Girl at the Rock Shows

Last Monday was Día de los Muertos. Did you miss it? I’ll admit, I did, given everything else happening this week, but I still got to celebrate the beautiful holiday on Saturday night at Amsterdam Bar & Hall in Saint Paul, thanks to some amazing people, bands, and organizations.

I was a bit surprised when I walked into the familiar venue to find a very unfamiliar setup. The “bar” portion of this venue was packed with tables of people selling some amazing homemade goods, from bright and colorful sugar skulls to taxidermied oddities like butterflies and bugs. Between the tables was a live painter who was creating an absolutely stunning canvas of a guitar while groups of people lingered around. Some were looking at the goods and making their purchases; others were just lingering and chatting with friends and strangers who quickly became friends. It was a very, very cool vibe, and my tired soul was quickly awakened as I walked through it all and came to the center of the room where there was a gorgeous ofrenda. An ofrenda is a shrine or offerings that is set up during Día de los Muertos that welcomes, honors, and guides spirits back to the living world. The ofredna was full of pictures of people and pets and decorated with flowers, candy, cookies, and, of course, sugar skulls. Something about this struck me. It was painful to take a look at the photos of smiling faces that are no longer on this planet but, at the same time, it was beautiful and this is what set the stage for Saturday night’s show.

There were seven bands and a DJ on this lineup, so I need to get on and tell you about the music of the night, but before I do, I want to give a huge shout-out to the organizers of this event. They didn’t just give me a concert; they gave me an event. Named ‘Tjhe Marigold De Muertos,’ I got to check out some amazing bands but also learned about the culture and lore behind Día de los Muertos. From learning more about the ofrenda to learning about the importance of marigold flowers, I feel like this event did a great job balancing education and fun. On top of that, all proceeds from a raffle were going to Urban Ventures – a non-profit based in South Minneapolis that does a little bit of everything, from educating kids to focusing on family and building a community. Seriously, I can not praise the organizers of this enough. Not only did they put on a great event, but they also gave it a very important and beautiful meaning. I could honestly write a whole post about everything I learned on Saturday night and the insane amount of love and sense of community floating through the air, but that’s not what this blog is about. This blog is about the music, so let’s get to it.

Akko – I’m the worst and didn’t get any photos of Akko, for which I truly apologize, but the way this DJ set the stage for the night by spinning some music before the show and then led us all out back into the real world with ease by performing again at the end of the night was perfect. The music fit the night and had a very “Akko” vibe. Sure, it was a little EDM and a little techno, but like all the bands about to take the stage, the mix had blood, sweat, and tears in it, and I loved that.

Refute – Although I had never seen this band before, I knew I was in for a treat before they even hit the stage. Fronted by Katy Kelly (one of the best local photographers and a true gem of a human), Refute didn’t hold back, bringing a hardcore punk sound to the forefront while warming everyone up for the rest of the epic night. I loved how their sound felt super new and innovative in the way they crafted their songs, but at the same time, it felt so familiar. Taking nods from hardcore punk bands of days gone by and adding their own flair for the dramatic and the heavy, Refute may have started as just being my friend’s band when I walked into this show, but I walked away with a new obsession.

Taste of Vervain – This band brought more of a metal sound to the night, but the vibe was all punk and all love. Vocalist Justin Ward was all energy and all fire, but something almost tender came through in some of the vocals he shouted into the microphone. This tenderness was amplified by him taking a second to bring attention to the many missing and murdered Indigenous women of the world and the Twin Cities specifically. If you don’t know what’s going on there, you need to change that. I suggest you do some research and let Taste of Vervain be the soundtrack.

Angelshot – I don’t think this band got the response they wanted from the audience. I don’t remember the exact quote, but before playing a song, they said something to the effect of, “Destroy this place.” Obviously, they didn’t mean it, but they wanted people to get a bit rowdy during their set. I feel like the audience wasn’t quite rowdy, but that didn’t stop this local hardcore band from giving them everything they had. Their set, like their sound, was abrasive and intense, performed with an insane amount of passion that you could hear in every word and feel in every drop of sweat that hit the stage.

Nuisance – I’ll be honest, my history with this band is a bit checkered, to say the least. It’s not that I don’t like this band; I do, and they have been a constant in the local scene for decades, and I will always love a band that sticks with it as long as they have. That said, their sound has never been my thing, and I’ve gotten flak in the past for some of the comparisons I’ve made, so I won’t go there again, but I will say I loved that they were on this lineup. Known for a bit more of an older audience, I felt like Nuisance used this chance to win over the hearts of some younger fans in the scene, and it worked. Even if the music wasn’t for you, you surely fell in love with the conviction and energy this band gave off, and it made my heart so happy.

Evernorth – This was not my first time catching this local metalcore act, and it surely won’t be my last. To say that this group brings power and intensity to the stage would be a painful understatement. I love how this band balances classic metalcore, almost djent-leaning sounds with vocals that feel a bit more angelic. Okay, maybe angelic is the wrong word here, as there is nothing less than intense about their sound or set, but there was just this balance of intensity and beauty throughout their short time on stage that left me stunned on Saturday night, just like it has every time I have seen them in the past.

Fallingwithscissors – The final band of the night, Fallingwithscissors wasn’t ready to let people drift back into the real world; they wanted to blast us all out there with energy and angst. Mission accomplished. The last time I saw this band was last summer at a random, sweaty Legion Hall basement show. I loved them that night, but I was distracted by the unfamiliar venue and the sheer heat. I had no distractions on Saturday night. It was just me, the music, and the energy, and, let me tell you, it was a perfect way to end my evening and the celebration that had been this beautiful event.

I went to this show alone as I do most of the time, but something was different here. Within minutes of getting situated, I had made a new friend who lived in the neighborhood and decided to come down and check out the show. After chatting with him, I made my way towards the stage to get ready to get some photos and was instantly called out as being Girl at the Rock Shows. As the night went on, I chatted more with the guy who called me out. It turns out that we were at the same show about seven years ago, and he stage-dived right into me and my cameras. He felt the need to apologize, and I couldn’t help but laugh because I truly don’t remember the moment, but I’m sure it happened. What I’m trying to say here is that this was one of those shows where you may have walked in alone and maybe even a little nervous and feeling out of place, but within just minutes, you had a new friend or were chatting with someone about something. Already a beautiful event, this element made The Marigold de Muertos a truly fantastic time and one that I can’t wait to go back to when they do it all over again next year.

Line Up:

Akko

Refute

Taste of Vervain

Angelshot

Nuisance

Evernorth

Fallingwithscissors

Venue: Amsterdam Bar & Hall

Smell-O-Meter: The amazing french fries of Amsterdam

Average Age of the Crowd: 27

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- None

Passed Out People- None

Celebrity Sightings – Members of By the Thousands

Overall Score – 8 out of 10

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

Akko – 0

Refute – 0

Taste of Vervain – 0

Angelshot – 0

Nuisance – 4

Evernorth – 2

Fallingwithscissors – 1

Show on Deck – War and Treaty

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