Of Minneapolis

Kevin Barnes and Bryan Poole (photo taken by my roommate, Elyssa)

Last time I saw Of Montreal, I promised myself that I’d bring my camera the next time they came to town. Considering that they are one of my favorite bands and they come through the Twin Cities quite frequently, it’s ridiculous that I don’t have any good pictures of them. Guess what. Yep, I was so excited about their show at the Triple Rock on September 3rd that I forgot to bring my camera. Way to go.

Anyway, I think that Of Montreal has developed a strategy of getting people to believe that they are a serious band by having even sillier bands open for them. Of Montreal seemed as serious/mature as, say, Fugazi when compared to openers MGMT. MGMT’s corny electro-trash-pop songs were complimented with insincere rock star posturing and superfluous instruments. Thankfully, the rest of the Triple Rock had a sense of humor – the audience even played along and chanted M-G-M-T to the beat of their last song.

After MGMT, DJ Jester the Filipino Fist treated us to some mash-up turntablism until he was joined by the MCs from Grand Buffet. Grand Buffet (who describe themselves as “the Kermit and Fozzy of underground Hip Hop”) were hilarious. It would have been worth the price of admission just to hear their between-song banter. I wish I had a transcript of everything they said. The only thing I can sorta remember was that they claimed to be sponsored by an environmentally friendly popcorn brand where one kernel could take the place of an entire meal. They then handed the bag of popcorn they were eating into the audience and asked everyone to take one kernel each. I passed.

Finally, Of Montreal. What more can I say about Of Montreal that I haven’t said before? They have proven to be one of the most creative indie pop bands of this decade (not to mention last decade). And their shows are extremely amusing. Kevin Barnes’ shirt was off by the second song, and it was only up hill from there. They even paid tribute to local heroes, Morris Day and The Time, by having a band member present Kevin Barnes with a mirror mid-song. So cool. With the exception of a few new songs, the entirety of their set consisted of songs from Satanic Panic in the Attic and The Sunlandic Twins, which was completely fine (even for an old fan like me). Did I mention that I love Of Montreal? That’s right, I’m not at all afraid to admit it.

Archives:
Of Montreal @ The Triple Rock: April 30, 2005