Girl at the Rock Shows

I’m honestly not sure how it’s Thanksgiving when my August birthday was just a couple of weeks ago and September’s Riot Fest feels like yesterday but here we are. Regardless of your thoughts on the holiday, I hope you’re spending it with people you love and far too much food that will surely have you in a coma well before 5 PM. I got my holiday weekend started off with, you guessed it, a show so before I start cooking my tofurkey and making Bert Lemert’s famous corn casserole (shout out to the Lemert family), I figured I could give you a quick run down of how amazing Wednesday night at The Mission Room at The Hook & Ladder in Minneapolis was.

I’ve preached about this venue before so I won’t get super into it but I would be silly for not just reminding you that you should all make it a point to get out to The Hook & Ladder. Whether it’s a show in their main room or the more intimate Mission Room, this is a very that does everything right. From the sound to the vibe of the room, it’s just perfect and Friday night was no exception.

Getting the night started off was Tiny Daggers- a feminist-led punk band from right here in the Twin Cities. The way they started off their set was perfect as the vocalist explained that it was her son’s birthday but she opted to leave the party because she wanted the night to be all about her. Starting off the set with this sense of snark obviously caught my attention because I can be a bit of a snarky queen myself but the relatability of their set didn’t stop there. Musically, Tiny Daggers’ sound is fast, punky, and angsty which was perfect. Their tongue in cheek lyrics not only made me smile, (one of the songs was about the fact that “I’m wearing a dress…. b&$%@!”) they also made you think. Even though the band clearly had mixed views on the upcoming holiday, they came together with their music creating a perfect way to get the holiday weekend started.

Following Tiny Daggers was a personal favorite of mine- Surly Grrly. Although seeing this angsty local group will never get old to me, I realized I stood there in awe of their fire and passion that I had nothing new to say about them. That sounds bad, I realize that, but the truth is that this is one of those bands that knows exactly what they’re doing and they do it damn well. Other than a couple of new covers that I hadn’t heard from them before and one new song, the majority of their forty-minute set was comfortably familiar due to seeing them a couple of times in recent memory. Their angst and energy was the same man-hating attitude that had me sold on them the first time I saw them.

Although both Tiny Daggers and Surly Grrly were great, Wednesday night’s show was about the one and only Cindy Lawson. Wednesday night was a celebration of Cindy’s new album ‘Don’t Come Crying To Me’ which was just released on Rum Bar Records (shout out to this amazing record label and Lou– the man behind it). Being fairly new to Cindy’s world, I couldn’t tell you if she and her amazing band solely played music from this new album or not (although be expecting a full album review in the near future as this is one that is sitting on my desk as I type this), but I can tell you that every song came with a polished energy that had you falling deeper and deeper in love with Cindy as every word passed.

Cindy’s sound is full of life. It’s that perfect blend of classic rock n’ roll with a singer-songwriter feeling behind it while keeping a punk-fueled energy on top of everything. This all makes sense as Cindy Lawson has been a part of more groups and scenes that I honestly have the time to write about but I love how, in this form, Cindy seems to take a little bit from all of those eras and modes to create something uniquely perfect. Performance-wise, Cindy is a pro. There were no epic jumps or anything like that from her or her band but the way she seemed to look everyone in the audience in the eye at some point during the night was just the icing on the cake to a truly impressive performance.

There was more than just music on Wednesday night. The night was hosted by former Miss Twin Cities Pride Gosh Alice Jones. This was a small detail of the night when I look back and think about it but it was such a special touch. Gosh Alice Jones not only hosted the night but also gave the audience a lip-sync performance of “I Touch Myself” from Divinyls that had everyone singing and bopping along. Not every show needs a host and Cindy Lawson didn’t have to make the show this much of an “event” but she did and Gosh Alice Jones really added that special sauce to the night that made it a memorable one.

Line Up:

Tiny Daggers

Surly Grrly

Cindy Lawson

Host of the Night: Gosh Alice Jones

Venue: Hook & Ladder Mission Room

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 46

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 1 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 People- 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)-

Tiny Daggers – 0

Surly Grrly – 2

Cindy Lawson – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8.8 out of 10

Show on Deck — Atmosphere / HEBL / NOFUN!

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