Jeff Tweedy takes on a raucous crowd in Minnesota......

Who: Jeff Tweedy of Wilco with opening band Snowblink

Where: Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN

When: Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Highlights: One Wing, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, Walken, Jesus, etc., Hummingbird, Theologians

Photo by OpenEye/Mike Flickr (photo not from Rochester show)

Jeff Tweedy had his hands full last night.  Playing solo to an audience of 1,170 the magnetic Tweedy had to deal with the following: a man child in the front who brutishly shouted, "nailed it" after one song, a balcony girl who chirped, "whatever" when he claimed all the songs he was playing were requests (Tweedy, rightly so, jokingly replied that she had a "shitty attitude"), a girl next to me repeatedly screaming "I love you Jeff Tweedy" and the pièce de résistance: after a pause from Hummingbird lyric, "remember to remember me, standing still in your past, floating fast like a hummingbird" a high pitched, singsong male voice echoed, "hummingggggbiiiird" causing the audience to erupt into fits of giggles, leaving Tweedy to reply at the end of the sing-and-whistle-along song, "Nice job, nice job, except for that one guy back there.  He kept jumping the gun."  


I quickly concluded that intimate concert settings don't make people act any differently than they would at an arena concert with 10,000 people.    


Tweedy handled the attention-starved hecklers with wit and his infusion of lively conversation was a delicious bonus to his unquestionable talent.  Tweedy surrounded himself with six acoustic guitars on-stage and cracked out the old harmonica for a few numbers.  His thumb picking was hypnotic, but then you've got his voice.  Does Jeff Tweedy not have the best rock and roll voice of all time?  Ok, ok 2nd best, because I have to give first place to Eddie Vedder.  You can argue with me all you want, but I'm sticking to it.  It's raspy, spirited, deep, sometimes nearly a whisper.  When he launched into the heart achingly beautiful "One Wing" singing, "you were a blessing and I was a curse, I did my best not to make things worse for you" the ice-block I've been encapsulated in all winter began to melt a little.  


"Jesus, etc." and "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" had the audience shyly murmuring the lyrics, while "Theologians" and "A Shot in the Arm" injected buoyancy.  After a standing ovation from a voracious crowd, Tweedy took the stage to deliver a boisterous "Casino Queen", followed by the sweet little Golden Smog tune "Pecan Pie".   


For the second encore we were treated to a truly raw performance - no microphones, no amplifiers, just Jeff Tweedy and his guitar, at the edge of the stage, belting out the lyrics to "Walken".  The man is a Midwestern wonder.   


And I simply cannot write this review without mentioning the alluring opening band Snowblink.  Featuring the luscious, velvet vocals of Daniela Gesundheit with Dan Goldman on guitar, Snowblink immediately captured the crowd's attention and it wasn't simply because of Daniela's antler-adorned guitar.  Together the Toronto based duo creates a quirky sound of ethereal folk, which translated into a wonderfully soothing, enrapturing performance.  

Coming soon.....

Review of the Jeff Tweedy solo show in Rochester, MN should be up Wednesday.  Wilco is one of my top five favorite bands of all time, so I am curious what the show will be like with just the lead.  Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, enjoy one of my favorites, Pick Up the Change (singing doesn't start until 0:58 seconds in):

Rural Alberta Advantage commandeers bodies at First Avenue....

Today I bring you a concert review of a wonderful band called The Rural Alberta Advantage.

Location: First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
Date: Friday, March 25th, 2011
Highlights: Don't Haunt This Place, Stamp, Frank, AB, In the Summertime

Photo: Joe Fuda

Taking up a position in the back of the sold out venue, I wasn't sure what to expect, but from the first song to the last, I found my body jerking around like a muppet (that's just how I dance OK).  The thing that amazed me most about this group is that they only have three people, yet the sound they created was so capacious it overflowed into every crack of First Avenue.  Most songs didn't even include guitar; bass or acoustic.  But they made sure to fill up that space with anything they could find.  There were keys, clapping, drum sticks beaten together, tambourine and I think I heard xylophone at one point from multi-instrumentalist Amy Cole.

Lead singer/guitarist Nils Edenloff had a unique, powerful, rolling voice that demanded attention.  Just when you were getting lost in the valley of sound, his voice unexpectedly surged, delivering a vigorous slap to the face - I don't know about you, but a face slap is a great way to get my attention.  This is one of those bands that thrives at live shows.  

Drummer Paul Banwatt played as if his hands might cease to exist tomorrow, unleashing on the audience a fury of movement I haven't seen since somebody zealously shook a stop sign at a bluegrass festival in Denver.  But I don't need words to convince you, see for yourself  in this live video below from Toronto:



The crowd was abuzz with his talents - I don't think one person in the audience wasn't moving - the band was sending telegrams through the floor imploring our feet to do crazy things.  Dealing with a rough Minnesota winter, we were all transported to a sundrenched daydream when they launched into the gorgeous, mesmerizing In the Summertime: 



This is a MUST SEE live show featuring a gracious, passionate, energetic band.  The Rural Alberta Advantage told the audience the show at First Avenue was one they'd never forget and I guarantee those of us lucky enough to be there felt the same.

Historical headlines.....

Researching old newspapers is a challenge.  Print can be smudged, sentences aren't grammatically put together the way we are used to and items they deemed newsworthy are just plain odd.  I always love a zany headline though, so here are a couple of my favorites to carry you through this Wednesday:

"Dead People, Cats and Wooden Indians Were Counted in the Twin City Census Padding of Twenty Years Ago"
-Minneapolis Morning Tribune (1909-1922); Apr 17, 1910; 
ProQuest Historical Newspapers Minneapolis Tribune (1867-1922)


"Mrs. Bones Says that Susan B. Anthony is Downright Mean" 


And the two subtitles within the article which also need to be noted read: 


"Says Susan is Mean" 


and my personal favorite:  


"Mrs. Bones Charges Miss Anthony With All Sorts of Things"
-Minneapolis Tribune (1867-1908); Feb 26, 1890; 
ProQuest Historical Newspapers Minneapolis Tribune (1867-1922)


Geez, Mrs. Bones - what did Susan B. do to you?! 

Rain soaked history seekers.....

This morning, Gandalf (aka, my gentleman caller) and I were out on a mission, braving the Saint Paul rain to take photos of my favorite building, the now abandoned, Pioneer Building, which used to house the Pioneer Press.  

Pioneer building:
 built in 1889 it was the first 12-story skyscraper in St. Paul!

Front entrance of building with a glimpse of
a toasty little skyway in the corner (we LOVE skyways!). 

This isn't the building, but I love rain on windows.
This is a blurry view of our apt in Saint Paul taken before our mission.  

Our goal is to gather some research on the buildings of Saint Paul, dig up some interesting facts and post some photos (new and old) on our Tumblr blog (first posting coming this week!).  If you're a history buff (and we both are, so it's ok, your nerdiness is welcome here), or interested in architecture, or just plain curious about what kind of place Saint Paul, MN is, then latch on for the tour!

Generating dollar bills.....

A couple of years ago I convinced myself I would make buckets of money writing ehow articles.  So I got to work straight away.  I wrote and wrote and wrote and ended up with...........five articles.  I only had five articles in me.  I quickly learned that, a.) I did not have any technical skills to share, b.) I am lazy and get bored very fast and c.) Technical skills aside, I couldn't think of any skills I had (I do have some skills, but let's be honest, who wants to read an ehow article about how to be a good multi-tasker....)

It was a sobering realization.  So what did I write my five articles on?  Well I had to really think at what I was good at (or just happened to know something, anything about): moving, bars, skiing, running and the wild card - emailing large files.  And here they are for your viewing pleasure:

How to Ski in Colorado for Less

The gorgeous, the one, the only, Winter Park, CO

How to E-mail Large Files (I don't recommend the steps outlined in this one, because I don't think I was able to send my large file)

How to Complete a Half Marathon with Minimal Training (really stretching for articles to write)

Seriously dorky picture of me running the
P.F. Chang's 1/2 marathon in Phoenix, AZ

How to Move with Little Money (pretty much the only thing I do know how to do)

How to Go to a Bar by Yourself (it happens ok)

So how much money do my five articles bring in every month?  I couldn't tell you, but I can tell you that every 8 months or so, I see a check for $10.34.  Buckets of money no, shot glass of pennies, yes.

And then these beauties came along....

Lately I've found myself staring dreamily at the gorgeous selection of hinged cuffs from zanneavenue.  Zanneavenue is a wonderfully unique shop on Etsy that features cuffs, necklaces, rings, belt buckles and more.  Her products are created using a combination of maps, industrial metal, recycled eye glasses, leather, and picture images, inspired by her background in mixed media sculpture and photography.  Essentially, "Zanne Avenue Jewelry is a reflection of my passion to travel and to give "mundane" objects new and beautiful life."

She certainly has succeeded in creating beautiful items out of everyday things!  The structure of the cuffs, with the hinges and the snaps is just so appealing to me - I can't get enough of them!  Below are just a few of my favorites, but you can view 42 other amazing cuffs here: 

Music Notes Cuff by zanneavenue

Blue Graffiti Cuff by zanneavenue

Photo Strip Cuff by zanneavenue