Girl at the Rock Shows

Downtown Minneapolis was absolutely buzzing on Saturday night. Although it was obnoxious to try and get through traffic to my parking lot for the show, I loved that there were so many people out and about and that the streets were filled with excitement and rainbows. That’s right, it’s Pride weekend, and what makes this town so great is that you could not only celebrate Pride with some amazing local performers, but you could also walk just a couple of feet or blocks and experience some terrific local live music as well. Although I ended up at an amazing Pride event, you’re not here to read about that; you’re here to read about the show I had, so let’s dig into that.

Opening up the packed 7th Street Entry show on Saturday night was a local favorite of mine- NATL PARK SRVC. This larger-than-life band continues to impress and thrill me even though Saturday night was my third time seeing them. Their sound is definitely indie-rock but it’s a bit quirkier than that classification may lead you to believe. NATL PARK SRVC’s attention to detail, dynamics, and composition sets them apart from the rest of the scene. They dig into standard patterns and phrases in their music but add this almost orchestral element to it in a way. It helps that they came in the form of a six-piece band on Saturday night, but, really, even seeing a paired-down version of this band would bring the same attention to detail and the same intricacies to any stage. There doesn’t seem to be any slowing this band down, and that means that you will have to continue reading my ramblings on them, so do yourself a favor and catch them live for yourselves so my ramblings make a bit more sense.

Following NATL PARK SRVC were the more punk-leaning offerings of Mystery Meat. My introduction to this band was in October of last year, and I have been craving another performance from this four-piece ever since then. Much like the opener, it would be easy just to classify Mystery Meat as a punk band, but they are so much more than that. Their control over the chaos they put through the speakers is impeccable. Although everything feels a bit frantic and all over the place, there is perfection in their compositions, making it a super great listen for anyone who loves their music heavy, fast, and insane. With a slight hardcore element to their sound, I loved the edge that Mystery Meat brought to the night. They were definitely a stand-out act on a super stacked bill for me.

Oister Boy, the next band to grace the 7th Street Entry stage, must also be huge fans of the headliner or they are just friends because the last time I saw them, they were opening for the same band. That’s not a complaint in any way, shape, or form because I will never be bummed to see Oister Boy live. I loved how this group’s sound seemed to split the difference between NATL PARK SRVC and Mystery Meat. There were moments of indie-rock brightness followed by an edgier punk influence, all strung together with a slight grunge feeling. This constant rise and fall of sounds and energy led to a super engaging set, not just for me but for everyone around me. The room was packed and I loved seeing people singing along to this band. After a somewhat disappointing national tour on Friday night, it was nice to see passion not only from a band on Saturday night but also from the audience.

I know I’ve said that I am going to stop going to see the same bands over and over again multiple times this year, but who was I to miss out on celebrating the release of Killed By Kiwis’ new EP? Honestly, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I know the past few times I’ve seen them, I’ve joked about how this band has an identity crisis, but I love that and was so thankful to see that, even though a couple of months have passed, they still haven’t figured it out. The genius of Killed By Kiwis’ new EP, ‘For the Birds,’ is that each member wrote a different track on it. This leads to a beautifully cacophonous set of songs, and seeing all of those tracks come together in the form of an EP playthrough on Saturday night was truly a beautiful thing.

One of the things that really hit me about Killed By Kiwis on Saturday night was the sheer vocal power of vocalist Annie Thoma. Honestly, the fact that this band has such a perfect identity crisis when it comes to their music style could only happen because of Annie’s talent. The way she can manipulate her voice in a way but make it sound so natural and authentic is beyond me and really helps create a cohesive feeling throughout a set of songs that really should feel less cohesive. Don’t get me wrong, this entire band is fantastic, and there was never a moment throughout their set on Saturday night where they weren’t perfectly tight and in the pocket, but Annie is genuinely a stand-out vocalist in a scene where there are a lot of talented vocalists.

I know that Sunday was a super busy night with events happening related to Pride, but if you played your cards right, you were able to experience it all. After Killed By Kiwis wrapped up their set, I walked up three stairs and found myself at an electric drag show in the First Avenue Mainroom. I mean, come on, how cool is that? Not only was I able to spend my night celebrating local music, but I was also able to celebrate our amazing local queens and kings. Minneapolis (and the Twin Cities in general) is truly the place to be if you need the constant live entertainment like I do, and Saturday night was a good reminder of the fact that if you drink enough Red Bull (or actually get enough sleep like a normal human), you can catch it all and celebrate all of the local talent the Cities has to offer.

Line Up:

NATL PARK SRVC

Mystery Meat

Oister Boy

Killed By Kiwis

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing

Average Age of the Crowd: 23

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 3 out of 10

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)-

NATL PARK SRVC – 3

Mystery Meat – 1

Oister Boy – 1

Killed By Kiwis – 2

Celebrity Sightings – Ann of Mostly MN Music

Overall Score – 8 out of 10

Show on Deck — The Church / Afghan Whigs / Ed Harcourt // Appolis / Maddman / Twin City Tone / Tae Supreme / Shorty 4 (It’s going to be a super busy Sunday night)

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