By Jodi Root

I have a lot of friends who play in bands—as we all do–so I know I’m not the only one who’s been in the delicate position of walking the fine line of supportive friend and valid fan of the jams in question. It’s not that tricky of a situation, really, fun is never too far when friends, flowing alcohol and loud beats are all enclosed in the same quarters—but what happens when you’re able to forget for a moment, that the jumping bodies on the stage are the same people you threw back a pitcher of PBR with the other night, and you separate them as their new secret, musical identities? This particular level of awareness has always been a blockade for myself, and until last night, I was never able to put myself in this new perspective—achieving both the status of friend AND fan.

Power pop heroes We Became Actors owned the stage last evening at Minneapolis’ very own Kitty Cat Klub. While they may have not been the headliners of the ball, their signature catchy hooks and undeniable energy claimed the night as theirs—shining in the midst of an otherwise garagey, typical rock dive atmosphere. WBA played a lively nine song set, showcasing tracks from their upcoming anticipated late summer debut release “This is Where We Stand.” From the slower ballad sounds of “Never Ready,” to the undeniably addictive, upbeat hooks of “Swimming Pools,” front man Jesse Stensby led his musical posse through a seamless 50 minute set, no holds barred. Amidst some wicked, U2esque guitar action courtesy the skills of Christian Dahlager, Stensby worked the mic, crooning to save his life, while Bassist Paula Ward held down the beats’ foundation, as drummer Mike Hinton went all Animal on their asses.

Clapping a plenty, (and even a cowbell!), WBA pulled no shortcuts on giving the crowd their all in their performance—with their mad leap action and most importantly, smiles, you could tell this quartet was genuinely enjoying themselves, having as much fun playing their live set as their fans had observing. It wasn’t until the gang came back down to join me for a cocktail, post sweaty and rock star antics aside (kicked cocktails, flung glasses, floor/crowd mingling), that I recalled my original reason for coming—as a friend. The fact that I was able to forget this, and genuinely meant it when I said, “Great show, guys,” proved that We Became Actors just helped me become a fan. Definitely keep your eyes and ears open for these rockers, you won’t regret it.

Myspace: We Became Actors