Girl at the Rock Shows

I pulled double duty on Saturday night. It was one of those nights where I couldn’t pick just one show, so I let my metalhead side get satisfied by the intense show headlined by Left To Suffer at the 7th Street Entry and then treated my heart to some calm and zen vibes with The Elovaters at the iconic First Avenue Mainroom. Honestly, one show wasn’t better than the other because they were both so different, but I will say that the peace I felt as I watched JARV, Shwayze, and The Elovaters do their thing in First Avenue’s Mainroom was just what I needed.

I had heard JARV’s name in passing prior to the show on Saturday night, but I really knew nothing about this Brooklyn-based hip-hop/rap artist. What a shame that is, because, within the first song of his quick, thirty-minute opening set, all I wanted to do was to be able to sing along. Part of that was due to the positive vibes that radiated from every word he said. I honestly didn’t catch all of them, but you could just tell, given the amount of fire and passion with which every word hit my heart, that there was a positive, or at least honest, message behind it all. The other part of that was that I wanted bragging rights, so I could keep up with this guy. I know that Twista is technically the fastest rapper as he holds the Guinness World record for 598 syllables in 55 seconds, but I think JARV could give Twista a run for his money. Maybe I’m underestimating Twista and being a bit dramatic here, but there were moments where just trying to listen to JARV and keep up with his words made me feel dizzy in all of the right ways. All three acts that performed on Saturday night at First Avenue were amazing, but something about JARV’s set had me a bit more dazzled than the rest. Maybe it was the surprise of hearing his music for the first time and falling head over heels, or maybe it was just something about him. Either way, I’m officially a fan and can’t wait to dig into this super talented human a bit more.

Let me take you back to 2008. I was in college and still trying to get my footing. I was trying to figure out life while not giving in to the stress of working multiple jobs, holding down a couple of internships, and making it to all my classes. I was a metalhead, but it was a facade because, behind closed doors, I was listening to Shwayze’s self-titled album on repeat. Shwayze’s sound is a far cry from the metal I was listening to with my friends. It felt like summer and sounded like the ocean. It was reggae but with an indie hip-hop backdrop. It was calm and soothing- just what I needed during that time in my life. Honestly, that was probably the last time I even thought about Shwayze, but when I noticed he was opening this show, I couldn’t help but get worked up. Sure, it’s been years, heck, nearly two decades, since I really spent a lot of time with Shwayze, but the same vibe took me over the second he started into his set. Although energized, Shwayze (joined on stage by a stellar guitarist and a steady and dynamic drummer), there was something just so calming about Shwayze’s set, and just like the stressful time in college, it was just what I needed, given everything happening in the world right now. I heard my favorites (AKA the hits) like “Buzzin'” and “Corona and Lime,” but I think I found more of a thrill in hearing new songs because it made me realize that, even after all of these years, Shwayze hasn’t changed.

Closing out Saturday night’s chill yet electric show at First Avenue was the one and only The Elovaters. I had only ever heard of the legend in this band. I knew their live show had been brought up to me on multiple occasions, but I’m the type who has to see things for myself, so I was stoked to finally see what all the hype was about with this band. It didn’t take long for me to realize why everyone has brought The Elovaters to me. Not only did they seem to instantly transform the room with their unique brand of reggae-drenched, jam-band-leaning songs, but they also had an instant connection with the audience that left me speechless. Typically, a connection like this only hits me when I know the words. When I can sing along to every song like my life depends on it, but this was different. Although I didn’t know the music being played, I felt connected to every song, every word, every member, and every note. Although strangers had taken the stage, by the second song, I felt like I was watching some of the best friends I’ve ever known.

Beyond the vibe that this band cast over the packed venue was the taBeyond the vibe this band cast over the packed venue, I saw the talent being showcased on stage. It wasn’t the kind of talent that I was witnessing down in the adjacent 7th Street Entry, where the goal seemed to be to play as many notes as possible while screaming in the most sinister of tones; this was more of a goal of creating beauty and letting each note have the space to breathe that it deserved. This is kind of a given when you think about the chill music that The Elovaters play, but there was something just particularly dazzling about watching these tried and true musicians show off their craft right in front of me. Okay, calling them “showing off” makes it sound bad. That wasn’t quite it, at least not deliberately. The Elovaters’ set was one of those sets where you could clearly see and hear that the members of this band were doing this for their hearts, from their hearts, and it just really wrapped up my busy Saturday night in the perfect bow.

*Disclaimer– My camera decided to have a mini meltdown just as The Elovaters took the stage. This meltdown lasted just over three songs which meant I was unable to shoot the band from the photo pit (typically rules for photographers is first three songs only). So please forgive my lack of amazing, close up shots of The Elovaters.*

This world is wild, and things in the Twin Cities are still nuts and insane. I loved falling in love with JARV, loved feeling a bit nostalgic with Shwayze, and loved being welcomed into The Elovater’s world with open arms, but above all, I loved the feeling of escaping this dark and ugly world into something much more beautiful and lovely.

Line Up:

JARV

Shwayze

The Elovaters

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: The Devil’s Lettuce

Average Age of the Crowd: 34

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)-

JARV – 0

Shwayze – 0

The Elovaters – 0

Show on Deck —Laundry Day / Satchel Shure

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