Girl at the Rock Shows

Tuesday night was one of those highly anticipated shows for me. I’m honestly not sure what it was as I have lost count of how many times I’ve seen the headliner, but I know that as I walked into First Avenue on Wednesday night, there was a sense of excitement in me that I hadn’t felt for some time. Some of that could be the spark that was lit by the amazing performance I got on Tuesday night from Unattractive Giant Monster, some of it could be the fact that my boyfriend and I were treating Wednesday night as a bit of a date night, or it could just be because I knew, deep down, that this was going to be a fantastic show. Regardless, although tired, I walked into my home away from home, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready for what the night had in store for me.

Texas-based Rattlesnake Milk got the night started. I’ll be honest, I felt that their set was a bit more tired and calm than what I had prepared myself for. That being said, it was a gorgeous way to start the night. Although their country-inspired tunes didn’t fill me with excitement and energy, the way each song had an almost cinematic vibe to it was more than enough to keep my interest. This band truly knows how to compose and present a dynamic song. The way that they would go from these profound, dark moments of panic and desperation to something a bit more uplifting and calm really stood out. Stylistically, this was a bit more classic country than I tend to go for, but you still got glimpses of attitude and snark that leaned into the unique vibe of the headlining act. Long story short, although not my normal kind of set or even music to listen to, Rattlesnake Milk somehow got stuck in my heart, and I don’t think they’ll be leaving anytime soon.

Following Rattlesnake Milk was TK & The Holy Know-Nothings. This band took that chill sound of Rattlesnake Milk and the darkness that was to come from the headlining and created their own wedge in the night. I saw a quote online where their sound was referred to as “psychedelic doom boogie,” and I honestly feel that’s the best way to describe it. There was definitely an air of darkness around most of their tracks, but beyond that, this band seemed to jump back and forth between a world of classic country and a more bluegrass-inspired alt-country. I could be completely off on that as I know very little about country music, but I loved that I seemed to time hop with this band. Some of their most classic country-feeling songs seemed to transport me back to a simpler time where some of their more jammable alt-country-inspired tracks shook me back to reality but with a pep in my step. The one thing that remained the same throughout TK & The Holy Know-Nothings’ set was the energy that radiated from the stage. Although it was clear every member of this group was giving the best and most flawless performance they could as far as notes and playing went, there was this feeling of fun that came off of the stage as the band members interacted with each other and with the packed audience.

My boyfriend and I have been together for three years, and honestly, I know this is the man I will spend the rest of my life with. For better or for worse, he knows I’m the woman he’s going to spend the rest of his life with. Because of that, we have talked about the next step. Whether or not we end up getting married, we know that we want to throw a wedding of sorts, and we already have the music for the night picked out. That music includes us having Amigo the Devil there as a live performance. Why would we want the king of the murderfolk scene to sing at our wedding (or event like a wedding)? I mean, come on. With lines like, “Cause I’d rot in hell with you, If you’d just ask me to. I love the shitty things we do together, Live with me in this sin forever…”, what is there not to love?

Amigo The Devil is Danhy Kiranos, a singer-songwriter from Florida who has an obsession with horror movies, serial killers, death, and all things dark. Whether you want to admit it or not, we all have a fascination with those things. Okay, maybe I can’t say we all do, but come on, I feel that if you’re reading this blog, you have spent at least a little time with a good true crime doc or a rabbit hole web search on a serial killer. I love the way that Danny highlights this darkness, these things of the macabre, because, really, it just makes it feel a little less weird. It also helps that Danny adds charm to the darkness. Undertones of passion and hilarity really just bring his talent to the spotlight, and although he may be singing “Dahmer Does Hollywood” or “Murder at the Bingo Hall”, he’s doing it with a smile on his face and a sense of charm that is so hard to not fall in love with.

Although darkness is definitely in the spotlight when it comes to Amigo the Devil’s music and performances, there’s also a sense of fun that is absolutely addicting and will definitely leave you laughing straight from your gut. One of those moments on Wednesday night was when Danny explained to the packed audience why his songs are so short. He talked about how, honestly, he just lost interest in them. He may have a super cool hook or line of words, but when it comes time to create that into a song, he just gives up. He and his band went on to jump into absolutely hilarious and super short songs. The first one, “Crying At An Orgy,” was about, well, about just that, but it was done in a way only Danny could, leaving that song title to the end of the tracks so, throughout the majority of this quick song, the audience wasn’t quite sure what he was talking about. When he finally broke the news with a line about “Crying At An Orgy” and not quite knowing if he should just leave said orgy or what he should do, the audience exploded into laughter and chatter. After that charming song was “Song About Wafflehouse.” I won’t spoil that one for you, but seriously, this guy will have you full-body laughing with some of these quick tracks.

I had been looking forward to this Amigo The Devil show for sometime and Danny and the rest of the band did not let me down. Some people may think going to a murderfolk show as a date night is a bit weird but, for my boyfriend and I, it was perfect.

Line Up:

Rattlesnake Milk

TK & The Holy Know-Nothings

Amigo the Devil

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 39

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 1 out of 10

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)-

Rattlesnake Milk – 0

TK & The Holy Know-Nothings – 0

Amigo the Devil – 5

Celebrity Sightings – Ann of Mostly MN Music; Drew of Power Balladz

Overall Score – 9.9 out of 10

Show on Deck — G-Eazy

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