Anna Paulson
Last updated on January 22nd, 2019 at 05:07 am
Last Saturday I woke a little tired and my mind is a bit foggy which is proof that Friday night was EPIC! A friend and I ventured to St. Cloud, Minnesota, about an hour drive from home, to dance the night away with Jon Wayne and the Pain. I had been searching for a positive night away from reality and this adventure was everything I needed it to be. The next day, my heart was full of bliss and my soul is smiling.
For those who aren’t quite sure who Jon Wayne and the Pain (JWP) is, the band is formed of four members; Jon Wayne, Chuckie Torgerson, Teeto Miller and Weston Schick. They are an electronic reggae-dub jam band who recently celebrated their ten year anniversary. A personal favorite, I jumped on the opportunity to go to their show so close to home for me!
When Abby and I arrived at The Pickled Loon at 9:10 p.m., the bar was pretty empty. They were playing country, not a preferred genre of mine, so I was glad when we were redirected to the stairs. I learned that Jon Wayne had gone out of his way to ensure I would get into the show with no problem, which was amazing. We walked up the narrow stairs, turned the corner and entered The Nest, the bar upstairs. It was dark and a bit claustrophobic at first. I noticed that the walls are covered in a variety of really cool original paintings and stickers from random bands. The small dance floor in front of the stage was lined with couches and counters, which was fantastic for me to take notes! We grabbed a spot on the couch closest to the stage. It was front row seats in comfort. I took my shoes off, made myself at home and impatiently waited for the show to start.
Dead Larry began to slowly take stage. Mark, with his amazing mustache and hat on the keyboard; Joe, his long curly hair in his face on bass; Joshua, in jeans, t-shirt and a smile on drums; and Ned. Ned choose to wear a mask that made him look creepy happy. It was funny, yet slightly terrifying.
They opened with an intro from their latest album; Mona-Lisa Stellarum, which drew a crowd to the dance floor within seconds. Across the crowd I noticed singer of JWP, Jon, bobbing his head to the funky music. Joe announced their next song, Wherever you go, and I was immediately entranced. There was something about this performance of this song that was special. It put me in a happy, peaceful place in my mind. There was a lot of emotion coming from the band during this song.
Throughout the entire set the band had so much energy. They put on a fun show and you can tell they absolutely love what they do. I have way more fun watching them live then listening to them in my car. Dead Larry played a crowd favorite, Get Down On It, which seemed to set the mood for the rest of the night. The crowd was then ready to rage. There was a moment when Mark held a note for an unbelievably long time and also played the piano with his foot. I was impressed. The band ended their set with a personal favorite, Wake Up and Rage. Perfect start to JWP.
At this point the dance floor was overflowing. I needed to use the restroom, which was difficult to do, due to the bar being completely shoulder to shoulder packed and the restroom being at the other end of the bar (typical). Abby and I make our way through the crowd and find the line for the woman’s restroom. The light in the bathroom was flickering. Abby said to me through the stall door, “It feels like I am in my friends basement watching people jam. It’s cool!” As we were washing our hands, this lady begins yelling that she is mad about politics and she is an American. As she fell into the wall she shouted, ” I wanted to say I pledge allegiance to my flag of America!”
Still laughing about the bathroom incident, we once again took our seats. It was darker and there was bass. You could feel the vibrations going through your body, shaking your insides. Jon Wayne and the Pain began playing an intro that reminded me of a spy movie. It made me feel mysterious and that I was on a mission. The lights were fantastic, dancing perfectly with the music. Jon began singing and the entire dance floor was moving. The band transitioned into the song All My Festival Friends and everyone was singing along. Jon and Weston did a great job with crowd interaction. Teeto, on the drums was in the back center of the stage. He started the night with his hair in a bun and glasses on his face, which quickly disappeared. Directly in front of him was Weston, who was playing at least four different instruments, singing and continuous interaction with the crowd. His dreadlocks were in a bun and he was wearing his glasses. To the left of Weston was Chuckie, the bassist. Chuckie was fun to watch perform. He puts so much soul into every song; it was inspiring. Across was the lead singer and guitarist, Jon Wayne. He has a peaceful aura that is comforting. He gives off such a positive energy while performing.
“Lets give it up again for Dead Larry”, Jon announces. “This next song is called Your Vibes Attract Your Tribes. It is on our new album which will be released in January. I heard the release party might be at First Ave,” he added quietly. The reggae sound when the song started got the dancing flowing. Weston held his beer up to the crowd and called a social. The lights were dark blue with green laser spotlights shooting all over the place. As they began to play, a guy in the crowd held his arm up in approval of the song choice. Weston played a beautiful flute solo before Teeto sang his famous Legalize It, with the sound of a bong being passed around in the background.
Jon announced their next song. ” Our next song is called One More Day. This is a song dedicated to anybody that’s ever struggled with addiction or struggled with anything else for the matter. Its a song about moving past that shit that’s been holding us down. About moving past that shit that’s been keeping us from holy serenity.”
The dance floor was becoming so full that I could see nothing in front of me (the fact that I’m 5’1 and always have trouble seeing in crowds didn’t make this situation any less annoying). I stood on the bench and was able to get an overview of the entire stage and dance floor. I made eye contact with a bartender, who did nothing to signal that he didn’t want me standing, so I stayed up there for the remainder of the show. A bunch of drunk people weren’t going to ruin the show for me.
The band needed to talk for a minute so Chuckie played some more crazy loud bass. I think most live music fans will agree that loud bass creates the coolest feeling ever when the vibrations go through your body. Then a funky jam started. It proceeded to be One More Trip, which had the crowd singing. Jon played an awesome guitar solo, followed by a badass drum solo by Teeto. An older song, Karma Farmer was played with Weston on the saxophone. Jon was jamming so hard he broke a string on his guitar. During the string change, Teeto entertained us with yet another, and even more badass, drum solo. Jon laughed and said, ” I broke a string on my guitar and I only break a string when I’m having a good time.” JWP started Vibes during which Weston played the flute. Jon ended this song joking, “That’s Weston on the flute, y’all. The new guy.”
Jon and Weston played an acoustic duet and they sounded perfect together. Their voices blend together with such harmony. I was disappointed when the ballad was interrupted by some loud thumping coming through the speakers. The tech guys redeemed themselves right away by fixing the problem. There were a few times I observed the tech guys running around to ensure a smooth show. They deserve more credit.
Teeto and Chuckie finished the night with a dub-rock duet. It was amazing. I again was mesmerized by the passion I saw in Chuckie. I could have listened to this duet for hours. Jon and Weston joined in and the band reunited. “Guess who’s coming to dinner?” There was about 8 more minutes of them jamming with awesome lights, Chuckie put his goggles on, and then the show came to an end. As all the lights came on I heard a fan beg “One more ten minute song!”
A quick recap of the night:
- Jon Wayne took the time out of his day to ensure a smooth night for me. What a guy! (Sorry ladies, he’s a newly wed! Jordan is a lucky gal.)
- Dead Larry was very alive!!
- The Nest bathroom……
- Jon Wayne and The Pain were fantastic!
- The secret ingredient that was revealed by JWP really is the key to spectacular night.
- I met a woman in the parking lot who was named after the cat from the movie Pet Sematary. It was spelled Churtch and she was atheist.
- Dead Larry let Weston and I draw pictures on their trailer and van.
- On my way home I realized I had so many opportunities for photos with the bands and I took none of them. My only regret for the night.
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