ICYMI: Rock N’ Roll Takeover Rocks the Hook and Ladder

My scenester/hipster/whatever card was already pretty yellowed and frayed before COVID hit, and without dwelling too much on the ongoing global disaster, I’ll just say I was thinking I was pretty much retired from the “going to shows” thing. Whether for fun or gig or both, I had a hard time seeing a future where I would find myself in a crowd listening to live local music.

Obviously, many things in the world have changed over the last few years. But when my friends in the Fret Rattles announced the Rock N’ Roll Takeover, a night of music with six other bands and two DJs at the Hook and Ladder in Minneapolis, I thought it might be a good way to get back into a room full of live music. Turns out I wasn’t the only one.

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Held on April 8, 2022, the event crammed lots of rock action into one night. Both rooms at the venue were pleasantly filled with vax-confirmed rock fans eager to get together and kick out the jams. Supermodified started things off with a set of garage rock to celebrate the release of their new 7-inch. Devils Teeth, up from Milwaukee, delivered their own set of rumbling garage rock with a super sax addition. Crossing over to the Mission Room, pandemic punk supergroup Mad Mojo Jett filled the room and the stage with their brand of garage trash soul. There was just enough time to grab a quick beer on my way back to the Hook and Ladder main stage to catch the singular, blistering, and legendary band the Short Fuses.

While the majority of the crowd and the musicians were what you could call “long-standing” members of the local scene, none of them seemed willing to call it a night quite yet. Another trip back to the Mission Room saw New Rocket Union celebrate their full-length release to a packed room of rockers still going strong. Minneapolis rock legends and legitimate godfathers of Twin Cities rock action known as the Mighty Mofos kept the crowd moving and got them primed for the full rock fury that was about to happen. The Fret Rattles hit the stage and didn’t stop going full tilt until Billy Batson of the Mighty Mofos joined them for a singular cover of MC5’s “Kick Out the Jams.”

In summary, the Rock N’ Roll Takeover was the sort of reunion you want to go to—a night full of damn good bands, good friends, and the kind of musical energy that just won’t quit.