Girl at the Rock Shows

This world can be really gloomy if you want it to. I mean, come on, look around you. Things aren’t great for anyone or anything. There are times when everything feels like it’s crumbling, and it’s so easy to give in to it all, crawl into a hole, and just feel like you’re waiting it out. That’s no way to live. Sure, doom and gloom everywhere, but if you know where to look, you can find sunshine, and that sunshine was shining bright at The Hook & Ladder Theater on Friday night.

Famous Volcanoes is not a new name in the local scene, as they have been playing for over 20 years now, but they were new to me. Their sound felt like Minnesota. If you live up here, you know what that means. If you don’t, let me try to explain. Famous Volcanoes’ sound is a rootsy, Americana-rock blend. Their songs are short and sweet, packing a punch of relatability and charm. Their time on the stage on Friday night was short, but they definitely showed the quickly growing audience what they were all about. Sure, their sound was a bit calmer than what I tend to go for, and it didn’t hook me like other local acts, but their charm was more than enough to sell me. It was abundantly clear that this band is full of professionals, and you could hear a tightness that only comes with time spent playing together, yet you could also feel a sense of passion and love that only comes from seeing acts that truly love what they do. Twenty years in the making, with many, many more to come, Famous Volcanoes is one of those feel-good acts that instantly took me away from the stress that I had been feeling during the day on Friday.

I was supposed to see The Long Honeymoon, the next band to grace the Hook and Ladder stage on Friday night, back in November. I was excited for the show, but then strep throat got the best of me. I was so bummed that I couldn’t make it to their show and knew I had to make it up to them in a way. I’m not sure if it was fate or what, but waiting and being introduced to this band on Friday night just felt right. It had been a trying day at my day job, and I felt there was something daunting about the upcoming weekend, what with all the things I wanted to accomplish. I was feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and absolutely a bit on edge, but that all washed away as soon as The Long Honeymoon started playing.

The sound of The Long Honeymoon, like Famous Volcanoes, is a bit lighter than what I tend to go for, but it instantly spoke to my 90s-baby soul. There were moments of upbeat, pop-infused sounds, followed by something a bit more singer-songwriter, all wrapped up in a good ol’ fashioned rock-and-roll bow, with leans into everything from Americana to something a bit more soulful. Stylistically, this band was a bit all over the place, but their vibe remained the same throughout their time on stage, and that vibe was nothing short of beautiful. Do you ever hear a song that just instantly makes you smile or instantly gets you a bit choked up by the beauty of the words or the meaning of the track? That happened over and over again as I watched The Long Honeymoon play through their set. Every song radiated positivity in a very relatable way. I wish I had been a bit more diligent in my note-taking during their set so I could reference certain songs and lines, but, truthfully, I was just in the moment and didn’t want to be distracted by my phone. I wanted their whimsical positivity to wash over me, and that’s exactly what I did.

This show was a release party for The Long Honeymoon’s new EP, ‘The Risk of Happiness.’ I loved getting to hear songs from the EP, and I also loved the fact that this band threw it back to some previous releases while playing brand-spankin’ new tracks that haven’t been released yet. In fact, they actually debuted a few songs on Friday night. Although everything was new to me, as I had done zero research on this band before setting foot into the show, I just loved the fact that they showed the audience they aren’t going anywhere. They may have literally just released a new EP, but they aren’t stopping there. I would expect to read about this band much more often on this blog, so do yourself a favor and get ahead of it. The Long Honeymoon has a few shows coming up, and I highly urge you to go check them out and let yourself be happy, even with all of the doom and gloom that surrounds us on a daily basis.

Closing out the Friday night show was The de’Lindas. I knew nothing about this group, but I instantly recognized some faces, like Becky Kapell and Gini Dodds. This seven-piece group started playing, and although it took someone else mentioning it to me, I realized it was a Linda Ronstadt tribute act. I’ll be honest, I know nothing about Linda Ronstadt. I’m of the wrong vintage, and my parents didn’t listen to music like Linda’s, so I really couldn’t relate to the set or sing-along like many of the other people in the audience, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the crap out of my time with this band. Their songs were fun, and hearing the members tell stories and just banter between tracks really made me fall in love with the act as a whole. I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to buy up a bunch of Linda Ronstadt albums today, as it just wasn’t my thing, but I would absolutely jump on the chance to see this group perform again.

Don’t get lost in the doom and gloom of the world. I know that’s easier said than done, but find your little spots of sunshine and eat them up. It was nothing but sunshine, love, and community at The Hook and Ladder on Friday, and it has definitely breathed life and energy into me, which I was in desperate need of.

Line Up:

Famous Volcanoes

The Long Honeymoon

The de’Lindas

Venue: The Hook & Ladder

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 52

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

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

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

Famous Volcanoes – 0

The Long Honeymoon – 0

de’Lindas – 0

Show on Deck – Barns Courtney / Belle and Chain

Shameless Self Promotion:

Join My Patreon Here!

Buy Me a Coffee (Seriously!)

Check out my playlist HERE!