What a week of good music! With the cold January weather and a new week of work ahead, who goes out in the evening to see live music at the beginning of the week??? The people of the Twin Cities do. A testament to the thriving music scene found here, I attempted to check out live music Sunday through Wednesday night, and I wasn’t alone.

This week is one of the coldest we have had all winter. The frigid weather didn’t stop people from trying to get into Rhythm Circus’s sold out Feet Don’t Fail Me Now show this past Sunday at Varsity Theater. Knowing the talent of Rhythm Circus (featuring members of the bluesy funk band Root City and former members of the Stomp-like dance troupe Buckets and Tap Shoes) I thought the show would bring a crowd, but I did not think it would sell out on a Sunday night! I stood in line for about an hour, which early in the evening had gone around the block. By the time I got towards the front I knew I had sadly missed most of Heatbox‘s set and then found out there were no tickets left. I was frustrated but happy for the musicians and dancers who were blowing the minds of the sold out audience inside.

Monday it was time to get funky George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic at First Ave. The master of the mothership landed on stage earlier than the last time he hit up the Twin Cities which made the crowd of party people very happy. I love it when the smiling crowd of mind-altered funkateers gets fooled by the George Clinton lookalikes on stage. A member or two of his crew will dress in a hooded sweatshirt or pimped out costume looking like their bearded leader but you won’t know its really George till the rainbow colored hair comes down.

Not only was I having a fun time dancing my ass off and singing the old funk classics, I was also enjoying chatting up the friendly crowd grabbing big beer bottles and mixed drinks from First Ave’s many bars. I found George and the P-Funk crew have a six degrees of separation thing going with many of the Minnesotans at the show. People either have or have a friend or friend of a friend that has partied with George and those on the mothership in his many visits to Minnesota. When the crowd sang with the band the encouraging words of “Up For the Down Stroke”: I don’t care about the cold baby/ Cause when your hot, you’re too much/ When your hot, your hot/ Just look at what you got, I had an idea. I too would invite the band back to my place to party it up. I invited the members of P-Funk that were hanging out at the end of the show, but they already had a party lined up. Maybe next time. I left the night happy with the party already forming at my house and wishing George Clinton (67 years old) a great night at whatever Minnesota residence he ended up at.

Tuesday night, my friends and I headed to Bunkers to check out a great local reggae band, the International Reggae All-Stars. There were not as many people here on this Tuesday night as I had seen at the Sunday and Monday shows I had went to. That didn’t stop us Tuesday night music fiends from getting down on the dance floor to the live band, which was sounding particularly tight that night. The beats were dubbed out. The vocals were soulful. The band gelled well. There are few live band options on a Tuesday and I can’t recommend this one enough. If you haven’t seen them play, check them out next Tuesday at Bunkers.

Wednesday night I dropped by First Ave for The Best Bands of 2008. The event was presented by Radio K but hosted by 89.3FM The Current‘s David Campbell and Cities 97‘s Jason Nagel. Both of these guys host a local show on their respective stations. The Current’s show (Saturday nights 7-11pm) plays what ever you request (local or not) and Cities 97′s show (Sunday 10pm) plays only local music.

The night started off with Bouncer Fighter, a progressive rock band that you would imagine playing just about the time a bar fight would break out. These guys bring the ruckus in a fun way. With guitar, bass, drums, keys and viola, the music rolls out with a driving beat before switching gears and time signatures over the vocals screaming with a sense of urgency. These guys were very interesting to me, though I would have liked to here more viola in the mix, as his mic was not turned up enough to hear his contribution to the group. These guys will be playing a party at The Nomad for the Starbucks Workers Union with The Knotwells, Clawthroat, Military Special, Ogre Smash Death Boom, and Shuge on Jan 24th.

Lookbook followed and changed the tone of the night immediately.[img_assist|nid=103|title=|desc=Lookbook contains magic spells that make you flashback to the 80's|link=node|align=left|width=200|height=150] Grant Cutler carries Maggie Morrison’s (from Digitata) playfully passionate voice over minimalistic repetitive beats, synthy tones, bass and the occasional backup vocals. Lookbook has a sound that could be found in an 80′s teen flick, during the slow dance in the gym auditorium when the boy finally works up the courage to kiss the girl. I liked it when the band picked up the pace towards the end of their set, hinting at a sound reminiscent of Pat Benatar and Blondie. I would recommend this duo to those who like Roxette, M83 and The Knife. They will be playing at The Guystorm‘s cd release party along with Haunted House at Hexagon Bar on Jan 31st.

The scene then changed to cutesy folk that kept the music lovers happy, as Caroline Smith & The Goodnight Sleeps took the stage. First Ave had filled out by this point in the evening. It was hard to find a face that wasn’t smiling and falling in love with this fresh faced lead singer and her multifaceted band. Harmonica, drums, xylophone, piano, bass, banjo, electric & accoustic guitar were all implemented to create an ever changing prism-like reflection of folk-pop. Caroline has a voice like Zooey Deschanel with more of a quiver. I liked her sound so much I got her CD “Backyard Tent Set” before I left. Its great!

Lucy Michelle & The Velvet Lapelles [img_assist|nid=105|title=|desc=Lucy Michelle & The Velvet Lapelles are quirky eclectic fun.|link=node|align=right|width=200|height=150]followed in a similar vein. Lucy Michelle has a voice much like Caroline Smith with more quivers and quirks. Both ladies sound very adorable. The Velvet Lapelles have a sound that is a little more eclectic, taking folk music and grafting it with Eastern European influences, like those found in the band DeVotchKa. David Campbell confessed his love for the band when he introduced them calling them his favorite and saying something to the effect of, “I don’t know where I would be with out you”. If that is not a high recommendation, I don’t know what is.

The Dynamiters kicked it up “one louder” with rockabilly sensibility bent over a hard rock edge. The band (featuring former and current members of Die Electric!. The Selby Tigers, Monarques, and Freedom Fighters) played with the ferocity of a wild cat about to pounce. This is the kind of music you would have playing as you peel out in your black Charger across a desert road, kicking dust upon the scorpions and snakes at your wheels, with a warm gun in your glove compartment, on a hellbent mission of revenge.

Yer Cronies mellowed things down with softer indie rock. Syncopated and tweaked, their sound made me want to take a variety of pharmaceuticals in an overstuffed living room chair and let my mind bend around their voices. The music is sullen and beautiful giving off a vibe made for reflection. They will be playing with Vic Chesnutt and Elf Power at the 400 Bar on Jan 31st.

Kristoff Krane closed the night down with a heavy dose of depressing lyrics spun through a lightening fast delivery of hard hitting hip hop. I have to say this was my least favorite of the bands that played in this Best Bands of 2008 showcase. I also have to say that I am not a huge fan of non-stop depressing lyrics. Kristoff certainly has talent. His flow is impeccable. I would just rather end the night on a high note rather than a verbal beat down. The lyrics talked of tragic incidents, abuse, violence, and more of the macabre side of life. This would be fine for one or two songs but a whole set is pretty heavy at one in the morning, with no band to follow. If I were to throw this showcase I would have placed his set at the beginning so the rest of the bands could lift people’s spirits…or I simply would not have included him at all.

Well that’s the report folks! Whatever the day of the week it is, immerse yourself in the scene of Twin Cities music! It has something for everybody, you just have to find it.