Girl at the Rock Shows

I really like shows that feel a bit all over the place when it comes to genre. I mean, come on, who really wants to sit through hours and hours of the same sound being performed by different people? I get excited when there’s a show where I don’t quite understand how all of the bands’ sounds will fit together, but at the end of the night, it all comes together and makes sense. That was Friday night at The Icehouse. There was everything from soul to ska to southern rock to jazz, and it was perfect. Although some bands leaned more toward my personal preference than others, every single band that graced the stage absolutely killed it, giving me the perfect show.

We started Friday night’s show by taking a ride on a boat- a Fairy Boat. This local, original R&B group instantly won my heart over with their lush and warm tones. Sonically, Fairy Boat was a bit out of my norm with their slow-moving and soulfully presented songs, but falling in love with them was so easy. Their set sounded the way that meditation feels. Don’t misread that. Their songs were far from meditation songs as they were full and boisterous in a way that only Fairy Boat could pull off. It was more in the feeling they gave you. The music made you sway, and vocalist Brea Scow seemed to be the captain on the travels through your mind. I know these are all profound words, but the truth is, this band is deep. Everything they did on stage on Friday night was done with beautiful intention. You could feel heartbreak, joy, sadness, triumph, and everything in between during their set, making them the perfect way to kick off the night and a stand-out performance simultaneously.

The beautiful heaviness that Fairy Boat had cast over the constantly growing audience was quickly kicked to the curb by the always lovely and always slightly insane JoJo Green. Okay, maybe “insane” isn’t quite the right word to use there, but the talent within this band really can’t be described in any other way. JoJo Green’s music leans more into a jazz influence with dazzling solos performed by all members and vocalist Sharisse Germain’s signature jaw-dropping voice. JoJo Green’s music makes you move. Even if you’re like me and refuse to dance publicly for fear of judgment, you dance when you see JoJo Green. Something about their music frees you of all inhibitions in such a powerful way. Although their sound seemed to be so much larger and boisterous when compared to how the night started, there were these glimmers of tenderness and depth that seemed to relate back to Fairy Boat’s tender set. Like I said at the beginning, I love shows with a bit more of a bipolar lineup, where I have to figure out how all the pieces fit. The combination of Fairy Boat and JoJo Green was a perfect example of this.

So, how does a jammy Southern rock band fit into all of this? Good question. I was still in the mood to dance as JoJo Green left the stage and made room for Milwaukee rockers Modern Joey, but the dancing I did during this third set of the night was way different. Modern Joey is the perfect bar band, and I promise I don’t mean that in a bad way. Their jam-band-styled originals and covers are the kinds of songs that make you want to move but also allow you to just get lost in dizzying guitar solos and slamming drum fills. Again, I felt the night shift as people got a bit rowdier in response to the heavier-hitting music coming from the speakers. There was hooting and hollering like you would get at a campus bar, but there was also this sense of respect that comes with any show full of music lovers. I don’t know how they did it, but Modern Joey has found the happy median between these two things, and they are thriving and turning heads with it.

Well, it has happened. I’ve hit double digits when it comes to seeing Space Monkey Mafia live, and I won’t apologize for it. Friday night was my tenth night spent with this local ska band, and I hope that that number will double by the end of the year. Because I’ve covered this band so many times and have written lengthy paragraphs about my love for this band, I promise to keep this brief so as to not bore you, but Space Monkey Mafia was on point on Friday night. I loved hearing a brand new song from them. Although new, it fit into their standard repertoire of ska-punk infused songs and just seemed to add that perfect amount of spice to the night. Vocalist Dante was charismatic as they always are and the rest of the band refused to let the spotlights outshine them. All in all, it was standard Space Monkey Mafia, and although I’ve seen them so many times in recent memory, it never gets old.

So what do Fairy Boat (soulful R&B), JoJo Green (funky jazz), Modern Joey (swagger-filled southern rock), and Space Monkey Mafia (ska-punk) have in common? On paper, absolutely nothing, but all four of these bands came together on Friday night to give a packed audience one heck of a weekend kick-off party, and it was absolutely perfect. From tender calmness to party-like controlled chaos, the night flowed from one act to another so perfectly, and even though there were stark differences in the styles being performed, there was one thing that all four acts had in common– good music that makes you feel something and makes you want to move.

Line Up:

Fairy Boat

JoJo Green

Modern Joey

Space Monkey Mafia

Venue: Icehouse

Smell-O-Meter: Icehouse’s Amazing Food

Average Age of the Crowd: 37

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Dance-ability- 8 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- 0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- 1 Light Sabre?

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)-

Fairy Boat – 0

JoJo Green – 3

Modern Joey – 0

Space Monkey Mafia – 10

Celebrity Sightings – Members of Not Your Baby and LESLIE

Overall Score – 8.5 out of 10

Show on Deck —Eldest Daughter / Sammie Jean Cohen / Joan of Profile

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