John Legend at Northrop Auditorium

Photo by Sergei

The Beans were very fortunate to see Raphael Saadiq open for John Legend on November 19 at Northrop Auditorium. While we only had started listening to Raphael Saadiq just days prior to the engagement, we were incredibly excited to see him in concert. An accomplished producer and singer, Saadiq was once the front man for the 90's band, Tony! Toni! Tone! Now, he is singing soul music sounding as though it came out of Motown in the 60's.

Out to promote his new album, The Way I See It, Saadiq took the stage accompanied by a pair of back-up singers and a full band. Unfortunately, the audience surrounding us wasn't as interested as we were, so the set wasn't as enjoyable as it should have been. However, we did enjoy hearing his single "Love That Girl" and another favorite, the groovy "100 Yard Dash." The whole 30 minute set was absolutely fantastic, minus the aforementioned concert-goers. The man is a genius.

After a long break, John Legend burst on stage for his first stop on the Evolver tour. Opening with "Used to Love You," the crowd went wild. Seriously. Dressed in leather pants and jacket with black, fingerless gloves, Legend commanded the stage.

After playing "Satisfaction" and "It's Over" from the newest album, Legend played hits from his past studio alubms, Get Lifted and Once Again. Legend sat at the piano for five songs including "Stereo," "Quickly," and "Save Room."

One lucky fan was pulled on stage to slow dance with Legend to the song of the same name. Before leaving for his costume change, we heard one of our favorites, "PDA."

Throughout the show, the fans in the bottom level never left their feet. I have never been to a show in a theater venue where their was so much excitement and dancing. There was, however, one point during the show where The Beans did get a little nervous: during "Green Light" all of the dancing fans on the balcony was causing the hanging structure to bounce along to the music as well. Thankfully, Legend slowed it down with a solo version of "Ordinary People" at the piano.

While at the keys, Legend spoke about his year-old charity, The Show Me Campaign, which was started after a trip to Ghana.

The show closed with "If You're Out There,"which was inspired by President-Elect Barack Obama's campaign and which was performed at the DNC earlier this year. As Legend belted out the lyrics, the screen behind him showed images of revolutionaries, agents of change, and peace-makers such as Abraham Lincoln, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, John Lennon, Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and finally, Barack Obama.

Jolie Holland at The Cedar Cultural Center

photo by hazyskyline6

The Beans experienced a night of firsts on October 25, 2008. Never before had we been to the Cedar Cultural Center. Never before had we heard the music of Herman Dune. And never before had we seen Jolie Holland live. Overall, I'd say we had high expectations, at least for the last bit.

As we left the brisk Saturday evening and entered the Cedar Cultural Center, we were met with a group of people crowded between the box office, the concession area which sold alcohol and food from the Jewel of India, and the door to the stage. We were told this was because the sound check was still going on due to the performers' late arrival.

After grabbing a couple glasses of wine for the two of us, we squeezed by the crowd and back out to the lobby to have some space. Shortly thereafter, the doors opened and the crowd dispersed into a large room filled with padded, stackable chairs. The building was once a movie theater, but is now a multi-cultural performing arts venue run by a non-profit organization.

Shortly after 8:30 pm, the opening act, Herman Dune, was introduced. A very tall, bearded man dressed in a red plaid shirt and a matching plaid tie was followed by a younger, mustachioed drummer. They introduced themselves as Yaya and Neman, respectively. They began their set with "My Baby is Afraid of Sharks,” a love song. In fact, most, if not all of their songs were about love. By the second or third song, we were sold. Their band was funny and quirky, but had solid ability and moving lyrics. Particularly so, was their closer, “Song of Samuel,” about a young girl from a wealthy family falling in love with her much older Jewish violin instructor.

Next, Jolie Holland paraded onto the stage with her band consisting of Rachel Blumburg on drums, Sean Flinn on guitar, and Dave Depper on bass. Jolie was covered in bird feathers. Ok, so that may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but not far off. Early on in the show, Jolie gave the audience a "tour" of her feathers, most of which were lent or given to her by friends. She opened with “Mexico City,” a track off her new album, The Living and the Dead.

For those of you who aren't familiar with her work, Jolie Holland plays American music. American in that her music is a mixture of all the wonderful sounds for which this country is known. It is part blue-grass, part blues, part country western, part soul, part rock, part folk, and part jazz. She has collaborated with hip-hop artists and indie rock producers. It has been said that her “simultaneous grasp of several American music genres is hard to compare amongst contemporary songwriters.”

Despite the fact that she was "sicker than a dog," she belted out a myriad of songs covering material from each of her four solo albums. These included "Roll My Blues," “Goodbye California,” and "Palmyra." To our delight, she even played a song from her days with The Be Good Tanyas, "The Littlest Birds."

Mid-way through the show she asked if anyone would like to hear something in particular. Dean Bean shouted for "Black Stars," but unfortunately, she said that she wasn't able to play that song along with a list of others that were requested. It may have been all for the better that we did not hear that one live. I doubt it could have lived up to the expectations.

Later, she told a story about stealing morphine from her dying grandfather when she was a teenager and taking the pill while on a three day Greyhound ride to California. On that ride, she convinced a gospel choir who was also on the bus, to sing with her. As she started to play "Old Fashioned Morphine," the audienced cheered. "If it was good enough for my grandpa, it's good enough for me..."

She did end up playing a two-song solo set, which was highlighted by a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s "Buckskin Stallion." Sitting at an old upright piano, Jolie Holland played the blues.

Magnetic Fields at the State Theater

photo by Ryan Muir

On October 10, The Beans, along with Adam and Michael, had the pleasure of seeing the Magnetic Fields at the far from packed State Theater in Minneapolis for the opening night of their US tour promoting their newest album, Distortion.

The 5-person team played an extremely laid back show, stopping at times to chat with the crowd, amongst each other or simply to comment on the interior of the beautiful theater while trying to remember how a particular song started.

The show was completely acoustic and consisted of two full sets, consisting of an incredible mix of songs from all of their albums, including 69 Love Songs (which is where my love for this band started), followed by a two song encore.

By far the highlight of the first set for me was the last song played before intermission, Papa Was a Rodeo, in which main singer, Stephin Merritt, sang alone before the very attentive, quiet crowd. Other highlights include the beautiful, heartfelt, Book of Love, also sung by Merritt, the hilarious, yet murderous, Yeah! Oh Yeah!, which Claudia Gonson sang while sitting, feet dangling off the edge of the stage, and the final encore of the evening, Grand Canyon.

All in all, the playful, relaxed nature of the band coupled with the acoustic set up made for a very fun and intimate evening. I, for one, am very glad I was of the few that attended. Who knows if The Magnetic Fields will ever be back in Minneapolis...

Ray LaMontagne at the State Theater

Photo By: PedalFreak

On October 4, The Beans were able to see Ray LaMontagne and Leona Naess at the State Theater in downtown Minneapolis. The venue lent a beautiful background to the intimate stage LaMontagne and his bandmates had set.

The Maine resident was in town to promote his new album, Gossip in the Grain. While his other two albums were more solo ventures, this album seems to be more of a group effort supported by his touring bandmates.

LaMontagne opened the show with his first single off the new album, "You Are the Best Thing," a happy love song that The Beans have found themselves singing around the house since the moment they heard it. The song was followed by a much more meloncholy number, "Empty," off his debut album, Trouble. LaMontagne was absolutely moving in his delivery of the soul-shaking lyrics.

He continued with another song from his first album, before returning to some more of his newest material, "Let It Be Me," "Falling Through," and "Meg White."

Next, a three song set solo performance highlighted by "Winter Birds," a favorite for The Beans, especially with the cold weather quickly approaching. Other highlights included "You Can Bring Me Flowers," a heavy hearted track from Ray's second release, 'Til The Suns Turns Black, and "Hey Me, Hey Mama," a song that single-handedly turned the lavish State Theater into a juke joint. When LaMontagne and his band began playing "Trouble," his most well-known song to date, the crowd erupted.

The first encore started off with "Three More Days" and was followed by "Gossip in the Grain."

The night ended with a second encore, "Jolene," a song which many audience members had called for all night.

The show was amazing. Lamontagne's raw, sultry voice is a perfect accompaniment to his soulful lyics.

Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, Matt and Kim, The Go! Team, and CSS

Photo by jcbehm

Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head started off the July night with a chaotic stage . The Beans were not impressed with this five piece band at first glance, as they seemed like a bunch of young, obnoxious kids. However, after a few songs, the band grew on us. Kelley Bean even got a little teary-eyed watching them, similar to what happens when she watches 6 year olds play Little League games. The members of the band were very young and having so much fun, you couldn’t help but be happy for them.

Matt and Kim came on next. We were really excited to see this band, having discovered them about a year ago. Matt, a lovable spaz, sings and mashes the keyboard while Kim wails on the drums with the biggest smile you’ve ever seen. Happy people playing happy, energizing music. Unfortunately, this set was cut short due to some technical difficulties, but not before they played there most well-known song “It’s a Fact.”

The Go! Team was the last opening act before the headliner. The crowd at First Ave. seemed delighted to gobble up the loud, punchy music and the predictable lyrical delivery of this ensemble. The Beans were not. Dean Bean once muttered that he thought they sounded like a combination of Rage Against the Machine and Sugar Ray. Take that as you will. Unfortunately for us, their set included 14 songs.

Finally, CSS took the stage. The Brazilian band played the majority of songs from their latest album, Donkey, including “Left Behind,” “Let’s Reggae All Night,” “Jager Yoga,” and “Rat is Dead.” They also played songs from their 2006 debut album such as “Let’s Make Love (and Listen to Death From Above),” and “Music is My Hot Hot Sex.” Overall, it was an exhilarating show!

Crystal Castles

Even though you may have already heard Crystal Castle's hit split with HEALTH, "Crimewave", I've decided that anytime my mornings start with a cup of coffee, BIG FEAST BARS (recipe to come) and hitting play on the same album everyday, I must blog my obsession.

Supposedly, the duo's first ever released track, "Alice Practice", was recorded "accidentally" as a microphone test by lead vocalist, Alice Glass, in 2005. Since then, Crystal Castles have recorded their first (self-titled) LP, that brings a raw, trashy, disco-punk sound, that I at least have never seen in other 8-bit/chiptune recordings.

The album opens with "Untrust Us", which places distorted, chopped up vocals on a synth loop before ending in a (F Yeah!) Death From Above 1979, "Dead Womb" sample. The next track is the aforementioned, "Alice Practice", which features Alice's screaming siren over Ethan Fawn's chaotic Atari-laden beats, before hitting "Crimewave". The album continues in this fashion of disembodied vocals, chopped up 8-bit keyboards and general nosiemongering, while still having tracks to dance to like my favorite, "Courtship Dating". The album finishes with CC gradually bringing you back down to Earth with a fantastic shoegazing closer, "Tell Me What To Swallow".

And just in case you're wondering, the band did not name themselves after the 1983 Atari game, but rather She-Ra's refuge atop Sky Dancer Mountain...

Florence and The Machine

Photo by Tom Beard Photography

I (Kelley Bean) have been listening to a lot of female vocalists from the U.K. recently. Maybe it's because I like their accents. Maybe I'm just going through a phase.

A few weeks ago, I found Florence and The Machine on myspace and I've been listening to her on reapeat ever since. Florence Welch has a powerful voice. Her songs are catchy, but have more soul than your every day pop music. To my knowledge, Florence and The Machine only has a single released with "Kiss With a Fist" as the A-side and "Hospital Beds" as the B-side. "Between Two Lungs," which can be found on her myspace page, is my personal favorite. I hope to hear it performed live some day.

I was doing some research, and found that her biography claims that she makes "the kind of music Lily [Allen] or Kate [Nash] would make if they'd grown up locked in a cage full of snakes in the basement of a Louisiana funeral home." I think that says it all.

A Evening with Adele

Last night The Beans had the pleasure of seeing Adele at a small show at Theatre de la Jeune Lune. We (that’s a generous ‘we’) found Adele on myspace.com about a year ago and were extremely excited to learn that she was making a stop in Minneapolis on the U.S. leg of her tour to promote her debut album, “19.”

Theatre de la Jeune Lune is located in the Warehouse District. Exposed brick walls and remnants where additional walls and windows had once been in the empty warehouse surrounded the nearly bare stage. The setting was a perfect complement to the clear and confident tone of Adele’s voice.

Alone on stage, the London based singer opened the show belting out the lyrics to “Daydreamer.” A guitarist joined her on stage for the third and fourth songs, “Right as Rain” and “Melt My Heart to Stone.” The highlight of the show, in my opinion, came after pianist joined them on stage. “First Love” is a simple song with heartfelt lyrics, which is just the type of song to showcase Adele’s strength: her voice, powered by raw emotion. Her singing on songs such as “First Love” is reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, Otis Redding, or, more currently, Glen Hansard.

Adele then went into a beautiful rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.” That song holds a special place in The Beans’ hearts and was wonderful to hear live. She played three more songs before leaving the stage. After quickly gulping a bunch of water backstage, she returned to play “Crazy for You” on her own. I’m not sure we’ve seen a performer so charming as Adele; during the song she quietly burped and I think most of the audience, like us, actually found it endearing.

Adele and her backing musicians closed the show with an Etta James cover, “Fool That I Am,” and her own “Chasing Pavements.”

In all, the show only lasted about an hour, but it was incredible. Although she mentioned that she had a migraine and some pain due to her wisdom teeth, she sounded absolutely amazing. Her recordings do not do her justice. Adele will be coming back to Minneapolis some time this fall.

Turboweekend

photo: Brian Buchard, artwork: Hvass&Hannibal

The Beans have been rocking out to "Not a DJ," put out by Denmark's, Turboweekend, pretty much non-stop as of late. The song is off their 2007 debut release, Night Shift. Check them out, make friends, and keep an eye on them in case they ever tour the US...
Enjoy!

Paloma Faith

photo by Pavlunka

After one year of stalking this London based singer on myspace, we're happy to announce that Paloma Faith has finally signed a deal with Epic Records. Impress your friends and add her to your collection before you hear her on the Current...
Enjoy.