THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

michael berg releases his debut at a cheapos near you this week! "lights down" was produced by david j of bauhaus & love and rockets, and is a dark and sultry long player that michael wrote while traveling in poland. the record also feature other big names such as michael jerome(richard thompson, john cale), johnette napolitano(concrete blonde), and david scher(interpol, beachwood sparks).

 $ bags is back ya/ll!! "ca$h me out" is the second offering from this "club banger", and it has been "highly anticipated". this is $ bags "most diverse" record to date..."sclassic"

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

the rogue valley is a project assembled by local chris koza...a concept of sorts. "the booksellers house" is the second installment in a four album block of releases loosely based on one another. if your a fan of kozas work, dont fall too far behind in this epic journey of records!

mpls/s favorite theatrical rockers are back. fort wilson riot release their third record "predator/prey". fwr have pared down to a duo, turned their apartment into a recording studio, and busted out this hot one for you to enjoy!!

also new this week is the new group the BAZILLIONS!!! the bazillions are here to rock the kids with their new kid friendly long player "rock-n-roll recess". twelve songs about such enthralling kid subjects as macaroni and cheese, messy rooms, and accidentally breaking windows.

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP
 
 
the one man band just isnt what it used to be. in the age of the loop station, the one man band doesnt necessarily need to simultanously play guitar, drums, keyboards, whatever anymore. well cronkite satellite is a perfect example of the new one man band. music is cronkites life, and he/s inviting you into his life with his new looped out record "looking forward". cronkite has also made a video titled, "how to make a song using a boss rc-50"...check it out!?
 
 
paper tiger is best known for his work as one of the makers-of-beats behind many of the doomtree outputs. now tige releases his own record "made like us". 11 new hip hoppin tracks for you mpls indie rap lovers...i guess paper tiger could also be considered a one man band of sorts. that makes this "one man band week"!!

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

purest spiritual pigs is a project, driven by helena thompson, of revolving door musicians and artists. the work consists of music, visual, conceptual, and performing arts. "body misses" is the first offering by said collaboration, and features helena, as well as 8 other musicians. the music is ethereal, and laced with touches of goth.

another new release of recent is austin texas transplants kayzak. "a beautiful brontosaurus" is the name of their new record released to the cheapos across the land, and it is here to stay(unlike other beautiful brontosaurus' of the past)! the band is a rockin mix of funky jazz, rootsy bluegrass, and even elements of classical...and they are definitely not afraid to "jam". come check out the band jam live here at cheapos uptown on tuesday august tenth two thousand ten at six pm.

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

so i know i  may come off a lil facetious when it comes to our hometown rap scene. its just been gettin a little out of control over the past five years or so...all the sudden almost every one was a rapper! that said, im here to admit that once upon a time i was into what was happening with the whole hip hop scene. you could tell good things were gonna come(and with all good comes some bad). mr. gene poole was one of the early dudes on the scene, and was part of a great group called the dynospectrum which included, among others, slug of atmosphere. "the protocol" is a lost recording by mr. gene poole, recorded around 2003, and i am dedicating it to all you kids who refer to yourselves as "rappers" today!!

nigel egg released a long player to the cheapos masses this week. "big bang baby boom" is 12 layed back bluesy cuts, but not watered down blues bandy...its more on the acoustic blues front. the lyrics are sort of funny, like the title, but its a good listen for fans of all blues.

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

chris koza's project rogue valley(named after a small are of southern oregon where koza came up) released its debut recently at cheapos. the album marks the first of a four album concept, each intended as a unique but related component of a larger narrative.

another recent addition to our beautiful shelves is "the devils basement"...a compilation  featuring ten bands, totalling twenty tracks. all cuts are only available on this comp, and it is a "limited production run". featuring the drug budget, venus demars, 20 dollar love, and a whole lot more...or at least 7 more!

galaxy drive release their new long play "crumbling things" to the public. the album was recorded at old blackberry way in dinkeytown, and is just in time! the band play right here at cheapos uptown on saturday july, 17th at 2pm central time. be there!!

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

local trio zoo animal have been gaining momentum over the past year or so. now with their second release, theyre ready to show the twin cities what theyre made of! the long player has a sorta 90's alt rock vibe, accompanied by sweet yet coarse female vocals...a little reminiscent of regina spektor.

we gotta a couple new releases this week on the country tip. first we have a new record by roustabouts the white iron band. "3rd rate country stars" is a generous helping of what made these minnesota boys what they are today...2nd rate country stars by my standards!!

next in our citys wide world of country, we have a release by the gated community. "power to my friends" is "country music for an age of de-industrialized neoliberalism and jaded post modern consciousness"...in other words, its "country music as a dirty joke"!!!

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

the 757's have quickly become one of my favorite local bands, and they have just released their third album "last laugh" to the good ol' cheapos shelves. recorded at mike wistis albatross studio...the band keeps on with their very twin cities sound. a good old loud bar band that makes ya feel like your at palmers with every listen!

dark rockers bella koshka have just released a new record last week as well. "deception island" contains nine tracks of tight musical theatrics...sometimes chaotic, yet sometimes quiet. the album is packaged in a beautiful cardboard hand printed package, sealed with candle wax. for fans of self indulgence.

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP
 
 
 
a bit of a slow week release-wise, so ive come up with a list of the top ten local sellers here at cheapos uptown!!! here they are in no particular order, of course...
 
 
1.  dessa "a badly broken code"
 
2.  cloud cult "lost songs..."
 
3.  dosh "tommy"
 
4.  gayngs "relayted"
 
5.  jeremy messersmith "the reluctant graveyard"
 
6.  communist daughter "soundtrack to the end"
 
7.  total babe " heatwave"
 
8.  kristoff krane "picking flowers next to roadkill"
 
9.  v/a "minnesota beatles project"
 
10. trampled by turtles "palomino"
 
 
now you know what the kids want...ya heard!?

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

this week brings a slew of decent hip hop albums to our well stocked cheapos shelves! first off, we see the return of dialogue elevator crew co-founder ernie rhodes, now going as ERNEST rhodes. "transistor" is the latest in a long list of releases from ernest and crew, and continues with the traditions that a young ernie began way back when!! kristoff krane has been gaining momentum since his debut not all that long ago. now christopher releases two new long players for all the lil hip hop aficionados in our esteemed hip hop lil city. "hunting for father" and "picking flowers next to road kill" go hand in hand, and feature the likes of such twin cities vets as slug, pos, eyedea, and mike lewis.

on the non hip hop tip, we have new releases from dirty minded courtney mcclean and the dirty curls, who has an old timey approach to songs about, well,  pretty much nothing but sex! this week also sees the end of a long career for family friendly rocker daddy doo. his final release, aptly titled, "daddy done: 2003-2009", is a collection of his best released works. another new one worth mentioning is "wet suit" by the group buffalo moon. its a laid back journey of samba inspired 60s pop...very enjoyable.

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

two solid releases this week, from two notable artists. first we have the new long play by trampled by turtles. "palomino", aside from being one of my favorite cars, is another fun romp with our bluegrass bandits. still centered in that ol' timey feel of a simpler world, the turtles just keep getting better with age!

jeremy messersmith has been a dominating force on the local scene since the release of his stripped down debut, "the alcatraz kid". with his third album "the reluctant graveyard", messersmith has grown, both musically, and lyrically. the album is rooted in a 60's chamber pop feel, similar to what he began dabbling with on his last full length "the silver city". jeremy just keeps gaining ground as he goes on...sharing the stage with such notables as sondre lerche, he is ready for the next level!!

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP
 
 
im back, and ready to get ya up to speed on some of the notable local releases of the last few weeks.
 
 
good things are being said about new locals communist daughter. the new record "soundtrack to the end" is a generous helping of everything good about pop music from this group of midwestern boys. ex local girl melissa maerz of rolling stone says " there's a good kind of sadness, and this is what it sounds like".
 
we got a duo of reissues by old locals the busy signals, featuring howard hamilton III of the new pop rockers the red pens. the two albums, "pretend hits" and "baby's first beats", are just as strong as the first time we ever heard them. the former features guest spots by the likes of har mar superstar, rob schneider of the apples in stereo, and rapper phonte'.
 
if country/folk tinged rock is your thing, i got three good releases for ya! "a bro down" is what the tisdales are sayin to describe their new long player!! "out with the new" is full of the stuff we love about rich mattson, and then some!!! hailing from good ol chisago county come the gleam. this tres piece offer us a full length of gritty, but great straight up alt country. and last, but not least we have newcomer luke redfield. "ephemeral eon" was recorded in both mpls and austin tx by tom herbers(low, jayhawks) and jason orris(golden smog, happy apple), and features guest musicians jt bates(the pines) and jeremy ylvisaker(andrew bird).
 
 
did ya get all that?!

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP
 
 
 
the drug budget debut with a bang by releasing two ep/s at once! mr. adam tucker and linus kangas double up on the loudness with this two disc set simply titled "2 disc ep". the drug budget are fans of all things rock n roll, and are ready to give their interpretation of what it means to be "loud as *#!%"!!! for fans of rock and 2 for 1's.
 
 
also on the rock tip, minus the lyrics, comes falcon arrow with their new ep "cryptoscience & hard times". the group produces a wallop with just drums and guitars, and a little help from loop pedals. if you like your music simple, yet epic...falcon arrow is definitely worth checkin out.
 
a little on the quieter side of things, we have ashleigh still & nick salisbury's "firefly". the duo also take a minimalist approach to music, creating a sparse yet rich sound consisting of just electric bass and voice. salisbury evokes many different sounds and effects with his bass, while stills vocals are tender and mesmerizing. in the end, these two have created something original and interesting!

Page 14

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP
 
 
 
livid lover delivered a debut record to us here at cheapos last week. "beautiful & intimate betrayals" is filled to the brim with vocally driven eclectic rock in the vein of some of the emotional rockers of 90's, i.e. jeff buckley, smashing pumpkins, radiohead, etc. the record was produced by peter anderson(polara/honeydogs), who also doubled on drums on some songs as well!
 
 
expyre, an "american band from minneapolis", have just dropped the new wrecker "deadfall of autumn". the band offers a blistering mix of thrash, hardcore, and heavy metal for all to enjoy...and even though this is their debut, the band has been at it since 2004. includes devastating tracks such as "priest who prey", "pray for death", "demons inside", and "demons released".
 
 
and just in time for st pattys day, the elizabethan syngers are hear to say "sing we and chant it"!! the group is a community organization dedicated to preserving, promoting and performing music of the renaissance period. the album consists of some of the most jubilant madrigals and music of said period of music. so get yer recorder out and get ready to really blow with this one!!!

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

rap bunch kanser have been on the "scene" for quite a while now...and thats sayin a lot for non rhymesayer and doomtree artists! their new album " two for one" is just that, two seperate ep/s by each of the two members combined to make one hip hoppin album. a slew of different producers were used to make this record, and it also features the stylings of alicia steele.

when local irish tinged rockers lehto and wright say theyre gettin "jiggy wit it", they actually mean it!! the bhoys have released five full length albums to date...and now theyre back at it once again, this time with a splendid album for the kids aptly titled "childrens songs". the  feelgood fun album features local jigmeister matt jacobs, and includes a limited edition bonus dvd as well. theres always a pot-o-gold at the end of the cheapos rainbow.

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP
 
this week on the strip, girls rule! two solid albums from two young ladies, bethany larson, and hillary howard this week. larsons "sticks and stones" is a laid back folk-rock affair...some songs just bethany and acoustic guitar, some full band swing. "colorful eyes" by 15 year old hillary howard, while still rooted in the female singer/songwriter acoustic laden genre, is more on the pop end of things than the aforementioned larson...but seeing as hillary is only 15, i think she/s right where she belongs!!
 
a release i shoulda mentioned a week or two ago is "spokes and wires and shiny words" by the snaps. the band, consisting of the flamin ohs robert wilkinson, is well versed in midwestern americana pop/rock music...and is sure to please any fan of local pub rock young and old!
 
cheapos uptown has a couple wonderful in-stores comin up that i should mention. next week 2/24 we/ll be havin guzzlemug, a hard progressive rockin raucous who have just released a new cd, "away with the wind & noise". also on the chopping block for next week, we have folk rockers whipstitch on 2/26...playing in support of their new release, "petticoat black". check em!!

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP
 
 
 
gretchen seichrist and band, under the name patches and gretchen, have released another full length of psychedelic "anti-folk". "sugar head pie" carries on the same tradition as previous effort "music from little big pink", much rooted in a patty smith sorta vibe...but a little spacier, if thats possible!!
 
 
minnesota faves cloud cult have just put out a new album of unreleased closet recordings titled "lost songs from the lost years". this hand numbered limited edition pressing is filled with gems that have not seen the light of day until now, and is a must have for any  cloud cult fan. get em now at cheapos, while they last...limited to 2000!
 
 
another recent release worth mentioning is "the coldest hour", the newest record from akai. the band are interested in planting themselves in the theatrical-indie rock genre, in the vein of arcade fire (akai currently has 8 members)...and has done a good job tryin with 2007's "pretty songs about ugly things", and now with "the coldest hour". for fans of the new wave big band sound of now!!!

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP
 
 
local music writer/aficionado jim walsh has returned once again, with a new album of folky tunes under the moniker the mad ripple. "her tattoos could sail ships" is just as loose, and fun, and just about playin music with pals as his debut effort "sink and/or swim". the album was recorded in the new depression years of 2008/2009 with a slew of local musicians including marc perlman, and stook!.

al church & state have an "offering" for the alternative rock apostles out there,  in the form of music!! "secret one" is comprised of 11 cuts with influences and sounds ranging from 90's altrock, to current modrock. you might know al if you frequent ol' st. pauls stellar drum shop, ellis. thank you dear lord, i mean al church & state, for this uplifting rock output! peace be with you(response: and also with you).

THE    MINNESOTA   STRIP
 
hello again! i know ive been away for a while, and i apologize...but being too busy to worry about writing a blog IS a good thing!! first heres a quick rundown of stand out titles from the past few weeks to bring us current.
 
brad senne released a new full length "the shapes that shift us". hot off the heels of his debut, brad senne is quickly becoming a mainstay on the folk-pop circuit.
 
bitch n brown release a new record of bar room rompin country infused rock n roll. this tres piece are a good time live if you get a chance to catch em!
 
just in time for xmas came courtney collins and jeremy ylvisaker's "welcome to christmastown". a beautifully laid back holiday album recorded with a little help from local big boyz michael lewis and jt bates.
 
i really enjoyed "give me back my pride" by the band cosmoline. another fine roots rock group with finally crafted tunes...q: could alt country take over a hip hop ruled city? a: probably not, but i like what i hear!!!
 
coincidentally, or not, joey ryan and the inks is another fine example of how the midwest breads fine folk-rock artists and songs. "well, here we are then" is making some year end lists as well.
 
 
and speaking of year end lists, heres ten of my local faves of 09 in no particular order...
 
1. romantica "control alt country delete"
2. the evening rig "is doin stuff"
3. birds of virginia "trees at dusk"
4. grant hart "hot wax"
5. lookbook "wild at heart"
6. chooglin "sweet time"
7. two harbors "all the places"
8. halloween alaska "champagne downtown"
9. gary louris & mark olson "ready for the flood"
10. lifter puller "vs. the end"
 
there. now we/re up to speed. i/ll try not to stay away too long again(now cmon business!).

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

pert near sandstone just released their third studio album to date. "out on a spree" is another fine old timey romp that is sure to please fans, both old and new. offering the best in well crafted original americana, these good ol' boys are here to prove theyre a midwest mainstay.

also on the rootsy tip, the anticipated release of farewell milwaukee has just hit the cheapos shelves! "autumn rest easy" is a great listen for lovers of midwest bred country-rock. from melancholy folk rock, to straight up dive bar alt-country...farewell milwaukee are quickly becoming  one of my favorite new local acts.

just in time for the holidays comes a gem of a release straight from the local vaults!! rising from the ashes of local legends the suicide commandos, L7 consisted of commandos chris osgood and dave ahl, as well as new member steve fjelstad. "men of distinction" was originally recorded in 1980/81 at the legendary blackberry way studios. described as a more complex and brainy version of suicide commandos, this is a must have for  hard core commando fans or fans of early 80s minneapolis rock n roll!

                    THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

birds of virginia recently released a full length of fine folk rock tunes. "trees at dusk" is stripped, layed back, and down tempo'd in the flavor of magnolia electric company and the silver jews...which the birds actually lifted their namesake from. beautiful three part vocal harmonies give the band that perfect bit of sweetness their particularly lonesome driven music needed.

kristian melom under the moniker minor kingdom has brought together a slew of local musicians and hit the studio. the outcome is a wonderful record titled "my back will bend", featuring such locals as haley bonar, jt bates, and ben durrant, just to name a few. another great folk output from the midwest.

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

twin cities, say hello to crossing guards...not the helpful street crossing servants, but the new bar band 'round town! self described as "a band, a movement, a force of nature," the guards come at us, crossing flags a flyin', with "revenge of the tallboys" which is referring to the popular 16oz cans, and not the height of the band members. founded by local folker martin devaney, the guards are ready to take it to the streets. and if you ask them nicely, maybe actually help you cross it!!

three piece self evident release their latest effort in a long line of ep/s and lp/s. "endings" is a whole new storm for the experimental rock trio, including ridiculously talented interplay between guitarist conrad mach and bassist tom berg with sparse vocals by both. drummer ben johnston, who is one of the best in my opinion, keeps all the madness right on time and then some! "endings" is not the end of the band, which rumors keep pointing towards...but yet another beginning in this long and storied beast which is self evident.

THE   MINNESOTA   STRIP

it was a heavy week for in store performances here at cheapos uptown...we had three in one week, which is a record in itself! i was here for two of them(which were back to back two days in a row!!), and really enjoyed both. first off we had the poor nobodys, a seven piece collective consisting of fiddle, mandolin, accordion, wurlitzer, stand up bass, as well as banjo and acoustic & electric guitar, all beautifully executed and well played. a sort of vaudeville acoustic experience.

next up on s-a-t-u-r-d-a-y night we had old knifey and the cut-throats. another acoustic act, but a lot more stripped down...two guitars, keys, and wonderful three part vocal harmonies. a nice low key feel reminiscent of fleet foxes.