Girl at the Rock Shows

I am lucky to live close to my day job, so I don’t have to deal with traffic daily. This means that, when I hit traffic, I act like it’s the end of the world, and having a show that started at 6 PM on Wednesday across town meant that I was going to hit traffic. I braced myself, found a good true crime podcast, and headed out when many people were leaving work. It was a frustrating job, but it was even more frustrating because I missed a couple of turns here and there after deciding to follow GPS rather than my gut. Long story short, when I finally got to Cloudland in south Minneapolis, I was frantic and running late. Luckily for me, the show had been pushed back a couple of minutes, so I was delighted to walk inside and find the opening band still getting ready to take the stage. That being said, I was still a bit frantic as I got my camera ready to go and braced myself for what was to come.

It was as if the live music Gods knew I needed a moment to calm down and breathe with the opening act they gave me. Brother Means Ally took the stage as a trio: no drums, just two guitars, a cajon, and an upright bass. I’ll be honest: I thought I wanted something aggressive and in your face, but as soon as this trio kicked into their opening set, I realized that I needed their calming vibes more than anything else. The amount of beauty in this set left me absolutely floored. From siblings Solomon and Mountain Falls’ vocals and the way they fit together to the genius guitarwork and constantly moving yet not frantic bass line done by Christian Rasmussen, there was just something so simplistic sounding about their set. I don’t mean that what they were playing was simple. Some of the guitar licks specifically done by Mountain Falls had me stunned but I more mean the way they made you feel. The music of Brother Means Ally is clearly well thought out and deep, but it’s just so calming. I could have stood there all night listening to their delicate compositions. Wednesday night was Brother Means Ally’s last show for a hot minute, which is a huge bummer to me, but they promised they would be back, and you better believe I will be there when that comeback happens.

Following Brother Means Ally was a super quick set from SED, and I mean it when I say super quick. SED was only on stage for about ten minutes, but it definitely struck me as an act to watch. Leaning into the rap world (which in itself was awesome as I love a bipolar line-up more than anything), his music may not have been as delicate as that of Brother Means Ally, but it had the same mentality behind it. SED’s music was as deep as the way he explained his songs. He admitted that they were short tracks, but that’s because the songs he was performing were moments. They acted as a time capsule to his life, giving you a glimpse into small moments that made him who he is. I loved this because, at the end of the day, isn’t music always just a glimpse into the moments of our lives? I wish I had more to say about this performer as, again, I was impressed, but with only ten minutes on stage, I was spending more time lost in SED’s world rather than analyzing it.

Next up was Joan of Profile. If you’ve been reading this blog for some time, this name may be familiar. I recently covered this group when they played at The Turf Club back in January. Prior to that, I had covered them when they performed at The Garage back in June of 2022. I’ve literally been watching the evolution of this band, and what they gave me on Wednesday night proved that they are aging like the best red wine you have ever had. Vocalist Kaity Joan is an absolute powerhouse. There’s no other way to put it. The way her voice goes from emoting a heart-stopping amount of emotion to having a raw, almost punk quality to it in the blink of an eye is absolutely stunning. Add the amazing band that joins her and knows just when to step in and out of the spotlight, and you will be left with pure magic.

Stylistically, Joan of Profile is indie-rock. I wish I could get more specific than that, but that would be opening up a whole can of worms. There are so many elements woven into JoP’s sound that it would take days for me to list them all, so, like I said, they are indie-rock. Their sound is infectious and makes you want to move. Even the slower songs that really showcase the emotion that Kaity has in her vocals leave you wanting to move ever so slightly. The audience on Wednesday was not a big one (where were you?!), which meant it was super easy for me to watch everyone in the audience. This was thrilling as I could literally see the music of this band hit everyone in the audience at a different time throughout the set, yet everyone had the same reaction– a giant smile creeping across their face and bright and shining eyes glued to the stage. If you’ve been sleeping on Joan of Profile and have been resisting getting your JoP on, now is the time to change that. 

Indie-pop local rockers Field Trip were the final band to take the stage on Wednesday night, and by the time they were a couple of songs in, I had gotten everything my heart could possibly want from a mid-week show at one of my favorite local venues. Field Trip’s sound, like JoP, is full of life. It’s fun and bouncy with a slight surf rock influence behind it that will make you smile instantly. Vocalist Louie Broughten’s delivery of the songs is just as charming as the songs themselves. Really, all three members of this band had a sense of charm to them, but there was something about the way Louie would sing through a smile that really made me fall head over heels for this band. Although I am calling them indie-pop, they are another act that has a bit of everything woven into their sound. This was made clear as the band went from a complete bop to a more Bossanova-styled track without missing a beat. The crazy thing was that although these two songs seemed to have nothing in common stylistically, they fit together like two puzzle pieces. The cohesiveness of this group is as beautiful as their overall sound and made for the perfect ending to a perfect Wednesday night.

As mentioned, there were few people in attendance at this show. This really bummed me out, as it was such a great showing of the local talent we have here in the Twin Cities. Don’t get me wrong, the lack of people didn’t stop the bands from giving their all, but it definitely broke my heart. I know that without people, shows like this and venues like Cloudland will not last. So this is my plea to the people. I know that weeknights are tricky, but trust me, I do, but please, instead of heading to a local watering hole or getting sucked into something on TV, please consider going out to support local music. I’m biased as live music is what truly keeps me alive, but I promise you, it will be worth the outing, and you may even get hooked by live music like I have.

Line Up:

Brother Means Ally

SED

Joan of Profile

Field Trip

Venue: Cloudland

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 27

Crowd Surfers- 0

Mosh-ability- 0 out of 10

Amount of Alcohol Spilled on Me- $0

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out Kids- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security- 0

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

Brother Means Ally – 0

SED– 0

Joan of Profile – 2

Field Trip – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score- 8 out of 10

Show on Deck- Judas Priest / Sabaton

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