Gifts From The Holy Ghost Tour Ft. Dorothy, Joyous Wolf, Classless Act
Nestled between one-way streets in the so-called Dinkytown neighborhood, which exists in the shadow of the University of Minnesota campus, is the Varsity Theater. A classy, intimate event space for bands on the rise. A line of concertgoers wraps around the block in anticipation for the Gifts From The Holy Ghost Tour with headliner Dorothy, and featuring supporting artists Joyous Wolf and Classless Act
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Classless Act, a five piece from Los Angeles, kicked off the night with their flavor of high energy rock that is similar to the likes of The Hives, Audiovent and The Strokes. Clear driving vocals backed by high tempo instrumentation impressed many of the folks in attendance as the crowd filled the floor and were almost instantly rockin’ along with Classless Act’s opening set. They played 6 original songs, then a cover of Guns n Roses’ “Civil War” and ended with another original “Classless Act”. Minor issues were easily overcome and the only thing that could have made Classless Act’s performance any better would have been more stage space.
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Joyous Wolf Front man, Nick Reese, donning a sequined blazer and snakeskin print pants energetically spent little time in one spot with his acrobatics and James Brown-esque footwork. From gospel type hand gestures and headbanging to full blown David Lee Roth jump splits, Nick entertained and engaged every chance he got. The remaining members seemed a bit stoic and focused on their craft, which for such a small performance space was probably a good thing, giving Front man Nick the run of the stage. Joyous Wolf’s sound is a blend of soulful southern groove rock and psychedelic rock with some elements of modern rock and Motown sprinkled in. This four piece hails from Orange County, California and has been steadily producing new music and touring. Later in the set as Guitarist Blake Allard & Bassist Greg Braccio warmed up, they would take the opportunity to dazzle the crowd as their fingers danced along the fret board. Nick split the crowd and joined the concertgoers on their side of the barricade during one of the final songs. Joyous Wolf ended their set with “Mother Rebel” and a fun call and response with the crowd, setting the stage for the night's headliner.
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Smoke filled the stage, some would say to the point of excess, obscuring the enormous banner that loomed over the stage. But that obscuration lent to the mystery while the band members of Dorothy took their place on stage. Dorothy, a four piece fronted by namesake, Dorothy Martin, emerged to cheers and applause. This foursome has an on stage chemistry that resonated through the music. Midway through the set Dorothy absolutely nailed a cover of “Sweet Dreams” by The Eurythmics and followed it with the hit single “Rest in Peace”.
Vocalist Dorothy Martin and band mates know how to work the peaks and valleys of each of their songs and utilized that knowledge and experience to enchant the crowd from the very first note. Just after, they played an instrumental portion without Front woman Dorothy Martin and a smaller instrumental break later in the set. Earlier in the day at a local record store, Down in the Valley, an acoustic performance was scheduled but was switched to just an autograph session. Some speculate that Vocalist Dorothy may have been experiencing some vocal issues. Despite those suspicions, there was little indication that there were any issues with her voice. Dorothy seems to have a loyal following and if they can continue to write hits and enchant the crowd like last night, they have the potential to have a successful career performing music.
