Girl at the Rock Shows

I really don’t know why my week was so rough, but by the time Friday night rolled around, I needed something to reset my mental health, and Zhora Darling had the perfect show for that.

I forgot how much I love local trio Upright Forms, but was quickly reminded as they opened up the show on Friday night. Their sound is intense in a way, but it’s not abrasive. This is a fine line that I’ve seen many bands fall off of or fail at, but Upright Forms does it in a way that feels like they were born for it. As they played through their quick set, I could feel every note all the way down to my soul, and, one by one, those notes seemed to clear all of the stress that had been plaguing me throughout the week.

I’ll be honest; there’s not much to watch when it comes to a Upright Forms performance unless you know what to look for. There are moments when bassist Noah Paster closes his eyes and sways from front to back in a way that gives you a whole other sense of depth from the music. Vocalist Nick Sakes has a way of creating some of the most heartbreak-sounding tones with his voice, but as he’s doing it, you can see a slight smile creep across his face. I’d like to think that smile comes from knowing that he is making people feel things they may have been blocking or maybe didn’t know they could feel through the dark-leaning words coming out of his mouth, but that could be way off. Then there’s drummer Sean Westphal. Sean keeps it all together and is a true master of his craft. He knows when to really hit and knows when to back off if ever so slightly, to really give the vocals a chance to sink in. These three men, together, may not create the most insane stage presence or anything like that, but they put on a hell of a show, and it was one that ended far too soon for me on Friday night.

Although bummed that Upright Forms couldn’t play all night, I was insanely excited for Unstable Shapes to take the stage. All week, when things would get super rough with work, I would whisper to myself, “It’s okay; you’ll get to feel Unstable Shapes on Friday night.” Okay, that sounds a bit weird, but this is truly a band that you feel, not hear. Clearly running off the high of their album release party just a couple of weeks ago, I loved that I got to hear some Unstable Shapes classics but was thrilled to hear some new songs. I promise not to spend the rest of this blog just professing my love for this band as I have done it time and time again, but whatever new song they closed with on Friday night really caught me. Their post-hardcore sound had an extra edge to it when it came to this new track. Vocalist Andrew Cahak seemed ever so slightly more angry in this song, which makes sense because, in this day and age, we all have a lot to be angry about. Although Andrew has always won over my heart with his emotive performances and the way that the words he sings just speak to me on a truly spiritual level (and no, that’s not me being dramatic), there was just something about this new song that had a little extra zing. Could there be a new album in the works? I honestly don’t know, but I know that Unstable Shapes continues to be, hands down, my favorite local band right now.

Headlining the Friday night show was Kansas City, Missouri-based Season To Risk. Full disclosure, I knew nothing about this band heading prior to this show. Due to a weird series of events, my friend had to pick me up for this show, and she had Season to Risk playing in the car. Personally, this is a huge no-no. I prefer to be surprised when going to see a band I know nothing about live, but she’s a bit more methodical when it comes to the shows she will join me at. During the fifteen-minute drive to Zhora Darling, I didn’t say anything out loud, but in the back of my head, I wondered if this would be the band for me. Their sound, at least on the particular string of songs I was listening to, didn’t do it for me. It leaned oddly hard rock for me, and I felt that there was really no creativity or anything to hook me behind it. Thankfully, I was already sold on this show, if only for the two locals, and I’m not one to miss a band, so, although a bit apprehensive, I waited for Season to Risk to take the stage and change my mind about them. It really didn’t take long for that to happen.

Instead of the hard rock tones I had heard in the car, Season to Risk hit me with a sound that left me a bit lost for words. There were elements of everything from noise to industrial to that classic hard rock sound blended together in a highly energetic performance with no lack of heart. Vocalist Steve Tulipana was the kind of frontman that was hard to turn away from. He was all over the place when it came to the stage but never missed a cue or a note. This energy, mixed with the visuals running behind the band and the swirling lights, all came together to create a larger-than-life performance that still felt super accessible and “real.”
I wasn’t able to sing along to any of the thirteen songs that the band powered through on Friday night, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching those around me get super into it. To me, this was just another show. It was another therapy session that I so badly needed, but to others in the audience, this was everything. They had clearly been waiting years for a chance to see this band that dates back to 1989 (which was the year I was born but, like the band said on stage, we were not allowed to bring up any numbers during their set). Season to Risk has a connection to the Twin Cities. They recorded their first album and now, their new one, ‘1-800-Meltdown’, here. Although I know that doesn’t mean it’s a sure thing, I hope that this means they will be making another stop here soon because I want to sing along to their songs and get lost in their performance like some of those around me.

This article was super hard for me to write. I had writer’s block from the second I sat down at my desk and seemed to struggle to find the right words to say about this show. That, to me, is a sign. Friday night’s show at Zhora Darling was my therapy session, and you never talk about what happens in therapy, right? Some people go to the bar to unwind, some go to a gym and workout all of their stress and frustration. For me, the only thing that snaps me out of a rut is a solid live concert, and that’s exactly what Friday night was like.

Line Up:

Upright Forms

Unstable Shapes

Season to Risk

Venue: Zhora Darling

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 42

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 2 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)-

Upright Forms – 1

Unstable Shapes – 6 (I’m pretty sure it’s more than that but that’s what my past posts show)

Season to Risk – 0

Celebrity Sightings – DUG

Overall Score – 9.2 out of 10

Show on Deck — Reaping Asmodeia / With Dead Hands Rising / Den of Thieves / Caustic Abyss

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