![]() English singer/songwriter Richard Thompson at Summer of the Arts in Iowa City. June 2013. ![]() Blues singer Ana Popovic at the Big Muddy Blues Festival in St Louis in 2012 and the KUNI Blues Blowout in Cedar Falls, IA in 2013. ![]() Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials at the KUNI Blues Blowout in 2013. ![]() Blues guitar legend Johnny Winter in Rock Island, IL during 2012 and then outside Chicago in 2013 with Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer, and Kim Simmonds. ![]() Flaming Lips in Madison, WI in 2012. ![]() Leonard Cohen. Chicago 2012. ![]() It was a busy night in the Twin Cities this weekend. While Secret Stash records presented their Soul Review at The Guthrie, Valerie June was charming concert-goers at The Cedar. Meanwhile, Nikki Hill and her dynamite band (hubby/guitarist extraordinaire Matt Hill, Troy Sandow on bass and Joe Meyer on drums) ripped up a couple of sets at Famous Dave's in Calhoun Square. This southern dynamo hails from North Carolina and brings her own brand of spunk n' funk. Whether they are the originals that make up the bulk of her debut full length record Here's Nikki Hill or the lively cover of "Who Were You Thinking Of?, Nikki Hill puts each tune and the band through their paces. Matt Hill, with his own solo record under his belt, comes off as a stylish and impressive guitarist that complements Nikki's brand of R n' B perfectly. Those who stayed until the midnight hour were treated to a rousing "Whole Lotta Rosie", a song the band doesn't perform all that often. The band had a successful European tour and is now covering as much ground in the US and Canada as they can before heading back to the UK in the fall. This is a must-see band if you can catch them live. ![]() Relative newcomer Valerie Hill made her debut at The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis on Saturday night. Her solo set consisted mainly of songs from her forthcoming album "Pushin' Against A Stone" (produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys) and showed off her distinctive Tennessean voice, as well as her talents on slide guitar and banjo. After the show Valerie June couldn't have been nicer as she chatt |
All photos copyright by Kim Reed
All
|