02.09.24 – Photos by Britta Gauer / Review by McKenna Klaphake

On Friday, February 9th the Turf Club in Saint Paul hosted a full night of midwest rock bands, featuring headliners NATL PARK SRVC and openers Wonderful Bluffer, Druzy Rose, and Lighter Co.. As soon as I walked through the door the room was buzzing in anticipation while fans were crowded at tables waiting for the concert to begin. 

Like a bullet out of a gun, the first opener started the night with a bang. Formerly known as Zippo Man, Lighter Co. has gained immense popularity over the past few years largely due to their vivacious live performances. I have been itching to see them perform and I was far from disappointed with what I witnessed when I finally did.

The band includes the talents of lead singer/guitarist Collin Johnson, guitarist Nolan Leahy, keyboardist Noah Tankersley, bassist Brett Havens, and drummer Drew Stamps. They started their set with one of the most incredible covers of “Come Together” by The Beatles that I had ever heard. Their rendition of the iconic song started slower, to ease the audience into their set, before quickly picking up at the chorus and exploding with the signature Lighter Co. energy that the band displays through all of their pieces. The band’s self-described “genre-fluid” sound takes influences from rock and emo music, which is heard through their incredible guitar riffs, jaw-dropping vocals, and groovy beats.

Lighter Co. knows a thing or two about creating an image and they execute it perfectly. Dressed in suits, and guitarist Leahy’s iconic cowboy hat, nearly every photo that you see of the band online has their eyes blacked out. This feeling of mystery and intrigue adds to the excitement of seeing them perform live and it was clear that this was a common feeling among the crowd as fans of all ages danced and sang along to each upbeat and punchy piece. The highlight of Lighter Co.’s performance was without a doubt lead singer Johnson. He was so entertaining to watch as he whipped his shoulder-length hair around and powerfully belted through their set, which included songs “Deja Vu,” “Silver Nights,” “For Her,” and ‘Six Feet,” as well as “Bar Fight” and “Organ Donor.” which can be found on their 2023 album, Out of the Furrow.

Johnson’s voice is so distinct and truly makes their music stick out from all the rest. At one point in their performance he even strummed his guitar with his tongue! I mean, what is more rock star than that?! In stark contrast to Johnson, guitarist Leahy displayed an aura of calm, cool, and collectedness as he expertly riffed through each piece, all while taking time to occasionally bend down to take a sip of his beer or just stare out into the crowd. 

What you get from Lighter Co. at their live shows is exactly what you hear in their recordings, but with a freestyle feel. This shows me how practiced the band is since they can just let go and have fun while performing all while still giving their fans what they want to hear. After finally seeing them perform, I am convinced that they are a band to keep an eye on in the local scene. 

The next act to perform was local indie rock group Druzy Rose, which is fronted by singer Megan Gunderman and supported by bassist Joe Barron, keyboardist Hunter SinClair Hawthorne, and guitarist Riley Jacobson. The band was also joined by musician Ray White, who was subbing in for their drummer for the evening.

Druzy Rose showed the audience a more jazzy take on the rock genre with incredible vocal riffs and keyboard-driven pieces. They played a few tracks off of their 2019 EP, Kiddie Pool, including “Basements” and “Bird of Paradise,” the latter of which Gunderman stated was her favorite piece and it seemed that the passionate fans who flocked to the front of the stage at the start of their set agreed with her, as they sang and swayed along to the song. Druzy Rose also performed a handful of unreleased material including, “All the Greats Poets,” “Inspiration, Innocence,” Cold Blood,” “Springsteen,” and “Booze in the Fridge,” and each piece was just as perfectly executed as the rest.

Keyboardist, SinClair Hawthorne caught the audience’s attention as he pounded on the keys and even picked up the whole keyboard while still playing so energetically and passionately that some parts of it got unplugged during these moments. Gunderman highlighted the other freestyle moments from her band members by kneeling during each instrumental part, allowing them to have the spotlight. The lead singer was also able to successfully engage the audience in a call and response with the lyrics, “I want to be my own home/A place to rest these tired bones.”

The band finished with another unreleased track, “Buying Myself Flowers,” which Gunderman stated was about falling in love with yourself. Every aspect of Druzy Rose’s set came together perfectly and I am looking forward to them releasing more music. 

Milwaukee natives, Wonderful Bluffer took the stage next to show the crowd their interpretation of rock and roll. The band features Christian Fritz-Klaus on lead vocals, Joe Joe Scott on guitar, Adam Rimkus on bass, William Matthews on keyboard/keytar, and AJ Peal on drums.

Wonderful Bluffer are identifiable by their groovy and soulful classic rock pieces. Each song featured Fritz-Klaus soulfully vocalizing the lyrics and Scott riffing expertly on his guitar. The band performed many songs from their first album, Passion & Reason, including “Goddess of War,” “Grandpas Peg Leg,” and “Rockford” as Fritz-Klaus sang passionately through each piece and displayed a face of intense concentration. 

Another highlight of Wonderful Bluffer’s set was hands down Matthews’ seemingly improvised solos on the keytar. The musician was introduced as “the synth wizard” and I certainly could see why. I don’t often see someone play this instrument in real life, so I always get excited when I do as I just think they are fun instruments that add a unique sound to pieces that you don’t hear in much popular music today. The band also played a handful of pieces off of their most recent album release, Torn By Reflection, including “Battle of Blair Mountain,” “Napalm Showers,” and “Miscommunication,” and you can hear the clear blending of classic rock and the blues in each piece.

Wonderful Bluffer also performed a new song called “Bittersweet” which had a funkadelic vibe to it that lead singer Fritz-Klaus introduced as something “you can shake your tail feathers to.” The band did a fantastic job keeping everyone in the room excited and energized for the final act of the night.

Headliners, NATL PARK SRVC wrapped up the show with a parade of musicians taking the stage and although there were a lot of moving pieces, each performer worked meticulously to get set up promptly. The band has always stood out to me largely due to just how many people they have in their group. NATL PARK SRVC features the collaborating talents of lead singer/guitarist Dylan Woytcke, bassist Nathan Zillmer, guitarist/vocalist Jared Leger, drummer Sage Livergood, violinist Sam Tudor, saxophonist Wes Muilenburg, and multi-instrumentalist Joe Keyport. In recent performances, the band has also included backing vocals from Shayla Larson and Whitney Oachs. With this many sounds being brought together simultaneously, technically speaking, it shouldn’t work as well as it does, which just goes to show the inherent genius behind the band. Fitting everyone on stage is an admirable act in and of itself, but more importantly, they successfully create one all-encompassing sound with the various talents that they have at their disposal and this is one of the reasons for why they have become so notable in the local music scene.

NATL PARK SRVC’s set included a majority of songs from their 2023 album, MAGICIAN, including “Alice, Illusions, and the Jack of Hearts,” “Like All Good Magicians,” “Facing Down the Heat,” “When My Heart Starts Running,” and “Hypnotize.” Their pieces are easy to get into and anyone can sway along to their beats. What sets their music above other indie rock pieces is the instruments that you don’t hear in a standard band, as the addition of a violin and saxophone make NATL PARK SRVC’s songs more interesting to listen to.

It is clear that the band isn’t afraid to play around with new sounds, and it typically works out well for them, as this was seen during their set on Friday night when Oachs played the harmonica during their piece “Don’t Haunt the Dream.” The addition of this sound not only effectively achieved the feel that the band was trying to convey in this song, but it also made it all the more entertaining, just like the other “unconventional” instruments utilized in the indie rock band. 

NATL PARK SRVC has a history of organizing shows with truly talented openers and this show was no different. I always know that when I attend a NATL PARK SRVC show that all of the other performing acts are going to be incredible because they are in tune with who is on the rise and popular within the local and larger midwest music scene. I can guarantee that you will never be disappointed while at a NATL PARK SRVC show.