Girl at the Rock Shows

Saturday was a hectic day where I found myself consistently getting out of my comfort zone. It started with going to my boyfriend’s daughter’s Quiz Bowl event in the morning. It was weird and a bit less than enjoyable, but I guess that’s what I signed up for when I got involved with a guy with two kids. It ended with a show at a familiar venue (shout out to the lovely and always comfy Hook & Ladder in South Minneapolis) but with sounds that felt so oddly foreign and a crowd that made me feel a bit lost in a sea of “new.” It was an odd feeling, but it was one that I live for. Going to concerts where I can sing along to the words is great, but I love walking into a show and knowing nothing about anything– just waiting to be surprised.

Solo act Ficshe was first up on the stage in the Mission Room (now called the Zen Arcade Stage), the smaller room in the venue. Her sounds instantly cast a spell over the room and slowly growing audience. They were dark and ominous but also strikingly beautiful at the same time. Although Ficshe mentioned that she was playing a cover twice in her quick set, I didn’t recognize the tracks, so I can’t tell you what she actually covered, but I can tell you that that meant nothing to me. All I cared about was the spooky atmosphere that she was creating because it set the stage for the night so perfectly. Beyond the ambiance she was creating, I was captivated by trying to figure out how she made certain sounds. Sure, there were the obvious vocals with heavy filters on them and experimental noise-leaning sounds coming from the contraption that she was messing with throughout the set, but, really, I found myself just so curious about how certain sounds were made. I watched intently as Ficshe played through her final track, determined to figure it out, and what I found for this final track left me speechless. I don’t know if she had been doing it the whole time, but during this final song, Ficshe was using her actual breath to create a tone in the track. That sounds weird, and I’m probably not even describing it correctly, but I watched in awe as her breathing turned into the music and the beat that floated through the air.

Following Ficshe was Darkling I Listen- a local gothic post-punk duo. Although their sound was almost mechanical, with the synth-driven melodies, there was something oddly organic about their performance. A lot of that came from the movements that the vocalist was doing. I couldn’t take my eyes off of them as they let their arms just wave and move in the air to the beat as if they were separate from their body. Again, I know I am way off in the way I’m describing this, and maybe this is just what gothic post-punk bands do, but it captivated me. Sonically, Darkling I Listen’s heavy synth sound was a bit too much for me as I’ve never been a super fan of this 80s-style sound, but I liked how they transformed it into an almost all-senses kind of thing. Something about the amount of layers that these two musicians were able to create left me intrigued and, again, trying to figure it all out, but when I couldn’t quite figure it out, I gave up and just enjoyed the heavy and dark beats that they were giving me.

To say that I knew nothing about anything when walking into this show is a lie. I was actually here because I wanted to see the local duo Selfish Teammate again. I first caught this unique act on Halloween at Palmer’s. I remember not knowing what to think of their slightly neurotic but oh-so-engaging performance that night, and, truthfully, I wanted to see them again to see if I could figure it out. I still don’t quite know how to describe this duo after seeing them on Saturday night but I do know that that intrigue I felt on Halloween has turned into pure love and appreciation for them.

There’s something aggressive about Selfish Teammate, but some of that comes from the painfully raw element that they carry through their sound and performances. I’ll be honest; the drum machine sound that highlights their set isn’t my favorite thing in the world, but I love how it creates a layer behind Allie Johnson’s chaotic guitar strums and vocalist Sage “Lou” Shemroske’s slightly diary-style lyrics. Selfish Teammate is one of those groups that has found that delicate balance between punk and poetry, and they won’t let you forget it. Even if the song they are performing is abrasive and aggressive, Sage’s words have a poetic nature that is impossible to escape. And who would want to escape? Sage’s words hit like a tattoo needle. They are poignant and, at times, almost painful but, in the end, create this beautiful story of how messed up this world is but how, in the end, all we can do is be ourselves and hold onto our values and personality. Deep thoughts for a local duo, I know, but, truly, I can not get enough of Selfish Teammate, and I urge you to catch them the next time you get a chance. It will leave you with questions but also with a new favorite band, even if you can’t quite figure out if you love or hate what they’re doing.

Closing out the Saturday night show was the lovely Ori the Ghost. Per her bio, Ori the Ghost is “a trans and queer Latina who wants nothing more to share her favorite songs and sounds with the world.” If that’s not enough to hook you into wanting to check out what Ori the Ghost has going on, then there’s truly no hope for you. Although not one for DJs, I loved how Ori the Ghost closed out the night. She wasn’t afraid to mix something super dark and ominous with something almost mainstream and bright. The tones of her set ran the gamut from pop to hardcore to EDM to even some nods to soulful sounds of years gone by. I love how her mix felt like she had just reached her hand into a hat, pulled out a random string of songs, and somehow had to merge them all together. She was able to do this without any glitches or pauses. Her seamless transitions left my jaw on the ground, and I loved that. Like the previous three acts of the night, Ori the Ghost wasn’t afraid to get a bit spooky with it while still letting a sense of brightness shine through her set.

This all sounds like just another night for me, right? Wrong. Although it was a concert at the beginning of the night, Ori the Ghost’s set turned the night into a gothic dance party. If you want to make me uncomfortable, throw me onto the floor at a dance party, but that was not the case on Saturday night. Something about the setting, the people around me, and the music made me feel comfortable. Sure, I still didn’t dance because, well, I just don’t typically do that, but I loved being able to stand there and just watch everyone else move to the dark and slightly heavy music. I found myself, yet again, way out of my comfort zone for the day with this shift in the night but found that the smile I had when I walked in was still there and that says worlds about how amazing of an event Saturday night was at The Zen Arcade Show at The Hook & Ladder.

Line Up:

Ficshe

Darkling I Listen

Selfish Teammate

Ori the Ghost

Venue: The Hook & Ladder – Zen Arcade Stage

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 24

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)-

Ficshe – 0

Darkling I Listen – 0

Selfish Teammate – 1

Ori the Ghost – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8 out of 10

Show on Deck — thrown / Varials / No Cure / Heavensgate

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