Mark Eitzel

Anyone who was only familiar with Mark Eitzel through his solo albums or the many records he made as frontman with cult band The American Music Club would have expected that this gig wasn't going to be exactly loaded with laughs. Read More

Nobody familiar with the catalogue Eitzel has assembled, under his own name and that of American Music Club , needs telling that self-loathing is a motif of his work. Read More

In a basement in San ­Francisco, Mark Eitzel is honing his sales pitch for his forthcoming tour. Read More

10:24 Singer Ashleigh Still and a girlfriend walk in but turn on their heels immediately to catch Hookers & Blow at another bar, because the Uptown doorman "was mean to us." 10:25 Joe Henry, from California, via Facebook: "My best night in collaboration with the Jayhawks was a night at The Uptown ... freezing cold out, fur hats on stage ... pulled a drunken Dan Murphy on stage to sing happy birthday to him, but we launched into [Soul Asylum's] 'Cartoon' instead." 10:30 Chatter in the back booth turns to bulldozed-but-not-forgotten Twin Cities music landmarks Jay's Longhorn, The Prom Ballroom, Goofy's Upper Deck, Duffy's, etc. 10:31 The Tisdales kick off their set with a blistering kick drum-guitar combo as Hallett tells a friend, "The thing I'll miss most about this place is seeing Tommy Stinson play here every New Year's Eve." 10:32 "When I moved here in 1989, this was the place in town," says a sweaty Rob Rule, still amped from his set with the Mammy Nuns. "You could see the Cows and Freedy Johnston and the Gear Daddies and Babes In Toyland. No cover, great food, shitty sound. It was awesome." 10:33 Woman to man in booth: "You like a contrary woman, don't you?" 10:34 "We came here looking for guys with feathers in their caps," says Uptown newbie Margaret Campbell. Read More

Linchpin of cultish, mordantly humorous and elegantly melodramatic Americana outfit American Music Club headlines in support of his new album - and this will be the first time Eitzel has put down his guitar and sung along on piano. Read More

Guess it's never too late to find the time to listen to good music. Read More