Magic City Hippies Bring Pure Magic To First Avenue
Clearly, I've been on a concert bender. I've had nine shows over the past six days and have seen twenty-nine bands. That's more than most people see in a year. Yes, I realize I'm a freak of nature, but when you have nights like my Saturday night, it's hard to stop doing this. It turns into an obsession. Always chasing the high of finding an amazing new band or feeling the heat of an intimate and packed show. I had both of those extremes on Saturday night as I bounced between First Avenue's iconic main room and their conjoining intimate venue, The 7th Street Entry. Both shows were great but there was some real magic happening in First Avenue’s main room.
Florida "zest pop" group Mustard Service got things started off perfectly. What is "zest pop," you may ask? Honestly, I couldn't tell you, but I can tell you that I loved it. Their unique blend of rock, surf, funk, jazz, indie, folk, and even bossa nova flavors floated through the air easily as people were still packing into the venue. I loved how their music somehow commanded your attention without being aggressive or in your face. Sure, some of their songs came off as a bit chill, giving the audience a chance to catch up with friends or grab another drink, but even through the conversations, the music of Mustard Service was in the spotlight.
It took me a couple of songs into Mustard Service's set to realize that I had seen this band before. They opened for Bombay Bicycle Club last March. The fact that I didn't catch on to this until a couple of songs in should tell you all you need to know about this group. Although they definitely have a distinct sound, this group's music seems to be a bit of an ever-changing thing. In regards to their show last year, I remember their sound being a bit more indie-pop-heavy. In contrast, their set on Saturday seemed to lean more toward the jazz and R&B influences that can be found in many of their tracks. I'm not sure if they did this to fit with the headliner a bit more or if it was just a coincidence, but I loved that it showed me a whole other side of this amazing Florida-based band, and I hope I get a chance to see them again and see what else they have up their sleeves.
What do Ginuwine's "Pony," The Strokes' "Reptilia," and Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" have in common? The obvious answer would be nothing, but, in the case of Saturday night, they were all songs covered by Magic City Hippies-- an indie-funk-leaning rocking jam band that had no business covering any of those songs yet did it oh so perfectly. I had never heard of Magic City Hippies before Saturday night. Honestly, I was already covering the show downstairs at the 7th Street Entry and figured, why not hit two shows? As soon as the stage lights started whirling around First Avenue and the music started, I knew that this was fate. I was meant to be at this show, and I wasn't about to let a single second of it pass me by.
Celebrating the release of their new album, 'Enemies' (of which I'm pretty sure this band has none because they are just that good and charming), the band treated the audience to a scattered album playthrough while throwing in the aforementioned covers and a couple of oldies in there. Being that I knew nothing about this band, every song was new to me, so I really can't expand on their setlist more than that, but the songs that they played aren't what I took away from their Saturday night set. What I did take away was the love this band has for their fans and the admiration and respect that the fans have for this band.
From the trumpet player surprising everyone with a solo being performed from the top of the stairs that lead you to the bathrooms and to the upstairs bars to the way the vocalist became just another blur in the audience when he went in there to sing and dance through a song (or maybe it was two, it was honestly a bit of a blur for me), there was something about this band that just screamed perfect accessibility. As a girl who grew up in the years of Myspace, where a band was just a message away rather than having to go through all the red tape of a PR rep or manager, I loved this and felt that it added a sense of charm to a set that was already full of pure magic.
I hate that I'm saying this because it feels like such a cop-out, but, really, if you weren't at the Magic City Hippies show on Saturday night at First Avenue, my words will do nothing as far as putting you into the space. It was one of those shows that I walked in entirely blind, intending to leave early to try and get a headstart on photos and write this post but, instead, ended up being there all night, and when the band left the stage, I found myself internally pleading with the concert Gods for more.
