With the uncertainty of how the election would go down and what would happen on Tuesday night, I figured it was best to keep myself busy by checking out two shows in one night. This is nothing new. In fact, I did it on Monday night and will do it again on Wednesday night, but it's not something I absolutely love. Walking away from one show to go to another one is hard, but, at the same time, during days and weeks when my head is all over the place and I need to find a little comfort, double-headers are the way to go for me because they keep me out of my own head (and I'm a freak that thrives on stress). So there I was, trying to pull myself away from the perfection happening at the First Avenue mainroom to check out the more intimate sister venue, 7th Street Entry. I was reluctant because the main room was so amazing, but the second I got into the 7th Street Entry, I realized things were just as perfect down there.
The perfection at the 7th Street Entry kicked off with JACK. Walking into this show, I thought I had never heard of this band before, but once I saw JACK (the brains behind this operation, from all I can tell), I realized I knew exactly who this was. I had seen JACK open for The Velveteers and The Blue Stones at The Turf Club back in 2023, and although their set was super short that night, it left an impression that instantly flooded back as the music started. Put plainly, JACK is a pop-punk act that came in as a trio on Tuesday night. Their sound is infectiously poppy, but the vocals and lyrics have a slight edge that gives it that little punk feel. The overall vibe of the set felt very Blink-182. It was joyous and upbeat, and it was clear the members don't take themselves too seriously but still want to deliver a good product to fans. They nailed it all. I spent their short time on stage smiling and bopping around to their infectious songs. I hope I don't have to wait another three years to see this band work their magic on a stage again.
Up next was The Foxies. I'll be upfront with you: this band's sound wasn't for me. It was definitely more pop-leaning than what I tend to go for, and there seemed to be a sound of overproduction throughout their set. That all being said, they sounded amazing and flawless. I feel like people have a hard time understanding this, but you can think a band sounds absolutely amazing and perfect while not really liking the sound that they are giving you. It's like my dad always says, "They're good at what they do; it's just that I don't like what it is that they do." That was true of The Foxies' sound, but when it came to their show, I was absolutely sold. The energy and positivity radiating from this Nashville-based trio were electric. Vocalist Julia Lauren Bullock had this very bubblegum-flavored demeanor that seemed to pop all over the audience in such a beautiful way. Although I wasn't super into the infectiously pop-based sound, The Foxies definitely had me dancing my way through their set, which was exactly what I needed as the election results started to blow up my phone and my anxiety hit a new high for the evening.
I was about to pull the plug on this show. Election results were flying in and, honestly, my head just wasn't in the game by the time the stage was being changed over for the headlining act of the night at the 7th Street Entry. That's when I thought back to my first time seeing the headlining act. I had stumbled into their show at this same venue last February purely because of the band name. I mean, come on, "Post Sex Nachos." Not only does that sound like something that should become a real thing, but it also caught my attention and screamed good time to my soul. I was right and ended up having a great time that fateful night last February. Sure, maybe my head was elsewhere as the band set up for the final set of the night, but my gut said I had to stay. I stood there, waiting for the band to start and obsessively refreshing polls and numbers until I heard the first note. Like magic, my phone disappeared from my hands, and I was left with nothing but a smile on my face and Post Sex Nachos in my ears.
Post Sex Nachos isn't a super hardcore band or even a super poppy band. They sit right between rock, indie, pop, and alternative. From infectious hooks to soaring melodies, this band knows how to craft a song that won't just get your booty shaking, but will also get your heart involved because this is one of those bands that clearly does everything with a fiery sense of passion that can not be looked past. I know that's a bold statement, but it's clear this band really cares about what they are doing, based on how the audience reacts. Although I'm sure most audience members have never met the band in person, everything in the room felt so personal and intimate. It felt like the band was playing to a giant group of old friends rather than a room of strangers, and that was more than enough to keep my mind from wandering at any point during their set.
Truthfully, none of this was new, and it definitely reminded me of the last time I saw this band. At first, I was kind of bummed because I wanted to see and hear some evolution in this band, but then vocalist Sammy Elfanbaum paused to tell the audience what all the members had been up to. From marriages to engagements and back to being single, I realized the band had evolved; it just wasn't obvious. Like everyone else, the members of this band are growing up and carving their own paths through this thing called life. The constant weaving and bobbing on this path can be overwhelming, even on the best of days, so it's nice to have some constants in your life. I want to think that this band is their constant, much like live music is mine. The sound and performance shifted slightly, and they added some new songs on Tuesday night compared to last time. I just didn't want to see them because I wanted to feel something sturdy and solid while the world outside those venue doors was changing dramatically, and Post Sex Nachos was just the band to give me that and more on Tuesday night.
This is not a political blog, and I don't intend to make it one, but I will say the election results have me a bit more hopeful for the future. It's not going to be all sunshine and rainbows, but I think some of the darker days are behind us-- or at least, I hope. Regardless of what happens, I'll keep having nights like Tuesday night, when I can escape it all and get lost in a crowd of strangers, in a world where all that matters is the music.