Test for pictures at First Avenue on 1/1/02
By: Andrea Swensson
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| All Photos by David de Young 1. One For The Team's Ian Anderson and that other guy; 2. Jeremy Messersmith; 3. White Light Riot's Mike Schwandt. 4. Maria Isa; 5. Vampire Hands; 6. The Alarmists. |
Due to tardiness I missed out on seeing one of the only bands on the bill that had yet to be reviewed by HowWasTheShow, First Communion Afterparty. As luck would have it, I strolled into First Ave. just as the screen was falling down to cover the stage as their instruments were carried away. (Since when do shows actually start on time?) While conducting a brief, informal poll about the band, I received reports from Ross Raihala of the Pioneer Press, Chris Riemenshneider of the Star Trib and Kyle Matteson of More Cowbell that they were "awesome"—seriously, they all used that same word to describe their experience. Needless to say, I will be making a point to check them out sometime in the near future, as they have received positive attention from some of the people whose opinions about music I trust the most.
Second on the bill, Jeremy Messersmith played a hushed set to a surprisingly full main room, and it was a treat to hear his tender vocal melodies ringing through the big room. Armed with only an acoustic guitar, a very small keyboard and a pedal that allowed him to loop his guitar and voice, he effortlessly created complex arrangements of harmonies and guitar work that made it easy to forget that he was all alone on the stage. Messersmith has a plush sound that reminded me at once of John Lennon, Robert Skoro and Conor Oberst, but his songwriting and lyrics are so unique that it is impossible to confuse him with any of his possible music mentors. During his self-proclaimed "quiet set," a funny concept for such a subdued singer, he played the delicate "Beautiful Child" and the all-too-real lamentation "Day Job," before ending with a more upbeat looping number that was set to the beat of his hand hitting the body of his guitar.
White Light Riot have a strange way of narrating everything happening around them without even trying. As the screen rose up and the band started playing, a group of women rushed to the front row to scream at the band, danced with each other, waved and tried to catch the eye of lead singer Mike Schwandt. Schwandt grinned like a rock star and sang the chorus of one of their great new songs, "You're so desperate to be noticed." Later in the set, Schwandt sang a line that may as well be a mantra for every struggling rock band in Minnesota fighting to be buzzed about when he half-yelled, "If you can't keep up you're going to be replaced." Of the five songs they had time to play, four of them were from their forthcoming full-length debut, and from the sounds , these boys are headed down the right path—the songs all fit with their signature "sound" of perfectly executed Britpop, but their new material treads out into fresh waters with shouted choruses and killer guitar solos. Oh, and did I mention already that they looked like total rock stars?
When Jason Nagel was introducing One For The Team, he told a story about the first time that he and I had seen them perform at the Triple Rock. Despite the fact that it was only their second performance ever, they had a special spark about them and Nagel and I were both very intrigued. (You can read my review of that show here.) Since then, the band has wisely invited the Battle Royale's Grace Fiddler to play keys and sing lead vocals beside local music mastermind Ian Anderson, and her innocent shouts and strong voice make for a great accompaniment to Anderson's high-range crooning. The band has become more comfortable playing with each other, and their set was a tight performance of sing-along bedroom rock.
A personal highlight of the show for me was finally getting to see Maria Isa perform live, and I was awestruck. There are many things that are immediately appealing about Isa: she has attitude, she's gorgeous, and she raps so naturally that it's easy to get lost in the rhythm of her words and forget to pay attention to anything else. Backed by the boys of Leroy Smokes, the group laid down funky Reggaeton beats while Isa conjured up a blend of Spanish-English defiance. "I don't speak English, I don't speak Spanish. I speak Spanglish," Isa commented between songs. "It doesn't matter. Music is a language that speaks for itself." And a 19-year-old girl armed with a track suit and a message about building community speaks pretty loudly, too. Isa bounced and shimmied to the music, and I was impressed at how sexy and strong she appeared on stage; like many of the bands in the lineup, you would have never guessed that this was her first night playing in the large main room.
It's pretty clear now that everyone in town loves the Alarmists. We love the Alarmists; City Pages' Clicked to Pick loved the Alarmists; the Star Trib Critic's Pick loved the Alarmists. And it's no wonder why. Now, more than ever, the boys have complete control and confidence in their performances and they have crafted a strain of music that is at once classic, relevant, and new. Sure, they have Beatles minor-7 chord changes and new wavey keyboard fills, and we've heard them all before—but never quite like this. As with White Light Riot, the Alarmists have one EP to their name and are working on a new album, and fans are eagerly awaiting more (a second album is currently in the works). The room seemed to swell up to it's fullest during the Alarmists' set; as WLR's Mike Schwandt yelled over to me during the set, "This is the band to see!" Here's to hoping that the boys ride out the buzz and come up swinging with their full-length debut.
The night was closed out by Vampire Hands, who thundered onto the stage with dueling drums that hit me over the head with a big "Whoa." Vampire Hands rained down tribal beats and heavy bass riffs, distorted guitar chords and echoey vocals, and despite the fact the crowd had thinned out considerably, they kept the remaining audience at rapt attention. Unfortunately, I was about buzzed out by all of the great acts that I had seen that night, and I ended up leaving just before they had finished. But not before hugging host Dave Campbell and thanking him for a fantastic night of music that included some of the truly best bands this city has to offer.
Location Info:
First Avenue
Artist Info: White Light Riot
Share this story:
Article comments powered by Disqus