W♥M

Halloween: Early Eyes, Cannibal Corpse, Full of Hell, Boiled in Lead

Read More Early Eyes Early Eyes is a name new to many, the Minneapolis indie-pop/rock quintet only becoming a band in late 2016, but they’ve already attracted Hippo Campus-like buzz from very early-on. Second EP, Decorating, is just out and …

Read more Halloween.

EARLY EYES
earlyeyes.band

Just in time for our favorite holiday, Halloween, Minneapolis band Early Eyes released “Halloween ‘18”, the single from their forthcoming debut album Look Alive!, set for release on February 25 via Epitaph Records.

“We made ‘Halloween 18’ because we wanted to make the next Halloween chart-topping single, influenced by Ari Aster, James Wan, Sasquatch, and a zombie with no conscience.” Explains vocalist Jake Berglove. “We wrote the majority of the song in memoriam of the ghost of a Halloween party that happened in 2017, but ‘Halloween Seventeen’ wasn’t the right amount of syllables…”

We caught the band at Basilica Block Party in July 2018, and wrote, “Early Eyes is a name new to many, the Minneapolis indie-pop/rock quintet only becoming a band in late 2016, but they’ve already attracted Hippo Campus-like buzz from very early-on.  Second EP, Decorating, is just out and songs like the title track and ‘Feathers’ suggest a youthful energy and musical statement that the band has a lot more to say, and they also were fun and engaging live (and easy to see, with two of the five in bright-yellow t-shirts).”

Read More Cannibal Corpse Fisher from Cannibal Corpse, Zebub had a long question about Almond Joy and Mounds. I won't give away the punchline, but when it was delivered, neither myself or Fisher cared much for it. ... Whitechapel Whitechapel is touring in celebration of the the tenth anniversary of the band's The Somatic Defilement release. ...

CANNIBAL CORPSE
cannibalcorpse.net

Long-running death metal icons Cannibal Corpse will be headlining a US tour with labelmates Whitechapel and Revocation, under the banner A celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Metal Blade Records.

Cannibal Corpse’ latest Violence Unimagined is out now.

CANNIBAL CORPSE w/ Whitechapel, Revocation, Shadow Of Intent:

2/18/2022 Center Stage - Atlanta, GA
2/19/2022 The Ramkat - Winston-Salem, NC
2/20/2022 Baltimore Soundstage - Baltimore, MD
2/21/2022 Reverb - Reading, PA
2/22/2022 The Roxian - Pittsburgh, PA
2/24/2022 Brooklyn Steel - Brooklyn, NY
2/25/2022 The Palladium - Worcester, MA
2/26/2022 Anthology - Rochester, NY
2/28/2022 The Majestic - Detroit, MI
3/01/2022 The Vic - Chicago, IL
3/02/2022 Skyway Theater - Minneapolis, MN
3/04/2022 The Gothic - Denver, CO
3/05/2022 Metro Music Hall - Salt Lake City, UT
3/07/2022 Showbox - Seattle, WA
3/08/2022 Hawthorne - Portland, OR
3/10/2022 Ace Of Spades - Sacramento, CA
3/11/2022 The UC Theatre - Berkeley, CA
3/12/2022 The Observatory - Santa Ana, CA
3/13/2022 The Belasco - Los Angeles, CA
3/14/2022 The Van Buren - Phoenix, AZ
3/15/2022 Sunshine Theater - Albuquerque, NM
3/17/2022 Vibes Event Center - San Antonio, TX
3/18/2022 White Oak Music Hall - Houston, TX
3/19/2022 Amplified Live - Dallas, TX
3/21/2022 Red Flag - St. Louis, MO
3/22/2022 Mercury Ballroom - Louisville, KY
3/23/2022 Iron City - Birmingham, AL
3/25/2022 Jannus Live - St. Petersburg, FL
3/26/2022 Revolution - Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Read More Full of Hell The band will be along Relapse label mates Full of Hell and Portland’s Uada. Tour dates: 1.11 • Seattle, WA • Crocodile 1.12 • Vancouver, BC • Rickshaw ...

FULL OF HELL
fullofhell.com

Hardcore, grind, death metal band Full of Hell will be touring with Wolves in the Throne Room and UADA this Winter 2022. The band’s latest release, Garden of Burning Apparitions, is available now on Relapse Records.

Tour dates:

1.11 • Seattle, WA • Crocodile
1.12 • Vancouver, BC • Rickshaw
1.14 • Edmonton, AB • Starlite Room
1.15 • Calgary, AB • Dickens
1.17 • Salt Lake City, UT • Metro Music Hall
1.18 • Denver, CO • The Oriental Theater
1.19 • Lawrence, KS • Granada Theater
1.20 • Minneapolis, MN • Fine Line Music Café
1.21 • Chicago, IL • The Metro
1.22 • Detroit, MI • El Club
1.23 • Toronto, ON • Danforth
1.25 • Montreal, QC • Fairmount
1.26 • Boston, MA • Sinclair
1.27 • Brooklyn, NY • Warsaw
1.28 • Pittsburgh, PA • Mr. Smalls
1.29 • Washington, DC • The Black Cat
1.31 • Charlotte, NC • Amos' Southend
2.01 • Atlanta, GA • The Masquerade
2.02 • Tampa, FL • The Orpheum
2.04 • Dallas, TX • Amplified Live
2.05 • San Antonio, TX • The Rock Box
2.07 • Phoenix, AZ • Nile Theater
2.08 • Los Angeles, CA • The Regent
2.09 • Berkeley, CA • UC Theater
2.11 • Portland, OR • Hawthorne Theater

Read More Boiled in Lead Munson seated directly behind me, members of Boiled in Lead to my right, and various other musicians dotting the capacity crowd, the musical court of radical action was in session as King Crimson made a rare ap ...

BOILED IN LEAD
boiledinlead.com

Speaking of death, local musician David Stenshoel passed away on September 16, 2021. He was a passionate musician (violin, tenor saxophone, electric mandolin and gaida), who played with many bands, including Boiled in Lead.

There is a benefit show over at the Celtic Junction Arts Center at 2pm on Saturday, October 16th. All proceeds go to benefit David’s family.

Boiled in Lead, via the Cedar, provided the memorial concert for David Stenshoel:

Violinist David Stenshoel passed away on September 16th, 2021. He has enriched audiences in the Twin Cities and beyond since the early 1970s playing an extremely wide range of music with innovation, talent, and joy.

Boiled in Lead and Friends:
Remembering David Stenshoel

Saturday, October 16th, 2021 at 2:00 PM CT
At Celtic Junction Arts Center
836 Prior Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, 55104

Buy tickets here: $25 Advance and at the door
All proceeds go to benefit David's family.

The concert will be held outdoors, weather permitting.

Note: If indoors, masks plus proof of COVID-19 vaccination (or a negative PCR test within 72 hours) will be required.

This event will also be livestreamed and recorded in multitrack audio.

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

Minneapolis: July 11 to July 13, 2019

Basilica Block Party 2019 Read More Basilica Block Party We like the annual Basilica Block Party in Minneapolis, so we always make sure they get the spotlight whenever we do these previews. They always bring in some really good bands .... Dawes The three-hour evening was opened by Los Angeles-based Dawes, who considers Minneapolis one of their strongest markets, in a solid hour-long set of their own. … Chvrches Chvrches’ third album Love is Dead reached the Billboard Top Rock and Alternative charts at #1 and #11 overall. ... Metric I've seen Metric twice (four times if you count Emily Haines solo or Broken Social Scene), so you know I love this little Canadian band. Their Rock the Garden's set was very similar to their …

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from July 11 to July 13, 2019.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

BASILICA BLOCK PARTY
Basilica St. Mary
Fri 07/12/2019 (5pm/$70)
Sat 07/13/2019 (5pm/$70)
basilicablockparty.org

The 25th Annual Basilica Block Party is taking place this July 12-13. As usual, the Minneapolis music festival is bringing in some of the national musical acts to the Twin Cities.

Kacey Musgraves and Dawes to be the highlight on Friday, while Jason Mraz and Hanson to take Saturday.

Personally speaking though, we like the medium stage, particularly Semisonic and The Jayhawks (for Friday) and Chvrches and Metric (for Saturday).

The last time we saw Chvrches, we noted, “Martin Doherty summed it up on stage, ‘It’s nice to be back. Time and time again, you keep selling out every time we come here. Thank you for that.’”

Schedule:

FRIDAY Great Clips Stage Kacey Musgraves Dawes Anderson East Ruston Kelly PreferredOne Stage Semisonic The Jayhawks Yam Haus Star Tribune Stage Kiss The Tiger Annie Mack McNasty Brass Band

SATURDAY Great Clips Stage Jason Mraz Hanson Johnnyswim Lissie PreferredOne Stage Chvrches Metric Flora Cash Star Tribune Stage Static Panic The Bad Man Michael Shynes

Other shows in the area:

This is the Kit 2019 Tour Iration at First Ave The Struts at the Palace Chase Atlantic 2019 Tour Lakefront Music Fest 2019 Read More This Is The Kit On this tour, This Is the Kit (Kate Stables) is joined by bassist Jesse Vernon and drummer Jamie Whitby-Coles. She started off with a solo song ‘Easy on the Thieves’, then as a trio, then back to solo with ‘All Written out in Numbers’. … The Struts Breakout U.K. band The Struts will be stopping by First Avenue this September 17th, in support of their hit Have You Heard EP (Interscope Records), with single "Could Have Been Me". …

THIS IS THE KIT
+ Nelson Devereaux
Turf Club
Thu 07/11/2019 (7pm/$16)
turfclub.net

Kate Stables (aka This Is The Kit) returns to the Turf Club this July 11th. We last saw her in Oct 2017 and said, “On this tour, This Is the Kit (Kate Stables) is joined by bassist Jesse Vernon and drummer Jamie Whitby-Coles. She started off with a solo song ‘Easy on the Thieves’, then as a trio, then back to solo with ‘All Written out in Numbers’. Stables often tuned between songs, making for awkward unfinished stories and comments. She played acoustic guitar, but it seemed like she’s most comfortable when she’s plucking on her banjo.”

Nelson Devereaux and the Style Band to open.

Tour Dates

07/09/2019 Drake Hotel Toronto, ON
07/10/2019 Constellation Chicago, IL
07/11/2019 Turf Club Saint Paul, MN
07/16/2019 Moroccan Lounge Los Angeles, CA
07/18/2019 Mississippi Studios Portland, OR
08/10/2019 Clwb Ifor Bach Cardiff,
08/11/2019 Boileroom Guildford

IRATION
+ Pepper, Katastro, Fortunate Youth
First Avenue
Sat 07/13/2019 (6pm/$27)
first-avenue.com

Reggae-influenced alternative rock band Iration will be headlining First Avenue as part of their “Live From Paradise!” tour.

Show up early to check out California-based band Pepper, who we previously mentioned played with Less Than Jake in Feb 2017.

Tour dates:

July 11 Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
July 12 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
July 13 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
July 14 Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
July 17 Utica, NY @ Saranac Brewery
July 18 Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
July 19 New York, NY @ The Rooftop at Pier 17
July 20 Boston, MA @ Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
July 21 Baltimore, MD @ Mecu Pavilion
July 25 North Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
July 26 Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
July 27 St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amph
July 28 Cocoa, FL @ Cocoa Beach Riverfront Park
July 30 Houston, TX @ House of Blues
August 2 Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheater
August 3 Del Mar, CA @ Del Mar Summers**
August 7 Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades+
August 8 Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades+
August 9 Fresno, CA @ Woodward Park Rotary+
August 15 Spokane, WA @ The Knitting Factory+
August 16 Missoula, MT @ Big Sky Brewing Amph
August 17 Boise, ID @ Botanical Gardens Outlaw Field
August 18 Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Pavilion
August 21 Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Park Amph
August 23 Stateline, NV@ Montbleu Amphitheater
August 24 Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay Beach~
August 25 Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
September 14 Glen Ellen, CA @ Sonoma Harvest Festival**

** indicates non-"Live From Paradise!" tour dates
+ indicates Pepper not on the lineup
~ indicates Fortunate Youth not on the lineup

THE STRUTS
+ The Glorious Sons
Palace Theatre
Sat 07/13/2019 (6:30pm/$29.50)
palacestpaul.com

Rock band The Struts is back! The UK group released YOUNG&DANGEROUS last year on Interscope Records.

Tour dates:

July 5 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades
July 8 Portland, OR Roseland Theater*
July 9 Seattle, WA Showbox*
July 10 Missoula, MT The Wilma*
July 13 Saint Paul, MN Palace Theatre*
July 15 Des Moines, IA Water Works Park*
July 16 Indianapolis, IN Old National Centre*
July 17 Nashville, TN Marathon Music Works*
July 19 Detroit, MI The Fillmore*
July 20 Grand Rapids, MI 20 Monroe Live*
July 21 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE*
July 25 Buffalo, NY TBA*
July 26 Utica, NY Saranac Brewery*
July 27 New York, NY Pier 17*
July 28 Mount Pocono, PA Mount Airy Casino
July 30 Boston, MA House of Blues*
August 4 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino
August 6 Dewey Beach, DE Bottle & Cork*
August 7 Washington, DC 930 Club*
September 21 Asbury Park, NJ Sea Hear Now Festival

~Des Rocs supports
*The Glorious Sons support

CHASE ATLANTIC
Varsity Theater
Sat 07/13/2019 (6pm/$18)
varsitytheater.com

Emerging alt-pop act Chase Atlantic is currently on a massive tour in support of their sophomore album Phases (BMG/MDDN).

The last time the Australian trio (Mitchel Cave, Clinton Cave, and Christian Anthony) were in town was with Lights in March 2018.

Tour dates:

7/05 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
7/06 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
7/08 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
7/09 – Lawrence, KS @ The Granada
7/11 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
7/13 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
7/15 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
7/16 – Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe
7/18 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
7/19 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
7/20 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
7/22 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
7/23 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
7/25 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore

LAKEFRONT MUSIC FEST
Lakefront Park
Fri 07/12/2019 (6pm/$45)
Sat 07/13/2019 (6pm/$45)
lakefrontmusicfest.com

The 10th annual Lakefront Music Fest is taking place this July 12-13th.

FRIDAY Steve Miller Band Joan Jett & The Blackhearts Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives

SATURDAY Brad Paisley Riley Green Chris Lane

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

Basilica Block Party - Day Two at Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis (07 July 2018)

Basilica Block Party: Saturday Saturday Lineup Great Clips Stage Cake Børns Third Eye Blind Flint Eastwood PreferredOne Stage Andy Grammer Judah & The Lion Early Eyes Star Tribune Stage Reina Del Cid The Shackletons Lazy Scorsese Cake Setlist Frank Sinatra Sad Songs and Waltzes (Willie Nelson cover) Opera Singer Stickshifts and Safetybelts Long Time Sick of You Love You Madly Mexico Sheep Go to Heaven Guitar Never There Short Skirt/Long Jacket The Distance Andy Grammer Setlist intro Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah) 85 Always Fine By Me All Time Low / Stay Spaceship Freeze Keep Your Head Up Working on It Grown Ass Man Child Poem Give Love / Sorry Not Sorry (Demi Lovato cover) Smoke Clears Fresh Eyes / Don't Let Me Down (Daya cover) Back Home Honey, I'm Good -- Encore -- Good Parts Børns Setlist Supernatural / Second Night of Summer Holy Ghost God Save Our Young Blood Dug My Heart / I Don't Want You Back 10,000 Emerald Pools Dopamine Past Lives We Don't Care Seeing Stars/Tension Holiday (Madonna cover) Blue Madonna Faded Heart Sweet Dreams Electric Love Judah And The Lion Setlist Booty Wurk (One Cheek at a Time) (T‐Pain cover) Twenty-Somethings Hippie Dance Conversations Reputation Mr. Brightside (The Killers cover) Suit and Jacket Stockholm Going to Mars Rich Kids Take It All Back 2.0 Third Eye Blind Setlist Graduate Faster Wounded Never Let You Go Losing a Whole Year 10 (Happy Diving cover) Motorcycle Drive By Company of Strangers Jumper F**k Forever (Babyshambles cover) Semi-Charmed Life How's It Gonna Be Flint Eastwood Setlist Push God Only Knows Monster Glitches Rewind Real Love Queen Read More Basilica Block Party We like the annual Basilica Block Party in Minneapolis, so we always make sure they get the spotlight whenever we do these previews. They always bring in some really good bands ....

 It wasn’t thought possible, but the weather improved even more, to provide a picture-perfect evening on the second and final day of the Basilica Block Party, The Basilica of Saint Mary in downtown Minneapolis

Once again, ten acts were spread across three stages for each night- the Main Stage (sponsored by Great Clips) located in a back lot behind the building along the highway, a Church Stage (sponsored by Preferred One) out front, and a smaller local stage (sponsored by Star Tribune) .

The one downside of having so many bands over a six-hour span is that set times overlap, so it often requires some planning (and maybe a little racing between stages) to catch the acts you want to see most. 

Star Tribune Local Stage

Lazy Scorsese is, in addition to being one of the more creative band names, a local trippy psych-rock group with dashes of funk and pop who has a recent EP, Grigio and single ‘In Good Health’ out.  Happy to set a mood and carry you away with them, the band seems as comfortable jamming away as laying back and letting things flow.

The Shackletons could have been named The Campbells as there are three siblings (Colin-voc/gtr; Cameron-bass; Evan- drums) that compose this stomping blues rock band. Breaking out locally last year with the locally-centric song ‘Minnesota Girls’, their 2^nd EP dutifully titled Second Attempt, shows further promise of things to come.

Reina del Cid is a fairly well-known name in the upper Midwest after constant touring and three full-lengths (2017’s Rerun City the most recent). With a name meaning “queen of the guitar” (The aka Rachelle Cordova has nicknamed her guitar “El Cid”) the indie-folk rock singer and band tease on their Facebook page that they “melt faces and tickle brains” and though that’s a little extreme, the songwriting and musicianship (re: guitarist Toni Lindgren) continue to keep them relevant.

Preferred One Church Stage

Early Eyes is a name new to many, the Minneapolis indie-pop/rock quintet only becoming a band in late 2016, but they’ve already attracted Hippo Campus-like buzz from very early-on.  Second EP, Decorating, is just out and songs like the title track and ‘Feathers’ suggest a youthful energy and musical statement that the band has a lot more to say, and they also were fun and engaging live (and easy to see, with two of the five in bright-yellow t-shirts).  

Judah & the Lion has been around for almost eight years, though it’s only in the last couple, that people have really taken notice of their ‘Folk Hop ‘n Roll’ (2016 album on Cletus the Van Records) and the unique sound that blends multi-musical genres for a party-like atmosphere live.. 

We’ve seen them a handful of times and they always over-deliver in concert, starting this night with a T-Pain cover, very early telling everyone the only rule was to have a good time, working in a Killers cover with singer Judah Akers consistently interacting with the crowd, and killing it on songs like their biggest to-date hit, ‘Take it All Back’.  

Andy Grammer and his music can’t help you not smile, as his energy and general positivity is something we haven’t seen at this level in a while, and is sorely needed in these times.  Latest album is last year’s The Good Parts (S-Curve Records) and that’s exactly what he played during his seventy-five minute second stage headlining set. 

With one-year old daughter Louisiana at home and biggest overall radio success to date, Grammer smiled a lot, shedding his satin jacket and Ray Bans after the first number to musically inspire on songs like ‘Good to Be Alive’, ‘Keep Your Head Up’ and ‘Honey, I’m Good’ even working in parts of Demi Lovato and Daya songs into his own compositions, to keep things fresh. 

Great Clips Main Stage

Flint Eastwood is not a no-named spaghetti-western gunfighter, but a firebrand singer (Jax Anderson, in matching “Frida Kahlo” braids with bassist Joel Parks) from Detroit that opened the main stage on this second day like an unexpected firecracker.  Latest is EP Broke Royalty (Neon Gold Records).

Anderson exploded with focused passion backed by electro throbs and thunderous beats on songs like the new ‘Monster’ (about coping with sadness), ‘Real Love’ (written to defy the non-inclusive policies of her local church) and the anthemic ‘Queen’.

Third Eye Blind brought the spirit of mid-‘90s alternative back again, with an hour-long set that played old radio favorites and a couple covers from their upcoming new EP Thanks for Everything (out Aug 24) that started slightly rocky as guitarist Kryz Reid emerged without a sound-ready axe for the opening ‘Graduate’, but that was remedied towards the end of the song.

Singer Stephan Jenkins seemed happier following and after borrowing sunscreen from a crowd member, admitting the sunny afternoon was the best weather they’d ever experienced, in all their years playing the city.    

The profane Babyshambles cover is the EP’s first single (strange to hear in a church parking lot) and the band ended up with a little extra time at the end, adding ‘How’s It Going to Be’ to close their set, after biggest hit, ‘Semi-Charmed Life’. 

BØRNS (aka Garrett Borns), the Michigan singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist continues to mesmerize and often amaze with his unique blend of psych /alterna-pop (supporting 2018’s Blue Madonna on Interscope Records), falsetto voice, and androgynous stage appearance in a flowing Gucci printed shirt. 

Working in seventeen songs in his fifty-five minute set, there wasn’t a lot of time to talk in-between, but highlights included a crowd sing-a-long on ‘Dopamine’, subbing in a cover from fellow Michigander Madonna before his own ‘Blue Madonna’, and the crowd with raised hands, singing along to finale, ‘Electric Love’.  

Cake, by design, is a seemingly simple alternative rock band that features intelligent but often sardonic lyrics sung in almost monotone against a countrified, jazz, folk, and Mariachi blend of precise music that can come off like low-impact aerobics, but the Sacramento, CA band is always more complex than their first impression. 

After 2011’s Showroom of Compassion, singer John McCrea admitted they’re not much into releasing albums any more, though the record would debut at number one on the Billboard charts and the band does continue to tour.

McCrea still employs the vibraslap liberally, making for a good drinking game in the crowd every time it was heard, and often employed the crowd to clap or sing along, remarking afterward, “Powerful voices, powerful city”. 

McCrea also gave away an actual tree on stage, making the chosen audience member promise to transplant it quickly and care for it the rest of their natural life, with proof to be uploaded on their website. 

With closing song ‘The Distance’, the song encapsulated not only the end of Cake’s eighty-two minute headlining set, but the end to another tiring but joyous two-day celebration for a great cause, of twelve hours over music from twenty bands- “the sun has gone down and the moon has come up” – we’d happily gone the distance.    

(click on any photo below to enlarge and see full image)

Lazy Scorsese

Reina Del Cid

Early Eyes

Early Eyes

Early Eyes

Flint Eastwood

Flint Eastwood

Flint Eastwood

Judah & The Lion

Judah & The Lion

Judah & The Lion

Andy Grammer

Judah & The Lion

Andy Grammer

Andy Grammer

Third Eye Blind

Third Eye Blind

Third Eye Blind

Third Eye Blind

Børns

Børns

Børns

Børns

Cake

Cake

Cake

Cake

Cake at Basilica Block Party, Basilica of St. Mary (07 July 2018)

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

Basilica Block Party - Day One at Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis (06 July 2018)

Basilica Block Party: Friday Friday Lineup Great Clips Stage Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit John Butler Trio Delta Rae Tabah PreferredOne Stage Fitz And The Tantrums The Revolution Now, Now Star Tribune Stage Lady Lark Kid Dakota Lena Elizabeth Jason Isbell Setlist Hope The High Road 24 Frames White Man's World Decoration Day (Drive-By Truckers song) Alabama Pines Cumberland Gap Tupelo Last of My Kind Traveling Alone Super 8 Something More Than Free Stockholm Flying Over Water Cover Me Up Anxiety Never Gonna Change (Drive-By Truckers song) If We Were Vampires John Butler Trio Setlist Wade In The Water Hidey Hoe Better Than Betterman Blame It On Me Coffee, Methadone + Cigarettes Just Call > Pickapart Ocean (John solo) Don't Wanna See Your Face Livin' In The City Losing You Zebra Fitz And The Tantrums Setlist Get Right Back Spark Don't Gotta Work It Out Out of My League Run It Break the Walls Walking Target Complicated Fool Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (Eurythmics cover) Fools Gold MoneyGrabber Roll Up Burn It Down L.O.V. -- Encore -- HandClap 6 A.M. The Walker The Revolution Setlist America Computer Blue Mountains Let's Work Let's Go Crazy When Doves Cry Raspberry Beret 1999 Purple Rain I Would Die 4 U Baby I'm a Star Read More Basilica Block Party We like the annual Basilica Block Party in Minneapolis, so we always make sure they get the spotlight whenever we do these previews. They always bring in some really good bands ....

God again smiled down and awarded everyone one of the best weather weekends of the summer--

On their annual pilgrimage to The Basilica of Saint Mary in downtown Minneapolis, thousands of fans descended on the church grounds for an early July musical tradition- the two-day Basilica Block Party. 

The festival began in 1995 as a fundraiser to help pay for the structural restoration of The Basilica and today, proceeds from the event benefit The Basilica Landmark, which preserves, restores, and advances it for all generations. In addition, a portion of all proceeds go to The Basilica’s St. Vincent de Paul outreach program, which provides services to those in need.

Ten acts were spread across three stages for each night- the Main Stage (sponsored by Great Clips) located in a back lot behind the building along the highway, a Church Stage (sponsored by Preferred One) out front, and a smaller local stage (sponsored by Star Tribune) .

Star Tribune Local Stage

Lena Elizabeth (Bredeson) was the weekend’s first act on the local stage, a folk-pop singer-songwriter who uses a baritone ukulele to craft songs like on her debut EP, The Line, and newest single ‘Loaded Gun’. Sounding like a cross between Brandi Carlile and Lissie, she can musically surprise with an unexpected but delightful turn.

Kid Dakota is a name fairly well known to area audiences, as it is the musical moniker of Darren Jackson, supporting new album Denervation (Graveface Records) and performing with a drummer accompanying him.  The indie-rocker has a loyal local following, even prompting a PledgeMusic reissue of his initial 2000 EP So Pretty.

Lady Lark is a local pop/R&B /Funk artist (aka Taylor Harris) that recalls shades of Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu that was part of last year’s City Pages Picked to Click Best New Artists and turned the small staging area into a private celebratory dance party. 

Preferred One Church Stage

Now, Now has become more of a national name of late, but had its start fifteen years ago in Blaine, MN as classmates Cacie Dalager and Bradley Hale met over similar musical tastes in high school.  They released their third studio album, Saved (Trans Records) in May, and opened with ‘SGL’ as well as played newest singles ‘MJ’ and ‘AZ’ (a penchant for initials?), along with older favorites. 

The indie-rock band has very positively grown since their earlier days (with …”Every Children” in their name) and the somewhat dour but bright-pink haired Dalager was seen with a big smile of her face in the late afternoon sun, as she and bandmates walked in unison with guitars. 

The Revolution is always a joy to see, playing Prince-penned favorites from 1983-85 that the band originally played on, getting the crowd into it from the very first notes of their opening track, ‘America’. 

The band’s musical chops continue to be in top form (a discipline drilled into them by the Purple One) and Stokely from Mint Condition again joined the group about half way in, to continue the party, ending the hour-long celebration with ‘Purple Rain’ and “I Would Die 4 U/Baby I’m a Star’. 

Fitz and the Tantrums have become almost an annual tradition like the event itself, appearing here numerous times over the last few years and with good reason; as they remain one of the best live bands around, headed by vocalist Michael Fitzpatrick, co-vocalist Noelle Scaggs, and multi-instrumentalist James King.   

The Los Angeles indie-pop band (that still refuses to use a guitar) remains riding high from 2016’s self-titled (Elektra Records) full-length- their most successful to date- getting the crowd involved, transforming the church’s front lawn into a disco of sorts, and even working in an Eurythmics cover, into their eighty-five minute set. 

Great Clips Main Stage

TABAH is a local four-piece eclectic ensemble led by vocalist Cecelia Erholtz that plays somewhat trippy folk alt-rock that stretches in the sound spectrum from an ethereal quietness, to a louder, slightly psych head trip, and who have a full-length debut, Symmetry Somewhere, out now.

Delta Rae are station favorites and a Durham, NC folk rock band consisting of six members composed of three siblings, feature two co-vocalists and are happily about to release their next album. In advance of this, the sextet played several new songs as well as favorites like biggest hit ‘If I Loved You’ and worked in Whitney Houston and Florence + the Machine covers into their originals, impressing early into their set, with a harmonic pitch-perfect version of ‘Seven Bridges Road’. 

The group has also booked a fall sixteen-week weekly residency at small Nashville club The Basement and also heads out on tour, (not formally announced yet, but) stopping by the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown, in early December. 

John Butler Trio always impresses live with their unique blend of Australian roots rock and musical dexterity playing live.  Together with bassist Byron Luiters and drummer Grant Gerathy (and now two additional musicians), Butler charmed with not only how seamlessly he played guitar, lap steel, and banjo, but with the stories he told between songs, that connected them even more with the entranced audience. 

The quintet previewed several songs from their upcoming album (the first since 2014’s Flesh + Blood) and re-invented older JBT songs like ‘Betterman’’ and ‘Zebra’ with the additional musical firepower. 

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit returned to play the Basilica again (having shared the bill with Wilco three years ago) playing the well-deserved headlining set of the evening- a stellar ninety-minutes culled from his half-dozen solo albums, along with a couple songs from his former band, The Drive-By Truckers. 

Though busy with her own career and promotion of an upcoming album of her own (To the Sunset, out August 3), wife Amanda Shires took the time to appear as part of the band, with compelling fiddle playing and harmonies of her own, and Isbell was visibly glad to have her on board, often looking lovingly in her direction as they played. 

The Americana alt-country singer and band were razor sharp, especially on tracks culled from latest release, last June’s The Nashville Sound (Southeastern Records), starting their set with the rocking ‘Hope the High Road’ and ending the evening with a hushed and mesmerizing duet with Shires on ‘If We Were Vampires’. 

(click on any photo below to enlarge and see full image)

DJs Keri Noble, Greg Thunder

DJ Paul Fletcher

Kid Dakota

Now, Now

Now, Now

Now, Now

Now, Now

Now, Now

The Revolution

The Revolution

The Revolution

The Revolution

The Revolution

Fitz and the Tantrums

Fitz and the Tantrums

Fitz and the Tantrums

Fitz and the Tantrums

Delta Rae

Delta Rae

Delta Rae

Delta Rae

John Butler Trio

John Butler Trio

John Butler Trio

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at Basilica Block Party, Basilica of St. Mary (06 July 2018)

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

Minneapolis: July 5 to July 8, 2018

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from July 5 to July 8, 2018.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Basilica Block Party Read More Basilica Block Party The annual Basilica Block Party starts next Friday, July 7th and spill over to Saturday. Tickets are $60 per day, or if you bought early bird tickets, they were discounted to $55. ....

BASILICA BLOCK PARTY
Basilica St. Mary
Fri 07/06/2018 (4pm/$50)
Sat 07/07/2018 (4pm/$50)
basilicablockparty.org

We like the annual Basilica Block Party in Minneapolis, so we always make sure they get the spotlight whenever we do these previews. They always bring in some really good bands, and with every ticket sold, you know the money goes into maintenance and upkeep of the Basilica St. Mary.

Since there are so many bands on the bill, the Basilica Block Party divides the lineup into three stages, a large, medium, and small stage (the papa, moma, and baby bear stages as we like to call it). If you wanted to see all the bands, logistically, it’ll be pretty tough, and you’ll have to miss some songs, as the three stages goes on at different time. Check your time schedule on their website.

Schedule:

Friday John Butler Trio The Revolution Now, Now Tabah Kid Dakota Delta Rae Fitz And The Tantrums Jason Isbell Lady Lark

Saturday Cake Andy Grammer Flint Eastwood The Shackletons Reina Del Cid Børns Third Eye Blind Early Eyes Judah & The Lion

Immersion: Sleepless Proud Parents Walker Lukens Poster The English Beat: Here We Go Love STS9 2018 Poster Read More Wire In my review for Wire’s Object 47, I said that they were "still amazing after all these years" and that they basically haven't changed their sound - which is a good thing. It looks like they have a new album. … Walker Lukens Walker Lukens and his band The Side Arms, feat. Zac Catanzaro, Mckenzie Griffin, Grant Himmler, and Kyle Vonderau, was a lot of fun, thanks to Lukens’ high energy performance (particularly on “Jacket On Ya Shoulders”) …

Other shows in the area:

IMMERSION
+ Flavor Crystals
7th Street Entry
Thu 07/05/2018 (7pm/$10)
first-avenue.com

If you love Wire (that influential band that Elastica ripped off), you need to check out Immersion at 7th Street Entry this Thursday. Immersion is the Brighton-based duo featuring Wire frontman Colin Newman and Minimal Compact’s Malka Spigel. They are touring for their album Sleepless (swim~ Records).

Space rock local band Flavor Crystals to open.

Tour dates:

07.01 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
07.03 - Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
07.05 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
07.06 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas
07.07 - Detroit, MI @ Third Man Records
07.09 - Toronto, ON @ The Drake
07.11 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada @ La Vitriola
07.13 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott
07.14 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade

PROUD PARENTS
Minneapolis Eagles Club #34
Sat 07/07/2018 (8pm/$?)
minneapoliseagles34.org

Madison, WI’s Proud Parents will be stopping by the Eagles Club on Saturday. The venue’s website does not list a cover charge, but generally these shows are donation-based or really cheap (less than $10). Also on this bill are: Real Numbers, Teenage Moods and Wetter.

Proud Parents’ debut album is available on Dirtnap Records.

Tour dates:

7/7 Minneapolis, MN - Eagles 34
7/8 Omaha, NB - O'leavers
7/9 Lawrence, KS - Haunted Kitchen
7/10 Fayetteville, AR - Backspace
7/11 Dallas, TX - 3 Links
7/12 Austin, TX - Beerland
7/14 New Orleans, LA - Circle Bar
7/15 Hattiesburg, MS - Looney Bin
7/16 Nashville, TN - the Cobra
7/17 St. Louis, MO - the Sinkhole
7/18 Champaign, IL - Memphis on Main
7/20 Madison, WI - Crystal Corner
7/21 Milwaukee, WI - Quarters Rock n Roll

WALKER LUKENS
+ Warren Thomas Fenzi, Ashley Groves
7th Street Entry
Sat 07/07/2018 (8pm/$10)
first-avenue.com

Walker Lukens is stopping by the 7th Street Entry on Saturday, as part of his “Summer of Love” tour.

Tour dates:

Jul 3 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
Jul 5 - Omaha, NE @ The Slowdown
Jul 7 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry
Jul 8 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
Jul 9 - Kansas City, MO @ recordBar
Aug 18 - Austin, TX @ Antone's

THE ENGLISH BEAT
+ Umbrella Bed
First Avenue
Sat 07/07/2018 (8pm/$20)
first-avenue.com

Can you believe that it’s been over 30 years since The English Beat (featuring Dave Wakeling) released a new studio album ? If you love “Save It For Later”, you’ll find a lot to like in their new record Here We Go Love. Of course, the British ska band will be playing First Avenue this Saturday.

Picking up on a 2-Tone ska band Umbrella Bed to open.

Tour dates:

July 6 Chicago, IL The Metro
July 7 Minneapolis, MN First Ave
July 10 Kent, OH The Kent Stage
July 11 Milwaukee, WI Turner Ballroom
July 12 Omaha, NE The Slowdown
July 15 Denver, CO The Gothic
July 16 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
July 18 Salem, OR Salem's
July 19 Orange, CA Irvine Regional Park
July 20 Seattle, WA The Showbox
July 25 Dallas, TX The Kessler
July 26 Austin, TX The Scoot Inn

STS9
+ White Cliffs
First Avenue
Sun 07/08/2018 (7pm/$29.50)
first-avenue.com

Californian dancefloor-pleasers STS9 will be headlining First Avenue in Minneapolis this Sunday. Brooklyn solo artist White Cliffs to open.

Tour dates:

7/6 :: Kansas City, MO @ CrossroadsKC
7/7 :: Kansas City, MO @ CrossroadsKC
7/8 :: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
7/10 :: Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room
7/12 :: Scranton, PA @ Camp Bisco
7/13 :: Richmond, VA @ The National
7/14 :: Asheville, NC @ Pisgah Brewing Company
7/15 :: Asheville, NC @ Pisgah Brewing Company

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

Basilica Block Party Night 2 at Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis (08 July 2017)

Walk The Moon Setlist Up 2 U Next in Line Avalanche Come Under the Covers Different Colors Spend Your $$$ In My Head Tightrope Aquaman Lisa Baby Sidekick Work This Body Headphones Portugal I Can Lift a Car -- Encore -- Shut Up and Dance Anna Sun AWOLNATION Setlist Run (Beautiful Things) People Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf) Not Your Fault Thiskidsnotalright KOOKSEVERYWHERE!!!! Kill Your Heroes Soul Wars Woman Woman All I Need Burn It Down -- Encore -- I'm on Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover) Sail Ben Rector Setlist Fear Let the Good Times Roll Loving You Is Easy / ABC (Jackson 5 cover) When a Heart Breaks Never Gonna Let You Go (w/My Girl snippet) Forever Like That When I'm With You I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) (Whitney Houston cover) The Beat The Men That Drive Me Places White Dress Brand New Walk Off The Earth Setlist Shape of You (Ed Sheeran cover) / No Diggity (Blackstreet cover) Rule the World Sing it All Away / Gang of Rhythm Happy (Pharrell Williams cover) Taekwondo Hold On (The Break) Hello (Adele cover) Closer (The Chainsmokers cover) Fire in My Soul Home We'll Go (Take my Hand) Red Hands 5 Peeps One Guitar Medley (incl. Goyte, Lorde, Motown covers) All Time Low (Jon Bellion cover) Sing It All Away Saturday, July 8 Great Clips Stage WALK THE MOON Gavin DeGraw Ben Rector Julia Brennan PreferredOne Stage AWOLNATION< Walk Off The Earth Enemy Planes Star Tribune Stage Nooky Jones Jackson & The Roosters J.S. Ondara Read More Basilica Block Party The annual Basilica Block Party starts next Friday, July 7th and spill over to Saturday. Tickets are $60 per day, or if you bought early bird tickets, they were discounted to $55. ....

Day Two of the Basilica Block Party meant walking, “Walk”, and more “Walk”—

The good weather had held up and even more people than the previous day, descended on the grounds of the Basilica of St. Mary, for another ten bands and six hours of music on the festival’s second and final day.

With three stages liberally spread out along the grounds (big stage in the back lot, medium stage out front and small stage behind the church), it often meant a lot of walking back and forth, in order to see bands on all three stages.  As usual with the schedule, set times overlapped, so choices had to be made about who to see and where.

Star Tribune Stage

American Housewife were exactly as advertised- two ladies (Stephanie Paquin & Maureen Rudd, formerly of Space Heater) playing authentic alt-pop culled from their first release, In Like a Lion, released in May.  Any band with a tune named ‘Sing a Big Star Song’ has to be likeable, and their next local appearance is sharing the unplugged stage at the Honey Lounge on July 27.

Jackson & the Roosters is a high-energy Americana five-piece who released their second album, the appropriately titled Round Two, earlier this year.  The band opened for Ike Reilly this spring, gaining them even more fans, in addition to the ones earned at this performance.

Nooky Jones is a buzzing six-piece led by charismatic singer Cameron Kinghorn blending classic funk, sly r&b, smooth jazz, and seductive soul into a blend uniquely their own. With songs like ‘Hello’ and ‘The Way I See You’ already making waves on local radio shows, their debut album is out this month, and upcoming performances include an early evening free show Aug 4 at Orchestra Hall and a couple nights at the MN State Fair.

Preferred One Stage

Enemy Planes was the first band to appear on the front church stage, with the alt-synth group choosing to all wear white and often incited the crowd in support of their full-length debut, Beta Lowdown (Rock the Cause Records).  Song titles like ‘We Want Blood’ and ‘Bare Your Teeth’ aren’t actually as aggressive as their titles suggest; instead, are melodic, easily palatable electro-rhythms that float on a sonic ocean.

Walk Off the Earth was undoubtedly the most fun band to see of the weekend.  The Ontario, CAN six-piece (+3 live) ensemble threw everything including the kitchen sink, into their energetic hour-long performance, including confetti cannons, drums that “blew” smoke rings when struck, a group kazoo solo, playing plastic pipes and pool noodles, and five members strumming a single guitar.  Part jukebox band (they re-interpret several current hit songs) and with multi-genre songs of their own, they nearly define the term, musical melting pot.

AWOLNATION provided the most amount of rock, on an otherwise mostly folk and alternative-filled weekend, and did so with perhaps the loudest volume of any act over the two days.  Appropriately on Red Bull Records, songs from their 2015 breakthrough album RUN, still get considerable regular airplay locally, with a new album due soon.

Singer/guitarist Aaron Bruno first surveyed the crowd slowly and intently with his steely eyes, but that would gradually build to all get worked out performing, during their ninety-minute set.  Younger fans went berserk during songs like ‘Not Your Fault’ and ‘Kill Your Heroes’, and finale, ‘Sail’ and the band even worked in their slightly robotic cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m on Fire’, to start their encore on a haunting note.

Great Clips Stage

Julia Brennan is a talented local piano playing newcomer whose initial single, ‘Inner Demons’ got played on local pop station KDWB’s morning show a year ago, culminating in her being signed to Columbia Records who released her three-song EP, and this, playing her biggest local stage to date.  With even more new fans earned, expect her fan base to grow ahead of the upcoming debut album.

Ben Rector is an artist we’ve seen really move up to new heights over the last couple years, with melodic and memorable songs, a growing (mostly female) fan base, and a Billy Joel-influenced sound that is custom-made for regular rotation on festival-sponsoring station Cities97.  The Nashville singer still has momentum from his 2015 album Brand New (Aptly Named Records) with loyal fans crowding along the front railings, singing almost every word.

Rector comes off as friendly and personable on stage, often inviting the audience to sing along and is never afraid to croon a tender ballad or two.  With two band members being Minneapolis natives, the crowd had no problem giving up their hometown love, in the form and shouts and cheers.

One of his most potent songs ‘The Men That Drive Me Places’, about the backstories of taxi and van drivers, gets lost among his other wedding-ready piano ballads, but is worth paying attention to.

Telling the crowd the band wasn’t exiting and quickly returning for an encore, Rector instead launched into his two biggest songs, the touching ‘White Dress’ and anthemic ‘Brand New’ to end his set.

Gavin DeGraw remains strong in radio rotation, consistently able to put out accessible singles, the latest being ‘She Sets the City on Fire’ from last September’s Something Worth Saving (RCA Records). The New York-based soulful pop singer had just been in Australia days before for a short tour there, but showed no signs of jet lag or fatigue from his opening ‘Chariot’.

DeGraw, in sunglasses, hat and dark coat, and band peppered hits like ‘In Love with a Girl’, ‘Sweeter’, and ‘Not Over You’ in amongst more deeper album cuts, and a couple of vintage soul covers before ending with hit, ‘I Don’t Want to Be’, the song that launched him into widespread success.

WALK THE MOON fans had been itching to see the band live since their summer 2015 Chipotle Cultivate Festival appearance had been cancelled last-minute due to incoming storms, and a family emergency scuttled their August 2016 scheduled appearance in St. Paul. The Cincinnati band made the wait worth their while, opening their ninety-minute set with ‘Up 2 U’ after their ‘Circle of Life’ play-on music.

The synth-pop foursome has emerged from the studio and recording of the next album (unfortunately, no new songs were previewed live) a follow up to 2014’s Talking is Hard (RCA Records) to re-energize themselves with a few live shows. Singer Nic Petricca didn’t talk a lot between songs, preferring to get in as much music in, before the hard stop curfew time of the night occurred.

Fans clapped and jumped in place for the frantic ‘Tightrope’, “We like to head bang to this one” Petricca said introducing ‘Lisa Baby’, and he set an ideal mood describing a utopia before the percussive-heavy ‘Work This Body’.

The crowd in unison, raised the roof by releasing their tension and mimicking lifting in the extended set-closing ‘I Can Lift a Car’, but their best was saved for last. The two-song encore consisted of current radio staple and Billboard Top Rock Song, ‘Shut Up and Dance’ and the group’s first hit single ‘Anna Sun’ from 2010’s I Want! I Want!

And with twenty bands on three stages over two days, the fans got what they wanted, in the form of perfect weather, hours of music, and another Basilica Block Party.

Walk Off The Earth at Basilica Block Party, Basilica St. Mary (08 July 2017)

Enemy Planes

Enemy Planes

Gavin DeGraw

Gavin DeGraw

Gavin DeGraw

Walk Off The Earth

Ben Rector at Basilica Block Party, Basilica St. Mary (08 July 2017)

Walk off the Earth

Walk Off The Earth

Ben Rector

Ben Rector

Ben Rector

AWOLNATION

AWOLNATION at Basilica Block Party, Basilica St. Mary (08 July 2017)

AWOLNATION

AWOLNATION

Walk the Moon

Walk the Moon

Walk the Moon

Walk the Moon

Walk the Moon at Basilica Block Party, Basilica St. Mary (08 July 2017)

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

Basilica Block Party Day1 at Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis (07 July 2017)

Brandi Carlile Setlist The Things I Regret Raise Hell Again Today The Eye Keep Your Heart Young My Song Dreams Amazing Grace (traditional /John Newton cover) That Wasn’t Me The Mother Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash cover) The Story Turpentine Going to California (Led Zeppelin cover) -- Encore -- Wherever Is Your Heart Mad World (Tears for Fears cover) The Shins Setlist Caring Is Creepy Australia Name for You Mine's Not a High Horse Girl Inform Me Gone for Good Mildenhall Saint Simon Kissing the Lipless So Now What Painting a Hole The Rifle's Spiral Half a Million Phantom Limb Simple Song -- Encore -- The Fear New Slang Sleeping Lessons NEEDTOBREATHE Setlist Great Night Feet, Don't Fail Me Now No Excuses Money & Fame / Whatta Man (Salt‐N‐Pepa cover) /band intros Wanted Man Drive All Night Something Beautiful (acoustic) Stand by Me (Ben E. King cover) (acoustic) Lay ‘Em Down Hard Love The Outsiders Brother John Paul White Setlist I Remember You (solo) Black Leaf The Martyr The Once and Future Queen Hate the Way You Love Me Fight for You Hope I Die I've Been Over This Before Simple Song What's So Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold) (Dan Seals cover) Can't Get It Out of My Head (Electric Light Orchestra cover) Friday, July 7 Great Clips Stage Brandi Carlile NEEDTOBREATHE John Paul White The Roosevelts PreferredOne Stage The Shins Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness Cobi Star Tribune Stage Night Moves Jaedyn James & the Hunger Nick Jordan Read More Basilica Block Party The 20th Anniversary of the Basilica Block Party is taking place on Friday (July 11) and Saturday (July 12). I have mentioned before that it's not a great place to see music (because of the talkers....

“Can I get a witness?!” How about 10,000+ of them—

On one of the best weather weekends of the year thus far, thousands descended on the grounds of The Basilica of Saint Mary in downtown Minneapolis for the annual two-day Basilica Block Party. 

The festival began in 1995 as a fundraiser to help pay for the structural restoration of The Basilica and today, proceeds from the event benefit The Basilica Landmark, which preserves, restores, and advances it for all generations. In addition, a portion of all proceeds go to The Basilica’s St. Vincent de Paul outreach program, which provides services to those in need.

Ten acts were spread across three stages for each night- the Main Stage (sponsored by Great Clips) located in a back lot behind the building along the highway, a Church Stage (sponsored by Preferred One) out front, and a smaller local stage (sponsored by Star Tribune) .

Star Tribune Stage

Nick Jordan opened the local stage, named the area Best R&B singer last year by City Pages and who has his latest EP, Dividends, due out next month, with a release show set for the 7^th St Entry on August 4. Jordan has a polished sound that melds r&b, funk, soul, and house, and is compelling live.

Jaedyn James & The Hunger followed, a South Minneapolis sprawling 10-piece funk love soul group in its third year, and who released their debut, RAW, in 2016.

Night Moves is a stalwart on the local scene, having formed in 2009 and still headed by the duo of John Pelant and Micky Alfano. The group’s latest Pennied Days has also spawned an EP, Carl Sagan-The Pennied Days Sessions (Domino Records) with UK tour dates upcoming for the slow groove, cosmically twangy group.

Preferred One Stage

Cobi, a Grand Marais, MN native who was once in the Boston indie-pop band Gentleman Hall opened the day’s entertainment on this front stage, notable for sloped grassy areas, where fans could watch casually.  The bluesy singer released a buzzworthy single, ‘Don’t You Cry for Me’ last year, along with follow up, ‘Prophet Story’, ahead of a more full-length release and his loyal local fans gave his trio a warm reception. 

Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness has seemed to fully shed his past successes as frontman for Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate, gaining even greater acclaim in this latest musical venture.  The pianist had the crowd with him from his beginning hit, ’Fire Escape’ and is in support of sophmore effort, Zombies on Broadway (Vanguard Records), released in February.

The Shins were among the most anticipated acts to see of the weekend, and the Portland band didn’t disappoint with a ninety-minute set supporting Heartworms (Columbia Records) released in March, and their first in five years.  Playing just under half the new album, the band re-acquainted themselves with their audience, playing a diverse mix from their four other full-lengths as well, and any fears there were to some rust to shake off, (in terms of live performance) were quickly dismissed.

Great Clips Stage

The Roosevelts opened the main stage on a night that featured an Americana lineup as the Nashville-band played a short harmonic rock set with 70’s vocal influences, in support of 2016’s self-released The Greatest Thing You’ll Ever Learn and who returns to the area for an Aug. 5^th fundraising appearance in nearby Hastings.  

John Paul White (better known as formerly one-half of folk duo The Civil Wars) was next, White coming out first alone, commenting “If you’re wearing a suit, then you’re warm” in the late afternoon sun.  The singer and his band are out in support of last year’s Beulah (self-released on Single Lock Records via RED Distrib), an effort he said first had no intention of doing, though the songs were forcing their way out of him.

White’s quiet and mostly sad songs seemed a little out of place on a festival’s big outdoor stage next to a highway (“that’s a first”, he quipped), but for the patient and attentive, the dividends were abundant. Highlights included ‘Simple Song’ (about his grandfather and from a Southern Family compilation) and covers of ‘Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)’ (by Dan Seals, but which he teased was by Luke Bryan) and his set-closing slow burn of ELO’s “Can't Get It Out of My Head’.

NEEDTOBREATHE is a South Carolina band we’ve covered several times in the last couple years, and continues to impress us live as they get bigger and more well known, in support of last year’s Hard Love (Atlantic Records), which is soon to reissue with even more content.  The Christian leaning rock band led by the Rinehart brothers (Bo and Bear) is best seen in their own full headlining set, but even in a truncated outdoor festival appearance, treats the show as if they were in a sold-out arena. 

Opening with ‘Good Night’ set the tone for a stomping good hour-long set and following with that ‘Feet, Don't Fail Me Now’ kept momentum in high gear.  The audience was more secular this night, though several still held hands on high, during many of their more spiritual songs.  The Rinehart’s middle two-song acoustic set made for a nice change, starting with ‘Something Beautiful’, the song successful enough to “get us out of a van and into a bus”. Finishing with the anthems, ‘The Outsiders’ and ‘Brother’, this was a band with enough poise and stage presence to easily headline the night.

BRANDI CARLILE remains such a musical fixture here, she considers it a second home (“it’s good to be back in my home-away-from-home!”, she exclaimed).  She and her Seattle-based band (featuring as always, twins Tim and Phil Hanseroth) is in support of her own latest, The Firewatcher’s Daughter (ATO Records) and Cover Stories (Legacy Recordings), a compilation of other artists covering songs from 2007’s The Story.  “We’ve all been together for such a long time, us and you, haven’t we?” she gushed, ever impressed by the positive outpouring from the local crowd during her ninety-minute set. 

‘Keep Your Heart Young’ was actually written in town by Tim Hanseroth and caused a sing-a-long, ‘Dreams’ took us back to her busking days at Pike Place Market, ‘The Mother’ was written with her young daughter in mind, and a Johnny Cash cover kept the crowd clapping along with fever (“you guys are taking years off my life”, Carlile expressed).

Though deviating slightly from the setlist, a couple of covers helped close the evening, including a sparse take on Led Zeppelin’s ‘Going to California’ to end the main set, and John Paul White coming back to help sing their cover of Tears for Fears’ ‘Mad World’, a subtle statement on the current world state of affairs and a low-key version that sounded part TFF/ part Gary Jules.

Night Moves

volunteers	selfies	Night Moves
The Roosevelts	The Roosevelts	Nick Jordan

Nick Jordan

Cobi

Cobi

John Paul White

John Paul White

John Paul White

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness at Basilica Block Party, Basilica St. Mary (07 July 2017)

Andrew McMahon

Andrew McMahon

NEEDTOBREATHE setlist

NEEDTOBREATHE

NEEDTOBREATHE

The Shins

The Shins at Basilica Block Party, Basilica St. Mary (07 July 2017)

The Shins

Brandi Carlile Setlist

Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile at Basilica Block Party, Basilica St. Mary (07 July 2017)

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

Minneapolis: July 07 to July 08, 2017

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from July 07 to July 08, 2017.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Basilica Block Party The 20th Anniversary of the Basilica Block Party is taking place on Friday (July 11) and Saturday (July 12). I have mentioned before that it's not a great place to see music (because of the talkers.... Brandi Carlile After the first few songs, the band is joined on stage by none other than Brandi Carlile! Carlile actually sang backup on many of Ray's songs, including the encores. … Walk The Moon The latest song, "Shut Up And Dance" was the #1 song on Spotify charts... and it's a good indication of what's to come when they release their sophomore album on RCA Records later this year..…

BASILICA BLOCK PARTY
at Basilica St. Mary
07/07/17-07/08/17 (5pm/$60)
basilicablockparty.org

The annual Basilica Block Party starts next Friday, July 7th and spill over to Saturday. Tickets are $60 per day, or if you bought early bird tickets, they were discounted to $55.

We’re big fans of the event, with Basilica Block Party 2015 as one of our all-time favorite shows.

This year, fan-favorites Brandi Carlile and Walk The Moon will be taking the headliner stage.

Please note, there are three stages and their set time overlaps - so either be prepared to see only partial sets or “camp out” at your favorite stage.

Friday, July 7: Great Clips Stage Brandi Carlile NEEDTOBREATHE John Paul White The Roosevelts PreferredOne Stage The Shins Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness Cobi Star Tribune Stage Night Moves Jaedyn James & the Hunger Nick Jordan

Saturday, July 8: Great Clips Stage WALK THE MOON Gavin DeGraw Ben Rector Julia Brennan PreferredOne Stage AWOLNATION Walk Off The Earth Enemy Planes Star Tribune Stage Nooky Jones Jackson & The Roosters J.S. Ondara

Read More Bauhaus As you can see from his setlist (which does not list encores), he had wedged in three Bauhaus songs in the middle of his set. Those songs were well-received... as for most of the well-known songs. . .…

POPTONE
at First Avenue
Saturday 07/08/17 (8pm/$20)
first-avenue.com

Poptone is Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins, of Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, and Tones on Tail. Joining the duo to form Poptone will be Haskins’ daughter Diva Dompé, formerly of the Los Angeles rock band Blackblack.

We’re obviously fans, so if you grew up in the same time period, you really need to be at First Avenue on Saturday.

For this retrospective tour, Poptone will play songs from all their previous bands, heavily leaning on the rare Tones On Tail songs. Expect to hear dance classics ‘Ok This Is the Pops’ and ‘Go!’

Transmission’s DJ Jake Rudh will play music videos before the show.

Tour Dates:

07/06 - St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall **
07/08- Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
07/09 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
08/03 - Asbury Park, NJ @ The Stone Pony **
08/04 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theatre **
08/05 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza **
08/08 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club **
08/11 - Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage **

Read More Hippo Campus The crowd at the music stage began swelling very early on, as local favorites Hippo Campus played first, with a spirited 40 min. set that included new single, ‘South’ (EP out Oct 2 on Grand Jury Records) .…

HIPPO CAMPUS and POLIÇA
at Bayfront Park
Saturday 07/08/17 (4:30pm/$25)
bayfrontfestivalpark.com

This is a really solid event. If you live in Duluth, or willing to drive from Minneapolis, the show looks outstanding.

We previously have seen all headlining bands before, with Hippo Campus recently in March 2017 and noted, “The buzz for Hippo Campus at their homecoming show was simply amazing. As soon as the band took the stage, a hundred cellphones went up in the air to record every moment of the band. The audience was generally young teenagers, but that is expected for a semi-rare all-ages weekend show at First Avenue. The last time we saw Hippo Campus, they were definitely one of the key attractions to Rock the Garden 2016. Their RTG 50-min set “wowed the many in the crowd who were there to see them play a danceable mix of familiar and some yet-to-be-released songs.” Some of those preview songs are now available on their debut record landmark (Grand Jury Records). ”

This show is presented by First Avenue, The Current, and KUMD. Since this is an open area, so the show will go on rain or shine.

Lineup:

Hippo Campus

Polica

Low

Remo Drive

J.S. Ondara

Read More Haerts Also, as tradition goes, we stopped by the Leinie Lodge Bandshell to catch a little set from Texas-born, Louisiana-based Marcia Ball playing some old time rock and blues on her keyboard. …

Other shows in the area:

07/07/2017 Don’t know how is it that Chicano Batman hasn’t been sued by DC Comics, but the band is thriving with their recent release of Freedom is Free via ATO Records (Billboard consider the album as “Best Albums of 2017 So Far”). Khruangbin will open the Turf Club in St Paul... the event is sold out. Brainstory is also on the bill. 8pm, $20.

07/07/2017 Former Drive By Trucker’s Jason Isbell (billed as Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit) and The Mountain Goats will be at the new Palace Theatre in St Paul this Friday. The Mountain Goats’ Goths is out now on Merge Records. The show is sold out. 7pm, $49.50.

07/08/2017 Jared & The Mill and Canyon Spells will be playing the 7th Street Entry on Saturday. 8pm, $12.

07/08/2017 Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Michelle Branch will be headlining the Fine Line Music Café on Saturday, in support of her new Hopeless Romantic album from Verge Records. No opening band listed on the venue’s website, but her poster shows Haerts. 8pm, $30.

07/08/2017 Today, Philadelphia four-piece, by way of New York, Palm is headlining the Turf Club in St Paul. Their new EP Shadow Expert is out now on Carpark Records. Palberta will open. 8pm, $10.

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

Photos: Basilica Block Party (08 July 2016)

Read More Basilica Block Party The 20th Anniversary of the Basilica Block Party is taking place on Friday (July 11) and Saturday (July 12). I have mentioned before that it's not a great place to see music (because of the talkers.... Death Cab for Cutie Anyroad, before we get to Death Cab for Cutie, I have to explain that I've seen the band before in 2001 at the 7th Street Entry for $5. People who live in Minnesota know that the 7th Street is a tiny venue. .. Cold War Kids It's the big 10 year anniversary of local radio station The Current, and they've been selling out all their shows. I believe most, if not all, of their shows will be broadcasting live ....

The first night of the Basilica Block Party just took place on Friday (July 8th). I'm working on my notes and setlist, but in the meantime, here are some general information and photographs from the Friday night party.

>>>
BASILICA BLOCK PARTY
at Basilica St. Mary
Friday, 07/08/16, 5pm ($60)
Saturday, 07/09/16, 5pm ($60)
basilicablockparty.org

Once again, the incredibly popular Basilica Block Party is taking place this weekend, July 8th and 9th at the Basilica St. Mary in Minneapolis.

July 8: Great Clips Stage Matt Hires X Ambassadors American Authors Death Cab for Cutie PreferredOne Stage Andra Day Cold War Kids Gary Clark Jr. Star Tribune Stage Step Rockets Fort Wilson Riot Gospel Machine

July 9: Great Clips Stage Ron Pope Matt Nathanson Phillip Phillips The Fray PreferredOne Stage Craig Finn Milky Chance Ryan Adams and The Shining Star Tribune Stage Farewell Milwaukee Holidae Eric Mayson

Note: the Great Clips Stage will also feature DJ sets by THEbEATRASCAL & ACG [As The Tastemakers]

Andra Day	Cold War Kids	Gary Clark Jr.	Fort Wilson Riot	Gospel Machine
X Ambassadors	X Ambassadors	American Authors	American Authors	Death Cab For Cutie

Death Cab For Cutie at Basilica Block Party (08 July 2016)

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Cold War Kids at 6Smith, Wayzata, MN (07 July 2016)

Cold War Kids Setlist All This Could Be Yours Hot Coals Miracle Mile Hospital Beds First Tour Dates 07/08/16 Basilica Block Party 07/15/16 Pemberton Music Festival 07/17/16 Feed More Festival 07/22/16 Del Mar, CA Del Mar Racetrack 07/23/16 Divide Music Festival 07/30/16 Peacemaker Festival 08/20/16 Hellow Fest 09/20/16 Oakland, CA Fox Theater 09/23/16 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Palladium 09/24/16 iHeartRadio Music Festival 09/26/16 Flagstaff, AZ The Orpheum Theater 09/27/16 Tempe, AZ The Marquee 09/30/16 Austin City Limits Music Festival 10/07/16 Austin City Limits Music Festival 10/12/16 Missoula, MT The Wilma 10/14/16 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo 10/15/16 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal Read More Cold War Kids It's the big 10 year anniversary of local radio station The Current, and they've been selling out all their shows. I believe most, if not all, of their shows will be broadcasting live ....

“We haven’t done this for a long time… this, being with acoustic guitars”

Nathan Willett of Long Beach, CA alt-rock band Cold War Kids vexed briefly as three-fifths of the band played a short promotional acoustic set on a makeshift lakeside dock at restaurant 6Smith in suburban Wayzata.

Dessa

Local favorite rapper / singer / poet / writer / spoken word artist Dessa, (joined as always by Aby Wolf) got the afternoon started right with a brief set as perhaps her own preview of hip-hop collective Doomtree's big concert this Sunday at Sociable Cider Werks.

Cold War Kids' performance was a precursor to their full stage show as part of this weekend’s Basilica Block Party in Minneapolis, and played under gradually more overcast skies, though nothing more than a brief sprinkle of rain ever transpired.

Still in support of 2014’s Hold My Home (on Downtown Records), a slow burning record that has gradually continued momentum, mainly on the back of single ‘First’ which topped Billboard’s Alternative Song chart, and has stayed there long enough to be the second-longest running single in the chart's history.

Continued success has not been without its cost as three members have been replaced in the last three years, but mainstays Willett and bassist Matt Maust anchor the band admirably, and were joined by keyboardist/guitarist Matthew Schwartz for the 25min. happy hour performance.

‘All This Could Be Yours’, the newest album’s opening track aptly began the set, the band under a small tent surrounded by large boats, designer sunglasses and handbags, and flowing fancy craft beers.

After ‘Hot Coals’ (also from Hold My Home), a brief interview revealed the origin of the band’s name, that music comes first to them before lyrics when songwriting, and that large beach balls from Matt and Kim often come over to their end, when both bands are playing concurrently at festival shows.

Skies grayed and sprinkles covered the crowd as the band launched into ‘Miracle Mile’ and its opening lyric “I was supposed to do great things”, Willett howling “I'll be alright, if I could just see you”.

After a mid-tempo ‘Hospital Beds’, the band asked for crowd participation for the set-ending ‘First’ by clapping in time for the duration of the song. “If somebody next to you is not doing it… they’re not your friend…!” Willett said, trying to get full participation amongst all the “meals going on and people checking phones”.

Presumably saving hits ‘Hang Me Up to Dry’, ‘Louder than Ever’, and others for their Friday full electric festival set, the acoustic Cold War Kids performance proved to be a worthy appetizer, for the next night’s main course of a full performance.

Cold War Kids at 6Smith, Wayzata, MN (07 July 2016)

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