In early 2017, the trans indie rock trio 4th Curtis put out their debut record I Won the Pageant , an album that veiled its angst and cynicism behind a thin veneer of energetic pop-rock. The band is now back with their follow up,  Invisible Ax - an EP that has stripped that facade away, leaving the band's dark sense of humor on full display. Invisible Ax  goes from 1 to 100 right off the bat with the intense imagery contained in the opening track, "Nonstop." Vocalist/guitarist Lex Noens sings about blood on their guitar strings, a theme that continues throughout the song. In the lead up to the EP release, the band referenced a French showman from the 1700s who'd eat anything and everything as an inspiration for this song, and this theme of insatiability compels the band. Historical figures don't seem to influence only "Nonstop," but most (if not all) of the songs on the EP. The middle two tracks are quite upfront with whom they pull from. "...

Minneapolis singer-songwriter Jeremy Messersmith had a residency at the Icehouse over the course of January. Like the good music journalists we are, Ear Coffee fought tooth and nail for the last tickets of the sold-out final show to send yours truly to review it. The Icehouse set a mood that was in between a hipster dive bar and supper club. There was a small space in front of the stage cleared for standing room with booths lining the walls. The venue did a good job of filling the club without losing the feeling of intimacy. The only downside to the Icehouse was their sound system. Vocalists with more bassy voices were easily lost in the mix. The first band of the evening was an indie pop/rock band called 4th Curtis . They are a very animated trio from St. Paul that focused their songs on LGBT topics. When the band got on stage, it was hard to tell what they were going to sound like. They looked like they were going to sound super far out and artsy or something really tame. Afte...