TRIPLE ROCK SOCIAL CLUB RIP 11/22/17

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After 19 years of business, The Triple Rock will be closing after November 22nd.
We are proud to have been part of an amazing time in the Twin Cities Music scene. We have had more than our fair share of legendary performances and events, watched numerous local artists get their start on our stage, and hosted the Minneapolis debuts of countless national acts.
We want to thank all the customers, bands, and artists who have been a part of this place over the years.
Most of all we want to thank our current staff and those who have worked here in the past. We could not have done it without you!
We still have a lot of great events coming up, so come on down and celebrate The Triple Rock!

2 days late, and not enough time to rant about this right now, but I wanted to share it and I did spend time instead researching most if not all of the shows I attended at The Triple Rock Social Club.

This REALLY REALLY SUCKS, but at least it sounds like the reason is for the best.

I just hate the fact there's not really a venue in town now I consider a favorite for Rock Shows, that definitely is preferable to First Avenue, and really, their whole MONOPOLY of venues. But maybe something will pop up.

The once great,  Varsity Theater is supposedly coming back soon, so that may help, but I still hate the way Dinkytown has become all about Corporate Housing for students and the environment feels less intimate.

maybe more l8tr.

20 shows, and other than having my cc taken per an IPhone App at 1 (as many others did, including the Merch guy himself), and an issue or 2 (Horse the Band's exceeding stage time/cutting into BTBAM's set?), nearly every show was an enjoyable experience. As I've said, many other venues could learn from The Triple Rock, but I question whether they will. Even down to the way many people in the crowd at other shows never seem to shut up during the opening acts. I don't have any memory of that EVER happening at The Triple Rock, which for 20 shows, says a lot.



2007
Between the Buried and Me
The Receiving End of Sirens
Russian Circles

2008
Baroness/Genghis Tron

2009
The Dear Hunter/Felix Culpa

2010
Brooke Waggoner (with Timbre)

2011
Deerhoof
The Book of Right On
The Dear Hunter
The Besnard Lakes/Malajube
East of the Wall/Iron Thrones/Earthrise

2012
Menomena/PVT

2013
Field Mouse

2014
Agalloch
NOMIA
The Red Paintings

2015
Bubblemath 
The Dear Hunter/CHON
Mew/The Dodos

2017
Bubblemath

8/4/15: Bubblemath w/ Faun Fables+Paul Fonfara @ TripleRock

So I saw Bubblemath, or at least 4/5 of the band perform last night at The Triple Rock.

The Triple Rock, probably still my favorite venue for Rock shows in Minnesota, however last evening, for some reason the main stage and whole standing or "pit" area was curtained off, I guess per the projected size of the crowd for a somewhat short-notice/little promoted show.

But the crowd size was easily 50 or more people, which I guess my sense is the main stage and standing area could have been fine to use.

I dunno.

But Bubblemath, who I think it has been around 13 years since I'd seen, last time from memory was at The Cabooze in 2003. But their last show was in 2005 at The Triple Rock as well, but not a show I attended.

Their singer Jonathan Smith was not there, and so they played an hour I'd guess, of all-new, all-instrumental music. Music that will not in fact be on their follow-up album I guess, but perhaps on Album #3?

What was it like? verrry busy, technical, epic, and in synchonization. Very jazzy. But like their other music, it definitely was democratic in that no member seems to take over the spotlight more than any other. And many times they play in chorus together with a rhythm or a riff.

I guess if the early Bubblemath sounds at times like Gentle Giant meets Devo, this is more along the lines of Brand X or even like the most recent The Mercury Tree stuff.

Busy, intricate, methodical, etc..but it seemed every piece has moments to enjoy and get into, even if they at times took some time to get to.

Faun Fables: I enjoyed to a point. 1 of the guys from Sleepytime Gorilla Museum's recent project that is very Acoustic and almost Renaissance-festival kind of stylings. Folk in nature, etc. Some diverse instrumentation and blending lead female vocals with male vocals at times. And they had some of the odd percussion at points like SGM.

Paul Fonfara as well, not bad. The pieces with the samples and layers of instrumentation worked best. The singer/songwriter work, I guess my feeling is I can take or leave.

But overall, great to see Bubblemath. Their new album very well may finally come out in the coming year or less (by the end of 2016 maybe). And it may be digitally released, at least just initially.

I do know there are a lot of the prog fans who are clamoring for it, so hopefully that Chinese Democracy/Smile like wait will finally end somewhat soon.
'
oh: and 1 of the coolest things about last night was how it did feel in some ways like a REUNION of some kind, seeing many people I hadn't in many years. From Maureen and Marshall from Run at the Dog, to obviously the Bubblemath guys and many of their friends-fans, etc

Now only if we could get Bubblemath to play a show with The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra, Lehto and Wright and/or Brice Plays Drums among other local Minnesota prog groups, that would be quite an event as well.

Mew 10/5/15 at The Triple Rock Social Club

Well to follow-up yesterday's 9-years-to-the-day anniversary show of a sorts that's the entry below this, here's a review of last night's actual show.

The set list is from a number of shows recently on this tour of theirs. The only 1 that is throwing me off was "Making Friends" which in looking at another live video of it, I do think they did it, I'm just not having it stand out as much I suppose.

But as far as the rest of the set list, this was quite pleasing. Between getting "Sometimes Life Isn't Easy" from No More Stories, to "She Spider" which has always been a favorite of mine, and feel it's not mentioned enough as a standout from Frengers. To that medley being a huge goosebump part. "Clinging to a Bad Dream" has become one of my favorites on Plus Minus, and "Louise Louisa" I have fallen head over heals in love with, with it's sad/melancholic tone, as I wrote a bit about in the previous entry.

And then there was the epic "Rows" which is a phenomenal multi-part track in the studio, that at 1st I only partially recognized. But as it went along and we got to my favorite sections, I was pretty floored by it. The drum/percussion outro is so good, I wish they'd play it for 5 or 10 minutes longer than it goes for. I really hope it becomes like "Comforting Sounds" per a staple live track, as I think it translates even better live. Very trippy and dreamy and mesmerizing.

The rest of the show was also engaging, as they played to the crowd even. Jonas even had the crowd sing some of the choruses on songs like "The Zookeeper's Boy" and "Snow Brigade" which just added to how great this was.

While I hold a special place for that show+partial show I saw at The Fine Line back in 2006, this show definitely was an event to not forget. Very much an epic, energetic, and fulfilling concert, that I kind of have waited for and wanted to experience ever since becoming a Mew fan in 2006.

And to top it all off, I was incredibly overjoyed to get to hang out and chat with all the band members including Jonas Bjerre, after the show outside. I probably spent 30-45 minutes with them and the fans, which I'll admit, I did not expect at all. I wonder if this show, being that it ended at like 10:30PM, the band were into mixing with some of the crowd afterwards per the early start and end time? Or maybe more so, they are just more up for signing autographs and pics now.

And the response and crowd size seemed to really get a good reaction from them. I recall 1 of their guitarists (Johan?) said something on stage about "I know this is normally Prince's town, but I think tonight it's YOUR town" referring to the crowd, etc. In chatting with Jonas a little about Minnesota, he said he saw Prince back in Denmark recently, so obviously he and the band presumably are fans.

But shooting the shit with them was really *special* in a lot of ways, and as memorable a part of this show. I did get them to sign my vinyl, and had my camera, but the battery unfortunately was more or less dead, so no pics or video for me.

As far as their future and touring, I guess I would love to see them back again, and it very well could happen, sooner than in another 9 years, lol. Maybe even next year, depending on if they do more touring to support Plus Minus. But I guess after the long desired and epic nature of last night's show, I can feel a level of fulfillment about Mew, if by some chance this is it, or there is another long gap in the time they return to my hometown.

Witness
Satellites
Special
The Zookeeper's Boy
Introducing Palace Players
Sometimes Life Isn't Easy
Water Slides
Snow Brigade
She Spider
Medley
(Clinging to a Bad Dream/The Zookeeper's Boy/Louise Louisa)
Making Friends
Rows
Am I Wry? No
156

Encore:
My Complications
Comforting Sounds

MEW in Minnesota: 9 Years ago Tonight 10/05/2006

I thought I would just pass this along; what I posted on Facebook, realizing it is exactly 9 years to the day, that I 1st saw Mew. That is rather EERIE.

Then the headline gig they did on October 26th, 2006, I only caught the last couple of songs and the encore per it was also the same night Kaddisfly played at the old The Toybox venue in Minneapolis off Hiawatha. I saw K-Fly, and then scooted down to The Fine Line and caught the end of their show.

Anjd of course they have not returned to Minnesota since, until tonight, October 5th, 2006.

9 years ago tonight, I first saw Mew live. In Minneapolis supporting Kasabianat Fine Line Music Cafe. They returned to headline at The Fine Line 3-weeks later on October 26th, 2006. And they have not returned to Minnesota since, until tonight at Triple Rock Social Club, Which is exactly 9 years to the day of that 1st show I saw them.

Here's a clip from that 10/5/06 show.



I will likely/per time, write a review of tonight show. The Dodos open.

I already checked out a likely set list, and I can't say I will be disappointed, etc.

I also think though, Mew, and the album And the Glass Handed Kites just evokes this incredibly strong and sad sense of emotion and nostalgia for me for some reason. The last song "Louise Louisa" especially in the last 9 months, although I get this image of meeting my fiancee at KFAI in 2011 with it, before and right around that time.

But I also can't forget seeing The Science of Sleep, 1 of the 1st things I ever wrote about in this blog, with Mew, and an Anathallo show. But that film, and going down to Lagoon Theater 1 late afternoon around that time.

That along with sad nostalgia I get from the early and especially mid 2000's, Mew's music triggers.

I should probably elaborate at some point about this whole topic/idea..periods of time in my life, nostalgia, music, and feeling really sad and almost depressed about it..the longing to want to go back in time, to that time, etc. All the bands from that period of time I discovered and many of them are gone/retired/broken up or barely active now.

Hopefully more on that later..but for now, I do have a wonderful concert to look forward to.

The Dear Hunter Live 9/13/15 at The Triple Rock Social Club

I saw them last night for what I count was the 8th time in as many years, at the Triple Rock.

I believe this is the setlist, or quite close to it, with the order possibly a little different.

Wait
The Thief
Mustard Gas
Shame
The Old Haunt
1878
Waves
Smiling Swine
The Line
A Night on the Town
Misplaced Devotion
Things That Hide Away
Where the Road Parts
Home
Whisper

encore
The Church and the Dime
Life and Death

Pretty epic show.

I arrived around 8:45PM; the 2 openers Gates and CHON: Gates had already finished, and CHON about to start, so unfortunately I wasn't able to see Gates per I had Rosh Hoshannah dinner last night. CHON though were pretty amazing, rather technical, mathy at points. A lot of use syncopation and interplay between their guitarists and drummer. I would compare them to being maybe a bit more of a math-rock version of Scale the Summit or Animals as Leaders.

But of course The Dear Hunter then went on and put on another highly energetic, very *live* show. The set-list more or less speaks for itself. We got "The Line" which I guess some other shows got "Bitter Suite IV and V: The Congregation and the Sermon and the Slit"

A lot of the Act IV tunes sounded great live. I will say, the mix at The Triple is normally pretty good, compared to other venues. Last night it was hit and miss, as at point it was clear the guitars were a lot higher than things like the vocals or keyboards, as at points I only really could hear them. But that was probably only in isolated moments.

The Crowd was rather large, in fact maybe the largest crowd I've ever been to at a The Dear Hunter show. The Entry show a couple of years ago probably had 200-250 people, I'd guess last night was around 300 or more. I think many came for CHON though, which happens sometimes depending on the openers. Regardless though, it was quite a lot of people to see them, even compared to past years, namely when they've headlined.

Baby steps I guess in terms of a following. Casey mentioned it multiple times how grateful they were to see that many people there for them, and even surprised initially how crowded it was.

Mew: 2015 North America Fall Tour (including Minneapolis!)

The image below is only partial dates.

There are more tour dates listed and linked on the link below for other areas, namely Europe of course. But finally they are coming back not only to North America for a tour, but to Minneapolis!

It seems like ages I saw them twice within 6 weeks the Fall of 2006 at The Fine Line, and then nothing.

Monday October 5th at The Triple Rock. Tickets are on sale to the general public on Friday June 12th.



http://mewsite.com/tour/

NORTH PARK THEATRE
San Diego, CA, USA, Sep 17. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

THE OBSERVATORY
Santa Ana, CA, USA, Sep 18. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

THE BUNKHOUSE SALOON
Las Vegas, NV, USA, Sep 19. 2015

THE FONDA THEATRE
Los Angeles, CA, USA, Sep 25. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

THE FILLMORE
San Francisco, CA, USA, Sep 26. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

WONDER BALLROOM
Portland, OR, USA, Sep 28. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

VENUE
Vancouver, BC, Canada, Sep 29. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

NEUMOS
Seattle, WA, USA, Sep 30. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

THE COMPLEX
Salt Lake City, UT, USA, Oct 02. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

GOTHIC THEATRE
Englewood, CO, USA, Oct 03. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

TRIPLE ROCK
Minneapolis, MN, USA, Oct 05. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10  

METRO
Chicago, IL, USA, Oct 06. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

LEE'S PALACE
Toronto, ON, Canada, Oct 07. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

9:30 CLUB
Washington, D.C, USA, Oct 09. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

WEBSTER HALL
New York, NY, USA, Oct 10. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

PARADISE ROCK CLUB
Boston, MA, USA, Oct 11. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

CORONA CAPTIAL FESTIVAL
Mexico City, Nov 21. - Nov 22. 2015