TICKET ON-SALES
--Friday, May 18, 2012—
10:00 AM
*Marc Cohn (2nd Show)- MN Zoo/ July 14/ $46/ All Ages
*Lyle Lovett- MN Zoo/ July 21/ $56/ All Ages
*Ben Howard- Varsity/ September 27/ $20/ 18+
*River’s Edge Music Festival, single day tix- Harriet Island/ June 23,24/ $65/ All Ages
*Citizen Cope- Brick/ November 15/ $35-40/ 18+
**Early On-Sale Thu 5/17 10AM-10PM Password:CCope
*Carrie Underwood- Target Center/ Sept 27/ $44-64/ All Ages
**Early On-Sale Thu 5/17 10AM-10PM Password:AWAY
12:00 NOON
*Reel Big Fish- First Ave/ July 11/ $20/ 18+
*Jennifer Lopez w/ Enrique Iglesias- Target Center/ August 1/ $27.50-127.50/ All Ages
**Early On-Sale Thu 5/17 10AM-10PM Password:CALIENTE
LIVE SHOWS
--Thursday, May 17, 2012—
The Cranberries w/ Vintage Trouble [don’t miss this opener!]
The Brick/ 8:00/ $45-48/ 18+
--I read the reviews from Montreal last Tuesday and Toronto Wednesday. It sounds like Dolores and the guys are playing great and are doing many of their wonderful jangly rock and pop hits from throughout their career. Also, I can not urge you strong enough to get there in time to see the L.A. band, Vintage Trouble, opening. Check out online their performance on Kimmel two weeks ago. Think classic sixties soul singer Jackie Wilson backed by the Black Crowes! Really cool, fresh stuff.
Lucky Tubb & the Modern Day Troubadours
Lee’s/ 9:00/ $12/ 21+
--A grand nephew of Ernest Tubb, a pioneer of the honky-tonk style of country music, Lucky is the real deal himself. Fans of our own Trailer Trash will love these guys!
Eric Church
Target Center/ 7:30/ Reserved $34.75—GA Floor $42.50/ All Ages
--Big-time country from a guy who’s had a Billboard #1 album and received Grammy nomination for Best Country Album.
Joe Pug
7th St Entry/ 9:00/ $12/ 18+
--Young up-and-coming Chicago rootsy folk and alt-country singer/songwriter.
The Butanes [Every Thursday]
Shaw’s, NE Mpls/ 8:30/ FREE/ 21+
--Great 60’s and 70’s soul music with some classy blues and rock mixed in. Highly danceable!
--Friday, May 18, 2012—
Mayer Hawthorne [SOLD OUT]
First Ave/ 8:00 Doors, 9:00 Music/ 18+
--!!We are doing a live off-site Studio C interview and performance with Mayer direct from the main stage at First Ave that you can hear Monday afternoon!! If you do have tickets, the opener, The Stepkids, are a young psychedelic neo-soul band whose live performances include cool lights and video projections that really do add something extra to their shows.
B.B. King
State Theatre/ 8:00/ $51.50-66.50/ All Ages
--A true living legend and still the “King of the Blues”!
Amy Ray
Turf Club/ 9:00/ $15/ 21+
--The less folkie and more roots & rockin half of The Indigo Girls comes to town with a full band to do her solo material plus a few choice hits.
The Scissormen
Lee’s/ 9:00/ $7/ 21+
--A very good electric country-blues band from Nashville.
Mark Lanegan Band
The Cedar/ 9:00/ $7/ 21+
--This captivating front man with the distinctive whiskey and cigarettes-soaked voice has formed the bands Screaming Trees, Twilight Singers, and Gutter Twins in his long and productive alt-rock career and was part of Queens of the Stone Age for their first 3 albums. The Cedar should be the just the right venue to witness his dynamic stage presence.
Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials
Famous Dave’s Uptown/ 9:00/ $6/ All Ages
--One of the most fun blues bar bands out of Chicago.
Nachito Herrera
Dakota/ 8:00/ $15/ All Ages
--Born in Cuba but now our local treasure, Herrera is a great swinging jazz pianist!
Art-A-Whirl Weekend, NE Mpls—Free Music
331 Club and Anchor Fish and Chips have Outdoor Stages Friday Night and Sat Afternoon and Night and the 331 Sun Afternoon.
--Highlights- Romantica 6:00 Saturday at Anchor and 331 has a packed lineup of good local bands all weekend.
Psycho Suzi’s has a stage Saturday night
--Highlights- Evening Rig 7:30 and 4ontheFloor 8:45.
Alex Rossi and Root City Band
MN Music Cafe/ 9:00/ 21+
--Fine local roots, rock and blues band with a dynamic lead singer, and guitarist.
Crankshaft [solo]
Bayport BBQ/ 8:00/ $10/ All Ages
--A beautiful night to drive for some great bbq chicken and ribs and one of the best and most interesting roots, rock and blues acts playing around town these days. Whether Alex “Crankshaft” Larson is playing solo, as a duo, or with his full band, he is absolutely worth checking out. Three weeks ago at Famous Dave’s Uptown, the full band won the finals of a months-long Battle of the Blues Bands to earn a main stage slot at the Famous Dave’s Blues and BBQ Fest June 9 in downtown Minneapolis. Then two weeks ago at MN Music Café in St Paul, he won both the solo/duo and full band categories of the local competition to represent Minnesota at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in February, 2013.
Belfast Cowboys
Bunker’s/ 9:00/ $7/ 21+
--Excellent Van Morrison cover band.
--Saturday, May 19, 2012—
George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
Brick/ 8:00/ $27.50-30/ 18+
--Clinton is one of the kings of funk along with James Brown and Sly Stone and he always has a top-notch band along on tour. He really should be experienced live once in your musical life! His original riffs and rhythms have been sampled and copied about as often as any other artist.
Semisonic reunion show at OLL Blast Block Party, Mound MN
Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School/ 6:30/ $25-35/ 18+
-Good news on a couple of fronts; this show is benefit for the church and school and will feature lots of their best songs as it’s a one-off performance and they haven’t been working on new material. The bad news is this may be their only public show in Minnesota this summer! Bassist John Munson’s current popular local band The Twilight Hours opens.
The Suburbs
First Ave/ 7:00/ $20/ 18+
--One of the most exciting live rock bands ever to grace the main stage at First Avenue, they’ve had a couple of personnel changes but they still know how to create a create a party atmosphere.
Famous Dave’s Backyard BBQ Jam w/ White Iron Band etc
Famous Dave’s Uptown/ 3:30-10 outside/ FREE/ All Ages
--There will be some very fun local country-rock, roots & jam bands playing outside in the afternoon and evening along with lots of food and drink specials. Bands include; White Iron Band, God Johnson, Absolut Gruv, Javier Trejo outside and The New Primitives play inside starting at 10:00
The Honeydogs and Six Mile Grove [close to sold out]
Rochester Civic Theatre, Rochester/ 7:30/ $17.50/ All Ages
--The expressive pop rock of The Honeydogs along with the wonderful roots rock of Six Mile Grove in this intimate 300 seat theatre will make for a great night and well worth the drive!
Van Halen w/ Kool and the Gang
Xcel Center/ 7:30/ $50-150/ All Ages
--What a fun off-the-wall doublebill of 70’s and 80’s hitmakers. David Lee Roth is back and Van Halen’s new album, “A Different Kind of Truth”, got decent reviews but expect lots of hits with just a few new ones mixed in. Kool and the Gang also features their original creative core intact so they should sound as good as ever.
Wookiefoot’s Sundrop Indoor/Outdoor Party
Cabooze/ Patio music 4:30, Indoor music 9:00/ $14-17/ 18+
--For the younger jam band set with bocce ball, horse shoes, and bean bag toss on the patio along with Useful Jenkins and Alexi Teague playing acoustic outside early afternoon and the wildly fun rockers Wookiefoot headlining a multi-band bill inside later.
--Sunday, May 20, 2012—
4th Annual Lyn Lake Street Festiavl
Lyndale Ave from 28th to Lake/ Noon-7:00/ FREE/ All Ages
--Two stages of local bands from noon to 7:00 and lots of kid-friendly activities. Bands include Kid Dakota, Night Moves, Mayda, Communist Daughter, and Halloween, Alaska.
Ramsey Lewis Electric Band [Monday also]
Dakota/ 7:00 and 9:00/ $40-60/ All Ages
--With three Grammy Awards, seven gold records, 80 albums, and too many great collaborations to list, Lewis is a giant of jazz piano, most often in the acoustic jazz trio format. His original compositions and live playing have always included tinges of soul, funk, and R&B which is accentuated when he goes electric. This is a rare chance to see a musician of this stature in a small club!
Summer Sunday Afternoons w/ Kurt Jorgensen returns!
P.D. Pappy’s, Stillwater/ 4:30/ FREE/ All Ages
--Excellent original rock, roots, and blues and tasty cover songs.
Dr Mambo’s Combo [every Sunday and Monday]
Bunker’s / 9:30/ $7/ 21+
--Excellent covers of 70’s and 80’s soul, R&B and dance tunes.
--Monday, May 21, 2012—
The Cactus Blossoms [every Monday]
Turf Club / 9:00/ $5/ 21+
--Wonderful true country originals with excellent harmonies.
--Tuesday, May 22, 2012—
David Lindley
The Cedar/ 7:30/ $20-25/ All Ages
--Lindley is an incredibly talented musician who has mastered a multitude of string instruments, especially slide guitar. Always been in demand as a session player and touring band mate, he has played on hundreds of songs you have heard including most of the Jackson Browne and Warren Zevon hits that you know by heart. He’s also built a following with his original music in his own bands such as El Rayo-X! Add in Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt as fans and musicians who have utilized his services and you know there is good reason to go see why!
Kurt Vile and the Violators [Your weekly take a chance show]
400 Bar/ 9:00/ $15/ 18+
--Founder of the band The War on Drugs, Vile is a talented singer/writer/rocker who’s tough to categorize; at times roots, rock, and indie folk with bits of psychedelia and it’s all worth catching live, especially with full band.
International Reggae All-Stars [every Tuesday]
Bunkers / 9:00/ $6/ 21+
--Good roots reggae originals and plenty of covers.
--Wednesday, May 23, 2012—
Three Giants of Nashville/Country Songwriting in a rare Storytellers Performance
Dakota/ 8:00/ $25/ All Ages
-- This is a very special performance put together by the Nashville Convention and Tourism Bureau whose key players are in town for a national convention. They are flying in; 1) Brett James, Grammy winner, twice ASCAP “Songwriter of the Year” with 300 songs covered and eleven #1 hits, 2) Tim Nichols, Grammy winner, “Song of the Year” at the CMA’s, and one of his songs by Tim McGraw spent ten weeks at #1, and 3) Rivers Rutherford, eight #1 hits! This show is a must for any country music lover, people who like to hear the stories behind the writing and recording of a song and any budding singer/songwriter, no matter the genre!
Anders Osborne w/ full band
Varsity/ 8:00/ $18-20/ 18+
--One of the great contemporary New Orleans artists touring today, Osborne is a tremendously soulful guitarist who matches that with a gift for songwriting. He’s had two Top 5 hits of his own in the 90’s, won two Grammy Awards for songs he co-wrote with Keb Mo and Tim McGraw’s cover of his “Watch The Wind Blow By” went to #1 on the country charts and sold 3 million copies. Expect a wonderful night of roots, rock, R&B, and blues. His set at the Fine Line just a couple of months ago is in my top three for the year so far.
Lee “Scratch” Perry
The Cedar/ 7:30/ $22-25/ All Ages
--An early reggae pioneer from the 60’s, Perry was a producer for Bob Marley early in The Wailer’s career and has remained vital. He won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2004 and was nominated for the same award in again in 2008 and 2010.
Nick and The Feelin at The Happy Gnome [every Wednesday]
The Happy Gnome upstairs, St Paul/ 8:00/ Free/ 21+
--Good piano-led music for free and just $4 for all MN craft beer pours.
Molly Maher & Eric Koskinen [every Wednesday]
Aster Café at Riverplace/ 9:00/ $4/ 21+
--The best night of local roots and Americana music in the Twin Cities each week moved to a new location. Superb musicianship.
--Thursday, May 24, 2012—
M Ward
First Ave/ 7:00/ $22/ 18+
--It will be great to see this fine indie rock, folk and alt-country singer/songwriter and guitarist back rocking the main room with his own material and full band after spending the last two years focused on his other projects, She & Him and Monsters Of Folk! He sounded great on a late night TV performances on Conan and Letterman over the last couple of weeks.
Eve 6
Varsity/ 8:00/ $18-20/ 18+
-- These guys exploded on the scene in 1998 with their platinum-selling debut album, “Eve 6”, and the hit singles “Inside Out” and Leech”. The success continued in 2000 with their sophomore album, “Horrorscope”, which went gold with its hits “Promise” and “On the Roof Again” and the huge single, “Here’s To The Night”. Totally burned out and exhausted, they pulled the plug in 2004. Well the original lineup is back together and have a released a fine new CD, “Speak In Code” and to promote it they are doing a club tour. You might want to catch this show just in case they start playing much bigger rooms again.
Sarah Morris
Aster Café/ 9:00/ $5/ All Ages
--Wonderful young country singer/songwriter.
The Butanes [Every Thursday]
Shaw’s, NE Mpls/ 8:30/ FREE/ 21+
--Great 60’s and 70’s soul music with some classy blues and rock mixed in. Highly danceable!
