Prince Family Reunion at Cabooze on 6/6/08

By: Will McClain
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The stars had aligned: the eve of Prince’s 50th birthday, a modest Minneapolis stage, a roster thick with old friends and family, a Prince pseudonym (Jamie Starr) on the bill—how could it not add up to an appearance by the diminutive star? With tickets under $20, the bill was an impressive who’s who of Prince hired guns, a vivified wax museum of Twin Cities music history. From pioneer Revolution guitarist Dez Dickerson to sax man Eric Leeds and quirky keyboardist Dr. Matt ...

An Interview with Michael Di'Greggario of Mercurial Rage on 6/4/08

By: David Rachac
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Lead singer Michael Di'Greggario formed the electronic-influenced Mercurial Rage with bassist Chris Church in 2003. In this interview, Di’Greggario talks about their place in the local music community, working with producer Ed Ackerson and the release of their new self-titled CD.   HowWasTheShow: Tell me about your musical background—when you started playing music, early bands, etc.   Michael Di'Greggario: I have been a...

Podcast: HowWasTheShow 6 Year Anniversary Party Preview at The Turf Club on 6/4/08

By: Jen Paulson, Bob Longmore, David de Young
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   Collage of the bands playing the HowWasTheShow anniversary party by David de Young HowWasTheShow turns 6 years old this year and will celebrate with a party at the Turf Club on Friday night June 6th. Helping them celebrate 6 years of writing about live music and nearly 1,000 reviews online will be The Haves Have It, The 757s, The Evening Rig, Dallas Orbiter, and The Wars of 1812.   This m...

Brian Just CD Release Show with Meg Ashling and Switzerlind at 331 Club on 5/30/08

By: Bob Longmore
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Brian Just - Photo by David de Young The crowd wandered in and out of the 331 Club all night, but when the sounds of angel voices rolling off the ripples of crashing waves were overwhelmed by the ringing of an electric guitar, they stood still. This is how the Brian Just CD release show begins, the intro to “In the Sun,” sets the mood perfectly for what followed, a relaxed,...

Roma di Luna with Jeremy Messersmith and Mike Mangione at 7th Street Entry on 5/30/08

By: Carl Atiya Swanson
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Roma di Luna - Photo by Stacy Schwartz Pity the poor commuter. It's no secret that the ideals of suburban living are long gone, the dreams of a perfect community pushed to the nightmares of Judge Doom’s mad visions from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? As our freeway arteries clog with shopping malls and Taco Bells, it is the intrepid of spirit, the determined, who make it through the d...

An Interview with Brian Just on 5/29/08

By: David Rachac
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Brian Just Brian Just is a local singer/songwriter who is about to release his fourth CD, titled Open Air. In this interview he talks about his musical inspirations, the origins of his band and his recording process.   HowWasTheShow: Tell me about your musical background—when you started playing, early bands, etc.   Brian Just: I grew up with a lot of good records in my house and I learned a l...

An Interview with Scott Hefte of Seymore Saves the World on 5/29/08

By: David Rachac
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Seymore Saves the World Scott Hefte fronts the piano-rock band Seymore Saves the World, in addition to playing in a multitude of other projects. In this interview, he talks about his early music training, putting together a band to realize his musical vision, and the Triple CD Release party (with Zibra Zibra and Middlepicker) at the Varsity on Friday, May 30.   HowWasTheShow: When did you start playing musi...

John Swardson and Get Gone CD Release Party w/ Stook and the Evening Rig at 7th Street Entry on 5/22/08

By: David de Young
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   John Swardson w/ Eliza Blue - Photo by David de Young I hope you’re not tired of hearing variations on “I first heard so and so at the Hootenanny” because you’re likely to hear that phrase on this site again. Though John Swardson has been playing around the Twin Cities for some time, and his song “Beautiful Day” was chosen as tone of the Current&...

Podcast: Kari Tauring, interview and show preview at Cedar Cultural Center on 5/22/08

By: David de Young
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  Nordic Roots artist Kari Tauring at a 2007 book signing at Eye of Horus in Minneapolis On Wednesday, May 28th, 2008, The Eye of Horus welcomes Australian dark cabaret singer/songwriter  Wendy Rule to the Cedar Cultural Center. Joining Wendy on that bill are medieval mystics Felonious Bosch and Nordic Roots performer Kari Tauring. This month on on the HowWasTheShow Artist Series Podcast,...

An Interview with John Swardson on 5/19/08

By: David Rachac
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John Swardson and Get Gone - Photo by Jennifer Glaws John Swardson is a local singer/songwriter who is about to release his second CD, titled Silver Dust. In this interview, he talks about his writing process, putting together a killer band and his outlook on the future of the Minnesota Twins.   HowWasTheShow: Tell me about your musical background—when you started playing, early bands, etc. John Sw...