Celebrate First Avenue’s Anniversary (50+ years!) with us in person at this show

Effective immediately, all concerts and events at First Avenue and associated venues will require either proof of a full series of COVID-19 vaccination, or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken in the prior 72 hours. More info HERE.

Presale starts Thursday, January 13 at 10AM | Tickets on sale Friday, January 14 at 11AM

Doors open at 6:30PM | Show starts at 7:30PM | 18+ | $50

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The exact origins of Golden Smog are lost in the hazy backwaters of the late 1980s Minnesota music scene. Initially a loose-knit outfit featuring members of notable bands like The Jayhawks, The Replacements, Soul Asylum and Run Westy Run, early Golden Smog wasn't much more than a jokey cover band side project. Within a few years, the lineup solidified around a core of Gary Louris and Marc Perlman from The Jayhawks, Dan Murphy from Soul Asylum, and Kraig Johnson from Run Westy Run. The punny On Golden Smog, an all covers EP, came out in 1992 complete with fake identities and wacky Chris Mars cover art.

With Wilco's Jeff Tweedy now on board, two mid-'90s releases, Down By the Old Mainstream and Weird Tales, put Golden Smog on the map in a big way, featuring first rate original songs and inspired performances, aided by drummers Noah Levy and Jody Stephens, and violinist Jessy Greene. Often labeled as "Americana," these two landmark albums encompassed an impressive array of sounds and styles. It would be 10 years before the next Golden Smog album, Another Fine Day (2006), a sprawling, adventurous work of art that remains a true lost masterpiece. A follow up EP came the following year; a greatest hits album was released in 2009.

Golden Smog live shows, and especially tours, have always been something of a rarity given all the conflicting schedules. The last full-length tour was in 2006 followed by a handful of one offs and tribute shows. For the most part, the last decade has been very quiet in Smog world. In July 2019, that silence was broken with a stealthy full-blown Golden Smog show in an off-the-radar basement event space in Minneapolis' St. Anthony Main neighborhood to celebrate Dan Murphy's birthday. Things fell into place naturally, the band sounded great and a good time was had by all.

Which brings us to #goldensmog2020 and a high profile show to celebrate the 50th anniversary of First Avenue, one of the most important venues of the rock era, just about 30 years after Golden Smog played their first show on a smoky stage somewhere that nobody can quite remember now. Who knows what the future will bring? Stick around and find out.

miloe is the musical project of Bobby Kabeya, a 19-year old artist based in Minneapolis. Growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bobby was raised by musical parents who met through the church choir during college and taught him to play the piano at the age of six. His childhood home was filled with the sounds of influential Congolese artists Papa Wemba and Lokua Kanza, South African reggae legend Lucky Dube, and Western luminaries Bob Marley, Mariah Carey, and Lionel Ritchie.

When he was eight years old Bobby traveled over 7,000 miles with his mother and three younger brothers to reunite with their father, a journalist who was granted asylum in Minneapolis three years prior. Once in the US, Bobby began to pick up more instruments through the local art and after-school programs, eventually beginning to jam with friends outside of school in his early teens.

In 2017 miloe was officially formed, building a local fanbase through high-energy basement shows with a seamless blend of indie-pop and rumba folk. His self-titled EP was released in 2017, followed by singles "Motorola" and "Everything (That Should Go)". The follow-up Greenhouse EP, released in October 2020, feels energetic and youthful, possessing lyrics that aren’t afraid to lean into teenage melodrama and idealism. The lead single "Winona" is rooted in bedroom pop, interwoven with influences of Congolese finger-picking guitar style and '80s synth-pop elements. The follow-up single "Change Your Mind also" references retro Congolese progressions, with harmonies influenced by '90s RnB from the Western world.

“The Minnesotan climate can feel so limiting compared to where I grew up, almost like we’re waiting half the year to actually live our lives. I created this Greenhouse EP to provide a nice contrast to those sluggish seasons.” Living in a region that faces harsh winter for much of the year, and in 2020 served as ground zero for uprisings against police violence, it was important to Bobby that he provided some sunshine for his community to hold onto.