01.27.24 – By McKenna Klaphake with edits by Jessica Fredette

Local independent live music venue, Green Room celebrated its one year anniversary on Saturday, January 27th with a lineup of incredible local artists including Gully Boys, Mike Kota, Brunette, and Denim Matriarch. While Mike Kota and Brunette have made a notable presence at the new venue over the last year, Gully Boys and Denim Matriarch had also performed at the grand opening show. When asked why he chose to bring both bands back to perform at the one year anniversary show owner, Tanner Montague told me “I kinda felt like I wanted to recreate our grand opening in a way ‘cause that was so fun and special.”

The project of opening the Green Room just happened to fall into the lap of the local musician. Montague had spent the previous couple of years managing and booking live music events at Keg and Case in Saint Paul and was offered the opportunity, by his now business partner, to turn the empty space that had previously been The Pourhouse into a brand new live music venue. Since its opening, the space has drawn in artists and concert goers from all over Minnesota and beyond. The roughly four hundred capacity, two story venue promotes a welcoming, safe, and accepting environment for all who attend shows there. The keen details that make this space so special are seen everywhere; the stage is lined with lush greenery, the bathrooms are genderless and surrounded by beautiful murals, a disco ball hangs over the main floor, and there is even food by The Parlour restaurant for those who get the mid-show munchies.

When chatting with Montague about the Green Room he stated, “One thing that I have tried to focus on is a place that is different. A place that is comfortable, inviting, and safe, of course, sexy… a place that the neighborhood wants to support, a place that artists want to support, a place [where] artists can grow.” 

The anniversary celebration on Saturday night was hosted by local actor and emcee, Justen Jones, whom introduced each artist and got the crowd excited for each performance. The lineup of bands brought sounds that anyone can enjoy. From upbeat harder rock, to more solemn indie riffs, audience members of all backgrounds immersed themselves into the performances of each one.

Psychedelic progressive rock and roll band, Denim Matriarch kicked off the celebratory night with powerful rock-heavy pieces that sparked the energy in the room. The band consists of lead singer/guitarist Nathan Levin, guitarist Sam Ruff, bassist Will Burnton, saxophonist Aaron Levin, and drummer Jon Lindquist. I was truly not expecting the kind of sound that this band brought to the stage as they incorporate a variety of sounds that make up their unique genre. The incredible guitar riffs are reminiscent of 80’s rock and the sweet addition of the tenor saxophone puts their pieces on a different level by bringing a psychedelic and hypnotic vibe that is unlike anything else. 

At one point in their set Levin gave a shout out to the Green Room’s owner, Montague, by stating, “Tanner’s just a badass guy who likes good music and you can’t ask for anything more than that.”

Denim Matriarch played a mix of their released music such as ”Vixen” and “Rat Palace” and also some unreleased tracks titled “Sweet Roll,” “Anthem,” “There It Goes,” “Sugar King,” “Moonshine,” and “Cul De Sac,” the latter of which was written by guitarist Ruff. They put thought into every moment of each song and every chorus and bridge were skillfully crafted. Their pieces flowed together magnificently and the band fully encompassed the audience in their unique sound.

The highlight of this band was without a doubt their musical interludes of saxophone solos and expertly executed guitar riffs. I loved watching Levin every time he would throw himself into each guitar solo and the crowd went crazy each time he wailed away on his whammy bar. Denim Matriarch did a fantastic job of warming up the audience for the rest of the performances to come. 

The second band to perform were indie rockers, Brunette. The self described “shoegazerly” band combines a unique mix of voices and incredible storytelling that is heard throughout their lyrics. According to the band’s spotify their songs are “evocative of the nostalgia and impermanence of adolescence, with tunes oscillating between energetic, guitar-heavy choruses, and intimate heart-on-their-sleeve verses.” I find that this description perfectly sums up the feelings that arise when listening to Brunette’s music and because of that they are without a doubt my new favorite local band.

Brunette consists of local musical powerhouses Sam Holt and Joey Hays on vocals and guitar, Megan Mahoney on bass, Alex Graves on guitar, and Jon Lindquist, yet again, on drums. Band members Holt and Hays switched between lead vocals and harmonies and their voices alone are unique and powerful and sound even more beautiful when combined. Hays brought amazing energy to keep the audience on the high that previous band, Denim Matriarch had left them on. It was really cool to get to hear Hays’ voice since I had previously only seen him play drums in other local bands including trashdate, DNM, and so many others.

Brunette played through some of their released material including “Corners,” “Triple Threat,” and “Fight Night,” as well as some unreleased songs such as “Crazy Hearts Club,” “Rain Check,” and “Pose.” Hays described a new song titled “Grains” as being about finding meaning in things that are not yet meaningful. Each track gave off early 2000’s emo vibes mixed with current indie trends and every piece made me want to hear more. At one point in their set the band brought host, Jones on stage to lead the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to the Green Room. While Brunette may only have five songs available to stream, their performance only made me all that more excited for them to release more! 

Singer-songwriter Mike Kota continued the night of local performances with sentimental indie folk inspired pieces. The artist has grown exponentially in popularity within the local scene over the past year, with one of her most notable successes being opening for prominent alternative musician, Hozier at First Avenue this past May. After just one listen to Kota you can understand why she has become so popular. 

Dressed in all black, a red surf style hat and her signature double braids, the musician entered the stage to fans screaming “I Love You Mike!” as she started her set with an unreleased song titled “My Love is Free,” of which she stated she had only ever played for one person up until that night. The talented musician played this piece alone, while supporting herself on acoustic guitar, and you would have never known that she had woken up that morning feeling sick if she hadn’t stated so herself, as her voice was just as magnificent as what you hear in her recorded material. 

After her first song Kota was joined by her band which includes guitarist Nate Walker, drummer Tarek Abdelqader, and bassist Colby Hansen. The group fit together perfectly and blended well to bring their own flavor to Kota’s cozy feeling pieces. While the energy in the room may have dwindled slightly during Kota’s more heavier and moody pieces, the crowd was just as in awe of her beautiful voice as I was. I have not heard many voices that sound like Kota’s and I loved getting to hear someone utilize the lower side of the vocal scale, as women and female presenting folks are often expected to sing in a higher range. Not only was it refreshing to hear someone sing in lower octaves, it was also amazing to see someone totally master it in the way that Kota does. 

Kota and her band played through her discography including “Rift,” “Green Lights,” and “It’s Not Serious,” the latter of which I have found myself listening to on repeat since Saturday night. The artist displayed a face of immense concentration as she skillfully belted through each passionate piece. Later, the band exited the stage so that Kota could sing her last two pieces as she had started; with just her voice and an acoustic guitar. She then performed some of her newest songs such as “Corner” and “Little Tugs,” both of which are featured on her 2023 EP, Turning A Corner. It is clear that Kota puts so much heart and energy into each song and you can tell that she definitely wears her heart on her sleeve whenever she performs her artfully crafted pieces. 

Kota ended her set by stating her appreciation for the fact that this show was headlined by non-men. She went on to say that far too often we see full sets that are comprised of only male artists and called it to our attention by stating that we need to see non-male headliners in order to know that it is possible. This was such a wonderful way to end her set and give us concert goers, and hopefully a few booking agents, something to think about. 

Legendary grunge pop band, Gully Boys were the final band to hit the stage and it was clear that majority of the audience was there to see these incredibly talented musicians perform, as the room was suddenly filled with excited energy. Dressed in all black, the band, including vocalist/guitarist Kathy Callahan, bassist Natalie Klemond, drummer Nadi McGill, and guitarist Mariah Mercedes, took to the stage and began their set with their 2021 single, “Russian Doll” while the whole crowd instantly began dancing and jumping along to the music.

As an avid Gully Boys fan, I have seen them perform countless times over the years and I have loved seeing them improve with every performance. Every time I hear Callahan’s voice it seems to get better and better. The classic rock sound that she brings fits in perfectly with the band’s vibe and leaves listeners starstruck. I also enjoyed hearing the band play around with vocals on Saturday night as each band member took turns singing various parts of songs that other band members usually sing. I loved the new sound that it brought to the band while allowing all of the artist’s voices to be highlighted. 

Gully Boys performed a new unreleased song which McGill mentioned was “about a friend who is always having a lot of bad days and they’re a little annoying, but we love them.” The new song includes everything that fans love about Gully Boys such as fierce guitar riffs and catchy choruses with a carefree feeling. I was so excited to hear a new song from them and I cannot wait until it is released.

The personalities of all the band members were showcased on Saturday night. Callahan’s animated face was on full display as she belted every powerful chorus and Mercedes riffed on their guitar right in front of the crowd. In addition to providing dynamic beats, drummer McGill guided the audience into each song and stalled when guitars needed to be tuned. This is especially significant because drummers often fade into the background, but McGill did everything but.

Gully Boys continued to play through their popular discography including “Optimist,” “I See You See,” “Like Me Now,” “Favorite Son,” and “New Song No. 2.” It was clear that the band was highly practiced, comfortable on stage and knew exactly what to do to make the crowd go wild. Each punchy chorus exploded with energy as fans jumped and moshed.

The rockstar quality of each musician on the stage led the band into some of the best audience participation that I have ever seen. They had the audience sing along to their song “The Way” by having us all belt out “I hate it here” and everyone enthusiastically followed the request as they let all of their personal frustrations out. Gully Boys finished with their song “Neopet Graveyard” and then left the stage as the crowd chanted and begged for one more song. 

The night ended with DJ Kwey mixing some tracks on stage as many folks got one last drink, purchased merch from the performing bands, or decided to stay for the full after party.

When discussing the future of the Green Room, Montague teased some upcoming things that he couldn’t talk about just yet. Overall, the multifaceted owner wants to “help Minneapolis become a spot for more mid-level national touring groups.” As a writer and concert goer that has attended many shows at the Green Room over the past year, I can’t wait to see this venue continue to grow and thrive. Since its opening, it quickly became my favorite place to see live music. 

“The biggest, coolest thing is just how much the [local music] scene has supported this [new venue.] We have all kind of carried it,” Montague continued, “All these people are the water, we’re just the boat and you can’t float if there is no water.” I don’t think there is a more beautiful way to describe the impact that the Green Room has made on the Twin Cities live music scene in its first year than that.