Girl at the Rock Shows

There were a million and twelve shows happening on Halloween night here in the Twin Cities. It’s one of the main reasons that, typically, I just stay home, but I was in the mood for a show, and with no kids to take trick or treating, I felt that just sitting at home and binging campy horror movies wasn’t as worth my time as checking out a show. I could have gone to one of my usual haunts and seen some of my usual bands, but instead, I decided to take a leap of faith and go to one of the venues in town that I don’t spend much time at to see three bands I had never heard of before and two that I knew I loved. It was a bold move and, if I’m being honest, there were moments throughout Thursday night when I wondered if I had made the right choice, but, as I got home in the wee hours of the morning with only enough time for a quick nap before work on Friday, there was a smile on my face that I just could not shake. This told me everything I needed to know as far as if I made the right choice or not.

Lake Davi was the bonus band of Thursday night at Palmer’s on the West Bank in Minneapolis. I say this because none of the flyers I had seen for the show had Lake Davi listed, but it was a happy little addition to the night. Lake Davi’s sound was almost a little country-infused folk with a sense of sweetness that radiated throughout the super intimate venue. Even though the band battled some technical difficulties throughout the night, this angelic act gave the audience a set that was impossible to ignore but also so easy to get lost in. They didn’t command your attention with their boisterous sound because, honestly, they didn’t have one, but somehow, they had the entire quickly growing audience stuck in the palm of their hands.

Following Lake Davi was a quick set from Tomboyy. I loved how Tomboyy’s sound seemed to play off of that of Lake Davi. It had this almost southern swagger behind it, much like Lake Davi’s, but what Tomboyy added was an undeniable sense of fiery passion with something to prove. With Sarah on vocals/ guitar and Connie on drums, this duo powered through their set in a way that you would expect a national touring act to do. Although there were times when I really wanted a bass line to highlight Sarah’s guitarwork and a little more intricacies to the music overall, the duo’s steady, surfy, doom country sound came off as powerful and anthemic. That’s right– doom country– it’s a thing and it’s a thing that Tomboyy does oh so very well.

Whereas I felt that there was something in common between Lake Davi and Tomboyy, there didn’t seem to be anything to tie those two opening acts to the next act to take the stage other than the passion and love that radiated throughout the venue the entire night. Selfish Teammate is another duo but with a completely off-the-wall vibe about them that I instantly fell head over heels for. Selfish Teammate’s sound felt both dangerous and painfully honest, giving off such a cool vibe for the night. I felt as if I was watching the vocalist read their diary while the guitarist just got lost in their own world, and the drum machine drove it all forward. I’ll be honest: the sound of Selfish Teammate definitely isn’t for everyone as it came off as a bit dramatic and avant-garde throughout the set, yet I think the emotional bleeding that happened during the set is something everyone can get behind. I mean, what is there not to love about an act that has lyrics about being so good about holding a grudge that your chiropractor is always worried about your lower back? I’m not sure where Selfish Teammate has been all of my life, but they have my attention, and I can not wait to witness their artistry again in the very near future.

That’s what I love about local shows. You can go in just knowing one or two of the acts playing and leave with a new favorite that you end up tracking down and going to more shows from. It starts a vicious cycle that ends with you having too many shows to go to night after night, but it also leads to a sense of excitement when you finally get to catch those bands that caught you off guard and stole your heart again—case in point- Mary Jam. I first caught this act back in June when they opened for Cheap Bouquet at Cloudland, and I instantly fell in love. I was stoked as this local group took the stage on Thursday night because I knew I was about to get my face rocked. Dressed up as members of Spongebob Squarepants, I loved that Mary Jam took the Halloween assignment seriously. Sure, we got to hear some of their original surf-punk drenched jams, but we also got to hear them do some hits from Spongebob Squarepants, including “Ripped Pants” and “Goofy Goober.” I really liked how this showed a side of Mary Jam that I always knew there was. Although a super solid band, this trio does not take themselves too seriously, and their playing into Halloween and their Spongebob concept was proof of that.

I was a bit panicked as headlining act Surly Grrly took the stage. Honestly, they were the main reason I picked this show as my show for Thursday night. I went from seeing them what felt like every week to not seeing them for months, and I needed their Riot Grrl-styled angst in my soul, but the last-minute addition of Lake Davi and Palmer’s perpetually running on punk times meant it was already well past my bedtime by the time Surly Grrly took the stage. At first, I was frustrated and even a bit bummed, but as soon as the band started playing, those feelings fell by the wayside. My fear about what Friday would look like if I stayed out much later melted away, and I was left with just the perfect “tear down the patriarchy” angst of Surly Grrly. I loved that, although it has been some time since I last saw them perform. I recognized a good handful of songs, but I also think I had been treated to some new tracks by the band. Full disclosure: I was a bit delirious at this point in the day, so I can’t quite remember all of the songs that I heard this group play, but I do know that each one felt a bit tighter and a bit more rehearsed than they had in the past. I’m not sure what Surly Grrly has been up to lately or what the break was about, but I know that, like a fine wine, this group is just getting better with time.

Will I ever know for sure that I picked the right way to spend Halloween? Absolutely not, but I do know that, even though exhausted and still recovering this morning, that smile on my face that took over last night has yet to disappear.

Line Up:

Lake Davi

Tomboyy

Selfish Teammate

Mary Jam

Surly Grrly

Venue: Palmer’s Bar

Smell-O-Meter: Cheap Booze and Cigarettes

Average Age of the Crowd: 22

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 6 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilt On Me – $0

Broken Bones- None Spotted

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)-

Lake Davi – 0

Tomboyy – 0

Selfish Teammate – 0

Mary Jam – 0

Surly Grrly – 4

Celebrity Sightings – Elmo of Whiskey Rock N Roll Club MPLS

Overall Score – 9 out of 10

Show on Deck — Angry At Numbers / The Rockford Mules / Modern Dads

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