Starting this month, the monthly Minneseries concerts at the Nomad World Pub are being co-curated by Vita.mn and 89.3 the Current's "Local Show." One band is picked to perform a month of Thursday gigs and invite their own openers each week.
The first pick, Flasher, began its residency this week.
Their back story: All three members of Flasher previously played in the Goondas, a gritty garage-punk quartet whose chaotic live shows and hard-blasting, semi-bluesy tunes earned them a sizable local buzz before they called it quits at the end of 2013.
"We just sort of felt like we had hit a dead-end," explained guitarist Jackson Atkins, who enrolled in school then, as did singer Brenden Green. The Goondas frontman also literally got worn out by his wild, self-damaging onstage antics, which came to be expected at shows.
Their current goings-on: After about six months of inactivity, Atkins, drummer Josh Miller and bassist Andy Meuwissen "got really tired of not having a band," Atkins said. They started jamming over the summer with Miller and Meuwissen swapping vocal duties. Green "probably wouldn't have been interested," Atkins added, "but we also wanted it to be something different, without expectations." They've only played a handful of shows since their debut at Lee's Liquor Lounge in September but have already set new expectations.
Their plans: The trio recently recorded an eight-song demo at a studio in rural Iowa and plan to move ahead with a debut EP soon. "We see the Minneseries as a great chance to refine our live show," Atkins said. They're also using the Nomad series to reunite with some of the Goondas' old running buddies, including Pleasure Horse next Thursday and Iguano and the Uncle Bob Show on Jan. 29.
Our impression: Green was a captivating frontman, so much so he often overshadowed the gutter-kicking guitar work and booming rhythms at play in the Goondas. Flasher brings those qualities more to the forefront and adds a little '60s garage-rock flavor.
9 p.m. Thursdays through Jan. 29 • Nomad World Pub, 501 Cedar Av. S., Mpls. • 21 & older • free
