W♥M (Archive)

Minnesota State Fair: Kids & Last Chance Day (04 September 2017)

Read More Minnesota State Fair Despite my protests, we end up going to the Minnesota State Fair every year. This is the "Great Minnesota Get-together", where everyone goes to enjoy eating something on a stick…

I went to the Minnesota State Fair on Labor Day, September 4th, 2017. Since we were just attending as paid guests, I wasn’t obligated to cover or stay for any music shows (wanted to see Hippo Campus, couldn’t stay because it started to rain).

Typically, when we go to the fair, we don’t really have a plan and tend to just wander around and get lost. Sometime we get lucky and see a new vendor, like the Fried Olive or Que Viet... but we don’t actively seek out new food.

Since it was “Last Chance Day” at the Fair, some vendors had some deals (but they never seem to be that good). For example, a coffee vendor was only offering deals on a certain flavor that they had overstock, or buy one and get one half off.

We always visit the International Bazaar to see what’s on stage. We caught some traditional Spanish Chinelos de Axochiapan costume and dancing on the main stage.

Saw a bit of Axiom (not to be confused with countless other Axiom bands, especially the St Paul metal band) at the DNR Outdoor Stage. They ended their set with a cover of The Clash’ ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’. Staying at the DNR Stage, we caught The Raptor Center showcasing various raptors, like kestrels, owls, or bald eagles.

The Hmong Minnesota Day was happening over at Dan Patch Park. Hmong-related vendors were set up all around the main stage, which featured Hmong dresses and “Hmong Americans Got Talent”. There was also a sepak takraw (kick volleyball) game taking place in the park.

Over at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell, we saw New Orleans-based funk-soul musical group Tank and the Bangas. The group is fronted by Tarriona Ball (aka Tank), and was the winner of NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest this year for their song ‘Quick’. They were probably the highlight of the State Fair for us.

MN State Fair

Chinelos de Axochiapan

Sepak takraw

Axiom at DNR Stage

The Raptor Center

Minnesota State Fair

Beef Expo

Turtles

Fried Olives

Putin & Trump shares a corndog

Hmong MN Day: Hmong Americans Got Talent

Tank and the Bangas at Leinie Lodge Bandshell, Minnesota State Fair (04 September 2017)

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Chelsea Grin at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St Paul (15 March 2016)

Tour Dates 03/19/16 Edmonton, AB The Starlite Room 04/02/16 Extreme Thing Sports & Music Festival 04/22/16 Impericon Festival (Oberhausen) 04/23/16 Impericon Festival (Leipzig) 05/01/16 Impericon Festival (Amsterdam) 05/02/16 Impericon Festival (Manchester) 05/03/16 Impericon Festival (London) 05/04/16 Impericon Festival (Paris) 05/05/16 Impericon Festival (Zurich) 05/06/16 Impericon Festival (Vienna) 05/07/16 Impericon Festival (Munich) Read More Wage War Wage War played a heavy hitting set that warmed the crowd up and got them moving. Wage War's Blueprints is available now on Fearless Records. I would definitely keep my eyes on both of these bands if I were you. … Lorna Shore I had seen Lorna Shore before and knew they slayed it live. I'm good friends with the guys in Buried Above Ground. Other than that, my expectations were low. I really need to stop that. Every single band last night blew me away. … From Concept to Chronicle From Concept to Chronicle was one of the openers that I had never heard of before. I'm sure they've been on a bill I've seen but I've never actually seen them before. They absolutely killed it. Usually I find bands that have two vocalists to be hard …

Deathcore Chelsea Grin headlined the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St Paul last Tuesday, March 15th.

The whole night was perfect. The music was loud, heavy, and unrelenting. The crowd was full of energy, anger, and they were just as unrelenting as the music. It was all of the makings for a perfect night. Hell, it was a perfect night, but I felt I was unable to give the last two bands the attention that they deserved. I hate it when I sabotage a show like that but it is bound to happen I suppose.

Lorna Shore

Lorna Shore was the show stealer of last night. They're always the show stealer. Their music is heavy and polished. Singer Tom Barber has a voice that makes you stop dead in your tracks. It's one of those voices that you would swear could only be done on a recording, not in a live setting. It's too extreme and harsh. I truly never thought a band would be able to pull it off live and then I saw Lorna Shore a couple months ago and put my foot in my mouth. Tom does the unimaginable and hits all of those growls and squeals like he does on the recordings. This band has impressed me every single time I have seen them and they just keep gaining momentum.

Not only did the music sound just as good as it does in the recordings, the energy coming from the stage and the energy in the crowd was perfect. You could tell that lot of people were excited to see this band. Before the music even started, the crowd had split to make room for the moshers. People picked their sides and posted up for battle. As soon as the first note was played, the crowd went off and no one was safe... but it was the first time in a couple of days where I truly felt at home.

Wage War

The crowd was full of energy for majority of the night. I loved watching them while Wage War played. Wage War is a band that I saw back in December when they opened for Every Time I Die. They were amazing that night but, sadly, did not get the attention from the crowd that they deserved. I honestly don't know if majority of the crowd back in December even noticed there was a band on stage. It was great to see the crowd giving them all of the attention they deserved. Kids were singing along and moshing and dancing. It was wild to see how quickly Wage War had gained all of these followers and they are more than deserving of it. People think it's stupid that I will go see the same band a bunch of times but this is a perfect example as to why I do that. The amount of satisfaction I have in seeing such a deserving band finally make it "big" with my friends is one of the best feelings on the planet.

The show was opened up by two local groups (Axiom and From Concept to Chronicle). I had never really seen Axiom (although I'm sure they've played at a show I've been to before) but last night they definitely caught my attention. In a bill stacked full of great, heavy hitting, growly vocal bands, these guys got on stage and did what they do with no excuses. Their music was definitely heavy enough to match the rest of the line-up but the vocals were completely different. The singer had a very high pitched tone at times and he was actually singing instead of just grunting and squealing the whole time. Although they weren't as polished as the other local group that played, they definitely gave me something different and that's one of the best things a band can do on a bill that is overcrowded with bands of the same genre.

From Concept to Chronicle was the other local group that opened the night and it just so happened to be their CD release show as well. It was no surprise that these guys sounded great. They always do. But unfortunately, they just didn't seem to be able to keep the crowd going and honestly, they ended up blending into the rest of the line-up. That could be a good thing though because they could have easily fooled someone as to thinking they that were part of this tour package.

Oceans Ate Alaska

All of the bands last night seemed polished and they each got the crowd going. Even the local acts impressed me. Everything was perfect but unfortunately, Lorna Shore was just too perfect for me to give Chelsea Grin and Oceans Ate Alaska the attention that they definitely deserved. That's not to say they weren't good. I just didn't care anymore. That's the downfall of shows like last night. All of the music starts to sound the same (I mean that in the best way possible) and as soon as someone completely blows my mind, I turn off and start dreaming of my bed.

Chelsea Grin’s latest Ashes to Ashes is available now on Rise Records.

Chelsea Grin at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul (15 March 2016)

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