“Breaking the Balls of History”: Quasi at 7th Street Entry

A two-member psycho-pop band from Portland, Oregon, Quasi made their way over to 7th Street Entry. Minneapolis should be so lucky.

By Bianca Llerena

Phonetically pronounced “kwa-zee,” this real-deal indie rock band roped in their dynamic fanbase at 7th Street Entry on a Tuesday night this September 12th. With their iconic “QUASI” poster hung up on stage and both members of the band selling their merchandise at the counter, opener Ava Mendonza played her heavy rock/improvised jazz music. Thankfully for the late-comers, tickets were still available at the door for just $20. Then, Quasi came to the stage.

Right away, they opened up with “Last Long Laugh,” a classic song from their newest album “Breaking the Balls of History.” Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss, both on vocals, seemed at home on the small stage and with the loving crowd; they completely let loose and rocked their setlist. Their idiosyncratic rock sound paired with their balmy energy created a heated energy that permeated the atmosphere. The concertgoers beamed with excitement.

Their loud techno rocksichord and drums pounded through the little venue and people started to dance. The crowd was somewhat sparse with green “Quasi” t-shirts appearing now and again. As they played, watching Sam Coomes on the keyboard was invigorating: he sang with gusto and passion, closing his eyes from time to time, melting with the music. Janet Weiss on the drums was equally powerful as she carried the tempo throughout the show with her percussion. A few times throughout the set, Sam would use one of his hands, sometimes lifting his foot, to hover over the electronic color-changing theremin sitting on his keyboard, which gave off an eerie and somewhat vocal sound. At one point, he was playing the keyboard completely with his knees. Their stage presence brought a whole new cinematic experience to their already expressive music; an almost interactive vision to watch.

This psycho-pop sound carried on throughout the entire concert, and in between songs, Sam and Janet commented how their setlist was largely improvised on the spot. They played a few songs back to back, only pausing for a few seconds in between each to get set up and to talk to the crowd. Songs from “Breaking the Balls of History” was intertwined with their other classics, the most well-known coming from “Featuring “Birds”” and “When The Going Gets Dark.” These three main albums were greatly appreciated by the overall fans, as every song was followed by applause and cheering. Quasi had fulfilled their promise.

Quasi’s live sound tended to slightly deviate from their studio versions, with Sam and Janet yelling louder at certain lyrics or improvising fun closings to some songs. Their voices, however, were carbon copies of their recorded songs. Unfortunately, because of 7th Street Entry’s size, sound tends to be muffled, and at times, their voices would be harder to interpret and separate from their instruments. This didn’t completely ruin the experience, but definitely impacted the ease with which one sings along with the artist. Throughout the entire performance, you could see both Sam and Janet watching each other, communicating through their eyes, as they planned when to end a song and at times, blending it seamlessly into the next. On stage and on the floor, the venue was filled with admiration for Quasi. Nearing the end of their performance, Sam and Janet asked the audience which songs they wanted to hear instead of going backstage and waiting to be called back for an encore. Even their last song to play, “Peace and Love,” was sung to completion just as devotedly as their first.

After a completely rocking show, Sam and Janet returned to the merchandise booth selling stickers, CDs, t-shirts, and vinyl. Price-wise, bumper stickers reading “I want to be breaking the balls of history with Quasi” went for $5, “Mole City” CDs for $14, t-shirts for $25, and vinyl for $23. The prices for merchandise that qualified for signing were far from unreasonable. Following this concert, Quasi is completing their tour in Wisconsin, Missouri, and Chicago. Overall, the show was chock-full of energy, passion, and Quasi’s beloved psychedelic noise as they outperformed their iconic studio sound and totally rocked the 7th Street Entry stage.