Joshua Radin on tour

Acoustic indie artist, Joshua Radin, is on a mini tour and I had the pleasure of going to his show at the Fineline Music Cafe in Minneapolis last Saturday.  He toured with pop indie artists Meiko and Jesse Harris.  It was a very pleasant show. 

The Fineline Music Cafe off of First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis was the perfect location for the show, a smaller, simple venue.  Radin has played there a few times before and talked about how much it likes it in Minneapolis during the show.  He told us that the first show he ever sold out was in Minneapolis, and he also sold out the show on Saturday.  

Jesse Harris, who actually plays in Radin's band, started the night with some unique songs on the banjo.   Harris has a very distinct voice and I suggest going to his Myspace to check it out.  Then, Meiko took the stage, which is what I was most excited about.  

Meiko's folksie vocals were practically flawless and I was quite impressed.  Besides how much fun I had bopping around to her music, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her stories in between songs.  She is a quirky person and rather charming.  Before she played her "hit" single "Boys with Girlfriends," she graciously thanked local radio station Cities 97 for promoting her music. Listen to her on Myspace or on Cities 97.   

Finally, Joshua Radin played a lengthy set, which was also full of great stories.  His acoustic picking was so smooth and it kind of put me into a lull.  Radin noted how most of his music is depressing, so every now and then he writes a pop song.  However, I can tell that he is more passionate about the darker stuff, so those songs tend to be his strongest.  Part of what I think set this show aside is the plethora of stories about the songs, which sometimes can be a little boring, but I think Radin actually provided enough meaning to them so they kept my attention.

Radin has two albums out, which he joked about how he has two ex-loves, hence the two albums.  I highly recommend both of them!  For a quick listen of some of his music check out his Myspace.