One-On-One: Static Panic and Katy Durst

Born and raised in South Dakota, Katy Durst moved to the Twin Cities on a whim. Ready for something new, she lived on Lake Calhoun for her first two and half years. This past May she bought a house and moved out of the uptown area. It was her recent new relationship that sparked her curiosity of local music. He listens to all types of music as it’s a really deep connection for him. Music has been something they can relate to in their relationship.

“It’s really kind of opened us up to storytelling and getting to know each other too, cause who starts dating during a pandemic?” shares Katy.

Their first day was at Wayzata Brew Works and there was a couple playing guitar on the patio. As they sat and talked, it naturally shifted to music. That lead to them texting each other songs and then realizing how important music is in each others lives. As they are both in their younger thirties, there’s an old school chivalry tradition still in place. As most of us remember courting someone with a mix-tape, he sent a custom-made Spotify playlist over soon after that first date.

In the Absence of Live Music

Katy has always been the kind of person that connects to the lyrics of a song, but during the quarantine she actively started to really dig into the lyrics more. It was a way to put all of her thoughts into words with actually having to do the writing yourself.

“I tend to follow artists because I like what they stand for and their social platforms that they use for different things.”

This has gotten her to be more involved with following artists on social media and watching more clips on YouTube. Her boyfriend and her have been hiking almost every weekend because there’s nothing else to do. Music gets played the whole time they are hiking until the end of the day. She’s learned to appreciate music in a different way. As with a lot of things in 2020, when you take away something, you realize how much it really meant.

When Katy’s working at home she actually doesn’t like to listen to music that she knows because she’ll find herself mouthing the lyrics and getting distracted. She uses Spotify to find a random playlist or related artist to stream in the background. Then if something sticks out, she’ll dig deeper into that artist.

Static Panic One-On-One

As a relatively new fan of Static Panic, Katy was introduced to them by her boyfriend. Without anything to do during the pandemic, they would have stay at home nights where they’d get a drink, sit on the couch, and play music they loved to each other. “Sinful Delightful” was the first song she heard and immediately was struck by the lyrics.

Katy shares their uniqueness is interesting, especially in today’s world. It’s refreshing to see people who just want to be themselves and are apologetically them. They have a very distinctive way of putting together words to portray a feeling or thought. When she sat down to listen and watch them online, she felt connected really quickly. When her boyfriend saw the contest announced, he suggested she sign up.

Static Panic at Hook and Ladder — photo by Laura Buhman

There’s a spray painted wall just outside The Hook and Ladder with the phrase “Somehow life finds a way”. Sitting inside the venue, Katy and her boyfriend were witnessing that saying. From the first note on stage, Static Panic brought an infectious and high energy party vibe. Lead singer Ro Lorenzen was the conduit for that energy as she danced around. The second song into the set, “Taste”, was written during the pandemic.

“By chance I thought to stick around
Our favorite spot in the same old town
Nothing but air separating us now
I’m here to bless in any way you’ll allow”

“Sinful Delightful” had the couple standing up and dancing along. “Spice Rack” featured the excellent turntables of Sheltron and steady drums of Eli Kapell. Expertly quirky and lyrically catchy, it’s another solid electro-pop song that showcases Static Panic’s ability and diversity.

Showcasing a new song called “Seance”, RØ explained she wrote the song about finding love during the quarantine. She asked herself, how would I approach someone in 2020 when you can’t grab a drink, take someone out, and see each other’s mouth. But someone life finds a way and sitting in the audience was Katy and her boyfriend as a prime example.

Exclusive Video – “Seance”

The Meaning of Live Music

Katy’s love of live music correlates with her move to the Twin Cities. Being raised in a small town in a conservative state, finding a new city that has groups of people that think like her, really impacted her. Live music brings together groups of people on common ground. Katy loves to talk to different people at shows, realizing they all come from different backgrounds, but are all tied to the artist for some reason. Music pulls random people together.

“I’ve seen that amongst friends and family, where you may not have the best relationship with. Then you realize you’re a fan of the same band and there’s something to unite on,” Katy says.