VISTA CHINO, RANCID Tonight in Minneapolis

Vista Chino (formerly Kyuss Lives!), the new version of cult stoner rock legends Kyuss led by vocalist John Garcia, is in town tonight, Wednesday, September 18 for a show at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis with support from Black Pussy and Zebulon Pike. I've seen Kyuss three times, once each on the Blues For The Red Sun, Welcome To Sky Valley, and ...And The Circus Leaves Town tours, as well as John's post-Kyuss bands Slo Burn and Unida and Kyuss guitarist Josh Homme's Queens Of The Stone Age - all great shows, with the Kyuss ones being especially memorable. I heard great things about last year's Kyuss Lives! show, so get out for this one if you can. It's an 18+ show that starts at 8:30, and general admission tickets are $25, while the reserved seats are $30.

The Skyway Theater in Minneapolis seems to be filling the void left by the extended closure of Station 4 in St. Paul with a bunch of metal and punk shows, including one by Rancid tonight, September 18. Support for this one comes from Tim Timebomb And Friends, The Interrupters, and Victory (I'm assuming this isn't the German 80s metal band). It's an early all ages show that starts at 5:30, and tickets are $25 and $40 at the door.

Concert Announcements And Updates - June 14, 2013, Part 2 of 2

Here's the second half of the latest metal concert news for the Twin Cities area, covering July and August. See Part 1 for the updates for June.

Buckcherry returns to the area for a show on Wednesday, July 3 with Girl On Fire at the Vetter Stone Amphitheater in Mankato.

Cantharone has another show lined up at the Hexagon Bar in Minneapolis with Hate Beast on Thursday, July 4.

Long-running punk band Meat Puppets will play four shows in Minnesota to promote their 14th album, Rat Farm, released on Megaforce earlier this year. They play two shows on Saturday, July 13 – an early 5:00 show at the St. John’s Block Party in Rochester, followed by an 8:30 show at the Twin Cites Roots, Rock and Deep Blues Festival in Minneapolis at Patrick’s Cabaret. The next night, Sunday, July 14 has them at Tycoons in Duluth with Actual Wolf and Enemy Planes.

The day after performing with Sevendust in Rochester, Otherwise has their own headlining show on Sunday, July 14 at Pov’s 65 in Spring Lake Park with special guests Throw The Fight and The Soft Light.

KEN Mode and Virginia doom band Inter Arma play the Turf Club in St. Paul on Thursday, July 18.

Ambassador Gun hooks up with Philadelphia’s Sadgiqacea, Hivelords, and Poney for a show at the Nomad World Pub in Minneapolis on Friday, July 19.

The Meat Puppets’ fourth Minnesota show happens at the What’s Up Lounge in Mankato on Friday, July 19.

Comical metal band Psychostick returns, this time to Pov’s 65 in Spring Lake Park on Friday, July 19 with Outside The Murder and Strate-Jak-It.

Sweden's female-fronted power metal sensations Amaranthe play the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis on Tuesday, July 23 with support from Kobra And The Lotus.

Although they long ago abandoned their early punk roots, Minneapolis’s own Soul Asylum tops the Skyline Music Festival with Big Head Todd And The Monsters, Matthew Sweet, and Gear Daddies to Target Field in Minneapolis on Friday, July 26.

A huge lineup of local bands have organized the Metal For Life event at Neisen’s in Savage on Saturday, July 27—all proceeds will be donated to the Shriners Hospital for Children. Slated to participate are Cantharone, Piranha, Gryzor, Matrekis, Clobberboot, Eldergaad, Dark Mirror, Tomorrow Brings New Blood, Chaostrophe, Deretla, Monogon, and Malice (MN). This event is all ages are starts early at 10:00 am.

Locals Nuisance also play on Saturday, July 27 at the Cabooze in Minneapolis with Slow Spokes, Aeous, We Be Lions, and Up Rock.

Florida instrumentalists Set And Setting play the Hexagon Bar in Minneapolis on Wednesday, July 31. Their debut album Equanimity was released last week through Forcefield and Science of Silence.

Minneapolis-based heavy instrumentalist masters Zebulon Pike rock the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis on Friday, August 2 with Vulgaari, Relentless, and Ashen.

Down in Mankato at the Vetter Stone Amphitheater you can catch rock band Everclear at the Mankato Ribfest on Friday, August 2.

Loverboy plays the Mankato Ribfest at Vetter Stone Amphitheater on Saturday, August 3.

The Monday, August 5 Vampire Weekend show at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis is SOLD OUT.

The Big Night Out Tour with hard rock bands Fuel, Hoobastank, Lit, and Alien Ant Farm comes to Myth in St. Paul on Wednesday, August 7.

The Vetter Stone Amphitheater in Mankato has a big night of 80s metal with Ratt, Sebastian Bach, Dokken, and Lita Ford on Thursday, August 15.

Fresh off their recent show in St. Paul, Bobaflex hits Mankato at Buster’s on Wednesday, August 7 with Royal Bliss.

Concert Announcements - July 27, 2012

The Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis just announced a local show with Emergent, Vaudeville, Thira, Whither The Tide, and R.A.G.E. on Friday, August 10.

Hard rock band Saving Abel plays an 18+ show at Station 4 in St. Paul on Friday, August 17. Advance tickets are only $5.

Yesterday it was announced that the Dethklok, Lamb Of God, and Gojira tour was cancelled due to Lamb Of God’s singer Randy Blythe ongoing legal trouble in the Czech Republic, where he continues to be held in jail. All three bands were scheduled to be a part of Knotfest with Slipknot on Saturday, August 18 in Somerset, Wisconsin, and I’ve removed them from the calendar listing. Hopefully replacement bands for Knotfest will be announced.

On Sunday, August 19, Texas Hippie Coalition will play at The Cabooze in Minneapolis.

Blue Felix plays a free show at Neisen’s in Savage on Thursday, August 23.

The Turf Club in St. Paul has instrumental warriors Zebulon Pike along with Jel, Pizza Boys, and Good Morning Gentlemen on Friday, September 14. This show will also feature a drum-off with Dave King, JT Bates, Martin Dosh, and Tim Glenn.

As if having Wino playing on Thursday, August 16 at the Turf Club in St. Paul wasn’t awesome enough – now godly doom metal pioneers Saint Vitus will play at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis with Weedeater on Monday, October 1.

GWAR returns to First Avenue on Sunday, November 18 with Devildriver, Cancer Bats, and Legacy Of Disorder. This is an all ages show, and tickets go on sale today, Friday, July 27 at 12:00 noon.

Lastly, rock legends The Who will be performing Quadrophenia (and more) in its entirety at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Tuesday, November 27. Tickets go on sale at 10:00 am today, Friday, July 27.

In Concert This Week - June 29, 2012

It’s kind of a slow week for metal shows, but here’s what’s going on around The Cities.

If you didn’t get your fix of 80s metal at the Jack Russell’s Great White, Faster Pussycat, BulletBoys, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Lillian Axe show last week, head to Station 4 in St. Paul tonight, Friday, June 29 for Dokken, Hoodlum Johnny, The Grand Machine, and Next To Nothing. Other notable shows tonight include Heart and Joan Jett And The Blackhearts at Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, and Empires, The Lighthouse And The Whaler, and Black Church Service at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis.

Gritty rockers Black Cobra and Gaza team up with local instrumental heroes Zebulon Pike on Sunday, July 1 at the Turf Club in St. Paul.

Lastly, local punk stalwarts Dillinger Four return to the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis for July 4 show this Wednesday with Frozen Teens, Brain Tumors, Turkish Techno, and Victory. Dillinger Four’s show usually sell out so get your tickets in advance while you can.

Soilwork And Death Angel Concert Feedback, From The Vault

Who went to the Soilwork and Death Angel show on Saturday, July 24? Post your comments if you went or caught this tour in a different city! Of course, the show was moved to Robert's in Mounds View due to the closing of The Rock (more on this later). I had family in town and was unable to attend this show, which also featured Augury, Mutiny Within, Swashbuckle, and The Crinn. Evidently Robert's didn't know what to expect with a metal crowd since from what I heard the bar was wiped clean of all their beer at this show!

Death Angel was the band I really wanted to see that night and I was really bummed to have missed them on their first Twin Cities appearance since they reformed. The only time I've seen Death Angel was in 1990 in support of the groundbreaking Act III album. I've posted the ticket stub below, and this show took place at Medusa's in Chicago.

 This was a true thrash feast as Forbidden and Realm opened the show, supporting their Twisted Into Form and Suiciety albums, respectively. I was a big fan of all three bands, and I was eager to hear new Realm material since this show took place a month or so before Suiciety was released. Imagine how mad I was when Realm was forced to start their set as the doors opened. I believe Medusa's was sold out that night, so it took a while to get through the door and I only caught the last couple of songs by Realm. Incidentally, Realm bassist Steve Post used to play in St. Paul's instrumental masters of heaviosity, Zebulon Pike. Forbidden was simply amazing as they blazed through most of Twisted Into Form, closing their set with "Chalice Of Blood". The place went absolutely berserk when Death Angel took the stage with "Seemingly Endless Time". They rolled through a large chunk of Act III including the two acoustic numbers "A Room With A View" and "Veil Of Deception". I'm not a fan of Frolic Through The Park so thankfully little was played from that album, although "Bored" started a massive mosh pit. The Ultra-Violence was given due attention with classics like "Voracious Souls", "Thrashers", and "Mistress Of Pain". This was a legendary show, indeed.

Here's a flyer for a Death Angel show in Baltimore from The Ultra-Violence tour in 1987. I picked this up while on a family vacation, but wasn't able to attend.

Lastly, I'll get to posting some live photos of Swarm, a post-Death Angel band, from San Diego around 2000-2001.