By: Zosia Blue
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Tuesday's Robot - Photo from the their website
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September 15th; Tuesday’s Robot at the Acadia Café
I’m always in awe at the sound guy’s perilous undertaking at the Acadia. He runs the show balanced from a shaky-looking wooden contraption suspended from the ceiling in the far-right corner of the room. The sound is always fairly sharp at the place, however, so he must not be terribly afraid of heights. A quick run-down of the rest of the venue: big, warmly-lit outer room with small booths for the lone laptopper, to bigger tables for friendlier groups. Great beer on tap. The music room has stadium seating, cabaret tables and a smallish, bare stage. Bathrooms are behind the black velvet curtains.
Tuesday’s Robot (www.tuesdaysrobot.com) played second and man, these guys are solid. The duo is Rick Robot and Andrew Bartelson, also members of rock band Great Big Dreams (www.greatbigdreams.net) and the old-timey group, The Como Ave Jug Band (www.juglife.com). The two have a Violent Femmes approach to their between-song banter, and a sound that crosses The Band with Bob Dylan. Robot’s folk song-writing is infused with his pop and grunge-rock youth, so his tunes have catchier hooks and harder melodies than I’ve heard with many folk performers. TR was on that night, filling the silences with zingers and anecdotes (Robot: “This guitar is tuned down, so it’s like a reverse capo without the actual capo.” Andrew: “And this is my reverse capo bass drum.”). They ended the evening with a nasty song (in the good rock way) on an electric guitar plugged into the tiniest amp I’ve ever seen. They have a few demos available, both recorded on a 4-track in Robot’s basement. The two prefer this underground approach to their music, though there were hints they might be going into the studio in the near future.
September 21; Andrew “Cadillac” Kolstad and the Como Ave Jug band at the 331
The 331 Club has high ceilings, a squat stage and delicious food. (Where else in the Cities can you find deep-fried hush puppies?) The booths have a deep mahogany mobster appeal and the space is small, but there’s just enough room for a vertically-aligned crowd to pack in and dance.
Cadillac Kolstad (www.millcitymusic.com/artist/Andrew_Cadillac_Kolstad), with slicked hair and a too-small suit, looks like Bif from the <i>Back to the Future</i> movies and has knees like Elvis. He plays boogie-woogie piano and his set was an act, in the purest sense. His voice, his shtick, his rolly-neck head gestures took everyone back to a different time. I instantly felt underdressed in jeans – where was my poodle skirt? Shouldn’t I be drinking a chocolate malt with two straws? Kolstad is fabulously talented, with a Bobby Darrin voice and songs that manage to incorporate the phrase “rock cocksucker” with 50s doowop chords. He played to a loud, rowdy crowd, including one guy who stood at the piano and cheered Kolstad on, punctuating the air with fists. Kolstad makes happy music and while it’s inspired from another decade, there isn’t a sense of plagiarism – his songs felt fresh and a much-needed addition to the scene. Cadallic, who’s been featured on A Prairie Home Companion, plays at the Varsity on most Happy Hour Thursdays.
The Como Ave Jug Band, with ten members, barely squeezed on the stage. Because of this, lead singer Ken Tyborski (also a bassist in Death to Our Enemies) was in the shadows for the first hour, but the tip of his cowboy hat managed to reflect some light. The band opened with their famous Irish drinking song, this time beginning the tune with a soulful sax solo by Josh Leonard. As usual, their set was a huge, beautifully sloppy cacophony of spoons, washboard, banjo and country yodeling. The audience crowded the stage and danced, while spoon-player, Matt Simmons, usually fairly hyper, was the poster-child for ADD, furiously slapping his thighs with the spoons, standing on his chair and hollering into the crowd. I’ve seen the jug band several times, and this was the most raucous set I’d witnessed. Their songs are audience sing-along friendly, so even those who hadn’t seen them before were swaying, swinging the necks of their beers and chanting along. Their new show is October 8th at the Midtown Market on Lake Street, and I’d enthusiastically recommend seeing them in an outdoor venue where the members can spread out and bring along the official Jug Band dog, Scrappy.
September 22: Vicious Vicious at the City Pages 26th Anniversary Party, Varsity Theater
I saw exactly five songs of the Vicious Vicious set at the City Pages 25th Anniversary Party before the flu I’d been working on that week overtook and I had to, grudgingly go home. The Varsity was in its Sunday best that night and by Sunday best I mean dripping candelabras and huge, swoopy ribbons hanging from the ceiling. Plates of desserts and Hors d'oeuveres smothered the outside bar and with the whos-who of the Minneapolis writing scene chatting in each corner, I sort of felt like I’d walked into another company’s employee party. Even so, the company put on a fantastic show.
I’ve recently written about the Vicious, but I think it’s worth saying again: find me a more engaging pop-rock band on the scene and I’ll find you…uh, I’ll think of something later. Even with a fever and a general feeling of death surrounding me, I was still inspired to move into the crowd, at least to watch Erik Appelwick’s facial expressions. The man is theatrical, in face only – the rest of his body stays casual-cool, but his face acts out each sentimental line. His voice is near CD quality, too. What can I say? I love these guys, and feel inspired creatively when I see them. They’re a must-see on the local scene.
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Seymore Saves the World at the Hexagon - Photo by David de Young
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September 24th: Chris Von Sneirden and Seymore Saves the World at the Hexagon
My first trip to Hexagon. The Hexagon feels plopped down in the middle of nowhere and upon first entrance, I asked myself, “VFW?” It doesn’t have the true VFW people feel of, say, Lee’s Liquor Lounge, but the tiny front area with the old wallpaper and dark lighting does have the aura of a Masonic Lodge. As more people filed in, however, I began to see the appeal – the front room is cozy, the tables are actual hexagons and the sound is fantastic. There’s a larger bar in back with pool tables, but the action centered in front of the stage.
It was a drunken night. There was rumor of a pre-show party, which would explain the several dancing, yelling and hugging inebriated musicians flailing happily through the crowds. One local musician even arrived in a military uniform, complete with a white Marines Corps hat. Another musician, with entirely pleasant intentions, stormed the stage, while a friend gently pulled him back and the two began a slow and authentic looking waltz. It was one of those Minneapolis nights for which you cross your fingers.
Chris Von Sneirden, an acoustic guitarist from San Franciso, opened the show and while his music was fairly good with striking, specific lyrics, his banter between sets was painful. He was witty, but most of his material consisted of harassing audience members who chose to grab a smoke outside or leave the room. He demanded water from the barkeeps (he mentioned this was a joke, but it fell flat) and ordered the crowd to be quiet. He was an obviously experienced and proficient musician, so I hope the attitude was a result of hitting the end of his three-week tour.
Seymore Saves the World (www.seymoresavestheworld.com) set up next, and while I only caught about half their set, I was impressed, as usual. The band is most often compared to Ben Folds, but I’m unsure – Scott Hefte’s voice is certainly reminiscent of Folds, but the band’s sound is edgier and tougher. At one point, Hefte intensely wails, “’Don’t want me,’ she said, ‘I really don’t want to,’” and Hefte, a sweet-mannered, nicest-guy-in-the-world in person, managed to make the line sound heart-breaking and ominous. Their music is danceable, but also something to listen to in headphones on dark fall nights. That night’s show was exciting, especially with all the crowd-inspired nuttiness. You can catch some of their Mp3s on their MySpace, http://myspace.com/seymoresavestheworld.
Location Info:
Acadia Café
Artist Info: Andrew "Cadillac" Kolstad, Chris Von Sneirden, Como Avenue Jug Band, Seymore Saves the World, Tuesdays Robot, Vicious Vicious
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