Skeleton Man

I had a great time in Des Moines, Iowa (my hometown) over the weekend. It was so great to see my folks and some good friends. It was also absolutely a treat to catch Pitbull at the best state fair in the country (go ahead and fight me, Minnesota), but dang, does it feel nice to be back home. Although I probably could have used Monday night to catch up on some work on my own projects before having to come back to my day job and frantically get caught up there, there was a show in town that I wasn’t willing to miss so I threw my laundry in the hamper (I’ll get to that eventually), assured the cats that I was only going to be gone a couple of hours this time, not days, and headed down to Zhora Darling in Northeast Minneapolis.

Monday night at Zhora Darling was more than just a concert; it was a variety show complete with two sets of comedy. Local comedian Max Chapman got the night started, and I was instantly in love with everything about Max and this show in general. Although I really struggle when it comes to writing about comedy (it’s super tough because you can’t actually bring up any of the jokes, so, truly, what can you really write about?), I have to tell you, Max had me laughing more than many local comedians can. His jokes were honest and raw but absolutely funny. I found Max to be perfectly relatable and accessible, with his self-deprecating sense of humor being something that I could relate to. I can’t tell you his punchlines, but I can tell you that there were very few of them that fell flat during his time on stage, which, when all was said and done, was far too short. Max Chapman is someone that I hope I get to see again soon because the carefree sense of joy that he made me feel was everything I could have asked for and more.

The main reason I didn’t want to miss this show was the next act, the first band to take the stage, Sigcell. It has been years since I reviewed their EP ‘Pile of Ghosts’, but that is one of those releases that I never stopped thinking about. Although that album wasn’t my standard service of teenage angst or gritty punk, there was something about it that struck me, and I hate the fact that it has taken me so long to finally catch this local band live, but I digress, and finally got to change that on Monday. Sigcell’s set was precisely what I wanted from them. It felt oddly understated for the amount of talent and creativity this band has. The members made the performance feel informal with their smiles and the way they interacted with each other, but the music that was pumping through the speakers screamed all business. Every note was placed perfectly in its own spot with a sense of care. From the drums to the guitar, everything that Sigcell did on stage was intentional, creating an almost mature feeling in the music, but, at the same time, there was something accessible about it. From ’90s tones to more experimental sounds every now and again, Sigcell’s music was as interesting as it was pleasing. I’ll be honest, their live performance wasn’t the most exciting thing I’ve seen. There was really no movement happening on stage at all, yet I felt a sense of energy that added that little extra something-something to their sound that I wanted. Long story short, it’s been a long time coming, but I finally got to see Sigcell perform live, and I’m already counting down the days to a chance to see them again.

Following Sigcell was another set of comedy, this time from Matthew Milligan. I’ll be honest, I didn’t find Matthew’s jokes or delivery as funny as Max’s. That being said, comedy, like music, is all about personal preference. I found Matthew’s jokes to be a bit too brash for my personal take, and his awkward delivery felt more, well, awkward than charming. That being said, there were moments throughout his short time on stage that had me laughing and others where, although I may not have been laughing, the few people in the audience definitely were. Matthew may not have hit me the perfect way, but I so admire him for getting up there, doing his thing, and rolling with the punches. You can’t win them all, but that clearly has not stopped Matthew from doing what he loves, and that’s trying to make people laugh.

Closing out the night was supposed to be Pyrrhic Victories, but, unfortunately, they had to drop off the show last minute. Although I was bummed about it as I have seen Pyrrhic Victories before and knew that I really enjoyed them, I was excited to see a band I knew absolutely nothing about – The Skruffians. I was intrigued as this local band took the stage. There were so many members and so many instruments. Sax, trumpet, drums, bass– it was your standard ska or jazz band set-up, but The Skruffians are far from your standard ska or jazz band. They wasted no time and leapt into their set as soon as they could. They were trying to capture the dwindling audience by starting not long after Matthew’s final punchline, and it worked. I, like the audience, was beginning to fade. I was tired after driving back from Des Moines earlier in the day and really just wanted to lie in my own bed, but as soon as The Skruffians hit their downbeat, I was captivated.

Their sound was this super funky and groovy mix of everything from ska to jazz that I expected. Their songs took twists and turns into something that felt like standards and something that felt a bit more free-form. Although there was a music stand on stage, I’m not sure how much of their set was composed music and how much was improvised, but watching this band perform brought me so much joy. You could see the members think through what they were playing, and could see them getting lost in their respective lines of notes. Although there were no vocals, there were storylines to the songs that I felt myself completely struck by. Maybe it was my current exhaustion and stress level as I was start to come to the terms with the fact that my Monday was really going to suck since I hadn’t taken the time to catch up on work before getting to this show, but I felt like The Skruffians had transported me from a blue Sunday night to a bright and sunny Friday night. It was not only a beautiful way to end Sunday night’s variety show, but it was also the perfect way to kick off what will surely be an insane week.