Girl at the Rock Shows

You could have had a miserable night on Tuesday night had you wanted to. Okay, maybe miserable is the wrong word but you could have sat at home glued to your phone and the TV watching election results come in. Although some may find a sense of fun in that, it’s not quite what I wanted to do with my night but I knew that without a show, that’s exactly what I would be doing so I threw a dart at the live music calendar for the night and found myself at The Turf Club in Saint Paul for guitar duo Hermanos Gutiérrez.

I wrapped up my work for the day a little later than expected so I was a little late to the party but not too late to catch the tail end of KFAI’s Radio Pocho DJs’ set. Radio Pocho’s blend of music was exquisite to say the least. From unfamiliar tones and sounds to super familiar and accessible beats and songs, the mix was all over the placed but absolutely set the tone for what was to come with the night. I knew when walking into the show that this was not going to be like all of the other shows I go to on the daily and the mix happening was a good reminder of that and really eased me into the unknown that was going to be my Tuesday night.

I wasn’t expecting much when it came to the crowd on Tuesday night. Not to be “that person” but I had never heard of Hermanos Gutiérrez and really didn’t see much chatter on my socials about the show but the room was filling up as Radio Pocho was wrapping up the DJ set. Maybe it was other people like me that just wanted to get away from their screens for the night and have a distraction or maybe I have just been living under a rock. Regardless, this was this surprising amount of anticipation in the air as Hermanos Gutiérrez took the stage right around 8:45 PM.

Alejandro and Estevan Gutiérrez are brothers (hence the band name) and their connection is undeniable. From the second they took the stage and all the way through their set that lasted well over an hour, there was a sense of gorgeous connection that had the entire audience sitting on pins and needles. There was something intense about the performance even though the music was super chill and relaxed. Even the mannterisms of the two men were relaxed. From sitting on the chairs with legs crossed to leaning back in their chairs in a very non-chalant way, it was as if these two men weren’t working theier tails off providing amazing music for the room and it was quite a sight to see.

As mentioned, Hermanos Gutiérrez’s music is definitely different for me. It’s just two guitars and the occassional soft drums. It’s nothing explosive, it’s not loud and aggressive, it’s not the type of music that makes you want to shove and push the people standing around you. It’s the type of music that you just stand there and get lost in while occassionally swaying back and forth involuntarily to the beat. Honestly, it’s the type of music that I typically turn down instantly but, on election night, it was exactly what I needed and I don’t think I’m alone in that thought.

There was something super captivating about the brother’s presence and their music creating this almost other-worldly atmosphere. The audience was silent other than polite roars of applause between tracks. The band was also pretty quiet. Other than introducing a few songs and giving some background on said songs,. the two men let their music do the talking for them and it was speaking much louder than any words could have possibly said.

Unfortunately, we all couldn’t stay lost in Hermanos Gutiérrez’s and were sadly dumped into the real world before all of the drama of the election was done but just having that escape, at least for a little bit, was everything to everyone in that room on Tuesday night.

Line Up:

Radio Pocho

Hermanos Gutiérrez

Venue: Turf Club

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing

Average Age of the Crowd: 38

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 0 out of 10

Sausage-Fest Meter- 6 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Randomly Shirtless Men – 0

Passed Out Kids- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Irritated I Was With The Audience – 2 out of 10

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Radio Pocho – 0

Hermanos Gutiérrez – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score- 7.4 out of 10

Show on Deck — Charlie Burg / Genevieve Stokes

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