Lately.

Last Saturday 9/8 I was fortunate enough to record WHY?, Doseone and Serengeti at The Cedar Cultural Center. Thanks to Snake and to The Cedar. WHY?'s fifth album, Mumps, etc. will be released on October 9th 2012.

Tonight is Caspian and Cursive at The Varsity Theater. Caspian's third album, Waking Season will be released on September 25th in the US. 

Black Dice, Marijuana Deathsquads, Hasps @ The Cedar

Black Dice
Hasps
Marijuana Deathsquads
DJ Matt St. Germain

The Cedar Cultural Center
Doors 7 PM, Music 7:30 PM All Ages
Tickets: $10 Advance
$12 Day of Show — Discount w/ Student ID at the door!

RSVP on a Social Networking website.

inBOIL opens for Kimya Dawson at The Cedar tonight.

inBOIL and Kimya Dawson

The Cedar
Wednesday, April 18th 2012
Doors Open: 7:00pm
Advance: $12.00
Day of show: $15.00

Well here I am sitting with gear at my feet anticipating another trip to the West Bank immediately after work. Phil is only one of the greatest song writers in all of the Midwest so a bunch of us around town are very excited that he got this gig opening for Kimya. Kimya is brilliant. I've had much respect for her for years and years.

inBOIL as a full band is excellent, however Phil was asked by Kimya's people to just show up with his guitar tonight. I'm actually even more excited that it's a solo set. Phil, a guitar, a chair and the huge Cedar stage. Not many people can make me cry these days but I've been known to shed a tear or two during an inBOIL show. Come out tonight and witness me weep!

I spoke with Phil last Thursday at The Turf Club recording this show and he informed me that a new inBOIL album has been recorded and will indeed be released soon. Check out this review of the first inBOIL album if you want to.

so·cial net·work·ing
Noun:
The use of a dedicated Web site to communicate informally with other members of the site, by posting messages, photographs, etc.

Malamanya Returns To The Cedar Tonight!

The Cedar
Friday, April 13, 2012 - 8:00pm
Doors Open: 7:00pm
Advance: $8.00
Day of show: $10.00
Standing show (open dance floor)

Vintage Cuban son music from Malamanya and a wide open dance floor takes the fear out of this Friday the 13th! KFAI's Radio Pocho open with a DJ set.

"Malamanya is a Minneapolis-based band that celebrates the traditional rhythms and melodies of Cuban son, salsa, samba, and the local music of Central and Latin America while adding a touch of our own ritmo to the mix with our original song writing. The acoustic driven dance rhythms draw on the organic form of days gone by. Convivial and contagious they bring "el sabor" of nostalgic times past into the present."

Adriana Rimpel-Lead Vocals
Jason Marks-Trumpet
Jesse Marks-Percussion/Bell
Luis Ortega-Percussion/Congas
Tony Schriner-Upright Bass/Guitar
Trevor May-Tres/Guitar

Painted Saints @ The Cedar

A .RAR file containing these songs is available here.

Painted Saints
The Cedar Cultural Center
No Match for Greater Minds Release Show
Minneapolis, MN
Saturday November 19th 2011

Recorded by: empty (emptystapes AT gmail DOT com)
Location: DINish, FOB, 40' back, ~7.5' ^
Source: AKG 414B-xls (Hypers) > Silver Quad customs > UA-5 (BM2p+) > iRiver h120 (Optical @ 16bit 44.1kHz WAV)
Transfer: h120 > USB 2.0 > PC [WAV > RazorLame> 320kbps mp3]
Edit: Sound Forge 10 (mild compression) CD Wave (track indexing)

This Recording is for Promotional & Archival Purposes Only.

"My Bird"
"The Fat Kid Rides His Bike In The Snow"

Paul Fonfara - Vocals, Guitar, Clarinet, Viola, Bandoneon
Josh Granowski - Bass
Chris Hepola - Drums and Piano
Will Dockendorf - Lap steel guitar
Christa Rubsam - Violin, Erhu, Cello

paintedsaints.net | Facebook

Trying to shake off a good 6 months of hedonistic self-indulgence and get back to what this place is about; sharing live recordings from bands that I feel other people should know about. Starting off with one of the last shows of 2011 to really amaze me. This is a 2 song excerpt (the last 2 songs) of a 70 minute set.

I've always admired and enjoyed Painted Saints but I was blown away at their recent release show for the new album No Match for Greater Minds. Have you heard this album yet? Nona Marie & The Choir, Dreamland Faces and The Stew Bums (Mike & Nikki Gunther) supported. Hear The Choir's cover of "Good Woman" here.

Nona Marie & The Choir - "Good Woman" @ The Cedar

Nona Marie & The Choir
The Cedar
Minneapolis, MN
Saturday November 19th 2011

This Recording is for Promotional & Archival Purposes Only.

Nona Marie & The Choir - "Good Woman" (Cat Power)

(Right Click & Save Link As or Mac equivalent to download the .mp3)

Bandcamp | Facebook

Nona Marie Invie
Ana Roxanne
Emily Jean Snyder
Alyssa Hill
Chrissy Chookiatsirichai
Erin Lynn Smith
Lindsay Noble
Annika Kaplan
Emily Temte
Alberta Mirais
Antonia Eberhart
Jess Buns
Sophie Weil
Kate Farstad
Lucy W. Woods

Nona Marie & The Choir, Dreamland Faces and Mike & Nikki Gunther supported The Painted Saints on the eve of their release for the new album No Match for Greater Minds. The first snow of the year hit at a steady pace but those who made it out to the West Bank were treated to one of the best shows from start to finish this year. Certainly in my top 5 out of a 100 or so. Thanks to The Cedar for always being cool with people archiving shows there. It's greatly appreciated. Thanks to Nona Marie & The Choir for giving me permission to share this.

Nona & The Choir: Making grown men tear up at The Cedar Cultural Center since 2011.

The audience recording sounds really nice but I have zero time to "EQ" it right now. I wanted to post this sbd version before I leave town and hopefully post the full audience sometime when I get back.

Meg Ashling @ The Cedar

Meg Ashling
The Cedar Cultural Center
Minneapolis, MN
Thursday August 25th 2011

Recorded by: empty (emptystapes AT gmail DOT com)
Location: DINish, FOB, 40' back, ~7^
Source: AKG 414B-xls (Hypers) > Silver Quad customs > UA-5 (BM2p+) > iRiver h120 (Optical @ 16bit 44.1kHz WAV)
Transfer: h120 > USB 2.0 > PC [WAV > TLH > FLAC]
Edit: Compression (Sound Forge 10)

This Recording is for Promotional & Archival Purposes Only.

320kbps mp3 | Free Lossless Audio Codec

"Everything is United"
"Capstone Rag"
"Lonesome Road"

Meg opened for Loudon Wainwright III last Thursday at The Cedar. Three song excerpt here. I knew the pairing of Meg + The Cedar would be well worth a jaunt down Cedar Avenue. Word is Meg's recording a new album.

Coloring Time Presents: An Evening of Improvised Music & Art

A night of improvised music featuring the following musicians:

Peter Pisano (Peter Wolf Crier)
Brian Moen (Peter Wolf Crier, Laarks, The Shouting Matches)
Joe Horton (No Bird Sing)
Bobby Mulrennan (No Bird Sing, Chastity Brown Band)
Graham O'Brien (No Bird Sing)
Casey O'Brien (Face Candy, Carbon Carousel)
Alexie Caselle (Roma di Luna, Kill the Vultures)
Martin Dosh (Dosh, Andrew Bird)
Mike Rossetto (Spaghetti Western String Co., Pines)
JT Bates (Alpha Consumer, Pines)
David Huckfelt (Pines)
Benson Ramsey (Pines)
Jake Hanson ('Halloween, Alaska', Wishbook)
Jeremy Ylvisaker (Alpha Consumer, Guitar Party, Andrew Bird)
Maya Ylvisaker (Guitar Party)
Michelle Kenny (Jelloslave, Mississippi Peace)
Chris Cunningham (Mississippi Peace)
Chastity Brown (Chastity Brown Band)
Adam Svec (Adam Svec)

with live art performed by Michael Gaughan (Ice Rod) and Zach Koss

The Cedar Cultural Center
Thursday, August 11 · 8:00pm - 11:00pm
All Ages | $5 Advance | $10 Day of Show
Sponsored by Radio K

The Facebook

No Bird Sing - "Pretty Pocket Snatchers" Live at The Cedar

On Friday April 29th No Bird Sing released their new LP Theft of the Commons, the follow up to 2009's No Bird Sing. Kristoff Krane and Kill the Vultures supported. NBS has been one of my favorite bands since first catching them at The Uptown in October 2008 and I am glad they are receiving the attention they deserve. Graham O'Brien was kind enough to pass on his exclusive mix of "Pretty Pocket Snatchers" from The Cedar.

No Bird Sing - "Pretty Pocket Snatchers" (Live at The Cedar)

nobirdsing.org | Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter

Roma di Luna "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" Live @ The Cedar

Roma di Luna
The Cedar Cultural Center
Minneapolis, MN
Tuesday April 26th 2011

"In the Aeroplane Over the Sea"

Site | Facebook | Twitter | iTunes

This song has always stayed with me over the years. Many of Mangum's words haunt me in the best possible way. Ever since the first time I heard it I've been pretty blown away by the treatment Channy's voice gives this song. I highly recommend checking out Roma di Luna's official recording which is available on 2007's Find Your Way Home. Thank you to the band and to The Cedar for always allowing me to record the shows. The Cedar is definitely the venue to see this band.

Note: This was a 4 piece Roma di Luna set with Channy Casselle, Alexei Casselle, Ryan Lovan (drums) and Adam Hulbert (bass). Roma di Luna supported Joan as Police Woman.

Tortoise @ The Cedar '07

This is not my recording. It was made by my friend DK and it's available on The Live Music Archive. Thanks to Tortoise and The Cedar for allowing this recording to go down.

Tortoise
2007-06-30
The Cedar Cultural Center
Minneapolis, Mn

Recorded by: DPK/o-canis
Location: DFC ~1'FOB ~7'^
Mic Config: ORTF
Source: AKG SE391/hpf >BBee hypers>Oade T+mod UA5 (opti @16/48) > JB3 wav

Conversion: JB3 > sb1394 > CPC v3.02.5 (Pc) > Flac burn
Format: 16-bit, 44.1 kHz
Editing: Adobe Audition 1.0 (see Post Notes)
CD-Wave (tracking)
Traders Little Helper (SBE check/repair)

DISC ONE [44:33]

01. Magnet Pulls Through > Eden 2 [6:00]
02. Five Too Many [5:17]
03. Ten Day Interval > Swung From the Gutters [13:36]
04. Stretch (You Are Alright) [4:28]
05. Benway [4:40]
06. Along the Banks of Rivers [5:23]
07. Eros [5:06]

DISC TWO [47:56]

01. Six Pack [3:44]
02. I Set My Face to the Hillside [5:42]
03. Crest [6:50]
04. Seneca [6:21]

ENCORE

05. ... ovation [2:34]
06. Monica >[3:55]
07. In Sarah, Mencken, Christ and
Beethoven There Were Women and Men [5:21]
08. Omnichord [1:52]
09. Blackjack [4:27]
10. ... let's do this one [1:33]
11. Salt The Sky [5:12]

Crescent Moon Is In Big Trouble @ The Cedar

Crescent Moon Is In Big Trouble
The Cedar Cultural Center
Minneapolis, MN
Sunday January 23rd 2011

These Files Are For Promotional & Archival Purposes Only.

"Where The Cutthroats Stay"
"Broken Dishes"

As part of the 416 Club Commissions series the Jerome Foundation and The Cedar partnered to bring together performances by Dessa, Mankwe Ndosi and Crescent Moon Is In Big Trouble. Much respect to TPT while we're at it.

The Crescent Moon Is In Big Trouble EP is a must have Minneapolis release.

Dosh Tonight At The Cedar!

Dosh
Fortified Five (Knife World)
Guitar Party

The Cedar Cultural Cedar
Friday, December 17th
Doors: 7pm | Music: 8pm
$12 | $15

More info available via The Cedar. Facepage invite.

"3rd annual Dosh-at-the Cedar Wintertime Show. Knife World is not really Knife World, but Guitar Party is definitely Guitar Party. Expect at least 4 dosh jamz you have never heard Live before. Expect Andrew Broder, Jeremy Ylvisaker and Mike Lewis to throw down. Expect puppets." - Dosh

And So I Watch You From Afar - Live At The Triple Rock

Got to The Triple Rock around 6:30 last night to set up. I ended up making 3 trips down the street to The Cedar. One to set up a recorder, one to start the recording and one to retrieve the recorder. Most of that was amass a sea of drunk 20 and 30 somethings yelling "Brrraaaiiins!" and feeling me up all night. The things we do to document live music yeah? I still managed to get the first 3 bands at The Triple Rock recorded. The venue staff did a top notch job of dealing with any unruly zombies. Envy's tour manager asked for their set to not be recorded which was totally fine. All of the Envy guys were super nice and has some of the best senses of humor I had encountered in some time. And So I Watch You From Afar was obviously my draw there and because the four band members and three crew were staying at the house I was in for the long haul regardless. Well, most everyone eventually ended up on the bus and here's hoping they didn't get a ticket for parking in the lot of the Church across the alley. Great people and great times that carried on into the early AM with birds chirping in South Minneapolis. A special thanks and much respect to Andy Coles, the front of house for ASIWYFA. Safe travels fellas. Something tells me you'll really enjoy the Northwest. We'll work on getting the full set online, likely with some soundboard in the mix but for now here's a track from last night's set. If you're into it you'd be wise to catch them before they're back across the pond. ASIWYFA's 2009 s/t LP and their 2010 The Letters EP can both be picked up through Smalltown America Records.

And So I Watch You From Afar - Set Guitars to Kill (Live)

Oct 10 Jackpot Music Hall Lawrence, Kansas
Oct 12 Bluebird Theatre Denver, CO
Oct 13 The Basement Ogden, UT
Oct 15 El Corazon Seattle, wa
Oct 16 Hawthorne Theatre Portland, OR
Oct 18 Cafe Du Nord San Francisco, CA
Oct 19 Chain Reaction Anaheim, CA
Oct 20 Troubadour West Hollywood, CA
Oct 22 The Casbah San Diego, CA.
Oct 23 The Underground Mesa, Arizona
Oct 25 Rubber Gloves Denton, TX
Oct 26 Emo's Alternative Lounge Austin, TX
Nov 22 Dingwalls London, UNITED KINGDOM
Nov 23 Hare & Hounds BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM
Nov 24 Clwb Ifor Bach CARDIFF, UNITED KINGDOM
Nov 25 Kazimier LIVERPOOL, West, IRELAND
Nov 26 King Tuts GLASGOW, UNITED KINGDOM

Zombies, Sons of Belfast and a Guitar Party...

Tonight I'm going to attempt to run mics at The Triple Rock for And So I Watch You From Afar while also setting up a second "rig" at The Cedar for Guitar Party. Guitar Party's first show was last night at The 331 Club. They're a new band featuring:

Jake Hanson- guitar
Jeremy Ylvisaker- guitar
Mijah Ylvisaker - voice
J.T. Bates- drums
Andrew Broder- guitar
Micheal Larsen- guitar
Mike Lewis- bass
Haley Bonar- keyboards, voice

Sounds pretty legit right? Been waiting a long while for ASIWYFA to come to town. They're opening the 8pm Envy (Japan) show with Touche Amore (Los Angeles). Oh yeah, I keep forgetting the West Bank will be overrun with Zombies tonight. Zombie Pub Crawl VI!

Sleeping in the Aviary - "The Very Next Day I Died" Live At The Cedar

Last Friday was not like other Fridays. I was hired to record a funeral service. No need to get into it on the blogosphere other than saying that she was an amazing woman and a fixture in her South Minneapolis neighborhood for 30 years. After the service I stopped into Roadrunner Records to collect thee thoughts a bit. I've always loved that store but it didn't seem like the time to shop for music so began the hustle to the West Bank via Downtown. There was a less somber occasion that needed to be archived.

Hawks & Oxen were holding their CD Release Show at The Cedar, one of the best venues in town. Don't sleep on Hawks & Oxen's "Coarse Course" release. Sleeping in the Aviary and Sundowners supported. On the way over the sky opened up with heavy rains which is always a hoot when you have gear on foot. Made it to The Cedar in time for soundcheck but after getting set up I was craving some eats from The Triple Rock. The chili with veggie sausage was sounding tasty and tasty it was. At this point the rain had come back with a vengeance. It was torrential and not letting up. My shirt had just barely dried off and I wasn't about to let it get soaked again. A West Bank ghost told me to stuff the shirt in my pants and sprint like a mother. The Cedar Avenue cabbies all stared as if I had lost my mind but I had no time to stop and ask if anyone had seen it.

Back at The Cedar folks who weren't scared off my the rain enjoyed an evening of fine musics. Details on posting a track or two from the Hawks & Oxen set are still being worked out but since Sleeping in the Aviary are one of my favorite bands around town I wanted to share a track from their set. It may seem as though it's related to the first paragraph of this post but it's not. I just really like the song. Their official releases are available through Science of Sound. A new album is on the way but in the meantime may I recommend a little "Expensive Vomit In A Cheap Hotel?"

Sleeping in the Aviary - "The Very Next Day I Died" Live At The Cedar

(Right Click and "Save Link As" or the Mac equivalent)

Pretty Quiet Around Here Lately...

So there seems to be a constant stream of 50 or so people who check in even if I'm not posting much. I just wanted to say thank you for the interest. Now that the nice weather is here I've been trying not to sit locked away in my apartment. This of course leads to a reduction in the frequency of tapes being processed. I've recorded some shows in the passed couple weeks that haven't made it online yet so I need to go over some stuff. Perhaps I'll obtain permission to post a Dave King Trucking Company set from the Clown Lounge a couple of Mondays ago? Looking like a busy weekend though...

- I've been hired to record my first funeral this week.

- Friday night is sounding like a nice night to spend at The Cedar. Hawks & Oxen CD Release w/ Sleeping in the Aviary and The Sundowners. 7pm doors / 8pm music with a $5 admission in advance and $10.

- Saturday night WHY? play the Mainroom with Deerhoof and Southeast Engine. This is sure to be good medicine. I need some. 6pm doors $13/$15.

- Sunday night our friends Gastro Non Grata take over First Avenue & The 7th Street Entry with the Gastro Non Grata: Vagabond Vacation. Mainroom sets will feature; School of Rock, Birthday Suits, Unknown Prophets, Private Dancer and Pink Mink. The Entry will feature sets by; Moonstone, Fuck Knights, Rifflord and Guystorm.

Chastity Brown CD Release Show This Saturday

The Cedar
416 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis MN 55454
Saturday June 12th
Doors at 7pm with music at 8pm
Tickets $10 in advance and $12 day of show

Looking for a surefire good time at one of the city's best venues this Saturday? If you're a fan of legendary acoustics you may want to consider joining Chastity Brown at The Cedar for the release of her band's new album High Noon Teeth, the follow up to 2009's Sankofa and 2007's Do The Best You Can. Chastity's stellar vocal capabilities are worth the price of admission along but her band certainly packs a punch with Michael X. (percussion), Adam Wozniak (of Tarlton, upright bass) and Nikki Schultz (backing vocals) in the lineup. Leave it to Chas to round out the bill with some top shelf support in Roma di Luna (duo) and No Bird Sing (acoustic). Roma di Luna duo sets can be rather rare these days and are not to be missed. As many times as I've seen them I myself have yet to witness an acoustic No Bird Sing set. I'm not even certain this has publicly happened before but with it going down at The Cedar it's sure to be special. With all three of these acts sharing the same bill it's going to be difficult for folks in attendance to take their attention away from the stage.

City of Music: Chastity Brown from MPLS.TV on Vimeo.

MPLS.TV's weekly live performance series, "City of Music," featuring Chastity Brown
Produced by Dan Huiting and Chris Cloud
Shot/edited by Dan Huiting

The Plastic Constellations @ The Cedar

The Plastic Constellations
The Cedar Cultural Center
Minneapolis, MN
Saturday January 23rd 2010

The Plastic Constellations - "Davico" Live @ The Cedar
The Plastic Constellations - "Sancho Panza" Live @ The Cedar

(Right Click & Save Link As on PC. Click-Operations on Mac.)

This was the second night of the Modern Radio 10th Anniversary celebration. The bill also included Vampire Hands, Skoal Kodiak and a very special reunion of The Plastic Constellations! FT (The Shadow Government), Daughters of the Sun, Chambermaids, Double Bird, and Sheridan kicked off the festivities the night before at The Turf Club. There were cupcakes from The Cake Eater Bakery. I know it's kind of a teaser but I wouldn't want to spoil any future DVD releases. What's up to Schedule Two. Thanks to the bands and The Cedar for being cool with recording.

STNNNG @ The Cedar

STNNNG
The Cedar Cultural Center
Minneapolis, MN
Saturday January 23rd 2010

STNNNG - "Real Horror Show" Live @ The Cedar

(Right Click & Save Link As on PC. Click-Operations on Mac.)

This was the second night of the Modern Radio 10th Anniversary celebration. The bill also included Vampire Hands, Skoal Kodiak and a very special reunion of The Plastic Constellations! FT (The Shadow Government), Daughters of the Sun, Chambermaids, Double Bird, and Sheridan kicked off the festivities the night before at The Turf Club. There were cupcakes from The Cake Eater Bakery. I know it's kind of a teaser but I wouldn't want to spoil any future DVD releases. What's up to Schedule Two. Thanks to the bands and The Cedar for being cool with recording.