By: Bob Longmore
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A Night in the Box - Photo by Alexa Jones
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Channeling some spiritual forces, A Night in the Box closed out the saga of Homegrown. The nascent immigrant- bluegrass- revival-punk rockers were the last band to play live on the beloved local music show that aired for over a 10-year period on Twin Cities airwaves. The band also has the final song on the new compilation put out by the Homegrown staff, Silage: Foreclosure and Eviction. Not-so-coincidentally chosen to round out the funeral celebration, A Night in the Box proved that it wasn’t just out of a sense of symmetry that they should have that honor. The band, in dress appropriate for their grandfathers, showed depth and skill that belie their young faces. Old souls they are, straddling gospel themes, square-dance rhythms and deal-with-the-devil blues, the band seemed to be floating on a plane. They connected with the deceased spirit of Homegrown and celebrated pain, joy and sorrow like a good eulogizer should. When I die, I want A Night in the Box to stomp, clap and sing on my grave.
True to their dedication to local music, the Homegrown staff fit six local bands performing on two stages into one night of music, and still found time to fit in a funeral. Homegrown host Dave Campbell, dressed in a priest’s collar, joined A Night in the Box on stage towards the end of their set. Strapping on his steel finger-tipped gloves, Campbell’s washboard playing fit in perfectly with what the band was doing. Doing his best bluesman holler, singer Clayton Hagen made believers out of the audience. Several numbers evolved into spirited improvisations, including the final song, which seemed to go on forever. It morphed from a bluegrass testimonial, to a gospel shout-along, to a Eastern European celebration. Each change came with its own crescendo, and then the band would back off just enough to build the fervor back up, bringing the crowd to the edge of seduction. By the end of the night, the band had converted us all. If they’d asked us to drink poison, I think there would have been news trucks and police vans in St. Paul on Sunday morning.
While A Night in the Box certainly ended the night in frenzy, there was plenty of talent building up that point. I arrived at the Turf Club at the end of Big Trouble’s set to find the remnants of the funeral on display in front of the stage. There was a small coffin with the Homegrown logo on the lid and a small scarecrow-type mannequin laid to rest inside. Original Homegrown host, Mei Young said this setup was bound for a funeral pyre the next day at Grumpy’s NE.
Downstairs in a packed Clown Lounge, Ben Connelly played his dour pop songs. A sound that seemed to somehow fit in that small basement hideaway, with taxidermy adorning the walls. Among many songs, I picked out the beautifully penned, “Evangeline,” which just happens to be the Connelly song I know best. The song also appears on the newly released Homegrown CD.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Dan Israel and the Cultivators were setting up for their set. Israel always brings a great show to wherever he is playing, but he and his band seemed especially primed for this show. Israel remarked from the stage, “This is the happiest funeral I’ve ever been to.” At the end of their set, Israel haphazardly bounced his guitar against his amp creating a wall of feedback as drummer Dave Russ stood up like the Hulk and just sent drums flying in every direction. I thought I was about to see Pete Townsend-like destruction, but Israel stopped short of skewering anything on the neck of his Fender.
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P.O.S. - Photo by Alexa Jones
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Then it was back downstairs for the crystal-clear and emotive voice of Haley Bonar. She started her set with two cover songs. The first was a sincere version of Tom Petty’s “Yer so Bad.” (It turns out that song is not as awful as I once thought, it just took Haley Bonar to give it some guts.) She then played a stunning version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” But just then, I could barely hear some commotion going on upstairs. The “surprise” performer…
P.O.S. was the unannounced guest of the night. Standing alone on the stage, with his iPod as his backing band and DJ, P.O.S. ripped through a handful of new songs. While the songs were all unfamiliar, they contained that familiar growl that conveys anger, disdain and vulnerability simultaneously. This brief set culminated in an a capella song filled with political venom and distress. P.O.S. also lamented the demise of Homegrown, saying that every other radio show he’s been on has been a disappointment in comparison.
A night filled with veterans and newcomers on stage and in the audience, culminated with a quartet of fresh-faced performers putting their twist on the local music scene. So as the last remnants of the Homegrown legacy are put in place, the one thing that Homegrown embraced lives on—local music.
Location Info:
The Turf Club
Artist Info: A Night In The Box, Ben Connelly, Dan Israel, Haley Bonar, P.O.S.
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