Girl at the Rock Shows

The weather has been wreaking havoc on my concert calendar. Really, it only cancelled my Sunday night show, but that alone made me desperate for the feeling of live music by the time Monday came around. I spent all day nervously checking my socials. Was this show going to be canceled, too? If in these band’s shoes, I probably would have passed on playing Minneapolis purely due to not knowing if getting out of the city would be an option with the winter weather plaguing us. I noticed one of the three bands announce that they would not make it to the show. My heart started breaking. Was I really going to have to go another night without live music? Thankfully, that was not the case, and two of the three bands decided to perform. The audience was light, and I believe that was due to the fear that roads would freeze overnight, but that didn’t stop those who showed up to Cloudland on Monday night from having a great night and being treated to some amazing music.

I was instantly intrigued by Scott Yoder. I saw Scott and his band walking around the intimate venue before the set and loved what I saw. Colorful outfits and dramatic make-up. This may have been a “small show,” but this band was clearly not going to give anything short of a perfect set. As they took the stage and started into their set, that intrigue quickly turned to love. First things first– their music is differentis different from my normal thing. It was a very vintage sound that instantly reminded me of the little I know about David Bowie. That being said, they had me sold with the amount of conviction and passion that this four-piece group was putting into every note and every word.

I love the fact that there were moments throughout Scott’s set that felt familiar. Maybe it was a line of notes or a particular beat, but I just felt comfortable getting lost in this group’s sound because of these little moments. That being said, other moments felt avant-garde and out there, yet, somehow, this band convinced me that this was normal and the way that music should be. The mix of perfectly constructed tracks with a feeling of freeing organic vibes was balanced perfectly.

Another thing that had me sold was the theatrics of this band. They were subtle. It wasn’t like watching a circus or anything like that, yet there were moments that were just so well curated and thought out that added that little spark of chutzpah that I wish all bands had. From a pedal board that controlled the lights rather than the tone of a guitar to the glittery backdrop that felt a bit cheesy but added a sense of magic and drama to the set, there were just these little things that Scott and the band had clearly put some thought into that really added a special something to an already stellar set.

Scott Yoder is currently on a grueling tour schedule. They had driven ten hours in the snow to get the Cloudland on Monday night, only to land and realize their guitar amp was broken. I know firsthand that touring isn’t for the faint of heart, and it’s something that can quickly tear a band down regardless of how much passion they have or how talented they are. The fact that Scott Yoder and his band still made it to this show and played a hell of a set told me everything that I needed to know. Scott Yoder is an act to watch, and I am beyond grateful that they didn’t just cancel the set on Monday night, so I was able to experience their genius and magic firsthand.

Okay, I just talked your ear off about Scott Yoder. I’m not sorry about it. I was thoroughly impressed with everything about his set. I was also thoroughly impressed by the set from C.O.M.A. Club—the other band to perform on Monday night. That’s not surprising because of who is in this local group. C.O.M.A. Club is essentially The Extraterrestrials, which is a supergroup containing the likes of Christy Costello, Monica LaPlante, and various other familiar faces from the local scene.

What was a surprise was when I instantly recognized a few of the songs even though I had never actually heard of C.O.M.A. Club. This was because they started with a couple of Extraterrestrial songs before moving onto a couple of Christy Costello tracks and so on and so forth. I loved this. Like Monica LaPlante said, it’s a three-for-one kind of deal. You have three bands on the stage playing as a whole group but also get glimpses at three different bands throughout the set. This was an excellent way to perform and kept the night as fresh as it was exciting.

I wish I had more to say about C.O.M.A. Club’s set but the fact is I knew what I was going to get. I was going to get professionalism mixed with a whole lot of personality and flawless music with a side dish of energy and swagger. Because of this, I really have nothing more to say other than if you weren’t at Cloudland on Monday night, you truly missed out.

Line Up:

Scott Yoder

C.O.M.A. Club

Venue: Cloudland Theater

Smell-O-Meter- Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd- 36

Crowd Surfers-0

Mosh-ability- 0 out of 10

Stage Divers- 0

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None Noticed

Pukers- None Noticed

Idiots Taken Out By Security- 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Scott Yoder – o

C.O.M.A. Club – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score- 8.6 out of 10

Show on Deck- Von Tramps / Victory Kid / Space Monkey Mafia / Lost Island Society

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