LIVE MUSIC – Kat and the Hurricane / Toilet Rats / Radium Girls | The Root Note
Doors at 7pm / Music at 8pm / $5 advance / $10 at the door
Kat and the Hurricane is an all-queer and trans synth rock/indie-pop band from Madison, WI composed of guitarist/vocalist Kat Rhapsody (they/them), keyboardist/vocalist Benjamin Rose (they/them), and drummer Alex Nelson (they/them). The band has stirred up a storm across the Midwest since 2017 thanks to their energetic live shows, strong sense of community, and genre-defying songwriting. While preparing their debut full length album, Got It Out , the trio has appeared at several regional and national festivals, completed 3 regional and national tours, and received the coveted Artist of The Year award from their local Madison Area Music Association.
https://www.instagram.com/katandthehurricane/?hl=en
Radium Girls are undeniably descendants of the Riot Grrrl scene blending fuzzy guitars, feminist themes, and honest lyrics. Founded by members Amber Fletcher, Cassie Brady, and Megan Hanson, the Radium Girl sound is profoundly simple – sweetness and angst. A key feature of the Radium Girls is the instrument swapping between Brady and Hanson breathing life into the set as they take turns leading the songs. The roaring guitars, vocal harmonies, and massive pop hooks coalesce with striking precision — femme power pop.
https://www.instagram.com/radiumgirlsmn/
Toilet Rats is a one-person operation conceived, performed, and maintained by Tommy Ratz, an elusive character who allegedly operates out of a small studio in the sewers beneath Minneapolis, MN where he is surrounded by synthesizers, guitars, and fast food wrappers. Unable to get internet or television signals in the sewer, Ratz collects discarded VHS tapes, audio cassettes, and discarded brochures, which inform his sense of reality and worldview. As a result, he is regularly expectant of national threats that have long passed, and wildly behind on trends and cultural norms. His thought process is therefore not unlike flipping through daytime television channels circa 1983. Undoubtedly, he would use the wrong fork while dining with a visiting monarch. Because he listens to discarded cassette tapes to satiate his musical cravings, Toilet Rats music influences and output is an amalgamation of synth pop, thrash metal, and spaghetti western soundtracks.
In reality, Tommy Ratz is a pseudonym for Thomas Rehbein, who has played with Minneapolis bands Naive Sense, Farewell Continental, Robosapien, and Small Towns Burn A Little Slower and others. He has also produced recordings for artists such as Justin Courtney Pierre (of Motion City Soundtrack), Party House, and Zaq Baker, to name a few.