Mandy Moore at Fine Line Music Café on 9/27/07

By: Amber Schadewald
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   Mandy Moore - Publicity Photo Bad acting, junior high and “Candy” are things that come to mind when I think of Mandy Moore. Naturally I expected to see some combination of the three at her live show, but instead, I was pleasantly surprised and even impressed. Even though her latest album, Wild Hope (released Summer 2007) hadn’t attracted much attention, the Fine Line ...

Metric with Crystal Castles at First Avenue on 9/26/07

By: Jon Behm
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Emily Haines of Metric - Photo by Jon Behm Come kids, gather round. I want to tell you a tale. It’s called “The Story of Metric at First Avenue,” or “How I Nearly Got into a Fistfight with a Drunken Witch.”  It all started innocently enough. As if the opener, Crystal Castles, are anyone’s idea of innocent. The intense duo of Alice and ...

Peter Bjorn and John with The Clientele and Marissa Nadler at First Avenue on 9/24/07

By: Ryan Ruff Smith
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Peter, Bjorn & John - Photo by Stacy Schwartz Folk singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler started off the evening with an understated solo set. She addressed the audience with a charming shyness, but her confident voice was reminiscent of great British folk singers such as Sandy Denny and Shirley Collins. Her set consisted primarily of songs from her latest album Songs III: Bird on the Water, but als...

The Brunettes with Ferraby Lionheart at 400 Bar on 9/24/07

By: Jon Behm
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The Brunettes - Photo by Jon Behm The 400 Bar is one of the ugliest bars in Minneapolis. Regardless, it also plays host to some of the best national and international bands around.   Though the entire brick façade recently crumbled off the front of the bar to reveal an ancient ‘Drug Store” sign underneath, it hasn’t been keeping bands away. ...

Bonde Do Role, Juiceboxxx and Pet.s at Triple Rock Social Club on 9/21/07

By: Jen Paulson
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Bonde Do Role - Photo by Jon Behm Two out of town bands and one local one most definitely brought the party to the Triple Rock Friday night for what turned out to be a woefully under-attended show. And yes, all those band names above are spelled correctly.   Word on the street is that local band Tarantula Skulls have changed their name to Pet.s. Frontman Wes Statler of Melodious Owl fame fancies himse...

The National with St. Vincent at Fine Line Music Café on 9/20/07

By: Jon Behm
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The National - Photo by Jon Behm “Who the hell is from Ohio?” I overheard someone ask loudly to a friend at the Fine Line Music Café. The mystery he was addressing is the origins of The National, the headlining band of the night and all Cincinnatians to a man. Who is from Ohio indeed!? Only one of the best young American bands out there today.  I can...

Devendra Banhart at First Avenue on 9/16/07

By: Ryan Ruff Smith
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Devendra Banhart Devendra Banhart is a hard character to pin down. At first glance, the long hair and flowing beard have you convinced that he’s a hippie, but the way he approaches his music reveals a more indie aesthetic. Then he opens his mouth and releases an inimitable warble of a voice, and you have to wonder if he is actually of this world at all. But his casual banter and...

John McLaughlin at Dakota Jazz Club on 9/16/07

By: Joe Lang
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John McLaughlin - Photo by Ilya Ratner John McLaughlin is one of the top-10 baddest motherfuckers ever to grace the planet. Ever. There, I said it, even though I’m not the first. Miles Davis used the term when he first heard McLaughlin’s incendiary playing with the Tony Williams Lifetime in the late ‘60s, but perhaps Rod Sibley said it better in the official tour p...

Meeting by the Lakes: A Fusion Concert at Jeanne D'arc Hall on 9/15/07

By: Joe Lang
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Andrew York - Photo from herschelfreemanagency.com How many concerts can you claim to have seen featuring two Grammy Award winners, one a virtuoso Indian guitarist, the other a classical, jazz and rock bass player? Put your hands down. We both know the answer is none. That is, unless you were at the Meeting by the Lakes concert benefiting non-profit Indian culture and outreach organ...

Brazzaville with Body Language/Togetherness, Big Trouble and White Jazz at The Turf Club on 9/14/07

By: Jon Behm
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Brazzaville - Photo by Jon Behm Things were not going my way at the Turf Club last Friday. First, my girlfriend bailed on the show, which left me alone with my muse, Summit EPA (watered down with tears of loneliness). Next thing I know, I am in the bathroom washing my hands and I accidentally knock my whole beer into the sink. Friendless and beerless, I wandered aimlessly amongst th...