Girl at the Rock Shows

The temperature was dropping outside and inside my house as I left on Thursday night to head to my show of choice. Obviously the temperature dropping outside was not a shock as it really should not be nearly sixty degrees in February in Minnesota but the temperature dropping my house was a shock. Did you know that there’s a switch on your furnace that, if turned off, turns off your entire furnace? I didn’t realize that until after I got home and looked at everything a bit closer. Long story short, I was frantic as I left the house. I couldn’t figure out why my furnace had stopped working and I had the sense of dread that I would have to have an expensive call come Friday, but that wouldn’t stop me from going to my show. I wished the cats the best of luck as far as staying warm, got in my car, and drove to Cloudland in South Minneapolis. Sure, I felt terrible but, at the same time, I’m not going to miss a show and, honestly, as soon as I stepped foot in Cloudland, I had completely forgotten about the mess I had to deal with when I got home.

Malamiko was the first band to take the stage and the only band on the three-band local line-up that I knew nothing about. I was excited as they took the stage. That excitement turned to pure joy as they started playing Malamiko has a very shoegazey sound but calling them just a shoegaze band isn’t entirely fair to the creativity that was in the spotlight on Thursday night. Overall, their sound was a bit timid and very patient but, throughout their performance, you were treated with bursts of angst- beautiful and controlled angst. From the epic dynamics to brilliant composition, Malamiko had me completely stuck in their world as they played and, when they wrapped up, I really wish I could witness their set all over again. There was just something so understated yet so brilliant about their performance. Malamiko is definitely a band I have my eye on and a band that you will undoubtedly read about from me again sooner rather than later.

I know that me saying the next band was Floodwater Angel will trigger you solely because I’ve written about this band so many times the recent past but the fact is that this band is doing something unique in this scene. They have a sound that needs to be heard, and if that means I need to see them time and time again while writing a post after each time trying to convince you to check them out, well, so be it. Floodwater Angel is not your standard rock n’ roll band, but they are. Overall their sound is accessible and easy to listen to but, when you really dig into all of the elements that this band brings to a stage, you quickly realize that they are so much more than just a rock n’ roll band.

Elements of everything from blues to psychedelic rock are intertwined into Floodwater Angel’s sound, making it as exciting as it is thrilling. I bring that up every time I see this act, but, again, it’s something that really sets them apart from everything else happening in the local scene right now. They don’t care what’s cool or what will get people to dance, they care about the notes and melodies that speak to their souls, which is rare to find these days. My favorite part of this group is definitely the guitar work. Although a lyrics and vocals lady, the way that the guitars sing throughout a Floodwater Angel set is stunning and, lyrics be damned, I feel like the guitar notes tell such a beautiful story. I’ll never stop covering this band, but it would be super cool if you would listen to my words and trust me when I say that you should really check out Floodwater Angel for yourself.

The first two bands to take the stage on Thursday evening were terrific, but the night was ultimately about the headlining act- Admiral Fox. Having only heard one song from this band before witnessing their set, I didn’t know what I would get but, just like the previous two sets, I was instantly trapped in Admiral Fox’s world, and that’s not a bad thing. Why was the night about Admiral Fox? It was the release party for their EP ‘thanks for letting me know’ which came out last week but their performance showcased so much more than that. From unreleased tracks to oldies but goodies, Admiral Fox treated the audience at Cloudland to a little bit of everything on Thursday but I really didn’t care if it was a new or old song that they were playing– I wanted it all and I was eating it up note by note.

You could call Admiral Fox an “indie-pop” band but, like the previous acts, calling them just that doesn’t really do their sound justice. There were moments when I got a bit of a singer-songwriter vibe from the overall presentation of the trio’s songs, but other moments when there was a slight hint of grunge to everything in their set. They are a band that keeps you on your toes yet, at the end of the day, comes off as a clearly cohesive group. I realize that me saying words like “grunge” and “singer-songwriter” in the same sentence is confusing and hard to imagine, but just one listen to an Admiral Fox track and I think you’ll pick up what I’m trying to put down.

On top of their sound was their performance. When it came to the music, this trio was all business. I promise that this isn’t a backhanded comment in any way to the band so please don’t take it like that but there was one moment where the band started into a song but, within seconds, vocalist Dan DeMarco cut it off. He explained that his guitar wasn’t perfectly tuned, and he just couldn’t last through an entire track like that. I appreciated this because it showed this band’s attention to detail and the amount of care they have in their sound. Long story short, Admiral Fox cares and is absolutely worth your attention.

Line Up:

Malamiko

Floodwater Angel

Admiral Fox

Venue: Cloudland

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 22

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- None

Mosh-ability- 0 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)-

Malamiko – 0

Floodwater Angel– 3

Admiral Fox– 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8.6 out of 10

Show on Deck —Power Balladz

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