Girl at the Rock Shows

“…And everybody’s got time
Everybody seems to have so much time
Everybody seems to have so much time but I’m wasting mine
I swear to God I’m the only fucker in this place who isn’t doin’ fine
And I’m not fine”

Talk about poignant lyrics for this day and age that we are living in. The first time I heard “How Does The Story Go?” (the song these lyrics are from) from SPRINTS, I broke down. I felt seen, exposed, and, most importantly, understood. It hit me like a truck, and this song (along with a lot of other songs from SPRINTS) has become my soundtrack as I try to navigate through the uncharted waters that Minneapolis is facing right now. To say that being able to see this band live on Wednesday night was as timely as it was necessary would be an understatement, and although part of my heart was out on the streets and at the various marches and protests happening around town, I knew that this show at the 7th Street Entry was what I needed to keep me going.

Before I tell you more about SPRINTS, let’s talk about the opening act for this completely sold-out show in downtown Minneapolis – Trophy Wife. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Trophy Wife is the brainchild of guitarist/vocalist McKenzie Iazzetta. I had only heard this band’s music in passing, and I did just that: passed through it. I don’t know why, but their grunge-drenched indie-pop-leaning songs just didn’t hook me the few times I heard them. After seeing them perform these anthems live, that is going to change. The angst and the fervor that this band performed with were not lost on me, and neither was the beauty that came with each track. I know bands balancing beauty and angst is nothing new; heck, it’s something that I tend to look for, but there’s something different about the way Trophy Wife does it. The moments of sheer chaos and grit seem to come out of nowhere, following phrases of angelic vocals and almost shoegaze-styled guitar work, creating a rollercoaster ride of emotions that, although can be scary at times because you see just how moody you can get, is absolutely stunning.

The band said very little between songs. Honestly, it felt like McKenzie was a bit timid and nervous behind the microphone when not performing one of their explosive songs. The few words they did say hit like the most beautiful knife, though. At one point, the band just stood there, and McKenzie admitted that they just didn’t know what to say. I mean, what do you say? What do you say to a community that has been running on empty for weeks? A community under siege by our own government? You say exactly what they said, which was, essentially, Fuck Ice, and that the country is watching us, and that Minneapolis is setting a stunning example of community and strength. I don’t know why, but their saying that made me just about lose it. We are tired, we are lost for words, but we are not giving up, and for a band from across the country to acknowledge that just felt redeeming in such a positive way.

Now let’s talk about SPRINTS– the band that seemingly came out of nowhere and took over my life in all of the right ways. I saw this band at Riot Fest back in 2024. I remember them being good, but not a stand-out act for me, but I couldn’t tell you why. What I can tell you is, as mentioned, this band is my soundtrack right now. It’s not just the lyrics; it’s the composition, it’s the grit and the beauty, it’s the way they seem to capture an era in time and put it into a song. Those songs both let you breathe and decompress while giving you a light to keep going or giving you the grit to keep your boots to the ground and keep fighting. This band’s sound is as strong as their message, and to see that all play out on an intimate stage like The 7th Street Entry felt so empowering.

For me, it was all eyes on vocalist Karla Chubb. Don’t get me wrong, this entire band was a force on stage. It was like watching emotion form into movements throughout the set, but there was just something about Karla. Karla didn’t sugarcoat a dang thing. From the words she was singing in the songs to the words she said in between, you could just tell that Karla is the type of person who says what she thinks, and she really doesn’t care what you think of it. This is what made her words about what’s happening in Minneapolis hit just as hard as Trophy Wife’s. Karla’s comments were straight and to the point — she didn’t know what to say; nobody does — but she mirrored what Trophy Wife said: Fuck Ice, and that there’s nothing anyone can really say to make any of this okay. She went on to talk about how art can be so cathartic when navigating the unknown, and she is so right. Like she said, “Make noise that matters,” and that’s exactly what SPRINTS is doing, so again, the timing of this show couldn’t have been more perfect.

I feel like I should have so much more to say about the show on Wednesday night. It was packed, and the audience was ready to let off some steam —you could feel it with every beat that pumped through the speakers. You felt excitement and a slight sense of normalcy, yet you also felt the pain of this city. You could just see people were exhausted and in need of a break. Maybe that’s why I don’t have more to say. I was paying attention to the people around me, as I always do, but at the same time I was in my own head. I was sorting through my own thoughts and letting my feelings out in a way that I needed to get them out, and that was the biggest takeaway from this show for me.

You don’t have to be ready to get back to “normal life.” Heck, I’m not convinced we will ever feel normal again after what’s been happening across Minnesota, especially in the Twin Cities, but if you are ready and feel safe, I urge you to go catch a live show. They are safe spaces where you can feel whatever you want. You can cry, you can scream, you can push, shove, jump– you can feel again, and I think that’s what this city needs right now– space and time to be human.

Line Up:

Trophy Wife

SPRINTS

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 39

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 4 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)-

Trophy Wife – 0

SPRINTS – 1

Show on Deck — The Japhies / The Modern Era / Whiskey Rock ‘n’ Roll Club MPLS

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