Girl at the Rock Shows

I liked energizing shows. I like to be at concerts where there’s a threat of being hit in the head, and there’s a sweaty mess of limbs flying everywhere. That may not sound like a good time to many of you, but to me, it’s bliss. This is not what the show was like on Thursday night at The VFW Uptown in Minneapolis. To be quite honest, it was the complete opposite. There was a small smattering of people glued to chairs in the cavernous room, and a few others just kind of lingering in the background. There was very little movement other than a few dancers who would come up, take over the dance floor, and then disappear back into the background. Sure, Thursday night wasn’t a super exciting show, and the threat of harm was completely non-existent, but it was still a lovely night spent experiencing some new music that, although not my typical cup of tea, was nothing short of beautiful.

Unfortunately, I was a bit late to this soiree. Truthfully, I had met up with a good friend for this show, and we got carried away catching up and just chatting because we typically only see each other at shows and never really have much time to truly talk. I can not apologize to the lovely Becky Kapell enough for missing her set. Having seen her perform with Quatro at The Turf Club just a couple of weeks ago, I know that I missed something special and will never forgive myself for that.

We did make it into the venue side of the sprawling bar just in time to catch Clarence Tilton. Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, Clarence Tilton and his band have a very classic Americana sound that flows through the air with ease. From stunning layered harmonies to dazzling guitar riffs that will surely be stuck in my head for days to come, everything about Clarence Tilton and his band was as amazing as it was perfect. Every note had its space, and every word had a feeling attached to it, showing me that this band had clearly put their time into practice, but, at the same time, there was something freeing about their sound. I have to think that there wasn’t a lot of improvisation happening throughout their set yet; something about some of their songs felt so flowy and as if the members of the band were just riffing against each other. This added a spark to an already dazzling set, leaving me captivated and enamored by this band.

Closing out the Thursday night show was Gasoline Lollipops. Like Clarence Tilton, the music of this group is far from my norm. It was rootsy Americana with punk undertones and even a slight southern twang that would come through loud and clear at certain moments throughout the set. Again, it was a far cry from my normal punk and metal-focused listening, but that didn’t stop me from instantly shutting down my mind as this band played. Okay, maybe that sounds rude, but truthfully, the music of Gasoline Lollipops was the right amount of chill to give me a moment to finally slow down this week, while the grit of vocalist Clay Rose’s voice was what kept me engaged. Well, that and the way that this band, like Clarence Tilton’s, had such a put-together sound and vibe.

Truthfully, I wish I had more to say here, but I was both out of my element and completely captivated by both bands on Thursday night. This was definitely not a typical “Girl at the Rock Shows” show but, what even is that? I love all music. As long as a band makes me feel something and sparks that flame of passion in my soul, they will have sold me, and both Clarence Tilton and Gasoline Lollipops did that and more for me on Thursday night.

Line Up:

Clarence Tilton

Gasoline Lollipops

Venue: Uptown VFW

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 48

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

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)-

Clarence Tilton – 0

Gasoline Lollipops – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 7.8 out of 10

Show on Deck — Sophie Hunter / Sleigh Bells

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