Girl at the Rock Shows

This world is a super messed-up place right now. You can either get lost in all of the terribleness, or you can find solace in things that make you happy. I choose to find solace, and that comes from live music. Luckily for me, I live in one of the best cities in the world for live music (and that’s not up for debate), so after a rough work day on Friday, all I wanted was a show surrounded by like-minded people which is exactly what I got at Cloudland Theater in South Minneapolis.

I last saw the opening act, Muun Bato, in January 2020. Honestly, I wasn’t a massive fan of them at that time. They have been playing out ever since, but I just haven’t taken the time to give them a second chance because, truthfully, I’m a bit of a brat, and there’s too much amazing music that really hooks me in this town to spend time on bands that don’t catch me. After hearing their set on Friday, I can confirm that I am also a bit of an idiot. This group has a very distinct sound. It’s very psychedelic, with an almost fluid-like movement throughout all of their songs that makes them nothing short of captivating. With heavy effects on the vocals, Muun Bato’s sound is the kind that captures your entire being. It crashes over you like an acid-washed wave of perfection, and all you can do is stand there and bask in the magic of it all. Sure, sonically, this band is a bit out of the norm regarding what I typically enjoy, but something about their sound and performance on Friday night finally clicked with me. I will no longer be avoiding this band. Instead, I will be searching them out in the near future so I can experience their magic all over again.

Following Muun Bato were local garage-rockers The Unnamed. My history with this band, like Muun Bato, is brief. I caught them for a short set last year at Palmfest, but that was such a loaded day of local music that I truthfully don’t remember much from The Unnamed’s set. I’m unsure how that happened because they blew me away on Friday night. They continued with the full sound that Muun Bato had laid out for the night but expanded on it by adding a saxophone and rockin’ beats that got your feet moving whether you wanted them to or not. Every song had this almost Springsteen-esque vibe to it but also something a bit quirkier, leaning into an almost B-52s-style pop sound. I loved how this almost played off of the psychedelic tunes of Muun Bato but also brought a little bit more chutzpah to the night. I also loved how this band was 100% themselves. Sometimes you see a band and you can feel that they are a bit uptight or just wanting everything to be perfect. Not The Unnamed. Don’t get me wrong, everything about their set was perfect, even when there were some technical difficulties. It just felt free and oddly whimsical in all of the right ways. I’m trying to say that, like Muun Bato, The Unnamed is a band that I will absolutely be paying closer attention to as far as trying to catch them again.

I don’t care how many times I see Cindy Lawson, the headliner of Friday night, live– it will never get old. Cindy is truly a bright spot in a dim world and seeing her perform just fills me with so much joy. I saw her no less than four times last year and hope to hit a higher number this year, especially after seeing her kill it on the small stage of the Cloudland Theater. Things with Cindy don’t really change, so I promise not to talk your ear off about the angsty yet beautiful charm that comes through in her music because I know I’ve said it all before, but there was one thing that stood out to me about her performance on Friday night. There were some new but familiar faces on stage in the form of members of local rockers The Von Tramps. Although I instantly started wondering if this meant that The Von Tramps were done or taking a break (because I genuinely love that band, and it would be a shame if I had to go all year without seeing them perform), it also excited me. The addition of Chelsea and Krissandra breathed a new sense of life into this band and added a little extra razzle dazzle to an already stunning sound.

All of the music on Friday night was amazing, but something extra to this night made it one for the record books. Keyboardist and vocalist of The Unnamed, Carol, recently lost nearly everything to a devastating fire. I honestly couldn’t even begin to imagine going through that, yet there she was, playing music like everything was normal. All proceeds from this show were going to Carol to help her get back on her feet so to have the packed room definitely meant a world to this amazing local musician but it was more than that. Carol took a few minutes before The Unnamed’s set to thank everyone for their support. She went on to talk about how when she lost everything, music was still there. This was such a powerful message and one that I think I knew was coming, but it was just so reassuring to hear her say it. Music means the world to me and I think I sometimes forget that I’m not the only one in the camp. Carol may have lost next to everything, but she still had the music in her heart and friends in the music scene to keep her going. You want to talk about the power of music? There it is.

Line Up:

Muun Bato

The Unnamed

Cindy Lawson

Venue: Cloudland Theater

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 49

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

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)-

Muun Bato – 1

The Unnamed – 1

Cindy Lawson – 8

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 9 out of 10

Show on Deck — Inflict / Evernorth / Chrome Coda/ Den of Thieves / VIN / Glad to be Dead

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