The last Wednesday of January, we drove out to Eau Claire, Wis. to see the first show of locally-acclaimed Landon Conrath’s tour: “Nothing Matters Anyway.” We drove the hour and a half out to Eau Claire talking and laughing in the car, excited for a night out of the city. In the crowd, we watched with eager attention, enjoying the company of other small groups of friends that had made it out.
This tour is Conrath’s longest headlining tour to date, featuring a wide array of indie-pop openers at the 24 shows. The Minneapolis-based artist set up at The Plus, an intimate concert venue often used for comedy sets, which Conrath poked fun at throughout the evening.
Joining him on the stage was surprise opener Caleb Dee, guitarist for Conrath. Conrath accompanied on the drums while Conrath’s drummer played keys, giving the crowd a fun reshuffling of Conrath’s band and showing off their impressive musical range. Dee’s voice and infectious energy filled the small venue with renditions of hits from his collection such as “KEROSENE” and “SOMETHING IN BETWEEN.” Dee also treated the crowd to some unreleased tunes, something Conrath and his second opener, Aiden Intro, did as well.
Aiden Intro — the musical project of another Minneapolis-based indie-pop artist Aiden Hengel — released his EP “Not Bad” in 2022. The title track, composed of atmospheric instrumentals, sets the tone for his music and performance style. His singles “Bike Lock” and “Up Here,” released in the subsequent two years, both take on a relaxed, groovy feel, incorporating notes of jazz into indie-pop. Aiden Intro’s band, featuring Anna Devine ’24 as an accompanying singer, created an atmosphere of serene fun.
“What Do You Want to Do?” and “June” were highlights of the evening. These songs were incredibly lighthearted and danceable, making for a perfect introduction for strangers to his music. Despite having never listened to his music before attending, we left fans.
The three artists, all friends on and off the stage and backed by friends within their bands, added to the environment of the evening. Hengel and Aiden Intro guitarist, Nate Walker, joined Dee on stage for the last song of his set, crooning a harmony together before Walker and Dee battled it out on their guitars. Members of each band supported the others from the audience and during Aiden Intro’s set, the front of the crowd was dominated by their own friends, who all knew the lyrics and sang along with a joy that could only be for the people you love.
Conrath closed out the night, playing a 21-song set that spanned his discography (but much to our dismay excluded our personal favorite: “July”). He expertly took his generally laidback yet emotive music and changed things around, adding new intros, changing the key and playing a set you could not help but move to.
Conrath, started his career in 2020 with EP “Paperbacks and Perfume,” and has since released two more EPs and a full-length album titled “Nothing Matters Anyway,” which the tour is named after. Most recently, Conrath shared single “Replay,” released the day after his show at The Plus, and of which we were privy to an advance playing.
Even if the audience was bigger, Conrath’s appeal would be the same — he’s willing to make fun of himself and try things out. For the first time in concert, Conrath played acoustic renditions of two songs: “Broken” and “Funeral Home,” whose studio recording features Ber, another Minnesota-based singer. The short interlude ended up being a special moment between Conrath and the audience, the vulnerable lyrics striking a chord with everyone watching.
Recurring motifs in Conrath’s music are memories of a trip to Malibu, the anxiety around growing up and getting things right and relationships with others and himself, bringing a sense of relatability to his character. His comprehensive musical background shines through in his arrangement and compositions, and his personality in his vulnerable lyricism and ability to meld cynicism and melancholy with fun.
If you’re interested in seeing this incredible show for yourself, get tickets to see Landon Conrath at his final stop on tour — Fine Line in Minneapolis on Apr. 26. Openers have not been announced yet.
