When I first signed up to shoot at the 7th Street Entry on Tuesday, February 26th, I have to admit… I thought it was for Dan Croll, not Mike Krol. I know, I know, completely different people with completely different names. Even with my stupid mistake, I have to say, I loved the concert!
Opening the entire evening was Subtle Beast. This trio from right here in Minneapolis has a pretty unique sound and they have some great chops. I’m not sure if they’d agree with me or not, but I heard a little influence from Mitski? Anyway, they started the evening off right, hyping everyone for the Steve Adamyk Band.
Hailing from Ottawa, Ontario, the Steve Adamyk Band are 100 percent punk, reeling inspiration from “seventies punk, the skinny tie bands of the eighties and nineties garage rock.” What struck me most about these guys is how gentle and quiet them seemed to be off stage mingling, buy boy when they took the stage were they different creatures. Steve has a great talent of engaging with the crowd and, at the same time, keeping his fast vocals and flying fingers in sync. One of my favorites is, “Carry On”, which reminds me a lot of music I heard in skating video games growing up in the nineties.
Following the Steve Adamyk Band was, of course, Mike Krol! The graphic artist-turned musician has an awesomely unique presence. His new album, Power Chords, goes back to the basics, with heavy influence from The Strokes. The artwork of his newest album displays a self-portrait of Mike with a bruised face and the band kept this going live. Each member had fake cuts/blood, which actually added a cool dynamic. Right off the bat, Mike stepped out into the crowd and got the energy going. He was also a photographers dream, playing out to the crowd a lot and interacting with his band incredibly well. If you want a really great song to vibe to, check out Mike’s tune, “Little Drama” off the new record.
All in all, Mike Krol is not, in fact, the same person as Dan Croll. But that’s a wonderfully good thing, because Mike is just as awesome in his own way!
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