W♥M (Archive)

Minneapolis: December 14 to December 19, 2019

Joy Formidable at Fine Line Read More The Joy Formidable Wale’s The Joy Formidable (vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Bryan, bassist Rhydian Dafydd, drummer Matt Thomas) is back in town, after their recent Foo Fighters North American tour. The group’s fourth album AAARTH is out now. …

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from December 14 to December 19, 2019.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

THE JOY FORMIDABLE
+ Twen
Fine Line Music Cafe
Sat 12/14/2019 (7:30pm/$25 )
finelinemusic.com

The Joy Formidable is re-releasing a special commemorative 10-year double album of their acclaim debut A Balloon Called Moaning. The record came out in October via Hassle Records. As you know, A Balloon Called Moaning was first EP I own from this band, way back in 2009. It’s good to see the Welsh band come full circle with this 10 year anniversary.

In celebration, the group will be doing a “The Ten Years Floating Tour” … stopping by the Fine Line Music Café this Saturday, December 14th.

Show up early to check out Nashville indie rockers Twen. Twen’s latest Awestruck is out now on Frenchkiss (The Orchard).
Tour dates:

12/12 - Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
12/13 - Milwaukee, WI @ Colectivo
12/14 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
12/17 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
12/18 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
12/20 - San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
12/21 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Teragram

Other shows in the area:

Xavier Omar at Fine Line A Minni XMAS Dead Man Winter at Turf Club Marc Roberge at Varsity Theater Abby Jeanne at 7th Street Read More O.A.R. Rockville, MD quartet O.A.R. is very familiar with the Basilica stage and has also done several promotional appearances for Cities 97, so their inclusion to headline the Preferred …

XAVIER OMÄR
+ Elhae
Fine Line Music Cafe
Sun 12/15/2019 (6pm/$20)
finelinemusic.com

R&B singer/songwriter Xavier Omär will be headlining the Fine Line Music Café on Sunday, December 15th. His last single, “What Do We Do?” featured Parisalexa.

Elhae to open. The last time I heard about Elhae, he sang on “향수 (Scent)” and “Horizon” on Monsta X Rapper, I.M’s solo mixtape.

Tour dates:

12/12/2019 Mod Club Toronto, ON
12/15/2019 Fine Line Music Cafe Minneapolis, MN
01/24/2020 Fortune Sound Club Vancouver, BC
01/30/2020 Ace Of Spades Sacramento, CA
2/07/2020 Observatory North Park San Diego, CA
2/08/2020 The Rebel Lounge Phoenix, AZ
02/18/2020 The Ground Miami, FL

A MINNI XMAS
feat BdotCroc, OKnice
+ Solana, Honee Jones, DJ Nanobyte
7th St Entry
Mon 12/16/2019 (7pm/$10)
first-avenue.com

It’s a special Minni Xmas show, presented by MinniAux on Monday. The 7th Street Entry show features local talents.

Lineup

BdotCroc

OKnice

Solana

Honee Jones

DJ Nanobyte

DEAD MAN WINTER
+ Two Many Banjos
Turf Club
Tue 12/17/2019 (7pm/$25/Sold Out)
turfclub.net

While local popular band Trampled by Turtles is currently on hiatus, singer/songwriter Dave Simonett is billing his shows as Dead Man Winter. As usual, Dead Man Winter is doing a monthlong residency at the Turf Club this month… December 17th being the last of those shows.

According to Simonett, this upcoming show may be his last show “for a while”. The show is sold out.

Two Many Banjos to open.

MARC ROBERGE
Varsity Theater
Wed 12/18/2019 (7pm/$39)
varsitytheater.com

If you love O.A.R., their singer Marc Roberge will be stopping by the Varsity Theater this Wednesday, December 18th.

What’s cool is that if you can’t attend the show, but want to hear it, Roberge will be making the recording of his show available for download via liveoar.com/downloads.

Recent shows made available:

12/14/19 Tropicana Casino & Resort
12/13/19 Foxwoods Resort Casino - Fox Theater
12/12/19 Sands Bethlehem Event Center
12/08/19 Royal Oak Music Theatre
12/07/19 Eagles Ballroom
12/06/19 The Pageant
11/23/19 The Capitol Theatre
11/22/19 The Capitol Theatre
11/21/19 The Rapids Theatre
11/20/19 Aura
11/17/19 The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts
11/16/19 The Wellmont Theater
11/15/19 Paramount Theater
11/14/19 Paramount Theater
08/28/19 Joy Theater
08/25/19 House of Blues Houston
08/20/19 House of Blues Las Vegas
08/19/19 Humphrey's
08/16/19 Britt Pavilion
08/14/19 Moore Theatre

ABBY JEANNE
+ Saebra & Carlyle
7th St Entry
Thu 12/19/2019 (7pm/$13)
first-avenue.com

It’s Milwaukee night at the 7th Street Entry this Thursday, December 19th, with singer/songwriter Abby Jeanne and special guests Saebra & Carlyle.

If you’re from Wisconsin, Jeanne’s next date is January 11th at Turner Hall Ballroom.

Abby Jeanne writes:

Minneapolis!!!! My favorite guitar babe @jennarades letting you know tickets for my next show (December 19th) at @firstavenue are on sale now at the link below. Also I’m brining my fav band @saebraandcarlyle with me! Hell yes! ❤️❤️❤️ see you there.

event.etix.com

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

The Joy Formidable at Turf Club, St Paul (02 Nov 2018)

The Joy Formidable at Turf Club Joy Formidable Setlist This Ladder Is Ours Cradle The Greatest Light Is the Greatest Shade Y Bluen Eira (The Snowflake) Passerby Ostrich Cicada (Land on Your Back) A Heavy Abacus Buoy The Wrong Side The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie The Leopard and the Lung The Better Me Whirring Tancred Setlist Song One Joey Queen of New York Hot Star Poise Clipping Underwear Not Likely Something Else Pens Pretty Girls Read More The Joy Formidable Wale’s The Joy Formidable (vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Bryan, bassist Rhydian Dafydd, drummer Matt Thomas) is back in town, after their recent Foo Fighters North American tour. The group’s fourth album AAARTH is out now. … Tancred As for Tancred, we saw her n March 2016 and said, “A little backstory on Jess Abbott, who mentioned on stage that she lived in Minneapolis for five years and does not miss the snow/cold …

London-based, Welsh band The Joy Formidable (guitarist/vocalist Rhiannon "Ritzy" Bryan, bassist Rhydian Dafydd, and drummer Matthew James Thomas) sold out the Turf Club in St Paul on Friday, November 2nd.

Tancred (aka Jess Abbott) opened the show. We’ve been writing about Abbott since her days in Now, Now Every Children (later shortened to just Now, Now), but left the band in late 2013. Her first national tour, she said she travelled by herself in Oct 2014, but admitted that it was too awkward playing music by herself. By March 2016, we got to see her with a full band: bassist Terrence Vitali and drummer Kevin Medina. It’s that same lineup that we see Tancred at the Turf Club on Friday night.

Before “Underwear” (taken from her latest album Nightstand), Abbott mentioned that she used to live in Minneapolis, “It’s still cold here. There’s still good food and polite people.”

Near the end of their 40-min set, as they were tuning their guitars for the finale song “Pretty Girls”, Abbot mentioned how her black turtleneck made her look like Steve Jobs. Then Vitali interrupted about how he overheard her saying how she was sweating through her turtleneck.

“Why would you say that?!?” Abbot clarified that she was just nervous (sweating) about playing, but admitted that it sounded pretty funny hearing “sweating through my turtleneck”. She closed out the banter with her Steve Jobs joke: “Did you hear about the iPhone 69? It still sucks.”

Tancred’s Nightstand is out now on Polyvinyl.

As previously mentioned, The Joy Formidable was one of the first bands we covered a decade ago. The Wales/London band were brand new at the time in July 2008, but we wrote that “a band that I see a lot of potential in.” Our prediction came true, and over the years, we’ve seen the band on and off, whenever they came to town.

In April 2016, while on tour for Hitch, they played their biggest stage in Minneapolis - the 1,500-capacity First Avenue. We’ve only seen the band at smaller “club” gigs prior, so it felt like everyone was on their best behavior: “the First Avenue performance was more of a proper rock show, with bigger stage, full light rigs, and the band seemingly very focused.”

After a two year-absent, the band returned to the Twin Cities, headlining and selling out the Turf Club in St Paul on Friday night. It was nice to see the band at a small “pub gig” again. Bassist Rhydian Dafydd and singer “Ritzy” seemed really loose and making faces as they launched into “This Ladder Is Ours”. Even the drummer would occasionally rise from his seat to whip the audience into a deserving frenzy. Seeing the band this animated vs their button-down-proper gig in 2016, was a much better experience.

Even though St Paul was not their first show in this 2018 tour, it sure felt fresh and fun, as if they were just starting out. Maybe it’s also because it felt like the band really loved playing new songs from the band’s fourth album AAARTH (which means “Bear”), but it all sounded like everyone was having a good time.

Some of the stand-out AAARTH songs, like “Y Bluen Eira” (which means “The Snowflake”) and “Cicada (Land on Your Back)” went over well with the audience. However, of course, older songs like “The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie” and “Whirring” from their debut The Big Roar had the loudest and best response from the audience.

After ten years of covering The Joy Formidable, they still sound as fresh and amazing as they did a decade ago. Here’s looking for another ten years.

Remaining tour dates:

Nov 4 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
Nov 6 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
Nov 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
Nov 8 – Buffalo, NY – Rec Room
Nov 9 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Nov 10 – Washington, DC – Black Cat

Tancred

Tancred

Tancred

Tancred

The Joy Formidable

The Joy Formidable

The Joy Formidable at Turf Club, St Paul (02 Nov 2018)

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

Minneapolis: November 1 to November 2, 2018

The Joy Formidable at Turf Club Read More The Joy Formidable We were pretty thrilled to get see The Joy Formidable last year for $3 (as a promotional gig for Red Bull’s Sound Select Series). Now that the new album Hitch is out now, the Welsh trio will be headlining the much bigger venue First … Tancred Next was Tancred. These guys were just as captivating as Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas but in a completely different way. There must be a thing with the name "Jess" because, not only was Jessica Hernandez's voice amazing …

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from November 1 to November 2, 2018.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

THE JOY FORMIDABLE
+ Tancred
Turf Club
Fri 11/02/2018 (8pm/$25/Sold Out)
turfclub.net

Wale’s The Joy Formidable (vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Bryan, bassist Rhydian Dafydd, drummer Matt Thomas) is back in town, after their recent Foo Fighters North American tour. The group’s fourth album AAARTH is out now.

We love the band, and talked about the band before their first single was officially released in July 2008, a decade ago.

As for Tancred, we saw her n March 2016 and said, “A little backstory on Jess Abbott, who mentioned on stage that she lived in Minneapolis for five years and does not miss the snow/cold (she currently resides in California). In fact, she’s downright disappointed that it was so cold (and snowing) on the night that she was back in town. Her connection to Minneapolis is that she is the guitarist for Now, Now (fka Now, Now Every Children).”

North American Tour Dates:

Oct 26 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
Oct 27 – Vancouver, BC – Fox Cabaret
Oct 28 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
Oct 31 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
Nov 1 – Kansas City, MO – Record Bar
Nov 2 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
Nov 3 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
Nov 4 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
Nov 6 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
Nov 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
Nov 8 – Buffalo, NY – Rec Room
Nov 9 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Nov 10 – Washington, DC – Black Cat

Other shows in the area:

Lily Allen 2018 Tour Low Cut Connie at First Ave Mountain Man 2018 Tour Read More Lily Allen UK's Lily Allen is touring the US in support of her latest album Sheezus (Regal, Parlophone). Her semi-recent tour (August) with Miley Cyrus featured an accidental nip slip ... Low Cut Connie Low Cut Connie (Adam Weiner, James Everhart, Will Donnelly, Larry Scotton, and Lucas Rinz) will be in town in support of their latest Dirty Pictures (Part 1) via Contender Records. … Mountain Man Mountain Man mostly did harmonizing a cappella-style songs on their set. It sounded much better indoors vs their patio show last year (mostly because the audio sounded one thousand times cleaner.) …

LILY ALLEN
Varsity Theater
Thu 11/01/2018 (5:30pm/$62)
varsitytheater.com

The always fun Lily Allen is back in the United States as part of her “#NOSHAME” tour. She’ll be stopping by the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on November 1st.

We saw her in Oct 2014 and said, “Here's the thing about Allen, she writes lyrics like she sees them. They are songs about people she knows and how she feels about them, for example, "Alfie" about her kid brother Alfie Allen and Game of Thrones star...”

If you’re wondering about the high ticket price ($62), it’s justified because she has employed over 10 dancers/staff and undergoes various costume changes throughout her set.

Note: This is an all-ages show and doors are opened at 5:30pm.

Tour dates:

11/01/2018 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
11/03/2018 Summit Denver, CO
11/04/2018 The Complex Salt Lake City, UT
11/06/2018 Roseland Theater Portland, OR
11/08/2018 The Showbox Seattle, WA

LOW CUT CONNIE
+ Ruby Boots
7th Street Entry
Thu 11/01/2018 (7pm/$15)
first-avenue.com

We were so impressed with Low Cut Connie at Rock the Garden earlier this year, that we can’t wait for their upcoming November 1st show.

Since we saw them, the band have been busy appearing on various radio and television and wowing audiences across the nation. Rolling Stone loved them so much that they’ve added their record on their 50 Best Albums of 2018 so far.

Show up early to check out Ruby Boots; she was last seen in town on June 2018. Ruby is an Australian, but based in Nashville, Tennessee. Fans of Nikki Lane should take note, as Lane co-wrote/sang on some of her songs.

Tour dates:

10/25 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Smalls Theatre
10/28 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
11/1 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
11/2 - Davenport, IA - The Raccoon Motel
11/3 - Davenport, IA - The Raccoon Motel
11/5 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
11/6 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room
11/8 - Denver, CO - Globe Hall
11/9 - Denver, CO - Globe Hall
11/12 - Dallas, TX - Dada
11/13 - Austin, TX - Mohawk
11/14 - Austin, TX - Mohawk
11/17 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa
11/18 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East

MOUNTAIN MAN
+ The Dead Tongues
Cedar Cultural Center
Thu 11/01/2018 (7pm/$22/Sold Out)
thecedar.org

I’ll always remember the first time I saw Mountain Man(Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, Amelia Randall Meath) in July 2011 and was confused that they’re all women. I also didn’t realize how incredibly popular they would become, having sold out all future appearances in the Minneapolis/St Paul area. They have a huge fanbase here.

Once again, Mountain Man sold out the upcoming Cedar Cultural Center for November 1st.

Join them with The Dead Tongues (aka Ryan Gustafson from Hiss Golden Messenger touring band), who is touring in support of his solo album Unsung Passage.

Tour dates:

10/27/2018 The Sinclair Cambridge, MA
11/01/2018 The Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN
11/03/2018 Bluebird Theater Denver, CO
11/06/2018 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR
11/08/2018 The Independent San Francisco, CA
11/17/2018 Haw River Ballroom Saxapahaw, NC
11/18/2018 Haw River Ballroom Saxapahaw, NC

Wilderado 2018 Tour Slightly Stoopid at First Ave KT Tunstall at Fine Line Josh Groban 2018 Tour Read More Slightly Stoopid As for Slightly Stoopid, say what you will about them, but they sure command legions of fans. Their fans seems proud to be 'stoopid' and they're all about smoking herbs, crowd surfing, and having a good time .... KT Tunstall I’ll never forget seeing KT Tunstall over at the now-defunct Epic in Minneapolis in November 2010. KT actually paused the show so she can ask the girl in front to stop talking on her cellphone. Josh Groban Josh Groban stopped by the Target Center in Minneapolis as part of his "In the Round" tour, in support of his latest album All That Echo (released February 2013 via 143, Reprise). ....

SURE SURE / WILDERADO
+ Lunch Duchess
7th Street Entry
Fri 11/02/2018 (7pm/$15)
first-avenue.com

Los Angeles’ indie pop band Sure Sure and New York’s Wilderado will be co-headlining their 7th Street Entry show on November 2nd.

Sure Sure previously opened up for local buzz band Hippo Campus in February 2018.

Wilderado will be releasing Favors (Acoustic) in December 7th on Bright Antenna Records. This is an acoustic version of their previously released Favors EP.

Local band Lunch Duchess to open.

Tour Dates

10/27: Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall
10/29: Columbus, OH @ The Basement
10/30: Cincinnati, OH @ Madison Live
10/31: Chicago, IL @ Chop Shop
11/1: Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
11/2: Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
11/3: Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
11/6: Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
11/7: Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
11/9: Oakland, CA @ The New Parish
11/10: Los Angeles, CA @ The Lodge Room
11/12: Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
11/16: Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court

SLIGHTLY STOOPID
+ Hirie
First Avenue
Fri 11/02/2018 (7pm/$35.50)
first-avenue.com

Slightly Stoopid is starting their “Just Passing Through” in Minneapolis on Friday, November 2nd.

Tour dates:

Nov 2 @ First Avenue | Minneapolis, MN
Nov 3 @ The Pageant | St. Louis, MO
Nov 4 @ Egyptian Room | Indianapolis, IN
Nov 8 @ The Joy Theater | New Orleans, LA
Nov 9 @ The Tabernacle | Atlanta, GA
Nov 10 @ The Cowan | Nashville, TN
Nov 11 @ The Fillmore Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
Nov 15 @ The National | Richmond, VA
Nov 16 @ The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY
Nov 17 @ Penn’s Peak | Jim Thorpe, PA
Nov 18 @ Strand Ballroom | Providence, RI

KT TUNSTALL
+ Maddie Ross
Fine Line Music Café
Fri 11/02/2018 (8pm/$30)
finelinemusic.com

Singer/songwriter KT Tunstall is back at the Fine Line Music Café on November 2nd, in support of her sixth studio album Wax.

Tour dates:

10/27 – Austin, TX – 3Ten ACL Live
10/28 – Dallas, TX – Kessler
10/30 – Kansas City, MO – Record Bar
11/1 – Chicago, IL – Park West
11/2 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Café
11/4 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom
11/6 – Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley
11/8 – Detroit, MI – El Club
11/9 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
11/11 – Washington, DC – Union Stage
11/12 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
11/13 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live
11/14 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
11/16 – Buffalo, NY – Iron Works
11/17 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
11/18 – Vancouver, BC – Imperial Ballroom

JOSH GROBAN
+ Idina Menzel
Xcel Energy Center
Fri 11/02/2018 (7pm/$55.50)
xcelenergycenter.com

Multi-platinum award-winning singer, songwriter, and global superstar Josh Groban is headlining the Xcel Energy Center on Friday, November 2nd, as part of his tour for his eighth full-length studio album, Bridges (Reprise Records).

We caught this guy in October 2013 and said that he was pretty, pretty funny.

Tour dates:

10/26 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena
10/27 Inglewood, CA The Forum
10/29 Salt Lake City, UT Vivint Smart Home Arena
10/30 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
11/02 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
11/03 Milwaukee, WI WI Entertainment & Sports Center
11/06 Chicago, IL United Center
11/07 Detroit, MI Little Caesars
11/09 Boston, MA TD Garden
11/12 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Arena
11/13 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena
11/15 Washington DC Capital One Arena
11/16 Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena
11/18 New York, NY Madison Square Garden

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

Minneapolis: October 3 to October 4, 2016

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from October 3 to October 4, 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Goblin Cock Goblin Cock: First of all, I love the name and theme. All the band members have RPG elements to their name, like singer Lord Phallus (Rob Crow) and guitarist Larben the Druid. … Busey Opening up the show was local trio Busey (singer / guitarist Daniel Berndt, drummer Ryan Keyes, and bassist Ryan Wasleske), a band named after actor Gary Busey. They were a surprise …

GOBLIN COCK
at 7th Street Entry
Monday, 10/03/16, 7:30pm ($10/$12)
first-avenue.com

The best/worst band name Goblin Cock will be taking over the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis next Monday, October 3rd, in support of their new album Necronomidonkeykongimicon (Joyful Noise Recordings). The record is described as “a crushingly brutal Dear John letter to society” by frontman Lord Phallus (aka Rob Crow of Pinback).

You may recall that we reviewed their album Come With Me If You Want To Live in 2009 and noted that they aren’t necessary “metal”: “Some of the songs on this album sounds too clear and sounds too slow to be classify as metal. On those songs, they seem more like early 90s grunge music (think Soundgarden, not Nirvana).”

Nightosaur and Busey to open. We caught the latter at a Guitar Wolf show in Sep 2016 and said that they sounded metal (but they were clearly big fans of garage/Ramones-style rock).

Goblin Cock on Tour:

9/27: Providence, RI @ Parlour
9/28: Allston, MA @ Great Scott
9/29: Syracuse, NY @ Funk N Waffles
9/30: Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
10/1: Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi
10/2: Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
10/3: Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
10/6: Spokane, WA @ The Observatory
10/7: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon - Funhouse
10/8: Portland, OR @ Ash Street Saloon
10/10: San Francisco, CA @ Social Hall SF
10/11: Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
10/14: San Diego, CA @ Casbah

Read More Kongos South African band Kongos (consisting of four brothers: Johnny, Jesse, Daniel, and Dylan Kongos) are pleased to announce that their upcoming show today … The Joy Formidable We were pretty thrilled to get see The Joy Formidable last year for $3 (as a promotional gig for Red Bull’s Sound Select Series). Now that the new album Hitch is out now, the Welsh trio will be headlining the much bigger venue First …

KONGOS
at Varsity Theater
Tuesday, 10/04/16, 7pm ($29.50/$33)
varsitytheater.org

South Africa’s all-brothers band Kongos will be headlining the Varsity Theater on October 4th.

The Joy Formidable will open the show. They recently released a digital EP Sleep Is Day with all profits being donated to SOS (the Sumatran Orangutan Society). Singer Ritzy Bryan explained, “We read a tweet by the naturalist and conservationist Bill Oddie. He was lamenting the destruction of the lianas in the orangutans' natural habitat. We have a song on our EP called "Liana" and once we started reading about the crisis the orangutan was facing, it set the wheels in motion for us wanting to raise some money.”

NOTE: The Joy Formbidable covered Kongos’ ‘Escape’ on the new EP.

Kongos / Joy Formidable Tour dates:

9/29: Union Hall - Edmonton, AB
9/30: Macewan Hall Ballroom - Calgary, AB
10/1: Loui's - Saskatoon, SK
10/2: Garrick Centre - Winnipeg, MB
10/4: Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN
10/5: The Vic Theatre - Chicago, IL
10/6: St. Andrews Hall - Detroit, MI
10/8: Metropolis - Montreal, QC
10/9: Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON
10/11: Main Street Armory - Rochester, NY
10/12: The Royale - Boston, MA
10/14: The Fillmore - Silver Spring, MD
10/15: PlayStation Theater - New York, NY
10/16: Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
10/18: The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
10/20: House Of Blues - New Orleans, LA
10/21: Warehouse Live - Houston, TX
10/22: Emo's - Austin, TX
10/23: Gas Monkey Live! - Dallas, TX
10/24: El Rey Theater - Albuquerque, NM
10/25: Brooklyn Bowl - Las Vegas, NV
10/26: The Music Box - San Diego, CA
10/27: Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
10/28: The Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA
10/29: Crescent Ballroom - Phoenix, AZ

Read More Viet Cong This is the same night as Canada's Viet Cong show at 7th Street Entry. With the recent local Vietnamese community protesting the upcoming show, I'm happy to see that the band …

PREOCCUPATIONS
at Fine Line Music Cafe
Tuesday, 10/04/16, 7pm ($15)
finelinemusic.com

Preoccupations (Frontman Matt Flegel, guitarist Danny Christiansen, multi-instrumentalist Scott Munro and drummer Mike Wallace) got international recognized by their former unintentionally racist name Viet Cong. I previously compared their name to calling themselves The Nazis and not realizing what a terrible idea that is... Anyway, they did the right thing, they’ve changed their name when so many Vietnamese and Veterans complained about it. With the name change, the band just hope that we can now concentrate on how good their music is, rather than be distracted by the controversial former name.

Preoccupations’ self-titled album is out now on Jagjaguwar.

Special guests Methyl Ethel to open.

World Tour Dates

10.01.16 - Mac Hall Ballroom - Calgary, AB ^
10.03.16 - WECC - Winnepeg, MB ^
10.04.16 - Fine Line Music Cafe - Minneapolis, Mn ^
10.05.16 - Thalia Hall - Chicago, Il ^
10.07.16 - Crofoot Ballroom - Pontiac, Mi ^
10.08.16 - Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON ^
10.11.16 - Theatre Fairmount - Montreal, QC ^
10.12.16 - The Sinclair - Cambridge, Ma ^
10.14.16 - Warsaw - Brooklyn NY ^
10.15.16 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, Pa ^
10.16.16 - Rock & Roll Hotel - Washington DC ^
10.18.16 - Masquerade - Atlanta, Ga ^
10.19.16 - Gasa Gasa - New Orleans, La ^
10.21.16 - The Mohawk - Austin, TX ^
10.22.16 - Club Dada - Dallas, TX
10.25.16 - Valley Bar - Phoenix, Az ^
10.26.16 - The Irenic - San Diego, CA ^
10.28.16 - The Roxy - Los Angeles, CA ^
10.29.16 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA ^
10.30.16 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA ^
11.01.16 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR ^
11.02.16 - Neumos - Seattle, Wa ^

^ w/ Methyl Ethel

Read More Eliot Sumner Supporting them on this tour is London-born artist Eliot Sumner (also known as Coco Sumner or I Blame Coco), singing and playing tracks from her debut album Information …

ELIOT SUMNER
at Studio B
Tuesday, 10/04/16, 7pm ($12)
skywaytheatre.com

Eliot Sumner is returning to Minnesota this October 4 at Studio B (inside the Skyway Theatre). We’ve previously mentioned how uncanny Sumner looks like her father, Sting, when we caught them at the Turf Club in St Paul (June 2016).

Eliot Sumner’s latest Information is the debut album under their name, Sumner was previously recorded as Coco at the early age of 17.

My Jerusalem is listed to open the show. In 2013, we wrote that My Jerusalem is from from Austin, by the way of New Orleans (and not from not Israel). My Jerusalem’s latest record A Little Death is available now on Washington Square Music.

Tour dates:

9/27 New York, NY @ Armani New York
9/30 Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/1 Dallas, TX @ Foundry
10/3 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
10/4 Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theatre
10/5 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
10/6 Louisville, KY @ New Vintage
10/7 Peoria, IL @ Limelight
10/13 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
10/14 Boston, MA @ Café 939

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

The Joy Formidable, with Everything Everything at First Avenue, Minneapolis (05 April 2016)

Joy Formidable Setlist Little Blimp The Greatest Light Is the Greatest Shade This Ladder Is Ours I Don't Want to See You Like This Passerby Wolf's Law The Last Thing On My Mind preceded by snippet of "Watching the Detectives" by Elvis Costello Ostrich Cradle The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie -- Encore -- Austere Maw Maw Song Liana Whirring Everything Everything Setlist Blast Doors To The Blade Regret Fortune 500 The Wheel (Is Turning Now) Cough Cough Spring / Sun / Winter / Dread No Reptiles Distant Past Read More The Joy Formidable We were pretty thrilled to get see The Joy Formidable last year for $3 (as a promotional gig for Red Bull’s Sound Select Series). Now that the new album Hitch is out now, the Welsh trio will be headlining the much bigger venue First … Everything Everything Manchester’s Everything Everything has been added to this US tour. We previously mentioned them in 2013 and was blown away that they sold out their entire UK tour. Everything Everything’s third album Get To Heaven …

Welsh trio The Joy Formidable (Rhiannon Bryan on vocals/guitars, Rhydian Dafydd on bass, and Matthew James Thomas on drums) is back on tour in support of their latest Hitch, stopping by First Avenue last Tuesday, April 5th. As with the album title and cover artwork (featuring the Dafydd’s proposal to Bryan on the side of the road), we are pretty sure the couple got hitched (married) last year.

Everything Everything

Manchester’s Everything Everything opened up the show, in support of their third album Get To Heaven. The band came to our attention in 2013 when they generated massive buzz selling out their entire UK tour, thanks to their strong songs on their sophomore album Arc, which landed them on the shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize and nominations for the Ivor Novello Award.

Singer Jonathan Higgs noted that this was their “first time here... ever!” and the band seemed generally excited to finally Minneapolis. In fact, they were so excited, they added Prince’s “Raspberry Beret” at the end of their setlist ... but unfortunately, due to time constraints, the band did not perform the cover song in their 40-minute set.

Joy Formidable

As expected, and even though the setlist was more similar than different, The Joy Formidable’s First Avenue show was markedly different than the Red Bull sponsored warm-up gig the band performed across the river in St. Paul last fall.

While the October 2015 Turf Club show was loose with singer Bryan constantly ribbing on the two other members and had the feel of a pub gig down the block, the First Avenue performance was more of a proper rock show, with bigger stage, full light rigs, and the band seemingly very focused.

Add to that, there has been another five months in which they have lived with the new songs from Hitch, further refining them live and making them fit like perfect puzzle pieces, inside their ninety-minute headlining set.

Setlist

They ended their set with “The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie”, and followed up with a four-song encore, starting with “the first song we wrote together” called “Austere”. Obviously, the song is very dear to the band, and we wrote about the song in July 2008 (before the single was officially released!) This was followed by “Maw Maw Song” and a newer song “Liana” (from Hitch), and finally the grand epic extended jam version of “Whirring” from their debut The Big Roar.

The Joy Formidable’s Hitch album is available now on Atlantic Records. The band continues their tour:

04/10/16 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Small's Theater
04/12/16 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
04/13/16 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
04/14/16 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
04/15/16 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
04/16/16 Spring, TX @ 94.5 Buzzfest
04/19/16 Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn
04/20/16 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack's
04/21/16 Pensacola, FL @ Club Vinyl
04/22/16 Orlando, FL @ The Social
04/23/16 Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
04/25/16 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
04/26/16 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
04/28/16 St. Petersburg, FL @ The Theater
04/29/16 West Palm Beach, FL @ SunFest
04/30/16 Dallas, TX @ EDGEFEST
05/01/16 Beale Street Music Festival
05/27/16 Napa, CA @ BottleRock Napa Valley
07/28/16 Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
07/29/16 Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
07/30/16 Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza

The Joy Formidable at First Avenue, Minneapolis (05 April 2016)

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

Minneapolis: April 5, 2016

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on April 5, 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More The Joy Formidable We've been talking about the Welsh band/London-based The Joy Formidable since 2008, and was thrilled about their EP A Balloon Called Moaning. … Everything Everything Manchester's Everything Everything is currently on tour for the second album, Arc (out now on RCA Victor), the follow-up to their debut Geffen Records' Man Alive. If record label switching is your thing, you'd be happy to know …

THE JOY FORMIDABLE
at First Avenue
Tuesday, 04/05/16, 7pm ($20)
first-avenue.com

We were pretty thrilled to get see The Joy Formidable last year for $3 (as a promotional gig for Red Bull’s Sound Select Series). Now that the new album Hitch is out now, the Welsh trio will be headlining the much bigger venue First Avenue this Tuesday, April 5th.

We’re also pretty excited to see that Manchester’s Everything Everything has been added to this US tour. We previously mentioned them in 2013 and was blown away that they sold out their entire UK tour.

Everything Everything’s third album Get To Heaven is out now on RCA Records.

Live Dates:

04/02/16 Seattle, WA @ Neumo's
04/05/16 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
04/06/16 Chicago, IL @ Double Door
04/07/16 Iowa City, IA @ Mission Creek Festival
04/08/16 Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
04/09/16 Columbus, OH @ Express Live
04/10/16 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Small's Theater
04/12/16 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
04/13/16 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
04/14/16 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
04/15/16 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
04/16/16 Spring, TX @ 94.5 Buzzfest
04/19/16 Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn
04/20/16 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack's
04/21/16 Pensacola, FL @ Club Vinyl
04/22/16 Orlando, FL @ The Social
04/23/16 Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
04/25/16 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
04/26/16 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
04/28/16 St. Petersburg, FL @ The Theater
04/29/16 West Palm Beach, FL @ SunFest
04/30/16 Dallas, TX @ EDGEFEST
05/01/16Memphis, TN @ Beale Street Music Festival
05/27/16 Napa, CA @ BottleRock Napa Valley
07/28/16 Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
07/29/16 Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
07/30/16 Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza

Read More The Contortionist One of the opener, The Contortionist, is a band unlike many others. They are metal but they aren't metal. The type of metal these guys play is a kick to the face if you aren't ready for it. I was ready for it but my jaw still ..… sleepmakeswaves sleepmakeswaves new album in today already walks tomorrow will be out this April 8, 2014, on Monotreme Records. Please note this album was originally released in 2012 by another record label. … By The Thousands I saw my boys in By The Thousands play the First Avenue mainroom. This is the same venue I saw Social Distortion play. The same stage that I saw Sage Francis play on. And there were my boys. ....

THE CONTORTIONIST
with Monuments
at Cabooze
Tuesday, 04/05/16, 6pm ($15)
cabooze.com

Australian post-rock group sleepmakeswaves will be making their first trek into the United States in support of their new album Love of Cartography. This instrumental quartet is one of the most dynamic groups in the instrumental post-rock/prog scene right now and to have them come to the U.S. is a treat. They combine a little bit of everything. There's hints of beautiful piano arpeggios mixed with their signature screaming guitar lines.

The Contortionist and Monuments are headlining this tour. For the Minnesota date, local favorites By the Thousands and Mithya will be opening the show. This is sure to be a night of all kinds of post-rock metal music from all over the world.

sleepmakeswaves Tour Dates

Apr 02 -- Englewood, CO -- Gothic Theatre
Apr 03 -- Merriam, KS -- Aftershock
Apr 05 -- Minneapolis, MN -- Cabooze
Apr 06 -- Chicago, IL -- Subterranean
Apr 07 -- Grand Rapids, MI -- Stache
Apr 11 -- Pittsburgh, PA -- Altar Bar
Apr 12 -- Toronto, ONT -- Hard Luck
Apr 13 -- Montreal, QBE -- Foufounes Electriques
Apr 14 -- Allston, MA -- Brighton Music Hall
Apr 15 -- New York, NY -- Gramercy Theatre
Apr 16 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Voltage Lounge
Apr 18 -- Baltimore, MD -- Baltimore Sound Stage
Apr 19 -- Richmond, VA -- The Canal Club
Apr 20 -- Greensboro, NC -- Greene Street Club
Apr 21 -- Atlanta, GA -- The Masquerade
Apr 22 -- Jacksonville, FL -- 1904 Music Hall
Apr 23 -- Tampa, FL -- Orpheum
Apr 24 -- Orlando, FL -- Backbooth
Apr 26 -- Houston, TX -- Scout Bar
Apr 27 -- San Antonio, TX -- Korova
Apr 29 -- St. Louis, MO -- Fubar
Apr 30 -- Indianapolis, IN -- Emerson Theater
May 01 -- Detroit, MI -- Saint Andrew’s Hall

All dates w/ The Contortionist, Monuments & Entheos

Read More Sunflower Bean Sunflower Bean opened up the show, a little later than advertised because of technical difficulties. There was a good turnout for the opener, but obviously the venue was not entirely filled until ..… Brilliant Beast Opening up the show was Brilliant Beast, featuring siblings Hannah and Jordan (who was apparently a massive Morrissey fan). They recently released a split EP with fellow Minneapolis band Fury Things, …

SUNFLOWER BEAN
with Weaves
at 7th Street Entry
Tuesday, 04/05/16, 7:30pm ($8/$10)
first-avenue.com

In celebration of their debut album Human Ceremony (Fat Possum), Sunflower Bean (Jacob Faber, Julia Cumming, and Nick Kivlen) is currently on tour - headlining the 7th Street Entry this Tuesday, April 5th. You might recall that we caught the trio on their first Minnesota appearance in Oct 2015 and was blown away by their songs.

Opening will be Toronto’s Weaves (not Waves) recently signed with Kanine and Memphis Industries, and will be releasing the band's album in conjunction with Buzz Records on June 17th.

Also on the bill is local band Brilliant Beast, who we caught in July 2015.

North American Tour Dates

4/1/16 Nampa, ID @ Flying M
4/2/16 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
4/3/16 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
4/5/16 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
4/6/16 Madison, WI @ The Frequency
4/7/16 Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
4/8/16 Columbus, OH @ Rumba Café
4/9/16 Pittsburg, PA @ The Smiling Moose
4/14/16 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
4/15-16/16 Winston-Salem, NC @ Phuzz Phest
4/20/16 Stony Brook, NY @ Stony Brook University
5/5/16 Brooklyn, NY @ The Grid
5/17/16 Lancaster, PA @ Lizard Lounge
6/11/16 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar

* w/ Mass Gothic
+ w/ Honduras

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

The Joy Formidable at the Turf Club, St. Paul (09 Oct 2015)

poster The Joy Formidable Setlist The Greatest Light Is the Greatest Shade This Ladder Is Ours I Don't Want to See You Like This Little Blimp Wolf's Law Maw Maw Song Cradle The Leopard and the Lung Silent Treatment Ostrich The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie -- Encore -- Passerby Whirring Tour Dates 10/15/15 Brooklyn, NY "CMJ Music Marathon" 10/16/15 Reno, NV ReTRAC East 10/30/15 New Orleans, LA "Voodoo Festival" 11/12/15 Los Angeles, CA Masonic Lodge 11/14/15 San Diego, CA "San Diego Music Thing" 11/21/15 Sonoma, CA Gundlach Bundschu Winery Read More The Joy Formidable We've been talking about the Welsh band/London-based The Joy Formidable since 2008, and was thrilled about their EP A Balloon Called Moaning. …

You know it’s a special show, when even the bar food gets renamed after the band—

Welsh alternative trio The Joy Formidable hit town as part of Red Bull’s Sound Select Series, a promotional run of local concerts sponsored by the energy drink and curated by local club, First Avenue.  In addition to reduced admission with RSVP and the namesake beverage, the bar’s pizza roll had even been re-christened The Joy FormidaROLL, complimentary for anyone getting in early enough.

Verskotzi

Local band Verskotzi opened the three-band evening with a half hour of 80’s throwback indie synth pop. Singer Joey Verkotzi , dressed in a blazer with pompadour hair, had a four-piece backing band that got the crowd moving on songs like ‘Sleepless One’, ‘Waving’ , ‘Die for You’ and ‘Mayday’.  Somewhat out of place on a bill headlined by a post-punk, shoegaze guitar band, the band managed to find their own groove in their brief stage time.

Murder Shoes

Next on the bill was another local five-piece band, Murder Shoes (Derek Van Geison, Tess Weinberg, Tim Heinlein, Elliot Manthey and Chris White), all appropriately wearing some kind of black.  The band’s twin jangly guitars sometimes echo The Pixies or The Blasters, with singer Weinberg sounding similar at times to Patti Smith or an angrier Maria McKee of Lone Justice fame.

The band has a dark edge to about every song (which makes their name fitting), including ‘Nineteeneightyone’, the lead single from debut full-length, Daydreaming, which comes out Nov. 6 on Land Ski Records.  Playing only their 30^th show as a band, look for bigger things once the album is released.

Setlist

Speaking of coming out of the studio, The Joy Formidable has just put the finishing touches on their new self-produced album, Hitch, due out early next year, and previewed some of the new music to the sold-out  crowd during their 84 min. headlining set.

Proper touring begins in January (including a March 2016 stop at Lollapalooza Brasil in front of 60,000 people on a racetrack), but the band has been itching to play live again, and has embarked on a few preview shows, including the 350-person capacity Turf Club.

"Ritzy" Bryan (vocals, guitar) was feeling especially spry with Rhydian Dafydd –bass (who somewhat resembles Ian Ziering) and Matthew James Thomas- drums, percussion (who reminds of a cheeky Russell Brand) taking most of the vocal drubbing.

Like most of their songs, opening ‘The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade’ (from 2011 debut full-length, the aptly named The Big Roar) builds into an-Everest sized wall of guitar-laden sound, fully expecting the listeners to journey the climb with them.  Bryan was annoyed by a persistent hum during the first song, saying it sounded “like a submarine under the stage”, and playfully blaming her two bandmates before ramping into the burning ‘This Ladder is Ours’.

As bassist Dafydd got his monitor pack worked on with drummer Thomas chiming in, Bryan exclaimed she was working with a robot that needs new batteries and a tired drummer with too-tight pants, with the audience laughing along with her.

‘Wolf’s Law’ from their sophomore release, “defined the whole record for us” and is “framed in sadness” Bryan explained, intro-ing the song that starts with delicate piano before exploding into jet-turbine level volumes.

The Joy Formidable

‘Silent Treatment’, played late, stood out distinctly in the set, being the softest song from the band, with Bryan’s now-soft voice reserved against Dafydd’s acoustic guitar playing to pin-drop audience silence.  That quickly changed as 2008’s rare ‘Ostrich’ and 2011’s ‘The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie’ ended the main set with a sonic flurry.

The encore began with the new ‘Passerby’, prefaced by Dafydd saying the band was proud of their new record, doing it on their terms, and they were very eager to share it with everyone.  Radio hit ‘Whirring’ ended the evening, with the crowd doing its own whirring, by spinning and jumping about.

Look for the band to return locally in 2016; no doubt to a much bigger venue …but minus the pizza roll renamed for them for the evening.

The Joy Formidable at Turf Club, St Paul (09 October 2015)

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

Rocktober: October 9, 2015

Read More FFS FFS - the unique collaboration between Franz Ferdinand and Sparks - have announced their first ever North American live dates. This once-in-a-lifetime tour .… Franz Ferdinand As I have suspected, Franz Ferdinand will be on a bigger tour in support of their new album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, which comes out next week (August 27th) on Domino Records.… Sparks Sparks are a new wave/glam band from Los Angeles, lead by two brothers: Ron and Russell Mael. The Los Angeles duo influenced everyone from Nirvana to New Order to They Might Be Giants. .…

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on October 9, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

FFS
at First Avenue
Friday, 10/09/2015, 8pm ($35)
first-avenue.com

What happens when you take the pop/dance rock of Franz Ferdinand and combine them with the quirkiness of Sparks? You get FFS.

We never thought we'd see these two unique bands together, but they've added Minneapolis as one of their 11 North American tour dates! Think about this: they've already played/headlined massive music festival (Glastonbury Festival), so seeing them at First Avenue will be a lot more personal and up close!

Los Angeles' The Intelligence and DJ Jake Rudh to open.

FFS' self-titled debut album is available now via Domino. The album was recorded at London's RAK Studios in London and produced by Grammy-award winner John Congleton (St Vincent, David Byrne, Anna Calvi).

FFS Tour Dates

Oct 3 Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
Oct 5 Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theater
Oct 6 New York, NY @ Terminal 5
Oct 8 Chicago, IL @ Rivera
Oct 9 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
Oct 11 Denver, CO @ The Ogden
Oct 13 Los Angeles, CA @ Palladium
Oct 14 Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory
Oct 15 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre

Read More The Joy Formidable It's been a while since I mentioned Wales' The Joy Formidable. Their sophomore album, Wolf's Law was released today (Jan 22nd) via Canvasback Music / Atlantic Records. .…

JOY FORMIDABLE
at Turf Club
Friday, 10/09/2015, 8pm ($3)
turfclub.net

This is the best deal in town: if you RSVP, you get in the door for $3, plus you get a free Red Bull (basically you're paying for the drink and getting the show for free). This is a wonderful deal, the last time they were in town as headliner at First Avenue, the tickets were about $20.

The reason for the reduced pricing is because this show is sponsored by Red Bull Sound Select, who is picking up most of the tab in exchange for promoting the Red Bull brand and awareness.

We've been talking about the Welsh band/London-based The Joy Formidable since 2008, and was thrilled about their EP A Balloon Called Moaning.

Murder Shoes and Verskotzi to open.

Tour dates:

09 Oct 2015 Turf Club, St Paul, MN
15 Oct 2015 Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
16 Oct 2015 Cargo, Reno, NV
30 Oct 2015 City Park, New Orleans, LA
31 Oct 2015 City Park, New Orleans, LA
01 Nov 2015 City Park, New Orleans, LA
12 Nov 2015 Masonic Lodge, Los Angeles
14 Nov 2015 San Diego Music Thing
21 Nov 2015 Gundlach Bundschu Winery

Read More Lewis Black I have been aware of Lewis Black since the early 2000's. Lewis Black is an interesting stand-up comedian. He's not the type of comedian that has set ups and punchlines. He is the type more .…

VARIOUS ARTISTS
at Various Venues
Friday, 10/09/2015

As usual, there are too many shows in the area for Rocktober.

Here are some shows we are not covering, but I felt they were important enough to mention:

Get Your Gear in Rear: Classic Rock Night at Varsity Theater. Classic rock covers by The G Men, Mars Attrax, and Black Sabbath the Resurrection, to benefit the Colon Cancer Coalition. (7pm/$10)

Merge Records' Titus Andronicus sold out show at Triple Rock Social Club. Spider Bags and Baked to open. (8pm/$15/Sold Out)

Latin urban artist J Balvin will be at Myth Live, Becky G to open (8pm/$29.50)

Alternative tattooed/piercing sexy SuicideGirls to return to Minneapolis at Mill City Nights (8pm/$25)

Country/Americana singer Hayes Carll will be in town with Aubrie Sellers at Cedar Cultural Center (7pm/$20)

Vancouver's Bob Moses is headlining the 7th Street Entry, with Desert Colony Sound to open (8pm/$12)

Gwar will be at Cabooze (6pm/$25)

Ranty Lewis Black will make an appearance at The State Theatre (7pm/$39.50). Look, the man's just angry all the time.

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

Wolfpack

Read More The Joy Formidable And you know I have been following this Welsh trio called The Joy Formidable since their first single, back in July 2008. I'm happy to report that they are about to set on a headliner tour through the UK for 2010.…

Read more Hungry Like The Wolf, Songs About Werewolves, and When Animals Attack.

THE JOY FORMIDABLE
thejoyformidable.com

It's been a while since I mentioned Wales' The Joy Formidable. Their sophomore album, Wolf's Law was released today (Jan 22nd) via Canvasback Music / Atlantic Records.

With the recent appearance on Jimmy Fallon and their first US single, "This Ladder Is Ours", the band is doing well in the States (the song was #1 on the Modern Rock Radio.)

Hear the title track now on Soundcloud.

The Joy Formidable are set to do a headlining tour this year in support of the new album.

Upcoming Tour Dates

3/18 Santa Ana, CA @ The Conservatory 3/19 San Diego, CA @ Belly Up Tavern 3/21 Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda 3/22 San Francisco, CA @ The Filmmore 3/23 Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades 3/25 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom 3/26 Vancouver, BC @ Venue Nightclub 3/27 Seattle, WA @ Neptune 3/29 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge 3/30 Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre 4/01 Sauget, IL @ Pop's Nightclub 4/02 Chicago, IL @ Vic Theater 4/03 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

4/06 Columbus, OH @ LC Pavilion 4/07 Indianapolis, IN @ Vogue Theater 4/08 Lansing, MI @ The Loft 4/09 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom 4/12 Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theater 4/13 Montreal, QC @ Corona Theater 4/14 Albany, NY @ Upstate Music Hall 4/17 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 4/18 New York, NY @ Webster Hall 4/19 Boston, MA @ House of Blues 4/20 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer 4/21 Washington, DC @ 930 Club

BEARD OF WOLVES
facebook.com

Speaking of Wales, Beard of Wolves just started their tour. The duo is formerly from I Am Austin, but decided to renamed themselves… possibly because Adam Hughes and David Mitchell were probably tired of answering, "no, my name is not Austin."

Their new song, "My Father Drives the Death Star" is available as a free download - the single came out on Monday, January 21st.

Tour dates below:

24th Jan – LIVERPOOL – The Lomax
26th Jan – WREXHAM – The Lager Club
17th Feb – CHESTER – Brookers Bar
08th Mar – LIVERPOOL – The Lomax
31st Mar – SHEFFIELD – Bungalow and Bears

DEAD WOLF CLUB
deadwolfclub.com

Dead Wolf Club is self described as a dark indie punk act from Tintagel (no idea where that is, but they assured me it's where Merlin and King Arthur used to hang out in their round table).

Their new single "A vs E" is coming out next week, January 28th. I hope they change their cover artwork (which is a still from 1929's "The Skeleton Dance"), it's like there was no effort involved in creating the cover.

Touring in February:

02/08 Isle of Man Douglas Villa Marina
02/10 Liverpool Shipping Forecast
02/11 Leicester Scholar Bar
02/12 Manchester Live Lounge
02/13 Glasgow Bar Bloc
02/14 Chester Compass
02/15 London Sebright Arms
02/16 Guilford Boiler Rooms

WOLF ALICE
facebook.com

Wolf Alice's debut single, "Fluffy" is out February 11th on Chess Club Records.

Despite thinking her name is Alice Wolf, it's really Ellie Rowsell, and her band will be doing a UK tour this year - starting off at the NME Awards Show:

February 11th The Waiting Room, London
February 15th Registry, Portsmouth
February 16th The Hope, Brighton
February 20th Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds
February 21st TROF Fallowfield, Manchester
February 22nd The Great Gatsby, Sheffield
February 23rd Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham

BRIEFLY:

COUNTRY MICE countrymicemusic.com Did you check out Country Mice's interview on Interview Magazine? They premiered their new single "Giving Your Heart Away" there. The band recently unveiled the title and cover artwork for their new album: Hour of the Wolf will be out February 19th on Lotion Records. No official word yet, but I am told to expect the band to head out on tour in 2013 in support of Hour of the Wolf.

ALEK FIN alekfin.com BBC Radio 1's Phil Taggart recently gave Alek Fin's first radio spin with "Waiting Like A Wolf." You can grab the Robot Koch remix on The Music Ninja. His latest EP is called Mull, and you can hear it on Soundcloud.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

The Joy Formidable - A Balloon Called Moaning

The Joy Formidable - Cradle The Joy Formidable Tour Dates 02/10/10 Flower Pot - Camden/Kentish Town London -- FREE 02/26/10 Molotow* Hamburg, Germany 02/27/10 Postbahnhof * Trap Berlin, Germany 02/28/10 Gloria * Cologne, Germany 03/02/10 Atomic* Trap Munich, Germany 03/03/10 Nachtleben* Frankfurt, Germ 03/14/10 Ruby lounge  Manchester 03/15/10 Korova  Liverpool 03/16/10 Bodega  Nottingham 03/17/10 Cockpit Leeds 03/19/10 Portland Arms -- Cambridge 03/20/10 Academy 2  Birminghan 03/21/10 Academy 2  Oxford 03/22/10 Audio  Brighton 03/24/10 Electric Ballroom  London 03/25/10 Joiners  Southampton 03/26/10 Start the Bus Bristol 03/27/10 Barfly  Cardiff 03/29/10 Roadmender Northampton 03/30/10 Academy 2 Sheffield 03/31/10 Academy 2  Newcastle 04/01/10 Central Station  Wrexham 04/03/10 King Tuts  Glasgow 04/04/10 Madhatters Invereness 04/05/10 Snafu  Aberdeen 04/06/10 Fat Sams Dundee 04/17/10 Loop Festival Granada 05/01/10 Mercury Lounge New York City * w/ The Temper Trap Discography [Aug 2008] Austere [Dec 2008] A Balloon Called Moaning (Japan) [Feb 2009] A Balloon Called Moaning (reissued) [Feb 2009] Cradle (Double 7" single) [May 2009] Whirring (7" single) [Nov 2009] First You Have to Get Mad (live) Read More The Joy Formidable http://weheartmus... I generally like more established bands, as you may have probably figure out why I never do cove...

You do know that Sally and I geeked out on Welsh Britpop Bands, right? And you know I have been following this Welsh trio called The Joy Formidable since their first single, back in July 2008. I'm happy to report that they are about to set on a headliner tour through the UK for 2010, including a much anticipated sold-out show in Cambridge on March 19^th.

I finally got a hold of their debut album, A Balloon Called Moaning, for review and it's very indie fuzzy rock. The album is quite short too, about 30 minutes. I had to listen to it five times to just get the understanding of it (lastfm is logging me at 40 listens).

The Joy Formidable - Austere

Their debut single, "Austere", certain stood out for me with that chorus and chaotic rock, combined with the beautiful voice of singer Ritzy Bryan. Their latest single, "Whirring", also found on the album is more or less uses the same blueprint.

The one that that didn't seem to belong on this loud rock album was "9669", featuring dueling male/female vocals (possibly from bassist Rhydian Dafydd?). Though that was quite different, the rest of the album remains on track.

My favorite song is actually their second single "Cradle". It sounds like a really good live track because of the flood of lyrics at the intro: "I can't see what he says what he means, I can't say what he means when he says that I pretend that I'm pretend that when all I want to see is the end of this."

Although the 8-track "mini-album" is really short, I think the best part about it is that the album was re-released on a special "A3 Sheet". That's what the British are calling it, but to me it's just a big fold-out poster with the CD inserted on one of the square. I think it's cool, and I'm pretty sure everyone that's seen it thinks so too. I've included a photograph of this really interesting package. The best part is, if you've bought the original release, you can get the poster sent to you for free - details on bigcartel.com.

Fans of melodic loud indie rock music should want to see them on tour and pick up the poster/CD packaging for A Balloon Called Moaning.

 02/09/2010 06:38:20 ♥ vu () ♥ thejoyformidable.com ♥ myspace.com/thejoyformidable