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The Chart Show: Byrne Breaks Through

David Byrne
David ByrneJody Rogac

by Mark Wheat

May 03, 2018

Janelle Monae regains the top spot after her album 'Dirty Computer' was released Friday. Lots of writers have made the musical comparison with Prince but the feature in The New York Times magazine at the weekend, and this new 4 1/2 star review in Rolling Stone point out that Wondaland, Janelle's base camp in Atlanta, was modeled on Paisley Park!

Trampled By Turtles lead a list of 4 inductees to the Hall of Fame, after being on the chart 10 weeks. The new album comes out this Friday and their sold out Palace Theater show on Saturday night will be one of three that we are broadcasting this weekend along with Dr. Dog's Sunday concert. They're new at #19 and their 'Critical Equation' album came out last week.

Both Dessa and jeremy messersmith are inducted for the seventh time and Courtney Barnett for the 8th, putting her at six on the All Time Hall of Fame Chart. She's playing the Surly Brewing Festival Field with Lucy Dacus now replacing Big Thief as one of the openers on July 21st.

David Byrne is the highest new entry this week at #5. He's coming for two shows at The Orpheum Theater May 17th and 18th, still a few tickets for both are available. He does a great job of maintaining an entertaining website and nice monthly newsletters. Yesterday he posted one of his curated playlists, which included CHVRCHES, Pixes, Chance The Rapper and Lucius.

Jack White has bounded back on to the chart as he starts his first phone free tour, coming to The Armory August 6th for a sold out show. He's on The Late Show this Friday too.

There's still tickets left for the first area show for Greta Van Fleet, also at The Armory, July 3rd. But you might want to get tix now as most of the rest of the tour is sold out, and they also do Summerfest in Milwaukee July 1st.

Common, new at #20, aka Common Sense, born in Chicago as Lonnie Corant Jaman Shuka Rashid Lynn Jr. has created August Greene, another pseudonym which is actually a trio, with Robert Glasper and Karriem Riggins. Their first single was a re-make of an early nineties track by Minnesota's Sounds of Blackness.

Submit your Chart Show ballot this week for a chance to win a pair of passes to the The Head and the Heart with Grouplove at the Armory on May 30, 2018!