Neither snow nor rain nor sleet nor “negative bullshit” as the vocalist of Ginny & The Fizz called it was going to keep me from The 7th Street Entry on Thursday night. It was cold– really cold. Yes, I know that I live in Minneapolis so the cold is given but Thursday night was bitterly cold. The kind of cold that freezes your entire being inside and out the second you step outside but the second I stepped into the 7th Street Entry, I was surrounded by warmth and good vibes which was just what I needed to forget about the arctic tundra that I was going to be dumped back into by the end of the night.
Kicking off the Thursday night show was Airship Caravan. This was Airship Caravan’s first appearance at The Entry even though they have been around for a couple of years and they were not going to let it go to waste. Their sound is a bit old but in a good way. There are nods to a classic rock vibe but also nods to something more modern. There were moments throughout their set when I was given glimpses of bands like Muse and then others when I was reminded of Twenty-One Pilots. Much like their sound, this band’s look was all over the place. There was both a bucket hat and a pirate style shirt with leather armor on the shoulders. It looked and sounded a bit like an identity crisis to me which typically does not work but, for Airship Caravan, it worked perfectly. There was power behind this band and it came from more than the three guitars happening on stage. I was thoroughly impressed but, with a four band line-up, their time on stage felt short and it was over just as I was really getting into it. Okay, Airship Caravan– you have my attention!
Speaking of getting my attention– next up was Red Eye Ruby. I was absolutely captivated the second this local retro roots-rock group took the stage. Unlike Airship Caravan’s set where I was busy trying to catch it all, it was vocalist Ruby Blu that had my attention throughout the set. Not only was her energy electric and her smile infectious, her vocals instantly soothed my soul in all of the right ways. Right off the bat I was taken aback by her smoking vocals. They had heart and soul to them and reminded me of Amy Winehouse right off the bat so it was only fitting that they threw in a cover of “Valerie” from Winehouse in their set. It was truly perfection.
Although I felt like my eyes and ears were stuck on Ruby Blu throughout Red Eye Ruby’s short set, I would be remiss to not mention the other members of this group. Guitarist Mike Drager truly shined with each solo he played regardless of how epic or minimal it was. Much like the vocals, I felt a sense of emotion come through Mike’s guitar playing that left me a bit shook. Obviously, we all know that a band is nothing without an epic rhythm section and Jason Murray (bass) and Ishmael Menseh (drums) had that on lock. This band was so tight because of these two players which was just the cherry on top to an already stunning set. Can you tell that I kind of fell in love with Red Eye Ruby while they powered through their set?
Ginny & The Fizz wasted no time taking over the stage after Red Eye Ruby was done. From the beginning, it was vocalist Eric LeBlanc who had my attention but that’s a given being that I found myself busy trying to figure out where this performer kept disappearing to. Within the first song, Eric had jumped from the stage and into the audience. Honestly, they spent more time in the audience than the stage but I loved that. It made the night feel even more intimate than it already was. Although this was a cool element, that’s not what I took away from Ginny & The Fizz’s set. Their music was so unique yet so familiar. At times I felt like I was getting an almost Gatsby’s American Dream vibe with some of the more theatrical elements to their music but, at others, was getting more of an At The Drive In feeling with the almost jazz-infused guitar work and basslines. Maybe I’m way off with those comparisons but that’s where my head was at as I watched them power through their set.
Closing out the already amazing showcase of local bands was Twin Citizen– a band I have been watching for awhile now. I feel like I have reviewed something of theirs at one point but, looking back, I must be mistaken and, honestly, as I watched them perform on Thursday night, it all felt perfectly foreign to me. Twin Citizen’s sound cannot be classified and I know that’s a bit of a cop out but it’s so true. Call it prog-rock, funk, alternative, synthwave, good ol’ fashioned rock with psychedelic tendencies– whatever you want to call it, I call it Twin Citizen and I was so in love with them throughout their set on Thursday night. There was something slow and steady about the pace of their set that I really liked. It’s not that any of the bands were ever frantic or anything like that but I felt like Twin Citizen gives you time throughout their music to just really ingest what they are giving you which creates a super amazing vibe throughout a packed venue.
Twin Citizen clearly does everything with intention and they are super well-rehearsed but I loved how, at times throughout their set, I almost got a jam-band vibe with a very organic feeling. It was clear that all of the players on stage were working together to create a beautiful soundscape but also clear that they were each bringing something different to the table both musically and personality wise. From the ridiculously solid drumming from Joe Diaz to the smooth yet powerful vocals of Joe Hartley and everything else on stage, Twin Citizen was the perfect ending to a perfect Thursday night show.
Being dumped into the harsh arctic tundra after the show was definitely not the way I wanted to end the night but it was inevitable. Thankfully, I was feeling the warm and fuzzies due to the sheer amount of local power and talent I had just witnessed on stage. I know I’ve said this before in some of my posts this year but 2023 is my year to really dig into the local scene and thus far, it has not let me down.
Line Up:
Venue: 7th Street Entry
Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable
Average Age of the Crowd: 23
Crowd Surfers- None Spotted
Stage Divers- None
Mosh-ability- 3 out of 10
Sausage-Fest Meter- 5 out of 10
Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0
Broken Bones- None
Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing
Fights- None Witnessed
Pukers- 0
Randomly Shirtless Men – 0
Passed Out Kids- 0
Idiots Taken Out By Security – None Spotted
How Irritated I Was With The Audience – 0 out of 10
How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-
Airship Caravan – 0
Red Eye Ruby – 0
Ginny & The Fizz – 0
Twin Citizen – 0
Celebrity Sightings – None
Overall Score- 8.2 out of 10
Show on Deck — Gregory Alan Isakov
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