We are sorry to announce that our performance in Belgium on October 16 is cancelled due to scheduling conflicts. We wish to extend our most heartfelt apologies to all our fans inconvenienced by this cancellation and hope to reschedule this show and the London show after the release of the next album. Refunds can be obtained at point-of-purchase.

In Augustus 2011 it will be exactly 30 years ago since American rock band The Replacements released their debut ‘Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash’. A point of reference in musical history that AB seizes in the 2011-2012 season to present a number of concerts, film screenings, exhibitions and readings under the title ‘Minneapolis, Mon Amour’. Far from hip cultural hubs like New York and San Francisco, that homebase Minneapolis today appears to have been a free port for idiosyncratic musical developments. Aside from indie-rock (the aforementioned Replacements, Soul Asylum, Hüsker Dü), hip-hop has also made waves there. Labels like Twin/Tone and Rhymesayers and concert hall First Avenue (the local AB, shall we say) all play an important role in this unique tale.

One of, if not the best known rock band from Minneapolis is undoubtedly Soul Asylum. In their early days they made intractable indie rock and together with bands like The Replacements and Hüsker Dü they formed the vanguard of the local rock scene. After a number of releases on the – also Minneapolitan – Twin/Tone label (see too: the exhibition in AB, October 2011), they pushed their noses against the big window in 1988 thanks to a record deal with A&M Records. Two albums later they moved to Columbia Records and, with the album ‘Grave Dancers Union’ in 1992, they were rewarded with a few worldwide hits. ‘Runaway Train’ is of course the best known of them but ‘Somebody To Shove’ and ‘Black Gold’ were definite hits too. The band still performs regularly these days too (including an annual Christmas Show in the aforementioned First Avenue concert hall), with singer/guitarist Dave Pirner taking a central role, and in the line-up we recognize none less than Replacements-bassist Tommy Stinson (who replaced original bassist Karl Mueller when he died in 2005 after a long battle with cancer).

The band really couldn't be lacking on the bill of this new AB project and so they'll be coming to AB for an exclusive European concert (you read right) on Sunday 16 October. According to the available archives it was 1996 when the band was last set foot on Belgian soil.