W♥M (Archive)

B. Dolan at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (09 March 2016)

Tour Dates 3/13 - Bigs - Sioux Falls, SD 3/14 - The Demo - St. Louis, MO 3/17 - SXSW 3/21 - The Walnut Room - Denver, CO 3/22 - TSV - Grand Junction, CO 3/23 - WhySound - Logan, UT 3/26 - Treefort Festival - Boise, ID 3/28 - El Carazon - Seattle, WA 3/29 - Analog - Portland, OR 3/30 - Volcanic Theatre - Bend, OR 3/31 - WOW Hall - Eugene, OR 4/1 - Brick & Morter - San Francisco, CA 4/6 - Low End Theory - Los Angeles, CA 4/8 - Pub Rock - Scottsdale, AZ 4/10 - The Warehouse - Las Cruces, NM 4/11 - Meow Wolf - Santa Fe, NM 4/14 - Limelight - San Antonio, TX 4/16 - House Show - Evansville, IN 4/20 - Metro Gallery - Baltimore, MD 4/22 - Velvet Lounge - Washinton, D.C. 4/29 - Milkies - Buffalo, NY 5/11 - Vangelis - Saskatoon, SK 5/12 - The Palamino - Calgary, AB 5/13 - Mercury Room - Edmonton, AB Read More B. Dolan The last time we heard from B. Dolan, he was writing from a bomb shelter as the world ripped apart at the seams. On his newest album, Fallen House, Sunken City, he joins up with legendary indie-rap beatsmith Alias to survey the aftermath. …

Rhode Island’s B. Dolan recently headlined the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on March 9th, as part of his promotional tour for his third album Kill the Wolf, via Strange Famous Records.

Strange Famous is a record label owned by Sage Francis. Sage Francis just happens to be one of my favorite musicians of all time. That being said, maybe I'm a little biased when it comes to B. Dolan but the fact is, he's amazingly talented and has a great live show. Last night proved that it isn't just my bias for the Strange Famous family, B. Dolan kills it every single time.

I have seen him before multiple times but last night was the first time I had seen him headline a show. I have to be honest, I was a bit nervous about how it was going to go. I mean, he was great when I saw him open up for Sage Francis a couple months ago and he absolutely killed it at Soundset last year but did he really have it in him to command a whole crowd just by himself? Was his set going to be worth the exhaustion I would be feeling the next day? Well, let me tell you, I'm freaking exhausted but I'm so glad that I went and checked out the show last night. Not only did B. Dolan completely command the crowd, he performed better than I have ever seen him perform before.

It's how he isn't afraid to get in people's faces. It's his intense stare that goes straight through you like a dagger. It's the way his music makes you feel things that you rarely get to feel at shows anymore. It's the way that when he looks at you, you instantly feel comfort. There's something about B. Dolan, and how he is when he performs, that is impossible to put into words.

His music is mostly political but it's not the type of political rapping that makes you feel uncomfortable. It's the kind that feels more like a conversation than a fight. He brings up topics that affect everyone and raises awareness on said topics but it seems like he does not judge anyone for their beliefs. He just wants to be heard. We all just want to be heard. That's the great thing about B. Dolan and the whole Strange Famous family. The lyrics are relatable but still a bit controversial. They make you think and make you talk.

I respect anyone who can get up on stage alone or with one other person and completely captivate the crowd. Although it wasn't a packed show, B. Dolan and his DJ, Felix Fast4ward (who ended up also being one of the opening acts), had the whole crowd in the palm of their hands. When B. Dolan said jump, the humble crowd jumped. When he said repeat after me, the crowd lowered their drinks from their mouths and repeated whatever he said. I see some bands play to sold out crowds that would kill for this kind of attentiveness but are unable to get anything close to this... B. Dolan doesn't even ask for it, he gets it because of who he is and how much respect the fans have for him.

The whole show was great. As I mentioned, B. Dolan's DJ Felix Fast4ward opened up the show. It was just him and some keyboards, a computer, a flute, a guitar, some sample pads... well hell, he was a whole freaking band all by himself. At first I didn't quite understand it but after watching him for a couple songs and seeing the joy he had as he was performing it was more than enough to get me into it. Maybe it's not really my scene and definitely not something I would listen to in my free time but I respect anyone who gets up on a stage and doesn't give a damn about what the crowd thinks. Felix was doing his thing and enjoying the crap out of it and because of that, I ended up really enjoying it too.

The other opener was Haphduzn. This guy got up on that stage and completely caught me off guard. He is your typical Minnesota rapper and I mean that in all of the best ways. He sings about real life and living in the Twin Cities. His music, like the music of B. Dolan, the Strange Famous family and almost all of the other rappers in the Minnesota scene, is relatable and that's why I like it. I don't know much about the Minnesota rap/ hip-hop scene. I am definitely more of a Minnesota metal kid but I would skip any local metal show just to see Haphduzn play again. I wonder how long it is until he is picked up by Rhymesayers or Doomtree... he is more than worthy to join either of those two powerhouses.

B. Dolan at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (09 March 2016)

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

Run the Jewels at First Avenue, Minneapolis (23 October 2015)

Run the Jewels Setlist     Intro: Queen's "We Are the Champions" Run the Jewels Oh My Darling Don't Cry Blockbuster Night, Part 1 Banana Clipper 36" Chain DDFH Sea Legs Close Your Eyes (And Count to F**k) Pew Pew Pew Lie, Cheat, Steal Early with BOOTS All Due Respect Love Again (Akinyele Back) Get It A Christmas F**king Miracle -- Encore -- Angel Duster Read More Run the Jewels Megahot rapper/producer duo Run The Jewels' long sold out show at First Avenue is taking place next Friday (October 23rd). Expect to hear some preview from their highly anticipated Run ...

Run the Jewels played a sold-out Mainroom at First Avenue last night.

This is just a quick post to get some basic information, tour dates, photos, and setlists online, as soon as possible.

Cuz Lightyear

There was a consistent haze to the room, and surprisingly not caused by whatever the audience may have been using.  Lights were sparse and dim for most of the evening's sets and the sold-out crowd was rowdy, head-bobbing and completely won over.

Cuz Lightyear opened with a brief 15 min. set and the crowd chanting "whut up, Cuz?"

Fashawn

Fashawn, in his brief twenty minutes, brought out both Prof and Brother Ali for separate duets and showcased DJ Fresh who twirled the knobs on a mixer embedded in a giant boombox.

BOOTS

BOOTS changed the mood to one of more moody electronica in his thirty minute set and returned to help RTJ on the song "Early".

Run the Jewels excelled in concert (many hip-hop acts can be dodgy when seeing them live) and co-MC EL-P, himself a longtime indie rapper, gave local indie hip-hop collective Rhymesayers its due respect in a speech, and dedicated their last song and set to Eyedea, who passed away almost five years ago.

Trackstar the DJ

For Run the Jewels ticketholders who stuck around, there was an Afterparty, featuring Trackstar the DJ.

More info to come...

Run the Jewels' Run the Jewels 3 will be coming out in 2016 via Mass Appeal / RED.

Tour date:

10/24/15 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
10/30/15 Manchester Warehouse Project
10/31/15 Pitchfork Music Festival Paris
11/21/15 Corona Capital Festival
12/30/15 Reaction New Year's Eve
01/28/16 "X Games" (Aspen)
01/29/16 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen

Run the Jewels at First Avenue, Minneapolis (23 October 2015)

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

Doomtree Zoo at CHS Field, St Paul (03 October 2015)

Set Times     Main Stage: 3:00pm Aby Wolf 4:00pm Open Mike Eagle 5:00pm Shabazz Palaces 6:05pm Trash Talk 7:10pm Aesop Rock 8:20pm Doomtree     Side Stage: 2:40pm Koo Koo Kanga Roo 3:40pm Serengeti 4:40pm Anonymous Choir 5:45pm Serengeti 6:50pm Anonymous Choir Read More Doomtree Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree is on the road to SXSW 2015! The tour is also to promote his upcoming full-lenth album All Hands, due January 27, 2015 on their own Doomtree Records. .... Koo Koo Kanga Roo Koo Koo Kanga Roo was, as usual, a riot. I don't think I've ever been to a show with so many children, but it's perfect for the music of Koo Koo Kanga Roo. Helping them dance were two helpers, one dressed ...

"Who's from Minneapolis?" "Who's from Saint Paul?" "What's the difference?"

Trash Talk

Those words from Trash Talk singer, Lee Spielman, really stuck with me. It didn't matter what city you were from. It didn't matter what kind of music you usually listen to. It didn't matter what age you were. If you were at the Doomtree Zoo yesterday, you had a great time no matter what.

Trash Talk was definitely a highlight of yesterday. These guys are a straight up punk/ hardcore band from California that seemed to be the odd guys out on a primarily hip hop lineup. That being said, they definitely didn't let this slow them down or let the crowd stand back and ignore them.

From the second they took the stage these guys commanded the ever-growing crowd. The singer was only on stage for one or two songs and spent the rest of the set in the crowd. It didn't matter that he was using a corded microphone... Eventually, someone gave him a wireless. "Uh-oh.. I've got a wireless mic now. Nobody is safe!" he joked. Spielman was all over the place. He didn't care if you were a hip-hop fan, a rap fan, a punk fan, whatever... you were going to do as he said and he proved that.

At one point, he had everyone get really close and sit on the ground with him. People were hesitant as there was a mosh pit that kept breaking out and some of this crowd seemed a bit un-experienced in the moshing realm. If you weren't sitting on the ground, he would call you out. Nobody was exempt.

Doomtree Zoo was held at CHS Field which is the beautiful new baseball stadium in Saint Paul built for the Saint Paul Saints. Spielman found this to be a perfect chance to get the crowd involved yet again. At one point, he had everyone in the crowd go find a seat in the stands. His goal was to try and fill up a whole section. Although this didn't work as well as everyone sitting on the ground. It was still quite a sight to be seen.

Koo Koo Kanga Roo is a local pop/ hip-hop duo that was doing pop up shows all day long. Doomtree Zoo was advertised as a family friendly event and Koo Koo Kanga Roo really stuck to that idea. We caught one of their pop up shows near the entrance of the stadium. They started with their song "Everybody Poops," which is literally about how everybody poops. The crowd was a mixed bag but mostly families with young children. They would get the kids to dance and sing along but even if you weren't a child, you couldn't help but to smile.

They only played two songs during the pop up show but for the second song they brought Stef (better known as local rapper and Doomtree member P.O.S.) up to sing about orange juice called "Shake It Well." The song was hilarious and ended with bringing out the coveted rainbow parachute. You know the one! That one that they would bring out in P.E. class in Elementary School that you wave in the air and sit under and would be the highlight of your week.

Doomtree

Doomtree was obviously the headliner and they more than earned that right. Their set was great. It was full of group songs and songs from the individual artists of the collective. The crowd never stopped jumping and dancing which helped warm us all up being that it was a freezing October day in the cities. The high only reach the mid 50's but that didn't stop the crowd and just gave them more reason to move around.

The music was on point. The energy was immeasurable. Even if you didn't know the words to any of their songs (although majority of the crowd knew every word) you couldn't help but dance along with a smile on your face. Each member of Doomtree had their time to shine but it was more about the group as a whole which was nice.

The night ended with a beautiful fireworks display behind the stage and everyone stumbled home happy as a clam.

The Doomtree Zoo was a great example of just how diverse the Twin Cities are. There was rap, hip-hop, punk, pop, and even choral music. There were inflatable bouncy houses right next to the Surly beer truck. There were all different kinds of people all gathered for one common love... the love of music, the love of local music.

Doomtree Zoo at CHS Field, St Paul (03 October 2015)

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

Sage Francis at First Avenue, Minneapolis (25 July 2015)

Tour Dates 08/29/15 U Street Music Hall, Washington, DC 08/30/15 Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ, US 09/11 – 09/12 Original Festival 2015 09/17/15 Alexander Gastown, Vancouver, BC 10/29/15 Showcase Lounge, S Burlington, VT 10/30/15 Port City Music Hall, Portland, ME 11/09/15 Waiting Room Lounge, Omaha, NE Read More Sage Francis Personal Journals and A Healthy Distrust were forcefully attention grabbing Albums for me, and caused me to fall in love with Sage Francis. Human the Death Dance and Li(f)e were slower to grow on me, but became …

Sage Francis is a rapper. He doesn't sing about getting turnt up. He doesn't sing about getting drunk on sizzurp. He sings about politics, he sings about his cats, he sings about work, he sings about what I live through every day.

Each song tonight was his best song. Each word was sung with heart, with passion.

It wasn't just his set that was like that. Ecid, a local rapper, opened up the show with more energy than all of the openers I've ever seen at a rock show. Just like Sage and B. Dolan, the other supporting act, it was just Ecid, a microphone, and a computer on stage. There was no one to hide behind, no instrument to cover up mistakes. Just a guy, a computer, and a microphone. It's so raw. I know that sounds cliché, but that's what it is, raw. Each word sang had meaning, each movement had a purpose.

B. Dolan was amazing as always. He was the one that I got to see at Soundset this year. He was good then, he was even better tonight. I think it was the setting. When you're at a festival, yeah, you may play in front of thousands of people, but are any of them even listening? When you play at a venue, you know those people are there for you. Why else would they buy a ticket? I think this gives the musicians more confidence to lay it all out there. They're not afraid to play the b-sides. They aren't afraid to make mistakes. They know they are surrounded by people who will support them no matter what. The musicians have nothing to prove. They've already proven it.

Did I mention I met Sage Francis tonight? It's a little intimidating to meet someone who you've put on a pedestal. You follow them around to the merch table after the show just waiting for your chance to take that selfie with them. You hope to God your phone has enough juice and storage to take that one little picture. Most of the musicians I've met will let you take that selfie and that's the end. Not Sage, no. I was shaking. I got up to him and couldn't even talk. I didn't know what to do. He gave me a huge hug, a kiss on the cheek and then I realized he's no different than you. No different than me.

Tonight was one of the best nights of my life. I was alone at a concert, surrounded by a bunch of strangers. I got lost in the music and was found in a hug with my idol.

Sage Francis (with B. Dolan) at First Avenue, Minneapolis (25 July 2015)

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