My Top Five Twin Cities Music Venues

#5 Triple Rock Social Club

Today, I braved some nasty weather in order to show you my favorite music venues in the Twin Cities. I started close to the campus at the Triple Rock Social Club.  The Triple Rock is an intimate haven for punk music fans, but they also attract a huge variety of smaller time alternative artists.  Recently, I have seen Chelsea Wolfe and Four Fists at the venue and both shows were jam packed, but the beauty of this venue is that it accommodates fewer than 1000 fans which ensures an intimate experience.

#4 Varsity Theater

The second venue I visited today was the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown.  I hadn't been in the historic collegiate venue until recently when I saw that one of my favorites, Eagles of Death Metal, were set to headline the Varsity this past September.  For some reason, I had always regarded the Varsity Theater as a sub-par venue because of the acts they attract.  It serves as a mid-sized venue mostly booked out by heavier rock outfits and pop-punk bands.  When I first entered the venue, I was taken aback.  The interior seems like it has been newly revamped and the ambiance is impressive with multiple chandeliers hanging from the ballroom ceiling.  I was also surprised by how large the space was accommodating just shy of 1000 patrons.  My warm feelings of the venue were solidified by an electrifying performance by the Palm Desert outfit.

#3 Fine Line Music Cafe

#2 Mill City Nights

Number three on my list is the Fine Line Music Cafe. I first experienced the Fine Line before it underwent major renovations in 2003. Back then, it was a well-renowned jazz club with table service and a full bar. These days, the Fine Line hosts a large variety of different artists. It serves as another medium sized venue as is accommodates a little over 750 patrons.  I have had the pleasure of seeing a number of hip-hop acts at the Fine Line including Ab-Soul, PRhyme, and Vince Staple's first headlining show in the Twin Cities this weekend.

#1 First Avenue and 7th Street Entry

The number two venue on my list is the newest of the bunch. Mill City Nights was christened in 2012 with a major overhaul from the previous venue housed there, The Brick.  This venue is the perfect medium sized venue.  There are numerous seating options with a general admission floor, seated balcony, and other VIP viewing options depending on the show.  The thing that sets Mill City Nights apart from the competition is the sound system.  The state of the art equipment coupled with the excellent acoustics provide an excellent experience for the listener in multiple styles of music.  I have had the pleasure of seeing Mac Miller and Earl Sweatshirt at MCN and I look forward to my next visit.

Topping my list is the old favorite, First Avenue and 7th Street Entry.  The venue has served as the foundation of the Minnesota music scene for the past 45 years.  The venue has hosted thousands of acts and it serves as a large club venue with a capacity of just over 1500.  First Avenue is the place to see great acts before they make it huge.  They host a huge variety of artists and I have had the pleasure of seeing Of Monsters of Men, Run the Jewels, D'Angelo and the Vanguard, and numerous other legendary groups.  The viewing angles in this club are simply second-to-none and the club is routinely ranked as one of the greatest music venues in the nation year after year. It could not be more well deserved. First Avenue serves as the best of the Twin Cities music scene.

The Setlist Snob Podcast #1: Music Therapy!

Over the past month, I have been researching The inaugural iteration of the Setlist Snob Podcast. In this week's episode, I discuss music therapy, examining the history of the discipline, the case of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and I interview and aspiring music therapist to get the whole picture of this little known profession.


Music from the episode (in order of appearance):

Yael Naim - Toxic (Instrumental)
Nas - It Ain't Hard to Tell (Instrumental)
Rory O'Donnel - Amazing Grace Instrumental
Kendrick Lamar - Rigamortis (instrumental)
A Tribe Called Quest - We Can Get Down (Instrumental)
Mick Jenkins - Jazz

All music was used under the protection of fair use.

Vinyl Slideshow

The Average Minnesotan's Guide to Twin Cities Electronic Music

I have always seen the Twin Cities as a harbor for good live music.  From the time I was of a concert-going age, everything I have ever wanted to see live has come through here with very little exception. The promoters in town have been stellar at attracting acts big and small from the Foo Fighters to Mick Jenkins, I have been able to check acts huge and small of my must-see list with fervor, but the massive diversity of the Minnesota music scene has only really gotten to me recently.  As the electronic music scene has grown exponentially over the past few years, I have been thrown into a new world of live music.

 Electronic Dance Music has always brought a bad taste to my mouth.  When I pulled on a friend's pair of cheap, yet "stylish" headphones and was subjected to what was introduced to me as Dubstep in high school, I found myself very put off by the mess of distorted and bass heavy "robot music."  For the next decade I avoided everything EDM as clubs flourished and festivals such as Tomorrowland and the Electric Daisy Carnival have become some of the biggest music-related events in the United States.  It was not until recently, that I ventured into the world of uncertainty that is EDM.  After having a series of roommates that swear by the trunk-rattling bass bangers and beat breaks, I have reluctantly begun to attend EDM shows in order to expand my concert-going proficiency.  What I have been exposed to in the past few months is a ratty, yet highly functioning and ever-swelling honey pot of interesting people and acts.

The electronic music scene in Minnesota is booming mostly due to the emergence and relative dominance of the Skyway Theater in Minneapolis.  While its "charm" may just amount to a lack of sanitation, the former cinema has allowed acts both large and small to flourish.  The main venue is one of the largest "club" style venues in the Twin Cities with a capacity of 2500 when packed to the hilt .  The building also house three more venues that can house anywhere from 25-800 people which makes the venue the perfect place for huge acts like Skrillex and Flux Pavilion and smaller, underground artists as well.

I was able to catch up with a Chicago transplant, EDM artist and fan Phil Stallone who goes by the moniker Shangles on Soundcloud.  Raised in an a house music Mecca, Stallone has grown tired the radio friendly acts that sell out the large Chicago venues. Stallone sees the Minnesota electronic music scene as very "underground friendly" and he appreciates that smaller artists have the opportunity to gain exposure.  Stallone chuckled as I asked what culture-shock or mental distress an EDM novice, like-me, should prepare for before going to a show.  Although he highlights the prevalence of drug use in the community, the often fur-clad club-goers are friendly and relatively harmless.  Stallone's remarks proved useful when he treated me to my first real EDM experience in The Loft at the Skyway Theater as we enjoyed the Dubstep and Drum and Bass stylings of underground DJ, Shivers.  The experience showed me that the EDM movement in Minnesota is a harmless outlet of college-aged outcasts and club kids who find solace in front of massive subwoofers pushing out high-tempo, face-shifting tunes.  Thanks to venues like the Skyway Theater, artists like Stallone, and consumers like yours truly, the EDM infrastructure in Minnesota is set for another decade of enlargement and advancement.

DELVE DEEPER
A deeper look into the process of this story.

Mac Miller Brings a Lively and Varied Set to Minneapolis

Pittsburgh MC, Mac Miller, played to a sold out crowd at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis on Sunday night.  The set included music both "old" and new spanning his entire studio album and mixtape discography.  Mac got started with a bang as he came running out of the gate with 2012's hit, Loud, which was received very well by the young audience.  He followed this up with two cuts of his 2013 album Watching Movies With the Sound Off  both of which were also welcomed with open arms.

Mac went on to greet the crowd and he prefaced two singles of of his major label debut, GO:OD A.M, with some clearly intoxicated self-promotion which led right into the album's soft opener, Doors.  This song calmed down the crowd, but the quiet was short lived as an interlude before the next song was synced up with the alarm clock themed DJ stand.  Right after the words "GO:OD" AM flashed on the stand, Mac launched into the album's second single, Brand Name.  The single was seemingly already in the hearts and minds of the crowd as they went ballistic and sang every word.

The energy remained high for the next several songs as the crowd started to vibe with an increasingly sober Mac Miller.  His next nine songs spanned five of his projects with his pre-2013 singles being received the best.  He then slowed down proceedings again with a string of two ballads, Objects in the Mirror and ROS.  These heart-felt songs showcase Mac's romantic side, but the live vocals fell a little short of the studio versions.  Mac then brought his DJ Clockwork to center-stage to showcase his lyrical skills as they performed their collaboration, 4:48.

Miller finished out his set with a series of high energy "bangers" including 2012's Lucky Ass B**** and his newest trap-flavored cut, When in Rome.  His set ended with Therapy from 2014's Faces after which he and his crew awkwardly sauntered off stage which left the crowd confused.

The confusion was short lived after about 30 seconds when they collectively chanted for more Mac Miller.  After a short amount of time, Mac Miller and his crew swaggered back on stage to DJ Khaled's remix of We Takin' Over and Mac finished out his satisfactory set with his earlier hits, Frick Park Market and Best Day Ever.  These had the millennial crowd hopping and left me leaving wanting just a little more.

Mac Miller's major label debut, GO:OD A.M., is out on Warner Bros. Records in stores and online.

REVIEWER BIAS:  I have followed Malcolm McCormick's progression from his early days as  a top 40 frat rapper (which I detested) to a full-fledged hip-hop artist.  His artistry first registered with me on his 2013 project, Watching Movies With the Sound Off.  When he followed this release up with the mixtape Faces, I began to see Mac as the "real deal" as his maturation both as a rapper and a producer was remarkable. Faces became one of my top 10 favorite releases of 2014.  His newest album, GO:OD A.M., has also impressed me, but I believe that it pales in comparison to many of 2015's biggest Hip-Hop releases including Kendrick Lamar's, To Pimp a Butterfly, Dr. Dre's, Compton, and Vince Staples', Summertime '06.  I respect Mac Miller's progression as an artist, but he still needs to improve further to compete in today's hyper-competitive Hip-Hop climate.

Dr Dre Wants to Tour Europe with Snoop, Kendrick, and Eminem?

Chicago MC Mick Jenkins Brings Hard Hitting Rhymes and Rhetoric to 7th Street Entry

Chicago rapper and philosopher of sorts, Mick Jenkins, played to a sold out crowd at First Avenue's 7th Street Entry on Monday.  The intimate venue was well suited for hip-hop and as soon as I entered the crowd had very high energy.  The opening DJ STWO payed numerous contemporary hit which had the crowd excited and singing along.  The opening acts The Mind and J Stock did little more for the crowd other than build anticipation for the main act.

Jenkins did not keep the crowd waiting as he took fewer than five minutes to take the stage after J Stock's set. He immediately jumped in to one of the lead singles from his latest EP Wave[s], Alchemy which was well received by the young and diverse crowd.  Jenkins followed the opener up with a few other cuts from Wave[s] until he stopped to speak to the crowd.

Mick Jenkins is an extremely well spoken and conscious rapper and his intelligence showed in his numerous monologues throughout the night.  Before he played tracks from his most famous mixtape, The Water[s], Jenkins hyped the crowd with a little bit of call-and-response followed by an eloquent explanation of the meaning behind the water metaphor.  He talked about the water as truth and likened the phrase "drink more water" to "seek more truth."  He talked on the importance of the truth in an age where social media constructions and media spin dominate public opinion.  Although some might have seen these talks as long-winded, I was quite intrigued.

After a few more songs from Wave[s], Jenkins let the crowd know that his latest EP was always intended to be a "tie-over" piece in anticipation of his upcoming commercial debut, [T]he [H]ealing [C]omponent.  He went on to explain that his newest project will consist of 13 songs which each cover a different topic.  From race relations to love, Jenkins promised a more focused project than anything that has preceded it.  Jenkins then went into arguably his biggest hit, THC from The Water[s].  Jenkins ended the high-energy set with Free Nation Rebel Soldier from his first mixtape, Trees and Truth, followed by a Social Network which was released as a collaboration with the Chicago group, Hurt Everybody.  It was a banging, bouncing end to a great night.

© 2015 Cameron Mielke

REVIEWER BIAS: I will admit that I am a pretty avid Mick Jenkins fan and I thought that The Water[s] was the best hip-hop mixtape of 2014.  I went in to the concert not knowing what to expect given my lukewarm feelings on Wave[s], but I was pleasantly surprised by his stage presence and passion for what he raps about.