W♥M

Flashback: Passenger at the Hollow, Minneapolis (07 August 2008)

Setlist Moon On The Water Stray Dog What Do You Think Playstation Do What You Like Things You've Never Done Walk in the Rain For You Umbrella (Rihanna cover) Table for One Walk You Home (Night Vision Binoculars) Tour Dates 08/09/08 Meadowlark Bar Denver, CO 08/11/08 Hotel Cafe Los Angeles, CA 08/12/08 House Of Blues San Diego, CA 08/13/08 Swedish American Hall SF CA 08/16/08 V-Festival, Weston Park, Staffordshire 08/17/08 V-Festival, Chelmsford 08/30/08 Hydro Connect Festival Scotland Read More Passenger Passenger (aka Michael Rosenberg) is back in Minneapolis this Saturday, March 18th, at First Avenue’s mainroom. Passenger’s new album Young as the Morning Old as the Sea is out now. …

Passenger (stylized as /Passenger.) played a tiny venue called The Hollow in downtown Minneapolis on August 7, 2008. Just so you know, currently (in 2020), Passenger is really the stagename for Michael David Rosenberg. His band broke up in 2009, shortly after we caught them at the Hollow, but he continues to top the charts with his songs.

Passenger’s most successful single, “Let Her Go”, which was not played on this set, because the song won’t be released until later. The song was nominated for the Brit Award for British Single of the Year in 2014.

>>>
I had a little trouble finding The Hollow venue. First of all, I've never heard of this venue, but apparently, it's a tiny little place inside an Irish bar called The Local. Once inside, you noticed that the venue is an elongated dining room - quite small and intimate.

Warming up for /Passenger. is miss Breanne Düren, a quiet girl with her Casio keyboard. Her songs sound really introspective and very calming.

After a solo Mike Rosenberg on the first two songs, Andrew Phillips and Alon Cohen joins him on stage. They are normally a five-piece band (complete with bass and keys), but for these stripped down shows it's all-acoustic-all-the-way.

It works well, especially for this tiny venue (I was told it was only 70 persons capacity), because the smallest sound can be carried across the room. Songs like "Do What You Like" and "Playstation" were especially effective as the songs are fast and frantic.

They had a nice break with their love song, "For You", once again, solo-Mike, singing his heart out: "For you, dear, I would lose my legs to walk, dear.". Kind of creepy and weird, if you ask me.

Although it's listed "Stupid" as the encore, there were no encore given. It's not a surprise because "Night Vision Binoculars" was such a powerful song that they couldn't follow up on that song.

It looks like they'll be hitting California's coast for a week, so be sure to check them out if you're on the West coast. I was very glad to have caught them this early in their career in such an intimate setting.

Update: Additional photographs at BRATT.

Breanne Duren Photo by Brody

Setlist Photo by Vu

Passenger Photo by Vu

Passenger Photo by Brody

Passenger at the Hollow, Minneapolis (07 August 2008) Photo by Brody

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

Rocktober: October 25 to October 26, 2018

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from October 25 to October 26, 2018.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Twilight Sad at Turf Club Read More Twilight Sad The evening got started on the right foot, with a band we’ve seen much more recently, Scotland’s The Twilight Sad, still in support of 2014’s Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave (Fat Cat Records). ... The Stress Of Her Regard First band on the bill was local act Stress Of Her Regard (named after a fantasy 1989 book by Tim Powers), who played a 30-minute set. The trio (and sometime with extra guitar help from Davis) …

THE TWILIGHT SAD
+ The Stress of Her Regard
Turf Club
Thu 10/25/2018 (7:30pm/$15)
turfclub.net

Scottish band The Twilight Sad is playing the Turf Club in St Paul on October 25th. The band recently announced their fifth album It Won’t Be Like This All The Time to be out January 18, 2019 via Rock Action Records.

We’ve seen the intense band a few times, the last time the band played their biggest venue in the area, opening for The Cure in June 2016: “The group’s last appearance in town was in the 250-person capacity 7th Street Entry, and now they were opening in a hockey arena, though their large and fuzzy sound seemed a better fit than expected.”

The Stress of Her Regard to open. We saw the local band in Mar 2015 and said, “The trio (and sometime with extra guitar help from Davis) sang song from their 2015 debut self-titled EP, including "Class Warfare", a song that they dedicated to "people who buys apple $17,000 watches."” ... so if you see the singer with an Apple watch, give him a hard time.

Tour dates:

10/17/2018 Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR
10/19/2018 The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
10/20/2018 Fox Cabaret, Vancouver, BC
10/25/2018 Turf Club, St. Paul, MN
10/26/2018 Theater On The Lake, Chicago, IL
10/27/2018 Velvet Underground, Toronto, ON
10/28/2018 Bar le Ritz PDB, Montreal, QC
10/30/2018 The Middle East, Cambridge, MA
10/31/2018 BSP Lounge, Kingston, NY
11/01/2018 Elsewhere, Brooklyn, NY
11/02/2018 Boot & Saddle, Philadelphia, PA
11/03/2018 U Street Music Hall, Washington, DC
11/10/2018 Point Ephémère, Paris
11/11/2018 Kulturzentrum Schlachthof, Wiesbaden
11/2/2018 Ampere, Munich
11/13/2018 Chelsea, Vienna
11/5/2018 Musik & Frieden, Berlin
11/16/2018 Molotow, Hamburg
11/17/2018 Paradiso, Amsterdam
11/18/2018 Le Botanique, Brussels
11/22/2018 Eventim Olympia, Liverpool
11/23/2018 The Mill, Birmingham
11/24/2018 O2 Academy Leeds, Leeds
11/25/2018 Brighton Dome, Brighton
11/26/2018 St David's Hall, Cardiff
11/27/2018 Bush Hall, London
11/29/2018 Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh
02/27/2019 Manchester Gorilla, Manchester
02/28/2019 Electric Ballroom, London
03/02/2019 Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow

Other shows in the area:

Kathy Griffin 2018 Tour Slothrust at 7th Street Passenger at First Ave Milk Carton Kids 2018 Tour Hailu Mergia Brothers Osborne Mitski at First Ave Read More The Milk Carton Kids Remember The Milk Carton Kids? I saw them in May and absolutely loved them. They have a new record, which was previously mentioned. It is called Prologue and it will be made available as a free download … Mitski Mitski, who just announced she’s going on tour with Lorde, will open this show. Her fourth studio album Puberty 2 is out now on Dead Oceans. Tour Dates: 10/04: Stage Ae, Pittsburgh, PA … Overcoats Overcoats to open. We saw the duo last May 2016 and noted that the two only found out days before the show that they were actually going out on tour with Matt Corby. …

KATHY GRIFFIN
State Theatre
Thu 10/25/2018 (7pm/$45.50)
hennepintheatretrust.org

Comedian Kathy Griffin got into a lot of hot water after that infamous photo of a beheaded Donald Trump became viral. She originally apologized, but eventually rescinded the apology! Now hear the full controversial story in her upcoming hilarious “Laugh Your Head Off” World Tour at the State Theatre on Thursday, October 25th. Based on the sold out shows and rave reviews, Griffin made the right call by doubling down on her anti-Trump stance.

Tour dates:

10/25/2018 State Theatre Minneapolis, MN
10/26/2018 Fisher Theatre Detroit, MI
10/27/2018 Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall St. Louis, MO
10/29/2018 Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
11/4/2018 Symphony Hall Phoenix, AZ

SLOTHRUST
+ Mannequin Pussy
7th Street Entry
Thu 10/25/2018 (9pm/$14)
first-avenue.com

Slothrust (singer/guitarist Leah Wellbaum, drummer Will Gorin and bassist Kyle Bann) is touring in support of their fourth album The Pact.

Philadelphia’s Mannequin Pussy to open. We saw the band in Oct 2017 and wrote that their set was a “high energy 30-min burst of punk rock music”.

Tour dates:

10/19 - St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room
10/20 - Kansas City, MO @ recordBar
10/23 - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
10/25 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
10/26 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Cooperage
10/27 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
10/28 - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
10/30 - Columbus, OH @ The Basement
10/31 - Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi Indy

PASSENGER
First Avenue
Thu 10/25/2018 (6pm/$30.50)
first-avenue.com

Passenger (sometime stylized as /Passenger.) is on a nearly sold-out North American tour. They’ll be stopping by First Avenue on Thursday. I’ll never forget the time we saw the band in August 2008 at an intimate gig at The Hollow.

No opening band listed, but Mike Rosenberg has enough songs to play for a few hours...

Tour dates:

10/16/2018 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
10/18/2018 Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY
10/21/2018 Théâtre Corona, Montreal, QC
10/25/2018 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
11/02/2018 McMenamin's Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
11/06/2018 Belasco Theater, Los Angeles, CA

THE MILK CARTON KIDS
+ The Barr Brothers
Pantages Theatre
Fri 10/26/2018 (7pm/$29.50)
hennepintheatretrust.org

The popular The Milk Carton Kids will be back in the Twin Cities this Friday, October 26th. The band recently released a new Amazon Original song called “Whisper In Her Ear”, which is a new recording as a full band re-imagined from the original 2013 release.

We haven’t seen the TMCK since May 2011: “ Joe Purdy came on stage to personally introduce The Milk Carton Kids, stating that he was "98% sure" that we were going to love them. Judging from the loud claps and the quiet, attentive audience, I would say 100% of the audience loved them.”

Tour dates:

10/18 – South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Ballroom
10/19 – Montreal, QC – Corona Theatre
10/20 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
10/22 - Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
10/23 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
10/24 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
10/25 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre
10/26 – Minneapolis, MN – Pantages Theatre
10/27 – Winnipeg, MB – Crescent Ft Rouge
10/29 – Calgary, AB – Jack Singer Concert Hall
10/30 – Edmonton, AB – Winspear Center Concert Hall
10/31 – Vancouver, BC – The Vogue
11/1 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
11/3 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
11/5 – Berkeley, CA – UC Berkeley
11/6 – Los Angeles, CA – The Theatre

HAILU MERGIA
+ Yonathan Bekure
Cedar Cultural Center
Fri 10/26/2018 (7pm/$25)
thecedar.org

As usual, the Walker Art Center is bringing some of the most interesting music to the Twin Cities. This Friday, October 26th, Ethiopian legend Hailu Mergia will be playing at the Cedar Cultural Center. Special guest Yonathan’s Cultural Show (aka Yonathan Bekure) to open.

Tour dates:

10/26/2018 Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN
11/08/2018 – 11/11/2018 Le Guess Who? 2018
11/12/2018 Jazz Cafe, London
11/13/2018 Band on the Wall, Manchester
11/15/2018 Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen, Leeds
11/21/2018 Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany

BROTHERS OSBORNE
+ Charlie Worsham
Palace Theatre
Fri 10/26/2018 (7pm/$35)
palacestpaul.com

Reigning CMA and ACM Vocal Duo of the Year, Brothers Osborne is headlining the Palace Theatre in St Paul on Friday.

Tour dates:

Oct 17 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
Oct 18 Abbotsford, BC Abbotsford Centre
Oct 19 Penticton, BC South Okanagan
Oct 20 Calgary, AB MacEwan Hall
Oct 21 Edmonton, AB Shaw Conference Centre
Oct 24 Saskatoon, SK O’Brian’s Event Centre
Oct 25 Winnipeg, MB Burton Cummings Theatre
Oct 26 St Paul, MN Palace Theatre
Oct 27 Madison, WI The Sylvee
Oct 28 Grand Rapids, MI 20 Monroe Live

MITSKI
+ Overcoats
First Avenue
Fri 10/26/2018 (8pm/$20/Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

If you’re one of the cool kids, you’ll be at this upcoming sold out Mitski show at First Avenue’s mainroom. It’s quite a difference, considering that it was only Nov 2015 that Mitski made her debut at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis.

Show up early to check out duo Overcoats (Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell). We first caught them in May 2016 and noticed how different their live shows were about a year later: “Gone are the live instruments and keys; the recent Triple Rock show only had the two singing and harmonizing over pre-recorded music/beats from their computer, while dressed in similar loose, white tops. They still sounded great, but we couldn’t help comparing their show to a Karaoke performance.”

Overcoats’ debut album Young is out now.

Tour dates:

10/19/2018 Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA
10/20/2018 House of Blues - Boston, Boston
10/21/2018 L'Astral, Montreal, QC
10/22/2018 Opera House, Toronto
10/23/2018 Magic Stick, Detroit, MI
10/25/2018 Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL
10/26/2018 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
10/30/2018 The Imperial, Vancouver, BC
10/31/2018 Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
11/01/2018 McMenamin's Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
11/03/2018 The Warfield, San Francisco, CA
11/07/2018 The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
11/08/2018 Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix, AZ
11/10/2018 Emo's Austin, Austin, TX, US
11/11/2018 Trees, Dallas, TX
11/13/2018 Basement, Nashville, TN
11/14/2018 Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
11/16/2018 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
11/17/2018 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
11/18/2018 Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA
11/30/2018 Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY
12/01/2018 Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY
12/02/2018 Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY
12/03/2018 Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY
01/28/2019 St Jerome's Laneway Festival 2019
02/02/2019 St Jerome's Laneway Festival 2019
02/03/2019 St Jerome's Laneway Festival 2019
02/09/2019 St Jerome's Laneway Festival 2019

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

Minneapolis: March 18 to March 21, 2017

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from March 18 to March 21, 2017.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Passenger We caught Passenger (aka /Passenger.) at a tiny, tiny venue called the Hollow, inside the Local bar, in Minneapolis in 2008. Now the man behind Passenger, Mike Rosenberg, … The Paper Kites Melbourne’s The Paper Kites will be bringing their ‘Midnight’ show world tour to the Triple Rock Social Club next Monday. ....

PASSENGER
at First Avenue
Saturday 03/18/17, 7:30pm (Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

Passenger (aka Michael Rosenberg) is back in Minneapolis this Saturday, March 18th, at First Avenue’s mainroom. Passenger’s new album Young as the Morning Old as the Sea is out now.

The Paper Kites will be opening! We caught the Melbourne band last year and wrote, “Their fanbase here is incredible, and they just love the audience (which were mostly young college-bound or college students). There is something hopelessly romantic about the Paper Kites’ songs that speaks to their fans.”

Tour Dates:

03/10/17 Boston, MA House Of Blues Boston
03/11/17 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
03/14/17 Montreal, QC Metropolis
03/15/17 Toronto, ON Rebel
03/17/17 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre
03/18/17 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
03/21/17 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
03/25/17 Vancouver, BC Orpheum
03/26/17 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
03/28/17 Portland, OR McMenamins
03/30/17 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
04/01/17 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
04/02/17 San Diego, CA House Of Blues
04/05/17 Dallas, TX House Of Blues
04/06/17 Austin, TX Stubb's Bar-B-Q
04/08/17 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
04/09/17 Atlanta, GA The Buckhead Theatre
06/17/17 Komos Festival
07/01/17 Rock Werchter Festival
07/02/17 Open Air St. Gallen
07/23/17 Live At Iveagh Gardens

Read More Sharkmuffin Brooklyn's trio Sharkmuffin (Tarra Thiessen, Natalie Kirch, and Sharif Mekawy) will be at the Triple Rock next Sunday, August 16, in support of their debut full-length ....

Other shows in the area:

03/18/17 Joe Bonamassa to play Orpheum Theatre.

03/18/17 The Orwells will be rocking out at Triple Rock Social Club.

03/19/17 Bebe Rexha is headlining the Fine Line Music Café. Show up early to check out Spencer Ludwig and Daniel Skye. The latter is a 16-year-old singer, recently signed to RCA Records. Skye has over 5 million social media followers, and by all accounts, fans are calling him the next Justin Bieber.

03/20/17 Texan instrumental rock collective This Will Destroy You is on a tour with Deafheaven and Emma Ruth Rundle. The bands will be playing at the Fine Line Music Café next Monday.

03/20/17 Strand Of Oaks is headlining 7th Street Entry.

03/21/17 Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness returns to First Avenue with Night Riots and Atlas Genius.

03/21/17 Sharkmuffin is back in Minneapolis... this time at Reverie Cafe & Bar. This is a new-ish concert venue, and it’s located on Nicollet (aka “Eat Street”, known for its restaurants).

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

Minneapolis Music Guide: August 24 - August 30, 2014

Here is the weekly guide of some Minneapolis live concerts and events from August 24 to August 30.

Read More Passenger After a solo Mike Rosenberg on the first two songs, Andrew Phillips and Alon Cohen joins him on stage. They are normally a five-piece band (complete with bass …

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24
FIRST AVENUE
Passenger / Stu Larsen

We caught Passenger (aka /Passenger.) at a tiny, tiny venue called the Hollow, inside the Local bar, in Minneapolis in 2008. Now the man behind Passenger, Mike Rosenberg, is back with his latest album Whispers and he's sold out First Avenue's mainroom. What an incredible achievement.

Opening up, is listed as Stu Larsen, although he's not mentioned anywhere on Firstavenue.com.

US Tour dates:

08/20/14 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe
08/22/14 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
08/24/14 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
08/30/14 Austin, TX Stubb's Bar-B-Q
08/31/14 Dallas, TX House Of Blues
09/03/14 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
09/06/14 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
09/07/14 Vancouver, BC Malkin Bowl
09/09/14 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
09/11/14 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
09/13/14 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
09/14/14 San Diego, CA House Of Blues

Read More She Keeps Bees I've previously seen She Keeps Bees at the 400 Bar in 2010, and noted, that singer Jessica Larrabee "sings like Chan Marshall." …

MONDAY, AUGUST 25
7TH STREET ENTRY
She Keeps Bees

We already mentioned Brooklyn's She Keeps Bees was on tour.

The duo (Jessica Larrabee and Andy LaPlant) will be stopping by Minneapolis on Monday, August 25th.

Opening up the 7th Street Entry show will be two locals, Batterboy and Célosia.

Tour dates:

08/21 - Brooklyn, NY @ Cameo Gallery
08/24 - Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
08/25 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry
08/26 - Grand Forks, ND @ NDMOA
08/28 - Spokane, WA @ Jones Radiator
08/29 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
08/30 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
09/03 - San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar
09/06 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite
09/07 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
09/08 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
09/10 - Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar
09/11 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
09/12 - Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
09/13 - Kansas City, MO @ Czar bar
09/14 - Lincoln, NE @ Duffy's Taver
09/15 - Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
09/16 - Milwaukee, WI @ Club Garibaldi
09/17 - Detroit, MI @ PJ's Lager House
09/19 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
09/20 - Athens, OH @ The Union
09/25 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Upstairs
09/26 - Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
09/27 - Washington, DC @ The Lot
11/12 - Bristol, ENG @ The Lantern
11/13 - Manchester, ENG @ Gullivers
11/15 - London, ENG @ The Lexington

Read More World Music In the last week, I have enjoyed two different shows in which one of the main performers was from the West African country of Mali. The first was Habib Koité and Eric Bibb at the Dakota Jazz Club on February 26th. …

TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26-27
DAKOTA JAZZ CLUB
DakhaBrakha

Ukrainian percussive anthem-folk DakhaBrakha are currently on their 2014-2015 North American Tour.

They play traditional Ukrainian music, set to various drums, cellos, and percussions.

“We just want people to know our culture exists,” muses Marko Halanevych of DakhaBrakha, “We want people to know as much as possible about our corner of the world.”

Experience their Ukrainian music at the Dakota Jazz Club on their two-night residency in Minneapolis.

Tour dates:

08/22 Cleveland, OH @Rusty Anchor Concerts
08/23 Detroit, MI @Midtown Detroit
08/24 Chicago, IL @Mayne Stage
08/26 Minneapolis, MN @Dakota Jazz Club
08/27 Minneapolis, MN @Dakota Jazz Club
08/28 Madison, WI @Overture Center for the Arts
08/29 Louisville, KY @World Fest
08/31 Vancouver, BC @Caravan World Rhythms
09/01 Seattle, WA @Bumbershoot
09/03 Seattle, WA @Triple Door
09/05 Los Angeles, CA @Grand Performances
09/06 Folsom, CA @Los Rios Community College

/Passenger. at The Hollow in Minneapolis 08/07/08

/Passenger. ♥ photo by vu Tour Dates 08/09/08 Meadowlark Bar Denver, CO 08/11/08 Hotel Cafe Los Angeles, CA 08/12/08 House Of Blues San Diego, CA 08/13/08 Swedish American Hall SF CA 08/16/08 V-Festival, Weston Park, Staffordshire 08/17/08 V-Festival, Chelmsford 08/30/08 Hydro Connect Festival Scotland   /Passenger. - Night Vision Binoculars Passenger /Passenger. - Wicked Man's Rest http://weheartmus... Long before I received Wicked Man's Rest album for review, people were already asking me about th...

Set List ♥ Hollow at the Local, Minneapolis (08/07/08) Discography [Sep 2007] Wicked Man's Rest (UK) [Aug 2008] Wicked Man's Rest (US)

I had a little trouble finding The Hollow venue. First of all, I've never heard of this venue, but apparently it's a tiny little place inside an Irish bar called The Local. Once inside, you noticed that the venue is an elongated dining room - quite small and intimate.

Warming up for /Passenger. is miss Breanne Düren, a quiet girl with her Casio keyboard. Her songs sounds really introspective and very calming.

After a solo Mike Rosenberg on the first two songs, Andrew Phillips and Alon Cohen joins him on stage. They are normally a five-piece band (complete with bass and keys), but for these stripped down shows it's all-acoustic-all-the-way.

It works well, especially for this tiny venue (I was told it was only 70 persons capacity), because the smallest sound can be carried across the room. Songs like "Do What You Like" and "Playstation" were especially effective as the songs are fast and frantic.

They had a nice break with their love song, "For You", once again, solo-Mike, singing his heart out: "For you, dear, I would lose my legs to walk, dear.". Kind of creepy and weird, if you ask me.

Although it's listed "Stupid" as the encore, there were no encore given. It's not a surprise because "Night Vision Binoculars" was such a powerful song that they couldn't follow up on that song.

It looks like they'll be hitting California's coast for a week, so be sure to check them out if you're on the West coast. I was very glad to have caught them this early in their career in such an intimate setting.

Update: Additional photographs at BRATT:

/Passenger. ♥ photograph by Brody

/Passenger. ♥ photograph by Brody

/Passenger. ♥ photograph by Brody

/Passenger. ♥ photograph by Brody

 

Links: passengerofficial.com myspace.com/passengerofficial myspace.com/breanneduren

/Passenger. - Wicked Man's Rest

/Passenger. - Night Vision Binoculars Passenger Tour Dates 08/04/08 Mercy Lounge Nashville, TN 08/05/08 Gertle’s Place Louisville, KY 08/05/08 **US ALBUM RELEASE** US 08/07/08 Hollow At Local Minneapolis, MN 08/09/08 Meadowlark Bar Denver, CO 08/11/08 Hotel Cafe Los Angeles, CA 08/12/08 House Of Blues, San Diego, CA 08/13/08 Swedish American Hall SF, CA 08/16/08 V-Festival, Staffs Staffordshire 08/17/08 V-Festival, Chelmsford Chelmsford 08/30/08 Hydro Connect Festival Scotland Discography [Sep 2007] Wicked Man's Rest (UK) [Aug 2008] Wicked Man's Rest (US)

Long before I received Wicked Man's Rest album for review, people were already asking me about this band. UK music lovers were already watching closely at this Brighton-based band, /Passenger., ever since they made their SXSW appearance this year. They're recently making their way back to America (they just passed through Philadelphia and currently in Tennessee).

Mike Rosenberg is the man behind this light-rock/pop band, which comes off as sounding like Kooks (for the accent) and the Frames (for the music). Maybe it's just me, but I have always been drawn to singers that sounds quintessentially British, as it seems to me that UK bands have tried to sound more american when they sing.

It's been about one full year since their debut album, Wicked Man's Rest, was released in the UK and it's finally being released domestically tomorrow, August 5^th, via Cooking Vinyl Records USA. Despite all that time, hardly any new tracks were added (think of all those B-Sides that could've made it onto this 40-minute album!)

The US version does include one extra track, "Girl I Once Knew".

I like their songs about angst and relationship, one song in particular, "Do What You Like", is about how unfairly the singer feels about his relationship: "well you treat me like dirt, I treat you like a queen". You're not quite sure if the singer realized that he needs a new girlfriend.

Their strongest song is "Night Vision Binoculars", which was recently released in the US as a remixed single. Apparently, looking at their UK release, the song was originally titled "Walk You Home". I'm not sure what lead them to change the title, but I suspect the new title defines the song (a stalker watching his subject via his binoculars) versus a "feel-good" song about walking a girl home.

You can pick up the sinister pop album, Wicked Man's Rest, tomorrow, at all the usual online location and be sure to check them out on tour. To get a feel of what they sound like live, they are offering a live version of "Night Vision Binoculars" as a free download on their official website.

Trivia: Allen Ginsberg is sampled on their track "Wicked Man's Rest".

Links: passengerofficial.com myspace.com/passengerofficial