Girl at the Rock Shows

Saturday night at First Avenue was one of those highly anticipated shows for me. I’m always excited for any show because, at the end of the day, live shows are therapy for me, and I know I need loads of therapy for all of my issues, but, as I mention from time to time, I get more excited for some shows than others, and Saturday night was one of those shows. It wasn’t because of one band on the line-up, it was because of the whole dang thing. It was a stellar package of different forms of punk music, and although I had seen all the bands perform, I was stoked to see them all in rapid succession and left with some steam.

I just saw The Drowns about two months ago when they opened up for The Casualties at First Avenue’s smaller, neighbor venue- The 7th Street Entry. They left me obsessed that night, and I have had their music on repeat ever since, so I was excited to see how their sound and stunning energy would translate into the much larger First Avenue main room. Long story short, it translated perfectly. From this band’s angst to their flawless musicianship while keeping a very punk spirit alive, song in and song out, they nailed it and proved to me that they will be headlining shows like this in no time. Vocalist Aaron “Rev” Peters commanded not only the stage but the audience with ease, while Jake Margolis’s drumming kept the beat fierce, and bassist Andy Wylie kept everything steady and held down. Their music was flawless, and I loved the fact that I could actually sing along and let off some steam seeing them this time around, but it was their charm that I think really drew people into their world. Aaron explained that he was so sick at the 7th Street Entry show (he even admitted to turning to Jake, puking, but then swallowing it back down), so he was happy to be back in a sort of redemptive way. He may have been sick that night, but I feel like I fell in love with this band all over again on Saturday, proving that not even sickness is going to keep this band down. Mark my words, The Drowns are going to be the next big thing in the punk scene, and I can not wait to see them absolutely explode.

I don’t know what it is with the Twin Cities and bands being sick, but much like Aaron had been violently Ill the last time The Drowns were in town, I remember Efrem Schulz from Death By Stereo being super sick the last time they were in town last year at The Hook & Ladder. The story with this band is the same. They powered through and gave a flawless performance that night, but I was so excited to see them with Efrem being on his game because that is what makes a Death By Stereo show so dang addicting. Efrem comes off as so threatening, but, at the same time, a beacon of light for all to see. His vocals, like the overall tone of Death By Stereo, are powerful and angsty, but there’s something comforting about their tone. This is the kind of band that has blended multiple genres together and created a sound all of their own. You get everything from punk to metal, hardcore to thrash when listening to them, and I love how their energy matches that. Some songs make you want to mosh, others give you a bit of an euphoric feeling where it’s hard to keep your feet on the ground. No matter what song from what era of this tried and true band was performed on Saturday, they had the entire audience caught in the palm of their hands.

The mood in the room shifted into a more party-like atmosphere as The Suicide Machines took the stage. This makes sense as their ska influence in their punk sound is as strong as it is infectious. This performance was a playthrough of The Suicide Machines’ 1996 album ‘Destruction by Definition.’ Although I didn’t get hooked into this band’s orbit until their 2003 “A Match and Some Gasoline” album, I’ve spent many a day going down the rabbit hole that is The Suicide Machines’ extensive discography, and was excited to hear the classics from this band. They didn’t play around. It was an album playthrough without any tricks or saving the hits for the end. Clearly, people in the packed audience had their favorites on the album, and you could almost feel something in the air change as one of those favorites was coming up, but at the same time, nobody let a single moment of The Suicide Machines’ set pass them by. There was moshing, there was skanking, there were smiles, and there were crowd surfers. For people who think there’s no fun or no joy in punk and classify the genre as just “angry people listening to angry music,” I urge you to stop by a Suicide Machines show and not get lost in the glow of happiness that takes over the stage and audience alike.

Clearly, I was having a great time at this show, but I think I was the most excited to see The Bouncing Souls live. This band was my intro into hardcore. I don’t remember how or when, but I got my hands on their 1999 album ‘Hopeless Romantic,’ and it was game over. I loved how much grit there was behind their sound, but how there was also a positive energy behind it all. I could understand the lyrics (which was not the norm when it came to what I was listening to back then) and could feel the emotion, which was more than enough to have me hooked. I’ve been following this band ever since, and let me tell you, there’s been a lot to follow. The Bouncing Souls are workhorses. They have released thirteen albums dating back to 1994, and it felt like they touched on most of them on Saturday night.

Here’s the thing about The Bouncing Souls– they never change. That may be the kiss of death for some bands in the music industry, but not for this New Jersey-based punk band. Throughout the set, we heard songs from albums that date back decades and a few songs from their brand new album ‘Born to Be.’ I suspect that, unless you know their catalog, you never would have guessed that. Each song radiated fun and positivity while having just enough of a punk and hardcore-leaning edge to turn the audience into a sweaty mess of limbs. With three of the four members being original members from the band’s start back in 1989, it was clear and easy to see the unspoken connection that these men have with each other, and it leaned into a set of true perfection. Vocalist Greg Attonito admitted that it wasn’t always like that and admitted that on their first-ever stop at First Avenue nearly thirty years ago, they had their first-ever band brawl. He went on to mention that Conrad (legendary stage hand who tragically passed away last year) was the only one who saw it, and to this day, they really haven’t had a brawl like that. This story took mere seconds, but as someone who knew Conrad and misses him dearly, and has noticed that now that Conrad’s passing is a bit in the rearview for many, it made me appreciate this band for a whole other reason. Not only are they killer musicians, but they are also beautiful people who actually genuinely care and put love into everything they do.

At one point during The Suicide Machines’ set, vocalist Jason Navarro took a second to shout out the Minneapolis scene. He name-dropped Dillinger Four, The Slow Death, and a few other people, but then went on to say, “You have a beautiful scene here, Minneapolis. Take care of it.” Simple words. Words that I believe to my core and words that are the reason I do what I do here. I honestly couldn’t say it any better, and out of all of the amazing moments of Saturday night at First Avenue, that was the one that hit me the hardest.

Line Up:

The Drowns

Death By Stereo

The Suicide Machines

The Bouncing Souls

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: Sweat and BO

Average Age of the Crowd: 42

Crowd Surfers- Saw 4 but I’m sure there were more

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 9 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)-

The Drowns – 1

Death By Stereo – 2

The Suicide Machines – 1

The Bouncing Souls – 3

Show on Deck – Pullstring / The Dalmatian Club / Call Me Fritz / Syncline

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