See Through Dresses with Dsoedean and Dan Mariska and the Boys Choir at the Rendezvous | Photo Essay

words and images by Layne Gabriel

On a quiet Tuesday night in St. Joseph, Mo., despite the lure of free beer, the Rendezvous (known affectionately to locals as “The Vous”) was fairly empty.  On many other occasions, this would seem grim, but members of See Through Dresses, Minneapolis’ Dan Mariska and the Boys Choir and hometown favorites Dsoedean initially seemed more concerned about the smoke quickly overtaking the desolate streets outside from a nearby vacant house fire.  

See Through Dresses

Aside from being the headliner, See Through Dresses pulled the entire show together simply with their connections. Having hosted Dsoedean on the bill at a few Omaha shows with Millions of Boys, it was logical for Bertuldo to bring this project to St. Joe as part of the group’s “spring break tour” through Iowa, Missouri and Kansas before returning to Omaha on Friday.  Bertuldo, guitarist/vocalist Mathew Carroll and drummer Nate Van Fleet brought their energetic A-game for the band’s first show in the city with a set heavy on tracks from their 2013 self-titled album, however they managed to slip in their own cover when Bertuldo asked the audience if anyone knew Nirvana’s “Territorial Pissings” and was joined onstage by Costa, Goff and Floyd for a rousing rendition.  Completing a rather exclusive-feeling evening with “You Get Sick Again,” See Through Dresses’ energetic (and perhaps slightly destructive) stage presence made the show all the more memorable.  

 

Dan Mariska and the Boys Choir

Dan Mariska and the Boys Choir had toured in January with See Through Dresses, however this was the first time Mariska had played St. Joe in any capacity in the Minnesotan’s expansive career.  Along with guitarist Nick Costa, bassist Andy Sanford and drummer Kevin Goff, Mariska delivered a mix of older songs and tracks from the band’s newest effort, Bummer Songs.  An impressive frontman with great chemistry with the rest of his band, Mariska exchanged playful banter with them and the slowly growing audience between pumping out infectious post-punkish, college-rockish, yet-also-sort-of-pop jams and punctuating the set with a cover of Weezer’s “El Scorcho,” with the help of Sara Bertuldo of See Through Dresses and closing with a final song.  

 

Dsoedean

After a few others trickled in, Zale Bledsoe, frontman of Dsoedean, took it upon himself to start the night alone for three songs, setting the expectation for an intimate evening.  Later flanked by drummer Bobby Dean Floyd and bassist Cody Hudson, the band blew through a solid set as though the Vous was packed with more than just the other bands and a few loyal friends sipping PBR and dragging on cigarettes — the novelty of which was mentioned numerous times throughout the night.  Bledsoe maintained a lighthearted tone, even joking, “We all should, like, buy each other’s merch,” between pounding out emotionally-charged songs including “Protect Her,” which has enjoyed some exposure on Kansas City’s 96.5 The Buzz, and fan favorite “Climb a Fence.” The set wrapped up with a new punkish track, the frenetic “Body of Water,” which the band recorded in Omaha with members of See Through Dresses in December for a pending release.  

An early start to the night meant an early end, which led to enjoyable chatter and bonding amongst the bands and audience, the aforementioned merch exchange, a few entertaining sing-alongs to Alanis Morrisette and The Verve on the jukebox, enthusiastically competitive rounds of shuffleboard and countless empty beer cans and stubbed out cigarettes.  As we trickled out the door of the Vous shortly after 1 a.m., the smoke from the fire had dissipated, leaving a crisp, clear sky splattered with stars you only get to see in small cities like St. Joe.  

Layne Gabriel spends way too much in gas money to see shows in St. Joe, despite all the awesome shows in Omaha.  Contact her at laynegabriel@yahoo.com.