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lovelytheband Sells Out Varsity Theater

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I’m not going to lie; it’s been one hell of a week for me. Despite it being extremely busy, it was an amazing week filled with sold out concerts from some of my favorite artist. By the time Sunday night arrived, I was exhausted, and just wanted to wait for the latest episode of Game of Thrones to air! Somehow, I found a way to gather what little energy I had left to attend yet another sold out show for lovelytheband, who headlined Varsity Theater on Sunday, April 28th. I had never really looked too deeply into their music, but what I’ve heard on the radio has always been catchy and something I imagine I’d enjoy in person.  

The night started nice and early at 5:40 with the opening act, Jagwar Twin, LA-based rock group. I’ve never heard of them, but their style was right up my ally. I didn’t get to hear too much of them unfortunately, because set times were changed last minute and they ended up going on earlier than expected. However, what I did hear of theirs was awesome. Between the guitar solos that had all the crowd members reaching for the stage and the vocalist hitting all his notes with perfection, this band clearly knew how to open a show! 

lovelytheband at Varsity Theater | 4.28.2019

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Credit: Sean Donohue | Echo Images

Next on the line-up was Flora Cash, a Husband-and-wife duo whose songs are an interesting cross of indie folk and pop music. I’ve heard a few of their hits, and I’ve always thought their songs were very intimate and heartfelt. After seeing them preform live, I can clearly see why. Shpresa Lleshaj (vocalist) and Cole Randall’s (vocalist and guitarist) relationship on stage is so personable, it could give Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s Oscar performance a run for their money. Usually, I’m a rock n’ roll music sort of guy, but their set was a nice change of pace for me. Their music really forces you to slow down and analyze what the true meanings behind their words are. Over all, they were beautiful to watch live, and I’m sure Cole’s family whose family is from Minnesota and came out to see him and Shpresa, felt a very similar way.  

lovelytheband at Varsity Theater | 4.28.2019

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Credit: Sean Donohue | Echo Images

To end the night was the group everyone in the crowd had waited patiently to see, lovelytheband, a 3-piece pop-rock group based out of Los Angles. I was pleasantly surprised watching these guys play. Throughout their entire set, Mitchy (singer), Jordan (guitar) and Sam (drummer) were all performing at a high caliber treating this lazy Sunday night as if it were Friday at midnight. The fact that mostly everyone had to work the next day wasn’t going to let the show be a flop, and Mitchy made that very apparent to the crowd as he called out to the masses “I need you guys to stand-up because were at a rock concert… I’ll be calling you if you’re not standing, and it’ll be really awkward.” 

The trio played the songs off their album, Finding It Hard To Smile, flawlessly while throwing a couple of their oldies and new tracks into the set. With a pair of red neon lips glowing behind the band, my favorite part of the show was actually the lights that they had bouncing around the venue. (Don’t judge me, I have a thing for cool lighting) 

lovelytheband at Varsity Theater | 4.28.2019

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Credit: Sean Donohue | Echo Images

Despite my pure exhaustion, I had a fantastic time at this concert and as I walked out of the venue with the hordes of people who had also just witnessed an amazing show, I felt a natural adrenaline high come on that will defiantly help me carry on throughout this next week!

K.Flay Gets Intimate With A Sold Out 7th Street Entry

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Normally I hate waking up for work on a Monday morning, especially after a holiday. However, today was different because the first thing that I thought of when I woke up was “I get to go to the SOLD OUT K.Flay show at 7th Street Entry tonight!” If that doesn’t get your gears going on a Monday morning, I don’t know what will.  

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you know who K.Flay is. For those rare individuals who haven’t been blessed by hearing her music yet, I’ll give you a little snippet into what she’s been doing since the last time she was in Minneapolis back in 2017, when she headlined First Ave with accompanying act Missio.  

K.Flay, aka Kristine Flaherty is an L.A. based songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist whose music features a blend of hip-hop, indie rock and electronic music. Inspired by artist ranging from Missy Elliott to Liz Phair, her sound is difficult to define. This has allowed her to gather a wide fan base that’s let to her being the featured artist on a number of songs lately, including Tom Morello ‘s “Lucky One,” Mike Shinoda ‘s “Make It Up as I Go” and Robert DeLong‘s “Favorite Color Is Blue.” 

I could talk on and on about the achievements of K.Flay and what she’s been doing since her last show in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but I want to get to the good stuff and tell you how  incredible this show was! 

As I walked up to 7th Street Entry’s I could already hear the people inside, talking excitedly as they crammed into the historic venue waiting for the music to start. Typically, I’ll walk into a show at 7th Street right after the doors open and there’ll be maybe 15 people hanging around trying plant themselves front and center, but this wasn’t a typical day. When I walked in the venue was filled with a mass of people waiting eagerly in a spot they scoped out, doing everything in their power not move until K.Flay took the stage, I instantly started to grin as I knew this was going to be even better than I anticipated. 

As it grew closer to show time, the venue continued to fill up and I took my place on stage right with camera in hand, ready to see John Chuck & The Class perform their hearts out like they have many times in the past. 

John Chuck & The class is comprised of Rapper JC “John Chuck” Stroebel and producer Henry “The Class” Donato who have been making music together since their childhood. Growing up in the north suburbs of Minneapolis, they’ve modeled their talents and ambitions after the vibrant musical culture around them as they bring a fresh new sound and perspective to the already thriving hip-hop scene.  

Once the lights dimmed, the crowd began to go wild as JC takes the stage with confidence and swagger. He begins to jump and dance around to the beat of the drums while encouraging the crowd to get off their feet and dance around with them. With limited space to move around the stage, JC had to get creative with how he showed off his moves while rapping on top of a killer track. He was grooving to the music so much in his first song that he joked with the crowd asking “Did anyone bring an inhaler? I might need you to give it to me if I end up down on the ground.”  

John Chuck & The Class bring an intense stage presence that’s hard to match. I feel like it’s rare to see a hip-hop group these days who can successfully own the stage. They finished off their set with an absolute banger of a song, where JC hopped into the crowd and began to get everyone dancing along with him, another rare sight to see these days, as I don’t feel a lot of artist are comfortable doing that… not John Chuck though, he’s a badass. 

K.Flay at 7th Street Entry | 4.22.2019

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Credit: Sean Donohue | Echo Images

Once the lights came back on, I moved to the left side of the venue where I ran into a old friend from college. As we caught up, I had to ask “How’d you like John Chuck & The Class?” He proceeded to go on and on about how great the group was, comparing the beats, as well as, JC’s lyrics and delivery to that of local legend P.O.S.  To be honest, he’s completely right! I look back on their set and it stuns me how many similarities I hear in the heartfelt lyrics and backing tracks. 

Enough about John Chuck & The Class, if you want to see how amazing they are in person, come out to their show at 7th Street Entry in June, where they’ll be celebrating the release of their new single JUNE. 

I was lucky enough to grab the prime photo spot on top of the stage left speaker when K.Flay made her entrance from behind the jet-black curtain. Suddenly a single purple light filled the venue as we see K.Flay in all white picking up her bass to start off the set with her hit Giver, the perfect song, to start out her set. (It’s my favorites so I’m biased).  

I scurried my way to the back of the crowd so I could get a better view of the whole venue and all of her fans, where I noticed that there was really no common age group. I was expecting to see a bunch of 20-year-olds, but what I saw was people from all sorts of age groups vibing to the music, letting K.Flay’s melodies it take over their mind and body. 

Once she made it through her first few songs, she decided to chat with the crowd a bit about how she had the best potato salad of her life at Cecil’s in St. Paul, claiming that she doesn’t even like potato salad. She posed a question to the crowd the crowd “How’d you like to hear some songs that only 3 other cities have heard before?” The crowd screamed at the top of their lungs, begging K.Flay to start playing the songs so they could be inducted into what they believe is a sacred club of unheard music.  

When you introduce unheard songs to a crowd you lose the ability to lyrically involve them in the music. However, that was not the case tonight, these songs got the crowd focused on the composition instead of the lyrics allowing the move more fluidly and let their body do the talking. With an accompanying light show of red, purple and blue these couple of songs put the crowd into a trance that K.Flay took advantage of as she jumped around on stage, whipping her hair back and forth and making each member feel as if the song is written for them.  

The icing on the cake came during her last few songs where she covered Closing Time by Semisonic. She ended the song by letting the crowd sing the lyrics as she stepped away from the mic, I think it left everyone smiling from cheek to cheek to hear something so close to all of our hearts.  

After a brief break in the music where she told everyone how special tonight was due to the fact that all the proceeds went to Tubman, a Minnesota organization that helps women, men, youth and families who have experienced relationship violence, elder abuse, addiction, sexual exploitation or other forms of trauma. After talking to the crowd about what gets them high (other than drugs, alcohol and money) she goes into another one of her hit song High Enough. She changed it up a bit keeping the mood low-key and intimate until the very end where she unleashed the full force of the song, jamming out till the very end.  

I thought that was going to be it for the crowd, how could they give her any more than what they already had. Then came her last song of the night… Blood in the Cut. This was the first K.Flay song I ever heard and what caused me to fall in love with her music and everything she does as an artist. Words can only begin to describe how amazing this song is and it’s always a guarantee to get people jumping and singing their hearts out. I thought Closing Time would’ve been the perfect ending song, until she played this masterpiece! I work with a lot of female artist and I’ve never seen anyone of them go as hard as K.Flay did during her final song. 

K.Flay at 7th Street Entry | 4.22.2019

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Credit: Sean Donohue | Echo Images

I left the venue on cloud 9 with a severe adrenaline high, it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen at 7th Street Entry hands down. I could go on and on about how great this night was and talk you ear off for another couple of paragraphs, but instead I’ll just encourage you to see K.Flay as soon as possible, even if you have to go to a different city to do so. She truly is a one of the most talented artists right now and I can’t wait to see what she has in store these next few years.  

Making Friends With The Mowgli’s And Jukebox The Ghost At The Varsity Theater

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It was a very anxious day for me as I counted down the minutes until I’d be walking through the doors of The Varsity Theater for my first time ever. This was not only going to be my first time attending a show at there, it was also going to be my first time covering a show for Twin Cities Media.  

When I finally did arrive at the venue, I could already hear the crowd gathered together, talking excitedly as individuals in the group would take guesses at what songs the headliners would play. As I looked through the crowd, searching for a familiar face to share my own excitement with, I saw that the crowd was comprised of a variety of people from various age groups; college students of the University of Minnesota, young professionals in the mid 20’s and even a few groups of what I like to call, my parents’ generation (I’ll let you decide what I mean by that). 

The show kicked off with a performance by Twin XL, a Los Angeles trio that is the creative brainchild of songwriters and producers, Cameron Walker-Wright (vocals) and brothers Stephen Gomez (bass) and John Gomez (guitar). There’s a certain synergy between the three that creates a perfect storm of glistening retro synths, catchy bass-lines, memorable melodies and Walker’s smooth vocal. Like myself, this was a big night of first for the group, it was the first show of their first major tour!  

Making Friends Tour at Varsity Theater | 3.18.2019

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This group was a great band to start off the show, their pop-techno rock and roll performance was the perfect vibe to loosen up the crowd for The Mowgli’s. They choose to end their set with an original Good an upbeat crowd pleaser that had the crowd feeling saucy afterwards. By ending on such a high note, these guys set the stage for the amazing line-up that was about to take stage.  

Next up was a band that I was extremely excited to see, The Mowgli’s. Last time I saw this group perform was at Saint John’s University for the school’s annual spring concert (Pines).  The Indie-Pop-Folk-Rock group is comprised of 6 artists; Colin Louis Dieden (vocals/guitar), Katie Jayne Earl (vocals/percussion), Matthew Di Panni (bass/vocals), Josh Hogan (guitar/vocals), Dave Appelbaum (keys/vocals) and Andy Warren (drums/percussion/vocals). They band is based out of California, but are amidst a major tour to promote their new EP, “American Feelings”, which was recently released on March 1st.  

As the lights dimmed and the crowd grew quiet, anticipating how the band would make an entrance, everyone in the venue was suddenly hit a bone rattling bass sequence. I was crouched down in the photo pit during this mind melting intro, right in front of the subwoofers… let’s just say I was asking people to talk a little louder the next day. As members of the band took the stage, the crowd screamed and hollered with hopes that the louder they were, the more likely they’d catch the eye of Colin or Katie and hopefully get a wave or a wink in return for their vocal patronage.  

The ever so present bass intro started to fade out as the band launched into their first song, Sun Comes Up. With a slew of visuals being projected behind them, all the band mates danced around the stage, while Colin stood at the edge gesturing to the crowd to throw their hands up and dance along to the music. 

Everything about how this band operates is flawless and they are incredible to watch live. What really impressed me the most during their set was just the raw intensity that they brought to the stage. I’m a firm believer that a band is only as good as they how perform live. Between the colorful array of colors that flashed across the venue during each song, the choice of visuals to accompany their meticulously crafted songs and how they were able to keep the entire crowd locked into their performance, proves that The Mowgli’s are a top tier group.  

Making Friends Tour at Varsity Theater | 3.18.2019

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After watching the Mowgli’s set I was hesitant that Jukebox the Ghost was going to be able put on a show that was as good as what I had just witnessed. The trio that makes up Jukebox the Ghost is composed of college friends: Ben Thornewill (piano/vocals), Tommy Siegel (guitar/bass/vocals) and Jesse Kristin (drums/vocals). This group has played over 1,000 shows across the country and around the world over the course of their 10-year career.  

Any doubts I had about their performance were immediately thrown out the window once Ben, Tommy and Jesse took the stage and the crowd excitement escalated significantly. They didn’t need an intro like the Mowgli’s, the fans in the venue provided a similar volume to warmly welcome the guest into town. A simple point from Ben to any member in the crowd would have the fans oozing with joy.  Once the group began their set, the upbeat tempo of their music got the crowd jumping up and down so much that at times I felt the floor shake a bit, and singing as loud as they could as if there was mothing more important in the world than that very moment.  

There’s one thing I’ve noticed about 3-piece groups, there’s always that one member that gets the most recognition, for Jukebox & The Ghost, that person is certainly Ben. Not only did he steal the show, I’m sure he stole some hearts as well. His piano rifts caused several jaws to drop, including my own. Now I should be clear, not all the credit should go to Ben, Tommy and Jesse bring a vibe to the stage that, enhanced the show for me.  

Tommy’s frequent guitar solos always received a reaction from the crowd, you could see a grin on his face appear every time he was about to go into another. He knew what the crowd was in store for, but they did, and he loved the fact that he was about to hit them with something amazing and unexpected. Then there’s Jesse and the purple unicorn he had set-up next to his drum set, I knew right away this guy was going to be a character behind the sticks. Not only did he provide a constant beat for the crowds to bounce their bodies to, all while putting on a show as he flung his arms around the set hitting exactly what he needed to as hard as he could, he also provided some comedic efforts to the show with his solo rendition of “Baby Shark”.  

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised after watching Jukebox The Ghost, they certainly know how to put on one hell of a show that has the ability to get the crowd carelessly dancing, keep fans on their toes with and an impromptu guitar and keytar solos, as well as give the fans a quick break from the music by providing some comedic relief, whether it’s a short rendition of baby shark or mentioning that, in Ben’s words “This next song sounds like if Jerry Lewis drank too much coffee… also, it’s about sex in public.”.  

Making Friends Tour at Varsity Theater | 3.18.2019

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I never did find a familiar face in the crowd, however I started to think about that. Isn’t this exactly what the members of The Mowgli’s and Jukebox the Ghost intended? It’s called the “Making Friends Tour” for a reason. I spoke with many other individuals who joined me in the feeling of bliss as I saw my first show at The Varsity theatre, exchanging laughs at the fact that out outfits happened to match (Black Converse, jean, grey hoodie and leather jacket), or told me stories of the first show they saw here. I may not have been around my friends, but I certainly felt like I walked away with a few.