Archive for live

Concert Review & Video: Wavves and Vampire Hands @ 7th Street Entry

Posted in Concert Reviews, Video with tags , , , , , , , on Monday, April 6, 2009 by Erik Burg

My third concert in as many nights (Friday: Junior Boys, Saturday: Friendly Fires) came down to two bands that I either knew little about, in the case of Vampire Hands, or was slightly pessimistic about after hearing their album, see Wavves. I knew the concert had great potential though, critics have raved about Wavves on and off the record and countless number of acquaintances have told me how great Vampire Hands are live. So hope were yet again high.

After a ridiculous two and a half hour wait for local favorites Vampire Hands to come on, the triumphant and overly (if there is suchwavves-cassette-cover a thing) drunk band played an awesome set of some of their best tracks. “I’m going to jail Mom! Just kidding, my parents are out there tonight” the keyboard/drum/vocal extraordinaire pronounced before the first song. The charismatic front man also had a bit of a malfunction half way through the set, with the legs to his drums falling off, boldly claiming after the song was over that “fuck it, I don’t need them.” A big thanks to everyone who suggested these guys, as their music an antics lived up to any and all hype.

And speaking of hype, has anyone been more highly touted this year than Nathan Williams, otherwise known as Wavves. I’ve been hard pressed to really get into either of his two albums, but his newest effort Wavvves had been growing on me. The San Diego native, and owner of this year’s award for best hair started the set with the awesome “Beach Demon.” One of his more upbeat tracks, the song sprung the crowd off the ground and into the air as Nathan and his buddy on drums rolled through some of the best California garage pop has to offer. He had to tease though, “So we’re gonna play a song that we have never played live” Williams says, only to turn around to find the drummer shaking his head in disapproval. So it never happened, but hey, everything they played I loved. Everything this night promised, delivered. If this guy is playing any festivals this summer or a date in your area be sure to check it out. Enjoy the video and photos as much as I enjoyed the show!

Video: Wavves – “Weed Demon”

wavves-band(Wavves)

wavves-nathan(Wavves)

wavves-drummer-dark(Wavves)

wavves-guitar(Wavves)

wavves-drummer-flash(Wavves)

wavves-guitar-blurry(Wavves)

wavves-guitar-close1(Wavves)

vampire-hands-vocals1(Vampire Hands)

vampire-hands-keyboard(Vampire Hands)

vampire-hands-bass(Vampire Hands)

vampire-hands-bass-red(Vampire Hands)

Concert Review: Friendly Fires, White Lies, The Soft Pack @ Triple Rock Social Club

Posted in Concert Reviews, News with tags , , , , , , , , on Sunday, April 5, 2009 by Erik Burg

friendly-fires-boardOn what turned out to be another snowy April evening, Friendly Fires took stage at the Triple Rock Social club here in downtown Minneapolis to a crowd eager with anticipation all night. As I stood around before the show all anybody talked about was how excited they were to see these guys in such an intimate setting. And rightfully so, as their sound is so tight live and their performance so fun and laid back.

But before the fun really began, The Soft Pack began with their California post-punk music. These guys had their act together, and for me were a nice surprise. The Soft Pack were a fun band, their sound was spot on for the type of music they played, a bit jumbled at times but the whole scope of the show and their sound was always evident. To me a nice surprise, and a sound I don’t usually get into, but hey, I loved it.

Whites Lies. It’d be a white lie if I said I enjoyed their show at all. Sorry guys, but they were just plain boring. I can understand why their new record is getting great reviews, seeing as their sound is pretty easy to just nod your head to but their live act was just plain bland. The whole band seemed way too into themselves and the black and white lighting thing just added to the cheesiness. I tried to like it, I really did, but fervently I stood with my arms crossed front row.

After the atrocity that was White Lies, the headliner for the night saved what was looking to be a dismal evening. And save they did. Blasting off from their first track, Friendly Fires were just as amazing live as everyone around me had been talking about. Possessing a great studio-like sound live, songs like “Paris” and “On Board” captivated the bouncy crowd and got nearly everyone there to sing along (and to that really pissy couple standing next to me, if you’re reading this: lighten up and dance will ya?). So aside from the few stiff legs, the show was stellar, and the lead singers interaction with the crowd was some good fun. So check the pictures below of all the bands, and I managed to get some video again too. Enjoy!

Video: Friendly Fires – “On Board”

freidnly-fires-singer-yellow(Friendly Fires)

friendly-fires-guitar

(Friendly Fires)

friendly-fires-singer-flash(Friendly Fires)

friendly-fires-guitarest-boards(Friendly Fires)

friendly-fires-singer-red(Friendly Fires)

white-lies-singer(White Lies)

white-lies-guitar(White Lies)

soft-pack-drummer(The Soft Pack)

soft-pack-guitar(The Soft Pack)

Concert Review: Junior Boys, Max Tundra, & Lookbook @ First Avenue

Posted in Concert Reviews, Mind Inversion Exclusive with tags , , , , , , , , on Saturday, April 4, 2009 by Erik Burg

Though the show may have been over-shadowed by the apparent pop culture phenomenon Britney Spears playing next door at the Target Center, the electro-pop world right across the street at First Avenue made up for what it was lacking in pre-teen girls in mini-skirts with awesome jams and a crowd ripe with energy. 

Duo Lookbook took the stage first, starting the evening with a wide variety of electronically infused pop and slightly slower tracks. Their faster songs got tons of people in gear for the rest of the night, but they cruised through a set so fast I swear some of their song were literally :45 seconds long. At any rate though, it was a good start, and they certainly played to the theme of the evening very well. 

Then came Max Tundra, the obvious pick to steal the show for the night. Did he live up to the surrounding hype? I’d say so. Withmax-tundra-guitarhis overly boyish dance moves, insanely paced tracking, and random plethora of instruments, Max Tundra was just as much the headliner of Friday night as Junior Boys were. Opening with the fresh “Which Song” which I had mentioned a few days back, Tundra got the floor grooving and laughing, the perfect opening act. 

By the time Junior Boys were ready to take the stage the crowd was overly-anxious, and thanks to a minor audio problem during their first song, we all had to wait a little bit longer. It was all worth the wait of course, as Junior Boys took to the stage for a second time, playing fan favorites and a few tracks off their upcoming album. Jeremy Greenspan, lead singer of the Boys, has to be the most lovable and affable lead man I’ve ever seen in concert. All I wanted to do was run up and give him a big hug, but that’s not the point, was is is Junior Boys absolutely killed it. Sorry if you missed it everyone, but don’t fret, I got some photos for you (even a Max Tundra video too!)

junior-boys-drummer2(Junior Boys)

junior-boys-guitar(Junior Boys)

junior-boys-blue-synths(Junior Boys)

max-tundra-vest(Max Tundra)

max-tundra-red(Max Tundra)

max-tundra-keyboard1(Max Tundra)

max-tundra-book(Max Tundra)

look-book-color(Lookbook)

look-book-flash(Lookbook)

Check out this awesome video I shot of Max Tundra as well, it was simply an awesome time Friday night, and hopefully this will take you right there if you had to miss it:

Man Man and Gogol Bordello tour together, nominee for craziest concert ever

Posted in Concert Dates, Music News with tags , , , , , , , , on Thursday, April 2, 2009 by Erik Burg

Okay I made that last part up obviously, but still, if you’ve ever seen/heard anything from either of these two over-the-top and ambitious acts you know exactly what I’m talking about. And the fact that the two are touring together for a short stint at the end of May into early June is some of the more exciting concert news I’ve heard lately. Between Man Man‘s absurd dress and costuming, and Gogol‘s, let’s say “interaction” with the crowd, the possibilities of what you could see or experience on that night are endless. I really like how one Pitchfork writer puts it:

“Even though you know he’s going to launch himself onto the bass drum that the audience is holding aloft, it’s still pretty fucking nuts when he actually does it.”

And if that recollection of a Gogol Bordello show doesn’t make you want to line-up for tickets then I’m just not quite sure anything will, ha. Check out some videos below of each act live, and the list of their Midwest dates. 

Man Man in a “Drum off” at McCarren Pool in ’07

Gogol Bordello Live in Boulder

Dates:

5-29 Kansas City, MO Beaumont Club

5-30 Minneapolis, MN Cabooze

5-31 Chicago, IL Congress Theatre

Tadgarden = Soundgarden + Tad Doyle – Chris Cornell

Posted in Video with tags , , , , , , , , , on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 by Ryan Buege

This my friends, is an extremely special video. What we have Tom Morello introducing right here is, for all intents and purposes, basically a Soundgarden reunion. It’s Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden with Tad Doyle of Tad, and it’s just what I needed. Holy fuckin’ shit, what a video! This makes me forget all about that pile of shit that Chris Cornell just put out. Here is the reintroduction of the Garden, with the classic “Hunted Down”:

“Spoonman” and “Nothing To Say” after the jump… Continue reading

Early Man, Valient Thorr plot tour to crusade through Midwest in April

Posted in Concert Dates with tags , , , , , , , , , , on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Anyone who’s anything more than a fringe listener of metal knows that thrash is back in a big way over the last few years, and it’s not just the classic bands who have propelled the rejuvenation of the thrash. In fact, it’s more likely that the formation of countless “revival” thrash acts such as Toxic Holocaust, Bonded By Blood, and Early Man reminded Metallica how to rock than the other way around (…one man’s POV…). While Exodus, Kreator, and Metallica all have tours coming through the area soon, it’s important not to overlook some of the excellent smaller thrash gigs that will be touring through the area. For instance, Warbringer will be playing a free show at Station 4 on Saturday, and now the boys in Early Man have booked a tour to come through the Triple Rock Social Club on the 20th of April!

For those still out of the loop, Early Man is a band known for their style of old school thrash and punk that’s both kick ass and super fun. These days, they’ve evolved past their two-man origins into a full-on, no-bullshit metal band, and thankfully the scale of their attack has only multiplied. Additionally, the guys in Valient Thorr will be there to open with a their own set of thrash, completing the package for one awesome night of low-cost rocking out and partying. If you’re still making plans for your 4/20 and don’t want to end up at the Cabooze with a bunch of stinky hippies, I strongly suggest you bring your herb buzz to this show to party with some dirty thrash punks instead!

All the tour dates are listed after the jump! See you there. Continue reading

Gza and the Black Lips team up at SXSW

Posted in Video with tags , , , , , , , , on Monday, March 23, 2009 by Erik Burg

Playing only a few tracks together, and sounding rightfully out of sync, Gza of the Wu-Tang Clan and garage punkers the Black Lips took the stage at this week’s South By Southwest Festival. The footage comes courtesy of adkenc, and for being the middle of the crowd, picks up the audio very well. Gza spits over-top of the the basic and strange instrumentals that the guys put out. It’s like watching a DJ try and put together a really bad beat for a freestyle, it repeats the same kind of rhythm over and over and doesn’t seem to go along with the actual tune that Gza is trying to recreate. So yeah, It was a great idea in theory, and I’d encourage more cross genre stuff like this stuff, but this time it didn’t seem to work too well. Check it out for yourself though, Enjoy!? and check out more from adkenc HERE

Public Enemy with The Roots perform live on Late Night W/ Jimmy Fallon

Posted in Music News, Video with tags , , , , , on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 by Erik Burg

Jimmy Fallon’s got a few things going for him with his new late night tv show. The Roots as his house band, and now this. Chuck D, Flava Flav, Black Thought, and crew team up with the roots to do “Bring The Noise”. It all sounds awesome too, so check it out below for sure!

Concert Photo Recap: Krisiun, Destruction @ Station 4

Posted in Concert Reviews with tags , , , , , , , , , on Monday, March 16, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Krisiun live at Station 4

Krisiun and Destruction played a show at Station 4 in St. Paul on Friday, a small festival of all things metal. Unfortunately, I missed Mantic Ritual and a whole slew of awesome local thrash, grind and death metal due to a prior engagement, but the show that Krisiun and Destruction put on to close the night made my trip to St. Paul more than worth it. The Brazilian death metal trio of brethren known as Krisiun played their revered brutal death metal to perfection, drawing material mostly from their newest high quality albums. Songs such as “Bloodcraft” & “Combustion Inferno” threw the tight knit crowd into a frenzy that was very deserved, given the massive, spectacular sound coming from the stage. While I admit I’m not as familiar with the German thrash legends in Destruction as I am with many 80s thrash acts, their show was very, very awesome; no frills thrash metal at maximum headbanging velocity. Dates are remaining on this tour, and everyone is in top form; get out to it if you can, because these band’s deserve to be seen. Now, on to my set of photos from both the band’s performances.

Krisiun live at Station 4(Krisiun)

Krisiun live at Station 4(Krisiun)

Krisiun live at Station 4(Krisiun)

Destruction live at Station 4(Destruction)

Destruction live at Station 4(Destruction)

Continue reading

Stevie Wonder Live @ the Rainbow Theatre, January 1974

Posted in Audio, Downloads with tags , , , , on Thursday, March 12, 2009 by Erik Burg

Oh man, what a set, and what a legend. From one of the all-time musical greats, at his best, comes a live bootleg set including some of his best tracks. Get the theme here? Good, great, amazing, etc etc. So yeah, jump over to the Aquarium Drunkard now and download the whole set (or at least “Superstition”). Enjoy!

Stevie Wonder Live @ the Rainbow Theatre, January 1974