Friday, August 31, 2007

Dave Campbell Ascends to God-like Power


Download: Big Star - "Don't Lie to Me"
Download: Justin Timberlake - "SexyBack"
Download: Dr. Dre - "Let's Get High"
Download: Frank Sinatra - "You Make Me Feel So Young"
Download: AC/DC - "Have A Drink On Me"
Download: Marvin Gaye - "Keep Gettin' It On"
Download: Al Green - "I Can't Get Next To You"
Download: Husker Du - "New Day Rising"

Local legend Dave Campbel has been assigned the duty of being grand local DJ on the "Local Show" on the Current while Chris Roberts is abroad. So, here is a brief mix of songs that I imagine play overhead whenever Campbell enters or leaves a room. You can conjure up the appropriate scenarios for each track. Peter S. Scholtes of the City Pages reports:

"Band introduction," says David Campbell. "Everybody ready?"

Campbell is sitting in Studio M of Minnesota Public Radio's the Current (89.3 FM), with the three members of Duluth's the Keep Aways.

"Take a deep breath," he continues. "We're going to do an 'om' together. Any pitch will do, just follow my lead. Ommmmmmmm."

The punk-looking musicians join in on the mantra, teetering into nervous giggles.

"Who's harmonizing?" asks the drummer.

"Yeah, I like that," says Campbell, scratching his thick beard. "Band interview. Here we go."

He pauses. "I'm joined in the studio today, right now, at this moment, by the Keep Aways," he says. "I'm going to try that again."

Everyone laughs. Campbell and the Keep Aways are taping an episode of The Local Show, a weekly music-scene talk program usually hosted by Chris Roberts, who is on leave in Germany for 13 weeks beginning August 12. Unlike Campbell's previous gig hosting a local-music show, Homegrown (which aired first on KQRS, 92.5 FM, and then Drive-105 FM, before being canceled in May after a decade-long run), this show is pre-taped, so Campbell's fuckups can be edited out.
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"The goal is to record it like you're 'live,'" says co-producer Lindsay Kimball, sitting in the sound booth. "Oh, I know the goal," says Campbell, smiling. "I'm aware of the goal."

Campbell, who came to work dressed in a "YMCA SKATE CAMP" T-shirt and eggshell Converse low tops, has expressed doubts about fitting in at public radio. "I make poop and fart jokes," he says. Guests on his other shows have felt free to swear, which is strictly verboten here. "You can't say 'ass,'" says Kimball to one of the Keep Aways. "Not on MPR."

Yet as the taping proceeds, Campbell relaxes, and somehow helps everyone around him to relax, too. It's an art he's been honing over his years as a fan, musician, Electric Fetus record store clerk, and master of ceremonies at local-pop-related events—including the Minnesota Music Awards, where he once accepted six awards on behalf of Prince, and then proceeded to hold them hostage, eventually surrendering them to Michael Bland. In a music scene prone to taking itself too seriously, Campbell, 31, is funny and utterly guileless.

"I approached him a few years ago about being the host of our yearly 'best new bands showcase' at First Avenue," says Sonia Grover, one of the club's bookers. "He agreed, but only on the condition that he got paid in meat pizza."

Grover and Campbell have become friends. He once persuaded her to spend Thanksgiving weekend in a cabin in Duluth eating s'mores and watching Golden Girls DVDs. "I'm not lying when I say that it was his idea," she says. ("Ladies love D.C.," as Grover puts it, but the two have never dated.)

Interviewing Campbell involves meeting him a week after the Keep Aways taping at the Roller Garden in St. Louis Park, where he points out the "adult night" regulars bouncing on their skates to Next's "Too Close" under twin mirror balls.

After a few loops around the floor, Campbell rides onto the carpet to request something at the DJ booth, then clomps over to the snack bar, where he orders a red and blue slushy. "I have tapes of myself playing 'DJ' when I was in kindergarten," he says, sitting down at a table. "I was introducing the J. Geils Band's 'Rage in the Cage.'" The first record Campbell ever owned was "Centerfold," though he remembers crying once he learned the song was about pornography.

A jock among rock fans growing up in West St. Paul, Campbell won letters in four sports, but also found time to play in a talent-show cover band called Surrealistic Fish. He went on to play in Ween and Weezer cover bands. To some, he's now best known as the bewigged Jeff Lynne look-alike in the local Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) tribute group E.L.nO., for which he tracked down a Lynne-style Gibson Les Paul Goldtop guitar. ("When David does something, he's all in," says bandmate Jeff Hamm.)

Part of Campbell's charm is that he acts as if he's getting away with something simply by being accepted—whether onto the radio, into a friendship, or into a band. He's the rare fan who has talked his way into local groups he admires, such as the Winter Blanket (picking up bass), and swing-dance favorites Accident Clearinghouse (washboard and vocals). AC's Quillan Roe credits Campbell's enthusiasm for keeping the group going as a part-time endeavor.

Campbell also dabbles in the biz side of music, having helped run local indie label 2024 Records for a year before judging himself ill-suited to the work and bowing out. (When the Olympics were forcing 2024 rockers the Olympic Hopefuls to change their name, Campbell could be seen pacing the street on his cell with a gray look—one of the few times his smile deserted him.)

Radio and public speaking are Campbell's truest callings. The longtime Deadhead and Replacements fan was happy to find a local-music oasis at classic-rock KQRS while interning there in 1997. Hosted by overnight DJ Mei Young, Homegrown welcomed Campbell as a roving reporter. "Our big goal was to 'clean up the scene,'" says Young, laughing. "We had him going out with a scraper and a big plastic bucket and he'd go and scrape gum off the bottom of the bars. He handled it like a champ."

Campbell went from reporting on Big Wu shows to MCing their concerts and "hosting" Big Wu Family Reunions (numbers two through nine). At a Fitzgerald Theater gig, he impersonated one of his heroes, Garrison Keillor, by doing a hippie version of the News from Lake Wobegon. He also whipped 30 pounds of bananas into the crowd during "Bungle in the Jungle."

"There's all these people tripping on acid," remembers Campbell. "It was this total Ken Kesey-style weirdness."

By now, Campbell's slushy is gone, and he rolls back out into the Roller Garden rink for another skate, just as the DJ throws on his request, KC and the Sunshine Band's "Give It Up." "Everybody wants your love," goes the refrain. Good thing Campbell has enough for everyone.

David Campbell guest hosts The Local Show
Sundays at 5:00 p.m.
89.3 FM, the Current

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Little Man Hit the Road


Download: The Little Man - "Soulful Automatic"

Minneapolis-based The Little Man is hitting the road! Here are their tour dates:

Aug 30 - Museum of American Art - St. Paul, MN
Aug 31 - Stones Throw - Eau Claire, WI
Sept 1 - The Lager House - Detroit, MI
Sept 2 - The Spot Cafe - Rochester, NY
Sept 3 - The Eleven's - Northampton, MA
Sept 4 - The Trash Bar - Brooklyn, NY
Sept 5 - Arlene's Grocrey - New York, NY
Sept 6 - The Fire - Philadelphia, PA
Sept 9 - The Shadow Lounge - Pittsburgh, PA
Sept 10 - Nite Owl - Dayton, OH
Sept 13 - Schuba's - Chicago IL
Sept 14 - Bar Chord Music Club - Knap, WI
Sept 15 - Women's Club Theatre - Minneapolis, MN - Electric Arc Radio Show 8pm
Sept 15 - The Turf Club - St. Paul MN - "Homecoming Show" 10pm

MySpace Page

(Ian Anderson)

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Beirut - "A Sunday Smile"


Download: Beirut - "A Sunday Smile"

Beirut released a very cool new single today. The track is a bit classic, so I am hoping he steps out a bit more on the record rather than just making the same album twice.

The new record, "The Flying Club Cup" is out Oct. 9 on Ba Da Bing!

(Ian Anderson)

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New Britney Spears Single


I was digging through Perez today and found Britney's new single. Not bad, but not great either. Listen to it HERE.

(Ian Anderson)

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Camera, The Strange Young Lovers Tonight at Schubas



Download: Camera - "Inner Bully"
Download: Camera - "The Lasting Impression"

Two excellent, unsigned, Chicago bands are playing at Schuba's this evening, the 31st, at 8:00 p.m. First up is an experimental pop act called, simply, Camera. The band has posted demos that were made earlier this year and those songs are what you can listen to at the top of the post. They mine the same anxieties about modern living as a group like Radiohead but, musically speaking, Camera sound more like a New Wave band that decided to packtheir earth things up and join up with the Spiders from Mars. My favorite of the two tracks is "Inner Bully." The song is driven by two distinct instrumental line: a repetitive, synthesized keyboard line, similar to a band like The Who, and a single, reverb-heavy note picked on guitar. The vocals is the area that seems most influenced by David Bowie - singer David Syvilian has the a stilted style of crooning that would suggest he grew up spending a lot of time with Heroes. Definitely check them out - if someone picks them up, then they'll undoubtedly be a great band to watch.

MySpace Page
Band Website

Download: The Strange Young Lovers - "This Is The Way"
Download: The Strange Young Lovers - "We Don't Need No"

Probably the closest thing that Chicago will ever come to having its own version of The Strokes, The Strange Young Lovers boast the kind of warm, Velvety guitars and swinging snare hits that made the New York group so popular. The main difference is that The Strange Young Lovers have a vocalist who is at times both wild and droll. The Strange Young Lovers may not affect cool as The Strokes do, but "This is The Way" and "We Don't Need No" completely satisfy the desire for a good hooky, snotty garage-rock song

MySpace Page

As stated before, both bands play at Schuba's tonight at 8. The show is 18 and over. Check it out if you want to see some strong unsigned Chicago talent. Buy tickets here

(Jonathan Graef)

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Thursday, August 30, 2007

The Pipettes Announce North American Release Date, Tour, Two New Songs



Download: The Pipettes - "Baby, Just Be Yourself"
Download: The Pipettes - "Dance And Boogie"

From the band's MySpace Page:

Finally we can announce the release of our North American full-length debut We Are The Pipettes, out October 2nd on Cherrytree / Interscope!

Producer Greg Wells came on board to mix the whole album and record two new tracks exclusive to this release – 'Dance and Boogie,' and 'Baby, Just Be Yourself.' which you can exclusively hear on the MySpace page now!

Not only that but we will be coming back to North America for a whole month of dates in October!

The full tour dates are:

October 2007

2nd - Chicago, IL - Park West
3rd - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
4th - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
5th - Toronto, ON - Opera House
6th - Montreal, QC - Petit Campus
8th - New York, NY - The Fillmore @ Irving Plaza
9th - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
10th - Washington, DC - 9.30 Club (early show)
11th - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
13th - Pittsburgh, PA - TBC
15th - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
16th - Atlanta, GA - Vinyl
17th - Birmingham, AL - WorkPlay Theater
18th - New Orleans, LA - The Parish @ House of Blues
19th - Austin, TX - The Parish
20th - San Antonio, TX - TBC
21st - Dallas, TX - Cambridge Room @ House of Blues
23rd - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theatre
25th - Los Angeles, CA - Avalon
29th - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
31st - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom

November 2007

1st - Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe
2nd - Vancouver, BC - TBC


Oh Snap! No Minneapolis dates! For shame. Console yourself by listening to the two new tracks - "Dance and Boogie" and "Baby, Just Be Yourself" - which have been posted on the band's MySpace Page and at the top of this post. The tracks are more of the same Pipette pop perfection and, as you can imagine, are very awesome.

Band Website

(Jonathan Graef)

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White Tiger Party Bus Mix



If you haven't noticed, this week is kind of slow in terms of music releases that anyone actually cares about. However, I had an amazing experience Friday. And that experience was riding on a party bus.

The bus was painted like a white tiger. Inside, booze flowed, dance beats pulsed and one of the writers for this blog ended up dancing on a stripper pole. I'm not going to tell you who.

To commemorate the occasion, here's a mix of 10 songs that are perfect for rolling 'round the Cities in the bowels of a metal tiger.

Download: Arcade Fire - "Wake Up"
Download: M.I.A. - "Bamboo Banga" (Removed per request of the label)
Download: LCD Soundsystem - "North American Scum"
Download: The Go! Team - "Junior Kickstart"
Download: Voxtrot - "Firecracker"
Download: Pixies - "Space (I Believe In)"
Download: Kanye West- "Jesus Walks"
Download: The Hold Steady - "Massive Nights"
Download: Neutral Milk Hotel- "Holland, 1945"
Download: Rolling Stones- "Gimme Shelter"

Plus two bonus slow songs for appreciating the MPLS skyline.

Download: The Postal Service - "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight"
Download: Wilco- "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart"


(April Wright)

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Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Kate Nash - "Mouthwash"


Download: Kate Nash - "Mouthwash"

Although Lily Allen comparisons will abound with Kate Nash's soon-to-come rise-to-power, the new frontrunner of sass-rock may be able to fill the void that was left so very cold.

MySpace

(Ian Anderson)

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Band of Horses - "Is There A Ghost"


Download: Band of Horses - "Is There A Ghost"

Check out the new single from reverb-rockers Band of Horses from their upcoming album "Cease To Begin."

MySpace Page

(Ian Anderson)

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Tonight! Airiel Record Release Show At The Empty Bottle


(Incidentally, the caption of this photo from the band's MySpage Page is the following: "This is what happens when we play in Minneapolis")

Download: Airiel - "Sugar Crystals"
Download: Airiel - "Firefly"

Speaking of record release shows, Chicago shoegazers Airiel are also having a celebratory party to herald the unleashing of their newest album, titled The Battle Of Sealand. I've been listening to a few tracks off of their MySpace Page and all I can say is "wow." They cover pretty much all of the shoegaze bases - namely, Ride's more traditional rock approach, Slowdive's ethereal atmospherics and My Bloody Valentine's volume - and surpasses them all with great ease. I can't wait to hear the rest of this record - I hope it's fantastic. Judge for yourselves by taking a gander at two tracks - "Firefly" and "Sugar Crystals" - posted at the top.

The show at the Empty Bottle starts at 9. Fear not, Minneapolis folk, for you will get the chance to see Airiel as well, later in September:

Sept. 28 2007
9:00P
Triple Rock w/ Ulrich Schnauss
Minneapolis, Minnesota


Should be a loud one.

MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

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The 1900s Stream Another Cold And Kind Track, Announce Record Release Show



Download: The 1900s - "Georgia"

Do yourselves a favor and head over to The 1900s website and stream another harmonious, fantastically poppy, track from the septet's upcoming LP Cold And Kind. The track is called "Acutiplantar Dude" and you can listen to it here. There's no dictionary entry for Acutiplantar but the word Plantar, by itself, means "of, or pertaining to, the small of the foot" (e.g., a plantar wart) and acuti has to be similar to acute so...small wart, dude? Perhaps 1900s band member Nurse Murph can shed some lyrical light here?

ANYWAY, you can try to figure out what the song means by clicking on the media player at the band's website. That is, if you're not too busy submersing yourself in jingle-jangle bliss.

In other band news, the group announced a record release party at Chicago's Empty Bottle on Oct. 12th. The show starts at9:00 p.m. Buy tickets for that event here.

MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

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Feist Performs With A Back-Up Choir Of Indie Rock's Finest



Check out this video of Feist performing "1234" off her stellar The Reminder album. Backing her up are a whole bevy of indie-rock royalty, including members of The National and The New Pornographers. It's like reading a hipster Where's Waldo with really easy answers.

(Jonathan Graef)

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Common + Lily Allen - "Drivin' Me Wild"



I was a little skeptical of this collab because it seemed a little too in the moment with Lily Allen's rapid rise to fame and all. But now that I hear the song, I think it works pretty well. Common is a great lyricist, the song is littered with funny little snippets that are easy to miss if you're too busy shaking your ass.

Plus, the video features Astronaut Lily Allen! Out of this world! I'm just surprised Will Oldham wasn't in there with her.

(April Wright)

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Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Jimmy Eat World - "Big Casino"


Jimmy Eat World's "Chase This Light" comes out in October and the lovely people at Interscope have release the first single off of the album, "Big Casino," and it kind of hauls ass. They're keeping a tight lid on the mp3 of it, so it's just on their MySpace Page and it also includes are really terrible and awkward ad for the album halfway through the song. But, the bright side is that J.E.W. has found a way to rekindle 1999 with the influence of Butch Vig, which bodes well for a repeat of the success of "Bleed American."

(Ian Anderson)

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Luke Temple Daytrotter Session



Download: Luke Temple - "Thankful Survivor" (Daytrotter Session)
Download: Luke Temple - "Medicine" (Daytrotter Session)
Download: Luke Temple - "Lucky Part" (Daytrotter Session)
Download: Luke Temple - "The Owl Song" (Daytrotter Session)

These are MP3s of the Luke Temple session at Daytrotter. Short, sweet, beautiful and lo-fi - like if Bill Callahan wrote campfire songs with Jeff Buckley. Close your eyes and listen to the serenity.

(Jonathan Graef)

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The Manitou And Other Kitschy Horror Trailers


(The Manitou trailer)

Over the weekend, I went to a midnight movie at Chicago’s legendary the Music Box theatre. This was not just any midnight movie (although, pretty much any movie at midnight would have sufficed) but, rather, one in a series of films being shown that were originally distributed by the AVCO-Embassy company. This company is known mostly for distributed films like The Graduate and Escape From New York. However, Embassy was also known to have distributed exploitation fare – e.g., the kinds of films that would be shown in your friendly neighborhood grindhouse theater. These movies usually have more personality than ten of your garden variety blockbuster movies, but also have levels of competence and professionalism that couldn’t even make up one-tenth of the average googleplex fare. This is, of course, their inherent charm.

The midnight movie in question was a film called The Manitou. It, along with Beyond The Door and To The Devil…A Daughter, was one of the many films to try and ride The Exorcist’s supernatural horror coattails to financial success. Interesting thing about Beyond The Door was that the makers of “The Exorcist” sued because the former film resembled the latter to an uncomfortable degree. “The Manitou” doesn’t exactly step on The Exorcist's toes in the way that Door apparently does (judge for yourself by watching the trailer below), The Manitou does follow a similar template as The Exorcist.

The main difference between the two films is that while The Exorcist religious anxieties stem from Christian folklore, The Manitou milks its horrors from Native American legend. Oh, and Tony Curtis plays a tarot-card reader who has to save his former ladyfriend from a 400-year-old Native American Medicine Man who is growing as a fetus on said lady's back. And that Burgess Meredith plays a absent-minded Anthropology professor who recommends that they find another medicine man in order to combat the 400-year-old growing fetus. That the medicine man looks like a Native American version of Gene Simmons of KISS only adds to the surreality. Not only that, but there's Tony Curtis dancing to cheesy 70s funk music, gratuitous nudity and Satan-invoking midgets. You have to see this for yourself. I haven't even described the finale, which involves spirits (called "Manitous") being converted into electricity and channeled through the body of a half-naked woman. It's an unbelievable entry to the so-good-its-bad canon of cinema. The trailer is at the top of the post. Below you'll find several other vintage trailers.


(Beyond The Door trailer)


(Exorcist 2: The Heretic Teaser Trailer)


(Exorcist 2: The Heretic Trailer)


(Escape From New York trailer)


(House By The Cemetery trailer)

Another interesting trivia bit: one of the trailers (one I couldn't find) was for a movie I mentioned already called To The Devil...A Daughter. Basically, it's Rosemary Baby redux. But I looked the movie up on IMDB and saw it contained a line of dialog that went like this: "It is not heresy and I will not repent!" I thought that sounded familiar and, in a sudden flash, my metalhead junior high days came back to me. The line was sampled in White Zombie's "Super Charger Heaven" which you can download here:

Download: White Zombie - "Super Charger Heaven"

(Jonathan Graef)

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Monday, August 27, 2007

Of Montreal - "Back to School"


Download: Of Montreal - "Back to School" (Royale Trux Cover)

Just in time for classes, Kevin Barnes of Of Montreal stardom, posted a great cover of "Back to School" by Royal Trux on their MySpace page. It's pretty out there, but, well, that's what one expects with Barnes and I would be fairly disappointed if he delivered any less.

MySpace Page

(Ian Anderson)

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Mannequin Men - Fresh Rot


Download: Mannequin Men - The Boys (They Don't Mind)
Download: Mannequin Men - "Grapefruit"
Download: Mannequin Men - "Weekender"
Download: Mannequin Men - "Pigpen"

Mannequin Men are a rowdy, raucous and utterly infectious garage-rock band that likes to write and record albums in a single, unholy day of productivity. That approach is what led to their second full-length album Fresh Rot. They rock directly, enthusiastically and hard in way that way that recalls simpler times without resorting to fashionable irony or needless post-modernism. Basically, they are like The Dandy Warhols, or The Hives maybe, without the quotation marks and with much better hooks.

Songs like "Grapefruit" and "Pigpen" are ripe with the sort of hyperactive emotions and power that could fuel a thousand teenagers jumping on a thousand beds playing thousands of air guitar chords. Fittingly, the band has a reputation for glorious drunk live shows. You can see them for yourself when they come to your town to promote Fresh Rot, which comes out on September 18th via Flameshovel. Listen to the four tracks at the top of the post to get an idea of what you're in for.



Tour Dates:

Sept. 8th 2007
6:00P
Pass Out Records In-Store
Brooklyn, NY

Sept. 8th 2007
8:00P
Don Pedro’s
Brooklyn NY

Sept. 9th 2007
10:00P
Piano's NYC
New York City, NY

Sept. 21st, 2007
8:00P
Triple Rock Social Club w/ THE VIBRATORS!!
Minneapolis, MN


Sept. 22 2007
8:00P
Vaudeville Mews I
owa City, Iowa

Sept. 28th 2007
8:00P
LSA w/ BLACK LIPS, Selmanaires FRESH ROT RELEASE SHOW
CHICAGO


Oct. 3rd 2007
8:00P
400 Club
Minneapolis, MN


Oct. 14th, 2007
8:00P
Velvet Lounge
Washington D.C.

Oct. 18th, 2007
8:00P
CMJ Music Festival
New York, NY

Oct. 19th, 2007
8:00P
CMJ Music Festival
New York, NY

Oct 20th 2007
8:00P
CMJ Music Festival
TBA
New York NY

Oct. 21st 2007
8:00P
P.A.’s Lounge
Boston MA

MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

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Saturday, August 25, 2007

Be BFFs With Best Friends Forever


Download: Best Friends Forever - " My Head In Front Of Your Head"
Download: Best Friends Forever - "Handpocket"
Download: Best Friends Forever - "How BFF Breaks It Off with Movie Stars"
Download: Best Friends Forever - "The BFF Theme Song"

So I was browsing City Pages (which may be a strange thing for me to do seeing as I don't live in the place that the magazine covers)trying to see what was going on in the fine city of Minneapolis when I came across the blurb announcing the record release party for Best Friends Forever. I obviously couldn't attend (not without dropping a ton of claims on gas, anyway), so I decided to check out the band's MySpace and listen to some tracks.

Best Friends Forever, a group whose core consists of two women who have been friends going on a decade-and-a-half, sounds like the kind of music that Sleater-Kinney would make on their hiatus while listening to a lot of They Might Be Giants. Songs like "My Head In Front Of Your Head" and "Handpocket" have similar vocal characteristics of the former and the idiosyncratic wit of the latter. The aforementioned "My Head" is about going back in time to comfort Abraham Lincoln by reciting Shakespeare to him and doing his shopping, for example.

The band has a new album out, entitled Romance Conflict Adventure, and it's available at your local record store.

But if computer shopping is more of your thing, then buy Romance Conflict Adventure here.

MySpace Page

Tour Dates:

Sept. 2nd, 2007
8:00P
Two Pines
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sept. 21st, 2007
8:00P
TBA
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Sept. 22nd 2007
8:00P
TBA
Chicago, Illinois

Sept. 29th 2007
6:00P
Girls Rock the U @ The Whole Music Club
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sept. 30 2007
8:00P
Two Pines
Minneapolis, Minnesota

(Jonathan Graef)

*400th post!

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Friday, August 24, 2007

Magnolia Electric Co. at the Entry Saturday Night


Download: Magnolia Electric Co. - "Lonesome Valley"

Magnolia Electric Co. is playing tomorrow night at the 7th St. Entry with Golden Boots and Ela at 8 p.m. These Chicago road warriors know how to bring the beat. Fans of Wilco and Spoon will dig on it -- shit, even if you like CCR you'll dig on this, and everyone loves CCR.

MySpace Page

(Ian Anderson)

Labels:

Stream Liars In Its Entirety On MySpace



Download: Liars - "Houseclouds"
Download: Liars - "Pure Unevil"

Liars are just five days away from releasing their fourth, self-titled, album. Drums Not Dead was one of my favorite albums of recent years, so the anticipation on my part is quite heavy. Well, guess what, gangstas, the wait is over. You can stream the entire new album on the band's MySpace Page. Upon first listen, I have to say that the album is very, very good, but doesn't quite have the earth-shattering impact for me that Drums did.

Still, it's quite admirable that the band has found a happy medium between using more straightforward song structures and keeping their atmospheric, highly conceptual, sonic adventurousness. Of all the songs on the album, I think that "Houseclouds", "Clear Island" and "Cycle Time" are the most clear-cut rock/pop tracks, whereas "Leather Prowler" and "The Dumb In The Rain" resemble Drums material of echoing vocals and booming percussion. Then, there are songs like "Pure Unevil" that effectively combine both approaches. There isn't a moment on Liars that is as sublime as "The Other Side Of Mt. Heart Attack" or as bloodcurdling as "Let's Not Wrestle, Mt. Heart Attack", but there still is a lot of material here that showcases a band still engaging in fruitfull creativity. My tentative, first listen, grade is B+.

Stream the album here. We've posted two tracks, which you can listen to at the top of the post.

Band Website

(Jonathan Graef)

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Feist - "Somewhere Down the Road"


Download: Feist - "Somewhere Down the Road"

Feist has released a new track that will be prominently featured in the new Ethan Hawke film "The Hottest State" that comes out in NYC and LA this weekend, and nation-wide next week. It's a great song that would have fit in nicely with "The Reminder," not to mention that there is a killer trumpet part in the outro.

MySpace

(Ian Anderson)

Labels:

Foo Fighters Support Dubious AIDS Cause




I've always liked the Foo Fighters but, today, I'm presenting a totally nutty, off-the-wall bit of news about them.

Apparently, they support a website that doesn't think that HIV can make you sick and, more specifically, can cause AIDS.

Let's take this back a few years: This all started with a woman named Christine Maggiore, who was HIV positive. As a non-believer in the HIV/AIDS connection, she had a baby and breastfed her. Well, three years later, the little girl dies of HIV-related pneumonia. To this day, Maggiore denies that HIV was involved in her daughter's death and runs a website, Alive And Well, that encourages HIV positive people to have babies and not to seek medical treatment for the disease. The Foo Fighters link to her website on their community website.

Flash forward to now. Doubters of the HIV/AIDS link have a movie now, "The Other Side of AIDS." And somehow, the Foo Fighters decided that it would be stellar idea to attach their name to the project by doing the soundtrack. The film actually came out a couple years back, but because of a recent article in the Public Library of Science medical journal(linked below), the heat (in the scientific community, at least) is back on them for it.

I'm pretty sickened by the whole thing for a lot of reasons, chief among them that the HIV/AIDS link is very well-supported in research, and pseudo-scientific hand-waving that encourages people not to seek treatment will cost lives. And yet, there has been no real backlash against the Foo Fighters. With their new record, Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace prepping for release, it never hurts to remind you all that supporting them is not only supporting the generic KROQ BS the Foo Fighters have become, but supporting the growth of the HIV denial movement, a decision that will cost lives.

There's no MP3 download because they don't deserve to be supported.

Much of the information in this article comes from "HIV Denial in the Internet Era," an article about the consequences of not taking HIV seriously. It's a very good read. PLoS is an excellent, peer-reviewed resource. The best part is that you don't really have to be a science person to understand many of the articles posted to the site. Additional information on the HIV-AIDS link can be found here. While the site is a little dated, it is probably the most concise, complete record of evidence on the web. More support has uncovered added since this site last updated, but this is a very straightforward, easy-to-read digest.

(April Wright)

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Thursday, August 23, 2007

Arctic Monkeys - "The Bakery"



Download: Arctic Monkeys - "The Bakery"
Download: Arctic Monkeys - "Fluorescent Adolescent"

The video is from an Arctic Monkeys acoustic performance on May 11 at the Edge in Toronto. Although a bit old, I wanted to post it because "The Bakery" (the song you may be rocking right now) is the b-side to "Fluorescent Adolescent." It's just a really sweet song that I thought my catch you nicely on this fine Thursday early evening. So, I did some digging and got a copy of the track too!

MySpace Page

(Ian Anderson)

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The Thermals Return To Minneapolis


Download: The Thermals - "Here's Your Future"
Download: The Thermals - "No Cultural Icons"

In today's "Fuck Yes!" News: Bright Eyes may have forsaken MPLS on his next tour, but The Thermals haven't! And, I mean it when I say that you must go see the Thermals. After all, this isn't today's "Fuck Yes!" news because I'm feigning enthusiasm. The Thermals are one of the most explosively energetic, fun bands I've seen live, and I really do insist that you all go. And on top of it, when I saw them open for Cursive, Craig Finn was out in the crowd, screaming and pumping his beer-and-phone-filled fists in the air. He was sending a text message in between fist pumps. I have always kind of wondered what it said.

8.25 George, WA - The Gorge Amphitheater (Download Festival)
9.08 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom (Musicfest NW)
10.16 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
10.18 Calgary, Alberta - Broken City
10.19 Edmonton, Alberta - Velvet Underground
10.20 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Amigo's
10.21 Winnipeg, Manitoba - Royal Albert
10.22 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club
10.24 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium

10.25 Pontiac, MI - The Eagle Theater
10.26 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
10.27 Toronto, Ontario - Horseshoe Tavern
10.28 Montreal, Quebec - Club Lambi
10.30 Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs
11.02 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
11.03 Washington, DC - Black Cat

Did I mention that you really should go to this show?


("A Pillar Of Salt")

(April Wright)

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Interpol Tour Dates


Download: Interpol - "Mammoth"
Download: Interpol - "Pioneer To the Falls"

Add Interpol to the mid-October tourstorm in Minnesota. The band is hitting MPLS for an all-ages show the exact same week as Spoon (playing two shows on the 10 & 11th) and Wilco (on the 10th). This can only mean one thing: My physics homework that week is going to be late.

9.12 Boston, MA - Agganis Arena
9.14 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
9.15 Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
9.16 Raleigh, NC - Disco Rodeo
9.18 Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
9.19 Miami, FL - BankUnited Center
9.21 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
9.22 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
9.23 New Orleans, LA - Sugar Mill
9.25 Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theatre
9.26 Austin, TX - Stubb's Bar-B-Q
9.27 Dallas, TX - Palladium
10.10 Kansas City, KS - Uptown
10.11 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
10.12 Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre

10.14 Denver, CO - Fillmore
10.15 Salt Lake City, UT - McKay Center
10.16 Boise, ID - Big Easy
10.18 Seattle, WA - WaMu Theater
10.19 Portland, OR - Memorial Coliseum
10.20 San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
10.23 Los Angeles, CA - The Forum

(April Wright)

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Animal Collective - "Peacebone"



These Animal Collective videos are just getting crazier and crazier.

Buy the "Peacebone" EP Here

(Ian Anderson)

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Songs About Cocaine In Honor Of Lindsay Lohan




So I know that Lindsay Lohan's arrest was a while ago, but that doesn't mean I can't put together a playlist of all the best songs about cocaine, right? Besides, if thisarticle is to be believed, she might not even be charged with cocaine possession. But, as with all things gossip related, you should probably take that with a massive grain of salt.

Here now are songs about cocaine use, for you fascist fashionistas and hallow-eyed party-goers. Enjoy!

Download: WASP - "Cocaine Cowboys"
Download: Bright Eyes - "Down A Rabbit Hole"
Download:Bright Eyes - "Gold Mine Gutted"
Download: Black Sabbath - "Snowblind"
Download: Metallica - "Master Of Puppets"
Download: Alice In Chains - "Junkhead"
Download: Oasis - "Supersonic"
Download: Queens Of The Stone Age - "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer"
Download: The Clash - "Koka Kola"
Download: Type O Negative - "White Slavery"
Download: Minor Threat - "Straight Edge"
Download: Minor Threat - "Out Of Step (With The World)"
Download: Public Enemy - "Night Of The Living Baseheads"
Download: The Darkness - "One Way Ticket"
Download: The Descendents - "Bikeage"
Download: Curtis Mayfield - "No Thing On Me (Cocaine Song)"
Download: Johnny Cash - "Cocaine Blues"
Download: Grateful Dead - "Casey Jones"
Download: Eric Clapton - "Cocaine"


(Project X, "Straight Edge Revenge")


(Dr. Rockso clips from "Metalocalypse")

Download: Buckcherry - "Lit Up"
Download: The Streets - "Empty Cans"
Download: Grandmaster Flash - "White Lines"
Download: Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins - "Rabbit Fur Coat"


(Jonathan Graef)

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Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Les Savy Fav - The Epic Saga Continues


Let's Stay Friends (Out 9/18):
Download: Les Savy Fav - "What Would Wolves Do"
Download: Les Savy Fav - "The Equestrian"

Other tasty tracks:
Download: Les Savy Fav - "Raging In the Plague Age" - Plagues and Snakes
Download: Les Savy Fav - "Knowing How the World Works" - Inches
Download: Les Savy Fav - "Disco Drive" - Go Forth
Download: Les Savy Fav - "Hide Me From Next February" - Rome EP**
Download: Les Savy Fav - "J' Taime" - 3/5
Download: Les Savy Fav - "This Incentive" - The Cat and The Cobra

It is just three weeks away: the release of Les Savy Fav's new full-length release "Let's Stay Friends" (Frenchkiss Records). So, here is "What Would Wolves Do," a newly released mp3 from the upcoming opus, as well as a brief mix orbiting the celestial godliness that is LSF that I posted a few months back but thought was worth bringing up again.

Les Savy Fav on MySpace
Frenchkiss Records - Buy Stuff Here

(Ian Anderson)

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New Andrew Bird Video - " Imitosis"

Andrew Bird - Imitosis

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Download: Andrew Bird - "Imitosis"

Check out this trippy, quirky, video for "Imitosis," which is taken from Andrew Bird's 2007 release, Armchair Apocrypha.

(Jonathan Graef)

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Flosstradamus Gig Tonight At Subterranean

Download: Flosstradamus - "Act A Fool"

Flosstradamus
The Bangers- Brooklyn
B$- DPM
Thunderhorse- Video


Wed. Aug 22, 07
10:00 PM (9:30 PM Doors)
@ Subterranean
2011 W. North Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

Be sure to check out this gig, as the rap duo will be debuting new material in addition to playing old favorites.

MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

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Drink City Water With The 1900s



- Taken Down At The Request Of Management

Until the release of their excellent Cold and Kind on Oct. 2nd, The 1900s are adding one new track a week from the album on their website for you to stream. Last week, it was the transcendent title track. This week, it's the AM Country radio ballad (as written by The Velvet Underground) "City Water." The track (along with four others) is for streaming at the band's website or you can take a listen for yourself at the top of this post.

You Minneapolis folk will be able to catch The 1900s for yourselves on Sept. 28th, when the band comes to the 7th Street Entry. The show starts at 9:00 p.m.

Buy Cold And Kind here

MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

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New Fiery Furnaces Track - "Ex-Guru"



Download: The Fiery Furnaces - "Ex-Guru" (Via Stereogum)

Courtesy of Stereogum, and taken from the Chicago based, brother-sister led, band's upcoming Widow City. It's their first effort for Thrill Jockey, the band's new label. The song is called "Ex-Guru".

The song is definitely more along the lines of their LP material, which is a good thing, in my mind. The track starts out in the sort of electropop-blues like "Single Again," but with more of a airy trip-hop feel. It fact, for a while, "Ex-Guru" is both one of the undiluted rock and techno tracks that Fiery Furnaces have written. That is, of course, until the band abruptly decides to become Led Zepplin in its Eastern, orchestral, phase. But that is short-lived as well, as the Furnaces briefly dabble in Beatles-esque orchestral-pop before returning to the song's refrain.

I dig the song a lot, even if I sense that "Ex-Guru" may seque into something that's even better on the album.

Read more about Widow City here. The album comes out Oct. 9th on Thrill Jockey.

(Jonathan Graef)

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New Rilo Kiley Video



Check this out.

(Jonathan Graef)

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Dirty Projectors - "Gimme Gimme Gimme"



Download: Dirty Projectors - "Gimme Gimme Gimme"
Download: Black Flag - "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie"
Download: Dirty Projectors - "No More"

I was driving back from my girlfriend's place, and fruitlessly searching for something to listen on the radio, when I came upon good old WLUW. I don't why I didn't start out with that station in the first place, but I suppose it doesn't matter now. What does matter is that the station was playing Dirty Projectors excellent, otherworldy, cover of "Gimme Gimme Gimme" by Black Flag. The song is just one of ten songs that are part of the Dirty Projectors new album, the title of which is Rise Above. As you may have guessed, the record involves Dirty Projectors covering Black Flag, specifically their seminal 1981 release Damaged.

The interesting thing about the project is that Dirty Projectors leader Dave Longstreth re-imagines the songs from Damaged completely from memory. The result is that these songs have been completely re-interpreted, and hearing them removed from their original context is fascinating. The Projectors turn "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie" into a song that sounds like ABBA covering "Baba O' Reilly" by The Who, but keeping the abrupt transitions of the original song. Gone is the unbridled rage, obviously, but this new version is absolutely incredibly. The song is posted on the top, along with the new version of "No More" and the original "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie" for comparison.

Rise Above will be released on Sept. 11th.

Order the album here.

MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

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Sparrow House - New Live Track


Download: Sparrow House - Live at KVRX

Austin native and Voxtrot frontman Jared Van Fleet has been teasing us with his humbly growing side-project Sparrow House since 2006's EP "Falls." I've been eager to hear anything that he has put out, and I fortunately stumbled upon this live recording at KVRX that just went down this week.

MySpace Page

(Ian Anderson)

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Tuesday, August 21, 2007

R.E.M To Release First Live CD/DVD Album Ever


Download: R.E.M - "Sweetness Follows"

In what may be the greatest day of young April Wright's life, R.E.M have announced plans to release a two-CD-one-DVD album of their Feb. 27th, 2005, concert in Dublin, Ireland, according to Billboard. The tour was to promote their last record Around The Sun and, naturally, the live album leans heavily toward that record. However, there are numerous other REM tracks on the set, so don't you worry. The album, titled R.E.M Live, will be released on Oct. 16th.

Read more here
The trailer for the DVD can be viewed here.

(Jonathan Graef)

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Mass Shivers - "Womanizing Metal Studs"


Download: Mass Shivers - "Womanizing Metal Studs"
Download: Mass Shivers - "Mossy Nethers"

Mass Shivers, a Chicago-based band that combines Beefheart, Eno and Can, has released its second full-length, entitled Ecstatic Eyes Glow Glossy, today on Sickroom Records. I didn't get a chance to see them last Monday at the Empty Bottle but I've checked out the band's website and I have to say that these guys are nothing but off-kilter excellence. I was able to find two tracks from Ecstatic Eyes and my favorite of those is "Womanizing Metal Studs," which you can download for yourself at the top of this post.

Buy Ecstatic Eyes Glow Glossy here

MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

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The New Pornographers on "The Late Show With David Letterman"



Download: The New Pornographers - "My Rights Versus Yours" (Removed per request of the label)

The New Pornographers are kicking off promotion for their just-released-as-of-today LP Challengers and made an appearance on TV's "The Late Show With David Letterman" last night (August 20th). The band performed "My Rights Versus Yours", which is Challengers' lead track. You can see the video of the performance at the top of this post.

(Jonathan Graef)

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Georgie James - "Cake Parade"


Download: Georgie James - "Cake Parade"
Download: Georgie James - "Need Your Needs"

Washington D.C. natives Georgie James are finally getting out and into the world. Ex-Q and Not U drummer John Davis join forces with lead singer Laura Burhenn and they are both just slamming it. The duo just signed with the always fresh Saddle Creek Records (one of the few good signings made recently by the label) last May, and will be releasing their debut record "Places" this Fall.

They will be playing at the 7th St. Entry on November 10th too! More to come as that date gets closer. For more tour dates, visit their MySpace page.

MySpace Page

(Ian Anderson)

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Beirut - "A Sunday Smile"


Download: Beirut - "A Sunday Smile (Live)"

Thanks to You Ain't No Picasso for the tip on this one. Here is a new track from Beirut, a live recording hot off the presses. Not only is it a great song, but it's a promising indicator that Beirut may just survive the hypetacular pressure surrounding his sophomore release.

MySpace Page

(Ian Anderson)

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Tarlton - "Minivan"


Download: Tarlton - "Return"
Download: Tarlton - "Two Nights of Storms"

Minneapolis transplant now Seattle homebody Brett Bullion (aka Tarlton) is somebody you need to get to know. In 2005, Bullion released a completely striking debut EP: "Minivan." Turns out, this here fella may be playing a few dates in the Fall from Seattle to Minneapolis, so I'll post those once I hear word.

Band Website
MySpace Page

(Ian Anderson)

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On the Road Mix No. 3


While on the road over the weekend, my very good buddy John Krueger and I put together this local mix that turned out pretty great. It features a few rarities that are damned hard to find, plus some downright classics.

Download: Atmosphere - "Give Me"
Download: Awesome Snakes - "Shut Up!"
Download: Best Friends Forever - "My Head In Front Of Your Head"
Download: Cardinal Sin - "Bastards of Young"
Download: Dosh - "Um, Circles and Squares"
Download: Faux Jean - "The Ballad Of Kim And Thurston"
Download: Harp and Finial - "Carsick In A Bus"
Download: Heiruspecs - "The Fall"
Download: Jeremy Messersmith - "Day Job"
Download: Kid Dakota - "Ten Thousand Lakes"
Download: The Little Man - "Ride"
Download: Passions - "All For Nothin'"
Download: Plastic Constellations - "Sancho Panza"
Download: Signal to Trust - "Falls of Montreal"
Download: Small Towns Burn A Little Slower - "Wait For Me Abby Bernstein"
Download: Stnnng - "Dead Sex"
Download: Superhopper - "Eye of the Tiger Applies to Everything"
Download: Tarlton - "Two Nights of Storms"
Download: Vampire Hands - "Untitled (Track 1)"

(Ian Anderson)

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Monday, August 20, 2007

"Be Kind Rewind" Trailer


So stoked for this film.

(Ian Anderson)

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The Hold Steady And Art Brut Have Sad Time Together On Tour





Download: The Hold Steady - "Chips Ahoy!"
Download: Art Brut - "I Will Survive"

From Pitchfork the news of official Art Brut/Hold Steady tour dates. In other news, this is the greatest and best tour announcement in the world. Tribute. The bands will play two dates at Chicago's Metro (woo hoo!) and one date at the State Theatre in Minneapolis.

Here are the rest of the tour dates, from the Pitchfork article:

10-21 Providence, RI - Lupo's
10-22 Boston, MA - Roxy
10-23 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
10-24 Raleigh, NC - Disco Rodeo
10-25 Athens, GA - 40 Watt
10-26 Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre
10-27 Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
10-29 Pontiac, MI -Crofoot Ballroom
10-30 Chicago, IL - Metro
10-31 Chicago, IL - Metro

11-01 Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
11-04 Seattle, WA - HUB Ballroom
11-05 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
11-06 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theater
11-07 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
11-08 San Diego, CA - Cane's
11-09 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
11-11 Boulder, CO - Fox Theater
11-12 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
11-13 Lawrence, KS - Granada
11-14 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
11-15 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
11-17 Birmingham, AL - BottleTree Annex
11-18 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
11-19 Richmond, VA - Toad's Place Richmond
11-20 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
11-21 New York, NY - Terminal 5

(Jonathan Graef)

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