Email Author Erik Thompson

2011 Stories by Erik Thompson

• Mark Mallman's New Year's Eve in 3D

  published December 28, 2011

  When you see Mark Mallman's name on any bill, you know that the night is going to be a wild one. Throw in the fact that it's New Year's Eve, and... More >>

• Mason Jennings

  published December 28, 2011

  Despite the fact that Mason Jennings sold out First Avenue back in November with this very same lineup, he returns to the venerable Mainroom just... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Original 7ven help launch the start of the NBA season

  published Dec 28, 2011

  Not only can local pro hoops fans finally rejoice that the lengthy NBA strike has at long last been settled, and the restocked and recharged (but still substandard, apparently) Minnesota Timberwolve... More >>

• Grant Hart

  published December 21, 2011

  After a tumultuous year that saw him lose most of his treasured possessions in a house fire (causing local musicians to rally behind him for a... More >>

• Vampire Hands

  published December 21, 2011

  Vampire Hands sure made quite a big splash in the Twin Cities music scene back in the mid-to-late '00s. And while the band fractured a bit and as... More >>

• The Twilight Hours, Rogue Valley

  published December 21, 2011

  Even though it's looking more and more likely that we're going not going to have a white Christmas here in the Twin Cities, at least the lush,... More >>

• The Current reveals lineup for their 7th birthday party

  published Dec 19, 2011

  Not only does the Current regularly spin some of the best music on the national airwaves, but they clearly know how to throw one hell of a party. As the station gets ready to celebrate their 7th Birth... More >>

• Ryan Adams

  published December 7, 2011

  Ryan Adams sure has a tumultuous live history with Minneapolis. It seems that for every memorable, mesmerizing performance he has put on here (the... More >>

• Top 5 most underrated artists of 2011

  published Dec 16, 2011

  With all of the music that we consistently have at our fingertips, it's a given that in every year albums and bands that deserve to get heard and receive wider recognition frequently get buried unde... More >>

• Top 5 most overrated artists of 2011

  published Dec 16, 2011

  It seems that with each passing year, the swelling amount of hype and buzz that surrounds certain bands and musicians eclipses and eventually drowns out any of the music that they produce. That is c... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Top 10 indie songs of 2011

  published Dec 16, 2011

  2011 was a damn good year for music. When compiling this list of what are, in my opinion, the best songs released this past year, I had to continually keep myself on task, resisting the temptation to ... More >>

• Halloween, Alaska

  published December 7, 2011

  The revered Minneapolis quartet Halloween, Alaska intentionally changed up their sound a bit on their stellar fourth album, All Night Long the... More >>

• Doomtree Blowout VII: Night Six at First Avenue, 12/09/11

  published Dec 12, 2011

  Doomtree Blowout VII: Night SixDecember 9, 2011First Avenue, Minneapolis After five consecutive late-night, high-energy individual performances in the Entry this week, you could have forgiven Do... More >>

• George 'Mojo' Buford Benefit to take place in St. Paul on Sunday

  published Dec 09, 2011

  Celebrated bluesman George "Mojo" Buford had a long and storied musical life. He was born in Hernado, Mississippi in 1929, and later relocated to Chicago in 1952 to form the Savage Boys, an out... More >>

• Now, Now to release new album on Chris Walla's record label

  published Dec 09, 2011

  Minneapolis indie-pop trio Now, Now (formerly Now, Now Every Children) have been quite busy putting the finishing touches on their sophomore record, Threads, and have now found a famous home for it... More >>

• P.O.S.'s Blowout night in the Entry, 12/07/11

  published Dec 08, 2011

  P.O.S., Polica, and Marijuana DeathsquadsDecember 7, 20117th Street EntryAs P.O.S. came out to introduce his curated night in the Entry, his microphone frustratingly kept on cutting in and out, makin... More >>

• Venus DeMars & All the Pretty Horses (CD-release)

  published November 30, 2011

  The legendary Minneapolis glam-punk band All the Pretty Horses have a rather tumultuous but storied past, with many different members coming and... More >>

• Beady Eye at First Avenue, 12/05/11

  published Dec 06, 2011

  Beady EyeDecember 5, 2011First AvenueAt some point on Monday night, considering that Liam Gallagher even knew exactly where he was, he might have looked across the street from First Avenue to the Ta... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Laura Marling at the Cedar, 12/01/11

  published Dec 02, 2011

  Laura MarlingDecember 1, 2011Cedar Cultural CenterThe last time Laura Marling performed in Minneapolis was in 2008, when she was only 18 years old. She played for about 25 of us at the 400 Bar as th... More >>

• The Kooks

  published November 23, 2011

  The Kooks took the British music scene by storm back in 2006, generating a huge buzz and a coveted record contract after being together for a... More >>

• Marketa Irglova

  published November 23, 2011

  After catching everyone's attention with her engaging performance in Once (and subsequently winning an Oscar for Best Original... More >>

• A Tribute to the Replacement

  published November 23, 2011

  Twin Cities music fans swell with pride any time an out-of-town musician covers a song from our hometown heroes the Replacements. Imagine the... More >>

• The Hold Steady's Craig Finn and Tad Kubler cover the 'Mats "Within Your Reach"

  published Nov 18, 2011

  Craig Finn sure has been busy lately. In addition to putting the finishing touches on his first solo album, the "Friday Night Lights" inspired, Clear Heart Full Eyes, and plotting a subsequent solo to... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  M83 at First Avenue, 11/16/11

  published Nov 17, 2011

  M83November 16, 2011First AvenueThere are some shows that are so good that they can't possibly be bound by the typical constraints of time and place, where each person who witnesses it carries a par... More >>

• Lykke Li at First Avenue, 11/13/11

  published Nov 14, 2011

  Lykke LiNovember 13, 2011First AvenueLykke Li turned First Avenue into a smoke-filled drama house on Sunday night, delivering an elegant, theatrical 70-minute set to her fans who packed into the sol... More >>