-less set ended with the album-ender from their 2010 album, ‘Pear Tree’ which had Thompson singing its last verses without the aid of any microphone, completely unnecessary as his voice is still powerful enough to fill the room without additional electricity or aided volume.

“If you’d be my pear, then I’ll be your tree” Thompson sang on their closing number, and after eight years away from Kansas City and wondering if anyone would even bother to show up (the room was filled) We Were Promised Jetpacks (re)discovered that the musical kindred of their intoxicating Scottish sound, does exist and still blooms in the heartland of a country an ocean apart.

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

Slaughter Beach, Dog

Slaughter Beach, Dog

Slaughter Beach, Dog

Slaughter Beach, Dog

WWPJ Setlist

We Were Promised Jetpack

We Were Promised Jetpack

We Were Promised Jetpack

We Were Promised Jetpack

We Were Promised Jetpacks at recordBar, Kansas City (21 Feb 2020)

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

Minneapolis: February 25 to February 29, 2020

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from February 25 to February 29, 2020.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Destroyer: Have We Met Read More Destroyer Destroyer (otherwise known as Dan Bejar) is a sophisticated pop songwriter, as evident by his tenth album Poison Season. He'll be stopping by the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis … Eleanor Friedberger Eleanor Friedberger is back in the Twin Cities! We love the songwriter, and in 2013, she did a series of promotional appearances and we made sure to show up at all of them: Triple Rock (8 Jun 2013), Station to Station (12 Sep 2013) …

DESTROYER
+ Eleanor Friedberger
Turf Club
Sat 02/29/2020 (8pm/$22)
turfclub.net

Vancouver’s Destroyer (led by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar) is touring in support of their latest album Have We Met (Merge Records). Minneapolis’ local station The Current have been playing Destroyer’s catchy singles, “Cue Synthesizer” and “Crimson Tide”. Based on radio play, I knew the upcoming show at the Turf Club would sell out (and, of course, it has sold out!)

We are not covering the show at the Turf Club, however, we are covering their show at the Granada Theater in Lawrence, Kansas. We previously saw the group in Jan 2018 and said, “The thing to note about Destroyer is that they sound very different from album to album. In Bejar’s words, “That's kind of my goal: to start from scratch every time.””

Eleanor Friedberger to open. We’ve seen her a few times, the last time in Feb 2016, where we noted, “ After two false starts, Friedberger profusely apologized, “Thank you for being patient.” Eventually the sound problems went away, and, as always, Friedberger looked and sounded fantastic. In typical Friedberger fashion, each song is a mini-novel, telling ordinary (and extraordinary) everyday stories.”

Tour dates

Feb 23 Los Angeles, CA – Regent Theater*
Feb 24 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress*
Feb 26 Austin, TX – The Mohawk*
Feb 27 Dallas, TX – Club Dada*
Feb 28 Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater*
Feb 29 St. Paul, MN – Turf Club*
Mar 01 Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall*
Mar 02 Detroit, MI – Deluxx Fluxx*
Mar 04 Toronto, ON – Opera House**
Mar 05 Montreal, QC – Theatre Fairmount**
Mar 06 Boston, MA – The Sinclair**
Mar 07 New York, NY – Brooklyn Steel**
Mar 08 Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts**
Mar 09 Washington, DC – Black Cat**
Mar 11 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle**
Mar 12 Atlanta, GA – Terminal West**
Mar 13 Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge**
Mar 14 St. Louis, MO – Blueberry Hill**
Mar 15 Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room**
Mar 16 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater**
Mar 17 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge**
Mar 19 Seattle, WA – Neumos**
Mar 20 Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre**

* w/Eleanor Friedberger
** w/Nap Eyes

Other shows in the area:

Dashboard Confessional at First Ave Radical Face at Fine Line Baynk at 7th Street Iration at First Ave Bambara at 7th Street Read More Dashboard Confessional Talking to a few people in line at the show, I can tell you that Twin Forks had huge buzz. Everyone I talked to wanted to see the new project from Dashboard Confessional's handsome and clean-cut singer Chris Carrabba. …

Dashboard Confessional
+ The Get Up Kids
First Avenue
Tue 02/25/2020 (7pm/$35)
first-avenue.com

The beloved emo band Dashboard Confessional is back… and they’ve sold out First Avenue’s mainroom.

The Get Up Kids to open. We saw the Get Up Kids in July 2011 and said, “When the last song, "Walking on a Wire", was done, the crowd went into the usual "USA" chant for the traditional encore. The true irony is that they opened up their encore with a cover of UK's Blur song "Girls and Boys". This is quite an interesting cover choice for the band, and as much as I enjoyed the cover, the song was lost on its younger audience who has probably never heard of the song and/or could care less.”

Tour dates:

02/25/2020 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
02/28/2020 House Of Blues Chicago, IL
02/29/2020 House Of Blues Chicago, IL
03/01/2020 House Of Blues Chicago, IL
03/06/2020 Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH
03/07/2020 Stage AE Pittsburgh, PA
03/13/2020 Starland Ballroom Sayreville, NJ
03/20/2020 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
03/21/2020 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
03/22/2020 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
03/28/2020 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN
04/04/2020 Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, CT
05/24/2020 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC
05/25/2020 Myer Horowitz Theatre Edmonton, AB
06/05/2020 The Danforth Music Hall Toronto, ON
06/06/2020 The Danforth Music Hall Toronto, ON
06/12/2020 Bonnaroo Music
07/12/2020 Lebreton Flats Park Ottawa, ON

RADICAL FACE
+ Axel Flóvent
Fine Line Music Cafe
Wed 02/26/2020 (7pm/$25)
finelinemusic.com

Los Angeles-based Radical Face (aka Ben Cooper) will be stopping by the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis this Wednesday.

Axel Flóvent to open.

Tour dates:

02.26 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
02.28 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
02.29 - Detroit, MI @ El Club
03.01 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
03.03 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater
03.04 - Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
03.06 - Montreal, QC @ L'Astral
03.07 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
03.08 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere - Hall
03.11 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
03.12 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
03.14 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
03.15 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West

BAYNK
+ Austin Millz, Nolie
7th St Entry
Thu 02/27/2020 (7pm/$16)
first-avenue.com

New Zealand producer and songwriter Baynk is currently on his “A Study in Movement Tour”… stopping by the 7th Street Entry this Thursday, February 27.

Tour dates:

02/27/2020 7th St Entry Minneapolis, MN
02/28/2020 Bottom Lounge Chicago, IL
03/19/2020 The Pickle Factory London
03/20/2020 The Pickle Factory London
07/10/2020 Holland Park Surrey, BC
07/31/2020 Osheaga Festival

IRATION
+ Iya Terra, Ballyhoo!, The Ries Brothers
First Avenue
Fri 02/28/2020 (6pm/$25)
first-avenue.com

Reggae-influenced alternative rock band Iration is headlining First Avenue, as part of their “Heatseekers” tour.

Tour dates:

February 21 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
February 22 Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
February 23 McKees Rocks, PA @ Roxian Theatre
February 27 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
February 28 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
February 29 Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
March 1 Des Moines, IA @ Wooly's
March 22 St. Petersburg, FL @ Reggae Rise Up
April 30 Austin, TX @ Stubb's
May 1 Houston, TX @ House of Blues
May 2 Dallas, TX @ Bomb Factory
May 3 Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Pavilion
May 5 Birmingham, AL @ Iron City
May 7 Richmond, VA @ The National
May 8 Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Ballroom
May 9 Portland, ME @ Aura
May 10 Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
May 13 New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place
May 14 Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
May 15 Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom
May 16 Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theater
May 17 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
May 24 Napa, CA @ BottleRock Napa Valley

BAMBARA
+ New Primals, Wax Lead
7th St Entry
Sat 02/29/2020 (8pm/$12)
first-avenue.com

Bambara will be stopping by the 7th Street Entry on February 29th. Show up to find out why their album Stray album got the attention of BBC’s Album of the Day. Stray is out now on Wharf Cat Records.

Tour dates:

2/24/2020 - Bar Le Ritz - Montreal, QC
2/25/2020 - The Garrison - Toronto, ON
2/26/2020 - Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH
2/27/2020 - PJ's Lager House - Detroit, MI
2/28/2020 - Sleeping Village - Chicago, IL
2/29/2020 - 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, MN
3/3/2020 - The Sunset - Seattle, WA
3/4/2020 - Fox Cabaret - Vancouver, BC
3/5/2020 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
3/6/2020 - Cafe Du Nord - San Francisco, CA
3/7/2020 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA
3/9/2020 - The Rebel Lounge - Phoenix, AZ
3/10/2020 - Lowbrow Palace - El Paso, TX
3/11/2020 - Barracuda - Austin, TX
3/12/2020 - Ruins - Dallas, TX
3/13/2020 - Hi Tone (Small Room) - Memphis, TN
3/14/2020 - The High Watt - Nashville, TN
3/15/2020 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA
3/17/2020 - Cat's Cradle Back Room - Carrboro, NC
3/21/2020 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - NYC, NY

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

Poppy at Liberty Hall, Lawrence, KS (17 Feb 2020)

Poppy at Liberty Hall Poppy Setlist Concrete BLOODMONEY Scary Mask X Play Destroy Fill the Crown Am I a Girl? Anything Like Me Nothing I Need All the Things She Said (t.A.T.u. cover) Sit / Stay Sick of the Sun Don't Go Outside -- Encore -- Bite Your Teeth I Disagree Poppy Tour Dates Feb 20 The Pressroom Phoenix, AZ Feb 21 The Fonda Theatre Hollywood, CA Mar 12 Manchester Academy 2 Manchester UK Mar 13 Cathouse Glasgow UK Mar 14 O2 Academy Birmingham Birmingham UK Mar 15 Heaven London UK Mar 17 Melkweg Amsterdam, Netherlands Mar 18 Orangery Brussels, Belgium Mar 20 Trabendo Paris, France Mar 21 Zeche Bochum Bochum, Germany Mar 22 Columbia Theater Berlin, Germany Mar 24 Backstage Halle Munich, Germany Mar 25 Santeria Toscana 31 Milano, Italy Mar 26 Flex Vienna, Austria Mar 27 Plaza Zürich, Switzerland Mar 29 Razzmatazz Barcelona, Spain Mar 30 Sala Caracol Madrid, Spain Jun 14 Punchestown Racecourse Naas, Ireland Jul 27 Moda Center Portland, OR Jul 28 WaMu Theater Seattle, WA Jul 30 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium San Francisco, CA Aug 1 Pearl Theater Las Vegas, NV Aug 2 Greek Theatre Los Angeles, CA Aug 4 Comerica Theatre Phoenix, AZ Aug 5 Isleta Amphitheater Albuquerque, NM Aug 7 Providence Medical Center Amphitheater Bonner Springs, KS Aug 8 The Rave / Eagles Club Milwaukee, WI Aug 9 The Armory Minneapolis, MN Aug 11 Huntington Bank Pavilion Chicago, IL Aug 12 Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre Sterling Heights, MI Aug 14 Agganis Arena Boston, MA Aug 15 Place Bell Laval, Canada Aug 17 RBC Echo Beach Toronto, Canada Aug 19 Pier 17 New York, NY Aug 20 Stone Pony Asbury Park, NJ Aug 22 The Met Philadelphia, PA Aug 23 The Anthem Washington, DC Aug 24 Harbor Yard Amphitheater Bridgeport, CT Aug 26 Petersen Events Center Pittsburgh, PA Aug 27 White River State Park Indianapolis, IN Aug 29 Cadence Bank Amphitheatre Atlanta, GA Aug 30 Municipal Auditorium Nashville, TN Sep 1 AT&T Center San Antonio, TX Sep 2 White Oak Music Hall Houston, TX Sep 3 Irving Music Factory Irving, TX Sep 5 Pepsi Center Denver, CO Read More Poppy If it wasn’t winter, this is the show I would be happy to show up. It’s Poppy. That weird internet girl. The show is sold out. Poppy’s new album I Disagree is out now on Sumerian Records. … VOWWS The evening began in near darkness though, as VOWWS, probably the only Australian/Iranian dark industrial experimental LA-based duo that you’ll ever encounter, opened with a sweeping thirty-minute set, conjuring even more blackness …

Poppy is an alien. I disagree. Poppy is aYouTube AI creation. I disagree. Poppy is just a made-up ASMR internet meme. I disagree. Poppy is a religious cult leader. I disagree. Poppy is nothing, and Poppy is everything. I…

Fresh from a high profile WWE televised appearance, internet sensation Poppy landed in downtown Lawrence for a raucous performance in front of many of her faithful devotees at a crowded Liberty Hall.

Liberty Hall is a staple in downtown Lawrence, dating in history from the 1850’s, also housing a coffee shop and video rental shop (yep, they still exist) in addition to its 1100+ capacity theater space, with a famous brewery right next door. With a general admission floor and reserved balcony, the sound system is crisp and clear with good stage views from almost any vantage point.

Opening the night was Vowws, a Los Angeles-based post-punk duo playing self-described “Australian death pop” who we last saw in 2017. Their newest full-length is 2018’s Under the World (on Anti-Language Records) and the band’s forty-minute set began with a few hiccups (some feedback, and the overhead stage lights all on and not able to be turned off) that took the eventually distracted members Matt and Rizz out of their comfort zone, even forcing keyboard/vocalist Rizz to lay on the floor at one point, to hide from the light. “I’m dying up here”, she remarked to which Matt added “Have you ever seen a concert in a convenience store before?”

Regardless, they professionally carried on and eventually all the issues were resolved, but the mostly younger goth crowd was too taken in by the music to really be bothered by anything ancillary. The duo’s boy/girl vocals juxtapose like a beam of light amongst their throbbing industrial electro dark beats and songs that build like a sonic plague enveloping the wasteland and their sound is recommended to any fans of Vowws’ former label, Cleopatra Records.

With a male backing band dressed casually all in white, a row of vertical pink neon tubes separating the rhythm section to the back, and a tall mirrored, lighted box framing the petite artist with braided ponytail in a one-shouldered dark ruffled dress, Poppy took to the stage to the opening air raid sirens from the first single from her new record, ‘Concrete’ to begin her sixty-minute headlining set.

The tour is called I Disagree, in support of her third full-length of the same name which was released just last month (on Sumerian Records) and which marked the last creative collaboration between the artist and her sort-of Svengali, Titanic Sinclair.

Devout fans (aka Poppy Seeds) ranged from adult women in goth pixie dresses, teen girls with adult chaperones, metalheads, gender fluids, and those simply curious to see and hear what the genre-metamorphosizing artist would show us. After some earlier, minimalist, pop-leaning (and sometimes head-scratching) efforts, her latest sound is an ear-opening blend of sugary JandK-pop innocent pixie vocals against thrash and hard rock riffs (similar to the kawaii metal of Babymetal and Ladybaby).

“Hello, Lawrence” she cooed before the delicate beginnings of ‘Scary Mask’, an on-record collaboration with fellow California hard rock band Fever 333, sounding more ferocious live as Poppy and the crowd shouted the spelling of the song’s title back at each other. “Everything will be okay” a pre-programmed voice reassured us before the industrial stompings of 2018’s ‘X’, one of only a couple tracks that were not from the newest record, which was played in its entirety.

“If you know this one, please sing with me” she sweetly implored over the melodic electro throbs of ‘Am I a Girl?’, a song one could imagine Gwen Stefani with Meshuggah covering. ‘You Shouldn’t be Anything Like Me’ she sang, but it was a moot point, with so many girls in the crowd already dressing like her and responding to the music like they were.

The lone cover of the night, was that of Russian duo t.A.T.u and their 2002 radio hit, ‘All The Things She Said’, an unexpected but entirely appropriate choice and she did the song justice with a high-volume faithful version.

The tender ‘Sick of the Sun’ had fans’ arms swaying back and forth and the main set suitably ended with the new album’s final track ‘Don’t Go Outside’, which reprises lyrics from its beginning song, ‘Concrete’ and again reassures everyone that “everything will be okay”.

No sooner did Poppy and the band exit the stage when the crowd began chanting her name, refusing to stop until their encore request was fulfilled. The lyrics of ‘Bite Your Teeth’ are very positive and life-affirming, about not giving up and to keep trying, set against a blackened doom guitar riff. The set-ending ‘I Disagree’ showed Poppy embracing the Japanese kawaii metal sound, singing first in Japanese, then with an emphatic exclamation that “We'll be safe and sound when it all burns down” as the crowd roared in approval.

Exhilarating to see live in concert (and fans will get another chance this summer as she again tours with Deftones), the always-unpredictable Poppy reminded us several times during the show that “everything will be okay”.

I disagree. For a still-evolving persona, multi-media artist, and online celebrity, everything looks much more than okay, it looks positively brilliant.

===

(Photography Notes- due to the venue’s lack of a dedicated photo pit, pro photography was not granted for this show, with previous live images inserted, courtesy of Poppy’s official Facebook page. Low resolution Vowws photos were taken with cellphone.)

 

Vowws

Vowws

Vowws

Poppy Setlist

Poppy at Liberty Hall, Lawrence, KS (17 Feb 2020) photo courtesy of Poppy’s Facebook

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

Dirty Honey and The Amazons at Riot Room, Kansas City (15 Feb 2020)

Dirty Honey at Riot Room Dirty Honey Setlist Scars Break You Fire Away The Wire (new song) Heartbreaker Drum Solo Down the Road Tied Up (new song) Last Child (Aerosmith cover) Guitar Solo When I'm Gone Bass Solo > Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin cover) Rolling 7s The Amazons Setlist Fuzzy Tree Mother 25 Stay With Me In My Mind Doubt It Junk Food Forever Black Magic Dirty Honey Tour Dates Feb 21, 2020 Nuemos Seattle, WA Feb 22, 2020 Polaris Hall Portland, OR Feb 25, 2020 Slim's San Francisco, CA Feb 27, 2020 House of Blues Anaheim, CA Feb 28, 2020 El Rey Theatre Los Angeles, CA Mar 29, 2020 Download Japan Tokyo, Japan Apr 11 -12, 2020 Byron Bay BluesFest Apr 17, 2020 Amalie Arena Tampa, FL Apr 18, 2020 Central Florida Fairgrounds Apr 24, 2020 Prudential Center Newark, NJ Apr 25, 2020 DCU Center Worcester, MA May 22 - 24, 2020 Rocklahoma Festival May 24, 2020 Dos Equis Pavilion Dallas, TX The Amazons Tour Dates 21 February Neumos Seattle, WA 22 February Polaris Hall Portland, OR 25 February Slim's San Francisco, CA 28 February El Rey Theatre Los Angeles, CA 19 June Festivalpark Hradec Králové, Czech Republic 09 July 2000 trees Upcote Farm Withington, UK 24 July Aston Hill Farm Pikehall, UK 13 August Gopsall Hall Farm Bottesford, UK 15 August 110 Above Festival Leicester, UK Read More Dirty Honey Granada Theater- Lawrence (Doors: 6pm, $25adv/$30 DOS, $119 VIP) Sat 02/15/2020 Jameson Rodgers at Kanza Hall Dirty Honey at The Riot Room … The Amazons The Amazons (Deluxe) The Amazons Original Release Date: May 26, 2017 Release Date: May 26, 2017 Label: Caroline Records This album is by far my favorite to come this year. …

Kansas City just looked into the crystal ball and saw the musical future--

Up and coming bands Dirty Honey and The Amazons played a very crowded and long sold-out show at the Riot Room in Kansas City, proving in the process that it would be the last time that either band plays this small a room, for some time to come.

The venue (since we’re new to covering this market, though this reviewer is not) is located in the middle of the busy Westport area of midtown and was formerly known over a decade ago, as The Hurricane. Since then, the beer selection has improved, but it’s pretty much in its original shape- a cramped capacity two-section room of less than 250, but because the stage is awkwardly positioned on one side and up a few steps, maybe just over half are actually afforded a clear view.

Ok, on with the show-- the pride of Reading, UK the four-piece known as The Amazons opened with a fiery forty-five minute set that built excitement as it progressed and made plenty of new fans on this, their first trip touring America in their six years as a band. Future Dust (on Fiction Records) is the band’s second full-length, which went Top Ten in their native UK when released last spring.

Drums kicked in the driving ‘Fuzzy Tree’ from the new record, with singer/guitarist Matt Thomson in an embroidered sun/moon patterned blazer brushing his light tousled hair to unleash on guitar mid-song. The rest of the quartet (Chris Alderton– guitar; Elliot Briggs– bass; Joe Emmett– drums) seemed both very focused and also excited to be playing on these shores for the first time.

“We are a rock n’ roll band, I’m sure you’re a rock n’roll crowd... let’s put it to the test!” Thomson exclaimed before youth anthem, ‘25’ with its lyric “There'll be gnashing, there'll be biting, and the truth won't be invited” and a call-and-response break that the crowd happily obliged to sing back on.

‘Stay with Me’ chugged like Oasis  in its prime and ‘Doubt It’ worked in a sped-up portion of Led Zeppelin’s ‘In My Time of Dying’ while 2015’s ‘Junk Food Forever’ was about their hometown, “may we never return” Thomson said, prefacing the song. They ended strongly with ‘Black Magic’, dedicating it to a small group of stage left girls that had noticeably sung along to every word.

Dirty Honey has only been a band for just over two ears, but already come off like old pros. The Los Angeles foursome (Marc Labelle– vocals; John Notto– guitar; Justin Smolian– bass guitar; Corey Coverstone– drums) also has the unique distinction of being the only unsigned band to top the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs Chart and their self-released, self-titled EP has been out less than a year, but has massive and still increasing buzz.

Their sound is an ideal potent cocktail of familiar riffs and influences that echo the classic blues rock bar sound of an early Aerosmith, The Faces, Black Crowes, and Uzi/Suicide-era Guns n’ Roses, but also updates things to sound current and vibrant. Older (and perhaps wiser) than say, Greta Van Fleet, the influences are present but don’t go deep enough into mimicry and act instead, as a sonic building block to something all their own.

Many in the room were knocked out after seeing their third-on-the-bill opening set with Alter Bridge last October, and returned, beyond excited to witness a full set in such an intimate venue. A dizzying and beefy riff from Notto’s guitar introduced ‘Scars’ and their seventy-minute set, with singer Labelle taking center in dark jacket, Aerosmith t-shirt, wry smile, and wide-brimmed hat, his voice easily elevating itself from mid-range Steven Tyler up to a rough-edged Axl Rose/Jeff Keith shriek.

‘Break You’ and ‘Fire Away’ were both built on monster riffs, and a powerful backbeat that looked effortless coming from drummer Coverstone. Stage presence seemed already arena-worthy as well, with singer Labelle even deferring back to the side of the stage during any instrumental soloing, to shift the focus to his bandmates.

“Rock n’ roll needs a kick in the ass” Labelle declared, and the band is road-testing a couple new, yet-unreleased songs, the first being a crusher called ‘The Wire’ which is a future rock radio staple. ‘Heartbreaker’ (not the Zep classic) was dedicated to the ladies present, and had the crowd singing along, which then segued into an early set Coverstone drum solo.

‘Down the Road’ slowed the show tempo, but also proved a vocal workout for Labelle, who showed he could hold a note with the best of them and another new song, ‘Tied Up’ would follow. Their Aerosmith cover of ‘Last Child’ was actually inspired by Slash, who helped the band early on, and considers it an all-time favorite, with Labelle confirming vocally that he could probably sub in for Tyler, if the Boston band ever needed it.

Guitarist Notto could likely do the same to step in for Joe Perry as his nimble solo outro’d directly into the band’s radio hit ‘When I’m Gone’, which lit up the already amped crowd, even further. Smolian showed off his melodic chops tinged with some reverb in a Royal Blood-esque bass solo, which (ahem) led very naturally into the end portion of Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and Labelle holding that classic note like a vintage Robert Plant.

The band finished with the namesake song of the tour, ‘Rolling 7’s’, a melodically deceptive number that starts somewhat dark and muddy, but rapidly keeps building as the audience clapped and sang along with rising applause.

And with that, the lucky couple hundred in attendance not only witnessed a memorable concert, but also got a glimpse into the musical future as Dirty Honey and The Amazons are each “rolling sevens” and have nothing but bigger things ahead.

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

The Amazons

The Amazons

The Amazons

The Amazons

The Amazons

Introducing… The Amazons

Dirty Honey Setlist

Dirty Honey

Dirty Honey

Dirty Honey

Dirty Honey

Dirty Honey

Dirty Honey

Dirty Honey at Riot Room, Kansas City (15 Feb 2020)

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

Minneapolis: February 20 to February 24, 2020

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from February 20 to February 24, 2020.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Echosmith 2020 Tour Dates Read More Echosmith Up and coming Los Angeles pop band Echosmith, makes a brief (and free) promotional 5pm stop at Cities 97’s Oake on the Water, this week located at Tally’s Dockside in White Bear Lake. … Weathers Weathers (singer/rhythm guitarist Cameron Boyer, guitarist Cameron Olsen, bassist Brennen Bates, and drummer Cole Carson) also on the bill. The Los Angeles-based …

ECHOSMITH
+ Weathers, Jayden Bartels
Fine Line Music Cafe
Fri 02/21/2020 (6pm/$25)
finelinemusic.com

Multi-platinum alt-pop trio Echosmith is currently on tour in support of their sophomore album Lonely Generation. The siblings will stop by the Fine Line on Friday, February 21st.

The last time we saw them in July 2018, we said, “Echosmith – aka the Sierota siblings- Sydney (vocals, keys), Noah (bass) and Graham (cajon) along with new guitarist Jacob Evergreen- took to the stage for their half-hour stripped down set of songs. While we still all await their second full-length to be released, the group has released some new music including recent EP, Inside a Dream (Warner Bros Records). “This is a really cool version of an acoustic set” singer Sydney began, looking out at the tables filled with people taking the late afternoon off, and the numerous boats docked along the horizon behind the grounds, before starting with ‘Let’s Love’.”

Opening bands are Weathers and Jayden Bartels. We previously saw Weathers in Oct 2016 and noted, “Opening the show was Los Angeles’ Weathers with a brief 30-minute set. The indie-pop band currently only has two songs available for purchase (‘Happy Pills’ and ‘I Don't Wanna Know’), which, of course, they played to the crowd. The rest of the titles on their setlist, which I’ve compiled, may or may not be the actual title once they release them.”

Tour dates

02/15 Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live
02/17 Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
02/18 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
02/20 Chicago, IL @ Park West
02/21 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café
02/23 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre
02/26 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre
02/27 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
02/29 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
03/01 Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
03/03 San Francisco, CA @ August Hall
03/05 Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda

Other shows in the area:

Lil Tjay at First Ave Chicago Farmer 2020 Tour Ben Noble at Parkway American Nightmare at Fine Line Star Parks at 7th Street Dorian Electra at 7th Street Read More Chicago Farmer Illinois’ Chicago Farmer (aka Cody Diekhoff) will be in town at the Cedar Cultural Center next Wednesday, November 9th, touring in promotion of his 7th album Midwest Side Stories. ...

LIL TJAY
+ The Kid Laroi
First Avenue
Thu 02/20/2020 (6pm/$28)
first-avenue.com

One of our fastest-rising rappers, Lil Tjay, is bringing his “True 2 Myself” tour to Minneapolis on February 20 at First Avenue.

The Kid Laroi to open.

Tour dates:

02/20/2020 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
02/21/2020 Concord Music Hall Chicago, IL
02/22/2020 The Intersection - Elevation Grand Rapids, MI
02/26/2020 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
02/27/2020 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
02/29/2020 The Chance Theatre Poughkeepsie, NY
03/01/2020 The Paramount Huntington, NY
03/04/2020 The Fillmore Silver Spring Silver Spring, MD
03/05/2020 The Buckhead Theatre Atlanta, GA
03/26/2020 Burton Cummings Theatre Winnipeg, MB
03/28/2020 Union Hall Edmonton, AB
03/29/2020 MacEwan Hall Calgary, AB
04/04/2020 The Westcott Theater Syracuse, NY
04/23/2020 Something In The Water
04/24/2020 Something In The Water
04/25/2020 Something In The Water
04/26/2020 Something In The Water
04/26/2020 The Queen Wilmington, DE
05/10/2020 Rolling Loud Music Festival
07/03/2020 Finsbury Park London
07/08/2020 Rolling Loud Music Festival
07/09/2020 Rolling Loud Music Festival
07/10/2020 Holland Park Surrey, BC
07/10/2020 Rolling Loud Music Festival
08/02/2020 Osheaga Festival

CHICAGO FARMER & THE FIELDNOTES
+ Ryan Acker
Turf Club
Fri 02/21/2020 (8pm/$12)
turfclub.net

Chicago Farmer (billed as Chicago Farmer and The Fieldnotes) will be at the Turf Club on Feb 21st, as part of his album release tour.

The last time we saw Cody Diekhoff (aka Chicago Farmer) in April 2019, we said, ““My goodness, I think this is the most people I’ve ever played to, indoors” said a beaming Diekhoff, mentioning he and Parr often had played locally in January and February, thinking this April date would be more Spring-like (but ten to twelve inches of fresh snow had just fallen). Like an Arlo Guthrie or Jack Elliott, the songs were mostly people stories set to music, from the baseball players in ‘Dirtiest Uniforms’ to recounting hitting a deer in ‘Deer in the Sky’, and a gift from his grandmother with ‘The Twenty Dollar Bill’. Peppered with humorous comments of financial struggle like “you know times are tough if you’ve got a fraction in your address” and “I was living in tiny houses before they were cool”, made for a compelling forty-minute opening set.”

Ryan Acker (of The Last Revel) will open.

Tour dates:

2/16 Sun - Anodyne Coffee - Milwaukee, WI
2/20 Thu - Pearl Street Brewery - La Crosse, WI
2/21 Fri - The Turf Club - St Paul, MN
2/22 Sat - The Outer Edge - Appleton, WI
2/28 Fri - Southgate House - Newport, KY
2/29 Sat - Duke's INDY - Indianapolis, IN
3/6 Fri - Redstone Room - Davenport, IA
3/7 Sat - Vaudeville Mews - Des Moines, IA
3/8 Sun - World Theater - Kearney, NE
3/12 Thu - Magic Rat - Fort Collins, CO
3/13 Fri - Walnut Room - Denver, CO
3/14 Sat - Western Jubilee - Colorado Springs, CO

BEN NOBLE
+ Maple & Beech
The Parkway
Fri 02/21/2020 (7pm/$15)
theparkwaytheater.com

Minneapolis singer/songwriter Ben Noble has an album release show this Friday, February 21st at the Parkway.

Maple & Beech to open.

Details:

Minneapolis singer/songwriter Ben Noble celebrates the release of his new album, "Where The Light Comes In," along with an opening set by Maple & Beech. Admission includes a copy of Ben's new album!

Friday, February 21, 2020
7:00 pm Doors // 8:00 pm Music
$15 Advance // $20 At The Door — On sale 8:00 am Friday, January 3
All Ages
🎟⇢theparkwaytheater.com/all-events/ben-noble-album-release

AMERICAN NIGHTMARE
+ Ceremony
Fine Line Music Cafe
Sat 02/22/2020 (7pm/$25)
finelinemusic.com

Hardcore punk band American Nightmare will be playing the Fine Line Music Café this Saturday, Feb 22, in celebration of their 20th Anniversary.

Punk luminaries Ceremony to open.

Tour dates:

02/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts
02/19 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
02/20 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
02/21 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
02/22 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Hall
02/25 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
02/26 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex Grand
02/28 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne
02/29 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial Theatre
03/01 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
03/06 – San Fransisco, CA @ The Fillmore
03/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda

STAR PARKS
+ Mike Adams, Kara Laudon
7th St Entry
Sun 02/23/2020 (7:30pm/$10)
first-avenue.com

Star Parks will headline the 7th Street on Sunday, February 23rd. Show up early to check out Mike Adams (billed as Mike Adams at His Honest Weight) and Kara Laudon.

Tour dates:

02.18 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Ponyboy
02.19 - Kansas City, MO @ Mini Bar
022.0 - Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
02.21 - Madison, WI @ Mickey’s Tavern
02.22 - Milwaukee, WI @Cactus Club
02.23 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
02.24 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
02.25 - Detroit, MI @ PJ’s Lager House
02.26 - Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub
02.27 - Knoxville, TN @ Barley’s Taproom
02.28 - Memphis, TN @ B- Side
02.29 - Tyler, TX @ Stanley’s BBQ
03.06 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda
03.07 - Houston, TX @ Axlrad
03.12 - San Antonio, TX @ Lonesome Rose

DORIAN ELECTRA
+ Alice Longyu Gao, Sym1
7th Street Entry
Mon 02/24/2020 (7:30pm/$15/Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

Gender fluid popstar, Dorian Electra will be stopping by the 7th Street in support of their debut album Flamboyant.

Tour dates:

Feb 19 - Toronto, ON
Feb 21 - Chicago, IL
Feb 24 - Minneapolis, MN
Feb 28 - Melbourne
Feb 29 - Sydney
March 12 - Seattle, WA
March 13 - Portland, OR
March 14 - Vancouver, BC
March 20 - San Francisco, CA
March 21 - Los Angeles, CA
March 24 - Allston, MA
March 25 - New York, NY
March 26 - Washington, DC
April 24 - London
May 1 - Murcia
May 2 - Barcelona
May 6 - Lisbon
May 8 - Malaga
May 9 - Madrid
May 12 - Manchester
May 15 - Brighton
May 16- Brussels
May 17th - Amsterdam
May 18 - Paris
May 20 - Warsaw
May 26- Milan

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

SunFounder 10.1 display for the Raspberry Pi 4

SunFounder 10.1 display for the Raspberry Pi 4 Specifications 10.1 inch IPS HDMI LCD screen monitor with resolution of 1280×800 pixels Wide IPS angles, and fast response speed a Input interfaces: HDMI and VGA Camera holder option 3 pieces of transparent acrylic plates to protect your Raspberry Pi. Read More Raspberry Pi I’ve been playing around with my Raspberry Pi 4 (4 GB Model), a lot lately. I’ve had the single-board computer since November 2019, even though the RP4 wasn’t supposed to launch until 2020. As a result of it being released early (it came out in June 2019) …

Ever since the makers of Retropie made it work on the new Raspberry Pi 4 in January 2020, I have been paying more attention to this exciting development. The story behind why it took so long for the popular gaming frontend to work on the new Pi is because the Pi 4 finally entered in to the 64-bit architecture. Previous models of the Pi were all 32-bit-based.

There’s still a lot of bugs and kinks that the developers had to work out, but all this will eventually go away as more people get their hands on the new Pi 4.

I have to say that having experienced it with the original Pi and Pi 2 (and some limited time with the Pi 3), that the Pi 4 really is a massive improvement over those previous single board computers.

Although the Pi 4’s 1.5 GHz 64-bit quad core ARM Cortex-A72 is much faster than the previous models, it does have a habit of overheating when under stressed… but that is expected with faster chips. So, despite the low entry price of $35 for the basic model, the real cost of the device may actually float around $100 (you have to buy a fan, keyboard, power supply, etc.) Fortunately, you might have many of these components sitting around the house.

Anyway, all my weekends are basically in spent building “Vu’s Ultimate RetroPie Gaming Station”! My idea is an all-in-one video player, retro gaming, and basic computer station. So far, my 128GB MicroSD card will run RetroPi, Kodi (for watching movies and television show), and Raspbian (GNU Linux). This is really nice, considering that in the past, if you wanted to switch applications, you had to swap out your SD cards.

The other thing is that I bought a small 10.1 inch display, dedicated for my Raspberry Pi 4. It is using HDMI (not display ribbon), so that it’s a little flexible if I decide to use it on a bigger display. The Pi 4 is attached to the back of the Sunfounder display, using its built-in mounting screws, designed for the Pi. The display also comes with a three-layer acrylic to protect the Pi.

If you are interested, here are affiliated links to all the items I bought:

Sunfounder 10.1 Inch HDMI IPS LCD Monitor

Raspberry Pi 4 (4GB Ram)

128GB SD Card

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

We♥KC - February 16-29, 2020 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence, KS)

Poppy at Liberty Hall We Were Promised Jetpacks 2020 Tour Tennis at Madrid Theatre Destroyer at Granada Soul Asylum at Madrid Theatre Read More Poppy If it wasn’t winter, this is the show I would be happy to show up. It’s Poppy. That weird internet girl. The show is sold out. Poppy’s new album I Disagree is out now on Sumerian Records. …

Mid-February and the midwest finds itself in the dog days of winter. While Minnesota remains in the deep permafrost, the Kansas City area (still exhaling from the Chiefs Super Bowl win and subsequent massive parade) is in a weather pattern that is anything but predictable-- 72 and sunny on Super Sunday, then single-digit overnight lows soon after, then back to close to 60- wash, rinse, repeat.

There’s still plenty of reasons to go indoors and check out some live music as evidenced by the list of who’s coming to Kansas City / Lawrence, Kansas in the next couple weeks, plus it’s a Leap Year, so there’s one extra day to enjoy the month!

Here’s what’s happening in the area for the last half of February (a few recommended shows are highlighted):

Sun 02/16/2020

Mon 02/17/2020

Poppy at Liberty Hall – (8pm, $25+; Rescheduled from 2/16)- the social media maven and purposely difficult to pigeon-hole artist comes to Lawrence as part of a short solo tour, in-between bigger dates supporting Deftones. Taking influences from J-pop/K-pop, reggae and electro, she can be both alien and addictive, but mostly mesmerizing in concert. Arrive early to catch Vowws too.

Stone Temple Pilots at Uptown Theater – (POSTPONED due to singer Jeff Gutt’s back surgery)

MC Lars at The Riot Room

 

Tue 02/18/2020

Mattiel at The Riot Room

Matoma at Granada Theater

 

Wed 02/19/2020

Eric Johnson at Madrid Theatre

Chris Thile at Lied Center

Electric Guest at Granada Theater

 

Thu 02/20/2020

Nghtmre At The Midland

Michael Angelo Batio at The Riot Room

Rapsody at Granada Theater

Fri 02/21/2020

We Were Promised Jetpacks at recordBar (7p doors, $20)– We’ve been fans of one of Scotland’s best for over ten years and the quartet has took only a momentary breath before returning with a back-to- basics approach that also looks forward with the earned collective maturity from its four founding members, and whose live show is always memorable. With support from Slaughter Beach, Dog.

Peekaboo at The Truman

Ross The Boss at The Riot Room

 

Sat 02/22/2020

Ross The Boss at The Riot Room

William Clark Green at Granada Theater

Golf Clap at Aura

Sun 02/23/2020

Dashboard Confessional + The Get Up Kids at The Truman (7p doors, $35) Emo makes a strong comeback as Chris Carrabba celebrates twenty years of his seminal, sing-a-long project and the bill is sweetened by Kansas City’s own Get Up Kids as support, themselves a major Midwest band in mid-90s emo.

Flatfoot 56 at The Riot Room

Kathy Mattea at Lied Center

 

Mon 02/24/2020

Falling In Reverse at The Truman

Another Lost Year at The Riot Room

 

Tue 02/25/2020

Christopher Paul Stelling at Minibar

Saint Motel at The Truman

 

Tue 02/25/2020

Tennis at Madrid Theatre (8p, $25+) Kansas City gets the privilege of being the opening date of the Swimmer Tour, with their fifth album released this Valentine’s Day, and this low-fi synth duo has steadily been building a solid fanbase. Be sure to come early as Austin, TX singer-songwriter Molly Burch opens in support.

Thu 02/27/2020

Cowboy Mouth at Knuckleheads

Starship feat Mickey Thomas at Prairie Band Casino & Resort

 

Fri 02/28/2020

Destroyer at Granada Theater (8p doors, $20/$22) Have We Met? That’s not only the name of Dan Bejar’s and co’s new record, but a sort-of invitation to catch them live in concert as well, if you haven’t. Though it’s 2020, the new album is self-described as a Y2K album intertwined with poetic and abstract compositions and eccentric lyrical content… consider us intrigued. Arriving early is mandatory as The Fiery Furnaces’ Eleanor Friedberger opens as support.

Soul Asylum + Local H at Madrid Theatre (7p doors, $28.50+) Minneapolis travels south as the Dave Pirner-fronted classic alt-rock band stops in town on their Dead Letter Tour, which also happens to be the name of their current single. The pride of Zion, IL, Local H provides support, determined to get everyone bound for the floor once more. Berwanger to open.

Lunasa at recordBar

Sat 02/29/2020

Dweezil Zappa at The Truman

Durand Jones and the Indications at The Bottleneck, Lawrence (7p doors, $15) We've caught this rising neo-soul group the last two years and watched them organically grow into more seasoned live performers.  The good thing is this is an all-ages show, so everyone can swoon and groove to their original sounds, as well as maybe a well chosen cover or two.  Kaina to open.

 

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

Salt & Pepper

Read More Summer Salt Summer Salt is headlining the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St Paul on August 1st. Show up early to check out Dante Elephante and New Orlean’s Motel Radio (touring in support …

SUMMER SALT
summersalt.band

Austin’s Summer Salt is currently touring across two countries. Their next tour date is at Paper Tiger in San Antonio, after that they'll be at One Eyed Jacks in New Orleans. Looking forward to their New Orleans show this Saturday. I’ve been listening to these guys for the past couple years now and love the beachy sound.

The debut EP back in 2014 Driving to Hawaii was my go-to for a while. The latest EP Honeyweed, from last year, is also phenomenal.

Summer Salt’s was Favorite Holiday Vol. 1, released on Christmas eve.

Tour dates:

02/15/2020 One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, LA
02/16/2020 Saturn Birmingham, AL
02/18/2020 Exit / In Nashville, TN
02/20/2020 Elevation 27 Virginia Beach, VA
02/23/2020 Music Hall Of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY
02/25/2020 House Of Independents Asbury Park, NJ
02/26/2020 Space Ballroom Hamden, CT
03/01/2020 L'Astral Montreal, QC
03/08/2020 High Noon Saloon Madison, WI
03/09/2020 Gabe's Iowa City, IA
03/12/2020 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO
03/13/2020 Black Sheep Colorado Springs, CO
03/17/2020 Harlow's Nightclub Sacramento, CA
03/19/2020 The New Parish Oakland, CA
03/20/2020 Strummer's Fresno, CA

GREGORY PEPPER
camppepper.com

Similar to Jonathan Coulton, Ontario’s Gregory Pepper (aka Gregory Pepper & His Problems) wrote a song every week for a full year in 2017…. This might explain that Pepper is already on his sixth studio album, I Know Now Why You Cry, set for release this V-Day (2/14/20) on Fake Four Inc.

Gregory Pepper Tour Dates

2.15 Richmond, VA Wonderland
2.16 Greenville, NC Hot Change
2.17 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
2.18 Charlotte, NC Milestone
2.19 Atlanta, GA 529
2.20 Orlando, FL Wills Pub
2.21 Gainsville, FL The Atlantic
2.23 Houston, TX Notsuoh
2.25 Denton, TX JJ's Basement
2.26 Austin, TX Mohawk
2.27 San Antonio, TX Limelight
2.28 Las Cruces, NM Main St. Vintage Mercado
2.29 Mesa, AZ The Grid
3.2 Co Springs, CO The Six Two
3.3 Denver, CO 7th Circle Music Collective

w/ Ceschi & David Ramos

balt + vepper ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic