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Poster
Stay Reckless Tour
12/03 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
12/04 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick Lounge 12/05 - Toronto @ Horsehoe Tavern 12/06 - Montreal @ Il Motore 12/07 - Providence, RI @ Fete 12/08 - Boston, MA @ Middle East Up 12/10 - Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory 12/11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Milkboy 12/12 - Vienna, VA @ Jammin Java 12/13 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose 12/14 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern * with Austin Lucas, Allison Weiss and PJ Bond Read More
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Stay Reckless Tour featuring Austin Lucas, PJ Bond, Allison Weiss and Trapper Schoepp
The Nether Bar 12/01/13
Sunday night at the Nether Bar, the cozy lower level of downtown Minneapolis’ Mill City Nights, was an evening brimming with personal songs and spirited performances and you couldn’t have asked for a better roster of performers.
Milwaukeean Trapper Schoepp started things off with a fantastic cover of the classic Jimmie Rodgers’ tune “T for Texas” before moving into acoustic versions of his band’s raucous barroom jams. Schoepp’s impressive story-driven songwriting was on full display as stripped down songs like “Tracks” and “Pins and Needles” (from the Shades’ 2012 album Run, Engine, Run) revealed a lonely ache: “When you feel like you know everyone you meet / And you’re walking up and down the same old street / When the salt starts to lose its taste / You better find yourself in another place.”
Schoepp is an easy-going performer, offering anecdotes about his songs (like the one he wrote about a roller coaster in Green Bay, WI that was once owned by Elvis). He’s also not afraid to share the spotlight; his brother Tanner joined him on stage, harmonizing on family epics “Run, Engine, Run” and “The Ballad of Olof Johnson” and the exquisite set closer, Hank Williams’ “Lost Highway.”
Up next was nomadic singer/songwriter PJ Bond, who began his set with a pleasant track about it being “okay to call off work on a sunny day,” something I fully support. Bond has a strong, versatile Ryan Adams-esque voice that could sound mournful on songs like “In a Bad Way” or simply soar like on the upbeat “Stop Being Bad.” Despite the darker content in some of his lyrics (an unfaithful girlfriend getting pregnant, the self-destructive nature of alcoholism and the trials of living on the road) Bond chatted good-naturedly with the crowd, recalling stories from his tenure in multiple bands over the years. Having learned about his history and hearing about his travels in song, Bond very much reminds me of Jonah Matranga, former lead singer of 90s hard rock band Far. Like Bond, Matranga, after the dissolution of his band, spent several years on the road playing acoustic solo shows for fans in living rooms and basements. And, like Schoepp before him, Bond had no problem bringing family into the fold; one of his final numbers was a song his brother Brian had written.
By the time Allison Weiss took to the stage with her band (a keyboardist and bassist), many more people filtered into the Nether Bar’s modest space. Weiss was very engaging throughout her set, asking the audience, “Does anyone in here like to feel?” and making humorous comments about the television show “The OC” and the mocking glare of the venue’s glowing restroom sign. Weiss played a collection of earnest pop originals before dropping a pretty great cover of Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away.”
“This is a rock and roll show,” headliner Austin Lucas declared as he summoned folks to abandon their seats and tables for a sweet spot at the front of the stage. Part country bombast, part sweaty punk rock, Lucas and his band added a burst of excitement into the club. Lucas, himself, has a magnetic stage presence; he clearly owned the crowd with his passionate vocals and guitar prowess. Admittedly, I was surprised when I saw Lucas get onstage with a full band (I thought the whole show would be acoustic), but far from disappointed. It seemed like the evening was sort of building to this moment; the slow-burn of two excellent acoustic sets from Schoepp and Bond early on to the fuller sound of Weiss and her band to the climax of loud guitars, pounding drums and Lucas’ lilting southern drawl.
The Nether Bar 12/01/13
Sunday night at the Nether Bar, the cozy lower level of downtown Minneapolis’ Mill City Nights, was an evening brimming with personal songs and spirited performances and you couldn’t have asked for a better roster of performers.
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TRAPPER SCHOEPP
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Trapper & Tanner
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PJ BOND
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ALLISON WEISS
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“This is a rock and roll show,” headliner Austin Lucas declared as he summoned folks to abandon their seats and tables for a sweet spot at the front of the stage. Part country bombast, part sweaty punk rock, Lucas and his band added a burst of excitement into the club. Lucas, himself, has a magnetic stage presence; he clearly owned the crowd with his passionate vocals and guitar prowess. Admittedly, I was surprised when I saw Lucas get onstage with a full band (I thought the whole show would be acoustic), but far from disappointed. It seemed like the evening was sort of building to this moment; the slow-burn of two excellent acoustic sets from Schoepp and Bond early on to the fuller sound of Weiss and her band to the climax of loud guitars, pounding drums and Lucas’ lilting southern drawl.
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Austin Lucas at the Nether Bar, Minneapolis (12/01/13) |
