It was a warm evening at 7th St. Entry on Monday, June 9th, despite the chill of the cloudy Minneapolis night which lay outside. Mei Semones had sold out the venue, a first on her recent US and Europe headline tour—also a first for her and her band. They are touring their recently released album Animaru, which combines both English and Japanese lyrics with bossa nova, pop, and indie sounds.

Singer-songwriter John Roseboro opened the show, sitting alone on stage with his acoustic guitar, no strap, plucking sway. His songs are twinkly and romantic, also having a bossa nova influence. One could easily imagine them being played while floating down a canal, wooden boats and brick buildings passing by. His frank lyrics were sweet and aspirational, many songs being about relationships that could have been but weren’t, and things that will come to be. Roseboro charmed the crowd with his gap-toothed smile and obvious delight in his guitar, sometimes taking breaks between songs to work out new chord patterns or finger-picking sequences. He transported 7th St. Entry somewhere magical and intimate, lulling the venue into a hazy, relaxed state. Mei Semones came on stage, to the crowd’s delight, to sing with Roseboro for his last two songs. The two had clearly bonded on tour, sharing shy smiles and glancing at each other throughout their duet. I’ll admit, I was relieved when the air conditioning came on after the set.

7th St. grew chilly during the break, and the crowd was antsy for the main act. Chatter was growing louder and more excited, and the pre-show music seemed to become increasingly frantic.

Semones came back on stage at 9 for her own set, joined by her four bandmates. Ransom McCafferty on drums, Noam Tanzer on bass, Claudius Agrippa playing violin, and Noah Leong with viola. Semones herself switched back and forth between electric and acoustic guitar, singing primarily from the new album, along with some older releases and to-be-released songs.

Semones’ set was equally as mystical as Roseboro’s, albeit more in-your-face due to the plethora of instruments and oscillating colorful stage lights which matched Semones’ rainbow striped sweater. It was like the platonic ideal of what I think taking acid might be like.

The band each got moments to shine, too. Agrippa and Leong swished their bows assertively, multiple of the strings getting sacrificed in the process. Tanzer had a standout bass solo during one song, and McCafferty was steady on the drums throughout, peaking at certain points and crescendoing near the end of each song.

I wasn’t super familiar with Semones’ music before this show, and even still am by no means an expert. Her simultaneously soft and growing sound was reminiscent of artists such as Sufjan Stevens and Owen Pallett. I actually played one of Pallett’s songs on my drive home, to affirm my comparison to myself and get it out of my system. Another analogy that struck me during the show was that Semones’ music was like the most elevated of elevator music. At the beginning of the set, I had gotten in on the first floor, and it evolved as I went up. The songs went up and up until the lift was all the way into the clouds, breaching different levels of atmosphere and defying laws of architecture. Is this making sense?

Semones’ set stretched out into the night, the crowd swaying and head-nodding. An hour in I realized I had worn the entirely wrong shoes. I felt my feet and back start to cramp up as I observed a few folks making their way out early. It was a bit like I was in a dream sequence, my mind drifting to past situations and sequences.

I was glad I stuck it out, though, because the encore was truly worth the wait. Semones brought out Roseboro again, and they sang a duet with the band backing them up. Their voices worked brilliantly together. It was a perfect moment, and I felt grateful to be able to witness it alongside the community of fans who had sold out the show. Though Mei Semones’ music may not be the kind I seek out personally, the show at 7th St made for an unexpectedly special start to my week. The concert was a warm embrace, and I feel myself smiling as I reminisce on it.

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