... That's gonna leave a mark.

I'll make this post short and sweet. Just throwing up the links to a couple recent slideshows I've done for Citypages:
Solera "Communion" Opening Party 5.30.2010
Paul Van Dyk at Epic 5.21.2010

Solera was an absolute blast; I can't wait to spend my Sunday afternoons on the rooftop enjoying sangria in the sun. Paul Van Dyk was also quite the show -- the stage set-up was unlike anything I've seen in a while.  The few photos I've uploaded thus far don't really do the lighting and stage justice, so just hold your horses for now. (Many more shots from both shows to be uploaded soon. I think I took over 300 photos at PVD.) The only bummer about PVD was the epic fall I took on stage after tripping (curse you, secret stage parts covered in black cloth in the dark!), and the only bad part about Solera was the hangover I was nursing on Monday (4pm-2am will do that to a girl). Coming up, photos from this Friday's Solid Gold show at First Ave; next weekend I've got Kaskade to shoot, too.  With that, I'll post some music.

New release from disco house favorite LLR:
Louis La Roche - Missing You (w/ Ad-Apt)

Speaking of disco, Grum just released a full album called "Heartbeats." It's cheesy, but it's got a couple gems, such as "Runaway." Love it.

A new video popped up from Lolla artist Stars today (video's kind of lame but the song is damn catchy... very Metric-esque, IMO):

... Markus Schulz played some trance.

This past Friday, February 5th, Markus Schulz returned to Minneapolis, celebrating his birthday week.  And what better way to celebrate your birthday than a packed crowd at Karma singing you Happy Birthday, cake backstage, lasers, and 2 hours of hands-in-the-air trance?  As much as I love the larger shows that Sound in Motion throws (say, at Epic), I love the smaller or medium-sized shows like this show; it gives me a bit of a break from running around the whole time, making sure I get the shots I want.  Once again struggling with overexposed photos from the excessive fog (typical at Karma), I took a few extended breaks, even putting the camera away and making my way right smack in the middle of the crowd, drink in one hand, other hand in the air.  Like many headliners this past year, Markus dropped Dustin Zahn's "Stranger to Stability" (Len Faki Remix); even though only a handful of people there probably recognized it as coming from a Minneapolis local, it still elicited quite the response on the dancefloor, per usual. Another track I took note of was Schulz's mashup of Rex Mundi's "Nothing at All" vs. Marco V's "Unprepared."

See all my photos from the night at simshows.com or on facebook.

... A coked out female has been misplaced.

 

Attention Minneapolis. Tickets for Sia's show at the Fine Line Saturday, April 24th go on sale this Friday, presales on Wednesday via a secret password to be divulged soon on her twitter. I can't promise there will be a Medusa inspired pipe-cleaner hairpiece, but I'll certainly cross my fingers. Her song "Breathe Me" is one of the few songs that can bring tears to my eyes within a few bars (if the mood strikes). To be fair, that might be due to flashbacks to the ending sequence of the series finale to Six Feet Under, but it's still a great cut. 

In addition to blowing you away on originals like "Breathe Me," or providing vocals for your favorite Zero 7 tracks ("Destiny" being one of the more recognizable), she also releases haunting covers, like Radiohead's "Paranoid Android." Dance music enthusiasts will remember her voice from notable trance songs like "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine," a feature track from Sander Van Doorn's album Supernaturalistic. The poppy "Buttons" got a lovely trance facelift from Markus Schulz a while back, I was quite fond of the "Return to Coldharbor Remix." Plus, it looks like her website was made exclusively in MS Paint, so she scores some brownie points with me there, as I began my design career with countless hours on Paint. 

Her cover of The Church's "Under the Milky Way" is featured in the newest TV ad from Lincoln, which means you and I get a free download here: http://www.lincoln.com/music/

If you don't live in Minneapolis, you're in luck -- she's all over the place this spring.