10 shows worth leaving your house this winter
Hall & Oates
When it comes to deciding how to spend cold winter evenings, the deck is stacked against anything happening past our front doors. Slick roads, an extra-plush comforter, and the recent DVD release of the 12th season of Murder She Wrote are all good arguments for staying home. But don’t let that keep you from some of the best entertainment you may see all year. Say goodbye to your couch and hello to The A.V. Club’s list of winter shows that will have you getting all bundled up for a night on the town.
Superchunk (Dec. 1, First Avenue)
When a band best known for its ’90s output releases its first album in nine years, set your expectations accordingly. When that band is Superchunk, prepare to have those expectations smashed to bits. This year’s Majesty Shredding isn’t just good for a comeback record; it earns its spot on the shelf next to an indie-rock classic like No Pocky For Kitty.
WAMarchy (Dec. 4, Weisman Art Museum)
Have you ever had a friend who celebrated the move to a new apartment by trashing the old one? This is sort of like that, but on a much classier scale. With closed-door renovations approaching, the Weisman is inviting the public to break traditional museum rules: Eat in the galleries, draw on the walls, hang up your own art, and watch The God Damn Doo Wop Band and Off With Their Heads push the volume well past appropriate levels.
Broken Bells (Dec. 6, First Avenue)
Last year, Danger Mouse and Shins frontman James Mercer set hearts aflutter when they announced that they were collaborating. While the resulting Broken Bells may not be greater than the sum of its parts, it did give the producer a chance to play around with more organic instrumentation than he’s used to, while Mercer exercised his weary falsetto. Catch the powerhouse duo here in its Twin Cities debut.
Daryl Hall And John Oates (Dec. 10, State Theatre)
The Philly soul duo has found a new audience in recent years, thanks to collaborations with Chromeo and Gym Class Heroes, not to mention the latest wave in the popularity of moustache jokes. But rather than reaching for an oversized venue, Hall & Oates are thinking smaller with an intimate—and already sold-out—theater show.
Doomtree Blowout (Dec. 10-11, First Avenue)
The only thing we like more than seeing the individual members of Doomtree release solo albums and succeed is seeing them reconvene for the annual Blowout. The Minneapolis hip-hop collective is good at keeping busy (three out of seven members put out solo albums this year alone), which means there’s no shortage of new material.
The Hold Steady + The Meat Puppets (Dec. 29, First Avenue)
Has The Hold Steady already played here this year? Yes. Will the band play here again? Of course. But it probably won’t be with acid-fried country-rockers The Meat Puppets. Besides, nothing warms the blood like a room packed with strangers raising their fists in solidarity.
The Onion’s 1,143rd Twin Cities Issue Celebratory Gathering With Sexiness, Music, And Crap Like That (Jan. 7, First Avenue and 7th Street Entry)
Allow us a moment of self-promotion. We’re throwing a little party to celebrate, well, us. Pink Mink, BNLX, and Zebulon Pike are just a few of the artists already on the lineup, but keep an eye on our site in the coming weeks for the announcement of our surprise headliner.
Wu-Tang Clan (Jan. 9, Epic)
Like Doomtree, Wu-Tang is a hard group of individuals to get in the same place at the same time. Unlike when Doomtree gets together, we’re not entirely convinced when the Clan says that all eight members will appear. But Epic’s website claims they will, and that’s reason enough to get excited.
Gang Of Four (Feb. 12, First Avenue)
Gang Of Four has been in existence for more than 30 years—and about half of that is just the time between their sixth and seventh albums. Content, the English post-punk band’s first album in 16 years, is due out in January, and if it’s anything like the rest of their work, the sound will be jagged, bass-heavy, and probably a little pissed off.
Randy Newman (Feb. 21, Guthrie Theater)
Before he provided welcome relief from Phil Collins-written Disney tunes, Randy Newman was known for writing razor-sharp satirical songs that small children totally wouldn’t understand. Newman isn’t known for his robust touring schedule, so who knows when you’ll get your next chance to hear a live rendition of “You Can Leave Your Hat On.”
