Monday: Sunflower Bean
Sunflower Bean find magic within friction. The New York trio’s full-length debut album, Human Ceremony [Fat Possum Records], emerges at the intersection of dreamy modern psychedelica and urgent fuzzed-out bliss. That push-and-pull colors the aural tapestry of these three musicians: Jacob Faber [drums], Julia Cumming [vocals/bass], and Nick Kivlen [vocals/guitars]. Tourmates The Lemon Twigs and locals Lazy Scorsese are supporting.
Sounds like: Hinds, Lucy Dacus, Twin Peaks
Tuesday: Flock of Dimes with Little Scream
Flock of Dimes is the solo project of Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner. Jenn is a signer/guitarist from Baltimore, Maryland and explores the atmospheric side of pop in her music. Her most recent album is titled, If You See Me, Say Yes. Laurel Sprengelmeyer — a.k.a. Little Scream — has earned herself a lot of admirers: Sufjan Stevens, Sharon Van Etten, the National’s Aaron and Bryce Dessner, TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone, Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Perry.
Sounds like: Fear of Men, Callers, Frankie Rose
Wednesday: Fruit Bats
Eric D. Johnson is Fruit Bats. And Fruit Bats is back. “I’m finding my identity again,” he begins, “which is somehow, weirdly this dumb fake punk rock name that I put on a four-track tape.” Fruit Bats’ sixth album Absolute Loser represents a triumphant return to name, form, and self. Musically, Absolute Loser retains the same structural pop elements that made Fruit Bats so beloved in the first place. It’s the most honest, most confessional album of Fruit Bats’ career. Up and coming songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews, melding indie-folk and Americana with a rebellious country flavor reminiscent of her Southwestern roots, opens.
Sounds like: Dr. Dog, Fleet Foxes, Andrew Bird
Thursday: PWR BTTM – SOLD OUT
PWR BTTM is a queer punk band consisting of Ben Hopkins and Liv Bruce. The band was formed at Bard College where Bruce and Hopkins bonded over a mutual interest in bringing elements of performance and drag artistry into DIY culture. While at Bard the duo recorded a demo, Cinderella Beauty Shop, and the Republican National Convention split EP with Jawbreaker Reunion. On these releases, Hopkins plays guitar and sings, and Bruce plays drums. Since then, the two have begun to share vocal/songwriting duties and have also started to trade off instruments. Their most recent album, Ugly Cherries documents their experience with queerness, gender, and adulthood over the course of a year of living in upstate New York.
Sounds like: Mitski, Diet Cig, Girlpool
Friday: Heyday: 35 Years of Music in Minneapolis – The Photography of Daniel Corrigan Book Release Show
Daniel Corrigan has been the photographer on the Minneapolis music scene since 1981—just as the scene was coming to life. As both a freelancer and the official house photographer for the legendary club First Avenue, he has captured thousands of live concerts, shot countless band promo photos, and was behind the camera for many of the best-known and most beloved album covers by local artists. This retrospective, culled from his personal archive of tens of thousands of photos, presents a unique perspective into a vibrant world, through nearly 500 evocative black-and-white and color images. Performers include The Mighty Mofos, Dosh, Porcupine, DJ Lori Barbero, and DJ Paper Sleeves.
Saturday: The Blind Shake Celebrate Your Worth Record Release Show
Fronted by brothers Jim and Mike Blaha, with friend Dave Roper on drums, the trio have been tunneling through the underground since before telephones could talk. Having seven full length albums to their credit, several singles, three collaborations with psych legend Michael Yonkers and another with down-stroke warrior John Reis, the band continues to push the sliding scale between catchy punk songs and pitch red noise.
Sounds like: Coachwhips, Mark Sultan, The Intelligence
Sunday: Honeyblood
For Honeyblood frontwoman Stina Tweeddale, the title of her band’s second album came from somewhere close to her heart. Babes Never Die is not a shy motto, and one that’s triumphant sentiment rings throughout Honeyblood’s exceptional sophomore record. “The title is my own mantra,” Stina explains of the follow-up to their eponymous 2014 debut, which landed in many of the year’s most revered Best Of lists, with perfect score reviews from everyone from NME to DIY. The band also consists of drummer, Cat Myers. Touring support is Jay Som (aka an San Francisco singer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Melina Duterte), whose constantly shifting vision embraces indie, alternative, pop, and even a little shoegaze. Local Monica LaPlante, with her style of garage rock/garage pop that’s loaded with class and charm, opens.
Sounds like: Alvvays, Coves, Ex Hex
Blog by Ellie Moonen
