June 5th, 2007
So I fully consider myself part of the “Minneapolis/St. Paul” music scene. In fact, I even consider myself a resident of Minnesota even though I live in Western Wisconsin. I receive no news coverage from Wisconsin. I don’t shop in Wisconsin. I rarely have reason to drive further east than my house which is in fact less than one mile from the MN/WI border. I get a MN daily newspaper as do all of my neighbors. If I cared about sports (blegh) I’d surely care about MN sports because those are accessible to me in my living situation.
I’m 18 miles from St. Paul. 25 from minneapolis. There’s a good chance you’re further away from your “scene” but I’m not the guy in the glass house that throws stones so go ahead and frig off, Randy.
There are plenty of blogs from/about minneapolis. This one will continue to be. Though a recent financial crunch (unemployment) has kept me from going to as many shows as I once did, the goodship ss auralfitness will continue steaming chock full of minneapolis content.
Today, however, we travel east to the next nearest “scene.” Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Home to a sizable state college, it in turn envelops a modest music scene. It’s not that bad, either. It’s certainly not burning up Hype Machine, but it’s also not getting every Brooklyn blogger on earth to come down to their weekly shows and drink too much. It does occasionally get me to go down to their shows and drink too much, however.
You see, Brooklyn — Wisconsin is a place where you can go out (no matter your tolerance) and get absolutely falling down mentally retarded shit-faced for about $10. I know for fact that Eau Claire has a bar that on Thursday Nights (all night-long) you can roll a pair of dice and pay whatever comes up for a PITCHER of MIXED DRINK. Holy swash that will get you done right fawwwked up. In the meantime when I’m in NYC I pay eleven-teen-thousand for a Jim Beam and seven and end up talking to the hip flask most of the night.
Ok, so get me on the subject of booze and I’ll get distracted. Let’s get back on point: Bands from Eau Claire, Wisconsin have started to develop one of those cool regional sounds. I’m sure there are plenty of other nowherevilles in America that are producing a lowfi folkpop sound, but Eau Claire seems to be doing it surprisingly well for having such a small population. Nay, they are doing it surprisingly well. Give em’ a listen.
Bon Iver (website) (myspace)
Bon Iver was the inspiration for this post. Featured on My Old Kentucky Blog just last week, I was reminded just how GOOD the sound coming just 60 miles to the east of me was reverberating. Justin Vernons voice sounds like a honey factory reverse cowgirled Mrs Butterworth. This music makes me smile and even though it comes from really damn near my home, it made me somehow feel even closer.
Bon Iver – Skinny Love
The Daredevil Christopher Wright (web) (myspace)
This could be a band construed as a Twin Cities band because they play regular gigs in the ‘tcs. Rest easy, though, sweethearts: they hail from Eau Claire, Wis. They sound like it. They sound like a small town. They sound unpretended (not a word, I know) and genuine. This sort of melodic low-fi is exactly the sort of sound that gets my butter churning.
The subtlety? The coziness? The beauty. It’s all working right here.
The Daredevil Christopher Wright – Head
The Daredevil Christopher Wright – Everything
Amateur Love
This band has recently broken up. I don’t know a whole lot about them except that they’re on MySpace, by Eau Claire standards they were somewhat popular, and they did write above-average electro-pop. Listen to Jailbreak, below, and let me know if it doesn’t make your ears prick up with happiness. That’s just the way that I love you.
Amateur Love – Jailbreak
Amateur Love – Con a Sewer Cat
Meridene (website) (myspace)Meridene sounds like a band that came up out of the ground with this summers crop of turnips and potatoes. It’s an earthy sound that makes my feet want to meet with mud. Even though every band and their retarded step children have added a banjo and updated their bios to google-whack “Sufjan Stevens” — these guys produce a lightweight folk-pop that floats in the same cloud. I think my favorite part of this band is just how genuine the vocals sound. Like, fah reals!
Meridene – Roots Oh So Deep
Meridene – Oh! Lover
So do you have the patience to wait until tomorrow? (or maybe later today since I literally have NOTHING to do all day.) I’m fixing to continue this Eau Claire post tomorrow because the music so far is actually much better than I anticipated. Big ups, EC.
