Minneapolis / St. Paul Music Blog

​Bonnaroo has to decided to reveal its festival lineup in tiny increments via social media. Every six minutes on the Bonnaroo Myspace page a new name will added to the list. So far the heavy hitters include Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, and the Flaming Lips performing Dark Side of the Moon.

​February should be declared local benefit concert month -- between our Haiti benefit this weekend, Rhymesayers' Haiti benefit next Tuesday, and the Electric Fetus's tornado damage recovery show later this month, local music fans have plenty of excuses to head down to First Avenue and put their dollars to good use. The Fetus has done an especially great job of culling a diverse lineup of local talent, ranging from more folk-influenced acts like Caroline Smith and Roma di Luna to country-tinged local mainstays Trailer Trash and hip-hop act Unknown Prophets. Check out the full lineup, cover and set times below:

​The Paid Dues Festival lineup was announced yesterday, and we were pleased to see Minneapolis's own Doomtree crew listed on the flyer alongside huge acts like Ice Cube and Murs. The massive hip-hop festival will take place the first Saturday in April in San Bernadino, California; check the Paid Dues site for more information. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, February 6.

​You know you've made it in the local scene when the biggest art gallery in the Twin Cities plans not one, but two days of celebration in your honor. The Walker Art Center has announced King for Two Days: A Dave King Celebration on March 12 and 13, which will feature performances by six of King's different musical groups.

​Storied local punk rock band the Soviettes will re-emerge after a nearly four year hiatus to release an album of rarities and B-sides, tentatively titled LP IV. Though the band members have been plenty active in other groups since their break-up (Annie and Danny formed the Awesome Snakes, while Sturgeon joined the Gateway District and Susy plays in That's Incredible), but the quartet hasn't played together since April 2006, which makes their upcoming album release show all the more exciting. The Soviettes will play at the Turf Club on Friday, March 19, and each of the band members' aforementioned side projects will open up the show.

​Rhymesayers in joining in the Haiti fundraising efforts with a massive show at First Avenue on Tuesday, February 9. The event will be hosted by Slug and will feature performances by Brother Ali, Sage Francis & B. Dolan, Freeway & Jake One, I Self Divine, Sims, Toki Wright, Muja Messiah, BK One, DJ King Otto and Kevin Beacham. Tickets go on sale this Wednesday.

​Are you as excited about this show as we are? We've already gotten a great response from our readers about the Gimme Shelter: A Benefit for Haiti show coming up on Saturday, February 6, at First Avenue, and tickets are now on sale. To avoid the Ticketmaster fees, we recommend purchasing your tickets at one of the many local outlets that stock First Ave tickets (including record stores like the Electric Fetus, Treehouse, and Fifth Element) or in person at the First Avenue box office.

You can also purchase the tickets through Ticketmaster on First Ave's website.

​We've just received a heads up from Dominique Davis, the mastermind behind experimental electro project Dearling Physique, that he will host an interactive listening party for his new album, The Moon Leads Me, on February 20 at Club Jager. The "Choose a Color" listening party flyer is a bit mysterious, but Davis has given us a few tidbits to whet our appetite:

"Upon entering Club Jager, guests will be asked to choose from one of four colors. The color you chose will determine how your presence will connect with our performance. Dearling Physique graciously asks all of those attending to wear articles of clothing in either black or white, as this will greatly add to the experience."

Photo by Ben Clark

​We just caught wind of a new tour planned by local electro duo Lookbook, who will sweep the East Coast throughout February, swing home for a gig at the Cedar February 27 with No Bird Sing and Kill the Vultures, and then head down to Texas in March for South by Southwest. Got all that? Here's the play-by-play:

Spoon

​We weren't kidding last week when we said this is a busy time for show announcements -- yesterday there were so many coming through our Twitter feed that we could barely keep up. Here's a summary of the latest announcements:

James Taylor & Carole King
Xcel Center
May 25
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will share a backing band and perform together as part of their Troubadour Reunion Tour, which stops at the Xcel Center in May. Tickets go on sale Saturday, January 23.

Photo by Ben Clark

Dosh (right) with Jeremy Ylvisaker and Mark Mallman at SXSW 2009

​Dosh has had a new record brewing for a while now, and we're amped to hear that he's announced an official release show. The multi-talented looping maestro will release his latest record, Tommy, in early April with a hometown gig at the 7th St. Entry on April 9. The new record is named after Martin Dosh's close friend and former sound engineer Tom Cesario, who passed away unexpectedly almost exactly a year ago.

Photo by Esther White

​While the show calendar in January may look like a barren wasteland for touring acts, at least it's a good time of year for show... announcements. A little anticipation can help us to get through these cold, dark days, can't it? Here's a quick summary of the show announcements we've heard so far this week:

Vampire Weekend
First Avenue
March 22
Luckily, not every track on their new album, Contra, is as grating or dippy as the first single "Horchata." Stream the whole thing for free over on their MySpace page.

​It's hard to believe it's already been five years since MPR first debuted the Current on 89.3 FM, but time flies when you're playing commercial-free music and spinning indie-rock tunes. To celebrate, the Current is throwing a 5-year anniversary bash next month at First Avenue, and they've spared no expense with the lineup -- essentially every "hot" local band of 2009 (this side of Owl City, anyway) will perform on January 29.

Here are all the details:

Photo by Jon Behm

​Just yesterday, P.O.S. was twittering about how happy he was to finally be home from his tour and in his own bed. This morning, his publicity team has sent out a release announcing yet another tour for the busy local hip-hop artist-made-good, and this time it will be a headlining tour taking him from one end of the country to the other. There aren't any hometown dates on the list, but the last couple of shows are in Madison and Milwaukee, so we're hoping he schedules a homecoming gig to celebrate the completion of this massive tour.

P.O.S. is inviting Doomtree crewmate Dessa along for the ride, which will be great exposure for her as well -- Dessa's new solo album, A Badly Broken Code, is coming out next month, and will be the first fully supported national release on the Doomtree imprint.

Photo by Nick Vlcek

​What happens when you combine two man-sized rats, a pair of dance-rap nerds, the singer from a psych-rock band, a hip indie rock dude, local piano man Mark Mallman, and the Cure? Well, it turns out you get a fun cover of "Friday I'm in Love," complete with a wintry little music video.

Photo by Nick Vlcek

​We're a little late in posting this, but First Avenue announced its annual lineup of Best New Bands last week, and the winners will be no big surprise to Gimme Noise readers: Picked to Click winners Red Pens (pictured above) are on the list, as well as a collection of other familiar names like the Twilight Hours and Slapping Purses. The lineup is more diverse than it has been in recent years, with a nice mix of hip-hop trio No Bird Sing, folkies Peter Wolf Crier, lo-fi rockers Leisure Birds, and prog-rock oddballs Moonstone rounding out the bill.

The Best New Bands showcase takes place in the First Avenue Main Room on Friday, January 15, 2010.

As they prepare to drop their new collaboration next weekend, talented writer/MC/activist Guante and producer Big Cats! have created this promo video, shot in their practice space. Watch as Guante, in the span of one minute, name drops local concert taper Empty, lunatic Michele Bachmann, and Seinfeld's George Costanza in nearly the same breath.

​After presenting the successful Deep Blues Festival this past summer, organizer Chris Johnson has announced a follow-up event that will take place next month as part of the St. Paul Winter Carnival: The Deep Blues Film Festival will feature two days of live performances and music documentary screenings. See below for the full lineup of the festival, which will take place at both the St. Paul Eagle's Club and Palmer's Bar on the West Bank.

​Not the face, not the face! Melt-Banana, up to no good as usual.

Somewhere between the self-serious unfathomability of Merzbow (man-in-chair-clicking-mouse-button) and the potentially lethal aggression of Hanatarash (throwing of live chainsaws into the crowd) lies Melt-Banana, the Tokyo noise-rock band that, despite being almost completely unlistenable on wax, has curried much favor across numerous musical genres.

It's largely on the strength of their live shows, which have all the benevolent violence of an Andrew W. K. performance, with little or no hazard to the crowd's bodies.

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If Bukowski's heart pounded at just a few more BPMs, if the drunk being hoisted off his stool at last call was just a tad more literate, if your average rock band had spent as much time at the local library, every show could be so lucky.

Ike Reilly is less than a laureate, more than a drunken picker. Nearly a poet, transcendent of bar band tropes. His music is the tried and true kind, as comfortable and as well-fitted as a pair of jeans--the kind where you know the story behind every cigarette burn and fraying knee. Tonight, he brings his troupe to the Black Box on First and Seventh.

​Noise rock band on their best behavior--An Albatross.

SkrrrrrEEEEEEwaaaaaaaDINGkrsssssssshgggggraaaaakclescree...

It would take a room full of poets to come up with enough onomatopoeias to communicate exactly what happens at a noise show. And, as any casual reader of Gime Noise should know by now, poets we are not.

But it's Tuesday, anyway, and a chilly one at that. And we know you've got a few unspoiled liver cells and room between your ears for a little tinnitus. An Albatross is about as storied a noise rock troupe as you'll find for a few hundred miles as the crow flies.

Andrea Swensson

John Munson, Matt Wilson, and Dan Wilson playing the Benefit for Conrad at First Ave in 2006

​Though they each play around town fairly often, it's a rare treat to see brothers Dan and Matt Wilson side by side -- Dan is most often seen playing solo or at Semisonic reunions, while Matt's attention has been focused on the Twilight Hours. And despite the fact that each one of them collaborates with their former Trip Shakespeare bandmate John Munson, it's not often that the two Wilsons are seen together. But later this winter, the two brothers will play a rare gig as a duo, incorporating songs from their lengthy and influential careers as bandmates, solo artists, and collaborators.

From the press release:

​The Manix prefer to do it themselves.

So, you got yelled at by your beady eyed boss, and for no good reason. Boom--another lovely work week is underway. Another day of contemplating the old swan dive from an uncomfortable psychological distance.

This, people, is why punk music was invented, and it's why Memory Lanes, the inner city's premium bowling alley/punk rock venue, keeps their doors open on Mondays. Tonight, Amen and the Hell Yeahs and the Manix do their damndest to ease the pain.

​As part of the Whole's continuing Making Music series at the University of Minnesota, Doomtree producer Lazerbeak will make an appearance next week. "At 8 p.m. on Thursday, November 19th, he'll talk about his beginnings as a beatsmith's apprentice, his rapid ascension through the ranks, and his current position as the master of his own forge," reads the press release "Attendees can expect a bit of local history, a demonstration of Beak's techniques, and the definitive definition of a 'lavabanger.'"

Admission is free. The Whole is located in the basement of Coffman Union.

Photo by Stacy Schwartz

​We recently got the news that Beth Engleman -- who some might recognize as a former clerk at the Electric Fetus and all-around music lover -- was involved in a hit-and-run accident on her bicycle that left her seriously injured. Beth's friends are reaching out to the community-at-large to raise money for what will likely be some astounding medical expenses, and will be gathering donations for a raffle and benefit that will take place Monday, November 23 at the West Bank Social Center.

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Sporting the most aliases this side of O.D.B., the most wildly uneven discography since Zappa, and the most revered name in his field since Henry Ford churned out the Model T, Kool Kieth, aka Dr. Octogon, aka Black Elvis, aka Dr. Dooom, will perform tonight at the Triple Rock.

​Mute Era will be holding it down every Thursday night this month as part of the November Minneseries, a revolving local artist residency at the Nomad World Pub. Check the flyer for details -- openers will include bands as far-ranging as Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles, Baby Guts, and 2009 Picked to Click finalists Dante and the Lobster, Leisure Birds, and Teenage Moods. All of the Minneseries events are free.

​Tonight kicks off the first Triple Double Tuesday of November at the Triple Rock Social Club, featuring WZZ Winship, Jonathan Ackerman, and TRL. Check the flyer for all the details, and preview the upcoming weeks' lineups for this recurring DJ night and 2-4-1 drink special extravaganza -- which you may recognize as a reference in the POS single "Optimist" (listen here, he gives a shout out at around 1:50).

​Sad news for fans of the Canadian rock group: The Tragically Hip have announced an illness in the band and canceled a pair of tour dates, including tomorrow night's show in St. Paul at the O'Shaughnesssy Auditorium. Their website indicates that one of the members has the flu, but as Chris Riemenschneider points out, it's probably not SWINE FLU OMG since their tour will resume on Friday. Ticket refunds are available at the point of purchase.