Big Trouble Setlist

— Set One —

Seasonal Forests
67 Ways to Leave Your Easel
Let It Die (Feist cover)
Paperweight
Goodies
Beneath the Mississippi
California (Low cover)
Levitating (Dua Lipa cover)
Golden (EJAE cover)
Blues for Rose Hill

— Set Two —
Way Down in the Hole (Tom Waits cover)
Tiger Tiger
We Laugh Indoors (Death Cab for Cutie cover)
Cloquet Then
I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Marvin Gaye cover)
End of the Day (Beck cover)
San Ho Zay
Ruby Falls (Waxahatchee cover)
Deny the Witch
Time of the Season (The Zombies cover)

On an early Saturday evening in downtown Saint Paul, local band Big Trouble was on stage at The White Squirrel Bar for their monthly residence. Big Trouble is a sizable part of the instrumental section of the hip hop band Heiruspecs. As an instrumental band, the quartet (guitar, guitar, bass, and drums), who can play across a wide number of genres, were ready to go. The first number, Seasonal Forests, started quietly, then built up in volume and complexity with guitarist Josh Peterson taking lead. Bassist Sean McPherson, who we last saw hosting part of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival in June, introduced the band members, which includes his brother Steve McPherson on guitar, who also had composed one of the early numbers.

These first songs had a laid back rock vibe that paired well with the early autumn mood. Guitar work was the key feature here, and the band’s instrumental sections had a nice way of replacing verse and chorus lyrics. Paperweight had an upbeat, classic rock feel to it and gave guitarist McPherson an excellent section of guitar work. Drummer Peter Leggett did a good job of keeping the band together, and had a bit of a featured section on the song Goodies. Showing off their versatility, Big Trouble did a cover of Dua Lipa’s Levitating, which was pretty cleverly done and quickly followed by the song Golden from the recent hit show KPop Demon Hunters.

After a break, Big Trouble was back for their second set and started with a very funky sounding version of Down in the Hole. Having chatted briefly with the band between sets, bassist McPherson called out the review in progress, and amusingly commented, “the review could include ‘electrifying bass playing’, just giving you some pull quotes to work with here”. The second set also featured some longer numbers, with a good Death Cab For Cutie cover of We Laugh Indoors giving the full band individual chances to shine. When they were playing their original compositions, you could hear the range of influences, including their shared hip hop background. A latter set cover of I Heard It Through the Grapevine was highly enjoyable. San Ho Zay ripped along with Peterson pretty fabulous on guitar. A bass heavy number, Deny the Witch, was right near the end and Big Trouble had showed off a great range for the evening. Finishing with a fun version of The Zombies’ Time of the Season, Big Trouble is well worth seeking out at an upcoming last Saturday of the month at The White Squirrel Bar.