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Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Ministry's Al Jourgensen announces the end of his iconic, industrial band. But first, one last album and tour
After wreaking havoc and dishing out dissonance since 1981 — evolving from its early synth-pop dance roots into the industrial thrash metal chaos it's best known for — Ministry's band leader Al Jourgensen is finally ready to call it quits. He's preparing to put an end to the band's relentless run of recording and touring — this time for good. But not before one last album and a final world tour, as 'Uncle Al' prepares to bring the band's legendary career to a close. Speaking on the phone from a tour stop in Canada, he discussed Ministry's current Squirrely Years Tour — a special run of shows that focuses exclusively on the band's first two albums, 'With Sympathy' and 'Twitch.' For the first time in decades, Jourgensen is performing early songs — largely steeped in synth-pop — which he once dismissed, now embracing the full arc of his career. The frontman opened up about reuniting with longtime collaborator Paul Barker, the band's final album, his disdain for violent mosh pits, and why he never read his autobiography. When did you decide to bring Ministry to an end? Was it a process or something more abrupt? Oh, it was a process. After 17 albums, I feel like we've pushed the boundaries as far as we could go with this band. I know I've got one more album left in me that'll stretch those limits even further. But I don't want to end up like one of those bands doing the same riffs for 40 or 50 years — it just gets old. This has been coming for a while. It's not tied to my past health issues; it's just time. After our final album comes out next year, we're doing one last world tour. Then that's it. I'm done. Time to let the kids take over. So you're stepping away from Ministry — but are you stepping away from music entirely? Not entirely. I'll still do film scores. I just did one for a documentary called 'Long Knife,' about the Koch brothers ripping off the Osage Nation. It's kind of a follow-up to 'Killers of the Flower Moon.' That kind of work still interests me. But being on a tour bus and constantly talking to people? I'm over that. How's your health now? I feel great. It's a gift to go out in good health and a clear frame of mind. At one point in the early 2000s, I didn't think I'd ever tour again. I had a ruptured artery in my stomach and was bleeding every day on the road. I just said, 'Nope, this isn't worth it.' But now we're wrapping everything up intentionally — bringing back people like Paul Barker, recording in old places, ending things right. You've said before that you hate mosh pits. What's the energy like on this tour, especially with the older material? Man, this tour is a psychedelic freakout. We're playing 40-plus-year-old songs, and somehow there's still a little bit of moshing happening — but not violent. It's cracking me up. These shows feel like a one-off trip into the past. People are just dancing and enjoying the moment. It's more like a weird, dark, electronic hippie dance party. I didn't expect to enjoy it this much. Is it a different mindset performing the early material versus the heavier Ministry songs? Oh, hell yeah. But the fans know what they're getting into. Nobody's screaming for the '90s metal stuff. It feels like stepping into a hot tub time machine. We've put real work into this setlist, and it's paid off. I'm genuinely enjoying it. Will your final tour represent the full scope of Ministry's career? Absolutely. It'll be a two- to three-hour career retrospective. We'll be covering every era — all 17 albums. We might even bring back two drummers like we did in the '80s. The final tour won't just be a greatest hits set — it'll be a curated journey, and maybe even feature some old friends. You've been open about your battles with addiction. How did that shape you? Like everyone, I've evolved. Twenty years ago, I was a different person. Now people call me 'Uncle Al,' and I like that. I've been through enough that fewer things bother me. And the things that do matter? I'm more focused on them than ever. I'm grateful for all of it, even the madness — it brought me to where I am now. Did music help you survive those darker times — or did it make them worse? Both. Some days, it saved me. Other days, being in the music business made me want to blow my head off. It's a double-edged sword. Ministry has always taken on injustice. Are you still fighting the good fight? That's the irony of this tour. With everything going on in the world, this felt like the right time to step back and let people remember what joy felt like. That said, the next album will be laser-focused. I haven't stopped speaking out — if anything, I've sharpened my aim. Is it true you never read your autobiography, 'Ministry: The Lost Gospels of Al Jourgensen?' Never read it. I didn't even write it. I told stories to a Rolling Stone writer over a gallon of vodka, and their legal team cleaned it up. They handed it back to me as a finished book. The first interview I did about it, they asked, 'Did you read it?' I said, 'Why should I?' Same thing with watching concert footage — I lived it. Why relive it? Do you think Wax Trax! Records and the early Midwest scene are overlooked in Ministry's legacy. Sometimes, yeah. But real musicians know how important that era was. Wax Trax! was its ecosystem. It's wild now seeing 14- to 18-year-old goth kids in the front row, right next to 50- and 60-year-olds who were there back in the day. That's the reward. What does the very final chapter of Ministry look like? The new record will be done by Christmas and out by June 2026. Then we'll hit the road for one last world tour starting next September. Every continent except Antarctica. One year. One final ride. Then it's over. And I'm good with that. Ministry's Squirrely Years Tour stops at the Hollywood Palladium on June 4, with support from Nitzer Ebb, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, and Die Krupps.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Concerts to see this week: Tribute to Slim Dunlap, Post Malone, Tennis
Farewell tours, stadium shows, and a memorial for a beloved Minnesota musician highlight the concert calendar this week. Here are the shows happening around the Twin Cities throughout the week of May 19. Monday, May 19, at First Avenue Local musicians, artists, and fans are giving Bob "Slim" Dunlap the tribute he deserves. Following his death in December at age 73, a memorial and tribute concert has been organized by members of his family. Dunlap was best known for his time playing guitar in The Replacements. He joined the group in 1987, replacing founding guitarist Bob Stinson. He's also fondly remembered for a pair of solo albums released in the '90s that didn't break through, but found an audience that has held them up for years as underappreciated gems. (That audience notably includes Bruce Springsteen.) The Celebration of Life will feature performances from Trailer Trash, The Cactus Blossoms (duo), an ensemble going by the Slimboree Singers, and other special guests, including Curtiss A, Dave Boquist, Gini Dodds, John Eller, The Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead, Brad Zellar, and members of the Slim Dunlap Band. Tuesday, May 20, at Palace Theatre The elder statesmen of industrial rock are shingin a light on their often overlooked early work. Al Jourgensen and co. will focus on a pair of albums, With Sympathy and Twitch, during this tour. Those first two albums were closer to synth pop than the dark industrial rock that Ministry would later become known for. They'll be joined by My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and Die Krupps at the Palace Theatre. Tuesday, May 20, at U.S. Bank Stadium The "Circles" singer's "BIG ASS Stadium Tour" is rolling into U.S. Bank Stadium with Jelly Roll and Sierra Ferrell (who headlines Surly Festival Field later in the summer). Malone is promising a mix of music from across his career, including F-1 Trillion, his Grammy-winning shift into country music released last year. Wednesday, May 21, at First Avenue The husband and wife duo of Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore recently announced this would be their final tour as Tennis. Their show at First Avenue comes after the recent release of Face Down in the Garden, which will be their final studio album. "The highs and lows of touring are unnatural, disorienting," Moore said on the release of "12 Blown Tires," the first single from the indie-pop duo's swan song. "On the shoulder of I-40, I began writing the lyrics to '12 Blown Tires.' It is a constellation of memories from the road, and of our marriage, two endeavors that are completely, hopelessly entangled." Saturday, May 24, at Orpheum Theatre The Grammy-winning rapper and actor might seem like a surprising fit with the Orpheum Theatre. The Hennepin Arts calendar isn't typically stocked with hip-hop, but, at a minimum, it'll offer a unique way to experience the deep catalog of the "It's a Vibe" on Monday, May 19: Bob 'Slim Dunlap Tribute and Memorial at First Avenue Momma with Wishy at Fine Line Willie Wisely & Tommy Barbarella Organ Combo at The Dakota Joe Kelly with Robyn Jamner, The Daily Norm, and Ambient Toad at The White Squirrel Bar Concerts on Tuesday, May 20: Post Malone with Jelly Roll at U.S. Bank Stadium Ministry with My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult and Die Krupps at Palace Theatre Bartees Strange with Sloppy Jane at Fine Line Deb Talan at The Parkway Theater Matt Andersen at The Dakota New Band Night: Bridge Band, Eldest Daughter, Nobody From Nowhere, and Quietchild at Green Room Cheap Bouquet residency and single release with TimIsARocker and Lost Island Society at The White Squirrel Bar The New Havoline Supremes at The White Squirrel Bar (free)Concerts on Wednesday, May 21: Tennis with Billie Marten at First Avenue Alpha Consumer at Icehouse's Starlight Room Rachel Chinouriri at Fine Line Magic Castles, Flavor Crystals, and Michael Moore at Zhora Darling En El Momento w/ Medium Zach (Feat. Sir Spencer) at Berlin North Innsbruck, Magenta Vice, Night Audit, and Prodrome at 7th St. Entry JazzMN Orchestra Celebrates the Thad Jones & Mel Lewis Orchestra at The Dakota Night Heat at The White Squirrel Bar Concerts on Thursday, May 22: Parliament Funkadelic feat. George Clinton at Uptown Theater Vince Gill at Orpheum Theatre Napalm Death and Melvins at First Avenue Electric Six at Turf Club Friko with youbet at Fine Line Joan of Profile with Helen and Eldest Daughter at Pilllar Forum Society of Chemists at Berlin Curve, Speed Riders, and Battery Eyes at Cloudland Theater Charles McPherson at The Dakota Citric Dummies with Yambag, Surrogates, and BUIO OMEGA at 7th St. Entry D.R.I. with Authors of Fate at The Cabooze Charliboy and Oister at Zhora Darling MIKE with Navy Blue and semiratrith at Amsterdam Bar & Hall Sammie Jean Cohen single release at Icehouse Sunken Planes with Field Hospitals and Big Into at The White Squirrel Bar Early Evening Jazz: Dale Alexander at Berlin (no cover) Concerts on Friday, May 23: Caterwaul 2025 w/ Elephant Rifle, Eye Flys, In Lieu, Lung, Open Head, Pissed Jeans, Young Widows, and many more The Lonesome Losers: A Tribute to Yacht Rock at Hook and Ladder Baroness with The Infinity Ring at Turf Club Coco Jones at The Fillmore anni xo and Kiernan at Fine Line Erin Kinsey with Kaleb Sanders at 7th St. Entry Matt Berninger with Ronboy at First Avenue Good Morning Midnight, Dreamist, and Pyrrhic Victories at Cloudland Theater Alex Warren at Uptown Theater Davina and the Vagabonds at The Dakota Slow Mass with Prize Horse and Downward at Zhora Darling Devin Gray / Russ Johnson / Mark Feldman at Berlin Wilmette & Glory Days at The Cabooze The Mary Cutrufello Band at The White Squirrel Bar Embahn with Absolutely Yours and Controversial New Skinny Pill at The White Squirrel Bar Early Evening Jazz: Matt Blair Trio at Berlin (no cover) Concerts on Saturday, May 24: 2Chainz at Orpheum Theatre The Kiffness at Fine Line Eudaemon album release show with Anita Velveeta, Rodeo Boys, Another Heaven, and Valeska Suratt at Pilllar Forum Caterwaul 2025 w/ Elephant Rifle, Eye Flys, In Lieu, Lung, Open Head, Pissed Jeans, Young Widows, and many more Yola at First Avenue Jpegmafia at The Fillmore Partial Traces, Lilac Fortress, and Spectres of Desire at Cloudland Theater Stone Ark at 7th St. Entry 5th annual Bob Dylan Birthday Bash at Turf Club Jay Young & the Lyric Factory at The Dakota Take That Back feat. Joan Hutton and Sue Orfield at Berlin 5th Annual Reggae Summer Splash with Innocent Reggae Band, International Reggae All Stars, and more at Hook and Ladder Phantom Fears at Icehouse Early Evening Jazz: Charlie Bruber & Jack Barrett at Berlin (no cover) Concerts on Sunday, May 25: Caterwaul 2025 w/ Elephant Rifle, Eye Flys, In Lieu, Lung, Open Head, Pissed Jeans, Young Widows, and many more Wiz Khalifa with Chevy Woods, Fedd the God, and DJ Bonics at First Avenue Echos of Resilience - A fundraiser for Rock the Rez featuring Black Belt Eagle Scout, Laura Hugo, BazilleJames Harven, and more at Hook and Ladder Faith Boblett at The Hewing Hotel's rooftop Natania & Ticket to Brasil at The Dakota Flowdan at Varsity Theater Fuchsia single release show with Booster Pack and Chroma at Green Room Southern Culture on the Skids with Kinda Fonda Wanda at Fine Line Jack Yoder & the Doublewide Disaster at Zhora Darling Imagined by Nelson Devereaux: Caley Conway + The Music of Nelson Devereaux and James Taylor at Berlin Rabbit By Owl Light with Crow With No Mouth and M. Harlan Engelmann at The White Squirrel Bar
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ministry will celebrate its early records at Palace Theatre
Ministry, an elder statesman of industrial rock, will celebrate its earliest work with a new tour. The Chicago-born band of Al Jourgensen will hit the Palace Theatre in St. Paul on May 20, promising to play songs from their first two studio albums, With Sympathy and Twitch. The albums fall closer to synth-pop than the industrial metal that came to define the band. The three albums that followed these debut records became some of the genre's most revered releases. Two of those next three surface in Consequence of Sound's 50 greatest industrial albums of all time, including Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs sitting in the top spot. The tour, which starts on April 29, will include contemporaries in the opening slots. In St. Paul, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult will open along with Die Krupps. (Nitzer Ebb will open on other dates during the tour.) As part of the celebration and embrace of its early work, Ministry unveiled a new record that features 12 re-recorded tracks from that early era. 'Since I hated my early stuff for decades, I decided to take ownership of it and do it right,' Jourgensen said in a statement. The album, The Squirrely Years Revisited, will be released on March 28. That, however, isn't the group's previously announced final album, which will have Jourgensen and Paul Barker reuniting in the studio. The tour announcement says that the band now plans to release its final record in 2026. Blabbermouth and Spotify presales will take place on Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. Tickets go on sale to the public the following day at the same time. Elsewhere in the Midwest, Ministry will bring the tour to Chicago (May 9) and Detroit (May 10).
