Crimes unveil "Bathe" video, playing Extreme Noise showcase tonight

Facebook.com

​By Sally Hedberg

Yes, Minneapolis is home to a punk rock record store. The 18-year-old Extreme Noise Records is indisputably cool, and it's a business that truly emanates the DIY ethos of the music it aims to support. During its tenure, Extreme Noise has established both an unparalleled selection of music and a resource base for musicians who make up a dynamic, under-acknowledged scene. In the spirit of getting their name out and raising a glass to some impressive local bands, they've continued a partnership with the Triple Rock Social Club to produce a series of music showcases. Tonight they present a lineup of marked diversity featuring Ambassador Gun, Tornado and Crimes.

Stylistically speaking, these bands are apples and oranges, but that's kind of the genius behind the booking of the series to begin with. Ambassador Gun sit on a more abrasive end of the punk spectrum. Though characterized by violent, machine-gun riffs and growling vocals, there's still an emphasis on musicality. Tornado cross into a different realm entirely -- one built upon frameworks of sparse guitar that are layered with an intriguing vocal dialogue between soul (Mae Devitt) and snarl (Eliot Gordon).

The most widely accessible of the three, Crimes, marks a significantly underrated group. Fronted by Andrew Jansen (of the more pop-centric A Paper Cup Band and Dial-up), Crimes use spacious, reverb-soaked arrangements to create a blend of subdued, almost-desolate dream-pop. It's moody, compelling and their 2011 release, Good Hope, is worth a listen. Here's the just-released video for Crimes' "Bathe."



Even though the local punk scene is often marginalized, the Extreme Noise series is pushing to unite varying realms of less-hyped, worthwhile acts, no matter if/where they fit under the umbrella of the term "punk rock."

"It's really hard to spread your horizons and find new music if you aren't paying attention to what's going on around you," Andrew Jansen of Crimes) says. "There are musical things we can learn from all of these bands."

Crimes, Ambassador Gun and Tornado play Monday, February 6 at 8 p.m. at Triple Rock Social Club. 18+, no cover. More information here.