By: Karla Ludzack
Saturday night was my night to catch up on bands I haven't heard enough of the last couple years. It was also my first time back in the 7th Street Entry since the reopening of First Avenue.
Not much has changed at The Entry, and that's a good thing. For sight lines and sound, The Entry has always been the best place to see live music in town.
Most of the people I knew at Saturday's show were there to see Jason Molina and The Magnolia Electric Company, the recent reformation of Songs: Ohia as a rock band. Molina hasn't played around the Twin Cities nearly enough lately, and some of my friends have had to go to Milwaukee, Chicago, and L.A. to hear him. This winter, however, Magnolia Electric Company and The Winter Blanket put together the “Polar Bear” Tour with Minnesota dates including Duluth and Moorhead as well as Minneapolis. The Entry show Saturday was one of their final dates together, with local band Valet filling in the headlining slot.
The Winter Blanket hails originally from Illinois and consists of former members of the band Darling among others. Their sound is layered, soft, and mellow, but has a strong back beat. Vocal and songwriting duties are traded between Doug Miller and Stephanie Davila. This four-piece provided a pleasant opening set for Molina and company.
When I last saw Jason Molina a couple years ago, he was doing a solo acoustic opening set for Damien Jurado in The Entry. Although that set was haunting and showcased Jason's vocal stylings superbly, Saturday night’s show really rocked! I don't know where Molina found his lead guitarist, but the guy was a joy to watch. Molina is no hack on electric guitar himself, and the combination of the two guitars was nicely rounded out by drums, bass, and keyboards. Then there were the lyrics. They have a depth that would make any songwriter proud, and Molina delivers them with a sense of urgency that falls somewhere between a scream and a whisper.
After hearing about these shows from friends around the world, I'm glad I had the opportunity to see them for myself. The Neil Young and Crazy Horse comparisons I have heard are apt, and at the rate Molina is releasing new material, he could give Neil a run for his money over the next 30 years
My friends and I seemed to be in the minority as headliners Valet seemed to be creating the most buzz on the night's bill. I thought I had seen Valet before and been disappointed, but I stuck around for part of their set and realized that I had, in fact, been quite mistaken. I don't know how I'd managed to miss them all this time because they are definitely worth seeing. Singer Robin Kyle's Greg Norton-esque handlebar mustache is one thing I would have remembered. The impressive guitar fills from Ashtray Heart and everyone's favorite math teacher Steve Yernberg is another. Valet turned out to be a pleasant surprise to wrap up my first night back at The Entry. Not knowing what to expect, I was pleased to hear a clever power pop set from these guys and I'll definitely be checking them out again. I look forward to hearing their 2004 release, Life On The Installment Plan.
Location Info:
7th Street Entry
Artist Info: Magnolia Electric Company, The Winter Blanket, Valet
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