Friday night was a great night of raucous music as one of First Avenue’s favorite bands returned during a somber week where the venue lost its long-serving stage manager to lung cancer. But based on the testimonials of the musicians that took the stage it was apparent that Conrad Svekerson’s spirit will live on.

Judy Blank was first to take the stage. It was her first visit to the Twin Cities and she said that she was already in love, listing what she did on a rare off day which included eating at Modern Times, taking a jog, seeing people actually reading books in a park, and interacting with the locals, they being the roaming herds of Canadian geese and wild turkeys.

Judy is from the Netherlands, and it was her dream to move to America and record her first album in Nashville, which she did in 2023 with Morning Sun. She is supporting her latest release, Big Mood, and was joined on stage by Molly Martin who played bass and backup vocals and said to the crowd that she had actually played 7th Street Entry twice.

Although young, Judy’s songs did not revolve around boys and boys, but instead concentrated on growing pains and existential dread, launching into songs about climate change and dark matter. Still there was a cheeky ray of fun in the music like the song “I’m Out” about having enough and wanting to scream to a 70’s laid back vibe. A fan favorite was the last one “Gold Mine” which entertains the “practical” benefits of being a gold digger.

Next up was local musician Monica LaPlante who wanted to let everyone know that she was starting her set on time in honor of Connor. She added that she even wears a watch to her gigs because of him.

Originally from Rochester, MN, Monica has been a part of the Twin Cities musical scene since her debut album Jour in 2013. We caught Monica opening for Honeyblood at 7th Street Entry in Oct, 2016 and in Oct, 2025 she and her band got out of the gate early with a garage rock tear that sounded tight and reckless at the same time.

Monica was joined on stage by Christy on bass, Austin on drums and Ryan who pulled double duty on guitar and keys. Monica said, “The whole set is a list of my grievances.” Playfully telling someone in the crowd to shut up after they made a comment about her comment.

The music was definitely not a downer. A fan favorite was “Already Lost.” She even slipped in a punkish version of Talking Heads “Psycho Killer” and finished the set with “Digital Personality”, which is a sharp critique on living solely to buy stuff at Target.

Next up and right on time was Low Cut Connie. What more needs to be said about this bawdy, fun-loving house band. We are big fans and have seen them quite a bit over the years. There was John’s review in Nov, 2018:

(Adam) Weiner wasted no time showcasing his piano acrobatics, dressed in bright red patterned jacket, white tank top, chain necklaces, and suspendered black pants, jumping on the top of his battered but still-warm sounding upright piano named “Shondra”(named after an elderly Atlanta stripper), stretching wide along the piano bench and pounding the keys like The Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis in his 50’s heyday.

Then there was Vu’s review in Oct, 2023:

Again, Low Cut Connie blew us away with their highly energetic show, playing gospel, soul, country, and blues, all in a unique LCC style. Adam played the piano (named “Nellie”) with great showmanship, reminding you of Sir Elton John (who is a fan of Low Cut Connie), Little Richard, or Jerry Lee Lewis.

There is not much else to add, but based on my first experience, I felt like I was watching the spirit of Bruce Springsteen and the soul of James Brown in Adam’s stage presence. I will cite as evidence that there was a guy in the crowd with a Springsteen concert tee and when we started to filter out of the venue after the two-hour set, Brown’s “Living in America” ushered us out the doors.

Even though the spirit and the soul of the band remain the same, there have been changes. The lineup changed at the end of 2024 when three longtime members left the band: guitarists Abigail Dempsey and Will Donnelly and bassist Linwood Regensburg. Joining Adam on stage was Rich Stanley on guitar, Nick Perri on bass, Jarae Lewis on drums, Kelsey Cork on guitar and tenor sax and the stellar Amanda “Rocky” Bullwinkel on vocals.

Since it was my first time seeing the band, I did not notice any difference. To me they sounded soulful and extremely playful. They were having fun and happy to be in Minneapolis at First Ave, playing original songs like “Dirty Water” and “One Night Stand.” There were also covers like “Wild in the Streets” by Garland Jefferys and “Hot Legs” by Rod Stewart. Adam even sang “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie, because, why not! There were shoutouts to legends like Sly, Tina and Nina Simone. They even played a new song “Baby You Can’t Be Wrong” from an upcoming album. And they also played the one song that only the local radio station The Current dared to put on the air “Charyse.”

Adam said it was their sixth time playing at First Ave and he was forever grateful that the venue took a shot on an unknown band ten years ago. And he said the first person to greet them when they arrived was Conrad. Adam also said to celebrate his ten years playing in the Twin Cities, he will be doing a solo gig at the Turf Club in March of next year. So get your tickets early for it will definitely be a sold-out show.