Email Author Erik Thompson

2011 Stories by Erik Thompson

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  FEATURED STORY

  St. Vincent at the McGuire Theater, 10/02/2011

  published Oct 03, 2011

  St. Vincent October 2, 2011 (Early Show)McGuire Theater at the Walker Art CenterWith a light show more fitting for a venue five times the size of the 385-seat McGuire Theater, St. Vincent captivated... More >>

• Twin Shadow at the Entry, 10/01/11

  published Oct 03, 2011

  Twin ShadowOctober 1st, 20117th Street EntryNearing the end of their current U.S. tour, Twin Shadow spent three relaxing days in Minneapolis leading up to their sold-out 7th St. Entry show on Saturd... More >>

• Megafaun at the Cedar, 09/30/11

  published Oct 03, 2011

  MegafaunSeptember 30, 2011The Cedar Cultural CenterThere certainly was a lot of love in the Cedar on Friday night, as Megafaun delivered a stirring 80-minute set to a supportive, enthusiastic crowd ... More >>

• Red Pens (7"-release)

  published September 14, 2011

  The fiery local duo Red Pens have been setting audiences ablaze with their ferocious live shows for years now. But in the short amount of time it... More >>

• Swans at First Avenue, 09/20/11

  published Sep 21, 2011

  SwansSeptember 20, 2011First AvenueNew York No Wave luminaries Swans provided an ominous soundtrack to either the end of the world or the beginning of a new one at First Avenue on Tuesday night. The... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Caroline Smith & the Good Night Sleeps, Dark Dark Dark, and Dead Man Winter at First Avenue, 9/16/11

  published Sep 19, 2011

  Caroline Smith & the Good Night Sleeps, Dark Dark Dark, and Dead Man WinterSeptember 16, 2011First AvenueThere was a lot to celebrate at First Avenue on Friday night. Not only were both Caroline ... More >>

• Foo Fighters

  published September 14, 2011

  Dave Grohl's outsized personality and genuine charm have allowed him to easily escape the vast shadow cast by Nirvana in order to forge his own... More >>

• Olivia Tremor Control

  published September 7, 2011

  Idiosyncratic Electric Six psych-rockers the Olivia Tremor Control are back in a major way in 2011, with the announcement of a full-scale U.S.... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Foo Fighters at Xcel Energy Center, 9/14/11

  published Sep 15, 2011

  Foo FightersSeptember 14, 2011Xcel Energy Center"I fucking love my job!" exclaimed Dave Grohl, deep into the Foo Fighters two-hour, forty-minute marathon set at the sold-out Xcel Energy Center Wedne... More >>

• The Psychedelic Furs and Tom Tom Club at First Avenue, 09/08/11

  published Sep 09, 2011

  The Psychedelic Furs and Tom Tom ClubSeptember 9, 2011First AvenueLegendary UK post-punk stalwarts the Psychedelic Furs rolled into First Avenue on Thursday night intent on showing their aging but d... More >>

• The War on Drugs

  published August 24, 2011

  After being somewhat criminally (and critically) ignored following the release of their stellar debut, Wagonwheel Blues, the War On Drugs... More >>

• The War On Drugs at the Entry, 08/28/11

  published Aug 29, 2011

  The War On DrugsAugust 28, 20117th Street EntryThe War On Drugs seemed determined not to let the weekend end quietly Sunday night, treating the 7th Street Entry to a stirring 90-minute set that put ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Katy Perry at the Xcel Energy Center, 08/23/11

  published Aug 24, 2011

  Katy PerryAugust 23, 2011Xcel Energy Center"I hope you have a sweet tooth. Otherwise, this show probably won't be your thing," effervescent songstress Katy Perry told the frenzied audience, halfw... More >>

• West Bank Music Festival with Dessa, 8/20/11

  published Aug 22, 2011

  West Bank Music FestivalAugust 20, 2011Echoing the grand times of Cedar Fests of old, the second annual West Bank Music Festival took place on a spectacular Saturday filled with great music, good ea... More >>

• Miles Davis began recording Bitches Brew on this date in 1969, and changed modern music forever

  published Aug 19, 2011

  With the dust of the just-completed Woodstock festival still settling, Miles Davis was on his own idiosyncratic trip on this date in 1969, as he settled into Columbia Records' 30th Street Studio in ... More >>

• Frances Bean Cobain turns 19 years old today, making us all feel very old

  published Aug 18, 2011

  When Kurt Cobain took his own life in 1994, after the initial shock and sorrow faded away, what I was left with was a deep concern and sympathy for his baby daughter, Frances Bean, who was only a ye... More >>

• Madonna turns 53 today, and her influence is felt now more than ever

  published Aug 16, 2011

  Today is Madonna Ciccone's 53rd birthday. And while the eternal Material Girl has wisely ceded the pop spotlight of today to the younger generation of starlets, her influence is still felt in the way ... More >>

• 5 Woodstock performances we're glad we missed

  published Aug 15, 2011

  The original Woodstock Music And Art Fair kicked off on this date in 1969, in a large farm located in Bethel, New York (which is technically about a half-hour southwest of Woodstock proper). And while... More >>

• Big Business, Torche, and Helms Alee at the Triple Rock, 07/29/11

  published Aug 01, 2011

  Big Business, Torche, Helms AleeJuly 29, 2011Triple Rock Social ClubThat unholy rumble you might have heard emanating from the Triple Rock on Friday night was one of the best (and heaviest) triple-bi... More >>

• Handsome Furs at the Triple Rock, 07/27/11

  published Jul 28, 2011

  Handsome FursJuly 27, 2011Triple Rock Social ClubWhen a band is clearly having as much fun onstage as Handsome Furs were Wednesday night at the Triple Rock, it's hard not to get swept up in that col... More >>

• Yuck and Unknown Mortal Orchestra at the Varsity Theater, 07/19/11

  published Jul 20, 2011

  Music fans that were brave enough to leave their homes and head down to the Varsity Theater on an exceedingly tropical Tuesday night in Minneapolis were rewarded with a fantastic double-bill, as bot... More >>

• Fleet Foxes at the State Theatre, 07/17/2011

  published Jul 18, 2011

  Fleet FoxesJuly 17, 2011State TheatreSeattle's Fleet Foxes sold out the State Theatre on Sunday night, but instead of a tranquil and transfixing sit-down show by the highly-acclaimed sextet, some of... More >>

• Basilica Block Party

  published July 6, 2011

  Once a year, the Basilica of Saint Mary opens its hallowed grounds to host one of the biggest outdoor rock 'n' roll parties in Minneapolis, as the... More >>

• The Black Keys at Roy Wilkins Auditorium, 07/03/11

  published Jul 05, 2011

  The Black KeysJuly 3, 2011Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, MNAfter the remarkably successful year that the Black Keys have had, they certainly have earned (and now require) a bigger venue for their ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Eddie Vedder and Glen Hansard at the Orpheum Theater, 07/02/11

  published Jul 05, 2011

  Eddie Vedder and Glen Hansard July 2, 2011Orpheum TheaterEddie Vedder's stated goal in picking up the ukulele over a decade ago was to make that happy little instrument sound as sad as he was. And w... More >>