Tonight - WARRANT & WINGER in Medina, CAIN Vocalist JIGGS LEE in St. Paul

It's been hard to be inspired to write recently, so apologies all around for the lack of any new content or updates. Quite honestly there hasn't been a whole lot in the metal world that's gotten me excited. Part of it has been the lack of exciting live shows the last 2–3 months. It dawned on me not too long ago that I've been relentlessly attending concerts for 30 years now. I feel blessed that I have quite literally seen almost every metal and hard rock band that I want to see (many times, in the case of my favorites), and more often than not, in the bands' prime. It may be hard to understand, but during the long, cold Minnesota winter it takes something special to drag me out of the house away from my family.

Mock if you will, but seeing Winger tonight has gotten me fired up. They're playing a co-headlining show with Warrant at the Medina Entertainment Center in Medina. It's a 21+ show and Winger goes on first at 8:30 so don't be late! It may be hard to remember that before Winger became everyone's favorite band to mock, they were initially heralded as a technical musician's band when their debut album was released in 1988. Kip Winger and Paul Taylor had both spent time in Alice Cooper's band in the mid-80s, and as drummer for the Dixie Dregs Rod Morgenstein had racked up a string a Drummer of the Year honors. So I've never been shy about liking the band from the start, and three of the four original members still periodically put out great albums (2009's Karma is my favorite) and do small tour runs. I first saw the band opening for Cinderella with Bulletboys in 1989, again promoting In The Heart Of The Young with Kiss and Slaughter, and then headlining on the Pull tour. This 1993 show was especially memorable since I had won a radio contest and spent the Fourth of July at a barbecue picnic with the band the day of the show. Winger came through Station 4 in St. Paul a few years ago promoting the IV album in a fairly low-key show. Their last scheduled appearance in Medina for the Karma album together with Blackfoot was unfortunately canceled. Warrant is one band I've never seen, but I have seen current singer Robert Mason with Cry Of Love supporting Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers (with Journey guitarist Neal Schon in his band at the time). I've got some cool old Winger memorabilia I'll dig out for a "From The Vault" post, including an uncirculated audio recording from a tour for their first album.

Check out the video for "Rat Race" from the latest Winger album Better Days Comin'.

The only other show of note tonight is happening at the Amsterdam in St. Paul. Jiggs Lee, vocalist for local 70s cult hard rock band Cain, is playing as Jiggs Lee and Brothers Invasion with other local bands in a free benefit show for the American Cancer Society.

I'll get around to updating the concert calendar and getting some regular posts up. This looks to be a great year ahead for metal and hard rock!

BLACK FLAG Extends U.S. Tour, Adds July 20 St. Paul Show to Tour

Definitive, reformed punk legends Black Flag announced a couple weeks ago a major extension of their U.S. tour throughout the western half of the country, but only recently added a St. Paul date on Sunday, July 20 at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall. Support will come from the curious Greg Ginn & The Royal We and Cinema Cinema, and the complete list of new dates for July and August is below.

Look for a review of the Black Flag show a couple weeks ago at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis soon! If you missed this show, redeem yourself by going to the one in St. Paul. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketfly.

July 11 – Houston, TX, House of Blues

July 12 – Baton Rouge, LA, Varsity Theatre

July 13 – Memphis, TN, Young Ave. Deli

July 14 – Knoxville, TN, The Concourse at The International

July 15 – Louisville, KY, Headliner’s Music Hall

July 16 – Cleveland, OH, House of Blues

July 18 – Lombard, IL, Brauer House

July 19 – Springfield, IL, Donnie’s Homespun

July 20 – St. Paul, MN, Amsterdam Bar & Hall

July 21 – Fargo, ND, The Aquarium

July 22 – Aberdeen, SD, Slackers

July 23 – Rapid City, SD, Sports Rock

July 24 – Billings, MT, The Railyard

July 25 – Butte, MT, Evel Knievel Days Festival

July 27 – Boise, ID, Knitting Factory

July 28 – Salt Lake City, UT, The Complex

July 29 – Grand Junction, CO, Mesa Theater

July 30 – Cheyenne, WY, The Drunken Skunk

July 31 – Englewood, CO, Gothic Theatre

August 1 – Colorado Springs, CO, Rawkus

August 2 – Albuquerque, NM, Sister

August 3 – Lubbock, TX, Backstage

August 4 – Fort Worth, TX, The Aardvark

August 6 – San Antonio, TX, The Korova

August 7 – Corpus Christi, TX, House of Rock

In Concert This Week - June 17, 2014

Tonight, Wednesday, June 18, doom/folk band Agalloch from Portland will play Minneapolis at the Triple Rock Social Club in support of their new album The Serpent & The Sphere. Joining them will be psychedelic black metal band Obsidian Tongue from Massachusetts and Blood And Sun. Local brewery HammerHeart (yes, named in honor of the Bathory album!) will also release Serpensblod tomorrow, an ale inspired by Agalloch and described as “a dry, smoked red ale, including beechwood, cherry wood, and oak smoked malts, chocolate malt and a generous portion of rye with a mild hop presence, 8.34% alcohol by volume.” Tickets are $15 at the door, and it’s an 18+ show with doors at 8:00.

Fargo’s Egypt plays the Triple Rock Social Club on Thursday, June 19 with Witchden, Wicked Inquisition, and Flintlock. This is an 18+ show that starts around 8:00, and it’s $8 at the door.

Things then get insane over the weekend with a ton of shows in all manner of heavy musical styles. First, Extreme Noise Records in Minneapolis is celebrating their 20th anniversary with the second of three weekend’s worth of shows. The events start Friday, June 20 with a Twin Cities punk art show at the store, and Teenage Moods, Animal Lover, Miami Dolphins, and Rabbit Holes playing a free show at the Hexagon Bar in Minneapolis. Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22 Extreme Noise takes over Memory Lanes in Minneapolis for record swaps that run from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, followed by all ages shows in the parking lot at 3:00 pm for $5 each day. Playing Saturday afternoon are Los Crudos, Organism (from Japan), Cleveland Bound Death Sentence, Mean Jeans, Banner Pilot, and Kontrasekt, and Sunday afternoon has Iron Lung, Lebenden Toten, Radioactivity, Frozen Teens, and Condominium. Saturday night (10:00 pm), Question, Gas Rag, Pillage, and Varix play a free show in the bowling alley. As if that’s not enough, Extreme Noise also has free shows at the Hexagon Bar Saturday and Sunday with Arms Aloft, Boilerman, The Crash Bandits, and The Okerlunds on Saturday, and Bad Sports, Real Numbers, Joust, and Hot Rash on Sunday.

Friday, June 20 also has Impaler, Exiles, The Regenerators, and Fatal Kaliber playing at the Amsterdam Ball & Hall, Lockgnar, Plagued Insanity, Invidiosus, and Time Destroyer at Big V’s Saloon in St. Paul, The Rope, Maledicere, Prostate, The Funeral And The Twilight, and Begrime Exemious at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis, and Mommy Sez No and Jolly Roger Bandits at the Red Carpet Keller Bar in St. Cloud.

On Saturday, June 21, the Terminal Bar in Minneapolis has a night of underground black metal billed as The Devil’s Coven II with Nyogthaeblisz and Hellvetron from Texas along with locals Masshu, Bestial Whore, and Volkeinblucht. This starts around 7:00, and it’s a 21+ show that’s $15 at the door. Also on Saturday, you can catch Nuisance, Dead Horse Trauma, Gabriel And The Apocalypse, and Ghost Hook at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis, and 32Headshots, Left In The Lurch, and Dark Side at the Red Carpet Keller Bar in St. Cloud.

Tours: BLACK VEIL BRIDES to Embark on U.S. Tour, Play St. Paul October 24

Black Veil Brides have lined up a Fall American tour to coincide with the October 28 release date of their new album. No support acts have been announced at this time, and the bands rolls into St. Paul at Myth on Friday, October 24. Tickets for the St. Paul show are on sale now through AXS.

October 21 – Niagara Falls, NY, Rapids Theater

October 22 – Columbus, OH, The LC Pavilion

October 24 – St. Paul, MN, Myth

October 25 – Chicago, IL, Riveria Theatre

October 27 – Denver, CO, The Fillmore Auditorium

October 30 – Las Vegas, NV, House of Blues

October 31 – Tempe, AZ, The Marquee Theatre

November 1 – Los Angeles, CA, Wiltern Theatre

November 3 – San Francisco, CA, The Warfield

November 5 – Portland, OR, Roseland Theater

November 7 – Seattle, WA, Showbox SoDo

November 8 – Spokane, WA, Knitting Factory

November 9 – Boise, ID, Knitting Factory

November 10 – Salt Lake City, UT, The Complex

November 12 – Kansas City, MO, Uptown Theater

November 14 – Indianapolis, IN, Egyptian Room at Old National Centre

November 15 – Royal Oak, MI, Royal Oak Music Theatre

November 16 – Cleveland, OH, Agora Theater

November 17 – Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE

November 19 – Philadelphia, PA, The Electric Factory

November 21 – Stroudsburg, PA, Sherman Theater

November 22 – Worcester, MA, Palladium

November 23 – New York, NY, Best Buy Theater

November 26 – Portland, ME, State Theatre

November 28 – Clifton Park, NY, Upstate Concert Hall

November 29 – Silver Spring, MD, The Fillmore

December 2 – Louisville, KY, Expo Five

December 3 – Atlanta, GA, The Tabernacle

December 4 – Orlando, FL, House of Blues

December 5 – Charlotte, NC, The Fillmore

December 6 – Norfolk, VA, The NorVa

December 8 – Grand Rapids, MI, Orbit Room

December 9 – St. Louis, MO, The Pageant

December 11 – Houston, TX, Bayou Music Center

December 12 – Dallas, TX, South Side Ballroom

December 13 – San Antonio, TX, Backstage Live

December 15 – Albuquerque, NM, Sunshine Theatre

Tours: NIK TURNER’S HAWKWIND Announce North American Tour with WITCH MOUNTAIN and HEDESLEBEN, Play St. Paul September 21

Witch Mountain performing at the Turf Club in St. Paul on October 19, 2012. Click on the photo to see additional pictures from this show (35).

Long-running cult space rock band Nik Turner’s Hawkwind will be out on the road in August and September with support from Portland doom band Witch Mountain and Hedersleben. The tour starts in Oakland on August 26, and circles North America before arriving at the Turf Club in St. Paul on Sunday, September 21. Tickets for the St. Paul show go on sale Friday, June 20 at 12:00 noon through etix. The complete itinerary is below.

August 26 – Oakland, CA, Uptown

August 27 – Los Angeles, CA, Viper Room

August 28 – San Diego, CA, Casbah

August 29 – Tucson, AZ, Hotel Congress

August 30 – Albuquerque, NM, Launch Pad

September 1 – Austin, TX, Red 7

September 2 – New Orleans, LA, Siberia

September 3 – Birmingham, AL, Bottletree

September 4 – Memphis, TN, Hi-Tone Café

September 5 – Lafayette, GA, Meltasia Fest

September 6 – Raleigh, NC, Hopscotch Fest*

September 7 – Richmond, VA, Strange Matter

September 8 – Baltimore, MD, Metro Gallery

September 9 – Philadelphia, PA, Boot and Saddle

September 10 – Sellersville, PA, Sellersville Theater

September 11 – New York, NY, Webster Hall

September 12 – Boston, MA, Middle East

September 14 – Montreal, QC, Il Motore

September 15 – Toronto, ON, The Garrison

September 16 – Rochester, NY, Bug Jar

September 17 – Cleveland, OH, Beachland Ballroom

September 18 – Chicago, IL, Beat Kitchen

September 19 – Rock Island, IL, RIBCO

September 20 – Milwaukee, WI, Cactus Club*

September 21 – St. Paul, MN, Turf Club

September 22 – Winnipeg, MB, Pyramid Cabaret*

September 23 – Saskatoon, SK, Vangelis Tavern

September 24 – Calgary, AB, Palomino

September 26 – Vancouver, BC, Venue

September 27 – Seattle, WA, Chop Suey

September 28 – Portland, OR, Star Theater

*No Hedersleben

Tours: HE IS LEGEND Announce July/August U.S. Tour, St. Paul Show August 17

North Carolina-based rock band He Is Legend have announced a U.S. trek dubbed the “Mega Deaf Tour” as the band prepares for the release of a new album. The month-long tour starts July 25 in Atlanta, and support will come from Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster and Wilson. All dates are listed below, and St. Paul is included on the tour with a stop on Sunday, August 17 at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall. No further ticket information for the St. Paul show is available at this time.

Watch the lyric video for "Something Witchy" by He Is Legend.

You can watch the lyric video for “Something Witchy” above, which will appear on the band’s new album. “Something Witchy” is available as a digital single now through iTunes and Tragic Hero Records, where you can also get your hands on a limited edition bundle of the digital single with a t-shirt and poster.

July 25 – Atlanta, GA, The Masquerade

July 26 – Ybor City, FL, Orpheum

July 27 – Jacksonville, FL, Underbelly

July 29 – Nashville, TN, Exit/In

July 31 – San Antonio, TX, Limelight

August 1 – Austin, TX, Dirty Dog Bar

August 2 – Dallas, TX, Trees

August 3 – Houston, TX, Walters

August 6 – Tucson, AZ, The Rock

August 7 – Phoenix, AZ, Joe’s Grotto

August 9 – La Jolla, CA, Porter’s Pub

August 10 – Pomona, CA, The Glass House

August 11 – Sacramento, CA, Assembly

August 12 – Salt Lake City, UT, Urban Lounge

August 13 – Denver, CO, Marquis Theatre

August 14 – Kansas City, MO, Riot Room

August 15 – St. Louis, MO, Fubar

August 16 – Joliet, IL, Mojoes

August 17 – St. Paul, MN, Amsterdam Bar & Hall

August 19 – Newport, KY, Thompson House

August 20 – Cleveland, OH, Agora Ballroom

August 21 – Louisville, KY, Phoenix Hill Tavern

August 22 – Fayetteville, NC, The Drunken Horse Pub