Perfect Porridge

Great Northern, The Comas, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, The Donkeys
July 17, 2007
First Avenue’s 7th St. Entry, Minneapolis, MN

Last night was indeed a unique night for music in Minneapolis, as two national tours crossed in the night like nomadic gypsys on the tiny stage of The Entry.

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone and The Donkeys’ tour was headed west; Great Northern and The Comas’ 23 date tour was kicking off and headed east. Yet here, in the bowels of the legendary First Avenue in Minneapolis, Minn. On a Tuesday evening, the stars aligned for one of the more musically diverse evenings we’ve enjoyed in quite some time.

First up was The Donkeys (pictured above), whose muppet of a drummer carried much of the vocal duties. Electric piano and dual guitars filling out the group’s San Diego-bred sound, and the meager crowd began drinking before the sun was even down. As one couple two-stepped across the empty venue floor, most of the early showgoers were content to sit, sip a beer and clap politely after each song. Their best song last night was an instrumental jam that ended the set.

Film school drop-out Owen Ashworth, aka Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, is a soft-spoken guy in a plain red polo shirt with some serious electronic knob-tweaking skills. Ashworth pushed the tiny Entry’s speakers to the hilt as the unassuming man standing before the odd assortment of wires and electronics wove a mottled texture of colors and shapes in our ears.

An interpretive cover of Bruce Stringsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia” finished out the solo set, as the Donkeys returned to the stage for some collaboration.

New York-based Chapel Hill transplants The Comas had some trouble getting their portion of the show up and running. “Now I’m a Spider” and “Employment” lacked the energy and raw intensity we so enjoyed at their SXSW set. Apparent chemistry issues between group leaders Andy Herod and Nicole Gehweiler is what we think was going on, perhaps in part by a poor soundboard mix and monitor issue. First night of a new tour, after all.

Yet by the time the group launched into two of our favorites (“Red Microphones” and “Come My Sunshine”) from their new disc, Spells, the infectious melodies, sweet harmonies and pulse-pounding beats were coming together — causing the lackluster yet lubricated crowd to finally start bobbing a head or two.

Speaking of lubricated, prior to the set, Comas drummer Nic Gonzales took a swig off our bottle of local Grain Belt Premium prior to their gig and remarked, “Tastes like PBR.” Yep.

Prior to Great Northern taking the stage we had an opportunity to chat with vocalist/pianist Rachel Stolte, who looked quite fresh and anxious for the show — arriving hours before the group’s set to ensure she could watch Casiotone and the Comas.

We chatted about the new BRMC album, their recent Varsity Theater gig that totally bombed (“college town gigs don’t work with our music”) and her love of Prince, who only nights before again graced the First Avenue main room with his purple presence. Her current favorite albums are: Interpol’s Our Love to Admire, Queens of the Stone Age new Era Vulgaris, Blond Redheads’ 23 and The National’s Boxer. Are they working on new songs?

“You know we bought a 4-track recorder so I can lay down tracks when I think of them. Right before we left [for the tour] I put together two new songs. We sometimes have time during soundchecks to try out new material, but that’s about it.”

And now it was time for the cast of characters to take their place on stage: Rachel in a smart little dress and black belt, guitarist Solon Bixler in communist attire, bassist Ashley Dzerigian ready for prom with a scarf around her neck for flair, and drummer Davey Latter wearing a ripped white t-shirt like a drunken sailor straight off a shrimp boat.

Great Northern’s audacious approach to songwriting — varied time signatures, minor and dissonant chords, magnetic lyrical concepts — explodes live on-stage like delicious, melting ear candy dripping from the speakers. It’s a sound too big to come from such small people.

The haunting, discordant “Low is a New Height” took on new shape as the clock struck midnight, and the Great Northern did what they do best — captivate an audience. With vocal samples swirling around the stage, Rachel on tom and jingle bells and Solon driving the keys on his favorite song to play (according to our interview with him last May). It’s our favorite to hear, too.

“Into the Sun” and “The Middle” were the other setlist favorites from the group’s debut LP, Trading Twilight For Daylight. And when the clock struck one, two bands headed west and two bands headed east. We headed home.

Great Northern/The Comas tour dates:

July

• 18 Chicago, IL – Subterranean
• 19 Ann Arbor, MI – The Blind Pig
• 20 Buffalo, NY – Sound Lab
• 21 Albany, NY – Valentine’s
• 23 Boston, MA – Middle East Upstairs
• 24 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
• 26 Washington, DC – Black Cat
• 27 Richmond, VA – Alley Katz
• 28 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
• 29 Mt. Pleasant, SC – Village Tavern
• 30 Atlanta, GA – Earl
• 31 Birmingham, AL – Bottletree

August

• 02 Austin, TX – Emo’s
• 03 Dallas, TX – The Loft At The Palladium
• 04 Oklahoma City, OK – Lit
• 06 Denver, CO – Hi Dive
• 08 Phoenix, AZ – Modified
• 09 San Diego, CA – Belly Up Tavern
• 10 Los Angeles, CA – Spaceland
• 11 San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
• 13 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
• 14 Seattle, WA – Crocodile Cafe