How excited am I?

Super excited! Gogol Bordello is playing The Cabooze Outdoor Stage on Thursday, June 12. Yes my friends, my favorite Gypsies from the East are coming to the Midwest and I couldn't be happier about it. Come a raise a glass of Rakia with me and dance dance dance!

Foals @ 7th St Entry

After sleeping through not one, but two bands Monday night, I really, really hoped Foals would hit the Entry hard and give us all a good slap in the face. I went into the show feeling iffy about the band - aren't they Bloc Party with the good luck of an Antibalas horn section? Yes.

Front man Yannis Philippakis - half Christian Siriano, half Colin Ferrell - is a gifted hype man. He started the set by dancing in the crowd and they loved him for it - like Beatle mania love - like Michael Jackson in Japan love. The college students in the front row (including the girl dressed as AliRose) screamed, danced and nearly cried as Foals led them through their dance punk songbook (names of which I don't know and probably never will.) Yannis and bassist Walter Gervers talked to their admiring crowed quite a bit, and proved to be pretty funny - they mentioned a certain local radio personality whose accent they found confusing and called, "Inter-Atlantic" and "from somewhere near Greenland."

In between songs, they played metal (including one short but sweet Slayer cover) - and for the first time in their set, played loose and connected. They put on a show that everyone loved, but with the exception of their hard transitions, it might as well have been "Cassius" over and over again. I hope they get over dance punk and make a good hardcore album - just pray they don't look to The Blood Brothers as they did Bloc Party.

5 Questions with Muja Messiah

If you don’t know who Muja Messiah is, you’re missing out on a great experience. The energy in the room when he’s on the stage is bananas and everyone has the pleasure of relating to his rhymes. MMTC's Brandi Storm asked Muja Messiah a few questions at Bellanotte about the hip hop game.

B.S. Who or what inspired you to get into hip hop?
M.M. Rakim, Nas, the Micronauts and just seeing local cats do it.

B.S. What do you think about the sate of hip hop right now?
M.M. Beautiful because the powers in the artists hands now, the industry has failed us, I feel the internet has opened up doors for us. It’s all about cyber space baby.

B.S. When was the first time you preformed?
M.M. 8^th Grade Brooklyn Junior High School talent show and I killed it.

B.S. If you could do a track with anyone right now who would that be and why.
M.M. Amy Winehouse because she’s talented and she likes to have fun and the paparazzi loves her.

B.S. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
M.M. Trading stocks online, training and breeding my dog, doing yard work at my house.

*photo by: Rebecca B-Fresh McDonald

Dancing With The Stars

ok ok ok...I may be watching Dancing With the Stars right now. Recovering after staying out too late too many nights in a row. But seriously, Def Leppard was just on - which reminded me of my absolute favorite made for TV movie of ALL TIME.

Start watching about 7 mins in - I love the post-apocalyptic backdrop and the girlfriend stumbling in the distance... if only all hair bands had drama like this.

Reason #987 Why I should stop shopping at Urban Outfitters

I had a Brenda/Kelly Spring Dance moment at the Entry. To jog your memory:

Overheard at the Entry last night

Nick & I went to see Foals last night at 7th St. Two local bands opened for them - Ghost In The Water & North. This is how they made me feel:

This is how Ghost In The Water made others feel:

• Ghost In The Water is like driving through the streets of Tokyo with Mr Monopoly as your driver on ecstasy.
• ...falling into a diabetic coma.
• ...blowing bubbles with Jesus.
• ...spending the weekend in Mario 3.
• ...getting kicked in the nuts by Willy Wonka.
• ...eating your first Starburst.
• ...what it would feel like if Sufijan Stevens braided your hair.
• ...doing (something dirty) with the lead singer of Flock of Seagulls.
  

Hmmm. I don't think Ghost In The Water went over too well with the company I keep. Maybe if they didn't sound like a candy pop cross between The Faint and Go Sailor.

I've only got two words for North: Cold Play.

Check back for more about Foals and Hot Tranny Mess Yannis Philippakis.

-AliRose

James Apollo In-Studio

James Apollo stopped by the studio today and played a few songs. Thanks for coming!
"I've Got It Easy"

"Golden When It's Gone"

MC Hammer has a blog

Check it out here

5 Worst Biffys in MPLS Music

My body is the rock ‘n roll temple. That’s why I am born, raised and staying in Minneapolweird – I have many a pagoda to exercise my apparatus. However I, like most, often incorporate booze, dancing and skullduggery into my rock regimen, so often I must use lavatory facilities of many a club. Let’s just say raw power and peculiarity are not only found onstage. Here are the worst music venue bathrooms in Minneapolis:

5. The Nomad World Pub- A near-chest-high trough full of ice and seemingly sharpied plywood stall are packed into the gnarliest 8-square-feet on Cedar Ave.

4. First Avenue Mainroom- The staff does their best, but 70+ years spelling relief – some of that as a Greyhound Bus Depot! -- will wear any washroom weary (Negative points for a complete lack of toilet seats).

3. 7th Street Entry- It may be the closest thing we’ve got to CBGB, but tiptoe through the tourage – as it often serves as a backstage barnyard for some of indie music’s most up-and-coming/dangerously outlandish acts and personalities.

2. Triple Rock Social Club- If the tight quarters and rolling floorscapes don’t clinch the second spot, the decomposing food in the urinals will – I’d advise holding it until you get to the concert side, as they only serve liquids over there.

1. 400 Bar- I was in the bargaining stage of grief only two songs into Dax Rigg’s set, as the unvented tile coffin’s pre-show bleaching was overpowered by a smell that I can only describe as that of a zombie gorilla after a month long dirtnap.

*Honorable Mention: Downtown Parking Ramps- While not a traditional biffy, the hardest of pregamers hop out of the car instantly to send unsanitary streams trickling throughout the structures on any given Thursday-Saturday, giving my temple that much-needed warm up as I double-dutch my way to the show.

-Leif

Hot Chip's Next Wave Sound Sweeps up Sold Out First Ave

My first roommate in California plastered our dorm room with pictures of Jarvis Cocker. "A Different Class" played on a loop that year, and we took every opportunity to go dancing at a San Francisco disco that played Brit Pop for the underage. We had so much fun those Thursday nights, singing along with the eyelinered cool to the NME-coined "New Wave of New Wave". Nearly 10 years later, I really wished Vivien was with me last Friday at First Avenue.

The evening started with an interview with Felix Martin and dreamy Owen Clarke of Hot Chip. We played "pass the microphone with Leif and AliRose" after their sound check, and talked about sticky weather, wrestling and fitting into a genre. They were super nice. After some Jameson and Pad Thai, I looked forward to their set.

The duo Free Blood from Brooklyn, New York, opened the festivities. Madeline & John had been sitting two tables away from me at a Thai place downtown before the show, and my friends openly mocked John's sweet airbrushed Mexican wrestler sweatshirt. I thought it was awesome, but as I am realizing, Minnesota is slow to the irony. Thankfully, he chose to wear the sweatshirt onstage, which provided enough spectacle to keep me awake. They turned out to be one of those laptop bands that plug in and play a cross between Momus and Cannibal Corpse. The crowd, made up of a quarter aging singles, half American Appareled MCAD students, a quarter frat boys, and one Fox 9 investigator, liked them, but not enough to make the sold out First Avenue full of energy. Al Doyle from Hot Chip, who also plays with LCD Soundsystem, played his guitar on a couple of songs, breaking up the computer music, and leaving me to wonder how they got on the ticket.

The minute Hot Chip appeared onstage, all earlier noise melted away. Opening with "Shake a Fist", the entire club went Hot Chip crazy and for the next two hours, they had me and most everyone in their pocket. In a sharp white suit (half Don Johnson, half Kip Dynamite), Alexis Taylor coolly sang "And I Was a Boy from School", "Ready for the Floor", and "Wrestlers" as the audience mouthed the words and pardon the expression, shook their fists. They managed to sound improvisational with complicated rhythms, a dozen instruments, choreographed lighting and seamless song transitions. Hot Chip were very tight. As the set drew to a close, they gave a nod to First Avenue royalty and played a few bars of "Little Red Corvette" before closing their encore with "Nothing Compares To You", sweeping into their own "Made In The Dark". Hot Chip put on a show I won't forget.

About half way through the performance, I looked around the room and realized I was bopping and singing along with everyone. I guess Hot Chip is the New Wave of the New Wave of New Wave, and in that sweaty crowd, I had flashbacks to Viv and I bounding around PopScene belting out the lyrics to all songs we loved so dear. If I were 18 and an art student once again, I'm sure one if not all five would be pinups on my dorm room wall.

As the house lights went on, I waved to Owen and he smiled and waved back. At least I think he did.

-AliRose

ps - Here is a camera phone video I found on YouTube from the show: