A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:
The Trashmen and L'Assassins, Memory Lanes Block Party. The legendary Trashmen, along with Deke Dickerson, brought the heat from a tented stage, baptizing the masses with their surf sound. Then, the best of the new school garage rockers, L'Assassins, continued to destroy, playing in the middle of the bowling lanes, knocking out every ball in sight.
Rush, Xcel Energy Center. The prog veterans dug deep, presenting highly satisfying readings of some of their most famous and challenging pieces. With a combined age of 184, the band couldn't be going out in any sort of greater grace, making for a highly emotional performance.
"Three Sides of the Coin" podcast. The endearing nature and various levels of Kiss fandom shine with each eagerly awaited weekly episode. I've found the window into a rabid obsessive's own collection (a regular feature on this show) and the laissez-faire nature of the Minnesota native co-hosts and guests to be an ample dose of Kiss each week.
Danny Sigelman, Mpls.
E-mail: popmusic@startribune.com
"Love and Mercy." This biopic is a terrific psychological and musical examination of troubled Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson. Paul Dano brilliantly channels early Brian visually and dramatically, while John Cusack acts the part but doesn't look like latter-day Brian. Director Bill Pohlad masterfully juxtaposes and connects the disturbing stories of 1960s Brian and 1990s Brian.
Soundset, Canterbury Park. Steady rain didn't dampen the world's biggest hip-hop festival and the Twin Cities area's biggest music fest. The diversity of the crowd and the performers continues to impress. Hometown heroes Atmosphere were best of show. Next year, Soundset moves to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
"The Dead After Jerry," Rolling Stone. The post-Garcia years have been a long, strange dance of egos. Sounds like Phish's Trey Anastasio is the Henry Kissinger of the Grateful Dead.
Jon Bream, Star Tribune
