Har Mar, not just another strip mall

The first time I saw Har Mar Superstar live was at Grand Old Day, which is St. Paul’s annual kick off to summer. The day was slightly overcast and the second this sex machine took the stage the sky opened up and let its tears of pure joy out upon us. It was just the universe’s way of telling us that an amazing show was about to happen.

Har Mar has the looks of Ron Jeremy sprinkled with Tiny Tim and the voice of a young Michael Jackson laced with some Stevie Wonder. Along with that visual, add to it the fact that he routinely performs in spandex and/or just his tighty whities. The second time I saw him live he pranced around stage in his full pale glory with a dollar bill stuck to his sweet sweaty chest.

His stage show isn’t all there is to talk about though. The man behind Har Mar, Sean Tillman, is an extremely talented musician who writes his own music and also fronts the band Sean Na Na. It’s always very refreshing to find a musician who has the complete package: a great stage show, a great voice and great writing skills. He also does a great cover of Alone Again Naturally on his album The Handler.

Jimmy Kimmel Live performance of Power Lunch and Sir Duke

Body Request video

"You bruised up both your knees while rifling through women's jeans"

I discovered Tilly and the Wall one fall night two years ago at Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis, home of grime, great rock shows and tater tots. Tilly and the Wall uses a tap dancer in lieu of drums, and as a former dancer myself I have great respect for this. She taps the entire set without missing a beat and it’s an amazing thing to see. It also gives their music a special something that doesn’t compare to anything else I’ve ever heard.

The tapping isn’t just some gimmick though. Tilly and the Wall also have two bad ass female vocalists and catchy melodies. Bottoms of Barrels was their second album, and it’s an album I can listen to beginning to end over and over again. Bad Education, Sing Songs Along and The Freest Man are the standouts. The album is full of dance beats and lots of soul.

Tilly just came out with a new album, o. I’ve only heard the first single, Pot Kettle Black, and it has more of an edgy vibe to it. It actually reminded me of The Sounds, a really great Swedish band who you should also check out.

A funny thing happened that night at Triple Rock, and whenever I hear Tilly I’m reminded of it. As I was enjoying the tapping pleasures of Tilly and the Wall, I needed to take a piss and proceeded to the can. My friend came with and we hogged the handicapped stall since that’s what classy drunk ladies do. We were chatting about how impressed with the show we were and I dropped my drawers and went to sit on the porcelain throne. This is when I realized how in the moment I was because instead of sitting on the toilet like a normal person, I went all the way down and my bare ass slapped the dirty grimy floor of The Rock. We laughed and laughed and laughed and my vagina hasn’t been the same since.

"I've been trying to hold you up to keep you free from the fall"

Ahhhh, my first The Music Is The Message post. My mind was a jumbled mess trying to figure out what I would write about first. I don’t think I’ve realized how much music means to my life until recently. In my old age I’ve become sort of a loner and good music equals good company. So what will this cynical Minnesotan pick first? Prince? No, but stay tuned. I am a certified Prince freak so that will come down the road.

Tapes N Tapes is a local indie rock Minneapolis band who have caught on nationally like Paris Hilton catches the herp. Their first full length album was The Loon in 2005. The album brought something fresh that I hadn’t heard in a while. It was eclectic and imperfect, which was not a bad thing in this case. Imperfection is what makes life beautiful, right? Insistor was the big hit off this album. It drives fast and makes you want to do a serious jig with a ciggie in one hand and a pitcher of Premium in the other. No, not a bottle or can. A pitcher. This is a serious beer-spilling, jig-dancing song.

This year brought Tapes’ second full length album, Walk It Off. This shit was like my crack for about a good month. I’m a chick - I wear make-up, high heels and love a good romantic comedy, but this whole album makes me want to throw shit around and break stuff... but in a really good way. It’s slightly more polished than The Loon and in the first track, Le Ruse, Tapes seriously brought it to the table. For God’s sake, there’s a song titled George Michael on this album! I mean, you can’t get any better than that.

I’ve seen Tapes live twice and they can carry a live show all the way through. I’ve always said that a band’s live show can make or break them, and they are worth seeing. On a side note the bassist of Tapes, Erik Appelwick, is also the lead of Vicious Vicious. I highly recommend you catch some of his stuff as well. It’s the polar opposite of Tapes, full of catchy hooks and soul. It’s also very reminiscent of Prince. I promise not to brag too much about the musical geniuses that have come out of Minnesota...maybe.