Email Author Ian Traas

2010 Stories by Ian Traas

• Henry Rollins

  published May 12, 2010

  To Henry Rollins, the term "spoken word" is pretentious; he just gets up on stage and talks. If that seems uneventful, consider that Rollins... More >>

• Kaki King

  published May 5, 2010

  Those long acrylic fingernails Kaki King is sporting on her right hand? Strictly utilitarian—she uses them to pick stunningly intricate... More >>

• Kate Nash

  published May 5, 2010

  Armed with an impressive voice, undeniable cuteness, and just the right amount of snark, Kate Nash unsurprisingly emerged as an indie "it" girl... More >>

• The Business

  published April 28, 2010

  The guys in the Business don't care about your haircut. They don't care about posing, the scene, or being hip—that stuff just takes time... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Sia cheerfully dazzles a packed Fine Line

  published Apr 26, 2010

  Australian singer Sia Furler has followed a familiar career arc to a couple of interesting outcomes.  After making a name for herself and establishing some indie credibility as the primary vocali... More >>

• Surfer Blood

  published April 7, 2010

  This could be your little brother's band: youthful and almost embarrassingly honest, stitching together an album in an off-campus apartment with... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Passion Pit make a joyful noise at a sold-out First Ave

  published Apr 05, 2010

  The recent influx of popular indie bands touring through Minneapolis has given First Ave an impressive string of sold-out shows over the past few weeks (just in time for the venue's 40th birthday), an... More >>

• Titus Andronicus

  published March 31, 2010

  It's nothing new for a rock band out of New Jersey to ride a bit on Springsteen's coattails (especially now that the Boss is fashionable among... More >>

• Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

  published March 24, 2010

  Fifteen years ago, you had to watch MTV for all of about 10 seconds before seeing the video for "The Crossroads," with its... More >>

• Portugal. The Man drops acid rock on the Varsity Theater

  published Feb 26, 2010

  Last night, Dinkytown's Varsity Theater was about 10 guests away from being sold out, filled to capacity by the Twin Cities' indie faithful who had been lured out of their warm apartments with the pro... More >>

• Song of Zarathustra

  published February 24, 2010

  After the hell he's put them through, it's a wonder that Travis Bos's vocal cords haven't exploded through his neck. Minneapolis hardcore lovers... More >>

• Portugal. the Man

  published February 24, 2010

  Instead of trekking out into the tundra to go to the record store and buy hot new pop music, it feels like the members of Portugal. The Man spent... More >>

• Killswitch Engage

  published February 17, 2010

  There's so much middle ground in metal right now that you can mix and match styles, arrange your favorite mixture of heavy sounds, and be pretty... More >>

• Bassgasm

  published February 17, 2010

  Leave it to local techno stalwart Woody McBride to coordinate something like Bassgasm—a big, gushing love letter to dance music and First... More >>

• Dre Day

  published February 17, 2010

  Though your place of employment may not recognize it (yet), February 18 is a holiday way more important than President's Day, more raucous than... More >>

• Q&A: Motion City Soundtrack's Josh Cain

  published Jan 22, 2010

  It's a big week for Minneapolis-based pop-rockers Motion City Soundtrack. Tuesday, the band released their fourth studio album (and first for major label Columbia), My Dinosaur Life, an impressivel... More >>

• Motion City Soundtrack

  published January 20, 2010

  It can feel like immaculate pop records come from another state, or maybe an airless planet where microscopic production details can be fussed... More >>

• Anti-Flag

  published January 13, 2010

  Most punk bands seem to fall into one of two camps: jokester nihilists gulping down beer as if more will never be brewed, or politically inclined... More >>

• Low

  published January 13, 2010

  Looking at "Quiet, Please," a collaborative effort between City Pages and the Varsity Theater designed to deliver a series of concerts... More >>