Girl at the Rock Shows

Where is the time going? I swear that I woke up on Saturday with all this time to get stuff done, but then, after the radio show that I was co-hosting (check out Mostly Minnesota Music!) and after a quick nap, it was already time to start thinking about getting to The Turf Club in Saint Paul for a show. Although I was bummed I didn’t have time to do everything I wanted to do on Saturday, I was uber-excited for the show on Sunday night. I knew three of the four bands performing and knew that the sounds of these acts (and assumed the sound of the final act) was just what I needed to continue keeping my head up as I tried to keep myself from falling into a giant depression due to the great hacking of 2024 (which, if you’re not following, is in reference to me losing all of my socials earlier this week).

As suspected, as soon as the opening act Faith Boblett started playing her quick opening set, all of the disappointment I felt about myself regarding not getting everything done on Saturday fell away. I’ve seen Faith perform multiple times, but the last time I was able to catch her was over a year ago, so I was absolutely due for one of her heart-warming performances. Faith and her band were on point on Saturday night. The band (including her lovely father on bass) was tight throughout the set and really let Faith’s dazzling vocals take control of the set. There are a lot of amazing voices in the Twin Cities music scene but Faith’s is one that stands out to me. There’s power and beauty in it but there’s also this slight grunge attitude behind some of her words. To say she is a vocal powerhouse would be an understatement, and her voice, alone, will give you chills running all the way up your spine. Add that to the tightness of her band, and we are left with a truly stunning set that set the stage so perfectly on Saturday night.

My introduction to the next band, Kiernan, was when they opened for The Last Revel in December. Although I enjoyed their sound that night, I found it to be a bit too light and calm for the setting. I feel like Saturday night was my first chance to really see this band, and I finally understood the hype around them. Sure, their sound is calm and definitely a bit more chill than I go for, especially on a Friday night, but the beauty within all of their songs is something that will have you struck upon first listen. I loved how this band had this feeling of having everything to prove and nothing to lose but, at the same time, wasn’t trying too hard to impress. Okay, that sounds bad, but I’m just trying to say that they got up on the small stage of The Turf Club and played their hearts, seemingly not caring what you thought of them as they were doing what they wanted to do. I loved the sense of charm that this attitude brought to an already beautiful set.

Clay Fulton is all charm and all authentic passion. As soon as he and his band took the stage, you felt a sense of comfort and warmth, which only deepened as the band played through their set of rootsy-rock music. Hailing from Rochester, Minnesota, this is one of those bands that you could easily be fooled into thinking they are a touring act. I wrote about that the last time I saw this group (you can read that article HERE!), so I won’t go super into that, but I really need you to see this band live to understand that. From a slight classic rock influence to a bit of singer-songwriter folk style in some of the vocals, Clay Fulton & The Lost Forty have really created this all-encompassing sound that can hook even the saltiest of music listeners. It’s the kind of music that makes you smile from ear to ear while giving you this odd sense of confidence to move around like a fool if that’s what you wish to do. It’s infectious without being commercial and emotionally charged without being heavy. I don’t know how Clay Fulton & The Lost Forty has found such a balance between all of these things, but they have, and they do it so effortlessly, making them one of my favorite acts from the region right now.

The first three acts of the night on Saturday were great, but honestly, I knew they would be as I had seen all of them at least one time prior. Given how great the line-up had been so far, it was unsurprising that headlining at Hiahli instantly caught my attention and won my heart with their first song. Hiahli has such an interesting sound. It’s part hip-hop, part funk, part disco, part rap, part rock, part R&B, part soul, part Americana– okay, I could clearly keep naming a million genres, but you get the point. There’s so much swagger behind this band that comes through in both the vocals and instrumentation, but, more importantly, there’s so much heart. Hiahli is one of those bands where you can tell that everyone in the group brought a different background to the table, and instead of trying to silence some of those influences, the band decided to embrace them and make them into something truly magical.

Local shows here in the Twin Cities are famous for the ‘Minnesota Moat,’ which is this unspoken gap between the stage and the audience. This term refers to the cultural norm in Minnesota where concert-goers tend to maintain a respectful distance from the stage, creating a literal and figurative gap between the performers and the audience. Although, as a photographer, I appreciate this moat when there isn’t a photo pit, it’s an odd thing. That moat was in play on Saturday night throughout Hiahli’s set, but I honestly wondered how as I felt the energy of this band literally pulling me closer to the stage. It was as if I craved the energy that they were giving and, by getting closer to the stage, I would get a small taste of it.

Saturday was one of those nights where nothing else mattered. It was just me, a couple hundred other people, and the music. Sometimes, that’s all you need to pull yourself out of a rut that you may find yourself in.

Line Up:

Faith Boblett

Kiernan

Clay Fulton and the Lost Forty

Hiahli

Venue: Turf Club

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing

Average Age of the Crowd: 29

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 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 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)-

Faith Boblett– 7

Kiernan – 1

Clay Fulton and the Lost Forty – 1

Hiahli – 0

Celebrity Sightings – Ann of Mostly Minnesota Music

Overall Score – 8 out of 10

Show on Deck — Lung / Noun / Zora

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