WEDNESDAY: Long Dark Blues – A Tribute To Jason Molina
Wednesday night will feature a series of local artists performing the music of Jason Molina, a tribute to the late Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co. frontman who passed away in March 2013. Performers include Gabriel Douglas (the 4onthefloor, Silverback Colony, Orca Colony, and more) & Friends, Minneapolis-based bands The Further Adjustments and Squares, and Americana singer/songwriter Ben Lubeck from the band Farewell Milwaukee. Between each of Molina’s bands and his solo work, there’s a wealth of material for tonight’s performers to draw from and we can’t wait to hear what ends up getting played on the Turf stage.
THURSDAY: Human Kindness Not Apathetic Tape Release Show
Minneapolis-based epic emo-punks Human Kindness’ music fuses ’90s emo, post-rock, hardcore and classic rock in search of the largest, guitar-based sounds possible. Human Kindness are the kind of dudes who refuse to take their hearts off their sleeves or turn down their amps, cramming each song with dueling guitar leads, classical accompaniment and words upon word upon words. Yet somehow, it all works: the wall of sound approach adds high drama to mundane stories – about party paranoia and academic fatigue, in this case – and elevates it to the sublime. If there’s a path to heaven that involves a dying pen and a broken amp, these guys are definitely going to be the ones to find it. Human Kindness will be releasing their newest album, Not Apathetic on the old-school cassette tape. Also performing will be local dream pop outfit Gloss, whose strengths lie in their ability to create beautiful, lush soundscapes. Every song on their EP is drenched in shoegaze influences, resulting in wispy echoes and delicate melodies. That along with relatable themes of fear, relationships and struggles makes them a refreshingly accessible band. Nancy’s Raygun opens.
FRIDAY: Kristin Diable
Kristin Diable has been exploring freedom and choice in her music ever since she picked up an open mic at a lounge in Baton Rouge and stunned the audience into silence. She rode that vibe, away to New York and then back to her native Louisiana like a storm front, one that shook New Orleans and cooled the air. Her newest album, Create Your Own Mythology, invokes her Louisiana and Americana roots, while firing a rock-and-roll shot across the bow of borrowed myths. Kristin says that music is her ticket on that journey to the soul’s distant elsewhere, and this new album is her invitation to the listener–not to follow her on her mythical path, but to go questing for their own. That’s a journey that will require some suffering, and acceptance, and evolution and honesty–these are the tokens hidden in these songs, smoothing that hard path, leading us away, and leading us home. Tour-mate Anderson East, a new American artist, is opening. Known for his songwriting and unique vocal ability, he quickly caught the attention of renowned producer Dave Cobb. The Alabama native is currently finishing up his first LP, due out 2015.
Sounds like: Grace Potter, Lucinda Williams, Paper Bird, Neko Case
SATURDAY: Viktor Simco’s Silent Auction for Alzheimer’s
This Saturday’s silent auction benefit show (and Lucky Bastard Gentlemen’s Goods “The Pour” video premiere) will feature live music from three bands, including Crooked Saws, The Person and the People, and Kenwood Mansion. Crooked Saws consists of two men and one huge sound. Hailing from Minneapolis, MN, their music has been described as the best qualities of “Monster Magnet drug by David Lynch through the finest mid-western mud.” “Grit” and “dirt,” “raw” and “soul” are words regularly used to paint a picture of their sound. For The Person & The People, everything traces back to the high school years. A group of old friends from multiple bands in the area finally teamed up and joined together to make music. The result of that is a power-pop flavored rock and roll band that truly stands out from the rest. That youthful energy can certainly still be felt with this band. Kenwood Mansion add to the entertainment as this four-piece band produces a smooth country-rock sound. Holding it down behind the decks will be DJ Cloud, who has been helping throw and promote dance parties for over ten years. In 2011, Cloud helped launch a 90s/00s dance party called Forever Young and he created TWERK DAT in 2014, giving shakin’ booties across the Twin Cities cause to rejoice.
SUNDAY: William Elliott Whitmore
A man armed only with a banjo and a bass drum can be a formidable force, especially if his name is William Elliott Whitmore. Known for the sparse, haunting qualities of the mostly solo recordings he refers to as “roots-folk music,” in which his voice is often accompanied by little more than a banjo or acoustic guitar, Whitmore began writing songs last year with some changes in mind. “I purposefully went into it wanting to make a little bit of a departure, sonically, using an electric guitar a little bit more and adding more instrumentation, more full-band type stuff,” he says. Raised on a family farm in Iowa and inspired by the insurgent sounds of The Jesus Lizard, Bad Brains and Minutemen, Whitmore sketched out the new songs between feeding animals and tending crops. Each week he traveled two hours to Flat Black Studios in Iowa City, built and operated by his cousin and producer, Luke Tweedy. Given the space to pair a patient sense of craft with the usual punk rock spirit to which Whitmore has always paid homage, the songs on his new album, Radium Death hum with an exigent electricity—whether amplified or not. They also present a cohesive look into those recurring Whitmore themes of respect, protection, sustenance and survival.
Sounds like: The Devil Makes Three, Scott H. Biram, Justin Townes Earle, Joe Pug
TUESDAY: An Evening with Trout Steak Revival
From its beginnings as an informal jamming unit during treks through the peaks of the Front Range, Trout Steak Revival has evolved into one of Colorado’s most tightly knit, hard-driving bluegrass bands. Their brand of heartfelt songwriting blends dynamic musicianship with intricately woven harmonies, all tied together with the unmistakable sound of their years of friendship. From sweat-soaked clubs to beautiful mountain festivals, the five-piece has shown a tenacity for quick-picking and all the right polish without sacrificing the raw feeling of well-executed bluegrass. Keeping an eye on traditions of the past but boldly forging into new territory, Trout Steak takes us back to memories of whiskey, laughter, and the misty high country where the band was born.
Sounds like: Head For The Hills, Dead Man Winter, Yonder Mountain String Band
Blog by Kevin Clancy
