Recap: MMYYKK, REIKI, XINA, and ZORA at Amsterdam
by Cat Grimm and Bump Opera
April 23, 2024
The third show in The Current’s Minnesota Music Month series was an evening at Amsterdam Bar and Hall hosted by Carbon Sound. Friday night’s event in the heart of St. Paul featured local musicians aligned with Carbon Sound’s mission of showcasing the depth and breadth of Black music.
With a lineup featuring some of the Twin Cities’ most innovative artists, the energy was high. Carbon Sound’s Sanni Brown warmly welcomed the crowd with infectious excitement, and the night was officially underway.
The first act to grace the stage was ZORA, who greeted the audience with an ear-to-ear smile. Joined by dancers Rachel Babirye and Suzette Gilreath, she started the night off with a highly choreographed performance. On drums was Glory Yard, who acted as both a balancing and amplifying force for ZORA’s production skills.
ZORA’s performance featured songs from her first project, Z1, and glimpses of an upcoming project called Bella Donna due later this year. A devoted crowd sang along with both the released and unreleased songs, during the intimate set. ZORA finished her set with “RUNNITUP,” the song she credits for getting her a Rolling Stone writeup and record deal. She dedicated the song to “Black and brown femme queens” with a reminder that “…we’re not going anywhere.” The cheering crowd roared back in nothing but agreement.
Next up was XINA. She entered alone and veiled in white, slowly moving through the mist on stage, leaving the audience hanging onto every red-heeled step. Midway through her first song, Colin Mitchel AKA Rawtwhylah on drums, Beck Madson on bass, and Leo Dreis AKA Marvelous on keys joined her onstage.
Throughout her performance, XINA shifted seamlessly. One second, she was balanced on a stool placed center stage. Later, she twisted in time to the beat. And soon after, she was pulling a haunting melody from the strings of a guitar. Her accompanying band played in concordance with her powerful vocals, movement, and production. As the set progressed it slowly got more stripped down and the crowd leaned in. Poised and deeply intentional, XINA gave a truly unforgettable performance.
REIKI then came to the stage, supported by Jon Lundquist on drums, Aaron Levin on bass, and Nathan Levin on guitar. Under deep blue lights, he started at a melancholy pace, eyes clenched tight, with vulnerable lyrics wrapped in confident vocals. About halfway through his set, REIKI disappeared off the stage.
When he bounded back, there was an immediate shift in energy. The lights went red and the set took a decisive turn towards punk. “WHERE’S MY RAGERS” was the rallying cry the crowd needed to start opening the floor for a mosh pit. The room filled with screaming guitar, driving bass, and frantic drums. Over the course of his next three songs, Reiki’s powerful voice pulled more people into the mosh – and then he threw himself in, too. He returned to the stage for his last song, still radiating pure energy. It was incredible to witness.
For the final set of the night, MMYYKK began by inviting the crowd into conversation. Rawtwhylah returned to the stage on drums with Jalyn Spencer on bass, Omar AbdulKarim on trumpet, and Kavyesh Kaviraj on keys. Center stage, MMYYKK sat behind his synthesizers. Together, the group beautifully melded their instruments with MMYYKK’s vocals.
Over the course of his set, MMYYKK and his band musically engaged the room with unabashed honesty about being Black in the U.S., “allies” not doing enough for Black communities, and waiting for love. The direct transfer of energy was palpable: couples held each other and the crowd moved their bodies. Melodic, inviting, and exuding warmth, MMYYKK’s set was love in motion.
A phenomenal night for Minnesota music, each artist shone in their own lane with unique sounds, innovative techniques, and remarkable stage presence. The boundaries between genres were broken down as each artist created something wholly their own.
