Girl at the Rock Shows

It’s been cold up here in Minneapolis lately, but the air had a bit more of a bite to it on Thursday night as I walked from the parking ramp to the 7th Street Entry. It had me feeling a bit pessimistic and thinking about how nice it would be to spend a night in like a normal human. I reluctantly pulled out my ID, let security go through my bag, got checked in, and reached my usual spot in the familiar venue. My hands were still trying to thaw out as the house lights went down and the opening act took the stage, but as soon as the music started, I realized how silly I was for thinking about just staying in on Thursday night.

Chicago-based Oddysseys was the first band to perform on Thursday night’s four-band bill. Although the audience was still growing (as I’m sure other people were hesitant to go out into the blustery cold as well), Oddysseys wasted no time in their quick thirty-minute opening set, filling nearly every second of their set with their distinct sound. I mean it when I say unique. Oddysseys’ vibe is all over the place, but if I had to nail it down, they are an 80s-inspired band that shows glimmers of everything from classic punk to surf punk within their songs. Think of it as a bit of a distorted twinkle. It was a fresh take on a familiar vibe, making their set exciting for me.

Another thing that made Oddysseys’ opening set so great was their attitude. Although their performance was clearly honed in on and done with a focus on perfection, the trio’s banter between the songs was far from that. “I can tell you’re having fun by the way you’re not moving,” the drummer stated plainly about halfway through the set. Comments like that mixed with the bassist’s bass, which was heart-shaped with Powderpuff Girls decals on it, told me that this band doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Sure, their music had a stern edge to me, but I loved the juxtaposition their passion and attitudes brought to the table.

Following Oddysses was glowingtide. I was excited by glowingtide’s set in a way that I haven’t felt in a little bit. Within just a few seconds of their set, the vocalist had tried to jump onto one of the monitors lining the front of the stage. There was a moment of chaos, and before I knew it, the monitor had jumped from the stage to the floor. Within just seconds of this chaotic moment of pure energy and intensity, the band backed into a very dazzling and calming vibe. I was struck. Was this band intense and hard, or were they dainty and beautiful? The answer was both. glowingtide somehow went from these moments of extreme chaos and dissonance worthy of a basement hardcore show into these moments of dazzling and ambient peacefulness with ease. Those stark changes in their set kept me on my toes and made me realize that I don’t quite understand this band, but I never wanted their set to end at the same time. I’m not sure where glowingtide has been hiding but they can’t hide from me any longer. I can’t wait to see what comes next for this young band.

Another young band that has a super bright future ahead of them is the next band to take the stage: 12th House Sun. Although everything I’ve read online about this Minneapolis-based band classifies them as a shoegaze band, I feel like that couldn’t be more wrong. To me, 12th House Sun was a nostalgic band full of sounds that reminded me of Armor for Sleep and Matchbook Romance while bringing something a bit more atmospheric to your ears. The amount of emotion that came through in the vocals throughout their set was staggering to me, but the best part was they came through crystal clear and in tune. Instead of having a raw effect to them to convey the emotion, you got the warm fuzzies from the words themselves and the dreamy yet powerful soundscapes happening beneath them. Sure, I understand where someone would get the shoegaze vibe from this band, but, for me, this was a straight-up nostalgic throwback emo band, and I am completely in love with them.

It has been far too long since I’ve seen Dad Bod. The last time was in August of 2021 when they opened for Gully Boys. Although it was years ago, I still remember getting completely lost in Dad Bod’s dream world, and with my current workload and stress levels, I knew that that’s exactly what I needed to feel on Thursday night to help me get through the rest of this week. After a few technical difficulties, it was off to the races for this Minneapolis-based group, and I instantly fell into their dream world that I had longed for since that night in 2021.

The lush atmospheric ambiance of the instrumentation in Dad Bod differs from what I come for. I come for the vocals. Don’t get me wrong, the instrumentation is what makes their sound “their sound,” but it’s those vocals that get stuck in my head. Vocalist Callie Marino comes off as shy and soft in between songs. You could really see this as they battled the technical difficulties that had their set starting a bit late. That soft and shy attitude translates into their singing vocals but seems to take a new form. Instead of coming off as hushed and somber, they come off as tender but with a feeling of emotion that will leave you stunned. It’s somehow the perfect music to amp you up and keep you going through a late and cold night but, simultaneously, the ideal soundtrack to lay your head down to at the end of the night and get peacefully whisked off to dreamland. Long story short, Dad Bod was the perfect ending to a perfect Thursday night show.

I often go back to the day when my boss at my day job asked what I would do if I didn’t have shows, leading me down the rabbit hole of wondering what people do. Do they go home after work, have a home-cooked meal, and then watch TV while doing laundry? What would I do if I didn’t have shows? Sure, it was freezing out on Thursday night, and my house was warm and cozy, making it hard to leave, but what would I have done had I stayed? The fact is, without live music, I would be normal, and one of the many things that my parents both taught me is that normal is overrated.

Line Up:

Oddysseys

glowingtide

12th House Sun

Dad Bod

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 24

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- None

Mosh-ability-3 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)-

Oddysseys – 0

glowingtide – 0

12th House Sun – 0

Dad Bod – 1

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8.5 out of 10

Show on Deck — FenixDion / Extraterrestrials / Lighter Co. / Services

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