she’s green at Utepils Brewing (July 12, 2026)

Utepils Brewing is having a busy summer at its taproom.  It’s been hosting World Cup viewing parties with the motto UNITE BEER CHEER REPEAT. There are weekly cribbage tournaments.  And this past weekend they played host to the annual Art n’ Pils where artists showcased their wares as people milled about, drinking, eating and listening to music. 

It was a full weekend of music on the patio.  I showed up early to catch a couple of bands before the headliner.  Unfortunately, the perfect weather that should accompany outdoor live music wasn’t there.  Instead, blistering heat.  Most stayed indoors as the afternoon sun wasn’t crawling fast enough to provide any shade for the impromptu stage in the courtyard. 

Most sought relief in a grove of trees along Bassett Creek.  A few brave souls remained in the courtyard and hung with the band.  By my notes Whiskey Rock and Roll Club MPLS should have been playing.  But the burly guys on stage didn’t look like any of the band members I saw online.  They also didn’t play any of the music I listened to.  In fact, it wasn’t them.  Instead it was Uff-Da, a local band of Sam McKinney on drums, Chris Marti on guitar, Cody Brugman on bass and Tim Booth on keys.  

McKinney and Marti shared singing duties as the band played a gut-bucket, back-alley form of blues, soul with forays into psychedelic rock. Their self-titled debut is out now and their best song of the afternoon was  “People Like Us.”  

On the album the song is close to thirteen minutes long.  In the courtyard they had a great segue into an instrumental jam session that was free-flowing with just the right amount of love, soul and angel dust.  

Up next was drey dk aka Audrey Darst Kereakos who identifies as they/them.  Drey grew up studying voice and piano and soon became a self-taught producer of their own music.  From 2015-19 they released their music to SoundCloud.  Recently they have released two EP’s: Peace of Mind and feeling and may have a new album out this fall. 

drey’s music is more mood setting than story telling.  Even as a solo act they created lush ambiance with synths and guitar, modulating their voice at times to create a loop or a chorus. It was peaceful and beautiful and the gathering crowd was receptive.  

drey gave an effusive shoutout to the headliner of the early evening and thanked the crowd for coming out even though it had been a long weekend and way too hot.  And as they finished up their set, I saw a couple of musicians, with instruments in tow, entering the courtyard.  The problem was they were not the upcoming headliner, but the previous band.  The sound guy caught them and gave them the bad news: that they were two hours late and one drummer short.  So they shrugged and began the long walk back to their cars. ( I guess that can happen when you add whiskey to your rock ‘n’ roll.)

We are big fans of she’s green, catching them on more than a few occasions, last seeing them at the Fine Line in August, 2025, remarking that they are dreamy shoegaze at its very best. I totally agree.  At its worst, shoegaze can become a self-indulgent exercise. But this band seems to be completely attuned to each other and especially to Zofia Smith’s ethereal voice.  There is a natural, organic beauty created by Liam Armstrong and Rains Lucas on guitar, Teddy Nordvold on bass and Kevin Seebeck on drums.  

she’s green has  just released a new album, swallowtail,  and Smith said they were going to try to perform “keeper” which she said they only played one other time in public.  At this admission Seebeck did the sign of the cross with drumsticks in hand.  But there was no reason to worry.  This is a band that continues to create music that continues to generate praise.  My favorite compliment comes from Stereogum:  “Both delicate and austere like a pinned iridescent butterfly.”

Smith brought drey on stage to help sing “Mandy” from the band’s 2023 debut album, wisteria.  And before you knew it they finished an early evening with another song from their latest album “close your eyes,” a song that could lift and disappear above the cloudline and somehow make you happy to see it go.