Toots and the Maytals at Trocaderos on 10/12/07

By: Jen Paulson
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   Toots Hibbert - Photo by Gordon Chalmers Tucked away into a corner of the Warehouse District is Trocaderos – a place I have nicknamed “The douchebag capital of Minneapolis.” I hadn’t heard many good things about this place to begin with, so the only thing that got me there was my late discovery that legendary Reggae superstars Toots and the Maytals would be playing...

Spoon at First Avenue on 10/10/07

By: Jon Behm
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Britt Daniel of Spoon - Photo by Jon Behm I may have to move to Austin. Minneapolis is no slouch, but the quality of the bands that have been birthed in that Texas town is astounding. From Janis Joplin to the Butthole Surfers, Austin has a long-standing reputation for talented and original musicians. Not the least among them is the indie-rock band Spoon, whom I was lucky enough to catch on Wednesday night at ...

Matt Pond PA with Jesca Hoop at The Varsity Theater on 10/8/07

By: Jen Paulson
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Jesca Hoop - Photo by Jon Behm Arriving too late for Jesca Hoop’s entire set, even the final song I did catch was a bit of a departure from the dressed-down first time I saw her open for The Polyphonic Spree this summer. The former nanny of Tom Waits’ children did a great version of the song “Out the Back Door” from her fantastic, current album, Kismet. Hoop was dressed to the nines, mad ...

A First Avenue Double Header: Of Montreal and Girl Talk at First Avenue on 10/5/07

By: Ryan Ruff Smith
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Girl Talk - Photo by Steve Cohen My brother Daniel and I got home at about 2:30 AM and realized that we had spent almost nine hours concert-going. That adds up to a full workday’s worth of rocking out, with a lunch break. Much like an actual workday, it started a bit rough.  We were confronted with the antics of Grand Buffet, a duo who introduced themselves as ...

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at Fine Line Music Café on 10/4/07

By: Kelly Hopf Basgen
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  Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Photo by Stacy Schwartz Before Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s most recent stop in Minneapolis, some speculated that the band may already be past-peak after only three years playing together. An internet buzz-band case study, CYHSY’s MySpace-inspired chatter has significantly waned. Their second album, Some Loud Thunder, fell flat for fan...

Elvis Perkins at The Fine Line, Hootenany and at 400 Bar on 10/4/07

By: Stacy Schwartz
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Elvis Perkins at the Fine Line  - Photo by Stacy Schwartz Elvis Perkins in Dearland mini-Minneapolis tour - Thursday, October 4th, 2007 at The Fine Line,  Friday, October 5th at Java Jacks, and Friday, October 5th at The 400 Bar, Minneapolis Back in April, on a whim, HowWasTheShow’s Andrea Myers, Jen Paulson and I headed over to The 400 Bar to see a band I&rsquo...

Deerhoof at Walker Art Center on 10/2/07

By: Amber Schadewald
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   Deerhoof - Publicity Photo In short, Deerhoof made my endorphins skip outta their holsters faster than any drug I imagine is available on the street. This San Fran band is genius in their ability to be both sporadic and ADD, while also detail-oriented and beautifully planned down to the second. Their show at the Walker was as strange as I had hoped, and a few liberal tablespoons more. Th...

Arcade Fire with LCD Soundsystem at Roy Wilkins Auditorium on 9/30/07

By: Jen Paulson
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Arcade Fire - Photo by Aaron Brown With the combination of the weekend’s off and on rain and general dreariness, going to a concert was probably the last thing I wanted to do. But a birthday present, redeeming itself over a month later ensured that I wouldn’t make such a stupid move as staying in while that big building over in St. Paul housed one of the best shows of 20...

The Black Lips at Triple Rock Social Club on 9/30/07

By: Jon Behm
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The Black Lips - Photo by Jon Behm Have The Black Lips been tamed? At Sunday night’s Triple Rock show I saw not a hint of blood, nudity, vomiting or urine—all things that their shows have been notorious for at one time or another.  This time around, the famously hard drinking band seemed to have had a lot less booze than the audience had. Well, except for maybe the...

Nick Lowe with Ron Sexsmith at Fine Line Music Café on 9/29/07

By: David de Young
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   Nick Lowe at the Fine Line - Photo by David de Young Considering I almost decided against going at the last minute, looking back on Nick Lowe’s performance at the Fine Line from the following day I can’t imagine my life without having seen it. Lowe’s performance Saturday was a reaffirming show for many of the music fans in attendance (both the young and old), it w...