Show Review: Green Room Rockers 4/17
Monday, April 19th, 2010
This past Saturday was a busy day for me, but one I’ll never forget. The afternoon started with heading off to Citizen D’s (from Rude Radio) wedding, which of course was ska-themed, had reggae tunes pumping, and was officiated by his friend and cohost the Reverend Evan. After the wedding, I headed over to the West Bank in Minneapolis to The Red Sea where the big MNSKA ALL AGES show was already in full-swing. Talking with the bartender, I realized that their usual outrageous weekday happy hour special ($2.50 bottles from 4-9pm) was extended to this Saturday because they wanted to give back to the MNSKA crowd. I thanked him for the kind words about the website and for the extra special happy hour and headed into the club.
Already ripping through their punk-ska set was the dapper-dressed trio known as Midriff, who were making their MNSKA debut. They were in the “covers portion” of their set where they played technically proficient renditions of NOFX‘s “Linoleum” (see video) and The Suicide Machines‘ “New Girl” (see video). I wanted to load them into a time machine dialed to 1997 and have them play at my high school.
The club was packed and getting more full as the night wore on. Next up were MNSKA favorites 2 Tone Runts who kicked things into gear with “Cute Girls In Combat Boots.” This was the first time I had seen the band since they brought on new drummer Greg Futchi and had Lee playing trumpet on a few numbers. I think the extra touring this band has done in the past year has really enhanced their performing skills as they put on a very fun and groovy show. They tried out a new song simply called “Reggae Music” (see video) that I hope makes it onto their next release.
The first two acts were uptempo, causing the packed crowd of dancing fans to break a sweat. I grabbed a drink to cool down at the bar and talked with Chris, who lives in Fargo, ND, who made the special 4-hour trip for the show. He was drenched from all the dancing and the night was only half over! He was driving back immediately after the show, proving his ultimate dedication to the ska scene…what a trooper!
Now that the club was nice and hot, MNSKA rocksteady group The Prizefighters took the stage. I haven’t been to a Prizefighters show I haven’t liked, and this one was no exception. They ripped through a nice long set of songs including “Karma,” “Storms,” and my favorite “Hypocrite.” They also managed to get the entire club singing the chorus of their soul song “Outside My Window.” Big thanks to Aaron Porter from The Prizefighters for booking this already amazing show!
Now it was time for the main event! From West Lafayette, IN, the wildly popular soul-reggae group Green Room Rockers kicked into action and filled the dancefloor with fans old and new. This was my second time seeing them so it was an absolute treat to see them in such an intimate setting. They grooved the crowd with original tunes like “Northbound Train,” “Broke,” and “Conqueror” (see video). They also got the crowd excited with some old-school reggae tunes like “54-56 Was My Number” (see video) from Toots and the Maytals and the Symarip classic “Stay With Him” (see video). They closed the night with a pair of soul songs, including original “You and I” and the Etta James hit “I’d Rather Go Blind.” Despite the late night, the guys had to pack up the van and speed on home to Indiana so they could get to work in the morning. It was a great way to kick off the spring/summer concert season for MNSKA and we are so glad that the GRR guys made the trip up to MN. Can’t wait to have them back!
