But The Devil’s In Your Soul

Another night, another show. Many people wonder how I do this night after night and don’t get bored with it. It’s simple- I go see something different every night. From the metal-infused burlesque on Wednesday night to the bluegrass-punk show on Thursday, every night is like entering a new world. Some people have wanderlust; I have concertlust. Is that even a thing? Maybe not. Maybe I just made it up, but that’s what keeps me going. That and energy from shows like the one on Thursday night at The Hook & Ladder in Minneapolis.

Jayke Orvis (and his sidekick Stanley the dog) were up first on the Hook & Ladder Theater stage. I was instantly enamored by both members of this act. Okay, Stanley wasn’t really a member and didn’t contribute much other than cuteness and a bright pink tongue that hung out for the majority of Jayke’s time on stage, but I’m still going to call him a member of this act because, well, he was just so freaking cute. Jayke is a bit of a legend in a very niche scene. I didn’t know this when walking into this show on Thursday night, but it didn’t take me long to catch onto that feeling. Jayke seems to be one of the founders of the “streetgrass” sub-genre through his work with .357 String Band. What is “streetgrass”? It’s a blend between a street punk vibe and a bluegrass sound. Although he started with a guitar in his lap, when he switched to his mandolin, I was able to see the sheer genius of this man really shine. The speed at which Jayke can pick on the mandolin is amazing. The way he is able to do that while telling his stories through song is just insane. I didn’t know what I wanted to look at. Did I want to watch his fingers flying across the mandolin, or did I want to watch his expressions as he sang because those, alone, told an entire story? It was honestly kind of exhausting to watch, but in all of the right ways.

Not only did I enjoy watching Jayke play, but I also loved hearing him talk. He definitely had a sense of humor that shone under the spotlight, and I loved to hear about the music scene of Milwaukee (where he calls home). I’m sure you all knew this, but The Violent Femmes are from Milwaukee?! That’s news to me. I learned that after Jayke did a cover of one of their songs. He didn’t take the easy way out and cover The Violent Femmes’ megahit “Blister in the Sun,” he went deep and opened my eyes to a band that I had kind of written off. The amount of emotion and praise that he put into this cover was beautiful, and I love the fact that he treated it like an original, not a cover, but still paid homage to the legendary band.

Jayke’s tagline is “No fucking refunds.” He said it at the beginning of the set, a few times throughout, and then at the end. “No fucking refunds.” Understood. But who the hell would want a refund after the magic that we got to witness from this man (and Stanley)?

Before the show and between sets, the audience was treated to a blend of tunes provided by DJ Dan Lansing. I love it when venues have a DJ rather than just blaring music from Spotify or something through the speakers. Dan’s mix of music didn’t just bring the room to life; it clearly took many people in the audience back to their childhood. Full disclosure, I was one of the younger ones in attendance at this show (or at least it felt like it). Although I didn’t have the same emotional connection to some of the songs that Dan was spinning, I loved seeing everyone around me move around a bit after an inevitable, “Oh man, I haven’t heard this song in a loooong time!” Again, it would have been so easy for the venue to just pump some random music through the speakers between sets, but it wouldn’t have set the stage for the night as well as Dan’s mix did.

Thursday night was not my first time seeing The Goddamn Gallows live, but it has been nearly a decade. Okay, a decade is a bit dramatic. The last time I was able to catch this band live was back in 2018 when they played at Lee’s Liquor Lounge (RIP). The Goddamn Gallows seem to play in the Twin Cities fairly regularly, but my schedule never seems to line up. I was determined to make it to the line-up this time and, within the first song, I was so glad that I had made it work. The Goddamn Gallows aren’t just a band; they are an experience, but without the smoke and mirrors that you may think of when I say a concert was an experience. There were no props, no smoke or fog, no whirling lights. There was just the band, a stage, and an audience hungry for said band’s unique sound and larger-than-life personality.

Like Jayke’s music, the sound of The Goddamn Gallows blurs the line between punk and bluegrass with a dash of country, a sprinkle of rockabilly, and a whole lot of charisma thrown in there. Honestly, it feels like this band doesn’t really care how you classify their music. That’s not the point of them. The point of this group is to give you music that not only interests you but captivates you, and that’s exactly what they did on Thursday night. Their set was a mix of slow and fast, dark and bright, punk and folk. It was the kind of set where, if you didn’t fall into a particular song, you didn’t have to wait long for things to completely change and for the band to take another stab at winning over your heart. Thankfully for me, I loved every single song that they played. From the fast and furious tracks to the slower and steadier whiskey-drinking kind of songs. No matter what this band was playing, they had me stuck in the palm of their hand, and it was a place that was hard to leave when the night was over.