Photo by Erik Hess

Teenage Moods
With Vanna Inget, Prissy Clerks & Ex-Nuns
Hexagon Bar, Minneapolis
Thursday, January 17, 2013

At no point during last night's stuffed Hexagon lineup would I have envied the "next band." All participants likely agreed that the excellent Ex Nuns got off easy by filling the first slot. Even fighting against the bar's back room of pool shooters and Lakers fans, fronter Ian Littleson's post-hardcore outfit brought enough of both Southern California bounciness and DC sneer to launch things from one snotty soapbox.

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Slideshow: Teenage Moods, et al. at Hexagon Bar

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Kevin Westenberg

The Script made a name for themselves with emotional, heartfelt songs like "Breakeven," "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" and "For the First Time." The Irish trio, made up of vocalist and keyboard player Danny O'Donoghue, guitarist Mark Sheehan and drummer Glen Power are back with a new album #3 that hit stores earlier this month. Gimme Noise talked with O'Donoghue ahead of The Script's performance at the Orpheum Theatre on Friday.

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Photo by B Fresh Photography; more from ZPC 2011 here.

Who wants to party with these brain-eaters?

Yes boys and girls, Saturday is that magical time of the year when zombies take to the West Bank's local watering holes and now Midway Stadium to get intoxicated with Brain Belt. The Zombie Pub Crawl is upon us, and with zombie-mania more in the media than ever, this year's should be the biggest yet. That in mind, we've compiled a playlist of certified zombie hits to get those undead toes a'tapping. Here's our top 10 songs about zombies.

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Zombie Pub Crawl conquers all
Zombie Pub Crawl 2012 music lineup unveiled
Five of our favorite DMX moments

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Sandrine Lee

Singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding made history when she received a Grammy Award in 2011 for Best New Artist. Up against music greats Mumford & Sons, Florence and the Machine, Drake, and teen favorite Justin Bieber, it was Spalding who walked away with the Grammy, making it the first time a jazz musician won that award.

On Sunday, Spalding will perform at the State Theatre, sharing tunes from her newest album, Radio Music Society. The album serves as a companion to Chamber Music Society, Spalding's last record. Spalding collaborated with new talent, including hip-hop artist Q-Tip who performs on and co-produced two tracks. Here's Gimme Noise's conversation with Spalding about her big award and her new album.

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Courtesy of Light in the Attic

Back in the late '60s, the singer-songwriter Rodriguez was slated to be Detroit's own Bob Dylan. Although he made a couple of terrific records, they only made it as far as the cut-out bin in the United States. Over time, however, his music caught fire in South Africa, and he became revered from afar, influencing countless revolutionary punk and protest singers through the years.

Now, this bumpy road to late-life stardom is the subject of the new documentary Searching for Sugarman, named after one of his signature songs. Rodriguez was in Minneapolis recently to promote the film, and right when Gimme Noise met him in the lobby of the W Hotel last month, it was clear this wouldn't be the typical interview. More »

Photo By Brigitte Henry

Insightful Canadian singer/songwriter Patrick Watson rolls into the Cedar Cultural Center Saturday night on the strength of his excellent new record, Adventures In Your Own Backyard, an album filled with a studied blend of subtle instrumentation and profound lyrics. Watson has long since captured the attention of music fans with his Polaris Award-winning Close To Paradise, and his riveting new songs only build on that promise.

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Photo By Tony Nelson

On the surface, Marc Maron and Craig Finn literally seem like world's apart. But in the most recent episode of Maron's immensely popular podcast WTF, the two get a chance to explore some familiar personal terrain together.

For those who are unfamiliar with the podcast, Maron tends to facilitates his interviews in a more colloquial manner, and what unravels feels more like a therapy session than a talk-show. And the interviews are typically nothing short of revelatory and engaging.

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​Thankfully, Clear Heart Full Eyes, the debut solo album from the Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn, doesn't signify a fracture between him and his regular bandmates. It just represents a temporary musical diversion for Finn from the wild, late-night hi-jinks that are prominently featured in his celebrated main band. And while Finn's familiar talk/sing vocal style remains the focus of his solo songs, the musical makeup of the tracks are quite a departure for Finn. The new tracks sway from restless blues, to plaintive, countrified Americana, to relaxed, keyboard-laden pop songs. Some of these new numbers certainly work better than others, but Finn's dedicated fans are unquestionably excited about the prospect of hearing him play these solo songs live, as his upcoming Triple Rock show in February sold-out weeks ago.

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​James Mercer has had no shortage of creative outlets over the last few years. But his main band, the Shins, have kept remarkably quiet since 2007's Wincing The Night Away, other than announcing that they were leaving their longtime label Sub Pop in '08. Mercer has now formed his own record label, Aural Apothecary, which will release Port Of Morrow on March 20, the first album from the Shins in nearly five years. Mercer plays most of the music found on the record, assisted by former Shins members Dave Hernandez and Marty Crandal (who no longer feature in the touring aspect of the band), Janet Weiss of Wild Flag, Eric Johnson of the Fruit Bats, and Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse. Mercer just made the first track from the album available, the plainly titled but still evocative "Simple Song." Give it a listen after the jump. More »

​It seems like Ricky Rubio is not only rapidly capturing the attention of fans of the NBA, but also the affections of musicians as well. While the Spanish point guard tries to eventually work his way into the Timberwolves starting line-up (as well as the hearts of Minnesota basketball fans who have been yearning for excitement), the experimental musician Oneohtrix Point Never has delivered an ode to the young ball handling virtuoso, simply titled "Rubio." It's a slick, ethereal track, much like the smooth play which Rubio has exhibited on the court so far during his emerging rookie season.

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