As someone said outside of Zhora Darling on Sunday night, “Third winter is upon us.” It was a daunting but all too true statement as tiny little snowflakes flew through the sky. The chill in the air was unforgiving, and the second I got out of my car to walk up to the venue’s front door, I started to regret my decision to go out. I had spent all day in my cozy house getting stuff done (including getting caught up on sleep), and it was already a task to get me out of the warmth so, to get out of the car and be welcomed by the late March snowflakes was a bit disheartening but I barreled through it, made it inside, and cozied up to the idea that I was already here, may as well make the most of it. Thankfully, my regret didn’t last long.
Local trio Glitterpit was first up on the familiar Zhora Darling stage. The band claims to play “scientist rock.” I honestly couldn’t tell you what that means, but I can tell you that I found their set super charming and full of potential. Yup, let’s go ahead and call it out: this band was a bit rough around the edges. Some of the notes were off, and some of the beats felt glitchy, but not by design. That being said, Glitterpit never let anything out of place get the best of them and powered through their quick opening set with a sense of charm that would make even the most critical listener look past any hiccup in their set. Stylistically, there was a very DIY garage-rock ethos that seemed to linger in the room with a very infectious energy. Watching this band made you want to gather up a couple of friends and a couple of instruments and start your own band just because you could see the sheer joy that each three of these members were having on stage. From all I can tell, Glitterpit is fairly new to the scene (although members have been in other bands for years), and I am super excited to grow into their own as they continue to play.
Indie rockers 1947 were up next. Another local trio, I was instantly struck by this band’s sound. The vocals were super soft and almost tender in a way, but the furious drums that seemed to be constantly pushing the tempo added this flare of angst to the set. Add the subtle energy that came from watching each of the three members of this band, and you were left with an oddly understated set. Although not as new as Glitterpit, 1947 doesn’t have much out there but mentioned that there is more coming as far as recorded material goes. Once that comes out, there will be no stopping this band. They have a sound that is as approachable as it is deep and an attitude surrounding their performances that is as serious as it is light-hearted. You know when you see a band, and there’s just something that hooks you about them, but you can’t quite put it into words? That’s 1947 for me.
The Jonas Brothers just announced a show up here in the Twin Cities, which put me in a very poppy mood. This worked out remarkably well since Stock Market Cinema was headlining the show on Sunday night and their sound can be best described as a more garage-rock bred Jonas Brothers styled pop-punk leaning band (and even have a song called “The Jonas Brothers”). My only knowledge of this band is through their single “Can You Feel It?” which came across my desk a few days ago. Although I remember seeing the band name as it was the perfect amount of quirky to catch me, I didn’t remember the song much until the band started playing. I instantly remembered hearing this single and being hooked by the band’s upbeat and poppy sound, but how it came with this slight angst behind it all that really highlighted what the band was doing. I could feel a smile creep across my face as I started to put it all together.
Stock Market Cinema blasted through their set of perfection. I’m not typically a fan of bands that use a lot of tracking behind their live performances. I feel like it’s a bit of a smoke and mirrors type scheme when bands are just chugging along to pre-recorded tracks, but, in the case of Stock Market Cinema, it worked. Sure, the tracks were loud and, at times, almost overpowering, but there was no question that this group was working their butts off for every round of applause that they got from the good-for-a-chilly-and-snowy-Sunday crowd. Their sound made you want to dance and smile. There was just no way to stand there without a bit of a wiggle from time to time and at least a crack of a smile when watching this band tear the intimate stage to shreds. I really can not speak on the perfection of this band enough and it felt like an honor to see them in such a small and intimate room because, given their sound and energy, it’s just a matter of time before Stock Market Cinema outgrows rooms like this.
I could have stayed at home all cozied up with the cats and some trashy TV on Sunday night, but, like I always say, what’s the fun in that? I took a gamble, braved the cold and the dancing glittery snowflakes outside, and came out on top with three new local bands to keep my eyes on. How did you spend your Sunday night?
Line Up:
Venue: Zhora Darling
Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable
Average Age of the Crowd: 28
Crowd Surfers- 0
Stage Divers- 0
Dance-ability- 7 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)-
Glitterpit – 0
1947 – 0
Stock Market Cinema – 0
Celebrity Sightings – None
Overall Score – 8.3 out of 10
Show on Deck —Time Room / Big Pinch / Not Your Baby / Absolutely Yours
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