Girl at the Rock Shows

Friday was draining. Not only was my day job a bit insane, my mind was on my camera all dang day. I rushed out of work and straight to the local camera shop to see my buddy and fellow concert photographer. He took a look at my camera and, within mere seconds, he and his coworkers told me what I already knew: she was gone. There was no saving the camera, and I was dead in the water. Again, I knew this going in, but I was trying to hold on to a glimmer of hope that it could be fixed rather than having to buy a whole new camera. That hope didn’t get me anywhere, and, after an hour or so of hemming and hawing, a panicked and anxiety-inducing call to my dad, I pulled the trigger on a new camera. She’s a beaut, there’s no denying that, and, within three shots of my Friday night show, I realized just how badly I needed a new camera. You don’t care about any of this, you care about how the show was but before I get to that, I just have to give a massive shout-out to Christopher (AKA Fantail Media) for all of his help and guidance when it came to this new camera, my boyfriend, Alan, for keeping me calm through this whole ordeal, and my dad for always supporting me during this journey and making this new camera possible (because Lord knows I couldn’t have on my own). Okay, mushiness out of the way, now let’s talk about the bombastic show at The Turf Club in Saint Paul on Friday night.

Five-piece jazz meets funk band Green Line were the first to grace the stage on Friday. Right off the bat, their sound came off as smooth but organic. Funky horns and passionate keys floated over the more standard guitar and drum sounds, creating a fresh and unique sound. I loved the way that this band clearly has music in mind and clearly composed songs, yet, when they were performing them, it felt almost improvised. Maybe there was some improv happening, I honestly don’t know, as this was my first time witnessing the magic that is Green Line, but I know that their set filled me with a sense of creativity, along with the urge to dance at the same time. I should have so much more to say about Green Line, but between getting lost in their sound and figuring out how to use this new camera, I find myself a bit lost for words. What I can say is that this band is fresh, funky, and perfect, and one that I hope to see again in the near future.

Following Green Line was Radiochurch – another band I had never seen live before, but a name I had been seeing all over the place. Their overall sound followed suit in the set as they seemed to expand on the funkiness that Green Line had laid out, but they brought more of a hip-hop feeling to the night and definitely brought some good ol’ fashioned baby-making music. Okay, maybe that’s not the compliment I think it is, but it truly is the best way to describe the sound of this band. Their super thick and sticky beats mixed with groovy instrumentation and soulful words, there was something almost timeless about Radiochurch’s sound, but, at the same time, something super fresh. Although I am not a dancer and my anxiety tells me that if I move at a show, everyone will be watching me, I couldn’t help but shimmy ever so slightly throughout Radiochurch’s set. It was just impossible not to. The amount of funk and fun that they were pumping into the air of The Turf Club was off the charts, and getting lost in it was the perfect way to spend Friday night.

I’ve written about McNasty Brass Band many, many times at this point. Truthfully, I just can not get enough of this band, and that’s because of sets like the one on Friday night at The Turf Club. To call this band “fun” would be a vast understatement. They are more than fun, they are exhilarating, they are wild, they are on fire, they are perfect. It’s everything you could ask for after a rough day. It’s the kind of set you need to see if things have just felt “off” lately because this band always lays it all out on the stage for you, and you will always leave satisfied with this set being no different. The band was up to their regular games. Loud and boisterous covers of pop songs by everyone from Panic at the Disco to Destiny’s Child mixed with covers that make your booty shake with or without your permission.

Although it’s all fun and games with this massive group, the talent is unspeakable. The most remarkable thing about hearing this band, for me, is how there are literally ten people in this group, but if you’re not looking at them, you could be fooled into thinking that there are far fewer. The tightness of this group is insane. Like my boyfriend pointed out (this was his first time experiencing the magic of McNasty live), listening to the drums is insane. When it comes to the set-up of this band, there’s one drummer with a bass drum and cymbal, and then a whole other drummer with a snare and another cymbal, but if you couldn’t see past the massive line of horns, you could easily be fooled into thinking that there was just one drummer back there. Long story short, McNasty Brass Band isn’t just a super fun band that brings the party everywhere they go; they are truly talented musicians who more than deserve your attention.

My week worked out. Although there were some bumps, bruises, tears, and breakdowns scattered throughout the past few days, it all worked out, and I was so honored that I could celebrate that fact with such a fun and stellar line-up at The Turf Club on Friday night.

Line Up:

Green Line

Radiochurch

McNasty Brass Band

Mortiholics

Venue: Turf Club

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 37

Crowd Surfers- 0 Spotted

Stage Divers- 0

Dance-ability- 12 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)-

Green Line – 0

Radiochurch – 0

McNasty Brass Band – 9

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8.8 out of 10

Show on Deck — Glitterfox / Jillian Rae

Shameless Self Promotion:

Join My Patreon Here!

Buy Me a Coffee (Seriously!)

Check out my playlist HERE!