W♥M (Archive)

Minnesota Fan Fusion: Double-Sized Podcast Edition

W♥M277: MNFF Interviews (24 mins) W♥M276: Minnesota Fan Fusion (19 mins) Read More Minnesota Fan Fusion Minnesota Fan Fusion (previously known as Minnesota Fan Fest) is coming up on August 3-5, 2018. The event is, once again, held at the Rivercentre in downtown St. Paul. Everything is an upgrade ...

We got a double-sized W♥M Podcast edition, thanks to last week’s Minnesota Fan Fusion event at the Rivercentre in St Paul, Minnesota.

The latest W♥M #277, we interviewed:

Danielle Panabaker

Gordon Purcell

Greg Land

Howard Chaykin

Interestingly enough, everyone had very unique music tastes: Actress Danielle Panabaker is in a Beach Boys summertime mood, artist Gordon Purcell loves Bruce Springsteen, while Greg Land’s favorite music act is Kiss. Finally, Howard Chaykin is very passionate about his love for jazz music, highly recommending Jazz at Massey Hall (15 May 1953) and featured the greats: Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach. It was the only time that the five men recorded together as “The Quintet”.

In W♥M #276, Vu and John talks about MNFF and what we’ve seen. Everything was twice as big, with panels quadrupled. Securities weren’t as strict (so no more wand metal detectors). There were some challenges, of course, with a few cancellations (Frank Cho and Manu Bennett ) and the Kellogg Blvd under constructions.

Here is a full listing of Comics & Artists guests:

COMICS & ARTISTS

Andy Kuhn

Barry Kitson

Brian & Kristy Miller

Chris Allo

Christopher Priest

Dan Jurgens

Dave Wheeler

Don Rosa

Gordon Purcell

Greg Land

Howard Chaykin

J.N. Monk

Jae Lee

Kevin Nowlan

Lee and Ty Blauersouth

Megan Sloane

Peter David

Rick Leonardi

Theo Nicole Lorenz

Z. Akhmetova

Dan Jurgens

Hi-Fi Colors

Howard Chaykin

Kevin Nowlan

Peter David

Andy Kuhn

Barry Kitson

Christopher Priest

Don Rosa

Jae Lee

Greg Land

Gordon Purcell

Rick Leonardi

Dave Wheeler

Samir Barrett

john + vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Introducing: Billy Cave

Read More Felly Rising hip-hop artist Felly will be headlining the Cabooze this Friday. Tour dates: 11/9—Denver, CO—Gothic Theatre 11/10—Minneapolis, MN—Cabooze ....

I stumbled upon the chance to get to know Billy Cave my sophomore year of college. For a semester I lived with the man and his manager, Justice (not to be confused with popular French electronic music duo). That semester was the semester that put some hair on my chest. I watched the two work together like a left and right hand. The nights of returning home to Billy preparing for a set and Justice ironing out details on the phone will forever be engraved in my ears. My muscles still ache from carrying his equipment between locations and I still check behind my back for Randy, their (creepy) mannequin they clothed with their label’s apparel. I guess you could say I “couldn’t hang”, because I moved out that same semester. Ever since, Billy has continued to make noise in the Nashville music scene - playing a long list of shows in and around Tennessee.

Billy’s success is matched by his label, Broad St., who has also had a successful year. From what I understand Broad St. is more of an aesthetic collective than a label, as they tackle many areas from music creation and creating their own clothing to performance booking and video production. All members of the collective are providing quality content that matches the collective’s aesthetic as well as their own. When he is not working on improving Broad St, he is working on his own music. WIFI-FEELS is the title of his next project, and is rumored to feature music at a much calmer pace than Billy’s usual tempo.

Billy has worked with many different sounds in the industry - including hip hop. I learned he has a lot of music currently in the works with respectable hip hop artists, using artists such as A$AP Rocky and Travis Scott as his inspiration in this field. Billy’s hip hop sound can clearly be seen when he is working with Zach Taylor, a rapper in Broad St, and has also been noticed by other big names in the industry. By “other big names” I am speaking of artists such as Chancellor Warhol and Felly, the latter of which performed with Billy side by side at a recent show.

If you don’t already know, Billy’s music is raw emotion. Whether the job is to perform at a rager or produce a soundtrack for a movie about meditation, he can do it. His music can take different form for many different occasions, but it always has the ability to relate to its listeners. You can see the man behind these texts in our recap video below. You can also hear a bit of his music in the background, but you can find much more of it here. You can also find the Broad St. website here to find about more about the collective.

gabriel ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

W♥M267: Sleeper

W♥M267: Sleeper (35 mins) Read More Sleeper I love fanzines. How I got into them were through Tower Records' massive magazine stand. They would sometime carry local fanzines. Usually the type of 'zines I was interested in were Morrissey, Suede…

Jon Stewart of Sleeper dropped in on W♥M Radio. Guitarist Jon, along with singer/guitarist Louise Wener, drummer Andy Macclure and bassist Diid Osman formed Sleeper in 1993.

Topics:

Surrender Dorothy and Sleeper

“Sleeper U.K.”

Indolent Records for UK and Arista Records (later BMG) for America

Britpop Movement

New live band members: Kieron Pepper on bass, Aimee on keys, and Neil on additional guitars

2017 shows (Brighton and Birmingham)

Star Shaped Festival (Britpop Music Festival)

Special Sleeper Christmas show on 02 December 2017

Song of the show: Sleeper’s ‘What Do I Do Now?’.

Sleeper is currently on tour:

29/07/2017 - O2 Institute Birmingham, Digbeth*
05/08/2017 - O2 Forum Kentish Town, London*
12/08/2017 - O2 ABC Glasgow, Glasgow*
19/08/2017 - O2 Ritz Manchester, Manchester*
02/12/2017 - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

* Star Shaped Festival: Sleeper with The Bluetones, Space, Dodgy, My Life Story, and Salad

Bonus Section:

Elvis Costello’s ‘What Do I Do Now?’ cover

“That’s us, low-rent Blondie, that’s us”

Trainspotting used Sleeper’s ‘Atomic’ and ‘Statuesque’

Brand new Sleeper songs?

‘Little Annie’

Chuck D (Public Enemy)

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com. Recording of this podcast was made possible by Skype, MP3 Skype Recorder, and Audacity.

W♥M266: Wizard World Minneapolis 2017 (14 May 2017) Vu, John W♥M265: The End of the Year 2016 (29 December 2016) Vu, John W♥M264: Golden Age of Superheroes (11 December 2016) Vu, John W♥M263: The Year in Deaths 2016 (08 December 2016) Vu, John W♥M262: KT Tunstall (25 September 2016) Vu, John W♥M261: The Heavy (22 September 2016) Vu, John

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

W♥M260: Murder Shoes

W♥M260: Murder Shoes (10 mins) Read More Murder Shoes Local guest Murder Shoes (featuring Tess Weinberg, Christopher White, Derek Van Gieson, Elliot Manthey, and Tim Heinlein) opened the show. We previously caught the band …

Vu just caught Murder Shoes’ breakup show at the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis (11 September 2016) - opening up for Band of Skulls. We had no idea Murder Shoes broke up until they announced it on stage. So forgive the lack of research, as this was an impromptu interview with Tess Weinberg.

In Murder Shoes’ last ever interview, we briefly talked about:

What is a “murder shoe”?

The breakup announcement was on Friday (September 9th)

30 seconds of soundcheck this final show.

New projects for all most band members

Unique poster artwork for all their shows.

Song of the show is Murder Shoes’ ‘Charlotte Manning’.

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com. Recording of this podcast was made possible by Skype, CallGraph, and Audacity.

Murder Shoes at Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis (11 September 2016)

W♥M259: Broods (09 August 2016) Vu, Lee W♥M258: Batman: The Killing Joke (30 July 2016) Vu, John W♥M257: Garbage (09 July 2016) Vu, Lee W♥M256: PB&J (25 June 2016) Vu, John W♥M255: Spring 2016 Playlist (15 May 2016) Vu, John W♥M254: The Struts (07 May 2016) Vu, John

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

SXSW 2015: Only Real

Read More Childhood Brody caught up with London's Childhood, who is currently in Brighton to play some shows at the Great Escape. The new group started off as a duo (Leo Dobsen and Ben Romans-Hopcraft) ....

Brody caught up with Only Real at British Music Embassy, Austin (20 Mar 2015) for SXSW 2015.

Niles almost didn't make it to SXSW, having lost (but eventually found) his passport.

Brody: "They sound like the Beastie Boys, Jamie T. Believe the hype."

Only Real: "Sound like the House that Jack Built. Y'know, if you like it, you love it. If you love it... then I like you."

Originally debut "Days In The City" on LuvLuvLuv Records, Only Real's major label LP Jerk At The End of The Line will be available on March 30th, 2015, via Harvest Records... however, the US will have to wait until late Summer 2015. The record was produced by Ben H Allen in Atlanta and Dan Carey (Franz Ferdinand, Childhood) in London.

Only Real's tour dates:

16 Apr 2015 I.BOAT Bordeaux, France
18 Apr 2015 Unknown venue Rezé, France
20 Apr 2015 Hospice D'havré Tourcoing, France
21 Apr 2015 Badaboum Paris, France
22 Apr 2015 La Lune Des Pirates, France
26 Apr 2015 Broadcast Glasgow, UK
29 Apr 2015 The Jericho Oxford, UK
30 Apr 2015 100 Club London, UK
03 May 2015 The Ruby Lounge Manchester, UK
06 May 2015 The Hope & Ruin Brighton, UK
07 May 2015 The Louisiana Bristol, UK
08 May 2015 Southampton - Joiners
09 May 2015 Birmingham - The Rainbow

Only Real at British Music Embassy, Austin (20 Mar 2015)

vu + brody ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

W♥M236: Fuzzy Machete #1 Fan

W♥M236: Fuzzy Machete (31 mins) Read More Fuzzy Machete Our friends Fuzzy Machete are celebrating their album release party for Number One Fan at the Cabooze this February 26th, 2015. ...

Number One Fan is the debut album from Minneapolis' Fuzzy Machete. Tara and Krissandra stopped in W♥M Radio to talk about album and their upcoming CD release party, set for next Thursday, February 26th.

Fuzzy Machete at the Cabooze
Thursday 02/26/15, 8pm ($5)

08:00pm Lolo's Ghost
09:00pm Sunday Islands
10:00pm Fuzzy Machete
11:00pm Tollund Moses

Topics:

Secret origin of the band

Ever-rotating band members

Band name

Vanity Theft and Hunter Valentine and Sick of Sarah

Lolo's Ghost, Sunday Islands, and Tollund Moses

Song of the show is "Marathon" from Number One Fan.

Bonus:

Television shows: Six Feet Under, Breaking Bad, Veronica Mars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead etc.

Vu is the fictional manager to the fictional band, The Pajamapants... or 'the Jammies' for short. The band tour around the country and solves crimes in their pajama pants.

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com. Recording of this podcast was made possible by Skype, CallGraph, and Audacity.

W♥M235: Bud Petal (15 Feb 2015) Sally, Bud W♥M234: London Grammar and Until the Ribbon Breaks (04 Feb 2015) Vu, John W♥M233: S*M*A*S*H (3 January 2015) Vu, Edward Borrie W♥M232: Morrissey v Bowie (28 December 2014) Vu, Emily, Cristina W♥M231: Santa in the Ghetto (21 December 2014) Vu + Cristina W♥M230: Best of 2014 Albums (20 December 2014) Vu + Emily

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

W♥M233: S*M*A*S*H

W♥M233: S*M*A*S*H (23 mins) Read More S*M*A*S*H Just a quick note on that S*M*A*S*H / NxtGen Split Single Launch, taking place 29 March 2014 at The Portland Arms in Cambridge. As I suspected, the lyrics …

I have long championed S*M*A*S*H in my days as a radio DJ in the early 90s, so I can't begin to tell you how excited to speak with singer/songwriter Edward Borrie on W♥M Radio.

Note: All the questions were from memory/on the fly, so please excuse me if I got some information or some dates wrong. Regrettably I am pretty sure I do not have all the singles/EPs, but I have a lot of them (see photograph at the bottom). S*M*A*S*H was not known at all at the time, and I only discover the band when my friend Melinda was KFSR's music director at the time gave me a copy of Self Abused album for review. I would later obsessively track down any singles and EPs I could get my hands on. Remember, this was before the internet, so getting the right information was hard to come by.

Topics:

The beginning of S*M*A*S*H, circa 1984.

First single was Real Surreal 7"

US Tour in support of Self Abused (Hi-Rise Records) album.

Sub Pop Records released Barrabas/Turn On The Water 7"

Sleeper's "Lady Love Your Countryside", a nod to S*M*A*S*H's "Lady Love Your C***" (which in turn, was a nod to Germaine Greer).

The rare Rest Of My Life single (released January 1996).

The second album Icon.

"I Want to Kill Somebody", 20 years later.

The 2014 EP S*M*A*S*H: (Without Regret) - EP is on iTunes now for $3.99.

Vu's S*M*A*S*H Collection

Keep up with S*M*A*SH on Facebook. See also smash.weheartmusic.com.

Here is a photograph of some S*M*A*S*H singles and vinyl in my collection. I also just bought (Without Regret) via iTunes, so I can't really show that off.

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____
Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com. Recording of this podcast was made possible by Skype and CallGraph.

W♥M232: Morrissey v Bowie (28 December 2014) Vu, Emily, Cristina W♥M231: Santa in the Ghetto (21 December 2014) Vu + Cristina W♥M230: Best of 2014 Albums (20 December 2014) Vu + Emily W♥M229: Hating You For Christmas (15 December 2014) Vu + Emily W♥M228: Christmas Will Be Magic (08 December 2014) Vu + John W♥M227: Reissues Reissues Reissues (25 November 2014) Vu + Emily

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Raz Simone Interview

Tour Dates 07/02/14 Minneapolis, MN The Pourhouse 07/03/14 Sioux Falls, SD Sioux Falls Coliseum 07/04/14 Des Moines, IA Krazee Kafe 07/05/14 Lincoln, NE Bourbon Theatre 07/06/14 Lawrence, KS Granada Theatre 07/09/14 Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep 07/10/14 Fort Collins, CO Aggie Theatre 07/11/14 Denver, CO The Roxy Theatre 07/12/14 Grand Junction, CO Mesa Theater 07/13/14 Salt Lake City, UT Complex 07/16/14 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory 07/17/14 Boise, ID Knitting Factory 07/18/14 Richland, WA Jokers 07/19/14 Seattle, WA The Crocodile 07/20/14 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 07/21/14 Eugene, OR WOW Hall 07/22/14 Sacramento, CA Ace Of Spades 07/23/14 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst 07/24/14 Oakland, CA The New Parish 07/25/14 Las Vegas, NV LVCS 07/26/14 Santa Ana, CA Constellation Room 07/27/14 Phoenix, AZ Joe's Grotto Music Venue 07/28/14 Tucson, AZ The Rock 07/29/14 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theatre 07/30/14 Amarillo, TX Wreck Room 07/31/14 Lubbock, TX Jake's Sports 08/01/14 San Antonio, TX Backstage Live 08/02/14 Houston, TX Scout Bar 08/03/14 Dallas, TX Trees 08/05/14 Tulsa, OK The Vanguard 08/06/14 Kansas City, MO The Riot Room 08/07/14 Springfield, MO The Outland 08/08/14 Sauget, IL Pop's 08/09/14 Louisville, KY Diamond Pub 08/10/14 Murfreesboro, TN Social Bar 08/11/14 Tupelo, MS Good Time Charlies 08/12/14 Birmingham, AL Iron City Live 08/13/14 Mobile, AL Soul Kitchen 08/14/14 Jacksonville, FL Aqua Nightclub 08/15/14 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade Read More Raz Simone Raz Simone is from Seattle, Washington, and currently signed to Lyor Cohen's new record label, 300. Be sure to check out the show coverage later next week. … Last night I had the privilege to speak to one of hip-hop’s newest artists, Raz Simone about his new album Cognitive Dissonance. This is his second album since going solo in 2013 and I spoke with him in the build-up to his performance tonight (July 2nd) at The Pourhouse on 5th Street. I dove right in with Raz by asking him to play a game where I would mention a song title from Cognitive Dissonance and he would give me a word he most closely associates with that song. Song Raz’s response They'll Speak Words 8 Rangs Stress Natural Resources Human Bow Down Personal Struggle Don’t Shine Illuminated Thirsty Hypocritical Hometown Contrast So Far, So Far Dark Nostalgia Swim Away Stagnant Still Mobbin Push’n After that we spoke in greater detail about his music and waxed philosophical on several topics Raz brings up in his lyrics. Raz was kind enough to speak with me for over an hour so I had to edit quite a bit to fit into this article. Me: In “They’ll Speak,” you talk about how when you were a child you used to pray, but now that you’re an adolescent you became too wise to pray to God. How about now? Raz Simone: No, no. I’m not as arrogant as that. If I was out in the middle of the ocean I know I’d see how small I am in this world. Raz went on to explain how he is deeply spiritual and that he believes in God but he is also cautious about how religion can be used to radicalize people. Me: Unlike many rappers and hip-hop artists, you speak out against smoking weed in your songs. Could you explain in greater detail? RS: Yeah, I’m not saying, like you shouldn’t use at all. But some people use it like protection against the elements, numbness, a kind of comfort. Being content is great but we need drive. When I go to New York people are like Seattle has a lot of homeless. But they don’t know half of it. Look at all the couch-surfers. They’re homeless but no one looks at them like that. Me: In “So Far, So Far,” you say, “I got a lot of things on me that are not clothes.” What are those things? RS: (Laughs a little) Well, there is the obvious, like a gun or something. But the big one is baggage. You see, you have to understand, it’s like this, you know, you have a black man and you have niggas. Being a nigga is a twofold thing. There is the way you are perceived and the way you carry yourself. I have that shine the people try to stifle. And I’m not just talking about my 8 rings, which I do wear 8 rings. And you have to protect yourself from that. You see I was raised to be a protector. I’ve always been mindful of others. If you’re with me I’ll try to keep you safe. So sometimes you have to handle a gun. Like if we were going to a café or restaurant, I’d have to sit somewhere so I can see the door. Me: In “8 Rangs” you say that you’d rather die than kill but when things are going down it’s not so easy. What did you mean by that? RS: Well, you know if some young’n comes up to you with a gun what can you do? If he’s already gone that far, how much further is he willing to go? I can just say here’s my wallet, my credit cards, even my rings. It’s just not worth it. But the fact still remains you just don’t know. People talk all kinds of shit and say if I was there then this and that. But you know they don’t know. Me: Also in “So Far, So Far,” you mention how the choice is either work or prison and that most rappers are leading kids to prison. What is your message? Where are you trying to lead people? RS: I try to give the message… I’d rather see people do than talk. Preaching is not effective. You can talk an ear off and get nowhere. But when you see someone doing something, you learn from that… When I was a young’n my mom asked me why I don’t become a Christian rapper… Christian rappers only reach Christians. You’re reaching out to people that are already with you. What’s the point in that? You have to meet people where they’re at. You see, I first made music in the closet, for myself. Then it becomes a conversation. You have to perform for other people as well. You can’t just be for yourself. You can be like AGGHH and people will just not get it. So you have to do things for yourself and for others also… The greatest thing is being able to do shit so fucking dope that you wanna keep doing it… I’ve had people tell me, “Your music is like a light in the darkness,” and told me that I gave them the gift of empathy. I love connecting with people. Ironically, shortly after that time our conversation got cut off and I couldn’t reconnect.  Raz Simone may be a young’n in the world of hip-hop but he has his head squarely on his shoulders. He will definitely be in this business for a while. If you haven’t heard his music yet you need to visit his website and give a few songs a try. “8 Rangs” is anthem worthy and “So Far, So Far” is a thought provoking ride through the life of Raz Simone. There wasn’t a moment where I felt like skipping a song on his album. He speaks clearly enough so that you not only follow the beat, but also the message. Although some of his songs might get a little dark, Cognitive Dissonance is a light in the darkness. Raz Simone will be playing at The Pourhouse tonight with Rittz, Tuki Carter, and J. Plaza. Doors open at 8 pm so don’t be late. I have a feeling that tonight is going to be amazing! behzad ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Who's Bad?

W♥M214: Who's Bad? (11 mins)

Who's Bad, the Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Band, is celebrating their ten years as a band. Prior to playing their sold out show at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis, last night (April 19), trumpet player/dancer/backup vocals Ray McCall took a few minutes to talk to us.

McCall spoke about how the band got started, what his favorite (and the fans' favorite) MJ songs are, what he was doing when he heard about MJ's death, and what fans can expect when they come to a Who's Bad show.

More details to come regarding their live show, but what I can confirm is that everyone in the band are massive Jackson fans and they've listened, learned, and studied his moves to try and emulate the King of Pop's performance on stage.

Don't believe me? Stay tuned after the interview to see a clip of "The Way You Make Me Feel" at Mill City Nights to see everyone dancing and smiling and having a great time.

Who's Bad are currently on tour, they may be stopping in your town soon. See full listing here. If you love Michael Jackson, you definitely need to check these guys out.

Watch the interview with Ray below:

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

SXSW 2014: Steve Lamacq Interview

Read More SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) Music is next week: March 11-16th. Since March 1st, I've received about 200 emails with the subject header of "SXSW" …

Legendary Radio DJ Steve Lamacq is back at SXSW to help introduce some of Britain's brightest new bands to America.

The man helped shaped Britpop in the early 90s, by championing some of my favorite bands like Elastica, Blur, Sleeper, etc., hints at doing another Britpop Anniversary spotlight (previously we saw "Britpop Now" and other celebrations).

Looking back, Steve Lamacq described the height of Britpop was probably in 1994 with Blur's Parklife, so celebrating Britpop in April 2014 (20 years later) made a whole lot of sense to me.

Looking forward, one of Lamacq's band pick is Glass Animals. The band will be heading back to Oxford in the next few weeks and then down under to Australia for some promotional dates.

Mar 25 O2 Academy Oxford Oxford
Apr 02 DING DONG LOUNGE Melbourne, Australia
Apr 03 Oxford Art Factory Sydney, Australia
Apr 04 The Zoo Brisbane, Australia
Apr 29 Le Nouveau Casino Paris, France

The other musician that Lamacq liked is Cousin Marnie... who sounds like an older and cooler Lorde.

Her single/video for "You've Been Fooling Me Baby" can be found on her Is Sleeping EP, which came out last August 2013.

Check out the Steve Lamacq interview with Brody at the British Music Embassy at SXSW 2014:

Steve Lamacq Interview at SXSW, Austin (03/15/14)

brody + vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic