The Replacements News

After weathering nearly a decade of comparisons to Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg, Lucero vocalist/guitarist Ben Nichols has been tapped as the heir apparent to the Boss in this recent A.V. Club feature .

Every so often, a special show comes along that calls on musicians from seemingly every corner of the local scene to come together and throw a big, communal party.

The Replacements initially formed in 1979, when Paul Westerberg joined a garage punk band formed by brothers Bob and Tommy Stinson and drummer Chris Mars.

"A big town's got its losers, a small town's got its vices." Those lyrics from the Replacements' song "Answering Machine" strongly resonated Friday night at First Avenue, when the small-town-cliquish Twin Cities music scene came together in a big way to celebrate its most legendary losers -- with a vice or two thrown in for good measure.

Earlier this week, Kieran Folliard announced he's moving his original bar, Kieran's Irish Pub, into the old Bellanotte space in Block E. It's huge news for the withering entertainment complex and another boon for the co-owner of the Local, the Liffey and the ultra-hot Cooper in St.

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of "Let It Be" and the paperback release of "The Replacements: All Over But The Shouting," this is going to be a full-on assault of local music.

Kings, a low-lit lounge in south Minneapolis, is a startlingly adult place. In the corner, a wine tasting is under way.

The Eighties proved to be an awkward era. Not only did it give us the Safety dance, purple rain, luftballons, the moonwalk, Wang Chung and Terence Trent D'Arby, it's the decade that gave us the phrase "Domo Arigato, Mr.

East Bay represents with Collisionville out of Oakland. A talented trio with heavy influences from The Pixies and indie rock.

The mighty Big Star in their original early 1970s incarnation. L-R: Jody Stephens, Chris Bell, Alex Chilton, Andy Hummel.

Echoes of some live shows I saw this week -- Bob Dylan with Dion as well as Metric.

I've seen some pretty good concerts during the past year. U2, Green Day, and Eddie Vedder come immediately to mind.

If you wondered what Satin Gum was up to last year with that odd little EP and MySpace onslaught, it was all just a plot, a setup! It was getting its hooks in -- its weirder hooks, in fact -- before the full-length album.

There's a band with tunes that echo The Replacements , Big Country and Barenaked Ladies .

"I'm total folk musician. My granddaddy taught me how to play guitar; his dad taught him how to play guitar.

Art Brut will be showcasing their exceedingly cheeky British post-punk at the Triple Rock Social Club .

Eddie Argos has a beef with Craig Finn. The thickly accented, Kermit-the-Frog-voiced singer for London's garage-punk band Art Brut holds a grudge against the Hold Steady frontman from back when their bands toured together in 2007 -- when many Twin Cities fans were introduced to Art Brut's smirk-inducing charm.

A decade and six albums into their career, Memphis country-punks Lucero made the leap late last year from their own indie label, Liberty & Lament, onto Universal/Republic Records.

The first Upland Music & Arts Festival should be one of the most happening places in the IE.

Saturday: Zebulon Pike, Lusurfer. $6.66. Sunday: The Twilight Hours, Happy Apple and the Hawaii Show.