Minneapolis / St. Paul Music Blog

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Metric at the First Ave Mainroom
Review By Amber Schadewald

Better Than: Hearing Metric on the radio while stuck in rush hour, in
the rain, in August.

Good lord, Emily Haines is one blessed individual: she's a stunner, and
wins over crowds like the Teddy Bear Band wins over kindergarteners. In
contrast to her solo shows, while performing with Metric, Haines has the
energy of a sugar-doped kid, awing the packed Mainroom as she dances in
shimmering tights, itty-bitty dress, and scaled ankle-boots.

In 2005 a New Yorker piece about Craig Finn of The Hold Steady (and the sorely missed Lifter Puller) singled him out for writing songs "as though the point of making music is to communicate." It's a skill for which he has absorbed no shortage of recognition.

This week's CP contains an elegy for Third Ear Recording Studio, which is slated to shut down at the end of this month. As longtime proprietor Tom Herbers cleans house, he's been posting photos taken at the studio over the years on Third Ear's web site. Here's a favorite featuring Joanna James and Chris Koza from 2004:

The MacArthur Foundation announced this year's round of "genius" grants today--and I have once again been overlooked. Apparently the 17 letters of supplication I directed towards foundation president Jonathan Fanton were not persuasive. My daily improvisational works involving box wine, panty hose and Garcia Vega cigars simply won't be able to continue without independent funding.

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Yo Majesty Kill It at the Entry, September 20, 2007
Review by Amber Schadewald

Better Than: Jock Jams at middle school dances.

Glowing like Christmas trees, the hardcore lady rappers of Yo Majesty
traded the usual bling 'round their necks for blinking holiday lights
and took the stage with fierce confidence. A long drive from their zip
code, Tampa residents Jwl B. and Shunda managed to look at home and
fresh, sporting their boy shorts with a peeks of flannel boxers poking
out the back.

The set was fast, loud and way hot. Shunda asked the crowd "Is Yo
Majesty getting you all hot?" The answer was definitely yes. The
combination of Shunda's slick spits, Jwl B.'s barks and their bass
busting beats was perfectly intense. The crowd was small and quiet at
first, but by the end, even the creepy man in the corner experimented
with a few shoulder rolls. One guy who looked like he was wearing PJs
seemed to dance harder than anyone in the room.

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Jamie T and the Pacemakers at the 7th Street Entry
Review by Sarah Askari

Jamie T is this kid from Wimbledon who can't yet grow facial hair but who last month put out a brilliant disc called Panic Prevention, a combination of Mike Skinner-style narrations of nights on the town and ska-exploding, dj-finessed rock songs.

"This song is about being drunk," says Jamie. Um, all of Jamie T's songs are about being drunk--you being drunk, a girl you know being drunk, your mates being drunk, your mum being drunk...I think it's a British working-class thing, no?

The crowd's energy wasn't up to the songs at first--hell, the band opened with "Pacemaker," one the most dancable tracks on the disc--but hands went ceiling-ward at a respectable four numbers in.

Mighty Clyde, The Vicious Lee, Professor BX, and Steve McPherson for City Pages discuss fast food, honor among music thieves, and their place in the local scene.

Vicious Lee: This has pickle and onion, so these ones are yours. The blue ones are mine, and let's just make sure they didn't fuck it up. And you'll be interested to know, White Castle uses the highest grade ingredients of all fast food chains.

City Pages: Really? Where does that come from?

VL: It comes from this guy that told me this thing. He also told me that Parliaments were created so World War II machine gunners could bite down.

Mighty Clyde: And we all know how true that was.

CP: So does this guy have any cred?

VL: None. I'm just saying this is just something I overheard at a bar somewhere and I just decided to adopt it as the truth.

CP: Now, I've had—

MC: I said cheeseburger, dammit.

VL: No cheese?

MC: No! I'll be right back ... uh, I didn't get charged for the cheese.

VL: Then you got no beef, man.

MC:[Gesturing to burger] I've got this very small amount of beef.

CP: So, I've had the frozen kind.

MC: That's a totally different thing.

CP: OK. Now, I was talking to David about this: Onion comes in a ring shape. Chicken does not.

VL: There's definitely some real work that has to be done.

CP: Now, are we sure it's not chicken butt?

[laughs]

VL: Wait, didn't you get any honey mustard for the man?

MC: No man, I roll with ketchup.

VL [disgusted]: We have to wine and dine this man!

CP: So, you guys seem to know a lot about fast food.

VL: It's basically our life's passion.

CP: Because I heard recommendations about [national chain of Southern-style fast food restaurants] and [national chain of Mexican-style fast food restaurants].

Our 2007 best-new-band poll is live. Read the intro, then check out articles on the winners (linked below individually), along with a sobering and insightful piece on the Picked to Click Curse. (For reference, see all previous Picked to Click issues). The numbers following the band names represents how many points each got from the 84 voters (see our complete list of ballots). Thanks to all who participated, and help them spread the word on all the groups named in the ballots. Here's the final tally:

1. Mouthful of Bees, 68
2. Gay Witch Abortion, 34
3. First Communion Afterparty, 29.5
4. Skoal Kodiak, 28
5. Roma di Luna, 27
6. Dance Band, 26
7. MC/VL, 23
8. Baby Guts, 20.5
9. M.anifest, 18
10. His Mischief 17.5

Other artists that received 6 or more points:

Here are the 84 ballots counted in this year's Picked to Click poll, alphabatized by the voters' names. Ballots without numbers attached, or without otherwise specifying an order of preference, were counted "in no particular order," with each choice getting 3 points. (First choices got 5 points, second choices 4, etc.) This year, we also accepted dual ties for 5th place, giving each choice .5 points. Spellings have been (mostly) corrected, and notes are in brackets. Thanks to all the voters! Add your own Top 5s in the comments:

Ian Anderson, Afternoon Records

1. Now, Now Every Children
2. Best Friends Forever
3. Tarlton
4. Rob Skoro
5. Kill the Vultures

Matt Axelson, booker for The Firewall venue in Stillwater

1. Cloud Cult
2. Red Fox Grey Fox
3. Weaver at the Loom
4. City of Sound
5. Now, Now Every Children

Spreading its text thinly and in large type over 68 pages, the glossy debut issue of Twin Cities Radio Magazine is heavy with ads, and articles that look and read like ads, balancing puff pieces on local radio personalities such as Mary Lucia with celebrity Q&As featuring Carrie Underwood and Brother Ali. There's a news item or two here, but don't expect a critical word about the local airwaves--there's nothing that couldn't have been written by the station owners themselves. Sample sentence: "102.9 Lite FM brings you the Most Music all day every day including commercial free hours."