The Search for Sasquatch: Sunday Fun Day at the Park

Last night, I caught up with a lot of good friends at the Park in Fridley, MN for a low dough rock show featuring locals Cold Kingdom and Sleep Signals and my friends in the Omaha, Nebraska band Screaming for Silence. The first time I met the guys in Screaming for Silence was at a free show at the Park on my birthday last year. I also caught up with them on the last day of Rockfest in Cadott, WI later that month. I hadn't seen them since, so I was looking forward to enjoying another great night of great music with some great people.

I got to the venue a little early, in time to catch up with the members of Screaming for Silence and some close friends. I felt kind of bad that one of the band members was a little under the weather, and even went to the nearby Wal-Mart with a friend to pick up cold medicine for him. By the time we got back, the venue was starting to fill with more familiar faces and some new friends, including one from overseas who travels the US for shows.

Before too long, local favorites Cold Kingdom took to the stage with another powerful set. This band has built up a loyal fan base in the last couple of years, and their performances are always memorable. This was also an all-ages show, so it was good to see families being able to enjoy the music together.

The show was the CD release party for local band Sleep Signals, one of the few MN rock groups I didn't know anything about. I thought they did a good job keeping the crowd entertained. I also made a mental note to pick up a CD or two of theirs for a friend out of state who enjoys local rock.

As I caught up with more and more friends, the guys in Screaming for Silence quickly set up their gear during the intermission, and put on another fantastic show! Even though it was a little shorter set than anticipated, they still put on an amazing performance, and had the audience bouncing along with every note.

This was one of the shows on Screaming for Silence's "Searching for Sasquatch" show, and they even brought along a prop, which my friend and I simply had to take our usual concert selfie in front of. I was impressed by the number of friends who came out on a beautiful February day to support the local upper Midwest rock scene.

Looking forward to enjoying more fun with members of my tribe next Saturday at the Doghouse Bar in Maplewood for the Tommy Donohue Sr. benefit. Until then, have a great week, everyone!

Adelitas Way Live at The Park

Last Tuesday night, I went to another rock show at The Park in Fridley, MN, this time featuring headliners Adelitas Way. I hadn't seen the band in about five years, but I was really going to the show to hang out with some good friends. I ended up having more fun than anticipated!

I started the morning consoling a good friend who wanted to come to the show from out of state. Unfortunately, snow showers in Iowa made those travel plans impossible. I felt bad, but reassured her that her safety needs to come first, and that there'd always be other shows. Not wanting her ticket to the show go to waste, I put a call out on social media and soon had it claimed.

It was a good but busy workday, and before I knew it, it was almost showtime! I got to the Park in Fridley just in time to hear the last song by local openers Via. They were a last minute addition to the bill after Failure Anthem had to drop out of the tour. I'd just heard the band at the Triple Rock Social Club in downtown Minneapolis last month, so I wasn't missing much, but was glad the dedicated fans were there to support them.

The next band was Late Night Fights, another local group but one I'd never seen before. I missed their show at the Fine Line Music Cafe in December because I was at the Saliva show at the Red Carpet Nightclub in St. Cloud, so I was glad I could finally see what all the hype was about.

Soon it was time for openers Eye on Attraction to take the stage. The Scranton, Pennsylvania natives did a good job of entertaining the crowd with their pop-rock songs. I had the opportunity to chat with a few of the band members after the show and learn more about this up and coming group.

The next band, Through Fire, was new-kind of. The band was formerly known as Emphatic, one of the bands I'd seen along with Adelitas Way at the Carnival of Madness tour stop at the Minnesota State Fair five years ago. They were rocking some new songs from their upcoming debut album, capped off with the first single "Stronger." I got to chat with a few band members after the show and made a mental note to keep an eye out for the new disc.

Shortly before 10:30 p.m., Adelitas Way took to the stage, launching into their hit song "Sick." They played for about an hour, showcasing songs from their first three studio albums and the new song "Bad Reputation" from their new album coming out later this month. I'd purchased a band T-shirt at the merch table before their set, which came with a free meet and greet with the band.

All of the band members (except for drummer Tre Stafford) showed up, and it was great getting to chat with them about music and sports. I left for home that frosty evening with a couple of drumsticks, a couple of guitar picks, a napkin signed by 3/4ths of Adelitas Way, the band T-shirt and some great photos and memories.

Well that's all for now until Feb. 21st, when I'll return to the Park for a low dough show featuring Cold Kingdom and Screaming for Silence. Until then, have a fantastic February, everyone!

LA Guns at the Red Carpet

I wasn't planning on going to a show last night, but I heard on Friday that national rockers LA Guns were playing at the Red Carpet Nightclub in downtown St. Cloud. A few friends were going, so I decided to join them-I ended up having more fun than anticipated!

I got to the Carpet just in time to buy a ticket to the show and snag a free T-shirt in my size from one of the deejays from one of the local rock stations in town. I got in after the doors opened and wandered around, running into an old classmate and nearby neighbor of mine. A few minutes later, I ran into another friend who I was finally getting to meet in person for the first time.

We spent some time catching up before going back to the concert area shortly before the opening act Arena took the stage. A Twin Cities band, they offered up a good mix of original and classic "hair metal" cover songs. I was surprised how well the audience responded to them, leaving them thoroughly anticipating the headliners.

By that time, my friend and I were hanging out on the side of the Red Carpet with other members of the local rock radio station. There I ran into another former classmate and  fellow metalhead. We spent some time catching up just before LA Guns took the stage. There are two versions of this band: one featuring original guitarist Tracii Guns (the "Guns" of Guns N' Roses) and one with classic lineup singer Phil Lewis. This was Phil Lewis' version, one that has been to the Red Carpet several times before.

For my first time seeing LA Guns in any incarnation live, I thought they were excellent! Great hearing some of the classic songs that were part of my later high school years, as well as some older, deeper cuts. The crowd was eagerly waiting more at the end of their set, but they soon crowded up near the band entrance after the guys in the group promised to hang out after the show.

My friends and I didn't wait that long, however. Instead, we chatted for a while and decided to grab a bite to eat at the nearby Perkins before calling it a night. We made our seperate ways home that night on some icy streets, but it was well worth it for a fun night.

Next show is Adelitas Way at the Park in Fridley on Tuesday. Until then, take care and have a great week!

Upper Midwest Metal at the Cabooze

One of the local rock acts that I've grown to enjoy recently is the tattooed and painted metal group Blue Felix. I hadn't seen them since the Halloween Hellfest at Pov's, so when I heard they were playing a headlining show at the Cabooze in downtown Minneapolis, I knew it was a show I just couldn't pass up!

Another venue I hadn't been to before, it wasn't the easiest for me to get to at first, but once I saw it, it was hard to miss. I found a parking spot and hurried in just in  time to see local rockers Tattooed Millionaires start the evening off right.

The next band, the masked metalers Rooin, reminded me a lot of Slipknot and Mushroomhead. I enjoyed their songs as I found some friends who had just arrived.

Next up were glam metal rockers the Hollywood Whores. While I'm not a big fan of that genre, I thought their cover of the Black Sabbath classic "N.I.B." was very well done.

Following them were Wisconsin rockers Agony of Defeat. More of a "nu-metal" band, I thought they did a good job of entertaining the growing crowd that had spread across the venue.

The final openers were fan favorites Nuisance. I'd say they were a better version of Limp Bizkit, another band I'd never seen before but grew to appreciate as they really got the crowd jumping up and down during their entire set.

After a few more chats with friends, I made my way to the front of the stage to catch Blue Felix in all their splendor. They are one of those unique bands and sounds that you just have to experience live to appreciate. I was rockin' out their entire set, and made off with a setlist, poster and a couple of CDs that I had bought earlier.

I got home earlier this morning cranking up their music, reflecting on another great show! That's all the live music for me for January. Until next month, have a great week, everyone!

Hinder and friends at the Park

Last Tuesday, I attended the Hinder concert at The Park (formerly known as GB Leighton's Pickle Park) in Fridley. I'd seen Hinder play at the casino in Walker, MN a few years ago with Saving Abel. I wasn't a huge fan of their music, but I decided to go to hang out with some friends that I hadn't seen since last year. I ended up having a very memorable evening!

I got there on a snowy evening just as the first band, local rockers Skywynd, began their set. I caught up with a few friends as I waited by the door with the concert ticket I had bought for another friend who drove several hours from out of state just for this show. She arrived a little later than planned due to a taxi driver who got lost, but our gang quickly got together to enjoy the show.

The next band, Ages Apart, was one I'd never heard of before, but was impressed by their catchy tunes. I managed to snag a T-shirt that the drummer had thrown into the audience during their set, and had a great time catching up with them after the show. I also bought a couple of their CDs to enjoy on the drive home.

The third band, Alabama natives Within Reason, was one I'd heard of but hadn't seen live yet. I enjoyed their set, and thought they were an underrated band that could make it big with enough promotion and publicity.

I'd heard a lot of good things about the final opener, McAllen natives Sons of Texas, and I have to say that they were all true! They thoroughly impressed the crowd, which I was surprised had reached towards the end of the bar. Not bad for a midweek show!

Before long, new singer Marshall Dutton and the rest of the band Hinder took the stage with their song "How Long." While their set was definitely geared more towards the females in the audience, I found myself bobbing my head along to their songs with a few other guys I saw in the front row. They ended the night with their first hit "Get Stoned," and my friends and I scrambled to catch guitar picks that were thrown out by band members as the evening's show drew to a close.

Not ready to leave yet, my friends and I wandered over to the merch tables and had some great conversations with the members of Ages Apart and Within Reason. We were surprised when we were invited to join Within Reason on their tour bus to hang out and listen to them play a few acoustic songs for us! A very unexpected but enjoyable close to a fun evening!

I didn't get much sleep that night after the drive home, but  that was okay. I could rest later in the week, until the next show, anyway!

Triple Rock Social Club Triple Play

The following Saturday, I braved the bitterly cold Minnesota temps to join friends for an evening of local rock featuring Via, Emergent and Vaudeville at the Triple Rock Social Club. This was one of the few concert venues that I hadn't been to yet, but I was looking forward to making the trip to rock out with some great friends.

I got to the small concert arena just in time to see Via play for the first time since last summer. They did a good job of warming up the still-freezing crowd that slowly started to filter in.

I was really there to see my friends in Emergent, and I was glad I was able to enjoy another powerful performance from them with some trusted friends.

Sadly, I wasn't able to stick around long enough to catch Vaudeville, but the lure of local music would be calling me back to the Twin Cities in a few short weeks...

Winter Metal Meltdown Fest 2016

Just woke up a few hours ago after getting home in the wee hours of the morning from the Winter Metal Meltdown Festival at the Skyway Theater in downtown Minneapolis. It was a great night of local metal music with great friends, and turned out to be an even better evening than I could have ever imagined!

I got to the venue shortly after 8 p.m., just in time to find my friends that I hung out with at the show. I missed most of the opening acts, but I enjoyed hearing new local rock with my pals and did my best to steer clear of the pit circle.

Even though I didn't know most of the bands on the bill, and had missed all of the openers that began playing in the afternoon, it was good to enjoy my first rock show of the year with some very good friends. We also kept our ears open for a few prizes that were announced as part of a raffle during the show.

The last opening act, Portraits of War, kept everyone's attention with their speed metal sounds. I was very impressed by this group- all six of the band members were headbanging on stage in tune to the music!

I was invited to the show by one of the guitarists from the headlining band Immoralis, and was eager to hear them play live for the first time. They did not disappoint, and I made a mental note to check out more of their music after the show. Halfway during their set, they announced the raffle for the grand prize: a brand new Peavey electric guitar. After a few numbers were called for people who were not present, to my surprise, my number was called-I had just won the guitar grand prize!!

I was stunned, but made my way to the stage to collect my prize, and then quickly left the stage to celebrate with my friends and take a few pictures. Still grinning widely, I later returned to the show with my companions to watch the end of the set. I got plenty of congratulations, and was able to buy one of their CDs and have the guys in the band autograph my new guitar. They also gave me the box it came in so I could bring it home safely.

Still extremely happy, I made my way safely down the street with my guitar to a local watering hole to continue the laughs and good conversations with my friends before heading home for the night. I couldn't have asked for a better first concert of the year. Now I wonder what concert #2 next week will bring?

Have a great week everyone-skol Vikings!!