Heartbreakers Ball at Cause 02.15.14

Last night was the Heartbreakers Ball at Cause, a small concert venue in the Lyndale-Lake neighborhood in Minneapolis. On the bill was Glean (who was celebrating their release of their EP Echoes and Waves), The Beatifics, and The Melismatics, all local bands. I like the venue Cause. It is a small, intimate venue perfect for local bands but I honestly can't imagine going there for a big named, national act even in our tiny little goth scene especially if you want to mosh although I suppose it would have been a good place for The Bellwether Syndicate/The Foreign Resort and Ego Likeness shows (considering the small number of people that showed up for those shows). Definitely not appropriate for say God Module. I have no doubt people will be wanting to mosh to their music ;). Asides from the size of the venue, I do like the intimate setting. There were even some lit candles around the bar where I saw through out the night.

The evening started off with Mike Minehart who played the role as dj. He also dj'd inbetween bands throughout the night. The music was an eclectic mix of rock and electronica music, most of it unrecognizable to me because of my personal tastes in music. I did though recognized "Strangelove" by Depeche Mode ;). I liked Mike's set. He has some great taste in music. Glean didn't hit the stage until 10:30 but considering that their is about 5-6 songs, it was expected to be a short set. Glean's music is best described as chamber rock. They certainly have been influenced by a diverse selection of artists ranging from Brian Eno to Tears For Fears. I have been a fan of vocalist Brooke Aldridge for quite some time, and she really impressed me last night with her performance. I was often reminded of PJ Harvey with the way she wailed on a couple of the songs. The band as a whole worked nicely together. Rick McCollum from The Afghan Wigs handled lead guitar. Last night's show was my first time seeing Glean perform live (and 3rd/4th gig for the band). I definitely recommend checking out their EP Echo and Waves as well as the band themselves when they perform live on stage.


Up next on the bill was the power pop band The Beatifics. I admit power pop music really isn't my cup of tea given my penchant for music that is darker and heavier but they were a good band. They know how to create music with catchy pop hooks and how to harmonize as well. I couldn't help but think of The Beach Boys but with louder guitar riffs as I was watching the band perform. I enjoyed their set overall.


Finally was The Melismatics, the other band [next to Glean} that was I eagerly looking forward to seeing last night. The wait was definitely worth every second. The indie rock band sounds so much better live. The energy they showed on stage really doesn't come across on their albums (not that they aren't good, they are really good). I was really happy they played my favorite song "Soul Sucker" early into their set. That song is so damn catchy.

I definitely plan on trying to go the band's shows as often as possible. They were anything but boring to watch. I also plan on checking out their other albums as well.

I took some photos from their show last night. Not the greatest but sure beats the photos I posted on my Instagram account. All in all last night was a fun night. Up next Skinny Puppy :).


goth_maven's Heartbreakers Ball album on Photobucket

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