RHINO SHRINE "MONDAY NIGHT LIVE" REVIEW

It’s incredibly difficult to describe the sound of Rhino Shrine, part blues, at times grunge vocals, quite a bit of funk, and oh yeah, there is a trumpet as well. As scattered as all this seems on paper Rhino Shrine blends it into a tight alternative sound that is unique to them and it’s on full display on “Monday Night Live,” their live radio album recorded at KVSC in St. Cloud. Mostly new songs, the track list feels more like a set list, with a blend of a few old songs mixed in, and two covers, “Zoot Suit” originally by The High Numbers and a very on point cover of “Burndt Jamb” originally a Weezer song. The album shows it’s diversity early on by kicking off with “Intro/JMV (RIP)” a laid back jam that then moves into a groovy trumpet and guitar led instrumental called “Sweet Peach,” then on to the aptly named “#3” where the rock influences become more apparent. At the halfway point in the album KVSC does a little interview with Rhino Shrine where we get introduced to the band, learn a bit of their history, and find out who makes breakfast. After the brief intermission we quickly dive back into the music with classic rock vibes on “Nice 2 Meet U,” and then another bluesy instrumental “Jam of Spiders” before moving into my favorite of the previously released songs, “Koala Man.” My favorite new track is the rocker “Get Outta My Hair,” which you can preview below, however my favorite lyric of the album comes off “Larry White” when Gavin sings “Oh my God, it’s Jesus with a flamethrower,” just conjures such a hilariously great image. The thing that strikes me about this album is that every song I find my self tapping my toe or wiggling my foot to groove along, even when passively listening and doing something else I end up moving along with the groove. No matter how I felt before listening to this album, by the end it was almost impossible not to be in a good mood. Perhaps that’s the best way to describe Rhino Shrine’s sound, as just good vibes.

Rhino Shrine:
Gavin Jarl – Vocals/Guitar
Bud Hjelmberg – Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals
Adam Trelstad – Keys/Trumpet/Backing Vocals
Ben Ranney – Bass
Martin Corral - Drums

(Melodic Noise) How’s your day going?
(Rhino Shrine) Same as it ever was

(MN) How do you define your genre?
(RS) Alt. Rock Plus or Minus some stuff. Take a listen.

(MN) What’s Rhino Shrine’s origin story?
(RS) Me, Bud, Gavin and Martin played as The Crak Pots, but then we picked ourselves up a Ben and became Rhino Shrine

(MN) Label?
(RS) Nature Valley Granola Bars, if they’ll have us

(MN) What is the name of the new album?
(RS) Named after KVSC St. Cloud’s Monday Night Live show, where we played on air and recorded this album live

(MN) Lyrically what stands out on the album?
(RS) They’re not Political or Scientifical, they’re what you make of it Andrew

(MN) What was the inspiration behind the album?
(RS) I collect records and listen to full albums, and we wanted to create a setlist for this show that felt like that. More of a continuous show as opposed to just some songs, so we tried to play without stopping as long as possible

(MN) What do you hope people take away from the album?
(RS) The want to see us live

(MN) Is there something that connects the songs together?
(RS) I mean the songs themselves are connected as much as possible to keep any silence away, but this was kind of our first full set as the new band. We’ve written some more lately that we’re integrating in, but these songs all felt like they worked together well.

(MN) Are you all locals or transplants?
(RS) Four Locals, One Transport. Martin moved from Ecuador at 11, then again at 18

(MN) What are some of your influences and Minnesota influences?
(RS) Go For Retro, Night Moves, Vince Vaughn, Tabah, Purple Funk Metropolis, The Suburbs, Sal Paradise, Cory Wong

(MN) Do you have a favorite current Twin Cities’ artist?
(RS) The Trashmen. They still play, right?

(MN) What is you favorite venue to play at and see shows at in the Twin Cities?
(RS) Favorite to play lately has been The Junk Drawer, to see shows would be 331 club, the varsity, or First Ave & 7th Street

(MN) What can fans expect when they come to your show?
(RS) Trumpet

(MN) Favorite/crazy memory of playing a show?
(RS) When we fucked up The Dig’s kick drum at 7th street so we offered to smoke him up but he rejected it and told us to “Be careful.” It was fuckin hilarious.

(MN) Who are your dream tourmates?
(RS) Ron Gallo and The Chats

(MN) Any other hobbies?
(RS) Frolfing, Pool, Rock Climbing… Bud makes movies, and Gavin makes a mean breakfast

(MN) What do you like about living in the Twin Cities?
(RS) Double the cities double the fun, double the trees double the sun.
Double me once, shame on you, double me twice, this place is nice

(MN) Is there anything that sets the Twin Cities scene apart from places you’ve toured?
(RS) I mean we’ve played in Boone Iowa… We have buildings that are three stories or more so that’s nice

(MN) Favorite places to grab food or drink in the Twin Cities?
(RS) 331 Club, Kitty Cat Klub, El Taco Riendo, Chimboraza, Shueng Cheng’s are some good options

(MN) Day jobs?
(RS) Martin works at a Travel Agency, Bud at a Production Company, Gavin works at a church and his direction is uncertain right now so this question makes him nervous, Ben is a student, and I (Adam) go to the U of M and work as a live/studio sound engineer.

(MN) What are the band’s plans for the future?
(RS) We hope to be the first band to play at the new Wal-Mart in Brooklyn Center, other than that we’re just gonna keep writing and keep playing. Maybe some more singles coming later this year…

You can see Rhino Shrine Live:
4/27 - University of Minnesota “Lodgeapalooza
5/30 - Rowhouse with Sale Paradise, Atomic Cafe, and The Aftergreens

Check out the exclusive sneak peak of “Get Outta My Hair” and you can check out Rhino Shrine’s previous music on Spotify and Bandcamp.

Review and Interview by: Andrew Perrizo
Edited by: G Blu