Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/category/music/page/15/)
On Saturday, October 11, the Zombie Pub Crawl took over downtown Minneapolis.Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative. Continue Reading
If you listen closely enough, you can still hear Pixies fans referring to performances by the Boston four-piece as, “reunion shows,” or describing the band as, “reunited.” And, technically, these fans are correct. After a string of weird and wildly dynamic, near-perfect albums in the late-80s and early-90s, Pixies famously broke up via fax in 1993 before being able to truly benefit commercially from the alt-rock revolution their music had helped inspire.Because of that muted and unceremonious end in the 90s, fan and critical reaction to Pixies’ surprise reunion in the spring of 2004 bordered on the euphoric. Finally, the kids who were raised on a diet of Pixies-inspired alt-rock were grown up and had a legacy act of their own to worship after the fact. The power and excitement of those early reunion shows, (the first of which was in Minneapolis), saw Pixies reemerge as the vanguard of urbane, punkish art-rock and the good-will generated among their fans by seeing their idols back on stage has yet to dissipate.But, with a decade having passed since their first reunion concert, the frankly, (if not fairly), mixed reception of their first new album in 23 years and a cycle of two, not-original-issue bass players, the question is being begged: Is Pixies still a great band or is it just remembered that way? With a robust set of muscular guitar rock, Pixies met that question head on this week during their hour and forty-five minute set at The State Theatre in Minneapolis on Saturday, October 12.Walking out on stage in front of an adoring crowd, front man Black Francis and guitarist Joey Santiago filled the room with a sequence of dissonant guitar strums and feedback squalls before being joined by drummer David Lovering and touring bassist Paz Lenchantin for show-opener “Ed is Dead,” an early Pixies song that in many ways set the template for much of their discography. Continue Reading
Pick a Thursday, any Thursday, and go over to NYE’s Polonaise Room for some New Primitives. The band that Stanley Kipper and Chico Perez built is there every week, keeping the world safe for kick-ass Afro-Cuban Rock. They get out every now and again to big-time, high profile spots like Minnesota Zoo, Fine Line and The Cabooze. But, you can catch them bar-hall up close and personal and, trust me, it’s one hell of a good time.For one, New Prims have a practically inexhaustible repertoire rich in a highly original sound that drawers on sources wide apart, ranging from reggae, country to fat-back funk. For good measure, they are a dyed-in-the-wool jam band, doing marathon sets full of wild and crazy solos, taking maybe fifteen minutes in between.The nucleus is Kipper on vocals and traps and Perez on congas with Brian “Snowman” Powers dropping in from time to time to blow sax. Continue Reading
The theme of the 14th annual Twin Cities Jewish Community Conference on Mental Health is “Creating Harmony in Our Lives,” and it will feature music from Shir Harmony, a local Jewish women’s a capella group, as well as a unique performance by an orchestra comprised of local musicians affected by mental illness.
On Friday, October 10, the non-profit Kill Kancer produced the latest in their series of benefit events. Hosted at Mill City Nights, the event raised money to support Kill Kancer’s mission to increase cancer prevention through awareness and education. “A Killer Soiree” was divided into two parts. The first part was a gala hosted by Robyne Robinson and Kieran Folliard that featured music by The New Standards. The second part was a rock show that featured high-power local acts like Howler, Black Diet, Rebel Queens and Black Market Brass.Howler began the rock show, setting the stage for a high-energy night by ripping through a set of thier back-to-basics style of rock and roll. Continue Reading
The Khyber Pass Café hosts “adventurous improvised” music every Thursday at 9:00. Last Thursday featured Adam Linz, and Paul Metzger and JT Bates playing Free Jazz, which I overheard Linz describe as music revolving around jazz. I liked the description of the music revolving around something rather than being something direct; the musicians seem to connect in the same way. They revolve their music around each other rather than directly playing together. They also play around their instruments in innovative ways. Continue Reading
On Thursday, October 9 Jungle played at First Avenue in Minneapolis. Empress Of opened.Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative. Continue Reading
Vocal duo Dan + Shay are currently one of the most buzz worthy new groups in Country music. Having song writing credit for all the tracks on their debut album “Where it all Began” is a statement that assures they can back up the hype. Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney chose Minneapolis to kick off their first headlining tour October 9th in front of a fanatical crowd of mostly women at Mill City Nights. The venue was a good fit for the show and sounded great for their set openers “Somewhere Only We Know” and “Nothin’ Like You”. Some of the standouts were “Party Girl” and of course the song that put them on the map “19 You + Me.”Supporting artist Cam began the evening with a worthwhile performance and will be one to keep an eye out for.Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative.
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After Minneapolis poet David Bayliss witnessed the Ferguson riots on television earlier in August, he felt the need to express his outrage through his art. Now he wants to give other local artists a chance to do the same.This Sunday, Oct. 12, Bayliss and about a dozen local and national artists are hosting a night of performances at Patrick’s Cabaret in south Minneapolis. OUTRAGE: Writers respond to Ferguson aims to provide an official space for local artists to share their reaction to the ongoing racial tension re-sparked by the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri earlier this summer. The event is co-sponsored by Patrick’s Cabaret.“I had this energy that I just needed to get out there. Continue Reading
Minnesota country a cappella band Home Free must have felt the love and support of a home town crowd at their sold-out Ames Center performance on October 7th. As part of their prize for winning Season 4 of The Sing-Off, they have released their debut album Crazy Life and are out on a national tour to support it.Their show last night can simply be described as a lot of fun. They did a beautiful job of creating a more intimate sound on popular songs by artists including Johnny Cash, Zac Brown Band, Josh Turner, Kenny Chesney, and make you hear the songs in a different way. They have also built in a good amount of humor into the show upping the entertainment value. Some of the standouts were “Story of My Life” (you can watch on youtube), “Colder Weather” and “God Bless the USA”.They will be releasing a Christmas album this year and have announced a holiday show at the Fitzgerald on November 30th, which you don’t want to miss and is guaranteed to sell out. Continue Reading