By: Steve McPherson
 |
|
Alva Star headlined the HWTS 4th Anniversary Party - Photo by the RocknRollStar
|
You did it again, Mr. de Young, and this was your craziest plan yet. You even made it into Spin with this one! It's no secret that you can put together a pretty good bill in this town, but to do it with a bunch of bands with members who are either underage or barely 21 is a testament to the scene, these bands and this here fantastic website. Aside from headliners Alva Star, I hadn't heard of any of these bands six months ago, but one by one, I was blown away by the poise and focus of these young up-and-comers as their CDs made their way to my desk at the Pulse.
Well, except for The Debut's CD, which isn't finished. They're working on their debut (pun!) disc with Darren Jackson of Kid Dakota, the Hopefuls and (yup) headliners Alva Star. The Debut were getting ready to take the stage when I arrived just after 9 p.m. at the Turf Club, and there was already a good-sized crowd milling about. The Debut, The Alarmists and White Light Riot are all friends and very supportive of each other and the members of all the above bands (plus Stook and the Jukes) were already there to enjoy the festivities. Not that I'd expect any less of bands in Minneapolis, but it still always comes as a pleasant surprise (after my experiences running a band on the East Coast) when bands display this kind of camaraderie.
The HWTS gang was also here in full force: David de Young doing his best social butterfly impression and flitting about like a debutante at her coming out party; Andrea Myers talking with her parents; Zosia Blue manning Stook's merch table up on the Old Stage; and other assorted contributors meandering about.
The Debut hit the stage with some serious force. I had anticipated a lot of youthful exuberance at this show, and The Debut weren't about to let me down. After forming the band in Madison, Wisc., and playing there while going to school, they decided to stick together and move up to lead singer Ben Gurstelle's native Minnesota. So far it's worked out well and it's easy to see why: they've got an immediately appealing sound and know how to carry themselves on stage. Over the course of their set, they pulled out several chestnuts from the rock show handbook, including handclaps executed by the band en masse and the old instrument switcheroo, during which Gurstelle took over bass duties while bassist Alex Puetz picked up a trombone. Gurstelle's strong pipes and explosive energy belie his small physical stature and the energy and enthusiasm of drummer Ben Mulhern contributed greatly to their ability to get across to the already-assembled, most of whom had probably never heard the band before. Myers and de Young each independently pointed out to me how much better they had gotten since the last time they'd seen them. With Darren Jackson manning the decks, I have every confidence that their live chops will translate well to disc, and I'm already looking forward to the day when their album hits my desk.
 |
|
Jonathan Earl and Joshua Stuckey of Stook and the Jukes - Photo by Zosia Blue
|
Even without the help of vocalist Erin Heitkamp, Stook and the Jukes filled up the stage with two electric guitar, one acoustic, a keyboard, a bass and drums. Looking ready for the summer heat with his freshly shaved head, Josh Stuckey confidently led the Jukes through some warmly worn-at-the-elbow Americana that came as a welcome change of pace from the all-out energy of The Debut. Apparently Stook caught a bad haircut at Fantastic Sams, and that led to the head-shaving decision. It's really just another example of Stook's down-to-earth approach to just about everything; after all, this is a guy who recorded his album in his basement and seems to still have trouble believing that people are that interested in what he's doing. I caught him for the first time at the Terminal Bar for his CD release show and he has a knack for writing songs that already feel like well-known singalongs. My personal favorite is still "One Blue Teardrop," to which guitarist Jonathan Earl lent some particularly tasty licks. You just don't hear enough great guitar solos these days, and it's heartening to see that Stook's Band-influenced all-together-now vibe can slide in right between The Debut and The Alarmists thanks to the open-hearted generosity he seems to radiate from the stage. The family feel reached its apex on his last song, "A Song Is More Than Just A Song," for which all the musicians save Stook and his drummer put down their instruments to clap and sing along. More people were filing gradually in, and around this time, it really went from show to party.
 |
|
David de Young with the Alarmists - Photo by The RocknRollStar
|
David de Young jumped onstage at this point to sing and play guitar on two of his own tunes ("Your Boyfriend" and the Cure-quoting "Someday You're Gonna Find Me") with the Alarmists before they launched into their own set. Nobody's ever going to mistake Mr. de Young for Al Green (or hell, even Dennis De Young), but he was clearly having a great time playing the rockstar for his ten minutes onstage, and the feeling in the club was already tipped so far towards a relaxed good time that nobody was about to go all Simon Cowell on him.
 |
|
The Alarmists - Photo by the RocknRollStar
|
The temperature rose palpably the moment The Alarmists kicked into their first number proper. It's not that their music is so surprising or all that revolutionary, but rather that it's just so direct and well done. They had the fashion (ties and button-down shirts), the look (beanpole lean) and the sound together from jump, and almost immediately keyboardist Joe Kuefler began twitching spastically about the stage when his fingers weren't on the keys. It was as if he (and the rest of the band) were shot through with some kind of powerful energy that was almost visibly shooting from their joints whenever an elbow or a knee would bend. Whether or not it ever came to pass, I feel blessed to have been at so many shows where there was that ephemeral feeling that the band onstage was destined for big things, that maybe this was the show people would talk about being at or missing years from now. By the third song of The Alarmists' set, I had that feeling. If you've been reading the Pulse, you know I liked their EP, but their two best songs were their two first, neither of which appear on their album. It's always a good sign when a band has killer material ready to go right after they put out an album.
 |
|
White Light Riot - Photo by the RocknRollStar
|
But then again picking a favorite horse at this show was difficult. Ever since I first heard White Light Riot's album, I've known that they're destined for big things; it's just a matter of time. Andrea Myers jumped up to join them on flute for a tune, replacing the mellotron that appears on the album. She did a great job, not just with the flute, but dancing in convincing rock fashion and belting out some backing vocals. The Alarmists and White Light Riot back-to-back provided quite the one-two punch. Whereas The Alarmists have an angular, twitchy kind of energy live, White Light Riot is much more down the rock pipeline, with singer/guitarist Mike Schwandt in constant danger of pitching himself off the stage during the instrumental ass-kickings that pepper their tunes. Their facility for both hooks and guitar-hero-worthy bridges is admirable, and even more than their seemingly boundless energy, this is the thing that's going to carry them far.
By the time Alva Star tooke the stage, the show was beginning to feel a little like a binge-induced sugar high that had gone on for a little too long: this many talented bands with this much energy in a small space was intoxicating. But before it could go on much longer, Alva Star's steady hand arrived. There is no more treasured commodity than youth in American culture today, but singer/guitarist John Hermanson and Co. showed the whippersnappers present that there is pop life beyond your early twenties. Nobody was pogoing, nobody was diving off the stage, but Hermanson, Darren Jackson (on guitar and vocals), Brian Roessler (bass) and Eric Fawcett (drums) brought a clinic on how to write smart, catchy pop with sweet falsetto vocals and killer harmonies. Plus, Hermanson has the coolest guitar I've seen in a while: a big, vaguely United-States-shaped monster that must be made by Mosrite or something.
David de Young has just now forwarded me a link to photos from last night, and somehow, despite my best efforts, I missed out on cake. Honestly, by the end of Alva Star's comparatively mellow set, I was so wiped out that I had retreated to the Clown Lounge for some quality booth-time. I don't know how all the cats over at howwastheshow.com can run all over town most nights of the week checking out dozens of shows.
So how was the show? Great: full of youth, vim, vigor and all sorts of other things to make me feel old. I'm telling you: I got out of this show-reviewing racket just in time. I'll stick to prediction and leave the post-game report to the pros at HWTS, all right?
Location Info:
The Turf Club
Artist Info: Alva Star, Stook, The Alarmists, The Debut, White Light Riot
Share this story:
Article comments powered by Disqus