Midwest Music with Friends

Got home early this morning from a spur of the moment road trip to Hipps Pub in Eau Claire, WI to meet friends for another great rock show! This time it was Omaha, NE natives Screaming for Silence and friends in the Kansas-based band Seasons After. I've met several members of these bands this year and have gotten to be good friends with the guys in Seasons After, so it was a fun night of music and laughter with good friends.

I got to the pub in time to catch up with a buddy of mine from Wisconsin who I hadn't seen in a few months. We caught up on shows and chatted with Zeb from Screaming for Silence and Chris from Seasons After before the music began while we waited for a couple of other concert friends to arrive. All of my concert friends and I who were at last night's show have been active in promoting these bands on social media when we can, so it's kinda cool to be on a first-name basis with some great musicians.

A small crowd for a Sunday night gathered to see Screaming for Silence's set. I was fortunate enough to catch their live show twice during my birthday week last month, and their live set is just as tight and energetic as ever. I almost wished they would have played more songs, but it was a fun set that left the audience wanting more.

Before long, guitarists Chris Dawson and Jim Beattie, bassist Kyle Ebert and frontman Tony Housh (with Dan from the band Red filling in for Tim Rails behind the drum kit) took the stage for their headlining set. It was great to see these guys give it their all on a small stage again, and I could even see the smiles on their faces through the haze of the smoke machines as they fed off the energy from their friends in the audience. They ran through hits like "Lights Out," "One More Step," "So Long Goodbye" and the latest single "Weathered and Worn" before closing with "Cry Little Sister." I was enjoying the music and the crowd interactions so much that I could hardly believe when the show was over!

Afterwards, my friends and I chatted a bit with the band members and posed for some silly selfies before making our ways home before a busy workday today. If you missed Seasons After, they'll be headlining again tomorrow night at GB Leighton's Pickle Park in Fridley, MN. For only a $5 cover at the door, you can't afford to miss this show! See you there!