Concert Announcements - June 27, 2014

The returning A Taste of Minnesota festival has been moved to the Carver County Fairgrounds in Waconia due to Harriet island in St. Paul being completely flooded from recent heavy rains in the metro area. Waconia is located about 30 miles southwest of Minneapolis. Bands of interest this year are Soul Asylum on Thursday, July 3, and Halestorm, Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer, Gypsy, and Crow on Saturday, July 5.

San Francisco doom band Castle will play Memory Lanes in Minneapolis on Monday, July 7.

Rock band Fuel has added a stop at Clyde Iron Works in Duluth to their tour itinerary with support from Royal Bliss on Wednesday, July 9. Tickets are on sale now through Twin Ports Nightlife.

Death/metalcore bands Suffokate, Abiotic, Aegaeon, and As They Sleep play The Garage in Burnsville on Thursday, July 10. Additional local support will come from Reaping Asmodeia, Roads Of Glass, So Long Orion, Death Punch, Axiom, and Bring Out Your Dead. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketfly.

A cool mix of local and Midwest metal bands are lined for Bummerfest at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St. Paul on Friday, July 18. Topping the bill is Ambassador Gun, and House Of Atreus, Cold Colours, Noble Beast, Nuklear Frost, Vukari, Seidr, Krawg, and Ire Wolves are also slated to play. Tickets are available now through Ticketfly.

Punk legends Black Flag return the area on Sunday, July 20 at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St. Paul with support from Greg Ginn & The Royal We and Cinema Cinema. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketfly. A review of Black Flag's June 15 show in Minneapolis will be posted soon!

Buckcherry has added a date in Rochester at the Wicked Moose on Tuesday, August 12 with support from Pop Evil. Tickets are on sale now through Tempo Tickets.

Minneapolis hard rock band Throw The Fight are calling it quits, and have announced their final show will be Saturday, August 23 at the Fine Line in Minneapolis. The band’s farewell announcement, posted on their Facebook page, reads in part, “After 11 years of being a band, we have decided to move in another direction and focus on different areas of our lives (family, other careers, etc.). We can look back on our years as Throw The Fight knowing that we have accomplished everything we set out to do and had a hell of a good time doing it!” Opening the show will be Emergent, Fifth Hour, and The Missing Letters. Tickets go on sale Saturday, June 28; see the Fine Line event page for up to date ticket information.

Long-running UK punk band Buzzcocks come to Minneapolis on Thursday, September 11 for a show at the Varsity Theater. No support band has been announced yet, and tickets go on sale today, Friday, June 27 at 10:00 am through Ticketfly.

Tonight - PAIN OF SALVATION, CHERIE CURRIE in St. Paul, ESCAPE THE FATE in Minneapolis, DORYDRIVE, BLUE FELIX in the Suburbs

I can't ever recall a night with five shows scattered across the metro, so here we go. My pick of the bunch is Swedish progressive metal outfit Pain Of Salvation with Kingcrow, Imminent Sonic Destruction, Violent Fade, and Redshift. I'll shortly have a review of the new Kingcrow album posted that I hope will convince you to attend. This is a 16+ early show that starts at 6:00, and tickets are $18 at the door.

Another rare performance happens tonight in St. Paul at the Girls Got Rhythm Festival at the Amsterdam Bar - former vocalist of The Runaways, Cherie Currie, headlines the night with Sugar Stems, Marilu And The Machetes, and Is/Is. It all starts at 8:00; it's a 21+ show that will cost you $20 at the door. The Minneapolis StarTribune recently ran a short interview with Cherie Currie.

Over in Minneapolis you can catch Escape The Fate with Glamour Of The Kill and My My Missfire - The Color Morale is no longer a part of this show. This is an all ages show that gets underway at 8:00, and tickets are $20 at the door.

DoryDrive returns to the area for a free show at the Hi 5 Bar in Burnsville; no further information is available.

Finally, Neisen's in Savage has a big local metal package of Blue Felix, Throw The Fight, Gabriel And The Apocalypse, Terror Overising, and A Sound Theory. This show is also free - it's 18+ and starts at 7:00.

Tonight - MICHALE GRAVES in Minneapolis, RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS in St. Paul

Former Misfits vocalist Michale Graves plays tonight in Minneapolis at the Cause Spirits & Soundbar with support from Ripsnorter, Regenerators, and They Live. His new album, Vagabond, is more of a folk rock record that differs from what you might expect from him. This is a 21+ show that is $8 at the door, and the bands start around 9:00. Later tonight I should have a From The Vault feature on Misfits with lots of pictures!

Florida rock band Red Jumpsuit Apparatus also plays tonight over in St. Paul at Station 4 supported by a slew of local bands: Throw The Fight, Eversay, Imagine The Silence, The Phoenix Philosophy, and Charlie Siren. This is an early (5:30) all ages show, and tickets are $15 at the door.

In Concert This Week - March 14, 2013

Tonight, Thursday, March 14 is a night a local metal at Station 4 in St. Paul with Prophets Of Aether, Solar Slaughter, Odin, Compassion Dies, Pademic, and Monster Of Creation.

One of the oddest billings I’ve seen in a while is Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band with Kid Rock at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Friday, March 15. Both artists are on their own headlining tours, and this is only one of two dates (the other being in Fargo on Saturday, March 16) where they are on the same bill as co-headliners. According to Ticketmaster the St. Paul show is nearly sold out. Local hard rock band Throw The Fight is having a 16+ release party for their new EP The Vault that same night at Station 4 in St. Paul with 3 Pill Morning, Aeous, and Forever Waiting.

South Carolina’s ancient-worshipping death metal masters Nile will play a two-set 16+ show with Face Of Oblivion, Daigoro, and Beauty Of Decay at Station 4 in St. Paul on Saturday, March 16. That same night, hard rock bands Buckcherry and New Medicine play a 21+ show at the Medina Entertainment Center in Medina. Buckcherry is currently out as direct support to Kid Rock, but this stopgap headlining show is taking place while Kid Rock plays two headlining shows with Bob Seger.

Rap/punk rock weed lovers Kottonmouth Kings bring their entertaining show to Mill City Nights in Minneapolis for a 16+ show on Sunday, March 17 with Killa Capone, Bobby James, and Lazy J.

Detroit hardcore band Tides Of War returns to town on Wednesday, March 20 for an all ages show with support from Athen’s Grace, Encryptor, A Moment In Time, and In Search Of Solace.

Concert Announcements - October 19, 2012

Sold out – there are no tickets remaining for Converge, Torche, Kvelertak, and Mourner tonight, Friday, October 19 at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis.

The Throw The Fight show scheduled for Friday, October 27 at the North Star Room in Mounds View has been canceled. According to an October 16 post at the venue’s Facebook page, the North Star Room is “changing directions” and “taking a break from shows.”

New Jersey-based black metal band Krieg launches an East Coast assault with Minneapolis’s own Profound Lore recording artist Wolvhammer and Doomsday that lands at the Hexagon Bar in Minneapolis on Saturday, October 27.

Progressive doom/hard rock band Royal Thunder takes the stage at The Nether Bar at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis on Sunday, October 28. Joining them is two of the Twin Cities’ best grind/sludge bands, Ambassador Gun (newly signed to Prosthetic Records) and Blue Ox.

Local power metal band Dawn Of Valor has secured the support slot for ex-Queensrÿche vocalist Geoff Tate at Mill City Nights on Sunday, November 4.

The P.O.D. and Nonpoint show at First Avenue in Minneapolis on Friday, November 16 has been canceled. A statement on the First Avenue website reads: “Due to a scheduling conflict with P.O.D., the November 16 show has been canceled. Etix sales will be automatically refunded. Any tickets purchased at First Avenue or our local outlets can be refunded at The Depot Tavern.” You can still catch P.O.D. on Saturday, December 8 at Myth in Maplewood in support of 3 Doors Down and Daughtry.

Due to the above cancellation, Nonpoint has been re-booked on Friday, November 16 for a show at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis.

Alternative hard rock band Candlebox will be playing in Burnsville at the High Five Bar & Grill on Saturday, December 1. I believe the High Five is the same venue as the now-closed Primetime Bar & Grill.

West End Motel, the side project of Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds, plays the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on Sunday, December 9 with support from Ricer for an 18+ show. Tickets are $10 and go on sale today, Friday, October 19 at 12:00 noon through etix and other local First Avenue ticket outlets.

Returning to Mill City Nights in Minneapolis on Thursday, December 20 is the one and only Steel Panther. This is an 18+ show. Their last show here sold out, so get your tickets soon—they go on sale today, Friday, October 19 at 10:00 am through the Mill City Nights website or AXS, their box office, and Electric Fetus in Minneapolis.

Chicago’s legendary hard rock band Styx returns to the area for a show at the Mystic Lake Showroom in Prior Lake on Friday, December 28.

Poison frontman Bret Michaels is back again, this time for a show at Treasure Island Casino in Welch on New Year’s Eve, Monday, December 31.

Full details about the Doro and Sister Sin show on Valentine’s Day, Thursday, February 14 have been released, and the big news is that Station 4 and Swordlord Productions are presenting this as a FREE show. It’s a 21 and up show and doors are at 7:00. Get their early and be sure to show your appreciation by being generous at the bar.

As if hosting Michael Schenker on Saturday, October 27 wasn’t enough, Neisen’s in Savage will also present legendary guitar god Uli Jon Roth on Saturday, February 16. No ticket information is available at this time.