Erik Hess

The Current's 8th Birthday Party, Night Two, 1/19/13

The Current's 8th Birthday Party, Night TwoFeaturing Cloud Cult, Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner, Now, Now, the Chalice (with YN Rich Kids aka the Kids)First Avenue, MinneapolisSaturday, January 19, 2013 Sometime during most people's mid-twenties, birthdays start to look a bit self-indulgent. There's no i ... More >>

Solid Gold at First Avenue, 12/7/12

Solid Gold With Wild Belle and Moonstone Continuum First Avenue, Minneapolis December 7, 2012 A wintry snowfall couldn't keep local music fans from celebrating Solid Gold's record release or their grand return to the First Avenue stage on Friday night, as the Mainroom was filled with longtime supp ... More >>

Metalocalypse's Dethklok at Myth 11/14/12

DethklokWith Black Dahlia MurderMyth, St. PaulWednesday, November 14, 2012On Wednesday, the doors of Myth nightclub opened a portal to a bizarre, suburban limbo. An odd, eclectic and inarguably sincere mix of fans had gathered to watch a death metal show and, admittedly, the aesthetic of a venue tha ... More >>

P.O.S. releases We Don't Even Live Here at First Avenue, 10/26/12

P.O.S. With Marijuana Deathsquads, Mike Mictlan, Audio Perm, the Tribe and Big Cats!, and DJ Ander Other First Avenue, Minneapolis Friday, October 26, 2012 P.O.S. was determined that his sold-out show at First Avenue on Friday night was nothing but a dance party, casting aside any lingering sombe ... More >>

John Mark Nelson CD release at 7th St. Entry, 8/12/12

John Mark NelsonWith Observer Drift7th St. Entry, MinneapolisSunday, August 12, 2012See Also:John Mark Nelson channels folk-pop sophisticationJohn Mark Nelson makes early Minneapolis impact via BandcampObserver Drift making chill waves with escapist debutAlthough the 7th St. Entry doesn't do "New Ba ... More >>

Best of Lollapalooza day three: At the Drive-in, Florence the Machine and more

See Also:Best of Lollapalooza 2012 day two: Twin Shadow, Franz Ferdinand and moreBest of Lollapalooza 2012, day one: Afghan Whigs, Die Antwoord, and moreJustice at Lollapalooza, 8/5/12What have we learned following Lollapalooza 2012? Not only do reunions (Afghan Whigs, Black Sabbath, At the Drive-in ... More >>

El-P and Killer Mike at Fine Line, 7/5/12

El-P, Killer Mike, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, and DespotFine Line Music Cafe, MinneapolisThursday, July 5, 2012See Also:Slideshow: El-P and Killer Mike at the Fine LineEl-P on Prince, his mother, and full-band rap shows as "dusted out Phish concerts"Killer Mike on being unhappy with Obama, and zombie ... More >>

Rock the Garden at Walker Art Center, 06/16/12

Rock the GardenWith the Hold Steady, Trampled by Turtles, Doomtree, tUnE-yArDs, and HowlerWalker Art Center, MinneapolisSaturday, June 16, 2012Related:10 gorgeous GIFs from Rock the Garden 2012Slideshow - Rock the Garden 2012: MusicSlideshow - Rock the Garden 2012: People/ScenesReverence for the Twi ... More >>

Dropkick Murphys at First Avenue, 2/25/2012

​Dropkick Murphys With Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls and The MahonesFirst Ave., MinneapolisSaturday, February 25, 2012For a slideshow from the concert, click here.St. Patrick's Day came a little early to Minneapolis in the form of a Dropkick Murphys performance. The Boston-based band broug ... More >>

CSS at First Avenue, 10/17/2011

Photos by Erik Hess​CSSOctober 17, 2011First Avenue, MinneapolisCome to a CSS show expect to move; come expecting to leave inhibitions behind and dance like you've never done so. The last time the Brazilian band was in Minneapolis, they opened for a sold-out Sleigh Bells show.  This time the ... More >>

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark at First Avenue, 9/26/2011

Photos by Erik Hess​Orchestral Manoeuvres in the DarkSeptember 26th, 2011First Avenue, MinneapolisHalfway through their second US tour this year, OMD has definitely hit their stride. And with lead singer and bassist Andy McCluskey bounding around the stage wildly ("Unfortunately I still dance like ... More >>

The Olivia Tremor Control at the Varsity Theater, 9/12/11

Photos by Erik Hess​The Olivia Tremor Control September 12, 2011 Varsity Theater, Minneapolis They were never stalwarts. They can't really be described as holdovers from the '90s, since they broke up in 2000 and reformed in 2005. But ask the right people and they will go on and on about the O ... More >>

Maroon 5 & Train at the State Fair Grandstand, 9/5/2011

Photos by Erik Hess​Maroon 5 and TrainSeptember 5, 2011State Fair GrandstandLabor Day--always a bittersweet day for Minnesotans, marking the end to 12 food coma-inducing days.  With the hot and rainy days past, the weather was perfect for an evening with radio friendly groups Maroon 5 and Tra ... More >>

Marc Anthony woos fans at the Minnesota State Fair

Photo by Erik Hess​As part of our ongoing coverage of music at the Minnesota State Fair, we sent photographer Erik Hess to catch salsa kingpin Marc Anthony in the Grandstand last night -- and he returned with some incredible images. Click here for Erik's full slideshow, and see below for links to ... More >>

Top 10 concert photos of August 2011

It's been another big month for concert photography on the Gimme Noise blog and in City Pages -- so big, in fact, that one of our photographer's photos of the Flaming Lips ended up on the cover of the paper last week (well done, Erik Hess!). See that photo and nine other favorites from the month bel ... More >>

Top 10 concert photos of the summer so far

It's been a rainy start to our summer so far, but that hasn't stopped Twin Cities fans from busting out their ponchos and going outdoors to take in live music. Between Rock the Garden, Soundset, the Warped Tour, and shows at the Minnesota Zoo's amphitheater, concertgoers have had plenty of chances t ... More >>

Astronautalis, Lazlo Supreme, and MaLLy at the Guthrie Theater, 7/9/11

Photos by Erik HessAstronautalis​Dessa's Cadence Series with Astronautalis, Lazlo Supreme, and MaLLyJuly 9, 2011The Dowling Studio at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis"I'm so excited," Astronautalis beamed on Saturday night, during one of the many breaks in his set where he stopped playing music to ... More >>

Mötley Crüe, Poison and the New York Dolls at Target Center 6/24/11

Photos by Erik Hess​Mötley Crüe, Poison and the New York DollsJune 24, 2011Target Center, MinneapolisOne of the biggest tours of the season, the triple glam rock assault of Mötley Crüe, Poison and the New York Dolls blew through town Friday night to a sold out Target Center. Adding to the circ ... More >>

Rock for Pussy 8 at First Avenue, 6/10/11

Photos by Erik Hess​Rebel Rebel: Rock for Pussy 8June 10, 2011First Avenue, MinneapolisNow in its eighth go-round, the annual David Bowie tribute-meets-cat shelter fundraiser Rock for Pussy has become one of the most predictably fun nights in local music, as shown by the large turnout and vibrant ... More >>

Czeslaw's Loop: Permanent, Marijuana Deathsquads, and Playatta on the Mississippi River

Photos by Erik Hess​"What's happening? What's happening, mommy? Mommy, what's happening?"  It's a stormy sunset on the Mississippi River, and over a dozen artists, curators, and friends have been trying, drenched and filthy, for five hours or more, to save a dry-reliant and ambitious thing ... More >>

tUnE-yArDs at the Cedar, 5/8/11

Photos by Erik Hess​tUnE-yArDsMay 8, 2011Cedar Cultural Center, MinneapolisThere's something about tUnE-yArDs. Led by talented multi-instrumentalist vocalist Merrill Garbus, the now-quartet has been touring relentlessly for the past year and half, and it shows; while Garbus's live looping techniqu ... More >>

Duran Duran at Epic, 04/22/11

Photos by Erik Hess​Duran DuranApril 22, 2011Epic, MinneapolisDuran Duran turned the sold-out Epic nightclub into a decidedly retro '80s party palace on Friday night, delighting their maturing but still passionate fans with an energetic 100-minute set full of hits both new and old. While the band' ... More >>

Gayngs at Coachella, Nikki Sixx phones it in at the Fitz, and more notes from the weekend

Photos by Denis Jeong Plaster​April is continuing to roar by us at a steady clip, and this past weekend our local scene was so bustling that we had to export some of our musicians out to Indio, California before the whole town overflowed.

Peelander-Z at the Turf, 4/15/11

Photos by Erik HessAnamanaguchi​Peelander-Z (with Birthday Suits and Anamanaguchi) April 15, 2011 Turf Club Don't you hate a schtick? (Stay with me, here.)

Southern Songbook's Adam Levy, Chris Koza, Dessa featured on Midmorning

Photo by Erik Hess​The Southern Songbook series is returning to the Southern Theater April 14 as part of the String Theory Festival, and this time around host Adam Levy is inviting Chris Koza, Dessa, Chan Poling, and more to explore the use of strings in modern-day songwriting. To preview the next ... More >>

Chapel Club at the Entry, 03/24/11

Photos by Erik Hess​Chapel ClubMarch 24, 20117th Street Entry, MinneapolisThere is something exhilarating about seeing a young English band on their first proper tour of the U.S. They are playing small rooms again, which must remind them of the intimate UK clubs where they first garnered their ... More >>

Gimme Noise and First Avenue day party fills up Skinny's Ballroom

Photos by Erik Hess​We had an insanely fun time yesterday afternoon throwing the first ever Gimme Noise day party in Austin in partnership with First Avenue. The party was hopping from the get-go, thanks in part to the free beer offered up by Tiger, and we were thrilled to see a huge contingent of ... More >>

Wu-Tang, Wild Flag, Fishbone, Yelawolf among highlights at the Village Voice SXSW party

Photo by Erik Hess​Our parent company, Village Voice Media, went whole hog with their annual SXSW bash this year, moving it from its previous home at La Zona Rosa into the Austin Music Hall (which was also the site of last night's MTVu Woodie Awards), stretching out the event into the late-night h ... More >>

Girl Talk at First Avenue, 3/8/11

Photo by Erik Hess​ After last night's sold-out Girl Talk show at First Avenue, classrooms across college campuses and cube farms in various office buildings probably feel a bit empty today. During peak time at the show it was clear a good portion of the city's twentysomethings were all dancing ... More >>

Anthology

Mark Mallman's New Year's Eve stunt: The 'Keyborg'

Photo by Erik Hess​Mark Mallman has made a tradition out of returning to the Varsity each New Year's Eve for an extravagant show, and for his 5th annual NYE bash he pulled out all the stops.

Freelance Whales at the Entry, 12/1/10

Photos by Erik Hess​Freelance Whales with Miniature TigersWednesday, December 1, 20107th St. Entry, MinneapolisFreelance Whales might be that one indie band that sneaks up on you; you're totally unprepared to like them as much as you find yourself doing. And armed with a myriad of instruments and ... More >>

A Tribute to the Replacements, 11/26/10

Photos by Erik Hess​A Tribute to the Replacements' TimNovember 26, 2010First Avenue, MinneapolisReported with special help from Robyn LewisNow in its third installment, the Thanksgiving weekend tradition of reveling in the songs of the Replacements has grown into a gigantic local music event, the ... More >>

Aster Cafe emerges as an elegant new 'listening room'

Photos by Erik HessAster Cafe partner and musician Jeff Arundel​With a delicate layer of snow blanketing the Cities, it seems like a fine time to cozy up inside the Aster Cafe, one of Minneapolis's more promising new live music locales. Revamped under new ownership last June, the Aster started hos ... More >>

The Soviettes at the Triple Rock, 11/12/10

Photos by Erik Hess​The SoviettesThe Triple Rock Social ClubNovember 12th, 2010On a briskly cold Friday night on the West Bank, a crowd gathers outside of the Triple Rock. Not just any Friday night Triple Rock crowd, this was a crowd that's eager to witness Minneapolis punk history -- the third an ... More >>

Red Pens at the 7th Street Entry, 11/06/2010

Photos by Erik Hess​Red Pens EP-releaseNovember 6, 20107th Street EntryIt is a rare show where the band clearly gives everything they have on stage, yet leaves the crowd wanting more. Saturday night's Red Pens show at a packed 7th St. Entry was one of those performances, as the band, spent and swe ... More >>

Peelander-Z at the Turf Club

Photos by Erik Hess​Peelander-Z with Birthday Suits and In DefenceOctober 17th, 2010Turf Club, St. Paul, Minnesota"We come from the Z area of planet Peelander, we don't need food! We come to eat your smiles!" - Peelander YellowPeelander-Z. Where do I start?

Surfer Blood and the Drums at the Varsity Theater, 10/13/10

Photos by Erik Hess​Surfer Blood and the DrumsOctober 13, 2010Varsity TheaterWhat better way to shake off my post-GBV hangover than to see two young, talented bands at one of the most stylish venues in town, as the Floridian quintet Surfer Blood and the Brooklyn quartet the Drums both delivered sh ... More >>

Mark Mallman's Marathon 3 co-stars reflect on their contributions to the ultimate performance

Photos by Erik Hess​Some of us may remember when our friend Mark Mallman decided to do his first "Marathon" in 1999. Knowing Mark, it didn't seem weird that he would attempt such a stunt. The man has far too much energy and tends to be one of those creative juggernauts that fill the Twin Cities mu ... More >>

Mark Mallman Marathon 3 live blog, day 2

Photo by Erik Hess​While the rest of us slept last night, tucked away warm in our beds, Mark Mallman continued laboring away during the first overnight lap of his Marathon 3, which continues through Sunday.We're picking up where we left off last night to find out how the Marathon is going so far - ... More >>

Mark Mallman Marathon 3 live blog, day 3

Photo by Erik Hess​Mark Mallman passed the halfway point of his Marathon 3 performance at 7 a.m. this morning, and isn't due to wrap up until 10 p.m. last night. We jogged alongside Mallman yesterday from 10 a.m. until about 3:30 a.m., and you can read our recap and see some incredible photo ... More >>

Mark Mallman's kicks off his Marathon 3

Photo by Erik Hess​Mark Mallman kicked off his third marathon performance at the Turf Club at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon to a small but intent crowd and several video cameras (watch the live stream online here). Gimme Noise will be checking in on Mallman as he attempts to play for 78 hours strai ... More >>

Sea Wolf's Alex Brown Church at the Turf Club, 9/27/10

Photos by Erik Hess​Sea Wolf (solo acoustic)September 27, 2010Turf Club, St. PaulMonday doesn't necessarily seem like a night to go out and party (from a responsible standpoint anyway), but Sea Wolf isn't really a party band, either, so that dovetailed nicely.

Best Coast & Male Bonding at the Triple Rock, 9/17/10

Photos by Erik Hess​Best Coast and Male BondingSeptember 17, 2010Triple Rock, MinneapolisBest Coast puts on a really odd live show. I was a big fan of Crazy For You when it was first released, egged on by her solid EPs from last year. But then Bethany Cosentino started showing up everywhere, alway ... More >>

The Goondas go hog-wild at Nick and Eddie

Photos by Erik Hess​If the collective hangover of the entire Gimme Noise staff is any indication, last night's "4 Nights in Loring" afterparty with the Goondas at Nick and Eddie was a wild success. (Be thankful we didn't touch the @gimme_noise Twitter account last night, as the only thing I could ... More >>

Tokyo Police Club at the Varsity, 8/19/10

Photos by Erik Hess​Tokyo Police ClubAugust 19, 2010Varsity TheaterThe blogosphere can be a fickle mistress. Toronto quartet Tokyo Police Club went from teenaged basement band to playing every major music festival of 2007 pretty much overnight on the strength of the instantaneous blog buzz that gr ... More >>

Autolux at the Varsity Theater, 8/18/10

Photos by Erik Hess​You are always waiting for Autolux in some capacity. After six years between sophomore release Transit Transit and their acclaimed Future Perfect, I'm sure many were ready to give up on the band. A secretive and elusive bunch, they hardly made festival appearances to appease th ... More >>

The Pines, Jeremy Messersmith lend a hand to Solid Gold

Photo by Erik HessMatt Locher and Zach Coulter of Solid Gold​"I was looking forward to this show all day at work," Solid Gold frontman Zach Coulter said between songs, grinning. "But I had no idea it would be one of the best show nights of my life." Throughout the night on Monday, Coulter looked l ... More >>

The Antlers and Phantogram transfix the Varsity

While on paper it might not appear that the differing styles of Phantogram and the Antlers would mesh well, both the bands delivered terrific sets that showed off their inspired, innovative talents, and served notice that we will be hearing more from both of these accomplished, but still developing, ... More >>

P.O.S. wraps up three-night run with gig at Nick and Eddie

Photo by Meredith Westin​Let's get this out of the way: A lot of people got choked up this week watching P.O.S storm three separate venues on three back-to-back nights in preparation for his set at Coachella. Yes, you read that right. People got misty-eyed at a rap show. At some point last night, ... More >>