Tonight in Minneapolis: Mobius Band

Thursday, October 19, 2006 - First Ave 7th Street Entry
8:00pm - 21+ $6.00 (!)
Mobius Band w/
Baby Dayliner and Mystery Palace

I really liked Mobius Band when I saw them open up for Stellastarr* and The Editors last April. Since then they've continued to tour with the likes of Tom Vek and most recently The National. Tonight they finally get to headline a gig for a change, and I think they deserve it.

Originally from a small town in Massachusetts, but now residing in Brooklyn (doesn't every band), the 3-piece crafts pop-rock with a hint of electronica thrown in the mix. Reminds me of a more electronic Longwave, actually.

NY's Baby Dayliner and local band Mystery Palace open the festivities. From what I've sampled, both of these bands should be great as well.

Enough babbling... check the tunes. If you like 'em, come on down to the gig. It's only $6.00! Cheaper and probably better than a ticket to the movies...

mp3: Mobius Band - The Loving Sound of Static
mp3: Mobius Band - Twilight
YouTube: Mobius Band - The Loving Sound of Static

mp3: Baby Dayliner - At Least
YouTube: Baby Dayliner - Silent Places

Mobius Band Website / MySpace
Baby Dayliner Website / MySpace
Mystery Palace Website / MySpace

I do realize the very talented Regina Spektor is playing @ Varsity Theatre tonight as well. Should be a great gig. BritishRockIsAlwaysTop has a preview for you. Unfortunately, it's sold out, so unless you have a ticket, you should come down to 7th Street Entry.

Lots of good shows coming up here in the coming week... I also got a bunch of great new music, so look for more content on the site over the next few days.

Prost!
- Steve

YouTube Karaoke with Jarvis Cocker

Jarvis Cocker MySpace
New JC mp3s on Idolator

- Steve

Beirut / A Hawk and a Hacksaw / Animal Hospital live @ Triple Rock Social Club 10/14/06

(Beirut)


(A Hawk and a Hacksaw)

Lots more pictures on Flickr: photos / slideshow

Sorry about the lack of updates late last week. I was house and animal-sitting for my Mom the past few days. I did make it out to one live gig last Saturday, though. Here's what went down.

I had heard a lot of Beirut. Most of it was a few months back when the blogger-buzz was in full swing and he/they played many-a-shows on the East Coast. Luckily for us here in the Midwest the band finally hit the road and graced us with a visit here in Minneapolis / St. Paul @ Triple Rock Social Club with openers A Hack and a Hacksaw and Animal Hospital.

When I arrived at Triple Rock ~ 10:20pm Saturday to meet my friend Amy, doors hadn't even opened yet. They were supposed to open at 10pm... it was a brisk 30 degree night so the wait was not too pleasant... I believe another early show at the club had run a bit late. I actually hadn't expected too many people for the show... by the time the doors opened around 10:45pm the line was about 1/2 a block long.

Animal Hospital, a one-man solo project (Kevin Micka) from Boston hit the stage first. Due to the late door-opening he had to cut his set short to 20 minutes, which translated into 2 (very long) songs. His sound could be described as "atmoshperic" or "eclectic". He played a variety of different instruments, sampled them all together, and then played around with the effect pedals on the floor. A very shoe-gazerish set, actually.

Albuquerque's A Hawk and a Hacksaw were up next and definitely gave us a taste of what to expect musically for the rest of the evening. The duo, consisting of Violinist Heather Trost, and percussionist/ vocalist/ accordian-player Jeremy Barnes, performed some beautiful melodies. Jeremy was very entertaining to watch as he played a multitude of percussion instruments, the accordian, and sang, all at the same time. Like Beirut, their sound was very Balkan influenced... at times I felt like I was at a Gypsy wedding.

Triple Rock was quite crowded by the time Beirut took to the stage. The band, aka singer-songwriter Zach Condon, and 9 other band-members started jamming out their Eastern European folk tunes immediately. Trumpets, Saxes, Ukuleles, Mandolins, Guitars, Keyboards, a Cello, lots of percussion... the number of different instruments was staggering. Quite surprising how great and loose the songs sounded. Much better live than on record in my opinion. At times during the set I kept thinking I was watching a mixture between Gogol Bordello and Arcade Fire. Very entertaining to say the least. For one of the last tunes, Zach and some other band members performed in the audience. The crowd (obviously) loved it.

All in all, great night and great show. Beirut really impressed me. Well worth freezing 20 minutes in line for...

Continue to look for great things from Zach and his band in the future. Beirut continues their tour in Seattle 10/17/06. Check their website and myspace for more details and info.

mp3: Beirut - Brandenburg
mp3: Beirut - Postcards from Italy

YouTube: Beirut "Brandenburg" live @ Triple Rock 10/14/06

Beirut Website / MySpace
A Hawk and a Hacksaw Website / MySpace
Animal Hospital Website / MySpace

Have a nice Monday!

- Steve

Europe - September 2006

I finally finished uploading the photos from my recent trip to Europe:


Braunschweig (Brunswick), Germany
Sep 5 - Sep 12, Oct 1, 2006: 182 Photos
Flickr photos / slideshow


Berlin, Germany
Sep 12 - Sep 15, 2006: 126 Photos
Flickr photos / slideshow


Wien (Vienna), Austria
Sep 15 - Sep 22, Sep 24 - 29, 2006: 166 Photos
Flickr photos / slideshow


Praha (Prague), Czech Reublic
Sep 22 - Sep 24, 2006 - 29: 170 Photos
Flickr photos / slideshow


Hamburg, Germany
Sep 30 - Oct 1, 2006 - 29: 20 Photos
Flickr photos / slideshow

And a tune I heard a lot while in Austria and Germany:

mp3: Juli - Dieses Leben (August RMX Remix)
YouTube: Juli - Dieses Leben
Juli Website

Friends and family abroad, I miss you, and I'll see you all again real soon! Thanks for putting up with me in September ;)

Prost!
- Steve

The Stills / Cold War Kids

Sadly, 2 cancelled shows to inform you about:

1) The Stills - October 11 - Station 4, St. Paul
2) Cold War Kids - October 14 - First Ave 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis

Bummer. Hopefully they'll make up the dates soon.

- Steve

Bettie Serveert / Slumber Party / Shoveldance live@ First Avenue 7th Street Entry 10/9/06, Part 2

Flickr photos / slideshow

Sometimes I wonder why some bands are not huge? Bettie Serveert should be. Honestly, they were better than TV on the Radio live a couple of nights ago. I missed Shoveldance once again, but other openers Slumber Party were pretty cool...

Bettie Serveert is off to the west coast for a few dates and then back to the east coast. I suggest you see them.

Best of luck to Slumber Party who is departing the tour after last night's date!

Bettie Serveert's setlist:



They played 3 encores afer that. I have no idea what they were, but I liked them ;)

The links one more time:
Bettie Serveert Website / MySpace
Slumber Party Website / MySpace
Shoveldance Website / MySpace

- Steve

Bettie Serveert / Slumber Party / Shoveldance live @ First Avenue 7th Street Entry 10/9/06, Part 1

Parking downtown Minneapolis: $5.00
Ticket to the the show: $10.00
CD & DVD Bare Stripped Naked: $15.00

Hangin' out with Bettie Serveert and Slumber Party in the basement of 7th Street Entry after the show: Priceless

Part 2 to come later today. Lots of great pictures. I was so close, the bass player almost nailed me in the head with his instrument. Seriously. Here's a teaser:



Unbelievable. Holland rocks.

- Steve

DJ's Nick Warren & Michael Burian live @ Roxy 9/23/06, Prague, Czech Republic

Flickr photos / slideshow

Wondering what a live DJ show is like in Prague? I had the chance to check out British House DJ Nick Warren and Czech DJ Michael Burian live @ Roxy 9/23/06.

Here's a video I filmed so you get the full "absinthe" effect:



Wow, what a night it was... ahh, the memories.

Nick Warren Website / MySpace
Michael Burian Website / MySpace

- Steve

Tonight in Minneapolis: Bettie Serveert

Locals, looking for a live music event tonight? May I suggest:

Monday, October 9, 2006 - First Ave 7th Street Entry
8:00pm - 21+ $10.00
Bettie Serveert w/
Slumber Party and Shoveldance

mp3: Bettie Serveert - Hell = Other People

Bettie Serveert Website / MySpace
Amazon: Bare Stripped Naked

- Steve

TV on the Radio / Grizzly Bear live @ First Avenue 10/8/06

(TV on the Radio joined by Grizzly Bear on stage)
Flickr photos / slideshow

Wow. "Rocktober" continues. TV on the Radio last night was spectacular. The opening band Grizzly Bear was ok. A bit too "art-rocky-folky" for my taste, but yet still enjoyable for the most part. First Avenue was pretty packed... TVotR was surprisingly "heavy"; I actually expected a bit more of an electronic sound. The live show gave me more of a hard-rock / post-punk kind of feeling, occasional mosh pit and crowd surfers included. "Wolf Like Me" and "Staring at the Sun" were a couple of my personal highlights. Also, the final encore with Grizzly Bear joining TVotR onstage was very cool.

Both bands continue their tour tonight in Chicago before hitting the US East Coast. Don't miss them on tour! Check their websites for further info and dates.

mp3: TV on the Radio - Province
YouTube: TV on the Radio live performance with Peter Murphy and Trent Reznor
Amazon: Return to Cookie Mountain

TV on the Radio Website / MySpace
Grizzly Bear Website / MySpace

Related:
Pitchfork Interview with Grizzly Bear

- Steve

Ben Kweller / Sam Roberts Band / Hymns live @ First Avenue 10/6/06

Flickr photos / slideshow

You know, I'm usually not a fan of singer/songwriter stuff. Actually it's pretty much the polar opposite of everything I listen to. However, last night's show was surprisingly good. I really enjoyed all 3 artists immensely. Ben Kweller is extraordinarily talented and crafts great organic pop/rock tunes. Do try to catch him live on tour at a venue near you soon. Thanks Amy for taking me to the gig last night!

mp3: Ben Kweller - Penny on the Train Track
mp3: Ben Kweller - Nothing Happening

Ben Kweller Website / MySpace
Sam Roberts Band Website / MySpace
Hymns Website / MySpace

- Steve

Kasabian / Mew / Onethousand Pictures live @ Fine Line Music Cafe 10/5/06

(Kasabian)


(Kasabian - Setlist)


(Mew)

More pictures on Flickr: photos / slideshow

My first show since returning from Europe definitely did not dissapoint. Unfortunately I missed San Diego's Onethousand Pictures. I'll catch them next time. Denmark's Mew delivered a crowd pleasing spaced-out set. Their live sound reminded me of a mixture between Sigur Ros and Coldplay. Kasabian walked out to the theme from A Clockwork Orange and played an energetic set that flat-out rocked. Lead-singer Tom and guitarist Serge definitely know how to get the audience involved. While I favor their old tunes, the new stuff sounded quite good as well.

Best part of the show for me was seing all my friends again. I missed you all over the last month! It's good to be back. Hanging out in the basement of the Fine Line with the bands was also a blast... seems like I'm right back in the swing of things.

For more on the show check out BritishRockIsAlwaysTop.

A couple of tunes for you to sample:
mp3: Kasabian - Empire
mp3: Mew - Comforting Sounds

A YouTube video I shot (sorry about the bad quality):
Kasabian "Club Foot" live @ Fine Line 10/5/06

More Related Links:
Kasabian - Website / MySpace
Mew - Website / MySpace
Onethousand Pictures - Website / MySpace

A message to my family and friends in Europe: Ich werde euch vermissen... Es war super euch alle zu sehen! Danke für alles! Ich komme bald wieder...

I'll try to get all my Europe photos and a post up soon. Have a nice weekend!

- Steve

Kasabian

Leadsinger of Kasabian and I say "Hi". He he... more to come.

A word from my new Austrian sponsor:



- Steve

Back in the USA

(Reeperbahn, Hamburg)

I've returned in one piece from Europe! Lots of updates to come once I get caught up on my sleep.

Prost!
- Steve

Greetings from Vienna!

Finally I have a bit of time to update this ole' blog... Unfortunately I can't get the photo part of blogger to work at the moment...I'm currently sitting in a Starbucks in the center of Vienna. I've been back in my hometown since last Friday afternoon. Needless to say I've had a great time hanging out with friends and family here.

I just realized I never really covered what all I did in Berlin. Here are a few highlights:

• On my first day there, last Tuesday, I checked out the famous Zoo. Pretty impressive the amount of species and animals represented. The weather was gorgeous...
  
• I actually checked out a live show in Berlin. OK Go and Motion City Soundtrack. Very funny to see 2 Midwestern bands in Germany. Had a great time at the show and met a nice British girl who kept me company.
• I did a lot of sightseeing. Be it by bus, boat, or on foot... I saw a lot of the city. In the 3 days I was there I took about 800 photos... Now you know why I'm totally behind posting them to Flickr...
• Some people go to Museums. I go to Football (soccer) games. On my final day I ran into some Danish soccer hooligans who were in town for a UEFA cup game against the team from Berlin. On a whim I decided to go to the Olympia Stadium to check out the match. OMG, what a great time. Also, it was amazing to see the place where the infamous Zidane headbutt incident occured during the World Cup final.

OK, that's the extremely short version of everything that occured. More to come, including pictures, when I have some extra time. Hope all is well in the US!

Miss ya,
- Steve

Ich bin ein Berliner

Greetings from Berlin! I absolutely love it here. More to come...

- Steve

Motorcycle guys get all the chicks

Went for a motorcycle ride with Jan today... absolutely loved it.


(Myself and Jan on his motorcycle)


(In front of Jägermeister headquarters in Wolfenbüttel)


(What a cute couple...)

- Steve

Jägermeister is good for you...

(After the "Standesamt" (State) Wedding 9/8/06)


(Running into a bachelorette party Friday night 9/8/06 - Now that's an evil smirk)


(Presentation of the wedding cake 9/9/06)

Hello everyone! I've survived both of Jan & Nina's weddings (state and church) and had a marvelous time. It was great to meet all the nice friends and family... A special "Hi!" to all the fine people I've met over here the past few days.

Loads of new pictures are on Flickr.

I'm off to Berlin tomorrow for a few days. Updates to come....

- Steve

Braunschweig Day 2 & 3

I'm having a great time here in Braunschweig with my friends Jan & Nina. Some fun stuff I've done here in the past 48 hours:

• Nina showed me the horse-stable/ranch "Weidehof Reitlingstal" where she spends a lot of time. I haven't been near, or on a horse, in ages. Needless to say I had a great time.
• I did some sight-seing and window shopping downtown. I think I walked in a circle in the "pedestrian" area of town and passed some of the same spots at least three times. Ice cream parlors are everywhere here. So are Döner (Gyro) restaurants.
• I went to the "Oker Cabana" beach bar with Jan. Kinda' cool, right on the river, and definitely very relaxing...
• We also hit some other "Kneipen" (bars) in the "Magni" quarter. I DJ'd at one of them ;)
• Today Jan showed my the "Wilsche Airfield" where he flies glider planes. I even got to sit in one of them...
  

I have never seen so many VW cars as here. Of course, the world headquarters are only 30 miles away in Wolfsburg.

Speaking of close headquarters... so is Jägermeister. Right across the corner in Wolfenbüttel.

That's the very short version of what I've been up to. Jan and Nina have been such great hosts. Below are some pictures, lots more are on Flickr.

Wedding celebrations kick off tomorrow so I should probably get some sleep. Hope all is well in the US and the rest of the world. I see my boys won the Mercury Prize... Nice.

- Steve


(Nina's Maid of Honor, Frauke, training a horse "Roman")


(I wanna' be a Cowboy!)


(Nina with horse "Hessel")


(A lot of people like to bike in Braunschweig.)


(One of the central squares in the city.)


(Jan and I hanging out at "Strand Bar" in Oker Cobana.)


(DJ Rock 'n' Roll Star is in da house!)


(Myself and Nina outside at a "Kneipe")


(Jan and Nina)


(Meeting the locals... the female variety, that is.)


(Sitting inside one of the glider planes)

Rock 'n' Roll Star invades Europe! Day 1

(I had dinner at the Brauerei Gasthaus zum Löwen with my friends Jan & Nina tonight)

Ha ha, I broke yet another blog promise and didn't get to my last post before leaving... Me bad. I’m already in Europe! Braunschweig, Germany to be exact.

Two quick things:

1) I’ll be in Europe until October 2nd. Yes, that long. Lots of family and friends to visit. I’m not even sure where I’m going for at least half the time over here… so stay tuned, I’ll try to do as much “live blogging” and “picture posting” as possible.

2) Last Friday, 9/1/06, was the last day in my 6 ½ year career as an Operations Analyst in the banking industry. Yes, I made this very difficult decision a while ago, and resigned and eliminated my position. I’ll sure miss my coworkers a lot. For my next job, I’m looking to continue my career in New-Media or Web Development, preferably music related. If you have any info for me, I’d love to hear from you. Please email me as I’d love to chat with you and send you my resume. I really appreciate it.

That’s it for now. And yeah, I’ll try to catch some live-music action while I’m over here as well ;)

Krass!
- Steve