(Gay Witch Abortion)

Art-A-Whirl is a yearly event that showcases the abundance of talent in the Northeast Minneapolis area and also serves as a chance for local music fans to see the wealth of great local music that our city has.

My long and winding Art-A-Whirl weekend started under the ominous clouds on the banks of the muddy Mississippi River as the adventurous local instrumental metal duo Gay Witch Abortion played a short set floating down the river. While the sound wasn’t great (they were probably 50 feet out), GWA are always cool live and it was an interesting experience and a fitting start to a wild weekend. Next up was a short bike ride to the 331 Club for sets by local arty weirdos Daughters of the Sun and frenzied garage rockers France Has the Bomb. Daughters of the Sun are an Animal Collective-like tribal rock band that rely on intensive percussion (at points being played by ¾ of their members) and effects laden vocals. Their densely melodic and rhythmically hypnotic music won over the packed 331 Club (really… I have never seen it that crowded) in short fashion and their 30 minute set was a great success. France Has the Bomb played next and displayed their post-punk influenced garage rock. While much of the music is highlighted by fairly standard rock material, the frazzled instrumentation and wiry vocals provide a nice change of pace and help the band stand out from other bands that play within a similar genre as them. France Has the Bomb played their usual high intensity show and ended my first night of Art-A Whirl on a really solid note.

(Gay Witch Abortion)

(Mystery Palace)

(Idle Hands)

Saturday afternoon was spent mostly attempting to seeing as many of the artist exhibits as possible, but I did squeeze in a little time for music as the afternoon rolled on. As we got to 13th and University to look around, Jeremy Messersmith was just finishing up his polished folk stylings for a decent sized crowd behind the 331. His music was a perfect compliment for an early afternoon crowd that featured many families and proved to be a great easing in sound for the day. After scoring some vinyl from the soon to be opened Shuga Records (soundtracked by some crazy techno music the DJ was playing) and seeing more art in three hours than I have seen in the three years combined, I headed home for a quick bite to eat.

(Mystery Palace)

(Idle Hands)

(Skoal Kodiak)

On the way home I heard a little of local sugar pop band One for the Team, but didn’t stick around to see their set. My ramshackle planning caused me to miss a band I really wanted to see (Communist Daughter) and two great local bands I have seen before but really like (Mystery Palace & Lookbook). By the time I left my apartment again it was time to head to Grumpy’s to see Gay Witch Abortion for the second time in less than 24 hours. Luckily, this time provided a more engaging audio experience. The sound at the tiny stage behind Grumpy’s was actually pretty great and was able to really articulate the intricate and idiosyncratic rhythms that the guitar and drums duo are able to make. After the band’s pummeling 30 minute set, the reunited Guzzard were up. While I didn’t know much about them and I wasn’t up near the stage, their rough around the edges noisy punk sounded cool and I could see why lots of people were excited to see them back on the stage. Heading off from the drunken masses at Grumpy’s we headed to the 331 to catch as much as we could from Skoal Kodiak. We came into the 331 parking lot to see a good sized crowd rocking out to the beeping pulses from the band. The crowd, which was dancing frantically and shaking the tent that was covering the band, seemed especially invigorated by the wild art rock from the local group. Going from the mellow folk of Jeremy Messersmith I saw first on the same stage that afternoon to the dense and droning rock of Skoal Kodiak on the same stage not only showed the diversity of the Minneapolis scene but showed how great a free event like Art-A-Whirl can be for local music fans. Leaving Skoal Kodiak the bike brigade headed to the Triple Rock for the King Khan set that ended day two of the Art-A-Whirl weekend.

(Idle Hands)

(Skoal Kodiak)

(Idle Hands)

Sunday found me nearing exhaustion but ready to head out to see some more of what Northeast had to offer. I was especially excited to see one of my favorite local bands, Private Dancer, which is always a good time. I ended up only seeing two bands Sunday, but both ended up being well worth my time. First up was Hunting Club, who play a dramatic blend of orchestrated pop music. Their sound was nicely balanced and showed the strong pop sensibility that they displayed on their debut EP. Private Dancer came on shortly after and played the best set I saw all weekend. They wasted little time flexing their muscles as they started their set with an amazing version of the garage rock classic “Psychotic Reaction” by the Count Five. The group’s boundless energy rolled over throughout their high charging set, which was a mix of strong originals (“Hot Dog” & “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”), new songs and their always great covers. For a loose take on Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me,” the band invited the lead singer of Vampire Hands (who I saw out watching other bands all weekend) to join them for what can only be described as a freewheeling and immensely fun take on the song. Private Dancer ended their set with a completely ramshackle take on the Them classic “Gloria,” which showed the band at their carefree best.

I was fortunate enough to see a lot of great local music and it only reinforced two things that I already knew pretty well. One is that the Minneapolis music scene is really thriving right now and the second is the Northeast Minneapolis is the best neighborhood in the city. Although I am not sure if my body could take it after such a fun filled weekend, I wish Art-A-Whirl was every weekend, but I guess I will just have to wait until next May to get my fill.

[Review by Josh Keller, photos by Jon Behm]