Four kids are sauntering toward
Jeff Allen. Their arms are crossed and they look a little scared.
"Hey guys," Allen says,
affecting a cool older brother tone. "When do you go on?"
"Eight minutes," says one
of the boys.
This is why they’re scared.
Exactly eight minutes later,
the quartet of three 16-year-olds and a 14-year-old drummer take the
stage. The band’s name is Shoe Shiners. Expect to hear it a lot in
the next few years.
In a lot of ways, the upstarts
remind Allen, The Plastic Constellations singer, of himself at that
age, except that they’re better.
"The Shoe Shiners are a special
case because they are so talented for their age," Allen says. "They
are so good that it almost makes me retroactively jealous that I wasn’t
that good when I was that age. When we were 14 we played really shitty
pop songs, and these kids are light years ahead."
When the Shoe Shiners were
14 they released their first album.
Still, the Shoe Shiners have
yet to grow into their talent. On stage they look nervous. This could
be because their parents are in the audience snapping up photos. That
and they are opening for their idols in the biggest rock club in Minneapolis.
Musically, they are spot on. They play grunge infused with a hefty dose
of pop. And, yes, they are way too good for their age.
Two bands later when The Plastic
Constellations go on, the Shoe Shiners are standing front and center
studying them. This is a special night—not just because their favorite
band is playing but because this could also be their last show. This
is simultaneously a CD release party for The Plastic Constellations
and a farewell concert. The band recently announced its "indefinite
hiatus."
"We had a great time [touring]
with the last record, but all of us are in long-term relationships or
married. The idea of doing it again sounded like something we didn’t
want to do," Allen explains. "So we decided if we’re not going
to do that, are we comfortable being a local band that just plays every
once in a while? Not really. We want to leave when we’re in our prime.
If we play again, great. We’re not breaking up officially yet, but
we might not play again, either."
The Plastic Constellations
do sound in their prime. They play the kind of music that is perfect
for the last day of high school. Only, it feels like tonight the band
is officially graduating into adulthood. The music playfully flirts
with punk. It’s too happy to be emo. It’s not contrived enough to
be truly indie rock. So it’s just rock—happy, wonderful rock with
lots of "la-las" and the errant "wooh." It is, however, rock
that focuses on the subjects of wizards and dragons.
The highlight of the show comes
during a song about a fire-breathing serpent. The band tosses close
to a hundred cardboard swords into the crowd and suggests the audience
do what they want with them. This, of course, means a lot of hitting
and throwing and whacking them about. The mood is too fun to be sad,
even if it may be the band’s last concert.
And at the end of the night,
The Plastic Constellations invite half of the Shoe Shiners on stage
with them.
"It’s coming full circle,"
Allen says. "Here we are, 11 years later playing 1st Ave.
at our sort of final show with a young band."
Consider the torch passed.
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