Girl at the Rock Shows

Friday wasn’t my greatest day. The internet was in and out all day at my day job, which meant doing that job was nearly impossible. It also meant that reviewing songs wasn’t in the cards, and trying to get my booking work done was frustrating, to say the least. By the time I walked into The Icehouse in Minneapolis on Friday night for my show of choice, I was in need of live music and a stiff drink. I got both of those things along with a good hang with a super good friend that I don’t see enough.

Although my friend and I got there early to make sure we had time to catch up before the show started, the conversation between us just had no end, and it leaked into the opening set from local songwriter/ musician Chris Koza. I felt torn. Did I keep up the conversation with my friend or tell her to shush up so I could pay attention to Chris’ music? I honestly never made a call on this, but I found myself dancing between the best of the two worlds. Between the chatter and bites of delicious food, my ears were controlled by Chris’ smooth yet emotive vocals. His sound was quiet but had this sense of power that was so easy to be captured by. There were moments as he played where I found myself entirely in Chris’ spell while just mindlessly nodding to the conversation with my friend. I didn’t mean to blow her off, I promise; it’s more that the power that Chris brought to his understated set was just that amazing. Chris Koza is a staple in the local music scene but someone that I don’t see often. I plan on changing that after his set on Friday.

Following Chris Koza’s set was a set from Beemer. I instantly fell head over heels for their 70s-inspired pop sounds. It was chill but, like Chris’ music, hit me hard. There was something oddly meditative about their music. Although it definitely caught me and had me tangled in their web, it was one of those sets that was so easy just to sit back and breathe to. That sounds dramatic, I know, but I don’t know how else to put it. Even the endless conversations with my friend seemed to take more pauses throughout the set as if neither of us could formulate a complete sentence as Beemer played. This band has only been around for about a year but they came off as seasoned professionals. This made sense as I dug into the history of the players in this band. They are all superstars of the scene having played with acts such as John Chuck & the Class, Chastity Brown, The Orange Goodness… the list goes on and on. You could feel those storied careers throughout the set, but at the same time, you could also feel the genius that is Beemer.

Headlining act VERSKOTZI last played in Minneapolis seven years ago. He moved to Los Angeles to chase his dreams and let me tell you, he is achieving all of those dreams and then some. That being said, Minneapolis is going to go ahead and continue claiming him as our own. Los Angeles can have him part-time, but we all know, after his performance on Friday night, that his heart stays in Minneapolis.

From the second VERSKOTZI and his band took the stage, all side conversations stopped. This was just one of the magical moments throughout his set and something that I don’t think I’ve ever truly experienced with the friend I was with. All eyes were glued to the stage as he and his band played through his new album ‘SHIRING.’ It was track after track of bluesy and psychedelic drenched rock n’ roll sounds. I know this is going to sound crazy but think The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ album done with a bit of a grungy undertone and presented with an almost enlightened energy behind it. That description sounds wild, I know, but that’s the best I can do as far as trying to describe VERSOTZI’s sound.

VERSKOTZI was somehow able to make me feel everything all at once without feeling overwhelmed, which is ironic when you know the backstory of this album. I’m not going to ruin it for you because this is a story that you should really just hear from the source as this man truly has a way with words, but, long story short, ‘SHIRING’ is the mantra that VERSKOTZI uses to meditate and it represents the rebirth of The Self. It’s deep, I know, but everything he does is deep, and that’s what made Friday night’s performance so spectacular.

Although it was all eyes and ears on VERSKOTZI himself, his set would have been nothing without his band. The three players he had with them all had a part in the music, and on the stage, that could not be ignored. I spent a lot of the set with my eyes darting between members, and although they were firmly set on the frontman for a lot of the set, there were many moments when I just couldn’t pull myself away from the drummer, Joseph. There was just something about Joseph, and the faces he was making while playing that told me that he was truly living his best life behind that kit.

Whether you were watching Joseph behind the drum kit, VERSKOTZI pouring his soul on the stage, the other members perfectly enhancing everything else going on throughout the set, or watching the music clearly affect the packed audience, you were affected by this set in a grandiose way. No other conversations mattered; no other thoughts mattered. All that mattered was VERSKOTZI.

Friday wasn’t a great day for me, but the show on Friday night made up for all of the frustration and headaches that plagued my day. Live music is more powerful than any drug out there. Don’t believe me? After a rough day, go to a live show and tell me it didn’t fix your problems, if only for a couple of hours.

Line Up:

Chris Koza

Beemer

VERSKOTZI

Venue: The Icehouse

Smell-O-Meter: The amazing food from The Icehouse

Average Age of the Crowd: 45

Crowd Surfers- 0

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)-

Chris Koza – 0

Beemer – 0

VERSKOTZI – 0

Celebrity Sightings – Krista of Elephant & Flowers; Andy Ellis of Melodic Noise; Ben Noble

Overall Score- 9 out of 10

Show on Deck- The Customers / Cindy Lawson / Tim Casey & The Martyrs

Shameless Self Promotion- 

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