W♥M (Archive)

Man or Astro-man? at the Turf Club, St Paul (06/13/13)

Setlist Tour Dates 06/14 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle 06/15 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle 06/16 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom 06/17 Toronto, ON - Lee's Place 06/18 Ithaca NY - The Haunt 06/19 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair 06/20 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge 06/21 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl 06/22 Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts 06/23 Washington, DC - Black Cat Read More Man or Astro-Man? Man or Astro-Man? I really love that name, even though it sounds dumb. I've seen the band name in the 90s but haven't seen it around for a while. That's probably because their last album, a tour-only album called A Spectrum of Finite Scale …

It's been a long time, but Man or Astro-Man? is back… and they just kicked off their 2013 tour last night at the Turf Club in Saint Paul. "You can't tell that this is the first date?", said Coco from Man or Astro-Man? as the band suffered from various technical difficulties throughout their show.

JACUZZI BOYS

Opening up for the band was Jacuzzi Boys from Miami. Despite the cheesy name, they trio was quite good. It's the type of garagey surf music that fans of Vivian Girls or Ty Segall fans would love. Highlight of their set was "Double Vision", from their latest 7" release.

As for Man or Astro-Man?, again, I wanted to mention that it was the largest turnout I've ever seen at the Turf Club on a weekday. People, mostly older fans, came out on a Thursday night to support their favorite sci-fi surf band (and assuming that many of them won't make it to work this morning). I showed up at the Turf Club around 8:30pm and had to wait in long impressive line … apparently no one told the astronauts that doors was supposed to be opened at 8, as advertised.

One thing is for sure, Man or Astro-Man?, is known for putting on a great live show. They had no problem showing off their iPad (?) guitar, Moog EtherWave Theremin, or space costumes and helmet…. They were visually and musically entertaining.

Because this new tour is in support of their album, Defcon 5...4...3...2...1, they played a handful of songs from the upcoming release ("Antimatter Man", "Codebreaker Seventy Eight", "Transmissions from Uranus", "Defcon 5 4 3 2 1", "Disintegrate", and the set closer "Special Agent Conrad Uno").

It's been a long time, but fans will definitely want to catch this band in person when they come through town. Look for Man or Astro-Man?'s album Defcon 5...4...3...2...1 next week, June 18, 2013, via Communicating Vessels/Chunklet Records.

Man or Astro-man? at the Turf Club, St Paul (06/13/13)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ jacuzziboys.com ♥ astroman.com

Girls and Men

Read More Caveman Caveman graced the Troubadour in LA on Thursday night, accompanied by Pure Bathing Culture. Their latest album Coco Beware dropped in 2011 and was re-released after being picked up by Fat Possum records early 2012. …

CAVEMAN
cavemantheband.com

Caveman's first release "Coco Beware" reached my ears in early 2012 and I knew from that point on that they'd not only be a personal favorite of mine, but affect other people similarly. I got the chance to see them a month or so after hearing it and their live show did not disappoint. I caught them at the Urban Lounge in Salt Lake City, UT and I was maybe only one of 20 others at the show. Despite the disappointing attendance, their live show solidified my enthusiasm about them and their unique sound.

Since that show, they have released a new album that is titled simply "Caveman". It continues with their mellow, melodic and pretty brand of indie rock that never gets old to my ears. It seems to perfectly pick up where "Coco Beware" left off and boost them on their upward trajectory into fame. The album has had only positive reviews and you can experience their songs live at the Fine Line Music Cafe on June 29, in support of the popular band Rogue Wave.

The show is 18+ and tickets are $16 in advance/$18 day of. You can purchase them here.

Catch them on the rest of their tour in the midwest and east coast:

6/13 – Akron, OH @ Musica 6/14 – Champaign, IL @ Highdive 6/15 - St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House* 6/16 - Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio* 6/18 – Charlotte, VA @ Southern# 6/19 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat* 6/20 - Cambridge, MA @ the Sinclair * 6/21 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall* 6/22 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom*

6/23 - Millvale, PA @ Mr. Small's Theatre * 6/25 - Toronto, ON @ the Mod Club * 6/26 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre * 6/27 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall * 6/28 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall * 6/29 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line* 7/01 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon 7/02 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme 9/27 – Cincinnati, OH @ Midpoint Music Fest 9/28 – Champaign, IL @ Pygmalion Music Fest

* w/ Rogue Wave, # co-headline w/ Night Beds

MAN OR ASTRO-MAN?
astroman.com

Man or Astro-Man? I really love that name, even though it sounds dumb. I've seen the band name in the 90s but haven't seen it around for a while. That's probably because their last album, a tour-only album called A Spectrum of Finite Scale was twelve years ago. The Alabama surf band is back with Defcon 5...4...3...2...1 (coming out on June 18, 2013, on Communicating Vessels/Chunklet) and will be heading out on tour in support of it.

06/13 St. Paul MN- Turf Club
06/14 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
06/15 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
06/16 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
06/17 Toronto, ON - Lee's Place
06/18 Ithaca NY - The Haunt
06/19 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
06/20 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
06/21 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
06/22 Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
06/23 Washington, DC - Black Cat

CHRISTOPHER OWENS
christopherowensonline.com

I have been a huge fan of Christopher Owens' previously fronted band, Girls, since they broke out in public acclaim in 2008. I was really bummed a year ago when I learned they broke up, but hopeful when he announced he was going to be writing songs on his own. Fast forward six months with the release of Owens' "Lysandre". His sound shifted completely from Girls, which tended to lean more towards edgy, surfy 70s style rock. "Lysandre" has a more polished sound overall, including more subdued vocals from Owens' and the addition of horn instruments, etc. Overall, it seems to suit his shift to solo songwriting and I am excited to see him perform his new songs at Icehouse in Minneapolis on June 11th.

Christopher Owens is touring in support of "Lysandre", a collection of songs about a lover he met while on tour with Girls in 2008. The songs are heartfelt and evocative; really showcasing his ability to write personal lyrics without them coming off as cheap or silly. He will perform the songs solo on an acoustic guitar, and I imagine the night will be quite intimate.

Tickets for the show are $15 (both in advance and day of) and the show starts at 10 pm. You'll want to get tickets ahead of time, as space at Icehouse can be a bit limited. Find tickets here.

Other tour dates in June as listed:

June 7th — Salt Lake City, UT The State Room
June 8th — Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre
June 11th — Minneapolis, MN Icehouse
June 12th — Chicago, IL Hideout
June 15th — New York, NY The Slipper Room
June 16th — New York, NY The Slipper Room
June 19th — Atlanta, GA The Earl
June 20th — Nashville, TN High Watt
June 21st — Oxford, MS Lamar Lounge
June 23rd — Austin, TX Cactus Cafe

CAYUCAS
facebook.com/Cayucas‎

"East Coast Girl" is the new song and video from Cayucas, previously known as Oregon Bike Trails. The video premiered today (05/30) on NYLON.

"East Coast Girl" video directed by Steven Andrew Garcia, talks about the music and his work, "Cayucas have a dynamic that just works. Zach's a great songwriter and their talent really shines through on the new album. We all took a road trip to San Luis Obispo, stayed at a hotel together, and worked out one shot at a time."

The song is taken from Cayucas' debut album, Bigfoot, which came out last month on Secretly Canadian. All of the critics thinks it's a great "summer" soundtrack, for example: AllMusic praised it as "a soundtrack to shared memories of summer," FILTER called it "should be added to your playlist of summer hits immediately," and The Guardian said, "endless summer pop." Who can argue with that?

You can check out the pop melodies for yourself when you see them on tour - chances are they are stopping by your city.

06/06/13 San Diego, CA - Casbah^ 06/07/13 Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room 06/08/13 Los Angeles, CA - Jubilee Music Fest 06/09/13 Santa Barbara, CA - Muddy Waters^ 06/12/13 San Luis Obispo, CA - SLO Brew^ 06/13/13 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop^ 06/15/13 Davis, CA - Sophia's Thai^ 06/17/13 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios^ 06/18/13 Vancouver, Canada - Biltmore Cabaret^ 06/19/13 Seattle, WA - Barboza^ 06/21/13 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court 06/22/13 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge^ 06/24/13 Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room^ 06/25/13 Omaha, NE - Waiting Room^ 06/27/13 Madison, WI - East Side Club^ 06/28/13 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry^ 06/29/13 Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern^ 06/30/13 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick Lounge^ 07/01/13 Toronto, Canada - The Drake^ 07/02/13 Montreal, Canada - Il Motore^ 07/03/13 Allston, MA - Great Scott^ 07/05/13 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge^ 07/06/13 Montauk, NY - The Surf Lodge 07/07/13 Washington, DC - DC9* 07/09/13 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade* 07/11/13 New Orleans, LA - Circle Bar*

07/10/13 Birmingham, AL - Bottletree* 07/12/13 Houston, TX - Mango's* 07/13/13 Austin, TX - Red 7* 07/14/13 Dallas, TX - Three Links* 07/17/13 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballrom 08/09/13 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern w/ Foals 08/31/13 Stradbelly, Ireland - Electric Picnic 09/01/13 Salisbury, UK - End of the RoadBR> 09/03/13 London, UK - 100 Club 09/04/13 Nijmegen, Netherlands - Merleyn 09/06/13 Cologne, Germany - Gebaeude 9 09/07/13 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Rotown 09/10/13 Manchester, UK - Deaf Institute 09/11/13 Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club 09/13/13 Paris, France - Point Ephemere 09/17/13 Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega - Ideal Bar 09/18/13 Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik 09/20/13 Helsinki, Finland - Kuudes Linja 09/21/13 Stockholm, Sweden - Strand 09/22/13 Oslo, Norway - John Dee 09/25/13 Berlin, Germany - Prince Charles 09/26/13 Hamburg, Germany - Reeperbahn Fest 10/19-20/13 San Francisco, CA - Treasure Island ^ = w/ JBM * = w/ Brazos

laurie + vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com