Girl at the Rock Shows

I’m an anxious person, and going to venues that I know nothing about is a massive trigger for me. I’m not sure why. Honestly, I love checking out new spaces and walking into new worlds, but there’s just this unspoken amount of pressure that I feel when walking into a foreign space that offers live music. The PILLAR Forum Cafe & Bar is a place that has been on my list for a super long time but has always eluded me. I’ve been able to put off checking it out, but on Monday, there really wasn’t much going on in town, and I was craving a show, so I sucked it up, conned my boyfriend into joining me, and made my way down to the super intimate and cute venue.

PILLLAR Forum Cafe & Bar is situated in a super cute part of Northeast Minneapolis. It’s on Central, which is full of tasty restaurants and cute little shops. It’s an area of town that I enjoy but don’t spend much time in. Parking is free and plenty, which took away my first big stressor of the night. When walking into this space, you enter into a cafe and bar portion. It has a minimal feeling and is clean and bright, with a side door that leads into the venue portion. The venue portion is as intimate as the cafe is but dark, with local photographers’ work hanging on the walls. I was instantly in love. It felt DIY, it screamed community, and it was cozy. A couple of tables were set up along the perimeter of the room, with a surprisingly well-lit stage at the front. Not only is this place a bar, cafe, and venue, but it’s also a skateboard shop, and the stage is actually part of a small ramp of sorts for skateboarders. Okay, truthfully, I can not confirm or deny that. That’s more what I’ve heard from other people, but my years away from the skateboarding world made it hard for me to envision what this stage was actually part of. None of this matters. I know that, but I wanted to lay this venue out for people who, like me, may be super anxious about new spots. Sure, my nerves were still rattling around in my stomach, but something about the ease and chill-ness of this place quickly made me comfortable (or at least as comfortable as I could get in a new spot).

Music had started earlier than advertised, so my boyfriend and I walked in as local duo Ditch Pigeon was already about halfway into their set. Although this set me off slightly more than I already was, I instantly cozied up to their sound. With Hayley Anne behind the helm, this musical project felt comfortable and warm. Hayley’s vocals are truly stunning, but not in a commercial way. There was a depth to them that made you feel like Hayley had lived a million years, but by looking at them, you could tell that was not the case. These two young musicians had a way with balance. Some songs leaned into a more singer-songwriter world, whereas others had a very grungey take on something a bit heavier and with crashing drums. Overall, Ditch Pigeon’s set came off as oddly timid and shy, even during the more powerful tracks they played, but that was part of the charm of this band. Monday night may have been my introduction to this band, but it won’t be my last night spent with them– at least, I hope.

Following Ditch Pigeon was Cap’n Seabeard. The band quickly leaped into a jam with the drummer who had just performed with Ditch Pigeon. It all fit so well together that I just assumed this was the configuration of the band, but after two jams, this drummer left the stage, and the front musician of Cap’n Seabeard informed the audience (or lack thereof, but more on that later) that the group’s drummer couldn’t make it to the set. Cap’n Seabeard was going to just perform as a trio (as they had prior to gaining a drummer) but then realized that there were two drummers in the house– one from the opener and one from the closing act– so why not jam a bit? Many people would say this led to the set feeling unorganized and slightly “off.” I agree with that but expand on it, saying that it added this organic sense of loveliness. Here I was in a venue I knew nothing about, seeing the power that music has. It was like seeing three brand-new bands in one set. You had the one with the drummer of Ditch Pigeon, the more rehearsed trio, and then the band with the drummer from the final band to perform. It was organic, informal, and perfectly imperfect.

Closing out Monday night’s show was Mike Clark and the Sugar Sounds. This band deserved so much more than the four people who had made it out to the show on Monday night. Their sound was bombastic and full, with a sense of pep and fun trailing behind every note they left in the air. It was a classic set-up for a band but with the addition of a baritone sax. This added a beef and exclamation point to many of their lines of notes that had me hooked. Stylistically, Mike Clark and the Sugar Sounds were a bit blues, a bit rock, a bit bluegrass, and a bit country. It was all over the place, but all stayed fairly situated in a very chill and organic feeling of an indie something. Much like the previous two sets of the night, there was something super informal about their performance that I think only happened because of where we were and the lack of audience. Although Mike Clark and the Sugar Sounds were absolutely deserving of a large crowd, I loved the fact that I got a super intimate performance from this group as I think that the next time they come through, it will be a much larger crowd and it won’t be such a personal experience.

There were literally four people at this show outside of the other acts. It was me, my boyfriend, and two women who had seen Mike Clark and Sugar Sounds the night before at a different bar. It was cold out. I know– I was out in it. Here’s the deal, though, we live in Minnesota. We signed up for this, and you can’t let the cold keep you inside. There wasn’t much happening on Monday night. There should have been way more people at this show, if only because it was one of the few shows happening on Monday night. Seeing such an empty room for my first show at this local place scares me. I know that maybe it was just an off night, and sure, the bands probably could have promoted a bit better, but I know that venues don’t survive on Monday nights like this one. Empty shows like this one make venues pull back on shows, and, as someone who tries to go out almost every night, that is my nightmare. I know it’s cold, people. I do. My Prius has sounded a bit like a diesel truck these past few days, but that’s not going to stop me from enjoying live music, and it shouldn’t stop you either. Bundle up and get out there.

Line Up:

Ditch Pigeon

Cap’n Seabeard

Mike Clark and The Sugar Sounds

Venue: PILLLAR Forum

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing

Average Age of the Crowd: 40

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- None

Mosh-ability- 0 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 Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Ditch Pigeon – 0

Cap’n Seabeard – 0

Mike Clark and the Sugar Sounds – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 7.8 out of 10

Show on Deck — Stephen Day / Abbey Cone // ARIZONA / Moody Joody

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