Girl at the Rock Shows

I typically write my review of shows the morning after. That is not the case here. I went to a show on Thursday night at the 7th Street Entry. This review should have been up on Friday, but Friday was a day of action for us up here in Minneapolis. Instead of going to work, working on this review, and going about my life, everything came to a screeching halt here. People were urged not go to work, not spend any money, and to take a stand, so I did just that. I grabbed my camera, super heavy-duty insulated overalls, as many gloves and socks as I could find, and hit the streets with my camera. It was a frigidly cold day. Honestly, it was quite unbearable, but like the Minnesotans we are, tens of thousands of people fed up with what’s going on around us hit the streets and marched so our voices were heard. Did it work? I’d like to say yes, but feel free to answer that for yourself. Either way, I feel bad that I didn’t write this review before going out on Friday, but I am also so honored and proud of my city for understanding the assignment and don’t regret being part of my community, even if that means this article may suffer ever so slightly due to my forgetting some of the more intricate details of the show.

I’m not going to apologize to the three bands that I saw that this review is going to be brief. Much like the city understood the assignment on Friday, Of The Orchard, Oister Boy, and Stock Market Cinema all understood the assignment on Thursday night. All three of these bands gave us a spot to go. A spot to get away from the cold and the insanity happening around us. A spot where community and love was at the forefront with a stellar soundtrack to match. No, I’m not sorry that this review may be lacking in detail. I’m not sorry for anything other than the fact that this show had to happen on one of the coldest nights we’ve felt in years and during a time where people are scared to leave their houses because this was a show that everyone should have been at.

Kicking things off on Thursday night was Stock Market Cinema. I adore this local band. They are the perfect blend of pop-punk, pop, and indie-rock, and have a super solid sound that really makes them stand out. Their music is super fun, but you can tell by the way they act on stage and the sound that comes through the speakers when they play that this band is all business. At the same time, you can feel a sense of grit behind their music. This makes sense as they clearly hold a DIY ethos in the spotlight of everything they do. This band has been climbing the local music scene and not skipping steps. I know that that could be said for so many local bands, but there’s something just so flawless about the way this band has been doing it. Their sound is almost too perfected to be considered “just another local band,” but when you talk to them or see them perform, you realize that these are just a few local boys doing their thing. I really hope that makes sense, but if it doesn’t (and, honestly, even if it does), this is a band that you just have to see live.

Following Stock Market Cinema was Oister Boy. If I had to describe this band with just one phrase, it would be “identity crisis.” I know that may not sound like a positive thing, but in the case of this band, it’s what makes them so amazing. Every song they played on Thursday night brought a different feeling to the night. There were angsty punk anthems followed by more infectious indie-leaning bops, all wrapped up with some songs that leaned into something a little bit more metal and others that leaned into something with a bit more groove. It was all over the place, but, regardless of the song, Oister Boy had the good-for-a-freezing-Thursday-night-audience wanting so much more. I got to hear some of my favorites from this band, including “Slip and Slide,” which includes the line, “I ate shit on the slip and slide.” I don’t know what it is about that line or that song, but I freaking love it. Maybe it’s the relatable simplicity of it, or maybe it’s the deeper meaning that I find behind the phrase. Either way, I loved hearing the familiar, but it was the rewritten “anthem” that they performed that really got me. I’m not going to give up the punchline to this “cover’ but will say that I loved how timely it was and how much fire it was performed with.

Closing out the Thursday night show was Of The Orchard. The last time I saw this band was all the way back in 2019. It has been far too long, but as soon as they took over the stage and the speakers, I remembered why this band’s name is one that never left my mind, even after all of these years. Much like the previous two bands to grace the 7th Street Entry stage, the sound of Of The Orchard was nothing short of flawless. It’s a very pop-rock sound that, at times, could be considered pop-punk and, at other times, be considered something a bit more indie-pop. Every song they played was performed with an undeniable sense of passion and energy, which had the intimate club feeling warm and cozy (perfect for such a chilly night). Although I really enjoyed hearing the band play through their original material (including songs off of their new EP ‘Sota Pop Rock’, which this show was a release show for), it was the Rise Against cover that they performed that really got me. Not only was it super well done, but the choice of performing a cover of “Prayer of the Refugee” felt as perfect as it did powerful.

My head still wasn’t “all in” when it came to this show. I was planning what my Friday was going to look like. I was pacing through my thoughts, wondering if people were actually going to take the day off and take a stand. My mind was racing, pacing, and I felt like it was almost a task to be at this show, but as soon as the music hit, I realized that this was right where I was supposed to be. I needed that beat. I needed bright and shiny songs, making the hair on the back of my head vibrate. I needed a sense of community that felt more positive than angsty. Don’t get me wrong, there’s room for both feelings, but it was just so nice to have a few hours where all I could really do was smile and get lost in the talent that is here in the local music scene.

Line Up:

Stock Market Cinema

Oister Boy

Of The Orchard

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 38

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 3 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)-

Stock Market Cinema – 1

Oister Boy – 5

Of the Orchard – 1

Show on Deck — TBD

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