Girl at the Rock Shows

The bulk of the holidays are over, but you wouldn’t have felt that way if you had been at the packed Turf Club in Saint Paul on Thursday night. A cheery feeling was in the air as people caught up on how they spent their holiday. The taps were flowing, the music was pumping, and hugs were happening as often as cheers. It was a lovely way to get back into shows after a couple of days off, and it was one of those shows that just warmed my heart through and through.

The Penny Peaches got the night started off right. Fronted by sisters Hattie and Grace Peach, this four-piece had such a chill vibe to their sound. Stylistically, the music of The Penny Peaches is definitely not my usual cup of tea. It was a distinct alt-Americana sound but with an almost eerie edge. I absolutely loved the way the voices of these two sisters swirled around to make a stunning show of beauty and strength. Although, overall, the set felt very chill, energy radiated from this band as they played through their nearly forty-five-minute set, drawing me closer to the stage with every song that passed. I don’t know what it was about it, especially because the sound was so out of my usual listening style, but why question a good thing? The Penny Peaches instantly had me in love, and continuing to fall deeper and deeper in love with them until the end of their set.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the music of The Penny Peaches, it was clear that they were not the reason for the sold-out show. Don’t get me wrong, people clearly enjoyed their set as a wave of silence cast over the otherwise excited crowd when they started their set, but by the end of it, the level of chatter felt slightly deafening. That’s the downfall of having a show right after the holidays. People were excited to get away from families and go do something they wanted to do. Although I found this distracting by the end of The Penny Peaches’ set, I loved the vibe it gave the intimate venue. It was electric but so warm and cozy– the perfect setting for headliners The Honeydogs.

I’ll admit, The Honeydogs are not a household name across the country, but up here in the Twin Cities, they are Gods among men. Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, but this is one of those “classic Minneapolis” kinds of bands that has somehow always escaped my grasp as far as seeing them live- until Thursday night. I love Minneapolis and the Twin Cities in general, but I definitely missed the golden age of music up here. I missed the years when Husker Du and The Replacement reigned supreme. I missed the rise of Semisonic and Soul Asylum. I missed The Honeydogs, but luckily for me, bands like The Honeydogs don’t even stop performing because, at the end of the day, they are musicians, and it’s what they love to do so, although decades late, I finally got to cross them off my bucket list on Thursday.

Stylistically, The Honeydogs is very much a 90s rock band. It has that vintage flare, that retro styling, but when you dig into the music of The Honeydogs and see them live, it’s clear that there’s so much more to their sound than just that. Throughout their epic set on Thursday night, I heard everything from an old-school punk influence to a more chill but deep-swagger Rolling Stones vibe. I loved that their sound felt familiar as I definitely go down my 90s rock rabbit hole every now and then, yet, at the same time, the music radiating from the speakers felt so unique and so exciting. Their songs kept me on my toes, and their flawless delivery of said music made me smile.

The Honeydogs is not the only project that the members of this band are in. Honestly, it’s a bit of a supergroup when you start to dig into the band members’ history, and I feel like that absolutely translates into their live show. Every song was served up with a sense of perfection and perfectly rehearsed timing, but it was more than that. There was a passion that came off the stage that left me floored. I talk about passion a lot, but it’s something that’s important to me. I have a lot of passion for music, and I can feel it when a performer shares that sense of fiery passion, even if their music isn’t quite my thing. I’ve been to plenty of shows where it feels like the people on stage are just going through the motions, just trying to get a paycheck, but that was not the vibe I got from The Honeydogs. They played a flawless set, showing that these men, like those in the audience, just thoroughly love music and wanted a cozy and fun Thursday night.

Neither The Penny Peaches nor The Honeydogs were the most exciting bands that I have seen this year, but this show hit me hard nonetheless. I really wish I could explain the energy that was felt throughout the venue, even down to the famed Clown Lounge in the basement (where you could still hear the loud music perfectly but also carry on a bit of catching up with friends). It was one of those shows I will look back on fondly on those days when I just need a little pick-me-up and reminder of why I do this night after night.

Line Up:

The Penny Peaches

The Honeydogs

Venue: The Turfclub

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 47

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 0 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)-

The Penny Peaches – 0

The Honeydogs – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 7.9 out of 10

Show on Deck —Socktopus / Hiahli / Space Monkey Mafia / The One Egg Wonder / 100Bees Visuals

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