Girl at the Rock Shows

I may not have the words to describe my Tuesday night experience accurately. The truth is, I was entirely out of my element. It was a familiar room with familiar faces at the door and behind the bar, but beyond that, I was in a whole new world. My goal for this year was to get out and experience new music that I knew nothing about. If Tuesday night’s performances are any indication as to how this conquest is going to go, I’m stoked about what the year will bring.

Opening up the night was Burning Blue Rain. They started their set with a cover of “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers that instantly hooked me. Although I recognized the song (I mean, who wouldn’t?), what this young band did with the sound had me instantly falling head over heels for them. It was bluesy and almost jamlike, with a dash of psychedelic rock thrown in there. I loved the original composition that the band brought to the iconic track, but more than that, I loved the passion that each member played with.

Tuesday night was Burning Blue Rain’s first time at the 7th Street Entry, which added to the excitement of their set, but that excitement will last with this band. That passion I mentioned was something that reigned supreme throughout their set. These may have been young kids, but their talent and attention to detail made them feel like a band that had been doing this for ages. They know the importance of tone and note placement in a way that many up-and-coming acts don’t understand. Sure, the music was ultimately out of left field for me, and there were times during the wailing guitar solos that I just wanted a hooky chorus, but that’s not Burning Blue Rain, and I adore them for that.

Covalent Blonde was the next act to grace the stage at the 7th Street Entry on Tuesday, and just like Burning Blue Rain, they instantly hooked me. Whereas the opening act focused on the instrumentation, Covalent Blonde shifted the focus to the vocals, which was more up my alley. That’s about where my familiarity with their sound ends. Covalent Blonde has a very relaxed and fresh take on dreamy R&B sounds. There were nods to everything from pop to jazz scattered throughout their quick thirty-minute set that helped me find little hints that I could recognize while staying completely foreign and mysterious to me. Vocalist Drew Mabusth’s voice was genuinely stunning. Airy and smooth but with this sense of fire behind every single word simultaneously. It was one of those voices that, when it hits you, it hits you hard and seeps deep into your soul. Add her uber-tight and talented bandmates behind her, and you were left with a set that had you feeling warm and cozy by the end but also with a sense of passion and energy.

Although some band members stayed the same as The Kevin Gamble Quartet (or KG4) took the stage, everything about the night switched as this third act started their set. I have a basic understanding of jazz music. My dad is the “King of Jazz” in my hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. I remember waking up to the most insane (and headache-inducing) jazz daily. I won’t say that it gave me a distaste for the genre, but it led me down a path far away from jazz. When KG4 kicked into their set, I was flooded with memories of waking up to that headache-inducing sound, but, at the same time, I seemed to be captivated by the talent I was witnessing on stage.

I won’t get super technical with my description of what happened as I genuinely don’t have the right words or terms to describe it accurately (and I don’t want to disappoint my dad too much), but I will say that this group was tight. Even during the organic feeling solos, there was something so perfectly cohesive about this band, but you could also feel the creativity flowing between the four members. Being a piano player, my eyes were consistently glued to Kevin and his fingers as they danced across the pearly whites, but, at the same time, there were moments where the other three moments would capture me in their world. I didn’t catch all the members’ names, but each of them deserves a standing ovation for their performance on Tuesday night.

My favorite part of KG4’s set was seeing this type of music in the 7th Street Entry. I’ve been to jazz shows before, but they have mostly been at Crooner’s in Fridley (a dedicated jazz club). There was something extraordinary about seeing this performance in the 7th Street Entry, which I typically associate with more “music for the masses.” I’m not sure that it’s a trend that will continue, but I think that the Entry should entertain more jazz shows as it made the sound a bit more accessible to someone like me who can feel a bit uncomfortable at a stuffy jazz club yet felt more than at home at the Entry.

Closing out the night was Beneath Green. When the band took the stage, I put together the fact that I had just seen this band last month at this same venue. Instead of bumming me out that this wasn’t a line-up full of unknown acts to me, I felt a sense of excitement take over as the familiar faces took the stage and the group jumped into their funk-infused rock n’ roll set. I was a bit embarrassed that I hadn’t put it together that I had just seen this band a few weeks ago until they took the stage, but by the second song, I felt myself wanting to sing along to their infectious rock n’ roll songs. Maybe I didn’t remember their name, but I remembered their sound, which told me everything I needed to know about Beneath Green. This band gets under your skin in a weird and almost Minnesota-polite way, leaving you wanting more and more from them.

All in all, Tuesday night was amazing. I got out of my comfort zone when it came to the music but still felt at home because of the familiar surroundings. My goal for 2024 is to see more new music and focus on local music, and nights like Tuesday excite me about that.

Line Up:

Burning Blue Rain

Covalent Blonde

Kevin Gamble

Beneath Green

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 29

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- None

Dance-ability-2 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)-

Burning Blue Rain – 0

Covalent Blonde – 0

Kevin Gamble – 0

Beneath Green – 1

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8.1 out of 10

Show on Deck — Caster Volor / Killing Rapunzel / For Your Entertainment / Malachite

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