Patches and Gretchen are undeniably less averse to risk than most local bands. 2011 was a year that brought them the attention of larger audiences. They performed a few live telethon shows in the parking lot of CK Food and Fuel. They performed a live variety show called Headquarters and Dimes at the Loring Theater. They opened for Aimee Mann at the Dakota Jazz Club and were back again for a Halloween show of their own.
Traditionalists sometime ignore the band because their performances can be a little different than what the Twin Cities is used to seeing. At CK Food and Fuel, for example, Gretchen Seichrist filled the time by reading the menu for the next door Chinese restaurant with the band playing soulfully behind her. On stage, the band is not afraid to play dress-up - the males wear chiffon dresses, Seichrist may be wearing orange face paint, a wedding gown - sometimes the costumes aren’t even real street clothes.
Patches and Gretchen have released a few albums and one might wonder how they transcribe their unique talents to a recording.
Well, they do and they don’t. Their second album, I Steal Carrots, is more accessible for the mainstream audience. Songs like “Troublemaker” and “That’s Not News” are lyrically reminiscent of Bob Dylan songs like “Highway 61 Revisited.” Instrumentally, the songs are basic blues rock, the style that mixes well with so many genres.
But, don’t think that I Steal Carrots is all serious and proper music meant to sound like their idols. For example, “Worst Lost Blues,” is a great song that seriously rocks. Yet, it has the Patches and Gretchen elements that fans want. “Rattle my chains,” yells Seichrist at the beginning with the ball and chain rattle behind her. The guitar slides throughout the song add to the melancholy lyrics, but also keep the music rattling your ear drums.
In “Forward Thinking,” Gretchen Seichrist tells us, “Whatever you need, I got the hat,” which is fitting for all of the artistic endeavors that she and the band carry on. Then, she giggles through the line, “To be shut out of the sensual world, now baby that’s cold said the polar bear, the marble statue of Lennon, Liberace, and Carravaggio” in great Patches and Gretchen style. It feels as though the album may be as ad libbed as the live shows.
Gretchen Seichrist has worked diligently to make her art matter to the public. Her songs are true folk and blues rock not just instrumentally, but often lyrically. Seichrist is the epitome of the troubadour. She has the spirit of the travelling musician, singing about love, lust, broken hearts and broken dreams. She has the gift of not just talent but chutzpah to believe in her skill enough to absolutely pour herself into her art. Local audiences are slowly discovering the ingenuity of Patches and Gretchen. Stop by the Patches and Gretchen website to find them at a local show near you in 2012.
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