MONDAY: MN Next Star MATTHEW J
Pop artist Matthew J will be making his debut performance at the 7th St Entry on Monday night. Matthew spent his childhood growing up in Rabat, Morocco until he eventually found his way back to Minnesota. This local singer-songwriter and pianist gets his style from influential greats such as The Jackson 5, The Beatles, and Bruno Mars. Supporting the act will be a number of local artists such as: Ced Linus, Sti-Lo Reel, Louie P, The Friendly Beers, J. Plaza, MWTC, Cooly, Beauty White, and Lil One.
TUESDAY: SINGLE MOTHERS
Single Mothers has made a compelling case for bullshit. Not bullshit as in the self-serving act of using untruths for personal gain but rather how red flags, stacked odds and strike outs can somehow inspire a collective recklessness to keep at it. For Single Mothers, bullshit came early. Its members were born throughout Ontario in the late 80s and early 90s, all to lower class families and many to single parent households. Some grew up on native reservations while others were raised by maternal grandparents. Some were the byproducts of one night stands. Yet, through all the bullshit this punk rock band will find their way to the 7th St Entry Tuesday night. Supporting will be fellow Canadians The Dirty Nil and Minneapolis natives Animal Lover.
Sounds Like: Green Day, Black Flag, My Chemical Romance
WEDNESDAY: KEVIN DEVINE & THE GODDAMN BAND
Kevin Devine & The Goddamn Band headline the Entry this Wednesday. Devine recently had a simultaneous release for Bulldozer and Bubblegum, his seventh and eighth studio albums. The Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter attempts two drastically different sounds on two separate recordings in a dual-album project independently funded through an historically successful Kickstarter campaign. Bulldozer features the commanding big sound of chiming guitars, tongue-in-cheek wordplay, is a stampede of power pop, as is the quintessential rock/pop sound of “Little Bulldozer.” Songs like “She Can See Me” bring out Devine’s punk rock roots. Bubblegum other the other hand is Devine’s “pedal-to-the-floor” rock album. It is the product of his special collaboration with Jesse Lacey of Brand New as producer, shaping and writing alongside Mike Fadem on drums, and Mike Strandberg on guitar, the two members of his touring group the Goddamn Band. Dads and Field Mouse are support.
Sounds Like: Brand New, Manchester Orchestra
THURSDAY: THE GROWLERS (SOLD OUT)
The music of The Growlers is unmistakable. Sure, you can hone in on some influences baked into the work of this California-bred band. The Growlers took the phrase “Beach Goth” as an apt descriptor of their five-piece band. Sunburned and salty is a term that perfectly describes their distinctive melding of reverb heavy surf guitar and Bakersfield-style honky tonk with ’80s post-punk. This is especially true of the band’s newest album, Chinese Fountain. The 11 songs found on it are some of the strongest that they’ve committed to tape yet; a byproduct not only of eight years in the trenches together, but finely honing their gypsy folk dirges and psychedelic sea shanties to fans at close to 150 shows each year. The connection between vocalist Brooks Nielsen and guitarist Matt Taylor (the groups’ principal songwriters) has only grown deeper. Supporting The Growlers will be Oklahoma-natives Broncho.
Sounds Like: The Clash, Ricky Nelson
FRIDAY: FRANCISCO THE MAN
It took roughly seven years, a teenage instrumental rock band, a debut EP, additions and subtractions, and a near death experience to arrive at Francisco The Man. Following a two-year hiatus beginning in 2008, the band relocated from Riverside to Los Angeles, CA, bringing along a new addition, guitarist Brock Woolsey. Their debut LP, Loose Ends, was released in late January. The album gives its audience a more encompassing look at Francisco the Man with each song containing more and more honesty permeating through the lyrics. The band is composed of Scotty Cantino on vocals and guitar, Néstor Romero on bass and, Abdeel Ortega on drums. Leading off this great night in the Entry will be local groups Whatfor and Mad Rounds.
Sounds Like: Zach Schimpf, Young Jesus, Broncho
SATURDAY: MOON DUO
This will be the second appearance in Minneapolis for this talented pair. The event was previewed by City Pages earlier this month:
San Francisco’s Moon Duo have kept the spacey fuzz and hypnotic grooves that soaked their first two albums, but they have expanded their sonic scope – as well as their lineup – on their third full-length, Shadow of the Sun. Wooden Shjips’ guitarist Ripley Johnson and Sana Yamada have added drummer John Jeffrey (who also played on their last release, Live in Ravenna) to their droney mix, and the results are even more gritty and dynamic, echoing the early West Coast punk sound while also retaining the riff-fueled experimentalism of their early work. This Entry show comes at the start of Moon Duo’s tour in support of their new record, so expect the band to focus on bringing these fresh songs to life while also working on innovative ways to explore the hazy parameters of their boundless material. Minneapolis noisemakers Vats open.
Be sure not to miss this Saturday night special at the 7th St Entry beginning at 8pm.
Sounds Like: Wooden Shijps, The Black Angels
MONDAY: THE TWILIGHT SAD
The Twilight Sad comprises James Graham (vocals), Andy MacFarlane, (guitar/electronics) and Mark Devine (drums/keyboard). Forming in late 2003, the band played a couple of early shows at Glasgow’s 13th Note. They created half hour pieces of music utilizing guitars, bass, drums, theremin, tape loops from films and old folk and country songs, effects pedals, toy keyboards, thumb pianos, computer games and various other ephemera. Subsequently withdrawing to the studio to refine their sound, and rejecting any live shows offered, the band underwent a gradual metamorphosis into a more traditional, but still sonically adventurous outfit, with a more overt inclination towards emotive, eloquent song. In 2014 the band released their latest album, Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave which showcases a sound that embraces and combines all of The Twilight Sad’s previous releases. Opening for the night will be the NYC-based Port St. Willow.
Sounds Like: Frightened Rabbit, Idlewild, We Were Promised Jetpacks
