On May 19th, Parachutes released their new EP, Wicker Chairs on all platforms. The following day the band performed at the Green Room to debut Wicker Chairs. Upon arriving at the show, it was easy to feel the excitement from the crowd and the workers. During their set, the lead singer, Ryan Kemp, explained to the audience how this show had the most sold tickets since the opening of the Green Room in the 90s. This being said the crowd was full of the bands’ family, friends, and fellow music lovers. Each band is local to Minneapolis which allowed them to invite the local fans and to create a personal relationship with the audience. Aiden Intro was the first opener of the night. As soon as they walked onto the stage the crowd's excitement grew for what was to come. Red and purple lights were cast onto the band as they began their first song. The lighting for these bands was incredible. The spotlights allowed for a warm and exciting performance from the bands as well as allowing the audience to get hyped up. Aiden Intro decided to perform a cover as their second song. I am a huge fan of small bands' covers; their performance made me love them even more. They welcomed a friend of theirs onto stage and he stepped up with a saxophone. I knew what this meant, Aiden Intro was about to cover “Careless Whisper” by George Michael. The band’s energy was heightened with their performance of “Careless Whisper”. Aiden Hengel's voice along with vocals from his backup singer Sarah Brammer allowed the band to introduce a fun harmony. The performance done by the saxophonist was incredible and it made me fall in love with the band even more than previously. Each member of the band put their all into the performance of “Careless Whisper” and this helped the audience build their energy which added to the overall energy and vibes for the rest of the concert. Aiden Intro continued playing through their discography. Connor Bahauddin played keys for all three artists and it was incredible watching him take the cords he was given and improv each song with those cords. His performance for all three bands was extremely consistent and it was astonishing seeing him kill it each time. Ivers was the second opener for the Wicker Chairs Release Show. Ivers is another band located in Minneapolis led by lead singer Megan Fritz. After the 30-minute intermission between artists, Ivers walked out onto the stage as the crowd cheered. I found it astonishing how supportive the whole venue was for each of these artists. As the band warmed up and created that initial relationship with the crowd they started to jam out to their own music. It was a very surreal experience watching each member sing every lyric whether or not they had a microphone. I found it beautiful the way their lead guitarist, Henry Hughes, gave such a great physical performance while playing some of the best guitar parts I have heard in a while. Each member seemed so proud of the work they had done for their songs. Ivers has such a great connection between their members and the other bands it was easy to tell they are all such good friends and they had that chemistry I miss seeing with a lot of bigger bands. Lastly, around 10 pm, Parachutes came out to begin showing their new EP Wicker Chairs. They began with two songs from their discography perform getting into the EP. After the two songs, the band left the stage allowing Kemp to perform the last song on their EP Wicker Chairs. The EP is based on Kemp and his life living in St. Paul. The song Wicker Chairs was written last summer about a fight between Kemp and his brother. Kemp’s brother was moving to Denver, Colorado and Kemp wrote this song as a way to fix the relationship between him and his brother before they both moved on from what their life was. This song was unlike the others because it was played only by Kemp and his acoustic guitar. I loved the touch of acoustic, it gave the song a relaxed energy that was not entirely present during the other songs which all utilized electric guitars. This release show was especially special because Kemp’s brother had flown in from Denver for the show so he was able to experience the EP live for the first time among the crowd. I believe having Kemp’s family in the crowd really helped Parachutes to connect with the audience and create a lively show. While each band was playing, the other bands were found in the audience creating more energy in the crowd. The support of the crowd was unlike other shows I have been to. The audience was so in sync with each other. They all were able to produce the same amount of energy as each other and the bands themselves. I believe having a good audience is crucial for small bands and for this show. As to be expected, this audience pulled through. Whether it was the disco ball on the ceiling, the balance of the instruments, or the relationships between everyone in the bands it produced an amazing show. The release show for Parachutes’ new EP, Wicker Chairs, was unlike any other show I have experienced in the Minneapolis area. I believe the bond each band has with this city allowed them to create something extremely special. Each band had such good energy which helped them to strongly connect with the audience. I, like most audience members, will keep an eye out for future shows from Parachutes, Ivers, and Aiden Intro. I am so excited to see how these bands continue to grow in Minneapolis and how they change the Minneapolis music scene.

-Katie Leach