Girl at the Rock Shows

Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day. Honestly, I didn’t even figure that out until halfway through the day. It’s just not my holiday. It used to be. I loved spending my day at the parade and drinking copious amounts of green beer, but call me old, now it just kind of slips past me. I could have gotten into the holiday spirit by seeking out one of the amazing local Irish bands to see on Tuesday night, but, truthfully, I wanted to roll the dice on a random show again. It worked out so well for me on Monday at the 7th Street Entry, so could it work again on Tuesday?

Opening act Rew was a long way from home on Tuesday night, but Minneapolis clearly welcomed him with open arms. This musician from Delaware is a mastermind when it comes to putting emotion into music. Although sonically I felt that his sound was a bit more hollow than I was in the mood for, there was this sense of emotional power that came with every passing moment. The lush landscapes that he laid out with the slightly severe sound of tracking keys that felt a bit old-school and had a slight Casio keyboard kind of sound to them added this angular motion to his otherwise circular sound. Long story short, there was something so freeing and organic about Rew’s sound, but there were also these sparks of energy that would get you hooked into his world and leave you wondering what might come next.

It wasn’t just Rew’s sound that had me falling head over heels for this performer; it was his charm. When he was playing, he was all music. I loved watching him close his eyes while playing because it was like I was seeing the music flow out of him rather than just watching someone play something. It just added to that organic and mysterious feeling that I was getting, and added that feeling of seeing someone who belongs on a stage rather than someone who had just fallen onto a stage. When Rew was addressing the crowd between songs, he came off as a bit jittery, almost nervous. His words and phrases to the audience were short, and his mannerisms when speaking were a very anxious-driven kind of movement that, I, as an extremely anxious person myself, knew quite well. This had me baffled. Rew’s music was so composed and perfectly curated. Transitions were seamless and, although there were moments of that previously mentioned angular motion, overall, the set was smooth and clean. It was as if Rew was living two lives on stage, and being able to see them both play out, given the short time he had on stage, really just made me enamored with this musician.

Trio Dream, Ivory was the only other band on the bill, but between what Rew had just given the packed audience and what was about to come from the headliners, two acts was more than enough for me to leave the 7th Street Entry feeling fulfilled. Dream, Ivory is a shoegaze band, but it’s not that simple (it never is). Sure, I call them shoegaze, I’m sure most people do, but calling them just that diminishes the flashes of angst and aggression scattered throughout their set that really made their sound pop for me. I loved the way that this band could have me so calm and with such a clear head, but, in the blink of an eye and the sound of a ferocious scream of sorts, they would flood my body with all kinds of unforeseen emotion. Dream, Ivory truly puts drama into their sound, and that drama is impossible to ignore. It’s also what makes them stand out in the shoegaze scene, which, if you ask me, has become a super crowded one.

When it came to Dream, Ivory’s show, there wasn’t much to write home about. Don’t get me wrong, I was perfectly fine just watching them do their thing and taking in the unfamiliar sounds that, by the end of the night, were sounds I never wanted to end, but this is the kind of band where the music is the focus. Clearly, this trio loves doing what they are doing and loves being on stage, but they also clearly love a sense of perfection in their music, so that’s what they gave. Sure, there were moments throughout the night when the band would banter with the audience and moments where the singing from the audience almost took over what was coming out of the speakers, but other than that, this was one of those shows where there was more to hear than to watch. That’s not a bad thing (although I know it sounds like it). It’s just a different kind of show, and, truthfully, after the excitement of Monday night with Alexsucks and Dogma Society, I kind of liked the peace and calm that I felt from this performance.

Tuesday night at the 7th Street Entry with Rew and Dream, Ivory wasn’t the most exciting show I’ll have all week, but it was one of the most beautiful, and sometimes that’s what hits the spot. It definitely hit the spot for me on Tuesday night.

Line Up:

Rew

Dream, Ivory

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 18

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- .2 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Celebrity Sightings – 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Rew – 0

Dream, Ivory – 0

Show on Deck — Rise Against / Destroy Boys / Koyo

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