Jim Walsh's "The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting" Book Release Party @ First Ave 11/28

Jim Walsh, local rock and roll writer extraordinaire for some 25 years, has written a book about the definitive 1980's Minneapolis band, The Replacements. The 'Mats, as they have come to be known after one cynic dubbed them "The Placemats", started in 1979 and ended in 1991, a relatively brief lifespan for a band that influenced countless musicians after them, including the likes of Kurt Cobain.
As if to crazily foreshadow what was to come in future years, The Replacements were kicked out of their first gig, at a halfhouse, for being wasted. They were known for such reckless and unpredictable shows, and were banned from Saturday Night Live after a thouroughly drunken performance that featured a lovely "fuck" on live tv.



There is a fucking ton of Replacements videos on youtube, so you should go there and check out a couple, like this one:






Mr. Walsh has put together a critically acclaimed oral history of the legendary band, with interviews/commentaries from dozens of Replacements afficianados, including rock stars such as Billy Joe Armstrong and Brianna Riplinger. Needless to say, there are countless stories about the band and their antics, so this should be a fascinating and insightful read, and I am really looking forward to checking it out.

At the show we saw several bands perfrom lots of 'Mats songs. It was really special to see that many people congregated to see bands performing cover songs. The place was packed. There was one guy there from Sweden (seriously) who was such a fan that he came just for the hoopla surrounding the book. We met him last Wednesday at First Ave, at the Ike show, and he was ecstatic to be here in Minneapolis where it all went down, discussing the scene and the city that produced one of his favorite bands. I suspect there were many people hoping that Mr. Westerburg, who is somewhat reclusive these days and rarely perfoms, would make an appearance and maybe do a song or two, but they would have been dissapointed. What people did encounter tho, were a whole lot of bands who went to a lot of trouble to get on stage and play three or four songs each because they love the Replacements and appreciate their legacy. I mean, these were local bands performing very short sets in support of a book release, and people were out in droves to see it. Jim Walsh, when not signing books, was doing his best to recreate the feel of a 'Mats show, jumping onstage without warning every so often to sing backup vocals and generally agitate the crowd and keep the bands on their toes.


Here is Revolver Modele, whose unfortunate guitarist was the first victim of Jim Walsh's onstage harrassment which included pushing and kicking the guitarist as he attempted to play:





The Alarmists, who did a fantastic version of "The Ledge":



and here's One for the Team with DC (with Jim on the right hand side of the stage, in black):



All in all it was a special evening, celecrating The Replacements' music, and an excellent kickoff to what will surely be a fun and enlightening read.

God Johnson Stops Making Sense @ Trocaderos 11/24

What a brilliant and obvious idea this was: Take a band of Talking Heads heads and do an interpretation of the classic Talking Heads film, "Stop Making Sense". The show had all the essential elements of such a tribute: A dead on David Byrne impersonator, a fantastic funk band, chicks in grey spandex outfits, and of course, the famous "Big Suit". They weren't able to inflate and deflate the suit the way they did in the movie, but this humble yet spectacular performance was done with a budget considerable smaller than $1.2 million. The show began as does the great concert film, with Byrne walking on stage with a boom box, then casually starting "Physcho Killer" with nothing but an acoustic guitar backing him up. Then the rest of the band slowly joins him onstage, one by one, and eases into the rest of the set. The lovely and aptly dressed backup singers did a fantastic job with "The Genius of Love", the Tom Tom Club hit, as Mr. Byrne took a little break offstage. They also did a fine job with the simple choreography (mostly thrusting hands in the air and running in place) that makes the original film so much fun to watch.

Opening the show was Heatbox, a lone young man representing Minneapolis in high fashion with a red "612" sweatshirt, whose sole instrument was his voice. He had a looping machine that he has obviously spent countless hours with, putting together lots of different vocal tracks and sound effects. The result of his hard work was an astonishing display of talent. The guy beatboxes, sings, raps, etc, and was a fantastic start to the night.




"Stop Making Sense", shot over three shows back in '84, was shot mostly from one camera angle, fixed squarely upon the star of the show, David Byrne. God Johnson's performance featured the appropriately lanky GJ keyboardist Scott Roerick covering most of that starring role. Roerick does an uncanny impression, with great adaptations of David Byrne's jolting dance moves and the creepy, unfocused, distant stare that Byrne is famous for. Tom Collins helped out with that physically demanding role for part of the show as well. In addition to the strong, standard lineup of God Johnson was Aaron Peterson (of WBPN and formerly of Sweet Potato Project) helping with guitar duties, Al Oikari (of Big Wu fame) on keyboards, and Mellisa Klocke and Kari Marie doing the sexy backup singer/dancer thing. Man those grey sweatshirts and little skirts looked way better on them than in the original flick.








Then it was a short but sweet God Johnson set, with a few choice GJ songs like Squirms and Electric Shoes getting the crwod grooving before the nightclub raised the lights and sent us all into the night.

The Ike Reilly Assassination @ First Ave 11/21

Fresh off the network television debut of Ike Reilly (one of his songs was just prominently featured on ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money"), and wrapping up a tour before a temporary hiatus, The Ike Reilly Assassination was in fine form Wednesday night at First Ave.

Now in it's fifth year, the night-before-thanksgiving gig at First Ave has become a tradition for many local music fans. This was my third time attending the "I gotta make sure I don't get too drunk because I don't want to be hungover at Thanksgiving" show, and the first time I have been successful in my quest for said Holiday serenity.


First up on the bill were The Falls, a young Minneapolis thrashabiily outfit made up of four young dudes who absolutely rocked the Mainroom. Lead singer Matt Walsh showed unrelenting energy and excitement to be playing for so many people, exclaiming that they had only played for about ten people before then. I figured that that couldn't possibly be true, so after the show I asked him if they had really only played for very small crowds. He said that they had indeed only played bars "with room for about 30 or so people", so he was in fact being serious. Featuring a stand up bassist, hammering drums, a great guitarist, and a lead singer who strode about the stage menacingly with a faded black skull and crossbones t-shirt, this band is like the Danzig of rockabilly.



Local indie rock superstars The Alarmists took the stage next as the place began to fill up with eager Ike fans.



Ike's show began with a surprising solo acoustic version of "I Don't Want What You Got", with Ike appearing suddenly in the spotlight on the landing of the stairs in the middle of the club. The Ike-ettes, a fairly recent addition to Ike's bag of tricks, chimed in with some backup vocals, and the rest of the IRA came out after that song. Joining the band for a couple songs later in the staggering evening was Little Man guitarist Chris Perricelli, who is an awesome guitarist as well.







oh yeah, and backstage there was this wonderful little note written on the wall that Slug from Atmosphere wrote for one of his idols, Rakim, who would be at First Ave the next night. this was extremely cool to see, as Rakim is one of my old school faves as well.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings @ First Ave 11/16

Sharon Jones is a powerhouse of vocal abilities, and her voice booms with conviction, strength, and soul. Hearing her sing makes you want to dance, and when you throw in the phenomenal sound of the Dap Kings, you've no choice but to get up off of that thing. The Dap Kings are all-stars of big band funk, worth every penny of the door charge in their own right. The eight piece group features two saxophones, a trumpet, hand drums, a drum kit, two guitars, bass, and eight sharp looking gentlemen in suits. The 51 year old soulsterss, wearing a black dress with crazy fringes that she proclaimed she wore at the beginning of the tour at the Apollo, also looked quite dapper.





Buzz has been building around this band for some time, helped by the fact that English beehived diva Amy Winehouse borrowed the Dap Kings for her second record and tour. Acting as house band for the 2007 MTV Video Awards and ESPN's Espy Awards show certainly didn't hurt their popularity either, but it was on our own fantastic radio station The Current that I first came across the mighty funk of the Dap Kings. The wildly funky "How Long Do I Have to Wait for You?" had me grooving like this dude and in a mad dash to pick up some of their retro and/or neosoul music.




I've been rockin out to that song ever since.

The tv screens at First Ave displayed the band in black and white, giving even more of an old school soul feel to the performance. The whole vibe of the show was classy. Original yet classic. First Ave was among the most packed I have ever seen it, and the diverse crowd loved every moment of the high energy show.

At one point, with Ms. Jones taking a breather offstage, the bandleader/MC of the show invited some members of the audience to hop onstage and dance with the Dap Kings. A couple dozen or so young ladies were happy to oblige, and the stage quickly filled up with dancin fools. When Sharon returned, she too joined in and danced with frenzied audience members.



One of the highlights of the show was a smooth cover of James Brown's "It's a Man's World", with Sharon's sultry voice knocking that song out of the park. Like The Godfather of Soul himself, Sharon hails from Augusta, Georgia, and has aquired herself an impressive and deserved title, "The Queen of Funk". Jones got her start singing in church, like J.B., and may have the fastest feet of anyone in the business today. Jones also worked as a prison guard at Riker's Island and an armored car guard. What a tough lady she must be.

Another highlight was the cover of "This Land is Your Land" by Woodie Guthrie. Again, Jones' vocals were dynamite.

Atmosphere @ First Ave 11/10

Saturday night was my first time seeing the group that put Minneapolis hip-hop on the map, and the legendary Minneapolis nightclub was the most appropriate venue imaginable. This was the last stop on the "Everybody Loves a Clown" tour, which sold out venues across the country before ending up back home in the mini apple. It was the second of a sold out two night stand, with the majority of people seemingly under legal drinking age and bopping they're heads in unison in frot of the stage. Alcohol is not allowed on the main floor for such all ages affairs, and youngsters are not permitted upstairs, so there was way more room upstairs than what I am used to. This being my first Atmosphere show, I am not sure how often they have live musicians onstage with them, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a bass player, keyboards and a drummer in addition to the core duo of Slug on vocals and Ant on the wheels of steel. I was impressed both with Slug's quick but clear lyrical delivery and the beats laid down by the man on the turntables. The rest of the band added to the funk, and I always appreciate some live music being made onstage at a hip hop show.




The last song they played was their shoutout to Minneapolis, "Say Shhh", which was the first song ever played on the best radio station on the planet, 89.3 The Current.


Say Shhh...

I wanted to make a song about where I'm from
You know? Big up my home town, my territory, my state
But, I couldn't figure out much to brag about
Prince lives here, we got 10,000 lakes
But wait, the women are beautiful, to me they are
And we're not infested with pretentious movie stars
And it hit me, Minnesota is dope
If only simply for not what we have but what we don't
It's all fair, it ain't out there, it's in there
It's in the mirror, behind the breast under the hair
Follow the dream doesn't mean leave the love
Roam if you must, but come home when you've seen enough
I love New York and Cali, but I ain't movin'
Too overpopulated saturated with humans
And I'm not big on rappers, actors, or models
If I had to dip, I'd probably skip to Chicago
None of this is to diss no one, nowhere
Like damn, I'm from Minnesota, land of the cold air
Too many mosquitoes and our fair share of egos
But like my man Sabe says, that's where my mommy stays


So if the people laugh and giggle when you tell em where you live
Say shhh, say shhh
And if you know this is where you wanna raise your kids
Say shhh, say shhh
If you're from the Midwest and it doesn't matter where
Say shhh, say shhh
If you can drink tap water and breathe the air
Say shhh, say shhh

Got trees and vegetation in the city I stay
The rent's in the mail and I can always find a parking space
The women outnumber the men two to one
Got parks and zoos and things to do with my son
The nightlife ain't all that, but that's okay
I don't need to be distracted by the devil every day
And the jobs ain't really too hard to find
In fact, you could have mine if you knew how to rhyme
This is for everyone around the planet
That wishes they were from somewhere other than where they standin'
Don't take it for granted, instead take a look around
Quit complaining and build something on that ground
Plant something on that ground, dance and sleep on that ground
Get on your hands and knees and watch the ants walk around
That ground Make a family, make magic, make a mess
Take the stress, feel your motivation and build your nest
It sucks that you think where I'm from is wack
But as long as that's enough to keep your ass from coming back
And with a smile and a hint of sarcasm, he said
"I beg your pardon but this is my secret garden"

All right
(In the land of ice and snow)
Well okay
(In the land of ice and snow)
Well all right
(In the land of ice and snow)
Well okay
(Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minneapolis)


If the playground is clear of stems and syringes
Say shhh, say shhh
If there's only one store in your town that sells 12-inches
Say shhh, say shhh
If no one in your crew walks around with a gun
Say shhh, say shhh
And if you ain't gonna leave cause this is where you're from
Say shhh, say shhh

Well alright, well okay [repeated in background]
St. Cloud, Minnesota
Mankato, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesnowta
Kansas City
St Louis, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Madison
Milwaukee
Cincinnati, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Boulder, Colorado
Lawrence, Kansas
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Indianapolis

Say shhh..
Minneapolis







Let us thank our lucky stars that we have such talent to rep the six one duece.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band @ Xcel 11/2

"Is there anybody ALIVE out there???!" Bruce questioned the audience upon taking the stage Friday night at the Xcel Energy Center before launching into the first single from his new album, "Magic". The legendary performer immediately dazzled me with his level of energy and intensity. That song, "Radio Nowhere" like the performance and the Man himself, is an indictment of today's radio and the lack of conviction, inspiration, and quality that defines it. Bruce complains of looking for direction, for meaning, for just even some *rhythm* for god's sake, and finding none on today's typical radio station.

Yet even with that sense of dissappointment with popluar music that he conveyed, with all the overt talk of disillusionment with the Bush Regime and their illegal antics and dirty tricks, I cannot imagine anyone out there bringing more hope and joy to audiences than The Boss. Indeed, Jon Stewart, on a recent episode of the Daily Show, could barely contain his excitement after seeing a Bruce show the night before, exclaiming, "Do you like Joy? Are you a fan of Joy? Then you should go see Bruce Springsteen."





From "Radio Nowhere":

"I want a thousand guitars
I want pounding drums
I want a million different voices speaking in tongues"

That's what music should be, and that's what I got at my first Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band show. I got my face rocked. I got my batteries recharged, I got my fucking Joy on.

I had the pleasure of seeing Bruuuuuuuuuce last year with the Seeger Sessions Band, when he was touring with about 17 poeple onstage and an album of Pete Seeger's folk ballads of American Life. That was the best damn hootenanny I have ever been to. That was like a revival of American music folklore and energy, but this - this was, as I was told repeatedly, a different thing altogether.

We were at the venue six hours before the show started to get wristbands that gave us a chance to be among 480 lucky super fans who would occupy the Orchestra Pit right in front of the stage. Over 1100 people lined up for a shot at the best seats in the house. When the announcement was made, and we realized we had lucked out and got the fantastic seats, I felt like an American Idol contestant being told "You're through to the next round!" Maybe that is a sad comparison, but I felt, as I'm sure those brave contestants did, like fate had smiled upon me and decided to place me 20 feet from a real American Idol.

Bruce ripped through the first few songs of the set with no more than a heroic "1, 2, 3, 4!" between songs as he lead the incredible 8 piece E Street Band through a powerhouse of an opening. Clarence Clemons aka The Big Man, the 65 year old saxophonist who just had fucking double hip replacement surgery, was on fire as he nonchalantly strode to center stage to take a sax solo during nearly every song. Little Stevie Van Zandt stood to the left of The Boss and frequently was summoned to the mic to sing and/or yell backup vocals. Max Weinburg, on loan from Conan O'Brien, hammered away on his elevated drum set. Patti Scialfa, Bruce's wife, who normally tours and plays with the band, was at home with the kids in Jersey, so fiddle player Soozie Tyrell, who was one of very few E Streeters on the Seeger Sessions Tour, took over her singing duties.







"Living in the Future" was preceded by a sobering listing of some of the many very unamerican things our current uber-american administration has perpetrated, like torture, wiretapping, indefinite imprisonment without chrages or trial, and general whittling away of civil liberties.

The end of the 18 song set (not including the 5 song encore) made for a kind of American reckoning, with heavy modern political themes abundant. "The Rising" is a powerful call to solidarity post 9/11. The last note of "The Rising" became the first note of "Last to Die", a rousing indictment of the Iraq war ("Who'll be the last to die for a mistake?"). Then "Long Walk Home" summed up the difficulty of soldiers returning home from an unpopular and mentally exhausting war, and finally "Badlands" brought the optimism, proclaiming "It aint no sin to be glad you're alive".

Radio Nowhere
No Surrender
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Magic
Reason to Believe
Night
She's the One
Livin' in the Future
The Promised Land
Your Own Worst Enemy
Incident on 57th Street
Working on the Highway
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
* * *
Girls in Their Summer Clothes
Thunder Road
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
American Land



"Girls in Their Summer Clothes" went out to 83 year old Bruce ultra fan
Jeanne Heintz, who we met before the show, who had already been to about a dozen shows in various cities on this tour.

I also met a 17 year old whose lifelong dream was coming true as he saw Bruce for the first time, and a middle aged man who hadn't seen Bruce for 15 years. I was somewhat surprised by the age range of fans, with every age group having significant representation.

Thunder Road was played for only the second time this tour, and kicked ass. And of course "Born to Run" (B2R for Bruceheads) was a high energy staple.


"Dancin' in the Dark" had me uncontrollably dancing like Courtney Cox in 1984. I suspect thousands of other concert-goers felt the same way, but didn't care either as they grooved side to side like Jon Stewart in the above video. By the way, the video for that song, which won Bruce his first Grammy, was shot at a St. Paul concert in '84 and attended by Brianna's dad. It was directed by Brian DePalma.

The show ended with a heartfelt "Long live happiness!" shout from Mr. Springsteen, and a hearty response of glee from the sold out crowd of 19,000.

I left the show thinking, "That was among the most amazing things I have ever SEEN!" To clarify, not only was it one of the best shows I have ever seen, it was one of the most spectacular, awe-inspiring, magical displays of Humanity and Hope that I have ever witnessed.









Long Live Happiness indeed.

Gov't Mule @ The O'Shaughnesy Theatre 10/31

The O'Shaughnessy Theatre, on the campus of St. Cate's University in St. Paul, is a fantastic place to see a show. It's an intimate venue, with room for about 1800 costumed partygoers. I had visited the Theatre at my Mom's alma mater way back in 2001 to see Medeski, Martin and Wood, and remember thinking then that there couldn't be a bad seat in the house. Tonight we were seated in the second row of the balcony, on Warren's Side, and having only seen the Mule outdoors at big festivals, this was really cool to have such a spectacular view of the band. Being able to see Warren crank out those nonstop powerful riffs made me almost immediately think to myself that he is one of the best guitar players I have ever seen. Indeed, it wasn't until right now that I remembered that Rolling Stone named him the 23rd greatest guitar player of all time in 2005. Here's a look at the top 30, just for fun:

1 Jimi Hendrix
2 Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band
3 B.B. King
4 Eric Clapton
5 Robert Johnson
6 Chuck Berry
7 Stevie Ray Vaughan
8 Ry Cooder
9 Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
10 Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones
11 Kirk Hammett of Metallica
12 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
13 Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead
14 Jeff Beck
15 Carlos Santana
16 Johnny Ramone of the Ramones
17 Jack White of the White Stripes
18 John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
19 Richard Thompson
20 James Burton
21 George Harrison
22 Mike Bloomfield
23 Warren Haynes
24 The Edge of U2
25 Freddy King
26 Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave
27 Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits
28 Stephen Stills
29 Ron Asheton of the Stooges
30 Buddy Guy

*Fun fact-That makes Warren the 2nd highest rated guitar player I've ever seen, behind Jon Friscante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but there were tens of thousands of people between him and I at Lollapalooza 2006.

*Not so fun fact-Jack White's ex wife's anxiety just kept me from seeing him play in Austin.

*Really awesome fun fact-Tom Morello is the only one of the 100 greatest guitarists that I have met.

*Bullshit fun fact-Trey Anastasio, my favorite guitar player of all time from what may quite possibly be my favorite band of all time, is way on down the list at #73, right behind -you guessed it- Joni Mitchell.


On to the show. Mule is a very tight, talented and experienced band. Aside from the aforementioned critical acclaim, Gov't Mule has Matt Abts on drums, who rocked a mean 10-15 minute drum solo mid second set, some of it without drumsticks. Then you have Danny Louis on keyboards, who played with Warren in the Warren Haynes Band, opening for the Allman Brothers Band before there ever was a Gov't Mule. Louis also played with Joe Cocker, and played trumpet for UB40 right when "Red, Red Wine" hit #1 on the charts. Andy Hess, who took over for the original bass player Allen Woody after his untimely death in 2001, has played with the Black Crowes and John Scofield, and recorded with Tina Turner and David Byrne. An impressive collective resume for any band. As if that wasn't enough rock for one stage, joining the Mule for the entirety of the second, "Houses of the Holy" set, was Black Crowes guitarist Audley Freed.


First set started off with a cover of The Rolling Stones "Play with Fire", which is on their new album of reggae style remixes of Mule songs and some covers. The heavy rude boy groove continued throughout the set, and an extended, lyrics free "That's it for the Other One" jam was an always welcome touch of #13 on the list, Jerry Garcia. A Zepplin tease during "Blind Man in the Dark" was the only foreshadowing of the incredible second set, which was the entire "Houses of the Holy" album. This was a special Halloween trick and/or treat and/or tribute to #9 on the list, Jimmy Page.


Our encore was "32/20 Blues" and "Come on Into my Kitchen", both by #5 on the list, Robert Johnson.

Here's how it all shook out:


Set 1:
Play With Fire
Time To Confess
Million Miles From Yesterday
Rocking Horse
Birth of The Mule
Larger Than Life
Fallen Down>
Other One Jam
Blind Man In The Dark w/ Zeppelin Medley Tease Jam

Set 2: (Holy Haunted House Set)
w/ Audley Freed on Guitar
The Song Remains The Same
The Rain Song
Over The Hills and Far Away
The Crunge
Dancing Days>
Drums
D'Yer Mak'er
No Quarter
The Ocean

Encore:
Come On Into My Kitchen> w/ Audley Freed on Guitar
32/20 Blues w/ Come On Into My Kitchen Jam w/ Audley Freed on Guitar








Unfortunately, we completely missed the thoroughly enjoyable Grace Potter opening the show. That was really a drag, but nearly making up for that was the after show at the Cabooze with God Johnson and lots of wicked oompa loompa costumes.