It was a hard night for many of us heading to the Amsterdam bar in downtown Saint Paul; Here we were – marching into a final show of, in my opinion, the best local act in Minneapolis since 2019. I ordered a couple shots of tequila and cheers’d the Skeleton Man and the the idea of my favorite group calling it a day.
It was hard to adjust to this new reality as I walked into the venues music space; taking a deep breath as I navigated the crowd while simultaneously catching a first glance at Good Morning Bedlam.
Good god, Good Morning Bedlam blew me away; a band that presents as a folk one (banjo, fiddle, you name it) had quite a heavy heart and a heavy punch at times. Their bass was upright and alright as it carried a band that startled me – how have I not heard of them yet? Their vocals are amazing and their stage presence was just as admirable; hats off to these folks
The first time I covered these guys and gal I wasn’t sure what to expect – or what to write about. Previewing their show back in 2020 had my scrounging the web for some background and context: who were these people?
Coyote Kid is a big deal; and is very important to me and my writing journey as they were the first local act I befriended. When I first wrote about them I was still shaking in fear of Durry’s (frontman) ghostly yet western vocals; a story truly unfolded in every song of theirs. It didn’t matter which album or which song – I truly loved all of it and I was hearing it live for the last time.
Ugh.
The songs are all amazing, but (much to match the bands vibe and departure) “Strange Days” really stands out. You see – I found Coyote in February of 2020; a few weeks later some strange fricking days erupted with Covid and the shutdowns; “Strange Days” was one of my top songs in 2020 on Spotify.
Coyote Kid killed it as usual; and the crowd was packed in tight by the time they were playing their last few songs. They cried – we cried. They played – we sang along. Where Coyote Kid goes we went – until now.
So it ended as it usually does – they wrapped up their set and we went back to life. As I left the venue with “Prowler” still stuck in my head – I realized I was now entering a new world. Not a new world without Coyote Kid – they aren’t going anywhere in terms of finding their music and whatnot; but rather a world without their shows and perhaps, ever again, new music. We can only sit in wonder and sadness for now, but a tear of joy for the fact we got to experience such an amazingly haunting and beautifully local act
To the fans: cheers to our times together.
To the band: just simply Thank You. For everything.
