Girl at the Rock Shows

I thought I knew nothing about what was happening in the 7th Street Entry on Friday night. The name didn’t sound familiar to me and, being me, I didn’t do any research into the acts. It wasn’t until I ran into a buddy outside of the show that I realized I knew exactly who I was about to see. I wouldn’t say that I wasn’t excited for the show prior to knowing who it was but I will say knowing that headliner Chris Farren is also a member for Antarctigo Vespucci definitely amped up my excitement level.

Before it was time for Chris, we had two amazing acts treat us with truly exciting sets starting with Gay Meat. The name of this opening band alone had me intrigued but I was even more intrigued as the duo started into their set. “We’re Gay Meat and this song is about seeing a dead body!” Those were the first words said in their set and then, after a ten second instrumental break, the duo stopped and said, “We’re Gay Meat and this song is about seeing two dead bodies!” This second track was actually a song and ushered in their “actual set” but starting off this way definitely caught my attention and had me laughing. That would be the theme of the show at the 7th Street Entry on Friday– smiling and laughing. Although there was definitely a sense of musicianship and talent that could be seen throughout all three bands, there was humor and carefree energy that reigned supreme.

Gay Meat’s sound was a bit all of the place but, overall, I would classify it as garage-punk. It had this unpolished DIY vibe to it but each song had clear composition behind it and the duo powered through them like professionals. At one point, vocalist Karl Kuehn (Gay Meat is actually his solo project but came in the form of a duo with the help of a friend on drums) introduced a track as “a synthpop song in recording but it comes off as a hoe-down in practice so grab your partner!” which I feel like really does a good job describing just how quirky this band is. Although that description had me belly laughing uncontrollably, he wasn’t wrong.

Gay Meat was a great way to kick off the show but it was Guppy that took over and ran away with the night. There was something oddly familiar about Guppy that I couldn’t quite place. I spent the first couple of seconds scouring my archives trying to figure out if I’ve seen this band before but to no avail. I think this familiarity just came from the accessibility of this band. Lyrically, Guppy reminded me of Kimya Dawson and The Moldy Peaches. With songs about wrapping burritos too tightly or, a personal favorite of mine, a song about texting and driving, I felt that each of their tracks was highly relatable and about fairly mundane things. It was what they did with these lyrics and songs that had me enamored by them though.

Each member of Guppy had something different about them. The bassist seemed almost over-animated at points and was giving me Jack Black vibes throughout the set while the guitarist seemed a bit more reserved yet excited to be there. Vocalist Julia Lebow had this almost shy vibe about her but, as she would sing, that shyness would turn into raw emotion even if that emotion was hilarity. The drummer didn’t say much but, when they did, it was always funny and got a roar of laughter out of the audience. Long story short, like the music of Guppy and the other bands on the bill, I feel like this band was all over the place but it all came together to create pure magic. I have to say that although Guppy clearly doesn’t take themselves too seriously and like to joke, there’s something seriously good about this band and they will definitely be in the running for top set of the year.

My cheeks hurt and were cramping from smiling and laughing so much by the time Guppy ended their set and it was time for headliner Chris Farren but I wasn’t going to get much of a break. Chris and his lesbian drummer (as she was referred to multiple times throughout the set) wasted no time continuing the fun as they started into their fourteen-song set followed up a one-song encore.

As mentioned, Chris is also a member of Antarctigo Vespucci which features Jeff Rosenstock, a personal favorite of mine. Although I didn’t know Chris’ solo material, I knew what to expect and that’s exactly what I got. From the first note of “Blush” to the final words of the duo’s hilarious cover of “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (from A Star is Born), there was a smile on my face and I felt nothing short of pure passion from the performers and audience alike.

The crazy thing about Chris Farren’s set is that it wasn’t all belly laughs and smiles. There was one point in particular where Chris leapt off the stage into the audience while carrying a bright light in front of his face. The duo was performing the sole tender song of the set and adding a sense of intimacy by breaking down that wall between performer and audience member that left me speechless. Chris not only sang through this slower song beautifully, but he also took the time to get up in each phone’s camera as people were recording him. Okay, that may not make sense and maybe you had to be there but it added this really special moment to an already special set.

Chris Farren’s set felt bigger than the intimate size of the 7th Street Entry while fitting the space perfectly. I only say it felt bigger because of the images that were being shown on the white sheet hanging behind him and the drummer. We were treated to animations, music videos, and obligatory “water time” breaks through the screen. Don’t get me wrong, my eyes were glued to Chris and the drummer throughout the set but the images added this sense of the show being much more of a production than it was in a very cool way.

Before the encore of “Shallow”, Chris invited all of the band members who had previously graces the stage in the night to come out. “You guys know what to do with the balloons, right?” He joked with them and then, as he jumped into “Human Being” (my favorite song of the night), the band members let the balloons fly. I know this isn’t the first time I’ve seen balloons at a show and it surely won’t be the last but, again, it was just so cool to get such a fun atmosphere in such an intimate space.

I promise I’ll stop rambling about this show but, if you couldn’t tell, Friday night at the 7th Street Entry with Gay Meat, Guppy, and Chris Farren gave me life, joy, hope— everything. I can not thank these bands enough for giving me all of those things and more.

Line Up:

Gay Meat

Guppy

Chris Farren

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 31

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 7.5 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- 0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out Kids- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

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)-

Gay Meat– 0

Guppy – 0

Chris Farren – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score –10 out of 10

Show on Deck — Scowl / Militarie Gun / Big Laugh / Prize Horse

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