W♥M (Archive)

Minneapolis: August 5 to August 6, 2015

Read More Lissie The comparisons are already in place for rock/folk/blues singer Lissie (nee Elisabeth Maurus) – looks like Jewel, sounds like Stevie Nicks with the raspy twinge of Janis Joplin; but the truth.… Tyler Lyle Starting this week, if you live in the USA, Amazon is having a promotion for you to grab Tyler Lyle's song "The Golden Age and the Silver Girl" from the album of the same name. .…

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from August 5 to August 6, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

LISSIE
at Varsity Theater
Wednesday, 08/05/2015, 7pm ($22)
varsitytheater.org

Folk rock singer Lissie is currently on a solo US tour on "The Road to RAGBRAI"... which is an acronym and registered trademark for the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Who knew Lissie was an avid bicyclist?

Lissie explained her fascination with RAGBRAI:

I am very happy to announce some US solo tour dates this summer! I am calling this run the “Road to Ragbrai Tour”. Ragbrai is an annual bike ride across Iowa that I’ve always wanted to do, so I will be doing the ride in the middle of the tour. Having grown up just across the river in Illinois, Iowa is a gorgeous state that I love! So to make it a reality I’ll be going back to my roots in more ways than one. I started in music playing acoustic guitar and singing from the heart, so it’s only fitting that I sing my way back to the heartland solo! I hope that you can all join me at a show leading up to, on the ride or at one of the gigs after. I’ll keep you posted with news of new music, shows and all adventures soon!

Tyler Lyle to open.

Tour dates:

08/04/15 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom
08/05/15 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
08/07/15 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley
08/08/15 Atlanta, GA Terminal West
08/09/15 New Orleans, LA Parish
08/11/15 Austin, TX The Parish
10/06/15 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall

Read More The Vamps All-boys British band The Vamps (not to be confused with the 70s all-girls Australian band The Vamps) have just released a Christmas edition of their multi-Platinum debut album …

THE VAMPS
at First Avenue
Wednesday, 08/05/2015, 6pm ($25)
first-avenue.com

Keep an eye on these this all boys/teen band The Vamps. First of all they are using their rising fame to create their own record label (with help from EMI/Universal) to sign acts they think will succeed. The first band they've signed is a very young band from Los Angeles called The Tide (which they are bringing on tour with them.)

The other thing they're doing right is making all their shows will be all ages and the same prices for all US club dates: $25.

Also Before You Exit (sometime abbreviated to BYE) will also be on the bill. The trio recently released a new single called "Model", available now on RCA Records.

Tour dates:

07/30/15 New York, NY Best Buy Theater
07/31/15 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
08/02/15 Covington, KY Madison Theater
08/03/15 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
08/05/15 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
08/08/15 Los Angeles, CA Club Nokia
08/15/15 Abbotsford, BC Abbotsford Centre
08/18/15 Big Ticket Summer Concert
08/20/15 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
08/25/15 St. John's, NL Mile One Centre
08/30/15 Birmingham Fusion Festival
09/13/15 Boomerang Hickstead

Read More Alpha Rev The last time we saw Alpha Rev, they opened up for the sold-out Ben Rector show at the Varsity Theater (05/03/13). Setlist was seemingly from their Summer show …

ALPHA REV
at Turf Club
Thursday, 08/06/2015, 7:30pm ($16)
turfclub.net

We previously caught Alpha Rev opened up for Ben Rector in May 2013 and for ZZ Ward in October 2013. This time around, they are headlining the Turf Club in St Paul next Thursday, August 6th.

Jared & The Mill to open the show. We previously caught the Tempe band when they headlined the Communion Night Club at the Turf Club in June 2015 and was impressed by them.

Tour dates:

7/28/15: Seattle - The Triple Door
7/29/15: Burlington - Battery Park
7/31/15: Denver - The Soiled Dove
8/1/15: Alamosa – Richardson Hall Auditorium
8/3/15: Kansas City - The Riot Room
8/4/15: St. Louis - Duck Room
8/5/15: Milwaukee - Shank Hall
8/6/15: St. Paul - Turf Club
8/7/15: Chicago - Beat Kitchen
8/8/15: Grand Rapids – Founders Brewery
8/9/15: Pittsburgh - Hard Rock Cafe
8/10/15: Cleveland - Grog Shop
8/12/15: Allston - Great Scott
8/13/15: New York - Joe's Pub
8/15/15: Philadelphia - Tin Angel
8/16/15: Vienna - Jammin' Java
8/18/15: Decatur - Eddies Attic
8/19/15: Nashville - The High Watt
8/21/15: Dallas - Gas Monkey Bar N Grill
8/22/15: Austin – Batfest
8/23/15: Houston – Warehouse Live

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

ZZ Ward at the Skyway Theatre, Minneapolis (10/12/13)

Setlist Tour Dates 10/14/13 St. Louis, MO Firebird 10/15/13 Chicago, IL House Of Blues 10/26/13 Life Is Beautiful Festival 11/01/13 Voodoo Experience Read More ZZ Ward Finally Saturday, we have ZZ Ward at the Skyway Theatre. Yes, the same theater that my first time will be on Wednesday for Franz Ferdinand, so this venue is booking some really good musicians! … Alpha Rev The evening started with an effective opening set from Austin-based Alpha Rev, whose current song, “Sing Loud” is on heavy rotation on local radio from their recently released full-length, Bloom (Kirtland Records). … James Bay James Bay's debut acoustic EP The Dark of the Morning is coming out July 22, 2013, on Republic Records. Before the EP, a lead single, "Move Together", was released last Monday.…

ZZ Ward's The Down and Dirty Shine Tour stopped by the sold-out Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis last night, October 12th. Not related to the tour, the venue was also hosting the infamous Minneapolis Zombie Pub Crawl after-party show the same night, which ZZ Ward was extremely excited about.

JAMES BAY

Starting at eight was James Bay, a young singer/songwriter from Hitchin, England. This was the last night of The Down and Dirty Shine Tour, but it was a strong finish. You can hear how excited Bay was when he noted how "f***ng incredible" it was to see the large audience turnout early in the evening.

Songs on his brief 30 minute set included songs from his EP The Dark of the Morning, including his intro song "When We Were On Fire", "Need The Sun To Break", and "Move Together".

After this, Bay will fly to New York to play some CMJ Showcases (yes, we are covering CMJ this year) before returning to his country for an Autumn tour with Kodaline.

ALPHA REV

The last time we saw Alpha Rev, they opened up for the sold-out Ben Rector show at the Varsity Theater (05/03/13). Setlist was seemingly from their Summer show, right down to the large phone number (512-402-7600) you can text to and that bluesy version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". However, instead of starting with the popular "Sing Loud", they saved that secret weapon until near the end. During that song, based on the audience's reaction, that was the reason why Alpha Rev is so popular here. At one point, singer Casey McPherson confessed that, "Minneapolis sold more CDs for us than any other city."

Like Bay, last night show was the Austin-based band's last show on the ZZ Ward tour. After this, they return home to play some shows in the Texas area and then some dates on east coast in November.

ZZ Ward's never-ending 365 day tour is nearing its end. They still have a couple more shows to do before she can finally take a break. Songs were similar to the last time we saw ZZ in July (07/12/13). As you can see from the setlist (see blurry photo), that "New Intro" is actually pretty dramatic. The lights were off and as the crowd got restless, you start to hear some drums. It builds up and suddenly you see ZZ Ward on stage as she kicks into "OVERdue".

With only one album Til The Casket Drops under her belt, she basically did all those songs, including the title track and all her hits. The biggest recent radio hit single, "365 Days" got the best singalong. Even less-popular songs like "Charlie Ain't Home" and "Cryin' Wolf" had equally strong reaction.

Like her previous set, she did a cover of Son House's "Grinnin' In Your Face", still ZZ Ward's favorite song since she heard it a cappella style. New to her set was "Lil' Darlin'" which is on her album, but they finally got around to working in this song on this new tour.

Encore was "Blue Eyes Blind", which got a long introduction about the Zombie Pub Crawl and then taking a picture of the audience for her scrapbook.

It's obvious to me that ZZ Ward loves coming to Minneapolis, thanks to strong support from local radio Cities '97 station, and she'll continue to come back here for many years to come. ZZ Ward's debut album Til The Casket Drops is out now via Hollywood Records.

ZZ Ward at the Skyway Theatre, Minneapolis (10/12/13)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ jamesbaymusic.com ♥ alpharev.com ♥ zzward.com

Ben Rector w/ Alpha Rev - Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (5/3/13) live review

Setlist Bennie & The Jets (Elton John Cover) Moving Backwards Never Gonna let You Go She Is When A Heart Breaks I Like You Hide Away Loving You is Easy The Beat Let the Good Times Roll Movin’ Out (Billy Joel Cover) White Dress Tour Dates 05/09/13 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom 05/10/13 St. Louis, MO Old Rock House 05/11/13 Columbia, MO The Blue Note Read More Ben Rector Nashville-based indie singer-songwriter Ben Rector embarks on a 32-date North American tour (Minneapolis is long sold out), with Austin’s Alpha Rev (“Sing Loud”) in tow as openers...…

After seeing Ben Rector play live for the first time last Friday night, my only question is ‘Why?’

As in, ‘Why’ isn’t the Nashville-based Rector a bigger known name and playing even bigger venues than his sold-out Varsity Theater show? Is it because he has taken the indie route and doesn't have a major label promotional push? Is it because he looks like an Assistant Professor of Anthropology with his bow tie, checked shirts, and earth-toned suits?

It ISN’T because of the songs-- because they are well-crafted and resonate with his followers; and would more than comfortably fit within with any AAA/Hot AC radio format (think Cities97 locally), in-between the likes of The Fray, John Mayer, Ben Folds, and Jack Johnson. His 83 min. performance, filled with stories and a personable affect with the audience, last Friday more than confirmed than Rector is ready for wider appeal.

ALPHA REV

The evening started with an effective opening set from Austin-based Alpha Rev, whose current song, “Sing Loud” is on heavy rotation on local radio from their recently released full-length, Bloom (Kirtland Records). “We’ve been looking forward to playing Minneapolis for some time now”, lead Casey McPherson declared from the stage, in full beard and Civil War-era forage cap. McPherson, who overhauled the band’s lineup since its beginnings 5+ years ago, was particularly strong leading an all-acoustic, off-mike version of ‘New Morning’ early in their set, the song first brought them national attention.

‘Sing Loud’ predictably received a noisy favorable response and the set ended ably with ‘You Belong’ and a Texas blues/soul version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’, which McPherson noted was his favorite song. The band is proving its chops as well in their marketing—from a wide selection of merchandise available for sale, to McPherson displaying a sign on stage with a phone number for fans to text to, for additional downloadable songs. Alpha Rev seems primed for wider appeal, and ‘Sing Loud’ may be the vehicle that propels them there.

Ben Rector played to an enthusiastic core younger audience that knew most of his lyrics and was also brave enough to bookend his set with cover versions by two of his biggest inspirations and influences. Opening with a loose version of Elton John’s ‘Bennie and the Jets’, Rector then progressed easily into his own spry and uptempo ‘Moving Backwards’.

‘Never Gonna Let you Go’, ‘She Is’ (which starts with the emotional lyric; “she hates the sound that goodbyes make”) and ‘When a Heart Breaks’ followed, with Rector riffing impromptu lyrics covering how grateful he was to be playing to a full house and the local weather. The new ‘I Like You’ followed, Rector’s reaction to the fact that he said there were too many love songs (a few of them admittedly his own fault) and that there needed to be an alternative, though he did work in part of Bob Marley’s ‘Is This Love’ in to the song’s break as well…which may have deflated his point a little.

BEN RECTOR

Continuing a band tradition, Rector let the audience decide the topic of the last verse of his ‘Loving You is Easy’ and after several shouts from the crowd, ‘The Bachelorette’ was chosen (‘hockey’ being a close second) and Rector deftly rhymed and versed a few of the names from this season’s broadcast (that I can’t say I recognized any of). ‘The Beat’ and the high-energy ‘Let the Good Times Roll’ (from his latest, 2011’s Something Like This [101 Distribution]) closed out the main set, the ’Rectour’ band working in full stride (guitarist Matt Kidd, drummer Jake Goff, and bassist Kevin McIntire), snow machine blowing up top (like MN needed to see any more of that).

For the non-encore (Rector explains he doesn’t like the process of leaving the stage then returning, so they just stayed on), a spot-on version Billy Joel’s ‘Movin Out’ (which the crowd may have recognized more via the Broadway musical than Joel’s own) and his biggest hit to date, ‘White Dress’, which has also become a staple at weddings, dazzled the mostly female crowd. Rector has a new album due in July and judging from the reaction of the sold out crowd at his Varsity show, his popularity has nowhere to go but up.

Ben Rector at the Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (05/03/13)

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ benrectormusic.com ♥ alpharev.com