Girl at the Rock Shows

Some people turn to therapy when they need to heal. Some turn to religion, others to some habits they would probably rather not discuss– it doesn’t matter how you cope; everyone has their coping mechanism, and, for me, it’s live music. I’m still not ready to talk about how crappy my Monday was or what all happened, but I knew I could only mourn for so long, and I needed the feeling of live music to help me cope with all of my emotions and thoughts. I may not have looked the greatest as I walked into The Turf Club on Wednesday night, and lord knows I didn’t feel that great, but, as soon as the downbeat hit me, I felt myself getting back to normal, if only ever so slightly.

The first act to take the Turf Club stage on Wednesday night was the one and only Buffalo Nichols. This was my third time seeing this fantastic musician, but his sound and style are still not old to me. His soulful voice instantly soothed my restless soul. The amount of heart he drenched each word and note with seemed to act as a piece of thread sewing up my broken heart one stitch at a time. I know that sounds so overly dramatic, but that’s how it felt as I stood there wholly entranced in Buffalo Nichols’ world.

Nichols’ sound is not my normal one but it’s a familiar one. His deep and dark voice has always reminded me of a personal favorite of mine- William Elliot Whitmore. At the same time, he has this amount of soul and heartbreak turned positive that is unlike anyone else out there. Add his perfectly placed and intricate instrumentation with his banjo or guitar, and you are left with a sound that, at face value, is simple and basic, but as you dig into it, you realize just how much thought went into every beat of every track. Americana, blues, singer-songwriter– call Buffalo Nichols’ music whatever style you want (because, really, it’s a blend of a million of them), but don’t put him in a box. Even as a pop-punk princess with metal-loving tendencies, the music of Buffalo Nichols will always hit me like a brick, and seeing him perform live will always give me a thrill and a feeling of cozy warmth.

I honestly didn’t quite understand the pairing between Buffalo Nichols and headlining act Sarah Shook & the Disarmers. In my mind, their styles were worlds apart, but after hearing Nichols joke about making the mistake of asking for requests at his Seattle show only to figure out that “nobody really listens to my music” and then hearing Sarah Shook about how they aren’t even supposed to be in the place they are, it made sense—Nichols and Shook both have an air of being humble to a fault about them.

Sarah Shook & the Disarmers is a new addition to the daily playlists of my life, so being able to see this act just after “finding” them was a treat for me. Their sound is definitely most easily called country, but, like Nichols, that doesn’t seem to do Sarah Shook & the Disarmers justice. Sure, it’s country, but it comes with a side order of punk attitude and twangy tendencies, giving you a little bit of everything. That being said, the thing that stuck out to me the most about this group’s performance was the heart that radiated from the stage. Maybe I was looking for it because of my need for live music therapy, but I don’t think that’s the case. From the words that string along to create the songs, telling gorgeous and powerful stories, to the way Sarah seemed to drill holes into everyone in the packed audience with their eyes and words alike, there was something overly powerful and beautiful about their set.

Being that I am new to the Sarah Shook & the Disarmers world (I know, I’ve been living under a rock), I can’t tell you what songs they played. I can tell you there was a lot of mention of their new album ‘Revelations’ that came out just a week ago. I can also tell you that it didn’t seem to matter what song Sarah and their band were playing; they had the audience caught in the palm of their hands until the bitter end of the set in a way that I haven’t seen a band do in quite a while.

I wish I had more to say about the night because it truly was a spectacular show, but the truth is, I needed a moment to get out of my head and get lost in some live music, so that’s exactly what I did. I didn’t take notes, really didn’t fight the crowd to get photos. I just stood there, being lulled into a sense of peace that I needed so desperately. Go to therapy, go to church– do what you need to do to heal. For me, it’s going to shows like the one on Wednesday night and I can not thank Buffalo Nichols or Sarah Shook & the Disarmers enough for giving me some time to heal.

Line Up:

Buffalo Nichols

Sarah Shook & the Disarmers

Venue: Turf Club

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 38

Crowd Surfers- None

Mosh-ability- 0 out of 10

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

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out Kids- None

Idiots Taken Out By Security- 0

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

Buffalo Nichols – 2

Sarah Shook & the Disarmers – 0

Celebrity Sightings – Ann of Mostly MN Music

Overall Score- 8 out of 10

Show on Deck- Miss Grit / The Last Dinner Party

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