Girl at the Rock Shows

Do you ever watch people, sit back and think, “Dang, I wish I was as cool as them.” That was the theme of my time at the 7th Street Entry on Monday night. I mean, the other theme was fantastic music, but that could be said for most of the local shows I check out and, let’s be honest, I’m just as sick of writing about the same things as you are reading them– although I will obviously be talking about how amazing the music was. There was just something so relaxed and carefree about everyone that both took the stage on Monday night and was in attendance. It was one of those shows where there was no judgement of anything. If you wanted to dance, you could dance; if you wanted to sit and sip on a drink, you could do that. It didn’t matter what you were doing; you were surely in love with everything happening around you, which only added to the charm of the four sets performed.

Kicking things off for the night was Ghost Kitchen. This is a name I have been starting to see around town so I was excited to finally see what this group was all about. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can tell you what they’re all about, but that’s a good thing. Ghost Kitchen has a sound that can’t be contained into a box or even words. The styles were all over the place from dreamy synth-styled guitars to a more standard indie-rock vibe and everything in-between. It took me a second to catch on but Ghost Kitchen is a bit of a super group featuring Katie Drahos of Butter Boys and Dallas Kelliher of Jung Yeller. Once I put this together, their sound made sense. Two singer-songwriters with different backgrounds coming together with a band in tow will obviously create a very unique sound. The fact that their sound also came off as flawless was just the cherry on top. Ghost Kitchen was on stage for a short time but it doesn’t take long to figure out why this band is buzzing so much around town and, after seeing them, I get it. All of that buzz is warranted and this will not be the last time you have to read my writings on the group.

If I’m being entirely honest, the next set from local rapper QT? started off a bit rough for me. It’s not that it was bad but QT?’s soulful voice just wasn’t hitting for me as I was in the mood for something a bit more danceable and full of life. QT? could apparently feel that from not only me, but the rest of the people in the room and, after a couple of more mature and sensitive leaning songs, jumped into a set that instantly breathed life into me in a fantastic way. The best thing for me about QT? outside of his ability to read a room and cater his set as needed is his flow. There were points throughout his set when his raps would have this almost spoken word quality to them, but others gave me straight Outkast vibes. Spending some time on stage with just his DJ to back him up and other tracks bringing friends from the audience to share the stage with, QT? is one of those acts that, although not my typical listen, had me sold. Although he was technically solo on Monday, he mentioned that he typically has a band with him. If he can have me sold on a solo performance, I can only imagine what seeing him with a full band would be like and I can’t wait for the day I get to experience that.

Following QT? was another name that was utterly foreign to me – TeawhYB which stands for “Through Every Action Who Has Your Back”. TeawhYB’s positivity instantly struck me. It radiated throughout not only his words, but also his performance on Monday night. That’s not to say that the two previous acts weren’t positive, because they absolutely were, but I’m more meaning that TeawhYB brought a focus to the positivity. Another thing that was there throughout the night at the 7th Street Entry yet seemed to be emphasized by TeawhYB was heart. There was just something genuinely fun and cool (again, I wish I could be half as cool as any of the people that took the stage on Monday) about his performance. He was dancing around like he didn’t have a care in the world, and that added a sense of life to an already upbeat performance. Sonically, TeawhYB’s sound had an almost frat-party-rap vibe to it which isn’t always my thing but, the amount of heart he put into every song had me sold.

The one and only Black Wine closed the local showcase at the 7th Street Entry on Monday night. I honestly couldn’t tell you how I connected with this band but I can tell you that I’ve been wanting to see them perform again since the first time I saw them back in December of 2021. Years have gone by since then yet, as soon as Black Wine hit the intimate stage with their siren lights flashing all over the place and the yellow caution tape wrapped between the two vocal mics at the front of the stage, I realized that this band hasn’t really change. If anything, as their name may suggest, they have aged like a fine wine coming at me on Monday night with a cleaner sound and some new tracks that continue to dive into their unique and fun sound.

Like Ghost Kitchen, Black Wine is one of those bands that’s impossible to classify as just one style. I could sit here and list all of the styles I heard throughout their set on Monday, but that would make me sound crazy because none of the styles I have in mind go together. It doesn’t matter if you pick up on their punk influence or the subtle funk vibes that radiate from this band, one thing we can all agree on is the amount of life they bring to a stage. The vocalist, DJ Nanobyte, truly has no clue how to stand still which means your eyes are constantly moving whether it’s to just keep up with him or keep track of the other three members who seem to play with this unrelenting sense of energy. This may have been my seventh show in just four days, meaning my exhaustion level was at an all-time high, yet the energy and smiles that Black Wine served helped keep that exhaustion at bay.

I’ll never be half as cool as all of the amazing people who graced the 7th Street Entry on Monday night, but I sure as heck am going to pretend. It was seriously yet another perfect showing of just how much diversity and talent is in the Twin Cities scene and an amazing reminder of how honored I am to be a part of it.

Line Up:

Ghost Kitchen

QT?

TeawhYB

Black Wine

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 28

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- None

Dance-ability- 6 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)-

Ghost Kitchen– 0

QT? – 0

TeawhYB – 0

Black Wine – 1

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score –8.3 out of 10

Show on Deck — Billy Allen + The Pollies / Turn Turn Turn / The Dead Century