W♥M (Archive)

Minneapolis Music Guide: September 21 - September 27, 2014

Here is the weekly guide of some Minneapolis live concerts and events from September 14 to September 20.

Read More Meiko Meiko has just covered Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime", and she's made it available as a free download on her website. Hear the song now … Buddy Buddy opened up the show. He's normally a seven-piece band, but he's traveling light on this Buddy/Meiko teamup. He started off with "Apologize (If You Tried)," then quickly launched into his Gray's Anatomy song, "Say A Lot." …

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
LORING PASTA BAR
Meiko

Look, we like Meiko, okay? She has a new yet-untitled album coming out next month via PledgeMusic, and it looks like she's heading out on tour in support of said-album.

Meiko at SXSW 2009 Austin, Texas

I have seen Meiko a few times, once at SXSW 2009 and semi-recently at 7th Street Entry in 2012.

For this upcoming Fall/Winter 2014 tour, she will feature the same opener, Buddy, from the last tour. Buddy has a new album called Last Call For The Quiet Life, which came out August 19 via Stove Punchin' Records.

Also, please note that the show will take place at the Loring Pasta Bar (right next to the Varsity) and the show starts late (9pm) and is 18+ only. If I know anything about Meiko, it is that she used to waitress, and she'll definitely be reminding you that you need to tip your waiters/waitress at least 20%.

Meiko US tour dates:

09/19/14 Ames, IA Iowa State University
09/21/14 Minneapolis, MN Loring Pasta Bar
09/24/14 Evanston, IL SPACE
09/30/14 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Theatre
10/01/14 Athens, GA The Melting Point
10/02/14 Decatur, GA Eddie's Attic
10/04/14 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley
10/14/14 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater
10/18/14 Costa Mesa, CA The Wayfarer
10/19/14 Hermosa Beach, CA Saint Rocke
10/25/14 Dallas, TX Lake Cliff Park
10/26/14 Austin, TX Stubb's Bar-B-Q
11/03/14 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern
11/05/14 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
12/11/14 San Francisco, CA Brick & Mortar Music Hall

Read More The War on Drugs Although Kurt Vile is no longer in The War On Drugs, the Philadelphia is proving that they can survive without Vile with a string of sold-out shows. The shoegazey band is currently out on tour in support of their latest release …

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
FIRST AVENUE
The War On Drugs w/ Califone

Philadelphia's The War on Drugs are stronger and more popular than ever. The band sold out First Avenue in Minneapolis, that they were forced to add another show for September 23rd. So here is your chance to grab tickets before the second show sells out...

The War On Drugs are currently touring in support of their 2014 Lost In The Dream (Secretly Canadian), which was picked as #21 in Pitchfork's "The 100 Best Albums Of The Decade So Far."

USA Tour dates:

09/15 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix
09/16 -Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews
09/17 -Columbus, OH @ Newport
09/19 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
09/20 -Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
09/21 - Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theatre
09/22 -Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
09/23 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
09/24 -Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
09/26 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
09/27 - Houston, TX @ House of Blues Houston
09/28 - Austin, TX @ Stubb's
10/01 - Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
10/02 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
10/03 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
10/04 - Sacramento, CA @ TBD Festival
10/05 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
10/06 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
10/09 - Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
10/10 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
10/11 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre
10/12 -St. Louis, MO @ Ready Room
10/13 -Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
10/15 - Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
10/16 - Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
10/17 - Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom

Read More Atmosphere Imagine Dragons and Atmosphere concert for FREE? WHAT?????? That's what I said when we discussed this free Target All-Star Concert presented by Budweiser event last month. …

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
CLYDE IRON WORKS
Atmosphere w/ Prof

Please note that Clyde Iron Works is located in Duluth, Minnesota. I've never been there before, but I would think this is a smaller than the usual venue that superstar rapper Atmosphere and his usual Rhymesayers crew will ever play at.... so for hardcore fans, you might want to take that hour+ drive up north to catch this show (especially because the November show at First Avenue is sold out).

The tour is called "North of Hell" Tour:

09.16.14 Missoula, MT Wilma Theater
09.18.14 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
09.19.14 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
09.20.14 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen
09.23.14 Duluth, MN Clyde Iron Works
11.04.14 Columbia, MO The Blue Note
11.05.14 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom
11.06.14 Little Rock, AR Juanita's Cantina
11.09.14 Dallas, TX House of Blues
11.10.14 Houston, TX House of Blues
11.11.14 New Orleans, LA Tipitina's
11.12.14 Atlanta, GA Center Stage
11.14.14 Richmond, VA The National
11.15.14 Baltimore, MD Ram's Head Live
11.16.14 New York, NY Terminal 5
11.17.14 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
11.18.14 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak
11.20.14 Indianapolis, IN Vogue Theater
11.21.14 Grand Rapids, MI Intersection
11.22.14 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
11.23.14 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
11.02.14 Iowa City, IA Blue Moose Tap House

Rock the Garden - Day One at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (21 June 2014) concert review

De La Soul Setlist Verbal Clap Eye Know Much More/Stakes is High/Bizness Pass the Peas Jennifa I Am I Be Oodles/All Good/Breakadawn Saturdaze/Me, Myself & I Feel Good Inc. Ring Ring Ring Matt & Kim Setlist 45 King Overexposed Cameras Silver Tiles Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare Now Good for Great Let’s Go Don’t Slow Down Ignition (R. Kelly) Block After Block I’m a Goner Final Countdown (Europe) 10 Dollars I Found Push It (Salt-n-Pepa) Lessons Learned Just a Friend Daylight Next Episode (Dr. Dre/Snoop) It’s Alright Best Coast Setlist This Lonely Morning Last Year The Only Place Crazy Goodbye Summer Mood I Wanna Know Sun Don’t Shine Who Have I Become? Fade Away Fear of My Identity Our Deal I Want To Do You Love Me When I’m With You Each and Everyday Jeremy Messersmith Setlist Tourniquet It’s Only Dancing Heidi Lazy Bones Dillinger’s Eyes Organ Donor I Want to Be Your One-Night Stand A Girl, A Boy, and a Graveyard Wrecking Ball (Miley Cyrus cover) You’ll Only Break His Heart Bubblin’ Hitman Ghost Violet Lizzo Setlist Lizzie Borden W.E.R.K. Pt. II Pants/Luv It/Southside (medley) Wat U Mean T-Baby Wegula (with GRRRL PRTY) Paris Batches & Cookies Faded 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 …

The rain gods had decided to be benevolent… and we were all the better for it.

The crowd

Just mid-way through June, Minnesota was already experiencing a record month of rainfall and just lived through a single-day high mark for the most rain for any day in June history, so this year’s Rock the Garden festival held at the Walker Art Center, seemed slightly in doubt.

Instead, the weekend festival, which expanded to two days for the first time this year, was not affected by any weather; grounds were dry, skies were sunny, and the event was a buoyant celebration of the soundscape of alternative, hip-hop, rock and pop music, as heard on sponsoring MPR radio station, The Current.   Here’s a full rundown of the acts:

Lizzo-

Lizzo

The Grrrl Prty hip-hopper considered Rock the Garden a “some day” gig and was honored to open the event.  We last saw her showing her impressive soul chops, in an encore duet with St. Paul and the Broken Bones, and she impressively followed her Rock the Garden set with a jet-setting trip across the pond, to play the fabled Glastonbury Festival.

Supporting last fall’s Lizzobangers (Totally Gross National Product), she mentioned her Houston roots before ‘Lizzie Borden’ then gave appropriate props before ‘WERK Pt. II’ to the local music scene for giving her music, its first real start.  Lizzo brought out the rest of Grrrl Prty for ‘Wegula’ and radio single, ‘Batches & Cookies’ really worked up the already warm crowd.  Her wide vocal range was on display for ‘Faded’ and proved a fine opening to the hours of music that lay ahead.

Jeremy Messersmith-

Jeremy Messersmith

Remember Messersmith shyly playing solo on acoustic guitar, not that long ago?  That guy has completely changed—now, more confident and heartily backed by a large ten-piece band (which included the Laurel String Quartet we just saw with Dan Wilson), Messersmith charmed the crowd with selections from his much-bigger sounding, Heart Murmurs (Glassnote Records). Lead single, ‘Tourniquet’ got the crowd in his corner right away, followed by more recent single, ‘It’s Only Dancing’.

Older songs like ‘A Girl, A Boy, and a Graveyard’ went down well, but the heated festival crowd was clearly in the mood for more up-tempo numbers.  So, calling it a “No Apologies” track (in a nod to Current DJ Mary Lucia) Messersmith and band covered Miley Cyrus’ ‘Wrecking Ball’ in a slower but assured way with the musical impact that can only be gained by being backed by such a large ensemble.  Moving with three more back-to-back songs from his latest, ‘Bubblin’, ‘Hitman’ and ‘Ghost’, he ended with fan favorite from 2010, ‘Violet’.

Best Coast-

Best Coast

“You know how to do the first day of summer!” Best Coast vocalist Bethany Cosentino remarked, and their upbeat California sun-drenched songs, were the perfect soundtrack for a bright June afternoon.  Their latest, a 7-track EP called Fade Away (Jewel City Records) was well represented, with the duo (rounded out by guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno) and band playing all but the record’s last two tracks, and Cosentino did make mention of a new album coming this fall.

Though the LA-based Cosentino remarked about the heat several times (comparing it to Red Lobster), songs like ‘The Only Place’ and ‘Summer Mood’ seemed incredibly appropriate for the Arts Center’s sloped grass hill filled with sunglasses, hats, and nodding heads. Bruno kept mostly busy to himself, to Cosentino’s left and older songs like early single, ‘When I’m with You’, seemed to get the strongest response.  “Hope we Rocked your Garden”, Cosentino said, ending with ‘Each and Everyday’, from 2010 breakout album, Crazy for You.

Matt and Kim-

Kim and beer

“Let’s get weird!”-Brooklyn indie dance-pop duo Matt and Kim dared the crowd, early into their late afternoon set. The on and off-stage couple, Matt Johnson (vocals/keyboards) and Kim Schifino (drums), more than lived up to that, in their over-caffeinated, high energy set, that was more than perfect for the burgeoning festival crowd.

Hundreds of balloons were released, confetti was thrown, both climbed all over their instruments, Schifino dared people to crowd surf from the pit to the soundboard, and she eventually walked on crowd members’ hands, all of which played true to their “Let’s Get Weird” mantra.  In the process, they became the most energetic and audience-interacting act of the weekend, that left everyone smiling after.

Matt and Kim

Leaning on their latest, 2012’s Lightning (on Fader Label) the pair also mixed in a fair amount of covers including Europe’s ‘The Final Countdown’, Salt-n-Pepa’s ‘Push It’, and one “by a great American poet, Robert Kelly… you may know him as R. Kelly”, Johnson mused, before the band broke into ‘Ignition’.  They also seem to have a current obsession with DJ Snake and Lil’ Jon’s ‘Turn Down for What’, whose samples were peppered in throughout their set.

First big single, ‘Cameras’ was played surprisingly early, but the momentum kept building into a frenzied pace, that the audience didn’t seem to mind. Their energy was infectious, from the very first song to the set-ending cover of Dr. Dre/Snoop’s ‘Next Episode’ and Lightning’s ‘It’s Alright’.

De La Soul-

De La Soul

Long Island hip-hop trio at least knew that a lot of younger people in the Walker audience had maybe never even heard of them.  But, playing with a harder edge than on record, the group (MCs Posdnuos and Dave, and MC/DJ Maseo) made sure the audience remembered them after their night-closing performance.   Even mentioning they’d released their entire catalog online for free (a pirated-sourced version, no less), the three were backed by the ever-seasoned Los Angeles nine-piece, The Rhythm Roots All-Stars, who has backed up almost every late 80’s/early ‘90s rap act, at some point.

A mild surprise was their version of James Brown horn section group The J.B.’s, ‘Pass the Peas’ and they had the audience guessing their favorite day of the week, which on this night could only have been ‘Saturdaze’.

A slightly different version of best-known hit, ‘Me, Myself & I’ followed, somewhat lazily, but tempo ramped back up with Gorillaz hit, ‘Feel Good, inc.’, which was a crowd favorite, though could have benefitted from a recorded Damon Albarn vocal, to fill out the song better.  A verse of Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ would follow, leading into ‘Ring Ring Ring’ and the trio asking the swaying crowd, “Hey, how ya doin’?”

De La Soul at Rock the Garden, Minneapolis (21 June 2014)

behzad + john () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Rock the Garden - Day One at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (21 June 2014): Quick Bits

Schedule Saturday, June 21 3:00 pm - Gates open 3:45 - 4:15 pm - Lizzo 4:30 - 5:25 pm - Jeremy Messersmith 5:55 - 6:50 pm - Best Coast 7:20 - 8:20 pm - Matt and Kim 8:50 - 10 pm - De La Soul 10 pm - Music ends 10:30 pm - Gates close Sunday, June 22 3:00 pm - Gates open 3:45 - 4:15 pm - Valerie June 4:30 - 5:20 pm - Kurt Vile and the Violators 5:50 - 6:45 pm - Dessa 7:15 - 8:15 pm - Guided by Voices 8:45 - 10 pm - Spoon 10 pm - Music ends 10:30 pm - Gates close Read More Rock the Garden The first day of Rock the Garden show is this Saturday! Join us as we cover the annual event. …

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 to Sunday, June 22nd. A full review will be written at a later date, this post is to just quickly get some photos and some notes of what just happened!

Lizzo

Lizzo-

Considered Rock the Garden a “some day” gig and was honored to open the event, brought out GRRRL PARTY for ‘Wegula.’

Jeremy Messersmith

Jeremy Messersmith-

Now backed by a large 10-piece band, covered Miley Cyrus’ ‘Wrecking Ball’ in a big way, which he called a “No Apologies” track (a nod to Current DJ Mary Lucia).

Best Coast

Best Coast-

Bethany said “You know how to do the first day of summer!”, mentioned a new album in the fall, “Hope we rocked your Garden” they said ending.

Matt and Kim

Matt and Kim -

Huge energy, hundreds of balloons, confetti, dares people to crowd surf, covers played including one “by a great American poet, Robert Kelly…you may know him as R. Kelly”; Kim walked on audience members’ hands in the crowd briefly.

De La Soul-

Played with a harder edge than on record; had the audience guess which day of the week was their favorite; backed by 9-member Rhythm Roots All-Stars; slightly different version of hit, ‘Me Myself and I’; ‘Feel Good, Inc.’ (Gorillaz), even did a verse of Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’

De La Soul at Rock the Garden, Minneapolis (21 June 2014)

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Minneapolis Music Guide: June 15 - June 21, 2014

Here is a guide of some Minneapolis (and St Paul) live concerts and events taking place next week: June 15 - June 21.

Read More Prince Prince hopped a plane to Coachella last weekend to watch Outkast with Janelle Monae perform, but he’s back in Minnesota and has again opened the fabled doors of Paisley Park to continue the series …

SUNDAY, JUNE 15
STATE THEATRE
Maxwell

Call it a good sign of Summer.

The formerly reclusive R&B crooner, Maxwell is back on the road, with his first tour in four years.  He was last seen on the road in 2009, touring for BLACKsummers’night (Columbia Records), the first in what was promised to be a trilogy of albums; the remaining two are yet to be released, though hopefully this is a good sign of more to come.

The Summer Solstice Tour is set for 37 cities through mid-August, with a weekend stop in downtown Minneapolis at the State Theatre.  Fingers are crossed that the smooth songster will be previewing new material from his next release, as well as expect the classics that have had women swooning for the last fifteen years.

The Summer Solstice Tour Dates:

06/14/14 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre 06/15/14 Minneapolis, MN The State Theatre 06/18/14 Broomfield, CO 1stBank Center 06/19/14 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen 06/21/14 Tacoma, WA Emerald Queen Casino 06/23/14 Saratoga, CA Mountain Winery 06/24/14 Modesto, CA Gallo Center 06/26/14 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl 06/27/14 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center 07/02/14 Ravinia Festival At Ravinia Park 07/05/14 Toronto, ON Massey Hall 07/06/14 Festival International De Jazz 07/08/14 Pittsburgh, PA Heinz Hall 07/09/14 Albany, NY Palace Theatre 07/11/14 Mashantucket, CT Foxwoods Resort 07/12/14 Boston, MA Blue Hills Bank Pavilion 07/16/14 Bethlehem, PA Sands Bethlehem 07/17/14 Syracuse, NY Crouse-Hinds Theater

07/19/14 Cincinnati, OH The Shoe 07/20/14 Columbus, OH Palace Theatre 07/22/14 Louisville, KY Louisville Palace Theatre 07/23/14 Nashville, TN Schermerhorn Symphony 07/25/14 Norfolk, VA Chrysler Hall 07/26/14 Durham Performing Arts Center 07/29/14 North Charleston Perf. Arts Center 07/30/14 Columbia, SC Township Auditorium 08/01/14 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall 08/02/14 Orlando, FL Bob Carr Perf. Arts Centre 08/03/14 Jacksonville, FL Moran Theater 08/06/14 Jackson, MS Thalia Mara Hall 08/09/14 Montgomery, AL Garrett Coliseum 08/10/14 Baton Rouge, LA Performing Arts Theatre 08/12/14 San Antonio, TX Majestic Theatre 08/13/14 Austin, TX The Long Center 08/15/14 Shreveport, LA Municipal Auditorium 08/16/14 OKC Downtown Airpark 08/17/14 Albuquerque, NM Route 66 Casino

Read More Tegan And Sara Both before and after their recent sold-out First Avenue gig, Tegan and Sara graced the airwaves of two local Minneapolis radio stations, in support of their 7th full-length, Heartthrobs. …

MONDAY, JUNE 16
FIRST AVENUE
Tegan and Sara w/ The Courtneys + My Midnight Heart

Tegan and Sara are back with their "Let's Make Things Physical Tour."

The last time we saw the Quin sisters at First Avenue last year, they played practically every song from their latest album Heartthrobs. I'm assuming with this current tour, that the duo will likely dip in to their older catalog for some fan favorite songs.

Speaking of non-physical, digital copies of their Heartthrob Magazine are available now as a free download via iTunes.

Opening up the show will be Vancouver's The Courtneys, touring in support of their debut self-titled LP and Brooklyn's My Midnight Heart (singer and songwriter Angélica Allen).

Let's Make Things Physical Tour:

06/16 First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN ^# 06/17 The Vic Theatre - Chicago, IL ^# 06/18 The Vic Theatre - Chciago, IL ^# 06/19-06/22 Firefly Festival - Dover, DE 06/22 Toad's Place - New Haven, CT ^# 06/24 Hammerstein Ballroom - New York, NY ^# 06/26 SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival 06/28 Meijer Gardens Amphitheater^# 07/03 RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest 07/06 Sasquatch - Quincy, WA 09/09 Rogers Arena - Vancouver, BC* 09/10 Rogers Area - Vancouver, BC* 09/12 Moda Center - Portland, OR* 09/13 Tacoma Dome - Tacoma, WA*

09/16 Honda Center - Anaheim, CA* 09/17 Honda Center - Anaheim, CA* 09/19 STAPLES Center - Los Angeles, CA* 09/20 STAPLES Center - Los Angeles, CA* 09/22 SAP Center - San Jose, CA* 09/23 SAP Center - San Jose, CA* 09/25 Jobing.com Arena - Glendale, AZ* 09/26 MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, NV* 09/29 EnergySolutions Arena - Salt lake City, UT* 09/30 Pepsi Center - Denver, CO* 10/02 American Airlines Center - Dallas, TX* 10/03 American Airlines Center - Dallas, TX* 10/05 FedEx Forum - Memphis, TN* 10/06 BOK Center - Tulsa, OK* 10/08 New Orleans Arena - New Orleans, LA*

Weekend shows (Minneapolis)

Weekend cures for the MN Winter Blues

The Current's 9th Birthday Party photo credit: thecurrent.org Read More The Current Local alternative public radio station 89.3 The Current held its 2nd Public Music Meeting at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St. Paul last night. This open session gave their listening public a chance …

FRIDAY/SATURDAY

89.3 The Current- 9th birthday Party concerts

Local alt/indie Public Radio station 89.3 FM- The Current celebrates its ninth birthday of changing the Minnesota airwaves, with a two-night celebration in First Avenue’s Mainroom, bringing together several of the most notable local music artists. Friday night brings together Actual Wolf, Strange Names, Lizzo, and Har Mar Superstar while Saturday’s lineup is The Cactus Blossoms, Howler, Heiruspecs, and Caroline Smith. Special guests have been known to make surprise appearances (Prince had his guitar set up one year, but never made it to the stage), so clearly anything can happen.

Friday night is sold out, with only a small handful of tickets available for Saturday; but fear not, those who can’t make it inside the doors of First Avenue, can still tune in to the live on-air broadcast here: thecurrent.org/listen

Lineup:

Friday Actual Wolf Strange Names Lizzo Har Mar Superstar

Saturday Cactus Blossoms Howler Heiruspecs Caroline Smith

Cate Le Bon with Kevin Morby photo credit: catelebon.com Read More Cate Le Bon Welsh singer/songwriter Cate Le Bon’s new album, Mug Museum, is her first recorded outside of her homeland – deep in the dark heart of the entertainment empire …

SATURDAY

Cate Le Bon w/Kevin Morby

Welsh native Cate Le Bon returns to town, for an intimate show at the 7th Street Entry, promoting her latest release, Mug Museum (Turnstile Records). Mug Museum, in part inspired by her grandmother’s recent death, features somewhat dark lyrics delivered with dreamlike, sometimes psychedelic and haunting vocals. A recent movie to California has injected more melody to her songs, bringing some sunshine into her Wales cloudiness, as evidenced on “I Think I Knew”, a duet with Perfume Genius.

Kevin Morby of Brooklyn band, The Babies (and bassist for Woods), opens the show with selections from his solo debut, Harlem River (Woodsist Records), an homage to New York City and which Cate LeBon guests on track, “Slow Train”.

Show details:
Presented by Radio K
Saturday, January 25, 2014 - 8:00pm
$12.00, 18+

St. Lucia at Fine Line Music Café Poster photo credit: first-avenue.com Yellowcard Poster photo credit: yellowcardrock.com Read More Yellowcard It's been ten years since Yellowcard's best known album Ocean Avenue was released, and to honor the occasion, the band is releasing Ocean Avenue Acoustic. In their own words …

SUNDAY

St. Lucia w/ Sir Sly

South Africa by-way-of Brooklyn artist St. Lucia brings worldly beat with 80s influences to the Fine Line Music Café, in a show that was upgraded from the smaller 7th St. Entry. Promoting their first full-length, When the Night (Neon Gold/Columbia), St. Lucia (aka Jean-Philip Grobler) brings a full band and energetic performance with recent setlists showing they even sneak in a Chaka Khan cover version. LA trio Sir Sly opens the show, promoting their latest EP, Ghost (Neon Gold/Columbia) with their “monochromatic blend of vigilante pop”, which has been described as reminiscent of a “chillwave Coldplay”.

Johnny Flynn w/The Melodic

Johnny Flynn: Country Mile Transgressive / Thirty Tigers

Those that remember the local concert beginnings of the current UK alt-folk wave will recall that Flynn famously headlined the 2008 show at the now-defunct 400 Bar that featured openers Laura Marling with a little backing band known as Mumford and Sons. Flynn, now out supporting his third full-length, Country Mile (Transgressive Records) draws inspiration from subjects as diverse as TS Eliot, Einstein, and Hank Williams, and brings Flynn back to his singer-songwriter roots, after some dabbling in acting that included Shakespeare plays at the Globe and appearing in an upcoming Anne Hathaway film.

Brixton, UK folk/afro pop band The Melodic open, in support of their worldbeat influenced debut, Effra Parade (Anti Records) at this Turf Club hosted show.

The Wailers w/British Dependency

The Wailers Poster photo: first-avenue

The current incarnation of Bob Marley’s famous backing band hits the First Avenue Mainroom stage to play reggae classics from the greatest hits album, Legend (Island Records) in its entirety. Bassist and elder reggae statesman Aston “Family Man” Barrett leads the full band lineup in a performance at First Avenue that can be no doubt described as “Hit-Filled”…in more ways than one. Island trio British Dependency opens the show with their unique blend of “roots, heart and soul music”.

Yellowcard w/What’s Eating Gilbert

Jacksonville, FL pop-punk band Yellowcard is still going strong, even after over 15 years in the business. Their latest tour and release, Ocean Avenue Acoustic (Hopeless/Universal) celebrates the 10th anniversary and a re-interpretation of the seminal album that put the band on the national map. Expect a two-set performance with Ocean Avenue in its entirety and a smattering of other Yellowcard classics from their back catalogue. New Found Glory offshoot band, What's Eating Gilbert opens this night at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis.

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com