Technically When We Land is a boy band but they’re not a boy band in the traditional sense. They are deeper, more thoughtful. They opened with Throttle and the Wind off their latest CD (Introvert’s Plight Album). Whether fact or fiction the song is deeply personal and a uniquely male perspective on heartbreak that would almost make you hate your last lost love a little less.

Singer Jesse Baxter has a strong voice. The music is indie rock with some country sensibilities possibly based on the song themes. While I think there are usually four in the band, there were five on stage at the Turf Club Friday night.

They had an even bigger crowd than was expected and a crowd that clearly are big followers of the band. (And not your usual Turf Club crowd.)

Their second song was more rocking but equally melancholy in temperament Five Bar Blues. The drum was particularly strong but it’s really Baxter’s voice that leads the charge with most songs. That being said the guitars and bass meet the quality and support the sound. The set went on with new and old songs.

If you have time for just one song by Ben Noble, make it Little One. As he says, it’s a story song presumably about his own three year old. It’s a gentle song, too loud for a lullaby but the kind of song you’d listen to with your own little one cuddling on the couch. It showcases his falsetto range that produces an ethereal, soothing sound. The strings (especially on the album but also live) have a dream quality that plays against an otherwise straightforward tune. The lyrics are touching and sweet. The song is like a little vacation.

Luckily I had time for a few more watching Noble play at the Bryant Lake Bowl with a bass player, keyboardist and drummer. They played many songs from his latest CD, Whisky Priest. Keeping with a theme, he led with Daughter, which is another pensive almost melancholy song. Again the song features his unique voice. The lyrics, the voice, the guitar are very tender.

Noble’s song writing is very personal but it’s a case of when personal detail can make something so universal. Many of the tunes are inherently sad. Good listening for a cold winter afternoon.

Steven C’s piano solos have been downloaded millions of times. Millions! He has played with the London Symphony Strings at Abbey Studios and with Mannheim Steamroller on the TODAY show. So I feel fortunate to have seen him in his own backyard, which it turns out is the same as my backyard.

Steven C (and his friends) played a set of Christmas and Emotive music at the Cathedral. His friends include the St Cecelia and St Gregory Choristers of the Cathedral Choir School, vocalist Kathleen Johnson and three musicians, Pat Frederick on violin, Charles Asch on cello and Lawrence Lawyer on pipe organ.

They started with O Come, O Come Emmanuel. The choir began a cappella. Then just the piano. Then the strings joined in. The music sounds like the Cathedral looks. The majesty draws you into the space but the details keep you there. A joyous start.

The second song was Still, Still, Still with piano and strings. It’s a more pensive piece and the audience was clearly touched – each in a different way. I find it soothing. It’s a one-hour break with stimulus that spoils you into a brain lull. But around me, I could see tears or joy and remembrance. Everyone has taken time from a busy week to escape and the music did not disappoint.

Some songs stand out – such as the siren’s plaintive start of Twas’ in the Moon of the Wintertime. And the husky low notes of Mary Did you Know.  There was a sing-along and Phil Coulter’s Irish Blessing. That’s always going to be a hit in St Paul.

I enjoyed Steven C’s original work too, especially Restored. Apparently, he felt called to write that just before he recorded the new album live at the Cathedral (Sep 2017). He wrote it based on his experience restoring old houses in the area and based on memories of the restoration of the Cathedral roof. (Remember when the Cathedral dome was green?) He wrote it during a 3-mile run to the Cathedral. And that is when I knew we shared a backyard. Because I had walked with a friend to the show that night,  4 miles each way in windy, freezing weather. But it was absolutely worth the hike!

Steven C has two more shows this season:

• Dec 17 at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre
• Dec 18 St Joseph’s Church in St Paul

I rarely include video and I hope the artist won’t mind – but I thought everyone could a quick break of hectic for splendor of music and art

Amanda Grace played a cozy set of new and old songs at the Warming House to release her new CD, Better Life. She started with a brand new song – first time played publicly I think. It was a slightly bluesy piano song with a hint of drumming. It’s a format and tone that sets nicely with her sultry voice. The drummer stayed with her as she played some covers and older songs. She was joined on stage with fellow singer Joyanne Parker to sing a Christmas song.

She saved the music from the new CD for the second half of the show. There were two songs that really stood out – Better Life and Los Angeles.

Better Life has a popular music feel, with a folksy twang that harks back to Jewell; maybe that’s combination the guitar and voice with range. And Los Angeles has a marching drive forward. She talks about the song pouring out of her when visiting a sick friend in California. It has touches of sweet keening but it’s the step by step rhythm that pushes the song forward.

Grace’s music is very personal. She writes, sings and talks about the death of a nephew, the death of a brother-in-law and a sickness with friends. There’s an undercurrent in spirituality seemingly born of life experience balanced with hints of the harder rock she noted enjoying as a student. She uses her talent as an opportunity to work with ChildFund, a nonprofit that strives to feed kids all over the world. During the performance she mentioned two children – Bui and Vilma – and asked us to think about them. After the performance, she is available to speak about the kids and ChildFund. Guests are offered a free CD as they learn more about ChildFund. It helps spread the word. ChildFund helps promote the artist and compensates them for the cost of the CDs. It’s a win-win.

Astronomique is the band you thought you’d be seeing in the future back in 1987. They’re a synth pop band with 60s aesthetics and 80s musical influence. They played Thursday night at the Icehouse to introduce their new single, Mimic Forms.

There are four members: Logan Andra Fongemie on vocals and keyboards, Sean Hogan on vocals and guitar, Mitch Billings on vocals and drums and Jordan Morantez on bass guitar. The band is solid; the keyboards really set the tone of the music, bringing the space age feel. There’s a nice contrast between the harder rocking band and the pop appeal of the keyboards. The vocals – especially on tracks where Fongenie and Hogan both sing – bridge the difference. There’s a sweet and salty, high and low, mix that sounds really good together.

Adding to the space age feel was a Sci-fi video on in the background, the video for their new release Mimic Forms (shared below); I presume. The folds in the majestic curtain behind the stage of the Icehouse make it difficult to confirm. It was fun to guess the movies that influenced the obscured video (Barbarella, Tron?) in the same way it’s fun to guess the influence on the music. Mimic Forms is less synth, more vocals than some of their earlier songs. There’s something soothing and almost wavy to the music.

They also played the B-side to the new single, 23rd Century. I enjoyed the Spanish feel in the castanet-sounding drums.

The Hook and Ladder has never felt cozier than with snow blowing outside and a sold out show for Sarah Morris inside. Even the stage was brimming with a rotating cast of impressive characters.

I was immediately struck with Morris’ song writing; her ability to turn a clever phrase like “good at good buys” into a full-fledged song: good at goodbyes. It reminds me of the kind of old school country music I listened to during a road trip; the “if you don’t leave me I’ll find someone who will” listen-twice lyrics.

Morris talked about her song writing style or tactics – the online writing groups and video challenges. In fact, my favorite song from the show and the latest CD (Hearts in Need of Repair) apparently came from a video challenge on a day when she was very sick. The song feels like a childhood music box and celebrates breezy summer love and suits her sweet voice. It’s emblematic of the love songs on the album.