The Limns and Satsang move The Icehouse to the Beach

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations were in full swing, green shirts and clover leaves were all over the place, yet somehow the vibe at The Icehouse Friday night was Caribbean instead of Irish. Minnesota’s The Limns were releasing their new album “Fall Into Peace” and for good measure had brought their buddies Satsang along who were on a short tour celebrating the release of their new CD “Pyramids”.
Satsang started the evening a bit before 11PM and it only took a few bars of “Getting Old” to turn The Icehouse into a dance floor. Satsang’s music is an interesting blend of several styles. Reggae was quite prominent in several songs but Folk, Rock, and Hip Hop flowed freely, and for a curve ball they threw in a well-done cover of Amy Winehouse’s Valerie.
Satsang had many local connections, referring to Minneapolis as their second home. Judging by the energetic sometimes boisterous greetings in the crowd, there’s a pretty good community spirit among their fans. I enjoyed their set, a lot of times being reminded of other bands without Satsang ever copying their style, just incorporating what works into their music.
Set List: Getting Old / Story / Just A Child / Grow / Breathe / We Are Free / Go Fly / Beautiful Days / Figure It Out / I Am / Valerie (played earlier)

Shortly after midnight The Limns took to the stage and the traditional sounding “Vibration” took us straight to the Caribbean. The Limns style is modern and there are tons of influences that can be heard in their music. Their Facebook profile lists many, although I failed to hear elements of Bozo the Clown – maybe the drummer was wearing big shoes?
The show was sold out but the venue did not feel as packed as I have seen it. There was a steady rotation of fans getting up from tables to join dancers on the floor.
The band’s love for their music was evident through their set. Collaborators on their album joined them on stage – sometimes for just a few seconds. Singer Zacc Fricke mentioned their producer (Brad, I think) who helped them with a song their struggled with. One song that stood out to me was “Swim”, the chorus is quite catchy.
All in all, I came to like The Limns quite a bit. They may be as Jamaican as I am, but their music captures the spirit of the Islands perfectly. It’s the kind of easygoing Reggae that’s perfect for sitting at a bar in the Islands, feeling the sun on your face, the wind on your skin and the world being a perfect place.
Set List: Vibration / Porcelain Doll / Swim / Burned / Letting Me Know / God’s In The Broad / Only Me / Wait, Wait / Better And Better / Not What I Thought / Too Late / Weatherman / Man On A Wire / Fall Into Peace / Can’t Get You Out Of My Head