Email Author Ian Traas

2009 Stories by Ian Traas

• Quietdrive Holiday Show

  published December 23, 2009

  Twin Cities rockers Quietdrive have been saddled with the pop-punk tag, but that label is usually little more than lazy shorthand wherein "pop"... More >>

• Trey Songz

  published December 16, 2009

  If you went purely by his lyrics, you might guess that whenever Trey Songz isn't singing in that syrupy tenor he's either 1) constantly glued to... More >>

• Hatebreed

  published December 9, 2009

  The joke's on you, Norway. American metalheads don't have to burn down churches to prove they're tough—you don't have to manufacture... More >>

• The Big Pink

  published November 25, 2009

  It's important to note that breaking London band the Big Pink worship at the altar of Jesus...or rather the Jesus and Mary Chain. But unlike other... More >>

• Nitzer Ebb

  published November 25, 2009

  If New Order are the lovelorn elders of the British synth-rock hierarchy and Depeche Mode are their politically inclined fraternal twins, then... More >>

• Frankie Bones

  published November 18, 2009

  When local techno mastermind Woody McBride had a hand in throwing massive all-night parties in the Twin Cities, he called some of them "dance... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Girls sprint to the finish line at the 7th St. Entry

  published Nov 16, 2009

  Girls' debut single, "Lust for Life" (no relation to Iggy Pop's ode to recklessness), has been in heavy rotation on The Current for the past few weeks, but there's a good chance that the song might n... More >>

• Digable Planets

  published November 11, 2009

  Digable Planets are well acquainted with how fickle the music business can be. After a spike in popularity and a Grammy award in 1993, the jazzy... More >>

• Future of the Left

  published November 4, 2009

  When noisy Welsh rockers Future of the Left visited the Twin Cities this past July, attendees were treated to a grinding, squelching rendition of... More >>

• Snoop Dogg

  published November 4, 2009

  If you need an argument against the idea that smoking marijuana will rob you of your ambition, you only need look as far as Snoop Dogg. The... More >>

• Me & My Arrow (CD-Release)

  published October 28, 2009

  There's been a lot of talk about the size of local band Me & My Arrow, but it's warranted, since there are only a small handful of Minneapolis... More >>

• David Bazan

  published October 28, 2009

  Some artists cloak their every move in carefully manufactured mystery, but ex-Pedro the Lion frontman David Bazan has a refreshing transparency to... More >>

• Shonen Knife

  published October 21, 2009

  The members of Shonen Knife are deeply in love with the Ramones. The Japanese trio's sound is a mirror image of the short three-chord assaults... More >>

• The Dodos

  published October 14, 2009

  For a buzz band with mountains of hype surrounding them, the Dodos have a sound that is mysteriously lacking in certain areas. No distortion. No... More >>

• Amy Millan

  published October 14, 2009

  As a part of modern supergroup Broken Social Scene and the female lead in pop heartbreakers Stars, Amy Millan has plenty to do, so it's all the... More >>

• Ghostland Observatory

  published October 14, 2009

  As a band, hailing from Austin, Texas, means coming up in a hotbed of musical activity that makes artistic evolution possible in the same way that... More >>

• The Weakerthans

  published September 23, 2009

  Given the tender folk-rock leanings of the Weakerthans, it's a little hard to imagine that founder and lead singer John K. Samson spent years as a... More >>

• Sea Wolf

  published September 23, 2009

  Despite what a new crop of musical pranksters may have you believe, earnestness in indie rock has not been beaten dead by a troop of day-glo... More >>

• Sondre Lerche

  published September 16, 2009

  When Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche dropped onto the scene in 2002, he was something of a wunderkind, releasing an accomplished album... More >>

• Street Sounds Swirlin' Through My Mind

  published September 9, 2009

  In a town almost overrun with DJs, it's worth noting that Attitude City (veteran vinyl hounds Karl Frankowski and Jeff Dubois) have kept slinging... More >>

• Reflection Eternal to appear at First Ave Saturday

  published Aug 21, 2009

  As far as hip hop goes, radio still pushes the club bangers and anything that mentions Bentleys, and the indie scene has had so much coke-rap dropped in its lap that, by now, it should have had a mass... More >>

• 5 Questions: Backstage with Jeremy Dawson of Shiny Toy Guns

  published Jul 31, 2009

  Alcohol is a hell of a drug.  Last night, Twin Cities party people turned up in droves to the Fine Line for Amstel Light's Amsterdam Live showcase, thirsty for the gallons of free beer and an im... More >>

• Shiny Toy Guns to play free show at the Fine Line tonight

  published Jul 30, 2009

  In this age of viral marketing, you can get a lot of free stuff. If you pick the right street at the right time, you could walk down the sidewalk with your arms outstretched and your hands open, and h... More >>

• Jacques Renault to headline Too Much Love's summer bash

  published Jul 24, 2009

  By now, unless you've been living in a cave (or you're permanently stranded in St. Paul), you already know about Too Much Love. The current cross-pollination between the indie and electronic music sce... More >>

• Future of the Left to hammer eardrums at the Turf Club

  published Jul 22, 2009

  As a fan of rock music, you rarely get second chances. If you missed a life-changing concert because you were too hungover or doing your laundry, it's not happening again, and you'll have to si... More >>