Minneapolis is a city under siege. But Minneapolis is also a city of art, and we haven't turned our back on that just because the federal government has declared war on us. In fact, our love of art is foundational and part of our resistance to tyranny. For evidence of that, simply look to the annual Art Sled Rally that was also held this weekend. For Minneapolis, art is catharsis. I need that as much as anyone here, so on Sunday night I popped down to my favorite coffee shop/skate shop/music venue/resistance hub Pilllar Forum to catch the first Minneapolis show for Chicago-based band ​Griefeater. 

Griefeater is definitely on the softer side of bands I've covered on this site, but as a band that bills themselves as "blackened alt-emo," they're certainly metal-adjacent enough to warrant coverage in my book. I'd personally categorize them as shoegaze. They have all the hallmarks - dreamy, submerged vocals, shimmering guitars, layered noise - although they're certainly not as fuzz-drenched as some of the genre's biggest names. Lead singer/bassist Lukas Skucas delivers lovely clean vocals on most tracks, but also intermittently busts out some fantastic anguished black metal style yowls. You can get a great taste of both on the track "Walk the Streets."

Griefeater played most of their debut album Worn on Sunday night, as well as an older song or two. They were received warmly by the crowd, which was substantial despite the frigid temperatures and the aforementioned situation in our city. They pledged to donate the proceeds of the show to organizations resisting ICE, so I couldn't resist picking up a nice crewneck from from the merch table. 

Minneapolis band Quail opened, and provided some solid spacey, primarily instrumental jams. Another band, By Will Alone, played last but I didn't stick around to catch them because I had to relieve the sitter. Still, I got what I came for: respite from the stress of the world by enjoying some great music surrounded by like-minded people. 

Music is joy. Music is relief. Music is love.

Stay strong, stay safe. They will not win.