Article by: Katie Lentsch Photos by: Markus Akre
On a casual Tuesday evening, indie rock band Hey Rosetta! fills the room of the Turf Club with dynamically orchestrated and energetic sounds, absorbed by an audience of long time fans and fresh faces.
As part of the Communion Residency tour, Hey Rosetta! came from a their home in Canada back to the states to perform music from their newest intricately layered record, Second Sight.
Opening the set with “Gold Teeth” and colored lights above the stage reflect a vibe similar to ambient music artist, Tycho, with lead vocalist Tim Baker’s voice at moments reaching a tone that may resemble Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
But any listener will soon find out that each Hey Rosetta! song is non-comparable, given that all of the group’s seven members are multi-instrumental, incorporating the musical stylings of the violin, trumpet, cello and French horn, alongside their keyboards, drums and guitars.
Although the band has visited Minneapolis several times, this was only their second show in Saint Paul. Yet, it almost may not have happened.
“We didn’t play the last two shows that were scheduled because Tim had lost his voice for a couple of days,“ said Adam Hogan, Hey Rosetta! vocalist and guitar player. “It was nice that Tim’s voice held up. The crowd was awesome here in Saint Paul and it felt really good.”
Their last performance in Saint Paul was at the River’s Edge music festival on Harriet Island in 2012.
“That one time it happened,” said Hogan. “Which is unfortunate, because I thought it was a great sight.”
While standing outside the Turf Club on a fairly quiet University Avenue, vocalist, cello, guitar and keyboard player Romesh Thavanathan said the venue was a nice difference from First Avenue’s 7th Street Entry downtown.
“The crowd was very loving,“ said Thavanathan as he and Hogan thanked the filtering groups of people exiting the club. “They gave us a lot.“
Taking a front stage spot at the start of the show, Emily Jordet has been listening to Hey Rosetta! for five years after discovering them on Spotify.
“All of their albums grow on me a bit,” said Jordet. “The thing that rings out to me most is their lyrics.”
Overall invigorating and poetic, the Sight record took nearly four years to comprise, which Baker talks about here.
After making a shout-out to the female band members, vocalist and horn-player Mara Pellerin and vocalist and violinist Kinley Dowling, Jordet claims the band is underrated.
“They’re a seven-piece band,” said Jordet. “They’re so busy and kind of hard to keep up with, but they’re awesome.”
The band is comprised of Tim Baker, Kinley Dowling, Adam Hogan, Phil Maloney, Mara Pellerin, Romesh Thavanathan and Josh Ward.
TCM did an interview with the band a few days ago here
Set List:
Gold Teeth
Yer Spring
What Arrows
Soft Offering (For the Oft Suffering)
Young Glass
Alcatraz
Cathedral Bells
Harriet
Red Heart
Welcome
Bandages
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