We Went There: BASIC at the 7th St Entry

It was a damp, cool Saturday night in Minneapolis as a hearty crowd ventured into the 7th St Entry to see for ourselves whether experimental music can have a groove, and if music that has a groove can be experimental. A triple bill headlined by new band BASIC proved the answer with a definitive “yes” with emphatic flair.

BASIC was started when guitarist Chris Forsyth and Nick Millevoi, both with their own can’t-miss guitar-centric work in their back pockets, were drawn together during the COVID lockdown by a mutual love of a mostly forgotten record by guitar legend Robert Quine and drummer Fred Maher called Basic. The duo jammed over a drum machine before bringing in Natural Information Society member Mikel Patrick Avery to supplant their guitar work with a minimalist drum and electronic setup, eventually creating their outstanding debut LP This is BASIC.

The record is just under 40 minutes of wirey, taught guitar jams melding baritone chugging and chorus washed guitar sweeps with a driving percussion that expands well past just keeping the rhythm. The record was begging for a live take, and when the record was going to be brought on the road  Douglas McCombs (Tortoise) took Millevoi’s spot in the trio. That alignment rolled into Minneapolis Saturday as part of a nationwide tour and showcased not only the enchanting material from their debut record, but three new songs from a promised forthcoming release. (I believe I heard it’s coming in March, but could have misheard that part.)

Their set was 75+ minutes of euphoric jamming, with McCombs locking down the groove on baritone, Forsyth showcasing both tight, floral riffs and scorching jams that never got lost in the ether, and Avery locking in the groove with his bass drum and experimenting with a suitcase of drum machines and synths. The first half of the set was three songs from their debut record before the group pivoted to three new songs to complete the second half of the set. The new material was a bit more jammy and expansive while keeping the experimentation and ferocity of their first batch of tracks. The set ended with a song that stretched out to 20 minutes, crescendoing towards bliss as a euphoric crowd of dancers filled up the floor in front of the stage. Who says experimental music can’t get people dancing?

Before BASIC’s outstanding headline set was two openers, the first of which was Mineapolis’ own American Cream Band who brought their current, stage-filling lineup that really warmed up the crowd with their fun, Fall-esque post punk party jams. Yr Knives, a new-ish group out of Chicago that also featured Douglas McCombs, filled the middle slot with some heady jams. Half their set sounded like Crazy Horse jams and the other half featured more gentle, jazzy sonic explorations that helped ease the group from American Cream Band’s frantic hustle into the razor sharp grooves of BASIC.