Mark Olson and Friends at 400 Bar on 12/31/04

By: Sean Sauder
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I attend a lot of live music shows. Though I see a lot of live music, I'm not the kind of person to bring pen and paper to a show, so I have to rely totally on my memory (which can sometimes be a little fuzzy) to recount the events of an evening. Anyway, after spending New Year's Eve at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis, I was inspired to give this a shot. The evening was billed as Mark Olson with Tim O'Reagan and Karen Grotberg, which in itself sounded l...

Motion City Soundtrack at First Avenue on 12/19/04

By: Jim Brunzell III
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Sometimes the best part of any tour is just to get back home to see family and friends. (Or at least I’ve heard.) Imagine playing a sold-out show on your last tour date in your hometown. With your good friends and family present, no less. Motion City Soundtrack got spoiled with an early Christmas gift from their Twin Cities audience. Along with family and friends, young hipsters packed the floor and 21+ veterans upstairs emptied bottles left a...

Martin Devaney with Dana Thompson and Big Ditch Road at 7th Street Entry on 12/17/04

By: Steve McPherson
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It’s Friday, kids, and my first time back at the Entry since it re-opened. Aside from slightly better-mannered staff and slightly higher drink prices, everything’s pretty much the same. You know, vigilante cops looking for the drug masterminds who killed their partners and/or wives, awkward preteens blossoming into elegant swans when the jock squad bets the captain of the football team he can’t play Pygmalion to her Galatea,...

That's What You Get at Viking Bar on 12/11/04

By: Cyn Collins
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Although I arrived late, I was happily able to catch the last two-thirds of That’s What You Get’s 2nd appearance at the Viking Bar, following opener Baby Grant Johnson. It felt like coming home in more ways than one. While refreshingly original, especially with their timely political and tongue-in-cheek relationship and hangover angst, their sound is reminiscent of L.A. ‘80’s punk gurus “X” as well as the B...

Valet, Magnolia Electric Company and The Winter Blanket at 7th Street Entry on 12/11/04

By: Karla Ludzack
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Saturday night was my night to catch up on bands I haven't heard enough of the last couple years. It was also my first time back in the 7th Street Entry since the reopening of First Avenue. Not much has changed at The Entry, and that's a good thing. For sight lines and sound, The Entry has always been the best place to see live music in town. Most of the people I knew at Saturday's show were there to see Jason Molina and The Magnolia Electric Company, the recent ref...

24th Annual John Lennon Tribute at First Avenue on 12/8/04

By: Steve Young-Burns
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Photo by David de Young (click for full size, full band photo) Curtiss A's tribute to John Lennon last night at Minneapolis' First Avenue nightclub brought the spirit of Lennon into the mosh pit. He was alive last night, and I'm pretty sure if he were still around he'd be rocking out like we did. The show featured full electric whammy bar fr...

24th Annual John Lennon Tribute, pt. 2 at First Avenue on 12/8/04

By: Cyn Collins
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“It's almost the Beatles sounding better than the Beatles sounded live,” one independent radio host said when describing Curtisss A and Friend’s annual John Lennon Tribute. Other musicians and friends had informed me it was one of the best events of the entire year, and definitely Curtiss A’s shining moment as a performer. These recommendations as well as knowing Rusty Jones, bassist of the Front Porch Swinging Liquor Pigs was playing, clinched my decision ...

The Public Radio Band performs Abbey Road at Lee's Liquor Lounge on 12/7/04

By: Cyn Collins
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The Public Radio Band - Photo from their website After listening to the KFAI Strawberry Pop show featuring a 2-hour BBC interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono conducted 2 days before he was murdered, I was in the mood for nostalgia on the eve of the Anniversary of Lennon’s death. So I headed down to Lee’s to hear The Public...

Dan Israel CD Release Party at Lee's Liquor Lounge on 12/3/04

By: Dan Israel
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Editor’s preamble, warning, and disclaimer. This is the first, and possibly last time howwastheshow will publish a review of a show by the person who did the show. Dan Israel’s review of his own show is more than 4,000 words long! That’s feature article length folks, and not for the faint of heart. The howwastheshow contributor guidelines suggest single show reviews should be 500-750 words because even without the space limitations ...

Jay Munly & the Lee Lewis Harlots at Lee's Liquor Lounge on 12/1/04

By: Karla Ludzack
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With a rare solo appearance in the Twin Cities, Jay Munly of Slim Cessna's Auto Club was a show not to be missed. Munly is touring with The Lee Lewis Harlots in support of his latest solo effort, Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots. The band consists of two female violinists, who also provide backing vocals; a cellist; an upright bass player; a drummer; and Munly, mostly playing acoustic. The vibe of Munly show is a little different than ...