By Jared Gudnason

Writer/Reporter

Cloudland theater, at 3533 Lake St. E., is one of the best, and simultaneously most intimate, venues in the independent Twin Cities ecosystem. That Wednesday night, my phone pinged with a message from Instagram, from Ryan Traster, who cultivated a good friendship via that social network, with an invite to the show the following day. The theater (which I’ve briefly addressed before in pieces) has a maximum capacity of less than 200 patrons, and within the season is the elder neighbor to Extreme Noise Records, a fixture in Minneapolis since at least 1994.  

Traster has released three solo record albums, “Get Easy”(2014), “Chooses Obscures”(2019), “Low Mirada”(2022), and consistently provides his fanbase with either singles or extended plays (aka EPs). He was (and possibly still is) the bassist for locals “Small Towns Burn a Little Slower”, MN rock-and-roll since the early 2000s. His newest EP, “Lifers”, was released internationally the day after, on Friday. Unlike when I was growing up, when new releases occurred on Tuesday, Friday releases are now the industry standard. A proponent of physical media, Traster had copies of the EP on compact disc, an incredibly wise move as far as tangibility is concerned. Consisting of five new songs, the EP title is great because, in one word, it addresses Traster’s artistic ethic to procure invested audiences. His composition has been one that is incredibly truthful, apparent to in-between-song stage banter even, as the group hurriedly exited after comments about US Christianity and cult-like behavior. That aside, the musicians performed well.

While now a MN band, direct support came from (in this humble opinion, legends) We Are the Willows, consistently active since 2007 and originally from Wisconsin. A project by singer/guitarist Peter Miller, they have three albums, “A Collection of Sounds and Something Like The Plague” (2009), “Picture (Portrait)”(2015), and “Who We Are, and Where Are We Now”( 2019). I was right at home after an “A Collection” song was played, one I had not heard in close to 10 years if not longer. We are the Willows’ drummer was (and/or still is) the drummer in Traster’s old act “Small Towns Burn a Little Slower”. Truly a full-circle night, and y’all, check out local scenes. Traster’s music can be purchased at ryantraster.bandcamp.com. Stop by on a Friday when musicians collect 100 percent of the profits.