W♥M (Archive)

Minneapolis: February 22 - February 24, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul from February 22 to February 24, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Frankie Teardrop Also for the Minneapolis show, we have my brother's fave band Frankie Teardrop and local Teenage Moods. ...

CORNERS w/ Frankie Teardrop
at Turf Club
Sunday 02/22/15, 8pm ($5)
turfclub.net

Post-Punk band Corners are touring in support of Maxed Out On Distractions and will be in Minneapolis, this February 22nd, which is my brother's birthday. My brother's favorite local band Frankie Teardrop is also listed on the bill... so the chances of him being at this show is high.

Like most indie bands, Corners are out touring around, or rather to, SXSW 2015. They're scheduled to play six shows at SXSW alone.

Tour dates started last night (Feb 10th):

02/11 - San Diego, CA @ The Hideout
02/12 - Costa Mesa, CA @ Wayfarer
02/13 - Tucson, AZ @ Hotel Congress
02/14 - Phoenix, AZ @ Trunkspace
02/15 - Flagstaff, AZ @ Flagstaff Brewing
02/16 - Las Vegas, NV @ Bunkhouse
02/17 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
02/18 - Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
02/19 - Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge
02/20 - Des Moine, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
02/21 - Milwaukee, WI @ Riverwest Public House
02/22 - Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club
02/23 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
02/24 - Fort Wayne, IN @ Brass Rail
02/25 - St. Louis, MO @ Foam
02/26 - Cincinnati, OH @ Motr Pub
02/27 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
02/28 - Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog
03/01 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right
03/02 - New York, NY @ Cake Shop
03/03 - Baltimore, MD @ Holy Frijoles
03/04 - Asheville, NC @ Tiger Mountain
03/05 - Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover Fest
03/06 - West Palm, FL @ Vintage Tap
03/07 - Miami, FL @ Churchills
03/08 - Orlando, FL @ Will's Pub
03/09 - Saint Augustine, FL @ Shanghai Nobby's
03/10 - Tallahassee, FL @ Retrofit Records
03/11 - New Orleans, LA @ Circle Bar
03/12 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Lagniappe Records
03/13 - Denton, TX @ 35 Denton Music Fest
03/14 - Houston, TX @ House of Creeps
03/15 - Beaumont, TX @ Log on Cafe
03/16 - San Antonio, TX @ TBA
03/17-03/22 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/26 - Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Fest
03/27 - Reno, NV @ Holland Project
03/29 - Santa Ana, CA @ Burgerama

Read More Kaivama Kaivama and the Polka Chicks did a sort of tagteam concert last night at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. Their show can be broken down by this: The Polka Chicks did their set...

AALLOTAR w/ Abyss
at Cedar Cultural Center
Monday 02/23/15, 7pm ($12)
thecedar.org

Finnish-American violinist Sara Pajunen (formerly of Kaivama) and Finnish accordionist Teija Niku (The Polka Chicks) are Aallotar. They are touring in support of Aallotar's debut record In Transit, recorded and released in Finland in early 2014.

We've covered many Finnish bands in the past, and what I can tell you is that Minnesota has a very strong, close-knit Scandinavian community.

Also on the bill is Abyss, the new new solo project by singer and songwriter Aby Wolf.

Tour dates:

02/10/15 Mankato MN Bethany Lutheran
02/11/15 Chicago IL Old Town School
02/13/15 Newark OH Ohio State University
02/14/15 Mechanicsburg OH Hemisphere Coffee
02/16/15 Bloomington IN Lotus Blossoms
02/17/15 Bloomington IN Lotus Blossoms
02/18/15 Folk Alliance International
02/22/15 Folk Alliance International
02/23/15 Minneapolis MN Cedar Cultural Center

Read More Northrop Auditorium The centerpiece of the University of Minnesota, Northrop Auditorium, just completed a five-year long major renovation, and is due to re-open as a vital performance space in the Twin Cities … World Music There's something compelling about seeing two different people from two different worlds teaming up together (for example Habib Koite and Eric Bibb; Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal). …

THE NILE PROJECT
at Northrop
Tuesday 02/24/15, 7pm ($26+)
northrop.umn.edu

We've been paying close attention to the revamped Northrop Auditorium since its grand re-opening, back in March 2014.

If you're into world music (particularly East Africa/Nile Basin music), The Nile Project collective is stopping in at Northrop in Minneapolis on Tuesday, February 24th. The show have had very positive feedback from New York Times, NPR, and BBC.

Tour dates:

02/10/15 Santa Barbara, CA Campbell Hall
02/11/15 Santa Barbara, CA Campbell Hall
02/12/15 Folsom, CA Harris Center For The Arts
02/13/15 Folsom, CA Harris Center For The Arts
02/13/15 Rohnert Park, CA Green Music Center
02/17/15 Berkeley, CA Zellerbach Auditorium
02/18/15 Berkeley, CA Zellerbach Auditorium
02/18/15 Palo Alto, CA Bing Concert Hall
02/19/15 Berkeley, CA Zellerbach Auditorium
02/19/15 Palo Alto, CA Bing Concert Hall
02/20/15 Berkeley, CA Zellerbach Auditorium
02/24/15 Minneapolis, MN Northrop Auditorium
02/25/15 Madison, WI Wisconsin Union Theater
02/26/15 Madison, WI Wisconsin Union Theater
02/28/15 Akron, OH E.J. Thomas Hall
03/01/15 Akron, OH E.J. Thomas Hall
03/02/15 Akron, OH E.J. Thomas Hall
03/03/15 Akron, OH E.J. Thomas Hall
03/05/15 Urbana, IL Krannert Center
03/06/15 Urbana, IL Krannert Center
03/07/15 Urbana, IL Krannert Center
03/08/15 Urbana, IL Krannert Center
03/09/15 Iowa City, IA The Englert Theatre
03/10/15 Iowa City, IA The Englert Theatre
03/11/15 Iowa City, IA The Englert Theatre
03/12/15 Iowa City, IA The Englert Theatre

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

Minneapolis: December 27 - December 31, 2014

Here are some shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul from December 27 to December 31, 2014. Since the third week of December is the Christmas holiday, there actually aren't a lot of shows that are booked.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Hope Country Opener Hope Country's singer Brent Johnson had a lot of good things to say about both Joseph and Judah, particularly how he didn't want to play after checking out their soundchecks. …

QUIETDRIVE
at Varsity Theater
Saturday 12/27/14, 7pm ($20)
varsitytheater.org

Remember how I saw Hope Country and told you that his next appearance will be at the Quietdrive's show at the Varsity Theater? Well, that's this show, taking place December 27th.

Hopkins-based Quietdrive formed in 2002 and apparently have done an Annual Holiday show since 2004 (as this is the band's 10th Annual Holiday Show). Their major label debut album When All That's Left Is You came out on 2006, but since 2009, have gone back to their independent roots.

Their upcoming The Ghost of What You Used to Be is expected to come out digitally on December 16th, via Sneaker 2 Bombs.

Expect some special surprise this year:

Tickets for our 10th annual holiday show just went on sale at quietdrivemusic.com. Join us in Minneapolis for our yearly musical celebration! We also have something special up our sleeves for this year...

Read More Aby Wolf Having Aby Wolf sing harmonies and trade verses was one of the smartest band decisions she’s made, and fellow Doomtree member Cecil Otter, spit fire, guesting on ‘Little Mercy’.This was a very tight and athletic-like …

MN EXPRESS
at Cedar Cultural Center
Sunday 12/28/14, 7pm ($10)
thecedar.org

MN Express is a new program that took five Minnesota artists on a ten-day tour around the state in October 2014.

Vocalist Aby Wolf, bassist Nick Gaudette, guitarist Kyle Sobczak, fiddler Sara Pajunen, and saxophonist Nathan Hanson, are the musicians participating in the inaugural MN Express tour.

The Cedar wrote how all these artists came together:

These songwriter/composers are all former participants of The Cedar's 416 Club Commissions Program which is funded by the Jerome Foundation and designed to support the creation of new works by Minnesota’s emerging artists. Each show was a unique collaborative performance that presented an evolved version of the artists’ commissioned works as well as new material created for the tour.

Now, after touring Austin, Duluth, Grand Rapids, Morris, and Northfield, the MN Express comes home to The Cedar, and gives the Twin Cities a chance to see what their outstate neighbors have been enjoying!

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and culture heritage fund.

Read More New Order For the first time in America, Peter Hook & the Light are performing New Order's Low-Life and Brotherhood start to finish all across North America. We were lucky enough to enjoy the live rendition at the sold out Fine Line Music Café … The Smiths The film stars Emily Browning, and in one scene, you can see Browning wearing The Smiths' Meat is Murder T-Shirt. Browning is no stranger to The Smiths, as she's heard singing "Asleep" in Sucker Punch (2011). …

BLUE MONDAY: A WEEKLY DANCENIGHT
at Triple Rock Social Club
Monday 12/29/14, 9pm (Free)
thecedar.org

As you heard on our latest podcast, I've mentioned how much I love New Order... and any New Order fan might know that this weekly Monday night dance club's name Blue Monday is taken from one of New Order's most popular songs.

Here is how Blue Monday described the free dance club:

9pm till close 21+ free admission

$3 well drinks
$3 PBR Tallboys
$5 Indeed Daytripper Tallboy

Blue Monday is a weekly dance night hosted by the Triple Rock Social Club and Patrick Donohoe (CLAPS) and Benjamin Jones (TFATT) every Monday.

Blue Monday features a mix of classic 80’s dance and New Wave hits.

From ABC to Xymox a little something for everyone who loves to dance.

BLUE MONDAY (every Monday at the Triple Rock).

Trivia #1: Blue Mondays is a Minneapolis New Order tribute band.

Trivia #2: The cover art used here is lifted from The Smiths' Meat is Murder, which in turn was a still taken from the 1969 film Year of the Pig.

Read More Brandi Carlile After the first few songs, the band is joined on stage by none other than Brandi Carlile! Carlile actually sang backup on many of Ray's songs, including the encores. I suppose she's currently on tour with Amy Ray? Carlile is set to …

BRANDI CARLILE
at Varsity Theater
Tuesday 12/30/14, 7pm ($65 - Sold Out)
varsitytheater.org

I'll never forget the first time I saw Amy Ray in 2008, Brandi Carlile just randomly showed up at the show!

I want to say that starting in 2012, these Brandi Carlile holiday shows have been very successful. Even at general admission of $65 per ticket for 12/30 and $100 for 12/31, both shows sold out.

Tour dates:

12/10/14 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre
12/30/14 Varsity Theater (Cities 97 presents)
12/31/14 Varsity Theater (The Current presents)
01/17/15 Cayamo Cruise
01/18/15 Cayamo Cruise
01/19/15 Cayamo Cruise
01/20/15 Cayamo Cruise
01/21/15 Cayamo Cruise
01/22/15 Cayamo Cruise
01/23/15 Cayamo Cruise
01/24/15 Cayamo Cruise

Read More Poliça Even the second night of a two-night homestand, sold out and full of family and friends, couldn’t make Poliça lead singer Channy Leaneagh be less shy and more outgoing—not that anyone really minded. …

POLICA w/ Marijuana Deathsquads
at Turf Club
Wednesday 12/31/14, 8pm ($20 - Sold Out)
turfclub.net

Celebrate the end of 2014 with Poliça and Marijuana Deathsquads... that is if you were lucky enough to have purchased tickets before it sold out. The show was announced November 11th, and by the 14th, all tickets were all gone.

Earlier in October, Poliça released the Raw Exit 10" on Mom+Pop, the 10" is the physical compliment to the Shulamith (Deluxe Edition) and featured 4 brand new tracks.

If you already own , no problem, the tracks are available as individual downloads.

Raw Exit 10" Tracklisting:

1. Raw Exit
2. Baby Blue
3. Great Regret
4. You Don't Own Me

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

Rock the Garden - Day Two at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (22 June 2014) concert review

Spoon Setlist Knock Knock Knock Rent I Pay Don’t You Evah Small Stakes Who Makes Your Money Don’t Make Me a Target The Ghost of You Lingers Beast and Dragon Adored I Turn My Camera On Rainy Taxi Rhythm & Soul I Summon You Trouble Comes Running The Underdog Got Nuffin -- Encore -- Black Like Me You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb Jonathan Fisk Guided by Voices Setlist Authoritarian Zoo Planet Score Schocker in Gloomtown Tractor Rape Chain Psychotic Crush Wish I Was a Giant Vote for Me Dummy Fair Touching Hat of Flames Cut-Out Witch Pan Swimmer The Challenge is Much More Buzzards and Dreadful Crows Teenage FBI Alex and the Omegas Good Flying Bird Cool Planet Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory Spider Fighter Game of Pricks No Transmission I Am a Scientist Echos Myron Smothered in Hugs Motor Away Dessa Setlist The Man I Knew Alibi The Crow Dear Marie Medley Call Off Your Ghost Dixon’s Girl Mineshaft II Warsaw The Lamb Little Mercy (feat. Cecil Otter) Seamstress Fighting Fish Kurt Vile Setlist Wakin’ on a Pretty Day Jesus Fever On Tour Monkey Hunchback Freak Train KV Crimes Dead Alive Valerie June Setlist Tennessee Time Happy or Lonesome Somebody to Love Rain Dance The Hour Rollin’ and Tumblin’ Workin’ Woman Blues This World Read More Rock the Garden The annual Summer music festival Rock the Garden, organized by the Walker Art Center and 89.3 The Current, just started last night and continues …

Coverage continues on our second day at the Walker Art Center for the Two-Day Rock the Garden Festival.

Valerie June-

Valerie June

Skies grayed, thunder rumbled, and a light rain fell as Memphis-based singer-songwriter Valerie June took the stage to open Day Two, in support of her acclaimed Pushin’ Against a Stone (Concord Music). Now a trio, as opposed to her previous solo visit to town, the laid back Southern drawl of ‘Tennessee Time’ and ‘Somebody to Love’ was an ideal musical hangover cure to get everyone back in the mood for another day of varied sounds.

With Medusa-like hair and banjo-plucking skills, she declared, “We’re going to send the rain away” and did so, appropriately during ‘Rain Dance.’  Blues classic ‘Rollin and Tumblin’ was segued into her own ‘Workin’ Woman Blues’ and the gospel-flavored ‘This World’ ended the set, perfectly setting the table for the day ahead.

Kurt Vile and the Violators-

Kurt Vile and the Violators

Though he looks like he could be guitarist for Megadeth, there is a subtle power to former War on Drugs member Kurt Vile.  He and his Violators (multi-instrumentalists Jesse Trbovich and Rob Laakso, with drummer Kyle Spence) plodded through a careful and building set of songs, in support of recent solo efforts, Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze and the EP, It's a Big World Out There (And I Am Scared) (on Matador Records).

Vile himself plays with an almost introverted style, often staring down at his own guitar, long hair shielding any glimpse of his face.  After quoting Willy Wonka, a fan shouted for a Willy Wonka cover, to which Vile replied, “…charming”. The psychedelics and feedback continued to increase as the set progressed, but Vile chose to downshift at the end, with a quiet and soft ‘Dead Alive’ to a hushed crowd.

Dessa-

Dessa

In an hour-long riveting hometown performance, poet / rapper / TV host / author / Doomtree member, etc. Dessa showed the love back to the local crowd that was already in the palm of her hand, even before her first verse.  Darting and moving like a boxer, she played with the ability to see her own giant-sized face on the screens; would dive into the audience; throw a tub of gelato into the crowd in a cathartic gesture that recalled her food sampling days handing out the dessert at Whole Foods; and late in the set,, serenaded the crowd, jumping from the stage to walk from the pit to the soundboard and back.

Dessa with Aby Wolf

Having Aby Wolf sing harmonies and trade verses was one of the smartest band decisions she’s made, and fellow Doomtree member Cecil Otter, spit fire, guesting on ‘Little Mercy’.This was a very tight and athletic-like performance, backed by her crack local band, which enhanced the often intense lyrics of songs like ‘Call Off Your Ghost’ and hit, ‘Dixon’s Girl’. ‘Dixon’s’ , played late in the set, especially pleased a young girl in the crowd middle, atop her father’s shoulder, holding a sign with the song’s title on it.

“Lizzo isn’t my competition…”, Dessa would remark, dispelling any rumors of such, “…time is. Laundry is my competition.” More than a local performance, Dessa was triumphant in front of the audience that has supported her and her Doomtree collective for so long, as she would mention with gratitude.

Guided by Voices-

GBV with Mark Wheat

Current DJ Mark Wheat went on-stage to intro the legendary Guided by Voices, but first gave the crowd a score update to the US game of the World Cup.  This led into chants of “USA, USA”, which in turn, morphed into even louder chants of “GBV, GBV”.  Bob Pollard and crew then took to the stage, armed with literally thousands of possible songs they could do, “We’re going to do 24 songs for you”, Pollard said …they did 25.

“More bang for your buck”, and after a crew member had taped down Pollard’s mic further, so it wouldn’t dislodge from his swinging, the band put pedal to the metal and was off down their musical, devil-may-care road.

Guided by Voices

The 56-year old white haired singer was amazingly spry during their hour-long set, kicking his leg to touch his hand, jumping about, and prowling from end-to-end on stage.  By contrast, guitarists Tobin Sprout and Mitch Mitchell were rock steady, with Mitchell looking ever deadpan with a lingering cigarette butt, dangling from his lip.  Bassist Greg Demos moved about in the background, striking poses with bass held high, everyone keeping up with Pollard and his resistance to even pause too long to take a breath.

New album, Bee Thousand (Scat Records) songs were mixed into the set, alongside older favorites like the Rick Ocasek-produced “Teenage FBI’, “we worked with the big boys”, Pollard would comment about The Cars singer.  Pollard even slighted local legend Paul Westerberg, saying they’ve played here some twenty times, and had yet to get a glimpse of the somewhat reclusive Replacements leader.

Spoon-

Britt Daniel

“I’m not gonna say where we were last night (ed. note: it was Toronto)… but it wasn’t this good”, Spoon’s singer Britt Daniel confessed to an enthusiastic crowd early in their 75 min. set.  Starting with new songs from their upcoming They Want My Soul (out August 5 on Loma Vista/Republic), the audience was among the first to hear many of the new and yet-to-be-released songs live, which made the clear Sunday evening, seem even more special.

2007 breakthrough album album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge Records) was well-represented as well in this abbreviated set, though at the expense of 2010 album, Transference, as I especially missed the inclusion of ‘Written in Reverse’. Daniel, Jim Eno (drums), and band didn’t say a lot to the crowd, carrying on with a confident mix of songs old and new to an already-convinced audience.

An extra boost of energy was provided by Brooklyn band White Rabbits’ guitarist/percussionist Steve Patterson, who was ably filling in for Rob Pope, whose wife was due with child.  Daniel had first met White Rabbits in Minneapolis and went on to produce on of their albums, so the chemistry between Patterson and band seemed natural and unforced.  Daniel’s voice and guitar work moved from elegance to fierceness almost on a coin-flip, and the songs on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga received the most enthusiastic response.

A three-song encore closed the night and festival, highlighted by ‘You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb’, which was great to hear within earshot of the famous Oldenburg Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture in the adjoining garden. For the faithful, Spoon returns to town with a downtown theater show in mid-September.

Spoon at Rock the Garden, Minneapolis (22 June 2014)

behzad + john () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Chastity Brown at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (03/24/12)

Tour Dates 04/12/12 Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN 04/14/12 The Root Note - La Crosse, WI 04/25/12 "Live from Studio Five" on KFAI 90.3 FM 05/09/12 Sh*tty Barn Session - Spring Green, WI 05/19/12 Eden Prairie Art Fair - Eden Prairie, MN 05/19/12 Fitzgerald Theater - St. Paul, MN 06/03/12 East Central - Pine City, MN 06/21/12 Zella's - Hutchinson, MN 07/21/12 RiverSong Music Festival - Hutchinson, MN 08/04/12 318 Café - Excelsior, MN 08/10/12 Bayfront Blues Festival - Duluth, MN Read More Chastity Brown Chastity Brown is to release Back-Road Highways on the Nashville-based C & D Music Network, the CD release party will be held on Saturday, March 24th at the Cedar. Playing with her will be Romantica and Black Audience

Chastity Brown held her Back-Road Highways album release party at the Cedar Cultural Center last night. I missed the Cedar, I haven't been to the nonprofit venue since last July, before my winter hibernation. I am reminded what a great place to see and hear live music.

Black Audience

Starting off the evening was Black Audience, a band that seems to do a lot of traditional and gospel songs. They opened up their set with a Hall Johnson cover song "Take My Mother Home" done in a cappella, followed by a "slave song" called "Mary Don't You Weep".

My favorite from their set was a Leonard Cohen cover of "Chelsea Hotel".

Romantica

I've seen Romantica a few times, but this time, they had help from Black Audience's singer Jayanthi Kyle. They played an Americana/heartland type music, and singer Ben Kyle mentioned that these songs they were playing will hopefully be released in a new album this Summer.

Songs on their setlist: "Trust", "Mystery", "God Walks on Water", "Buffalo Bill", "Mercy", "Dark", "England", "Minneapolis", and "True". The highlight of their new songs was the one about how he saw Minneapolis kissing St Paul on the Mississippi River.

As for Chastity Brown, I noticed right away that the stage contained eight guitars (two acoustics, two bass), a banjo, two drum sets, one keyboard, a double bongo, and three mics for backup singers. The setup is huge; there is no way they can pull this off at a smaller venue.

Chastity Brown with Hummingbirds and Aby Wolf

Brown played almost everything from her Back-Road Highways album, as you can see from the setlist. The band is joined on stage by Aby Wolf (for "Solely" and "Slow Time") and Hummingbirds (for "Say It", "If You Let Me", and "Lift Us"). Everyone, including Black Audience's Kyle and New Primitives' Chico Perez and Stan Kipper, would join on stage for their finale song, which is listed as "After You". Normally this would be a tough call to follow that grand epic number, but Brown came back for the encores: Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" (with her singing "stay by me") and "Back Road Highways" (which ironically doesn't appear on her new album, but actually on her 2010 album High Noon Teeth).

This CD release party is just that, to let you know that Chastity Brown's album, Back-Road Highways, is out now via C&D Music. You can pick it up at the usual locations, Amazon.com and Bandcamp.

Chastity Brown at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (03/24/12)

vu () ♥ chastitybrownmusic.com ♥ romanticamusic.com ♥ www.myspace.com/blackaudience

Emeli Sandé at Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis (03/05/12)

Set List at Dakota Jazz Club (03/05/12) Tour Dates 03/07 Toronto, ON The Drake 07/23 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre* 07/24 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre * 07/26 Montreal, QC Bell Centre* 07/27 Montreal, QC Bell Centre* 07/29 Boston, MA TD Garden* 07/30 Boston, MA TD Garden* 08/01 Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills* 08/03 E. Rutherford, NJ Izod Center* 08/04 E. Rutherford, NJ Izod Center* 08/07 Chicago, IL United Center* 08/08 Chicago, IL United Center* 08/10 St. Paul, MN Xcel Center* 08/11 St. Paul, MN Xcel Center* * opening for Coldplay

What a treat! Emeli Sandé came by Minneapolis, last night, to preview her upcoming album. The intimate setting of the Dakota Jazz Club was a perfect listening room for Sandé. As the announcer puts it, this will be the only time that you get to see her at such a small venue, because the next time she's coming back, she's playing the Xcel Energy Center with Coldplay. Just to give you perspective, the capacity for Xcel is over 18,000 seats, while the Dakota is just under 300 seats.

Aby Wolf

Aby Wolf closed out the show, which may be one of the rare occasions where the support band actually played last. Her music was electronica/chilltronica in the vein of Julee Cruise.

As for Emeli Sandé, everyone at the show last night would agree that her set was way too short, with the encore of "Maybe" ending at 8:15pm! I suppose it shouldn't surprise us, considering that Sandé only has one album with a maximum of maybe 13 or so songs under her belt.

As you can see from the setlist, she did almost all the songs from her debut album, Our Version of Events, starting off to a strong start with her first single, "Heaven" and her current single, "Next to Me". Her voice is bold and wonderful, and you can easily see why she recently won the 2012 Brit Awards for Critic's Choice (previous winners includes Adele and Florence+Machine).

Sandé's album, Our Version of Events, is the second fastest-selling album of 2012, behind Lana Del Rey's Born to Die, when it was released in the UK a few weeks ago (February 19th); already the record went platinum! Unfortunately, the album is not available in the USA just yet. You can only get the single "Heaven" at the moment, but EMI/Capitol Records will finally release the album in the US on June 5th. By that time, expect to see her on the usual television appearance.

Emeli Sandé at Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis (03/05/12)

vu () ♥ emelisande.com ♥ myspace.com/abywolf