Girl at the Rock Shows

Wednesday night was an absolutely frigid night here in the Arctic tundra which is Minneapolis. It made it hard to leave the warmth of my house, but after some internal persuading, I did it. As I was driving, the hood of the car in front of me flipped up. I saw it all happen and feared an imminent crash, but thankfully, that driver was a pro and pulled over instantly without causing any issues. It jolted me and definitely had me wondering if this was a sign that I should have stayed in on Wednesday night, but I pushed forward and eventually made it to my regular parking spot in my regular parking garage in downtown Minneapolis. After a super brisk walk the block and a half into the venue, I was back in a warm house of sorts. Okay, so, obviously, the 7th Street Entry isn’t a house, but, for me, it’s a home away from home, and it felt as cozy and comfy as my own living room.

Getting the night started off right at 7:30 PM was Joe Bartel. This was the only act of the night I had never seen before, but I instantly fell head over heels for Joe and their band. The sound was very AJJ meets Jeff Rosenstock. Each song seemed to be a political anthem in the vein of Homeless Gospel Choir and came with a gritty edge in the vocals that was amplified so perfectly by the punk-leaning instrumentation. Although just an opening act, Joe’s set didn’t feel like the first of the night and it was truly the best way to warm the super-good-for-a-frozen-Wednesday-night crowd up to the idea of being out and about in the insufferable cold.

I’ve now lost count of how many times I’ve seen NATL PARK SRVC live, but that’s not a complaint at all. This local band is one that I’ve had my eye on since the first time I saw them, and they showed me why that is with their set on Wednesday night. I feel like this local group has been evolving right in front of my eyes. The first set I caught of theirs was rambunctious and boisterous, but over time, they have really started to hone in on their sound, with their set on Wednesday being the most refined I have heard and seen of this group. Playing mostly new songs, I loved hearing a feeling of maturity mixed with the sheer musicianship that this band always has in the spotlight. Sure, it wasn’t the most upbeat or danceable set of the night, but that’s not the point of this band. NATL PARK SRVC continues to age like a fine wine, and I am looking forward to seeing them again.

My introduction to the next band, Admiral Fox, was almost a year ago. I had caught them at Cloudland in February, and although their sound was definitely a bit more chill than I tend to go for, I couldn’t help but get lost in their world. Being able to experience that world again on Wednesday night was a true treat. Like NATL PARK SRVC, the music of Admiral Fox isn’t super in your face or aggressive, yet it evokes an undeniable sense of emotion from the listener, which is only magnified when watching this trio perform on a stage. Out of all of the songs they played on Wednesday night, “Security Guard at the Hospital” was my favorite. This was a single that I had singled out a long time ago. It hit me like a truck when listening to it at my desk, but when hearing the band play it live in all of its somber and emotional glory, it almost took me out at the legs.

Closing out the show was the local rock group Fend. As the band plainly put it, “We are going to play some songs from our new album ‘Disc,’ then some new songs, and then we can all go home. Although that was partially true, it was also so painfully understated. Sure, the band played songs off their new album ‘Disc’ and followed that with some new tracks, but it wasn’t the kind of set that you could just walk away from at the end of the night. Much like the three bands that played before them, Fend hit the audience with an undeniable sense of passion with every song and every note they presented. Their Midwest-emo-styled tracks all came drenched with fire but also drenched with a sense of care and love. Although it was a fairly chill set, it filled me with more than enough energy to get home, and I still have some energy to do more work.

It would have been so easy to just stay in on Wednesday night, blame the cold for not wanting to go out, and just snuggle up with the cats, a glass of wine, and some trashy TV. I’m sure that’s what a lot of people did, but not me and the others who sucked it up and went out to a show. The four local powerhouses that performed at the cozy 7th Street Entry on Wednesday night made sure to make it worth our time, and for that, I’m uber thankful.

Line Up:

Joe Bartel

NATL PARK SRVC

Admiral Fox

Fend

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 24

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 2 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)-

Joe Bartel – 0

NATL PARK SRVC – 4

Admiral Fox – 1

Fend – 1

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8 out of 10

Show on Deck —Orange Goodness / The Nunnery

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