Iconic Minneapolis club First Avenue, which you have probably seen in Prince's Purple Rain, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Like most independent clubs, though, it's been having trouble staying afloat through the pandemic. A group of concerned Minneapolis citizens have organized First Love Project to help First Avenue, and its sister club 7th St Entry, make it through these very tough times.
First Love Project is putting together music compilations, and the first features rare tracks from Fugazi, Drive-by Truckers, Thurston Moore, Atmosphere, The Hold Steady, The Jayhawks, Jeff Tweedy, Dessa, Soul Asylum, Har Mar Superstar and more. It's $25 for a year subscription that allows you to stream and download all the music that gets added to the project via Bandcamp. You can check out the tracklist for Vol 1 below.
“We are blown away by the incredible support from this community and these amazing artists,” says First Avenue owner, Dayna Frank. “It’s a very special thing to know that First Avenue means so much to so many, especially this year – our 50th Anniversary and the most challenging time in the history of the club. It’s heartwarming, to say the least.”
Says Drive-By Truckers' Patterson Hood, "We have played over a dozen of our favorite shows in the amazing big room (and once in the small one). We all consider it one of our all time favorite places to play. 1st Ave is a national treasure, one of the most essential music venues in the world. We should all band together and do whatever it takes to save it so it can stand tall and loud for decades to come."
Learn more at First Love Project's website.
Tracklist: 1. Drive-By Truckers - The New OK 04:25 2. Young Fresh Fellows - Every Time I See Your Face 01:57 3. The Mekons - Space In Your Face 03:30 4. The Jayhawks - Useless Creatures 03:22 5. Jeff Tweedy - The Old Country Waltz (live) 03:01 6. The Hold Steady - Beer On The Bedstand 02:54 7. Atmosphere - Virgo 04:32 8. Dessa - Dixon's Girl 02:43 9. Har Mar Superstar - Fake Accents 03:32 10. Molly Maher - Run Run Run 02:54 11. Soul Asylum - If I Told You 03:51 12. Fugazi - Repeater (live at First Ave) 03:08 13. Semisonic - Basement Tapes (live) 03:35 14. The Suburbs - Life is Like (2020 version) 03:11 15. The Baseball Project - All Future and No Past 02:33 16. Lazerbeak - River Wide 04:22 17. Thurston Moore - Rebellion of Joy 04:20 18. Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3 - Amphetamine 06:35 19. Trampled By Turtles - Life on the Open Road 03:23
