The energy of more than a hundred people powered up the small side room at Mortimer’s bar and restaurant in Minneapolis for the Twin Cities United Performers (TCUP) Power Up! show on Sunday.
With no cover fee, the show had something for everyone, regardless of TCUP affiliation. Three local indie projects of various musical styles created a mini snapshot of the Minneapolis music scene as a diverse, burgeoning community worthy of recognition and support.
“We truly believe in the power of collective action,” Space Monkey Mafia lead singer Dante Leyva said to raucous cheers, many from TCUP members.
Power Up! was to garner support from local musicians and performers in the form of pledges to join TCUP, with a goal of 500 total pledges signed.
According to lead organizer Nadirah McGill, drummer of local indie rock outfit Gully Boys, TCUP is already over halfway to that goal.
The first act was Ghosting Merit, a dreamy indie pop band with similar stylings to Slow Pulp, another Midwestern indie darling.
Their first songs were slower jams, the perfect soundtrack for people watching from the corner seat in the side room. For their final two songs, Ghosting Merit invited the crowd to “boogie” with them to the upbeat dance tracks from their latest album, “Little Rituals.”
Still, tucked into the corner in a packed house, I was not roused.
After a soundcheck that felt about 30 years long, I was about ready to leave without sticking around for Butter Boys and Bunny Blood.
I admire the talent and dedication it takes to play music consistently, but at a certain point — typically 9 p.m. on a Sunday night twisting off of a Hamm’s tall can with three deadlines in three days looming ahead — all indie acts start to sound the same, and all of their names become trite.
Then, as Sunshine Parker of Sunshine and the Night Walkers introduced Butter Boys, I was drawn back to the main room.
“When we lose performers to burnout, to stress, to addiction, to lack of money, all of the reasons why this line of work is unsustainable, is that a net gain for the rest of us?” Parker said. “But the truth is, we lose out on all the amazing art that they could have made.”
The people at the bar stopped chatting, and a hush fell over the entire room as Parker continued. “It will always haunt me that it’s possible that we wouldn’t have lost them if our industry was more sustainable and more equitable. That’s what pledging to build power together in solidarity means to me.”
The speech gave the show a dose of reality, reminding everyone in the room just how much music could mean to people.
“It’s saying that yes, this is work that must be valued, but no, we’re not going to tear each other apart looking for individual success,” Parker said.
Parker’s words spoke to something much bigger than a free Sunday night indie show in a crowded bar. They broke through my boredom and lack of shared experience and tapped into something all of us want — security in doing what we want with our lives.
“TCUP was born out of a historic campaign to organize and unionize workers at First Ave venues during the fall of 2023,” McGill said. “Over 300 musicians organized in solidarity alongside venue workers.”
Over a year later, workers at First Avenue and its network of clubs ratified its first union contract just last week.
I still left after Butter Boys started, even though their silly garage punk jam “Clothes Don’t Fit” that opens their album “After Hours Super Powers” endeared me to them while preparing for this story.
The Minneapolis indie music scene is worthy of our support and our listening ears, even if it’s only in the hope that making music can one day be a viable career path.
TCUP has big dreams, namely making Minnesota “the best place in the world to be a performer.”
If the successes of UNITE HERE Local 17 and Parker’s words show anything, it’s that TCUP believes in itself. And that’s worth a listen.
