CONCERT REBREWS: THE TRENCHIES + OK COOL + MINT GREEN + BETTER LOVE @ THE BURLINGTON

Hey folks we’re back with more Concert Rebrews goodness. This music blog thingy has been so much fun we HAD to do another. This time we went to go see Friends of the Pod, OK Cool at the Burlington Bar. Enjoy!

Alright, so, some background knowledge, this show was the Burlington Bar in Logan Square - a fantastic little DIY hole-in-the-wall dive bar type of place. It’s one of Zac’s favorites - we spent like a dollar a beer. It was also Saint Patrick's Day, which we were a little nervous about going out on but the vibes all around were super chill and hella fun.

Alright, so we get to the bar and we kinda hang around, we are legit some of the first people there right at 8:00 o clock. We were super excited. Can't you tell? Anyway, we aren't sure when to go into the venue area, so we grab some wonderful beer pairings at the bar. We end up chatting about podcast stuff a little too much so we miss the first song of The Trenches. @ the trenches if youre reading this I’m so sorry. BUT when we did walk in, lead singer, Logan Ludwig, was hitting us with the most serendipitous lyrics (and pardon the paraphrase if this isn't exact but it should be pretty close) ”If I had a podcast, would you listen?” and to this we said hell yeah dude! Logan please start a podcast and/or come on ours.

After these initial very cool (and Album Rebrews Approved) lyrics, we settled into the show, and man was it a goodie. The band was dreamy and fun and cool during the whole show. Super catchy vocal lines sifted over top and the drummer kept it driving. He was the king of the surfy double snare hit you hear in surf rock bands. The lyrics seemed very very earnest and tactful even, like he was saying exactly what he meant to be saying. We loved the piano sound in the mix for this type of sound, and the keyboard player, who I might add looked like Adam Driver but sexier and with a mustache, gave us some real treats tickling them ivories.

Alright, next we were so stoked for the super cool musicians and podcast guests, OK Cool to come on! They start their first song, and it slaps, of course it does, and we're vibing, of course we are, and I look up to see the second guitar player, who has a slight moment where he drops out from playing his guitar, and immediately goes into the Macaroni, hips movement and everything, and I just really wanted to start with that because it was my favorite moment of the night. Or maybe this past week.

Anyway! Every song OK Cool Played you could really sink your proverbial teeth into. I found myself banging my head the whole time. Haley’s deliciously crafted bass licks kept me in a perpetual groove state that was all-encompassing of time and space. Lead singer, Bridget gave it her all on every syllable, and when she wasn't singing she poured her soul into that fretboard, even when she wasn't even standing up. Which was at least one point in the show.

I’m feeling pretty good, and at one point in the set I remember a time when I played the Burlington and an audience member came up to the stage and bought us PBRs. It was so nice. A complete stranger liked our set and was like “alright they earned it.” So I thought I would pass along the love. Buy more beers for your favorite bands when you're out supporting them. It’s a very nice thing to do. At another point in the night, Bridget announces a song that is “for the girl gays and they’s” and sarah “fucking squealed” - “YEAHH” she said that squealed bit to me verbatim while writing this. I’m pretty sure OK Cool heard that on stage and it was a pretty funny moment.

Next, the 3rd band, Mint Green, came on; they did a quick sound check per usual at a smaller venue. But then they go into a killer start of The Foo Fighter’s “Everlong” which we are just jazzed for, but then the chords get a little wonky, the drums stumble, and the guitar player makes a remark “I never learned this part”. And then Sarah and I are like “We’ve been bamboozled.” They were only sound-checking with “Everlong”. We were deeply saddened. But not for long!

I really enjoy their energy on stage. You could tell they were a touring band and had some shows under their wings. They seemed very nonchalant and just happy to be there. I remember singing along to their cover of “Creep” so much it fogged up my glasses, a true test of a good cover. Fun fact: if you're a daring enough vocalist at the Burlington, you can walk onto the speaker in the front of the stage and quite easily touch the ceiling. Which is an oddly emotional and captivating thing for a lead vocalist to do. I remember when she did it gave a really nice feel to her vocal line that could only happen in a place like The Burlington. Another reason I love it so much. Lastly, they finished up their awesome set for the night and queued up the 1987 Smash Hit, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston, and the whole crowd - Zac and Sarah included- started dancing. This was a very fun and memorable way to end their set and start loading your equipment off stage.

Lastly, we got to hear the band Better Love. And their first song really hit us with some nice guitar work and vocal melody. The first song was super sweet and we wanted to keep dancing to them just like we did to Whitney Houston, and if it sounds like we left after their first song… we did. We’ve got work in the morning. Comedy podcasting doesn't pay like it used to. Super Sorry Better Love! We will get you next time!

Thanks so much for reading this silly little blog thing. Please go check out these bands, and if you want to support them, you can find a their Bandcamp pages via our Bandcamp page here. Just click on the wishlist to see their albums and then give them money for them. If you liked this blog and would like to read more send us over some shows to check out or maybe tell us about your show and we’ll come buy you PBRs too. Much Love! Cheers!