What Blizzard?! Dave Hause & The Mermaid Brave Storm To Give Minneapolis Fans Everything They Needed To Survive Another Storm

Facebooktwittertumblr

It snowed again. No, I’m not kidding. It’s the middle of April and The Twin Cities got hit with a blizzard. It’s almost funny but also highly depressing and my mind instantly went into panic mode over last night’s Dave Hause show being cancelled… again. It was just about a year ago to the day when Dave Hause’s Turf Club show was cancelled due to the freak April snowstorm we got last year. Yes, it seems to be a going trend now to get major snow in April but that doesn’t mean I have to get used to it nor do I have to be okay with it. Clearly annoyed and bummed, I spent my day watching Facebook and Twitter just waiting for a cancellation notice for last night’s show. It’s not that I wanted to see one but it was becoming clear that mother nature does not want me to catch Dave Hause. About half way through the afternoon I saw the post that changed my whole day around. Dave Hause was in Minneapolis and this show was happening. I couldn’t have been happier.

Sure, I was a bit hesitant when heading out the door. My drive home was less than smooth sailing but, let’s be honest, after how bad this winter has been, one more snowstorm wasn’t going to kill me. There had been a small break in the weather when I left my apartment for the show but between the time I parked my car in a parking ramp and made my way downstairs for the block long walk to The 7th Street Entry it had started snowing/sleeting/raining again. Most nights this would annoy me but not last night. I walked with a pep in my step and a smile stretching across my face that I just couldn’t hide.

Kicking the night off was Minneapolis born Austin Plaine. Although born in Minneapolis, he no longer lives here so last night was a bit of a homecoming for this super talented man. This homecoming aspect of his set gave the night a whole new sense of energy and although his music was mostly calming with a country twang hidden inside of it, there was an undeniable sense of passion and fun that radiated from Austin, his band, and the audience. Calling out his cousin Kathy (sorry if I spelled that wrong) for a “woo” that was so distinctively hers, Austin thanked everyone for bracing the storm and making it out. He explained how happy he was to see some familiar faces and it was clear that he wasn’t just making that up. Although majority of the crowd wasn’t singing along and probably had never heard of Austin before, everyone’s eyes were glued to the stage and nobody missed a single note of love that Austin shared.

After a quick set changeover, it was time for the one and only Dave Hause. I don’t even know how to put my love for this man into words. His voice mixed with his all-too-real lyrics combined with his undeniable love for music and his fans have made him an all time favorite of mine. Having fronted both The Falcon and The Loved Ones along with various other projects, Dave is one of those hard working musicians that seems to be constantly grinding but never complaining about it. Hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his mindset is very similar to that of us Midwesterners. Work hard, play hard and never forget where you come from and what got you to where you are today. To say that’s relateable would be an understatement and as soon as Dave and his wonderful band (The Mermaid) took the stage I felt a sense of warmth and comfort instantly take over the nearly sold out audience.

As soon as the band took the stage, I recognized the keyboardist (who would later contribute some guitar work and backing vocals) as the beautiful Kayleigh Goldsworthy. I caught Kayleigh back in January when she opened for Bayside and was instantly captivated by her talent. Although she wasn’t front and center last night, it was impossible for me to not stare as she played through song after song with such ease seamlessly switching between keys, guitar, and vocals. Although Kayleigh stood out due to having just seen her and feeling proud of myself for putting it all together, everyone in Dave Hause’s band was truly amazing and talented. Although it was definitely Dave’s show and it’s his vocals and lyrics that have made me fall head over heels for his music, there was no way to ignore what was going on around him. Every single member of his band clearly brought a different vibe and style to the table and, when combined on stage, it created the most beautiful set I’ve seen in a long while.

One of the best things about the set last night was that there were no rules, no expectations but a whole lot of fun. If you wanted to stand in back and do nothing you could. If you wanted to be one with the crowd and scream along to every single word while pumping your fist, you could. If you wanted to have one too many drinks and just sway to the beat, you could. No matter what you wanted to do, you could do it without judgement. Regardless of what you were doing, you were loved by absolutely every single soul that had braved the storm to spend the night with the music. I talk about feeling like a family at shows all the time and last night was one of the best examples of that. Although I had showed up alone and didn’t have anyone to meet up with, as soon as the music started I felt far from alone and found myself surrounded by a brand new group of friends. From old songs to new songs, every moment of Dave Hause and The Mermaid’s set was a sing-a-long from the heart where the feeling of love was much louder than all of our voices.

It would have been so easy to fall into another bout of seasonal depression yesterday. I mean, mid-April and it was snowing. Thank you to Dave Hause and The Mermaid along with all of my new friends for braving the storm and making last night as amazing as it was.

Facebooktwitterrssyoutubetumblrinstagram