05.11.23 – Photos and Review by Julia Gacek

From garages in his college town to large stages all over the Twin Cities, local favorite Colin Bracewell knows how to put on a show wherever he is performing. Colin, accompanied by his bandmates; Joe (drums), Cole (bass, guitar, and background vocals), and Nate (trumpet, bass, and background vocals) headlined the new Uptown Minneapolis music venue Green Room on Thursday, May 11th. I had the chance to sit down with Colin before his show to chat about the release of his new single “Falling 4 U.”

Jules: Tell me about the new song “Falling 4 U.” What inspired it and what was the process of making it?

Colin: I actually got the idea for the chorus, and wrote the chorus, last summer when I was on tour in Nashville. I let it sit a while, and then finished it around November. I was really busy at that time and just thought I had been in enough studios at the time to kind of know what does and doesn’t work. So, I had all the equipment and just thought why not record it at my house in Dinkytown? I worked on it on my laptop in my bedroom, and that’s kind of what I’ve spent the last 3 months working on. 

Jules: You’ve been playing the song for a few months now at shows, how does it feel for it to be out?

Colin: Yeah, we’ve played it quite a bit. Everyone has been asking when it was coming out, so it feels so good to have it finally be out. 

Jules: What does your creative process look like when making a new song or working on a new project? 

Colin: It’s the melody first, then the lyrics, and the feelings kind of come normally when I’m like laying in bed at night. When that happens I’m normally up for a few hours and will just work on it. Sometimes I can just write a whole song in a session, but this one (the new single), was like nope, I just wrote the chorus first. Then I spent a couple months just working away at the song, and working on the recording process. 

Jules: So it can take a long time for one project?

Colin: For this one it did cause I knew the chorus was really good. I wanted to make sure it was good. Actually, right before I finished recording it I changed the second verse, so it was actually a different verse that everyone has been hearing the last few months at shows. 

Jules: What are you most excited for, for this show in particular?

Colin: Just everything. Super excited that The Current is sponsoring, excited to play this new venue, excited to play with these bands especially. Two of them are from Minneapolis, one from Milwakuee, and it’s his first time playing here, which is so cool. It’s just a super cool community that we have going on here. So many people have been so helpful. It just is so incredible and everyone has been so nice. I’m super excited. 

With people showing up right as the doors opened, the energy at Green Room was electric. Before Colin hit the stage later in the evening, the tone was set by three opening acts. First up was Emmett Mulrooney, a local Milwaukee musician. As he started his set with such a fun tone, the crowd moved right up to the stage. Emmett played multiple of his most popular songs, encouraging the crowd to join in, and even doing some call and response to teach them the lyrics. Emmett’s energy was contagious, and as his set concluded the crowd was buzzing and ready for more.

As Emmett wrapped up, the crowd did not have to wait long for another energetic set. Up next was Silver Warehouse, a local MN group. As they hit the stage and more people arrived at the venue, the room was filling up quickly. This group’s sound and overall vibe was incredible. Every band member on stage looked to be having so much fun jamming out. They performed their popular songs “The Mood”, “Saint”, “Peace Signs” and also “Renaissance” which is off of their latest album “Golden Days.” The vocals, guitar riffs, and energy from the whole band was something special. The crowd could be seen clapping and bouncing along as they listened on with the set finishing. 

The next group to hit the stage was Present Company, another local MN group. This set was filled with power slides, guitar solos, and so much fun. From the first song to the last, this band had the whole venue jamming along with them. They kept everyone’s attention to the front as they played some of their popular songs such as “Dead Plants”, “Prickly”, and “I Can’t Turn It Off”, all of which are on their self titled album that was released last year. Hands were clapping, people were cheering, the crowd was dancing, and even the bartenders were jamming along. This group’s energy was truly fantastic and was such a great way to wrap up the opening sets before Colin hit the stage.

With the room full from the upstairs balcony and bar, to the whole lower floor, everyone was ready for Colin and his crew to take the stage. The stage was set with a living room vibe, filled with lamps, twinkly lights, a record player, and plenty of plants. The lights were warm and low as Colin and his band came on, the crowd was so loud as they walked on that I had to put my ear plugs in. The set began with some acoustic songs and everyone was swaying along. It felt as if we were in his living room, with the way the stage was set and how warm and inviting his sound was. Watching on, it could be seen that Colin and his band have such a great bond. They all were so excited and happy to be there, and you could feel it. They were all sharing moments jamming with, and smiling at, each other from across the stage, as the energy grew through Colin’s set. A favorite moment was when they played a surprise acoustic cover of “Little Red Corvette” by Prince that had the entire audience singing along.

As the set progressed, from beginning with some of his popular acoustic songs and a surprise cover, to his more upbeat hits, more and more people made their way down to the main floor to dance along. With some of his most well known songs like “Making Me Crazy”, “Autumn”, and “Slopes”, the crowd was clapping and dancing along with Colin and the band. 

As the set was coming to a close, the crowd was surprised with three new songs, two of which are unreleased. Colin wrapped up the night by taking a moment to thank everyone that had supported him throughout the night. It was quite obvious just how grateful he was for everyone in the room. The night was ended with the reason for the whole event; the release of his new song “Falling 4 U” and as Colin was playing it, he was smiling almost the entire time. You could tell that he was so excited to be performing it now that it was officially released. With the other opening bands, Colin’s family and friends, and everyone in the building applauding, the night came to a close. 

Colin’s vocals were so strong and clean, he truly sounded amazing. He was focused and passionate as he transitioned from song to song. His band was incredible as well. Joe on drums could be seen rocking out so hard that he had to take his jacket off. Cole bopped and swayed along, always smiling as he played. Nate captured the room with some smooth trumpet solos, which the crowd loved. All together, the sound that was created by Colin and his crew was magical.