Richard Hawley with Ferraby Lionheart at 400 Bar on 12/6/07

By: Jon Behm
[Read full review]
Ferraby Lionheart - Photo by Jon Behm I can hardly blame anyone for not making it to the 400 Bar last Thursday night for Richard Hawley. It was one of those nights where the wind was so cold that walking down the street felt like you were getting gunned down by Mr. Freeze. Those who made the arctic journey though were rewarded by an evening of excellent music.  Ferraby Lionheart and his band were the night...

Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings at First Avenue on 11/16/07

By: Joe Lang
[Read full review]
Sharon Jones - Photo by Alexa Jones Since the dawn of the 21st century, there has been a resurgence of bands carrying the torch of the Atlantic Records soul and R & B sounds of the early- to mid-sixties. Groups like the Quantic Soul Orchestra, The Budos Band and Lefties Soul Connection are conjuring up the gutbucket funk and groove of artists like James Brown and The Meters in a way...

Atmosphere at First Avenue on 11/9/07

By: Amber Schadewald
[Read full review]
   Slug, in one of his many hats - Photo by Alexa Jones God may love ugly, but when its Slug, so does most everyone else. Ugly is a harsh word—Slug simply looked like a creep. With a sketchy ‘stash and long, dirty hair hung around his face, Slug looked like an escaped convict/the creepy uncle you avoid at reunions. His music, on the other hand, was as beautiful as hip hop can be....

Battles at Fine Line Music Café on 11/7/07

By: Amber Schadewald
[Read full review]
   Battles - Photo from their MySpace page Watching Battles is like getting a down and dirty tour of a factory. Obnoxiously loud, the instruments act as machines, grinding, clinking, clashing and ticking, coming together into one melodious burst of energy. The Fine Line was moderately full, but there was still adequate room on the floor. I was lucky enough to be standing directly undernea...

Robyn Hitchcock at Cedar Cultural Center on 11/4/07

By: David de Young
[Read full review]
   Robyn Hitchcock at the Cedar - Photo by David de Young I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen Robyn Hitckcock over the years, but it surely must be approaching a dozen by now, including the Soft Boys reunion at First Avenue in 2002. In one form or another, I have most of Hitchcock’s recordings (some on multiple media formats such as vinyl and CD). I’ve attende...

Robyn Hitchcock with Sean Nelson at Cedar Cultural Center on 11/4/07

By: Jen Paulson
[Read full review]
Robyn Hitchcock - Photo by Alexa Jones Sunday night, armed only with a special mix CD’s worth of Robyn Hitchcock knowledge, I settled into my spot at the Cedar, quite excited to see this highly-influential singer/songwriter.   Right out of the gate, Sean Nelson treated us to a performance of his sweepingly cabaret-style and heavily lyrical songs. Nelson, lead singer of the band Harvey Danger, stuck ...

Jens Lekman at Triple Rock Social Club on 11/3/07

By: Jon Behm
[Read full review]
Jens Lekman - Photo by Jon Behm My girlfriend and I have an arrangement. If she ever gets a chance to run away with Jens Lekman, she will take it with no regrets. I can’t blame her. After seeing Jens on Saturday night at the Triple Rock, I would probably run away with him too. The young Swede is an incredible songwriter, musician and entertainer, not to mention the fact that he is...

THEMES, Casper & the Cookies and The Poison Control Center at The Turf Club on 11/3/07

By: Dan Schultz
[Read full review]
The Poison Control Center - Photo by Dan Schultz Some old school photographers say shoot one roll, throw it away, and then start making pictures. Not bad advice.  I certainly could delete the first 36 shots from any given night and not miss any of them. And maybe a similar rule held true for two trios at opposite ends of the bill at the Turf  Club Saturday night. Poison Control Center of...

Kelly Clarkson at State Theatre on 11/2/07

By: Kelly Hopf Basgen
[Read full review]
Kelly Clarkson, publicity photo When getting to know new people who enjoy music, I like to play the “First, Best, Worst” concert game. People love to tell stories about their first shows: bussing to Rochester with the church group to see Stryper, witnessing Tina Turner get booed while opening for Lionel Richie during the “Hello” days, seeing Van Halen with dad. There’s no doubt ...

Gogol Bordello at First Avenue on 11/1/07

By: Jon Behm
[Read full review]
Gogol Bordello - Photo by Jon Behm I love Eugene Hutz’s accent. When I saw Gogol Bordello on Thursday night, I badly wanted the hilarious frontman to do some lines from one of my favorite films, Everything is Illuminated, in which he plays Elijah Wood’s guide Alex.  Illuminated’s Alex is a Ukranian hip hop fan who “all the women want to become carnal with because [he] is such a ...