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Minneapolis: March 12 to March 14, 2017

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from March 12 to March 14, 2017.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Phantogram This Sunday's show is sold out, marking Phantogram's triumphant return to Minneapolis, in support of their new album Voices. …

PHANTOGRAM
at Palace Theatre
Sunday 03/12/17, 7pm (Sold Out)
palacestpaul.com

The first non-Minnesota band the play the newly opened Palace Theatre in St Paul will be Phantogram. We got a sneak peek at the venue in Dec 2016 and wrote, “Booked and operated by a collaboration of First Avenue and Jam Productions, the venue expects to host around fifty events annually, and will be used during the day by nearby McNally Smith College of Music as a learning tool for students to know box office, staging, and venue operations.”

Given that the Palace is nearly double the size of First Avenue, it would make sense that bands that consistently selling out First Avenue would turn to the Palace. With all the hype of the new venue, Phantogram also sold out the Sunday show.

Phantogram will also be bringing shoegaze alternative The Veldt on tour with them for a brief six-exclusive U.S. Mid West cities before the duo departs for their European tour. Expect Phantogram to return their appearances at Coachella.

Tour Dates:

March 11: Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
March 12: St Paul, MN – Palace Theatre
March 13: Madison, WI – Orpheum Theatre
March 14: Urbana, IL – Canopy Club
March 16: Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
March 17: Atlanta GA – The Tabernacle

Read More Eisley The song is called. I first heard this song ["Sea King" by Eisley] on MTV's You Hear It First a couple of years ago.... when I first heard a clip of "Sea King", I was hooked. I immediately stopped ...

EISLEY
at 7th Street Entry
Sunday 03/12/17, 7pm ($15)
first-avenue.com

We wrote about Eisley in 2007 (10 years ago): “...when I first heard a clip of "Sea King", I was hooked. I immediately stopped what I was doing and turned my attention to the tube and watched the segment on Eisley. I loved the fantasy, other-world sound of it and reminds me of fantasy books.”

The family band is back in town, this time headlining the 7th Street Entry in support of their latest album I'm Only Dreaming (Equal Vision Records).

Civilian and Backwards Dancer to open.

Tour dates:

03/08/17 Columbus, OH The Basement
03/09/17 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop
03/10/17 Detroit, MI Shelter
03/11/17 Chicago, IL Subterranean
03/12/17 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
03/13/17 Indianapolis, IN The Hi Fi
03/15/17 SXSW
03/20/17 Denver, CO Lost Lake Lounge
03/22/17 Portland, OR Star Theater
03/23/17 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
03/25/17 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill
03/27/17 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
03/28/17 San Diego, CA House Of Blues
03/29/17 Anaheim, CA The Parish
03/30/17 Phoenix, AZ Valley Bar

Read More Allah-Las Los Angeles garage-rock quartet Allah-Las will be bringing the California sunshine to the miserable ice-covered streets of St. Paul December 1st when they make a stop at the Turf Club. …

ALLAH-LAS
at Triple Rock Social Club
Tuesday 03/14/17, 8pm ($15)
triplerocksocialclub.com

Los Angeles garage-rock quartet Allah-Las (Singer Pedrum Siadatian on lead guitar, Miles Michaud on rhythm guitar, Matthew Correia on drums, and Spencer Dunham on bass) will be back in town at the Triple Rock Social Club next Tuesday. Their new album Calico Review is available now.

Australia’s The Babe Rainbow will be guest on most of Allah-Las’ North American tour.

Tour dates:

March 11—Marfa, TX—Marfa Myths
March 13—Kansas City, OK—Record Bar*
March 14—Minneapolis, MN—Triple Rock *
March 15—Milwaukee, WI—Turner Hall Ballroom*
March 16—Chicago, IL—Thalia Hall*
March 17—Cleveland, OH—Beachland Ballroom*
March 18—Detroit, MI—El Club*
March 20—Toronto, ON—The Mod Club*
March 21—Montreal, QC—Rialto Theater*
March 22—Philadelphia, PA—Union Transfer*
March 24—New York—Webster Hall*
March 25—Boston, MA—Brighton Music Hall*
March 27—Washington, DC—9:30 Club*
March 29—Athens, GA—Georgia Theatre*
March 30—Asheville, NC—The Grey Eagle*
March 31—Atlanta, GA—Terminal West*
April 1—New Orleans, LA—One Eyed Jacks*
April 3—Houston, TX—Walter’s*
April 4—Austin, TX—The Mohawk*
April 7—Denver, CO—Gothic Theatre*
April 8—Salt Lake City, UT—Metro Music Hall*
April 16 —Indio, CA—Coachella
April 23—Indio, CA—Coachella

* with The Babe Rainbow

Read More Nikki Lane Country singer/songwriter Nikki Lane is back in Minneapolis at the Turf Club this Sunday. The venue was an upgrade from the Fine Line Music Café, which was done to accommodate all …

Other shows in the area:

03/12/2017 Lancaster’s Carousel Kings will be headlining The Garage in Burnsville, in support of Charm City. Abandoned By Bears and Bad Case Of Big Mouth to open.

03/12/2017 The Griswolds returns to town at Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis.

03/12/2017 Local favorites Hippo Campus is headlining a sold-out show at First Avenue.

03/12/2017 Panic! At The Disco is headlining Xcel Energy Center, bringing with them Misterwives and Saint Motel .

03/13/2017 Texas’ Power Trip will be stopping by the Triple Rock Social Club, touring in support of their new sophomore Nightmare Logic (Southern Lord). Iron Reagan to open.

03/14/2017 Nashville’s Nikki Lane will be at Turf Club in St Paul with Brent Cobb. Lane’s new album Highway Queen is out now on New West Records. The show is sold out. Why do I start singing “Penny Lane” whenever I see the name Nikki Lane?

03/14/2017 Jesca Hoop (not Jessica Hoop) will be at the Cedar Cultural Center next Tuesday. Her latest album Memories Are Now is out now. Lowland Hum will open.

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

The Hotline Spring Tour, ft Magic Man, Griswolds, and Panama Wedding at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (26 April 2016)

Griswolds Setlist Down and Out 16 Years If You Wanna Stay Get Into My Heart The Courtship of Summer Preasley Right On Track Be Impressive Role Models Live This Nightmare Mississippi Beware the Dog Heart of a Lion Tour Dates May 1 Edmonton, AB The Starlite Room May 3 Vancouver, BC The Imperial May 4 Seattle, WA Neumo’s May 5 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom May 7 San Diego, CA North Park Observatory May 8 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore May 10 Los Angeles, CA The Fonda May 11 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory May 13 Austin, TX Scoot Inn May 14 Dallas, TX Granada Theater May 15 Houston, TX House of Blues May 17 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge May 18 Atlanta, GA Terminal West Read More Magic Man The Boston synthpop band Magic Man (Alex Caplow and Sam Vanderhoop Lee) is co-headlining with The Griswolds this spring, as part of the “Hotline Spring tour” .… The Griswolds Australia's The Griswolds were recently chosen as one of nine other artists on Spotify's Emerge campaign, which began Tuesday. Past winners includes now-established bands such as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis … Panama Wedding Panama Wedding to open. Tour dates: April 19 Detroit, MI St. Andrew’s Hall April 20 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom April 22 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall …

The Hotline Spring Tour, featuring Magic Man, The Griswolds, and Panama Wedding, made a stop at The Varsity Theater on Tuesday night and entertained the young crowd with the indie-electro-pop sounds of all of the bands.

Panama Wedding

The show started with Panama Wedding, a New York based synthpop band fronted by Peter Kirk. Kirk has a beautiful voice that is matched perfectly by the subtle but upbeat instrumentation of the band. Apparently Peter used to be a solo act which totally makes sense, but the addition of the band just gave their music a little extra something that kept the crowd entertained throughout the half hour set.

The cover of The Killer’s “When You Were Young” that Panama Wedding did was beyond perfect and just another example of how great Peter's voice is. It's not easy to hit some of the notes in that song and Peter did it absolutely flawlessly.

Panama Wedding’s latest Into Focus is available now on Glassnote Records.

The Griswolds

The favorite of the show seemed to be co-headliner The Griswolds from Sydney, Australia. This band had the crowd in the palm of their hand and for good reason.

The last time I saw these guys was when they opened up for New Politics last fall and I knew they would be something big. Their music is perfect. It's grungy when played live but still approachable for the college kid demographic that came out to the show.

There's a reason why Kevin Ray of Walk the Moon claims to be an honorary member of the Griswolds. It's quite clear that these guys are on their way to becoming one of the next groups to hit the Walk the Moon level.

Heartthrob singer Christopher Whitehall had the girls in the audience screaming as he took the stage. They played for almost an hour and played majority of the songs off of their debut album Be Impressive (Relativity, Wind-Up Records). They were also able to slip in a few new tunes that proved they are going to stay true to their sound and that they will continue to release poppy songs with a little bit of edge to them.

Magic Man closed out the show, playing selections from their two albums Real Life Color and Before The Waves (both available on Columbia Records). This electronic-pop group from Rhode Island definitely had the energy of a headliner. From the moment the music started to the very bitter end, they kept the energy up and kept the crowd jumping up and down with their poppy sound and upbeat tempos.

Their music is very indie electronic and features a lot of keys and other miscellaneous sounds but Alex Capow's vocals prevailed over everything else. His voice is a bit smoother than many of the electronic bands out there. He sounded like a straight up pop singer but because of the instrumentation behind him, the overall sound was extremely unique and enjoyable.

The Hotline Spring Tour continues in May.

Magic Man at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (26 April 2016)

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

Minneapolis: April 26, 2016

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on April 26, 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Magic Man Magic Man seemed incredibly eager to finally tour as a headliner. Talking to fans that had already seen the band multiple times, they suggested that .… The Griswolds Australia's The Griswolds were recently chosen as one of nine other artists on Spotify's Emerge campaign, which began Tuesday. Past winners includes now-established bands such as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis …

HOTLIGHT SPRING TOUR
feat. Magic Man/Griswolds
at Varsity Theater
Tuesday, 04/26/16, 6pm ($20/$25)
varsitytheater.org

The Boston synthpop band Magic Man (Alex Caplow and Sam Vanderhoop Lee) is co-headlining with The Griswolds this spring, as part of the “Hotline Spring tour”, on the strength of their debut Before The Waves.

We previously caught Magic Man on their first headlining tour and noted that they could play a much bigger venue the next time around.

The Griswolds had a busy years last year what with playing over 100 shows, celebrating the one-year anniversary of the debut LP, Be Impressive, and becoming one of the best loved new bands on the planet. This Australian pop band has toured with some of the biggest names in the scene right now including Walk The Moon, New Politics, and oh so many more.

Panama Wedding to open.

Tour dates:

April 19 Detroit, MI St. Andrew’s Hall
April 20 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
April 22 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
April 23 Chicago, IL Metro
April 24 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
April 26 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
April 27 Kansas City, MO Madrid Theatre
April 28 Denver, CO Gothic Theatre
May 1 Edmonton, AB The Starlite Room
May 3 Vancouver, BC The Imperial
May 4 Seattle, WA Neumo’s
May 5 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
May 7 San Diego, CA North Park Observatory
May 8 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
May 10 Los Angeles, CA The Fonda
May 11 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
May 13 Austin, TX Scoot Inn
May 14 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
May 15 Houston, TX House of Blues
May 17 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
May 18 Atlanta, GA Terminal West

Read More Fat White Family South London's Fat White Family got a lot of buzz for their insane live shows. The six-piece band just released their debut album Champagne Holocaust …

FAT WHITE FAMILY / DILLY DALLY
at 7th Street Entry
Tuesday, 04/26/16, 8pm ($13/$15)
first-avenue.com

Toronto’s Dilly Dally is co-headlining their 7th Street Entry show next Tuesday, April 26th, with London’s Fat White Family. You may recall that FWF is known for their insane live shows... sometime the singer gets naked. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

Fat White Family’s second album Songs for Our Mothers is out now on Fat Possum.

Tour dates:

April 19 - San Francisco, CA - Social Hall *
April 21 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge *
April 22 - Seattle, WA - Barboza *
April 23 - Vancouver, BC - The Cobalt *
April 26 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry *
April 27 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle *
April 28 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop *
April 29 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts *
April 30 - Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall *
May 2 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby's All Right *
May 3 - New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge *
May 4 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall *
May 6 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
May 7 - Toronto, ON - Velvet Underground

* w/ Dilly Dally

Read More Woods To celebrate their December tour dates (see listing below), Woods does his Charlie Brown/Vince Guaraldi impression. Woods' 6th LP is called Sun & Shade.…

WOODS
at Turf Club
Tuesday, 04/26/16, 7:30pm ($12/$15)
turfclub.net

With the recent release of Woods’ 9th LP City Sun Eater in the River of Light (Woodsist), the band will embark on their world tour this week.

Skaters will want to note that Woods also just released a skate deck in collaboration with Habitat (featuring the new album's cover art) and the deck also comes with a download of the new album.

Ultimate Painting to open.

Tour dates:

04/21 - Ithaca, NY - The Haunt
04/22 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison
04/23 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall *
04/25 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon *
04/26 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club *
04/27 - Iowa City, IA - Gabe's *
04/28 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room *
04/30 - Austin, TX - Levitation Festival
05/02 - Nashville, TN - Third Man Records
05/03 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade *
05/04 - Asheville, NC - Mothlight *
05/05 - Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel *
05/06 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot and Saddle *
05/07 - New York, NY - Music Hall *
07/14 - Cleveland, OH - Mahall's
07/15 - Detroit, MI - El Club
07/17 - Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
07/18 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown
07/19 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre
07/22 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
07/23 - Seattle, WA - Capital Hill Block Party
07/26-27 - Woodsist Festival
07/30 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echoplex
07/31 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
08/05 - Louisville, KY - Zanzabar
08/06 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar

* = w/ Ultimate Painting

Read More Warehouse Eyes Special guests Warehouse Eyes (Jennie Lahlum and Christopher Williams) and Val Son (Michael Gunvalson) to open the show. …

ROCOCODE
at Triple Rock Social Club
Tuesday, 04/26/16, 8pm ($8)
triplerocksocialclub.com

Vancouver-based indie pop duo Rococode (Laura Smith and Andrew Braun) is kicking off their US Spring 2016 tour at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis next Tuesday.

The tour is in support of their new sophomore LP Don't Worry It Will Be Dark Soon which came out February 26th via Marquis Label Services.

Speaking about the four years it took to release that difficult second album, Braun explained, “It’s taken us longer than we would have liked to get this album ready, but in all that time we hope to have created something that is both current and will stick around for a while — certainly a tough feat in the current climate of endless musical choices.”

Rococode’s current single “Hunter Gather” was at #1 on Canada's the CBC Radio 3 Top 30.

Minneapolis’ Warehouse Eyes (Jennie Lawless and Christopher Williams) to open.

Rococode | US Spring Tour Dates

April 26 | Minneapolis, MN | Triple Rock
April 27 | Chicago, IL | Schubas
April 28 | Columbus, OH | Spacebar
May 9 | Philadelphia, PA | Milkboy
May 10 | New York, NY | Mercury Lounge
May 12 | Cleveland, OH | Red Space
May 14 | Des Moines, IA | Vaudeville Mews
May 15 | Kansas City, KC | The Riot Room
May 19 | Denver, CO | Moe's

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

Wilderness Politics Tour, feat. Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and New Politics at First Avenue, Minneapolis (26 October 2015)

poster Andrew McMahon Setlist Rainy Girl Dark Blue⛹ Canyon Moon The Resolution⛹ High Dive I Woke Up in a Car☕ Halls Swim ⛹ Bloodshot ⛹ Maps For The Getaway Punk Rock Princess☕ (Acoustic) All Our Lives La La Lie⛹ Cecilia and the Satellite Synesthesia⛹ ⛹ Jack's Mannequin song ☕ Something Corporate song New Politics Setlist Everywhere I Go (Kings & Queens) Give Me Hope Tonight You're Perfect 50 Feet Tall Berlin Aristocrat Just Like Me Overcome West End Kids 15 Dreams Fall Into These Arms Stardust Girl Crush Yeah Yeah Yeah Harlem Griswolds Setlist Right On Track 16 Years If You Wanna Stay Riptide (Vance Joy cover) Mississippi Beware the Dog Heart of a Lion Lolo Setlist Heard It From A Friend Comeback Queen I Don't Wanna Have To Lie Halo (Beyoncé cover) Golden Year Not Gonna Let You Walk Away Tour Dates 10/30 - Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre 10/31 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues 11/01 - Austin, TX @ Emo’s 11/03 - Houston, TX @ House of Blues 11/04 - New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues 11/07 - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues 11/08 - Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz 11/09 - Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore 11/11 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues 11/12 - Nashville, TN @ Cannery 11/13 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's 11/14 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues 11/15 - Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall 11/17 - Washington, DC @ Echo Stage 11/18 - New York, NY @ Terminal 5 11/20 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues 11/21 - Albany, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall 11/22 - Portland, ME @ State Theatre 11/24 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland 11/25 - Huntington, NY @ The Paramount 11/27 - Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom 11/28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Fillmore Read More Andrew McMahon Rising from the ashes of previous bands, Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin, singer-songwriter Andrew McMahon has blazed a successful trail all over again, this time under his own name. ... New Politics The clear headliner with a full set (note even their setlist showed a two-song encore) was Denmark's New Politics. They were really high energy, and just watching them work the crowd, and improvised … The Griswolds Australia's The Griswolds were recently chosen as one of nine other artists on Spotify's Emerge campaign, which began Tuesday. Past winners includes now-established bands such as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis … Lolo What is unique about Lolo's inclusion in this tour is that she's the only woman on this all-men band tour. Show up early to check out why HillyDilly.com wrote, "the most gut-wrenchingly good …

Andrew McMahon said it best last night. "Leave your problems on the other side of that door!" he said as he pointed towards the doors of First Avenue last Monday at the Journey's Wilderness Politics Tour, featuring Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and New Politics as co-headliners.

"Leave your problems on the other side of that door!"

That's exactly what I did last night and it was better than any therapy that money can buy.

Lolo

The show started off with a bang. The opener was Lolo (aka Lauren Pritchard), the sole woman on this men-centric tour. She had majority of the crowd absolutely stunned and with their jaws on the floor (myself included). Lolo has a voice that gives you goosebumps. It's so powerful that she doesn't need a huge backing band to give her an edge. It was just her, a computer, and a guitarist named Josh (who she confessed she couldn't tour without his help) and it was perfect. Unfortunately, she was only on stage for about twenty minutes.

With the release of her latest EP Comeback Queen (DCD2 Records), she decided to played the entire EP, including the title track... but also throwing in a cover of Beyoncé's "Halo".

If you need a good soulful soundtrack for your day, make sure you check her out. Mark my words, there are huge things to come from Lolo... especially since she just opened her first musical called "Songbird" in New York City the night before.

The Griswolds

It was tough to follow Lolo's set but The Griswolds did their best to keep up. These guys are one of the newer sensations to come out of Australia and they have already established themselves here in the Twin Cities after playing multiple shows in the past couple of years including opening for Walk The Moon. They have a sound that sounds like Vampire Weekend combined with MGMT. They were probably the rawest sounding band of the night and I mean that in the best way. After the soothing, yet powerful, sound of Lolo, The Griswolds were perfect to get the crowd going for what was about to come next.

New Politics

I was not ready for what came next. I had heard things about New Politics' live show but come on, I've seen pretty much everything and a live show is a live show. As long as you make me feel something, I will love your live set. New Politics left me stunned. I had heard their music before and yeah, it was good and catchy, but I never obsessed over it like I do with so many other bands. That all changed last night.

The music was great. They played all of the songs I wanted to hear along with some off of their new album Vikings which is currently on repeat at my desk. Almost every song they played was upbeat and made you want to dance. Even during "Stardust", their slow ballad played on the piano, you could still feel the electric energy throughout the, damn near sold out, crowd. Each song sounded perfect, just like on their recordings only better and played with more feeling.

Singer David Boyd never stopped. The amount of stamina this guy has is absolutely unreal. Not only was he singing and nailing pretty much every single note, he was breakdancing, he was flipping, he was jumping, he was doing absolutely everything. I was exhausted just watching him. This definitely added to the energy of the whole venue. Everyone was waiting to see what he was going to do next. Was he going to jump onto the bass drum again? Maybe go into the crowd again? End the song in a headstand? Not only did it keep it interesting and entertaining. It made them memorable. Call it a gimmick if you want but I think it's more than that.

How was anyone going to be able to follow New Politics' amazing set? New Politics had won me over and it would be hard as hell to beat that. Honestly, I think it would be impossible to follow that set but if anyone was going to do it, it would be Andrew McMahon.

Andrew McMahon

The amount of talent Andrew McMahon has is unreal. He was the singer of Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin, and most recently, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. Each one of those bands is amazing but Something Corporate is, by far, my favorite group of his.

I went into the show thinking I could sneak out early after a couple of songs. I mean, I love Andrew McMahon but his new music really doesn't do it for me. Then the set started and I caught myself singing along by the second song. This was weird, I really hadn't paid much attention to his new stuff other than the single on the radio. How did I know this song?!

And then it hit me, he was playing Jack's Mannequin songs. A couple songs in and then I heard some of my teenage anthems from Something Corporate. The last thing I had expected was to see Andrew McMahon play these songs that I hadn't heard since I was an angsty teen. He did the unexpected, and although you really couldn't match the energy of New Politics, he held his own and did not let me down or let New Politics completely leave him in the dust.

Andrew McMahon played for right around an hour and a half. It was new song after old song, after new, etc. It was such a good mix of different projects' of his and new and old songs. He even did a "lounge rendition" of "Punk Rock Princess" which came out in the early 2000's. Hearing that song, although it was calmed down quite about stylistically, instantly took me back to high school and me obsessing over the 2004 Warped Tour Live DVD that I had. I used to replay the segment that showed Something Corporate playing this song over and over again. It was a dream come true to see it live last night.

Andrew McMahon's whole set was amazing. The band was great. The vocals were great. Being able to see McMahon jam on the piano while singing beautiful words made my heart and soul happy.

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness at First Avenue, Minneapolis (26 October 2015)

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

Rocktober: October 25 - October 26, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from October 25 to October 26, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More A Silent Film As soon as Greycoats set ended, A Silent Film's fans raced up front to the stage: clearly, they were the band of the hour. The English alternative band had great energy, with a dedicated singer … Flagship Flagship's soundcheck and stage setup took nearly an hour, going well passed their originally set time of 9:30pm. I am assuming the long setup was due to sound problems with their guitarist's …

A SILENT FILM
at 7th Street Entry
Sunday, 10/25/2015, 7pm ($25)
first-avenue.com

Oxford, UK band A Silent Film is back with a new self-titled, full-length studio album out just last week on +180 Records and featuring new single "Lightning Strike".

Living up to their name, the band is known for their widescreen sound, sweeping choruses and synth anthemic hooks. After a series of intimate 'in-the-round' performances called the Secret Rooms tour, opening bigger gigs and playing summer festivals, their intimate club gigs are a great way to experience the band live. We previously caught the band on their first-ever Minneapolis appearance in 2013 and noted that singer Robert Stevenson was so pleased with their fan attendance that he declared, "That's it, we're coming back!!"

Charlotte, NC band Flagship opens the show, with their own blend of dreamy orchestral indie-pop that sounds bigger than the sum of their parts. We caught the band last year and noted that singer Drake Margolnick sounded like like Thom Yorke.

Tour dates:

10/23 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
10/25 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
10/26 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
10/27 Detroit, MI The Shelter
10/29 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
10/30 Indianapolis, IN Rathskeller
11/01 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
11/02 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
11/04 Cambridge, MA The Sinclair
11/05 Uncasville, CT Wolf Den
11/06 Brooklyn, NY Rough Trade
11/07 Washington, DC Rock 'n Roll Hotel
11/09 Charlotte, NC Neighborhood Theatre
11/10 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
11/11 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley
11/13 Gainesville, FL High Dive
11/14 Orlando, FL The Social
11/16 Tampa, FL The Crowbar
11/18 New Orleans, LA The Parish
11/19 Dallas, TX Club Dada
11/20 Austin, TX Stubbs Jr.
11/21 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's
11/24 Phoenix, AZ Valley Bar

Read More Craig Finn Craig Finn, singer/guitarist/front man of The Hold Steady, will open the show. The last time we saw The Hold Steady at the Weesner Amphitheatre in 2014 and at Midway Stadium in 2014 …

CRAIG FINN
at Turf Club
Sunday, 10/25/2015, 7pm ($25)
turfclub.net

Craig Finn will be at Turf Club in St Paul, this is the second night that he's in town (he also appeared at the Woman's Club in Minneapolis on Saturday). The Hold Steady's singer is incredibly popular in Minnesota, having started his music career in the area... so expect these shows to incredibly crowded.

All dates with Esmé Patterson.

Tour dates:

Oct. 17 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
Oct. 19 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
Oct. 20 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Hi Fi
Oct. 22 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town School
Oct. 23 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Cactus Club
Oct. 24 – Minneapolis, MN @ Women’s Club
Oct. 25 – Saint Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Oct. 26 – Rock Island, IL @ Rozz-Tox
Oct. 28 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
Oct. 30 – Cincinnati, OH @ Ballroom
Oct. 31 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Café
Nov. 02 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
Nov. 03 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
Nov. 04 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Nov. 05 – Asbury Park, NJ @ The Wonder Bar
Nov. 06 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

Read More Motion City Soundtrack Motion City Soundtrack can still qualify as a local band, despite their nationwide popularity and proof that they still connect in Minneapolis, was seen at a crowded main stage for their late afternoon set. … You Blew It! Orlando's You Blew It! has a five-track all-Weezer covers EP called You Blue It. Singer/guitarist Tanner Jones explained their love for the Weezer, "We chose Surf Wax because it's a really great song, plain and simple. …

THE WONDER YEARS
at First Avenue
Sunday, 10/25/2015, 5pm ($25)
first-avenue.com

Co-headliners The Wonder Years and Motion City Soundtrack will be in town next Sunday, October 25, at First Avenue.

This is a special show for MCS, as it is their hometown gig, touring in support of the band's latest Panic Stations (Epitaph Records).

Hoping to score a free ticket to the show? It's not too late to pick up the special exclusive "Panic Stations" coffee blend at Five Watt Coffee (sale ends October 25th). All bags of the blend come with a free download card of single "Lose Control," plus a limited number of bags come with a download of Panic Stations OR a pair of tickets for the band’s show at First Ave.

Guests State Champs and You Blew It! set to open.

Tour dates:

10/17/15 Webster Hall - New York, NY
10/18/15 Webster Hall - New York, NY
10/20/15 The Palladium - Worcester, MA
10/22/15 Agora Theatre – Cleveland, OH
10/23/15 The Fillmore - Detroit, MI
10/24/15 Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL
10/25/15 First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
10/27/15 Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO
10/28/15 Murray Theater – Salt Lake City, UT
10/30/15 Knitting Factory – Spokane, WA
10/31/15 Showbox at the Market – Seattle, WA
11/02/15 Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
11/03/15 The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
11/05/15 House of Blues - Las Vegas, NV
11/06/15 The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
11/07/15 SOMA – San Diego, CA
11/08/15 The Marquee – Tempe, AZ
11/10/15 Alamo City – San Antonio, TX
11/11/15 House Of Blues – Houston, TX
11/12/15 House Of Blues – Dallas, TX
11/13/15 The Blue Note – Columbia, MO
11/14/15 The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
11/16/15 Cannery Ballroom – Nashville, TN
11/18/15 The Ritz Ybor – Tampa, FL
11/19/15 Revolution – Fort Lauderdale, FL
11/20/15 House of Blues – Orlando, FL
11/21/15 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
11/23/15 Amos’ Southend – Charlotte, NC
11/24/15 Rams Head Live! – Baltimore, MD
11/25/15 Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA
11/27/15 Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ

Read More Andrew McMahon Rising from the ashes of previous bands, Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin, singer-songwriter Andrew McMahon has blazed a successful trail all over again, this time under his own name. ... New Politics The clear headliner with a full set (note even their setlist showed a two-song encore) was Denmark's New Politics. They were really high energy, and just watching them work the crowd, and improvised … The Griswolds Australia's The Griswolds were recently chosen as one of nine other artists on Spotify's Emerge campaign, which began Tuesday. Past winners includes now-established bands such as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis …

ANDREW MCMAHON IN THE WILDERNESS
at First Avenue
Monday, 10/26/2015, 6pm ($30)
first-avenue.com

The co-headlining Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and New Politics show will be arriving in Minneapolis next Monday, 10/26, at First Avenue. We previously caught Denmark's New Politics at the Go Show #1 in March 2015 and was basically blown away at their live showmanship.

The Journeys-sponsored tour will also feature Australia's The Griswolds (who just headlined in June 2015) and American singer-songwriter and actress Lolo (aka Lauren Pritchard).

What is unique about Lolo's inclusion in this tour is that she's the only woman on this all-men band tour. Show up early to check out why HillyDilly.com wrote, "the most gut-wrenchingly good, heart-piercing vocals you've ever heard."

Lolo's latest EP Comeback Queen is out now.

Tour dates:

10/17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia
10/18 - Ventura, CA @ Majestic Ventura
10/20 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
10/21 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto
10/23 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Complex
10/26 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
10/27 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
10/28 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
10/30 - Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
10/31 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
11/01 - Austin, TX @ Emo’s
11/03 - Houston, TX @ House of Blues
11/04 - New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
11/07 - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
11/08 - Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
11/09 - Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore
11/11 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
11/12 - Nashville, TN @ Cannery
11/13 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's
11/14 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
11/15 - Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
11/17 - Washington, DC @ Echo Stage
11/18 - New York, NY @ Terminal 5
11/20 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues
11/21 - Albany, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall
11/22 - Portland, ME @ State Theatre
11/24 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland
11/25 - Huntington, NY @ The Paramount
11/27 - Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
11/28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Fillmore

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

The Griswolds w/ Urban Cone at 7th St Entry, Mpls (26 June 2015)

Griswolds Setlist Right On Track 16 Years The Courtship of Summer Preasley If You Wanna Stay Aurora Borealis Be Impressive Riptide (Vance Joy cover) Live This Nightmare Mississippi Red Tuxedo America Beware the Dog -- Encore -- Down and Out Heart of a Lion Tour Dates 08/21/15 Melbourne, Australia Forum Melbourne 08/23/15 Newtown, Australia Enmore Theatre 08/25/15 Brisbane, Australia The Tivoli 10/14/15 Vancouver, BC The Vogue Theatre 10/17/15 Los Angeles, CA Club Nokia 10/18/15 Ventura, CA Majestic Ventura Theater 10/20/15 San Diego, CA House Of Blues 10/21/15 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre 10/23/15 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex 10/26/15 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue 11/03/15 Houston, TX House Of Blues 11/04/15 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues 11/06/15 Jacksonville, FL Freebird Live 11/07/15 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues 11/08/15 Raleigh, NC The Ritz 11/09/15 Charlotte, NC Fillmore Charlotte 11/11/15 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall 11/12/15 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom 11/13/15 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's 11/14/15 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues 11/15/15 Toronto, ON The Danforth Music Hall 11/17/15 Washington, DC Echostage 11/18/15 New York, NY Terminal 5 11/19/15 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel 11/21/15 Clifton Park, NY Upstate Concert Hall 11/22/15 Portland, ME State Theatre 11/24/15 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom 11/25/15 Huntington, NY The Paramount 11/27/15 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom 11/28/15 Philadelphia, PA Fillmore Read More The Griswolds Australia's The Griswolds were recently chosen as one of nine other artists on Spotify's Emerge campaign, which began Tuesday. Past winners includes now-established bands such as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis …

Be Impressive-

A simple motto that is not only a cheerleader chant, and the name of Aussie band The Griswolds’ latest album (on Wind-Up Records), but likely also a credo to their live performance and impressing fans across the globe, many of which are just discovering them.

Urban Cone

Another import band, Stockholm’s Urban Cone opened up the evening with a bouncy and infectious blend of electro-pop that immediately had the sold-out crowd on their side.  The Swedish quintet recently put out their second full-length, Polaroid Memories (Astralwerks Records) that features fellow Swede Tove Lo on one of the singles.

‘Sadness Disease’, a single in Europe, was a perfect example of their sound- high energy, memorable choruses, jangly guitars, an ‘80s nod with the keyboard sounds, and thumping percussion.  ‘Rocketman’, ‘We are Skeleltons’, ‘Treasure’, ‘Weekends’, and ‘Robot Love’ all had people singing and clapping along, before they finished with the aforementioned Tove Lo collaboration, ‘Come Back to Me’- Urban Cone is a fun band (with a strange name) to definitely keep on your music radar.

The Griswolds: Christopher Whitehall-Ray

With a hard act to follow, Sydney’s The Griswolds had no choice but to be impressive, and came out storming to the intro music of fellow Aussies AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ and established themselves quickly with the sweeping, ‘Right on Track’.

The quartet (Tim John;  Daniel Duque-Perez;  Lachlan West;  Christopher Whitehall-Ray) were clearly having fun during their hour-long set, with singer Whitehall often standing high on the speaker stacks, briefly crowdsurfing, and prodding the crowd to join in on the fun, which the mostly under-21 and female audience, was more than willing to do.  Whitehall looking like a blend of a Hemsworth brother and Michael Hutchence probably didn’t hurt either.

The Crowd

More than pleased to have sold out their first area headlining show, girls shrieked as the band started playing its latest single, ‘If You Wanna Stay’, whose chorus was chanted back, along with the new album’s title track which followed.

An inside band joke was claiming that it was drummer West’s birthday (something they call out almost every night), which still got the crowd to sing birthday greetings to him.  “When we heard this song, we fell in love with it”, Whitehall mentioned, going into a sped-up and more percussive version of Vance Joy’s ’Riptide’.

Setlist

Both bands noted the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage that was handed down earlier in the day, with The Griswolds being especially happy about it and dedicating ‘America’ as a result.  ‘Beware the Dog’ with its “Crazy, crazy crazy” chorus served to get everyone wound up to bring the band back for a two-song encore- the new ‘Down and Out’ and ‘Heart of the Lion’, from their 2013 EP.

“This has been one of our favourite experiences of the whole tour”, Whitehall mentioned near the end of the show as they achieved their goal- to be impressive.

The Griswolds at 7th St Entry, Minneapolis (26 June 2015)

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

Minneapolis: June 26, 2015

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on June 26, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Buddy Guy Though silent on the studio front for a while, Lang has kept busy touring with the likes of legend Buddy Guy, on the Experience Hendrix tour, and with solo outings of his own, so any lax in technique was not evident … The Record Company Opener Los Angeles' The Record Company band is described by the Time Out LA as if "John Lee Hooker and The Stooges had a love-child", which to say is blues and rock fusion music. Look for the band to play …

BUDDY GUY
at Weesner Family Amphitheater
Friday, 06/26/15, 7:30pm ($65)
Details: suemclean.com

Blues icon Buddy Guy recently announced his upcoming brand new studio album Born To Play Guitar to be released on July 31st via RCA Records. The forthcoming album is the follow-up to his 2013 double disc release, Rhythm & Blues, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Blues Albums chart.

The Record Company to open the show.

Tour dates:

06/19/15 Vancouver, BC Orpheum
06/23/15 Summerfest
06/26/15 Apple Valley, MN Minnesota Zoo
06/27/15 Summerfest
06/29/15 Nashville, Schermerhorn Symphony
07/01/15 Innsbrook After Hours
07/02/15 Tarrytown, NY The Tarrytown Music Hall
07/03/15 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre
07/04/15 Washington, DC RFK Stadium
07/05/15 Waterfront Blues Festival
07/07/15 Spokane, WA Martin Woldson
07/09/15 Snoqualmie, WA Snoqualmie Casino
07/11/15 Vancouver Island Musicfest
07/14/15 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen
07/15/15 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
07/17/15 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Live
07/18/15 Baton Rouge, LA L'Auberge Casino
07/25/15 Pittsburgh Blues Festival
07/31/15 Magic City Blues Festival
08/01/15 Murphys, CA Ironstone Amphitheatre
08/12/15 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
08/13/15 Los Angeles, CA Royce Hall Auditorium
08/15/15 SFJazz Summer Sessions
08/20/15 Dewey Beach, DE Bottle & Cork
08/21/15 Westbury, NY The Space At Westbury
08/22/15 Full Tilt Boogie
08/23/15 Webster, MA Indian Ranch
09/04/15 Eatonic Labor Day Weekend Music
09/06/15 City of Bedford Labor Day Blues
09/12/15 Big Blues Bender
09/15/15 Mankato, MN Vetter Stone Amph
09/20/15 Paso Robles, CA Vina Robles Amph
09/25/15 Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival
09/26/15 Sandler Center For The Perf. Arts

Read More The Griswolds Australia's The Griswolds were recently chosen as one of nine other artists on Spotify's Emerge campaign, which began Tuesday. Past winners includes now-established bands such as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis …

THE GRISWOLDS
at 7th Street Entry
Friday, 06/26/15, 5:30pm ($16/Sold Out)
Details: first-avenue.com

Australian band The Griswolds are on their most "Excellent Adventure Tour", selling out the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, June 26th.

We previously saw the band in 2013 and we noted that their music was reached "a younger audience", who passionately rush to the stage to dance and sing along to their favorite band.

Urban Cone to open the show.

Tour dates:

6/19/2015 @ U Street Music Hall - Washington DC
6/20/2015 @ Firefly Music Festival - Dover DE
6/23/2015 @ The Garrison - Toronto ON
6/25/2015 @ Lincoln Hall - Chicago IL
6/26/2015 @ 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis MN
6/30/2015 @ Troubadour - Los Angeles CA
7/1/2015 @ The Independent - San Francisco CA
7/6/2015 @ Constellation Room - Santa Ana CA
7/7/2015 @ The Boardwalk - Orangevale CA
7/8/2015 @ Hawthorne Theatre - Portland OR
7/9/2015 @ The Crocodile - Seattle WA
7/12/2015 @ Bluebird Theater - Denver CO
7/14/2015 @ Record Bar - Kansas City MO
7/15/2015 @ IDL Ballroom - Tulsa OK
7/16/2015 @ HOB Dallas Cambridge Room
7/17/2015 @ Stubb's Bar-B-Q - Austin TX

Read More Marianas Trench Canadian pop band and Cherrytree recording artist Marianas Trench will head to the U.S. this summer for The Legends Continues tour. The tour kicks off June 26th in Minneapolis, MN at the Varsity Theater (complete list of …

MARIANAS TRENCH
at Varsity Theater
Friday, 06/26/15, 7pm ($23)
Details: varsitytheater.org

Singer/songwriter/producer Josh Ramsay is the man behind the Carly Rae Jepsen's popular song "Call Me Maybe." The Canadian singer also fronts Vancouver's Marianas Trench.

The pop band Marianas Trench will be in the USA for their "The Legends Continues tour" kicking off in Minneapolis' Varsity Theater on June 26th, with special fellow Cherrytree artist Ivy Levan set to open on all dates.

"We're very excited to get back to the U.S.,” said Marianas Trench. “During our last tour, we were thrilled to meet so many American Trenchers. Some were brand new to the family and some had been waiting years to see us live. The support was incredible. We can't wait to pick up where we left off with new music...and an insatiable appetite!"

Apparently their fans are called "Trenchers".

Tour dates:

June 26 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
June 27 Chicago, IL House of Blues
June 28 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
July 1 Lewiston, NY Artpark
July 2 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
July 3 Boston, MA House of Blues
July 5 Asbury Park, NJ The Stone Pony
July 7 Baltimore, MD Baltimore Sound Stage
July 8 New York, NY Irving Plaza

Read More Esperanza Spalding There is even newcomers like the Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and the tiny gal who carries a big bass, Esperanza Spalding. …

ESPERANZA SPALDING
at Mill City Nights
Friday, 06/26/15, 8pm ($29.95)
Details: millcitynights.com

Grammy award-winning singer-composer-bassist Esperanza Spalding is currently on her "Emily's D+Evolution Tour". The show is part theater, part poetry, part music, and part dance performance.... not the typical rock show.

When asked about the name 'Emily', Spalding said, "Emily is my middle name, and I'm using this fresh persona as my inner navigator. This project is about going back and reclaiming un-cultivated curiosity, and using it as a compass to move forward and expand. My hope for this group is to create a world around each song, there are a lot of juicy themes and stories in the music."

Tour dates:

06/19/15 Madison, WI Barrymore Theatre
06/20/15 Fargo, ND Fargo Theatre
06/21/15 Groove-FM Jazz Winnipeg Festival
06/24/15 Des Moines, IA Wooly's
06/25/15 Summerfest
06/26/15 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
06/28/15 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
06/29/15 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
07/01/15 Birmingham, AL Iron City
07/02/15 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley
07/03/15 Atlanta, GA Terminal West
07/04/15 Essence Music Festival
07/25/15 Calgary Folk Festival
08/02/15 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
08/05/15 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre

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

Minneapolis: March 25 - March 28, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul from March 25 to March 28, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Kitten Forever Third on the list is Minneapolis' own Kitten Forever, the riot trio features Corrie Harrigan, Laura Larson, and Liz Elton. … Catbath Before the headliner, local trio Catbath opened with a 40 min. set of revved up songs, culled mostly from their debut EP, Bathtime. Travis Franklin, Crystal Stockert, and Kristin Kosieracki have a mid-90’s sounding …

KITTEN FOREVER
at Triple Rock Social Club
Wednesday 03/25/15, 8pm ($5)
triplerocksocialclub.com

As usual, triple rock at the Triple Rock.... two catfantastic bands Kitten Forever and Catbath, plus B.O.Y.F.

Kitten Forever was last mentioned when they were one of the triple bands at the Triple Rock with Screaming Females in October 2014. The trio (Corrie Harrigan, Laura Larson, and Liz Elton) has been playing music since 2006. Their latest is 2013's Pressure.

We previously seen Catbath open up for the Polyphonic Spree in August 2014.

John described them:

...Local trio Catbath opened with a 40 min. set of revved up songs, culled mostly from their debut EP, Bathtime. Travis Franklin, Crystal Stockert, and Kristin Kosieracki have a mid-90’s sounding fuzz about them, similar to The Breeders which was well received on playfully delivered tracks like ‘Law of Average’, ‘Casio’ and ’Bop, Ooo’.

Sandwiched in between is B.O.Y.F., which according to their bandcamp, stands for "Before Others, Yourself Forever!" They used to be called "White Boyfriend".... which may explain why their album is called White Boyfriend.

Read More Benjamin Booker New Orleans' Benjamin Booker opened up the show with a 40-min performance of this nice mix of rock/punk/blues fusion music. We recently caught Booker at Northside Festival, in New York …

BENJAMIN BOOKER
at First Avenue
Thursday 03/26/15, 7:30pm ($15)
first-avenue.com

New Orleans' Benjamin Booker is touring to Coachella 2015... kicking off the tour in Minneapolis, next Thursday, March 26th.

Booker first came to our attention at his performance at Northside Festival 2014 and again at Varsity Theater with Courtney Barnett on June 2014. We would have caught him again at his sold out show at the Turf Club last September, but we were already committed to La Roux that same evening.

Booker will be playing tracks from his debut self-titled debut album, available now on ATO Records.

Third Man Records' Olivia Jean is opening up the tour. She previously opened up for a number of Jack White shows. Jean's latest album is called Bathtub Love Killings.

Tour dates:

03/26 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
03/27 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
03/28 - Chicago, IL - Metro
03/30 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
03/31 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Place
04/01 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre
04/03 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall
04/04 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
04/05 - Washington DC - 9:30 Club
04/11 - Indio, CA - Coachella
04/18 - Indio, CA - Coachella
05/28 - Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Festival
06/04 - Hunter, NY - Mountain Jam
06/05 - 06/07 - New York, NY - Governor's Ball
06/11 - 06/14 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo

Read More 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..… The Griswolds Australia's The Griswolds were recently chosen as one of nine other artists on Spotify's Emerge campaign, which began Tuesday. Past winners includes now-established bands such as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis …

WALK THE MOON w/ The Griswolds
at First Avenue
Friday 03/27/15, 6pm ($22 / Sold Out)
Saturday 03/28/15, 6pm ($22 / Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

One of our favorite bands Walk The Moon is billing itself for both Friday and Saturday at First Avenue. Traditionally, when I see a band booking residencies, it is to accommodate for their fans (and of course, both dates are sold out).

The Ohio band is currently on tour in support of their latest album Talking Is Hard.

Please read our reviews of WTM's previous appearances:

Walk the Moon (with Iggy Azalea) at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis (17 Oct 2014)

Walk The Moon at First Avenue, Minneapolis (29 Oct 2013)

We previously caught Australia's The Griswolds at the Nether Bar in Minneapolis last July 2014. We noted that at the time, that the band was recently chosen by Spotify's Emerge campaign (and their music was reaching a much wider audience).

The Griswolds' latest single "If You Wanna Stay", is taken from their debut Be Impressive landed at #18 on the SiriusXM’s Alt18.

Walk The Moon/Griswolds our dates:

03/16 Santa Cruz, CA Catalyst
03/17 Sacramento, CA Ace Of Spades
03/19 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
03/20-03/21 Seattle, WA Neptune
03/22 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
03/25 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
03/26 Lawrence, KS Granada Theatre
03/27-03/28 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
03/29 Madison, WI Orpheum Theatre
03/31 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room
04/01 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s
04/02 Columbus, OH LC Pavillion
04/03 Cleveland, OH HOB Cleveland
04/04 Chicago, IL HOB Chicago
04/07 Detroit, MI Fillmore Detroit
04/08 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall
04/09 Providence, RI Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
04/10 Portland, ME Asylum
04/11 Boston, MA HOB Boston
04/13 Phila, PA Theatre of the Living Arts
04/14-04/15 New York, NY Terminal 5
04/16-04/17 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
04/20 Louisville, KY Mercury Ballroom
04/21 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
04/23 Greensboro, NC Cone Denim
04/24 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
04/25 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
04/26 Tampa, FL State Theatre
04/27 Ft. Lauderdale Revolution Live
04/29 New Orleans, LA HOB New Orleans
04/30 Houston, TX HOB Houston
05/01 Dallas. TX South Side Ballroom
05/02 Austin, TX Stubb’s Waller
05/04 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom
05/06 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theatre
05/07 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theater
05/08 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
05/09 Las Vegas, NV HOB Vegas

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

Miniature Tigers at the Nether Bar, Minneapolis (23 Jul 2014)

Miniature Tigers Setlist Swimming Pool Blues Sadistic Kisses The Wolf Oblivious Female Doctor Gold Skull Dream Girl Cleopatra I Can't Stop Like or Like Like Bullfighter Jacket Used To Be The Sh** Cannibal Queen The Griswolds Setlist 16 Years Right On Track The Courtship of Summer Preasley Beware the Dog If You Wanna Stay Be Impressive Mississippi Heart of a Lion Finish Ticket Setlist In The Summer Doctor Catch You On My Way Out When You Were Young (The Killers cover) Pockets Bring The Rain Young Rising Sons Setlist Red & Gold King of the World Turnin' Simple Life (new song) High Read More Miniature Tigers From Phoenix, Arizona, is this delightful indie rock band called Miniature Tigers. Fans of Weezer, will love this band. Charlie Brand, the singer, … … The Griswolds Australia's The Griswolds were recently chosen as one of nine other artists on Spotify's Emerge campaign, which began Tuesday. Past winners includes now-established bands such as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis … Finish Ticket Finish Ticket on tour this Summer with Miniature Tigers. Remaining Tour dates: July 24 – Jackpot Music Hall – Lawrence, KS … Young Rising Sons New Jersey alt band Young Rising Sons release their debut 4-song EP today on "Dirty Canvas/Interscope Records". The EP contains the current single “High” which went viral on social media in a digital storm …

Indie alternative band Miniature Tigers are currently in the middle of their "Cruel Runnings Tour", stopping by Mill City Night's Nether Bar in Minneapolis last night, July 23rd.

Young Rising Sons

Opening up, earlier than set time listed, was Young Rising Sons, the first of four bands. Originally this Red Bank, New Jersey, band was not even listed on bill, so it was actually quite a surprise to see them play. They had a fairly brief five-song set, which lasted less than 25 minutes. All these bands at the show would do really well at Warped Tour, but probably more enjoyable as this was definitely a more intimate experience.

Young Rising Sons basically played their entire self-titled EP, with the exception of "Simple Life." Singer Steve Patrick (off topic: Morrissey's name is Steven Patrick) explained that the song was only written a few weeks ago!

Finish Ticket

San Francisco's Finish Ticket was up next. Admittedly, when I heard their name announced, I thought they were called Finnish Ticket. You know, from Finland.

Finish Ticket's set consisted of their debut album Tears You Apart, except they threw in a cover of The Killers' song "When You Were Young."

The Griswolds

Australia's The Griswolds took the stage just prior to 10 o'clock to some very excited fans who rushed to the front of the stage to cheer and champion their new favorite band. This shouldn't surprise anyone, the band was recently chosen by Spotify's Emerge campaign, so the music is reaching to a younger audience.

Christopher Whitehall

All of the songs from Heart of a Lion EP were really well received, including the title track as closer, "Mississippi," and "The Courtship of Summer Preasley." For the latter song, singer Christopher Whitehall introduced the song as "This one's an old one." Funny, because that EP was only released last year.

Although the audience were dancing and singing along to "Beware the Dog," one of their preceding single from Be Impressive (coming out August 26th via Wind-Up Records), I was mostly impressed by their song "Mississippi," which had a great shift in song style in the middle of the song. It should also be noted that the grand Mississippi River divides our two twin cities, Minneapolis and St Paul.

Charlie Brand

It's been a long time since Miniature Tigers were in Minneapolis, even singer Charlie Brand confessed that he wasn't actually sure people were going to show up. But he was wrong, truly dedicated fans were waiting in anticipation, despite the fact that Hennepin Avenue was blocked off due to Life Time Fitness's "Torchlight 5K" parade.

Sure, it's been a long time, but fans still remember fondly of Miniature Tigers, singing along to the more well-known songs, particularly with "Female Doctor," "Used To Be The Sh**", and " Cannibal Queen."

Highlight of their set included "Dream Girl," which was dedicated to Zoey in the audience, because it was her birthday. However, the biggest hit of the night was their finale, "Cannibal Queen," which featured a stage invasion from big fans and also members of Finish Ticket and The Griswolds. It was kind of surprising to see so many people on the non-existent stage.

There was no need for an encore, because it'll be really hard to top that satisfying ending.

Miniature Tigers' latest release Cruel Runnings came out last month and is available via Yebo Music.

Remaining tour dates:

07.24 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Music Hall*
07.25 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown Jr*
07.26 - Underground Music Showcase*
07.27 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court*
07.29 - Seattle, WA - The Vera Project*
07.30 - Portland, OR - Holocene*
07.31 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop*
08.01 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo*
08.02 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar*
08.03 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom*
08.05 - San Antonio, TX - The Korova*
08.06 - Austin, TX - Stubbs Jr*
08.07 - Houston, TX - Fitzgeralds*
08.08 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jack's*
08.09 - Atlanta, GA - Purgatory*
08.10 - Orlando, FL - The Social*
08.12 - Ybor City, FL - Crowbar*
08.13 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle*
08.14 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery*
08.15 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer*
08.16 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl*
08.17 - Allston, MA - Brighton Music Hall*

* with The Griswolds

Miniature Tigers at the Nether Bar, Minneapolis (23 Jul 2014)

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

Minneapolis Music Guide: July 20 - July 26, 2014

Here is the weekly guide of some Minneapolis (and St Paul) live concerts and events from July 20 to July 26.

Read More Vans Warped Tour Unlike other stationary music festivals like SXSW or Glastonbury, the Warped Tour (or rather Vans Warped Tour) is one of those rare travelling music festivals. Traditionally, the Warped Tour feature more punk-rock music …

SUNDAY, JULY 20
CANTERBURY PARK
Vans Warped Tour

We covered Vans Warped Tour last year and we were only able to cover about seven bands (one stage)... which is pretty sad, because there are hundreds of bands on the lineup. If you are attending this year's show, taking place this July 20th, you'll just have to pick and choose your battle and have fun watching as many bands as possible.

My personal picks are Saves the Day, Anberlin (their last tour before they break up!), Yellowcard, and Sleeper Agent.

Here are just some of the bands playing this year:

Mayday Parade, Beartooth, Air Dubai, For Today, The Mixtapes, Stray From The Path, Teenage Bottlerocket, Plague Vendor, Tear Out The Heart, The Protomen, Attila, Saves The Day, A Skylit Drive, The Ghost Inside, The Ready Set, The Devil Wears Prada, The Color Morale, Nit Grit, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, Anberlin, Survive This!, Cute Is What We Aim For, Issues, Crown The Empire, State Champs, The Maine, Volumes, Enter Shikari, I The Mighty, Alive Like Me, Secrets, MC Chris, Terror, Breathe Carolina, Falling In Reverse, I Fight Dragons, This Wild Life, Courage My Love, Bad Rabbits, Real Friends, To The Wind, Ice Nine Kills, Every Time I Die, Scare Don't Fear, Of Mice & Men, Yellowcard, Bayside, Four Year Strong, Crizzly, Antiserum, K.Flay, Marmozets, Brian Marquis, Lionize, Echosmith, Sleeper Agent, The Word Alive, Beebs And Her Money Makers, Rob Lynch

 

Read More Hundred Waters Opening up for them was a Florida band called Hundred Waters. The lead singer Nicole Miglis is usually playing keyboards, but occasional bust out her flute to give their music this weird experimental …

MONDAY, JULY 21
7TH STREET ENTRY
Hundred Waters

Get a chance to see an intimate show with Florida's Hundred Waters before they set sail and tour with Interpol this November!

This Radio K show will also feature: Fort Wilson Riot, Vacation Dad, Har-Di-Har

Tour Dates:

07/18/14 Chicago, IL Union Park
07/20/14 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
07/21/14 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
07/24/14 Vancouver, BC Media Club
07/25/14 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
07/26/14 Capitol Hill Block Party
07/29/14 San Francisco, CA The Independent
07/31/14 Los Angeles, CA Center For The Arts

Interpol Tour Poster

Tour dates w/ Interpol:
11/06 St Petersburg @ Jannus Landing
11/07 Orlando @ House of Blues
11/08 Miami, FL @ The Fillmore
11/10 Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
11/11 Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music
11/15 Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theatre
11/17 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
11/18 Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
11/20 Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
11/21 Boston, MA @ House of Blues
11/22 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
11/24 NYC, NY @ Terminal 5
11/29 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

 

Read More Red Wanting Blue I'm glad to see that Red Wanting Blue made their national television debut on David Letterman last week! Check out their performance of "Audition" on youtube. …

TUESDAY, JULY 22
7TH STREET ENTRY
Red Wanting Blue and The Alternate Routes

Red Wanting Blue and The Alternate Routes are on a co-headlining tour with their "Sounds Like Summer Tour".

Columbus, Ohio-based American rock & roll band Red Wanting Blue is back with a new album Little America, which came out two weeks ago (July 1st).

“Sounds Like Summer” Tour 2014
07/18 Nashville, TN @ 12th & Porter *
07/22 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
07/23 Des Moines, IA @ Wooly's
07/24 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room *
07/25 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater *
07/26 Kemmerer, WY @ Oyster Ridge Music Festival
07/27 Kearney, NE @ Buffalo County Fair
07/30 Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern *
07/31 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
08/02 Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater *
08/09 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls
08/13 Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall *
08/14 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall *
08/15 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
08/16 Bucyrus, OH @ Brat Fest
08/19 Mohegan Lake, NY Winery at St. George
08/20 Asbury Park, NJ The Saint
08/21 New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place *
08/22 Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
08/23 Washington, DC @ The Hamilton *

*= w/ The Alternate Routes