A return to the Motherland

Minneapolis would be the first stop on our tour of "the big three". We consider the upcoming string of shows a return to the motherland. It’s all originates from Mitchell, SD, but Minneapolis is also part of the story. I'll explain.

When I first moved to Seattle over 14 years ago, I was playing open mic shows at a place called the OK Hotel. This place was legendary. Many of the big grunge acts from the 90’s started at the OK Hotel. The club had a main stage in the back, and a a smaller stage and bar in the front. Every Wednesday they held an open mic show in the front.

I didn’t have a lot of friends when I first moved to Seattle. I spent every Wednesday night by myself at the OK Hotel waiting for my chance to get up on stage and play my songs. I did this for at least six months straight, never opening my mouth to speak to anyone else. I would sit by myself and wait, play my two songs, and leave. Eventually I loosened up enough to get to know some of the regulars. On one of my regular visits to the OK, I met Nick Antonie and Troy Nelson. Troy was a recent transplant from Mitchell, South Dakota and I think Nick may have been visiting. Troy was also performing at the open mic show.

To be honest, I didn’t really spend a lot of time thinking about Nick or Troy until several years later. Troy had a band called “First Name Last Name”. At one point we talked about doing a show together. I'm not sure that ever happened (or did it? can't remember), but I kept running in to Troy all over town. Troy would call me up from time to time and ask if I wanted to hang out. I would accept and he’d show up at my house with a carload of friends visiting from South Dakota. Specifically, they were all from Mitchell, South Dakota. This went on for years and every time we hung out, there would be new Mitchell friends. Some would be visiting and others would be new Seattle transplants. Johnny Podhradsky (our cape guy and photographer) was one of the many friends I met while hanging out with Troy.

*photo by Chase Jarvis

So when the Rodeo started up (about four years ago), we booked a US tour. Johnny was going with, and it made sense to book a show in Mitchell (so he could stop in and see some friends). We had a bunch of other tour dates, and I had no expectations for the show. As it turned out it would be the beginning of a beautiful longstanding Rodeo tradition.

During our first visit, we arrived in Mitchell on a Tuesday night and everyone came out. I met family of everyone I had ever met through Troy. I met Johnny’s ex-girlfriends. And most of Johnny’s ex-girlfriends were also ex’s of every other SD dude I know. Everyone knew each other and everyone was all about the Rodeo. We tore the place down. We played set after set of music and poured whiskey all over the bar. It was the single craziest out of town show I had ever experienced.

After that show, the South Dakota connection grew stronger. It wasn’t just about Mitchell anymore. As we continued to tour, I realized that people from Mitchell had moved all over the United States. We had become part of the Mitchell family and the family was ready to hook us up. We would get free lodging, people would feed us, and everyone was looking to take care of the Rodeo. We came to expect a Mitchell connection in every city. It was truly insane. Now I meet people from Mitchell, South Dakota on a weekly basis. They show up at shows all over the country. And when we stop in South Dakota on tour dates, it gets really crazy.

So that brings me to Minneapolis. Mitchell, South Dakota may have been the birthplace of this freaky scene, but Mitchell-ites are concentrated in certain regions of the US. The hot spots on the map are as follows: Mitchell, Sioux Falls, Minneapolis, and Seattle. This tour we would be hitting all four. Minneapolis is the first stop on our journey back to the motherland.

And it was exactly as I expected. As we rolled in to town, I was getting text messages from Nick Antonie. He was driving in from Sioux Falls and bringing all his friends. TJ ,who was already living in Minneapolis, was also waiting for us to arrive. There are too many other SD folks to mention. This was going to be a good night.

Trevor had booked this show. Trevor is a new friend who has no connection to the South Dakota scene (as far as I know). When he found out we were going to be in the area, he asked me if we would play his birthday party at Nomad World Pub. It seemed like a perfect fit for the Rodeo. Trevor's band was also on the bill and I was looking forward to checking out their set.

Before the show, we ran up the street to get some food and play some bingo.

We got back to Nomad to find a packed house and the party was already started. All the Mitchell kids were there, plus a ton of others we didn’t know. We had fans waiting for us to play. The crowd was loose, and everyone having a good time. We hung out, had drinks and watched a whole string of great acts play before us. At one point Nick and I busted into a bar across the street to find more great music.

And when it was time for us to play, it was on! What a fun show. The stage was tall and shaky. As you got near the front it felt like a trampoline. The crowd was packed up front and hanging on every word. What a fucking treat! We ripped through our set and fed off the energy of the crowd. The bar hooked us up with a bottle of jack and we welcomed a shit load of new Rodeo fans to the church. I’m pretty sure I got more whisky on tits and nose holes than anything else. Fuck it. It’s good to get whiskey in places other than your mouth.

After the show, we got back to our room and tried to get a few hours of sleep. At this point my sleep schedule is so screwed up I’m lucky to get three or four hours. I’m not sure how much I got, but it doesn’t matter. We got up the next day and headed for South Dakota. Our next show would be a tiny farm town outside of Sioux Falls at a club called the Phoenix. Let’s do it!

Here is the club.

And the killer sound system.

Here are a couple of our new friends from Harrisburg.

And the stage.

Ben and Bryan were happy to find a pool table.

The Phoenix was another classic South Dakota stop for the Rodeo. The owner boasts that his bar sells more "1800" tequila than any other bar in the region. One of the patrons told me that the owner gives most of it away to pretty girls. He also spends much of every evening taking "1800" shots himself. Here is a pic of some empty's on the back porch.

He made sure we drank some "1800" shots before he would pour us anything else. The guy is a maniac. We hung out with the locals and then ripped into what may have been my favorite Rodeo set ever. I can't tell you what exactly made it a favorite, except everything felt right. The band was on fire. And the crowd was all about it. Half way through the second set we did a whiskey baptism. After I doused everyone in the bar, Nick grabbed me and asked me to pour some for the owner. We found him sitting in a chair drunk at the edge of the stage. Nick prodded him to open his mouth (which he could barely manage at this point), and I poured the whiskey. He took his shot and passed out on the floor. Amazing!

After the show, we caught up with SD family, and met some new friends. We closed out the bar again and then got back to our room. The big one is next. We have to save some energy for this. Mitchell, SD, here we come!