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Headlining at the Triple Rock Social Club on Monday night was Beach Slang. This Pennsylvania group is fairly new to the scene having just formed in 2013 but it was clear that they have already gained an extremely loyal fanbase.
Not originally listed on the venue’s website (or shown on the tour poster): Micah (of Two Cow Garage) kicked off the show.
Micah Schnabel is a singer/songwriter from Ohio. No, he’s not that at all actually, he’s a storyteller who happens to stand on stage with a guitar and make his voice sound pretty. Micah’s style is something that truly cannot be explained through words. It’s almost like the guitar is the background music to his beautifully written lyrics. Honestly, screw the guitar... he didn’t even need it. It just seemed to make him a bit more comfortable on stage. His voice isn’t polished sounding, it’s not auto-tuned, hell, some of the time it’s not even in tempo with what he's playing on the guitar but that’s what made it so perfect.
Micah’s lyrics are perfect. He even has a line in one of his songs about when you hear a song and you feel like it’s written just for you.... that’s how every single one of his songs hit me. Each time he sang a line, the hairs on my arms started to stand up. His lyrics are so personable that at times it kind of sounds like he is pulling the thoughts right out of the dark places in your head and saying them aloud. Like his lyric about wanting a face tattoo but it would break his mother’s heart. Who uses that line in a song? No one. Who has had that thought before? Pretty much everyone (okay, maybe it’s just Micah and I but I’m sure there’s more).
Dyke Drama was the second band to play last night. These guys were perfectly imperfect. There’s really no other way to explain it. Much like Beach Slang, these guys seemed to be having fun on stage and didn't take themselves too seriously. Unlike Beach Slang, these guys didn't seem to take the music too seriously either which sounds terrible but it really worked for them. This gender bending group is the brainchild of Sadie Switchblade of G.L.O.S.S. and, although it is technically a solo project, the touring members of this group had great chemistry and made it a fun set to watch.
Northampton-based quartet Potty Mouth was next. These guys (or rather girls) had a much more “California” vibe to them. Their music was slow but not boring and their demeanor was very calm and chill. They did not sound what I thought a band named “Potty Mouth” would sound like. Although at times their music leaned towards the grunge style, there were no obscene lyrics or anything. Like I said, think “California Calm”. It’s the kind of music you could listen to while on the beach with your girlfriends getting day drunk and hitting on the cute boys.
The members of Beach Slang seemed just as shocked as I was at the sheer amount of people that came out to see them on a Monday night. It wasn't a sold out show but it sure was packed for this new band. Once they started playing, it all made sense. I understood why so many people decided to venture out on a Monday night to see them.
The band members themselves just seemed like super fun guys. That sounds really lame but that’s definitely something that will make me instantly fall in love with a band. Although they took the music seriously, they didn’t take themselves seriously and that makes it easier for the crowd to loosen up and just have a good time.
These guys only have one full length album out and it felt like they played majority of that release along with a couple covers including a beautiful cover of The Replacements’ “Can't Hardly Wait” and “Bastards of Young”. Their covers didn’t just copy whatever band they were covering, they sounded completely like Beach Slang. That’s when a cover turns into something magical. I knew that they didn't write that song but because they didn’t just get up there and completely copy The Replacements, I will remember how their version sounded because it caught me. It was unfamiliarly familiar and it was perfect.
The tribute to the ‘Mats made sense, because they are huge fans of the Replacements and got Tommy Stinson produced their debut Find People Who Feel Like Us (as they previously mentioned last September), available now Polyvinyl Records.
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Micah |
Micah Schnabel is a singer/songwriter from Ohio. No, he’s not that at all actually, he’s a storyteller who happens to stand on stage with a guitar and make his voice sound pretty. Micah’s style is something that truly cannot be explained through words. It’s almost like the guitar is the background music to his beautifully written lyrics. Honestly, screw the guitar... he didn’t even need it. It just seemed to make him a bit more comfortable on stage. His voice isn’t polished sounding, it’s not auto-tuned, hell, some of the time it’s not even in tempo with what he's playing on the guitar but that’s what made it so perfect.
Micah’s lyrics are perfect. He even has a line in one of his songs about when you hear a song and you feel like it’s written just for you.... that’s how every single one of his songs hit me. Each time he sang a line, the hairs on my arms started to stand up. His lyrics are so personable that at times it kind of sounds like he is pulling the thoughts right out of the dark places in your head and saying them aloud. Like his lyric about wanting a face tattoo but it would break his mother’s heart. Who uses that line in a song? No one. Who has had that thought before? Pretty much everyone (okay, maybe it’s just Micah and I but I’m sure there’s more).
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Dyke Drama
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Potty Mouth |
The members of Beach Slang seemed just as shocked as I was at the sheer amount of people that came out to see them on a Monday night. It wasn't a sold out show but it sure was packed for this new band. Once they started playing, it all made sense. I understood why so many people decided to venture out on a Monday night to see them.
The band members themselves just seemed like super fun guys. That sounds really lame but that’s definitely something that will make me instantly fall in love with a band. Although they took the music seriously, they didn’t take themselves seriously and that makes it easier for the crowd to loosen up and just have a good time.
These guys only have one full length album out and it felt like they played majority of that release along with a couple covers including a beautiful cover of The Replacements’ “Can't Hardly Wait” and “Bastards of Young”. Their covers didn’t just copy whatever band they were covering, they sounded completely like Beach Slang. That’s when a cover turns into something magical. I knew that they didn't write that song but because they didn’t just get up there and completely copy The Replacements, I will remember how their version sounded because it caught me. It was unfamiliarly familiar and it was perfect.
The tribute to the ‘Mats made sense, because they are huge fans of the Replacements and got Tommy Stinson produced their debut Find People Who Feel Like Us (as they previously mentioned last September), available now Polyvinyl Records.
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Beach Slang at Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis (25 April 2016) |
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