Girl at the Rock Shows

I’m ridiculously spoiled by the fact that I don’t have to buy tickets to all these shows I go to. I know how lucky I am, and I don’t take it for granted. When I talk to people and ask why they don’t go to more shows, the standard answer is always price. Ticket prices are insane, and although I don’t pay for most of mine, I still like to check what they are. I’m often appalled. $75 to see two bands? Asenine, if you ask me. No wonder people don’t go out much. That said, my response always comes back to the amazing free stages we have across the Twin Cities. From the White Squirrel in Saint Paul to the 331 in Northeast Minneapolis, a handful of places here have live music nightly with no cover charge. That being said, I’m not naive. That’s not where the big bands are playing. I get wanting to see the big bands and feeling frustrated that they don’t make their live shows accessible to the people who are just trying to keep a roof over their head. Enter: Militarie Gun. Militarie Gun is in the midst of a super amazing tour titled “$20 for 20 songs.” That’s right. Just one $20 bill gets you 20 songs from this amazing band plus more from a couple of openers. I know $20 isn’t just $20 anymore. That’s not even a tank of gas for my hybrid car at this point, but it’s also a super reasonable price for this tour package, and I was beyond thrilled when it made a stop at The Fine Line in downtown Minneapolis on Sunday night.

Virginia-based Dazy kicked off the night. I’ll be honest, it doesn’t feel right to say (or type) that this act is from Virginia because that’s not the vibe they give out. James Goodson’s solo project (with a guitarist joining on stage Sunday night) feels like California. It’s a fuzzed-out, almost 90s kind of alternative rock sound with a bit of a grungey take on vocals. It’s a cool and fresh sound that was highlighted by the bare-bones and dark performance on Sunday night. The only lighting on the stage was two side-by-side “walls” painted with light from a projector, creating an almost silhouette-only image of the band. It was simple (and frustrating as a photographer), but it was impactful and left you with very little other than the music, which, in Dazy’s case, was more than fine with me. Dazy wasn’t just singing to my soul; it was breathing a sense of life into me, and it was the perfect way to get the four-band bill started.

Following Dazy was a super short set (cut shorter by technical difficulties) from Shady Nasty. This was a brand-new name to me, but within the first few seconds of their set, I was beyond hooked and felt deeply connected to this act. I had to laugh a little when my friend turned to me and asked, “Is this singing?” That sounds like a harsh question, but she wasn’t totally wrong to ask it. Shady Nasty’s style is more spoken word against shattering guitar/bass and heavy drums. Think slight Touche Amore vibes mixed with an almost Hotel Books kind of style. It was hollow in some ways, but in others, it was so deep and powerful. I felt like I was watching someone read their diary in real time. It was raw, and even though I had never heard the words of this diary before or had any connection to the person speaking them, it was insanely cathartic. I’ll be the first to admit that Shady Nasty’s set wasn’t the most upbeat of the night and definitely wouldn’t be for everyone, but if you, like me, use music as a release, a kind of therapy of sorts, this is an act that you absolutely have to see.

Softcult was the final opening act on Sunday night. Hailing from Canada, Softcult is a shoegaze band formed by twin siblings Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn. Although I’m calling them a shoegaze band, don’t feel like you can just pass up this band. Sure, their sound felt a bit sleepy compared to the first two acts and what was to come, but a subtle, surprisingly delicious power lingered beneath the surface. Short moments of angst were shuffled into their shoegaze sound, with little elements of grunge scattered here and there to brighten it all up. Joined on stage by a few members to fill out the full band, I was instantly struck by vocalist Mercedes. It wasn’t just because she looked stunning (as did the rest of the group), but it was the way she stared into the audience. Almost daring you not to fall into her music with every passing note. I won’t say there was ever a time during Softcult’s set where the sound felt dangerous or even aggressive, but there was something about Mercedes’ million-yard stare that gave the set an element of that, and it was just what I needed to stay engaged through a set that, otherwise, would have drifted me off to a beautiful and peaceful slumber (which is not at all a bad thing, just not quite what I was in the mood for on Sunday night).

What I was in the mood for was Militarie Gun and, even though vocalist Ian Shelton was feeling a bit under the weather, this band delivered as they always do. Formed in Los Angeles back in 2020, Militarie Gun is one of those acts that seems to be quietly and patiently taking the scene by storm. I’ve seen them on a wide array of stages, from the super intimate 7th Street Entry to the insanely large Armory stage when they opened for Knocked Loose. The stages and crowd sizerowd  be constanchangeging for this ,band, but one thdoesn’t:hat’s the heart and pasthat they pack into every show they play (even if they aren’t all feeling 100%). Being able to see and feel that is exactly what the doctor ordered, and no matter how rough or rocky this week gets, Militarie Gun’s set will help me get through it.

Sonically, you could call Militarie Gun a hardcore-lite band. There are definitely hardcore elements and definitely a groove that will make you want to dance your heart out, but at the same time, like the ticket price, it’s accessible. It’s not ultra-heavy, not even ultra-emotional. There are songs that will make you smile and others that may get you lost in your own head, but, no matter what, you will have this feeling of Militarie Gun being by your side, like your biggest cheerleaders, and that’s something that you can’t teach a band; that’s something magical that happens when a band is just that good and doing it for all of the right reasons.

As promised, the crowd on Sunday night got 20 songs for their $20. If I counted right, it may have even been more than just twenty, but truthfully, my time was better spent enjoying the night, not counting the songs. As if that wasn’t enough of a bonus, we were treated to Militarie Gun’s song “Pressure Cooker,” which was done with the help of Dazy, so naturally, Dazy jumped on stage to help the band out. It’s definitely one of my favorite Militarie Gun songs right now, and being able to hear it in full, without recording vocals filling in Dazy’s parts, was a favorite moment of mine. I loved hearing “Do It Faster” and even “Very High.” Honestly, I could go down the whole set list and tell you at least one thing from each song that stood out to me, whether that came from the band or the audience, but we would be here all day if I did that, and honestly, I have a day job to attend to, so I’ll leave it at this: Militarie Gun is a band that deserves so much more than they are getting right now. Sure, they have shared some massive stages with killer, insanely big bands, but I feel like people don’t pay enough attention to what they are doing when they aren’t on those massive tours. Militarie Gun doesn’t just make music for people; they put on shows and tours for them. The accessibility that they are bringing back to the live music game is insane, and the way that, regardless of the size of the show, this band brings such a feeling of dedication, heart, passion, fire, and love is something that will keep me coming back time and time again.

Going to see live music right now is expensive. I get it. But that can’t be your excuse every night. There are bands out there that are trying to right this super messed-up industry. They are trying to give back to the people, to the fans, and trying to make it so everyone can experience the magic that is a live show. Militarie Gun could have charged more than double what they are charging for this tour, and they would have walked away with way more money, but at the end of the day, that’s not the point of music. Music is passion. Music is feeling. Music is life. Thank you, Militarie Gun, for bringing that focus back.

Line Up:

Dazy

Shady Nasty

Softcult

Militarie Gun

Venue: Fine Line

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 24

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 1

Mosh-ability- 7 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)-

Dazy – 0

Shady Nasty – 0

Softcult – 0

Militarie Gun – 6

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