Tonight's show was all about the great state of Minnesota. Last night (Monday 4/5), Melinda and I saw The Hold Steady at Higher ground and they were incredible. Much better than I had anticipated and I've been anticipating seeing them for years. Not much between song banter from lead singer Craig Finn, which caught me by surprise, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that his lyrics and singing is banter in itself. They were constant, powerful, and so full of energy. Finn was unstopable onstage and so endearing with his nerdiness. He reminded me so much of a childhood friend of mine that it made me want to do a show all with Minnesota bands.
Another reason I wanted to focus on Minnesota bands is an article I read in Bicycling Magazine that listed the 50 best cycling cities in the Nation and the mini-Apple took 1st prize. Which is so odd due to it's intense cold winter months. People there are so very hardy and healthy. It's a lot like Vermont in that they're very progressive politically, very active, and very health-conscious. Mid-westerners, especially Minnesotans, have always seemed so very real and grounded to me. I've always felt comfortable around them.
And they play some pretty damn good music. The first band I focused on was The Trashmen (a surf-rock band from Minnesota!!!???) who had one of the most famous surf rock tunes ever--Surfin' Bird. It's odd how they came up with the song though...they basically combined two songs by The Rivington's--"The Bird is the Word" and "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow". Next up was the incredible Hold Steady who have members who were originally from Minneapolis, but now reside in Brooklyn. They're such an awesome, straight-ahead, intelligent rock'n'roll band and are really unlike any other band out there right now. And they have a new album coming out on May 4th.
Next up was The Replacements who no doubt inspired The Hold Steady. They started out in the late 70's around the same time as Husker Du who I didn't put on my show. They were out of the Twin Cities and inspired numerous bands around the country. Mason Jennings came next on the show and, while he wasn't originally from the land of 10,000 lakes, he did move there and lived there as he gained national attention as a musician. He has put out tons of albums and my favorite album of his is Boneclouds. Great lyrics, especially on If You Need A Reason.
Last but definitely not least is the Duluth born Bob Dylan. There's no way I could write anything that hasn't been written before. And I tried to play some of his more obscure tunes -- Mozambique and Billy 1 from my favorite Dylan album, Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid. In other Dylan news, his son Jakob Dylan just released an album that has given me a reason to finally become a Jakob Dylan fan. He's joined by Neko Case and it sounds much less commercial, and more real than his previous albums.
If you have a chance to visit Minnesota I highly recommend it. Especially if it's by bike.
1. The Trashmen - Surfin' Bird - Surfin' Bird
2. The Hold Steady - Constructive Summer - Stay Positive
3. The Hold Steady - Sequestered In Memphis - Stay Positive
4. The Hold Steady - Both Crosses - Stay Positive
5. The Replacements - Hold My Life - Tim
6. The Replacements - Little Mascara - Tim
7. The Replacements - Bastards of Young - Tim
8. Mason Jennings - Be Here Now - Boneclouds
9. Mason Jennings - If You Need A Reason - Boneclouds
10. Bob Dylan - Mozambique - Desire
11. Bob Dylan - Billy 1 - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
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