Girl at the Rock Shows

Should I have stayed home on Wednesday night? Probably, but the fact is, it was January 8th, and I’ve only had one show. How will I ever hit my goal of 300 shows if I keep up that rate? On top of that, I’m not the type to just stay home when I’m sick. Obviously, if I can get other people sick, I isolate, but, at this point in whatever the heck I am dealing with, I’m no longer infectious, and I couldn’t spend another night watching trashy TV or getting lost in the devastating news happening around the country (thoughts to all of my California readers). I needed to get out of the house, so after another dose of DayQuil and stuffing my pockets with Kleenex like the old lady I’ve become, it was off to the 7th Street Entry in downtown Minneapolis, MN.

It was much busier than I or even the staff of First Avenue had expected, and although I was there in time, I was granted entrance through security after the show had already started, just due to them trying to keep the line flowing rather than bottlenecking right in the doorway. Because of this, I missed the first couple of songs from local songstress Bryn Battani. Normally, I would just shake this off. Things happen, and it was truly out of my control, but as I walked in and frantically got my camera ready to snap some photos, I couldn’t help but kick myself in the butt for not leaving the house just a few minutes earlier.

Bryn charmed the audience with her silky smooth voice and hilariously honest banter. Between her originals and a super great Foxygen cover, Bryn welcomed the packed audience into her world as she talked about being a culty choir in high school (she had the letter jacket to prove it) and how it truly was, well, inappropriately weird. That may have been a weird time in her life, but I feel like what she took from that really adds to the charm she already brings to the stage. Bryn’s voice has a bit of a musical theatre quality to it that makes it stand out. On top of that, she’s not afraid to use props. During a new song with lyrics about being a short-order cook (or something to that extent), Bryn pulled up a tray and a beer can and even had an apron to convey the story just a bit more. Although she didn’t need any of those things, the way it enhanced the already stellar performance from her and her uber-talented band (who go by the name “The Highly Classified”), it added that special sauce that ultimately made me forget about my runny nose and constant sneezing if only for a few minutes.

Following Bryn Battani’s explosive opening set was an oddly subtle yet powerful track from Bathtub Cig. Although I’ve seen Bathtub Cig’s name on flyers time and time again, Wednesday night was my first time catching them live, and now I understand why their name keeps popping up. The “intimate depression pop project” of Hilary James, Bathtub Cig’s sound was understated and quiet but it roared like a lion when you really started to watch the way this trio performed. You also get a sense of power from the actual lyrics of the songs. At one point, Bathtub Cig played back to back new tracks. The first was about a break-up that happened through text while Hilary was on tour. The second one was about Hilary trying to get back with this person. As Hilary put it, “Good idea? Bad idea? YOLO!”. This definitely got a chuckle out of the audience but, beyond that, gave Bathtub Cig’s set this irrefutable sense of intimacy and rawness. I mean, come on, none of us ever want to admit that we tried to get back with an ex, but, at one point or anything, we probably all did it or at least thought of doing it. This charm, mixed with the slightly lo-fi pop-leaning anthems, made me a huge fan instantly, and by the time they were leaving the stage, I was a bit bummed, but I also knew what was coming next.

Everyone who graced the stage on Wednesday night is a powerhouse, but Jillian Rae is a beast (and I mean that in the most beautiful way possible). With her violin in hand and her gifted band behind her, Jillian ushered the audience into a world where genres don’t matter– they don’t even exist. Throughout her all-too-quick-set, we went from being graced by a pop princess to having a good old-fashioned hoe-down. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but I love how Jillian’s music spans a wide array of sounds and tones while always having a very Jillian Rae vibe to it. I really tried my best to take notes during the show on Wednesday night because I knew my brain would be a bit fuzzy as I woke up on Thursday and that I wasn’t going to feel better since I went out instead of staying into nurse whatever has got me down lately but I didn’t take any during Jillian’s set. There’s something so commanding about Jillian when she is performing that it’s hard to look away and hard to take notes. With that in mind, I must apologize to Jillian and her band. I wish I had more details, more instances where she and her band made my heart flutter, but I was so lost in their world that I couldn’t be bothered to note any of those moments.

Closing out the perfect evening of amazing local music was the one and only rosie. My introduction to this local musician was in June of last year when I saw them open for Barely Trev. I remember falling head over heels for the innocent sweetness that radiated from the stage as rosie bared their heart out for all to see. I worried that, now that time has passed and rosie has more shows under their belt, I wouldn’t get the same feeling. I was wrong. The second rosie and their band took the stage, I felt that same kind of love that I did in June. There was something so sweet and innocent about the way they all started into their set and how, between almost every song, rosie would address the excited crowd. I loved how this showed just how much passion they all had for their craft. Sure, the songs were a bit more bubblegum pop at times than I tend to go for, but there was something so raw about it at the same time, which is precisely what I look for in a live performance.

I really wish rosie would have warmed up to the audience a bit more throughout the set. The cute, sweet, and innocent thing is charming, but I wanted to see them take charge. They have an incredibly amazing voice and a stunning way of words and it almost hurt me to see them come off as lacking confidence at times. I’m not sure what the future holds for rosie, but I can tell you it will be bright. The way the audience spanned generations yet everyone who had stuck around for the headlining set seemed to be wholly captured in rosie’s world was all I needed to see to know that rosie has “it”.

I wish I could say that I woke up on Thursday morning feeling better, like the music on Wednesday night healed me, but that would be a lie. Honestly, I woke up feeling worse than on Wednesday, but that’s probably due to lack of sleep. I should be mad at myself for this as I sit here trying to make it through the day job but, really, I’m more than okay with my decision because Wednesday night’s show was not one to miss.

Line Up:

Bryn Battani

Bathtub Cig

Jillian Rae

rosie

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 26

Crowd Surfers- 10

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)-

Bryn Battani – 1

Bathtub Cig – 0

Jillian Rae – 1

rosie – 1

Celebrity Sightings – Members of Leslie, Unstable Shapes, Space Monkey Mafia

Overall Score – 8.6 out of 10

Show on Deck —Landon Conrath / Keep For Cheap / Andrew Garden

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