Lower Dens, w/ Invisible Boy at 7th St, Minneapolis (23 Jan 2016)

Lower Dens, as I mentioned, is an indie-pop band from Baltimore, Maryland. These guys really came out of nowhere as far as I know. I had never really heard of them or heard their music but they still packed the place Saturday night even with a huge local showcase show going on in the main room upstairs from us.

These guys have three full length albums with the newest one, Escape from Evil, being released just this past March on Ribbon Music. Singer Jana Hunter has a voice that emits so much emotion it makes it hard to turn away. The music is upbeat at times but Jana's voice brings it back down before it turn into a straight up pop music. Her voice is dark and deep but it's clear and full of energy at the same time.

The band behind Jana really didn't stand a chance. They were great but it was just so hard to take my eyes off of Jana. The keys were in the forefront of the music but, unfortunately, they were tracked and not played live. I'm sure that majority of the people in the crowd didn't care and honestly, it sounded great, but as a pianist, I was a bit bummed that it wasn't being performed live. I will say that they fooled me. Being that it was a packed show, it was hard for me to see the entire stage. I kept getting on my tip toes trying to see the keyboard player. It took me awhile to figure out that there was not one and they were just tracked.

All in all, these guys were great and the crowd seemed to be truly enjoying the night. These guys are sure to be a huge band soon so make sure you check them out!

Invisible Boy

Poliça is an extremely popular synthpop/alternative rock band from right here in Minneapolis. These guys took the scene by storm and can easily sell out any venue up here in the Twin Cities. They literally have three shows in a row in March (including a free sold out show at the Lowertown Line next, next Thursday) and all three of them are already sold out. That right there shows what a big deal it is that Chris Bierden's (bass/ vocals of Poliça) side project, Invisible Boy, was playing on such an intimate stage.

The side-project is a great way for Chris to showcase his talent. Granted he is showcased quite a bit in Poliça and kills it every time, it's just nice to see him be the front man for a band. He definitely has the charisma and talent that it takes.

Chris' voice is absolutely beautiful. It's unnaturally high but doesn't sound forced. It's one of those voices where the second you hear it, you know exactly who it is. The band behind him was just as amazing. One of Chris's guitar strings broke within the first song. He was forced to leave the stage and deal with it while the band was left on the stage. This was an opportunity for the band to do a little open jam session and they kept the crowd entertained the whole time as Chris was fixing the string.

Invisible Boy doesn't seem to play much so when they do, it's a huge deal. I know this was their last show for a while due to the upcoming Poliça show but you best believe that when they play again I will be there.