[Jessica Boldt]
My friend and fellow staffer here at Twin Cities Media, Langen Goldstein, thought she had a Monday night off, however the powers that be had other plans in store for her. And by powers that be, I mean me pestering her via text she finally caved and decided to accompany me to the Honduras and L.A. Witch show at the 7th Street Entry.
Check out her recap of the evening below.
[Langen Goldstein]
I was looking forward to a night off last night. Yesterday wasn’t a particularly bad day but it also wasn’t a good day. It was just one of those days that, when I got home from work, I instantly crashed on the couch. It wasn’t that I was exhausted (although I’m getting there), more just that it was one of those days. The only thing that can fix days like this is either copious amounts of sleep and Netflix or a concert. Well, you wouldn’t be reading this if I had just stayed home and slept and, if you can’t tell, that’s not really my style so I tagged along with my friend who was covering a show at The 7th Street Entry.
After grabbing some food, drinks and a look at the gorgeous manager at a bar downtown, my friend and I headed to the Entry. We got inside the warm, intimate venue and weren’t really surprised to see a lack of people. I mean, it was a Monday night, a bit chilly and it was starting to drizzle out. Honestly, it was a bit miserable but after a couple nights of non-stop sold out shows, I was more than ready for an empty room with a very chill vibe.
Opening up the night was New York based four-piece Honduras. Sure, a bit of a weird name for a bunch of kids from Brooklyn but it worked. Honduras had a somewhat hazy garage rock sound to them. There wasn’t anything super intense about the music but there also wasn’t anything completely boring about it. They had the perfect balance of energy and calmness that seemed to reflect the mood in the room perfectly. As people made their way into the venue, hellos would be said to friends, drinks would be bought and then they would head down to the floor near the stage. Within just a couple of songs the crowd went from nearly non-existent to pretty damn full for a Monday night and Honduras’ music was the perfect sound for them to walk into.
Not much was said to the crowd that had formed right in front of the stage but not much had to be said. Other than the multiple ‘thank you’s’, the band members let their music do the talking and that was more than enough for myself and the rest of the audience. Although the music and vocals seemed to be heavy on the effects and distortion, there was a sense of clarity to Honduras’ music. It had a garage feel but also felt very clean and almost radio-ready at times leaving everyone with a truly unique experience.
L.A. Witch was the headlining act for the night and as they took the stage I realized just how packed the venue had become. I have to be honest, I was a bit shocked. Sure, I had seen these guys before when they opened for The Kills and I loved them but I didn’t see that opening slot helping them gain a bunch of fans. Being so far away from their hometown of Los Angeles and without much radio play, I was wondering why so many people had come out on the dreary Monday night for the show. The female trio jumped right into their set and I was quickly reminded of why I had chosen to come out and see them for a second time and realized just why it was so packed.
The attitude of the trio screams punk but the music is much more atmospheric than that attitude. Much like Honduras, there was a sense of haze to the music of L.A. Witch. With distorted instruments and vocals, the spacey feel of some of the music seemed to clash with the good old fashioned rock & roll that was happening to some of the other notes. This clash created a wave of sound that you couldn’t avoid being hit by. The energy f their set didn’t come from the movement on the stage, as there really wasn’t any, but the energy coming from the music was almost overpowering. I may not have remembered much about seeing their opening set a couple months ago due to my pure excitement over finally seeing The Kills, but as I stood there listening to the music, I remembered exactly why they had sparked my interest in the first place. There’s a sense of intrigued that I get when watching L.A. Witch perform and that’s what keeps me going back for more.
I finally had a night off last night but, let’s be honest, who needs sleep and what’s the big deal with clean laundry. Clean dishes are over-rated and tidy apartments are boring.
[Jessica Boldt]
Like she said – clean apartments are overrated. Mondays are bad enough – why not make it a little better with a show? And that’s just what we did.
Thanks to Honduras and L.A. Witch for stopping by First Ave! We hope to see both of these bands back very soon!
