Culture Vulture Party

Canadian Rock that doesn't suck

2009-11-25T16:20:00.005-06:00

Dear Sam Roberts Band,

Thank you for performing in Minneapolis (America) last night at 7th Street Entry.

Love,
Culture Vulture

THEY ARE HUGE IN CANADA.
(Seriously).

Check out this in-studio, courtesy of MPR's 89.3 The Current:

Bon Iver live at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee on 10/11/09

2009-10-14T00:39:00.002-05:00

There aren't words enough. Just listen for yourself and know.

Open Letter to Hipster Against the Closing of The Uptown Bar

2009-10-08T21:41:00.008-05:00

Dear Hipster Against the Closing of The Uptown Bar,

Really?

I mean, can you really even remember a good night there? Emphasis on remember.

Sure, it's fun to pound your all-American can of PBR (pinkies up) and lose your hearing. Just because those bands are so obscure that even you, as a hipster, have to pretend you've heard of them until you can sneak away to the side-stage onesie stall to Wiki the band on your iPhone.

But anyway. Besides all that, the Uptown Bar is effing sweet.

Why would anyone ever want to replace the Uptown Bar with a trendy outdoor gear store?

The Uptown Bar is legendary. Some people who later became famous musicians played there.

Can you name some?

More than that, it's an historical part of Uptown and Minneapolis as a whole.

Do you know what year it was established?

There will only be one live music venue left in Uptown, and OH MY GOD it's a former tapas bar.

What are you going to do?

There's nothing that can be done now, Hipster. The bar management is attempting to transfer their liquor license to another location after The Uptown Bar closes.

But you know it won't be the same.

How are you going to go on without this place?

There, there. Dry your eyes on the sleeve of my North Face jacket, and while you're there, take a wiff. That's the stench of free enterprise. It's the stench of consumerism. It's the stench of Uptown in 2009.

Can't believe you didn't see this one coming. Take off your Ray Bans, Hipster. This is your ward.

Can the dramatic Tweets about how you're in mourning and about how much you enjoyed getting bombed there. It's not like you're going to stop drinking because there's no more Uptown Bar. But you might drink more because of it.

Get over it, already.

You really didn't treat The Uptown Bar that well while it was alive, now did you? That's right. I saw you sneaking your Urban Outfitters flask into the onesie stall.

Shame on you.

Mostly sincerely,
Culture Vulture

In Memory of John Hughes: 1950-2009

2009-08-07T12:53:00.007-05:00

American-born film director John Hughes (Jr.) died yesterday of a heart attack. He was 59.

As any well-respected culture vulture (lowercase) knows, John Hughes was a film directing icon whose 80s films continue to speak to each new generation of teen angst. After the success of Sixteen Candles in 1984, Hughes wrote, directed, and produced a string of movies (Pretty in Pink, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off) based on high school experiences that forever changed the way youth were portrayed on the silver screen.

When this Culture Vulture first saw The Breakfast Club in 1995, it was a poorly-edited version running on TBS (I remember finding it particularly amusing during one instance where they bleeped out "hole" instead of "ass.") I was 11 years old, didn't quite understand what "riding the hobby horse" meant, and had never seen anyone smoke pot before. These kids were badass. The film was a cult classic even back then, but this film became my inspiration. I memorized nearly the entire thing, and 15 years later, can still quote essential scenes, like the one where Emilio Estevez's "Athlete" character and Ally Sheedy's "Basketcase" walk to the teacher's lounge to buy sodas for the rest of the group of detentionees.

"What's your poison?" he asks her, "What do you drink?"

Her response? "Vodka."

"Vodka?...When do you drink vodka?"

She breezes past him coyly, "Whenever."

"A lot?" he wants to know.

"Tons."

Hughes captured not only the quick-wittedness (and endearing awkwardness) of American teens, but also the reality of the changing culture of the families and towns they were growing up in. For the first time (or at least the first time done with purpose) a film took the perspective of young people and ran with it, faulting no one but the jaded adults who served only as background characters and aggravators. This was a story that addressed stereotypes, the same ones lazy filmmakers continue to use today, and thwarted them, while still giving them purpose.

A writer can only hope to write such richly realistic dialogue as that of John Hughes. Although the man moved himself out of the public eye shortly after the blockbuster success of Home Alone, I rested easier knowing that someone like that existed. His presence will be missed, but his legacy will live on in our hearts, minds, memories, and in every current film director's sad attempt to tell the stories of American youth as poignantly as Mr. John Hughes.

2009-08-07T12:33:00.004-05:00

Eric Lovold talks to Culture Vulture about The Alarmists' new record, The Overhead Left

2009-06-09T16:08:00.009-05:00

Friday , June 12, 2009 marks the CD release show at The Varsity Theater in Minneapolis of local indie-rock band The Alarmists' new album, The Overhead Left. Culture Vulture got the opportunity to ask frontman Eric Lovold about the project.

Culture Vulture: How long have you been working on The Overhead Left, and how does it feel to have the final product ready for distribution?

Eric Lovold: We started demos for it about a year ago. We're pretty excited about this one, so it feels great to have it ready.

CV: What significance does this record hold for you?

EL: This is the first record that Joe Kuefler and Ryan McMillan and I made together in the studio that we built together a few years ago. So it was pretty cool to have that opportunity.

CV: Tell us a little about the new record. Is this a new direction?

EL: I wouldn't say the sound has changed in any specific way. You always hope to make better records, and I think that this record is definitely a step in the right direction for us.

CV: There's been some talk about supporting local non-profit Rock the Cause with this record. Tell us about that.

EL: We met Scott Herold a few years ago and did a charity show with his organization, Rock the Cause. They do pretty amazing community work. Our album is going to be available for free exclusively through the Rock the Cause site, for those people that attend our CD release show. We're directing traffic to Rock the Cause so that people can see what they are all about. The show is 10 bucks, so we figure we'll throw the record in for free for the people that come out to support us.

CV: That's incredibly generous of you guys. Now, I know there's been some shifting around as far as bandmembers go. Who is currently performing as The Alarmists? Does this differ from those who recorded on the album?

EL: The line up on the album is the same as the line up live, with the exception of Randy Tomes (Keys). It's Joe and Ryan and I, Mark Schwandt on drums, and Brian Gruidle on bass.

CV: What's next for the band? Will there be any touring with this album?

EL: We will not be touring on this album. We're keeping it local. Each of us have personal goals and separate lives from the band, and we're trying to respect that for our own sanity. The next step for the band is to work on writing new music with this lineup. We're pretty excited about the possibilities and the plan is to hit the studio again.

CV: Speaking of the studio, you do some recording for other bands. What are some of your recent projects?

EL: Recently I've worked with So It Goes and Stellar Vector. The cool thing about recording bands is that they might be people that you've only known socially, and then you spend all this time together and become close friends. That's pretty fantastic.

CV: Totally. So you've been part of the Minneapolis rock scene for awhile now. How old are you?

EL: I turn 26 a week after our CD release.

CV: You're a young buck. What's next for you?

EL: Next for me...more Alarmists music, working with White Light Riot on their next album, and recording in the studio. I'm doing as much music as possible this summer.

CV: Sounds great. Give us three reasons why people need to be there on Friday.

EL: Well, this is the first time our new lineup will be playing together live, which is pretty exciting. Also, Coach Said Not To is playing. Third - have you ever seen Joe on stage?
He's a madman!

CV: Anything else you want to say to Culture Vulture Party readers?

EL: If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. Hope to see you at the show!

Culture Vulture will ALSO miss this show, as we'll be at Bonnaroo. But if you're in Minneapolis this weekend, this is where you should be:

The Alarmists CD Release Show
w/ special guests The 757s, The Championship and Coach Said Not To
June 12, 2009
Varsity Theater
1308 4th St SE Minneapolis, MN 55414
$10 @ the door

Check out http://www.myspace.com/thealarmists
and http://www.irockthecause.org

Hip Hop Against Homophobia Vol. 2 THIS SATURDAY

2009-06-08T13:26:00.004-05:00

Culture Vulture will be at Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, TN this weekend, but if you are not, GET THEE TO THE BEDLAM THEATER on Saturday, June 13, to support local hip hop and our friends at the second ever Hip Hop Against Homophobia event hosted by Culturebully.com, Cypher Coalition, TruRuts/Speakeasy Records, and MN GLBTA Campus Alliance. Proceeds go to support Color CoordiNATION, GLBT Host Home Program, and Reclaim.

It's 18+, so make sure you're of age. Or get a killer fake.

Hip Hop Against Homophobia Vol. 2
Saturday, June 13, 2009 at 9:00pm - 2:00am
Bedlam Theater
1501 S. 6th St.
Minneapolis, MN
For more info, contact: hhahTC@gmail.com

Event Description:
After a capacity-bursting show at the Nomad in January, and an inspiring all ages show at District 202 in March, Hip Hop Against Homophobia is coming back to the West Bank, bigger and better than ever. We've got a whole new line up of queer and ally MC's and performers, and proceeds will benefit three hard working organizations. Hip Hop Against Homophobia will bring together the Cities' queer and hip hop communities for an event that combines our incredible music scene with change making and community building. It'll go down so smooth, you won't even know it's activism.

7pm in the Fireplace Lounge: Open community conversation about hip hop and homophobia, queer hip hop artists, hip hop as social justice, gender in hip hop, queer movements for economic and social justice, whatever we want to talk about. Come set the agenda.

9pm on the Main Stage: Show Featuring:

Tori Fixx
Johnny Dangerous
Lindsey of 2 Flytz Up
Bottom Feeders & EZRA of Death Ray Scientific
See More Perspective and the Point of View Band
Poetic Assassins
DJ Blowtorch

Culture Vulture LOVES this song and vid by Johnny Dangerous: "Dirty Is the New Black"

Culture Vulture deserves a spanking

2009-06-07T15:57:00.003-05:00

Our apologies for missing this one:

The Tallest Man on Earth played a show at The Turf Club in St. Paul last Monday night, June 1, 2009. We express our deepest regrets both for missing this performance, but also for not alerting our followers to this special event.

We are so sorry. This Swedish folk artist (Kristian Matsson) makes our blood bubble. In a good way. We also decidely love his "barely-there" mustache. If you like Bon Iver, Dylan, John Prine...and good music, for that matter...you'll probably dig this.

We'd like to make it up to you with this video from Swedish television. The Tallest Man on Earth performs "It Will Follow the Rain." Can a folk song grip you and rip you? Hell yeah!:

If you are anywhere else in America this summer, you have a pretty good chance of catching this man. Oh, and...he ain't that tall.

The 4onthefloor @ The Acadia Cafe Minneapolis 6.5.09

2009-06-07T14:56:00.005-05:00

Dirty Blue-Collar Blues for Collars of Any Hue.

Are you a working stiff? A yuppie without a cause?

Has THE MAN got you down? Tired of all work and no play?

Sick of Big Brother breathing down your neck while you push paper across your desk and all you want is your own damn stapler?!

Maybe you're just stuck in a moment and can't get out of it (Thanks, U2).

Look no further; Culture Vulture has found your saving grace.

The local self-proclaimed "stompin' blues" band, The 4onthefloor, will cure your worldly aches and pains, that is, if your little ears can handle four bass drums being played in unison.
If they can't, don't bother. And save the nightlife for the young and young at heart.

This past Friday evening at The Acadia Cafe in Cedar-Riverside, The 4ontheFloor made their second appearance in one week after a long winter and spring laying low. (Their last show was in late December at Downtime in Dinkytown). Now the foursome has
re-emerged with their four bass drums, new songs, and a banner, which everyone knows legitmizes any band. Even though The Acadia is all ages, one can't help but get wrapped up in the crowd of teen dancing queens and rocker-wannabes. Most are almost too hip to function. Almost. But once those drums start beating, so do all our hearts. In unison. We stomp out our aggressions, our fears, our loneliness, and our demons.

Relatable songs like "Working Man Zombie" (And that chain around your ankle keeps you tied to the places that you fear the most/ It keeps you right back at the starting line/ Either way you know that it's closing time, all right...) take the old ball and chain nomenclature and use it to refer to one's day job, while perhaps unintentionally borrowing from the massive archive of pop culture references stored in songwriter Gabe Douglas' brain to produce a line that seems both familiar and bastardized for the greater good. ("The Places That You Have Come to Fear the Most" by everyone's favorite emo band Dashboard Confessional, and the iconic Semisonic hit "Closing Time").

Aside from unifying lyrics, the ability to get people toe-tapping, and creating near-chaos with everyone yelling along, the band is musically apt. Clever fermatas keep the audience paying attention, even while all songs are in 4/4 time, and the new tunes show off some of the dirtiest guitar riffs the Minneapolis scene has heard from a new local band in years.

Next local gig is rumored to be in July. Until then, build up some tensions (I know this might be a problem for some of you) so you have something to release at the next 4onthefloor show. Bring your dad. He'll thank you for it.

Listen to "Working Man Zombie" http://www.myspace.com/the4onthefloor
Follow 'em! Twitter.com/the4onthefloor
Become a Fan on Facebook.com Search "The 4onthefloor"

6.3.09 Hot Dish @ Ugly Mug in Downtown Minneapolis

2009-06-04T17:26:00.003-05:00

Go see sexy** cover band Hot Dish next time they play at the Ugly Mug. But don't try to network with any men over 40 claiming to be in your line of work; THEY'RE LYING.

Even if they are a Silver Fox, and look like this:

They are STILL lying. Silver foxes do not want to help you get into your career. They want to help themselves get into your pants. Hey Grandpa, I'd rather let THIS Silver Fox into my pants:

Fact: giving out your business card anywhere in downtown apparently gives people license to call you right then and there in the bar for NON-business purposes. 12:41am Call #1 from across the bar. I did not answer but shot a dirty look toward Grandpa and his Twins jersey-donning posse who are watchin Grandpa make the call to see if it was a legit number. Saved to phone as "Creep."

2:37 Call #2 while I'm passed on my couch next to a McDonald's bag. It did not come up as "Creep" but I did not answer. Instead I got a voicemail: "Hey Shayna I just wanted to let you know I got on my, uh, best jump suit and I got this really cool hat, it's got these wings on it, it's sweet. You should come out and dance with me sometime. I'd love to talk to you gimme a call. Bye." Are we passing my card around in the little boy's room now? Saved to phone as "Creep 2."

Fact: Men in downtown don't care what you do for a living. When they say business they mean "BUSINESS."

**The sexiest part of Hot Dish is that their between song banter is spoken in Minnesota Mom accents and gets a little gossipy. HOT DISH, indeed.

Third Eye Blind 5.31.09 - First Avenue Main Room, Minneapolis

2009-06-04T14:37:00.005-05:00

"I'm actually a very shy person, but tonight I'm going to come out of my shell with you." - Stephan Jenkins

------------------------
My most memorable concerts of the past 18 months were:

Sia in February 2008 - Fine Line Minneapolis, 1) because she kicks ass and 2) because she kept talking about her "food poisoning" from Taco Bell and left the stage twice to go diarhea in the public restroom. Needless to say (but I'm gonna say it anyway), the only encore was the one she performed in the John.

Sigur Ros in September 2008 - Orpheum Minneapolis, 1) because they kick ass and 2) because they kick so much ass I had a religious experience and had to go immediately home after the concert to cry. It was the most beautiful and disturbing performance I have ever encountered. And if you call me emo, I'll punch you in the ear.

Manchester Orchestra in March 2009 - The Belmont Austin, TX, 1) because they kick ass and 2) because it was outdoors at SXSW and every experience was heightened there simply because I was sweating in 90-degree temps while my family and friends were building igloos in the Midwest.

And now...we can add...THIRD EYE BLIND to the list, because 1) they kick ass and 2) because I was so happy that they were not washed up and old and that the show did not seem like a "comeback." Don't get me wrong, they definitely played the old hits "Jumper, "Semi-Charmed Life" and "Crystal Baller," to name a few. And the crowd went bats. We sang along at the top of our lungs like it was middle school again, and it was beautiful. And they played new songs, unapologetically. And why should they apologize? Any band that can pack a room six years after their last full-length album at $30 a pop ($42 for us idiots who went through Ticketmaster) is a legitimate band in my book. People have been pissing their pants in anticipation of the Third Eye Blind rennaisance, only to find out...they never really needed a rebirth because they never really stopped being so damn good.

The double encore, "Slow Motion" then "God of Wine," sealed the deal. Third Eye Blind has not and will not join the ranks of mid-late-90s bands that fell by the wayside. Until Stephan Jenkins is hosting "Extra" or "Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll" [ahem, Mark McGrath], I don't think we need to worry about 3eb's contribution to society. Third Eye Blind's first three full-length albums contain more lyrical poetry and genius than all of the 90s combined. You can quote that.

-----------
AN OPEN LETTER TO STEPHAN JENKINS,
lead singer/songwriter/guitarist/genius THIRD EYE BLIND

Dear Stephan Jenkins,

Will you marry me? Cool. Thanks. I'll let you plan it.

At First Avenue you wore a T-shirt that said "Younger Than Jesus," but you can't fool a Culture Vulture. I know you're 44. I see your cape/dress, top hat, painted toenails. You cut a number 3 out of red satin and glued it to your acoustic guitar. You're charming. Well, semi-charming. You give off such a flamboyant vibe that even Perez is confused about your sexuality, but I don't care. It's a 70s kind of feminine, not a Ru Paul kind. You are sexy, and you sing so sexy, and I would have a million of your babies...if only you would PUT OUT A NEW ALBUM.

The Red Star EP you released back in November was delicious. But we crave more Third Eye Blind. It's been six years, Stevie. SIX YEARS. I can smell it brewing, and hear it's going to be released this September, followed by Ursa Minor which will include the tracks that don't make the first cut. FANTASTIC. I only hope these new releases are as tasty as guitarist Tony Fredianelli makes them sound, "Both of these records to me are very strong, especially the first one, because we really bled for them."

Mmm...Third Eye Blood.

Well, I'll just be hanging out til this Fall, and you're probably busy anyway. But it's OK. I'll just keep fantasizing about you on a motorcycle drive by.

I've never been so alone, and I've never been so alive.

Hugs,
Culture Vulture

The SXSW Journals: Part I

2009-03-25T12:07:00.007-05:00

Wednesday, March 18 – Waffle House in Norman, OK, stopped by Blackwatch Studio to visit Cedar Avenue drummer, Shawn Burtis. Heard a couple of the rough tracks they just recorded, which sounded great. Toured the studio.

That night we rolled into Austin around 7:30, changed out of our traveling scrubs and into our going out gear. Walked from the RV parking spot (a shady little street corner sandwiched between a psychiatric facility and a construction site; one of our crew had secured us a great parking space with access to electricity, and while I can’t complain about the parking space - who doesn’t love going to sleep every night thinking Texas Chainsaw Massacre? - without electricity, we were constantly lugging our phone chargers and laptops around with hopes of finding a power source everywhere we went. Made blogging a bit of a challenge during the week).

Once ready to hit downtown Austin, we walked through a park to get to Sixth Street, stumbling upon a near-naked man who was also stumbling. Welcome to Austin.

Sixth Street is like Music Row and Bourbon Street rolled into one. Nearly every venue on the strip had live music flowing out of it and many had lines of people waiting to get in. Hot dog vendors peppered the pedestrian-covered street, and there was sickly sweet smell in the air only comparable to that of the Minnesota State Fair: fried food, booze, and urine. Fliers, posters, and business cards tiled the road and made me sad that so much paper had been wasted on that type of promotion, even though I know it had to be done in order for any event to compete with another.

Our crew decided on a sit-down dinner and found a rooftop restaurant called the Iron Cactus, which served Tex-Mex and killer margaritas, and a specialty blended drink called Cactus Juice, which tastes a little like gummi worms, but is apparently loaded with Everclear.

After dinner we met up with some more Minneapolis folk who had made the trek down to Austin. Somehow “let’s find some good music” led us a to a DJ dance party. Not exactly what I meant by good music. I convinced everyone to pound their drinks so we could move on down the road. I’d heard that the PureVolume party was THE party to attend. Unfortunately, after a few drinks, waiting in line for an hour to get into a party where we’ll wait in line for more free drinks didn’t appeal to me, so Night #1 in Austin ended on the early side. Got back to the RV (our “tour bus”) and was sweating bullets in my sleeping bag by about 1am.

Thursday, March 19 – Woke up at 2, 3, and 4am when the rest of our crew crawled back into the RV after a night of partying. Woke up for real around 10 to work out our plan for the day. I hoped it would involve showering…I met up with an old college friend and her girlfriend for lunch at a great little [mostly] organic coffee/sandwich just under the freeway on the East side. It’s called Progress and truly was progressive with their biodegradable plastic cups and containers. My sandwich had smoked turkey, cream cheese and habanero jelly and made my day.

After lunch I got in the huge line outside the Levi’s Fader Fort to pick up my official wristband. The outdoor “venue” was essentially a few shacks strung along a chain link fence, but everything inside was super-produced. There was Levi’s jeans store, two open bars, a “music tree” that had headphones hanging from it so you could walk up to a branch, put them on, and check out some new tunes. Then there was a stage built at another end with a dirt-floored open pit area partially-covered by a tent. After I finally showed my ID to prove that I had indeed RSVP’ed to this series of events, I wandered in, grabbed a local beer – Lone Star – and made my way over to the stage where the Handsome Furs had just started their set. I heard a couple songs, was impressed by the energy of the duo (especially in the heat), but not overall impressed enough to stick around. I slammed my beer and headed back toward Sixth.

Along the way I spotted a schedule on the door of a tiny venue and noticed that the Modern Skirts were about to start a short set, so I popped in there for a song. I really dig their song “Soft Pedals” so I was hoping to hear that one, but instead it was an ditty that involved all band members playing a percussive instrument. Interesting, but not interesting enough for me to stick around. I continued down Sixth toward the action.

While in queue outside Peckerheads on the corner of Sixth and Trinity, I spotted another Minnesota friend, Matt, mowing a Best Wurst bratwurst and called him over to join me in line. He called it the best bratwurst he’d ever eaten. I imagine that may have had a little to do with it being the first thing he’d eaten all day and it being near 2:30 in the afternoon, but it did look tasty. We made it into Peckerheads after a short wait, and up the stairs we found ourselves some free Red Stripe and caught the tail end of the Port O’Brien show. The towheaded lead singer was sweating bullets by that point, but they got the crowd involved on the last song to end with a bang.

I was giddy after Port O’ Brien, and a few of us excitedly scurried down Sixth to meet up with friends Roster McCabe to hear their set at The Belmont. They’d played a show the previous day, but when someone dropped out, they were called to fill in some extra sets. The Belmont is owned by the same folks who own Stella’s Fish Café in Uptown Minneapolis, and you can sort of tell. They’ve got the dimly-lit trendy bar area, but, like Stella’s, the outdoor seating is tops – literally. They have an upper deck area that looks down onto the open air stage. This stage was sponsored by Ustream.tv and they were broadcasting all the shows live on the Internet. Roster played a decent set, but like most gigs at SXSW, it was short and didn’t really give the audience the full scope of what the band is capable of.

After Roster McCabe, the small crew of us ran back to Peckerheads to see Megafaun. They threw down a solid set of songs. I think Peckerheads is just a good space in general for emerging bands. It seems like there’s a million people in there because the two stages are in adjacent rooms and people are packed wall-to-wall simply thanks to the location of the bar and staircase. I was standing next to some people my parents’ age who were totally digging it, which made the experience all the more amusing. It also made me hungry, so we walked outside to grab some pizza slices, and then across the street to The Aquarium to get a few beers and take a short break from standing. The intention after beers was to get over to Cold War Kids and then to see Silverlake, Cali. band Castledoor, the band that changed my life in the summer of 2006 when I randomly took in their set in Chula Vista while attending a Trevor Davis concert. Unfortunately, the venue was not accurately displayed on the official SXSW map, so by the time Krista and I accidentally located it, we had already made other plans and were annoyed by the $8 cover for non-badge holders. I thought about sneaking in, but the door man looked batty. Not huge and scary – just crazy. Sadly, we opted out and crossed back under the freeway to the West side, where we met up with Gabe (of 4 on the Floor), Drew (of Roster McCabe), and Sara (of BeeTour Photography). Needing a pick-me-up after a day walking around in the sun, I sipped on a Red Bull/vodka (they have Red Bull on tap!), and then the herd took photos on the giant Jackalope outside the bar. Next on the agenda was to roll back over to The Belmont, where Drew promised he could hook us up with a place to charge our dead phones, and maybe some free beer, which he was indeed able to secure for us.

We hung out in the “green room,” which was really a tented area of the back patio that was blocked off with a really intimidating free standing sign that said “Private Party” in cursive font. And then there was a keg. We shot the breeze with the rest of the Roster McCabe guys (sans Mike who was practicing guitar), who were vegging before their next set at 11:45pm. We lounged on the wicker furniture, and I had a long conversation with a guy from the band Speakeasy, his name or the content which I don’t remember.

Our group decided to stick around, so we ended up catching this really bizarre local act, Mandy lauderdale, backed by a fantastic jazz band, which was interesting. The star of the self-proclaimed cabaret show, donned a black mini dress with a collar and a short top hat. She came down the deck stairs in a spotlight, singing into a wireless mic, carrying a tray of homemade cookies. Once on the garden level in front of the stage, she slammed a wine glass down onto the cement. I think it was to prove a point. Like that she wasn’t kidding around, or that she may look sweet and innocent but is really in actuality pretty into S&M. Either way, the action shot a several shards of glass at stage left and one directly into Krista’s shin, which ended up bleeding nonstop for the next few hours. No apologies from the star, who didn’t notice, and continued her show, which basically involved taping men’s mouths shut and making them perform sensual acts on her (like paint her toenails) in front of their wives, while she serenaded them in the spotlight.

Before the set ended, she’d brought a kissing booth up onstage, littered the stage with feathers and sexy lingerie, and literally got naked with a male audience member (behind a dressing wall, which showed her tiny silhouette). Those of us backstage, however, got the real deal – I saw butt cheeks, people. The whole show was an entertaining event, but had me wondering the entire time whether this “beating up the boys” theme had a deeper point than making people uncomfortable or stirring up rifts between the couples attending the show, namely the women whose husbands were gawking at her from the beginning of her set to the end. Nonetheless, it was an unforgettable show…

And then Roster McCabe had to follow THAT. Of course, they put on a great show for the folks who remained, and it was even better than the afternoon set, as this is a group whose stage energy increases the darker the venue, the later the hour.
After a Jimmy Johns run, I met up with my friend Skyler Stonestreet, who was in town for a gig earlier that day. We only chatted for a few moments before everyone had to bounce, but I was left by all my RV friends and ended up going on a late night excursion to IHop with three of the four 4 on the Floor dudes. After hassling our soft-spoken, high school aged waiter, Michael, and eating less than half a fudge sundae, I made the guys walk me past the sketch area to the RV, where they dropped me off and I sent them off into the dark night, without a map or directions, to find their van. I slept in an arm chair that night. Slept, might be stretching it.

Friday, March 20 – It’s the day of the show, y’all! The CashMoneyapolis show, that is, booked by Brian McDonough of the Uptown Bar. Sara and I ventured East, ran into a cute book shop, got lost at a park, and then finally found the Iron Gate Lounge and caught the last few songs of KaiserCartel’s set. While part of my dis-satisfaction with their performance can be blamed on the lack of appropriate stage lighting and awkwardly low ceilings of the bar, I think I basically just realized I’m over how cutesy they are. To the best of my knowledge, the duo is a hetero-married couple, who folk-pop songs are co-written as they traverse the nation in their thrift-shop dress with their vintage suitcases. Their songs are simple and universal, and impressive, even (they play guitar while keeping time with the kick drum). But there’s something affected about their stage presence. It’s too precious for me to enjoy it because it’s nearly smug. And even my favorite tune, “Season Song,” which includes whistling in perfect tune, is just a little too pretentious for me. Their songs and sound may be original, but the attitude is formulaic and I’m bored with it.

After KaiserCartel hurriedly packed up their gear and took off (probably for another gig), Romantica took the stage. I’d sat down for a few minutes with Ben Kyle during the previous set. He was drinking tea and seemed a little worn down, but as soon as they hit the un-elevated performance area, his energy, and the rest of the band, picked up and they played a tight set, including some new songs. I’d recently heard several of their new tunes at the Cedar Cultural Center show in Minneapolis on February 21, and was elated to hear them again. The last song about "Baby" killing "Bobby" was raw and dirty, and had a harder sound than most of what we usually hear from Romantica. But this was in the best way possible. It shows Ben’s songwriting and vocal range, and the band’s ability to move in new directions, while maintaining the quality, originality, and earnestness of their previous records. After the set, drummer Jim Orvis told me that we can expect a new album out in September or October of this year.

We ditched the rest of the Cashmoneyapolis party to check out some non-local bands. We didn’t come all the way to Austin see live music was can regularly check out at home. Even though Minneapolis DOES possess some of the most talented and hardworking independent bands in the business today. At 2:00pm on a Friday, though, it was 5’o’clock somewhere, so Sara and I cruised through the Levi’s Fader Fort to get some free SoCo, which went bottoms up almost immediately, and we made our way back to the West side to Mohawk’s where we used Sara’s monster camera and multiple lenses to legitimize our barging our way to the front of the outdoor stage. Lucky us, we made it in time for Port O’ Brien’s finale, which involved not only call and response crowd-participation, but also involved passing out pots and pans and silver spoons to help out the percussion section. It was one of the best live concert moments of the entire festival. It’s the simple things in life and live music that please me. Like banging metal on metal to the beat of a drinking song.

We had originally come to Mohawk’s to see Alela Diane, but her set was inside and nearly done by the time we arrived…so we just remained outside, front and center stage, for The Rosebuds. This was my first time seeing them live, and I didn’t realize how incredibly attractive their current drummer is until that moment they took the stage. Normally I spend a lot of time dropping my jaw at lead singers and guitarists because those are the two things that I try to do, but can’t yet do well. This time, however, I was so struck by this guy’s focused, but not too-into-his-own-world presence. He was making eye contact, and smiling and really enjoying the show, too. It was like all the band members (including Brad Cook from Megafaun, who played bass guitar), we just having a grand old time up there, and thus the audience was totally captivated. For the last song, they all came down into the crowd and played acoustically a tune that involved taking steps and bowing “to the middle.” People were singing along and dancing and then…it was over. Oh, and Kelly Crisp, who sings and plays keys, was totally rocking Minnetonka Moccasins, which I commended her for and she confirmed how comfortable they are. Minnesota wins again.

Next up on the Mohawk’s outdoor stage: The Delta Spirit. So we stuck around for another set. I’d been listening to their songs on Sirius XMU satellite radio for the past few months, and was super glad I randomly stayed to hear them play. They’ve already got quite a following, as I witnessed firsthand by the crowd suddenly getting tighter and the dude next to me singing along the whole time. They get super into their shows and played really hard, but I think they’re on the edge of stardom, so I hope they keep their heads on straight. From simple observation of stage presence (a mix of graciousness, yet expectation) I think it could really go either way for them.

By this point, Josh and another really nice Minneapolis dude whose name I’m blanking on had met up with us, and we all were a little tired of standing and in need of something in our bellies. We started walking back toward Sixth in search of a good restaurant, but instead stopped by the stage next door and lo and behold, The Hold Steady were just finishing up their last couple of songs, so I weaved my way closer to the stage. The Hold Steady is another one of those bands that I really thought I would have seen by now, since they play in Minneapolis every few months, and I’ve been a Lifter Puller fan since a way long time ago, but this was my first live listen. It wasn’t a religious experience or anything because it was outdoors and people were chatting and I was at the back of the crowd, but they sounded good, and now more than ever I want to make a point to check them out next time I get the chance.

Dinner at a Cuban Restaurant called Habana - consumed the only real Sangria I've ever had, and it was amazing. Complete with real fruit floating around in it. Ate a tasty tamal and empanada. Post-dinner, walked back to the RV for a costume change and to make a plan for the rest of the evening...

* * * More to come...including Shiny Toy Guns, Josiah Wordsworth, White Light Riot, The Alarmists, Manchester Orchestra, and Kanye West's 20-minute concert...

Culture Vulture Party is headed to SXSW

2009-02-28T08:31:00.000-06:00

If you, too, will be there - give us a shout.

If U2 will be there - please don't shout at us. That'd be embarrassing.

See you at the shows!
Shay