NonCOMM Recap: The Cactus Blossoms bring us back to open up day three

The Cactus Blossoms | photo by Sydney Schaefer for WXPN

Folk duo The Cactus Blossoms hail from Minneapolis, but they could just as well be from the late 50’s. The band, which consists of Jack Torrey and Page Burkum both singing and playing guitar, just released their debut album You’re Dreaming. The songs play out as skiffley, old-time rock and roll in a vein of Buddy Holly or Roy Orbison, serving as a perfect opening statement for NonCOMM day three.

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The Blossoms started with album opener “Stoplight Kisses,” giving off the old-fashioned vibe in not just their music but their visual aesthetic as well. They followed then with the early-Beatles reminiscent “Powder Blue” and the bopping “Clown Collector,” where the duo sings, “history repeats all the time.” The band may be using the sound of the 50’s, but its funneled through a modern perspective that keeps it feeling fresh.

“Well we’re from Minneapolis where the Missisippi River begins, and I wrote this song about jumping into the river,” said vocalist Jack Torrey before they jumped into a performance of “Missisippi”. “Don’t jump in during the winter, because you’re not gonna make a splash.”

They finished their set with “Change Your Ways Or Die,” but the band don’t need to change their ways: their sound is totally for them.

Setlist
Stoplight Kisses
Powder Blue
Clown Collector
Queen of them ALl
Mississippi
Change Your Ways or Die (The Buffalo Song)