What you need to know: SueCity wields their classic sound like a battle axe, slicing through the last 20 years of what you listened to, and reminding you of all you missed.  This band is a gateway drug, and once you have their album in hand, your record collection will swell with their influences.

Musical gems are scattered throughout Minnesota, but like all things precious, it takes some rummaging to uncover them.  Folks who loiter in likely places don’t always find what they’re looking for anymore.  I remember when the myspace buzz flittered around several years ago.  Everyone said it was the place where new bands could break, and for a short time, this was true.  But in this likeliest of places buzz grew upon buzz until only a short time later the ears were overwhelmed by the swarm.  Caught in the midst of the sonic throng, we’re left to our rummaging, and if one is so lucky with time one might discover something precious.  Let me save you a bit of rummaging – here is SueCity.

For those with an ear incessantly glued to a stereo, there is little need for someone else to define what is “good.”  You know it when you hear it, but in these troubled economic times a listen loses its currency, both to listeners and to artists.  For listeners, listens are a dime-a-dozen, they just cost even less.  For artists, a listen often produces the same in their bank accounts.  But a good concert still offers the same to all, just as it did 20 years ago, and a great concert has no dollar amount.

I caught such a great concert last Friday evening at The Rock Nightclub by SueCity, a wandering band of soon-to-be college grads.  They were throwing a CD release party for their newly pressed, self-titled EP, and no less than half the crowd had traveled 100 miles from Mankato, MN to bear witness.  A string of terrific bands were cast in supporting roles including The Atlas Disaster, The Engagement, Stone Pages, and Motion Pilots.  Any of these bands could have had a headlining slot on any other evening, but on this night they weren’t going to upstage anyone.  The energy coursed for the Mankato quintet, the crowd begged for their attention.

Photo by Chuck Pittman

Photo by Chuck Pittman

Delivery was swift, the gifts relentless.  From the first chord of “Livin’ Easy” the stage erupted, then the crowd erupted, and then the stage once more.  So on and so, back and forth,  SueCity traded with their fans.    Guitarists Justin Peterson and Nick Dahl leapt upon speaker cases set at the fore of the stage,  and positioning themselves above the crowd, ripped riff after riff and solo upon solo.  Peterson spun and trotted across the stage, a red kerchief suspended from his back pocket, and bassist Kelly Hammerschmidt replaced Dahl up front, swinging the long neck of his guitar above the heads of the enamored.  And just then, parting the electrified guitarists as one who classically parts a sea, singer Symon Polley stepped forward and unleashed a vocal power rarely heard on the stages of the local scene.

Photo by Chuck Pittman

Photo by Chuck Pittman

For many bands, this kind of movement can bring about clumsy musicianship.  Songs break down, notes are missed.  But an often overlooked strength of a band like SueCity is the beat behind the bounce.  Robby Pappin may not flail sticks like a Dave Grohl, but the SueCity skins are as tight as the strongest knot.  Pappin doesn’t miss a beat, and his drum fill at the culminating point of SueCity‘s cover of Zeppelin’s “Rock n’ Roll” might have earned a nod from John Bonham himself!

Photo by Chuck Pittman

Photo by Chuck Pittman

I could belabor descriptions of SueCity live hits such as “Ignite” and “Diesel Train” for pages, but there is only a single sad substitute for experiencing a show live: bootlegs!  And here they are as I heard them, lacking in many ways, yes, but if you want better, SueCity will deliver, again and again and again.  See this band now, before they decide to hit the road and someone in St. Louis or Chicago can say they heard them first.

(Warning: Hi-hats ring through a bit tingy.  You may want to turn your treble down, but keep your volume up!)

[audio=http://borangutan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/rocknrolllive.mp3]

Rock n’ Roll (live) performed by: SueCity

[audio=http://borangutan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/ignitelive.mp3]

Ignite (live) by: SueCity

[audio=http://borangutan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/dieseltrainlive.mp3]

Diesel Train (live) by:  SueCity

Links

Sue City – Website / Myspace

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posted April 2nd, 2009 at 5:24 pm Reviews Sue City