Catching Sounds

Mill City Live 2010

2010-05-28T13:08:00.000-05:00

Mill City Live 2010
The shows are in the outdoor courtyard of the museum from 6-8. Buying a ticket ($5) gets you admission to the museum from 4-9 as well. I went to couple of these shows last year and they were great.

July 8 - Spider John Koerner and Tony Glover
July 15 - Aby Wolf
July 22 - Joey Ryan and the Inks
July 29 - Salsa del Soul
Aug. 5 - The 757s
Aug. 12 - Idle Hands
Aug. 19 - Black Blondie

A Magical Evening with Mumford and Sons

2010-05-26T09:59:00.007-05:00

Mumford and Sons played the Varsity Theater May 25th to an insanely energetic crowd. The room was extremely hot and humid (reminiscent of the '09 Phoenix show) but that didn't stop people from enjoying the show once it got rolling.

Yeah, you have your super-fan packed crowds for the established/classic artists, but not usually for relatively new indie bands. I'm not sure I've personally ever seen a crowd so into every bit of the show. This was most evident with the couple of new tunes Mumford and Sons broke out. Normally with new songs a crowd will tunes out, chat, get drinks, etc. But at this show, even the new songs had the crowd going nuts.

The band in return seemed blown-away by the crowd's response. I think @MeredithWestin put it best: "Mumford and Sons seem genuinely surprised by how much the crowd at the @VarsityTheater love and it's fucking adorable." The band and crowd seemed to be in some euphoric infinite loop of love.

I tweeted with the word "magical" to describe it last night, and saw a couple others use that word too. I think that one word pretty well summed it up.

Not a complete video, but the last couple minutes of "Roll Away Your Stone" give a pretty good idea of the energy going down in the room most of the night:

Mumford and Sons - Wake My Soul:

Mumford and Sons - Dance Dance Dance (Neil Young Cover)

City Pages "Best of" Featuring Dessa and No Bird Sing

2010-05-24T09:12:00.001-05:00

The City Pages put on a concert May 22nd to celebrate their "Best of the Twin Cities 2010" edition. Dessa, the "Best female vocalist" headlined the show, and No Bird Sing opened. Both put on great sets.

Dessa - Mineshaft II

No Bird Sing - Devil Trombones

Storyhill "Acoustic Duo" show at the Guthrie 4-17-2010

2010-04-18T16:01:00.003-05:00

Storyhill put on a great show at the Guthrie in celebration of their new CD "Shade of the Trees". The Dan Wilson produced album is very minimalist - just two guitars, two voices, and lovely harmonies. The show was a nice mix of the new tunes with plenty of old favorites - Stillwater, If I Could, White Roses, Steady On, etc.

This was a trial run using a new HD camera. I'm pretty happy with the results. Watch in full-screen in 1080 HD!

Storyhill - Well of Sorrow (Guthrie 12-17-2010):

Storyhill - Steady On (Guthrie 12-17-2010):

P.O.S - "Purexed" at the Triple Rock

2010-04-14T09:13:00.000-05:00

P.O.S put on a few last minute free shows at small venues to tune up for his summer festival gigs. Here's a sample of the action from last night's show was at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis.

Dan and Matt Wilson at the Pantages

2010-03-27T15:10:00.002-05:00

Dan and Matt Wilson teamed up as a duo for the first time at the Pantages Theater in Minneapolis, Mar 26th. They played a number of tunes from current and past albums: Trip Shakespeare, Semisonic, Twilight Hours, solo careers, and a couple covers to boot. Their interactions with each other made for quite a humorous evening as well.

The whole show was amazing! A nice (I assume) recording of the show will be available through Dan's website or the Twilight Hours website sometime in the next week or so.

Setlist
Reception (Trip Shakespeare)
Never You Mind (Semisonic)
Hello Stranger (Dan) - aborted after two starts
Unlucky Lady (Trip Shakespeare)
Alone (Twilight Hours)
Landing (Matt)
Chemistry (Semisonic)
Anywhere (new Matt and Dan)
Made to Last (Semisonic) - cool rework of the old repeating keyboard riff
Drummer Like Me (Trip Shakespeare)
Free Life (Dan)
Travel Plans (Matt)
Lip Service (Elvis Costello cover)
Act Naturally (Semisonic)
Closing Time (Semisonic)
Hello Stranger (Dan)
Two Wheeler, Four Wheeler (Trip Shakespeare)
Turtledove (Trip Shakespeare)
Toolmaster of Brainerd (Trip Shakespeare)
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Hello Caller (Matt)
All Kinds (Dan)
Don't Worry Baby (Beach Boys cover)

Playlist From My DJ Debut

2010-03-23T05:02:00.004-05:00

The playlist from my DJ debut at Grumpy's NE for Minnesota Mondays. All local tunes from 7-9PM and 1/2 price local beer from 5-9PM! Thanks to Kyle at MoreCowbell.net for the opportunity - it was a blast!

1. Alva Star - 'Victorian' (Alligators in the Lobby)
2. Aaron & The Sea - 'Music? [With Mayda]' (Seconds And Shapes)
3. Jenny Dalton - 'Rusalka's Umbrella' (Rusalka's Umbrella)
4. Mark Mallman - 'Hardcore Romantics' (Best of 1998 - 2008)
5. Tapes 'n Tapes - 'Hang Them All' (Walk It Off)
6. Adam Svec - 'Voices On The Microphone' (Enemy Swimmer)
7. Matt Wilson - 'Blue Elektra' (Burnt, White And Blue)
8. Chris Koza - 'Scorpion Honey' (The Dark Delirious Morning)
9. Dosh - 'Subtractions' (Tommy)
10. Astronaut Wife - 'Cape Canaveral' (Now That 1999 Is Gone)
11. Black Blondie - 'For The Taste' (Do You Remember Who You Wanted To Be)
12. Brother Ali - 'Pedigree' (Live Current Vol. 3)
13. Heiruspecs - '5ves' (A Tiger Dancing)
14. The Pundits - 'Gold Approach' (Echo Chamber)
15. The Replacements - 'Unsatisfied' (Let It Be)
16. Mason Jennings - 'Blood Of Man' (Blood Of Man)
17. Caroline Smith And The Good Night Sleeps - 'Lack Of Height' (Backyard Tent Set)
18. The Hopefuls - 'Stacey' (Now Playing at the One-Seat Theatre)
19. The Rockford Mules - 'Redditch Redeye' (From Devils Spit To Angels Tears)
20. The New Standards - 'Hey Ya' (Rock and Roll)
21. Har Mar Superstar - 'Tall Boy' (Dark Touches)
22. Estate - 'Let Her Know' (The Vacation)
23. Grey Skies - 'Full Circle' (New Leaf)
24. The Humbugs - 'Employee Of The Month' (On The Up Side)
25. Ice Palace - 'Phonebook Pillow' (Wonder Subtly Crushing Us)
26. The Idle Hands - 'Queen Of Air And Darkness' (The Hearts We Broke On The Way To The Show)
27. The Evening Rig - 'Goddamn, I Could Use A Drink' (Is Doin' Stuff)
28. Johnny Clueless - 'Too Late, Too Loud' (Too Late, Too Loud)
29. The Mad Ripple - 'A Question For Pat Dwyer At Grumpy's In Northeast Minneapolis' (Sink And/Or Swim)
30. Romantica - 'Caroline' (Unreleased)
31. The Melismatics - 'Soul Sucker' (The Acid Test)
32. A Night in the Box - 'The Rich Man's Table' (Write A Letter)

The Twilight Hours - April 24th @ The Guthrie

2010-03-18T06:03:00.000-05:00

The Twilight Hours - April 24th @ The Guthrie
On-Sale: Friday, March 19 @ 11:00 AM

Storyhill's "Shade of the Trees" CD Release!

2010-03-17T00:28:00.012-05:00

"Dangerous Weapon" by Storyhill

Storyhill, one of my 3 favorite groups, is gearing up for release of their new album "Shade of the Trees". The album will be out April 20th on the local (MN) label: Red House Records. A release show will be held at the Guthrie on April 17th (tix on-sale Mar. 19).

I'm looking forward to hearing the new tunes! I do find it fairly humorous the show is being billed as an "Acoustic Duo Performance". As opposed to what...? :) When's the last time they played with full band? :) Last I recall seeing a full band myself were the 'breaking-up' shows in '97 (although I've missed plenty of shows since then).

Each time I hear 'White Roses' I still vividly picture Fawcett's drum sticks splintering into more and more pieces with each blast into the drum during the "I'm Looking Through You" portion...until the end when the band walked off for the 'last' time . Hands down the most memorable song performance of any show I've ever attended.

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Now playing: Storyhill - White Roses/I'm Looking Through You [*]

The Melismatics - Digging Deep

2010-03-14T12:45:00.001-05:00

The Melismatics - Digging Deep.

Another local band I have often heard of, but somehow never really heard (live/album). Damn, I was missing out!! My friend Gia introduced me to Ryan a few weeks ago (super nice guy), so I checked out and bought their latest "The Acid Test" this week. Sweet stuff - being added to my workout playlist now!

RE: the video...I love Pony signing in the background picture frame and Ryan blasting the lamp off the table!

The Avett Brothers @ First Avenue

2010-03-06T12:27:00.005-06:00

Here are a few videos of The Avett Brothers playing to a sold out crowd at First Avenue in Minneapolis, March 5, 2010.

(Update: Check out some great photos from the evening at MeredithWestin.com)

The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You

The Avett Brothers - Go To Sleep

Romantica Silences The Cedar

2009-12-21T10:59:00.007-06:00

Romantica played The Cedar last night for their new EP release "Control Alt Country Delete". This new tune (I'm guessing at the name) should be on their next new album due out in Mar '10. The crowd went dead silent, listening intently, as song went on. It was really amazing!

Update 12/21: @TonyZaccardi the bass player for Romantica sent me this tweet. "Don't think it really has a name. It is about Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris."

Update 3/14/2010: I've been informed this tune isn't going to be on the upcoming Romantica album (now expected ~June '10). Still a lot of great new tunes on that one though!

It's Not Easy Being Green

2009-09-08T03:10:00.004-05:00

Partially inspired by spending too much time at the Eco Experience at the MN State Fair this week, and partially due to a lack of being able to go to sleep...I present to you my "Green" playlist:

1. 'Green Eyes'-Lapdog (Mayfly)
2. 'The Grass Is Green'-Nelly Furtado (Folklore)
3. 'Green And Gray'-Nickel Creek (This Side)
4. 'O Green World'-Gorillaz (Demon Days)
5. 'Gray Green'-Richard Shindell (Vuelta)
6. 'Big Green Country'-Neil Young (Mirror Ball)
7. 'Green Apples'-Chantal Kreviazuk (Under These Rocks and Stones)
8. 'Green River'-Creedence Clearwater Revival (Chronicle, Vol. 1)
9. 'From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea'-The Cure (Wish)
10. 'On the Greener Side'-Michelle Shocked (Mercury Poise: 1988-1995)
11. 'My Flowers Grow Green'-Jonatha Brooke (The Works)
12. 'Green Eyed Boy'-Haley Bonar (Big Star)
13. 'Green To Grey'-Caroline Smith And The Good Night Sleeps (Backyard Tent Set)
14. 'Green Turns to Gold'-First Communion Afterparty (Sorry for All the Mondays and to Those Who Can't Sing)
15. 'Green Room'-David Berkeley (After The Wrecking Ships)

Mallman's CD Release Impresses

2009-09-07T14:55:00.001-05:00

I finally was able to catch a Mark Mallman show! It was his CD release for Invincible Criminal at First Avenue on 9/5. "Holy shit!" pretty much sums it up. He puts on an awesome live show!

Exhibit A: to start the show, he walks out on stage solo in a janitor outfit with a mop and rolling bucket and bursts into an amazing version of Phantom of the Opera's "The Music of the Night"!

He puts on a great show. If you ever get a chance to see him, do it!

Mason Jennings - "Blood Of Man" Short Film

2009-08-25T02:22:00.005-05:00

Found this short film by Barry Kimm on Mason's website. It goes into the creative process behind Mason Jennings' new record Blood Of Man. Looking forward to the album's release on Sept 15th.

Track Listing:
1. City Of Ghosts
2. Pittsburgh
3. The Field
4. Tourist
5. Black Wind Blowing
6. Ain't No Friend Of Mine
7. Sing Out
8. Sunlight
9. Lonely Road
10. Blood Of Man

2009-07-21T20:29:00.001-05:00

Death Cab for Cutie - Little Bribes from Ross Ching on Vimeo.

Meiko Gets Freaky

2009-05-19T19:18:00.003-05:00

Meiko put on a great show at the Varsity Theater on May 17th. Her last number, before a pseudo-encore, was this Rick James cover of "Super Freak". Haven't seen any video posted from the Varsity show yet, but this is from a few nights previous.

There weren't any drums at the Varsity show, but you get the idea. I love hearing songs taken into a completely different style!

Buy Direct from Red House Records

2009-05-19T18:55:00.010-05:00

Locally based Red House Records puts out an e-mail plea to buy Red House releases direct from them. I couldn't find it online to link to, so I have posted it here:

"Dear Red House Records fans,

Buy Direct is the message of this important note to you, our dedicated fans.

The reason is simple. We know you love the music we bring to you and we want to be able to continue that mission. But it's getting harder and harder to stay independent and successful. One way you can help is to continue to buy Red House releases direct from us (by phone or on our web site) or at your local independent record store. And, please encourage your friends to do the same. When you buy direct from us, Red House and its artists can remain financially viable. That's how we'll stay alive and healthy - producing the best in folk, Americana, blues and acoustic-based music.

The word on the street is that labels are irrelevant. That couldn't be farther from the truth when you're talking about independent labels like Red House. In contrast to major labels, Red House Records honors its artists, committed always to their artistic integrity and freedom. We treat our artists like family, fairly and with respect. We give our all each day to provide them with an array of services - marketing, promotions and publicity, shipping, artist relations and operations - which enables them to devote their time to their passion: songwriting and performing.

Locally owned and independent -it's a hard row to hoe - with all the buy-outs, take-overs and Wal-Marts in every town. But with your help we will persevere and continue to be more than a "label." We will continue to be the Red House family, bringing together artists and music lovers in common cause. You'll never have to wade through the thousands of yearly releases to find the quality music you want; it's right here at Red House Records.

Please call or e-mail us anytime. We are real, live people here in St. Paul at the end of the phone line and behind the web site. And we love hearing from you.

Again, thanks for buying direct from Red House and supporting music-making on a human scale, where our walk and talk really match, where roots meet the here and now!

All of us at Red House Records!
Red House Records, Inc.
www.redhouserecords.com
PO Box 4044
St. Paul MN 55104
800-695-4687"

Check them out. Lots of amazing artists.

HowWasTheShow.com Podcast

2009-04-21T19:03:00.002-05:00

For those that missed my HowWasTheShow.com podcast debut, here's the link to the festivities.

"HowWasTheShow’s David de Young and guests spin tracks from the Minnesota CDs that have caught their attention recently. The panel this month includes Pat O'Brien, Sara Montour and Eric Bass. "

Note: The actual podcast is below the track listing. You can listen by pressing the "play" button, or by downloading the MP3 from the link next to it.

'09 Music in the Zoo Partial Schedule

2009-04-20T19:05:00.004-05:00

Browsing a few concert listing websites I have pulled together info on 14 of the 2009 Music in the Zoo series. Official (full) schedule to be announced 10am. Apr. 27th by Sue McLean & Assoc.

So far I have found:

June 12 (Fri) The Derek Trucks Band
June 13 (Sat) PJ Harvey & John Parish
June 16 (Tue) Tower of Power
Jun 26 (Fri) Los Lonely Boys
Jun 27 (Sat) Avett Brothers
Jun 28 (Sun) BoDeans
Jun 30 (Tue) Femi Kuti / King Sunny Ade & His African Beats
Jul 2 (Thur) Soul Asylum
Jul 15 (Wed) Gov't Mule / Warren Haynes
Jul 17 (Fri) Keb' Mo'
Jul 18 (Sat) Dave Koz / Brian Culbertson
Jul 31 (Fri) Solid Gold / The Pines
Aug 1 (Sat) Gear Daddies
Aug 16 (Sun) Joe Bonamassa

Additionally, I wouldn't be surprised if the Indigo Girls will be announced on the Zoo list somewhere between their June 28 (Bayfield, WI) and July 7 (Boulder, CO) dates. June 29th?? Note: The IG show is pure speculation on my part...I have found no info other than their tour schedule gap/locations. If you get your hopes up and I'm wrong...not my problem. ;)

Andrew Bird: Dr. Stringz

2009-04-12T01:20:00.002-05:00

At tonight's show at the State Theater, Andrew Bird was talking about breaking his violin at a recent show but that it had been fixed for tonight. I was right up front and muttered something about him needing Dr. Stringz. He heard it, smiled and said it into the mic. About 5 people laughed. This obviously never went viral...but its pretty cool.

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Now playing: Sara Watkins - All This Time

Kid Dakota - "Potions and Tinctures"

2009-03-01T23:34:00.006-06:00

Kid Dakota has a new song "Potions and Tinctures" up on their Myspace page. It's an ultra short 56 seconds of acoustic guitar and Darren singing:

I have been better, means that I'm not very well
My potions and tinctures can't save me from my own hell

You say, I know that you're not evil
It's just that you can't see the light

Well put your head upon my heart
It's going to be alright
It's going to be alright

The beautiful song is short, but doesn't need to be any longer. It's amazingly powerful if you have ever been in either of these two peoples shoes.

Kid Dakota is playing Wed. March 4th at the Triple Rock.

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Now playing: Ben Connelly - Happy Birdie

25 Influential Albums in My Life

2009-02-22T23:49:00.002-06:00

So, doing lists like this isn't what I had in mind for the blog, but I'm thinking it might be better than the nothingness I've posted the last few weeks. I have been to a number of great shows the last 2 weeks and will have to get into those...but in the mean time:

25 Influential Albums in My Life
A meme about the music that helped shape your life. In no particular order...

1.Dar Williams - End of the Summer
2. Bedrich Smetana - Ma Vlast (My Country)
3. The Delilahs - Dying to Build a Bridge
4. Chris Koza - The Dark, Delirious Morning
5. Kid Jonny Lang & The Big Bang - Smokin
6. Semisonic - Great Divide
7. Gustav Holst - The Planets
8. Storyhill - Echos
9. Brenda Weiler - Trickle Down
10. Sarah Bettens - Scream
11. Rusted Root - When I Woke
12. Belly - Star
13. Guster - Parachute
14. Son Volt - Trace
15. Eric Clapton - From the Cradle
16. Dixie Chicks - Wide Open Spaces
17. 10,000 Maniacs - Our Time In Eden
18. Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
19. Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814
20. Counting Crows - August and Everything After
21. Neil Young - Decade
22. Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
23. Toad the Wet Sprocket - Fear
24. Toad the Wet Sprocket - Pale
25. Toad the Wet Sprocket - Dulcinea

All have various reasons for making the list. Opening up a new genre, changing perceptions, getting through tough times, re-invigorating interest in the local music scene, etc.

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Now playing: JoAnna James - No Ordinary Sunday

Favorite 2008 Shows

2009-01-28T01:51:00.008-06:00

So as we have already determined, I have a thing for data. Because I started a Google calendar in Jan 2008 to keep myself from double booking or forgetting commitments, I was able to find at least 42 shows I attended in 2008. I had a really hard time narrowing these down so there are 11 instead of 10. Here are some (very) random memories.

Storyhill/Lucy Kaplansky @ Fitzgerald (Apr 12) - Part of a series put on for Red House Records 25th Anniversary. The medical emergency that stopped the show for 10-15 min. was memorable in itself - but the music was great as well. The sound at the Fitz. was amazing that night.
Glen Phillips at Cedar Cultural Center (Apr 13) - The first of two shows Glen did in town in '08. The sound at the Cedar was wonderful (as usual) and Jonathan Kingham was a fun opener - doing about a 3-min of flow-of-conscious lyrical blast in the middle of Bobby Brown's "Every Little Step".
Dosh and Friends @ Walker (May 3) - A house full of talented musicians that night. The man is amazing to watch do his thing. "Steve the Cat" was renamed this night after his neighbor's animal (a chicken if I remember right), which his dog had got a good piece of earlier that day.
Matisyahu @ MN Zoo (June 27) - I had never heard him before, but he put on a heck of a show before the sun went down. I really don't know what I was expecting, but it was nothing like I saw. Expectations were far exceeded.
Semisonic/Doughty/Alarmists/Heiruspecs/The Roots @ Harriet Island (Sept. 20) - Really great line-up on a nice sunny day. Somehow there weren't that many people so it was easy to get up close even after grabbing beverages/food. Seeing Semisonic rock out again to Sculpture Garden (minus the old 'Go, go, go') and others was the highlight.
Jeremy Messersmith @ Varsity (Sept. 25) - The CD release show for The Silver City was my favorite of the 5 times I caught Jeremy play in '08. It's been cool to see him progress in his comfortableness on stage over the last year. He's got such an amazing voice. Having the cello added a lot that night as well. Would have rather seen live drums, but can't complain much. The Varsity Theater remains my favorite venue in town.
Dosh/The Notwist @ 9:30 Club (Oct. 15) - I was in DC for a conference. Nice to see Dosh and Lewis play from close-up. Chatted with them at the for a min. on the way out. The Notwist were great as well. Still a little baffled about the guy 'playing' Wii controllers the whole night.
Sondre Lerche @ 9:30 Club (Nov. 24) - 2nd time seeing Lerche live. Planned my vacation around this show (and Messersmith's Brooklyn show) and was glad I did. Most amazing solo performer I have ever seen. Really fun personality, abundant talent, and incredible voice.
Leo Kottke @ State Theater (Nov. 29) - Have always been in awe of Kottke's playing. Sounds like 2-3 people. Had good tix and got to see his finger work and the guitar strings vibrate. His sense of humor and random chatting are always a treat.
Dan Wilson @ Pantages Theater (Dec. 13) - Best show I have seen Dan do.
Hopefuls/Koza @ First Ave (Dec. 20) - The Hopefuls CD release show. I really enjoy Koza. The Hopefuls rocked out minus the keytar (which was being fixed). It's cool to see John such a different setting than I am used to - blasting tunes in a red velvet vest/jacket vs. Storyhill the flannel shirted modern folk duo.

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Now playing: Stars - Your Ex-Lover Is Dead