Girl at the Rock Shows

There were a lot of unfamiliar faces as I looked around Amsterdam Bar & Hall on Tuesday night. Usually, this wouldn’t be a shock. I bounce between scenes and often wind up at shows that I know nothing about, so, of course, faces are unfamiliar. In the case of Tuesday night, this was a bit of a surprise. Sure, there were the usual suspects at this show, but for a metal show with an epic line-up and the return of a face that left the scene to move onto bigger and better things, I thought I would see more of those faces from my past. It took me a second to get used to the fact that the local metal scene has changed since I started to move away from it, but, at the same time, it gave me a sense of excitement. I know what this local metal scene can be. I grew up in the times of Metalsota and the Metty’s (a local metal music award show that you can read about HERE!), and although I’m not sure we will ever get back to that, it was refreshing to look around and see a new crop of kids to carry the torch.

Kicking the stacked line-up off was The Motion Mosaic. Hailing from right here in the Twin Cities, The Motion Mosaic has a distinct sound and vibe. Although heavy, their music has a strong sense of groove behind it. Sure, you could call it mathcore if you want to, but that doesn’t describe the intensity they bring to the stage. Things moved really fast on Tuesday night, with five bands playing within just about three and a half hours, so The Motion Mosaic’s set felt way too short for me to really get into it, but they definitely did what they could, packing a punch with every second that ticked by.

Following The Motion Mosaic was another local, Wanderer. Looking back at my blog, I covered a band of the same name back in March of 2017 when they opened for Power Trip at The Triple Rock (RIP), but I honestly couldn’t tell you if that was the same band. I only bring this up because I don’t know where this band has been my whole life. Maybe I was blind and had seen them before, but Tuesday night’s performance really made Wanderer’s name stick with me. Their brutal set was highlighted by an almost intimidating energy from the vocalist, electronic vibes sprinkled between the songs, and a sheer amount of power that radiated from the stage throughout their time spent on it. Although this was definitely a metal show through and through, Wanderer’s music leaned more into the punk side of things which was another huge selling point for me. It was electronic-infused brutality, and it was perfect. Wanderer is a band that I definitely have my eyes on, and you will absolutely hear more about them from me in the future.

I have seen By The Thousands live fifteen times, with Tuesday night being the sixteenth time. That said, there is no way I’ll stop any time soon. As usual, this local act took the stage with a sense of power and grit, making it feel more like a national touring act than a humble local band. I was a bit bummed that the band seemed to focus on their new EP ‘The Descent’ when it came to their set list but, have no fear, at the end of the set, this metalcore band treated the audience to some classics which filled my heart with so much dang joy. Although I don’t have anything new to say about this band (mainly since I just covered them in April (check out that review HERE!), they sounded as amazing as they always do. By The Thousands has been making waves in the national scene over the past few years, and their performance on Tuesday night, albeit short, was proof that they will continue to do so.

I was very intrigued to see the next act of the night- Sarah Longfield. Honestly, it’s rare to see a woman in this scene. I know that feels archaic and like an old-school mentality, but it’s true, so seeing Sarah Longfield’s name in a line-up and knowing that she is a female metal guitarist gave me a feeling of butterflies. I wasn’t super sure what to expect, but I knew I was excited. That’s when it happened. The house lights and music went down, and Sarah instantly whisked the entire audience into another world. Watching her do her signature two-handed tapping on the neck of her tie-dye guitar was genuinely captivating. Now, don’t get me wrong, the band members Sarah had on stage with her were flawless, but for me and many others in the audience, it was all eyes and ears on Sarah. I wish I had the right words to describe what I felt as I watched her fingers dance over her guitar at breakneck speeds, but, in all honesty, I was just stunned. Lost for words with my jaw on the ground. Sarah is still young but has already done many amazing things, including touring with John 5 in 2021. It’s safe to assume that we can expect a lot more from this brilliant musician and that she will be a household name in no time.

Closing out this fantastic night of music was Maryland-based Greylotus. Although they are based in Maryland, this band comes with a super familiar face in the form of Lee Mintz on vocals. Lee came up in the local Twin Cities metal scene as the frontman for Mithya. We can all agree that we miss Mithya and Lee in general, as he is always smiling and just an all-around amazing kid, but seeing him kill it on stage on Tuesday night with this new band brought me so much joy. Greylotus’ sound bridges a gap between progressive and technical deathcore. Sure, it’s loud music, and it’s okay if you just want to call it loud and angry sounds, but when you dig into their sound, it’s so much more than that. Complicated rhythms mixed with dizzying lines of notes and intense vocals create a sound that is so easy to get lost in and one that, to a metalhead, is pure perfection.

The local metal scene will never be what it was back in the day. Dang, saying that makes me feel really old and crabby, but it’s true. Although it will never be what it once was, having nights like Tuesday night when you get to meet some new faces and celebrate some classics (and a birthday on top of that– Happy Birthday, Lee!) is something that I do not take for granted. Tuesday night was a great night of catching up, hanging out, and intensely brutal music. Long story short, it was perfect.

Line Up:

The Motion Mosaic

Wanderer

By The Thousands

Sarah Longfield

Greylotus

Venue: Amsterdam Bar & Hall

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 24

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 9 out of 10 but barely anyone moved

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

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 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)-

The Motion Mosaic – 2

Wanderer – 1 (Maybe?)

By The Thousands – 15

Sarah Longfield – 0

Greylotus – 0

Celebrity Sightings – Eric of Amarak

Overall Score- 9.2 out of 10

Show on Deck —Free Throw / Slow Joy / Heart to Gold

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