Exclusive preview of "It's You" from Ryan Paul & the Ardent's forthcoming CD La Vita Nuova

Photo credit Ellie C. Rader

Ryan Paul and the Ardent's forthcoming CD La Vita Nuova is being kept such tight wraps that no one's even seen the cover yet. Apparently, physical discs will be hand delivered to selected music writers the week of the release show, set for Friday, June 19th at the 331 Club on a bill with special guests Eliza Blue and Brian Just.)

By special arrangement, HowWasTheShow has received exclusive permission to stream "It's You," a track from the new album which I am led to believe has only been mastered within the past couple of days.



More info from the press release:

On June 13, 2009, Minneapolis Alt. Country/Indie band, Ryan Paul & THE ARDENT will release their first full length album titled La Vita Nuova. Ryan Paul got his start in the Minneapolis music scene with indie band King Freud in 1999 and worked as a guitar tech for multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Ylvisaker. In 2003, he disappeared from the Minneapolis music scene to return in the summer of 2008. He is joined by veteran musicians in THE ARDENT as well as special guests Janey Winterbauer and Jimmy Peterson on the record. Also performing on June 19th will be Brian Just and Eliza Blue.

HowWasTheShow 7-Year Anniversary Line-up Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HowWasTheShow Celebrates 7 Years on the Internet with Anniversary Party featuring Big Trouble, Communist Daughter, Aby Wolf and The Inwood Radio

Date: Friday, June 12th, 2009
Where: Turf Club, St. Paul (1601 University Avenue – 651-647-0486)
9PM, $6

Minneapolis, MN – May 27th, 2009 – In “internet years”, 7 is a long time. In 2002 Friendster was in its infancy, and MySpace had yet to be launched. Bands still shared songs on the now completely different MP3.com; Audiogalaxy and Napster were entirely different animals than they are today; and Facebook, where more and more bands are making their event and fan page homes, was not yet a gleam in Mark Zukerberg’s eye.

It was in early 2002 that HowWasTheShow.com’s first review appeared, and founder David de Young registered the catchy domain name later that year. Since then, the site has published over 1,000 reviews of music and theater events, and dozens of podcasts, interviews and features. Former HowWastheShow writers have gone on to write for Spin.com, to become music editors of both the now defunct Pulse Twin Cities and the still thriving City Pages. HowWasTheShow contributing writers and photographers have also founded or contribute to other web entities like Cakein15.com, and Culturebully.com.

HowWasTheShow celebrates 7 years as the Twin Cities incubator for new music and theater writers with a party at the Turf Club Friday, June 12th with a few of our favorite musical acts, Big Trouble, Communist Daughter, Aby Wolf and The Inwood Radio.

The bands:

• Big Trouble – http://myspace.com/getinbigtrouble/ - Musicians who play with Heiruspecs and Martin Devaney’s band (Twinkie Jiggles, Peter Leggett, Steve McPherson and Josh Peterson) play mainly instrumental covers of great songs you know and love.

• Communist Daughter – http://myspace.com/communistdaughterband - Former members of Friends Like These (Johnny Solomon & Adam Switlick) team up with drummer Christopher McGuire and Jonathan Blaseg to play songs Rolling Stone’s Melissa Maerz calls “rip-your-heart out ballads about getting older, but not necessarily happier.”

• Aby Wolf – http://myspace.com/abywolf/ - City Pages 2008 “Best New Vocalist” mixes folk with R&B and hip hop to produce a sound that defies any categorization you might want to throw at it.

• The Inwood Radio – http://myspace.com/inwoodradio - Emerging from the ashes of Six Ways from Sunday, these Magnolia Record Company artists play delicious pop indebted to The Lemonheads, The Beach Boys and Orange Juice.

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David de Young on "Saturday Nights with Esme" on WCCO

In my regular Saturday night arts & entertainment segment on WCCO Radio with Esme Murphy this week, I am joined by Katy Vernon of Fab Tab and The Teds live from the green room at the Fine Line to talk about the 8th annual England Swings, put on by Raven, The Duke of Dark. (Check out Katy - in the pink polkadot dress - with Fab Tab performing the Simone Jackson song "Ain't Gonna Kiss Ya.")

Esme Murphy and I also talk a bit about the exhilarating new Tony Kushner play, The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism with a Key to the Scriptures, which I review on the main site here.

21 minutes.

MP3 File

Mars to Mercury's English Rock Set at England Swings VIII was amazing

Thanks to Debbie Donovan's videos, you too can experience what went down at the Fine Line Saturday as Mars to Mercury ripped through their 20 minute England Swings VIII set in medley format. The boys are to be congratulated as much for their arrangement of these songs as for the performance of them.

Songs in this medley include Def Leppard's "Too Late for Love," as well as songs from The Cult, The Babys, UFO, Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, Black Sabbath, with a couple other surprises thrown in.

More videos to come.

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3

More Saturday night Shenanigans

Memorial Day Weekend is shaping up quite nicely in the Twin Cities, what with the Sold Out Soundset '09 on Sunday at Canterbury Park, here are two other wild Saturday musical adventures you might wish to consider.



More info: http://www.myspace.com/westrocksstandard



More info: http://www.myspace.com/memorylanesmn

England Swings VIII is Saturday night

It's time for England Swings VIII, and once again I (David de Young) will be serving as master of ceremonies.

Details below. Hope you can make it down for this star-studded extravaganza where Twin Cities musicians play covers for an entire evening with one caveat: each of the artists covered must be from the UK.

Event: England Swings VIII
When: Saturday, May 23rd
Where: The Fine Line Music Cafe
Doors: 7 pm
Tickets: $8 in advance, $10 at the door (available at The Fine Line and Electric Fetus)

Dee Jay: Red Star Radio

Acts scheduled to appear: Stephanie Says, Mars To Mercury, Little Man, 'Fab' Tab & the Teds (featuring Katy Vernon), Sika, The Wag, Pretty in Pink and Johnny & the Moondogs (featuring members of The Alarmists, The Duke of Dark, The Melismatics, Ouija Radio and Jacques Wait.)

Raffle prizes throughout the evening for UK-related items.

Compere (emcee): David de Young of HowWasTheShow.com.

Sponsored by Brit's Pub and Total Music.

Little Man's Chris Pericelli leaked the contents of his set on his mailing list earlier today:

Little Man's short set will incude:

All Too Much - The Beatles

Stay With Me - The Faces

20th Century Boy - T. Rex

Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie

Suffragette City - David Bowie

Special acoustic opening set from Jeremy Gordon, Robert Wilkinson, Mike Schwant, Emily Muchmore, Raven & Jon Larson.

2009 Stone Arch Lineup Announced

According to musical act booker, Stacy Schwartz of Cake in 15.com, there are a couple music, theater, and dance acts yet to be added, but the majority of the music is listed here. Keep an eye on the official Stone Arch Festival site for updates.

Saturday, June 20

Star Tribune Stage

1:15pm Adam Svec
2:15pm Dan Israel
3:15pm Spaghetti Western String Co.
4:15pm The Cloud Hymn

City Pages Stage

11:00 a.m. Crowd Control
12:00 p.m. The Alrights
1:15 p.m. Joey Ryan & The Inks
2:30 p.m. The Pendrakes
3:45 p.m. The Idle Hands
5:00 p.m. Roma di Luna

Cities 97 Stage

11:15am Neal Swanger
12:15pm Peter Lochner
1:15pm Bob & Lynn Dixon
2:15pm Thomas Kivi
3:15pm Shawn Gibbons
4:15pm Brad Senne
5:15pm Eliza Blue

St. Anthony Courtyard Stage

11:00 a.m. Aria Souder
12:15 p.m. The Badinovs
1:30 p.m. Brian Just Band
2:45 p.m. Caroline Smith & the Good Night Sleeps 4:00 p.m. Farewell Milwaukee
5:15 p.m. The Smarts
6:30 p.m. Mississippi Mud

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Star Tribune Stage
1:15pm Café Accordian Orchestra
2:15pm Anna Laube
4:15pm Jistoray
5:15pm Pezzettino

City Pages Stage

12:00 p.m. Half Demon Doll
1:15 p.m. We Became Actors
2:30 p.m. Wars of 1812
3:45 p.m. The Absent Arch
5:00 p.m. Me & My Arrow

Cities 97 Stage

11:00 a.m. Scott Wooldridge
12:15pm Andy Juhl
1:15pm Chicane Theory
2:15pm Andy Elwell
3:15pm Dustin Thomas
4:15pm Kyle Turck & Patrick Henz
5:15pm John Swardson/Eliza Blue - Get Gone

St. Anthony Courtyard Stage

11:00 a.m. Dustin Thomas
12:00 p.m. The Suits
1:15 p.m. Jason Shannon
2:30 p.m. Jenny Dalton
3:45 p.m. Ryan Paul & the Ardent
5:00 p.m. Chastity Brown