Girl at the Rock Shows

Did you forget about false spring? Here in Minnesota, there’s this thing that happens every year where it gets ridiculously nice out, but then, out of nowhere, we get a snowstorm. It was damn near 60 degrees over the weekend, then, on Wednesday night, we got walloped by a winter storm. Okay, maybe “walloped” is a bit dramatic, but we did get a crap ton of snow that I don’t think anyone was expecting. I didn’t fall for false spring. I knew that the boot would drop and that winter wasn’t just over, but I was surprised by how snowy the roads were when I left the house for The Dakota on Wednesday night. It wasn’t an enjoyable drive by any means, but it was a white-knuckle drive that was well worth it to experience the beauty and warmth happening inside this lovely venue.

Before the brave souls that ventured out on Wednesday night were treated to the headlining act, we were gifted a truly beautiful, quick opening set from Stephen Wallack. Stephen Wallack is a self-taught pianist and composer who knows how to create truly mesmerizing patterns of notes and knows how to perform them with not just his fingers, but his heart. His quick set was made up of original compositions that were fueled by everything from Bridgerton to a large family gathering. Although it was just him and his piano, every song seemed to whisk the audience away to a different world. I watched in envy as his fingers danced over the pearly white keys with ease. He made playing these beautiful and soulful songs look so easy, but as a pianist myself, I know it isn’t. From the simple idea of keeping the beat steady and hitting the right notes to the more complex thinking of adding emotion to every hit of a key, Stephen nailed it all and either took you away from the winter wonderland happening outside or enhanced it (depending on what you wanted to go with the night).

I know I’ve talked about this before, but it’s super important to me– The Dakota is a gem of a venue. I used to always think that it was just out of reach for me. A bit too fancy and with a bit too much jazz, but time and time again, this venue leaves me impressed and a little more in love with everything they have going on. Don’t get me wrong, you can get all dressed up and make this a heck of a date night with some world-class jazz and world music and a fancy and delicious meal, but you can also just come in and enjoy some amazing local music. Everything from jazz to rock, with everything in between. Dakota doesn’t have to do this. They don’t have to take risks on local acts when they clearly can book damn near any world-renowned musician that they want. But they do it. They do it for the community and for the love of music. Seriously, people, if you have not been to a show at The Dakota, you are missing out.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about the headliner of Wednesday night– local Americana/ indie band Rogue Valley. At the helm of this band is the formidable Chris Koza. Okay, maybe you don’t know Chris’ name, but I bet you know something that he has been involved in. His home seems to be in the Americana vein of things, but he’s not afraid to dabble in other genres and styles. Joining Chris on vocals (and taking charge of the keys) was Linnea Mohn. Where do I even begin with the beauty of Linnea? From her work with Rogue Valley to collaborating with everyone from Aby Wolf to Dessa, this woman is truly a shining star of the local scene. Peter Sieve kept things interesting on guitar. I felt like his solos and overall performance brought a very rockin’ energy to the stage in all of the right ways. Drummer Luke Anderson is no stranger to a stage. He has worked with Lissie, Gramma’s Boyfriend– just like everyone else on this stage, the list goes on and on. Luke did a great job of enhancing all of the tender moments throughout the set while giving a sense of energy to the moments that called for it, just with a small shift in his style. Cody McKinney, the bassist, was a familiar face, but I could not, for the life of me, place it. Reading up on this man, I’m quickly realizing that he is basically the Twin Cities’ bassist. He has played with numerous local acts while also doing his own thing, and being able to see and hear that immense talent on Wednesday was an absolute treat.

Clearly, given the background of all of the musicians on stage on Wednesday night, my expectations were high. I knew what a lot of these people were capable of and was so excited to see it all come together into one cohesive group. I was not disappointed. From the pure musicianship that was showcased to the way that each member of this group seemed to respect the others in such a beautiful way, I was left truly speechless. I loved getting lost in the worlds that Rogue Valley created. They were all peaceful worlds and ones that matched the snow softly falling outside the window. I know it sounds so dramatic, but there was just something so warm, cozy, and perfect about seeing this show while the outside turned into a winter wonderland.

There were a lot of beautiful things about Rogue Valley’s set and, as I tried to lay out for you, the amount of talent on stage was insane but there was one thing that really stood out to me and that was the vocals. Chris Koza’s voice is dark and brooding. I know this is a bit cheesy given the band name but, when he sang, it felt like exploring deep, dark valleys. Linnea Mohn’s voice is bright and whimsical. It has a sense of child-like fun to it while feeling so mature and so damn perfect. Again, excuse the cheese but her voice felt a it like clouds dancing on a mountain top (see where I’m going with this?). From Chris’ dark lows to Linnea’s beautiful highs, I just felt like the way these two vocalists blended their tones and sounds created something that was instantly goosebump inducing. It was beautiful but it was so much more than that. It was stunning, it was emotive, dazzling, sparkling… it was perfect and absolutely one of my favorite elements of the night.

Wednesday night may not have been for everyone. The snow definitely wreaked havoc on the roads, and I honestly wouldn’t have blamed anyone for staying in because of it. That being said, the snow was beautiful, and it added a sense of whimsical charm and cozy warmth to a beautiful night of music from both Stephen Wallack and Rogue Valley.

Line Up:

Stephen Wallack

Rogue Valley

Venue: Dakota

Smell-O-Meter: The amazing food of The Dakota

Average Age of the Crowd: 42

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)-

Stephen Wallack – 0

Rogue Valley – 1

Show on Deck — Big Turn Music Festival (with far too many bands to list)

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