Girl at the Rock Shows

Monday was a bit insane as I tried to catch up from being ridiculously sick for most of the weekend, but I didn’t care. I knew I had a heck of a local show to go to on Monday night, and honestly, that’s what kept me going through the day. I know I said I would stop going to see the same bands over and over again, and I’m still staying with it. It was just luck that the headliner of the show was a band that I absolutely adore, and that fills me with life each time I see them. Beyond that, there was one band I had seen once before and then two acts I had never even heard of. So, it was a win-win situation on a day when I could really use a win.

Opening up the night at the 7th Street Entry was Amateur Hour. This band is quickly becoming my favorite band of the moment. I first saw this group when they opened up for The Dead Century just a couple of months ago. They had me caught up with their Joyce Manor meets Hot Mulligan sound, and I was excited to witness it again, but this time, I got a bit more into it as now I knew what to expect. As much as I felt I was prepared to take some really in-depth notes and really “judge” this band, I gave up almost instantly as the band started playing. There’s just something so chill and adorable about this group. It’s as if they try so hard to live up to their name of ‘Amateur Hour,’ yet whenever they kick into a song, they turn it on, and it’s truly perfection. They have found the perfect balance between not caring and putting all of their heart into their music and performance at the same time. As I said, this band is quickly becoming my favorite of the moment, and goals of the year be damned; I will definitely be seeing more of this band in the near future, and you will have to read about them time and time again (sorry, not sorry).

Following Amateur Hour was jonger. Much like Amateur Hour, this band is one of those groups that really doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Sometimes, this works for me, but for last night, some of their antics annoyed me. I hate this because, honestly, I loved many of the musical elements of this band. They bridge off of that Hot Mulligan meets Joyce Manor sound of Amateur Hour and dive a bit deeper into a DIY punk vibe with nods to bands like Fidlar and, well, your favorite DIY band of the moment. It was fun and quirky with an emphasis on energy, but it just lacked a sense of heart for me. I don’t think that’s due to this band not having heart in their music but more to the fact that they spent over half of their already short set kind of just goofing off. Again, I did like the sound of this band, but I wish they could have pulled it together a bit more when it came to their actual performance and maybe given me their sound with a bit more attention to detail.

The only non-local of the line-up was up next – Social Cig. Social Cig is typically a full band, but on Monday night, the audience was treated to the second solo showing of the group. With nothing but a guitar, microphone, and some backing tracks, Parker Schultz instantly grabbed the attention of the young and excited audience. Although his songs leaned a bit more into the singer-songwriter vibe of things when compared to the previous two acts, he was able to breathe life into the room in such a perfect way. Although Social Cig was a brand new name to me, it was a familiar name to many people in the audience, and I found a thrill in watching some of the young kids singing along with the words. There’s something sweet, honest, and true about Social Cig, and it’s something I want more of. Parker told the audience that he would be back with the full band in April, and you best believe I am going to try to get to that show!

Closing out the Monday night show was the one and only Surly Grrly. Are you sick of me writing about this band yet? Good, because I’m not sick of seeing them yet. Honestly, this queercore protest band speaks to my soul. The joke I always have with my boyfriend when going to a Surly Grrly show is, “Are you ready to feel marginalized, babe?” It’s half a joke, half not. This group is full of strong humans with something to say, and thankfully, that something to say is ideally in line with my beliefs. From standing up to yourself to being proud to be a female and knowing that, although the world is unfair, you have strength– it’s just a powerful message that comes through at a Surly Grrly set every time, and that power is something we could all use a little bit more of.

Like I mentioned the last time I reviewed Surly Grrly, I’ve almost run out of things to say about them. Don’t take that to mean that they are turning tired or anything like that because this group has the same sense of fire that they had the first time I saw them, more just. I’ve said it all before, and I hate to bore you with the same article over and over again. That all being said, the fact that I review this band so much and keep on doing it while embarrassing myself with paragraphs like this means that you should really take the time and go witness their magic live. Seriously.

Line Up:

Amateur Hour

jonger

Social Cig

Surly Grrly

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 17

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- None

Mosh-ability- 4 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)-

Amateur Hour – 1

jonger – 0

Social Cig– 0

Surly Grrly – 3

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8.3 out of 10

Show on Deck —Mamma Mai! The Musical

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