The Current present

The Suicide Commandos Farewell Blow Out Tour

with The Shackletons and very special guests

Doors: 6:00pm | Performance: 7:00 p.m. | 18+

INFORMATION | TICKETS

The Suicide Commandos

The year was 1975 and on the pre-disco music scene in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, cover bands ruled. Outside of a handful of bars and campus coffeehouses that comprised the local folk/blues scene, working musicians had little choice: If you wanted a paying gig, you had to play other people’s hit songs. But when the Suicide Commandos played their first gig in September 1975 at the Blitz Bar in downtown Minneapolis, they changed everything.

Here, suddenly, was a real “alternative rock” –a stripped-down three-piece comprised of guitarist Chris Osgood, bassist Steve Almaas, and drummer Dave Ahl (all of whom sang), whose sets combined original songs with rarely–heard pre-punk nuggets. And every tune was delivered with the raw energy that once had fueled the fabled Twin Cities garage–rock scene of the 1960s, when bands like the Litter, the Underbeats, and the Trashmen ruled the roost.

From these humble beginnings grew one of the most fertile and productive scenes of the American indie/alternative rock explosion of the 1980s and ‘90s. The Suicide Commandos’ pioneer­ing efforts paved the way for the Suburbs, the Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum, Babes in Toyland, and so many more.

Forty–two years after that crucial first gig, the Suicide Commandos have released a new album, Time Bomb – only the second full–length studio set in their long history, following on Suicide Commandos Make A Record (Blank/Mercury, 1978). Time Bomb welds together all of the trio’s primal influences with catchy–as–hell new songs, contemporary studio sonics, and a level of performing energy that’s fairly astonishing for three guys who, post–Commandos, continued to play music as solo artists, in duos, and/or with other bands. The passing decades have made the Commandos into better players and sharper songwriters, each man contributing his distinc­tive style and sensibility to the thirteen original compositions that comprise Time Bomb.

“I think Time Bomb is a good title,” says Steve Almaas, “because while we’re doing something new that we couldn’t have done back then, we’re revisiting the influences that brought us to­gether originally. There’s a really high intention–to–execution ratio on this record.”

“Making an album is a big step,” Chris Osgood admits. “The impetus really came from Steve, who called me after Tommy Ramone died [in July 2014]. He said, ‘All of the Ramones are gone but all the Suicide Commandos are alive. Do you have any songs kicking around?’ My first response was ‘No, I don’t!’ But we’d been playing together two or three times almost every year since ‘96, with Steve and Dave each contributing a song or two that came into the live set.”

Drummer/vocalist Dave Ahl explains: “We’d hoped to make an album to mark our 40th anniver­sary in 2015…but it took us a couple more years. Steve had one song [Time Bomb’s opening flag-waver “Hallelujah Boys”] that we’d played at some of the reunion gigs; Chris and I had one we’d been playing in an acoustic version [“Cocktail Shaker”]. Once we’d agreed to make an album, it just went from there.”

The Shackletons

The Shackletons are a rock band from Minneapolis, circa 2014, composed of brothers Colin Campbell (guitar/vocals), Cameron Campbell (bass/backing vocals), and Evan Campbell (drums/misc screaming). Local radio station The Current has described them as, "Conor Oberst with a John Belushi attitude, fronting The Hold Steady."

The band puts on electrifying live performances pulling from their catalog of punk, indie, blues, and whatever they're feeling like playing at the moment. The Shackletons draw from a plethora of influences including The Replacements, The Who, Against Me!, and Old 97s.

With multiple EPs and singles under their belt, The Shackletons released their first full length album in December of 2021, produced by John Fields. In the weeks following their self-titled release, it became the #1 self-released album added to independent radio stations, and the #12 most added overall.

They were part of First Avenue's Best New Bands, and their single "Minnesota Girls" was voted as the #3 local song by Current listeners in 2017. The Shackletons have played such events as Summerfest, SXSW, Jam In The Van, and Basilica Block Party, as well as playing shows with Rival Sons, Jimmy Vaughn, and Bad Bad Hats. The Campbell brothers combine staggering hooks and boundless ardor into a must-see live show.