Secondhand Setlists

Came to support a friend – stayed for the excellent showmanship.

Full disclosure – a friend of mine invited me to their band’s very first show at the Mint. That said, their band, the Downhill Jam (yes, like the Tony Hawk video game) delivered a fantastic show with a few unique flourishes. “Tony’s on his way” was a common refrain between songs, and the introduction of a trombonist elicited the line “You’ve unlocked a new character.” On top of being quite humorous, the Downhill Jam also sounded assured and energized for their first show – almost just wish I’d seen them in a punk club for more optimal thrashing.

Following Downhill Jam’s performance came Free Acres, who provided a much more mellow ambiance to the evening. Unfortunately, I found their lower energy to be not quite as entrancing as the other acts of the evening. To be fair, their mellower sound gave the crowd a bit of a reprieve from the other high-energy performances of the night.

The Foxies, especially their lead singer Julia Bullock and her Sky Ferreira-meets-Carly-Rae look, gave off an enthusiasm even my sleepy-eyed self could not ignore. The band’s power poppy rock seemed almost too big to be contained within the confines of the Mint. Even in this small space, Foxies performed with the spirit of big-time stars, a status I can easily see for them in the future. That is, if that’s what they want for themselves. Bullock and her bandmates looked just as thrilled to be here as they would be at the Palladium or Fonda Theatres. When a band exudes such thrills in quite a humble venue, you know they’re just as capable and deserving of much, much more.