If you’re sticking around the Twin Cities for spring break, or if your plans start after this weekend, consider coming to PILLLAR Forum’s second-annual Rage & Reset, a three-day celebration with line-ups stacked with the Twin Cities’ best indie sounds.
Friday and Saturday will be rage-filled nights of rock, hardcore, punk and post-punk (think Anita Velveeta, bugsy and Dad Bod), while Sunday will be a folksy, singer-songwriter matinee.
Last year’s Rage & Reset, which was two nights instead of three, served as the inaugural event of the PILLLAR Forum venue space on Central Avenue in Minneapolis, according to PILLLAR owner Corey Bracken.
Since 2021, PILLLAR has been hosting shows in the cafe side of its retail space which sells skateboards and related merchandise.
“We’d have to move all of the tables and chairs and set up this portable PA system,” Bracken said. “There was no stage, and it was fun, but it wasn’t what I would say was a really good music experience. We would have hardcore shows and walls would get damaged.”
The opportunity to open a PILLLAR music venue came to Bracken in the winter of 2023 when their insurance company neighbors vacated the space next door.
After urging from his staff, Bracken took the plunge and opened a music venue; the rest is history.
“Last year I think we had somewhere between 175 to 225 shows, and we had music probably four to five nights a week,” Bracken said. “It’s been just amazing to see all the different bands and styles come through.”
Bracken said that while he’s excited for both “rage” nights, he’s looking forward to PILLLAR veteran Anita Velveeta’s performance on Saturday night in particular.
“She just played a sold-out show at PILLLAR recently, and she’s been playing here since we started having shows at the café,” Bracken said. “She puts on such a great performance. The energy is palpable, and it’s just so much fun to be in the room when she’s performing.”
Bracken also named sludgegaze group Haze Gazer and Mommy Log Balls, another veteran PILLLAR group who Bracken called “a trip,” as performances to catch on Friday.
“They have such a diverse following and they put on such a unique show that it’s just always a good time,” he said of Mommy Log Balls.
Bracken said Twin Cities heavy hitters Early Eyes and bugsy will put on exciting shows on Saturday, along with Thumper, the band of PILLLAR barista Juno Parsons, who is also a member of Haze Gazer.
Kicking off Sunday’s day of “reset” will be folk duo The Penny Peaches, the family band of singer-songwriter sisters Grace and Hattie Peach.
According to their Instagram bio, the Peaches are “like the Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit without the accent.”
Sunday’s shorter, more relaxed afternoon line-up will be the perfect palette cleanser after two nights of raging, according to Bracken.
Bracken said that PILLLAR prides itself on being a safe, all-ages venue that is both band and audience-centered.
“Some of these bands play venues where if you’re under 21, you can’t see them play,” Bracken said. “What we provide is a safe atmosphere where people can come out and have a good time and appreciate live music.”
Bracken attributed PILLLAR’s successful shift from a makeshift to an official venue, to those very people who come out to shows.
“We just want to celebrate all that we’ve done and all that these bands are doing,” he said.
Whether you rage for two nights straight, relax to some chill folk vibes on Sunday or partake in the full Rage & Reset experience, PILLLAR will have something for everyone.
Information about day and weekend passes to Rage & Reset can be found here.
