Source: morecowbell.net

Neil Olstad gave you his take on Day Two of the Pitchfork Music Festival, so here’s mine. Yes, we missed/skipped Sonic Youth. Yes, we’ve been getting flack for it. But neither of us own any albums, and neither of us had a strong desire to see them. I know, I know… I heard it was great, and blah blah. But we chose instead to leave a bit later on Friday to drive down to Chicago. We didn’t reach our destination until around 10pm, and our hosts for the weekend weren’t home yet. We sat in a parking garage and ate processed powdered and chocolate donuts, ok?

As far as yesterday is concerned, I really enjoyed Voxtrot - even though this was the third time I’ve seen them I still have such a big place in my heart for them. They were a lot better than when they played here in Minneapolis… more energy and they seemed like they were having a better time. Plus, they did choose to play much of the music from their EPs. They mixed in a few songs from their new album, but over all it was “Your Biggest Fan,” “Soft and Warm,” “Mothers, Sisters, Daughters and Wives,” mixed in with “Kid Gloves” and “Your Brother in Conflict.” It was a good, poppy, upbeat set and I got to watch Ramesh hop around the stage again, which is always nice. They are coming back to Minneapolis in October (Triple Rock - Oct. so let’s pack that show!

I looooved Fujiya Miagyi despite what Neil thought. They said they will probably be hitting up Mpls again in September, and I would recommend them to everyone. Pat O’Brien from HowWasTheShow.com and I saw them open for Peter Bjorn & John a few months back at First Ave and we both commented on how if they’d just kept going and played through PB&J’s set, we’d have been fine with that. Not that we don’t like PB&J, but Fujiya Miagyi was where it was at. They are entertaining, but maybe with never hearing them before that show in Mpls I had no expectations, and thus was fully surprised. I love when that happens, but Neil’d heard the album and wanted more than Fujiya gave. I still enjoyed it and the girl behind me at the show had come from NYC just to see them. It will be one of the highlights of my experience at Pitchfork.

Oxford Collapse is always fun, played a solid set and I enjoyed watching them bounce around the stage. They always make me laugh with their facial expressions too. So much energy in three people is enough to make you stare, and their music is a great blend of sounds that bring me back to the end of the 90s alternative scene, mixed in with that newer indie pop. As far as Professor Murder, Neil was dead on - awesome and hilarious. He was just wonderful to watch on stage - having such a great time up there it was like it didn’t matter if anyone’d shown up for his set. He was there to have a good time, and dammit, he was going to.

The other thing Neil didn’t mention is that for Dan Deacon’s show Deacon asked to have his equipment in the middle of the crowd so everyone could dance around him. All of us in the crowd during Fujiya had been talking about how this was going to work. The stage was literally at the end of an alley, and the crowd was boxed in by giant chain link fences. Of course, this created a huge issue for the Chicago Fire Dept and they were not happy. This affected Girl Talk’s set right afterward, delaying set time and pushing restrictions on the venue. All press (including me) for GT were relegated to the side of the stage behind a large chain link fence. It was squished, hot, and terrible, so I left before Girl Talk started. I was pretty sure that if I stayed there I’d get trampled and/or not be able to move at all. It was ridiculously crowded and took a lot of time and effort to make it about 100 feet to the gate to get out. There were around 60 people still trying to get into that stage’s area when I did finally pop through. Insanity. Apparently it went ok though because there was no fire engines or festival shut downs - whew!

Yoko is Yoko. I mean, I expected what I got. I’ve never been a fan and tonight didn’t change that for me. I’ll out myself as a Barenaked Ladies fan and say that in the song “You Can Be My Yoko Ono,” the guys in BNL squeal like pigs in imitation. Well, that’s not far off from the real Yoko’s vocal stylings. Oof. After sitting through a long, drawn out video intro to her set, I stayed for one song and pushed through the other press to go home. I agree with Neil - Why would you close out an alternative indie-rock festival with Yoko. Who made that decision?

Today promises to be a great day as I look forward to seeing Deerhunter, Menomena, Of Montreal, & The New Pornographers. Afterward Neil and I will undoubtedly hit up a local breakfast nook here in Chicago, just like yesterday. mmm… late night pancakes!

Til’ tomorrow…

Stacy with members of Deerhunter & Grizzly Bear… it’s nice to be a girl.

Ramesh Srivastava of Voxtrot

Pitchfork Music Festival

Califone

Source: ticketblogger.blogspot.com

Source: 911-tickets.co.uk

The musical based on Eleanor Bergstein’s smash hit 1987 film “Dirty Dancing” is still going strong on the London theater.  This smash hit has even gotten notoriety here in the United States.  People were lining up around the corning to see this play.  There were even grown men hiding their faces from the camera working hard to get just one ticket.
Dirty Dancing the musical is set in a holiday camp in America in 1963.  It is a coming-of-age story about a teenage girl named Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman, who falls in love with a dance instructor during a family holiday.  Baby has grown up in privileged surroundings with her doctor father and everyone expects her to go on to college, join the Peace Corps and save the world before marrying a doctor, just like her father.  Attempting to impress the dance instructor, Baby borrows money from her father to pay for an illegal abortion for Johnny’s dance partner. She then fills in as Johnny’s dance partner and it is during the rigorous training that they fall in love.  The plan falls apart at the seams when Johnny’s (the dance instructor) friend falls seriously ill after her abortion and Baby is forced to seek Babies father’s medical assistance.  Subsequently, Babies father bans her from any more contact with the dance instructor. 
Later, Baby sneaks out to apologize for the rudeness of her father and consequently consummates her relationship with the dance instructor.  This is a no no.  Baby continues to sneak around with the instructor until a jealous fellow vacationer sees Baby sneaking out of Johnny’s bungalow and tells management that the instructor stole valuables from them.  In order to keep the instructor from getting arrested Baby confesses to being with the instructor all night.  This creates a huge rift in the family.
To this day, Dirty Dancing remains the biggest independent film of all time and the soundtrack has sold 41 million copies.
This timeless story of first love is full of heart pounding music, pure dance energy and breathtaking emotion and features the hit songs from the movie including Time of My Life, Hungry Eyes, Hey Baby, Do You Love Me? And She’s Like The Wind.
Experience the excitement and romance of the blockbuster film - live on stage. First dance, first love; you’ll have the time of your life!
 

Also See:  Dirty Dancing Tickets

Source: morecowbell.net

Everything’s bigger in Texas. Steaks, hats, and apparently, bands. Hailing from Dallas, and with 20+ people on stage at one time jamming away, the Polyphonic Spree is by far the largest band I’ve ever seen at the Fine Line. They are also the most enthralling, uplifting and joyous band I’ve ever seen period.

The Spree started their show with a large red roll of plastic tablecloth stretched all the way across the stage. The crowd saw pairs and pairs of black boots and some fog, but not much else. Suddenly a scissors poked through the plastic and began cutting away. After a bit, a giant heart appeared and co-leader/singer-songwriter Tim DeLaughter burst through. Fitting, this start to the show, as DeLaughter’s heart blatantly appears on his sleeve and in the music the Spree spouts forth in their 2-hour emotional purge.

I first saw the Spree this March at SXSW when they did a surprise performance at Club DeVille in Austin. It was the end of the festival and I was tired. That show was the wake-up I needed to reinvigorate my musical lust and ever since I have longed to experience that feeling again. Lucky me. On a Tuesday night in Minneapolis, I was able to do just that.

People talk big about the emotion of music and how much it means. I completely agree with the majority of those assessments and often discuss this exact topic myself. However, it’s another thing to allow yourself to be set free and just be joy. The Spree do this night after night, for little money (their overhead has got to be HUGE with a band this size), and just for us. “Us” being the audience. The cheerleaders. The ones who urge them on because we all want to be happy and their music only increases the level of exhilaration we’re feeling.

During the set, we watched a wardrobe change from the new Fragile Army uniforms back to the Spree’s trademark robes. They played a wonderful mix of old and new songs, with my favorite older song “It’s the Sun” being played third in the mix, and the lovely “Sonic Bloom,” from DeLaughter’s band Tripping Daisy, filling in the last chords of the night. Overall the song choices showcased the best of the Spree, with old cuts and new tracks off “The Fragile Army” combining to form one giant lovefest.

The crowd was ridiculous. Mouths moved to a constant beat. Feet stomped and arms waved. Corners of mouths were pulled upward for over 120 minutes as calls for “one more!” came frequently. DeLaughter had to stop and pull himself together more than once during the band’s encore as emotion overtook him. My guess is this was the closest many in the crowd had come to pure happiness in a while, and as cheesy as it sounds, there’s nothing human beings want more. The Spree have found a way to invade souls, making things seem better, not as tough, and hey, don’t forget we’re all in this together.

If you get the chance, go now to their site, look up the tour dates, and find a way to get to a show. Or, I can just post them here. Need an uplift? A life-affirmation? Go. Run. Create some happiness. See the Spree.

Remaining Tour Dates:

07-13 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
07-14 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theatre
07-15 Seattle, WA - The Showbox
07-17 San Francisco CA - Great American Music Hall
07-18 Los Angeles CA - El Rey Theatre
07-20 San Diego CA - Canes Bar & Grill
07-22 Denver CO - Gothic Theatre
07-23 Aspen CO - The Belly Up
08-04 Chicago, IL - Grant Park (Lollapalooza)
08-11 Osaka, Japan - Summersonic Festival
08-12 Tokyo, Japan - Summersonic Festival
09-01 Stradbally, Ireland - Stradbally Estate (Electric Picnic Festival)
09-02 Argyll, Scotland - Inveraray Castle (Connect Festival)

Source: morecowbell.net

Justice will be touring North America  in October including a stop at Foundation here in Mpls!

October 9th Henry Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles
October 10th Mezzanine, San Francisco
October 12th Neumos, Seattle
October 13th Commodora Ballroom, Vancouver
October 16th Foundation, Minneapolis
October 17th The Metro, Chicago
October 18th Republik, Toronto
October 19th Metropolis, Montreal
October 20th Webster Hall, New York
October 21st Starlight Balroom, Philadelphea

Source: soundchronicle.com

Superstars of Pop scene Spice Girls announced reunion for World tour which kicks off in December. The trek will support outfit’s greatest hits album, which is scheduled to release in November. Band will give concerts in 11 cities around the World, starting from three US markets: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York. American dates are listed below. According to girl’s website more dates may be added later. The Spice Girls - Geri “Ginger” Halliwell, Victoria “Posh” Beckham, Melanie “Sporty” Chisholm, Emma “Baby” Bunton and Melanie “Scary” Brown - became popular in mid 90’s with hits “Wannabe”, “Say You’ll Be There”, and “Spice Up Your Life”. They sold 55 million records, and received four BRIT awards.

Spice Girls Tickets

Spice Girls US Tour Dates
12/7/2007 - Los Angeles
12/8/2007 - Las Vegas
12/11/2007 - New York

Source: morecowbell.net

The National will return to Minneapolis after their kickass 400 Bar show last month and play the Fine Line on September 20th. Openers will likely be The Twilight Sad and/or Doveman.

Voxtrot return to the Triple Rock (their 3rd show there in just over a year!) on October 3rd.

Jens Lekman will also be returning to the Triple Rock as well on November 4th. Once again it will be a 21+ event, and tickets are 12$ in advance.

Source: morecowbell.net

A More Cowbell exclusive announcement:

Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem are co-headlining this fall and will play Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul on September 30th.

Pre-sale tickets go on-sale July 25th through July 27th
Ticketmaster on-sale is July 28th

Source: morecowbell.net

Martin at First Avenue is something i’ve wished for for a long long time. He should have moved to First Ave after he grew out of the Cedar instead of playing the Pantages. I’m guessing the fact that he’s got a band now probably led to him playing First Ave over Pantages though.

I might also have to hit up that Grandma’s show in Duluth, that sounds like fun…

09/07/07 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
09/08/07 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place
09/19/07 Toronto, ON Mod Club
09/20/07 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
09/21/07 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
09/22/07 Grand Rapids, MI Calvin College Fine Arts Ctr
09/23/07 Madison, WI Barrymore Theatre
09/26/07 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theatre
09/27/07 Duluth, MN Grandmas
09/28/07 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
09/29/07 Winnipeg, MT Garrick Theatre
10/02/07 TBA TBA
10/03/07 Calgary MacEwen Hall
10/05/07 Vancouver, BC Richards On Richards
10/06/07 Portland, OR Aladdin Theatre
10/07/07 Eugene, OR WOW Hall
10/10/07 Nevada City, CA Miners Foundry
10/11/07 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
10/12/07 Santa Cruz, CA The Attic
10/13/07 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
10/14/07 San Diego, CA Belly Up
10/15/07 Tempe, AZ The Clubhouse Music Venue
10/18/07 TBA TBA
10/19/07 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
10/20/07 Lafayette, LA Grant Street Dance Hall
10/21/07 Birmingham, AL Zydeco
10/23/07 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre
10/24/07 Greenville, SC Handlebar
10/25/07 Charlotte, NC Amos’s
10/26/07 Charlottsville, VA Satellite Ballroom
10/27/07 TBA TBA
11/03/07 TBA TBA

FALL TOUR PRESALE - Begins July 11 @ 12pm (through July 13)

Previously announced upcoming dates:07/19/07 Boston, MA Copley Square Park - WBOS Series
07/20/07 Baltimore, MD Artscape Fesitval
07/21/07 Philadelphia, PA Xponential Festival
07/22/07 Oyster Bay, NY HFOTA Pavilion
07/27/07 Guelph, ON Hillside Festival
08/05/07 Empire, MI Dune Grass and Blues Festival
08/10/07 Edmonton, ALB Edmonton Folk Festival
08/11/07 Edmonton, ALB Edmonton Folk Festival
08/12/07 Bridgeport, CT Gathering of the Vibes
08/15/07 Wilmington, NC Soapbox Laundrolounge
08/16/07 Isle of Palms, SC Windjammer
08/17/07 Kill Devil Hills, NC Outerbanks Brewing Station
08/18/07 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony
08/19/07 Williamsburg, VA Kimball Theatre
08/23/07 New York, NY Rockin’ the River 2 shows
08/24/07 Martha’s Vineyard, MA Outerland
09/02/07 Amagansett, NY Talkhouse

Source: morecowbell.net

sadly no Mpls show, but he plays here all the time so i can’t be that bummed:

Aug 6 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre w/ Peter Bjorn and John
Sep 1 - Vancouver, BC - Richard’s On Richards
Sep 2 - Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot 2007 (Mural Stage)
Sep 8 - Chicago, IL - 11th Annual Hideout Block Party
Sep 10 - Knoxville, TN - The Bijou Theater
Sep 11 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
Sep 12 - Durham, NC - The Carolina Theatre
Sep 13 - Atlanta, GA - The Variety Playhouse
Sep 15 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival
Sep 17 - Lawrence, KS - The Granada
Sep 18 - Louisville, KY - WL Lyons Brown Theatre
Sep 19 - Bloomington, IN - Buskirk Chumley Theater
Sep 20 - Madison, WI - Wisconsin Union Theater
Sep 21 - Urbana, IL - 2007 Pygmalion Music Festival at Tryon Festival Theatre, Krannert Center
Sep 22 - Iowa City, IA - The Englert Theatre
Sep 24 - Buffalo, NY - Asbury Hall at The Church
Sep 25 - Toronto, ONT - The Opera House
Sep 26 - Montreal, QUE - La Tulipe
Sep 28 - South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
Sep 29 - Baltimore, MD – Sonar
Sep 30 - Richmond, VA - Toad’s Place Richmond
Oct 2 - Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Music Hall

You can purchase pre-sale tickets for most of these shows here