W♥M (Archive)

Joshua Radin and A Fine Frenzy at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (10/25/12)

Tour Dates 10/26 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre 10/27 Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre 10/29 New York, NY - Best Buy Theater 10/30 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory 11/01 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Fall 11/02 Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre 11/03 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre 11/05 Charlottesville, VA - Paramount Theatre 11/07 Durham, NC - Carolina Theatre 11/08 Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theatre 11/09 Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works 11/10 Birmingham, AL - Workplay Soundstage 11/12 Houston, TX - House of Blues 11/13 Austin, TX - Paramount Theatre 11/14 Dallas, TX - House of Blues 11/16 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Read More A Fine Frenzy Alison Sudol, aka A Fine Frenzy, will be heading out on a five-week tour, co-headlining with Joshua Radin. The new tour is in support of her forthcoming album, PINES ...

Joshua Radin and A Fine Frenzy double headlining tour came through Mill City Nights in Minneapolis last night, October 25th. Turn out was exceptionally great for a Thursday evening.

They brought with them a young singer/songwriter named Lucy Schwartz, from Los Angeles, who sang song about love, friendship, and haunting. She ended her set with "Ghost in My House," which you can download a remix on her website. Look for her latest EP called Keep Me on amazon.

A FINE FRENZY

A Fine Frenzy (Alison Sudol) is now a blonde. In addition to her new looks, the singer/songwriter had a full band as her back up and spent most of her set concentrating on singing and dancing on stage (at least near the end).

Almost every song played last night was from PINES, her latest album which came out last week on Virgin Records. Sudol described each song was about nature: from the mountains ("Avalanches (Culla's Song)"), the wind ("Winds of Wander"), or the river ("Riversong"). I got the feeling that she spent a lot of time deep in a cabin in the woods, when she wrote PINES.

Of the new songs, I thought "Now Is the Start" was the best. This was a more upbeat song and was an audience participation song. When she sang "Now it sounds like…" the audience was asked to sing, "Ba-ba-ba ba-ba da."

There were two old song exceptions, which closed out her set: "What I Wouldn't Do" (from Bomb in a Birdcage) and "Almost Lover" (from One Cell in the Sea). The latter was clearly a crowd favorite as Sudol played the piano with the audience helping to sing (quietly) to the song. Based on the feedback from the fans, they would've liked to have heard more old songs, but I guess that's just how it goes.

Joshua Radin is currently on tour for his latest album, Underwater, out now on Mom and Pop Records (the same label that signed Minneapolis' Poliça.) His stage setup felt like he was performing from his living room, with all the various lamps used on stage. The lights help with photos, but unfortunately he didn't have a lamp anywhere near his mic.

Radin, apparently appears on television semi-regularly, either licensed music or live appearance. Ellen DeGeneres really loves this guy, she personally asked him to play at her wedding.

He started his set with two old songs, "No Envy No Fear" and "Brand New Day", but the rest of his set mixes in new songs from Underwater, including "Anywhere Your Love Goes."

Radin had a lot of good stories, particularly his memories about Minneapolis. For instance, when he first had his U.S. national, the Fine Line Café in Minneapolis was the only venue that sold out.

Not everything about Minneapolis were good times, when he wrote "One Of Those Days," he said he was sleeping in his tour bus in Minneapolis, underneath layers of blankets. He's just split with his girlfriend and was in incredibly depressing/suicidal mood. Everywhere he went, he was reminded of her. I guess, when he performed "One Of Those Days," it suddenly had a different perspective when he sings, "So I crawl underneath my blanket where I can hide away, I know I can't take it."

Joshua Radin and A Fine Frenzy are currently doing a double concert tour through North America. Their next stop will be at the Vic Theatre in Chicago.

Joshua Radin at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (10/25/12)

vu () ♥ joshuaradin.com ♥ afinefrenzy.com ♥ lucyschwartzmusic.com

At Mill City Nights: Cat Power, English Beat, and A Fine Frenzy

Read More Cat Power I've recently added a few cover songs to the cover collection, including this one by Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, doing a Hank Williams...

Here are some upcoming shows at the Mill City Nights. This venue originally was called The Brick, which opened up earlier this year to notorious bad press. They quickly changed their name to Mill City Nights to distant their associations to The Brick. Anyway, I went to a recent show there and I'm here to report that securities are still pretty awful - it's like airport security: they pat you down and kick you out of the line if you have what they deemed are liquids, weapons, or lens cameras.

CAT POWER
catpowermusic.com

I love Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power). I saw her about six or seven years ago for her "Greatest" tour, but she seemed to have disappeared since then.

Well Cat Power is back with a brand new studio album called SUN. Comparing and contrasting the new album to her 1998's Moon Pix, Marshall explained that the 1998 album was about "extreme isolation and survival in the crazy struggle", but SUN is the opposite, "confidently into your own future, to personal power and fulfillment."

It sounds like Marshall is no longer the shy, quiet girl and her piano, but more happier and optimistic with her current album. It should be interesting to see how she performs when you see her on tour.

Cat Power is stopping by Minneapolis at Mill City Nights on October 30th. Interestingly enough, the show is co-sponsored by the 400 Bar and The Current 89.3.

10/11/12 Miami, FL Grand Central 10/13/12 Mexico City, Mexico Autodromo 10/18/12 Ithaca, NY State Theatre 10/19/12 Montreal, QC Metropolis 10/20/12 Toronto, ON Kool Haus 10/22/12 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 10/23/12 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom 10/24/12 Boston, MA House Of Blues 10/25/12 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory 10/27/12 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre 10/28/12 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre 10/29/12 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater 10/30/12 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights 11/02/12 Vancouver, BC The Vogue Theatre

11/03/12 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo 11/04/12 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal 11/06/12 Oakland, CA Fox Theater 11/08/12 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Palladium 11/26/12 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso 11/28/12 Cologne, Germany E-Werk 11/29/12 Berlin, Germany Huxleys Neue Welt 12/01/12 Hamburg, Germany Grosse Freiheit 36 12/02/12 Munich, Germany Theatre Fabrik 12/03/12 Milan, Italy Alcatraz 12/04/12 Bologna, Italy Estragon 12/06/12 Zurich, Switzerland Volkshaus 12/10/12 Paris, France Trianon 12/12/12 London, United Kingdom Roundhouse 12/14/12 Brussels, Belgium AB Club

Read More The Beat Trying to figure out some of the covers on Hamburger, I found The Beat, a band that debut with The Beat in 1979. The band was lead by Paul Collins…

ENGLISH BEAT
facebook.com/theenglishbeat

Here's a tour teamup that can't be beat: English Beat with The Paul Collins Beat tour! The tagteam ends at the Mill Cit Nights in Minneapolis, but the English Beat continues on their tour in Missouri.

A little information about each band, as you know The Beat was a ska band that started in 1978, but had to change their name in America as The English Beat because of Paul Collin's band The Beat (who pre-dated the English Beat by a year.) You can read about Paul Collin's band here on W♥M.

Anyway, it sounds like the two bands aren't rivals at all, but old friends, as Dave Wakeling, from the English Beat, explained, "Paul and I originally met back in '83 and have been in touch occasionally over the years, but recently we've been in closer FB [Facebook] contact, which led to this idea becoming a reality....Two beats, hearting as one!"

The tour kicks off October 11th. Dates with (*) indicates with support from The Paul Collins Beat.

Sep 28 Coach House San Juan Capistrano, CA Sep 29 Saint Rocke Hermosa Beach, CA Oct 05 Romano’s Concert Lounge Riverside, CA Oct 06 The Canyon Club Agoura Hills, CA Oct 11 The Orange Peel Asheville, NC * Oct 12 The State Theatre Falls Church, VA * Oct 13 The Center for Arts Natick, MA * Oct 14 World Café Live Philadelphia, PA * Oct 16 BB King’s New York, NY * Oct 18 Rapids Theatre Niagara Falls, NY * Oct 19 Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, ON * Oct 20 Hard Rock Café Detroit, MI * Oct 23 SPACE Evanston, IL * Oct 24 Hard Rock Café Pittsburgh, PA * Oct 25 Hard Rock Café Pittsburgh, PA Oct 26 Turner Hall Milwaukee, WI * Oct 27 Mill City Nights Minneapolis, MN *

Oct 30 Knucklehead Tavern Kansas City, MO Oct 31 The Blue Note Columbia, MO Nov 02 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA Nov 03 Vinyl Music Hall Pensacola, FL Nov 09 Hard Rock Café Las Vegas, NV Nov 16 The Depot Salt Lake City, UT Nov 23 Bimbo’s 365 Club San Francisco, CA Nov 24 B Ryder’s Bakersfield, CA Nov 30 SoHo Santa Barbara, CA Dec 01 SLO Brewing Company San Luis Obispo, CA Dec 07 T. Boyle Tavern Pasadena, CA Dec 08 T. Boyle Tavern Pasadena, CA Dec 14 Ace of Spades Sacramento, CA Dec 15 Mystic Theatre Petaluma, CA Dec 22 House of Blues Anaheim, CA Dec 29 Saint Rocke Hermosa Beach, CA Dec 31 The Canyon Club Agoura Hills, CA

Read More A Fine Frenzy Alison Sudol, the lead singer of A Fine Frenzy, has a voice. She fills the album with a warm and sultry voice. She reminds me of Brandi Carlile.

A FINE FRENZY
afinefrenzy.com

Alison Sudol, aka A Fine Frenzy, will be heading out on a five-week tour, co-headlining with Joshua Radin. The new tour is in support of her forthcoming album, PINES, which I've previously mentioned. The third A Fine Frenzy album hits store on October 16th via Virgin Records, according to Amazon.

It seems that PINES goes beyond just music, as in addition to the album, there's also a companion book and short film.

10/11 Santa Rosa, CA Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
10/12 San Francisco Warfield Theatre
10/13 Newport Beach, Balboa Beach Fest
10/16 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
10/17 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre
10/18 Seattle, WA City Arts Festival
10/20 Edmonton, AB McDougall Church
10/21 Calgary, AB Knox United Church
10/23 Winnipeg, MB Garrick Center
10/25 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
10/26 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
10/27 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre
10/29 New York, NY Best Buy Theater
10/30 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
11/01 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Fall
11/02 Montreal, QC Corona Theatre
11/03 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
11/05 Charlottesville, VA Paramount Theatre
11/07 Durham, NC Carolina Theatre
11/08 Atlanta, GA Buckhead Theatre
11/09 Nashville, TN Marathon Music Works
11/10 Birmingham, AL Workplay Soundstage
11/12 Houston, TX House of Blues
11/13 Austin, TX Paramount Theatre
11/14 Dallas, TX House of Blues
11/16 Los Angeles, CA Wiltern

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

A Fine Vaccine

Read More The Vaccines I saw these guys open up for Arctic Monkeys, I have to say "A Lack Of Understanding" sounded great live. I also mentioned that their most energetic song was …

Got a couple of big announcements, today. Surely a September to remember.

THE VACCINES
thevaccines.co.uk

Columbia Records announced today that The Vaccines' second studio album, The Vaccines Come Of Age, will be out September 4th. This follows their critically-acclaimed (and incredible short), certified Platinum, debut What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?.

To get a taste of what's to come, the first single from the new album, "No Hope," is available now for listening on soundcloud.com.

The Vaccines will be around the US in September to promote the album with a few dates (more dates will probably be announced later):

9/10 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
9/11 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
9/13 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour

Read More A Fine Frenzy Alison Sudol, the lead singer of A Fine Frenzy, has a voice. She fills the album with a warm and sultry voice. She reminds me of Brandi Carlile.

A FINE FRENZY
afinefrenzy.com

You may remember W♥M's Alex didn't like A Fine Frenzy's One Cell in the Sea, despite the millions of Frenzy lovers that bought the record based on her hit song, "Almost Lover". I last heard from her via the soundtrack of "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and was wondering what she's been up. Well today, I got the announcement that she's got a new album, PINES, coming out September 18th, 2012, on EMI.

Although the pictures and description of "drawing inspiration from the redwood forests and dramatic landscapes of Northern California and Washington's Cascade Mountains", there is a double-meaning as Alison Sudol explained in her album preview video: "You can spend your whole life wondering about things and you could miss it. I wrote this record to stop wondering. To stop pining."

In addition to the record, there will be a companion book (illustrated by Jen Lobo) and short animated film. Expect to hear more about in July and when the album's released in September.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover

Tour 10/03/07 Irving Plaza - New York, NY 10/04/07 Irving Plaza - New York, NY 10/05/07 Orpheum Theatre - Boston, MA 10/07/07 Higher Ground - South Burlington, VT 10/09/07 Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, Can 10/10/07 House of Blues - Cleveland, OH 10/11/07 House of Blues - Chicago, IL 10/12/07 House of Blues - Chicago, IL 10/13/07 The Vogue - Indianapolis, IN 10/14/07 St. Andrews - Detroit, MI 10/16/07 The Pageant - St. Louis, MO 10/17/07 The Eagles Club - Milwaukee, WI 10/18/07 First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN 10/20/07 Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO 10/23/07 Big Easy - Boise, ID 10/24/07 Big Easy - Spokane, WA 10/25/07 Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR 10/27/07 Commodore Ballroom/House of Blues - Vancouver, Can 10/30/07 Mount Baker Theater - Bellingham, WA 11/02/07 Paramount Theater - Seattle, WA

Alison Sudol, the lead singer of A Fine Frenzy, has a voice. She fills the album with a warm and sultry voice. She reminds me of Brandi Carlile. But great vocals don't cut it. Some of their songs have interesting openings, but they always degrade into repetitive themes.

Sudol shows aptitude as a lyricist , she has a lot of songs about love and heartbreak. In an interview with Harp Magazine Sudol said

I consider myself a writer. I love writing songs. That's my best way of writing and I love the challenge of finding the lyrics that fit the melody it's like a puzzle to me. So that's my favorite way to write. But I love writing anything.

A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover [demo]

Thats good to hear because their are literally thousands of heartbreak songs (see High Fidelity). Its a hard genre to stand out in and shes not up to snuff, but she loves to write so that should be its own reward. Even "Almost Lover", which I thought was their best song on the album, didn't impress me lyrically. "Almost Lover" was the first song I heard off the album. A couple of months ago I heard it on Morning Becomes Eclectic from KCRW. The song interrupted my work and demanded that I payed attention. I stopped working and listened. Its simple , powerful, and catchy. Its not rounded though, it doesn't stand up to multiple sittings. Though, it hints at a better future for this band.

From what I gather this band is young, Sudol is 22. Hats off for trying. "Almost Lover" hints to me that they have a future of good music, but they really need to loose the repetitive poppy feel. I wouldn't change the radio if A Fine Frenzy came on, that puts them in the mediocre pile. This was an okay freshmen release, hopefully they'll comeback again with something great.

 10/01/2007 21:15:32  Alex my♥posts www.afinefrenzy.com