Over the Weekend

Over the Weekend: May 2-4, 2008

Filed under: Over the Weekend

Kate Nash, The Cops, Dosh, and more -- here's a rundown of the shows we saw this weekend. Now with 33% more pictures!

Kate Nash
First Avenue, May 2
By Jeff Shaw
Photos by Daniel Corrigan

Charles Bukowski once advised playing the piano drunk like a percussion instrument until the fingers began to bleed a bit. Kate Nash wasn't drinking anything stronger than tea, but her First Avenue show was at its best when most percussive.

"We love you, Kate! Please stop telling us to be quiet!." More photos.

A prime example: Nash mashing the keys toward the end of upbeat songs and her backing band employing multiple drummers during "Mariella." Employing a powerful backbeat helps Nash's melodies advance. The 20-year-old Brit's innocent stage presence permits her certain trespasses -- like shushing the audience not once, but twice, before quieter songs -- that other artists might do well to avoid. But she curtsied to the crowd while wearing a skort, and how adorable is that? She might have broken the heart of one concert-goer by shooting down his shouted proposal ("You can't propose yet, you haven't even met my dad," she chided), but everyone else left satisfied.

Blind Shake, The Cops, The Slats, Strut & Shock
Hexagon Bar, May 2
By Andrea Myers

The Blind Shake drive the ladies crazy. Photo by Jon Behm.

"I've already lost the heel on my shoe and the tuning peg on one of my guitars," announced The Cops's lead singer Michael Jaworski, a few songs into their set. "This is gonna be a good night." Despite having problems keeping track of their physical belongings, The Cops played a powerful set of gritty-yet-melodic punk. The Seattle, Wash. band were the only out-of-towners on the bill Friday night, but they fit in nicely between locals The Blind Shake and The Slats.

Another highlight of the evening was Strut & Shock, a new project from Selby Tiger's Arzu Gokcen. The band is still rough around the edges (perhaps intentionally?), but with Gokcen's snarling vocal melodies and badass Joan Jett vibe leading the way there's a good chance that Strut & Shock will be the next quintessential local girl-punk band. At the end of their set, Gokcen announced that their debut album will be released late next month.

World of Dosh
Walker Art Center, May 3
By Andrea Myers

Image by Cameron Wittig

It was easy to be awestruck by the massive amount of talent pulsing through the room at the "World of Dosh" show -- if a bomb had been detonated at the Walker Saturday night, it would have been the death of Minneapolis's experimental jazz and electronic scenes. What was even more impressive, however, was that even when all seven or eight guest musicians were playing at once (including Andrew Bird, Jel, Jeremy Ylvisaker, Andrew Broder, Mike Lewis, and J.T. Bates), their instruments blended together into unified tapestry of lush and muted chaos. There were no mind-blowing solos -- though many of the musicians playing could have likely melted our faces at a moment's notice -- and no vocals, aside from a few looped grunts and moans. Instead, the guest musicians were like pawns at Dosh's disposal, their contributions bent and broken down at his command.

The Walker's McGuire Theater was the perfect setting for such an event. Patrons were able to sit quietly and digest the minute details of Dosh's spiraling creativity as it unfolded. The stage was scattered with microphones and pedals, and videographers were on hand to capture the proceedings from every possible angle and project live feeds onto a screen behind the band.

To learn more about the magical world of Dosh, see Jeff Severns Guntzel's extensive coverage in last week's issue of City Pages.

Posted by Andrea Myers at May 5, 2008 6:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

Over the Weekend: April 25-27, 2008

Filed under: Over the Weekend

It was another huge weekend for local music. Both the Cloud Cult CD release show and the Afternoon Records 5th Anniversary party filled the First Avenue Main Room with local music fans, while the Deaths released a new album at the Turf and the God Damn Doo Wop Band played their first show in ages at the Hexagon.

Here's a rundown of the best sets I caught this weekend:

E.L.nO.
Lee's Liquor Lounge, April 25

The crowd was a strange mix of hipster and barflies for the ELO cover band's show Friday night. But that didn't stop everyone from dancing like the drunk attendees of a distant relative's wedding reception. As Jeff Allen, guitarist for the Plastic Constellations, commented to me during the show, “This music has a strange effect on people. It makes them crazy.” We giggled as we watched an older couple act out some PG-13 moves during a slow song, finishing it all off with a dramatic dip.

Highlights of the show included “Telephone Line” (my personal favorite, complete with a crowd sing-along to the “Doo wop, dooby doo doo wop” parts), “Ma-Ma-Ma Belle” and “Can't Get it Out of My Head.” But really, who am I kidding? Every song was a highlight. E.L.nO.'s sets play like a greatest hits compilation, to which the blue leisure suit-clad lead singer Dave Campbell/Jeff Lyne remarked: “Don't worry, we're gonna play all the hits tonight. That's what we do.” Each time I see the band they seem to get tighter as a group, and their set at Lee's was enhanced by a surprisingly dramatic light show that seemed out of character for the blue-collar bar.

Photo of E.L.nO. frontman Dave Campbell taken by Stacy Schwartz.

God Damn Doo Wop Band
Hexagon Bar, April 25

I skipped out of the E.L.nO. show just in time to catch a set by the God Damn Doo Wop Band at the Hexagon. The band had been inactive for a spell, but they regrouped Friday night to release a "new" 7" single which singer Kat Naden explained was actually recorded almost a year ago. The lineup has changed a bit since I had last seen the group, with a new drummer and a new singer named Annie, but the change in vocals was hardly noticeable sonically. In fact, hardly anything was noticeable sonically at first above the feedback and fuzz of the backing band--it wasn't until I put my earplugs in that I was able to distinguish the ladies' vocals at all. I was glad that I had earplugs on hand, though, because Annie really shined on the new song "I'll Always Be Your Girl."

The set derailed into total chaos at the night's end, with members of openers Pretty Boy Thorson & The Falling Angels storming the stage to sing harmonies on "S-L-U-G" (at least, that's what I am guessing it was called given the content of the song) and scooping up the girls while they sang. It seemed appropriate that the set would end with insanity, given this group's dichotomy of squeaky-clean '50s harmonies and their more rough-around-the-edges punk inclinations, and it was a fun ending to a night filled with doo wop ditties.

Photo of the God Damn Doo Wop Band by David de Young.

Cloud Cult
First Avenue, April 26

I can't imagine seeing Cloud Cult playing anything but big stages from here on out, and it's not just because I think they're destined for widespread success. Cloud Cult's live show demands that they play big rooms. With five band members, two painters, a video screen and a fantastic light show, the entire Main Room was awash with lead singer/ringleader Craig Minowa's colorful, explosive vision.

It would be easy to write off Cloud Cult as too hippie, too peace-loving, too positive--in this day and age, aren't we supposed to hate joy unless it is expressed ironically? But Minowa and company are so genuine with their love that it was hard to keep from smiling during their set of psychedelic, harmony-infused indie rock.

My favorite part of the night was the screening of Cloud Cult's new music video for "Everybody Here is a Cloud," which was filmed just last month at Como Park. It's especially cool to know that this video is filled with extras from the Twin Cities:

The evening ended on a high note with a quick succession of some of their most recognized songs, including "Take Your Medicine," "Chemicals Collide" and an all-out encore version of "Love You All." In a particularly endearing moment, Minowa sang the last line "Love you all" and a guy from the audience replied at the top of his lungs, "Love you too!"

Here's the full set list:

Hope
No One Said It Would Be Easy
Pretty Voice
Made Up Your Mind
Man Jumped Out the Window
Please Remain Calm
Chain Reaction
Story of the Grandson of Jesus
Happy Hippo
The Ghost Inside Our House
Journey of the Featherless
Freddy
Million Things
Hurricane and Fire Survival Guide
Everybody Here Is A Cloud
Take Your Medicine
Chemicals Collide
Intro
The Tornado Lessons
Love You All

Photo of Cloud Cult by Daniel Corrigan. More photos in the slideshow.

The Deaths
Turf Club, April 26

A sizable crowd had gathered across the river for the Deaths CD release show. I wasn't terribly familiar with the Deaths prior to seeing them at the Turf, but after being charmed by their '60s garage rock harmonies and slow-burning songs I am kicking myself for not finding them sooner. The band consisted of four dudes in plaid shirts, and they just sounded like the Turf Club, if that makes any sense--both in spirit and in style, they embraced the down-home charm of the club and reminded me of other harmony-laden dude rock bands like the Beatifics or Polara.

Afternoon Records 5th Anniversary
First Avenue, April 27

All ages shows are a strange beast. Don't get me wrong, I am completely supportive of underage kids seeing as much music as possible, and I think Afternoon Records has done a great job advancing this cause--but there is something unsettling about going to a rock show when it's still light outside. It also didn't help that there was a poor turnout for the event, and the whole scenario made me feel like I was crashing a high school lock-in instead of stumbling into First Ave for a normal rock show.

But anyway: the music. Poison Control Center stole the show with their raucous-yet-poppy rock, and I was especially amused at how guitar player Devin Frank insisted on laying on the ground and throwing his feet up in the air every time he had a guitar solo. Seriously, it was like a tic; like he was incapable of soloing without assuming such a position. At the end of their set, PCC invited members of One For The Team and Battle Royale on stage to help them sing their last song, which resulted in members of the Afternoon Records family picking each other up and swinging each other around like a bunch of rock and roll kids gone crazy.

My other favorite act of the evening was Haley Bonar, who played a solo set with only an electric guitar as accompaniment. Despite the fact that she was without a band, I think this was one of the most "rocking" Haley Bonar sets I had ever seen, and it made me excited for her new record. Haley played a handful of new songs off the upcoming album, Big Star, which she announced will be released June 10, in addition to a positively gut-wrenching cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene."

Photo of Haley Bonar by Daniel Corrigan. See all of the Afternoon Records bands in the photo slideshow.

Posted by Andrea Myers at April 28, 2008 7:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

Over the Weekend: April 18-20, 2008

Filed under: Over the Weekend

Welcome to the first issue of Over the Weekend, a new weekly post that will wrap up the weekend's best concerts, compiled by your new fearless music leader and her band of freelance and staff writers.

The overbooked springtime show season is in full swing, and this weekend kept our group of roving reporters hopping from club to club from the minute we got off work Friday into the early hours of Monday morning. Our writers caught a total of 11 bands at 6 different venues, including The Plastic Constellations, the Chuck D Fakebook, Sam Keenan, Kraftwerk and Rev. Horton Heat—and lived to tell about it. A rundown of the shows we saw this weekend, with excerpts and links to individual full-length reviews, begins after the jump.

For starters, a summary of the first weekend on the job by your newly-minted music editor, who enjoys talking about herself in the third person and recapping her travels for your reading pleasure:

Tuesday's Robot
331 Club, April 18

The 331 Club was packed for the Tuesday's Robot CD release show, and when I arrived crooner Gabe Barnett was finishing up an acoustic set and being drowned out by the chatty crowd. It was hard to tell at first whether people were there for the music or for the cheap beer and lack of cover charge, but when Tuesday's Robot launched into their first song the throngs of patrons pressed forward and hushed up for a set of jangly, Band-era rock tunes. Lead singer Rick Widen (who goes by Rick Robot on stage) was sporting a blue bandanna and a huge grin, and their set gave off a happy, hippie-love vibe. Widen runs a loose ship, coaxing plunking piano parts and piecemeal drum fills out of his band of free-wheeling musicians. The group left a little to be desired in terms of a refined or polished sound, but Tuesday's Robot served their purpose of warming up the busy little bar on a Friday night.

Sam Keenan
Triple Rock Social Club, April 18

At another CD release show across town, Sam Keenan blasted through almost every song off his debut album, All the Dark Colored Markers Went Dry. Though the songwriter and 89.3 The Current sound engineer admitted that he was nervous prior to his set, any anxiety he had about performing was indistinguishable from the audience once he started to play. Keenan crafts a delicate style of pop that relies heavily on the addition off-kilter organ parts and quirky electronic dabblings, and his songwriting showcases a penchant for hooks and sarcastic lyrics. My favorite part of Keenan's music is his voice: syrupy sweet and breathless, its steadfast nature contrasts sharply with his erratic music, conjuring images of a lounge singer trapped in an opium den with only a pack of Crayola washable markers as protection. Keenan's new album has been in heavy rotation in my stereo since I picked up a copy at the show, and the clean production and catchy melodies beg multiple listens and late-night singalongs.

Here are some mini-reviews and excerpts from other shows we saw this weekend:

Rev. Horton Heat
First Avenue, April 20
By Jeff Shaw

Halfway through the Rev. Horton Heat's set at First Avenue Sunday night, I found myself wondering: when did the Sultan of Psychobilly turn into an elder statesman of rock n' roll? He played "Greensleeves." He covered one tune representing each decade from the 1940s to the 1990s (Nirvana's "In Bloom" was a crowd favorite, as was Black Sabbath's "Paranoid"). He made terrible puns about serfs, and promoted an anti-malaria charity. Where was the lunacy? The beer-soaked, surf-inflected rockabilly red meat?

Oh, it was there, too. The visual spectacle of the Rev's red blazer and Jimbo's upright bass acrobatics paled in comparison to the searing guitar sounds of songs like "Wiggle Stick" and "Baddest of the Bad." But all the old favorites were on display, from the cocktail cool of "It's Martini Time" to the classic fractured fable "Bales of Cocaine." And he tore the head off of "Psychobilly Freakout" during the first encore, just to prove the crown of rock lunacy was still rightfully his. Rev, I never doubted you for a second.

Current Fakebook with Chuck D, Atmosphere and Brother Ali
Fitzgerald Theater, April 19
By Peter S. Scholtes

Excerpt: "Chuck D never performed Saturday--Slug and Ali freestyled together at the end with Chuck nodding along from his couch, his smile genuine and fatherly as Ali got the biggest cheers of the night with a line about representing Minnesota 'like Morris Day.' (Did Chuck's 'you can throw me a bone' remark--basically signaling his willingness to join in--get lost in the confusion?) But Chuck was the star of the show all night anyway. Mary Lucia seemed truly nervous for a change before her interview, and deferentially refrained from interrupting Chuck's rambles, which were long but very funny. Like the documentary, Lucia avoided controversy. She never brought up the overwhelming whiteness of Public Enemy's live audience, or of the one that night. Perhaps she, or her interviewee, were wary of a subject that can be (and no doubt has been) used to score cheap irony points against artist and audience both."

Click here to read Peter's full review, with photos by Jon Behm

The Plastic Constellations
First Avenue, April 19
By Desiree Weber
Photos by Daniel Corrigan

Excerpt: “Set opener 'We Came to Play' seemed to say it all. From the unbridled enthusiasm to the simple and earnest lyrics, this song – minus the explosion of confetti halfway through – seems to capture the TPC spirit. While over a decade in the music biz didn’t land them next to Madonna at the VMA’s or on TRL, what makes these dudes so lovable is their earnestness about who they are: a group of friends, a Minnesota rock band and damn fine entertainers.”

Click here to read Desiree's full review

Kraftwerk
Myth Nightclub, April 19
By Nate Patrin

Excerpt: “To see Kraftwerk in the suburbs is only the most literal manifestation of how far their influence has spread, since every song they rolled out felt comfortable and familiar in all the contexts it's spawned since the '70s and '80s – Italo-disco, synth-pop, electro, techno, house, Southern bounce and dance-punk. Funny how such a technology-indebted music is a lot less prone to obsolescence than every major technology that accompanied it; any quaintness there was to be had in this show was in the film footage projected behind them, like the kitschy '50s fashion shoots during 'The Model' or the low-polygon 3-D computer faces from the cover of Electric Café during 'Boing Boom Tschak.'”

Click here to read Nate's full review

Posted by Andrea Myers at April 21, 2008 9:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

Old Grass, New Grass: Fish DeSmith reviews Winter Bluegrass Weekend

Filed under: Over the Weekend

Winter Bluegrass Weekend
Plymouth Radisson, Feb. 29-March 2
Review by Fish DeSmith
Photos by Ward Rubrecht

The thing to understand about the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association's Winter Bluegrass Weekend is that most of the attendees, to say nothing of the performers, are there because they love to play.

It was impossible to calculate the monetary value of all the instruments assembled in the Plymouth Radisson -- basses on carts or set near walls and couches to indolently survey the passing bustle, mandolins carried uncased while the bearer picks gently over a phrase that's sure to be heard on stage later, guitars and banjos in their soft cases strapped to the backs of their troubadours. Groups gather to practice for their stage time or just jam together in nooks and crannies, or amid chairs and couches in the hotel lobby. The microphone-less singers are almost drowned out by the rest of the instruments, until some passerby pauses to pick up the thread of melody, bringing it once more to the forefront.

On the hotel's second floor, there was a row of jamming rooms, places set aside, out of everyone's way, for serious players who may or may not have bands of their own, to put some time in on their skills and to pick up new tricks from their fellows. Each could have been a convivial living room gathering of old friends, and I suspect there was at least as much music played up there along this hallway as there was in the rest of the festival, and of comparable quality. Venerable, crab-handed pickers lead groups composed of a variety of players, from their septuagenarian peers down to teenagers with guitars and mandolins. Peeking over the shoulder of a silver-haired gent with a vest full of harmonicas in different keys, one could see a room full of richly talented musicians, strangers or friends, bathed in song and the late winter sunshine.

Down in the lobby, a group of young high schoolers had gathered, with a banjo, guitar, three-quarter size bass, mandolin, and a shaggy-haired cell phone videographer. They were trying to figure out a pickin' version of Death Cab for Cutie's I Will Follow You into the Dark, the banjo player's clear tenor leading the struggling players through a good-hearted disharmony of chords and percussive instrument pounding. One couldn't help rooting for them, for stretching themselves to blend the contemporary with the traditional.

A youthful jam group tries to fuse Death Cab with bluegrass. See more photos by Ward Rubrecht.

Despite their struggles, and the struggles of many others during the day, there was only encouragement for the players. Most everyone in attendance could sympathize, remembering when they, too, fumbled the picking on a similarly tortuous run or stubbornly ran a song over and over until it clicked for them. That's not to say there wasn't sincere and ample praise of musicians, on stage and off, whose skill and dedication could make even the densest arpeggios float flawlessly off the strings.

The organized stage shows were uniformly enjoyable, but not uniform in the slightest. Varying in skill, style, traditionality, and even in electrification, the range of performers was staggering. With over 35 acts playing on Saturday, there were only so many I could fit in. I managed to see Blue Wolf, the Sans Souci Quartet, the New Bad Habits, and the Ditchlilies. I also saw Cabin Creek Pickin' warming up in a stairwell, and Namnlös, with their bowed but organesque nyckelharpa, running a few tunes in a tiny elbow-crook of a room full of pay phones.

Finishing out the day were two shows by Rustler's Moon. I saw the first, opened by the local greats, the Platte Valley Boys. Here was a reminder that all the jamming going on during the weekend, with circles morphing and reforming, does really build up to something amazing. These two acts delivered it with polish and panache. In particular, Tom Bekeny, the mandolin player for Rustler's Moon, showed the heights to which bluegrass musicians aspire during a song composed of give-and-take banjo and mandolin solos. Watching his fingerwork, I was blown away. It was like Anansi the spider god inhabited that man's pickin' hand, giving it the power to fly, contort and flourish, a spider dancing on his web, faster than I've ever seen another human being move.

After that performance, I meandered back down to the dance parlour. I was nearing the saturation point, not sure if I could distinguish between individual songs anymore. The Sans Souci Quartet's rendition of Naked Bacon Breakdown, a frenetic song of arpeggiated mayhem, was flowing into the Kathy Kallick original Coastal Fog's hopeless lamentations. I began to suspect some great jest; that these songs were all part of some larger work and I was just hearing snippets and sections amid the casual pickers and the performers on stages. Well, there's nothing to shake off paranoid musical hallucination like the toe-tapping and partner-swinging of square dancing under Dot Kent's tender tutelage, and that's how I ended my day. Tired, and now sweaty, my brain sloshing with hours of never-before-heard-by-me music, I staggered out of that oasis of admiration, collaboration, and good, clean fun.
--Fish DeSmith

Posted by Jeff Shaw at March 3, 2008 6:55 AM | Comments (1)

 

Over the Weekend: 2/22-2/24

Filed under: Over the Weekend

Before the Blind Shake took the stage at the Triple Rock on Saturday night, we spotted them going through a series of stretches backstage. Once the power trio got onstage, the purpose for the pre-show ritual became apparent -- the leaps and contortions during their frenetic stage show keep the audience engaged and put the band in danger from muscle pulls. They played as the second act on a three-band bill also featuring the Dynamiters and the headlining Heroine Sheiks. With two fiery guitars and drums, the stripped-down Shake keep the musical energy as high as the risk of injury.

The previous evening over at the Turf Club saw presumably fewer opportunities to tear one's hamstring, but more opportunities to drown one's sorrows. The wake for the venerable "Homegrown" radio program saw artists from P.O.S. to Haley Boner perform. Paul Demko reports. P.O.S. was also among many -- including several Doomtree artists -- who took time to celebrate Dre Day at First Avenue.

ST. VINCENT: ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING

Unlike St. Vincent's last trip through town, this time the artist otherwise known as Annie Clark brought a full band with her. Friday night, Clark and company showed why multiple instruments plus the Cedar Cultural Center's intimate setting is an expert mix.

I want one of those microphones so I, too, can sound like I'm singing through a 1940s radio. More photos by James Tran.

After beginning with album-opener "Now, Now," St. Vincent ran through all the high points of last year's Marry Me. The songs gain a new currency live. The sly wit of songs like the title track comes through better in person. Watching a live performance of "Paris is Burning" is especially intriguing; Clark switches microphones during the song, transforming her soprano into a breathy memory of old-time radio.

St. Vincent's intricate, textured music has an orchestral feel, especially when augmented by Daniel Hart's shimmering violin work. But the crowd got a taste of Clark, solo, too -- the band departed the stage during a guitar interlude where she tore up the Beatles' "Dig a Pony."

Musically, Clark's crew has chops to burn, and her stage presence is delightfully approachable. When in the throes of a song, she's all herky-jerky movements and concentration. In-between, she's poking mild fun at her "secret crime-fighter name" ("You can call me Annie. Anything else would be awkward.") or expressing relief that no lightning bolt pierced the building during "Marry Me." The one time we found he speechless was after a brief, plaintive marriage proposal from the crowd left Clark chuckling and blushing. This is an understandable offense -- don't you have to love anyone who would put this in the "pictures" section of her website?

Departing from convention, she didn't duck offstage pre-encore, explaining that since people were likely tired, she'd dispense with the charade. The crowd was appreciative of this consideration -- or maybe we just didn't want her to leave the stage at all.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at February 25, 2008 5:26 AM | Comments (0)

 

Over the Weekend: 2/15-2/17

Filed under: Over the Weekend

If you read our interview with Romeo Castellucci, you know we were expecting tremendous things from the famed Italian artist. Jeff Severns Guntzel says his show "Hey Girl" delivered and then some during its run at the Walker this weekend.

Meanwhile, outside, Powderhorn Park saw local creatives making sleds from cardboard, wood and frozen peas (?) for an afternoon rally that was part sledding, part art.

Some were large, some were small, and all the art sleds can be seen in the slideshow with photos by Tony Nelson.

Musically, an infestation of Super Furry Animals was spotted all over town, from the Electric Fetus to the Varsity. The Welsh band used celery as an instrument and made it morphin' time, all of which we have photographic evidence of. James Tran captured this gentleman outside the show, and remarkably enough, he is neither a member of the band (though their costumes were staggering as well) nor a show-goer. He's just a dude walking around Dinkytown in a bear suit.

Hello, Sunshine: come inside the show, you'll fit right in. If you don't believe us, check out the slideshow.

Over at the Entry, three buzzed-about local acts showed their stuff. None, so far as we are aware, dressed in furry costumes. Desiree Weber reports.

KOZA, ROMANTICA, ALARMISTS: LOCAL BOYS MAKE GOOD

Saturday night’s show at the 7th St. Entry featured Chris Koza, Romantica and The Alarmists –- local acts that have risen to acclaim over the last two years. The house was packed even before the opener took the stage. To a cynic, it was a night of grown-up boys living out their rock and roll fantasies. But who can blame them – with adoring local fans, and some family thrown in, the crowd was even more amped up than Koza and his “90 cups of coffee.”

The Alarmists were one of three local acts at the Entry on Saturday. More photos by Daniel Corrigan here.

Chris Koza kicked things off right with an upbeat mix of equal parts acoustic and electric guitar, with the occasional harmonica thrown in for flavor. His indie rock sensibilities shine through on songs like “Adjust” and “Redwood Skyline,” off his new(est) EP A Friend of a Friend. His versatility is on display in songs like “Morning Moon,” which channels a Cash-like bass part, or the title track from his last full-length “Patterns,” which holds closer to a sound reminiscent of Iron & Wine. With a new angle on commonplace soundscapes, Koza proves himself accessible without ever succumbing to clichés – refreshing, upbeat indie rock the way it’s supposed to be.

Next up, Romantica.

Headed up by Irish lad Ben Kyle, Romantica fits squarely in the alt-country genre, for better or worse. Songs off their latest release America dominated the set, ranging from melancholy songs of lead-singer introspection to more upbeat songs that sound like things you’ve heard before – Ryan Adams and Jeff Tweedy, to name two. While they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, they also say that variety – or in this case originality – is the spice of life. Perhaps their inevitably romantic view of the world is best described in lyrics from “On My Mind,” which predictably declare that “love can make it right.” Their literalist lyrics invoke images we’ve seen before and while the tunes may be catchy, it’s certainly not a new strain.

The Alarmists finally took the stage and rocked the house but good. Fronted by Eric Lovold, the infectious energy of this quintet was apparent even from the first riffs, if not the bobbing heads of Ryan McMillan (guitar/vocals), Jorge Raasch (keys), Derek Jackson (drums) and Tony Najm (bass). Ranging in influence from indie-pop to brit-rock, their songs often feature dueling guitar parts with consistent bass/drum backing. In fact, despite being planted behind walls of sound, The Alarmists put the brilliance of uniform drum/bass downbeats on display and made sure that everyone knew when to tap their feet. Songs like “Light a Smoke,” which features an eerie synth loop, prove a strong backbone goes a long way to making a song interesting. The set also featured soon-to-be-released songs like “Rhyme & Reason” and “You’re Right” – available only in mp3 form. While the subtlety and (relative) nuance of some of their songs from The Ghost and the Hired Gun was lost somewhere around volume 11, the crafty lyrics and sheer exuberance made The Alarmists hard to tune out.
--Desiree Weber

Posted by Jeff Shaw at February 18, 2008 5:47 AM | Comments (0)

 

Over the Weekend: 2/7-2/10

Filed under: Over the Weekend

Cold though it be outside, our warmhearted crew is ever vigilant for goings-on. The dance of Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker came to the Walker accompanied by the music of Steve Reich, fusing the divine with the mechanical. Up north at this year's Arctic Blast, Vikings fans, players, and alumni gathered in Mille Lacs for some snowmobiling, drinking, and fundraising for the Vikings Children's Fund. The slideshow includes photos of a man with autographs on his face. In permanent marker. Eric Refsland's full review will be up later today.

For those caught somewhere between the poles of "modern dance" and "drunk Vikings fans," Friday and Saturday, Bar Fly's inaugural Cityscene festival showcased some musical gems. We've got this full report from Andy Mannix:

CITYSCENE FESTIVAL AT BAR FLY

Friday marked the beginning of the two-night, local indie Cityscene festival at Bar Fly's Loft venue. The twenty-four band lineup ranged from those presently forging the Twin Cities scene to those merely perpetuating it, and everything in between.

Tim Rivard, co-founder of Street Fusion, the booking company that dreamed up Cityscene, told me he chose the bands primarily based on Myspace popularity. Rivard said the idea was to gather the best of the scene into one weekend long event that he hopes to put together annually.

The most memorable performances of Friday came from psychedelic revivalists First Communion Afterparty and experimentalists Fort Wilson Riot. At first listen, First Communion Afterparty sounded like a Brian Jonestown Massacre cover band. But as their harmonies took shape, so did their unique, refined approach to a kaleidescope-folk style you wouldn't
expect to see amidst the neon lights of a Minneapolis bar. Decked out in vintage sun dresses and toting tambourines, they certainly looked the part. And as a testament to a dire commitment to their style, they were selling their music solely on vinyl.

First Communion Afterparty. Photo by Andy Mannix.

Early in the night, when I asked Fort Wilson Riot's Amy Hager what she thought of another band, she prefaced her opinion by telling me that she is a “voice person.” But the binary meaning of that didn't quite hit me until I actually heard her sing, which was as compelling, delightful and incomparable as the band's sound. FWR has an authentic energy and subtle hopefulness that reminded me of why I hear strangers raving about the Twin Cities music scene on the bus. They gave me hope that adjectives like “experimental” are more than just empty equivocations put in place to appeal to confused hipsters.

Fort Wilson Riot. Photo by Andy Mannix.

The only downside to FWR's performance was that only nine people were standing in attention – and I couldn't help but get the impression that most of them were friends of the band. Another handful watched from distant tables, but I think they would have been at Bar Fly regardless.

That was the scene Friday. The enormous warehouse feeling of the venue would have made almost any crowd look small, but I'm not sure those in attendance could even account for the night's combined band members. But for the most part, the bands didn't seem to mind – or at least didn't show it.
--Andy Mannix

SALTY STORIES FROM A SWEET SPOT

The Northstar Storytelling League hosts an evening of tales once a month at Java Jack's cafe in South Minneapolis. The first hour features a trio of professional tellers and their host. The second hour is an open mic. This month's host was Rose Arrowsmith DeCoux. The featured performers were Heatherlyn, Sara Boyle Trautner, and Noel Labine, and we bring to you a piece from each of them:

* A story of love and salt, told by Rose Arrowsmith DeCoux.
* An original song called "Home With You," by Heatherlyn.
* A story of a wedding ring and a very large fish, from Sara Boyle Trautner.
* A story called "Lovebirds," told by Noel Labine.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at February 11, 2008 5:04 AM | Comments (0)

 

Over the Weekend: 1/25-1/27

Filed under: Over the Weekend

The line between so-called high art and low art is largely artificial, and nowhere is this more ably demonstrated than on a Twin Cities weekend.

Take the past three days for example. Friday's show by local favorite Dosh at Triple Rock stretched into the wee hours, with three openers warming the crowd up for his forward-thinking electronic blend. Not feeling the modern music? Classic Chinese music and more hit St. Paul's Winter Carnival during the Ha Family's Chinese New Year performance. Acrobats, dances and more were on display to go along with the standard cold-weather entertainment.

St. Paul's Winter Carnival is in full swing. Image by James Tran.

If musical innovation and centuries-old celebratory arts didn't pique your interest -- and golf on top of frozen White Bear Lake seemed a little too genteel, or frostbite-inducing, or both -- there was always the wrestling show at First Avenue. Billed "Anarchy Rules," the choreographed violence wasn't highbrow, but featured highspots and a split brow or two.

On the topic of the upcoming flippage of the lunar calendar, newly-installed Web intern Andy Mannix hit the University of Minnesota's Chinese New Year celebration and brought back the following report:

CHINESE NEW YEAR: RINGING IN THE RAT AT U OF M

Screw Times Square. The rhythmic maneuvers of the Lion Dance at the Chinese New Year celebration last night alone were enough to put Carson Daly to shame.

Just under 500 people piled into the Great Hall in Coffman Memorial Union on the University of Minnesota campus to help ring in the Year of the Rat. A couple weeks early, sure, but who's keeping track?

The night started out traditionally, with a family of percussionists providing just the right noise for two guys in a red and gold lion costume (with some pretty impressive acrobatic skills) to groove to. Next up came an old folk song titled “Wangchunfeng” performed by pianist Kai-Li Cheng and violinists Hsuan-Wen Lin and Yinna Wang, followed by choreographed dancing from the Chinese American Association of Minnesota Dance Theater. So far, the events, set to ambient red lighting and extravagant decorations, would be enough to make one briefly mistake the room for a party in East Asia – save for the portraits of U of M fossils and heroes lining the walls.

Somebody's wishing it was the Year of the Rock Star at this point. Photo by Andy Mannix.

Later in the night, they mixed things up with a combination of customary and contemporary Chinese music, including original songs by artist Vivian. And if the music and dancing weren't enough, clever banter and strange recurring homages to ‘N Sync – including a brief tribute to Justin Timberlake – from MCs Jimmy Haung and Catherine Wang seemed to keep everyone entertained.

Finally, to make the night complete, somebody in a full-body rat costume that looked like the mascot for some unfortunately named high school football team was given the task of handing out trivia prizes. Maybe it was the weight of the costume, but this rodent appeared to have roughly the same enthusiasm for the job as Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. Oh well, the 3-year-old girl sitting next to me seemed to get a kick out of it.

All things considered, people went home smiling. And I am personally feeling better educated and more prepared for February 7th – the beginning of the Chinese New Year.
-- Andy Mannix

Posted by Jeff Shaw at January 28, 2008 5:49 AM | Comments (1)

 

Over the Weekend, 1/18-1/20

Filed under: Over the Weekend

Thought for the day: falling temperatures don't get you down if you're a) inside, b) sharing a collective entertainment experience alongside kindred spirits, c) preoccupied by great music, or d) all of the above.

We all had our chances for at least one of those four letters this weekend, so if it didn't happen for you, it isn't the cold's fault. Unless you went to the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships on Lake Nokomis, in which case b) might not have kept you warm.

All the more reason to have attended an event where one might groove alongside one's fellow humans. One example:

TRU RUTS ARTISTS CELEBRATE MLK AT BABALU

Celebrating Dr. King in an intimate environment Sunday night were members of the Tru Ruts crew. Fusing spoken word with hip-hop and jazz, the troupe's sounds spread through Babalu Restaurant, just north of the Warehouse District. "Dr. King, we sing these songs for you!" invoked Sha Cage at evening's onset before launching into a set that included her rendition of Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise."

Sha Cage performing an original piece about strong women.

Backed musically by the fusion stylings of Quilombolas, Cage and Speakeasy records labelmate Truthmaze each paid tribute to the Reverend in word and spirit. Once Cage and Truthmaze finished their sets, the band paid tribute musically, using funky world rhythms to turn the crowd into one nation under a groove. How do you not love a version of "We Want Peace" sung in Portuguese?

Truthmaze, the original b-boy from the North side, with Quilombolas.

This wasn't all the musical weekend had in store.

BON IVER AT THE TURF CLUB

It's tough to find an indie artist with more current buzz than Bon Iver. We've contributed to this with a profile and an artist of the year selection. The artist also known as Justin Vernon played at the Turf Club in St. Paul on Jan. 17. Pitchfork has the pictures.

BANDS, COVER AND OTHERWISE

The Best New Bands event at First Avenue on Friday night had a lucky number of bands (seven), and we're lucky to have nearly 20 of Daniel Corrigan's pictures. Bands included A Night in the Box, Black Audience, Gay Witch Abortion, Gospel Gossip, M.anifest, Mouthful of Bees and To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie. If you're not much for the local scene and long to pour some sugar on the one you love, you can always see Daniel's shots of
Def Repplica -- the Def Leppard tribute group attended the weekend's Twin Cities Music Expo.

What weekend would be complete without soccer? We leave you with this report from our own football junkie, Paul Demko:

AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS AT HOLY LAND DELI

Three hours before the AFC championship game kicked off on Sunday, another futbol championship got started in Accra, Ghana. The bi-annual African Cup of Nations features 16 countries from across the continent. Television viewing in the U.S. is a challenge. The only station that broadcasts games is French language 3A Telesud. Thankfully Holy Land Deli, along with serving up some of the best Middle Eastern food on the planet, carries this obscure station. Two years ago, when Egypt won on its home turf, immigrants from across the African continent showed up to watch games at the Northeast Minneapolis eatery.

So I was expecting a crowd at the Holy Land for today’s opening match. But when Ghana kicked off against Guinea at 11 a.m., there were only a handful of folks on hand. The hosts looked like they’d run across some seriously bad juju in the first half. They lashed the ball off the post on three different occasion and a bicycle kick from Asamoah Gyan went just wide.

But the Black Stars went ahead shortly after halftime on the strength of a somewhat dubious penalty kick call. Guinea then answered with an unlikely equalizer off the head of Oumar Kalabane. Just as the match looked to be headed for a 1-1 draw, Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari launched a 90th minute, 30-yard bomb that triggered bedlam in Accra.

Perhaps tomorrow’s Nigeria-Cote D’Ivoire showdown—the most anticipated match of the first round—will attract a few more viewers to the Holy Land.
-- Paul Demko

Posted by Jeff Shaw at January 21, 2008 7:26 AM | Comments (0)

 

Over the Weekend, 1/11-1/13

Filed under: Over the Weekend

As the post below this one makes clear, this weekend saw the inaugural 2008 Polar Bear Plunge benefit for Special Olympics. I took part, took photos and video, and if you've ever wanted to see frozen Ghostbusters, head over to the photo slideshow.

Some of the costumed folks and event volunteers have shown up in the blog post comments, too, which is fun.

Upon drying off and warming up from the Polar Bear Plunge, I headed to the Walker for the Miguel Gutierrez and the Powerful People performance. The dance-and-much-more piece opened the 20th anniversary of the Walker's "Out There" series.

MIGUEL GUTIERREZ AND THE POWERFUL PEOPLE

One by one, they emerge, the Powerful People. As a simple cymbal beat plays, performers in the nine-member troupe move out from the wings and take the stage, faces blank. Now and again, they make eye contact with the audience; now and again the gaze breaks.

Check out our slideshow for the Out There 20. The first four photos are from the Gutierrez show, and the shots just get odder and more interesting from there.

Over the course of the evening, their performance piece "Everyone" would include music, dance, movement (solo and tandem) along with spoken word. Yet the high points of the evening were the most understated, the moments where Gutierrez and Co. made provocative statements about the nature of human connections with the self and the other. These moments existed, but were fleeting.

Besides the high concept moments, like when the troupe's placement amongst the theater seats gave performers the illusion of flight, the show's best moments were its most humorous. During a shared monologue (a paradox, I know), Gutierrez' ruminations on seemingly disconnected moments of relative truth value gave way to musings about INXS, Michael Hutchence's last moments and reality television. This engaged all segments about audience, something the rest of the performance struggled with.

Performance art isn't for everyone. It's meant to challenge and at times confuse, a point the group noted (and was evident to one attendee, who made a point of walking out during a brief lull in the action). At its best, it can be a unifying experience, where the line between audience and viewer, subject and object, is blurred.

The Powerful People reach for this, but never quite get there. Some of this might be due to rising expectations. After reading the New York Times' rave reviews, and that Gutierrez "upends the traditional theatrical experience by seating the audience on the stage," we were prepared for a bit more interactivity. The show included running, singing and simulated (?) make-out sessions, but the closest the audience came the performers was during a lull, when one Powerful Person came so close to the first row during an intricate movement series that you could have plucked her back hairs.

This was emblematic of the show: impressive, yes, striving, yes; but leaving you just this close to satisfaction.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at January 14, 2008 5:35 AM | Comments (1)

 

Tropical Transplant Does Polar Bear Plunge

Filed under: Over the Weekend

For the past year, I've been living in sub-tropical Okinawa, Japan -- not exactly the proper climate in terms of preparing for a Minnesota winter.

So I took the only logical course of action, throwing myself into the chill full-steam. This means doing the Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics at White Bear Lake this Saturday morning.

When I told people my plans, the response was uniform -- "you're crazy" -- save one holdout. My landlady told me that I have to be a third-generation Minnesotan before I try this. In the name of journalism, though, I broke out the underwater housing for my video camera to offer a first-person view of what doing the plunge is like.

The, um, battle cries are unscripted. My own personal Howard Dean moment.

I arrived at the lake early, just as registration was beginning at 9 a.m., so I could photograph the volunteers from local law enforcement cutting a hole in the frozen lake. The quiet registration soon gave way to a throng. There were more than 400 online registrations, and more than 500 people did the plunge overall -- a White Bear Lake record.

The outlandish costumes (one man's top three: the Ghostbusters; Twister; the Wizard of Oz cast) added to the festive atmosphere, and so did some judiciously chosen music playing from outdoor speakers. Strolling down to the jump-off point, I recall thinking "If you're going to freeze to death, you might as well do so to the tune of Rick James' 'Superfreak.'" And then, the water!

I'm a cold, cold man. We also have a photo slideshow with tons of images containing people in costumes far more outlandish than my Hawaiian shirt-and-board-shorts combo. Check out these reaction shots.

The aftermath was a blur of warm water, a quick change in the tent, and Paul Demko laughing maniacally at me. The initial shock of the water was nothing compared to the chill of walking around afterward wet. It's funny how much adrenaline will protect you from an extreme sensation -- and interesting how quick it wears off. I toweled dry, changed clothes, and zipped in to work to post this. With the miracle of Google, I checked the weather.

It was 22 degrees in Okinawa, today, too. Celsius.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at January 12, 2008 4:02 PM | Comments (6)

 

Over the Weekend, 1/4-1/6

Filed under: Over the Weekend

The weekend before this one was an about-town individual's dream. Standard Friday and Saturday festivities were augmented by holiday cheer, and New Year's Eve gave us all permission to drink on a Monday night.

This set of days was a bit sleepier. If you didn't hibernate, though, maybe you went to a punk rock show. Maybe you went to church. Maybe you embraced Carl Jung's duality of human experience and did both.

If you did neither, fear not. We won't tell. We will, however, give you a full report.

RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS
Always looking for a chance to celebrate? Wishing the Christmas season wouldn't end? To local Russian Orthodox observers, it's the height of the season. The calendar Orthodox churches use hearkens back to the Julian system, which is a few weeks behind the West's Gregorian system. Think of it as daylight savings time on the Balco plan.

The holy days thus began in earnest last night, with Christmas Eve services at St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral in northeast Minneapolis.

Christmas Day is today, and the worship begins at 10 a.m. Yesterday's festivities included a procession and two choirs performing at the lovely cathedral. You can see Daniel Corrigan's photographs -- and trust me, you want to see these -- here.

THE MIGHTY MOFOS AND MORE AT SEVENTH STREET ENTRY
The garage/punk sound of the Mighty MoFos has graced the Minneapolis-St.Paul scene for decades, and they show no signs of slowing down.

If it doesn't have bagpipes, can it rock? Really?

In conjunction with The Hostages, Maps of Norway and Miss Carla's Velvet Lash, the Batson brothers and company played at 7th St. Entry Friday night at a birthday fiesta for Ollie Stench (Brad Beving). Photos are here.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at January 7, 2008 1:19 AM | Comments (0)

 

Over the Weekend, 12/28-12/31

Filed under: Over the Weekend

The calendar is kind to the party-minded this year, on the cusp of 2008. A long weekend of music began Friday night, carried through yesterday evening ... and now it's New Year's Eve. As you rest up for tonight and prepare to swear off drinking forever (again, and not until morning), check out a few dispatches from events of the past three days.

Conor Oberst and his Not-Bright-Eyes Band

Contrary to the rumors, Portland's M. Ward was not part of the new band Conor Oberst brought to 400 Bar for two shows Saturday and Sunday. But the prolific practitioner of indie rock still packed the house for two concerts, though they were shrouded in mystery -- he wouldn't answer questions about what type of backing band he'd have, and would only say that it wouldn't be a Bright Eyes show. And it wasn't, as his group played 10 new songs before "covering" three from the Bright Eyes canon. See the slideshow with photos by Daniel Corrigan.

Mothership Connection: DJ ESP at the Foundation

Seminal electronica figure DJ ESP (Woody McBride) stopped in Minneapolis during his "I was abducted by aliens" tour on Friday night. Prominent in the early 1990s Twin Cities music scene, ESP dropped beats for a particular purpose. "My job is to remove the 'False Self' from the party-goers ... and then apply a thick layer of psychic salve directly to the hair, ears, eyes and skin," he says.

Daniel Corrigan was there from set-up and sound check through the entire show. See DJ-perspective photos of the show by Corrigan here.

On the topic of that venue: Tonight is the last night the club will be open for some time, so if you're a Foundation-goer, check it out.

She Blinded Me With Science: A Day in Pompeii

It's now the final week of the Science Museum of Minnesota's "A Day in Pompeii" exhibit, and your intrepid correspondent dutifully attended.

The verdict: well worth the $20 admission fee. Artifacts -- including food, like an ancient bread loaf, to accompany furniture, coins and other accoutrements -- are worth the price of admission alone. The exhibit's true power lies in the fascinatingly morbid plaster casts of people in their death throes. The things are full-on creepy (especially the one of a manacled slave), but it was the replica of a faithful dog left behind to guard a villa that really got to me.

The exhibit runs through Jan. 6. Reservations in advance are strongly encouraged.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at December 31, 2007 7:41 AM | Comments (0)

 

Over The Weekend: 12/24

Filed under: Over the Weekend

Despite a relatively thin slate of events this week due to the rapidly oncoming holidays, there was still plenty to find around town to entertain yourself. At least, there was if you were me. Which, as far as I know, you aren't. (And if you are, one of us needs to pay our parking tickets and get the starter in the car looked at -- so hop to it after you get done reading this, please.)

SOUL ASYLUM AT FIRST AVENUE
Nothing says Christmas like Soul Asylum. Dave Pirner and his merry band performed at First Avenue on Friday night. Pirner's brother, Paul, was not in attendance -- his band (the 757s) was playing elsewhere -- but for some of us music, like the holidays, is a family affair that works better when the relatives aren't around.

Soul Asylum packed First Avenue on Friday night. Check out our gallery with photos by Daniel Corrigan.

TWO WILD TILTS
I know Thursday's game isn't technically a weekend game, but it featured Marian Gaborik's historic performance, a live report from me and roughly 1097 percent more holiday cheer than the Dec. 22 loss to the Red Wings. Hence, I consider it much more worthy of remembrance, and even meritorious of a post-hat trick photograph.

As for the next game, the actual weekend game, well ... Detroit's likely still steaming over our designation as The New Hockeytown, and they took it out on the Wild in a 4-1 defeat. The best part about Saturday night's contest? Well, have a look at it:

If four of us had somehow thrown the free commemorative pucks they gave out past Dominik Hasek and into the net, it might have been a better night.

RICE PARK WINTER SKATE
After teasing us with temperatures that reached 36 on Friday, I reasoned a Saturday night checking out the Rice Park Winter Skate was the way to go. This would have been an even better time if temperatures hadn't plunged more than 20 degrees during the time it took to eat dinner and head for the ice.

Skating: good times. Ears: still attached. Double your pleasure.

For some reason, though the big tree wasn't lit on Saturday night. What gives? Some sudden twinge of environmentalism? A random guy kicking out the plug after six Grain Belts? Or (my personal favorite theory) one solitary burned-out light forcing an intern to spend six hours climbing through the branches, twisting bulbs and grumbling?

Posted by Jeff Shaw at December 24, 2007 5:39 AM | Comments (0)

 

Over the Weekend: 12/17

Filed under: Over the Weekend

Before we get into this weekend's exceptional music slate, with Andrew Bird supported by Haley Bonar, the hip-hopstravaganza that was the Doomtree Blowout and so forth, I would like to be sure one item about the Wu-Tang Clan remains unforgotten. You'll get to read Nate Patrin's full review below, too.

See, the Wu-Tang Clan isn't really the Wu-Tang Clan without Ol' Dirty Bastard. This is not to denigrate the remaining MCs: the world is not the same without ODB, one of the truly larger than life figures of our times. Did you know he once pulled a four-year-old from a burning car? It's true. But the moment I'd like to remember him by is his bumrush of the Grammys stage, where he made a few points -- all salient, all hilarious:

Puffy is good. Wu-Tang is the best. And he loves us all -- never forget that. RIP ODB.

With that being said, the weekend:

ANDREW BIRD

We in the Twin Cities love us some Andrew Bird. The idiosyncratic multi-instrumentalist sold out two shows at the Guthrie and there was still substantial demand for a third show Sunday afternoon at Cedar Cultural Center.

Andrew Bird played an array of instruments this weekend. See more of James Tran's photos here.

Here's one anecdote that demonstrates his popularity, even among media types that get to see tons of different artists. Photographer James Tran went to both Guthrie shows and wanted to hit all three. When I solicited freelance music writers about possibly reviewing one of the concerts, more than one said "Let me know which one you want me to review -- because I want to buy tickets to the others."

By all reports, the shows (which support Bird's latest effort, Armchair Apocrypha), lived up to expectations, with the artist performing on guitar and violin among other instruments, and sometimes playing two at once.

WU-TANG CLAN

Wu Tang Clan
Sunday, Dec. 16, First Avenue
Review by Nate Patrin

Ghostface Killah, Method Man, GZA, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, U-God, Ol’ Dirty Bastard (in spirit) – almost everyone in the Wu-Tang Clan, including 10th/9th member Cappadonna, took to the stage at quarter after 11 p.m. Sunday night. But even though his presence loomed large through the speakers that pounded his legendary beats, founder and leader the RZA was completely absent from this second stop on the Wu’s winter tour. Weirder still: they released an album last week, the solid-to-great 8 Diagrams, mentioned it once near the end of the show, and played approximately zero tracks off it.

This should tell you most of what you need to know concerning the Wu-Tang Clan’s current state of flux right now. To recap: 8 Diagrams, the first Wu-Tang group effort since 2001’s Iron Flag, is a dense and frequently weird record that is alternately more melodic, more psychedelic, more subdued and more fractured than any of their previous records. Raekwon and Ghostface have gone on record as not being entirely thrilled with RZA’s production work, and there’ve been rumors spreading of the Wu going forward in the future without him.

It seems almost unthinkable from a group unity standpoint, but as concerts go it seemed to go off pretty well – Meth reprised his role as stage-diving, crowd-amping dynamo, Ghostface shouted out his verses with a scary intensity that made his commanding performance at the Varsity last summer look subdued (no small feat), Raekwon did his Only Built 4 Cuban Linx classics justice, Cappadonna got a couple chances to tear shit up acappella, Deck and Masta Killa rounded out the mic front lines, and even though he spent a few minutes at the back of the stage tinkering with his cell phone, GZA showed the flashes of brilliance that another Varsity crowd was lucky to see a year ago.

And even though their setlist was more than familiar to Wu diehards – most of it came from the first wave of greatness that started with 1993’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and continued over the next couple years with solo records like Method Man’s Tical, GZA’s Liquid Swords and Raekwon’s Cuban Linx – it was something different to hear lines that were delivered by one man on wax belted out by three or four or more MCs on stage. Even without their founder the RZA and their most outrageous member ODB (the latter of whom was given a fitting medley/tribute with a quick run-through of “Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” “Brooklyn Zoo” and the hook to “Got Your Money”), they sounded, if not complete, at least massive.

DOOMTREE BLOWOUT

The third annual Doomtree Blowout occurred at First Avenue Friday, Dec. 14. The huge night for the hip-hop collective was documented in photos by Daniel Corrigan.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at December 16, 2007 8:43 PM | Comments (0)