Girl at the Rock Shows

When was the last time you felt pure joy? I’m not talking about the last time you smiled or laughed; I’m talking about the last time you forgot about everything happening in your life and around the world. It doesn’t last long. It never could, with how insane everything is all around us these days, but when was the last time you felt pure joy for just a few seconds? If you were at the Fine Line in downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday night, the answer would be Wednesday night.

The epic night of joy started with The Best of the Worst from New Jersey. There was no ramping into the night of music. This band took the stage and instantly made the room feel comfortable and fun with their hardcore-meets-ska sound. You had a trombone and a definite “pick it up” kind of beat throughout their songs, but you also had these intense, trombone-led breakdowns scattered throughout their quick set that not only set the stage for a super fun night, but also started to loosen you up as an audience member. I had never heard of this band before, but by the time they jumped into their second song, I found myself neglecting my cameras and just letting my heart do what it wanted. I danced, I smiled, I felt a feeling of angst release during the breakdowns; really, this was one of the most cathartic ska sets I had ever seen, and it was beyond perfect. The Best of the Worst is not a new band. They have actually been around for over a decade, yet this was their first time playing in Minneapolis. The band joked that they would see us in another twenty or so years and, although I laughed out loud at that, I hope it wasn’t true because this is a band I could see night after night and not get sick of it.

Up next was Bad Operation– a band that blends New Orleans flavors with a classic ska sound. I had seen this band perform only one other time and, truthfully, I didn’t remember it much —or at least I didn’t think I did. As soon as the band took the stage, I remembered exactly who this was. The way Bad Operation can fill you up with an undeniable sense of energy yet come off as one of the most chill and laid-back ska bands out there will never make sense to me, but will always leave me captivated. Much like during The Best of the Worst’s set, I found myself neglecting the camera and focusing on my soul. My soul needed Bad Operation’s sound. I needed the new-tone ska sound and the breath of fresh air that is this band’s music. I needed the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader-quality high kicks from the bassist, and I needed the feeling of fire and passion that constantly radiates from vocalist Dominic Minix, but, most of all, I just needed their positivity, and I got all of those things and more during Bad Operation’s time on the Fine Line stage.

I knew what was about to happen next would be epic. I have seen Kill Lincoln a couple of times before and, every time, they leave me absolutely speechless. I was determined not to let Wednesday night’s performance be another one of those nights where this DC-based band left me lost for words, but, like the previous times I have seen these guys rock it, I am completely without words when it comes to describing their set. It’s chaos. It’s a fury of horns, dancing, and joy all mixed together with a veil of one of the most beautiful senses of community you can possibly get from a show. Complete with their own dancer who does a great job of getting the crowd going and isn’t afraid to jump into the crowd himself, it’s impossible just to stand there and listen to this band. You’re either dancing, or your heart is fluttering. Either way, Kill Lincoln is a band that, when seen live, seeps into your soul and, when they leave a stage, takes a little part of your heart with them. It didn’t matter how bad your Wednesday was. It didn’t matter how bad your week, month, year, or decade had been. None of that mattered the second this band took the stage, and I’ll be willing to bet you didn’t think about any of those dark and twisty things that make up life while they were playing. All you thought about was joy, pure joy, and, had I had my way, it never would have ended. (Also, happy birthday Tyler– the drummer– who proved on Wednesday night that you can be 40 years old and still play in a ska band.)

Closing out this epic Wednesday night show was the JER band. I had never heard of JER, let alone their band walking into this show, or at least that’s what I thought. I instantly recognized JER’s voice as the voice behind Skatune Network. I don’t know much about Skatune Network, but I know their ska-styled covers of pop-punk jams are a staple of my daily playlists, so I was stoked when I put this together. This is neither here nor there because on Wednesday night, JER (born Jeremy Hunter) wasn’t part of Skatune Network. They were part of the JER Band, and it was lovely. The JER Band’s set was more than just an exploration of positive music and good vibes; it was a political statement in many different ways. From talking about how terrible capitalism is (and then proceeding to try and sell merch because, as JER explained it, consumerism or something– honestly, it was a long spiel that lost my interest fairly quickly for some reason) to talking about just the current stage of the world, I loved how the JER Band was able to take super serious and important issues and bring light to them while still providing a light for your soul in the way of super fun and infectious ska music.

Okay, I breezed through that and feel like I didn’t do the best job laying out how amazing the sounds of each of these acts were, but that was not the point of Wednesday night’s show. It wasn’t about the individual bands; it was about the community. I’m talking about the community vibe that is Bad Time Records —the label that umbrellas all these bands and many more super amazing ska and ska-adjacent bands. I’m talking about the community vibe that is musicians having fun together. There wasn’t a single band that graced the stage and didn’t invite other musicians from the other performing acts, and even local legend Saxton from Runaway Ricochet and Otter Heist to join them on stage. I’m talking about the community vibe that comes with live music. I swear that concerts are one of the few places on the planet where you can truly be yourself. Nobody cared who you were on Wednesday night. Nobody cared what you were wearing, what you did during the day, what you were drinking, what you were going to do after the show– none of that mattered. All that mattered was coming together to celebrate the one thing that brings us all together and the one thing that keeps us all hanging on day after day in this super messy world. We were there to celebrate music and joy, and that’s exactly what happened.

Find your joy. Go to a show.

Line Up:

The Best of the Worst

Bad Operation

Kill Lincoln

The JER Band

Venue: Fine Line

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 31

Crowd Surfers- 3

Stage Divers- 2

Dance-ability- 12 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

Twisted “Sk”ankles – 1

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

The Best of the Worst – 0

Bad Operation – 1

Kill Lincoln – 2

The JER Band – 0

Show on Deck – Dirty Dancing : The Musical

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