Have a fun weekend....

....but don't do THIS.

Mountain Man/Twin Sister show

Read my review and watch some videos of the excellent Mountain Man/Twin Sister show at the Turf last week.

Negative Reviews

A local musicians wrote a post recently saying how he didn't like how "negative" our scene is and how he doesn't like it when reviewers write negative reviews. I decided to write a post saying why I disagreed. We already have a few comments and I feel like people have definite opinions about this, so if you find this sort of thing interesting, head over to Reviler and check out a link for his post and my response. If you are so compelled, leave your thoughts.

Bight Club

Head over to Reviler to check out a newish hip hop group from the Twin Cities called Bight Club. We have a track from their latest LP called "Hot Fuss" up for your listening pleasure.

New Twin

The Twins traded hotshot catching prospect to the Washington Nationals for All Star Closer Matt Capps. Read ongoing details over the Twins blog on the Strib. He will be our new closer, with Jon Rauch moving to a set-up role. I know nothing about him and since the All Star game is now such a joke that doesn't mean much to me, but hopefully he is a shut down closer who can help us get far into the playoffs.

Twin Cities River Rats

Want to see something cool for free tonight? Of course you do. If you head to Broadway and West River Road in Minneapolis tonight (or any Thursday this summer), you can watch the Twin Cities River Rats, a group of professional volunteer skiers who do jumps, pyramids and other tricks that I wouldn't attempt in a million years. The show starts at 6:30 with some newbies and the actual event starts at 7 and goes for about an hour. Check out their website HERE.

Sonny and the Sunsets Daytrotter

Head over to Reviler to check out a great Daytrotter session with retro rockers Sonny and the Sunsets, a band that have become a Reviler favorite.

Photobomb

For a long time one of the favorite things my friends and I did was to try to get into the background of peoples pictures at the bars and give the thumbs down. It obviously became much harder with everyone looking over every micro detail two seconds after taking each picture, but it still was funny. Now I find the site Photobomb and find that others like ruining pictures too. I haven't seen any thumbs down yet, but still some funny stuff.

Agitators

Since hockey allows fighting, unlike the other big 4 sports, there is a niche player called the agitator who does a good job of getting under other players skin without actually doing the dirty work of fighting. The Wild have one of the best young agitators in Cal Clutterbuck, who is less of a pest and more of an all around nuisance. He will definitely chat with opposing players, but his game centers around finishing checks, which as you can imagine makes him not so popular with opposing teams. If all of this is new to you, check out a TSN feature on 10 of the very best agitators that they recently posted. Only two months until the season starts!

The Sandwitches

The Sandwitches are a highly underrated, female fronted alt-pop group that you should check out. While I didn't like their latest effort, the very somber Duck Duck Goose, as much as their debut record How to Make An Ambient Sadcake, it still is good and well worth checking out. Read the whole review over at Reviler.

Ariel Pink/Puro Instinct/Magic Kids

Read my review of the Ariel Pink/Puro Instinct/Magic Kids show from last week at the new and improved 7th Street Entry (two bathrooms!) over at Reviler. Ariel Pink was as good as one would expect and Magic Kids really caught my attention and are a band to keep your eyes on in the near future.

Chicago

Lightning strikes three of the tallest buildings in Chicago at the same time! from Craig Shimala on Vimeo.

Leaving Chicago last weekend after Pitchfork helped illuminate to me how much I really love that city. I still think Minneapolis is best (and is definitely home), but man, having a world class great city less than an hours flight away is a real treat. Above is an amazing video of a lightning storm over the city hitting the three tallest buildings all at once. It is equally beautiful, humbling and horrifying, in a way that only mother nature can be.

Big Boi!

Do you like rap music? If so, you should listen to the newest Big Boi album Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty right now. If you are not swayed by my one sentence plea, you should head over to Reviler to check out our Four Takes for the album and see if that sways you. It is one of the most fun records I have heard this year.

Pitchfork Coverage

Missed Pitchfork? Want to see what Jon and I saw (through pics and videos) and thought (through our reviews)? Check out my thoughts from Friday and Saturday along with my videos from day one, two and three. Check out Jon's thoughts on Friday and Saturday along with his always excellent photos here, here, here ,here and here. We both kind of tuckered out writing about Sunday, but rest assured it was really hot and really fun.

19-1

After touring Target Field yesterday, the Twins won 19-1. Coincidence? Probably not.

Grumpys tonight

Feel free to join Jon and I tonight at Grumpys NE for Minnesota Mondays. We will be spinning all Minnesota music, but more importantly, great Minnesota beers are on special. They have Premium, Summit and Surly for $1.50-$2.50, which are killer prices, so even if you hate all the music I post on here....come hang out! 7-9 tonight. See you there!

More indie artists writing songs for big corporations

If you like the video above, featuring Best Coast, the dude from Vampire Weekend and Kid Cudi, head over to Reviler to grab the MP3. If not, no biggie.

MIA Four Takes

Read the latest Four Takes about MIA's new self titled album over at Reviler. I hated it a lot, and I wasn't alone.

Back from Duluth

Sometimes I forget how great a city Duluth is. If you haven't been in a while, I would highly suggest spending a weekend up there. It can be relaxing place to hang out or offer you a lot of cool things to do (we found a few great microbreweries and found out more later on after they were closed). Some of our favorite finds were some great breakfast places (Duluth Grill and Uncle Louis Cafe) and we spent a lot of time down by the lake, which is unbelievably beautiful.

I've thrown a couple of pics up that show the great views we got to soak in over the weekend. Now back to the work week grind.

Headin North

Heading up to the Great North Woods (or at least Duluth) for the weekend. Hoping for nice weather and a fun, relaxing couple of days. Have a great weekend everyone!

Say Like the French

Check out the pop music of the newish Minneapolis group Say Like the French over at Reviler.

Panda Bear

Peep the first of many Panda Bear posts that you will be seeing in the coming months leading up to the release of his new album Tomboy. This one is about the track "Slow Motion." Yes, unlike his Pitchfork performance, it is good.

Cute Animal Video

To start your Friday off right.

H.U.N.X

Check out this amazingly fun and kitchy dance track "Can a Man Hear Me" from the new group H.U.N.X. While it isn't going to change the world, it is one of those tracks that I feel like would go over pretty well with a group of drunk people wanting to dance and have a good time, which is never a bad thing.

Girls with English Accents

Check out the track "Girls with English Accents" by Texas based garage/soul rockers Fergus and Geronimo over at Reviler.

Michelle Bachmann

My dislike of Michelle Bachmann and my enjoyment of music have finally come together! Head over to Reviler to check out the new mix tape "Fuck Michelle Bachmann 2010" by local group G-Biz.

Forest Swords

Forest Swords - Rattling Cage from ///NO PAIN IN POP\\\ on Vimeo.

Check out my short write up and the mp3 for the track "Rattling Cage" by Forest Swords, the video of which is above.

The Electric Razor

Nothing much to say about this....just a cool building in London that looks like an electric razor. It apparently is the tallest building in the city and the first to have wind turbines on the top to help with power. Cool stuff.

(via)

Sums it up

Wavves King of the Beach

Head over to Reviler to read my review of the very fun and very good new album King of the Beach by Wavves. It easily could have been a train wreck knowing him, but it is a very awesome record.

Best T-Shirt at Pitchfork

Still reeling from the weekend at Pitchfork, but I can share the best ironic T-Shirt I saw this weekend. There were some other good ones (Does your cat make too much noise?), but none made me laugh like this one did.

Droid Incredible

Got my new phone yesterday and it is awesome. My social interactions are probably going to grind to a halt, but at least I am wired and well connected.

Pitchfork!

By this time I should almost be in Chicago, so keep an eye on Reviler for updates from Jon and I as we see as many bands as possible at the 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival. If we don't melt from the heat, it should be a really great weekend with lots of cool live shows.

Thermals

Listen to the new track "I Don't Believe" from the Thermals over at Reviler. I go back and forth about the group, but this is a pretty solid song.

What's wrong with people?

This billboard is a)in Iowa, not some crazy Southern state b)supported by a group of political activists who, if polls are to believed, have the support of over 1/3 of voters and c)exists and was allowed to be put up, which is the most messed up part.

Brute Heart/Dada Trash Collage

Check out Jon's awesome photos and some videos I took from the Brute Heart/Dada Trash Collage In Store from last week at the Electric Fetus.

Wild resign Koivu

7 years, 40 some million. Glad to know he will be in a Wild sweater for a very long time. Go Wild!

Payback (literally)

Although I think screaming at people and acting like children when there is an honest discussion to be had brings us all down, I at least am glad to see it cutting both ways. I think Republicans have let the fact that the pendulum is swinging their way blind them to the fact that people are really mostly angry about not having jobs. When you (like GOP Gov. candidate Tom Emmer did) tell people you are going to cut their salaries because they make too much money, they are going to be mad. They may even dump a bag of pennies on your table while others are yelling at you while you are trying to get your point across. Maybe those "town halls" aren't the mass finally speaking up, maybe they are just events where the loudest, most shrill voices with the craziest things to say get the most attention. I don't see how that could be detrimental to democracy, do you?

Bikes!

Read a story about the really cool bike program that is popping up all over Minneapolis. I am big time for it. I love seeing more people riding bikes, if for no other reason than drivers have to get better at seeing them and are less likely to mow me down.

Memories

You've Got to Love London from Alex Silver on Vimeo.

This video, put together from photos from a study abroad student, makes me want to:

a)go back to London (or anywhere is England)
b)study abroad again
c)learn how to make something this cool....my pictures are in a folder on my detachable hard drive. That's not very exciting.

(via)

Best Coast Crazy for You Review

Every summer has that album, right? Well, Best Coast may be that album this summer, with their infectious fuzz rock songs pasted together and delivered to us at our bonfire on the beach, appropriately titled Crazy for You. If you want some simple, catchy songs about boys, drugs, summer and love, welcome home. Read the whole review HERE.

We're dumb

I missed this last month, but apparently we know nothing about the Supreme Court, the highest institution in our Judicial Branch. 2/3 of people couldn't name even one person and only 1% could name all nine. 1%! I don't know why I am surprised as I know lots of people who don't even know their senators, but it is a pretty sobering number. There are also lots of other pretty staggering facts, including "More than a third did not know the century in which the American Revolution took place, and half of respondents believed that either the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation or the War of 1812 occurred before the American Revolution."

Read the whole article HERE.

Dent May

Ukulele toting crooner Dent May is back with new material, this time in the form of the uke free track "That Feeling," which otherwise sounds just like him. Check it out over at Reviler.

Musical Diversity

I don't usually re-post anything I didn't write from Reviler, but I thought this post was worth mentioning. It is an interesting discussion about diversity in musical tastes and how much (or little) emphasis people should put on trying to achieve it. Not quite sure Jon or I thought we would be having such serious discussions when we started the site, but I know I think it is great. A really interesting read.

Tennis

Nope, not the sport, but the whimsical pop group who just released a mp3/video for the track "South Carolina," which you can see/hear over at Reviler.

Foot in Mouth Disease

I don't know why I am ever surprised anymore, but you have to be impressed with Michelle Bachmann's unrelenting ability to stick her foot firmly in her mouth (and win re-elections no less!). Her latest gaff involves her saying we are turning into a "Nation of Slaves." Cute.

Smoking Rolo Sideshow

Head over to Reviler to read what I thought about the sophomore album Rocket Silence, from the group Smoking Rolo Sideshow.

Sad/Scary

I don't have a "favorite" bar in Minneapolis, but Grumpys NE is definitely up there, which served to make me sad to hear about the shooting death outside the bar on Saturday night. If you haven't heard about it, read more HERE.

Pario Marty

Pario Marty is the pre-band side project of Real Estate frontman Martin Courtney IV. Check out the track "I Will Be" over at Reviler.

That line has been crossed....

Here is the first video I have seen that outright says that woman should not be able to have abortions, even if they are raped. It is strange watching and hearing this ad and realizing that they say she shouldn't get an abortion because he "dad" is "accused" of rape, like the woman may be lying or that the woman should suck it up. Sick.

Buke & Gass

Check out the track "Mendula Oblongata" from experimental folk/pop group Buke and Gass, who fans of the National might remember from their opening slot the last time the band came through First Ave.

Go Holland

After going into the game undecided and watching the first scoreless 45 minutes, I am officially cheering for the Dutch. The reason is that they flop slightly less than the Spanish, who seem to be trying to take the Italian approach of acting like they were stabbed every time someone makes any attempt to steal the ball (to their credit, it worked well for the Italians last WC). While the Dutch are no angles and comparing them might be like saying Burger King is less gross than McDonald's, I am going out on a limb and saying "Go Holland!"