Girl at the Rock Shows

My friend is going through some stuff right now. I feel for her, I really do and I, more than anything, want to make her realize that it’s just a rough patch, nothing more. Although a writer, when it comes to finding the right words to comfort someone, I typically have nothing to offer, so instead, I offer a show. I know that live music doesn’t solve everything in the world and everything that plagues your heart, but it’s a release, and it’s a release that I think my friend could have used on Friday night, so I swung by, picked her up, went to dinner so she could vent a little over pizza and a drink, and then we made our way to The Turf Club in Saint Paul. The venting continued as we waited for the first band to start, but the venting stopped as soon as the music began. I saw her smiling and dancing, and I knew my job was done. I know her stresses, pains, and all of that were not gone, but I knew that if only for a couple of hours on Friday night, she would be able to enjoy life because, at the end of the day, this life is too short and not enjoying it is a shame.

I don’t know where to start with the opening act- Obi Original & The Black Atlantics. Although I have seen this act one other time, the second they started playing, their music took me over. There was no note-taking, honestly very little photo taking; it was just me, their infectious beat, and a smile that, at the end of their hour-long set, was almost painful purely because it was so big throughout their set. Fronted by Obiora Obikwelu, this group truly brought the funk, but there was something so much more than that. Obiora and The Black Atlantics gave the audience a look into a different world, not only musically but also in terms of everything from dance to fashion. Calling this group Afro-Fusion is fair, but that just doesn’t do their unique sound justice. It was African, but it was jazz, and it was rock, and it was soul, and it was everything in between and everything beyond. That’s not the point of this band, though. The point of this group is that they make you dance. The second they started, I couldn’t help but start grooving along to the music and couldn’t stop that smile from spreading across my face.

Although my eyes and heart were stuck on the stage, I also spent some time watching the audience throughout Obi Original & The Black Atlantics’ set. I was not the only one who seemed to have the music taking me over. Everyone was dancing, and by about mid-way through their set, a pile of discarded coats spilled out from under the stage. Keep in mind, it’s still winter up here in the Twin Cities, and nobody had any business wandering around without a coat on, but this music made you dance so hard (whether you wanted to or not) that it got warm. On top of that, the music and energy from Obi and the other amazing players on stage made you feel so comfortable and cozy, giving you this odd permission to throw your expensive winter coat on the ground, knowing that nobody would mess with it. Part of that is the typical Minnesota nice thing we have going on up here but I genuinely think the other part is just the positivity and the bright energy that this act brought to the chilly and dark Friday night. Okay, I’ve talked your ears off about Obi Original & The Black Atlantics, and I still have two more acts to go but, truly, what a freaking way to kick the night off.

Although Dilly Dally Alley seemed to change the room’s mood into something a bit more subdued and chill, the beauty radiating throughout their set was absolutely in line with the rest of the night. Leaning a bit more into a smoky jazz sound but with a strong influence of indie rock behind it, this band kept the packed audience captivated throughout their time on stage. Whether you were hooked by the way this band is constantly just perfectly in the pocket of the laid-back beats or the way that vocalist Sophia Spiegel’s voice dances over the instrumentation while being nothing short of a force of power, something about Dilly Dally Alley’s set surely hooked you.

Although I really loved the sheer energy that Obi Original & The Black Atlantics brought to the Turf Club, I also really loved the chill vibes that Dilly Dally Alley brought. I’ve always been one for bipolar line-ups, and to say that Saturday night was like a rollercoaster would be an understatement. It was almost like Dilly Dally Alley was giving you a chance to relax and calm down after the intensity of Obi Original & The Black Atlantics, but don’t get it twisted; this group absolutely still brought an insane amount of power and energy to the small stage. There’s a reason why this band seems to be at the top of everyone’s lists these days, and I can’t wait to see them continue to grow into the powerhouse that they will surely be in no time (if they aren’t already there).

Closing out the Friday night show was the one and only McNasty Brass Band. That’s right– a brass band– a humble little Turf Club. It’s happened before and, if I had my way, would happen nightly but it doesn’t making Friday night a special night. McNasty Brass Band is one of those bands that I have seen and covered multiple times, so I promise not to keep you here much longer, but I just have to say– you want a solid brass band? Come check this group out. With ten people on stage and all with an instrument louder than the last, you would think that the sound of this group would be muddy and too much to handle. Nay. This group knows what they are doing, and someone always gives a flawlessly clean performance that, even with seven horns coming at you all at once, never feels that overwhelming.

Personally, I love the originals from this group. They are super creative and super well composed, so hearing those on Friday night was great, but I’m not going to lie, I was in the mood for their covers, and they definitely delivered on that front. I don’t know how they come up with the list of songs they cover but I would love to be a fly on the wall during those conversations. Are they just sitting around at practice, and someone will randomly blurt out, “We need to do a brass band cover of Destiny Child’s “Say My Name””, or how does that work? Regardless, this band had me rolling in laughter, my friend trying not to freak out at every new cover they pulled out, and another friend with his jaw on the ground as they played through a perfect brass rendition of a Panic at the Disco Song. As always, McNasty Brass Band kept everyone on their toes with what they were playing but, more importantly, had the audience dancing and smiling late into the night.

Life gets hard. It gets hard for all of us. At times, you feel like nothing is going right and nothing will be okay. I hope, on those days, you can see bands like Obi Original & The Black Atlantics, Dilly Dally Alley, and McNasty Brass Band because, if only for a couple of hours on Friday night, everything was okay, and it was nothing but smiles and dancing– the way life should be.

Line Up:

Obi Original & The Black Atlantics

Dilly Dally Alley

McNasty Brass Band

Venue: The Turf Club

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 35

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- None

Dance-ability-12 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- 0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Irritated I Was With The Audience – 0 out of 10

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Obi Original & The Black Atlantics – 1

Dilly Dally Alley – 1

McNasty Brass Band– 9

Celebrity Sightings – Andy of Whiskey Rock N Roll Club MPLS

Overall Score – 9.8 out of 10

Show on Deck — Zaq Baker / Dylan Hicks / Halle Hanson

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