White Light Riot returns with new tunage

Alert! Local rockers White Light Riot just posted 3 new tunes off their forthcoming album "Atomism" (July 2007 via 50 Entertainment) on their revamped MySpace.

Also, since it's a long time until July, they've just put out a new limited release EP titled "Out of Sight". It features the same 3 songs, as well as a re-produced version of the single "Out of Sight", and b-side "Tin Soldiers". More details on their website. You can also check out all the songs from the EP below:

Stream / Lyrics: Out of Sight
Stream / Lyrics: Charlatan
Stream / Lyrics: Grey Divide
Stream / Lyrics: In a Shotgun Whirlwind
Stream / Lyrics: Tin Soldiers

Their main website is all new all is well. They even have a new blog. Head over and leave them a "blog warming" comment. Perhaps this will make them put up another post soon ;)

If you were at the October 11, 2006, gig @ 7th Street Entry, you may also find yourself in this new promo video:

MOV: White Light Riot - Out of Sight

White Light Riot - Out of Sight (live @ St. Kate's, Sept 2006)



St. Kate's "is the largest Catholic college for women in the country". I bet the boys had a LOT of fun there...

What else? Upcoming tour dates:

• 04/15/07: White Light Riot - Sacre Bleu Wine Party @ Trocaderos.

• 04/24/07: White Light Riot / This World Fair @ Varsity Theater.

They rock, so check 'em out.

White Light Riot Website / MySpace

In other news:

LCD Soundsystem. I should talk about this. Puuuuleeeaase, have music critics gone absolutely insane? Don't believe the hype:



Have a nice Thursday!

- Steve

Humane Society Benefit @ Turf Club 3/24/07

I checked out a pretty cool live local music event for a good cause last Saturday. Out of the many bands playing, I caught the following:

Maps of Norway:


The Deep Pool:


The Kiln:


Duplomacy:


Ice Palace:


The Field:


Jeremy Messersmith:


Luke's Angels:


Tom Cruise Control:


More: Flickr Photos | Flickr Slideshow

Luke's Angels, Maps of Norway, and Ice Palace were pretty cool. Duplomacy, I always like. The rest was so-so. The Kiln, wow, that's definitely not for me...

This was certainly an event for people with ADD. I saw 9 bands in less than 3 hours ;) I had a lot of fun to say the least...

Kid Dakota Website / MySpace
Story Of The Sea Website / MySpace
The Flavor Crystals Website / MySpace
The Winter Blanket Website / MySpace
Maps Of Norway Website / MySpace
Deep Pool MySpace
The Kiln MySpace
Duplomacy Website / MySpace
Ice Palace MySpace
The Field Website / MySpace
Jeremy Messersmith Website / MySpace
Luke’s Angels Website / MySpace
Tom Cruise Control MySpace

P.S. And yeah, I was too tired to invade the stage again. Sorry ;)

Birdmonster live @ Varsity Theater 3/23/07

More: Flickr Photos | Flickr Slideshow

True or False?

• Did Birdmonster absolutely rock the Varsity Theater last Friday night?
• Did they, per Jill and I, play "Balcony" twice? (mp3 here)
  
• Did Brody and I invade the stage again?
• Are the guys in the band about the nicest people you'll ever meet?

Yes, obviously they're all true. What a great and absolutely fun show. And yes, they had never played any song twice in the same set before this gig...

To give you an idea what Birdmonster is like live, here's a (shitty) video I shot at the show:

Birdmonster "Cause You Can" live @ Varsity Theater 3/23/07:



Yeah, I know, worst quality ever... Ok, we'll do one better. Brody has some footage of what it's like being on stage with the band:



Ha ha, recognize anybody?

Lots more coverage, photos, and videos over at BritishRockIsAlwaysTop.

Special thanks to: "Guest Photographers" Craig and Jacquie while I was on stage.

Special hello to: Nomad and Varsity peeps! Great to meet you...

Related:
Birdmonster loves Minneapolis. Read about it on their blog.
Birdmonster in-studio on The Current 3/23/07.
Birdmonster live @ 400 Bar 10/24/06.

Birdmonster Website / MySpace

Birdmonster live tonight / Jamie T / MSP Concert Announcement / Culture Bully Interview / Alex Gaudino

(Birdmonster live @ 400 Bar 10/24/06)

Just a few quickies for you today:

> San Francisco's Birdmonster returns to the Twin Cities tonight @ Varsity Theater. To say these guys are fun live, would be a great understatement. I would know, as I wound up playing the drums on stage last time they were here @ 400 Bar. Don't miss 'em; Pulse and Brody agree. Local bands Belles of Skin City, Aneuretical, and Jayber Crow open the show.

Birdmonster will also appear in-studio on The Current today between 9:00AM - 11:00AM.

mp3: Birdmonster - Skeleton Suit

Birdmonster Website / MySpace
Belles of Skin City Website / MySpace
Aneuretical Website / MySpace
Jayber Crow Website / MySpace

> Speaking of the Current... I heard this song on my drive home from work last night and can't get it out of my head. Jamie T rocks.

Jamie T - Calm Down Dearest:



Jamie T Website / MySpace

> MSP Concert Announcement:

• 06/13/07: Fountains of Wayne / The Broken West @ First Avenue.
• WTF Moz? Milwaukee, but no Twin Cities... You HAVE to be kidding me.

> Solace and I were interviewed as "local music experts" over on the great blog Culture Bully. Read it here. I think it turned out pretty well. I laughed very hard at the picture they used of me... The original photo is up on my MySpace.

> Last but not least. My awesome roomie once again told me "Dude, you gotta' post this!" OK, Brian:

Alex Gaudino - Destination Calabria: (probably NSFW)



Such a sweet video (in so many ways)... The tune is an anthem in Ibiza. I really need to go there soon.

Alex Gaudino Website / MySpace

I'm so outta' here. Have a great weekend!

BRMC: Baby 81

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, what a great name for a band... And what a great band they are. I've loved these guys since the first time I saw them in tightly packed 400 Bar. Or was it the time they blew out the speaker system at the Quest Club with The Rapture?! I don't know...

Anyway, they're coming out with their 3rd 4th record "Baby 81" 5/1/07 and everything I've heard from it sounds like dynamite. It's like somebody told them to combine the best elements from their previous 2 albums...

Here's the first single from the album:

WM: Weapon Of Choice
QT: Weapon Of Choice
Real: Weapon Of Choice

BRMC Mp3s here.

They're also launching a major tour:



As much as I'd like to see The Fratellis, I'm actually looking forward to seeing The Horrors... these guys were absolutely nuts at SxSW. I highly encourage that type of behavior ;)

Here's the video for the tune that blew out all the speakers at Quest Club (no surprise):

BRMC - Whatever Happened To My Rock n' Roll (Punk Song):



Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Website / MySpace
The Fratellis Website / MySpace
The Horors MySpace

Related: BRMC live @ Varsity Theater 2/7/06

Snow Patrol covering Bright Eyes @ SxSW

Karaoke: Brianstorm

Check it out, now you can sing along:

MSP Concert Announcements

Just announced:

• 04/05/07: Elvis Perkins / Let's Go Sailing @ 400 Bar. Actually, I'm not sure if this one is new, or not... however, Let's Go Sailing is on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic tomorrow (Thu 3/22/07 11:00 AM PST).
  

• 04/20 - 4/21/07: Modest Mouse @ Orpheum Theatre. All tour dates here. What the fuck is Johnny Marr doing in this band again?

• 05/16/07: Keane @ Myth Club. All tour dates here. Don't get me started ;)
  

• 06/18/07: The Bravery @ Varsity Theater. I think you know how I feel about these guys. Then again, yo, it's my friend Amy's birthday, so who knows, I may just go...

Video: Pete Townshend with the Fratellis - The Seeker

(Photo courtesy of Spin.com)

I guess a little "music shing ding" went down last weekend in Austin, Texas. Turns out Pete Townsend joined The Fratellis on-stage for a set-closing rendition of The Who's "The Seeker". Is it considered a "cover-tune" if Pete joins you on stage? I'm not sure ;) Anyway, watch the whole video here. (Thx Solace)

The Rakes - Ten New Messages

These London boys really put on quite a show when I saw them a Varsity Theater 7/11/06. I love love love their new album "Ten New Messages". Such a great departure from the debut. Along with Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" this is my front-runner for album of the year so far. Check out a couple of tunes:

mp3: The Rakes - Suspicious Eyes (A+)
mp3: The Rakes - When Tom Cruise Cries (love the song title alone)

The album just dropped 3/19/07 in the UK... I'm not sure when the CD will be released in the US; if you don't feel like paying the import price, you can also get it digitally via eMusic.

The Rakes - We Danced Together:



The Rakes Website / MySpace

London Calling - 3/9/07 Show Now Online

I talked about this a couple of times before. Well, did anybody catch the best 2 hours of radio in a long time, late night Friday 3/9/07 on KFAI? Needless to say I thought it was brilliant. The US terrestrial radio premiere of "Brianstorm" by you-know-who blew me away...

DJ John Carlson was kind enough to email me the complete playlist and full mp3s of the show:

HOUR ONE: mp3
(Big Ben chimes intro)

The Clash- London Calling
Arctic Monkeys-Brianstorm
Sugababes- I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
Oasis- Acquiesce
Keane-She Sells Sanctuary
KT Tunstall – Other Side of the World
Aqualung- Pressure Suit (radio edit)
Corinne Bailey Rae- Munich
Editors- Fingers in the Factories
Waterboys- Glastonbury Song
The Police – Da Do Do, Da Da Da Da (Spanish)
Imogen Heap- Clear the Area
The Fratellis- Flathead
Vega 4- Life is Beautiful

HOUR TWO: mp3

Lily Allen- LDN
Art Brut- Formed a Band
Sandi Thom – What If I'm Right
Pet Shop Boys- Dreaming of the Queen
Computerman- No More Broken Hearts
Katie Melua- Just Like Heaven
Lamar- I Believe in a Thing Called Love
The Wombats- Lost in the Post
Lloyd Cole- Woman in a Bar
David Ford- If You Only
Futureheads- Hounds of Love
Kate Bush-Love and Anger
Marillion- You're Gone (single mix)
Travis- Side
Razorlight- Golden Touch

(Big Ben Chimes outro)

The show is available in other media formats here, file names:
Hour 1: cftp-bonus-2007-03-10-a.wav
Hour 2: cftp-bonus-2007-03-10-b.wav

Now... if you'd like to support the show, and perhaps make it become regular programming, please email either londoncallingradio@gmail.com or the Program Director at KFAI richmond@kfai.org with loads of compliments. Don't be shy.

Art Brut - We Formed A Band (live 11/12/05, NYC):



Related: Stay off the crack! Art Brut @ 7th Street Entry 3/28/06

Art Brut Website / MySpace

Local stuff in the blogosphere

A couple of things I found interesting today:

• CityPages: Soviet Propaganda. Local blogger, turned DJ. Hmmmm...
• My Old Kentucky Blog: Brother Ali : The Undisputed Truth.

My St. Patrick's Day

More: Flickr Photos | Flickr Slideshow

I actually managed to get out a little bit last Saturday. Downtown Minneapolis was crazy; I had loads of fun. Check the photos for more evidence, the rest is censored ;)

I spotted this:



Who's going to the show with me?!

Good excuse to post a Benassi video, right? Right.

Benny Benassi - Satisfaction (probably NSFW):



Benny Benassi Website / MySpace

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Pogues Website

Cheers!

SxSW 2007

Honestly, SxSW is soooooo overrated! I'm really sick of reading / hearing / and receiving emails about it... All the great acts will come to a venue near you soon, anyway. Attend a cool event instead.

Related:
WCCO: "Minn. Bands Head To South by Southwest"

I'll take The Hives over PB&J anyday:

Arctic Monkeys - Presale Tickets / MP3 & New Video "Brianstorm"

Three things about my boys:

• Presale tickets for their upcoming North American tour are available via their live music Website, Riot Van. I just got mine and I suggest you do the same. I don't see these guys playing smaller venues in the US for too much longer.

• "Brianstorm" high-res mp3 here.
  

• Domino Records was kind enough to post the brand-new video for "Brianstorm":

Jesus, not only is the song fucking brilliant, but the video even throws in some hottie dancers. It's like they read my mind...

Arctic Monkeys Website / MySpace

P.S. I do realize my posts have been a bit news-and-youtube-heavy lately. Don't worry, I'll get some more creative stuff and mp3's up soon, including the London Calling playlist... Anybody else listen to it? I seriously rocked out...

Mickey Avalon Alert!

Dude rules:

• City Pages "Filth and Glitter - Glam-Rapper Mickey Avalon plays dirty in Beverly Hills"

• Mickey live in Minneapolis Thursday 3/15/07 @ Foundation Nightclub. This seems like an event I should attend ;)

OK, good excuse to post another vid:

Mickey Avalon @ Jimmy Kimmel Live:



Mickey Avalon Website / MySpace

New Travis

I LOVE Travis. I've seen them 5 times and met Fran Healy; all before I started this blog. I better do a post on some of their new stuff, right?! Ok...

• Karaoke-style video "Big Chair"
• "Closer" video:

I really like it...

Their new album "The Boy With No Name" drops 5/7/07 in the UK.

Travis Website / MySpace

MSP Concert Announcements

I fell asleep early from The Faint exhaustion last night and therefore didn't get to post this:

• 05/18/07: Kings Of Leon @ First Avenue. All tour dates here.

I missed their last gig in town as I had quit smoking that exact day. I won't make that same mistake again. Smoking is good for you, kids ;)

Here's the new video for "On Call":



The new album "Because of the Times" drops 4/3/07 in the US. I hear it's great...

Kings of Leon Website / MySpace

The Faint live @ First Avenue 3/12/07, Minneapolis, MN

More: Flickr Photos | Flickr Slideshow

Best live show of the year? Yes, by a long shot. Best live show I've covered since I started my blog, perhaps...

If you EVER have a chance to see these guys live, do so. Unbelievable, especially considering both of the opening bands pretty much sucked...

Check the photos and videos and I think you'll maybe understand. I'm off to bed to ice my bruises ;)

The Faint "Glass Danse" live @ First Avenue 3/12/07:



The Faint "Agenda Suicide" live @ First Avenue 3/12/07:



The Faint Website / MySpace

P.S. Yo, this show was fucking crazy! Thanks for the ride Amy...

MSP Concert Announcements

(Arctic Monkeys live 3/18/06 @ Metro, Chicago)

Just announced:

• 04/16/07: The Black Angels / Vietnam @ 7th Street Entry. All tour dates here.
  

• 05/07/07: Arctic Monkeys / Be Your Own Pet @ First Avenue. All tour dates here.

• 05/09/07: !!! @ Fine Line Music Cafe. All tour dates here.
  

I don't think I need to elaborate. I'm off to see The Faint...

Arctic Monkeys live on Jools Holland:

Scissor Sisters live @ Myth 3/11/07, Maplewood, MN

(Scissor Sisters)


(Scissor Sisters)


(Scissor Sisters Setlist)

More: Flickr Photos | Flickr Slideshow

So, my friend Ryan who went to the show with me last night told me: "Steve, be sure you mention three things about the show: gay, zebra, fabulous". Ok, I think I can do that, so here we go...

You know, I don't care if you're straight, gay, bi-sexual, or whatever... I guarantee you'd have a great time at a Scissor Sisters show. The interaction between Scissor Sisters' singer Ana Matronic and lead singer Jake Shears is just contagious... you really feel these two folks and the rest of the band are having a great time, and enjoying every second of it...

During their fabulous 75 minute set they played through most of the hits from both of their albums. Sound and stage presence were A+. They crowd (very interesting to say the least) was totally into it.

Lead singer Jake Shears kept losing more and more clothes during the show. By the end, he was simply dressed in zebra boxers and even climbed on the right side of the stage/audience... Very entertaining...

The in-between song banter was also great. The band talked about hanging out at Nye's Saturday night and getting their polka on. Also, they weren't so happy about the lack of sidewalks in Maplewood, MN, and having to eat at Taco Bell. Funny stuff...

To summarize... Scissor Sisters is really amazing live, so do check them out at venue near you. You'll have a great time.

A note on the venue... that's the first time I've been to Myth Nightclub in Maplewood. I have to say I'm impressed. It's fucking huge! The sight-lines and sound are A+. The only thing... it's almost too big for me. I'm used to hanging out at 7th Street Entry, 400 Bar, Varsity Theater, Triple Rock... I'm not used to a venue with 3000 music fans, instead of 50 ;)

Scissor Sisters Website / MySpace

Here's the video for "I Don't Feel Like Dancing":



P.S. I missed Badly Drawn Boy (who I love) last night. I'm pretty sure you'll find a review and photos here.

P.P.S. Monday, get ready, they're playing 5(!) tour dates in the US... The Faint @ First Avenue! I'm totally psyched, and I'll be there...

Thanks!

This one goes out to the lovely peeps who chauffeured me around last night, thank you:



And this one goes out to one of my best friends. Happy Birthday, buddy!



That beats coverage of Bishop Allen live @ Triple Rock any day, don't you think?!... Hope you all had a nice weekend!

MSP Concert Announcements

(BRMC live @ Varsity Theater 2/7/06)

Just announced this week:

• 04/25/07: Bright Eyes @ State Theater. All tour dates here.

• 05/02/07: Air / Kate Havnevik @ First Avenue. All tour dates here.

• 05/22/07: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club / The Horrors @ First Avenue. All tour dates here. I wish we would've gotten The Fratellis as openers...

• 06/08/07: The National @ 400 Bar. All tour dates here.

• 07/17/07: Maximo Park @ Varsity Theater. All tour dates here.

Unfortunately, no Daft Punk :(

Also:

• NPR is doing a live broadcast of The Good, The Bad & The Queen live @ 9:30 Club, in Washington, DC, 3/14/07.

• Stereophonics are releasing the DVD "Rewind" 4/2/07 in the UK. Here's the trailer:

London Calling:

Finally tonight!... I've waited a long time for this. A "Brit Pop" show on local radio, hosted by my friend John! Details (from the poster above):

When: Friday (late night) 3/9/07 - 12:00 - 2:00AM
Where: KFAI - 90.3 / 106.7 FM Minneapolis/St. Paul
What: Spinning Britpop - 80's to current...

Make sure you tune in... Perhaps, DJ John will let us post the "DJ song list" and a couple of mp3's after as well.