Girl at the Rock Shows

Okay, this time I was beyond prepared. Protein bars, Liquid IVs, Tums, sunscreen, water, Tylenol, energy drinks, and the almighty allergy medicine. Nothing was going to stop me from enjoying the final day of Caterwaul. It had been a long weekend already, and my body was definitely feeling it, but the line-up on Sunday was just as amazing as the rest of the weekend, and I was ready to take it all in. Like the other two days, there are a lot of bands to get through here, so let’s just jump right in.

Sunday started right around 12:20 PM with a personal local favorite of mine- Battery Eyes. I feel like there was a time when I was seeing this band every couple of weeks like clockwork, but then it stopped. Being able to see them again on Sunday was amazing because, as they always do, they have aged like the finest of wines. From new to old songs, this trio may have been first on the docket of a long, hot day, but they didn’t hold back with their punk rock sound that blends something nostalgic with something fresh. From old standards of the band to a few newer tracks, Battery Eyes definitely set the stage for the rest of the day in a perfect way.

I honestly don’t even know how to describe the next band that took the stage. Flesh Narc is a band, or at least that’s what they say. If you ask me, it was more of an immersive art installation than anything else. Sonically, this band was not for me. It was mass chaos, which is typically right up my alley, but it was just a bit too avant-garde for me to follow. That being said, I was in love with this band because they performed with such a sense of conviction. Flesh Narc’s set wasn’t just music; it was also interpretive dance, featuring a member whose sole job was to dance around the stage, the ground, and even the rafters of the pop-up stage while carrying a bright pink bedsheet-like piece of fabric. Something about watching this dancer made me feel the cacophony of sound, not just hear it. Sure, not quite my thing, but it was entertaining and definitely eye-opening to a whole new world that I have not touched on much.

Baby Gurl is a Salt Lake City-based duo consisting of Chris Wadsworth on guitars and vocals and Jordan Fairbanks on drums and vocals. Although this band was clearly all business and played so perfectly well together, there was something carefree and fun about their set that helped us all get through the peak of the heat. Maybe it was the raunchy song titles and lyrics, or maybe it was just the smiles that consistently happened from both members. Either way, Baby Gurl’s set felt easy, breezy, and oh so very perfect.

Caterwaul is the kind of festival where you don’t ask questions. For example, I don’t want to know how Italy-based Cani Sciorri ended up on this bill. Instead, I just took it all in. Sonically, this trio did an amazing job of finding the balance between something so noisy and angsty that it may make your ears bleed with something a bit more accessible and, dare I say, mainstream. Okay, I don’t mean that this band ever sounds mainstream, but there are moments in their songs with a definite groove or an almost 90s kind of alt-rock vibe to it. It’s the kind of sound that keeps you on the edge of your seat (or on the tops of your toes since we were standing outside) but also one that is so easy to fall in love with. I know that Italy is a long way away from Minneapolis, but I hope this isn’t the last time I get to spend some time with this band.

Apparently, Sunday was the day of the trios because after the trio that was Cani Sciorri, it was time for We are the Asteroid. I didn’t know this when watching them on Sunday, but this band is a bit of a supergroup of sorts. With members from Butthole Surfers and Pain Teens, this band took the stage and instantly knew what to do, and that was to destroy everything and everyone with their sonic power and chaotic energy. Shredding guitar solos, blasting drums, We are the Asteroid seemed to stay on the path that Cani Sciorri had laid out. Digestible yet chaotic noise mixed with a more classic Amp Rep (meaning Amphetamine Reptile Records– a legendary record label) style.

I recently covered Buio Omega (the next band to take the stage), so I promise not to dwell on this local hardcore punk band, but come on, this band is absolutely perfect. From the severe vocals to the insane instrumentation, and all the way to the way they don’t just perform on a stage, they command it. I really cannot say enough about this band. It may have been hot and beyond sticky by the time they took the stage (there was a taste of storms in the air, but it never turned into anything more than a couple of sprinkles here and there), but that didn’t stop them, and I got what I always get from this band- pure, unfiltered, and perfect insanity.

What happened next is something that I will never forget. This festival was amazing, and I wholeheartedly loved every band that I got to see over the past three days, but Stress Positions absolutely took the cake. Hailing from Chicago, Stress Positions is one of those bands that doesn’t care what you think or what you want. They do them, and they do it perfectly. Vocalist Stephanie Brooks is a force and is the one in the group who caught my eye for the majority of their set. Her screams aren’t just screams. They are a blistering example of what the human voice can do, but what we don’t know about (if that makes sense). It’s the kind of scream that you wish you could do when you are having the toughest day ever, but when you try, you just can’t make it sound as insane or poignant as Stephanie does. Add in the fact that this band often sings about anti-colonialist and anti-capitalist themes, and you are left with a set that left my jaw on the ground. Chicago isn’t that far away, and even if I have to drive out there, I will be seeing this band again sooner rather than later. They blew my mind to the point where I don’t even have the words since I wasn’t ready for it, but I’ll be ready next time.

I’m not sure how to describe Bronson Arm, the next band to take the stage, other than minimalist sludge noise, but that’s what I’m saying, and I’m sticking with it. This duo is legendary in certain circles and, although that’s not in my circle, I instantly understood why. Blake Bickel on guitar and vocals, and Garrett Yates on drums, created a wall of sound that was inescapable, but why would anyone want to escape? The way these two play with everything from rhythms to space to silence to power is insane, and the way they do this all while creating pieces of art that tell a story is insane. Their set didn’t just act like music in the ears; it also acted like a class on sound, and it was a class that I will gladly take over and over again if given the chance.

Body Stuff from New York was up next. They completely flipped the book on the style of music that was ringing through the speakers and brought a very industrial, post-punk, and even doom-leaning kind of sound. With just vocals, guitar, and a computer, I loved the way that this duo was able to create a whole world with their sound and loved how, like some of the other bands, they kept me on my toes. Were you going to get a super dark and doomy kind of song or a song with a hook that was worthy of a pop superstar? Either way, listening and watching Body Stuff was an adventure of sorts, and it was perfect.

Call it synth-punk, call it no-wave, call it whatever you want. Portland-based Point Line Plane is doing it, and it’s a super cool sound that begs to be heard. I loved the way that their entire set (albeit a short set, as everyone only had about thirty minutes on stage) felt like a crescendo. Maybe that was on purpose, or maybe I am making this up because I had grown delirious just due to the overload of new music I experienced over the weekend, but I just loved that Point Line Plane seemed to start their set slow and steady and end with a boisterous kind of energy that laid the groundwork for the final set of the weekend.

Dazzling Killmen. That was the final band of the weekend and, truthfully, there wasn’t anyone better to fill this spot. After a show at Cloudland last year that I am still hearing about from other people and that I will always regret missing, Dazzling Killmen took the stage and, instantly, the energy of the audience changed. Instead of being laid-back and lingering towards the back of the parking lot, everyone had pushed up to the stage. Everyone wanted to get as close to this band as possible, and I instantly understood why. Although they have a super small discography, this band is legendary and monumental, and it’s not hard to hear that. They have complicated rhythms matched with complicated lines of notes, yet they somehow make it easy to follow. From moments that you want to bang your head a little bit to other moments where you just feel like flying away on some cloud, it’s truly insane how many different feelings and vibes this band can fit into just one song, let alone a full set.

And there you have it, my first full Caterwaul festival. I had to take Monday off work because I was just exhausted, sunburnt, and sore from everything, but more importantly, I felt like I needed to take some time to digest everything that I had experienced and heard over the weekend. I took in so much music. I found so many new bands to dig into, and I found a new favorite festival of the year. I don’t normally get to go to Caterwaul because it is typically over Memorial Day weekend, which is when I head to Las Vegas for Punk Rock Bowling, but, truthfully, I think that Caterwaul may win that battle if the two festivals land on the same weekend again. There was just something so charming and so chill yet so monumental about this festival. From the music to the bands to the people to the setting, everything just screamed a DIY, community-driven punk rock energy.

I can not praise the people behind this festival enough. A huge thank you to Zhora Darling for hosting this event both inside their amazing venue and outside in the adjacent parking lot and for keeping the cold water flowing. Big ups to all of the sound techs and stagehands that pitched in throughout this festival. So many bands in just three days is insane. The fact that it never got off track and rarely got off time was insane, and it always sounded so perfect. A massive thanks to Conan Neutron, Rainer Fronz, Melanie Thomas, and everyone else who has had a hand in creating this amazing festival. I mean, I could go on and on about why this was so amazing and why this festival is so important to the community, but truthfully, I have to get back to real life and get caught up on work, so I’ll just leave it at this:

Caterwaul is not just a music festival; it’s a gathering of like-minded people celebrating being weird and liking weird music. Nobody cared what you wore to this festival. Nobody cared if you did your hair or makeup or if you just got off of work or just woke up. There were many moments throughout the festival where there wasn’t a phone in sight. It was a festival for people who like music that maybe doesn’t fit a specific mold, but it fits the mold of being unique and creative. As their about section on their website says, “Caterwaul is more than a ‘music festival’, we are a community of people working together to make things happen. Many of them are noisy, and they definitely rock. It is not, however, Noise Rock.”

There’s life before your first full Caterwaul and then life after your first full Caterwaul. I hope you join me on the other side next year!

Line Up:

Battery Eyes

Flesh Narc

Baby Gurl

Cani Sciorri

We Are The Asteroid

Buio Omega

Stress Positions

Bronson Arm

Body Stuff

Point Line Plane

Dazzling Killmen

Venue: Zhora Darling

Smell-O-Meter: Heat, Sweat, BO

Average Age of the Crowd: 44

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 3 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

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

Battery Eyes – 4

Flesh Narc – 0

Baby Gurl – 0

Cani Sciorri – 0

We Are The Asteroid – 0

Buio Omega – 4

Stress Positions – 0

Bronson Arm – 0

Body Stuff – 0

Point Line Plane – 0

Dazzling Killmen – 0

Show on Deck – Witch Club Satan / Patriarchy

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