Girl at the Rock Shows

I don’t typically get overly excited for the weekend. Although I usually get a little break from work and don’t have to go into my day job, weekends feel just as busy as weekdays, so the thrill is gone; that wasn’t the case this week. By the time Friday rolled around, I was excited for the weekend. Although I knew I was going to be busy, I was just excited to actually have a weekend at home before skipping town next week for yet another whirlwind of a trip. I needed the perfect soundtrack and show to kick off my planned cozy weekend, and I found that at The Cedar Cultural Center on the West Bank of Minneapolis on Friday.

My introduction to the opening act, Whispered the Rabbit, was all the way back in 2023. Although I haven’t been able to catch them since that fateful night at the 7th Street Entry, this is a band I never stopped thinking about. They had me hooked, shocked, in awe, and in love, so, yeah, anticipation was high as I arrived at The Cedar with a few minutes to spare before their set. I was clearly excited. I tried to keep up a conversation with some friends I had run into, but truthfully, my head wasn’t there. My head was already firmly planted in Whispered the Rabbit’s world, and when the house lights went down and the music started, this local band whisked me away from the real world and into a fantasy dream.

Whispered the Rabbit are not just song makers; they are storytellers. They are guides through a fantasy world that, for me, leans into an almost Alice in Wonderland kind of style. Their folk-meets-punk sound comes with a side dish of Disney magic. I wish I could expand on that, but it’s hard. Basically, every song this band performed felt like a movie, but it wasn’t just a soundscape from a movie. The way this band plays with all of their hearts, not just their instruments, puts you firmly planted in the movie that they are soundtracking. There are gentle moments of sweet slumber followed by triumphant clashes of tones and power that feel like an epic battle scene out of something like Lord of the Rings. This is all over the place, I get that, but that’s also the magic of this band. I have so much to say about them and want you all to check them out, but words escape me because I spent their time on stage lost on an epic journey of imagination and magic, and that was the perfect way to kick Friday night off.

Following the journey that was Whispered the Rabbit was a short and sweet set from Lucy Michelle. I’ll be honest, this was a new-to-me name, but after digging into her a bit this morning, I’m realizing that she is definitely not new to the local scene. Lucy is known as the frontwoman of gypsy-pop outfit Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles. I have never heard of this band, but between this band being called “gypsy-pop” and what I got from Lucy’s “solo” set on Friday, I know I will be doing some more digging into everything Lucy as this weekend unfolds.

I put “solo” in quotes because, although Lucy clearly led, she was joined by an incredible band on Friday night. Like any seasoned professional band, the members behind Lucy knew when to give and when to take. They let Lucy’s insanely smooth and super emotive voice shine through the haze of their indie-pop-based instrumentation in a way that wasn’t just genius, but really drew you into Lucy’s world. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes when I see someone I don’t know perform, I feel instantly connected to them and find myself inching closer and closer to the stage without really noticing. That’s what happened on Friday night when Lucy Michelle performed. There was just something so beautiful and so welcoming about her spirit. You could feel it in her word choice and the way every song seemed to be straight from the heart, and you could feel it in the way she stared into the crowd. It was subtle, but there was this almost intimidating glance that she would shoot from time to time that would almost dare you not to pay attention to her. Don’t worry, Lucy. You had my attention and the attention of everyone else in attendance. What a great intro for me into the world of Lucy Michelle– a world that I do not plan on leaving any time soon.

Both Whispered the Rabbit and Lucy Michelle were flawlessly awesome on Friday night, and I love the fact that they both came together to celebrate the album release show for the headlining act, Ancient Waves. I have only had one run-in with Ancient Waves, and that dates all the way back to 2023 when they opened for The Good Life. I’ll be honest, I remember very little about that show, but as soon as Ancient Waves took the stage on Friday night and jumped into a playthrough of their new debut album, ‘Dreams I Fly In, Dreams I Die In’, I remembered who this is. Ancient Waves is a band that balances fun with professionalism without blinking or missing a beat. I feel like they really showcase that in all their new songs. Each song is a bit catchier and a bit more infectious than the last, but the way this band delivers such an insane amount of emotion never falters. Even if this group is playing a track that makes you want to dance, it will have your head swirling in a bowl of emotions and hidden thoughts. They bring something out in you in a way that a lot of bands try but fail, and the kicker is that it feels like Ancient Waves isn’t even really trying for it– it just happens.

Although Ancient Waves definitely has a sound, something new and unique came through in every song they performed Friday night. Maybe it was a harmonica, or maybe it was a particular line of notes from the guitar or a specific drum fill; I love how this band is so firmly planted in their world but still finds little surprises to offer here and there. I feel like it made their set on Friday night glitter in such a beautiful, exciting way. It kept me engaged while also keeping me falling deeper and deeper into Ancient Waves’ world to the point where, when driving home, I couldn’t do anything but listen to the album because that’s all I could really think about. I wanted to find every nook and cranny of every song. This isn’t something that will happen after just one listen; I know that, but that’s okay. I have no problem letting this new album be the soundtrack to my entire weekend.

Much like what happened in the two opening sets, I got lost in Ancient Waves’ world. Although it was a completely different vibe from the fantasy-like dream of Whispered the Rabbit and the more Americana-pop journey of Lucy Michelle, it fit the vibe of the night. It was energized but calm. Bright but cozy. It was everything I needed to set myself up for success when it came to wanting to be super productive this weekend.

Line Up:

Whispered the Rabbit

Lucy Michelle

Ancient Waves

Venue: The Cedar Cultural Center

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 37

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

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

Whispered the Rabbit – 1

Lucy Michelle – 0

Ancient Waves – 1

Show on Deck – The Matches / Crooked Teeth

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