Girl at the Rock Shows

Things were loud and powerful at First Avenue’s main room on Sunday night. The more intimate 7th Street Entry, just a few steps away, was a much different story. Although I was in the mood for the energy I was getting from Band of Skulls and JET in the larger room, there’s no denying the beauty and passion that was on display as Quinn Christopherson and Samantha Crain ruled The Entry.

Although I loved the soft and simple sounds of opening act Quinn Christopherson, there was something complex and profound about his set that made it impossible to look away. Born in Alaska and having endured a somewhat tumultuous personal life (at least from what I gathered), Quinn had a wealth of experiences to draw from, with a multitude of things to talk and sing about. The way he was able to nail his set down to the most important, influential, and painfully beautiful moments of his life was the first and most striking thing that caught my attention about his set. Quinn’s voice was soft and, at times, hard to hear over the rumble of the show happening upstairs at First Avenue, but the weight of each word was easily felt throughout the set. It was this weight that made Quinn come off as raw and vulnerable in such a powerful way. Although I had never met Quinn, and Sunday night was my first time hearing his music, I felt a connection to this amazing musician on a spiritual level.

In August 2022, I saw two of my favorite bands at First Avenue: Murder By Death and Amigo the Devil. Although I was super anxious to see both of those headliners, it was the opening act, Samantha Crain, who really caught my attention. There was something so pure and organic about her sound. It was soft and calm, unlike what I typically listen to, and she had me struck that night, so when I saw her name pop up on the show calendar for The 7th Street Entry, I knew I had to be there. I’ll be honest; I left part of my heart upstairs at the ongoing JET show happening at First Avenue. I was in love with the energy radiating from the stage and the sound blasting through my heart. I knew that was not going to be the case for Samantha’s set at The Entry, but I also knew that I needed her positive energy and beautiful voice to help set me up for success when it came to the coming week.

As mentioned, Samantha’s sound is so soft and so quiet that, like Quinn’s set, there were times when the booming bass from the show happening upstairs was a bit of a distraction for me, but it clearly wasn’t for Samantha. She stayed true to her soft sound and only pushed herself and her voice where it made sense for her. I honestly shouldn’t have been so surprised by this. Samantha is a performer who plays and writes from her heart, so it was only fitting that her performance matched that, but, at the same time, I was a bit surprised that she didn’t try to compete with the other sounds. I wanted to be annoyed by it. I wanted to hate the fact that I couldn’t hear Samantha perfectly, but ultimately, this added to the charm and breezy feeling of her set.

Whether Samantha was playing with her two band members who were along on this tour with her or just playing by herself, my ears were glued to her vocals. That’s not a bash on the two players with her. They were great and definitely added a slight beefiness to her sound that felt “just right.” There’s just something about Samantha’s voice that I can not get enough of. It doesn’t come from her mouth or even her throat or belly. It comes straight from her heart, and you can not only hear that, but you can feel that. There’s this odd vibration that comes with some of the notes she hits. Maybe that’s me being dramatic or overly sensitive in a way, but I just feel like she is so in tune with not only her own voice but also the air around her that she is able to send these vibrations from her soul right into yours, which creates this almost uncomfortable comfortability to her music. I know that sentence makes zero sense, but, truthfully, neither does what she can make you feel. I felt confused and comforted at the same time. I felt oddly aggressive but calm all at once. I felt a sense of beauty but also felt staggering pain with every passing word. Long story short, Samantha Crain was making me feel everything and nothing at all with just the power of her voice and the beauty of her being.

There’s nothing more that can be said here. Sure, I can tell you about the stories she told the audience about where certain songs came from or where her passions lie, but I didn’t take any notes during her performance for fear of missing a single vibration, a single thought, or a single emotion. I spent her entire set with my eyes open, my heart full, and my ears glued to her, and that’s the sign of one hell of a powerful performance.

Line Up:

Quinn Christopherson

Samantha Crain

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 41

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)-

Quinn Christopherson – 0

Samantha Crain – 1

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8 out of 10

Show on Deck — Will Wood / Ruen Brothers

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