Catchpenny CD Release Show at The Varsity Theater on 1/20/07

By: Mike Minehart

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Catchpenny - Photo by Mike Minehart

The first big CD release show of the year I witnessed took place in a very familiar place with a lot of familiar faces on the bill.  The newest release from Catchpenny, From Where You Are, originally debuted back in October at an intimate hometown CD release show in Barron, Wisconsin.  However, the band obviously felt that Minneapolis deserved its own release party as well, and called on fellow local artists and friends Roster McCabe and The Abdomen to join them last Saturday at the Varsity Theater for a highly enjoyable show.

From Where You Are was arguably the best full-length Twin Cities release of 2006.  All 13 tracks stand tall in their own right, yet the whole album plays very cohesively as brothers Chris and Zach Schauf trade off on lead vocal duties and lead guitarist Eric Raum rips away on powerful solos and catchy riffs.  Ranging from faster rockers such as "Tell Me Tomorrow" and "Walk It Off" to epic ballads such as "Wouldn't Be the Same" and "Revolution," I was completely blown away by the album the first time I heard From Where You Are, even after having heard many of the tracks live over the previous few months.  It is impossible to pick a single standout song, as there are literally at least four potential commercial singles lying in wait.  The lyrics and melodies mesh perfectly in this well-arranged album, and with songwriting contributions from the likes of Phil Solem, Tommy Barbarella and producer Michael Bland, it would almost seem as if the stars aligned to create this pop rock masterpiece.

The Abdomen - Photo by Minehart

The first band up that evening was The Abdomen, which consists of three teenage siblings who all share a love for making music.  (The name actually originates from their surname, Abdo.)  Though one may wonder how the name fits with a girl in the band, Mari (lead vocals and drums) asserts its appropriateness with a simple fact: "Everybody has an abdomen."  Along with older brothers Jake (lead vocals and bass) and Matt (guitar, keys, and vocals), they are one of Minnesota's top teen acts, and have been hard at work promoting their latest release This Time. 

Their first visit to The Varsity showed that this youthful band has some serious potential beyond just being "the next Hanson."  Well-polished pop rock blended with the melodious vocals of Mari and Jake, and Jake's style almost reminded me of Lou Gramm of Foreigner fame.  Also, when considering that Mari is only 16 years old, it’s amazing to think that such beautiful vocals can come from someone still so new to their profession.  Not only does she have such an incredible voice, but she's playing the drums while singing, too!  Call me when Britney or any of those "superstar divas" you see in the tabloids pick up an instrument, because I probably won't believe it.  Family friend and prolific violinist Natalie Murphy joined The Abdomen on a few tracks toward the end of their set as well, which added an especially emotional dimension to the music.

A late start to the show prompted Catchpenny to move their headlining set up to the middle slot.  The floor swelled with a smorgasbord of Catchpenny fans both young and old, male and female as they began their set.  As if this isn't enough proof of Catchpenny’s universal appeal to all musical tastes, I even saw three young guys at the front of the crowd who looked more like they should have been at a KoRN concert, and they were totally into the show.  The girls in the crowd danced and sang along to old favorites such as "Leave the Light On" and "Fly Away," along with many of the newer tracks. 

Catchpenny play to the crowd - Photo by Minehart

The crowd reaction was consistently strong throughout their set, which was tight and one of the best on-stage performances I have ever seen from them.  Catchpenny’s sound is just waiting to be unleashed upon a larger audience, and if this show was any proof of that, I believe that America is ready to hear them.  They brought Phil Solem up on stage to rock with them for the encore.  Inevitably, they pulled out one of the greatest tracks Solem has contributed to, "You."  With emotionally powerful lyrics and a decidedly epic solo, the song must be experienced in order to be truly understood.

Though a good portion of the crowd cleared out after Catchpenny left the stage, the live music loyalists stuck around for Roster McCabe's follow-up set.  Feeding off the energy of Catchpenny’s performance and wielding the power of a few new funkalicious covers they debuted a few nights before at Sally's, Roster McCabe had nearly everyone left in The Varsity dancing their asses off late into the night.  When a band has this much fun on stage, it's hard for the crowd not to have a blast as well.  These guys have played The Varsity in a supporting role a number of times, so it was quite interesting seeing what they could do when performing as the final act.  I was highly impressed with how easily they brought the funk on this night, and without a doubt Roster McCabe have continued to grow in their sound and as a band.

My only minor disappointment on the night was completely unrelated to the music.  I felt that The Varsity's lighting and sound guru Erik Stromstad could have used a bit more of the frontal lighting during the first two sets, so that we could have seen the bands' faces a little better.  It proved to be of little consequence, though.  I danced my way back and forth amongst the crowd snapping photos to the irresistibly fun music all night long, knowing full well that this is truly what Saturday night was made to be: three bands bringing their own style and their own brand of great music to a classy venue with a hot crowd and plenty of booze.  No wonder The Varsity has been the site of more shows I've attended (16) than any other venue.

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Location Info: The Varsity Theater
Artist Info: Catchpenny, Roster McCabe, The Abdomen

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