Karla's reviews

Friday (March 17th)

2006-04-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

Rob and I split up on Friday afternoon because I wanted to make sure I didn't miss the opportunity to see Elliott Brood and Dean Owens. He had heard Mary Lucia from the Current was going to be interviewing Portastatic, and that was a can't-miss for him. Since neither of us could be in two places at once, we agreed on this plan.
I had to find a cab to take me to the Longbranch Inn, where Elliott Brood was playing at 1:00 p.m. The Longbranch is east of 35, but their Bloody Mary's make it worth the trip.
I was blown away by how good the band was. Simply outstanding! The set was over by 1:20 p.m, but it was the most kick-ass 20 minute set I saw all week!
There are three members in Elliott Brood: a drummer, an acoustic guitarist, and a singer who alternated between banjo and ukelele. The sound is sort of an old-timey alt-country with an emphasis on rock. The band had a great rapport with the audience, which isn't surprising since only about 10 people showed up. Apparently, the band had a bit of a rough night on Thursday and were trying to play hard to sweat out the hangover. The lead singer said they would still have been in bed had they not had this gig.
I wish the set had been longer, but I'm hoping they will make it to Minneapolis soon. I can't wait to see them again.
I was lucky enough to find a cab just outside the Longbranch heading back over 35, so I hopped in and went all the way back to Opal Divines for Scottish singer-songwriter Dean Owens. He was playing as part of the Dog and Pony show which is put on by many local Austin musicians. I think it is the 3rd or 4th year for this non-SXSW event, and it was hosted by Penny Jo Pullus.
I have a friend who used to live in Scotland, who has since emigrated to Chicago to marry the woman he loved. He told me about Dean several years ago. I was hooked from the first time I heard Dean's first solo release from 2001, The Droma Tapes. Dean didn't have any copies of his newest release My Town, which comes out this May, so I guess I'll have to order that one online.
His set lasted about 30 to 45 minutes and featured many new songs and lots of gems from the Droma Tapes. Since it was St. Patricks Day, he decided to give one nod to the Irish holiday by playing a killer acoustic cover of The Undertones' Teenage Kicks. Not may people realize that it's an old Irish folk song :)
Rob had a chance to tell me all about the Portastatic taping after Dean ended his set. Surprisingly, only about seven people showed up for it. Portastatic in this case was simply Mac MacCaughan with an acoustic guitar Britt Daniel (Spoon) had been kind enough to lend him.
He played I Wanna Know Girls and one other song from Portastatic's 2005 brilliant release Bright Ideas, and two of their earlier tunes. Rob was thrilled to be there, and was obviously not disappointed. I'm sure the Current has the show archived somewhere.
Our next destination was The Parish on 6th Street because I needed to catch at least one performance by The Bellrays. We got there a little early and caught part of the Spores set, at least that's who I think it was. They were a three-peice with a chick singer on bass. Pretty heavy stuff for me, but still interesting. Between bands we also got to experience these two rapper/hip hop white kids from Kansas City (I think). They had a friend dressed in a bear suit handing out freshly fried bacon during their rhymes. I found the whole presentation pretty cool.
I went outside and ran into Allison Locey, who was also there for The Bellrays. We tried to figure out how to get Allison inside the club, since it isn't exactly wheelchair friendly, and she was told to go around to the side entrance. Several minutes after I went back in, I noticed Allison wasn't there yet, so I found someone who worked there to find out what was going on. Luckily, we got her inside before The Bellrays took the stage.
What an incredible freaking band they are! It was like going to church! A totally religious experience packed with joy and excitement!. I can't believe I have never seen them live before now. Definitely my best new discovery this year, thanks to Alex Millar. The lead singer is a black woman who was totally dolled up and reminded me of Donna Summer during the disco era. She has some pipes! She's married to the bass player who looks a lot like Garth from Wayne's World. Their guitarist was also incredible and looked a little like George Thoroughgood.
After the set, we got Allison down to the street without too much trouble, and went in search of dinner. We discovered another great place called the Mongolian Barbeque a little off the beaten path. You pick out all the meat and vegetables you want and they have a sauce bar so you can decide how you want your dinner to be spiced, and they cook it up for you on a big metal grill. Another great dinner and we really enjoyed the chance to sit and have some nice conversation with Allison. She told me a few stories about the interesting people she has met at the hostel this year. This is her 7th year volunteering at SXSW I believe, and she had been in town since March 9th, so she had a lot to say.
Rob decided he should see Brakes, so he left us early to catch their showcase at 8:00 p.m. He was not as impressed as many of our friends seem to be, but said it was a pretty good show. I still think the first British Sea Power cd is easily one of the worst things I have ever heard, but their newest Open Season, isn't nearly as bad to my ears.
I had no real plans for Friday other than wanting to see Centro-matic at Maggie Mae's at 1:00 a.m. After Allison went her way, I wandered over to Maggie Mae's to see what was happening there. Rob joined me there after Brakes. The Mendoza Line were still playing when I got there, and I have to admit, their set was definitely better than some of the ones I have seen in the past years. They are just one of those bands that sounds really good on record, but just can't really pull off an interesting live show.
I also caught a little of Great Lake Swimmers and Phosphorescent, but I wasn't paying a lot of attention to the music at that point. Our yearly gathering at Maggie Mae's has always been more about waiting for Centro to play; getting to hang out with friends; and chatting with the bands. I had an opportunity to ask Scott Danbom about the rumors I had heard about their Saturday show, and I believe he told me he had no idea what I was talking about. Yeah, right! It was a good time, but I wish I had known about Dave Dewey's open bar tab.
We attempted to wander out to 6th Street and see what else was happening, but there were lines everywhere we went. No Band of Horses or P.O.S. for us that night. We did run into Tony Nelson and Chris Reimenschneider and had fun chatting with them briefly, but headed back to Maggie Mae's since getting shut out of Centro-matic was definitely not an option. There was actually a short wait to get back in. I guess other people are actually starting to realize that they are the best damn band in the world! I thought it was just me all these years.
As always, Centro-matic rocked the house! While it is true that they can do no wrong in my eyes, all you have to do is see them live and you will know that this band is at the top of their game right now. They've been together for about 10 years and have released about 13 Centro-matic albums in that time, as well as a few side projects under the South San Gabriel moniker. Will Johnson (their lead singer and songwriter) has also put out two solo albums in the past five years. There is not a stinker in the whole bunch, not even a bad song that I have to skip when I listen to them. I think that says a lot, but of course, your mileage may vary.
Their new cd, Fort Recovery, which was released on Misra in March, is a bit more mellow than previous Centro cds. But they have this ability to build up their songs in layers, and the sound turns into this crashing crescendo that never fails to rock your face off. That is exactly how David Bazan (Pedro the Lion) looked after their set was over when I ran into him. David shared a recent bill with Will and Scott on the Undertow Orchestra tour, and had never seen Centro before. I think it is safe to say they gained another fan in David that night. I am going to Chicago to see Centro-matic on Saturday, and I can't wait!
We were able to get into the American Sprits after-party at our hotel thanks to the genius of the amazing K-Fly. We hung out there for a bit with our friends and free cigarettes. I think I left a free cd I had gotten earlier in the day in the cd player there. Too bad, because I think it had The Bellrays on it. We finally crawled up to our room at about 4:00 a.m.

SXSW-Day 2 (Thursday, March 16th)

2006-03-28T05:06:00.000-08:00

Thursday was absolutely packed with daytime shows and parties, and we weren't able to see half of the things we wanted to, but it was still a quality day.
We started out on 6th Street at B.D. Rileys for the Irish breakfast featuring several bands from Ireland and free? breakfast food. Breakfast wasn't on the menu, so I guess there was some kind of secret code word needed in order to order it.
Anyway, we settled in to listen to the soothing sounds of The Amazing Pilots. They were very very good! The band consists of brothers Paul and Phil Wilkinson, who released their first U.S. album, Hello My Captor, on Undertow Records in 2004. Undertow is also home to the likes of Milton Mapes, Glossary, David Bazan, American Music Club, and South San Gabriel, so they definitely have a knack for finding quality bands. The Pilots fit right in with the rest of the Undertow artists with their sparse arrangements and low-key production.
Our next stop was the tent outside of Opal Divines for the "Gram Jam", a singing tribute to the songs of the late, great Gram Parsons. We were chatting with Bobby Bare Jr. for a bit, but he got a call from his 'Grammy' and had to excuse himself.
Susan Marshall was just finishing up her set of Gram songs, and she invited one of her favorite people (mine too) Tim Easton to join her onstage. They performed a lovely duet together, and I wish I could remember what it was, but my memory is fading fast. Susan stepped down, and Tim did a couple of tunes on his own. He brought along fiddle player Megan, who was a very nice touch. Tim was also backed by the U.K. band Goldrush. They provided backup, and also did a set of Gram songs on their own.
Their lead singer's voice was not up to Tim's (or Gram's) standards, unfortunately, but to their credit, no one else can sing Hot Burrito #1 quite like Gram Parsons. They sounded much better on Hot Burrito #2.
Tres Chicas were up next on the 'Gram Jam' bill. They are a female supergroup of sorts, featuring Caitlin Cary (Whiskeytown, solo, and as a duet with Thad Cockrell); Lynn Blakely (Glory Fountain, Let's Active, and Oh OK); and Tonya Lamm (Hazeldine). They certainly did justice to their Gram set with harmonies that can send chills down your spine.
I was hoping to catch Elliott Brood on the Headhunters Back patio, where the lovely and talented Carolyn Mark was hosting a Mint/Six Shooter Records afternoon hootenanny. We caught a bit of somebody's set, and it may have been Carolyn's band, but I can't say for sure. If it weren't for the New West party, we might have stayed.
The New West party at Club de Ville is always one of my favorites. I guess it is gaining in popularity because the line to get in was unbelievable! Apparently, the Kris Kristofferson set had just gotten underway and was a must-see for a lot of folks. We were able to hear a bit of it while waiting in line as we chatted with friends through the fence. We also got to see Kris' huge white limo pull up. He got in with some other big-wigs as a bunch of hangers-on followed him out to the car.
St. Louis's own Beatle Bob was one of those hangers-on, and I have to say that guy is really starting to piss me off. He never pays for anything and claims alternately to be a member of the press or a band manager in order to gain access to most places. I understand the bands are starting to be annoyed by his distractions as well. It was amusing back in 1998, but now I just find his presence at shows irritating. I understand most of the St. Louis club owners are also getting a little sick of him too since he is never willing to pay to get in. I would be willing to bet he still lives with his mother.
But I digress. When we finally got into the New West party, we got to see some great friends, drink free beer, and see some great music. The highlights were a real Tim Easton set, featuring two fiddle players, Megan and Beth; The Drams; IV Thieves (the newly named Nic Armstrong and the Thieves); and an acoustic set by The Drive By Truckers.
I've seen all of these bands before and of course, I wasn't disppointed by any of them, but the best thing about this party is the opportunity to talk with people you haven't seen for awhile, and make some new friends.
The highlight for me was a great conversation I had with Craig Finn (Hold Steady, Lftr Pllr). I approached Craig because a friend of mine who grew up with Craig sent me an email last week telling me that Finn had recommended seeing Cows back in the day because "they'll scare the shit out of you!" Craig remembered that conversation and said that Shannon Selberg still scares him a little bit.
The coolest part was that Craig brought up how his wife Barbara is not intimidated by any of the local heavies. She can go up and talk to anybody, and has probably known most of the local hip hop dudes longer than Craig has.
We also talked about how he met Barbara; their wedding (I was at the Lftr Pllr show at Cedarfest the following day); and other miscellaneous Minneapolis stuff. It was very sweet to know how much he misses his wife and wishes he could be around her more this year, but he has a pretty hectic schedule planned.
We heard the rumors, along with about 5000 other people, that Neil Young might show up at his former Buffalo Springfield bandmate Richie Furay's showcase at Antone's at 6:30 p.m. Actually, I sort of thought that could happen before I even got to Texas, so Richie's showcase was on my list of tentative plans. But when we got there, the line was about a mile long, so we thought we would find some dinner instead.
We were quite lucky with dinners this year. We found a great place not far from Antones called Cuba Libre, and the food was wonderful. Chances are it won't even exist next year, but I might look for it when I go back.
Our next show was Earlimart at Buffalo Billiards at 9:00 p.m. I had heard a few good things about the band, but was mostly unfamiliar with them. They were definitely worth checking out. They put on a great show and were loud as hell, which is kind of amazing for a pop band with an organ and acoustic. I think this must have been the year that all the bands turned it up just a little bit for SXSW. Buffalo Billiards is a pretty large room, but somehow all the sound was concentrated right at the from of the stage. I am sure they will be rolling through Minneapolis this year, and I'm looking forward to seeing them again.
We decided to fill our 10:00 p.m. slot with Austin's own Grand Champeen. We missed their annual Tuesday night performance, and since we had already seen The Drams twice, I thought it was a good call. Rich Mattson was running sound for the band, and did an outstanding job as always. I also chatted with a pre-haircut Dave Russ about how he was missing a Jailbreak gig just to play with the Magnolias.
I love the sound of Grand Champeen. Yes, they can be sloppy, but most everything they do is carefully orchestrated, including the sloppiness. God only knows why these guys haven't gained a larger audience. I find the constant comparisons to early Soul Asylum and The Replacements to be a little unfair. Grand Champeen is much more than another copycat band. Anyone who can write a lyric like Channing Lewis' "...you could be the Alex Chilton to my Chris Bell..." has definitely got more substance than 75% of the bands at SXSW this year. Not to mention that their delivery of such lyrics is smothered in some of the best damn guitar playing you are ever likely to hear.
The 'Peen will be playing a tribute/benefit to Karl Mueller and Soul Asylum in the 7th Street Entry on April 14th. They will be playing all Soul Asylum covers in homage to their heroes, but another band called "Broken Records" (another great Grand Champeen song) featuring members of Kruddler and The New Vintage, will be covering the songs of Grand Champeen. I am really looking forward to this show! Grand Champeen will also be Mike Nicolai's backing band somewhere in the Twin Cities on Saturday, April 15th.
Our friend Flora Flipabitch of the Atomic Bombshells has been talking about Scott H. Biram for years, and so we decided to check him out for the 11:00 p.m. slot at Bourbon Rocks. Biram is a little like an old blues player, except that he isn't old and he is white. I found the performance a little campy, but not bad. Flora said we had just missed SXSW buzz band The Deadstring Brothers, who she was very impressed with. I thought Biram seemed fairly sincere about what he was trying to say, but I would have to see him again to form a more educated judgement, and to eliminate all skepticism.
We thought we would try and see Milton Mapes over at the Habana Calle 6 patio for the midnight slot. I am very glad we did because this band is one of the best Austin and Undertow Records has to offer. I saw them last year at the Turf Club opening for Grand Champeen and Ol Yeller, and was really impressed with their live sound. So impressed in fact, that it took me about 6 months to get into their very excellent 2005 release The Blacklight Trap. They were so good in their live delivery that it took me awhile to realize how good that album actually was. Eventually, I came to love it even though it doesn't capture the live sound of Milton Mapes, but the lyrics and production are really excellent. It was # 4 in my top 10.
We went back to Bourbon Rocks to see The Bottle Rockets play the 1:00 a.m. slot for the Bloodshot showcase. I had missed their set last year because they were playing opposite the best band in the world, Centro-Matic! I had no such excuse this year although I could have checked out The Alarm, Damien Jurado, or Hank III.
I wish I had because The Bottle Rockets decided to play their new album in its entirety for their showcase. It was tepid at best, and it is painful for me to say that, but The Bottle Rockets just are not the band they used to be. Brian Henneman is not writing the quality of lyrics we know from 24 Hours a Day and The Brooklyn Side. The band has only two of its original members left and their set didn't do a thing for me.

SXSW-Day1 (Wednesday)

2006-03-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

Rob and I rolled into Austin around 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, and were lucky enough to be picked up at the airport by a friend who lives in town. He took us to our hotel where we were actually able to check in right away! Hoorah for the Omni! We stashed our bags and headed over to South Congress.
Our first stop after lunch was the Tampa party at the Yard Dog. The party is sponsored by BAAMO (Bay Area Arts and Music Organization, Inc, a group of music-loving Floridians who work very hard all year long to expose Austin to Tampa's music scene. These folks have been throwing a party for the past three years or so. They bring in some local Tampa cuisine like Alligator chili, and get a bunch of Tampa bands to play. We were only able to stay for a couple acts, but we really enjoyed Life of Pi. It was a semi-punk set and rocked pretty hard.
We did our habitual stop at Emo's since they always have a good first official day of SXSW line-up. This year we got to see Charles Bissell of The Wrens doing a solo set. He had some pretty interesting guitar sounds, but overall the performance was a bit lackluster.
Over on the other side of Emo's, we caught The Ponys. From the reaction of my friends, I'm really not sure we saw the "right" Ponys. Several people were hyping the band before the show, but it left us all relatively unimpressed.
Our next stop was at Club de Ville for a special party hosted by some of the many great bands from Denton, Texas. Sadly, we only saw one of them, but it was fronted by the incomparable Brent Best (Slobberbone), and they call themselves The Drams. Former Slobberbone members Jess Barr (guitar) and Tony Harper (drums) along with Keith Killoren (bass) and Chad Stockslager (keyboards) round out this fairly new line-up for Best.
The Drams are much more of a power pop band than Slobberbone's sloppy tales of drunken woe, murder ballads, and love lost, holy crap, do they sound great! Chad's contributions on keys and backing vocals really make this band stand out as one to watch. Best's low, growling vocals surprisingly really fit well with this style of music. I've been a longtime fan of Slobberbone, but I could not be happier with this new incarnation. I saw them three times in Austin, but I could be ready for a tour in a few weeks. R.I.P. Slobberbone. Long live The Drams!
Our daytime adventures ended at Mother Egans, where we ran into Raven and Rich Mattson and his wife. Rich looked good in his brand new haircut. We caught the tail end of the always pleasant Patty Hurst Shifter and The Gourds. We were a little too far away to get much out of The Gourds. They are always more fun up closewhere you can really be a part of the show, so we decided to skip out and find some dinner.
We came back around 8:00 p.m. to see our favorite band from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Glossary!
I'm not sure how to describe Glossary, but I guess you can call them alt-country for lack of a better word. Their songs are pretty darn catchy with intelligent lyrics about what life is like in an eastern Tennessee town. I love the harmony vocals, and the band is just overflowing with talented musicians. I called it a night after Glossary, although Rob went back for I Can Lick Any SOB In The House and Two Cow Garage. I'm pretty sure they rocked.

Tim Easton-400 Bar 4/28/05

2005-05-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

Tim Easton with Beau Kinstler @ The 400 Bar
April 28, 2005

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I haven't had a chance to tell you that seeing Tim Easton whenever he's in town is a must-see show. I think its been at least two years since Tim has played in Minneapolis, but he has a history of playing
here for the first night of his tour whenever he releases a new cd. This time out, however, he doesn't have a new cd to promote; just a bunch of new songs he's planning to record here in Minneapolis (presumably with Ed Ackerson at Flowers Studio) over the next couple of weeks. If you missed your chance to hear Tim on Thursday at the 400, you're out of luck for now, but he might be persuaded to make an appearance at one of my local hero's shows next week. His former roommate and bandmate Chris Burney is also in town at the 400 with his band The Sun next Thursday, so chances are pretty good that Tim will be in attendance at that show as well.
Opener Beau Kinstler has a regular gig at the 400 every Thursday, so he was the logical choice for the opening slot. Unfortunately, Kinstler is playing with a full band these days, so his sound is a little removed from Easton's all acoustic set. Kinstler has a strong voice and some compelling lyrics, but I think I prefer him as a solo acoustic act. I've seen him a few times over the past year and an acoustic set showcases his songs a little better, and would have fit more appropriately with the set Tim brought us.
Nevertheless, once Tim hit the stage, all of that was a distant memory. Tim's music has had a special place in my heart for years. He reminds me of lost lovers, dead relatives, and just how good music can be.
Most of the set consisted of new songs which haven't haven't been played live before. As always, these were a special treat intended for his Minneapolis fans. Tim was very polite and appreciative as the audience quietly listened to his new songs. One song, which will probably be called "Let Me Be Next To You" was played early in the set and sounds like a potential hit for the singer-songwriter.
I have gotten to hear this one a couple times over the last year or so; most recently at the New West party at SXSW; and it is instantly accessible and gorgeous. I know it seems like hearing nothing but new songs all night sounds like kind of drag for a fan who doesn't know them, but it was far from it. Tim is an amazing guitar and harp player, and just having the opportunity to watch him play was enough to make the audience sit quietly and pay attention throughout the set. The show was woefully ill attended. I know there were a lot of shows to pick from and I don't mind avoiding a big crowd, but I find it painful that more people don't come to see Tim's kind of talent. I first got hooked on Tim's guitar playing when I saw him open for Mark Eitzel at the 400 a few years ago. Even though Mark's set was a bit of a train wreck, Tim made the evening more than worthwhile, and his apologies for Mark's behavior the next time he came to town made up for that night.
Tim also threw in a few old songs, including Bitters Past, an old Haynes Boys tune, which was Tim's old band with Chris Burney. I understand the Haynes Boys cds are pretty hard to find, so if you see one in a used bin somewhere, you should definitely pick it up. Later in the set, he also took a few requests, including Carry Me, Lexington Jail, and All The Pretty Girls Leave Town. He also threw in a couple of amazing old blues tunes. Tim's history as a busker in Europe gave him plenty of time to learn and appreciate a lot of old songs and that connection with the past makes him an even better songwriter.
Last time Tim came to town, we got a 20-minute Beatles jam. This time the show was decidedly different, but it was still amazing, which is why I want everyone to see him whenever he comes to town.

Bettie Serveert w/ The Deaths

2005-02-24T05:48:00.000-08:00

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I'm afraid I missed Mean Larry at the Entry on Valentine's Day. I have no excuse except to say that dinner ran late and O' Donovans serves the kind of vodka I like and the Entry doesn't. I've heard good things about his shows and I promise one of these days I'll catch him.
I did walk into the Entry in time to see The Deaths take the stage. I have to say I was quite impressed. I believe one of their first songs was birmingham, the first track off of their 2004 cd Choir Invisible. The song reminded me of The Monkees, and that's a good thing. They bring a very catchy kind of country-tinged pop rock backed by a group of very capable players. Their good-natured banter with the crowd was as entertaining as their music. Vocalist Karl Qualey and bass player Christopher Danforth joked between songs about the members of the audience who remained seated on the floor during their set. The sitters turned out to be promo people for new public radio station The Current who gave out bumper stickers after the show. It wasn't the best concert etiquette I've ever seen, but then again, it wasn't the worst either. I hope they got a chance to appreciate the band as I did. I also picked up Choir Invisble at the show and it's very good.
Bettie Serveert kept the crowd waiting awhile between sets, but it was worth it. Regretably, the Dutch band didn't bring any copies of their newest release Attagirl with them. I haven't had a chance to hear it yet, and the set was heavy on newer tunes. The band's dreamy pop songs coupled with Carol van Dijk's outstanding vocalsand Peter Visser's amazing guitar work have made Bettie Serveert one of the best bands of the last ten years. Their live show is always a joy to watch and this one was no exception.
Early in the set, the band pulled out one of their older tunes, Kid's Allright, from 1992's Palomine. They announced that it would rock and it certainly did. They played another Palomine track called Leg at the end of the show. It's always been one of my favorites and was nothing short of amazing.
The Entry was packed so I didn't stay for the encore. I'm sure the band kept the vibe started with Leg going a little longer and everyone left happy as I did. I even took my bumper sticker without reprimanding the promo people for their rudeness.

7th Street Entry-The Ashtray Hearts, Martin Devaney, & Stephanie Says

2005-02-24T05:37:00.000-08:00

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When I walked into the 7th Street Entry on Friday, February 11th, I recognized the voice I was hearing from somewhere. I also thought the slight, blonde woman with an acoustic guitar onstage looked somewhat familiar. Ashtray Hearts band leader Dan Richmond confirmed my suspicions when he told me she was Stephanie Winter. Back in the nineties, Stephanie provided lovely, understated backing vocals to Jim's wry statements about life with the Legendary Jim Ruiz Group.
More recently, Stephanie has been singing with The Autumn Leaves and has just released a solo album called Sex, Socialism, and the Seaside. The Leaves appear on the album and joined Stephanie onstage for the second half of her set. I've never been a big fan of female singers and Stephanie's soft-spoken style and wispy voice make it difficult to understand her lyrics. She also doesn't have the stage
presence one would expect from a singer with so much experience. I found the solo part of the performance to drag a bit and sound pretty much the same throughout. When she was joined by the Autumn Leaves, the set got a little more interesting, but not by much. I have a lot of respect for anyone who has been around our music scene for several years, but I couldn't find a good reason to see Stephanie Says again. Judging by the crowd chatter, neither did they.
Martin Devaney and his band were up next on the bill. Brian O'Neal of Big Ditch Road was guesting with Martin on pedal steel. Jake Hyer from the Get Up Johns also guested on mandolin for most of the set. The first three or four songs featured just Martin on acoustic guitar and Brian on pedal steel.
The rest of the band joined the two of them onstage after that. Martin has been playing with the same lineup for the last year or so consisting of Josh Peterson on guitar, Matt Palin on bass, and Kevin Hunt on drums.
Martin's new album La Mancha features a little more rock than his other two releases. The majority of the set featured tunes from La Mancha as well as a few from his 2003 release September.
The set was energetic and entertaining. Besides having one of the best backing bands in town, Martin is a very talented singer and songwriter. He's also one of the nicest people in the Twin Cities music scene right now. Before leaving the stage, he announced the Ashtray Hearts as one of his favorite local bands.
The Ashtray Hearts are one of my favorite local bands too. They have been ever since the first time I saw them at the Turf Club nearly four years ago. There is something very special about their lo-fi, layered sound featuring complex instrumentation coupled with Dan Richmond's haunting lyrics. They make me stop and listen and they stick with me long after the show is over. They haven't played a lot of shows over the last couple years, and frankly, I've missed them. The good news is that they've just finished recording a follow-up to 2002's Old Numbers which is long overdue and the anticipated release date is sometime this April.
Most of the set consisted of new songs which will be on the new album, including the title track Perfect House. The band sounded great and I'm really looking forward to the release date. Perfect House promises to be slightly different than Old Numbers. From the sound of what I heard at the Entry, it should be a little more upbeat, but promises to be just as enchanting.
There are several things I really like about seeing the Ashtray Hearts. One of them is Brad Augustine's accordian playing. It's not an instrument I get to see or hear often, and what it adds to the sound and image of the band is quite beautiful. Aaron Schmidt's trumpet playing and moody vocals are another. Brad and Aaron also trade off on keyboards and both add their own style to the unique sound of the Hearts. Steve Yernberg's guitar solos are another key piece of the sound. They've gotten more complex with time and always stand out as one of the best parts of the show. The newer songs feature more of Steve's guitar solos. I try not to pass up a chance to see this band and with a new release on the way, there should be more opportunities for me as well as the rest of you to see them.

The Winter Blanket, The Magnolia Electric Company, & Valet

2004-12-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

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The Winter Blanket, The Magnolia Electric Company, and Valet
7th Street Entry-12/11/2004

December 11th was my night to catch up on bands I haven't heard enough of the last couple years. It was also my first time back in the 7th Street Entry since the reopening of First Avenue. Not much has changed at The Entry and that's a good thing. For sight lines and sound, The Entry has always been the best place to see live music and I'm glad that hasn't changed a bit.
Most everyone I knew at the show was there to see Jason Molina and The Magnolia Electric Company, the recent reformation of Songs:Ohia as a rock band. Jason hasn't played around the Twin Cities nearly enough lately, and some of my friends have followed him around Milwaukee, Chicago, and L.A. to hear the new incarnation of the band. Magnolia Electric Company and The Winter Blanket put together the Polar Bear Tour this winter and The Entry show was one of their final dates together. Local band Valet was on hand for the headlining slot.
My friends and I seemed to be in the minority as Valet were creating the biggest amount of buzz that night. I thought I had seen Valet before and been disappointed, but I stuck around for part of their set and realized that I was quite mistaken. Even though it seemed wrong to have the out-of-town bands play first, I received a good education that night on all three acts.
The Winter Blanket hails from Illinois and consisted of former members of the band Darling, among others. The sound was layered, soft, and mellow, but had a strong back beat. Vocal and songwriting duties were traded between Doug Miller and Stephanie Davila. This four-piece provided a very pleasant opening set for Molina and company.
Next up was The Magnolia Electric Company. The last time I saw Jason Molina he was doing a solo acoustic opening set for Damien Jurado. This was in The Entry a couple years ago. Although that set was haunting and showcased Jason's vocal stylings suberbly, this show really rocked!
I don't know where Jason found his lead guitarist, but the guy was a joy to watch. Molina is no hack on electric guitar himself and the combination of the two guitars was nicely rounded out by drums, bass, and keyboards. Then there were the lyrics. There is a depth to them which would make any songwriter proud and Molina delivers them with a sense of urgency that falls somewhere between a scream and a whisper.
After hearing about these shows from friends around the world, I'm glad I had the opportunity to see it for myself. The Neil Young and Crazy Horse comparisons are apt. At the rate Molina is releasing new material, it seems likely that he could give Neil a run for his money over the next 30 years
As I said before, I thought I had seen local band Valet before, but luckily, I was mistaken about that. I don't know how I've managed to miss them all this time because they are definitely worth seeing. Singer Robin Kyle's Greg Norton-esque handlebar mustache is one thing I would have remembered. The impressive guitar fills from Ashtray Heart and everyone's favorite math teacher Steve Yernberg
is another.
Valet turned out to be a very pleasant surprise to wrap up my first night back at The Entry. Not knowing what to expect, I was pleased to hear a clever power pop set from these guys. I'll definitely be checking out this band again and look forward to hearing their 2004 release, Life On The Installment Plan. Although I didn't stay for the entire set, I heard enough to be intrigued.

the Flops-400 Bar 12/10/2004

2004-12-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

the Flops-400 Bar
12/10/04

Contrary to reports in the City Pages, last week's show at the 400 Bar was actually a Flops headlining gig, not a Kristin Mooney show. Kristin opened the show with her band, which includes husband Eric Heywood on pedal steel and electric guitar. It was nice to have them back in town again. The couple have been living in Los Angeles for the last couple years making music. Kristin has a beautiful voice and a great backing band, but I found her lyrics a little bland.
Matt Wilson and John Munson are the Flops. For witty banter and a fun live experience, they can't be beat. Some of my favorite memories of live shows center around Matt Wilson's commentary. This one was no exception and included cracks about J.C. Penney wool slacks and "songs of crushing woe."
The set included songs both new and old, including a few Trip Shakespeare tunes. John sang several songs as well. About halfway through the set, the boys brought up Eric Fossett, a drummer they've been recording some new songs with. The drums added a whole new dimension to the Flops sound. It was amazing!
Kristin Mooney was called up to sing backing vocals on Descender. An audience member was recruited to hold her microphone since there were no extra mic stands in the house. It was fun in typical Flops fashion. Eric Heywood also helped out on pedal steel for the last couple songs of the set. He added an even more haunting quality to Matt's plaintive song of lost love, Susannah.
For me, this show was a big improvement over the last one I saw in June at the 400. There was a better blend of old and new songs as opposed to the mostly unfamiliar set I heard then. Matt was also in better spirits this time around. I've seen these guys so many times and in so many different incarnations that I wonder if newcomers enjoy it as much as I do. I suppose there is something to be said for knowing the material better than others, but I think everyone can enjoy the Flops on some level, whether it be the banter or just the great songs.

Patterson Hood-400 Bar 12/3/04

2004-12-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

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Drive By Truckers founding member and singer Patterson Hood treated Twin Cities audiences to two solo acoustic shows at the 400 Bar earlier this month. I was only able to attend the first night and I heard the second show was even better. I missed the chance to hear one of my favorite DBT songs, 18 Wheels of Love, a song Patterson wrote for his mom as a wedding gift. In spite of this bit of bad luck, I'm still very happy that I had the opportunity to see this prolific and very talented singer-songwriter from Alabama.
Patterson called his show the "Tom Waits set" and I think this is an apt comparison. Although Waits is more distinctively Midwestern, while Hood is all about the South, both share the similarity of storylike songs and raspy vocals. The more low-key set was due primarily to Patterson having some throat problems as well as being tired from recent touring. He managed to fit the solo tour between Truckers dates and has been on the road for most of the last three months. Patterson was in good spirits and seemed happy to be playing the 400, a club which has been very supportive of the band the past few years.
The release of Patterson's first solo release Killers and Stars provided the impetus for this tour. The album was recorded in early 2001 and for the last couple of years news of it's existence had been spreading among fans, so Patterson had been burning copies of it for those who wanted to buy it at solo gigs. He finally decided to release it legitimately on New West earlier this year.
Patterson was talkative and animated as he told stories about nearly every song he performed. Sink Hole, which appears on the DBT record, Decoration Day, is going to be featured in the upcoming Ray McKinnon film Chrystal. The song was inspired by McKinnon's earlier short film The Accountant. Two additional Truckers songs will also be on the soundtrack.
The crowd was smaller than I anticipated, but for the most part was quiet and respectful. There were a couple of women up front who didn't seem to realize how much their voices could carry, but at least they seemed to know who they were watching. I imagine it's a little tough to acclimate yourself when you go from a DBT show to a quiet solo set from the band's lead singer.
When Patterson asked what we wanted to hear about midway through the set, Pay No Attention To Alice was requested and played. It's an excellent cover of a song by Tom T. Hall which was written about a friend whose wife was an alcoholic. Patterson uncovered this gem and wisely decided to put it on Killers and Stars. He more than does the song justice. Patterson's set featured songs from Killers and Stars, nearly every Truckers cd, as well as some new songs that haven't been released yet. Patterson's recent marriage and the imminent arrival of a new daughter next year have prompted him to make plans to record another solo album next January. One of the new songs is called Grandaddy and was inspired by thoughts about his impending fatherhood. We also got a live version of Killers and Stars single, although Patterson admitted that an album like that doesn't really have one, but if it did, Uncle Disney would be it. It's a wonderful story about what might happen when Walt Disney is finally taken out of his current cryogenic state.
For a fun closer to the show, Patterson played The Night G.G. Allin Came To Town, a song he wrote for bandmate Mike Cooley on the occasion of his birthday. The song also included a great story about a friend whose eight-year old son had a special affinity for it. The phrase "a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do" will never be the same for me again.
For the encore, we were treated to Patterson's historical narrative on the musician who inspired The Living Bubba. It's another of my favorite Truckers songs and it was nice to hear Patterson tie his personal experiences together in a way that made it obvious that it was one of his favorites too. He ended with the song Careless, which became especially poignant in an acoustic setting. All in all, it was a very worthwhile show to attend. I'm not as impressed with the direction the Truckers have taken recently, but I still love Patterson's storytelling songs because they are 100% heart.

Jay Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots@ Lee's-12/1/04

2004-12-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

With a rare solo appearance in the Twin Cities, Jay Munly of Slim Cessna's Auto Club was a show not to be missed last week. Munly is touring with The Lee Lewis Harlots in support of his latest solo effort, Jimmy Carter Syndrome. The band consists of two female violinists, who also provide backing vocals; a cellist; an upright bass player; a drummer; and Munly, mostly on acoustic and stuff. The vibe is a little different than that of the Auto Club, but the songs about religion, sex, death, and murder are similar. The crowd reaction is also very akin to the whooping, hollering, and dancing that accompany an Auto Club show.
The difference lies with the band, I suppose. The strings make the sound a little softer, and this in turn makes Munly's screams and yodels even darker and more cataclysmic. Attending a Munly show is a little bit like going to church. Even now as I recall the show, I can hear those fire and brimstone preachers from my childhood resounding in my ears.
As I watched the show, I wondered what Munly himself thought about the crowd. There was a running joke throughout the show about a young redhead dancing with an older man she claimed as her uncle. The crowd seemed mesmerized for part of the show, but eventually became more interested in having their own fun. A typical crowd for Lee's, and not the most respectful folks I've ever attended a concert with.
I don't know if Munly is destined for a wider audience. He is certainly talented, but I get the impression that he makes his music for himself alone. Perhaps that's how he exorcises those demons that seem to plague his haggard frame and dark-ringed eyes.
Openers for the show were The Infernal and The Knotwells.
Dan did an excellent job with the sound.

Lucero w/ Anchorhead & Lingua Franca-11/19/04

2004-11-29T07:21:00.000-08:00

Lucero w/ Anchorhead & Lingua Franca
Triple Rock Social Club-11/19/04

There was no lack of places to go the Friday before Thanksgiving. Out of several choices, we chose Lucero at the Triple Rock. Last July Lucero visited Minneapolis and played an in-store at Aardvark Records in Northeast before headlining the Triple Rock later that night. They returned for both of these engagements on Friday, but I didn't hear about the in-store until it was too late.
Lucero is one of the standout bands of the late 90's alternative country movement. They hail from Memphis, Tennessee and have garnered much critical praise over the last couple years. Their sound is based more on punk rock than country. Rolling Stone called their latest release That Much Further West, "...the country album that The Replacements never made." The record is a solid collection of tunes featuring Ben Nichol's raspy vocals backed by a solid group of musicians.
Openers Lingua Franca only kept our attention for a couple of songs. We decided to grab a bite to eat next door during their set. The first song sounded like it was going to be some sort of jazz fusion set. The singer/lead guitarist had a vocal range that sounded more like screaming than singing, so we didn't think we were likely to miss much.
We went back inside the club to catch most of Anchorhead's set. Anchorhead was formed early in the decade by the remaining members of Federal Weights and Measures after singer Peter Boss (National High Horse, Chair) left the band.
Anchorhead has only recently returned to the stage. They've spent the better part of this year recording their second full-length cd. The new cd is called Disaster and was recorded and mixed by Rich Mattson (Ol Yeller, Glenrustles) at his Flowerpot Studios. The release date is still a few weeks away, but you can buy it from the band at shows or on their website (www.anchorhead.net). The band features three songwriters sharing their talents and creating some of the best vocal harmonies since The Byrds.
The live set was full of energy and layers of sound. The band comes across like they're channeling equal parts Uncle Tupelo and Hank Williams. It sounds country, but not dated.
The audience at the Triple Rock loved it and it felt as if they were welcoming back a long-lost member of our musical family. The band seemed to be having the most fun they had had in a long time. I'm glad they've finally finished the new cd (which sounds great, by the way) and am looking forward to more Anchorhead shows in the near future.
I was really looking forward to the Lucero set, but these double shows and late-start times at the Triple Rock make it hard to get through the whole night. The show seemed to be lacking in the magic I remembered from the July show. The show was plagued by guitar problems, sound problems, and obnoxious front-row fans who made it hard to remain where I was.
After singer/guitarist Ben Nichols borrowed a guitar from one of the other bands, things seemed to improve a bit for Lucero. The crowd was having a good time and I felt better after getting a little distance from the front row. I definitely want to see Lucero again, although this particular show didn't seem like one of their best in my view.
I'm still getting familiar with their catalog, but there is an undeniable appeal in the country/punk/rock sound. That Much Further West is one of the best records I've heard in a long time and I think Lucero is definitely a band to watch in the future.

clickhere

Big Ditch Road@Lee's-11/20/04

2004-11-29T07:08:00.000-08:00

Big Ditch Road returned to the stage for the Buck Owens Tribute Night at Lee's Liquor Lounge. The new lineup, which has been in the studio working on a new cd, consists of singer/songwriter Darin Wald, bass player Amy Buckstein, pedal steel player Brian O'Neil, lead guitarist & backing vocalist Ted Held, Tim Baumgart on drums, and Lisa Whipkey on fiddle. The new record is tentatively titled, "Suicide Note Reader's Companion" and Darin promises it will be a much different and better-sounding record than the first one. It is scheduled to be released on Eclectone Records next spring.

Pics from the show are here:
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Will Johnson w/ Scott Danbom-Triple Rock 11/14/2004

2004-11-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

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After getting back in town from St Louis, I had some time to rest and relax a bit before heading out again to see Will Johnson open for American Music Club at the Triple Rock. You've heard me extoll the virtues of Will and Centro-Matic before, so there's no need to tell you that Will Johnson is one of the most prolific
and interesting songwriters of the last few years. Sunday was Will's fourth appearance in Minneapolis this year. I have been to all of them. I've become a rabid fan of his work since discovering him firsthand in early 2003.
Will brought along Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel bandmate Scott Danbom to the Triple Rock.
Scott plays keyboards and violin, and also lends some lovely harmony vocals to Will's gruff falsetto.
What a treat Scott's being there was for those of us in the audience already familiar with their work!
I hope having one-half of Texas' best band in the house was also appreciated by the new fans they gained.
Will began his opening set alone with a song from his most recent solo release, Vultures Await. Then he introduced his good friend Scott Danbom for the undisputable Centro-Matic gem, Flashes and Cables.
Scott switched from keyboards to violin throughout the set, while Will played a six-string Fender as only he can. Most of the material came from Will's two solo albums. I was mesmerized as always by the deceptively simple arrangements and the force of the song lyrics. One fan remarked later at being struck by the lyrics in Closing Down My House. He got to talk to Will after the show and they had a heart-to-heart about the meaning of the song for both of them. That's one of my favorites from Vultures Await as well.
Will commented on his pleasure at being in Minneapolis again. I'm really glad he likes it here because I'm looking forward to many more live appearances by him. I find it difficult to pinpoint the appeal of this live show. It's one that seems to stop you dead in your tracks and force you to pay attention. Maybe it's because of Will's voice, maybe it's the song arrangements, or maybe it's the lyrics. Maybe it's a little bit of everything, but whatever it is, I am completely hooked and I can't wait for the next show.

Setlist:
1. As Victims Would (Vultures Await)-Will solo
2. Flashes and Cables (Love You Just The Same/Flashes and Cables ep)-Will w/ Scott on keyboards
3. Catherine Dupree (Vultures Await)-Will w/ Scott on keyboards
4. Westerlies (Murder of Tides)-Will w/ Scott on violin
5. Rerun Pills (Murder of Tides)-Will w/ Scott on keyboards
6. Just Some Silence (Vultures Await)-Will w/ Scott on violin
7. Vultures Await (Vultures Await)-Will w/ Scott on keyboards
8. Closing Down My House (Vultures Await)-Will w/ Scott on keyboards
9. Yellow Signals (Murder of Tides)-Will w/ Scott on violin
10. Would You Be My Girl Someday? (not sure if this is new or a cover)-Will w/ Scott on violin

Jay Farrar w/ Mark Spencer-Mississippi Nights, St Louis, MO 11/13/2004

2004-11-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

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I took a little trip last weekend to see one of the best and most influential songwriters of the last fifteen years. Jay Farrar should probably be a millionaire by now. He started the seminal alternative country band Uncle Tupelo with high school friend Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) in the mid-80's. Uncle Tupelo gave rise to
an entire music movement called No Depression, the title of their first full-length album; an influential music magazine of the same name; and a whole slew of bands attempting to copy the UT sound, which combined elements of country and punk for a unique set of original tunes.
After the end of Uncle Tupelo in 1994, Jay went on to form Son Volt with Tupelo drummer Mike Heidorn, and Minneapolis musicians Jim and Dave Boquist. Son Volt put out three excellent albums between 1995 and 1999. Since their hiatus, Jay has released several albums as a solo artist. Son Volt got back together earlier this year to record a song for the Alejandro Escovedo tribute album Por Vida. Jay announced plans this fall to get the original Son Volt lineup back in the studio for a new album, but sadly, the band members were unable to agree on terms. Jay has begun recording a new Son Volt album with a new lineup including former touring member of Son Volt, and St Paul native, Eric Heywood, Brad Rice, Andrew Duplantis, and Dave Bryson.
There were several reasons in my mind to go to St Louis to see Jay Farrar. It has the historic significance of being the last venue where Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt ever played. It's sort of a hometown gig for Jay. I had never been there before. I bought tickets for the Pixies several months before Jay announced a show in Minneapolis for the same night, so I figured it was as good an excuse as any to visit St Louis.
I found Mississippi Nights to be much smaller than I expected it to be. I was told the capacity was somewhere between 750-1000. There were two bars lining each side of the club and the floor was lined with tables and chairs, except for the dance floor area in front of the stage. Apparently, drinks were not allowed on the dance floor, so those who got a seat at the tables were the lucky ones. Unfortunately, anyone who came late would stand in front of the people sitting down. The no-drink rule was relaxed eventually, so there was less tension between the sitters and standers after the show started. One thing I thought was odd about the club was the amount of time between the doors opening and the set times. According to the locals, the set times are completely unpredictable. I believe the doors opened at 7 p.m., but it was nearly 10 p.m. before the music started. It does make me thankful that we can expect things to begin around here about an hour after the doors open, even though our door times are not always easy to predict.
Anders Parker opened the show. Anders is a musician from Brooklyn, NY. He is the former frontman of the band Varnaline, who released four albums over the last eight years. Anders has recently released a solo album, Tell It To The Dust, on Baryon Records. Anders and Varnaline have opened for Jay and Son Volt several times in the past. Anders is also involved with South San Gabriel, a project of Will Johnson from Centro-Matic.
I found his set to be pleasant, but unremarkable. I've heard great reviews of the new release, but I didn't hear anything during the live set that made me want to purchase it. He played most of his songs accompanied by acoustic guitar, sometimes switching to keyboards. He asked the locals for ideas on what to do during his visit to St Louis. Someone from the crowd suggested City Museum. I hope he got a chance to visit because this was an enjoyable tourist attraction. We went the next day and it was an old school converted to a museum by local artists featuring art and oddities from the Midwest.
Beatle Bob, local St Louis legend, scenester, oddity, or bamboozler (depending upon whom you ask), was front and center for the entire night. If you're not familiar with Beatle Bob, he's been a regular visitor to the South by Southwest Music Convention in Austin, Texas. Legend has it that if Beatle Bob attends your show at South By, then it is the place to be during the convention. He also appears in the Guided By Voices video for My Kind Of Soldier.
Jay Farrar started his set with a couple of solo acoustic songs. Mark Spencer joined him onstage at this point and they proceeded to rip through a remarkable set of songs from Jay's extensive solo catalog.
Jay's lyrics can really stand on their own and require little accompaniment, but Mark Spencer adds so much to Jay's live show that you really have to see it to believe it. Mark has been playing guitar for many years and he has added his talent to many touring bands including The Blood Oranges, Freedy Johnston, Kelly Willis, and Lisa Loeb. His playing and backing vocal contributions cannot be underestimated. I've seen many incarnations of Jay's material played live. I love seeing him play his stuff straight-up acoustic, but once you've seen him play with Spencer, you realize that there was an element of depth that you didn't even know was missing.
Jay is not exactly the punk rocker he was twenty years ago, but he is still writing great music and living up to the legacy he created in the nineties. He played a couple of new songs, including one on which he switched to keyboards. Jay also commented on the familiar faces in the crowd. I'm fairly certain that was a nod to Beatle Bob, but I was flattered to be asked if he was talking about me from one of the local fans. Since I haven't seen Jay since his 2003 show at First Avenue, I kind of doubt it.
As much as I love whatever Jay does, I'm really looking forward to hearing what he does with the new incarnation of Son Volt. They have a benefit show scheduled at Mississippi Nights on December 12th. Proceeds are going to Alejandro Escovedo, Karl Mueller, and the St Louis chapter of Habitat for Humanity. I don't think I'll be able to make it, but if you go, please tell me all about it!

Jay Farrar setlist (this is the one I wrote down during the show and some of the other fans swear they heard the Son Volt song Straightface-all I know is I didn't write it down, so I'm fairly sure I never heard it)
1. Greenwich Time
2. Make It Alright
3. Feel Free
4. Bandages
5. No Rolling Back
6. Doesn't Have To Be This Way
7. All Of Your Might
8. Heart On The Ground
9. Barstow
10. Damn Shame
11. Driving The View
12. Vitamins
13. Feed Kill Chain
14. Voodoo Candle
15. Clear Day Thunder
16. Tear Stained Eye
17. Still Be Around
Encore 1:
World Waits For You (new song)
Windfall
Medication (new song)
Encore 2:
White Freightliner Blues (Townes Van Zandt cover)

Paul Westerberg-Pantages Theater 11/5, 6, 7, 2004

2004-11-10T04:56:00.000-08:00

Just pics for now, but I will try and write more on these amazing shows soon.
click here

Here's the whole review. Eventually it will probably show up on howwastheshow.com

Paul Westerberg & The Painkillers
Pantages Theater-Minneapolis 11/5, 11/6, & 11/7/2004

I've spent over a week thinking about Paul Westerberg's shows and trying to come up with a cohesive string of words to describe what went on during that magical weekend. The best adjective I've been able to come up with so far is amazing.
I managed to write down fairly accurate setlists during all three shows. On Sunday, I took more pictures than I've ever taken at a show before
(even a Kraig Johnson show!).
The Pantages Theatre is an old renovated site in downtown Minneapolis. It's not as acoustically sound as The Guthrie, but it did provide a great backdrop for Paul's first show with a band since 1996. The scalpers were out in full force, which probably explains why Friday night's show sold out so quickly. Many other individuals were also outside trying to unload tickets before the show. I can't even imagine the mindset of someone who decided to skip this historic show.
Shortly after 8:15 p.m. on Friday, Westerberg, Boquist, Bowe, and Bland took to the stage. They all looked every inch the rock stars which we know them to be. PW had on a leather suit which he had accented with orange paint. His jacket featured leather gloves hanging from the cuffs much like those we used to wear in grade school. The strutting of the sharply dressed Jim Boquist was a real kick, and I especially enjoyed seeing Jim and Kevin playing against each other. Michael Bland, the ex-Prince drummer, sat at his kit, sucking on a lollipop, grinning widely, and
never missing a beat.
The Painkillers were well-rehearsed and ready to make history, and for the next 100 minutes or so, that is exactly what they did. They opened with one of Paul's solo movie soundtrack hits, the appropriately titled Waiting For Somebody. The next song was Final Hurrah, from Westerberg's 1999 release Suicaine Gratifaction. The boys continued to rip through one great song after another, including The 'Mats Kiss Me On The Bus, and a very moving version of My Dad, from Paul's latest release Folker. AAA was requested many times at The Guthrie solo shows in 2002, but never played. Paul played it this time, and even mixed in some lyrics from Folker's Anyway's All Right to freshen it up a bit. The show provided a wonderful sampling of PW tunes old and new.
He's written some of his best stuff in the basement over the last few years, so it was nice to hear that he's still writing new ones. The new song came at the beginning of a solo set by Paul and was followed by some of our other favorite solo acoustic tunes.Paul also addressed the Painkiller name situation. It was brought to the attention of Kathy at Man Without Ties that there was another band with this name who were also playing in Minneapolis on Friday night. Paul came up with some new names which he threw out at the audience including The Assholes, Kevin Bowe Works Blue, and Paul Westerberg and His Only Friends.
The audience rushed the stage near the end of the full set, and despite attempts by Pantages ushers to get them back to their seats, they remained there for
the rest of the show. The bars were also closed before the midway point of the show. It was weird not to have a drink in hand for Left Of The Dial.
An audience member seemed to prompt the band to play a cover of The Partridge Family's I Think I Love You. I can only imagine and envy the energy
levels up there during that song. They followed up with Alex Chilton and Left of The Dial. For the encore, Paul ripped into MPLS on blues harp. He played and
sang the hell out of it. This was pretty hard to top, but ending the show with Can't Hardly Wait came close.
We sat in the balcony on Friday. There were a few enthusiastic fans standing throughout the show, but for the most part, the energy was a little lower up there.
The two girls next to us seemed very bored with the show. I was tempted to ask them if they had accidentally entered the wrong theater. However, my personal
show barometers, Scot Tuma and his girlfriend, were blown away by the show and they were sitting in the balcony's nosebleed area.

Setlist from night 1:
1. Waiting For Somebody
2. Final Hurrah
3. Kiss Me On The Bus
4. My Dad
5. AAA
6. Achin To Be
7. Mr Rabbit
8. Making Me Go
9. Let The Bad Times Roll
10. As Far As I Know
11. Little Mascara
12. Valentine
13. High Time
(Rob says I missed one here, but he doesn't know what it was-turns out it was the new one)
14. Sadly Beautiful
15. Crackle & Drag
16. If Only You Were Lonely
17. Lookin Up In Heaven
18. What A Day (For A Night)
19. Love Untold
20. I Think I Love You
21. Alex Chilton
22. Left Of The Dial
Encore:
MPLS
I'll Be You
Folk Star/Jingle
Only A Hobo
Can't Hardly Wait

How about that Jimmy Boquist? What a rock star!!!

Saturday proved to be another great show. We had seats on the main floor, so the energy level was a little higher for us than the previous night.
The most memorable performance of the night for me was I.O.U., which kicked major ass! Paul was dressed like an English rock star from the seventies.
He looked quite dapper in his brown vest and bow tie. Jim Boquist was looking sharp in black. Kevin Bowe was more casual in jeans and untucked shirt, and I think he had bare feet. At one point during the show, Paul was primping him a little by adding some lipstick. Michael Bland had his usual lollipop in his mouth,
and pounded the drums even harder than the night before.
The band opened with the bluesy Dylanish Elmore James cover Dust My Broom (thanks PD & Kathy!). The next seven songs were in the same order as the previous
night. A few people appeared to be leaving during this part of the set. Perhaps they thought they were going to see the same show as Friday and figured they didn't
need to stay. Unfortunately for them, Paul made some variations including No Place For You and Now I Wonder. Paul introduced Born For Me as one of the last
songs he had written before taking some time off. The band then ripped into High Time, which Paul announced as what he came up with after returning to writing again.
He then asked the crowd if they wanted to hear a Refreshments song, to which everyone yelled a resounding "NO!" and then kicked into The 'Mats Little Mascara.
This got the crowd to their feet (finally) and most remained standing for the rest of the show.
The band left PW alone for his short solo set. He said that since we were all standing he was gonna sit down. After someone brought him a stool, he changed his mind and decided to stand anyway. "I didn't do this one last night," he said, as he launched into the opening chords of Skyway on acoustic 12 string. After this lovely performance, he turned to the audience and said we had a choice between Things and Crackle & Drag. Apparently, the loudest shouters up front wanted to hear
Things. Crackle & Drag followed, although Paul had a little trouble keeping his focus and had to restart the song as well as talk himself into going on with the show.
The band rejoined him for Lookin' Up In Heaven and the set picked up some momentum at this point. It didn't hurt that the song choices were among some of Paul's
best, including What A Day (For A Night), Waitress In The Sky, I Will Dare, I.O.U., and Nevermind. What A Day (For A Night) was written for Bonnie Raitt by Paul about
thirteen years ago and she hated it. Her loss, I guess, because I think its one of the best songs on 2003's Come Feel Me Tremble.
For our encore, we got MPLS again, but this time it morphed into Tommy Womack's It's All Over Now, best known as done by The Rolling Stones. It turned a bit sloppy
and the song ended abruptly, but it was still fun. I don't think a second encore was planned, but PW couldn't seem to resist getting back out there again. We got Alex Chilton and Left Of The Dial. Paul seemed more relaxed than he had been on Friday and it made the show even more enjoyable for me. I wasn't up front, but I heard there was a flashing incident at the end of Left Of The Dial. How rock-n-roll is that? Unfortunately, the band wasn't paying attention as they walked off the stage.

Setlist from night 2:

1.Dust My Broom (Elmore James cover)
2.Waiting For Somebody
3.Final Hurrah
4.Kiss Me on the Bus
5.My Dad
6.AAA (with bits of Anyway's All Right)
7.Mr. Rabbit (up tempo country-rock version) (Bowe on mandolin)
8.Making Me Go
8.No Place For You
9.Now I Wonder
10.As Far As I Know
11.Born For Me
12.High Time
13.Little Mascara
14.Skyway (solo acoustic 12 string)
15.Things (solo acoustic 12 string)
16.Crackle and Drag (solo acoustic 12 string)
17.Lookin' Up in Heaven (acoustic 12 string with band)
18.What a Day (For a Night) (acoustic 12 string with band)
19.Waitress in the Sky (acoustic 12 string with band)
20.First Glimmer (electric 12 string with band)
21.I Will Dare (electric 12 string with band)
22.I.O.U.
23.Nevermind
ENCORE 1
MPLS (PW on blues harp)
It's All Over Now (Stones cover,originally done by Bobby Womack)
Knockin' On Mine
Can't Hardly Wait
ENCORE 2
Alex Chilton
Left of the Dial

I remember walking out of the third PW show at The Guthrie and being in a daze after what I had just seen and heard. The first person I saw in the
lobby was Jim Walsh, and he had this big shit-eating grin on his face, and was nodding his head as if to say, "Oh yeah! That was definitely the best one yet!"
After that experience, I knew it was going to be mandatory to attend all three Pantages shows. We were lucky enough to score seats in the second row.
I wasn't sure if Paul's alter-ego GrandpaBoy had shown up on Saturday or not. Some said yes, while others said no. The Elmore James cover was certainly one he
would have chosen I think. On Sunday, however, there was no doubt it was definitely GB who presented himself. Dressed all in red with a foam hat accented with paint
and glitter, as well as the sunglasses worn on the cover of Mono, GrandpaBoy started the set out with MPLS and Psychopharmacology.
The other band members were also attired in costume. Kevin Bowe wore a brocade suit topped off by a feathered chapeau. Jim Boquist more a striped jacket with brown slacks. His ensemble was also topped off by a hat. Bland was all in black, but had his lollipop as usual.
After the GrandpaBoy openers, the band went back to the more familiar material of the previous nights, although they veered a little into the weird by pulling out the
Partridge Family cover again.
It was a tough crowd to please from where I was sitting. I was trying to enjoy the show, but those around me either wouldn't stop chatting or got upset because I wanted to stand and they wantd to sit. The first ten rows of the middle section would not budge during the first part of the set. I recognized many of them as local writers and musicians. How ironic that they refused to stand up and clap for the band, but they had the biggest advantage when the crowd rushed the stage as Paul came down into the front row a short time later. Regardless of how it went down, what a relief when that finally happened! It seems a shame that the simple fact that Paul is still with us, still making great music, and still playing shows for us wasn't enough to get the crowd on their feet. It certainly is more than enough for me. Its also too bad that the first part of the set was nearly over when Paul took matters into his own hands. I ended up front anyway, much to the relief of the sitters behind me, I am sure.
I guess that's how I ended up with so many pictures. There were so many great moments, I couldn't stop! Tom Cook's reprisal of his tamborine performance at The Guthrie in 2002 was classic. The shows had some highs and some lows. The uncomfortable moments during All Over Again and Rebel, Rebel where some of the old fans couldn't take it and left; Jim Boquist trying to teach Paul the lyrics to Hank Williams' Lost Highway; Kevin Bowe shredding on the guitar in his bare feet;
two guitar smashings; and the Led Zeppelin cover were all enough to prove that Paul Westerberg is a local treasure who deserves our honor, respect, and yeah, maybe a few more standing ovations. The third show at The Pantages brought back that feeling I had at The Guthrie 2 1/2 years ago. I had a feeling it might.

Setlist for 11/7/2004:
1. MPLS
2. Psychopharmacology
3. Waiting For Somebody
4. Kiss Me On The Bus
5. I Think I Love You (Partridge Family cover)
6. My Dad
7. AAA
8. Mr. Rabbit (Burl Ives cover)
9. Making Me Go
10. Let The Bad Times Roll
11. No Place For You
12. High Time
13. Valentine
14. Little Mascara
15. Lush and Green
16. Crackle & Drag
17. Skyway
18. Customer (aborted)
19. Lookin' Up In Heaven w/ snippets of Sadly Beautiful
20. How Can You Like Him?
21. What A Day (For A Night)
22. Love Untold
23. I Will Dare (PW in front row)
24. I.O.U. (PW in front row)
25. Nevermind (PW in front row)
26. Alex Chilton
27. Left Of The Dial
28. aborted song-smashed guitar
Encore 1:
Here Comes a Regular (solo acoustic)
Honky Tonk Angels (Kitty Wells cover)-aborted
Born For Me (solo acoustic)
Swingin' Party
Can't Hardly Wait
Lost Highway (aborted-Hank Williams cover)
All Over Again aka I've Got A Mind To Give Up Livin' (BB King/trad. blues cover)-Paul's second smashed guitar, story of Paul's high school friend John's suicide, and finally Paul finished the song.
Encore 2:
Rebel Rebel (David Bowie cover)
I say the next one was an aborted If Only You Were Lonely, but a friend says it was an aborted Sweet Virginia (Rolling Stones cover)
Rock-n-Roll (Led Zeppelin cover)

Triple Rock 11/5/04

2004-11-10T04:53:00.000-08:00

After the first PW show, we went to The Triple Rock to check out Mallman & The Olympic Hopefuls with POS.

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Pics from Rock for Karl-The Quest 10/21/04

2004-11-10T04:51:00.000-08:00

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The sold-out benefit for Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller was one of the best shows of the year. Too bad it wasn't at First Avenue. And what is the deal with those Gear Daddies fans?

Wilco@The Orpheum-10/25&26, 2004

2004-11-10T04:45:00.000-08:00

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Wilco-Orpheum 10/26/04

From the opening bars of Poor Places on Tuesday, I knew I was in for a much different Wilco show from the one I experienced the previous night. I can unequivocally say that the 2nd of Wilco's two-night stand in Minneapolis was 100% better than the first. Of course, that's just my opinion, and if you enjoyed Monday night's show, good for you. Personally, I could only find a handful of songs that didn't annoy the hell out of me. I especially disliked the new treatment of Via Chicago. I don't know what the point of the drum break in the middle of the song was, but I hated it. Spiders, the other song off Wilco's new album,
A Ghost Is Born, that has critics falling all over themselves to praise, has changed so much since I first heard it in early 2002, that it's almost unrecognizable to me. I don't care for it turning into a disco tune
on the album and in the live show, and it keeps falling flat with me. It was a song that was quite beautiful in it's infancy and struck a chord with me, but that feeling was gone after hearing it on the album for the first time.
It isn't as if I haven't tried to like the new, art-rock band Wilco, whom I've seen live more than 20 times all
across the country, but I guess I prefer them when they focus on music and melody. Up until the encore on Monday, I was quite unhappy with the show. I felt like the band went too far with the feedback. One of the things I have always admired about them in the past is that they never became a "jam" band or strayed so far from the song that you no longer knew what they were playing. They always seemed to pull back from doing that and now, I feel as if they have forgotten how.
I had no idea what to expect from the second show, but I wasn't ready to give up on the band just yet. Our seats were in the second row. That proved to be a big advantage over the previous night. We sat in Row R on Monday and were surrounded by people who chatted throughout the entire show. Tuesday's show was not sold out, and this seemed to contribute to a more relaxed atmosphere at the Orpheum. The staff allowed people to wander around more and stand outside of their seats as well.
The band also seemed more relaxed on Tuesday. It seemed to me that they didn't have as much to prove to the audience on the second night and this allowed them to play less of their new songs and use less of that annoying feedback. At one point, Jeff Tweedy told the crowd they were way better than Monday night's crowd. Then he prompted everyone to stand up and cheer. Most people remained standing for the rest of the show and this seemed to add to everyone's enjoyment.
About three or four songs into their set, Jeff took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He later told the crowd that he had learned that from John Edwards at a rally earlier that day. Another moment in the show which seemed to me to account for the more relaxed mood of the show was when Jeff announced that Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, the band's 2002 album, had gone gold that day. He didn't go into any specifics, but the news was given and received with a great deal of joy.
For me the show came down to more positive energy, better song choices, less wankery, and a lot more fun! I'm really glad I went to the second night. I don't know how many more times I will see Wilco in the future. I still feel as if their best shows are behind them, but I'm not counting them out completely as one of the best live bands to see in the future.

Setlist:
1. Poor Places
2. At Least That's What You Said
3. Muzzle of Bees
4. Hell Is Chrome
5. Hummingbird
6. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
7. I'm Always In Love
8. Handshake Drugs
9. A Shot In The Arm
10. Radio Cure
11. War On War
12. Jesus, etc...
13. Theologians
14. I'm The Man Who Loves You
15. Less Thank You Think
16. Spiders
Encore 1:
Magazine Called Sunset
Late Greats
I'm A Wheel
Encore 2:
Heavy Metal Drummer
California Stars
Be Not So Fearful (Bill Fay)

Pics from Wellstone World Music Day 2

2004-11-10T04:36:00.000-08:00

We remembered Paul & Sheila at the Turf Club this year with performances by Rob Rule, Martin Devaney, Chris Dorn, Grant Hart, The Walsh Brothers, Curtiss A, and Slim Dunlap.

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The Travisties-400 Bar 11/1/04

2004-11-09T21:05:00.000-08:00

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Our friends Mark & Wendy with their band! Later we went on to check out Vic & Tina Chesnutt at the Turf Club.

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Homegrown Birthday Party @ The Hexagon Bar 10/29/04

2004-11-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

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Great show! Lots of fun!

Centro-Matic/Drive By Truckers-First Avenue 10/27/04

2004-11-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

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Pics from the in-store:
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Drive By Truckers with Centro-Matic-First Avenue 10/27/04

I got to see my favorite band play at my last show at First Avenue's main room. I feel lucky that I got to see Centro-Matic play there, although I am saddened by the (hopefully temporary) loss of First Avenue.
I don't want to dwell on that happening because I would rather focus on the fact that two of the South's best bands came to town a couple weeks ago. If you didn't get the opportunity to see them, you missed a hell of a show.
Runner and the Thermodynamics from Boston opened the show. They had a a lot of energy, but I wouldn't exactly call them a great band. Their drummer was their most distinguishing feature. He played extremely hard. I thought their brightest moment was when they closed with The James Gang's Seems To Me.
Centro-Matic was next up. I was asked by a friend before the show what they were like. My best description is that all four band members are extremely talented musicians. Their sound is something
built up in layers that usually takes some time to sink in. Unless they play something that is obviously
going to hit a chord with an individual like the song Flashes and Cables. I've already ranted enough about what that song means to me in my previous review of Will Johnson's solo show, so I won't gush about that any further.
I'm glad David has become a Centro-Matic fan. I heard from another friend in Chicago that he was blown away by their set at the Metro.
The band opened with Love You Just The Same, the title of their latest full-length release, but oddly enough, the song isn't on it. If you're looking for a recorded version of the song, you can find it at the end
of the Flashes and Cables ep, which came out last year. It's a great choice for opening a show. It starts
out quietly and builds to a crescendo of screeching guitars and pounding drum beats. If the band hasn't
gotten your attention by the time Will Johnson's hoarse whisper utters the first line, then perhaps you weren't paying attention. If you aren't hooked on Centro-Matic by the time Scott Danbom joins him on harmony vocals, you probably never will be.
The Drive By Truckers' Jason Isbell joined the band on guitar for the next song, Flashes and Cables.
In fact, Jason joined the band for several songs during the set. Bassist Mark Hedman told me after the show that they plan to take advantage of Jason whenever the opportunity arises. I have a feeling I may see them together again at SXSW next March.
Centro-Matic played a variety of songs both old and new from their many releases. I was especially pleased to hear a couple of my favorites from 2000's All The Falsest Hearts Can Try. I have found myself playing that cd quite a bit over the past few weeks as it seems to paint an appropriate picture of our country's political climate for me these days. Another pleasant surprise for me was that the band pulled
out Fidgeting Wildly from their first album Redo The Stacks. It's a very catchy, danceable tune featuring some wry Will J. lyrics. If I were forced to pick a favorite Centro cd, Redo The Stacks would probably be it. Of course, that one is practically a Will Johnson solo album, though drummer Matt Pence was responsible for the recording, and keyboardist/fiddle player/guitarist Scott Danbom did help out as well.
This review is long overdue, but I wanted to get it in if only to let you know that Will Johnson is returning to Minneapolis this weekend to open for American Music Club at the Triple Rock on Sunday.
The Drive By Truckers were their usual amazing selves. Bassist Shonna Tucker Isbell is fitting in nicely with the band and seems to be getting the hang of things. Jason Isbell is writing more songs for the band's a cds the last couple of years. His songs are also being featured more prominently in the band's shows. Of course, we still get plenty of Hood and Cooley songs as well.
We saw the band play a very lovely in-store at The Electric Fetus earlier in the evening. Patterson Hood, Jason Isbell, and Mike Cooley all traded lead vocals with Shonna Tucker and drummer Brad Morgan backing them. It was nice to have the opportunity to hear the songs given the acoustic treatment. Later, many of these same songs were given the famous "three guitar attack" that the Truckers are known for.
The Drive By Truckers put so much energy and effort into their shows that its exhausting just to watch them. The band had already been playing for a couple of hours and was well into their first encore by the time we called it a night. I heard rumors that they were planning to play three hours at the very least, so there was probably at least 45 minutes left in the show. I am glad the band has graduated to the First Avenue main room after several dates in smaller venues around town. Here's hoping they have a main room to come back to the next time they come through town.

Centro-Matic setlist:
1. Love You Just The Same (Flashes and Cables ep)
2. Flashes and Cables (Love You Just The Same, Flashes and Cables ep) (w/ Jason)
3. Call The Legion In Tonight (All The Falsest Hearts Can Try)
4. Strahan Has Coralled The Freaks (Love You Just The Same)
5. The Mighty Midshipman (Love You Just The Same)
6. Saving A Free Seat (All The Falsest Hearts Can Try)
7. Biology Tricks (Love You Just The Same)
8. Argonne Limit Co. (Love You Just The Same)
9. Janitorial On Channel Fail (Distance and Clime)
10. Who's Telling You Now? (The Static vs. The Strings, vol. 1)
11. The Blisters May Come (All The Falsest Hearts Can Try)
12. Fidgeting Wildly (Redo The Stacks)

Andrew Bird@Bryant Lake Bowl 10/12/04

2004-10-21T05:29:00.000-07:00

Andrew Bird paints pictures with his music. He conjures up images of peace, love, despair, joy, and even death. He's always playful with his subject matter, however, so don't worry about not having a good time.
How many other artists do you know who can use the phrase, "...what a dream life would seem if only they let you keep your Etch-A-Sketch..." ?
Andrew's canvas consists of his voice, his violin, his birdlike whistle, an electric guitar, a xylophone, and some tape loops. He combines these things to conjure up songs for his live show. His voice lies somewhere between Jeff Buckley and Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) with a richness and purity that can become a menacing growl. He's a classically trained violinist who uses the instrument in both traditional and nontraditional ways. I never knew you could pluck a violin like a guitar until I saw him do it. He also uses his lips to whistle, adding another dimension to his multi-instrumental sound. Sometimes he picks up an electric guitar to add another level to the sound, or hits a note on the xylophone if that's what is needed. Any of all of these things might be recorded for Bird to insert into the song a little bit later. That's one of the joys of seeing him live-he creates the whole song while you are sitting there in front of him. I would like to describe the sound as sparse and minimalistic, but once you've seen how much goes on onstage at an Andrew Bird show, that hardly seems accurate.
Andrew was in good form at the Bryant Lake Bowl despite a bicycle accident that day, which left him with sore muscles and a limp. He was busy looking up at Victorian houses on Summit Avenue, hit a pothole and tumbled over the handlebars. He assured us that he was fine, although he did seem a little disoriented at times.
Bird played tunes from an upcoming cd which he just finished recording; a few from Fingerlings 2, a live cd featuring solo performances, as well as some with the Bowl of Fire, Nora O'Conner, The Squirrel Nut Zippers, and My Morning Jacket; his last solo cd Weather Systems; and the last Bowl of Fire cd The Swimming Hour. I picked up Fingerlings 2 and Weather Systems at the show . Fingerlings 2 gives a
good idea of what Andrew's live shows sound like. The missing ingredient, however, is that it doesn't capture the visual experience.
The Bryant Lake Bowl was a great location for the two-night stand. I only attended the first night, but I ran into a friend who was planning to return the following evening. Andrew commented that he really liked the intimate setting. It also gave a great acoustic quality to the various sounds. The audience is always small
and quiet there since it isn't the type of venue people attend who aren't there to see the music.
It was another great show for me. I'm still amazed at the way Andrew plucks that violin! I will say that I do miss the band shows, and I miss the voice of Nora O'Conner. From what I hear on Fingerlings 2, they sound like a lot of fun. As for Nora, I got to see her and Andrew open for Kristin Hersh once, and that woman can really sing! They sounded really good together and I would like to have the opportunity to hear that again.

The Ike Reilly Assassination-7th Street Entry 10/15/04

2004-10-18T01:21:00.000-07:00

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I don't think there is another live show out there that can compete with The Ike Reilly Assassination in terms of energy, fun, or musicianship. I've seen this band
at least six times since 2001 and it's always one of the best shows I've ever seen. This group of talented musicians consisting of songwriter Ike Reilly, Dave Cottini,
Phil Karnatz, Ed Tinley, and Tommy O'Donnell first burst onto the Twin Cities music scene in 2000 or 2001. The band hails from the Chicago area and began playing shows around Minneapolis fairly regularly as word of their amazing live shows spread quickly among music lovers. I think it's pretty safe to say that Ike Reilly has played more shows in the Twin Cities than he has played in his home state of Illinois.
That's why it was appropriate that Ike chose the Twin Towns for two very special cd release shows last week. Ike played the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis
on Friday, October 15th, and The Turf Club in St Paul on Saturday, October 16th.
The new cd is called Sparkle In The Finish. Once again it was produced by band member Ed Tinley, as were Ike's 2001 full-length release Salesmen and Racists, and the 2002 ep Cars & Girls & Drinks & Songs. We've waited a long time for this cd to come out and it doesn't disappoint in the least. Sparkle In The Finish has all the
hard-hitting energy and wry sarcasm of Salesmen and Racists. The band, which has been playing incessantly for the past three years, has only gotten better with time.
I for one, am very glad Salesmen and Racists didn't become a one-off project for Ike. He kept making great music despite label troubles because he knows he has a strong fan base here in the Twin Cities.
Ike's record label saga is familiar to a lot of bands around here. First comes critical acclaim, then a major label deal, then lack of label support and promotion, and
finally, you get dropped from the major label. Luckily for us, Ike didn't call it quits just because his label quit on him. Cars & Girls & Drinks & Songs was self-released and Sparkle In The Finish is on the indie label Rock Ridge Music with promotional assistance being provided by Alternative Distribution Alliance.
I was planning to attend both shows and combine this review into an overview and comparison of the differences between them, but unfortunately, when I got to The
Turf Club at 9:25 p.m. on Saturday, the show was sold out. Call it poor planning on my part. I'm happy for the band and for the club, but disappointed that I didn't get to see both nights.
When we got to The Entry on Friday night, the first band of the evening was onstage. The Nice Outfit is a sort of power pop/punk band from Milwaukee. Their set was
very energetic and at times quite loud. I recognized some of the covers, but I'm not familiar enough with the band to name them. I enjoyed their set very much and would definitely see them the next time they come to town.
Next up was Landing Gear, Jay Hurley's band which formed in 1998 after picking up the pieces from the demise of Hovercraft. Jay is a kindred spirit of Ike Reilly in that he is also familiar with those major label woes. Landing Gear played an enthusiastic power pop set featuring Hurley's signature vocals, Mykl Westbrooks' amazing guitar stylings (you should have seen his pedals!), Jon Hunt's spacey keyboards and backing vocals, Rob Robello's fluid bass lines (not too sure about the pink bass though), and Dave West's perfect drum rhythms. Landing Gear's new cd is called Break Up Songs For Relationships That Never Happened and their set heavily featured songs from the release, which came out a month ago.
The third band of the lineup was The Rakes. I'm fairly certain I've seen this band before. Their sound combines equal parts John Freeman (Magnolias & The Action Alert) and Jay Fararr (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt). Given that those are two of my favorite musicians, I should have liked The Rakes. Unfortunately, I was unable to find anything in their music that stuck with me. I really wanted to like them and they were good, but like I said, nothing stuck. The vocals were great and the band was tight, but I doubt if I will seek out another of their shows.
Finally The Ike Reilly Assassination took the stage. The Entry was packed by the time the band came on. Most of the people in the crowd were already fans. I enjoyed talking with some friends and aquaintances between the sets and got to meet Ike's sister Susan, who had driven from Chicago to attend the show.
The band opened their set with Duty Free, a big hit from Salesmen and Racists. It had the appropriate energy to start the set off with a bang. The enthusiasm
level continued to accelerate throughout the show with an equal number of songs from the two full-length releases. This live show was packed with energy and great
musicianship. There's not a better band out there if you want to see a fantastic rock show! We heard all the best Ike Reilly tunes, a Shane McGowan cover, a Hank Williams III cover, and Ed even tried to play Night Ranger's Sister Christian before the second encore.
Speaking of that second encore, it probably wasn't supposed to happen, but the crowd refused to leave. They kept up the applause and whistles for at least ten minutes
until the band finally had no choice but to come back up and play some more. Ike remarked that we apparently had nowhere better to be as he launched into My Wasted Friends.
One thing I want to comment on concerning the crowd is the "frat-boy factor." Ike has said in past interviews that his songs are not autobiographical and that he has a tendency to poke fun at the men who are characterized in his story-songs. Ironically, these guys don't seem to know they're being ridiculed and they show up in droves to Ike's concerts. I was reminded of this fact when one of these young men pushed his way up front and the first thing he did was pull out his cell phone and start dialing. He
also seemed to think that his whistling was an integral part of the music, even though he wasn't a member of the band. I remarked to a couple friends nearby that The Boat Song (We're Getting Loaded) was all about him. He was completely unaware of the irony of the situation. I feel a little sorry for these people, but I also find their behavior annoying and distracting.
There were a few songs missing from the setlist which I would have liked to hear. Perhaps someone who attended the Saturday show can verify whether they played Hip Hop Thighs, Our Lady of Arturo, Hail! Hail!, Put A Little Love In It, Crave, or God Damn Shame. I may get the chance to see them the next time they come through town on Thanksgiving Eve at the Triple Rock. In the meantime, I'll be listening to Sparkle In The Finish and watching the movies at www.ikereilly.com.

Setlist:
1. Duty Free
2. Cash Is King
3. The Assassination of Sweet Lou Diablo (fast version)
4. Garbage Day
5. Ex-Americans
6. Work Song?
7. St Joes Band
8. The Boat Song (We're Getting Loaded)
9. Last Time
10. Let Me Go Boys (Shane McGowan cover)
11. All Right To Die
12. I Don't Want What You Got (Goin' On)
13. Commie Drives a Nova
Encore:
14. Cunt Back Into Country (Hank III)
15. Blanket Over Me (cover of?)
16. Angels & Whores
17. Ed playing Sister Christian
18. My Wasted Friends
19. Whatever Happened To The Girl In Me?

Good news for Will Johnson fans!

2004-10-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

Radio K played Vultures Await on the K-But on Thursday!!!

Grant Hart-Turf Club 10/14/2004

2004-10-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

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I usually try to see Grant Hart everytime he plays a show around town. I figure I owe him that much. He's done a lot for music in this town, from the music he put out with Husker Du, Nova Mob, and his solo releases; emceeing many local functions such as Pastor Paul's Acoustic Garage Sale at First Avenue; and being a fan of good music and supporting many local bands.
I've been a longtime fan of Grant's songwriting, but the time I came to really apppreciate his live show was in October of 1999 when he opened for Wilco in the main room at First Avenue. Grant was up there on that huge stage with just his Gibson guitar and he opened with All That Remains To Be Seen from his solo album of that year. The song was mesmerizing for me and the set continued to be for the next hour. I don't think he said much, but he let the music do the talking for him. That guitar sound really struck me-the feedback, the richness of it, the bass that only comes from a Gibson-it filled my head for that hour. It was magical for me and that's why I keep going back to see Grant. He's recaptured that for me a couple more times, and I know he'll do it again.
I've seen Grant play with Buffalo Tom and Patti Smith. I've seen him at shows watching Arthur Lee with LOVE, The Zombies, and Bob Mould. He's a fan of music I respect as well as being a great musician himself, and that's why I'll never give up on him.
The Turf Club was practically empty when we got there. We missed the first band, Genius Jr.
I guess a lot of people must have come to see just them because several people left shortly after we arrived.
The second band of the night was Shit-Fi, a punkish-type band with two vocalists who traded off every couple songs. One played some type of keyboard and the other was one of the guitarists. Some of their songs were quite good, and they had a lot of energy in their set. I kept thinking my friend Scott Tuma would have liked them. They also had a few fans in the crowd. I thought the vocalist on guitar was the better singer of the two, but the other one did have some interesting dance moves. There were some dancers up front by the end of their set, and the second-to-last song had some crowd energy going their way. Unfortunately, the last song they played was a bit of a downer and ended the set on a low note.
Shit-Fi ended at 11:55 p.m. and Grant came on at about 12:30 a.m. Someone decorated the stage with Kerry/Edwards posters and buttons between the sets. I'm not sure if that was planned, but Grant didn't seem to mind. Grant opened with Evergreen Memorial Drive and proceeded to play for about an hour, mostly taking audience requests.
About six songs into his set, after joking with audience members who were yelling requests, he informed us that he was back in "audience abuse mode and that's never good for you." He teased a woman who wasn't requesting a song incorrectly and also made up a song about a woman who was walking past the stage on her way to the bathroom. He was still pretty well-behaved, though, and played some of his best songs for us.
Grant's lost a lot of weight over the past year and he looks good. His voice and his guitar sound better than ever. He spoke of having a recent opportunity to play some of his songs at House of Mercy, a church of sorts that was formed in 1996 by some of St. Paul's local musicians and friends of the Turf Club.
Although Grant had many friends in the audience, the friends of the band Shit-Fi seemed pretty intent on drawing attention to themselves and off of Grant. This was a problem throughout the entire set, but became intolerable about 15 songs into Grant's set. These "friends of Shit-Fi" stood up front for the latter part of the show and talked amongst themselves rather loudly. One guy was trying to play another band's drum set which happened to be sitting near the stage. He also sang along in a falsetto voice for Grant's last song.
As far as I could tell, these people started out the night as friends and aquaintances of Grant, but
by the end of the evening, I think it's pretty safe to say that they were his enemies. Grant had to ask them if he was bothering them at one point when their conversation grew loud enough to drown him out. He admonished them with the reminder that they were recipients of his hospitality and therefore they should be showing him a little more respect.
I don't know if Grant sets himself up for this kind of thing or not, but I do know that these people went a little too far and I don't think Grant deserved that. I predict that Shit-Fi won't be doing another show with Grant again. If I ever see them again, I hope they will leave their "friends" at home. As for Grant, I will definitely see him again.

Grant's setlist:
1. Evergreen Memorial Drive
2. Flexible Flyer
3. Green Eyes (for the ladies)
4. Teeny's Hair
5. 2541 (possibly the best song ever written)
6. Little Miss Information
7. Don't Wanna Know If You Are Lonely
8. You Don't Have To Tell Me Now
9. Admiral of the Sea
10. Charity, Chastity, Prudence & Hope
11. new song? maybe a cover?
12. She Floated Away
13. made-up song about girl who talks dirty (woman going toward bathroom)
14. Never Talkin' To You Again
15. It's Not Funny Anymore
16. Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill
17. made-up song "You're name ain't Kyle" directed at audience members
18. Intolerance
19. The Main
Encore:
20. Sorry Somehow
21. All That Remains To Be Seen

Kraig & The Program-Red Carpet 10/8/04

2004-10-14T05:05:00.000-07:00

Pictures from this show:
click here

I took a little road trip last Friday to the Red Carpet in St Cloud. It's probably the third or fourth time I've gone there to see Kraig Jarret Johnson & The Program.
It's always an interesting experience to see a band at the Carpet. The people watching is fun and the $2.00 cover charge to see a couple of great bands makes it well worth the trip.
The opening band was The High Heels. Despite the rumor Mark Mallman started on Off The Record on Radio K last Friday that he was opening the show, it turned out that he was actually playing the Rox Tavern in St Cloud on Friday. I recognized The High Heels from seeing their former bands many times in the 1990's. Singer and keyboardist Bard Meier from American Paint is the leader of the group; and Steve Price and Jerry Andersonfrom Rex Daisy/Two Tickets To Paradise fame are on bass guitar and drums respectively. The High Heels are a keyboard-based band that's rounded out by their funky bass and rock-n-roll drum sound. The lyrics are intelligent viewpoints on life and love, and the overall sound has a poppy, upbeat, kind of 70's groove. The main thing I came away with was that it was really nice to see these three guys up onstage again and I really enjoyed their one-hour set.
We got the original version of The program on Friday, although Marc Perlman played mandolin for this show. Marc was the original bass player for the band, but was unable to remain a regular member because of tour commitments with The Jayhawks. Jim Boquist has played bass since since late 2002. Missing was David Poe, who lives in New York and was unable to attend the show. Ed Ackerson rounded out the lineup on guitar and Peter Anderson played drums. Dan Murphy joined the band for a couple songs later in the set and we were treated to a few Golden Smog-like moments.
The majority of the set consisted of songs from Kraig's self-titled solo release from last year, as well as the excellent covers we've come to expect from a Program show.
The pace started off slow with a couple of Kraig's mellower songs, but quickly picked up speed with Neil Young's Losing End and Keith Richard's How I Wish. Kraig slowed things down again as the crowd thickened and displayed a bit of irritation at those not paying attention. He told the crowd he was just gonna play mellow stuff from that point on, but ended up going back on that promise shortly after that by playing another standard Program rocker. There was a request from the crowd for a song they could dance to (this always happens at The Carpet-the locals apparently have no problem interupting a show for a dedication or to jump up onstage to announce someone's bachelorette party) and Kraig obliged with a cover of Spooky.
This was our Golden Smog moment as Danny Murphy came up to play guitar with the band. First, they played If I Only Had a Car and after the request, they played Spooky. Dan was leaving the stage, but came back for this one. Kraig also played a new song. Perhaps a new full-length release is in the works. The last few songs were among my favorite Program rockers. Kraig even tried to morph into Iggy's I Wanna Be Your Dog, but the rest of the band failed to play along. They closed with the energetic sing-along Freight Train, a cover of a song by Sister Double Happiness, which Kraig has clearly made his own.
I've said before that people have got to get with The Program. This was a great opportunity to see this band for a very reasonable price. The special guests also go to show you that you never know who is going to show up at a Program gig. That's why I try not to miss one. I do regret missing the opportunity to see Peter Buck play with The Program last Monday at the 400 Bar. Peter is an old friend of the Johnson brothers from the Run Westy Run days. He was in town a day early to play a benefit for Karl Mueller there with The Minus 5, The Program, and Bright Eyes. He played on Tuesday with R.E.M. for the MoveOn.org swing state tour.
I'm not sure when Kraig's next show will be, but I hope I'll be able to attend. I also hope to see more fans the next time The Program plays The Red Carpet.

Will Johnson@The Triple Rock 10/1/04

2004-10-13T05:45:00.000-07:00

Will Johnson (of Centro-matic) @ The Triple Rock-Friday, October 1, 2004

Last Friday I did something I don't do very often. I went to see the opening band at The Triple Rock. No, I mean just the opening band and none of the other bands. The reason I did this is because this opening act was Mr. Will Johnson. Will is the lead singer and songwriter for the Texas band
Centro-matic. They are my favorite band. They have an appeal that is a little hard to describe, but if you've ever seen them, you probably know what I mean. Will is the most prolific writer around today, at least that I'm aware of. Centro-matic has had seven full-length releases in the past eight years; another band which they use a kind of a side project called South San Gabriel has another; and Will has two solo releases, one which came out in 2002, and one which was released last month. There is also a tour-only cd with older songs done in a completely different way that Will is selling these days at his shows, and many other seven-inches and eps that are a little harder to find.
Now that you have some background as to why I would go to see the opening act and not stay for the perfectly decent Robbers on High Street and John Vanderslice, let me tell you more about Will.
The first time I saw Will play a show was at SXSW 2003. He was at The Red-Eyed Fly in Austin, TX for a daytime gig. These are the ones that are usually free and are usually put on by a record label or a publication to provide some exposure for bands who might not have a regular showcase gig at night. I don't remember who put this party on, but I remember Will and his Centro-matic bandmate Scott Danbom.
It was the first time I got to hear the Centro-matic song Flashes and Cables which was yet to be released on their album Love You Just The Same. I had to wait another six months before the cd came out and I got to hear the song again, but it haunted me for those six months. I guess other people felt the same way because a few months after Love You Just The Same came out, the band released a Flashes and Cable ep, which had alternate versions of the song, a few other songs, and some quicktime videos. Janitorial on Channel Fail is the funniest video I've ever seen. Will plays the janitor and bassist Mark Hedman plays a corporate geek who steals his donut in the break room.
I also got to hear a song from Will's first solo release Murder of Tides that day. It was called Philo Manitoba and it's about a young man who sets himself on fire. The thing I remember best about that song is that it made my friend Susan cry. I got to see the full band a couple more times in Austin that year and then this year I got to see them a few more times. I was officially hooked by the time I left Austin this past March.
I got to the Triple Rock long before the doors opened on Friday. We decided to have some dinner there. Their food's pretty good, by the way. Will showed up about 45 minutes after we did. The doors opened about 10:15 pm because John Vanderslice's band was still playing around with their tuning and instruments until then. I talked to Will for a couple mintues before the show and then he took the stage at about 10:30.
Will opened with As Victims Would from his new cd Vultures Await. He had a little trouble with his amp and unplugged everything for his next song, the incomparable Flashes and Cables. It was nice to see some folks move forward at this point. Next he played the opening track from Vultures Await, Catherine Dupree, another song about someone setting herself on fire. Next was Westerlies from Will's first solo cd Murder of Tides and it kind of morphed into another song from Murder of Tides called Re-run Pills. He then dedicated his next song to Robbers on High Street since it was going to be their last show.
He played Vultures Await, which is the third song on the new cd. It's a break-up song as far as I can tell.
Next he played The Yellow Signals from Murder of Tides. His last song had a couple special guests. The drummer from the Vanderslice band and the bass player from Spoon. They played another of my favorite songs, Nothing But Godzilla from Vultures Await. It was a wonderful arrangement of a great song. It kind of reminded me of that first time I heard Flashes and Cables, so my night was pretty much complete at that point.
So that's why I went to see the opening band and didn't stay for the headliner. Centro-matic will be back later this month with The Drive-By Truckers at First Avenue, and Will is opening for American Music Club at The Triple Rock in November. I guess I'll see you there.

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Spoutstock@Mario's Keller Bar 7/8/04

2004-07-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

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In yet another preview of Rock for Democracy, spoutpress.com put on it's 2nd annual Cover Song Contest. This was an unusual type of show in that audience participation was essential to it's success. We got to vote on our favorites, although I definitely disagreed with the rest of the audience on my favorite cover. Some of the best covers were done later in the night with Ol Yeller, who played a full set after the comtest awards were given out. Elton's Benny & The Jets and Blue Oyster Cults' Burning For You were real highlights.
Kurt Allis & Ben Durrant of Unguided Missile opened the show with a wonderful rendition of Stand By Your Man. Louise Rocks of Sherman Electric followed with Brand New Key. Devon Gray of Heiruspecs covered Stevie Wonder. Bob Frey covered Slaid Cleaves' Broke Down, one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite Texas songwriters. I was pretty unimpressed by Amy Jennings & Matty Schindler covering Total Eclipse of the Heart, but I have to applaud her for not picking up her keyboard and running off the stage. The audience picked her as their winner, though I cannot fathom why. The Larpenteurs made another appearance this year with another cover of a Carpenters song. This time it was For All We Know. Matty Schindler covered Willie Nelson. Work of Saws pulled out two suprising numbers: The theme from Land of the Lost morphing into the Juicy Fruit jingle. Marlee Macleod closed the first set with her cover of Chevy Van. She won runner up for her efforts, resulting in someone's old bowling trophy I think. The 2nd set of performers began with last years favorites Best Friend Forever covering Prince's Dirty Mind complete with both girls wearing homemade Prince masks.
Next up were Rob Skoro on Paul McCartney's Heart of the Country and Barbara Jean & Leah of Grace Darling covering Lucinda William's Blue. Both were very nice efforts. Next up were winner Mike Lewis and his stand-up bass player from Midwestern Standard Time doing Hey Ya. I might have liked it better if I weren't already so sick of hearing everybody else covering this song, but it was original on sax. Laila Vera covered Fever with a little help from the audience on syncopation and her flute. Raven covered The Zombies' I Love You. Bird Problem was up next with Dramarama's Anything, Anything (I'll Give You). Terry Eason was supposed to be the final performer (there were Terry Eason updates throughout the night as he was playing a gig elsewhere) and he did a fine job on Liz Phair's Help Me Mary. Ryan Smith from The Melismatics was the final contestant with Bob Mould's Explode and Makeup. It was my audience pick anyway.
Celebrity judges Matt Wilson, Lori Barbero, and Jessy Greene were hard at work tabulating the results and the awards were given as I've already mentioned. It was one of the funner nights I've spent at a show. The only drawbacks were the noisy air conditioners and the staff who couldn't or wouldn't do anything about it.

Kraig Jarret Johnson & The Program-Turf Club 7/2/04

2004-07-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

click here

I would be remiss if I failed to mention this show, and I'm already a couple weeks behind as it is. We've been pretty lucky this summer, considering that this is usually a slow time in town. Aside from all the crap going on with First Avenue, we've still managed to have some pretty good stuff going on in the Twin Towns.
I almost missed the show because we took a nap about 9 pm and woke up at 11:30 pm. We managed to get on the road and the band was already playing, but I don't think we missed much. I feel kind of bad about missing Paul Pirner's band Mosquito Ranch, but we did get to see them open for The Program at the Red Carpet in St. Cloud a few months back.
My friend Ben had this to say about the show:
"...the Turf Club set later that night was hotter than hell. The
Program was clearly enjoying themselves onstage. A much,
much better show than the performance at the Turf back in
late February...and also one of the best Program shows I've
seen to date. Dan Murphy jumped onstage for "Spooky",
and after a jam in the middle, Kraig asked, "when did we
turn into a motherfuckin' jam band?!!!" Then he sang an
improvised verse about the big show on July 18th, and
reminded everyone, "Don't be late!" Then, Marc Perlman got up
for "Freight Train" to bring the evening to a close..."
The usual members of the band were there: Kraig Johnson, David Poe, Peter Anderson, Jim Boquist, and Ed Ackerson. It's really an all-star band and if you haven't heard about any of these guys before, you've been living under a rock or something. Kraig's been a member of The Jayhawks, Run Westy Run, Dim Sum, and The O Jeez and is currently in Iffy, Sideways, and Golden Smog as well as leading The Program. David Poe is a solo artist out of NYC and he met Kraig when he was touring The Program with The Jayhawks and helped Kraig get some of his songs down on paper. Peter Anderson is our local drummer who is in just about every band in town these days. Besides The Program, Peter also plays regularly with Iffy, Sideways, Mark Mallman, Astronaut Wife, Polara, as well as currently subbing for Noah Levy in The Honeydogs. I also spottd him twirling his sticks for The Olympic Hopefuls last Friday at Peavey Plaza. Jim Boquist is a former member of Son Volt, whose future is still uncertain from what I hear. They have a song on the upcoming Alejandro Escovedo tribute disc Por Vida. Jim also appears on Gillian Welch's Soul Journey, Golden Smog's Weird Tales, and Joe Henry's Fireman's Wedding. He and his brother Dave play an occasional show together in Minneapolis as well. Ed Ackerson is the guru of local label Susstones and has led the band Polara for several years. He recently began Sideways, an instrumental band with Kraig Johnson, Tim Oesau, and blake Hurlbert. Before starting Polara, Ed also was in The 27 Various and The Dig.
Like Ben said, The Program was hotter than hell. Among the usual songs, they also covered Keith Richard's How I Wish, and Golden Smog's If I Only Had a Car. Kraig wrote that one, so I don't know if it qualifies as a cover, but there you go. You gotta get with The Program!

Adam Levy @ Kitty Kat Club 7/8/04

2004-07-12T05:20:00.000-07:00

Adam played a benefit for John Kerry last Thursday night. He's also a part of the Rock for Democracy which is putting on benefits all over the country right now. The big show for us in the Twin Cities is at First Avenue this coming Sunday featuring members of Golden Smog, Kraig Jarret Johnson & The Program, The Honeydogs, Jessy Greene, the Flops, and Sideways.
Adam's show was put on to promote awareness and involvement in the community, especially among the young professionals. He played a nice one-hour set consisting of old and new Honeydogs material and after a request from an audience member for some songs he didn't know, he played The Kinks' Picture Book as a closer.
I always enjoy a solo show from a longtime band leader. Adam writes intelligent, thought-provoking songs and that really comes through in a solo, acoustic setting. Sometimes it's the first time you actually can hear and understand the lyrics. We're quite lucky in this town to have Adam available to us. I'm also glad he's involved himself politically. Get out there and rock for democracy!

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SUSS-TACULAR @Bryant Lake Bowl 6/29/04

2004-07-06T05:12:00.000-07:00

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A few words about this little event are in order, I suppose. An insider friend who seems to know all that goes on in the Susstones camp informed me that Ed Ackerson has been hanging out and spinning records at the Bryant Lake Bowl on Tuesday nights. Last week there was a special show on the schedule featuring Susstones acts The Mood Swings, The Melismatics, Sideways, and special guest from NYC, David Poe. It was a very nice showcase of these up and coming bands and I was privileged to be among the attendees.

I always enjoy seeing a show in the intimate setting of the BLB. This one wasn't even full to the 70 or so person capacity. If you haven't seen a show here yet, I highly recommend it. The sound is spectacular and you can get food and drink in the theater as well. Too bad about the no smoking rule, but I know I ought to quit anyway.

First up were The Mood Swings with special guest bass player Dan Boen. I'm not sure if Dan is a permanent addition to the lineup or not, but I have a feeling he is, what with Melismatics bassist Mark Wade getting a little busy these days. The Mood Swings gals really rock out and their set was very enjoyable. I've seen the band at least three times and they have a very catchy pop sound as well as intelligent lyrics going for them.

Next we got to hear The Melismatics in a whole new way. Their set was semi-acoustic and sitting down. Members of the band said afterward that it was really weird for them. I liked it. The first time I saw this band was in the Entry a couple years ago and they've been climbing to the top of the pop charts ever since. The sit-down set was different, but it was a nice change and fit nicely with the BLB atmosphere. I always feel that the ture test of a good band is whether they can pull off their stuff in an acoustic setting to see if the songs hold equal weight and I wasn't disappointed.

David Poe played a song of his own after this and then stuck around and played one of his numbers with Sideways, Ed Ackerson's latest project. I understand David is still under contract with another label, so I don't know how much mention I should make of his presence. Suffice it to say that he didn't get much time on the mic, but he made pretty good use of the time he had. I understand David has a new album coming out later this year, so check his website for details.

The final act of the evening was Sideways. I believe this was only the third ever performance of this band featuring Ed Ackerson, Kraig Johnson, Blake Hurlbert, Tim Oesau, and Peter Anderson. It's a jazzy, guitar & keyboard-based sound. While not normally a sound I would be drawn to, there is so much damn talent in this band, it's pretty hard not to listen. I believe most of the songs have been written by Ed, but last week featured a new song written by Kraig. They have put out one album on Susstones called Oblivion and Points Beyond (2003) which is available at the Susstones website. I hope they will continue making new music, despite the very busy schedules of these very talented musicians, because it is music that is well worth hearing.

Soil to Soul @ Farmers Market 6/25/04

2004-06-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

Caught another outdoor show at the Farmers Market last Friday. This one featured local legends Ipso Facto, The Honeydogs, and Iffy. It was a lovely night and the music was great. Unfortunately, I missed most of the Ipso Facto set, but from what I heard those guys are still sounding great.
The Honeydogs were absolutely on fire. I don't think I've ever seen a more energetic set from them. Peter Anderson did double duty on drums that night as he has been playing for The Honeydogs while Noah Levy is on tour with some band the kids all seem to adore. Forgive me for not remembering the name. Peter is easily the best drummer in this town and one of the nicest people to boot. He also plays for a few other bands, including Kraig Jarret Johnson & The Program, Mark Mallman, and Sideways. Lots of tunes from the latest Honeydogs release, 10,000 Years (2003) and the self-released Island of Misfits (2001)as well as a Todd Rundgren cover sung by guitarist Brian Halverson. The band was also joined onstage by one of the members of Ipso Facto for a few songs, and Andrea, who has a beautiful voice and is a member of Adam Levy's other band, Hookers and Blow. She was amazing on a cover of T Rex's 20th Century Boy, which is becoming a Honeydogs staple these days.
Next up was Iffy and their energetic set really has me looking forward to a new release from them. About half of the set was fairly new material to me and it sounded great.
Kirk Johnson is amazing to watch, but so is the rest of the band. I've never seen anyone put as much into a show as Iffy does. The backdrop of the downtown skyline added to the idyllic scene. Iffy is a long way from being Run Westy Run, but having most of the same personnel doesn't hurt, as we all know those were some legendary shows.
Tom Merkl looks like he is having the time of his life up there playing bass; Kirk is a dancing maniac; Blake Hurlbert and Peter Anderson keep the rhythm going; and Kraig Johnson lays down a smooth guitar line and adds backing vocals. The combination is infectious. I wouldn't miss another Iffy show if I were you.

Pic are here:
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Adam Levy @ Ruin Courtyard-Mill City Museum 6/17/04

2004-06-25T04:05:00.000-07:00

In case you hadn't heard about it, there's a nice series of free concerts going on outdoors this summer. Thursday night I attended the second of eight shows
put on at the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis. The show featured Adam Levy, lead singer of The Honeydogs, local favorites for at least tje last ten years.
I've been hearing and seeing Adam a bit longer than that, since I remember him and his brother Noah playing with Chris Lynch in a little band called The Picadors.

The show started around 6 p.m. and consisted of Adam and his Gibson acoustic. Lots of Levy friends and family were in attendance, as well as die-hard fans and curious onlookers. The group of little girls up front provided dancing and enthusiasm, but proved a bit too distracting for Adam
by the end of the show.

Adam performed two short sets with a nice mix of old and new songs. He told some great stories to explain the songs, and even revealed that he's been
secretly working on a children's album before performing on of the songs he hopes to put on it called Olives, Olives. The Ruin Courtyard was a perfect backdrop for
Were The Heavens Standing Blindly?, Adam's song about the Holocaust, from the 2003
Honeydogs album, 10, 000 Years.

We were treated with songs from all five Honeydogs cds, including one written for a movie soundtrack. The sets were a bit short-12 songs in the first half, and
7 in the second half-with the whole thing wrapping up at about 7:40 p.m. Despite that, it was still a nice treat to hear Honeydogs songs with a slightly different
treatment. Best of all, it was free! If you want to see Adam with the whole band, there will be a show at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market on Friday, June 25th.

Here's the setlist for Adam's show:
1st Set:
1. Test Tube Kid (10, 000 Years, 2003)
2. Hearts & Heads (Here's Luck, 2000)
3. Mainline (Seen A Ghost, 1997)
4. Sour Grapes (Here's Luck)
5. Wilson Boulevard (Here's Luck)
6. Rosie Flores Came To Town (Island of Misfits, 2001)
7. For The Tears (Here's Luck)
8. Panacea (Island of Misfits)
9. Cherub (Seen a Ghost)
10. Were The Heavens Standing Blindly? (10, 000 Years)
11. Miriam (Everything, I Bet You, 1996)
12. Olives, Olives

2nd Set:
13. Rumor Has It (Seen A Ghost)
14. Those Things Are Hers (Seen A Ghost)
15. Chasing the Sun (?)
16. Sans Sucre (Seen A Ghost)
17. Freakshow (Here's Luck)
18. 10, 000 Years (10, 000 Years)
19. Bad Day, Good Night (Everything, I Bet You)

Other upcoming shows at the Ruin Courtyard include Big Ditch Road on July 15, Kraig Jarret Johnson on August 5, and Mark Mallman on August 19.

Pics are here:

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Richmond Fontaine@The 400 Bar 6/23/04

2004-06-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

What a great show! I will try and write more details later (and get the pictures up) but for now suffice it to say that these guys are one of the best bands I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. It was a small lineup compared to the folks that have played on their records, but the sound was great, the band seemed like the nicest bunch of guys you could ever know, and those songs just kill me.
We got to hear most of last year's album, Post To Wire, in the live setting. I believe all but the title track and Through were played. This album is one of two that I wish I had bought last year so I could have put it in my top ten for the year (Skating Club's Bug and Flowers is the other one). The minute I heard it I was in love with all of the songs. After waiting nearly five years to hear this band again, I'm so glad they came back. I hope they don't wait another five years to return.

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Brent Best (Slobberbone) @ The 400 Bar-6/11 & 6/14/04

2004-06-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

I don't know where all you Slobberbone fans were on June 11th & 14th, but you should have been seeing Brent Best, the lead singer of Slobberbone, at the 400. I've got all kind of friends from Texas who have been telling me for the past couple years about these amazing solo shows from Brent. I have been insanely jealous, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to see that Brent was actually going to play a couple of shows here.

Brent's been writing some new stuff and he showcased a few songs here. I don't know whether they'll show up on a new Slobberbone album or if they will be included on a Brent solo album. I would be thrilled either way. The new song Robert Cole would be beautiful no matter where we see it, as long as it does get released because it's a
lovely song about a boy's 9th birthday which coincides with the death of his father.

Seeing an acoustic treatment of those rockin' S'bone numbers was also an especially nice treat. You wouldn't think an acoustic guitar would make Pinball Song rock as much as the banjo, electric, bass and drums, but it definitely did.

Those of you who talked near the stage throughout Brent's entire opening set for The Handsome Family, and those of you who didn't show up at the 400 either night, missed a rare and wonderful opportunity. Again, thank god for the Sullivan brothers for having great taste in music.

Pics from both of Brent's shows are here:

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Hello

2004-06-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm going to try and put some show reviews up here while David is away doing his usual summer festival thing in Europe. Tonight I'm seeing Richmond Fontaine at the 400 Bar. I'm so very excited to see this band again. They are fantastic!

Karla