Sage Shemroske

Self-described “all trans band” 4th Curtis release their EP, Invisible Ax today (11/29)

In the time leading up to the release they’ve taken to tweeting under “LIZZIE BORDEN” (though they are known for changing their username whenever it suits them). And in Invisible Ax it’s all funny ‘til it’s not. On the opening track ‘Nonstop’ lead vocalist and guitarist Lex Noens sings “blood on my guitar strings makes me feel so intense”, making Taylor Swift’s teardrops null in comparison. This opener is both a testament to what they’re willing to drain themselves of and what has been taken from them. The vocals and keys of Ty Gale shine on ‘Marie Antoinette’, playing a posh minor tone that almost mocks Maddie Morley’s energetic drumming. And 4th Curtis’ impeccable charm is ever present, Noens comparing themselves to Marie Antoinette because their “rack is huge”. Noens and Gale have a knack for singing their gags with the same seriousness as their anxieties, lyrics like “I want to be the older woman my kid’s friends want to fuck” are treated with purpose. Everything on Invisible Ax is heightened, and when Gale sings “do you think I’m pretty?” it’s with painful sincerity. Invisible Ax has a keen way of answering its own questions.

From a distance the EP is a catchy onslaught with a dark sense of humor but up close it’s wringing its hands and asking you a very important question, afraid of being just an exposed body. The stand out track is ‘Julius Cesar’, Noens seering with pop vigor. Invisible Ax never allows anything to sound as dire as it really is, it bobs and weaves in constant motion. “Julius Cesar died last night/the throne is mine for the taking”. The throne- what it must be like to briefly feel full despite so much emptiness. To see a piece of a person who you’ll never wholly experience again. When all else fails we desire a place we consider home and someone to call our names in a way that sounds familiar, but that warmth has long been forgotten. There’s a painful irony aching inside Invisible Ax: 4th Curtis is giving every piece of themselves, their limbs and bodily fluids, but the one thing being demanded of them is something they don’t have to give. Morley drives ‘Goth Fuck’ (or as the lyric sheet for the press reads “spelled Goth F-ck if not allowed in a specific application)”, the most self indicting piece of the EP. But the rock interlude with Gale and Morley softly ‘ooh-ing’ as backup suggests otherwise. “I want to hurt him/I want him to like it” sings Noens, 4th Curtis never being ones to write themselves as strongest on the page. As artists they find themselves both the protagonist and antagonist of their own lives. They are a comedy and a tragedy, their own greek chorus piling in and reminding us of the existence of sadness and love and pain and memes.

When you run out of ways to write about sadness or grief or oppression you weaponize it. You turn it into heated sax solos and irresistible melodies. The EP closes with the blistering ‘No Artist’, Noens and Gale lamenting “why do I always break for the broken ones?” They are focused and loving. 4th Curtis plays the self-deprecating role well, but this EP involves comparisons to Marie Antoinette, the Virgin Mary, Julius Cesar, and Lizzie Borden- people known for the way they exchange flesh. But the band isn’t a broken limb or a drained vessel, they’re the weapon, the wielder, the predator. They’re unflinching. Their sense of humor congeals it together, death and sweetness thickening to concrete in order to support the emotional weight. Invisible Ax explores pain in a way that is clever and catchy and for whatever reason, historical. It is difficult work asking people to listen to your flaws and not asking them to absolve you of guilt in return but to sit with you inside it. And in doing so they’ve transmogrified their sound completely. Invisible Ax, in name alone, is not an invitation but a statement of intent. It is waiting, unseen, indicative of what’s to come with absolute precision. And did 4th Curtis get away with it? Of course they did. But the axe is double ended. Like the EP’s poster child Lizzie Borden, they’ve gotten away with it all. But they still carry the evidence with them.

Keep Up With 4th Curtis

Instagram + Twitter + Bandcamp

Gully Boys played the Turf Club this past Sunday after a tour with Wisconsin punks, Gender Confetti. And we weren’t ready.

On Sunday night prodigal sons, Gully Boys, returned home to the Turf Club after an eighteen day tour. Their tourmates Gender Confetti cracked open the show with a large trans pride flag pinned up behind them. They waste no time with pleasantries and dive into a song called “Ask First” in which guitarist and vocalist Sylvia Johnson (they/she) yells “I believe Christine Ford and I believe Anita Hill”. Johnson, clad in a red lingerie set with “gender” tattooed above one collarbone and “deviant” above the other, is fierce. They’re combustive and dare the audience to meet their gaze. But there’s a sentimentality to their militant bite; the duo dedicates one of their last songs to Gully Boys after affirming that the two bands are family before delving into a final queer clatter.

Long-standing icons Kitten Forever offer more than local support, taking the stage for ransom while yelping into their signature yellow telephone rigged as a mic. Kitten Forever are always a sight as they never stay still. They round robin, switching instruments mid song. As Laura Larson steps aside from the drum kit to wail on “The Hawk” I realize how few cis men seem to be in attendance. Or rather, it’s after I find myself joining a light-hearted mosh pit and realizing I’m not being handled by a sweaty dude in an old Direct Hit tee but by some half-shaved heads with well done eyebrows. As the band bangs “tell me what I want tell me what I want” they switch again- no need to stop the riot. During the end of the set they pounce on “Temple” with Corrie Harrigan strutting into the crowd with a righteous circle forming around her, the crowd hollering the lyrics too.

When I say that Gully Boys know how to draw a crowd, I mean it. One of the first things I learn upon getting to the gig is that drummer Nadirah McGill would have have a former high school teacher in attendance (I had the pleasure of meeting him after the set and let me just say, he was pumped). Roddie Gadeberg and Sage Livergood of Niiice, Lex Noens of 4th Curtis, and Bailey Cogan of 26 BATS! were there as well. This is all proof of the Boys’ magnetism, their homecoming acts as the center of the venn diagram for the music lovers and creators of the Twin Cities. But there’s not much time to stand around and survey the crowd before Gully Boys catapult into “I Wanna Go Home!”, propulsive as ever. And the crowd is in their hands just like that. It doesn’t matter that it’s a Sunday night, Gully Boys are impossible to ignore. Bassist Natalie Klemond steers on with a quiet fervor during “Neopet Graveyard” and during the thundering “Big Bad Luvr” I swear on my life that the three parents who were flocked together at the very front of the stage gently nudged each other in a Baby Boomer mosh pit of three. And I don’t blame them, lead vocalist and guitarist Kathy Callahan would make Courtney Love jealous with her snarling. During a pause for tuning McGill tells tour stories: as it happens, McGill broke their ankle while touring and the band ended up sitting in the ER. They sold merch while in the hospital. The Boys’ are so effervescent on stage, it comes as no surprise that they could turn hospital staff into stans. And it’s a testament to their work ethic that McGill was still playing drums as ardent as ever. During the tender-hearted “Sugar Scrub” McGill’s partner could be seen with an enclave of equally dedicated fans and friends in the audience, arms linked and swaying. The sticky sweet center of the set, I earn a kiss from my plus one and sway too. But the Boys keep a tight set, rolling into the billowing “Nosy Heart” with Callahan announcing “this one is for dads”. The crowd follows Callahan’s every cue, waiting for her riffs before singing along to her intense howls. Gully Boys craft an irresistible crowd/performer dynamic, they form a give and take of power with the audience. So after the final shatter of drums the singular shout of “ENCORE” was met with “should we do greasy?” And of course they played “Greasy”. I stepped aside so that someone could pull their more reluctant friend (girlfriend?) to the front and dance together. The audience matches the band’s passion beat for beat throughout the night. All Turf Club occupants could be heard yelling “it’s 4pm I’m sleeping in” on repeat until the final harmony of the song. It’s as if nothing outside this set exists. In equal parts love for each other, love for their fans, and love for their music Gully Boys are so genuine this show can’t be described as anything other than punk rock. But it’s not just a homecoming for the Boys, it’s a homecoming for everyone there. For the deviants and the girls who mosh and the partners who know all the lyrics. It’s a potent reunion that reminds us why Gully Boys are so integral to the Twin Cities and why their music is so necessary. Gully Boys have the uncanny ability to bring out the bravest and boldest parts of ourselves and it brings us as fans, as artists, and as people who still hold a hairbrush to their mouth in front of the mirror closer.

Had the unfortunate luck of missing this show? Poor time management? While you’ll be delighted to know that Gully Boys will be in residency at the 7th Street Entry this December where they will be playing every Sunday. Each night of the residency they plan on releasing a new song off the EP they are currently teasing us with.

Can’t wait ‘til December? Well it would be unrealistic to assume that Gully Boys would be taking a break anytime soon. So obviously they’ll be releasing not only a new song, but an accompanying music video in the near future. And though I can’t say much about the video, which spans the decades, I will leave you with this: Kathy can in fact pull off a soul patch.

All Blood: A Review of Invisible Ax

Recap: Gully Boys Reunite With the Twin Cities