Girl at the Rock Shows

So an alien, a pickle, and a hotdog step onto the stage at The 7th Street Entry. No, this is not the beginning of a joke, rather the beginning of my Saturday night spent with Porky’s Groove Machine and LowDown Brass Band in the intimate and treasured 7th Street Entry.

Yeah, seeing Porky’s Groove Machine take the stage instantly caught my interest. I mean, the name alone had me intrigued but seeing literal characters take the stage added to that. Without hesitation, this local group jumped into their set and lived up to their name. Musically, Porky’s Groove Machine is all about, you guessed it, the groove. Their songs were fun and quirky but it was the infectious beat that really stood out to me about them. Well, I mean, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you to recycle just list they did with one of their songs but, beyond that, it was that funky beat that really had me struck.

The costumes, lyrics, and synchronized dance moves throughout their opening set were super fun and proved that this band doesn’t take themselves too seriously yet there was something flawlessly perfect about their set at the same time. The band, like the audience, was clearly having fun doing what they were doing but they were doing it without missing a single note and making sure that, dancing aside, their music was in the spotlight. I loved that I could feel the dedication of this band so easily through all of the quirkiness. All too often, bands focus on the quirky and forget what they are supposed to be doing– giving an audience amazing music but that was not the case for Porky’s Groove Machine. I got the best of both worlds making them the perfect act to kick off Saturday night at the 7th Street Entry.

Who doesn’t love a brass band? I mean, come on, brass instruments make everyone smile regardless of what kind of day you had. That was one of the reasons I was at this show on Saturday night but another was because of the reputation that LowDown Brass Band has. This Chicago-based band is more than just a brass band. Instead of just relying on powerful horns to lead the band (which they definitely did at times throughout their headlining set), this band also brings a taste of soul, funk, hip-hop, jazz, rap, reggae– it was all over the place and made for a truly dynamic set.

Each song that the group played seemed to focus on a different genre. The massive band seamlessly transitioned from a reggae inspired track to something that felt a bit more standard brass band. At other moments, there were tracks played that leaned heavily into a hip-hop vibe of things while having an almost jazz inspired instrumentation behind the hip-hop-styled vocals. It was this constant movement between genres that kept me on my toes and me completely captivated by LowDown.

Whether the band was playing a reggae inspired chill track or a more commercial-feeling love song, the members of LowDown Brass Band, like the members of the opening act, brought an undeniable feeling of passion and love to the stage. They truly didn’t care if you knew their music or not, they just wanted to make sure that everyone in attendance had a good time. I think it’s safe to say that that mission on accomplished and then some. Proof of this is the way that I continuously felt I had to keep getting closer and closer to the stage. When at The Entry, I typically stick to my little corner in back by the sound board but, on Saturday night, I felt myself inching closer and closer to the stage until, eventually, I was right up there. There was just something about their infectious energy that had me wanting to get as close as I could as if to soak up as much of that energy as I could.

Line Up:

Porky’s Groove Machine

LowDown Brass Band

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 34

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Dance-ability- 8 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)-

Porky’s Groove Machine – 0

LowDown Brass Band– 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8.3 out of 10

Show on Deck — Heartless Bastards / Laney Jones

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