I always look forward to the KFAI House Party Presents show on Wednesdays. The series typically showcases a locally or regionally well-known band on Harold Tremblay’s radio show at five p.m. At six, the band trucks it from Minneapolis’s West Bank neighborhood to Northeast Minneapolis to play live at the 331 Club. Starting at ten p.m. or so are one or two other bands that round out the night.
Last week I went to see the featured band, Twin Cities bluegrass group Katey Bellville & Those SOBs (Eric Larson, Zach Gusa, Mike Hedding, Eric Struve, and Chris O’Brien). It was the first time I’d been to the 331 for two years almost on the dot. When I swung open the door at seven and got my first glimpse of these seasoned and expressive musicians crowded up on the stage, and heard the first few notes, I felt a bit like I’d walked a hundred miles through cold and treacherous terrain to get there. When Katey favored us with some of her gorgeous yodeling, and the sizeable crowd lost its mind, I think I cried a little. Their harmonies were golden.
The spots following KFAI’s weekly showcase are popular with local musicians from established bands branching off into new side projects, as well as new performers breaking into the scene. On March 2, pop singer-songwriter Abha Karnick, playing acoustic guitar and accompanied by Jon Elconin on electric guitar, took the ten o’clock spot. A new group of enthusiastic supporters began to arrive around nine. During the sound check, the duo came off as a little green (or just out of practice after a lengthy pandemic hiatus; I’ve talked to a lot of musicians who, upon attempting their first gigs after the pandemic, report everything from “I felt a little creaky” to “I couldn’t remember how to sing into a microphone”). In any case, Karnick and Elconin also looked jazzed up to get started, and their eagerness was contagious. I couldn’t wait for them to play.
That fire was evident in their set. Karnick has a lovely voice and good rhythm. While sometimes the technically adept Elconin’s accompaniment felt a little random or noodly, on certain songs—Karnick’s “Waves” as well as a cover of Demi Lovato’s “You Don’t Do It for Me Anymore”—the two felt in sync, with more movement and direction, and Elconin’s sustained, searing lines were filled with tension and longing. I was struck by the feeling that these two care about both sharing a message and proving themselves on stage. I think that Karnick’s already nice and often bewitching voice will gain even more openness, support, and ease as she continues to perform. She already has that special artistic spark that makes me want to be there when it happens.
